[sodadood]

Hi - I'm new to this forum, but am hoping someone can help me with this iMAC problem.... I have an iMAC DV SE 500mhz machine, 30 gig hd, 576 megs RAM, OS 9.2, etc. Yesterday the mac started beeping every once in a while and Outlook Express now crashes everytime I go to check the mail. I can send mail, but not check it without a Type 2 error shutting the program down. Now, the computer freezes often, sometimes hangs at shut-down.....

I've gone through a bunch of things already... ran Norton Disk Doctor.... no problems reported. I also ran the hardware testing software and the RAM and all parts checked out OK.

I dumped the inbox messages folder file thinking it could be corrupt.... still crashing. I re-installed Outlook Express freshly and still crashing..... then thinking it was a RAM problem, I first took out the 64 meg stick and rebooted - still the same crashing problem. Then I put that stick back in and removed the 512 meg stick - same problem again.

This all leads me to think this must be a hard drive problem. About 6 months ago, I got the mysterious flashing question mark at boot-up and my tech guy fixed it up saying he figures it's a hard drive issue........ the mac was fine until yesterday - nothing was added or deleted from the system.

Has anyone else seen this problem before? I'm not running OSX or anything like that (OS9.2), so I can't seem to figure it out...... the beeping has stopped, but not the problems. Is it difficult to change the hd in the iMAC? Where is it even located?

Thanks, in advance, for your help.

Blair
(editor@sodapopdreams.org)

[Turias]

Install OS X, dump Outlook, and use Mail.

Sorry, someone had to say it...

My one thought is that you try to delete the program, it's preferences, and everything else associated with Outlook. Then, reinstall and rebuild from scratch. Don't import any mailboxes, addresses, or anything.

[sodadood]

Turias - thanks for the advice.... since I'm not sure about whether this is a hardware or software problem, I'm thinking about getting a used hard drive with OSX & OS 9.2 installed on it. Sound like a good idea? Anyone tried to install a new HD on their imac? Is it complicated??

I already tried that Outlook route of deleting everything associated with it and just running it fresh without any imported stuff and the same problem occured.... what exactly is "Mail" - would it be any better than Outlook?

Thanks!

[Turias]

Originally posted by sodadood:
Turias - thanks for the advice.... since I'm not sure about whether this is a hardware or software problem, I'm thinking about getting a used hard drive with OSX & OS 9.2 installed on it. Sound like a good idea? Anyone tried to install a new HD on their imac? Is it complicated??

I know that the iMac internals are much harder to access that many other computers. My brother had a hell of a time sticking another ram chip in there. I can only assume a hard drive would be even harder, but I could be wrong.

I already tried that Outlook route of deleting everything associated with it and just running it fresh without any imported stuff and the same problem occured.... what exactly is "Mail" - would it be any better than Outlook?

Mail is Apple's mail program that runs in OS X. Personally, I find it to be much better than Outlook.

[slider]

Found this link for you, hope it helps.

http://www.nelsonbc.ca/mactech_suppr...ard_drive.html

[tooki]

Doesn't sound like hardware trouble to me. I think you just need a fresh install of Mac OS 9.

tooki

[dotm8rix]

i agree, doesn't sound like a hardware problem.
i would recommend (like others said) removing anything associated with outlook, the program, all mailbox files, outlook preferences, etc.
then zap the pram and rebuild the desktop (instructions for that: shut down or restart the machine, and as soon as it starts to power back up, hold down these keys: apple, option, p and r. hold them down until the computer has chimed at least 3 times, then let go of the p and r keys, continuing to hold down apple and option while the computer boots up and until you are on the desktop and have a message saying "are you sure you want to rebuild the desktop..." you can then click yes, let it rebuild, and once it's done you can reinstall outlook. if you have problems after that, then i'd also recommend a fresh install of the system software. or even better, the upgrade to panther. i've run osx on my imac 400mhz with only 10gb drive for about a year now and though it's slower than 9 and takes up more room on the drive, i'd never go back. the stability (one of many, many perks) is heavenly.

[vsurfer]

Originally posted by Turias:
Install OS X, dump Outlook, and use Mail.

Sorry, someone had to say it...

I'd corroborate that.

IMac DV G3 400 here -- running Panther

Panther is a big, if not huge improvement over Jaguar on my G3 400 -- has breathed new life to the machine. Much faster too.