Apple MBPro diagnostic tool(s) sought

Hey,

OK, my old MBPro [17" 2.16 Core Duo 10.6.2 FWIW] is starting to piss me off! :-(

For a few months now it has occasionally (every day or three) hung, *hard*, requiring a power cycle.

I believe it only happens when I'm doing something "out of the ordinary" - i.e., the usual stuff is going on, and I start a new app - Picasa for example - Not on launch, but after some usage.

It also sometimes does it after a while when I'm videoconferencing over iChat or Skype. The strange thing then is the audio channel remains open (ie, we can ignore it and continue with a voice conversation but my screen, mouse & kbd are totally frozen.)

This of course suggests "bad" memory……

I ran a memory diagnostic I "found" a while back, I can't remember what it was now, but it claimed that all was well. I also poked in the logs, but nothing jumped out at me.

Disk utility also reports that the disk is fine btw.

My question is, can anyone recommend the "best" diagnostic/cleanup etc "disk"? I have an old version of Techtools Pro, but it's only for the (still going strong!) Powerbook G4. Any other recommendations?

I think this thing is about due for it's first "wipe" and fresh install (Since early 2006 btw). And yes, I do have it backed up, via TimeMachine and CCC, thanks for asking

TIA, cheers,
Ian

 

must....resist....urge.......<grits teeth>

hope you get it fixed soon, Ian

 

I was waiting for that....

Thanks! As I said, it only does it every few days, but rebooting is getting to be a PITA. Sometimes, it even sort of "dies" in a couple of steps - Nothing reproducible, but annoying.

Cheers,
Ian

 

Did you try resetting the PRAM? Wiping clean, not archive and install usually worked when my old iBook was having issues. Also did you put new RAM in it?

 

Good idea on the PRAM (now called NVRAM on the Intel boxes btw) - I did that a few days ago and things seemed to improve, but it just died again

No new ram installed - I thought I had a spare stick lying around to try but can't find it.

It's so "rare" that I'm putting off a wipe and reinstall - Guess I'll have to bite the bullet at some point, but it's not a task I'm looking forward to.......

Anyway, thanks for the suggestion - It *almost* worked

Cheers,
Ian

 

What did Techtools say about the memory?

Might want to check out this link, seems to have some good stuff on memory testing.

http://www.command-tab.com/2008/01/11/how-to-test-ram-under-mac-os-x/

 

My "old" techtools disk is G4/5 only unfortunately. I did find a tester a while back and it said all was good (Can't remember what it was or where I got it from however.)

Indeed - Many thanks for that - It's downloading as I write - I'll report back on what it says.

Cheers,
Ian

 

I'll see if I can dig up my Techtools for Intel, I swear I had it on my flashdrive but I can't find it now.

 

Hmmmph!.....

Firstly, I'd say it's a thorough memory tester - "Recommended" - Booted into single user mode and running it a couple of times took about an hour on my 2GB.

All tests "OK" - I dunno if that's good or bad anymore! [Sucker hung on me twice this morning ]

I'm starting to suspect video-ram may be the problem, but haven't figured out how to test that as yet.....

 

I think it is an option of the techtools tests, I couldn't find mine though, I'll see if I can find a download, on of those things that's good to keep around.

 

No big deal if I have to go and buy it!

Seriously, as most here know, I'm "nominally responsible" for about a dozen Macs these days and should really have a copy of something for diagnostics....... Which actually returns us to my OP - I'm just not sure that it's the "best" toolset available anymore - The reviews I've read don't seem to rate it very highly (Around 3/5 seem average) with many complaining that it hosed their Snow Leopard installs....... This may be because people only post to "complain", but I was hoping an alternative might show up.

I guess I'll bite the bullet and report back.

Cheers,
Ian

 

I've just gotten a MacBook Pro. A friend, who is a Mac Tech specialist, set it up with the latest TechTool Deluxe, and it does have specific tests for RAM and VRAM.

Having said that, is streaming video the only issue? If so, wouldn't the problem point more to the streaming issues rather than the machine receiving it? Have you popped a DVD to see if a movie plays?

Changing gears just a bit, as I know skype and ichat don't operate inside browers, but one of the nice advantages of the new Google Chrome is that tabs operate independently. If you're on a site that causes the page to lock, you can just close the tab without having to restart the whole browser.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for the confirmation - I think I'm just gonna have to go and buy it..... Although, if it then comes back and says my VRAM is bad I have no idea if it can be "fixed" - I'm guessing the VRAM is on the M/board (?)

First Q - "No". DVD's play (and can be captured etc) with, typically, no problems. But when it does lock up, it *really* locks up - Power cycle is the only "solution"

I've also noticed that if I leave it alone (auto-lock is on after ~10 minutes) sometimes when I return it's rebooted by itself!..... Not often (say every few days) but something is sure upsetting it. ;(

Unfortunately, when it does hang *nothing* works - Apart from the audio channel if we happen to be Skyping/ichatting (!) - Keyboard, mouse, screen, all totally locked! The video images (mine and the remote) both freeze, and indeed mine is frozen at the other end as well - The remote system continues to display local video, but is frozen at my end.

Thanks for the comments,
Cheers,
Ian