Persistent Freezes -

[hermes.trismegistus]

I'm new here, and relatively new to Apples, so please forgive my ignorance.

I've got a dual 1.8 ghz G5 with 1GB RAM (installed by Apple at purchase).

I updated (clean install) from 10.3.9 to 10.4 and my G5 began to crash with increasing frequency. I assumed the problem to be a Java conflict, because Azureus is known to cause problems with dual processor G5s. Azureus had, in the past, caused kernel panics, but after manipulation, it had run reliably for the past six months (on 10.3.9). Hoping that the problem could be resolved by an updated Azureus (after 2.3), I decided to re-install 10.3.3 (which came with the G5), updated to 10.3.9, and began operating as usual. The G5 continued to freeze. I tried leaving the G5 running with no additional applications running. It continued to freeze. I made another clean install of 10.3, updated to 10.3.9, and left the computer run. I did not instally any other software outside of directly from Apple. It continued to freeze. By "freeze" I mean to say that sometimes the screen would go to the "Your computer needs to be restarted. Please hold down the power button to restart" screen and sometimes it would just totally freeze. The cursor would not move. Sometimes this would be accompanied by louder-than-usual fan activity, but not always.

Sometimes it will even freeze before it finishes booting.

I ran Disk Utility and checked/repaired permissions.
I ran Tech Warrior, from the Apple Care pack.
I ran the Hardware Check on the original install disk.
I ran memtest 22 times (looping) with the original RAM configuration.
I switched the RAM and looped it for another 24 sessions.
I reset the PRAM 3 times.
I booted in safe mode.
I removed all devices from the G5 - no iPod, speakers or Internet.
I re-set the firmware.

All this and it still freezes.

I've been watching Activity Monitor to try and see any pattern to the freezes, but the CPU and RAM will be running fine and it will still crash.

I even re-installed 10.4 (clean install), and it froze before I could type a complete sentence in TextEdit, with nothing else running.

To me it doesn't look like a software problem because all I'm running is OSX. But it also doesn't look like a hardware problem because the RAM checks out okay and everything else passes Hardware Check and Tech Warrior.

I'm completely stumped.

I would gladly bring the G5 in for warranty servicing, but the G5 was originally purchased in Canada about a year ago. I now live in Korea, and Apple Korea refuses to service the G5 under warranty - which is limited to country of purchase.

One possibility may be a faulty logic board, and for a dual processor, those are none too cheap. I know of no way of discerning if this is the issue.

I'm hoping some of you Mac Gurus can offer some insight into this truly perplexing delimma.

Namaste.

 

[Satcomer]

Um, try a clean nuke and pave Tiger install. Just make sure you have backup for some the Applications (and serial numbers) you have. Also, did you do a clean install (of 10.4), Archive Install or an Upgrade install?

 

[hermes.trismegistus]

I've done a "clean install" (option 3 on the install process) of Panther 3 times and Tiger 2 times, with no positive results.

I've also run fsck and unpacked the CHUD module, selecting 1 processor mode instead of 2.

 

[Satcomer]

Well, take out any extra RAM that was put into the G5. if that doesn't work, it's hardware (possible logic board). Sorry to be a bad news person.

 

[hermes.trismegistus]

The only RAM in it was installed by Apple. 2 512 sticks.

Is there any way to ascertain whether it is the logic board?

 

[The Ghost]

The only RAM in it was installed by Apple. 2 512 sticks.

Is there any way to ascertain whether it is the logic board?

I think that having done all you have done with no success tells you that it is the logic board.

 

[riccbhard]

Under warranty? Send it back to Apple

 

[hermes.trismegistus]

As mentioned in the OP, it is under warranty in Canada, but Apple Korea refuses to service it under warranty.

They'll service a $2,000 laptop under warranty, but not a $5,000 desktop.

 

[hermes.trismegistus]

There hasn't been much help on this persistent crashing, but perhaps that's due to the puzzling nature of it.

I've used the CHUD app from the developer's tools to switch to a single processor. It still crashes. I've kept system.log and console.log open while it crashed, and it recorded no data at all. Upon restart, when I check system.log, it jumps from normal working to restart. It'll skip the time-window of the crash entirely.

There is absolutely no way that I'm going to pay another $1,000US to get this thing fixed, after paying $5,000 for it to begin with, and another $300 or so for a warranty that does me no good. I'd sell it on ebay and never buy another Apple product before I'd give them another $1,000 (assuming the problem is a logic board or processor).