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Kernel Panic Hardware Issue?

Hello,

I have a late 2008 MBP (MacbookPro5.1) and having kernel panics all the time. It has a 128GB ssd, but replaced with my old hdd and it's still the same, so it's probably a hardware problem. If I don't have any HDD inside and trying to boot from the Mountain Lion USB it still have kernel panic and can't do anything.

BUT... I can boot in safe boot mode.


Any idea?


I had some different error messages like:


The last one:



Interval Since Last Panic Report: 468619 sec

Panics Since Last Report: 7

Anonymous UUID: 6F5C6D33-D913-9E31-150B-95266BC4621B



Tue Nov 13 22:40:52 2012

panic(cpu 0 caller 0xffffff80002c473a): Kernel trap at 0xffffff8000290560, type 14=page fault, registers:

CR0: 0x0000000080010033, CR2: 0x0000100000000028, CR3: 0x0000000000aa7000, CR4: 0x0000000000000660

RAX: 0x0000000000000001, RBX: 0x000000000a3ad000, RCX: 0xffffff800a8dc700, RDX: 0x000000000002d38c

RSP: 0xffffff8078903bb0, RBP: 0xffffff8078903bd0, RSI: 0x0000000023958139, RDI: 0xffffff8003a189c0

R8: 0xffffff8078903c9c, R9: 0xffffff8078903c9c, R10: 0x00007fffc0000000, R11: 0x00000000fffffbff

R12: 0xffffff8003a189c0, R13: 0x0000000000008000, R14: 0xffffff800adcac00, R15: 0x0000100000000000

RFL: 0x0000000000010206, RIP: 0xffffff8000290560, CS: 0x0000000000000008, SS: 0x0000000000000000

CR2: 0x0000100000000028, Error code: 0x0000000000000000, Faulting CPU: 0x0



Backtrace (CPU 0), Frame : Return Address

0xffffff8078903860 : 0xffffff8000220792

0xffffff80789038e0 : 0xffffff80002c473a

0xffffff8078903a90 : 0xffffff80002da0cd

0xffffff8078903ab0 : 0xffffff8000290560

0xffffff8078903bd0 : 0xffffff800027f13e

0xffffff8078903c60 : 0xffffff8000266f33

0xffffff8078903c80 : 0xffffff80002651e9

0xffffff8078903cc0 : 0xffffff800026a64f

0xffffff8078903dc0 : 0xffffff800026cdd4

0xffffff8078903f40 : 0xffffff80002c3fbb

0xffffff8078903fb0 : 0xffffff80002d9ff1



BSD process name corresponding to current thread: launchctl



Mac OS version:

Not yet set



Kernel version:

Darwin Kernel Version 11.4.0: Mon Apr 9 19:32:15 PDT 2012; root:xnu-1699.26.8~1/RELEASE_X86_64

Kernel UUID: A8ED611D-FB0F-3729-8392-E7A32C5E7D74

System model name: MacBookPro5,1 (Mac-F42D86A9)



System uptime in nanoseconds: 8097942456

last loaded kext at 2013280234: com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCButtons 225.2 (addr 0xffffff7f81bbc000, size 16384)

loaded kexts:

com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverInt 0.0.67

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCButtons 225.2

com.apple.driver.BroadcomUSBBluetoothHCIController 4.0.5f11

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyEventDriver 225.2

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyboard 225.2

com.apple.driver.AppleIRController 312

com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeDataless 1.0.0d1

com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeZlib 1.0.0d1

com.apple.BootCache 33

com.apple.driver.XsanFilter 404

com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage 2.0.3

com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI 4.8.9

com.apple.driver.AirPort.Brcm4331 530.4.20

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub 4.5.0

com.apple.driver.AppleHPET 1.6

com.apple.nvenet 2.0.17

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI 4.5.8

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBOHCI 4.4.5

com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM 1.5.0

com.apple.driver.AppleRTC 1.5

com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort 2.3.0

com.apple.driver.AppleSmartBatteryManager 161.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons 1.5

com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS 1.8

com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC 1.5

com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC 1.5

com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient 193.0.0

com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall 3.2.30

com.apple.security.quarantine 1.3

com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement 193.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleFileSystemDriver 13

