iMac Freezing

I just started a thread with the same complaint, didn't notice this was a common and already discussed problem. I'm getting allot of this:

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg9/adriandurazo/Picture2.png

and this

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg9/adriandurazo/Picture3.png

and freezups just like everyone here describes, related to Graphics, like when i do Expose or switch spaces. I'm almost positive this begun happening since I updated to 10.4.11, and has continued through to my current 10.5.4 version, therefore to my perception it must me a software issue.

Hope there's a solution.

Add me to the list. Have a first generation iMac 24", Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT. After an upgrade to Leopard a few months ago. Immediately starting getting graphic tearing, then dreaded beachball and then eventual freeze (mouse cursor can move but nothing else is responsive). Pumping up fans to the absolute max via SMCfan Control helps but does not eliminate the problem. Still happens a few times a day just using Safari.

I've read too many reports about this same problem from other iMac Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT owners. Please... someone from Apple ... who happens to stumble on this thread... help us.

i've been having the exact same issues. my system freezes up most when using iMovie HD and the new one. I'm getting the same graphics flaws as some of the pictures have depicted in this thread. anyway, i just thought i'd keep the thread going. hopefully there'll be a solution soon (wink wink apple!)

My iMac has driven me to frustration - but no more so than Apple's outright refusal to acknowledge such a serious problem exists. I can find plenty of examples of nasty video corruption on these boxes, but yet Apple remains silent. I won't go into all my details - images can be found at:
http://gallery.me.com/jjmcharg/100009
or in other posts of mine. I should mention that SMC Fan Control did nothing for me. A large floor fan, set on 'high' and placed about 12" from the computer does help a little, but not all the time. It's ****** annoying. I've been with Apple for over 20 years and spent tens of thousands of dollars on the product, not mention defending the company to every PC snob who dared insult 'My Apple'. Now Apple's arrogance is showing. I'm furious that I spent $3000 (almost) on something this flaky and unreliable. Sure it looks nice, but here's a note to Apple..I DON'T CARE IF IT LOOKS COOL. I'm an adult, not a 12 year-old kid. I want it to work first. I'll worry about looks later. My 99 Ford Escort looks like crap, but it runs great, and no amount of paint, glitter or chrome will make it run any better or keep it running if it breaks down. Get the concept, Mr. Jobs?

We just did a home exchange with a doctor from France. He lived in our house and used our computer while we lived in his. When we got together at the end of the exchange, he said he had been thinking of switching to a Mac, mainly because of how elegant it would look in his house, but he said that the graphic issue has scared him away. "I didn't know that Macs freeze so often," he said.

I couldn't really recommend to him that he switches -- what if he gets a lemon like most of us in this discussion group have?

I wouldn't recommend that either. My conscience wouldn't permit me to. Since around noon today, I've managed to run the iMac a total of about 40 minutes. It's 8:30pm here now. I have two very large fans - one in front and one behind blowing directly at the iMac, and the problems are the same. I posted one or two new pics when I was able to, but every time I clicked - I crashed. Elegant...yes. My iMac is quite elegant. Functional... as a brick. A $3000 brick. I'm using my PowerBook and Mac Mini to try and get some work done, but I am beyond furious at the situation. Don't get me wrong - I have Apple TV, 80GB iPod and all the other toys, and I love them... but I bought them to sync with the iMac. Which is now sitting, shut down, useless, in a corner, bathed in cooling air from two giant fans. I can almost hear my wife when she talks to me.

Stumble is the right terminology. Although, as someone mentioned in another thread - it's likely that all the QA is handled in China - I'd bet my remaining computers that the same is true for Tech support. How can you miss something this big? How can this kind of information not filter through to the people who can do something about it? I hate to say this, but I think they're playing a waiting game. Maybe we'll give up and just go away. Not me. I want someone, somewhere to 'fess up and admit that we were all sold inferior equipment. I don't want my money back - I want what I paid for in good faith. A working computer.

Update to my situation - I installed smc fan control and it has worked very well in eliminating the problem. However, I've noticed that the cpu temps have been increasing little by little since I installed it and now they're back up at the kind of level from which the problems began.

I'm just waiting for it to kick in again. The other day I forgot to start up the fan control prog and within half an hour I was seeing signs of the problem coming back again.

