That's so strange! I am using an Intel iMac 20inch that was bought the week they came out and have not had one single problem (to that extent) . I'm extremely happy with my computer. Of course, there have been occasional abrupt quitting of programs, etc. but not often enough to complain about. Very few and far between. Most of the problems that I've heard from other people, are users of Apple laptops (MB's, or MBP's). I wonder why laptops are so much more prone to problems? Doesn't the iMac use similar hardware?

Here's one datam for you:

My week 13 MacBook Pro ran like a champ for months, then very quickly went down hill. I was getting kernel panics, and finally the machine refused to boot. I took it in to the Apple store, and the Genius replaced the RAM stick (one 1GB card) and I've been rock solid ever since.

Check our "Rember" for a GUI RAM tester to see if you have some bad RAM.

Good luck,

DB

I've been using a 20" intel iMac since February and it has been a great machine, solid as a rock - even when running alpha, beta and, god help me, windows software.

You may find this link to macfixit site helpful for tracing the problem. Sorry if you've already went through all this.

http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20060911080447777

Sorry to here about your problem and I hope it gets fixed. As much as I want a MB or MBP I can't bring myself to buy one until the bugs are worked out. A certain number of bugs are expected when it's a new design. It still sucks that it happens though. It doesn't seem to have been a problem for the previous notebooks though. I have a 17" 1.5ghz powerbook that I've been using for 2 yrs without a problem. Good luck.

I could use a little faith restoration too. I've been waiting to buy a MacBook, reading the forums, etc. When first reading about all the problems people were having, it was possible to think that, well, I'm focusing on a small percentage of the users who bother to post their problems. But now I see regular contributers and personalities on these forums posting their problems.

You may want to give a try to a program called "CrashBlocker Pro" (search it in VersionTracker.com)

I used to get a few of thoose and since installing it (freeware) never happened again!

Good Luck!

if you reformatted your drive, did a clean install of the system and are still getting kernal panics. you might be looking at a hardware issue. possibly bad ram? kernal panics should be very, very rare. i've never gotten one with 10.4.

My new MacBook Pro has been nothing but sunshine. On the other hand, it does seem that there are a lot of faulty machines out there.

Please, don't despair...
I've got a PB G4 1.5Ghz with OS X 10.4.7 on it and, since I bought it - two years ago, I might have had no more than two cases of Kernel Panic, both caused by something I did wrong... And I use it daily, sometimes 24h a day.
Perhaps would that be an issue with the new "Intel inside" macs?

Do you think it might be bad ram?

My friend and I both just got intel Macs, i got an iMac, he got the MacBook Pro and niether of us are having any major problems. The only mentionable one is that the drive in my friends MBP sometimes spits CDs out one or two times before it reads them.

I'd wager it's bad RAM... you can run the hardware test to see. It's unfortunate it's happening to you, but just because you're having trouble doesn't mean the rest of us are. Dig in, and find the problem... Good luck!

If you're having kernel panic problems that persist despite OS reloads, a likely culprit is your RAM. Ideally the problem will lie in your removable DIMM(s) and you can easily verify this by yanking it/them and limping along on the onboard RAM (if any; can't remember your model), or just remove one and run on the other for a while, and then switch. Apple's Hardware Test can also evaluate your RAM for problems, but you should run it at its most detailed and you'll likely need to run it many times in succession before it finally traps a problem. But still worth a shot.

Definitely look into your RAM. I had persistent kernel panics on my PowerBook last year and after concluding that my DIMM might be at fault, I swapped it for a new one and have been panic-free ever since.

What's a kernel panic? Oh, I remember those from the days of Jaguar.

I never had one with Panther and I've yet to have one with Tigger.

I have often been able to trace kernel panics to bad RAM. My MacBook Pro was experiencing about one kernel panic per week, but those have stopped since I tracked it down to a bad third-party RAM module. If you have installed third-party RAM it is definitely worth temporarily removing it to see if the kernel panics stop. Also, be sure you are very careful about grounding yourself when you open your Mac. Static discharge may be one of the causes of bad RAM in the first place.

try a program called Yasu. It's my maintenance on my G4, and he has a universal version. Built by a systems administrator.

