[Simon]

We have a white MB here at work that has a dead iSight ever since we used an external FW disk. The iSight was working fine before. The disk is a LaCie Porsche 120 GB with updated firmware. The MB is running 10.4.8 and has the current firmware. When you want to activate the iSight with PhotoBooth you get the message that the iSight is currently in use by another app.

Restarting hasn't helped.
Resetting PRAM or the SMC hasn't helped.
A fresh OS X install hasn't helped.

System Profiler no longer recognizes the iSight. The FW disk has been used with other MBs and hasn't caused any problems there. The weird thing is this has happened for the second time now so it's also not just a bad motherboard.

Any ideas what is going on here? Any ideas how to get the iSight to work again?

[Grrr]

I'd be really surprised if a FW hard drive was actually the cause of the problem here. The original external iSight camera's are FW, so maybe then it could have been possible. But the built in iSights that MacBooks and MacBook Pro's have are on the USB bus.
So im not sure how an FW device could screw with a USB device?

I realise that doesnt answer your problem mind.. I suspect its some software/driver glitch.

Good luck..

[Simon]

I know what you mean. I was thinking exactly the same. Since the current iSights are USB how could a FW drive cause problems? But still, the first iSight broke after we attached that specific disk. When we got it back from Apple with a new motherboard the iSight was working just great. We attached the same disk and boom, the iSight was toast again. It really is a weird issue!

[stefanicotine]

Is the iSight light constantly on?

[Simon]

No, it's actually never on. What would that imply?

[stefanicotine]

I'm just curious. A cable might be loose somewhere.

[Simon]

That was my first thought too. But since it worked after a motherboard replacement - until the disk was attached again - I got the impression it was something else. Any hunch?

[amazing]

If Apple determined the first time around that a new motherboard was necessary, sounds like another trip to Applecare is going to be needed.

Did other fw-drives work OK before connecting the LaCie made everything go bad? If so, then it's something specific to the LaCie.

[Simon]

Actually, the motherboard was replaced due to RSS. It just so happened that afterwards the iSight was working again. The LaCie disk worked well with other MBs so I don't think the drive per se is to be blamed.

[Simon]

Update: iSight started working again as if nothing ever happened.

The MB had been in use as a Skype station on a wireless network we have here at the lab where I work. I wanted to take another look at it so I picked it up, brought it to my office and hooked it up to Ethernet and an iPod (5G, via USB). It immediately threw a kernel panic. I have no idea why that happened and according to AHT there's nothing wrong with the memory, MLB, etc. either.

Anyway, after the panic the iSight is suddenly working again. As if nothing ever happened. It shows up in SystemProfiler and it works with PhotoBooth, Skype, iChat AV, etc.

This all sounds quite weird to me. I don't have that specific FireWire HD around right now, but I'm anxious to see if I can kill the iSight again by just attaching the disk. And if so, will it start working again after another KP?

Um, BTW does anybody know of an easy way to trigger a kernel panic?

I'll attach the panic log in case anybody can make some sense out of all this.

Code:
panic(cpu 1 caller 0x001A3135): Unresolved kernel trap (CPU 1, Type 14=page fault), registers:
CR0: 0x8001003b, CR2: 0x3e5ac000, CR3: 0x00e25000, CR4: 0x000006e0
EAX: 0x00000000, EBX: 0x03e39400, ECX: 0x00000400, EDX: 0x00020000
CR2: 0x3e5ac000, EBP: 0x254f3848, ESI: 0x03e3b800, EDI: 0x3e5ac000
EFL: 0x00010206, EIP: 0x00195f51, CS:  0x00000008, DS:  0x03cc0010

Backtrace, Format - Frame : Return Address (4 potential args on stack)
0x254f3678 : 0x128d1f (0x3c9540 0x254f369c 0x131df4 0x0)
0x254f36b8 : 0x1a3135 (0x3cf1f4 0x1 0xe 0x3cea24)
0x254f37c8 : 0x19a8d4 (0x254f37e0 0x3c2ab00 0x254f37f8 0x12d9b3)
0x254f3848 : 0x79f057 (0x3e39400 0x7af778 0x4ac964 0x3e3b800)
0x254f3868 : 0x7a0151 (0x3e3b800 0x5 0x254f3898 0x3bb77e)
0x254f3888 : 0x7ba87a (0x3e3b800 0x3e39200 0x254f38e8 0x79af5f)
0x254f3908 : 0x7b6b04 (0x3e3b800 0x3e39200 0x6973706b 0x6864706e)
0x254f3948 : 0x7b4a48 (0x3e3b800 0x3 0x254f3978 0xc000000)
0x254f3978 : 0x397b17 (0x3e12400 0xc000000 0x0 0x0)
0x254f39a8 : 0x7b4960 (0x3cd5980 0x7b499e 0x3e12400 0xc000000)
0x254f39d8 : 0x386c62 (0x3e12400 0xe00000ff 0x3e33600 0x254f3f48)
0x254f3a18 : 0x386ebd (0x3e33600 0xe00000ff 0x3e12400 0x254f3f48)
0x254f3a48 : 0x3835cd (0x3e12400 0x254f3b0c 0x254f3a78 0x199d70)
0x254f3a88 : 0x386c1d (0x3e33600 0x386e8a 0x254f3b0c 0x3871cc0)
0x254f3aa8 : 0x386e73 (0x3e33600 0x386e8a 0x254f3b0c 0x199a21)
0x254f3ae8 : 0x386f12 (0x3e33600 0x3897440 0x386e8a 0x254f3b0c) 	Backtrace continues...

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 8.8.1: Mon Sep 25 19:42:00 PDT 2006; root:xnu-792.13.8.obj~1/RELEASE_I386

Model: MacBook1,1, BootROM MB11.005F.B00, 2 processors, Intel Core Duo, 1.83 GHz, 2 GB
Graphics: Intel GMA 950, GMA 950, Built-In, spdisplays_integrated_vram
Memory Module: BANK 0/DIMM0, 1 GB, DDR2 SDRAM, 667 MHz
Memory Module: BANK 1/DIMM1, 1 GB, DDR2 SDRAM, 667 MHz
AirPort: spairport_wireless_card_type_airport_extreme (0x168C, 0x86), 0.1.27
Bluetooth: Version 1.7.9f12, 2 service, 0 devices, 1 incoming serial ports
Network Service: Ethernet (integriert), Ethernet, en0
Serial ATA Device: ST98823AS, 74.53 GB
Parallel ATA Device: MATSHITACD-RW  CW-8221
USB Device: Built-in iSight, Micron, Up to 480 Mb/sec, 500 mA
USB Device: iPod, Apple, Up to 480 Mb/sec, 500 mA
USB Device: Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad, Apple Computer, Up to 12 Mb/sec, 500 mA
USB Device: IR Receiver, Apple Computer, Inc., Up to 12 Mb/sec, 500 mA
USB Device: Bluetooth HCI, Up to 12 Mb/sec, 500 mA