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

OK - The original post is ridiculous. The MOST Basic machine eligible for LION is a mid 2007 Mac Pro. Anything older than 2011 is like installing Windows 7 on your 2004 Dell Laptop that "runs XP great."

The nVidia GPU log you keep re=posting basically says your hardware is being crushed by a 3D OpenGL call that is not really capable of running on the older video driver. a 2007 Mac Pro had 256 MB of Video Ram. OpenGL and DirectX 11 need 1GB and millions of processing cores to function and run 3D apps correctly.

Also -

Dumping your error logs on people without a complete hardware profile helps NO ONE. What does it mean without knowing what you are running? For all that says, you could be running a hackintosh with an EFI-x key.

Without meaninglful data you are just posting Data Dumps - abnd that is NOT a "Bug Report."

I am amazed at your harsh comments.  I am running Lion on a mid-2010, and except for one problem which has been fixed by unchecking everything in the mouse preferences, Lion for me is running just fine.

It might be more helpful if you would give people here some constructive advice.  You say Lion shouldn't be installed on a Mac older than a 2011 model, however, I am proof that your comment isn't correct.  Now, are we to believe that the rest of your comments are correct?

Eric,

Not sure but there are plenty of older machines that should be able to run Lion or SL without any problems, I think a lot of these problems are related to older and newer machines both, because I have had similar issues with Lion on my iMac that just took a dump. Maybe some of those logs, can be seen by some Apple techs, who might be able to figure out what is going on. Not sure if I agree with your OpenGL and DirectX 11 as my machine was newer and decked out and still had similar problems.

Just a FYI on the build:

iMac i7 Quad Core

16gig Memory

SSD 256 HD

2 TB Hard Drive

AMD 6970 DDR5 2gigs

Using Final Cut Pro/Adobe Photo Shop etc..

After Lion unit had fits, with freezes and shut downs, went back to SL, got a little better but still major issues.

Replaced the SSD Drive

Replaced SSD second time/Memory

Replaced Logic Board/Heat Sensor

Finally Apple gave me credit, Now I am running a loaded Mac Mini with less memory on the video card with Lion and no issues with video yet, and I only have AMD 6630 Video card with 256 memory and no problems so far. Frankly I would have gladly gone back to another iMac but I have had friends with similar machines having similar problems, so for now I will wait. Using a Apple Thunderbolt display with both my Mac Mini and Macbook Pro both running Lion and so far so good.

Read this article http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-downgrade-os-x-lion-to-snow-leopard-the-complet e-tutorial/ People with Lion preinstalled can't install Snow Leopard. That is a fact! Not those with iMacs that were purchased in 2011 but those that had Lion pre installed

Very true, as I incorrectly posted that link before!  My iMac was pre Lion and that is what I did is go back to SL, because Lion didn't work out. But with the newer machines, this can not be done, which doesn't make too much sense if your really think about it as the my iMac in June of 2011 is really that different then the current model? Just curious if it is the same hardware and you have an old Time Machine backup on why you couldn't go back to SL, makes it kind of complicated if one upgrades to a new Machine and can't use TM, but has to use Migration assistant which doesn't work all that great.

Gandalf -

I am mostly replying to Ben Friedman in this thread. To understand the full intent and complete "story" I will find the other post and reply here as well. I fully believe that hardware failure is possible, prevalent, and part of the life-cycle embedded in all closed-case computers.

Ben - you are clearly a disgruntled lover of 10.5.8 who cannot grasp that the new Intel Chipset requires more than your old lover could offer. Apple has gone through far more drastic changes in the past. OS9 - to - OSX... We had to buy ALL new Hardware and Software. Then PCI - to - PCI-X - to - PCIe in one year, and ALL new hardware again. The PowerPC to Intel. Now the Second Intel - to - Intel incompatibility. Tiger to Leopard, and now Leopard to LION. All cats, but they do not mate except in Napolean Dynamite.

My other post on this -

On the Video issue - Your iMac came with a CD and set of tools. One of those tools is a Video Tester, among others. It will cause this problem.

I am the first one to complain about Apples seeming failure to address or improve High-End Desktops for the Pro Market - and do so often. However, people complaining about LION not running on their 2008, 2007, and mini machines are just fools.

Apple should be way more realistic on what LION works on. Consider the timeline. If you are using a machine that was built to accomodate running Rosetta Apps, you should not put LION on it. And second - Like any laptop, iMacs are prone to heat, intallation, and smashed in a box issues. From an EE standpoint, almost ALL capacitors, resistors, IC's, and other parts have a maximum lifespan of 5-7 years in 2011. But - they are all pretty stable to 104 degrees C.

Laptops, iMacs, and and mini computer should fail like this:

2.-3 years you will begin to experience intermittant Hard Disc Problems. The first time your computer fails to boot with a "Drive not found" error, back everything up to a set of Blu-Ray Discs, or a portable drive not used for anything else.

3-4 years what is called the "logic board" in Apples will begin to wear down due to the extra heat from hard drive problems, dusty airways and inneficient fans, and OFTEN the extra heat caused by always leaving your laptop plugged in.

5 Years is a milestone in all closed case, limited cooling machines. It is time to recycle.

Conversely - We currently have multiple Mid 2007 Mac Pros Deployed, and will not replace them for at least 3 more years. They just received new RAM, NEW 7200 RPM hard drives, and cleaned filters, cooling fins, and where necessary new heat-transfer paste/epoxy to keep the cooling working as best as possible.

Not only are modern electronics truly built with a number of cycles and therefore pre-ordained lifespan, but just like a car, if you don't maintain your investment, like just leaving it plugged in 24/7, it will die faster.

