Vista BSOD

[JeremyK]

I know,
This is an Apple forum (please don't ban me!!)... But I dont know where else to look.
Any Windows forum will be full of people complaining about how bad Vista is and we should all go back to XP. So I've asked the Apple Blog for help, because everyone here is actually helpful!

Anyway, one time I was using my macbook, and randomly out of knowhere, i got a "Windows Blue Screen" (better known as Blue Screen Of Death [BSOD])

Vista seems okay, it runs a tiny bit slower than it used to (actually alot slower) and it seems to show up all hidden files (even though that i set it not too)

Does anyone know what I should do to fix it, because it always says its deleting something, and it could be something serious.

Does OS X ever get screens like this?

Thanks (Don't ban me)

PS: I still have the Vista HP & OS X Leopard Install disks

[Yuiichi]

I have no idea about what's wrong with Vista - I don't use it. If you think the problem is going to affect what you're using Vista for, just reinstall. Doesn't take that long and it saves you plenty of headaches!

However, you were asking if OS X gets screens like this. Well, sometimes you get what's called a Kernel Panic. If that ever happens, you'll see your screen dim and you'll get a message like this in the center:



It's nice and friendly I've had one so far in my three years of using this MacBook.

[bendrucker]

I've had the same experience as Yuiichi: one kernel panic in 3 years. The one I did have was related to an improperly seated RAM chip, so it was my fault more than anything.

[JeremyK]

How do you fix kernel panic?

[philbowell]

It depends what's causing the Kernal Panic as to how you fix it. I've never had a KP on my iMac but I've had a few on my old iBook. The iBook KP happened when I knocked my iBook off my desk, it dislodged the Airport Card and caused the machine to KP quite regularly pressing it back into place fixed the issue. The majority of Kernal Panics are caused by similar things, a quick google usually turns up a solution, and in my experience it's usually hardware related. If it's a software a quick Archive & Install works wonders.

[JeremyK]

Im worried now... The other day I had my MacBook sitting on some books (I hade an assignment to do and I had no time to clean the desk) and I knocked the machine of the books and onto the desk about... 30cm lower, I heard the Sudden Motion Sensor kick in and park the hard drive, I also heard a big clunk - at first I thought it was the Sims disk moving around but, I didnt have a scratch on it. What was this sound

[Yuiichi]

I don't really think we could tell you what that sound was. In reality, it could have been anything in the room falling or something in the computer. The main thing is: is the computer still working? If so, great - don't worry about it! If not, take it into an Apple Authorized Reseller and see what they can do for you.

In my experience, my single Kernel panic was most likely caused by software; it wasn't a hardware issue as I've never dropped my MacBook or exposed it to any impacts.

[divigation]

Just to clear things up, a kernel panic is not a fixable thing, nor is it a crash in the sense that matters to the integrity of your machine. The effect for the end user is the same in that you lose any unsaved data and must restart your machine, but this is the end of the similarity. The reason Unix (and thus OS X) is considered uncrashable is because if a piece of hardware or software attempts to do something that will crash the system, the system panics. It is a software fuse that is tripped which allows no more activity to avoid crashing the system and doing any damage. So you don't fix a kernel panic, you fix what caused it. And as Yuichi pointed out, most panics are caused by software and if they are not persistent then it is nothing to worry about. If you are running into panics, rather than one random one, it is time to get someone to look at the machine and determine what is going on as these should occur rarely, if at all, as most on these forums can attest to.

[philbowell]

I should clarify that my iBook was several years old at the time, didn't have the same build quality or sudden motion detection and fell from a great deal higher than a few inches. I really don't think you need to worry so much, Mac's (especially the new laptops) have a great build quality and Apple have a great customer service dept.

[JeremyK]

Oh I feel better now... I am always so worried... I should have more faith in Apple...