Kernel panic at startup

Teetans

Teetans

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I have a previously owned eMac (1GHZ, 512mB, 80G, Super LL, I apologize but I can't get into the Finder to get additional info) and this is now the second time I have dealt with this kernel panic.

Unable to find driver for this platform Powermac4

I am pretty sure the system folder was moved. However, I do run ProTools and various other audio programs with my Mac. I have tried every troubleshooting method I can find. I can't even get it into single user mode OR get it to boot from my legal Mac OS X 10.4 installation disc. I'm not upgrading or anything of that nature. Just trying to get it started up again. The last time this happened, I had to take it in to the Apple Store and they didn't bother to tell me how to fix it if it should happen again.

I realize you must get absolutely flooded with questions, but if you could find the time to get back to me asap, I would be more than appreciative. I don't want to have to lug my 40lbs Mac back to the mall. lol. Not many people willing to help carry the computer. Let me know if you need any further information from me.

Thanks again,
Tanya "teetans"
 
When you bought the Mac were you able to make an administrator account on the Mac? Also did you get any of the system disks with the Mac? Lastly what do the logs (/Applications/Utilities/Console) say about the panic?
 
Yes, no and it's "unable to find driver for this platform PowerMac4" then it goes on in Unix(?), finally ending with "we are hanging here". Now, since I posted, I actually took it to the Apple Store and they fixed it, however, they couldn't tell me how it happened and they also didn't inform me how to get out of it if it should happen again. So, if you could provide ANY information on this subject, that would FANTASTIC!! Oh, what system disks should I have gotten and is there any way I can get them through Apple?
 
And, I apologize, but one more thing. What would be the easiest way to back up my OS? Apparently, I don't have a SuperDrive (that's why I couldn't boot from DVD), I DO have an external that is 40gigs and journaled for the Mac.
 
Often kernel panics are caused by hardware issues, such as bad RAM or a motherboard problem. Unplug all non-essential USB and Firewire devices as you troubleshoot to eliminate them as a possible problem.

You might want to try this if you haven't already:

1. Boot from your 10.4 installation disc by holding the OPTION key as you turn the machine on. A picture of the available boot disks will show up.
2. Click on the CD to boot from it.
3. Run Disk Utility (look in the menus at the top of the screen) first. Better yet, boot from a quality disk maintenance utility such as DiskWarrior, TechTool Pro, Drive Genius, etc. and check your hard drive.
4. Select "Archive and Install" (I never remember exactly where these options are located because it's been awhile since I've installed OS X. There might be an "Options" button or something similar. Watch for it.) "Archive and Install will save your previous operating system and install a fresh copy of 10.4 on the machine. It won't erase your data, but keep in mind that * there is a very small chance of data loss .* That's true with any kind of operating system installation, defrag, file system repair, etc.
5. Once the installation is finished, it should reboot from your machine's hard drive. You'll see if it has solved your problem.

How to back up OS X. I'm a fan of Carbon Copy Cloner, a free program you can get about anywhere on the net (www.versiontracker.com for example). It will "clone" your hard drive to an external drive making a bootable copy -- assuming you have enough room on the external drive. CAUTION: Be careful. There is an option to ERASE the target volume. Target obviously means where it's going to make the cloned copy. If you click the checkbox to erase the target, it will erase EVERYTHING on your external hard drive. If you have files you don't want to lose, make sure that checkbox isn't checked. Look for it on the right side of the window.

Good luck. Please post a message if you have further questions. We'll do our best to help.

Doug
 
Thank you so much! I will try it today and get back to you if problems should arise........again. lol
 
You might want to read up on
Resolving Kernel Panics to prepare yourself for the next kernel panic if it ever happens again.

Cloning is a good way to backup your startup disk. I use Superduper!. Just make sure the external drive has sufficient amount of space to create a clone of the startup disk.
 
Okay, I read the article, which led me to the Apple support site, which then led me to solutions that, unfortunately, I'm unable to use. The reason being, I purchased a previously owned Mac. It doesn't have Mac OS 9 and didn't come with any of the orginal discs. However, I did us Carbon Copy Cloner to have an extra copy of Tiger on an external!! yippie!! But what I need to know now is, is there any way to get a set of original discs?

OH!! And thank you all so much for all your assistance!! I can't even begin to express how grateful I am.
 
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