[Nelsun]

I have been having a real problem with my new rev B 17" Powerbook, it keeps freezing.

I've already posted here recently about this, to recap, I bought it in late October, used it a bit in factory form, OS 10.2.7, 512mb RAM.

When running routine things like Mail and Safari, it will unexpectantly freeze. And it freezing when using my CAD app Vellum Cobalt.

The overall opinion here was to add RAM as bad RAM often causes unexpected freezes. I had bought a 512 mb chip which I didn't install yet. So I then swapped the factory RAM with the new RAM. Within 5 minutes of installing the new RAM, it froze again. Doing a simple thing like moving a folder. So I opened it up and swapped out the RAM, but then added the other chip in the second slot. A total of 1024mb RAM.

It then ran okay for a day. But then with the CAD app I use, it kept freezing when I worked in it, particularly when I try to do print set ups.

I checked the crash log, no consistancy there, Mail, Safari, Vellum are crashing.

I then took the drastic route of doing a restore, I wiped the harddrive and reinstalled the OS from the CD. After I set it up, I only installed one App. All I did was move the folder of that App from the documents folder into the Applications folder and it froze! After a keyboard restart, I checked the log. The only thing that it showed was a Console log. It said "could not find image named, "BANG". After I ran my CAD app for a few minutes, it froze again, checked the log, and it showed the same Console log and comments about not finding "BANG".

I will call Applecare for advise, but I wanted to check here too. I know I can upgrade to OS 10.2.8 or Panther. But it seems a bit odd to freeze now in the older system from just moving a folder!

Any insights appreciated.

Thanks, Nelson

[stevesnj]

Are you using a USB mouse or have any USB devices plugged in? If so try it without anything pluged in to USB...my mouse kept causing crashes

[anaphora68]

It sounds as if your CAD program is causing you the trouble. Is it designed to run in 10.2 or 10.3?

[Nelsun]

Hi stevesnj-

Funny you mention this, I do use an older black Apple optical mouse.

Funny because I found an exact discussion thread on the Apple support pages with several people with the same problem I'm having. And the big surprise is that once one of them stopped using the mouse, the problems went away. It was determined that the cable as it exits the mouse body flexes so much that it frays the wire inside. So yes, used the trackpad only for a while and then I connected another mouse and it's been running okay all afternoon! I wished I looked at the Apple support pages earlier!

And yes, the CAD App I've been using for years and this version is designed for OSX. I spoke to the company and has feedback from users reporting no problems on 10.2.7 or 10.2.8 and Panther too.

Seems to all be making sense as each time it froze, I was moving the mouse, so it follows that there was a short in the mouse cable the PB didn't like. I hope this was all there was to it.

Nelson

PS- It still is possible that the USB ports have a problem, so it might not be the mouse itself. I'll find out after it gets to Apple for a look-see.