System Freezes Randomly after 10.6.3 Update

Just a small update to my previous posts. I've already gone through all symptoms described in this discussion. I applied all updates from Apple and the last working was 10.6.2.

1) Firstly it was freezing problem when the picture was frozen and it wasn't possible to click on anything, only the mouse cursor was moving. Background services (SSH, etc.) were running

2) Secondly I've seen time to time the first case and time to time black screen. Again all background services were running (even VNC).

3) Now I didn't get any freeze like in the first case, but I get a black screen and the there aren't any background services running and the computer is disconnected from the network as well.

In first two cases it was possible to shutdown the computer through SSH, but now I have to use hard reset. The time that takes Apple to solve this problem is really enormous and I rather work on my Windows machine, when I need some to work safely. Grrr Apple!

Here's my latest. After having the screen freeze issue shortly after upgrading to 10.6.3 and going back to 10.6.2 the problem went away. I upgraded to 10.6.4 and the problem returned. I again retreated to 10.6.2 and was stable for several weeks. In the past month the problem occurred again with freezes sometimes once a week, sometimes twice a day.

I previously mentioned TechTool reporting a problem with Video which went away after the downgrades. Recently I ran the Apple Hardware Test and received a result that seems to indicate a Hard Drive issue (hard to tell for sure since they won't tell us what the codes mean). At this point I don't know if the problem is a result of 10.6.3/4 or if something in the upgrade has increased stress on the video or if the hard drive actually has a problem. TechTool reports no problem with the hard drive and the SMART status is good. It could also be a weakness in the video. In any case my AppleCare ran out in April so, if there actually is a problem with the video it will probably be cheaper to buy a new 'puter than to have the 5.1 iMac fixed.

Any way I look at it I am really disappointed with Apple. If it is an OS problem they have not come up with a fix. If it is a hardware problem I am pretty unhappy after 3.5 years of use. This is my 6th Mac since 1986 and the only one to have issues.

I'd like to hear from anyone who's had their graphics card fried trying to update the OS to 10.6.

I was forced to upgrade to 10.6 from 10.4 thanks to a new iPhone4.

I've eventually bought a new internal hard-drive and installed 10.6 straight onto that. I've tried all combinations of 10.6 (i.e. 10.6, 10.6.2 and 10.6.4) and I get the same problems of the screen rendering incorrectly on booting which ends with the entire screen filling with washes of random pixels. After about 5 manual reboots the system is functional.

I can't see anything ever appearing in the logs relating to this either which leads me to think it's the graphics card.

I can't find any information that says the nvidia 7600 is incompatible with 10.6 so I can only assume the improbable scenario that the graphics card got fried with the os update.

FWIW, Apple Hardware Test is independent of any OS version. It doesn't run as an application but as a tiny little self-contained OS optimized to check the hardware while depending on it as little as is possible.

Bad news. After my clean install, I was fine for several days, but now everything is back. Freezing several times an hour. The GPU is crashing and the console shows it going into debug mode. Also, that the Windows Sever has crashed. Sound familiar? I'm started to get frustrated as my AppleCare runs out in October. I'm prob be going back to 10.6.2 now.

Still having freezes. More frequent now. One curiosity that I've wondered about. Within System prefs/Displays, the gather windows button is not grayed out but should be since I've never had a second monitor. Does puter think I have more than one monitor? Don't know. Can anyone else confirm that on their machines or is it just mine? I also have many odd window server illegal argument notations. Mail is also starting to freeze without Safari even being on. Firefox seems to be stable with no freezes.

RM

Just chiming in here with a completely formatted and fresh install of OSX and once again getting problems.

I started with the Leopard retail disc, updated to 10.5.8. Used my SL upgrade disc and everything was fine. Then I updated to 10.6.4 and now it's hanging/freezing up again like it did when I went to 10.6.3 on its release day. The only apps I've added on here right now is MS Remote Desktop Connection, and iLife '09.... otherwise it's a completely clean and updated system.

This is using either a Magic Mouse, or just a Wired USB mouse.

There were never any errors installing or updating the OS.

Usually it freezes up (mouse still moves around, nothing responds, sometimes will go to a beach ball)
when waking up from sleep, or it just hangs and the screen is either gray with a pin stripe in the middle, garbled pixels flashing all over, or a solid color. Never the Kernel Panic box though.

I've also tried different configurations of RAM, used the AHT and got nothing.

running Leopard or 10.6.2 results in NO problems what so ever. This machine is out of warranty now, and feels like it's going to be stuck with 10.6.2 for now on.... making it pointless to try and sell to someone else.

also, I should note... running in Safe Mode has not produced any hangs/freezes/crashes so far.

Seems my problem is a wake from sleep issue. Think I've heard that before in these forums. If I tell the computer to sleep from Apple menu, it will surely crash shortly after wake up. I can reproduce it nearly at will. Issue is more pronounced in system apps (Safari and Mail mostly). I've tried to reproduce it in Firefox and other 3rd party apps and don't succeed. Kinda suggests that video cards screen etc. are not at fault as I used to think.

