What is WRONG with my MAC G5?

Question

Hi all,
I've posted several times in various forums about a number of problems I've been having that remain unresolved, and would like to appeal once more for help. I have a 6 year old 2GHz PowerPC G5 (2004) with 4GB of RAM, running FCS 6.0.6 and OS 10.5.8. I must reiterate that, despite the computer's age, it was working just fine until a kernel panic in December that has since left the computer feeling sluggish. I've performed a clean install (twice) of both the OS and FCS. I've bought new RAM and reseated in every possible way. I bought a new external harddrive (used to store my media) in case that was the culprit. I even took the computer and display into an Apple Store where they tested it for 2 days finding "nothing wrong with it". Yet even they couldn't get the "High" quality setting back in FCP. It defaults to medium now (unlike before) - which is my biggest concern. The computer's internal drive has 30% free space. The external more than 15%. And naturally, I've repaired permissions and trashed pref files, etc., with no results. Oh! And I've run the Hardware Diagnostics disk, three times, and everything keeps passing. I also just cloned the internal Maxtor drive onto an external Lacie drive and booted up from that - with no obvious improvement. Trying to eliminate the hard drive as a factor.
One more symptom -- perhaps related, perhaps not -- is that I can no longer put the computer to sleep without it crashing, followed by jet engine fans coming on. This happens every single time. Unfortunately it wasn't happening (as frequently) when I took the computer to the Apple geniuses.
And last week, when I turned the computer on, the screen remained black. The LED flashed in what I think was a series of three fast flashes. I rebooted and everything has been fine since (with the display).
I think I've found some suspicious items in the console logs. But I don't have a clue how to accurately read them or fix the problem. Can someone please help me?
The windowserver_last.log is full of the following:
May 21 10:57:47 52 kCGErrorIllegalArgument: CGXGetWindowWorkspace: invalid window id: a2
May 21 10:58:33 52 kCGErrorFailure: CGXDisableUpdate: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "Final Cut Pro" for over 1 second. Server has re-enabled them.
May 21 10:59:42 52 kCGErrorFailure: CGXDisableUpdate: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "Final Cut Pro" for over 1 second. Server has re-enabled them.
May 21 11:03:52 52 kCGErrorFailure: CGXDisableUpdate: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "Final Cut Pro" for over 1 second. Server has re-enabled them.
Then there's these ones that keep popping up in the console or system logs:
24/05/10 1:47:43 PM /Applications/Final Cut Pro.app/Contents/MacOS/Final Cut Pro115 _RemoveTimeTask(), the current time manager task 0x416c943c being removed is also currently executing its tmAddr routine, so unexpected things may result ( Radar #4555679 ).
24/05/10 1:48:39 PM Final Cut Pro115 startDelayedNoDataDetection
(the startdelayed... is probably due to dropped frames during capture with stop/start detection on)
These ones are less frequent, but still showing up:
22/05/10 6:30:17 PM Dock104 QL ERROR Generator database update takes too long... we will use what we currently have
May 17 16:22:07 macdaddys-power-mac-g5 Finder100: QL ERROR Generator database update takes too long... we will use what we currently have
May 18 08:56:18 macdaddys-power-mac-g5 Finder96: QL ERROR Generator database update takes too long... we will use what we currently have
May 18 13:03:07 macdaddys-power-mac-g5 Finder101: QL ERROR Generator database update takes too long... we will use what we currently have
May 19 11:47:56 macdaddys-power-mac-g5 Finder112: QL ERROR Generator database update takes too long... we will use what we currently have
May 19 14:31:15 macdaddys-power-mac-g5 /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/MacOS/Finder118: StatusMonitor::volumesChangedCallBack returned -47
May 19 15:23:14 macdaddys-power-mac-g5 Finder102: QL ERROR Generator database update takes too long... we will use what we currently have
May 21 09:54:32 macdaddys-power-mac-g5 Finder102: QL ERROR Generator database update takes too long... we will use what we currently have
May 21 14:28:45 macdaddys-power-mac-g5 Finder111: QL ERROR Generator database update takes too long... we will use what we currently have
22/05/10 6:30:31 PM quicklookd123 QL ERROR 'Creating thumbnail' timed out for ''
23/05/10 2:27:25 PM com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.aslmanager) Throttling respawn: Will start in 3 seconds
23/05/10 2:27:28 PM com.apple.quicklook109 invalid #-escape sequence.
23/05/10 2:27:28 PM com.apple.quicklook109 encountered unexpected object type: 7.
23/05/10 2:27:29 PM com.apple.launchd78 (0x0-0xd00d.com.apple.AddressBook.abd112) Check-in of Mach service failed. PID 112 is not privileged: com.apple.AddressBook.abd
23/05/10 2:27:29 PM com.apple.quicklook109 xref table size mismatch: calculated 462; /Size = 463.
===============
If I had the money, of course I'd buy another computer. But I don't. And deep inside, I still believe there's a fix. Am I right or wrong???
Chris
P.S.
I don't have a clue how to read Power Fractal (suggested to someone else in another post), but here's my score:
Elapsed time: 1.6 seconds
Achieving 6261.1 Megaflops
Color Speed: 10
Maximum Count: 4096
One more thing I gleaned from another post are similar istat readings that seemed unusual to that person. Backside fans: 51rpm. ???

Answer 1

First thing I would do is make your post clear(-er) (I find it easier to break things down into one item per paragraph or into lists); and what HARDWARE tests and steps you have tried - that we tend to repeat over and over with system failures.
I've posted several times in various forums about a number of problems I've been having that remain unresolved,
*I have a 6 year old 2GHz PowerPC G5 (2004) with 4GB of RAM, running FCS 6.0.6 and OS 10.5.8.*
I must reiterate that, despite the computer's age...
+*it was working just fine until a kernel panic in December that has since left the computer feeling sluggish.*+
+I've performed a clean install (twice) of both the OS and FCS.+
+I've bought new RAM and reseated in every possible way.+
+I bought a new external hard drive (used to store my media) in case that was the culprit.+
+I even took the computer and display into an Apple Store where they tested it for 2 days finding "nothing wrong with it". Yet even they couldn't get the "High" quality setting back in FCP. It defaults to medium now (unlike before) - which is my biggest concern.+
+The computer's internal drive has 30% free space.+
+The external more than 15%.+ 15% is still low and can be highly fragmented, but not germaine to hardware problems.
+I've run the Hardware Diagnostics disk, three times, and everything keeps passing.+
+I also just cloned the internal Maxtor drive onto an external Lacie drive and booted up from that - with no obvious improvement.+
+Trying to eliminate the hard drive as a factor.+
I'd even say LaCie might just be one more layer of possible problems.
There are FAQs on kernel panics which:
A/ Been there, done that?
B/ Do they need to be listed (again)? revisited?
C/ panics are hardware almost always, RAM, controllers, sometimes drivers, even corrupt NVRAM
Does it boot into Open Firmware?
If yes, redo reset-nvram
If no, DOA
G5 Logicboards:
http://www.dvwarehouse.com/Power-Mac-G5-Logic-Boards-c-24553701074.html
Power Mac G5 PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0Ghz M9032LL/A, A1047 1969C
NOTE: Power Mac G5 Thermal Calibration Service It is vital for all Power Mac G5 to run thermal calibration after fitting a new logic board or processors, without it, Temperature Control will not be able to detect the system temperture correctly. As a result, it could cause the cooling fans to run at high speed, eventually damgaging the logic board or processors.
Lastly, I would never run a Mac w/o UPS, which can lengthen life and protect equipment and even the PSU.
And for $1500 the iMac Apple Store Specials can be a good fast alternative to G5.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/imac