OS X wont shut down / reboot / logout / force quit apps

[UNIX X11]

Hello,

Today, when Safari started randomly hanging I hit Cmd+Option+Escape to force quit it, but it didn't work. It just makes the error noise. However, going to the Apple menu and choosing Force Quit works, for some reason.

So, I went to restart to try to fix this issue. I hit the power button on my PowerBook and the dialogue box didn't show up. So I went to the Apple menu to shut down. Nothing happened, so I killed the windowserver and reboot through the login window. That worked.

So, I boot back up into OS X and repaired permissions, and it still refuses to restart / shut down / logout / force quit. I tried creating a new account but it did it in that one, too. It also could not shut down on a Safe Boot.

I can't remember if I installed any new applications that could have done this... I don't think I did...

Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks.

(PowerBook G4 1.33 GHz, 1.25 GB RAM, SuperDrive, all the latest OS X updates)

[billbaloney]

If you tried to repair permissions by booting back up from the internal drive, give it a shot again after booting from the OS X install disk.

Here's a good guide, except the excessive "registered trademark" symbols, to doing this, as well as going through some preliminary steps.

You could also peruse this thread on Apple's discussion boards to see some other diagnostic ideas.

[UNIX X11]

Thank you very much!

However, I called up a friend this morning and asked him what he thought it was, and he admitted to using Cocktail on my system to enable Kiosk mode (which disables logout/shutdown) apparently as a joke... so uhh, I guess I got 'owned'. Heh.

Thanks again!

[billbaloney]

OMG that's so l33t! Tell him he needs to learn better jokes.

[camgangrel21]

I am having the same thing going on. I have a PowerBook G3 233 MHz a 160 MB of RAm and a 100GB hard drive. I was running os 10.4.5 every thing worked like it was meant to. the when OS 4.6 was out for a good bit like say 3 mounts i want to that. That was when I started to have that same thing happen to. So after 3 mounts of repairing and everything under the sun I did a Archive Reinstall of the OS and out 10.4.5 back work like it should. Then 4.7 came out and after 2 weeks I updated my system with the combo updater from the web site not Software updater. When I did that every thing worked ok for about 2 weeks then out of the blue I can not do About this Mac from the Apple menu or do a shutdown or restart or a log out. The only thing that will work is Software Updater and the System perfs part and the one that opens safari to Apples web site of 3rd party software for the mac. If I want to shutdown the laptop or restart I have to use Terminal using the sudo shutdown -o -r for restarting or -h to shutdown now. I have even made apple scripts that will do that for me. I have run the updater 3 times now no lover there. Used cocktail god knows how may times and have done DiskWarrior to many times to count. And I have used Tech tools Pro 4 times and Apple's disk tool, both the GUI one and the one run from single user mode. All say everything is just fine. But still can not restart or shutdown or sleep with using Apple scripts. As for logging off that will not even happen when I try to use fast user switching. If someone could help me out here please do. If you need to see the parts of my logs on what OS X is bitching about just ask and I will post them.
Thank you all for your time and help,
michael

[nixgeek]

Originally Posted by billbaloney

OMG that's so l33t! Tell him he needs to learn better jokes.

C'mon, billbaloney...get with the 5p3@|<....it's "1337", also displayed at times as "31337".

[billbaloney]

Or !33+ or 133t or |33+ or...you know, nixgeek -- you and I both know the truth is, the fewer of these you know, the cooler you are in the end.

[nixgeek]

Originally Posted by billbaloney

Or !33+ or 133t or |33+ or...you know, nixgeek -- you and I both know the truth is, the fewer of these you know, the cooler you are in the end.

....uh.....yeah right.....right....... ....


<twiddling thumbs nervously>