Startup Message on G4 iMac

I keep getting this message when I hit the start button on my 11 year old G4 iMac panther. Is it fried?

You have to restart your computer. Hold down the power button for several seconds or press the restart button.

What message?

- Nick

p.s. Not exactly the best thread title.

Is this a message in several languages asking you to restart the computer using the power button?

Ronkardell

YES. It has 4 languages.

That message is what's known as a kernel panic. These are often due to hardware errors either major or minor. When exactly is this message appearing? Is it at startup, when running a specific task, or some other time. Have you made any changes to your system recently (hardware or software)?

I know this is a lot to work through but it may help us identify the problem.

BTW If you have all external peripherals disconnected (except keyboard and mouse) does the problem still occur?

start up problems

Thanks
When I hit the start button the message would come up. And then I would hit it again to quit. For awhile it did start up the next time. And now it just gives me the message. You have to restart your computer. Hold down the power button for several seconds or press the restart button. I have disconnected everything but the keyboard. It does it all the time now.

As already mentioned...kernel panics many times are hardware failure related. many times it's bad ram...but it can be other hardware failures as well.

These kernel panics can be randomly timed as well. Sometimes they happen immediately...sometimes after 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 20 minutes...etc.

You can push that start button all day long...and the problem is not going to go away.

With an iMac G4...about the only thing you can do is "play" with the ram. Remove it & put it back in...then see what happens. If the problem persists...then you may have to purchase & replace the ram. This is no guarantee of success. But you need to have good known parts to swap with potentially bad parts.

- Nick