Freezing, freezing and re-freezing

[Takeo]

Gentlemen,

I have taken the liberty of annoying you in the past and, if you permit, I'd like to come back to you with an old and very persistant problem: my MAC keeps freezing up !

My machine:

Machine Model: Power Mac G4 (AGP graphics)
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (2.8)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 450 MHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 1 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 100 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 3.1.3f1
Serial Number: SG9481YSHM1

One 10 GB HD
One 320 GB HD

System: OS X 10.3.9

When my ex kicked me in the street with not much more left than the clothes and boots I was wearing and a very small bundle of Euros, I had to get a "new Mac". I found a house and bought a used G4 as described above, for EUR 150.

This old Mac worked perfectly till It would not start up anymore and there was the typical clicking "sound of death". I had two harddisks and it took not long to find out which one had expired. I replaced that disk with a new 320 GB.

The freeze-up problem had started with the bad HD. However, it sporadically continued after I had installed the new one. After a while it got on my nerves.
Following advice from people here and other places, I purchased a new set of original Apple Panther CDs (original box, unopened), re-installed everything and nothing changed. To make a long story a bit shorter, I eventually renewed ALL that I could find inside that tower, everything ! Logic board, CPU, you name it. My 150 Euro acquisition ended up costing me some 2000 ! (I know, I should have bought another used one).

Freezing problem persisted. I resisted going stark raving mad and I did not blame my cats either.

Now, it is getting worse (I still do not have any money to buy another Mac). Today, my 'puter locked up like every 10 minutes.

What are the symptoms that I observe ?

* Main cause of locking up seems to have something to do with objects moving on my screen. For instance, when I look at a website that has an animation of some sort on it. Today I was looking at eastern European Transport sites and all have some sort of a moving truck on the site. Locks up every 10 minutes.

* I try to use Iphoto. As soon as I try to reduce a picture or move one using my cursor, 'puter locks up.

*Photoshop is impossible to use. As soon as I try to move an image, puter locks up.

*Youtube: different. Takes about 15-20 mins of watching a movie before it locks up.

*Chat rooms: if a chat room which allows cams, 'puter will lock up after viewing 5 mins of any cam.

*Sending mail: I can send like anything between 20 and 100 mails before freezing.

*Word: never froze up using Word or Excel.

*Skype: will freeze when phoning 20 - 30 mins.

I also had a strange impression a few times: while "working" with my Mac, doing whatever, I sometimes had the impression that (now don't laugh please) something in my Mac "filled up" to a certain level and then would cause the machine to freeze when "full".

Also: I when I use the applications dock to soon after startup, Mac will often freeze.

Mac has frozen also while clicking a yellow window button and the screen reduces till halfway and locks up.

Mac may freeze when, for instance, I would now "grab" the window I am viewing and move the window around too fast as if I would try to shake it about.

I, intuitively, associate the problem with an object moving on my screen.

Maybe I could come up with some more symptoms.
I use Onyx regularly.
By now I must have wiped and re-installed the system like 5 times.
I use Shredit for wiping.

It took me 20 mins to type this and my Mac has not frozen.

Anyone who would like to help ?

With kindest regards,

Takeo.

 

[Walrus666]

Gentlemen,

I have taken the liberty of annoying you in the past and, if you permit, I'd like to come back to you with an old and very persistant problem: my MAC keeps freezing up !

My machine:

Machine Model: Power Mac G4 (AGP graphics)
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (2.8)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 450 MHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 1 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 100 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 3.1.3f1
Serial Number: SG9481YSHM1

One 10 GB HD
One 320 GB HD

System: OS X 10.3.9

When my ex kicked me in the street with not much more left than the clothes and boots I was wearing and a very small bundle of Euros, I had to get a "new Mac". I found a house and bought a used G4 as described above, for EUR 150.

This old Mac worked perfectly till It would not start up anymore and there was the typical clicking "sound of death". I had two harddisks and it took not long to find out which one had expired. I replaced that disk with a new 320 GB.

The freeze-up problem had started with the bad HD. However, it sporadically continued after I had installed the new one. After a while it got on my nerves.
Following advice from people here and other places, I purchased a new set of original Apple Panther CDs (original box, unopened), re-installed everything and nothing changed. To make a long story a bit shorter, I eventually renewed ALL that I could find inside that tower, everything ! Logic board, CPU, you name it. My 150 Euro acquisition ended up costing me some 2000 ! (I know, I should have bought another used one).

Freezing problem persisted. I resisted going stark raving mad and I did not blame my cats either.

Now, it is getting worse (I still do not have any money to buy another Mac). Today, my 'puter locked up like every 10 minutes.

What are the symptoms that I observe ?

* Main cause of locking up seems to have something to do with objects moving on my screen. For instance, when I look at a website that has an animation of some sort on it. Today I was looking at eastern European Transport sites and all have some sort of a moving truck on the site. Locks up every 10 minutes.

* I try to use Iphoto. As soon as I try to reduce a picture or move one using my cursor, 'puter locks up.

