iMac help

Hi all,

I'm having a bit of a disaster with my iMac and hoping someone can help me out on here

Also, apologies if this is in the wrong section. I'm not sure if it's hardware or software related...

Basically, the other day my computer crashed. The screen went black but the sound carried on. I was unable to do anything so had to hard reset.
It booted ok and so loaded Logic to carry on working on a project. Shortly after it crashed, again with the screen going black but with sound still carrying on.

After rebooting, it failed to load past the initial grey starting up screen. Since then i haven't been able to get past this screen.

I've tried resetting the PRAM and the SMC but neither have worked. I've tried booting in safe mode but that doesn't work. I've tried booting from the install disk, but all i get is a nasty looking screen (picture here Imageshack - cdbootup ) and the only things i'm able to do is boot into single user mode and Verbose mode.

In single user mode i've repaired disk permissions (fsck -f) which showed minor problems but repaired them ok. Rebooting doesn't change anything.

In verbose mode, i see a few error messages, again, camera shots are here;

Imageshack - verbose
Imageshack - verbose2
Imageshack - verbosefinal

I've been told it could be a possible RAM issue and so took both parts out today and tried each variation (1, 2, 1-2, 2-1) but neither worked.

I've ran a hardware test which came back all clear (both the basic and more 'in depth' test.

I'm really struggling here and can't seem to find any details on what could be going wrong.

Each day passing is getting me further and further behind in my work. The nearest Apple store is over an hours drive so don't want to have to make the trip unless absolutely necessary.

If anyone can offer any suggestions/advice i'll be extremely grateful!

Thanks,

Tif

You've given us a lot of information...but some of the most important information that is needed is what model iMac do you have?

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

You've given us a lot of information...but some of the most important information that is needed is what model iMac do you have?

- Nick

Click to expand...

I knew i'd miss something out

I have the early 2008, 3.06Ghz 24" model. 2Gb ram, 500gb HD. All original, not changed anything from the purchase date.

Cheers,

Tifstorey said:

I knew i'd miss something out

I have the early 2008, 3.06Ghz 24" model. 2Gb ram, 500gb HD. All original, not changed anything from the purchase date.

Cheers,

Click to expand...

Thanks for the additional info...you never know when it may come in handy...especially if certain models had well known specific issues.

Wow...it really sounds like from your original post that you have done quite a bit of troubleshooting on your own.

First let me ask if you happen to have any Applecare warranty remaining on this computer (just as a "safety net")?

Some things to consider:

- What version of the Mac OS are you running?
- What version of Logic are you running?
- Do the problems you're experiencing occur only within specific software applications...or could you restart your computer (not open any applications), and have the problem(s) occur?
- Any chance your hard drive could be going bad?
- Have you had any recent thunderstorms or home electrical issues that could have damaged something in your computer?
- Did you install any new hardware or software recently...and then the problems started?
- Have you tried booting your computer from a Mac OS DVD (or your hardware test DVD) to see if the problem occurs? I don't mean run the hardware test (I know you already did that)...just booting from something other than your internal hard drive to see if the problem still occurs.

Just a bunch of stuff to consider on top of what you already tried.

Hope this helps,

- Nick

p.s. I know that you said that the nearest Apple Store is an hour+ away. But if all else fails, this may be your last option...instead of "banging your head against the wall" trying to figure it out. Since the folks at the Apple Store have additional specialized hardware equipment & software applications to test your computer more throughly.

In addition to what Nick has suggested, have you thought of using Disk Warrior? It will analyse and repair several hardware problems that Apple's own boot disk cannot. DW is expensive @ ~US$100, so a visit to a technician with DW to use may be a cheaper option for you.

My first reaction on seeing the image of the Install disk screen was "logic board faulty", followed by "faulty video card".

Next step i would phone Apple and get it in the System, that way you handle all the prelim stuff over the phone viz have you booted into Safe mode etc etc. Then when/if u do take it in there is a record and it will get more notice taken from get go.