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBBluetoothHCIController 4.0.5f11

com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothFamily 4.0.5f11

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMultitouch 227.1

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBHIDDriver 4.4.5

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMergeNub 4.5.3

com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily 4.4.5

com.apple.iokit.IO80211Family 420.3

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient 4.5.8

com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily 2.1

com.apple.driver.NVSMU 2.2.9

com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime 1.5.0

com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily 2.0.8

com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily 1.7.1

com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily 1.1

com.apple.security.sandbox 177.5

com.apple.kext.AppleMatch 1.0.0d1

com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet 7

com.apple.driver.DiskImages 331.6

com.apple.driver.AppleKeyStore 28.18

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBMassStorageClass 3.0.1

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite 4.5.8

com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIBlockCommandsDevice 3.2.0

com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily 1.7.1

com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily 3.2.0

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily 4.5.8

com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform 1.5

com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily 2.6.8

com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily 1.4

Model: MacBookPro5,1, BootROM MBP51.007E.B06, 2 processors, Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.4 GHz, 4 GB, SMC 1.41f2

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, PCI, 256 MB

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, PCIe, 256 MB

Memory Module: BANK 0/DIMM0, 2 GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz, 0x8313, 0x434C372D372D3700444452332D3130363600

Memory Module: BANK 0/DIMM1, 2 GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz, 0x8313, 0x434C372D372D3700444452332D3130363600

AirPort: spairport_wireless_card_type_airport_extreme (0x14E4, 0x8D), Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.106.98.81.22)

Bluetooth: Version 4.0.9f33 10885, 2 service, 18 devices, 0 incoming serial ports

Serial ATA Device: SAMSUNG SSD 830 Series, 128.04 GB

Serial ATA Device: WDC WD7500BPKT-00PK4T0, 750.16 GB

USB Device: Built-in iSight, apple_vendor_id, 0x8507, 0x24400000 / 2

USB Device: BRCM2046 Hub, 0x0a5c (Broadcom Corp.), 0x4500, 0x06100000 / 2

USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller, apple_vendor_id, 0x8213, 0x06110000 / 5

USB Device: Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad, apple_vendor_id, 0x0236, 0x04600000 / 3

USB Device: IR Receiver, apple_vendor_id, 0x8242, 0x04500000 / 2


Other one:


Interval Since Last Panic Report: 466491 sec

Panics Since Last Report: 2

Anonymous UUID: 6F5C6D33-D913-9E31-150B-95266BC4621B


Tue Nov 13 20:49:52 2012

panic(cpu 0 caller 0xffffff801ec8713e): "Spinlock acquisition timed out: lock=0xffffff802265cc60, lock owner thread=0x100000000000, current_thread: 0xffffff802a25faa0, lock owner active on CPU 0xffffffff, current owner: 0x100000000000"@/SourceCache/xnu/xnu-2050.18.24/osfmk/i386/locks_i386.c:363

Backtrace (CPU 0), Frame : Return Address

0xffffff80977eba90 : 0xffffff801ec1d626

0xffffff80977ebb00 : 0xffffff801ec8713e

0xffffff80977ebb40 : 0xffffff801ec9e9b2

0xffffff80977ebbc0 : 0xffffff801eca17ca

0xffffff80977ebcf0 : 0xffffff801ec61693

0xffffff80977ebdb0 : 0xffffff801ec62abb

0xffffff80977ebf40 : 0xffffff801ecb7fa9

0xffffff80977ebfb0 : 0xffffff801ecce411


BSD process name corresponding to current thread: launchctl


Mac OS version:

Not yet set


Kernel version:

Darwin Kernel Version 12.2.0: Sat Aug 25 00:48:52 PDT 2012; root:xnu-2050.18.24~1/RELEASE_X86_64

Kernel UUID: 69A5853F-375A-3EF4-9247-478FD0247333

Kernel slide: 0x000000001ea00000

Kernel text base: 0xffffff801ec00000

System model name: MacBookPro5,1 (Mac-F42D86A9)


System uptime in nanoseconds: 4407889953

last loaded kext at 2170782068: com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCButtons 235.4 (addr 0xffffff7fa088e000, size 20480)

loaded kexts:

com.rogueamoeba.InstantOn 6.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCButtons 235.4

