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odd occurrence

2K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  MacDoc 
#1 ·
For some time now my iMac (early 2008), 2.66g, 2gigs ram) has, for no apparent reason, simply gone blank. Sometimes with a white screen, sometimes it's grey and sometimes it's
a pukey green. This has happened while performing simple tasks ( web surfing) with no other applications running. The other day I left it sitting and returned a half-hour later and it had gone blank all on its own. Apple Care, while I had it until last month, said it was probably a kernel panic so I left it at that. Any ideas please.
p.s. I'm upgrading to 4 gigs of ram tomorrow if this will help. Thanks
 
#2 ·
That is not a Kernel Panic. The "pukey green" description leads me to believe a hardware malfunction of some sort - are you forced to restart the iMac when this happens to get it functional again? If yes, it sounds more like a logic board or display level failure. Of course, we can't make a firm diagnosis over a forum here. It could be RAM, but even failed RAM almost never causes video or display issues like you're describing in my experience.
 
#3 ·
Tech Tool Pro 6 says all is ok with the hardware and the video display. I just have to shut down the computer when this happens and restart. It's happened maybe about 20 times in the past year including while it was covered with Apple Care. Otherwise runs fine. Beats me. Maybe the added RAM will help.
 
#4 ·
While 2GB is really minimal as far as RAM goes, I am guessing you are looking at an intermittent Hardware problem.

If so it will get worse, and diagnosis will become more accurate and easier.
 
#6 ·
On second thought, all of the episodes described above came in conjunction with the use of either a wireless mouse, or, more recently, the Mac mouse(plugged into keyboard). Of course the mouse was plugged in when the system went weird in my absence and I had been using it before I walked away only to return a half-hour later.
I should add that when this glitch occurred, sometimes the screen would present a fine, mesh-like grid. Hope this starts to narrow it down.
 
#8 ·
I'd follow up on the Applecare aspect - at least you have it recorded as a complaint- sounds hardware to me not a kernel panic.
 
#12 ·
Given that it is a pre-existing condition, dismissed by Apple as a kernel panic, I'd definitely try again with Apple. Is there any record of your original complaint (ideally, a case number)?

Always, always, document any in-warranty contact with Apple like this, if you can.

And 20 kernel panics in a year is not at all normal - nor does this in fact sound like a kernel panic, as Lars says. Have you looked in your system logs to see if there is any useful info there when this happens (I'm betting not - if it's an intermittent video or logic board problem, which I suspect it is).
 
#13 ·
So I've taken your sage advice and called Apple. Friendly Ray analyzed he problem and had me shut down and restart holding down
option+alt+p+r until the machine sounded the chord three times (sounds ominous) to reset the power management. It's now almost a week later and no problems.

Thanks again to you all.
 
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