eMac problem, does anyone know

[icesac26]

I have had an eMac now for about 7 months now. I got it because I just couldnt afford an I mac. Now I am haveing a problem with the CD reader.burner/DVD Combo drive I cant get it to burn a lot of the time, and it takes forever to read a cd/dvd. I also have this wierd thing where I am thinking something is loose inside, because I will get a message on my screen after the screen dims and it says to mannually resart you computer, because a system error occured. Has anyone had/heard this problem, and can it be fixed? any advice is welcome, thanks!

Donny

 

[liketom]

sounds like you need to reset a few things on there -

i would reinstall the OS after you have backed up and maybe zap the PRAM while your at it.

the eMac is a workhorse and will last you for many years to come

 

[madmaxmedia]

I wonder if the 'system error' is related to the optical drive. I think you should be able to check that somehow, isn't there a diagnostic hardware checker CD?

Also, replacing the optical drive isn't that difficult if it is a recent model eMac (USB2). You can buy a DVD burner for around $40 or so.

 

[Le Big Mac]

sounds like you need to reset a few things on there -

i would reinstall the OS after you have backed up and maybe zap the PRAM while your at it.

the eMac is a workhorse and will last you for many years to come

Or get warranty coverage for it.

 

[yenko]

I have had an eMac now for about 7 months now. I got it because I just couldnt afford an I mac. Now I am haveing a problem with the CD reader.burner/DVD Combo drive I cant get it to burn a lot of the time, and it takes forever to read a cd/dvd. I also have this wierd thing where I am thinking something is loose inside, because I will get a message on my screen after the screen dims and it says to mannually resart you computer, because a system error occured. Has anyone had/heard this problem, and can it be fixed? any advice is welcome, thanks!

Donny

Repair your directory: but first, what version of OS X are you running?

 

[icesac26]

Emac OS Version

Repair your directory: but first, what version of OS X are you running?

I am useing 10.4.4, with the latest updates for all

 

[chaos86]

some things to do when you have a problem that's weird and/or hardware related.


zap the Parameter-RAM or PRAM. this is where your computer remembers what all is inside it so it can start faster by not searching for all it's components first (PCs have BIOS or some other archaic system to do this). do zap the PRAM, hold cmd+opt+P+R when you start the machine until you hear the startup tone a second time.

repair permissions. unix automatically messes up it's files for you over time. it's one of the things that apple added just to make ex-PC users feel more at home. use the app called Disk Utility in the Applications/Utilities folder.

Use the Hardware Diagnostic boot cd that came with your mac (one of the grey disks you got).


of course, if your problem looks like this http://www.macmaps.com/kernelpanic.html, you need to do an ancient indian voodoo unix dance while waving a dead chicken above your head.... i dont know how to fix kernel panics.

 

[yenko]

I am useing 10.4.4, with the latest updates for all

Try this first:

Go to Disk Utility>Your Disk>Verify Disk.

If you get errors, you'll need to repair the disk which you cannot do with disk utility.
There are several ways around that. Boot to single user and run fsck, use DiskWarrior, TechTools Pro, or boot with your original install disk and run disk utility>repair disk.

Repair permissions after the reboot.

Of course the other possibility is you have a dirty lens in the CD drive. Try a cleaner disk and see if that resolves it.

Try not to reinstall in spite of the many suggestions you find on the forums. Most spinning beach balls, kernel panics, and slow downs are caused by a directory/file corruption. The key here is to find the problem instead of resorting to clean installs.