On Apr 18, 2010, at 2:22 PM, tentengrrl wrote: > Hi, > > I acquired a used g3 600 iMac running Tiger w/256K RAM b/c I took out one 256 > stick to test my problem. I want to use it for basic internet, Word > docs/Preview, etc and these are generally fine but will crash once in a while. > > The main problem is I can't get the Safari to stay open, it keeps > unexpectedly quitting or freezing but sometimes it's after an hour and other > times, 5 min or 10 seconds. After that happens the other programs MIGHT do > the same thing. > > It was like this when I first got it so I did the combo udpate to Tiger > 10.4.11 and Safari is version 3.0.4 thinking it would help but no. > > Like I said, it's mostly Safari but during my testing of the sticks and slots > by swapping them around, sometimes other programs will unexpectedly quit, I > restart, Safari goes fine, other programs, too, and then a crash. Sometimes, > after using only one stick I think the spinning beach ball freeze is due to > just not enough RAM to load a page? But then I have enough RAM to run iTunes, > Preview, Safari, and stickies all at once. (So I'm not sure. I'm still > learning as I go along! > > When I look at the Problem Report it says Kern_bad_access and Kern-invalid > address, or Kern_bad access and Kern_protection failure. I just can't get a > definite pattern on it b/c it seems so random but sometimes it does ramp up, > crashing quicker and quicker but I can't determine if it's one stick/slot all > the way. I have looked online and this seems not uncommon and to be > attributed to bad RAM to a preferences file all the way to "just totally > random". > > Does anyone have more info on this to shed some light? I was going to buy > more RAM anyway soon but any info pertaining to what might be some other > cause would help a lot. It's driving me crazy. > > I don't have any disks to run hardware tests and I don't really care to drop > a lot of money into this iMac at this time. Is this a lost cause? > > Thanks! > Lisa
Lisa, >From your description, it sounds very much as if you're on the right track >with RAM problems. OS X 10.4 is picky about RAM, and G3 iMacs running Tiger >are even pickier. The two RAM slots in G3 slot-loading iMacs *must* have two >sticks with identical specs to avoid kernel panics and related problems, such >as programs freezing. The sticks can have different amounts of RAM, i.e. 128, >256, 512 MB, but they both must be PC100-322-620 or PC 133-222-620, etc., with >the same latencies. I first try to get two sticks from the same manufacturer (the labels themselves may or may not tell me enough information), then try to match the specs. I aim for at least 384 MB with Tiger, and know it will be happy with 512 MB or more of matching RAM. The only utility I know will tell me if the RAM is compatible with the iMac and with each other is the Apple Hardware Test for iMac, version 1.2 (for a G3/600). So I get a pile of sticks, put a couple in, boot from the AHT disk and check the RAM specs. If they are identical (even if from different manufacturers), then I run the Quick test. If that passes, then I run the Extended. If that passes, then the chances are very good that the iMac will be able to run Tiger without throwing kernel panics, etc., as you have reported. If the tests fail, I substitute one sticks, check the specs, etc. You most likely have mismatched RAM sticks. What happens is that at random moments the operating system or an application will issue a call that can't be parsed because one stick of RAM is running just slightly out of sync with the other one. It's maddening, but the solution is to install a pair of matched sticks, even if they're from different manufacturers. HTH, Jim -- You received this message because you are a member of G-Group, a group for those using G3, G4, and G5 desktop Macs - with a particular focus on Power Macs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to g3-5-list@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/g3-5-list