This is truly ridiculous. Why can't they provide any kind of a fix for this?

SMC Fan control helped a tiny bit - temporarily - but then I'm not sure if the help came from the two big floor fans I have pointing directly at the case - about 12" away. It's ****** uncomfortable and noisy - but then, what am I supposed to do? I'm trying everything to keep this clunker running. My CPU temps were at 40 Degrees Celcius this morning. With all doors and windows open, and two fans running + SMC, I've managed to keep them around 31. I paid almost $3000 for this... Apple...are you awake down there in fantasy land? You have loyal customers waiting for an answer.

I decided to start a blog to document the deterioration of my iMac. I'll add material as I encounter it, so I can only assume that this blog will grow big and fast. It's not a pretty blog - I really don't care what it looks like. I used an iWeb template to get it up and running quickly. Any contributions would be most welcome.

Oops - had to come back in and edit this - iMac hung up and I thought it was about to crash. The URL is: http://web.mac.com/jjmcharg/iWeb/Rotten_Apple/Blog/CA45AEF5-A51F-48B1-BCC8-45C1D 2E6C55B.html

I found this article - from MacWorld October 2007.... 10 months ago... does anyone..anywhere... know what that solution was? Did it have anything to do with the issues we are facing? I've heard nothing. I've seen nothing. Here's the link: http://www.macworld.com/article/60370/2007/10/imac.html
It could be completely unconnected to our issues, but I'm ****** if I'll sit here and wait for someone in Cupertino to 'fess up. I might be dead by then. My iMac certainly will.

I just posted a very short video of my latest freeze/crash. Don't pay any attention to the noise - it's not a washing machine running beside me...it's the sound of the giant fans I use to try and keep the iMac from overheating. It seems to work - sometimes. But in the absence of any solution from Apple it's the best I can do. Here's the link - the video is one of the last entries - near the bottom:
http://gallery.me.com/jjmcharg/100009

I have lost count of how many times I've encouraged people to buy Mac, and fair number of them did... now I feel like a schmuck - have they wasted their money too? What about the $200,000+ equipment budget I approved (to buy new Macs) - was that wasted too? I'm sick and tired of this corporate arrogance that sweeps unhappy customers aside as though they don't matter. I'm furious that so many people can have such serious problems with a product, and all we get from Cupertino is silence. Recommend Mac again? Not without some serious cautions. I assume they feel there isn't a real problem. WAKE UP APPLE! Read this - and other discussions and tell us that it's an isolated problem. Tell me that I'm dreaming this up. Convince me. I spend more time rebooting my iMac than using it. I was really annoyed at being taken for so much money, initially - but now I feel betrayed and ignored by a company I used to respect and trust. If I see another unresolved kernel trap, I'll go mental. I spent 30 minutes this morning trying to get my lemon to reboot after a crash - I tried to open the Airport Utility... and then I got this... "panic(cpu 1 caller 0x00381561): synchronizeGART::NvRmUpdateContextDma failed"... and that describes the first generation iMacs in a nutshell. FAILED. However, Disk Utility says everything is OK, and Hardware Check passed - "No problems found". All we are asking for, is reasonable value for our hard-earned money. I don't know about the other people in this discussion, but I'm out of work. I (try to) use this iMac to make enough money to pay the bills. As you can imagine - that won't be happening any time soon. I can't just go out and replace the computer (if I could it would NEVER be another iMac). I'm not asking for my money back, or a new computer, or for someone from Apple to come and massage my tired neck - I'm asking Apple to step up to the plate and fix this problem now. Give me what I paid for - in good faith - a reliable, stable, functional computer.< Edited by Host >

Well - this thread seems to have gone suspiciously quiet-as have some others. Did everyone but me get their problems resolved, or does 'Big Brother' have the scissors out?

I've been reading your posts, but I can't offer any new solution myself. I understand your frustration, as I also have an 18-month-old dying iMac that I no longer use. I really can't spend a whole lot of time being upset over it, but maybe I'll speak to Customer Relations someday when my schoolwork winds down a bit.

Have you spoken to Customer Relations already? Have you left [feedback|http://www.apple.com/feedback/imac.html]?