Power Macintosh: Meaning of Error Type 11

TECHINFO-0016004

TOPIC

I get an error Type 11 on my Power Macintosh computer when a program crashes. I never got this error on my 68k based Macintosh computers. Is this a new error for the Power Macintosh?

DISCUSSION

A Type 11 error is listed as a hardware exception error. However, As with all Macintosh Type xx errors, they usually do not identify a particular software or hardware component error. Type xx errors are more general in nature.

You may see more Type 11 errors on a Power Macintosh computer because of problems with the software-based 68k emulator. The emulator allows the RISC processor to run older Macintosh software. If the emulator gets corrupted while loading into RAM, then some of the failures caused by this are reported as Type 11 or Hardware Exception errors. The emulator can get corrupted by either incompatible software or faulty hardware.

Troubleshooting Type 11 Errors

To troubleshoot the problem, follow these steps:

Step 1

Upgrade your hard disk drivers and system software to the latest versions available.

Step 2

Contact the software vendor for compatibility information if the problem only occurs in one application, and you can reproduce it consistently.

Step 3

Turn off all extensions and control panels if the error occurs in an application that is fully compatible with a Power Macintosh computer. Check the application again. If the problem goes away, then troubleshoot your extensions, control panels or fonts. Large numbers of fonts can cause similar errors, troubleshoot by moving them from the Fonts folder to another folder. If you still have problems, follow Step 4.

Step 4

Perform a clean installation of the system software, then test the system performance for a few days. If the problems continue, particularly in the Finder, there may be an issue with your Apple or non-Apple hardware.

Step 5

Disconnect any external or internal SCSI devices that have been may added (or exchanged for the original Apple hardware) and continue testing. Since SCSI device drivers load into memory when the Macintosh is turned on, they can generate conflicts similar to extension conflicts. If you are using a non-Apple formatting utility, contact the vendor of the utility for compatibility information. Removing internal SCSI devices is best performed by an Apple-authorized service provider.

Step 6

Remove any extra third-party RAM and test. This is best performed by an Apple-authorized service provider. Also verify that you are not using composite RAM.

Step 7

Remove Level 2 Cache RAM, if present, and test.

If you continue to get Type 11 errors using a clean version of the system software without any third-party hardware attached (including internal or external SCSI devices, additional RAM, or Level 2 cache RAM), you need to have your computer serviced by an Apple-authorized service provider.

For additional information about the cause of Type 11 errors, see Tech Info article, "Power Macintosh: Type 11 & No FPU Errors Technote", which you can find in the TIL using the search string, "0018912".

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