24" iMac Screen Freezes since 10.6.3 update - pls help!

I was mistaken. I should shut up. I don't see any ATI kexts in my Mavericks OS. They're now all AMD drivers, which don't show on your screen grab because you're up in the AT area. You must have the AMD drivers also. I can't tell you whether you should treat them the same as ATI for the purpose of swapping back to the 10.6.2 known-good kexts. But if it was me and I was still having the freezing problem AND I had a good bootable backup, I would certainly try it.

My iMac 2009 (ATi 2600HD Pro), with newly installed Mavericks froze while browsing the Activity Monitor...

I dont even want to think about opening Photoshop and/or Open GL.

SO:

Is it possible to apply the Kext Fixes? Id really like to be able to use my iMac on Mavericks. Ill read the rest of the thread as well, a quick reply would come handy.

Thanks!

Well, I'm still getting freezes. As you can see from my screen shot, the ATI files are there, but not enabled.

The AMD files are still there and I've tried deleting them. How do i go about getting the ATI files to be enabled. I've tried deleting or removing the AMD files, but have had no luck. I think 10.9.1 has some kind of authorization for kext files thing going on????

Why isn't Apple paying attention to this "glitch" and fixing Mavericks or at least offering a automated patch? My mac has been freezing up almost on a daily basis and I'd be happy to try something that works since the fixes don't seem to work with all vintages of iMacs, especially the 7,1 versions like mine.

I started by moving data from my HDD so now I have about 35% free... thought maybe 75% used was too much. Next I couldn't "see" my NAS drives from certain applications that had worked fine before Mavericks. The freezes continue. How many mac owners are not posting here but are dealing with freeze ups or other symptoms?

This is why Apple needs to post a big red flag warning when they release a new, fully tested OS... that testing has found this "upgrade" can be problematic if your mac was manufactured between such and such dates. This is not a beta release, its supposed to be fully tested.

Apple, give us users and supporters a real fix.

p.s. wish there was a way to pm the guy who has a handle on the fixes, maybe he'd help if apple won't.

I think if we want Apple to do something about this issue, then the best thing is for everyone to raise a bug report at bugreport.apple.com. Apple may dip in and out of these forums, but it's the bug reports that they really take notice of and work on.

If we all raise a bug report, they should all get flagged as duplicates, but this is what raises the priority for Apple to look at stuff. The more duplicates, the more people have the problem, so the higher the priority.

One reason I think Apple may not have fixed this issue, though, is that it may be our graphics cards that are at fault. I think our model of graphics card may be susceptible to developing a certain fault and this fault can only be triggered by using only certain features of the card; features that were enabled in 10.6.3. So Apple may not be providing us with a fix as it would mean disabling these features, even for those that don’t have the problem. However, the cynic in me tells me that Apple just want us to buy new kit, just like they want iPod touch and iPhone users on older models to upgrade by not allowing them to upgrade to latest iOS, even though the hardware is more than capable of running it.

I have took my 2009 imac into the apple store bullring. They cleared the dust out the fans & its past all the tests. They offered to put a new grapic card in at a charge. But stated they can not find a fault with the grapic card. (GT 130 card) They have now ran it for two weeks without a crash. I was geting kernel panics 20 times a day since sept 2012. So maybe a complete clean install with fresh user of mavericks & a dust clear out is the answer. I would not buy a graphic card unless it fails the apple store test. I have been advised not to use any old time machine back ups, as the fault is somewhere in the softwear of my old user profile. The only none apple softwear I had installed was accountedge. So its a case of reinstalling all my old stuff untill i can recreate the kernels panics scrren shots imac restarting itself. This should show the real cause.

@Duster19

The results with this kext fix work for the ATI hd2400/2600 pro (Model 8.1)

You have to follow the instructions from the " step by step guide" on page 102.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2384136?start=1515&tstart=0

After using the Kext helper your system probably freezes, thats normal. Force restart.

(backup!)

This is crazy, my MacBook Air freezes every (and I mean every!!) day!!!! Mail, Chrome messenger, you name it and it freezes. I cannot believe that Apple has not fixed this yet!!! I use my Mac for work, and out IT group cannot fix it!!! This is MADNESS!!!

For what its worth, I sent an email to Apple today and urge everyone to do the same. Here's the email address to use:

bugreportersupport@apple.com

Subject of your email: Bug Report - Mavericks OS X Freeze-Ups

Body of message: Write whatever you like, but I included a link to this entire 105 page thread, and I noted that simply "Googling" iMac freeze-ups turns up dozens of complaints in forum threads which contain hundreds of complaints. And yes, I suggested that Apple red flag Mavericks and any other OS X versions that are not 100% compatible with previously manufactured mac personal computers. I identified the problem as a "glitch" as I know from my limited involvement in software development... the code writers hated the word "glitch".