As a reminder, this computer visited the Apple guy for 10 days and he never reproduced the crash. Apple tests came clean. He used Firefox the whole time sleeping computer turning on Firefox trying to reproduce the problem. I brought it home, slept it, turned on Safari and crashed it the next day. At the time, I didn't know that two browsers would act differently and neither did he. Didn't take it back cause I'm thinking "this has to be software". Hope I'm right, cause, for me, apple care ended Sept. 24.

Done all the fixes, SMC, PRAM, remove system management plist, reinstalls (clean and archive) to no avail.

Seems also, that if puter goes to sleep by itself (energy saver) or I log out and let the thing go to sleep with energy saver settings, the crashes may not happen. Still testing that premise though.

The fix for now-- Don't let it sleep and if I do, a restart is in order before I work. If sleep is avoided, everything runs smooth as silk and is rock solid.

RM

You might the suggestion by Spaaarky:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12312095

Steve

Yep.. I downgraded to 10.6 then upgraded to 10.6.2 v1.1

Everything worked fine, of course. Then upgrade to 10.6.3 (combo). Use apple menu, go to sleep. 5 seconds later, click mouse button to wake up machine. It wakes up, shows screen saver, then shows desktop for a second. Then bam! solid black screen and nothing responding.

Seems like it's almost always from waking up from sleep.

If I do the same thing in 10.6.2 and there's no problems.

I'll give it a try

Thanks

RM

adgraphic wrote:
also, I should note... running in Safe Mode has not produced any hangs/freezes/crashes so far.

This usually means you have installed some software not fully compatible with the OS version you are using, or that some OS files are corrupted.

If you have not already done so, run Disk Utility's Verify Disk check to make sure the HD is free of file system problems. If any problems are detected you will have to fix them first & then possibly reinstall the OS to recover from corruption problems.

To avoid software compatibility problems, make sure any third party items are the most current, up-to-date versions available & that where possible the vendor specifically has stated that software is compatible with the OS version you are using. It is not all that unusual for some third party item not to be fully compatible with an OS update & to cause problems with it, often because its developer has not followed all of Apple's developer guidelines. This is particularly common with drivers & utilities that modify the user interface in some way -- basically anything that operates in system rather than user space.

Hi all,

1. Problem started happening after 10.6.3 update? maybe
2. Did you get any errors during 10.6.3 update process? No (with two display)
3. Mouse cursor moves? Yes but crazy move after : gray screen
4. Can you click anything with the mouse? No
5. Does the system respond to keyboard key presses? No
6. Only way to re-animate system is by holding down power button? Yes
7. Mouse/Keyboard Model? Mouse normal and aluminium Keyboard

I've trouble too but I don't know since when !
I explain : I've a iMac 24" since 3 years (8,1 with the 8800GS), always connected to a external display (Belinea display). But, since the last week, I reformat my iMac to sell it but ... It refuse to work without the external display !

That can be seem amazing but ... did you tried to connecte a external display ?
Because in my case : it's work ! no problem ! *zero freeze* ! 🙂

But I've this kind of freeze (black, gray, purple screen) without my external (maybe since Snow Leopard update ... or not). See my post for more detail :
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2594216&start=15&tstart=0

With the iMac display only, my iMac become very hot, very quickly (+15°C in few minutes) with only desktop to the screen. And the Kernel Panic when I reboot.

I've maybe two theory :

First, the "complot theory", with the recent SL update & graphic update, "old" 24" iMac have a conflit somewhere and maybe worse : a irreversible hardware damage if Apple remove a temperature security just for run nice iMac (new modele) with ... Valve Steam ? or StarCraft ?
But it's just a "paranoïac" theory.

Second theory : since 10.6 maybe something testing if there a external display connected, if there're : no problem. If there're not : conflict, overheat and freeze ... possible ?

But one thing sure : with the last update, some iMac can't shutdown or restart properly (see "delete the the bad preference file" somewhere in the forum). My experience is : like the iMac is very silencer, impossible to see if your iMac is really shutdown or not. In my case, the last month, when I was trying to turn on my iMac : it was already on !! & very hot !

Unacceptable & very dangerous bug from Apple 😟
And maybe a day, Apple will make a "Acknowledges" like for the ATI X1900 XT Issue... but 3 years to wait ?! 😟 😟

Because my BIG problem is : I want to sell this iMac 24" (8800GS GPU) but without external display.

RC-R.. you missed the part, the hard drive was completely wiped. The only things installed was iLife 09 and Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection applications.

I've upgraded/downgraded multiple times--since I was planning on selling this machine, I've already reformatted and reinstalled OSX a couple times. No matter what same thing.

Yesterday I set it so the machine doesn't go to sleep. No problems yet, since it never has to "wake" up.

If it takes someone to believe it, I can wipe the drive again and install nothing but Leopard -> Snow Leopard -> 10.6.3 and I'm 99% sure it will do the same thing.