[G4] G4 Quicksilver problems

[Al Poulin]

On Jun 26, 2008, at 1:04 PM, J C wrote:
> I need help. I have a Quicksilver 2002 933 with 1.5GB ram, 2  
> hardrives (80 and 40), Geforce 6200 video card running OSX 10.4.11  
> and dual monitors. I keep getting kernel panics and now one of my  
> drives (40) has crashed. My software programs (mainly Adobe CS3) are  
> sluggish and crash often. The startup screen is slow as well but  
> when it finally appears the loading bar is pretty quick. Anybody out  
> there in etherland have any clue or suggestions about what is going  
> on? Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions-JWC

See this at the Apple web site.  This and related links might help.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1392

Here's an adaptation of something I put together over a year ago:

My first question is whether your machine starts up from the OS X CD  
or DVD or an external hard drive.  Will it start up in OS 9, if it is  
an older machine?  Another is whether it needs a firmware update.   
Check the list at:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86117
A firmware update is only one very simple thought.

There can be other simple solutions, but this might not be easy.  You  
may need to do some sleuthing and analysis.  Has there been any change  
in the hardware or software configuration of the system shortly before  
encountering the kernel panic.

There aret hardware causes and they can also be caused by corrupted  
software, either Apple or third party.  Reinstalling the OS might not  
fix the problem.

David Pogue, in his book "Mac OS X Tiger Editon, The Missing Manual,"  
says that a kernel panic is "almost always the result of a hardware  
glitch."  But one of the Apple technical articles says the opposite is  
true.  Go figure!  This could be a relic statement from the early OS X  
days.

A search at Apple's Support tab for "kernel panic" gives 64 hits, many  
of which deal with specific situations.  (That was before Apple  
revamped their web pages to the chagrin of many people.  One is  
entitled:  Mac OS X: "No Driver for this platform" Message at:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106403

And there is a discussion of "What's a "kernel panic"? (Mac OS X)" at:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106227
It lists the article mentioned by Aaron Davis.

Back to David Pogue.  Increasingly rare with the more recent versions  
of OS X, they can arise from "a bad memory (RAM) board, but possibly  
an accelerator card, graphics card, SCSI gadget, or USB hub that Mac  
OS X does not like."  He also mentions a poorly seated AirPort card,  
and bad USB or FireWire cable.  So his approach is to:  "detach every  
shred of gear that didn't come from Apple."  If the problem is gone,  
then restore these components one at a time until the problem recurs.   
You may need an updated software driver for the offending device.  He  
then mentions firmware updates and the possibility that someone moved,  
renamed, or changed the access permissions for the OS's essential  
system files and folders.

Also, did you just install a new piece of software before the kernel  
panic?  If so, doing a Safe Boot may get you going, by pressing the  
Shift key as you start up from the startup chime until you see the  
words "Safe Boot" in red letters.  This will take a very long time to  
check your hard drive.  It also brings up a login screen for your name  
and password, turns off kernel extensions and most fonts, trashes font  
cache, and turns off login items preventing Finder windows and any  
startup items from opening.  Many peripheral devices will not work.   
Hopefully, the next startup will be normal.  Apple has articles about  
safe boot or safe mode.

If you go to the g3-5 list or even an Apple forum or other resource,  
and assuming you can boot from a CD/DVD, you may be guided to look at  
various software libraries and logs.

I hope this helps.  Good Luck.  Please let us know how things work out.

Al Poulin