Classic Mac OS troubleshooting: A dialog box with a “bomb” icon appears on a Macintosh screen. This indicates what type of problem?

Introduction / Context:
Classic Macintosh systems (pre-OS X) used a “bomb” dialog to indicate system errors. Recognizing that icon helps distinguish between software-level crashes and hardware failures when diagnosing issues on vintage Macs.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The system is running classic Mac OS (System 6 through Mac OS 9 era).
• The “bomb” dialog appears with an error code or message.
• No recent hardware changes are implied by the symptom alone.

Concept / Approach:

The bomb icon traditionally signals a system error caused by software: application crashes, system extensions conflicts, or OS exceptions. While faulty hardware can indirectly cause crashes, the bomb itself is the UI for software exceptions, not a hardware-diagnostics glyph.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

If the bomb disappears when booting with extensions off, an extension conflict is likely. Persistent issues across clean installs could implicate hardware, but the icon itself remains a software crash indicator.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• RAM/ROM/ADB problems: These can cause instability, but the bomb icon specifically denotes a software exception rather than pointing to a particular hardware component.
• None of the above: Incorrect because “software problem” matches the meaning of the bomb dialog.

Common Pitfalls:

Assuming any bomb equals bad hardware; overlooking extension conflicts; ignoring disk corruption as a root cause of repeated application crashes.

Final Answer:

A software problem