If 1.1 froze your new iMac, dont' give up yet - try this first

Question

+If your aluminum iMac gave you problems before the Firmware Update v1.1, this is not the thread for you.+
But if your new iMac was fine out of the box, and fine after Update 1.0, _but became problematic after 1.1_, read on.
This was my case - all was well up until a few days after the 1.1 update. Then the following happened sporadically, leading to several power-button shutdowns.
· endless blue screen on startup after the gray apple but before the login window
· funny display artifacts - incorrect pixels, section waviness, discolored blocks
· display freeze out of nowhere - everything but the mouse cursor "stuck" forever
Some say to return or replace the whole iMac at the Apple Store. Others say to Archive (or Erase) & Install OS X from the original DVDs. Before doing any of that, and assuming you've completed the obvious (deleting suspect .PLIST files, reversed any recent hardware or non-Apple software changes, etc.), try the following first. You have nothing to lose except a little bit of time.
Step "Zero" is to reboot the computer into Safe Mode and backup your important data.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107393
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107392
Step 1 is to rollback your iMac's firmware to 1.0, while still in Safe Mode, as follows.
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20070924095738296
(find the list numbered 1-6 under "Solution")
Step 2 is to make sure Step 1 takes effect:
· (still in Safe Mode) Delete the 1.1 Receipt from Macintosh HD/Library/Receipts/
· Shutdown and reset the SMC: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303446
· Power-on and reset PRAM: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238
· Reboot from the Tiger install DVDs, run Disk Utility, and perform Repair Disk (likely needed after power-button shutdowns)
· Quit the Installer, Restart (a normal one), login and Repair Disk Permissions using Disk Utility
· Manually run all CRON jobs - "sudo periodic _" {daily,weekly,monthly} in Terminal
· Shutdown, reconnect anything still disconnected, and power-on as normal
Step 3 is to use your iMac like you used to and check to see if any problems return.
Step 4 is to use your hopefully now-stable iMac to inform Apple and its boss about this unacceptable situation:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/imac.html
[email protected]
My iMac has been good as new for 48 hours now. In that time, I have rolled over the Dock rapidly and repeatedly, played 1080p trailers in QuickTime, and extensively used iPhoto and iTunes. (Before the rollback, as little as a magnified Dock icon would cause a freeze, anywhere from 5-30 minutes after logging in, assuming I even made it to the login screen.)
If the above still doesn't work, then you should Archive & Install OS X, and reapply all updates except 1.1. If the problems continue, Erase & Install OS X + the same drill on updates. +If there's still no luck, then+ I'm afraid you're out of luck and need to exchange your iMac.
But I'm willing to bet it won't come to that.

Answer 1

illy5603 wrote:
Just an update to report that I ran through this whole thing and my symptoms persist, even when in safe mode. I am pretty sure my problem is hardware, it isn't the same lock up problem everyone is having, that was my first iMac, I am having the weird blue vertical line problem that is posted in the Macbook pro forum (but on my iMac).
Wow, that's something totally different from the 1.1-freeze issue. I've not heard about that on the iMacs until now.