10.6.3 screwing up iMac: f/u to the f/u to the...

[DP]

Crossing my fingers-I think it might be fixed. I had put out a few posts about updating my iMac to 10.6.3 and it messing up my machine big time. It would freeze, crash, and produce a screen that looked like a bar code. The freeze would be a complete freeze or the mouse would still move but not activate anything I clicked on. My machine worked just fine until I updated to 10.6.3 and I also updated to 10.6.4 hoping that might fix whatever .3 had done to it.
So following advice from this august forum I restarted from the disk and ran DU Repair Disk which reported the disk was repaired. But it still acted up although not as frequently. I had to keep working tho as I've been very busy. The other day I finally had the time to break out Disk Warrior and run it. So far so good since Friday. Here's the report:

DiskWarrior has successfully built a new optimized directory for the disk named "Macintosh HD." The new directory is ready to replace the original directory.
All file and folder data was easily located.
Comparison of the original and replacement directories indicates that there will be changes to the number, the contents and/or the attributes of the files and folders. It is recommended that you preview the replacement directory and examine the items listed below. All files and folders were compared and a total of 23,704,304 comparison tests were performed.
• Errors, if any, in the directory structure such as tree depth, header node, map nodes, node size, node counts, node links, indexes and more have been repaired.
• 11 files had a directory entry with an incorrect text encoding value that was repaired.
• 13 folders had a directory entry with an incorrect custom icon flag that was repaired.
• Incorrect values in the Volume Information were repaired.
• Critical values in the Volume Information were incorrect and were repaired.

Hopefully I'm back in shape (well, my iMac anyway).
iMac 2.66 C2D 4GB 10.6.4

[modelamac]

Read your Mac Help about Safe Boot. That does the equivalent of Disk Utility's Repair Disk during the boot process.

[DP]

OK, thanx, Model A.
BTW, does any of the DW repair info look like the things it repaired could cause the issues I had?

[hal]

Of course you download the combo version of the update and reapplied first - right? If that didn't fix your problem, then it's unlikely you have a software problem.

[Doc]

Based on what info I have, it looks to me like you might have a RAM (or other hardware) problem and the errors from that did some directory damage on your hard drive.

Software updates sometimes reveal hardware issues that would not quickly have come to light under previous versions of the OS. Especially memory problems.

Did you ever run the extended Apple Hardware Tests?

[DP]

>Of course you download the combo version of the update and reapplied first - right?
Don't know. Just ran it from Software Update.
>Did you ever run the extended Apple Hardware Tests?
Ran it from the disk starting it holding down the D key and running Repair Disk from like you suggested I do. I like the old OS 9 interface, tho!
How do I run extended tests?

[Doc]

> How do I run extended tests?

There's a checkbox for it.

[DP]

OK. Thanx.

[Doc]

BTW: Just to clarify 'cause there's something weird about your phrasing two posts back:

The program with the "OS 9" interface is the Hardware Test which is what should load when you insert the appropriate disc and hold down the "D" key on startup. The option for running the extended tests should be clearly visible when the program loads.

"Repair Disk" is a button shown in the Disk Utility, which is a program that you can run from the Utilities menu when you boot from your Install CD/DVD by inserting the installer disc and holding down the "C" key on startup.

[DP]

Yeah, I did each one. But I did speak too soon. Not half an hour ago it froze. I could move the mouse but couldn't activate anything when I clicked on it. So, had to do a restart...
I will do the extended tests as soon as I can.