Tech
Tip: Troubleshooting
a Mac OS X Kernel Panic.
 You
are working on a big project when the screen dims. White type complains
in a variety of languages:
"You
need to restart your computer. Hold down the Power button for several
seconds or press the Restart button."
Welcome
to the Mac OS X Kernel Panic. This tip outlines some troubleshooting
steps you can take to help resolve this annoying problem if it occurs.
Your
first Kernel Panic? Restart and get back to work. Don't
(sorry) panic. The black screen looks intimidating, but the first
time you see it just follow the onscreen directions. Restart your
computer and get back to work. You don't need to start troubleshooting
this problem until it becomes a pattern. (Tip: One crash is not
a pattern.)
Getting
frequent Kernel Panics? Here is a short list of good troubleshooting
steps from The
X Lab website:
1.
Repair disk and permissions with Apple's Disk Utility.
Start off by repairing disk permissions (QuickTips
#13). If that doesn't help, restart from an external Firewire
drive or the Mac OS X install disc to perform a full disk repair
on your boot drive.
2.
Rule out major hardware problems. Run the Apple Hardware
Test that came with your Mac. Be sure to test for defective RAM
which is a leading cause of Kernel Panics.
3.
Confirm you have sufficient RAM and disk space. As a
rule of thumb try to have at least 5GB of disk space on your Mac
OS X boot drive, and 512MB or more installed RAM.
4.
Restart in Safe Mode. Hold down the Shift key immediately
after you hear your Mac's startup chime. You should see the words
"Safe Boot" in the startup screen. If a Safe Boot resolves
the Kernel Panic, this implies a Startup Item or Login Item may
be the cause.
5.
Disconnect all external devices. Try disconnecting everything
except an Apple mouse, keyboard, and the monitor. Do the problems
go away? Start troubleshooting devices and drivers.
If
these steps fail to resolve the problem you may need to reinstall
Mac OS X or get additional help from an experienced Macintosh technician.
Visit your local Apple
Store, or of course consider calling CreativeTechs
if you live in the greater Seattle area.
Source:
This tip inspired by consultant Craig Swanson's free talk "Troubleshooting
Mac OS X" this Wednesday at the School
of Visual Concepts. If you use a Mac in the greater Seattle
area, sign up now before the talk fills up.
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