"Must Restart Your Computer" message appears when restarting/after installing updates

[Keldud7]

Hi there. Okay, here's the history of my powerbook:
I upgraded the RAM and the hard drive recently.
I got Leopard about the same time or in between there. Leopard made things a little weird, and I eventually went back to Tiger.
So, I am running on Tiger (journaled) and now all of a sudden, when I restart my computer or after I install updates (restarting), it gives me the gray/black screen that says I must restart my computer, hold down the power button, etc, and is in many languages. So, I do and it's fine,...until I have to restart again.
I've restarted a bunch of times, after trying different things.
I've reset the PRAM and NVRAM and PMU. I've also repaired the disk from the install disk and it's fine. Disk permissions are also fine.
I've heard it could be the RAM, so I'll replace it with the stock RAM when I get home in a couple days, but does anyone else have any other suggestions before I do that?? Thanks so much! I want my dependable mac back!

[Giaguara]

It could be the RAM. If you put back the RAM you had before, can you boot without these kernel panics?
If you can access the hard drive and find a file called panic.log, that contains your kernel panic info (why it happened, what called for it). As another option it could be something from software.
Can you boot to single-user mode, open firmware, or safe boot?

[Keldud7]

I can't try the RAM idea until tomorrow, as I don't have the old RAM with me. But I can access the hard drive, how do I find the panic.log? Console?
Besides the kernel panics when I restart, the computer runs fine. It just worries me.

[Keldud7]

Tried exchanging the RAM with the original RAM. Same problem. Going to try reinstalling tiger. Thanks for your help.

[HarryO52]

I had this happen with an old Powermac G5 and the only solution was to do an erase and install, not an archive and install. Apparently, something I had done messed up the software and gave me the kernel panic screen as you are getting.

Harry

[PBear]

You might want to read Resolving Kernel Panics from here before doing an erase and install.

[suthep]

have you tried booting up in Single User mode, and then running a filecheck? it usually sorts whatever the problem is for me when i get the grey reboot screen

[Keldud7]

how do you boot up in single user mode and do the file check?