[X-Newbies] Panic kernal attack???

[Steven Rogers]

On Dec 29, 2004, at 10:11 AM, CP wrote:

> Hi folks. What questions do I need to answer, for some help???
>
> iMac G4 15" monitor
> OS X10.3
> Won't start… all I get is a "Coded" window with kernel panic attack, 
> and I can't even start from a CD, or HOW do I start from the CD?

A kernel panic means that some important piece of software has failed, 
and the kernel doesn't know how to blow it off and keep going. When it 
happens at startup, its usually some driver that's getting loaded 
that's the culprit. Starting with the shift key held down puts you in 
"safe" mode. If the computer starts then, you have a pretty good idea 
of the problem. If you installed or updated any software recently, 
that's a likely place to start.

If its more serious, you can recover by reloading the OS, and then 
re-patching yourself back up to the current version. To start from CD, 
boot with a bootable CD in and the C key held down.

SR