Kernel Panics are back

Newly installed and LiveUpdated Norton Internet Security on our six PowerMacG5's running OS 10.4.11 about 12/1/2010.

Now suddenly beginning Dec. 30, three of the six are having kernel panics, often on startup, then every few hours.

My employee spent all day attempting to resolve on her PowerBookG4- 1.67GHz, 1GRam, OS10.4.11, zapped PRAM- no effect, uninstalled all Symantec and reinstalled NIS 4.1 then LiveUpdated all, (Antifvirus 11.1.2, Confiidential 1.3.3, Firewall 4.1.1)-- still kernel panic.

After wasting half a day hunting for solution on web, I removed the issue by restarting in Safe Mode (hold shift key down through startup), and uninstalling all Symantec (run the Uninstaller found in Symantec Solutions folder in Applications).

No more kernel panics in two hours. Hoping kernel panics won't recur, but running with no security except firewall in DSL modem set at "Low." Did run complete manual scan before uninstalling, nothing found.

We've been unable to identify a commonality among the three affected vs. the three unaffected, unless it could be updates which are automatic but run on different days, so possibly different on different machines.

Please just let me know when the solution is available and how to get it. We have no more time to waste on testing. In the meanwhile I'll install some other antivirus protection on all.

Typical of the six similarly affected: PowerMac G5, Dual PowerPC 2.7GHz, 2.25GRam, OS 10.4.11, Norton Internet Security 4.1, some updated manually again this morning.

Attached is a log which includes at bottom at least one of the kernel panics I've had today.

I wrote the original in this issue.

 

I must apologize to Symantec, as I seem to have proven the kernel panics are not caused by Norton. I had a PowerBookG4 on 10.4.11 start up giving kernel panic this am which had never had any Symantec or Norton products on it.

 

It's obvious that something is causing kernel panics, and from issues on the web since Nov. 2010 they're quite widespread. Here as I said we've got six computers in regular use and half of them have had the kernel panic problem very seriously since mid-December, 2010. One successful fix(???) PowerMac G5 dual 2.5 running 10.4.11 had kernel attacks often on startup and every few hours running-- I Uninstalled all Symantec two days ago and haven't seen kernel panic since. I ran Norton Antivirus scan before I uninstalled it, the scan found nothing.  I see no responses from Apple in the many I've looked at, but I think Apple is the only one who can solve this.

 

The only software installs we've done since mid-December have been really Norton LiveUpdates, Apple Software Updates, and the Adobe updates.

 

My worst problems are two PowerBookG4's on 10.4.11. But another same model has NOT had the problem-- yet. On one today which will not start without kernel panics at all except in Safe Mode, I made a CD with Apple OS 10.4.11 Combo Update.dmg, and ran it, certain it would solve the problem, but not so. It still gives kernel panic on every startup, and that machine is critically needed day after tomorrow.

 

Pls don't bug me about 10.4.11: We can't upgrade to 10.5 because we must run critically needed OS9 software, we've unsuccessfully sought a 10.5 solution for 5 years, many whole days of work and $1,000's in software purchases, no solution.

 

But note that many reporting kernel panics are running 10.5 and 10.6!

The following might help you troubleshoot and don't be so quick to let Norton off the hook for at least some issues. Your log mentions Symantec kernel extensions.

 

http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/kernelpanics.html