# several problems OS 10.3.9



## andreuser (Apr 5, 2007)

Hi, there nice folks of tech support guy!

I have an iMac G4 running Mac OS X 10.3.9 and it has several problems.

1.can't mount any dmg files "error -536870208
tried everything I've found on the threads, nothing worked

2.menu bar items, supposed to be at the upper right corner, don't work anymore
can't make them appear through system preferences

3.CD/DVD drive doesn't recognize some disks
my powerbook recognizes all disks, so it's not a problem with the disks

4.many applications don't work:
iTunes, Console, Calculator, Preview, DiskImageMounter, Classic OS 9, among others.
They might jump once or twice on the dock, but that's it. They won't even start.

It's been a few weeks I'm having these problems so I've tried many things including Disk Utility (permissions), from the provided OS X CD as well, rebooting, striping out of peripherals, erasing plists and mkext files, a few things with Terminal, and everything else I could find in other threads. Maybe I didn't search enough. I'm really tired by now.

So far I was able to bring back Calculator and Preview by erasing preferences and plists.
Unfortunately, this method didn't work for the other problems.

I'm considering reinstalling my OS, but I want to try everything else first.

PS: I wonder if it would help upgrading to Tiger or Leopard. Is it possible to upgrade from Panther to Leopard skipping Tiger?


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## Serge_N_Gin (Sep 7, 2004)

Hi andreuser, try this, create a new user account and post back regardless if the problems persist there.


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## andreuser (Apr 5, 2007)

New account, same problems.
It was worth a try, thanks!


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## Serge_N_Gin (Sep 7, 2004)

I would recommend you try an _Archive & Install (Linky)_.



> _Available in Mac OS X 10.2 and later, an Archive and Install installation automatically moves existing system files to a folder named Previous System, then installs Mac OS X again. _


As for upgrading your G4 OS from Panther to Leopard ... AFAIK, it is possible but you would need to most probably have to add more RAM to your system.


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## andreuser (Apr 5, 2007)

I will try this Archive & Install.
But seriously, will I need more than 768 MB of RAM that I already have?
Thanks 4 the feedback!
Australia Rules!
(spent most of 2004 in Sydney)


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## VegasACF (May 27, 2005)

andreuser said:


> I will try this Archive & Install.
> But seriously, will I need more than 768 MB of RAM that I already have?
> Thanks 4 the feedback!
> Australia Rules!
> (spent most of 2004 in Sydney)


I would imagine Australian Rules for RAM would be the same as the rest of the world. though Australian Rules football is a different matter...

More RAM is _never_ a bad thing.

Will you be able to do what you need to do with 768MB? Probably.

Will you benefit from adding extra RAM to your machine? Definitely.


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## Serge_N_Gin (Sep 7, 2004)

We're talking about running Leopard on a G4. By all means don't upgrade your RAM straight away or prior to installing Leopard. That way you can see for yourself how your system runs.

AFAIK here are your iMacs RAM specs:

_128/256 MB, expandable to 1,024 MB using one user accessible 144-pin PC133 SODIMM (up to 512 MB) and one 168-pin PC133 SODIMM (also up to 512 MB) inside the computer._

Here is another link re: RAM upgrading iMac G4


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## gslrider (Apr 18, 2007)

Sounds like a directory issue. And although Disk Utility would suffice on normal situations. I find that it's not always up to the task on more problematic OS issues.

For these situations I use Disk Warrior, and it hasn't failed me yet. Mind you, I've had to run it 2 or 3 times (back to back) to get my system running back to normal. But that has been on rare occassions.

How long have you had this iMac for, when was the last time you did a maintenance on it? Issue could be as simple as bad volume blocks, and directory files.


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## andreuser (Apr 5, 2007)

Thanks you all, folks.

In response to gslrider:
I've had this sMac for&#8230;
Well, since the year it came out. Long time ago&#8230;
2002 maybe?
Maintenance&#8230;
Let's see, I use Onyx and MainMenu from time to time.
But they didn't help me this time&#8230;
I should probably try this Disk Warrior, seems to be pretty good.
Thanks!


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## gslrider (Apr 18, 2007)

Ouch! I think you may be in need of some serious overhaul. Well not that serious. But definitely look into purchasing Disk Warrior (simple maintenance), or even TechTool (serious maintenance and optimization).

And for me, as a rule of thumb, I run Disk Warrior every 2 - 3 months. If your system crashes (which Macs do from time to time), chances are a simple reboot is fine. But if it crashes 2 or 3 more times (at any given time), or if you start noticing your system start acting strange for a period of time (even after reboot), you should run Disk Warrior.

Just like with any machine, computers need to be maintained periodically.

Good luck.


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