iMac Freezes then Restarts

I am having an ongoing problem with my iMac freezing and then restarting.


My iMac is a Retina 4K, 21.5” late-2015 with 8GB HDD running Monterey 12.7.4


The machine freezes without warning. There is no rotating “beachball” and there is no error message. After a period of around 30 seconds the screen goes blank and then the machine restarts. The restart is slower than usual, suggesting to me that the operating system might be sorting itself out. Occasionally, the machine reboots again during the restart.


This problem does not seem to be related to using any particular application, but most often is when working in Safari or on a Zoom or Skype call. Once or twice it has even crashed while the machine was standing idle.


I have run the built-in diagnostics numerous times, I have reinstalled Monterey four times, twice doing a complete clean install on a reformatted hard drive. I have run MemTest86+, Onyx and EntreCheck, without any problems being detected. There are no crash reports in Console. 


I really don’t know what to try next. Any guidance?

iMac 21.5″, macOS 12.7

Posted on May 4, 2024 1:37 AM

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4 replies

May 4, 2024 7:03 AM in response to Ian@Zug

From your description, this kind of sounds like a failing Hard Drive.

1) If you do not have a backup, backup ASAP to an external drive using Time Machine, CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.

2) Post your EtreCheckPro report, as per > How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community

3) Run the Apple Diagnostics Test, as per > Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support

4) Get and run the free download of DriveDX, from > https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx

May 4, 2024 2:56 AM in response to Ian@Zug

Not officially, but I take your point - the machine is a classic, hard to let go off. I know because my 2013 21” is still working as good as new and in my book it’s worth way more than the newer ones on offer. I’m giving it extra TLC just for that reason - I don’t even bother with backups.


Anyways, good luck! I hope you get better inputs soon. All the best.

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iMac Freezes then Restarts

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