BLUE SCREEN with pinwheel, pls hlep

[Gabrielc]

Hi I got an iMAC G5 PPC 20", Leopard 10.4, Yesterday I was surfing the internet and after a couple of hours the pinwheel appeared, so after a few minutes I had to do a force-shut down (holding on the power button).

After restart I logged in without problem then I open up Firefox and Safari to go on surfing, after 5 minutes the pin came back so I had to force-shutdown again. Then again and again the same problem, I said, ok this might be a browser-internet problem so I just wait and didn´t launch any browser, opening just Entourage, but the pinwheel appeared again, then when I restarted the mac again the problem now is that after the grey apple screen appears the blue screen, I got the point of the mouse on top left corner froozen (just the image) and I have the blooding pinwheel again which I can move using the mouse.

I restarted in Safe Mode and it restart fine, I did a clean with Onyx, disk permissions repaired, I reseted PRAM, I don´t know what else to do.
Just in case I haven´t installed anything (just joomla but on the morning, the problem happened after about 12hrs from this)

I only have my previous version of OSX TIger with me, would this help to do a hardware test?

Any help will be much appreciated

ps I wrote this from my pc

 

[Slydude]

Two things occur to me as starting points:

1. Go into Console (Applications/Utilities/) and look at the logs. I think the one you are going to need is the System log. The log entries are time stamped. Look at what was happening at the times the problems occurred.
2. Create a new user account and boot into that account then launch your browser. Try to duplicate the problem. If the problem doesn't occur that might suggest something specific to your main account.

 

[hughvane]

If that Tiger disk was the one issued with your iMac, or it's a retail version of Tiger, yes, you can boot from it to run First Aid - Verify - Repair (if necessary). You might want to think seriously about getting valuable files, eg. music, photos, documents - not related to the OS - off the present HD (in Safe mode) first though.

 

[Gabrielc]

Two things occur to me as starting points:

1. Go into Console (Applications/Utilities/) and look at the logs. I think the one you are going to need is the System log. The log entries are time stamped. Look at what was happening at the times the problems occurred.


2. Create a new user account and boot into that account then launch your browser. Try to duplicate the problem. If the problem doesn't occur that might suggest something specific to your main account.

Hi Slydude, my post wasn´t too clear I think, when I now restart my mac, after the grey apple screen, appears a blue screen and there it comes the pinwheel, I can leave it for minutes and likely hours and it looks it will remain that screen, so I have to force-shutdown the mac, the closer I can do is to enter in SAFE MODE, (I´ve created another account but it is the same).
I´ve check the console and there are lot of instructions related to KERNEL, in some cases it appears line by line something like this Feb 18:12:54 GABRIEL KERNEL [0]: 799:0xffffffff, (that 799 is going to 800, 801 and go and go, in some lines, instead of the fffffffff, there are numbers and letters very different each other in each lines (are this kernel lines a failure?)


And, in order to do the hardware test, I introduce my CD1 of Tiger (I have leopard installed but people says the test works anyway?) and the computer ejects the CD, why???? I´ve put another cd and seems to work fine

Is there any way I could get this application? and burn in a cd again? or it is not possible??

really sutck here and I use my mac to work so double worried about it, thanks for any help

 

[Gabrielc]

If that Tiger disk was the one issued with your iMac, or it's a retail version of Tiger, yes, you can boot from it to run First Aid - Verify - Repair (if necessary). You might want to think seriously about getting valuable files, eg. music, photos, documents - not related to the OS - off the present HD (in Safe mode) first though.

Hi Hughvane, when I insert my CD1 the computer ejects it so there is no way to keep it inside, is there any other solution to run the test hardware or at this stage should I go to an Apple techical support? thanks

 

[hughvane]

The reference to Kernel problems suggest that there may be RAM failure. That would be unusual, but certainly not improbable. Turn off the Mac, unplug it from the wall, give it some time to settle, remove the RAM, and then reseat it.

If that doesn't solve the issue, then the problem should be referred to an Apple technician.

I'm puzzled as to why the Tiger disk is being ejected. You say it's a CD, but Tiger was issued on DVD. If you're using a grey-colored disk, and it was not issued with that specific model of iMac, then it will not work. Check however that there are no smudge or scratch marks near the centre of the disk.

 

[Gabrielc]

Hi Huhgvane, and I have more to tell vis cd -actually I haven´t check, I just said CD-, yes it is grey coloured, when I left the computer to Apple store yesterday I asked them to try if the disc 1 works, and guess what? it works (it can be read) on their computer but not in mines!!! bizarre, isn´t it? another cds-dvd can be read but not that one.
ps. I am thinking now what you said, I left the computer a couple of times in an Apple store this past years, could there be a chance they changed my computer? (motherboard etc?)

re. ram memory, what a silly of me I didn´t realise to try that, unfortunately the computer is on the Apple store now. Any news I got I´ll let you know. Cheers

 

[hughvane]

I have more to tell vis cd -actually I haven´t check, I just said CD-, yes it is grey coloured

Okay - and I'm assuming quite a bit here - then it will work ONLY with the model of iMac with which it was issued. It appears that the Apple store iMac was one of the models that could utilise that disk, whereas yours is not.
This is a quite common situation, ie. people buy a Mac without its specific disks, for example as part of an education supply programme, and then try different *grey* disks with the same OS version, thinking that it will work. It won't. A further example - my eMac grey disks will work only with this and other 1.25 GHz models, nothing else.

I left the computer a couple of times in an Apple store this past years, could there be a chance they changed my computer? (motherboard etc?).

Highly unlikely, not without your knowledge. If changes were made, it would be recorded on an invoice, worksheet etc.

We'll wait to see what develops from here.

 

[Gabrielc]

Hi, Hughvane, welllllll, unfortunately bad news, It looks like my imac G5 PPC has several capacitors inflated on the motherboard. THey said it can´t be fixed, can it? they said the motherboard should be changed to a new one (minimun U$S500 up!!!!), no way!!!. They tried to install Leopard, Tiger, even a basic OS in order the motherboard doesn´t "suffer" at all, but nothing, they couldn´t do anything about it.

I´ve bougth a new 27" core 2. So it was a pin in the a...... to spend that money in this global situation!!

Anyway, just 2 more questions, Could the motherboard be fixed? otherwise I am afraid I have to use it Safe Boot mode for back up or check emails!

And last thing, when I turn it on there are big dark spots around the 4 corners on the screen (this spots weren´t before I drop the computer to the technicians), I phoned the guy who revised my imac and he told me he doesn´t know why that is happening, he told me he didn´t open the computer, but....... I am now playing as Sherlock Holmes... why then he took a digital image of the capacitors and motherboard and send it to me explaining the issue¿? so he said he didn´t open the computer but he took an image of the motherboard? is he Copperfield?
So the question is if this dark spots that can be seen when you start the computer (grey or white background) are because of this guy commited a mistake? Can this dark spots be removed some way??

(just in case I will post this separetely, thanks!!)