Type 2 Error
Apple Classic Macintosh
Severity: ModerateWhat Does This Error Mean?
Type 2 is an Address Error — the 68000 CPU tried to read a word or long-word from an odd memory address, which it cannot do. Almost always a software bug in a poorly written application.
Affected Models
- Macintosh 128K
- Macintosh 512K
- Macintosh Plus
- Macintosh SE
- Macintosh Classic
- Macintosh II
- Macintosh LC
Common Causes
- Application bug — accessing memory at an odd address
- Corrupted application code on a damaged disk
- Extension conflict triggering bad memory access
- Corrupted System or Finder file
How to Fix It
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Restart with extensions disabled (hold Shift at startup).
If the error stops happening, one of your extensions is causing the bad memory access.
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Reinstall the application that triggered the error.
Read the disk with a disk utility first — if the disk has errors, repair them before reinstalling.
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Update the application if a newer version is available.
Type 2 errors are often fixed in later versions. Check if the developer released a bug-fix update.
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Try a clean System install.
Boot from your install disk, delete the System folder, and install a fresh copy. A corrupted System file can trigger Type 2 in otherwise working applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Type 2 only happen on the original 68000 Macs?
The 68000 processor (used in the original Mac, Plus, SE, and Classic) enforces word-alignment strictly and throws an exception on odd addresses. The later 68020, 68030, and 68040 processors (Mac II, LC, Quadra) handle odd addresses more gracefully, so Type 2 is less common on those models.