Hi,
due to several problems, I wonder if RAM is buggy in my iMac:
- 1...3 Kernel Panics on boot
- Safari and other applications frequently crashing
Could you please provide instructions, how to run memory diagnostics.
All options I found in the web - failed. Someone told me, that certain Macs not even have diagnostics.
Kind regards,
s
iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), 3,06 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce 9400, 12GB
Do you have the correct RAM for your Late 2009 iMac...?
see > iMac: Memory specifications and upgrades
The Apple Hardware Test is on Disc # 2 of the Snow Leopard Disc set that originally came with your iMac.
Thx!
I ordered RAM conforming to the above specifications.
Additionally, I'm pretty sure, that I used disc #2 to launch. I presses D a very long time - but nothing happened.
Nevertheless, I'll try again.
Are you sure, that I received two discs? I immediately found the 'Mac OS X Snow Leopard' (2009) DVD.
It is marked as Install DVD. Can't remember, that I received a second DVD.
In the details about the System Information window, if I click on the Service, Support, Memory and then Harddiscs menu entries, System Information crashes like this:
Crashed Thread: 0 Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread
Exception Type: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGSEGV)
Exception Codes: EXC_I386_GPFLT
Thread 0 Crashed:: Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread
0 libobjc.A.dylib 0x00007fff89fe4f5e objc_release + 14
1 libobjc.A.dylib 0x00007fff89fe4230 (anonymous namespace)::AutoreleasePoolPage::pop(void*) + 464
2 com.apple.CoreFoundation 0x00007fff89120342 _CFAutoreleasePoolPop + 34
3 com.apple.Foundation 0x00007fff8bb494fa -[NSAutoreleasePool drain] + 154
4 com.apple.AppKit 0x00007fff8afae35e -[NSApplication run] + 736
5 com.apple.AppKit 0x00007fff8af52cb6 NSApplicationMain + 869
6 libdyld.dylib 0x00007fff894b57e1 start + 1
It should say, iMac Applications Install DVD (which are your bundled iLife app's) and then in smaller print it say's "To use the Apple Hardware Test, hold down the D key as the computer starts up"
Hm, I definitely don't own such a disk. I have a separate iWork package - ordered separately.
Using a 10.4.4 Install Disc (2006) und holding down the D key failed.
I'm going to give Recovery Disk Assistant a try. It is also mentioned here. Just Recovery Disk Assistant writes a thumb drive.
Let's see...
I'm definitely curious about the kernel panics in a very early boot phase after rougly half a second. I assume, that at that early phase, only core OS components are able to load.
As far as I can read crash dumps, the root cause of the problem is somewhere in the MMU.
While the Recovery Disk Assistant created a drive and the drive appeared after the Option-key, the iMac10,1 didn't boot using this device.
If your Mac KPs right away I don't know if you'll be able to do this or not. But to test the RAM on an Intel Mac you need Memtest86+, which you must burn to a CD and then boot from that CD. This should test the RAM more fully than the AHT.
Get the latest version here. You want the pre-compiled bootable ISO (.zip)
http://www.memtest.org/#downiso
Note, when running the test the keyboard will not function and the only way to stop the test will be to do a hard shutdown, holding the power button until it does. It will keep on running loop after loop until you shutdown. Doing a hard shutdown booted from the CD won't harm your Mac or the drive directory.
Perhaps, if you have one, you can create the disc from another Mac?
Thx! Memtext86+ didn't find an error after a complete RAM.
Created an image of the old system volume and did a clean install.
As last time, I now have severe problems importing the messages from the old Apple.Mail install.
I definitely hate the way Apple.Mail 'imports' old stuff... 😟
Don't want to be a spoil sport, but I should have added that it may be necessary to run a few loops, as RAM problems can be very random and elusive. Even then, an error might not show up.
I did run Memtext86+ for roughly 6 hours.
The new / clean install seems to behave much better. Some reboots didn't came up with KPs.
OK then, that's enough.
Hm, acutally, as I came back, 6 hours passed. The app completed all test 100% and finally reported no errors.
Do you have hints regarding this: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4875260?answerId=21469598022#21469598022
Testing RAM / memory in iMac10,1
