Oh Lordy! I think my iMac really is dying!

AndyWest

AndyWest

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I had a problem with my 3 year old (maybe 4??) iMac a few weeks ago where it would hang for a few seconds and freeze totally in some cases. I put it down to Firefox and used Safari instead. This seemed to have fixed the problem but the iMac has had a few small blips since. Today the iMac totally froze for the 3rd time. I had to reboot and on each ocasion i got a folder with a question mark on it which means the computer can not find the start up code. The iMac also makes a repetative weird noise which it has never done before. I'm now thinking the HDD is on it's way out. Am i right???

I have been saving for a new computer and will have about a grand to spend within a few weeks. As much as i have loved my iMac I'm thinking of going back to a Windows PC. The reason is that I want a bigger screen for image editing and can not afford the 27" iMac. There are various other reasons too so with this problem I need to sort a new PC soon!
 
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neil_g said:
if you boot from the OSX CD you can run disk utils to check the disk
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Can i do that from the Snow leopard upgrade CD or do i need the original one?
 
neil_g said:
you know, im not sure. we only have full OS disks here. i imagine the upgrade disk will work. hold option key while booting, select CD then you should see utilities at the top.
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Upgrade disc should work fine for the utils.

You could get the disc replaced and a nice big monitor to plug into the iMac with the money you have saved up and still have some left for more camera gear.
 
Thanks chaps. I'll give it a go now.......

EDIT: OK tried that but all i get is a window asking me to choose where to install. I pressed the alt key on my mac keyboard. Is this right? I chose that key as that's what google images came up with.
 
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Random crashes can often be memory issues or over heating. Is the vent at the back nice and clean? Are the screen vents under the screen clean?

I'd get a copy of istatmenus and see what temperatures etc you are running.
 
srichards said:
Random crashes can often be memory issues or over heating. Is the vent at the back nice and clean? Are the screen vents under the screen clean?

I'd get a copy of istatmenus and see what temperatures etc you are running.
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Vents are clear and top of mac is pretty cool. I have found disk utilities in finder so am doing a permissions verify as i type. Says it will take 22 mins!!!! Loads and loads of stuff has come up already!!

EDIT: OK it has stopped after just 5 mins..phew!
 
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OK After doing the disk utility thing the system is saying that all is OK. I have opened my usual programs and have now also opened the activity monitor so I can see what's going on. Fingers crossed!
 
So far so good. I don't know wether doing the disc utility actually did anything but it's the 1st time it's been done in over 3 years so I'm suspecting it has fixed a few errors. The HDD seems to be behaving and not making the repetitive noise so fingers crossed it will be OK.

One thing i have noticed with the activity monitor is that RAM seems to get used up when i'm not doing anything. Last night it was on 1.7Gb free and now it's on 666.2 free. Weird.

I'm still going to replace it with either another iMac or a Windows PC but it's 50/50 which one I will go for! The new iMacs are a vast improvement on my current iMac but the screen is only a little bigger. A PC would give me more scope and a bigger screen but.........I have had at least 3 years of fuss free, Virus free easy computing which has been SO nice. I suspect it will be another iMac!!:D My wife wants my old one so at least i will still have it.
 
id get all of your stuff backed up asap anyway if its not already. if it has started kicking out errors it can be the sign of a failing disk, even if its now behaving it may only be a temporary thing.
 
neil_g said:
id get all of your stuff backed up asap anyway if its not already. if it has started kicking out errors it can be the sign of a failing disk, even if its now behaving it may only be a temporary thing.
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This is exactly what I'm thinking. I have backed up all my stuff except my entourage address book and old emails etc. I have no idea what the file is or where it is to be able to transfer it to the new machine. If i get a PC then i may have to start from scratch :( It's all exciting stuff!!
 
Why go back to a PC?

Get another imac, pay what you have now and stick the rest on a credit card with an interest free deal for the life of the purchase and it's happy days :)
 
For what its worth, my iMac started playing up after a couple of years service and it was the HDD that had failed, I got it replaced with a 1Tb drive for £155 inc labour and it has worked flawlessly since.
 
digitalfailure said:
Why go back to a PC?

Get another imac, pay what you have now and stick the rest on a credit card with an interest free deal for the life of the purchase and it's happy days :)
Click to expand...

I have nothing against PC's and would be happy to have another. I would rather have a 24" screen than 21.5" that the iMac has BUT i have enjoyed 3 years of totally trouble free computing with this mac so it's highly likely that i will get another. I am not however getting the balance on credit!
 
Glenn Surtees said:
For what its worth, my iMac started playing up after a couple of years service and it was the HDD that had failed, I got it replaced with a 1Tb drive for £155 inc labour and it has worked flawlessly since.
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Thats good to know thanks.

I am now down to 544MB free RAM space. It was 1.7GB when I rebooted yesterday and opened my usual programs. It's just counting down and down and down slowly!?!!?
 
If memory is being eaten it is usually an app that it is doing it. Check all app memory usage before you leave it and after when you haven't been using it. Will point to which one that is doing the memory munching.

You missed apple's own 0% finance offer. If you had a grand to spend anyway you may as well have got it on finance as it is less than the rate of inflation :)

You might still be able to trade it in for another and still only spend the grand and get a 27"
 
Can you trade the old ones in with Apple???

How do you check the memory usage from each App?
 
Third party resellers might do a trade in. I think apple has a recycling scheme but I'd imagine they wouldn't offer much!
 
OK thanks peeps! Looks like it was lightroom that was hogging so much memory!! Since closing it down the free memory has been stable at 1.7GB.
 
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