my 15" powerbook 1.67 ghz keeps freezing and i don't know why. it will freeze when all i have is itunes and maybe ical running. today it froze in class! not good, any ideas? i've barely had it 6 months, if that.
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powerbook G4 keeps freezing!
- Thread starter twoodcc
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lilstewart92 said:
i have been repairing permissions. how do i reset PRAM? how do i run FSCK?
i've also verified disk, and it came out ok
same thing
ive had alot of problems with my laptop freezing (and so has my uncle) all we have done is an archive and install and then everything worked fine but since the last time ( after 10.4.2) everything has been fine.
ive had alot of problems with my laptop freezing (and so has my uncle) all we have done is an archive and install and then everything worked fine but since the last time ( after 10.4.2) everything has been fine.
elisha cuthbert said:
well i actually did an archive and install not too long ago, and everything seemed fine until about a week or so ago. i can't just keep doing archive and install every 3 weeks
Does it just freeze and nothing happens? Or do you get a box telling you to restart the computer?
p0intblank said:
it just freezes and i can't do anything. the clock stops, everything. no box or anything
IJ Reilly said:
thanks, i'll try that. i've never booted in single user mode before, but i'll try to figure it out. i've done the apple hardward test before, and yes i have added more RAM, but not lately. and the RAM passed the hardware tests.
twoodcc said:
Quick instruction: restart, hold down cmd-s until the black screen appears. If you've installed AppleJack, the instructions for running it will appear before the prompt.
Personally though, I'm guessing a hardware problem. I'd suggest removing that RAM and running it that way for a while.
IJ Reilly said:
thanks. i ran it. i don't know what all it did though. do i need to do anything else, now that i've booted back up normally?
i really don't want to take out the ram, i did pay money for it and i want to use my 2 GB's of RAM.
if i still have problems, do you think i should take it to the apple store?
IJ Reilly said:
Sorry for butting into this thread.
That is a Top Tip, IJ Reilly - thanks. I have been using a variety of methods for performing all the various maintenance procedures and hadn't heard of Applejack until you mentioned it. Downloaded and ran it (on my PM G4) and --- brilliant!
Excellent Readme.rtf that comes with the package, including this:
Even though your RAM passed the hardware test, that is still the most likely culprit. You need to take out 3rd party RAM and reinstall the original stick that came with the machine. See if that solves your problem.twoodcc said:
Where did you get the RAM from?
Heb1228 said:
well i have installed 2 - 1 GB sticks myself. they are not the same brand, and i know that's not that good, but before, i had one 512 stick that came with it and 1 gb stick i installed myself, and i never had a problem. a few months later i added another 1 gb stick, and it is corsair value select. i bought it at Fry's Electronics
Corsair does not guarantee their Value Select RAM to work with Macs...could definitely be the problem.
You could download memtest from VersionTracker, and run that. It's a bit of a pain to use, but it does a much deeper test on your RAM than the Hardware Test CD that came with your Mac (which I presume you've already run).
I realize you don't want to give up your extra RAM, but you really need to remove it, if only as a diagnostic method.
I realize you don't want to give up your extra RAM, but you really need to remove it, if only as a diagnostic method.
Any memory with the word "value" in it is a prime candidate for causing problems. I had some Crucial 'value' something or other that was causing problems on my PB a few months ago.twoodcc said:
IJ Reilly said:
thanks, i guess i'll try the memtest. if it passes it then i think the ram is not the problem. let's hope that the applejack fixed the problem. if not, i'll post back
The memory I had passed memtest, but it was sill bad. When I replaced it, all my problems went away.twoodcc said:
Look man, if your Mac keeps crashing, you probably have a hardware problem. If you've reinstalled and it still keeps crashing, then its almost certain.
Heb1228 said:
thanks for letting me know that, but i still wouldn't feel right just throwing away a gig of ram. if it passes the tests, i think it should work, and if it doesn't, then there's something wrong with my laptop.
i did reinstall, but i did an archive and install. we all know that it's better to do a regular reinstall instead, but i will admit that i was suprized at how well i didnt lose anything. much better than windows.
twoodcc said:
Don't throw it away, just take it out. If the Mac stops crashing, then you've found the problem. This should be your first priority!
Reinstalls of OSX rarely solve any problem that couldn't be solved more easily. OSX is much better than Windows because it doesn't auto-hose -- reinstalling should be the last thing you try.
IJ Reilly said:
well i still haven't taken the ram out yet. but i still say that it can't be the ram. i think it might be the logic board.
when it does crash, it usually doesn't crash until it's been on for a few days straight.
should i just take it in the apple store? if it is the logic board or something, what will happen to it?
I'm sorry, but you can't conclude it's not the RAM without actually taking it out. The RAM after all is ON the logic board...twoodcc said:
If you take it to the Apple Store with the Corsair RAM in it , there is a chance they'll just hand the machine back to you with the RAM in a baggie and say "its that nasty third party RAM" - whether it is or isnt. You really want to reinstall the stock Apple RAM before you take it into them.
What will happen depends if it is still under the 1 yr warranty or the optional 3 yr. Applecare. If it is under warranty, they will fix it if it is a broken hardware problem. If it is out of warranty and the logic board needs fixing, then you are looking at $$$$. Unless the machine falls under the extended warranty for the lower memory socket problem, in which case you might be able to argue that it should be covered.
Good Luck
CanadaRAM said:
thanks. it is still under the 1 year warranty. maybe i will take the ram out, even though it just passed the Memtest. it seems like if it passes all of these tests, then it must be the logic board. if take the ram out, and then the problems goes away, it's like i can't put any ram in that slot, and i paid for 2 slots