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyEventDriver 235.4

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyboard 235.4

com.apple.driver.AppleIRController 320.15

com.apple.driver.AppleFileSystemDriver 3.0.1

com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeDataless 1.0.0d1

com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeZlib 1.0.0d1

com.apple.BootCache 34

com.apple.driver.XsanFilter 404

com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage 2.2.2

com.apple.driver.AppleSmartBatteryManager 161.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub 5.2.5

com.apple.driver.AirPort.Brcm4331 602.15.22

com.apple.nvenet 2.0.19

com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI 4.9.6

com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort 2.4.1

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI 5.4.0

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBOHCI 5.2.5

com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM 1.6.1

com.apple.driver.AppleRTC 1.5

com.apple.driver.AppleHPET 1.7

com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons 1.6

com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS 1.9

com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC 1.6

com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC 1.6

com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient 196.0.0

com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall 4.0.39

com.apple.security.quarantine 2

com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement 196.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMultitouch 235.7

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBHIDDriver 5.2.5

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMergeNub 5.2.5

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite 5.2.5

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient 5.2.5

com.apple.iokit.IO80211Family 500.15

com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily 3.0

com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily 4.5.5

com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily 2.2.1

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily 5.4.0

com.apple.driver.NVSMU 2.2.9

com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime 1.6.1

com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily 1.8.0

com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily 1.1

com.apple.security.sandbox 220

com.apple.kext.AppleMatch 1.0.0d1

com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet 7

com.apple.driver.DiskImages 344

com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily 1.8

com.apple.driver.AppleKeyStore 28.21

com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform 1.6

com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily 2.7.2

com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily 1.4

com.apple.kec.corecrypto 1.0

Model: MacBookPro5,1, BootROM MBP51.007E.B06, 2 processors, Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.4 GHz, 4 GB, SMC 1.41f2

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, PCI, 256 MB

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, PCIe, 256 MB

Memory Module: BANK 0/DIMM0, 2 GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz, 0x8313, 0x434C372D372D3700444452332D3130363600

Memory Module: BANK 0/DIMM1, 2 GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz, 0x8313, 0x434C372D372D3700444452332D3130363600

AirPort: spairport_wireless_card_type_airport_extreme (0x14E4, 0x8D), Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.106.98.81.22)

Bluetooth: Version 4.0.9f33 10885, 2 service, 18 devices, 0 incoming serial ports

Network Service: Wi-Fi, AirPort, en1

Serial ATA Device: WDC WD7500BPKT-00PK4T0, 750.16 GB

Serial ATA Device: SAMSUNG SSD 830 Series, 128.04 GB

USB Device: Built-in iSight, apple_vendor_id, 0x8507, 0x24400000 / 2

USB Device: BRCM2046 Hub, 0x0a5c (Broadcom Corp.), 0x4500, 0x06100000 / 2

USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller, apple_vendor_id, 0x8213, 0x06110000 / 5

USB Device: Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad, apple_vendor_id, 0x0236, 0x04600000 / 3

USB Device: IR Receiver, apple_vendor_id, 0x8242, 0x04500000 / 2


And an other one:


Interval Since Last Panic Report: 466277 sec

Panics Since Last Report: 1

Anonymous UUID: 6F5C6D33-D913-9E31-150B-95266BC4621B


Tue Nov 13 20:41:37 2012

panic(cpu 1 caller 0xffffff80032b7bd5): Kernel trap at 0xffffff80032876fc, type 14=page fault, registers:

CR0: 0x0000000080010033, CR2: 0x0000100000000028, CR3: 0x0000000000dd9000, CR4: 0x0000000000000660

RAX: 0x0000000000000001, RBX: 0x0000100000000000, RCX: 0xffffff800e45c000, RDX: 0x0000000000000421

RSP: 0xffffff807bfebd90, RBP: 0xffffff807bfebdb0, RSI: 0x0000000023958139, RDI: 0xffffff8006ea61c0

R8: 0xffffff807bfebf00, R9: 0xffffff807bfebef0, R10: 0x0000000000000000, R11: 0x00007fff7d18c020

