Remote Disk Repair with Disk Utility not working

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I have a 1st gen. Macbook Air (1.6 GHz IC2D 2GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM) and I am up-to-date on all software and firmware. I'm running Snow Leopard.

I've been getting frequent kernel panics. Sometimes, I'll go weeks without one, but other times, it'll happen multiple times in one day. Now that I've figured out that I'm having a kernel panic, I'd like to fix it. I ran "verify" with Disk Utility and was told I needed to repair my disk. I've followed the steps I found online here (Reinstalling software using Remote Install Mac OS X) which are the same as those in my user guide, but something's not working right. I've tried about 10 times now, and after I select on my MacBook Air to start up with the Remote Install Mac OSX, my computer restarts on its own disk just like normal. I have no option to reinstall or repair. On my desktop (with the disk drive being remotely accessed), Remote Install tells me that it's waiting for my MacBook Air and to select "Quit" when I'm finished.

Any help?
 
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MacMini 14.3, 8.1 & 4.1, OS 13.5, 10.14, & 10.11 & 10.6; Macbook Pro 8.2, OS 10.12.
Does the Remote Install OS X show up in SysPrefs > System > Startup Disk when you are connected to the other 'device'? If so, then select it and then reboot.

What are you using as the remote disk drive? Because you have Intel, you can connect an external USB optical drive to use the OS X Install disk. Have you tried that or are you using another computer's optical drive?

Does Intel allow interconnection with another computer via USB? I know about using firewire - which you don't have.

Kernel panics are often associated with faulty RAM. I don't know how easy/hard it is to get at the Air's RAM modules, but you could try unseating and then reseating them.
 
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It could be a 3rd party application you have interfering with your Mac when it boots.
Or maybe permissions need to be repaired???
 
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literfairy
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I never did fix the problem with Remote Install, but I did figure out what was causing the kernel panics: the newest (and supposedly compatible) Cisco VPN client. I deleted it and then repaired all my permissions a couple dozen times over a few days, and I have stopped having problems with kernel panics. I regret not being able to use the client because the OSX.6 native VPN menubar option does not work properly with my uni's wireless network and the client does. **** you, Cisco.

Thanks for the helpful advice!
 

chscag

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Kernel panics are often associated with faulty RAM. I don't know how easy/hard it is to get at the Air's RAM modules, but you could try unseating and then reseating them.

You can't hugh, the ram modules are soldered to the logic board. The Air is not upgradeable. :\

Regards.
 
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the ram modules are soldered to the logic board.

A-ha! I've encountered a MBA once only, so I researched the specs at Apple's site. All it says is "Memory ... 2GB of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM onboard". Would have been good to mention that "onboard" meant 'fixed to', or 'not removable'.
 

chscag

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Hi Hugh:

Yeah, it's kind of deceiving because no where is it mentioned that the 2 GB of system memory is permanently fixed to the logic board. Makes me wonder what happens if a module should be defective....

After further looking into the advantages and disadvantages of the Air, I can't think of a single reason why I would ever buy one. But I guess for some folks they're great.

Regards.
 
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The only reason I ever had cause to look at one was when a young guy tried to sell me his MBA that he'd been given as a Chr present. His mate torpedoed the prospect by telling me I'd regret not having firewire, or various 'user serviceable' components! :D
 

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