[MacNNUK]

My iMac just started freezing up, whilst just browsing, using Camino.

Noticed it seems to be slow in the past week or so at times.

Then it started to give black screens, and freezing, at different times on startup, from first power on, to after logging in for a few minutes.

Power on light was dodgy too, not consistent.

20+ times I did this.

Sometimes I could fire up an app, but usually it froze.

I thought it would be going back to Apple...oh dear.

I then read the paperwork downloaded when I bought the refurb iMac, and it pointed me to Warranty info in white hardware box, as supplied with iMac.

Booklet in there "Everything Mac" gave the answer..

Restart, holding down Alt  P R keys...problem cured, apparently PRAM reset.

Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM

I did remember having to do this on my old G3 a couple of times, this is first time on my refurb 10 months in.

Fault cured, apparently, let's see how it goes.

Did a hardware test, passed OK.

So if your iMac freezes, after a few niggly slow downs, and gives Black screen, and freezes, try RTFM !!!

Don't know why, but I get the impression that my web browsing is now much faster, using Camino 1.6.1, as always.

Useful too:

Mac OS X Things � Startup Keys - Boot Options

[MacNNUK]

Well it was sorted last night, similar problems, and worse this morning.

After entering sleep, for a while, iMac wouldn't come back on, black screen, non responsive.

Reset PRAM, SMC, SMU and everything else I could find, other iMac on Apple support.

Powered down, on different key combos, as per Apple, no joy most of the time, kept getting worse.

This is after a 10 min chat with "out of 90 days free phone support" with nice Apple chap.

Local Apple repair service, to which I was expecting to visit next week by this stage, suggested it sounded like a hardware problem.

It was...I reseated the 3gb RAM I had installed two weeks ago, and now everything is perfect, for now.

Must have been just hanging in there, and I did give the iMac a "Technical Tap" or two prior, must have popped the RAM out.

Phew !!!!!!

PS: On the way, I inserted installation DVD, as suggested by Apple, then couldn't eject it by any method, until I reseated the RAM, that was worrying.

PPS: Thank God for CCC and Time Machine, at least I knew I could restore.....now then, what private files did I have on the iMac ?

Luckily, everything with personal info is password protected, apart from my personal photo's.

I now pw protect all my PDF's, and my previous simple TextEdit notes are either saved as PDF''s, or imported into XL / Word.