[Nelsun]

Guys-

I'm hoping you might have an idea as to why my new Rev B 17" Powerbook is freezing. It's only a month old. Other then that, this is a great machine!

This Powerbook is still using the factory installed 512mb of RAM and is running OSX 10.2.7.

I elected to wait past the 10.2.8 update and go for Panther when it looked safe to jump in.

The problem I'm encountering when I'm either running Safari or my CAD application, Ashlar Vellum Cobalt, are unexpectantly freezes, the machine locks up. Once when I was quiting Safari, it locked the machine. The other times was when using Vellum. Just using it normally. It's happen 3 times with Vellum and about 3 times with Safari and once when quiting Mail and trying to disconnect the Airport.

The Powerbook will not respond to keyboard or mouse input. I can't do a force quit with the keyboard. The only thing I can do is a keyboard restart.

I do have a 512mb RAM chip I have been delaying to install to test software performance before I install it. Not sure if adding RAM will help this sutuation.

All the applications work great on older G4 desktop and G3 Powerbook without freezes while in OSX 10.2.6.

Any thoughts are appreciated! Thanks.

Nelson

[all2ofme]

One thing you could try would be to *swap* the new DIMM you have for the one that's in there at the moment. You might have a dodgy stick.

Originally posted by Nelsun:
I do have a 512mb RAM chip I have been delaying to install to test software performance before I install it. Not sure if adding RAM will help this sutuation.

[xylon]

I've actually been noticing that Safari seems to trip up my system from time to time. It used to be a big problem when I reinstalled my system a few months ago but things seem to have streamlined since then. However, I still have times when (especially when waking from sleep with Safari running) my apps lock up and I'm forced to reboot. Can't say for sure that it is Safari, but something is still acting up.

[Podolsky]

I have had 3 freezing events on my new 17" - in each case I have had some audio playing and in each case, in addition to the freezing you describe, the sound playing when the freeze occurs also sound loops.

I have done hardware checks, disk checks, repaired disk and permissions. Everything checks out fine and other than these 3 events, I have had no complaints with this computer. However, I cannot recall any freezes on my Tibook for over 2 years.

[Nelsun]

Thanks for the feedback, sounds like I'm not the only one with the issue.

I may install that other RAM chip to up the RAM to 1gig and see what happens.

Nelson

[Nelsun]

I have a theory why my machine is freezing.

Each time it happened, it was while using the AC adaptor. And the laptop was kinda warm. Once when it froze, I heard the fan come on right after the freeze.

Now I am using the machine with the rear lifted up little to let air flow beneath. It has not frozen yet.

Maybe the new OS update to 10.2.8 or Panther has better thermal controls?

What'd ya think?

[all2ofme]

I don't see how that would get you any closer to diagnosing the problem. I think my idea above (swap the RAM you have in there for the one you bought but didn't install) would be a more sensible idea. This would give you an idea (unless you've been *really* unlucky and have got two duff sticks) of whether it's the RAM which is acting up.

Originally posted by Nelsun:
I may install that other RAM chip to up the RAM to 1gig and see what happens.

Nelson

[acadian]

My bet is RAM. On my rev B 17" the extra 512 I bought was causing kernel panics and freezes under Jag. Panther would'nt even get past start up until I removed it. I had the shop swap it for another stick yesterday and had the same problem less than an hour later, panther would not boot with it in. I am now waiting for the shop to swap yet another stick in to see if that does it. It seems that panther is ALOT more sensitive to RAM than Jag was. If this one does not work I'm going to have them order a Kingston module.