seaside
Level 2 (380 points)

Q: Testing RAM / memory in iMac10,1

Hi,

 

due to several problems, I wonder if RAM is buggy in my iMac:

 

- 1...3 Kernel Panics on boot

- Safari and other applications frequently crashing

 

Could you please provide instructions, how to run memory diagnostics.

 

All options I found in the web - failed. Someone told me, that certain Macs not even have diagnostics.

 

 

 

Kind regards,

 

s

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), 3,06 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce 9400, 12GB

Posted on Mar 7, 2013 4:36 PM

by WZZZ,Solvedanswer
WZZZ WZZZ
Level 6 (13,112 points)
Mac OS X
A:

If your Mac KPs right away I don't know if you'll be able to do this or not. But to test the RAM on an Intel Mac you need Memtest86+, which you must burn to a CD and then boot from that CD. This should test the RAM more fully than the AHT.

 

Get the latest version here. You want the pre-compiled bootable ISO (.zip)

 

http://www.memtest.org/#downiso

 

Note, when running the test the keyboard will not function and the only way to stop the test will be to do a hard shutdown, holding the power button until it does. It will keep on running loop after loop until you shutdown. Doing a hard shutdown booted from the CD won't harm your Mac or the drive directory.

 

Perhaps, if you have one, you can create the disc from another Mac?

Posted on Mar 8, 2013 6:51 AM

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seaside

Q: Testing RAM / memory in iMac10,1

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  • Helpful answers

  • by den.thed,Helpful

    den.thed den.thed Mar 7, 2013 4:49 PM in response to seaside
    Level 7 (27,560 points)
    Mar 7, 2013 4:49 PM in response to seaside

    Do you have the correct RAM for your Late 2009 iMac...?

     

    see > iMac: Memory specifications and upgrades

     

    The Apple Hardware Test is on Disc # 2 of the Snow Leopard Disc set that originally came with your iMac.

     

    see > Intel-based Macs: Using Apple Hardware Test

  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 7, 2013 4:53 PM in response to den.thed
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 7, 2013 4:53 PM in response to den.thed

    Thx!

     

    I ordered RAM conforming to the above specifications.

     

    Additionally, I'm pretty sure, that I used disc #2 to launch. I presses D a very long time - but nothing happened.

     

    Nevertheless, I'll try again.

  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 7, 2013 4:58 PM in response to den.thed
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 7, 2013 4:58 PM in response to den.thed

    Are you sure, that I received two discs? I immediately found the 'Mac OS X Snow Leopard' (2009) DVD.

     

    It is marked as Install DVD. Can't remember, that I received a second DVD.

  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 7, 2013 5:07 PM in response to den.thed
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 7, 2013 5:07 PM in response to den.thed

    In the details about the System Information window, if I click on the Service, Support, Memory and then Harddiscs menu entries, System Information crashes like this:

     

    Crashed Thread:  0  Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread

     

    Exception Type:  EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGSEGV)

    Exception Codes: EXC_I386_GPFLT

     

    Thread 0 Crashed:: Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread

    0   libobjc.A.dylib                         0x00007fff89fe4f5e objc_release + 14

    1   libobjc.A.dylib                         0x00007fff89fe4230 (anonymous namespace)::AutoreleasePoolPage::pop(void*) + 464

    2   com.apple.CoreFoundation                0x00007fff89120342 _CFAutoreleasePoolPop + 34

    3   com.apple.Foundation                    0x00007fff8bb494fa -[NSAutoreleasePool drain] + 154

    4   com.apple.AppKit                        0x00007fff8afae35e -[NSApplication run] + 736

    5   com.apple.AppKit                        0x00007fff8af52cb6 NSApplicationMain + 869

    6   libdyld.dylib                           0x00007fff894b57e1 start + 1

  • by den.thed,Helpful

    den.thed den.thed Mar 7, 2013 5:12 PM in response to seaside
    Level 7 (27,560 points)
    Mar 7, 2013 5:12 PM in response to seaside

    It should say, iMac Applications Install DVD (which are your bundled iLife app's) and then in smaller print it say's "To use the Apple Hardware Test, hold down the D key as the computer starts up"

  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 8, 2013 5:55 AM in response to den.thed
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 8, 2013 5:55 AM in response to den.thed

    Hm, I definitely don't own such a disk. I have a separate iWork package - ordered separately.

     

    Using a 10.4.4 Install Disc (2006) und holding down the D key failed.

     

    I'm going to give Recovery Disk Assistant a try. It is also mentioned here. Just Recovery Disk Assistant writes a thumb drive.

     

    Let's see...

     

    I'm definitely curious about the kernel panics in a very early boot phase after rougly half a second. I assume, that at that early phase, only core OS components are able to load.

     

    As far as I can read crash dumps, the root cause of the problem is somewhere in the MMU.

  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 8, 2013 6:25 AM in response to seaside
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 8, 2013 6:25 AM in response to seaside

    While the Recovery Disk Assistant created a drive and the drive appeared after the Option-key, the iMac10,1 didn't boot using this device.

  • by WZZZ,Solvedanswer

    WZZZ WZZZ Mar 8, 2013 6:51 AM in response to seaside
    Level 6 (13,112 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 8, 2013 6:51 AM in response to seaside

    If your Mac KPs right away I don't know if you'll be able to do this or not. But to test the RAM on an Intel Mac you need Memtest86+, which you must burn to a CD and then boot from that CD. This should test the RAM more fully than the AHT.

     

    Get the latest version here. You want the pre-compiled bootable ISO (.zip)

     

    http://www.memtest.org/#downiso

     

    Note, when running the test the keyboard will not function and the only way to stop the test will be to do a hard shutdown, holding the power button until it does. It will keep on running loop after loop until you shutdown. Doing a hard shutdown booted from the CD won't harm your Mac or the drive directory.

     

    Perhaps, if you have one, you can create the disc from another Mac?

  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 9, 2013 2:37 PM in response to WZZZ
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 9, 2013 2:37 PM in response to WZZZ

    Thx! Memtext86+ didn't find an error after a complete RAM.

     

    Created an image of the old system volume and did a clean install.

     

    As last time, I now have severe problems importing the messages from the old Apple.Mail install.

     

    I definitely hate the way Apple.Mail 'imports' old stuff...

  • by WZZZ,

    WZZZ WZZZ Mar 9, 2013 6:02 PM in response to seaside
    Level 6 (13,112 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 9, 2013 6:02 PM in response to seaside

    Don't want to be a spoil sport, but I should have added that it may be necessary to run a few loops, as RAM problems can be very random and elusive. Even then, an error might not show up.

  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 9, 2013 6:06 PM in response to WZZZ
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 9, 2013 6:06 PM in response to WZZZ

    I did run Memtext86+ for roughly 6 hours. 

     

    The new / clean install seems to behave much better. Some reboots didn't came up with KPs.

  • by WZZZ,

    WZZZ WZZZ Mar 9, 2013 6:06 PM in response to seaside
    Level 6 (13,112 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 9, 2013 6:06 PM in response to seaside

    OK then, that's enough.

  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 9, 2013 6:07 PM in response to WZZZ
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 9, 2013 6:07 PM in response to WZZZ

    Hm, acutally, as I came back, 6 hours passed. The app completed all test 100% and finally reported no errors.

  • by seaside,

    seaside seaside Mar 9, 2013 6:08 PM in response to WZZZ
    Level 2 (380 points)
    Mar 9, 2013 6:08 PM in response to WZZZ

    Do you have hints regarding this: https://discussions.apple.com/message/21469598#21469598