GaBeech

Q: Late 2006 iMac, Lines, Kernel Panic, Freeze, Reboot, Restart, Serial W8 ?

Hello,

Let me start by explaining the method I am initially going to adopt in my search for answers;

•All of the keywords and more that would not fit in the title space, relate to my problem.
•I think the *iMac Serial* holds the key to mine and possibly a lot of other peoples search for answers.
•My second post will explain what I know about the Serial and the information it provides.
•I have a strong feeling that a lot of people who have the same or similar problems to me will have a Serial that begins with at least W8.
•I believe that a lot of affected machines will of been produced between 2006 & 2008, yet not confined to that window in time.
•So, to round up, I am looking for people who have had/are having the same/similar problems to the ones listed below.

•Small graphical glitches; Thin lines in random areas on the desktop, growing in number and intensity over time.
•Graphical glitches on, in and around Finder windows. Again, growing in number and intensity over time.
•Horizontal lines across entire screen. Again, growing in number and intensity over time.
•The odd Software Crash/System Freeze. (Which does not happen very often on the iMac we've grown to love)
•More frequent Software Crashes/System Freeze's. (Maybe it's all that freeware and plugins I've been playing with)
•Kernel Panic's, never had one before... it was a new one on me.
•Frequent Kernel Panics.
•System Freeze, recovering after being put to sleep and then woken.
•System Freeze, unrecoverable. Hard reset required.
•Exactly the same behavior after a full reinstall of OSX.
•Exactly the same behavior after wiping system drive with zero's, then a full reinstall of OSX.
•Exactly the same behavior after wiping system drive with zero's, then a full reinstall with a previous version of OSX.
•System Freeze requiring hard reset on nearly every occasion Time Machine was accessed.
•Shut iMac down completely, never to respond to Power Button being pressed again, even after trying to reset the SMC.


The above is a simplified list of key events on a relatively short journey from Perfect Machine to, 'will not power up'.


If you or anyone you know has gone through anything similar, I would love you to join this topic.

Yours,
GaBeech

iMac (20-inch Late 2006) 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo ~ x1600 Graphics, Mac OS X (10.6.3), Serial Number: W87070ACVUV (Check My Biography To See What A Serial Means)

Posted on May 26, 2010 8:36 PM

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Q: Late 2006 iMac, Lines, Kernel Panic, Freeze, Reboot, Restart, Serial W8 ?

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  • by The Halitosis Kid,

    The Halitosis Kid The Halitosis Kid Aug 23, 2013 10:09 AM in response to GaBeech
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 23, 2013 10:09 AM in response to GaBeech

    Okay, let's try again, paragraph by paragraph. This is the moment to put the squeeze on Apple for us, then! If they've admitted the problem and will freefix the 2011's, they ought to do the same for us 2006's.

    The thing which Apple don't seem to be able to grasp here (and this lack of grasp is probably directly related to Steve Jobs' gradual but certain withdrawal from company operations over the last five years due to the poor guy's ill health) is that we really LOVE our 2006 iMacs! These late white 24 inchers are peachy machines and are still doing good service for us, running pro apps at adequate speeds, and for those of us who have upgraded memory to three or four gig, and hard drives to a terabyte, APART from the graphics problem, their working life has gone on beyond expectancy. This is the best computer I've ever owned, and I've sung its praises all over the world, and will continue to do so, and I WOULD buy another iMac WHEN I can afford it, EXCEPT that it is now CRIPPLED by just one small flawed piece of hardware, which forces me to prematurely buy a new machine which I cannot afford, and Apple's steadfast and deliberate deafness to our plight with this known issue breeds a seeping dissatisfaction and distrust against Apple among us.

  • by The Halitosis Kid,

    The Halitosis Kid The Halitosis Kid Aug 23, 2013 10:31 AM in response to GaBeech
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 23, 2013 10:31 AM in response to GaBeech

    But we are the bedrock of Apple computer users and Mac evangelists on which the R&D budget for the iPhone was built. We deserve better attention. PLUS, our troubled iMacs were released right in the middle of Apple's PC to Mac 'Switcher' ad campaign. How many of us 'switched' from a PC only to be slapped in the face by this dog of a graphics chipset? How many will be switching back to PC because of it? If Steve had been well in recent years, he'd have been on top of this situation.

    He'd have answered the PHONE when the first few troubled tales of video tearing started coming in. He'd have known that you don't slap an otherwise satisfied customer in the face. In short, Steve would have looked after us.

    But this new crew in charge of Apple now are not looking after us. They've shifted their priorities to some other ethos, an ethos alien to Jobs and Woz.

    So I say it's time for action.

  • by TishL,

    TishL TishL Aug 23, 2013 3:53 PM in response to The Halitosis Kid
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 23, 2013 3:53 PM in response to The Halitosis Kid

    I agree.  We love our Macs...we just want them to work.  If we devout fans can't discuss problems and help each other then the forum serves no purpose.  Banning information seems underhanded, to say the least.

