2011 27" i7 iMac crash/freeze

With AppleCare, if you're within 50 miles of a repair center, they'll come to use. Review the AppleCare booklet and go to AppleCare's Express Lane.

This is a problem with Lion, it's not a hardware issue. More info can be found here

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3194165

if you can......try going back to 10.6.6 of Snow Loepard. This version worked flawlessly on my iMac. When they released 10.6.7, somethign in that build caused this problem. I spent weeks workign with Apple tech support, sending data captures back and forth before they finally told me to set up an appointment with the Genius bar. From there, I spent another 3 hours at the genius bar trying EVERYTHING that Apple had to offer. At the end, they took back my 40 day old Mac and replaced it with a brand new one that came with 10.6.8 pre-installed. I have not had this issue since, and I upgraded to Lion via the Free upgrade program.

This isn't a new problem, mine started with 10.6.3 on a 2007 iMac. Between 10.6.3 and 10.6.6 I could overwrite the ATI kext files with the 10.6.2 version and everything returned to normality with no freezes at all for over 6 months. 10.6.7 the freezing returned and the overwriting the kext files caused more problems than it solved with kernal panics at startup.

I stayed with 10.6.6 and the 10.6.2 ATI Kext files and all was well until Sunday when I decided to try Lion 10.7.1, it wasn't long before I got my first freeze. It ran ok all night last night, but tonight I've had four freezes already and each requires a hard reset to power down system. One freeze tonight was immeadiately after a reboot, before I even managed to do anything.

On mine when the system freezes I can still move the mouse and audio continues to play. Clicking the mouse or trying keyboard shortcuts are ignored, so I can't do anything other than a power down. I'm on a fresh install of Lion 10.7.1 on a clean system, I wiped and reloaded and didn't do an upgrade over 10.6.x I have minimal apps installed and no Flash.

I've hardly added any apps to the fresh install as the freezes started almost immeadiately.

I don't hold out any confidence in Apple fixing it as they haven't managed it yet. Even worse to hear they are shipping new Macs that still have the same problems.

One good thing though, I won't be buying another Mac anytime soon as I've lost all faith in Apple to resolve any problems with their systems. Every new iMac since I bought mine has had issues of one type or another. It seems Mass production rules these days and its now a case of volume over quality as the Apple cash machine rolls on 😟

First Apple product in 8 years I had fail on me, I have AppleCare and I don't give a rats (|)! They will be taking this one back or my Apple Buying machine days are over. I mean I know more than there mid-level tech support does, and they are playing the same **** I got in the days of me using PC's, is your computer on, re-boot reboot, do you have any 3rd party software installed, do you have anything plugged into it. LOL Fricking laughable!

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I am plagued by the same problems: feezes/crashes where only the cursor moves and the only way out is a hard shutdown. Freeze also happens coming out of sleep or very soon after sometimes, also apparently at random and while watching (flash?) videos. ALL WAS JUST FINE WITH 10.6.6, VERY RARE FREEZES WITH 10.6.7 AND MORE FREQUENT WITH 10.6.8 WHICH I NOW I HAVE.

I also got my MAC in end of 2007 with 10.4 and did update combos since. I am very reluctant to go to LION for fear of making a bad situation worse.

I went to Apple store last week and my machine 'tested fine.' I came home and within a few days the crashes were happening again--every one or two days -- and now with the sbbod sometimes in place of the cursor.

I am feeling here in this thread an air of dejection and despair. Has anyone got some sort of a real handle on this?? Could an answer here for (some of) us be to go back to an earlier version until problems are resolved?

I am having similar issues. I have a mid 2011 iMac 27 i7 with ssd and hhd 16 gb ram and running 10.6.8. It cost almost $3000.00!

Since September 2011 or so the machine will randomly not wake from sleep or will crash while in use. One other symptom it will occasionally freeze while playing iTunes and there is terrible static at full volume, very disconcerting. The mouse and keyboard will not respond and need to use the rear power button to restart.

I have spent many many hours with AppleCare, and they have had me run Capture Data folders over 20 times and submit them to no avail. I have taken the machine into the genius bar on 2 different occasions and it stress tests fine no problems. I am a commercial photographer working on larger files, one gig plus files including layers and have lost so much of my time. I now need to save every 3 minutes or so which also is an incredible waste of my time as it takes 30 seconds to over a minute to save depending on file size. Apple has refused to replace it.

The crazy thing is I also have a mid 2010 iMac 27 i5 hhd running 10.6.8 that is identical in software etc and it never crashes and always wakes up...no problems.

Apple has left me no choice, but to question any further purchases from them. I have been a total fanboy since the Quadra days early 1990's and have always had wonderful support until now. I have purchased over 25 devices from multiple desktops, towers, iphones and ipads. This is not a reliable machine and cannot be used in any type of professional environment. If anyone has any insight please share it.

I have a 27" iMac which is just a month old. Locks up a couple of times a day and can't see any particular pattern. Certainly isn't just video. Its locked up twice already today and I've just been on Mail and iTunes.

Come on Apple - get your act together. I've used Apple products for more than 10 years and never had these sorts of problems before. Much as I love Apple I have to say a Windows machine that works is better than an Apple machine that doesn't.

You're about to lose a customer if this isn't sorted quickly.

Exactly the same problem with my iMac, wonder if you ever managed to resolve it? I've had th hard drive replaced twice now !

Thanks in advance

Why don't I see i7 iMacs in the online Apple Store? I'm having the same problem with my iMac 2010 2T drive and 8g of memory, and considering investing in a Samsung solid state drive as a fix, but I'm wondering if the i7 iMacs have systemic heat issues (CPU, bulging caps, harddrive). The more I put on my drive and the more processing action I add, the more crashes I'm getting. I also am seeing problems with the USB connections especially with the Apple keyboard. I have an Apple Power Mac that has been running continuously for more than 10 years without a single issue.

jmf

I am having exactly the same issues but with random crashes that are either blac, grey or multicolured screens.

Had a new LogiBoard replaced, new RAM and plenty of techs looking at it.
Currently running Apple Hardware Test to see if it picks anything up. I am interested to know if any of you fixed the issue?