G3-350 --> System Failure

For quite some time now (5-6 mo.) I have been coping with a system crash where everything locks up. The bkgd/desktop remains, but gets littered with black blocks and white text stating a system failure. My only option is to restart. Specs and error message follow below, any thoughts?

SPECS
PowerPC G3 - 350 MHz
OS 10.3.5
320MB RAM
6 GB HD
250MB Zip Drive

_____________________________________________
ERROR MSG:
System Failure:
Kernel Version:
Darwin Kernel Version 7.5.0:
blah blah blah; root:xnu/xnu-517.7.21.obj~3/RELEASE_PPC

Memory access exception (1,0,0)
ethernet MAC Address: 00:50:e40:da:3c
Waiting for remote debugger connection
___________________________________________


I found a thread (RE: Major problems - G5 - pretty paperweight) and followed suggestion to repair permissions via the Disk Utility but problem occured again. I am currently running the Disk Utility a second time just to be sure.

I'm hoping someone else hassucessfully fixied something like this in the past. Thanks in advance.

Kind regards.

KEN

Did the problem randomly start happening, or had you changed something shortly before it started (e.g., new RAM, added hardware, added/changed software)?

Good point...no nothing new although I did just upgrade to OS 10.3.5 on Friday. That was when I researched on this site and found the recommendation to fix permissions. This machine has always been on the blip and I purchased 256MB RAM for it back in Feb. (chip made by Kingston Technologies).

Also, here's an update. Another crash with following message:

Backtrace:
backtrace terminated-frame not mapped or invalid.

Are the messages themselves of any value or do they provide any troubleshooting information?

I need to get moving with testing, so I think I'll buy more RAM and see if that helps. I'll check back later to see if anyone has other thoughts.

Thanks in advance.

kmatthews said:

I need to get moving with testing, so I think I'll buy more RAM and see if that helps.

Click to expand...

Just to eliminate the possibility of another problem, try to get the RAM from a place that specializes in Macs, or at least guarantees 100% compatibility with your system. Also, I'm not sure what sort of files you have on the machine which would require backing-up, but a totally clean format and re-install of the OS couldn't hurt either.

Yeah, I suspect the wrong RAM was purchased for this machine. Kingston Technologies is the mfr and I checked the serial no. on their site. The module corresponds to 333MHz, but my machine is a 350 MHZ. Could be the culprit...I just sent Kingston an email asking confirmation.

Thnaks for the suggestion.

While out-of-spec or bad RAM could be the problem the 333mhz iMac uses 144 pin chips and the slot-loader iMacs use 168 pin chips. Because OS X uses virtual RAM an almost-full hard disk can cause problems that lead to crashes. Since your machine has only a 6 gb HD the system may be running out of space for virtual memory. Boosting the RAM or cleaning up the HD might help.

Interesting thought Badger. I've gotten rid of a bit of unused programs and have 690MB available space. Would consider blowing away OS 9.2 but need it to view/test in legacy browsers.

I confirmed with Kingston Technologies that I seem to have the wrong RAM for the machine. They offer 256MB for $150 so I think I'll pick up module to bring it back to a total of 320MB RAM.

Oh Badger, I don't have a iMac...this is a G3 PowerMac desktop model. (blue/white)

kmatthews said:

I confirmed with Kingston Technologies that I seem to have the wrong RAM for the machine. They offer 256MB for $150 so I think I'll pick up module to bring it back to a total of 320MB RAM.

Click to expand...

That sounds extremely high to me. Did you check out the two sites I sent you? You can get (3) 256 MB for approximately as much as the single Kingston you mentioned, and there's a lifetime warranty.