[dG video]

So I have had my Imac G5 for almost 2 years now. It has been awesome up until recently when it randomly shuts down while I am using it. And it does it pretty often. Does anyone have any idea of what it could be?

 

[ZoRo]

Maybe look at Apple tech support pages: http://www.apple.com/support/

 

[binary visions]

Random shutdowns are quite often attributed to memory problems. Do you have a friend or someone at work that you can swap memory with? How often are the shutdowns?

You could Google for a memory tester, I don't know what's out there for Macs.

 

[stinkyboy]

Run Apples Disk Utility from your system disk and see if that helps. If not, Tech Tool is a pretty solid utility for finding and solving issues.

And BV may be right about the bad RAM.

 

[spincrazy]

My first inclination is RAM also. Check your board and see if it's all fully pushed in. You can run a hardware test with the original OS discs. Google. Also, try resetting PRAM and turning off and unplugging your computer for 10 minutes.

 

[stinkyboy]

Zapping PRAM in Mac OS X does not do some of the things zapping PRAM did in Mac OS 9.X or earlier. Monitor and network settings are no longer stored in PRAM, so zapping PRAM will not fix problems with monitors or networks. It will, however, reset the computer's clock, startup speaker volume, sound volume, recent kernel panic information, and the DVD region code setting.

 

[spincrazy]

Uh, where did he say he was having monitor or network problems? Like rebuilding prebindings, repairing permissions, clearing caches, etc it's just a simple starting point for troubleshooting. So, it probably won't help him here, but it can't hurt.

Tiger Cache Cleaner may be another place to start.

 

[stinkyboy]

Uh, where did he say he was having monitor or network problems? Like rebuilding prebindings, repairing permissions, clearing caches, etc it's just a simple starting point for troubleshooting. So, it probably won't help him here, but it can't hurt.

Uh, zapping PRAM is not a cure all and it can lead to problems. I've met too many people that just want to parrot "zap your PRAM" over and over, so a little truth was presented for the masses.

 

[spincrazy]

Ok. I've only found it to be harmless myself, but that's valid I suppose.

If I was having random shutdowns though I'd think of that as a bigger problem than a possible additional problem later.

Zapping the PRAM simply means that you are resetting the PRAM to factory settings. What problems have your friends had when going back to default settings I wonder?

where did I say it was a cure all? If something is corrupt, it's corrupt. That corruption may lead to a myriad of problems, perhaps not even something that it's supposed to be associated with.

 

[spincrazy]

a quick google turned up this. Power supply perhaps?

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/Dual_Core_G5_Shutdowns.html