R12: 0xffffff8006ea61c0, R13: 0xffffff800e9c81e0, R14: 0xffffff800e9c81e0, R15: 0x000000000018d000

RFL: 0x0000000000010206, RIP: 0xffffff80032876fc, CS: 0x0000000000000008, SS: 0x0000000000000000

Fault CR2: 0x0000100000000028, Error code: 0x0000000000000000, Fault CPU: 0x1


Backtrace (CPU 1), Frame : Return Address

0xffffff807bfeba30 : 0xffffff800321d626

0xffffff807bfebaa0 : 0xffffff80032b7bd5

0xffffff807bfebc70 : 0xffffff80032ce4ed

0xffffff807bfebc90 : 0xffffff80032876fc

0xffffff807bfebdb0 : 0xffffff80032625cb

0xffffff807bfebf40 : 0xffffff80032b7fa9

0xffffff807bfebfb0 : 0xffffff80032ce411


BSD process name corresponding to current thread: taskgated


Mac OS version:

12C60


Kernel version:

Darwin Kernel Version 12.2.0: Sat Aug 25 00:48:52 PDT 2012; root:xnu-2050.18.24~1/RELEASE_X86_64

Kernel UUID: 69A5853F-375A-3EF4-9247-478FD0247333

Kernel slide: 0x0000000003000000

Kernel text base: 0xffffff8003200000

System model name: MacBookPro5,1 (Mac-F42D86A9)


System uptime in nanoseconds: 3631740734

last loaded kext at 2002899689: com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCButtons 235.4 (addr 0xffffff7f84f37000, size 20480)

loaded kexts:

com.rogueamoeba.InstantOn 6.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCButtons 235.4

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyEventDriver 235.4

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyboard 235.4

com.apple.driver.AppleIRController 320.15

com.apple.driver.AppleFileSystemDriver 3.0.1

com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeDataless 1.0.0d1

com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeZlib 1.0.0d1

com.apple.BootCache 34

com.apple.driver.XsanFilter 404

com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage 2.2.2

com.apple.driver.AirPort.Brcm4331 602.15.22

com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI 4.9.6

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub 5.2.5

com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort 2.4.1

com.apple.nvenet 2.0.19

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI 5.4.0

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBOHCI 5.2.5

com.apple.driver.AppleSmartBatteryManager 161.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM 1.6.1

com.apple.driver.AppleRTC 1.5

com.apple.driver.AppleHPET 1.7

com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons 1.6

com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS 1.9

com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC 1.6

com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC 1.6

com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient 196.0.0

com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall 4.0.39

com.apple.security.quarantine 2

com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement 196.0.0

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMultitouch 235.7

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBHIDDriver 5.2.5

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBMergeNub 5.2.5

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite 5.2.5

com.apple.iokit.IO80211Family 500.15

com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily 4.5.5

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient 5.2.5

com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily 2.2.1

com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily 3.0

com.apple.driver.NVSMU 2.2.9

com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily 5.4.0

com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime 1.6.1

com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily 1.8.0

com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily 1.1

com.apple.security.sandbox 220

com.apple.kext.AppleMatch 1.0.0d1

com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet 7

com.apple.driver.DiskImages 344

com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily 1.8

com.apple.driver.AppleKeyStore 28.21

com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform 1.6

com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily 2.7.2

com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily 1.4

com.apple.kec.corecrypto 1.0

Model: MacBookPro5,1, BootROM MBP51.007E.B06, 2 processors, Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.4 GHz, 4 GB, SMC 1.41f2

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, PCI, 256 MB

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, PCIe, 256 MB

Memory Module: BANK 0/DIMM0, 2 GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz, 0x8313, 0x434C372D372D3700444452332D3130363600

Memory Module: BANK 0/DIMM1, 2 GB, DDR3, 1067 MHz, 0x8313, 0x434C372D372D3700444452332D3130363600

AirPort: spairport_wireless_card_type_airport_extreme (0x14E4, 0x8D), Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.106.98.81.22)

Bluetooth: Version 4.0.9f33 10885, 2 service, 18 devices, 0 incoming serial ports