Ben - I'm right there with about Apples lack of support for some of the Computer Platforms - and also for the lack of real information the marketing people dole out about what can run on what. Clearly MOST of the LION problems I read at your links are users getting excited about a $29 OS upgrade that they actually cannot use, and should know better than to run software with the minimum hardware requirements. Sadly, in that article, there are the people who had a batch of faulty logic boards and/or video cards in new computers - and then a bunch of people who have no idea what they are talking about, and have mouse jitter and screen flicker because their video game is not running right on LION with their 2008 Mac Mini running BootCamp.

Eric,

No Problem, my issues were with my iMac June 2011 and I felt like I was a Guniea pig going from SL to Lion for the most part as I see no difference in my decked out iMac of June verses the new exact same iMac that is currently listed, they seem to be the same machine with the exception of Lion being pre-installed.  Ironically, I haven't had a single issue with software or hardware since I been buying Macs since 2003, so I just home there Quality Control is getting thrown out the door these days..

My 2010 Mac Mini has SL on it, and I don't plan on putting Lion on that unit anytime soon.

My 2011 Mac Mini runs quite well with Lion and I am very impressed with the speed, but having

16gig of memory and a SSD drive sure helps. Now if I didn't have 3 young boys, I would go back to

using Mac Pro's, but some thing tells me Apple might be getting rid of these, hopefully not.

No I have 10.6.8. I guess I am a lover of 10.6.8 not disgruntled at all! Does that make me GRUNTLED???

Mac Pro's -

Currently, there is no Pro Software for Audio Video that can out-pace the read/write speeds of 15,000 RPM SCSI hard drives. So with Mac Pro's with even the first iteration of quickpath, there is nothing on the horizon Software-wise that makes upgrading necessary. Until there are advances in other realms of computer tech, that serendipitous moment of Hardware Needed by New Software is not on the horizon. Essentailly, unless you want shiny and new, you cannot truly outperform a Nehalem Mac Pro with the Pro Applications coupled to Hard Drive throughput. Maybe Thunderbolt + an SSD with 500GB of RAM Cache would change the game - But when we cannot overflow the throughput with 150 Audio Tracks and hundreds of plugins - we have no reason to move up.

I would love shiny and new - but not just to spend money.

Truly, I don't think Apple has an eye on the future of these high-end machines either. Look at BOXX technologies. I would not be totally surprised to see the Mac Pro given to a specific outside team to push the market and software developers (Autodesk, RED, Live Rendered 3D Film like Avatar) to create products that can use extended resources. Autodesk only barely runs at 64 bit, and less so when it comes to multi-core and multi-thread. Autodesk and Adobe (plus some very specific application developers) are the only companies selling volume products that might require more power in the next 5 years. 

Eric, Apple do a hardware check on installation of any version of OS X that prevents it being installed on incompatible or unsuitable hardware.  If you can install Lion then you should expect it to work as advertised.

Lion seems to have a serious issue in what might be third party graphics drivers.  There's no point saying that someone with a 2007 machine should expect this more than someone with a 2011 machine when it's clearly a related issue with no bearing on the age of the machine whatsoever.

The original post says he is running a brand new Mac. What are you referring to?I am referring to the first post number 1.

OK For the very last time I will say it: I have 3 Macs with Snow Leopard 10.6.8 I do NOT have 10.5 on these Macs. They are an iMac 2011 with i7 Processor 27"screen 8GB of Memory. I also have a 21.5" iMac with i7 Processor ordered from the factory with 8GB of memory I have a MacBook Pro with 10.6.8. I do not use Windows. I do not have Lion because of the numerous complaints from Mac Users here that their iMacs were freezing and locking up. Please do not refer to me as you did on the Discussion "I bailed out on Lion" as a troll. I am not a troll I am sincerely interested in Lion but am disappointed because of the numerous complaints here.

I sent "Eric" over to this group because most of the users on the group I was on said "freezes what freezes and lockups what lockups" He instead took everyone to task incorrectly stating that only new Macs should install Lion. But you having a new Mac and having these same problems as well as others having new Macs disproves his theory. False information instead of advice seems to abound all over these Discussion Groups.

Ben,

I have an older Mac Mini 2010 which I installed Lion on, had issues with it so I went back to SL. I also had a iMac June of 2011 which came with SL and when I upgraded to Lion I has similar issues, so I re-installed SL and still had major problems to the point the computer basically failed, meaning hardware which is too long to list here. This was a rare event to have hardware failure for me, since I haven't had one lick of hardware problems with the exception of a older Mac Pro with a bad video card. These are the only 2 problems I have had since 2003.

So here is a quick list:

Mac Mini 2010 SL installed, went to Lion problems.  Currently SL installed, NP so far.

Mac Mini Jan 2012, Lion installed NP so far.

Macbook Pro Aug 2011, SL orginial software, Lion NP so far.

Macbook Pro Jan  2012 Lion installed NP so far.

iMac i7 Quad Core, June 2011 16gig memory, SSD drive, SL softare orginally installed. I went to Lion problems started happening in Sept/Oct with constant freezes. Went back to SL in November had major hardware failures

SSD dive twice, Logic Boad, memory, heat sensor. Not sure what caused it but I will be staying away from iMac for awhile. Took from early September to January to determine this iMac was a Lemon or some thing else caused it to fail. 

Bottom line, customer service was excellent for the most part, but have Apple Care sure does help. I do however miss the quad core. I will most likely buy another iMac some time next summer.

This e-mail is just a FYI, and hopefully no one else experiences a major hardware meltdown!

Based on your experience with exceptionally high grade hardware I am extremely reluctant to install Lion on my iMacs Both I7 Quad Core one a 27" and the other a 21.5" .The 21.5" was ordered on line as the local Applestore doesn't stock them. I am having no problem with SL at all on any of my Macs but this is the first time I haven't upgraded the OS since 2004.