     

    Thanks for hanging in there for those of us with the cursed 'W8's.

     

    With Respect,

     

    Tish Lombardelli

    Hermosa Beach CA

     

    OS X 10.6.8

    Intel Core 2 Duo

    2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

     

    Late '06 iMac

    Serial # W8xxxxLOVxx

  • by Kingfruzzo,

    Kingfruzzo Kingfruzzo Aug 25, 2013 7:22 PM in response to GaBeech
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 25, 2013 7:22 PM in response to GaBeech

    I have an Imac late 2006, intel core 2 duo 1,83mhz serial W8718xxxxxx, i have random yellom horizontal lines and today a new pruple line joined in. Is it possible to bring it to apple stiill? It's almost 7 years old...

  • by fireflymd,

    fireflymd fireflymd Aug 26, 2013 7:17 PM in response to stofke72
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple Watch
    Aug 26, 2013 7:17 PM in response to stofke72

    Thank you, thank you, thank you.  My beloved 2006 iMac started acting up with horizontal lines, then wavy text/images, then random crashes.  iPhoto was constantly hanging up and crashing.  We plan on purchasing the new iMac with Mavericks, but I didn't think we could hang in there until the new system is introduced, and I didn't want to purchase one now and then upgrade.

     

    Deleting that file worked perfectly!  No more hang ups or crashes.  Unfortunately, I cannot work with iPhoto right now (can't see enlarged photos, but it had been constantly crashing anyway), but this will definitely get us through until we can get a new computer.

     

    I went into Safe Mode and deleted the extension as you have described:

     

    System/Library/Extensions/ATIRadeonX1000.kext

     

    I really appreciate all the help I have received on these forums.  It was getting more and more difficult to use our iMac, and now we can use it again, albeit with reduced function.

  • by patentlawyer,

    patentlawyer patentlawyer Aug 27, 2013 9:48 AM in response to The Halitosis Kid
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 27, 2013 9:48 AM in response to The Halitosis Kid

    Just wondering: did you try the work-around that requires removing the ATIRadeonX1000.kext file?

  • by The Halitosis Kid,

    The Halitosis Kid The Halitosis Kid Aug 27, 2013 10:07 AM in response to patentlawyer
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 27, 2013 10:07 AM in response to patentlawyer

    I don't think that's an option for me, I work heavily with photos and video and need all the graphics speed I can get.

  • by The Halitosis Kid,

    The Halitosis Kid The Halitosis Kid Aug 30, 2013 7:15 AM in response to GaBeech
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 30, 2013 7:15 AM in response to GaBeech

    Unauthorized

    It appears you're not allowed to view what you requested. You might contact your administrator if you think this is a mistake.


    It appears you're not allowed to view what you requested. You might contact your administrator if you think this is a mistake.

     

    WHAT flipping administrator? Where? How come? This is a thread I've been on for a year or more, because I own a 2006 iMac with the famous graphics chip problem. Suddenly I'm locked out of the leading thread. Just who has taken the thread off to a new thread somewhere and locked me out of it? How is that solving anybody's problem with this Mac? I own five Macs and can and have self-sufficiently fixed just about every software problem they've ever thrown at me, I can do clean installs, memory upgrades, target disking, etc etc, I'm a power user of Photoshop and Final Cut Pro, so not exactly a Mac numbskull, but I'm darned if i'm gonna crack my iMac open and fix this myself. I've looked at the disassembly pics and it's not straightforward, it's too compact with interdependent components, and like taking a Swiss watch to pieces, there are some things you just do not try at home, and this is one of them. Also I live in Italy so I can't just Ebay replacement parts and tools cheaply like you can in the States, and I don't want to hear any more crap about "Apple not gonna fix a seven year old machine". It was only THREE years old when it started this fault, and I then patiently lived with it for another three, until I found out last year that it wasn't just ME, there are THOUSANDS of us owning iMacs with this manufacturing fault, so now I am ANGRY, and I want recompense from Apple.
    AND I'd just finished my three years Apple Care which I'd paid extra for, which in a way means that, relative to the service agreement I'd paid for, the machine was in effect only ONE year old, ie just a few weeks out of warranty. Apple flipping OWE me for this, and if you have one of these Late 2006 iMacs, they owe you too.

     

    <Edited By Host>

  • by ichocobo,

    ichocobo ichocobo Aug 27, 2013 10:55 AM in response to The Halitosis Kid
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 27, 2013 10:55 AM in response to The Halitosis Kid

    that´s it, mine started when it was four, so i agree we deserve some attention here. they owe us some explanation a least, and not let the time go on and say that the computers are getting old, they were not when this failure appeared.

  • by stofke72,

    stofke72 stofke72 Aug 27, 2013 11:19 AM in response to GaBeech
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 27, 2013 11:19 AM in response to GaBeech

    I have spoken to someone higher up at Apple after sending a direct email to steve jobs.  These folks listened to my story and complaint and did their best to help but as long as the issue is not officially recognized as a production fault they can't replace it and the age of the iMacs is far to old too.  They eventually gave me a 100 euro discount towards a new Apple product.