*Photoshop is impossible to use. As soon as I try to move an image, puter locks up.

*Youtube: different. Takes about 15-20 mins of watching a movie before it locks up.

*Chat rooms: if a chat room which allows cams, 'puter will lock up after viewing 5 mins of any cam.

*Sending mail: I can send like anything between 20 and 100 mails before freezing.

*Word: never froze up using Word or Excel.

*Skype: will freeze when phoning 20 - 30 mins.

I also had a strange impression a few times: while "working" with my Mac, doing whatever, I sometimes had the impression that (now don't laugh please) something in my Mac "filled up" to a certain level and then would cause the machine to freeze when "full".

Also: I when I use the applications dock to soon after startup, Mac will often freeze.

Mac has frozen also while clicking a yellow window button and the screen reduces till halfway and locks up.

Mac may freeze when, for instance, I would now "grab" the window I am viewing and move the window around too fast as if I would try to shake it about.

I, intuitively, associate the problem with an object moving on my screen.

Maybe I could come up with some more symptoms.
I use Onyx regularly.
By now I must have wiped and re-installed the system like 5 times.
I use Shredit for wiping.

It took me 20 mins to type this and my Mac has not frozen.

Anyone who would like to help ?

With kindest regards,

Takeo.

Hello, Did you check the RAM?

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

You have done a fantastic job of explaining the symptoms but we need to know exactly what you have done to date, to try to rectify this.

We need information about exactly what you have changed, in as much detail as you have supplied above.

 

[Takeo]

Dear Dooley,

You are asking me what I exactly changed. That is, of course, an excellent question! All that happened in the 2nd half of 2007 and I did not take any notes.

To recapitulate:

* I buy that old 'puter and it has two HDs installed: one of 10 GB and one of 60.
* The 60 dies
* I take the 60 out and get the machine to boot up from the 10 (do not ask how I did it). I did not have the original install disk(s).
* I buy the 320 GB disk
* I buy a Panther OS X 10.3.9 System set in original box, sealed, unused.
* I wipe the 10 disk and install the system on both the 10 and 320 and keep the 10, newly installed, "in reserve".
* I install various applications.
* The freezing problem appears, at random.
* Someone suggests a hardware problem and I go for a radical solution.
* I buy (new) and install: logic board, cpu, cd/dvd burner-reader, four 256 DIMM,usb-pci card 4 slots, ACARD 6280m, ATY RV280,Logitech headset, Mac thin keyboard.

That is about it.

Of course, I start asking around and I am suggested different solutions. The only suggestion I have not had to date is to stand on my head and dance the samba while re-booting.

The first observation I make in the whole freezing phenomenology is that it occurs while an "object" is moving on my screen. As in IPhoto. I take a picture, crop it, resize it, move the window, FREEZE.
I boot up, move the cursor to the dock too soon, FREEZE while the dock is halfway open.
I "grab" any window or object, "shake" it about, FREEZE.
I open Photoshop, make the slightest movement with any picture, FREEZE.
I do any Internet work, after a while, FREEZE, frequency depending on the quantity of animations on the site I look at.

I can go on like that for hours. Sometimes, intuitively, I have the impression that my 'puter "fills up" and that, when a certain "level" is reached, it freezes up.

Flash animations are the deadliest. Anything Flash and I get a sure-fire freeze-up, very fast.

That, my friend, is about all I can say.

You can reach me on Skype if you wish.

With kindest regards,

Takeo.

NB: no freeze while I typed this.

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

Have you tried another user account to see if the freezing still happens? If you don't have another account you can create one in System Preferences.

 

[Takeo]

Dear Dooley,

I added a user account. When I closed the lock, the damn thing froze immediately up. Hmm...

I now re-booted from my "reserve" 10 GB HD which seems to have OS X 10.3.2 in contrast to my 320 which has 10.3.9. I tried IPhoto and could not get it to freeze but the export function is greyed out.

I tried Chat Jungle and that also seems to require the 10.3.9

I tried a few websites and still no freeze till now. Does this suggest my Sawtooth is not happy with 10.3.9 ?

But I cannot go on with thw 10 GB because too small and is almost full now.

With kindest regards,

Takeo.

 

[Takeo]

Dear Dooley,

I accessed a polish website about refrigerated semi-trailers. That site has some very fast flash animations and, under my 10.3.9, my 'puter locked up even when the site was loading. Tried it 3 times with same result.
Then, I re-booted from 10.3.2, went to the same site and no problems at all.
NO FREEZE.

Can I deduce that this is 10.3.9 related, specifically on my machine ? Is there a cure for this ? Ok I should have thought of it before.
But I am not helped, i need the 10.3.9 to run other things that wont run on 10.3.2

Kindest regards,

Takeo.

 

[Takeo]

Dear Dooley,

After a while of NO problems with 10.3.2, I eventually got the thing to freeze up again after a visit to a rather "naughty" chat system called Chatropolis. Coincidence ?
This whole affair is so crazy that I have even been thinking of malware or a virus.

No idea what to think.

With kindest regards,

Takeo.