Error message when trying to upgrade to the new mac os update

Question

today in the afternoon i was updating to the new version and then i got the grey screen and i restarted like it tells me in the message and then i had some serious error and the imac wasnt loading so i called support and he helped me reinstall the os so now i reinstalled it and i want to update to 10.4.8(bcuz the cd installs 10.4.4) but it tells me this error:
"installing this software requires 607MB of space"
and i cant press continue and i have 184GB free. why is this guys?
and on some other programs i try to install it tells me that error that i need to have mac os 10.3.9 and it just quits.. i just also tried to install divx and it tells me it requires mac os 10.3.9 or later and that it cant be installed on my machine(i have 10.4.4), well like 1 hour ago i reinstalled my os without any format because i had a trouble with my hardrive, everything works good now but im having this issue here .. do i need to update some information somwhere or osmething or run some tool? (i updated file permisions but still same)
btw where do i check which version of macos i have just to be sure?
please help me guys

Answer 1

777iPod,
This is a good guide to help with kernel panics: http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/kernelpanics.html
I think it's Support policy, even prior to an archive and install, to have a user first remove any third party RAM and third party devices to verify that none of those are causing the kernel panics. We weren't told if that was done, but I've assumed so. If third party RAM was allowed to remain installed, it is not unusual for it to be the source of kernel panics.
I don't know if it's part of the Support checklist, but when making changes like that, or when replacing hardware or software in general, I have always followed that up with a PRAM reset. I realize that usually Macs will recognize (plug & play) such changes, but my experience has been that it's better to just do the PRAM reset, or else be prepared to shut down and then do a fresh startup so that the system can do its usual self-testing that is performed during startup.
If it was an archive and install that Support recommended to jmanwee, and if it did not resolve the issue, I believe their next suggestion will be to erase and install.
Once third party devices and software have been eliminated as the potential cause of the kernel panics, I imagine Support will have no problem arranging for hardware repairs.
I'm probably overlooking something, but referring to the above link should help anyone get their situation resolved.