Q: OSX Lion + 2011 iMac 27'' + Video = Freeze

Great- Now I just experienced for the first time another problem that other's have written about on here.

Again, I'm running a 24-inch Mid 2007 iMac, 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro 256 MB, on Lion 10.7.2 (11C74)

I was working in Time Machine trying to find a file that has mysteriously disappeared. 

Suddenly in the middle of doing a spotlight search, the entire system froze, but my mouse still dragged on the screen, but I could not click or exit with the keyboard.  After a few minutes the operation resumed.  I also occasionally got that freezing/skipping while dragging the mouse that happens when watching video lately.

A little while later, I experienced the black screen of death while searching.  My computer went totally black, although it was still running, and occasionally it would spin the DVD in the superdrive and my iPhone would make the beeping noise it makes when you plug it in for charging.  This suggests to me that something was going on like the computer was trying to boot or repower or something.  My keyboard was receiving power the whole time- I could press the Caps Lock key and get the light on and off.

Eventually I had to shut down and restart.  This KEPT happening in Time Machine whenever I searched.  So then I decided to boot into Snow Leopard, which I clean installed on a partition the other day.  I got into the TM backup and AGAIN got the black screen while searching.

Note that I have never gotten the black screen before today, but I got it roughly 5-7 times total between Lion and SL and ALWAYS and ONLY when I was working in Time Machine.

The question is- are the black screen problem and the video freeze problems related to each other?

And did Lion include some kind of firmware update to the video card or something else internal that would cause this problem on both Lion and Snow Leopard running on the same computer? 

How is it even possible that Apple has let this go on this long.  My iMac has suddenly become unreliable at best, and unusable at worst.

Sorry to here that, not sure if this is a software issue that is causing a hardware failure. As my machine is at the Apple Store being built from the growned up, which is laughable as they could have just sent me a new one for less money.  This Thread is almost a 100 pages long, and if I have one more problem with my iMac I am asking for a store credit, as I will most likely never buy another one till they get there act together on these. I feel your pain as my iMac went from great to worse after the updates. I went to Lion about a week after it came out, and some major problems popped up then I swithced back to SL and ever since then my machine basically became unusable and then the hardware started failing, so they say.

It seems that the brand new machines are having issues as well, so I'm not sure how good having the computer rebuilt would do.

Even so, my iMac is from 2007 so my Applecare has been expired for quite a while.  The sad thing is my computer is in really excellent shape... it's these **** updates that have destroyed it.  Everytime you buy a system upgrade it should automatically come with applecare to cover you in case it wrecks your hardware.

JoeyGillis,

Return to Leopard if you wish to use your iMac safely.  Snow Leopard appears to have the same bug(s) that LION has.  Leopard has none of these problems.

Your machine is a 2007 edition, so it shipped with a Leopard DVD.

I know it is inconvenient, but I could no longer tolerate the forced shutdowns.  It's inevitable that your hardware will suffer for it.

I have a brand new Macbook Pro 13 with Lion which has the same problem, screen freezes, cursor moves but does nothing. Only by holding the power button down can I get it to restart. I've had it happen 3 or 4 times now with just Safari running a browser game, graphics heavy admittedly.

Is there any news on when this problem will be addressed?

I'm wondering..

2008 iMac with Time Machine backup running Leopard - no problems EVER.

"Upgrade" to Snow Leopard, crashes and freezes every 30 mnutes after a few hours. but I did manage to back-up to external HD, as well as download all the drivers for the printers and scanner..  egads.

I can wipe the iMac clean, and reinstall Leopard.  What about my backup drive?  It has Leopard and SL backups on it.  Do you forsee a problem there?  What about the new drivers for the printer/scanner?  Do I have to do something there?  Did they drivers copy over to the time machine?

Thank goodness I didn't "upgrade" the MBP.. 

Apple had better be working on a fix... pretty quick.  I've already purchased new software that works with the new OS..  What a mess.

2rodee,

Going back to Leopard is definitely the thing to do.  I don't know what to say about the Time Machine backups.  I never back up data using Time Machine.  I just copy and paste my Users folder with all its contents to the external HD.

A Snow Leopard time machine backup will likely be accessable only when running Snow Leopard.

If you return to Leopard, I suspect you would then have to re-download your drivers again.

One question - should I use Disk Warrior to check for Hard drive errors before I reinstall?  Thanks.

Helen

Helen,

I don't think it's necessary to check for errors because, before installing Leopard, you must erase the hard drive.

Or, if you choose to partition the HD, you will be putting Leopard on a blank partition.

If the entire HD (or its new partition) is wiped clean, I presume that there would be no errors.  But I may be wrong.  If I am, someone please speak up.

Apple got me to do a partion with new lion... Installed iLife after a three days but in the end decided to live in the real world and installed parallels 7 (made for lion) and yup you guessed it.... Froze up!

Apple claims its a third party software issue.... So been left between apple and what ever third party they claim is at fault. Bad show apple, bad show. A computer that cannot have software is the sane as a car without petrol. Looks good but can't go any where.

I am at a lose ... Go back to leopard and give back iPhone 4s what a mess!

Here is where I am at currently..

Used Disk Utilities and partitioned HD into 2 parts - named the new one "HD LEOPARD"

Used Leopard install disks to install Leopard 10.4 (something)

Did NOT transfer files from other partition (SL) or MBP (couldn't find a firewire..) and didn't use time machine

   I wanted a new fresh Leopard in case I bring "issues" over.  Will update files as needed

Ran Software Update/Restart

Ran Software Update again/restart  now I'm at 10.4.11

Ran Software Update again...

..waiting  It keeps giving me new updates.  I suppose the apps need to rebuild step by step..?  Anyhow, I'm on my 3rd update.  I think Leopard was at 10.5 if I remember correctly? 

Playing around on Safari, I notice a lag in page changes and just in general.  Not sure what that's about yet.  Maybe the updates will help.  I'll keep ya'll posted.

Helen

  Sorry Mark.  I DO feel your pain.

NEVEr had an issue until this new SL and Lion came out. 

I need to get back to work and am in a dilema too.  Little scared of Mac right now.  I already bought new accounting software to go with Lion...  HAHA!!  JOKE is on me!

Going back to Leopard is my only choice right now on my macs.  I may buy Windoze 7 for my pc's and be done with it.  The PC folks aren't having to deal with all the upgrade$. 

Helen,

OS X 10.4.11 is TIGER, which predates LEOPARD.

How old is your Mac?  Is yours the 2007 iMac?  If so, you may have started out with Tiger and not Leopard.

It's OK, though.  TIGER is better to use than SL or LION at the moment.  It's probably still supported.

I'm ready to install Linux on my old PC, and use that for a bit.  Up yours, Apple!

Will the profiler tell me?  Jeez.. after putter my "readers" on, the install disks are dated 2007, and the version is 10.4.10 on the disks.  I bought my iMac from a guy in 2008 that had said he only had it a few months, and decided to get a laptop instead.  Leopard was on there already.

How do I get to 10.5 now?  My updater says I'm all updated...  Please don't tell me I have to buy Leopard...  I'm paying to go up AND down.  Yep, I'm on my lastttttt nerve here..  I'd do Linux too if I knew how.  LOL!

Even my MBP doesn't run well with my Zipform software (MANDATORY for my work.)  When I scroll down the screen drags (lags..?) and it freezes up - but I can get out of that.  So this laptop isn't even a good substitute.

Even my scanner is a mac only scanner $400+..  

Sick of it all.  Sorry for the rant.

Helen

Helen,

TIGER should be fine.  Unless you have software that won't run on it.

I don't know where you could buy Leopard anymore.  I would'nt bother.