kernel panic in single user mode only.

[jyhm]

Hello, I hope this is the right place to post this thread.

I just upgraded to 10.4.8.... Unfortunately, I have been experiencing some weird kernel panics. The first set of little panics I kind of handled. But this one is strange.

My system dies during single user start-up. It starts ok regular start-up but I can't enter single user mode. The only way I can do single usermode is to hold shift and then off course I only get a verbose read-out before it starts up the window system.

The log in my system said it had a problem with this:
Jan 11 16:53:59 jyhms-Computer crashdump[1092]: mdimportserver crashed
Jan 11 16:54:01 jyhms-Computer crashdump[1092]: crash report written to: /Library/Logs/CrashReporter/mdimportserver.crash.log

That file is temporarily in the trash.

Things I have tried:

NVRAM
OpenFirmware
permissions
disk utilities

Any Idea how to trouble shoot his??

[ebykm]

could be RAM problems, check your hardware with AHT came with your computer.

[jyhm]

Thanx E,

I have a Blue and White G3. So I don't have an Apple Hardware Test. Amazingly I have managed to start this box up, in regular and single user mode.

For some reason I had not been able to start from 10.4 CD because it induced panics. So I started from 10.3 CD but I could not fix HD errors completely from 10.3. Somehow after many panics I finally got 10.4 CD to start. Fixed many HD errors, fixed permisions and from command line I got rid of all adaptec kernal extensions which I don't use because I have taken my SCSI card out a long time ago. A completely different kernel panic story all together!

But honestly I am not sure if my persistant HD utility work did the job or the removing of the adaptec extensions did it. I assume that it was an extension problem because I was able to start in safe mode all the while.

But it is very difficult to identify extension conflicts in OSX as there are no clear topics or manuals on the subject. Either way I don't know if I am completely in the clear yet. But I probably am on my own as people don't seem to respond to kernel panic posts.

[jyhm]

By the way, I have been getting this start up message for sometime and I don't know what it means.

WARNING: ATA Drive claims FLUSH CACHE EXT feature support but does not claim Extended LBA feature support

Anyone?

[Giaguara]

Never use the discs of 10.3 to repair a hard drive of 10.4.
Mdimportserver crash points to a process with spotlight daemon crashing.
How much empty space do you have on the hard drive?

[jyhm]

I have an 80 gig hard drive with 4 partitions, 20 gigs each.
The Mac volume has 6gigs available.
2nd Vol. has 13gigs available.
3rd Vol. has 1.21gigs available.
4th Vol. has 2.22gigs available.

I did an archive and install. So far so good but I still get that WARNING.

[jyhm]

If I could just ask Giaguara,

How in the world do you know about Mdimportserver being a spotlight daemon? How could someone look these things up?
I look at my System or Library when I have a problem and I have no way of knowing whats what!

[ebykm]

Originally Posted by jyhm

How in the world do you know about Mdimportserver being a spotlight daemon? How could someone look these things up?

Google it or use the unix file system usage command to findout.

before installing 10.4 or any OS X on machines came with classic mac os,

1, make sure to update the firmware

2, check memory with AHT or any util which is capable of doing, since OS X is notorious about it.( mine used to crash until i replaced a cheapo dimm)

3, if you are upgrading, archive & install is not the best thing to do. always perform a clean install. eg. 10.3 to 10.4

about that warning message, nothing to worry about..... since it's an old PATA drive.

the general rule for free disk space on any drive is the 10% of the size.