It's the best and easiest I've found.

Ever since OS X v. 10.4. 4, I have had chronic problems with my iBook G4 (April 2004 edition) having kernel panics at least 4 or 5 times a week. I have done frsh installs of the OS and applications at least 6 times, and even sent to iBook in for service over this past summer. I'm very much ready for a new machine.

Hmmm... not once in the two entries did I see the names TechToolPro or DiskWarrior. I had weird issues with my old G5 and Tiger, and TechToolPro found and solved them. TechToolPro will also test your hardware to see if it is on the blink.

Get a copy of TechToolPro, back up your important data, wipe your hard drive, reinstall the OS, then install TechToolPro with the E-Drive Tools option. Boot from the E-Drive partition via TechTools, and have it thrash your computer. Run all the advanced tests. If there is a hardware problem, it will find it, even if it is an intermittent one. If you find a hardware error, print or make a PDF of the report, and take the report and the MacBook back to the AppleStore. I guarantee something will be done.

I've only had one Kernal Panic on my Mac in 3 years. I honestly don't even remember what they look like now.

I have a 17" Macbook Pro. The first one I had also experienced the panics and grey screen of death. I had mine immediately replaced after seeing the apple forum on the panics while on wireless.

After getting a new one, I have had no problems. None. It doesn't get that hot. I have no whine. I have no panics.

Its been a perfect experience.

Maybe you should have that checked out by Apple. If you've completely reloaded your system and are still having the same problem, I would think the problem isn't the software but the hardware somehow. I have a 15" MBP and the only problems I've had have been minor Rev. A issues (like a malfunctioning fan, recalled battery, excessive heat, etc). Not a kernel panic in sight. Keep the faith =P

Try using different RAM or reseating your memory. I had this problem once and it went away instantly when I removed an aftermarket RAM module. If it is the RAM module you may be able to have it exchanged. Most memory comes with a lifetime guarantee nowadays. My 2 cents.

You should suspect bad ram as a possible source, especially when you can't reproduce a kernel panic.. You need to run memcheck or other ram tester.

You should look in your crash logs. Often they can tell you why a crash occurred. If they don't mean anythiing to you, they might provide a clue to your local Genius. I lugged a G4 tower with kernel panics into the Apple Store and they quickly homed in on a problem with one of my RAM DIMMs that a recent firmware update had "pushed out of spec." You can find all your crash and other logs in Console, which is in the Utilities folder.

After 4 months of use with my Macbook, I haven't had any serious problems (that were caused by Apple at least). Works MUCH better than my old Averatec laptop.

I was having kernel-panic issues with my MacBook a few weeks ago. The problem turned out to be bad memory (third-party) -- the company I bought it from replaced it free of charge, and my MacBook has been happy ever since.

There is nothing wrong with your software system. That might be the problem with the logic board. I had the same problem with you, and the it was solved after I went to apple service center changed a new logic board.

My wife had a near identical problem with her 12" powerbook. After running every diagnostic tool I could find, reinstalling the o/s, etc. I was forced to conclude that it was some subtle motherboard error. In her case it would happen when you plugged/unplugged the powerbook, but would also happen if you jostled the screen or sometimes just looked at it funny.

As her machine was out of warranty, we bought a new macbook instead. Although it isn't immediately reproducable, you will have to send it for service.

And yes, our new laptops are working perfectly. :)

Hello everyone! I just want to thank each and every person who left a comment. Everyone has been so helpful, understanding and supportive (now I remember why I'm a Mac user)! First off, a couple of things:

1. My RAM was purchased directly from Apple, so there theoretically should be no compatibility problems.
2. But just in case there were, I ran "Rember" to check my RAM, as recommended by one of the commenters. Unfortunately it found no problems after a thorough scan of my RAM.
3. There are so many suggestions here that I'm a bit overwhelmed. I might try a few of the recommended hardware tests, but I have a feeling that because I'm so busy and nearly always need my computer, I'm going to end up taking it to a Genius.
4. Which brings me to my last point, anyone had any experience trying to fix kernel panics through a Genius? I have a feeling that because the problem isn't reproducible there may be some objections from Apple's end.

