On 24/11/15 09:01, Alfonso Gamboa wrote:

These images are definitely helpful, however what would be really useful to know is exactly what the modules in question do:

- Multiprocessing (maybe uses a currently unimplemented CPU instruction to facilitate faster multitasking?)

- Open Transport ASLM Modules (no idea what these do)

- Apple Audio Extension Module (is this just a standard sound driver or other? I did get a backtrace once suggesting that it was trying to access digital CDROM audio which is why it crashed. Then again if it thinks that the CDROM is a HD then that's not going to help too much here either).

​The "Multiprocessing" folder contains a file named "Apple CPU Plugins" of type cpup. Looking at the resource "cpups", it seems to contain code to supplement the OS to support various newer CPUs and architectures. The resources in the file are named (and contain):

PowerSurge2PPlugin: "hammerhead" (old clone computers based off multiple PPC 604I believe)

G3Plugin: Powerbook1,1

Core99Plugin: uni-north keylargo PowerMac2,1 PowerMac2,2 PowerMac3,4 PowerMac3,5 PowerMac4,1 PowerBook3,3 PowerBook3,4

Now the mac99 machine defines itself as "PowerMac3,1" so that might suggest that it is something in the keylargo/uni-north code that is causing the problem. Is there a way to somehow disable the individual resources in the Core99Plugin in order to determine which one is the culprit?

The "Open Transport ASLM Modules" file seem to be a collection of shared libraries, since many programs, once this file is removed from the extensions folder, refuses to run, for example Apple System Profiler. OTLib$NBPScnr, OTLib$SerIAB are some examples of shared libraries contained within this file. This is verified from the book "Sad Macs, Bombs, and Other Disasters: And what to Do about Them By Ted Landau ​, see https://goo.gl/TVm9Tt"​

I will do more research.

A good starting point is the "Apple Audio Extension Module" since that seems to cause havoc on load. Do you know any good tutorials on how to debug an extension module on load i.e. how to step through its initialisation? Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much related documentation around these days. ATB, Mark.