That, my friend, is the Mac version of the PC's "blue screen of death." You know, the one that Mac zealots say never happens on a Mac?

If it happens once in a very long while, I wouldn't worry about it. However, you should definitely back up your data to be safe. If it becomes a more frequent occurrence, start troubleshooting the vital hardware (such as RAM, hard drive, or logic board).

Good luck!

[quote|Ben Eisenman]That, my friend, is the Mac version of the PC's "blue screen of death." You know, the one that Mac zealots say never happens on a Mac? If it happens once in a very long while, I wouldn't worry about it. However, you should definitely back up your data to be safe. If it becomes a more frequent occurrence, start troubleshooting the vital hardware (such as RAM, hard drive, or logic board). Good luck![/quote]

Thanks for the info. I ran disk utility and my hard drive was ok. I was afraid it was the logic board even though the computer is only a few months old. I guess re-installation of the OS would not fix this problem.

[quote|phylsolomo]Thanks for the info. I ran disk utility and my hard drive was ok. I was afraid it was the logic board even though the computer is only a few months old. I guess re-installation of the OS would not fix this problem.[/quote]

Most likely it will not. Once you start to get the crash screen, you are normally (not always, but normally) looking at a hardware issue. If it is not very old, perhaps you still have warranty time left and can have them fix it?

[quote|Sarabian]Most likely it will not. Once you start to get the crash screen, you are normally (not always, but normally) looking at a hardware issue. If it is not very old, perhaps you still have warranty time left and can have them fix it?[/quote]

Those crashes are also called Kernel Panics. Sometimes they can be caused by software. Driver problems cause them sometimes. I used to get kernel panics when I'd change my wireless driver without disabling my airport card. I have also had completely isolated incidents where I'll get one kernel panic after months of perfect functioning, and then a few more months before anything else happens. In my experience, though, the problems were all logic-board related, when they weren't software-related.

[quote|Sterling Hirsh]Those crashes are also called Kernel Panics. Sometimes they can be caused by software. Driver problems cause them sometimes. I used to get kernel panics when I'd change my wireless driver without disabling my airport card. I have also had completely isolated incidents where I'll get one kernel panic after months of perfect functioning, and then a few more months before anything else happens. In my experience, though, the problems were all logic-board related, when they weren't software-related.[/quote]