[kbivin]

Since purchase this iMac (5/15/07) has this deteriorating problem. Must shut down at least every half hour now. "Program not responding" occurs with "Quicken 2007", "Text Edit", "Mail", "Safari", "InDesign", "Photoshop", and almost any other program. Have gone through countless days of working with Apple Care with numerous case numbers - with nothing resolved. When Apple Care can't solve the problem they just close the Case# and you have to start all over again.
Have taken in to the Apple Store three times and left it there for over a week once for expert help and got it back with no resolution. Wrote to Apple direct and they responded that they don't respond to problems or replace bad systems and that I must deal with Apple Care and the Apple Store. They can't fix it as they can't determine the cause of the problems. If it will boot up they consider it OK. I have been using Macs since the first Mac Plus and have never had a bad Mac until this iMac.
It is hard for me to believe that I am the only one experiencing these problems with my iMac. I have done everything that Apple Care could suggest and the "Program not responding"problems persist. I love my Mac but it is killing me to have to Force shutdown with the Power Button at least every half hour to get a program back up. Have reformatted the HD many times, all Diagnostics check out fine. Can't detect anything wrong with the system but it CONTINUES TO CRASH with Program not responding. iMac model 6,1 , 200 Gb HD, Mac OS X 10.5.6, 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM. What I need to know is... am I the only one with a bad iMac?

[FranksterOne]

bq. What I need to know is... am I the only one with a bad iMac?
I'm sure you are not. If you have reformatted drive several times, it may be hardware. Have you tried saving the crash reports and taking them with you to the repair center? The more specifics, the better. However wrong they are, the specifics will help tremendously. It sounds like one of your apps is running and causing the issue in the backround even whn you are in another app. OR, bad ram. It could even be an app or proccess you have not even listed. The next time it crashes, post the crash report here.

Also, when a program is not responding, you do not have to restart. This is the beauty of Unix. Just "force quit" the offender. You can Force Quit by pressing Command-Option-Q-Esc.

Frankster

http://www.shouldbefree.net

[kbivin]

The problem still exists on a clean system with no added programs and no external drives attached. Force quit will not force quit an offending Apple program. ( iPhoto, Preview, Mail, Safari, even the Finder ) . Multiple carriage returns on force quit will eventually close the program window but it will still be on the system and then the system will not shut down with programs that will not quit. The only way to reboot the system is to hold the power button down until it quits. After multiple attempts to force quit and the program window disappears then the Apple report is generated - but it will not "Send to Apple" and hangs up with an endless spinning icon loop. In the rare cases that the report is sent - so what? Over the almost two years I have been sending them there have been no responses. Apple's stated policy is no responses will be made to Crash reports. I have made screen copies of the crash reports and taken them in to the Apple store (three different trips) with the system but they wouldn't even look at them. I know they experience the same troubles with my system in their shop -but policy says to tell me they cannot find any problems with the system ( just like Apple Care - case closed). Those crash reports have required up to seven or eight screen shots to cover them. I will try to post a crash report here. Tech Tool Pro 4 gives my memory a clean bill of health. In fact the whole system gets a clean bill of health. My hard drives get a clean bill of health. There are times when the system will not boot up even from the Install disk and leaves me with a black screen terminal window. I have found a way around that by holding down the option key at startup and choosing the Windows partition and the system will boot Microsoft XP Pro and this straightens things out so that Bootcamp can then restart Mac OS X. Wierd!. Please believe me, I have tried everything I have learned in my experience with Apple Care and the Apple Store repair shop, following all the suggestions they have made but have come to believe that they don't really care about making this iMac good in spite of the 3 yr. Apple Care contract. They will not honor their contract amd their technicians have admitted to me that the system is a lemon and the only solution is to replace it - but they do not have the authority to do that. Response from direct contact with Apple says they do not replace bad systems.
This is really a sad reflection on changes that have come about in Apple. Customer service seems to be confined to iPods, iPhones, and selling new equipment and operating systems.

[FranksterOne]

You state it needs to shutdown every half hour. Have you been able to replicate this for a tech? From the techs point of view, everything checks out until you make it fail in front of him. I would take some video or a digital photo every time it happens and document it. Take the list of times and dates w/ the proof in with you. I can't help but think there is some part of the story that is missing or I am misunderstanding. I have had superb service from Apple for 15 years and have owned at least 25 macs. I would remain calm, courteous and firm. You will be more believable if you sound reasonable. I am not saying you don't have a problem. Just offering advice from past experience.
Frankster

The Wiji

[kbivin]

Thank you for good advice.
I HAVE been very patient with all my calls and trips into the Apple Store even tho the trip is over a hundred miles for me.
I will try to make a video of the problem occurring to help document the problem, but the Apple store has seen it in action.
They have been puzzled enough to keep my system for further checking out and when they have called to say it is ready
I have gone in and ran it there with the same problems occurring. They just look sorry and say it all checks out - there is nothing wrong with the hardware. Even tho the system is completely wiped and bare as it was delivered with no software added. They just look helpless and say they can't do any more. This is my first time to be left high & dry by Apple and have bought and used every system since the Mac plus. I am tired now on a fixed income that falls far short of medical bills from injuries and cancer treatments. The Mac has been my only resource for creating survival income from design work I do on the Mac. Now there is no money to upgrade software or hardware and my iMac is making work nearly impossible.
Thank you again for caring and giving me helpful advice. I can't say the same for Apple anymore.
I will give Apple Care another call and waste a week or so trying to redo the system again and then I will probably have to go in to the Apple Store again and show the proofs of "Programs not responding" that locks up the system so it can't be restarted or shutdown. Thanks again.

[FranksterOne]

Maybe see if you can get a hold of Apple public relations or the press
(I don't apple they would enjoy an article). Esp with your health
issues. Also try it out in front of them and politely decline to take
it home if it is not fixed. Every time you take possession of it it
restarts the process. Sorry to hear of your circumstances. A good
repair tech should "burn in" a system that's problematic by letting it
run for a few days.
Frankster
Franksterville