     

    This said I managed to fix my iMac rather well.

     

    What I did was opened it up.  It's not as intimidating as it seems, check out the guides at ifixit where the proces is very well explained with photos and tools required.  My 10 year old son helped me with it.  We are living in Europe and are not native english speakers so if we can do it so can you.

     

    1.  I replaced the harddisk with a quiter and cooler one

    2.  I reapplied thermal paste on the processor and graphics processor.

    3.  Heated up the motherboard in the oven ( without HD )

    4. Removed all dust from the computer and fans.

     

    I have the order of steps reversed here, but this is what I did.

     

    After that everything works fine again.

     

    Cost about 40 euro  for the tools + thermal paste, the harddisk I had lying around.

  • by mijohnst,

    mijohnst mijohnst Aug 27, 2013 2:37 PM in response to GaBeech
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 27, 2013 2:37 PM in response to GaBeech

    Due of the neglect of this issue one (I have two with the same problem), the luster of Apple has faded in my eyes.  I've gone away from Apple almost completely.  I just upgraded both my wife's and phones to Android, preplaced my iPad with a GalaxyNote and my last PC purchase was something that I could replace the parts without having buy special tools.  I'm also stopped promoting Apple to my friends and family.  If they can't admit and obvious known issue then why would I want to risk it again?

  • by michaelant,

    michaelant michaelant Oct 8, 2013 5:54 AM in response to GaBeech
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 8, 2013 5:54 AM in response to GaBeech

    I've also had success with my iMac by moving the ATIRadeonX1000.kext file out of its location in /System/Library/Extensions. Now that the weather is cooling off, I thought I'd copy it back into place and try running with full graphics again. I get this error, however, after copying the file back into place:

     

    System extension cannot be used

    The system extension "/System/Library/Extensions/ATIRadeonX1000.kext" was installed improperly and cannot be used. Please try reinstalling it, or contact the product's vendor for an update.

     

    I think I should be able run the most recent OS X combo update, and that will install the file properly for me. But does anyone know - is there an easier method? I was hoping to be able to just copy the file in and out whenever I wanted full graphics support, if it was cool enough in my apartment to do so. I did search every page of this thread for "reinstall," and also skimmed through it, but I didn't see anyone talk about how to reverse this change, of moving the ATIRadeonX1000.kext in order to disable graphics card function, so that the iMac will run without crashes.

     

    If I find an answer to this question, I'll post a solution here. I ran across some things people who build hackintoshes were doing, but I didn't understand what those steps really did, and seemed like it could mess things up.

     

    Thanks anyone for any info!

  • by The Halitosis Kid,

    The Halitosis Kid The Halitosis Kid Oct 8, 2013 10:17 AM in response to michaelant
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 8, 2013 10:17 AM in response to michaelant

    Off the top of my head, I'd say an intervening routine system software update made your 'newer' system incompatible with the 'older' kext file you took out, so the system is rejecting it. Maybe if someone could send you the kext file from the same system version you are running now, it would accept it?

  • by michaelant,

    michaelant michaelant Oct 11, 2013 8:39 AM in response to GaBeech
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 11, 2013 8:39 AM in response to GaBeech

    That makes a lot of sense, Halitosis, thanks for the reply.

     

    Here's what I did to test - reinstalled the 10.7.5 OS X combo updater, after which I did have normal 3D graphics acceleration, and a new ATIRadeonX1000.kext file in my Extensions folder. Then moved the file out, rebooted and then attempted to place it back in, to see if I could easily turn off and on graphics support like I wanted. I didn't get any error this time, but after rebooting my graphics weren't accelerated.

     

    I don't remember if I was able to just swap this file in and out with success earlier this Spring when I first found this thread. Not sure if I tried that. But in the colder months, if I pay attention to my fans and bump them up when doing stuff that increases the temperature of the GPU, it sure would be nice to be able to switch graphics acceleration off and on easily.

     

    Can anyone confirm that they are indeed able to swap the ATIRadeonX1000.kext file in and out with success, to toggle graphics acceleration?  Thanks, folks.

  • by JoshThaBosh,

    JoshThaBosh JoshThaBosh Jun 10, 2014 10:42 PM in response to GaBeech
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 10, 2014 10:42 PM in response to GaBeech

    I know this problem hasn't been posted on for over a year, but I was experiencing the same problem on a client's computer. I thought for sure it was the GPU, but I played around with the System Manager for a bit to see what was running, and started methodically going through and shutting down applications.


    And voila! As soon as I shut down Growl, (the notification manager) the computer stopped displaying these symptoms completely. I uninstalled it (you have to download a Growl uninstaller) and the problem has not yet returned. I did some research and it seems Growl and also Dropbox can do weird things to the GPU.

     

    Hopefully if anyone has any problems with this in the future it will help them too.

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