iMac freezing when I attempt backup

[NightSurge]

iMac G4 1.25GHz 17"

I seem to be getting quite comfortable with this Apple forum. Today I bring you another issue with an iMac. I have been trying to get this thing updated and upgraded for the longest time now. What I have just encountered is another annoying problem blocking my way.

Basically, a few weeks ago we had an Apple technician come and install RAM in the inaccessible slot. I then upgraded the RAM in the SODIMM slot to 512mb so it would have a total of 1GB system memory. Then the DVD drive stopped reading DVD's so I bought an external DVD drive. Now I am trying to back up this Mac like I did before so that I have a backup copy before installing the Leopard OS. Only every time I try to back it up I get the freeze error screen saying "You need to restart your Mac by holding down the power button".

My only guesses would be that this is either RAM related or HDD related. Is there any ways I can test my theories? I know on a windows machine I can run Memtest, but is there a similar utility for a Mac? Is there a HDD testing utility I can try? The staff member also mentioned that Safari is constantly crashing on his Mac now as well, but Firefox works fine.

 

[Kharn]

There is a memory test suite on the install disk, try accessing it via the altinate install method I linked to last time surge.

 

[SparkMonkeyHellion]

Are you trying to backup the entire mac or just certain files?

Which OS are you running right now?

It doesn't sound like a hardware prob to me - sounds more like a setting or something needs to be fixed. have you run "repair permissions" and all the periodics since trying to do the backup?

 

[NightSurge]

I am trying to backup the whole thing. Current OS is 10.3.9. I have not yet tried to repair permissions or anything else. What would you suggest I do besides repairing permissions through the Disk Utility?

 

[SparkMonkeyHellion]

go into terminal and run:
sudo periodic daily
sudo periodic weekly
sudo periodic monthly

- i'm not entirely sure what it does, but it helps!

 

[NightSurge]

Saxon, could you fill me in on what those terminal commands do and anything else I could try if it is software related?

 

[Kharn]

Essentially they just delete log files that bog the system down they are supposed to be run daily, weekly & monthly. There is a few other things it dose but I am myself not exactly sure they would not impact the system on a far reaching basis, I think one of there functions is cleaning up dependencies (think along the lines of a registry cleaner an you will be close) but I have no idea why they where recommended in the first place as they are not needed.

I personally think this is a memory issue mate, I would try running the OSX memory diagnostic. But as a side note when you are running any application from OSX install media you are running as SU so you have full system wide privileges.

 

[zmatt]

I agree with Chris, this is Unix we are talking about if you don't have the permissions it will tell you about it.

 

[SparkMonkeyHellion]

Thinking about it some more... the fact that other things are crashing and breaking (Safari, optical drive) it sounds like there is some OS damage - I have never tried to reload a Mac, but does the install disk have a "Repair OS" function similar to that of a Windows disk? It sounds like corrupt components to me.

Might want to try that.

 

[Kharn]

This is almost certainly a hardware problem spark monkey, OSX will often refuse to boot if there is something wrong with the OS it's self. My vote in light of all facts that surge has given is that it is a memory error, nothing else fits.

Surge if you can't run the memory diagnostic I think your best solution it to remove the HDD from this mac and put it in a other one and back up the data that way, it's the only thing I can think off to come up with a soloution that dosent involve replacing the ram.