It's the RAM, for sure. It may have an intermittent problem that won't show up when you test. If you got it from Apple, get a replacement!

I've only had one kernal panic is 15 years of using Macs. It was such a surprise I actually took a picture of it with my camera. Being under AppleCare I called and I think the fellow had me reset the open firmware by starting up in a DOS-like screen. I don't remember the procedure.

If I remember right, the Genious told you it was a hardware error. ;) It seems he was right afterall.

Kernelpanic are quite common when your hardware has something wrong.

Though my computers have been known to have horrible recurring problem, mine has been running fine for four or five months. My dad's mac mini has not had a real problem except a small glitch where the dock and menu bar responded slowly, which was fixed by a half hour reinstall. Of course that reinstall caused a kernel panic and we almost lost all our data because of a tiny piece of corrupt data, but we only lost a day.

If you haven't already, run BOTH the quick and extended Apple Hardware Tests, and if you can, TechTool Pro. The Geniuses at the Apple Store will have some other tools to run, but having the results from those 2 or 3 tests may save a bit of time. Hope all works out OK.

Hi,
For what it's worth, I've never had any problems with either my almost two-year old 12" PowerBook G4 or my six-month-old Power Mac G5.
Every update is flawless and trouble-free. Not so much as a stutter.

Check the RAM. It is the single most frequente cause of kernel panics

My 1st Macbook Pro. i had Tons of probolem i sent it in got the logic removed sent it back.. i had kernal panic just like u.. lol i'm think u might have gotten my computer. Apple was shocked with the things mine did. this is my 2nd macbook they sent me BRAND NEW! WORKS LIKE A CHARM!! get APPLE PROTECTION PLAN. U NEED IT!!

Scott, I've had one kernal panic since I installed 10.4. on my machine (Beta software). None on my clients machines. Good luck getting it sorted. Remember to keep us posted.

Wow-- Every says is MUST be the RAM. Classic groupthink.

This could be almost anything including the RAM.

It could be:
* RAM
* the CPU
* the GPU
* the mainboard
* Just about anything that is on the mainboard.
* hard drive controller or even the hard drive itself

Less likely is that it is a software problem.

Like most operating systems OS X assumes that all lot of your hardware actually works correctly. On servers there are usually some diagnostics but on home machines that is minimal.

If you know a good tech they can test the major parts individually. They should be able to at least eliminate some of the possiblities.

You really could have a hardware problem. It's are, but I have seen a similar story on one Mac in the past - after trying everything to "stabilise" the software, it went in for repair, got a new motherboard, and never crashed again.

i've been a mac user for 3 years and i never had a kernel panic until i saw this post. 5 minutes later, bang, i got one on my mac mini. creepy.
apple's getting sloppy...
wonder if 5 years from now, apple will be the next microsoft...

If you get persistent kernel panics, it is worth opening up Console, looking at the logs and locating CrashReporter. Such logs are not easy to understand but they can be very valuable when kernel panics are created by peripheral devices. Remember, kernel panics can be caused by faulty third-party software and drivers, not just by system faults. Posting the log at Apple Discussions is likely to attract an explanation. You can also use the Hardware Tests on your System Restore disc that came with your machine to eliminate hardware problems. Place the disc in your optical drive and hold down the Option key while restarting to boot into the Hardware Tests. This site (http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/kernelpanics.html) also gives useful troubleshooting advice on dealing with kernel panics

I have had several problems with my mac. Most of the first problems were my fault (screwing with system files, putting in RAM in teh wrong slot, ect.)

But recently I updated my computer and it was pretty much the end.

Any time i selected ANYTHING from the bar at the top, the finder crashed and rebooted. not a single application would start.

I took it to the mac store genius bar and they were stumped. they started to blame it on me, and I am have had a shady past with it, but I was clean and sober with legit software, and apple RAM.

So instead of fixing it, they just gave me another computer all together.

I haven't had it long enough to run into any problems. but I'm thinking this intel switch might be a little more problemsome than we first imagined.

I would check your RAM and see if your wireless card is connected properly.