So if you think this is a problem Apple needs to solve and not one you personally caused, jump in and send them an email. It can't hurt.

Mike

Just to note, the first post in this thread was in March of 2010, four years ago. It's somewhat amusing to suppose all this has never been tried before. That post references the problem beginning with OS X 10.6.3, fully three generations of the operating system previous to Mavericks. In my own case, Mavericks is the only one of those systems that actually works <i>without</i> the graphics freezing glitches. So, as they say YMMV. It strikes me as about 3 1/2 years too late for Apple to care about this. I would be concerned that any "fixes" will screw up my own working system. And they're undoubtedly 99.9% more concerned that OS X is compatible with the new Mac Pro, all of which is not to pour cold water over your concerns, but have you read the 105 pages of posts on this issue? If you had, I'd expect you to have become fatally discouraged at least by page 40.

Still, try the kext fix. That has always worked as far as I have read and experienced.

Old News. Unfortunately, I have been through all 105 pages and was aware that the issue/thread started 3 years ago, and I even mentioned that in my email to Apple. Nonetheless, I had _no_ freezeups until this past Fall (2013) so thats when I started trying suggestions from various forums most all in vain. Whereas I had maybe twice a month freeze ups before Mavericks, now its about every 48 hours. There was no reason for me to search out this thread before if my system was not freezing up.

I would love to try the Kext Fix but the instructions are not mapped out well for all generations/variants of macs. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but I can't find the files that are cited in the Page 102 fix. I've posted screen shots and was hoping that someone with some degree of expertise with the Kext Fix would jump in and help us out, tell us exactly how our (people posting since page 102) specific fixes should be implemented for the 7,1 iMacs running the ATI 2600 PRO graphics card.

My macbook pro is about 4 years still running OS X v10.6.8 and absolutely no problems. I won't upgrade bc I'm seeing what the last couple of updates have done to my iMac.

Mike - is your machine booting in 32-bit or 64-bit mode? I vaguely recall that the kext fix only works on iMacs booting into 64-bit mode, and I recall (vaguely) as well that the iMac 7,1 did not boot into 64-bit. Maybe check whether your machine can boot into 64-bit -- I recall it's some keystroke to switch to 64, if your machine can do it. If not, then I don't believe the kext fix works on such machines.

Caveat emptor - I may be misremembering about the 7,1. If so, then one of the other members will so indicate.

I have promised te report about my kext update from november last year.

Well, at first I thought it helped, ** after a few days I knew better.

I am back on the problems again.

My Imac 7,1 from late 2007 freeze up about every one or two days.

always with this exceptions in my crash repport.

Exception Type: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGSEGV)

Exception Codes: KERN_INVALID_ADDRESS at 0x0000000000000110

Has anyone ever considered getting a complete new install with an older sysyem soft e.g. M.L.

Hope to find an answere some day.

AHA! Thank you for that kick in the butt! OK, so I rebooted while holding down the "6" & "4" keys to go into 64-Bit mode. I then was able to follow the instructions and drag out the old kext files and go with the "Easy Install" of the downloaded ones. Once completed, I rebooted but did not go to 64-Bit, just left it alone. My mac booted just fine, so now she's on trial... have to see if I experience any more freezeups.

Just thinking out loud, but lets hope that this works, but when Apple introduces yet another patch for Mavericks, what would be the thinking here... update of let sleeping dogs lie? LOL

Interesting that my iMac is supposed to be a 7,1 series and yet it booted just fine into 64-Bit. I know it did because how else would have I been able to "navigate" right to the files spelled out in the fix when I couldn't before?

Time will tell... and in the meanwhile, I'm crossing my fingers and saying five Hail Marys!

Mike

I may be wrong about 7,1 and 64-bit. Maybe that model can, in fact, run in 64-bit. It has been a while (well over a year) since the postings about 64-bit mode appeared, so I can't remember the details (especially about a model of machine different from my 8,1 system). However, I vaguely recall that 64-bit is needed for these kext files to work. So, if you are booting into 32-bit and then get a freeze, you should try again booting solely into 64-bit. (There is a way to make the computer always boot 64-bit, without having to do a key press each time.)

Also, even when you do the 64-bit key press, you should there is a way to check if you system is, in fact, running in 64-bit mode. I think it's something in terminal. (Sorry, it's back in these 105 pages of postings somewhere.)

Others may remember the history on this better than I....