Network Service: Wi-Fi, AirPort, en1

Serial ATA Device: WDC WD7500BPKT-00PK4T0, 750.16 GB

Serial ATA Device: SAMSUNG SSD 830 Series, 128.04 GB

USB Device: Built-in iSight, apple_vendor_id, 0x8507, 0x24400000 / 2

USB Device: Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad, apple_vendor_id, 0x0236, 0x04600000 / 3

USB Device: IR Receiver, apple_vendor_id, 0x8242, 0x04500000 / 2

USB Device: BRCM2046 Hub, 0x0a5c (Broadcom Corp.), 0x4500, 0x06100000 / 2

USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller, apple_vendor_id, 0x8213, 0x06110000 / 3

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Nov 13, 2012 1:55 PM

Reply
16 replies

Nov 13, 2012 2:18 PM in response to balazs.biran

You are confusing the issure. One at a time, please.


The panic you reported in this topic was on a newly installed HDD or an older HDD. Is the problem only on a HDD or only on an SSD or on both in the same computer?


Did you prep the new drives properly?


Drive Preparation


1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.


If you are preparing an external or a non-startup drive, then open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.


2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.


3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.


4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.


5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.


6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.


Steps 4-6 are optional but should be used on a drive that has never been formatted before, if the format type is not Mac OS Extended, if the partition scheme has been changed, or if a different operating system (not OS X) has been installed on the drive.

Nov 13, 2012 2:39 PM in response to Kappy

Ok, let me explain.

I use this machine for 4 years now. I replaced the orginal HDD with an SSD in March. Everything went fine, but today it just crashed and when I tried to reboot I had the kernel panic. Because I couldn't solve the problem I put back my old HDD, but I still had kernel panic. My third attempt was to completely remove the hard drives and tried to boot from the Mountain Lion USB. But I had kernel panics every time. It's impossible to boot from any CD or USB...

So:

1st attempt: SSD (Mountain Lion) normal boot - kernel panic

2nd attempt: HDD (Lion) normal boot - kernel panic

3rd attempt: No harddrive Mountain lion USB - kernel panic

4th attempt: SSD (Mountain Lion) safe boot - works

Nov 14, 2012 12:12 PM in response to Kappy

cause of crash - page fault == unability to access memory page == memory bank error or swap file access error == memory fault or HD access fault.


mem paging in macos is deep ring0 so 3 times in a row exactly same partial corruption of mem pager excluded.

Boot from dvd crash - so with no access to HD paging - so HD is highly unprobably a cause.

Bad memory would provide a POST warning - beeps or blinking light.

not so simple

There are two kinds of errors that can typically occur in a memory system. The first is called a repeatable or hard error. In this situation, a piece of hardware is broken and will consistently return incorrect results. A bit may be stuck so that it always returns "0" for example, no matter what is written to it. Hard errors usually indicate loose memory modules, blown chips, motherboard defects or other physical problems. They are relatively easy to diagnose and correct because they are consistent and repeatable.

The second kind of error is called a transient or soft error. This occurs when a bit reads back the wrong value once, but subsequently functions correctly. These problems are, understandably, much more difficult to diagnose! They are also, unfortunately, more common. Eventually, a soft error will usually repeat itself, but it can take anywhere from minutes to years for this to happen. Soft errors are sometimes caused by memory that is physically bad, but at least as often they are the result of poor quality motherboards, memory system timings that are set too fast, static shocks, or other similar problems that are not related to the memory directly. In addition, stray radioactivity that is naturally present in materials used in PC systems can cause the occasional soft error. On a system that is not using error detection, transient errors often are written off as operating system bugs or random glitches.

Nov 14, 2012 12:23 PM in response to dmdimon

If it gets past POST and fails, then the RAM may be marginal but not entirely bad. The OP's description I interpreted to mean the computer started properly then panicked, so it passed POST. The fault then occurred because of a marginal failure of memory (or unrelated error) that doesn't preclude any other cause than memory.

Nov 14, 2012 12:27 PM in response to Kappy

If it gets past POST and fails, then the RAM may be marginal but not entirely bad. The OP's description I interpreted to mean the computer started properly then panicked, so it passed POST. The fault then occurred because of a marginal failure of memory

Exactly my point. Just I extended it to "repetable marginal failure == bad memory" mean bad as not good enough (to work reliably).

Kernel Panic Hardware Issue?

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