you need to restart your computer now

[bemylover]

i got this message 3 times in last 2 days. the screen turns grey and i get this message in several languages and i can do nothing except shutting my ibook down.

does anyone know what can be causing this? it never happened before and the only new thing i've installed is iTunes 6.01.

 

[jsw]

It's due to a kernel panic, which is never good but might not be too bad. Is your iBook still under warranty?

 

[mkrishnan]

If your laptop is under warranty and you have access to an Apple store, absolutely take it in and tell them nicely, but firmly, to fix it. That's unacceptable.

If it isn't under warranty, have you installed third party RAM? Bad RAM upgrades seem to be the most common cause of frequent crashes.

The other thing you should do is spotlight a file called "panic.log" -- when you click on it, it will open in Console. It will be a text file, and should have an entry for each "kernel panic," or crash. Each entry starts with a date stamp, which looks like this:

*********

Wed Aug 17 16:13:15 2005

If you find this file, post the last entry. Sometimes it can reveal if a specific piece of software or a specific hardware deficit you have is causing this.

 

[bemylover]

It's due to a kernel panic, which is never good but might not be too bad. Is your iBook still under warranty?

yes, it is. should i ask them to fix it?

also, it never happened before during 2 months i've owned it, and now 3 times in last 2 days. what is that?

 

[bemylover]

i did install 1 gb RAM from crucial, but it worked for about a month with no problems.
***
there is no "panic.log" file. i could not find it in the spotlight.

 

[mkrishnan]

i did install 1 gb RAM from crucial, but it worked for about a month with no problems.

That does happen, unfortunately.... 🙁 If you feel comfortable, take the RAM out and use your computer for some time without it, and see if the KP's go away. The Crucial RAM is not Apple's responsibility.

 

[jsw]

That does happen, unfortunately.... 🙁 If you feel comfortable, take the RAM out and use your computer for some time without it, and see if the KP's go away. The Crucial RAM is not Apple's responsibility.

That's very good advice. And if they don't go away, take your iBook in and tell them you need it to be fixed. KPs shouldn't happen, and it's under warranty, so they should fix it!

 

[bemylover]

if it's due to RAM stick, will crucial replace it for me? i don't want to throw away $160.

 

[jsw]

if it's due to RAM stick, will crucial replace it for me? i don't want to throw away $160.

It almost definitely has a lifetime warranty. And... if not, $160 is less than the cost of a new Mac. 😉

 

[mkrishnan]

if it's due to RAM stick, will crucial replace it for me? i don't want to throw away $160.

Yes, they should -- you should be able to call them and they'll give you swapstructions. 🙂

 

[OutThere]

I got a kernel panic on the first day I had my iBook, but I've never had one since (if you disregard the logic board getting toasted and my screen dying...😛) I'd suggest testing the memory, and then getting it looked at at an Apple store, just to be on the safe side so you don't end up like me, with a fried computer that's out of Applecare. 🙁

 

[bemylover]

ok. thanks, guys 🙂

 

[p0intblank]

Take the Apple Hardware Test (AHT) and see if the RAM comes up bad. I had this problem on my PowerBook due to CompUSA's crappy selection of RAM to give me. 😡

 

[bemylover]

Take the Apple Hardware Test (AHT) and see if the RAM comes up bad. I had this problem on my PowerBook due to CompUSA's crappy selection of RAM to give me. 😡

how do i do that?

 

[mkrishnan]

how do i do that?

Boot off the install / system restore DVD.