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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Mac Os X 10.3.9 Running Very Slowly
jim_mac_au - Jun 18, 2005 - 7:03 am
Hi, I have a PowerBook G4 running Mac OS X 10.3.9. It's suddenly running v-e-r-y slowly. What's causing this problem and how can I fix it?
I've run Verify and Repair Disk permissions (three times!). I've also run fsck and got a message that the volume appears to be OK. And S.M.A.R.T. status is verified. Help! I don't understand what's wrong. I thought Macs were supposed to be "foolproof"? That's why I switched from PCs!
Thanks in advance for your help.
I've run Verify and Repair Disk permissions (three times!). I've also run fsck and got a message that the volume appears to be OK. And S.M.A.R.T. status is verified. Help! I don't understand what's wrong. I thought Macs were supposed to be "foolproof"? That's why I switched from PCs!
Thanks in advance for your help.
baldprof - Jun 18, 2005 - 10:51 am
When you say that you are running 10.3.9, did you get to 10.3.9 by doing one or more incremental upgrades? These are the ones that you get through software update. If so, I would first suggest, trying the 10.3.9 "combo" update. It is available as a stand alone installer which you can find here:
http://www.apple.com/support/downloa...pdate1039.html
Admittedly, that's a big download. Sometimes, for reasons which are unknown to me, the combo updaters produce better results than the incremental updates. If you decide to go that route and have rebooted, repair permissions and restart.
Another possibility is due to certain aspects of any Unix based system. There are what are called "chron jobs", that is routines that are run for system maintenance, that are normally run automatically at lwo usage times of the day (like 3 a.m.) provided the machine is on, and not been put to sleep.
This article explains this issue:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107388
If these background routines have not been run in some time, then serious system slowdowns can occur. I use one of the programs mentioned in that article, MacJanitor, to run these manually. Then I sometimes just leave my Mac on overnight, usually about once a week. Normally, I put mine to sleep for energy saving reasons. I live in a hot climate, and the AC bills are high.
So which of two routes will best cure your slowdown problems I don't know. I would get MacJanitor regardless; you can find it on versiontracker. That program is a good tool to have, and it has never messed up a computer, unlike one named after a certain programmer whose last name is Norton.
One more thing: How full is the hard drive? Macs use virtual memory too, and low hard drive space reduces the swap file, and that causes slowness.
Welcome to the Mac family.
I hope this helps.
http://www.apple.com/support/downloa...pdate1039.html
Admittedly, that's a big download. Sometimes, for reasons which are unknown to me, the combo updaters produce better results than the incremental updates. If you decide to go that route and have rebooted, repair permissions and restart.
Another possibility is due to certain aspects of any Unix based system. There are what are called "chron jobs", that is routines that are run for system maintenance, that are normally run automatically at lwo usage times of the day (like 3 a.m.) provided the machine is on, and not been put to sleep.
This article explains this issue:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107388
If these background routines have not been run in some time, then serious system slowdowns can occur. I use one of the programs mentioned in that article, MacJanitor, to run these manually. Then I sometimes just leave my Mac on overnight, usually about once a week. Normally, I put mine to sleep for energy saving reasons. I live in a hot climate, and the AC bills are high.
So which of two routes will best cure your slowdown problems I don't know. I would get MacJanitor regardless; you can find it on versiontracker. That program is a good tool to have, and it has never messed up a computer, unlike one named after a certain programmer whose last name is Norton.
One more thing: How full is the hard drive? Macs use virtual memory too, and low hard drive space reduces the swap file, and that causes slowness.
Welcome to the Mac family.
I hope this helps.
jim_mac_au - Jun 19, 2005 - 6:05 am
Hi Michael,
Thanks for your (quick!) response. I'll try your suggestions and let you know if that fixes the problem. But to answer your questions:
1) I got 10.3.9 through the software updates so I suppose I should try the combo instead. I had hoped these updates would be "automatic" and that I wouldn't have to worry about them. I guess that's not the case, is it?
2) As far as I know, my computer probably has never run any "chron jobs" as I always shut it down at night or put it in sleep mode when I'm not using it. I'll try the MacJanitor and see if that makes things better.
3) There's about 31GB left on my hard drive so I don't think low hard drive space is the problem.
4) Speaking of Norton, this is scary because now my Norton Antivirus is f**cked up! I thought my slowdown problem might have had something to do with my accidentally getting a virus, so I tried to run Norton AV but now the program keeps crashing on me. Isn't Norton supposed to *prevent* these kinds of things from happening??
Anyways, thanks again for your suggestions. I'll let you know how I go.
Thanks for your (quick!) response. I'll try your suggestions and let you know if that fixes the problem. But to answer your questions:
1) I got 10.3.9 through the software updates so I suppose I should try the combo instead. I had hoped these updates would be "automatic" and that I wouldn't have to worry about them. I guess that's not the case, is it?
2) As far as I know, my computer probably has never run any "chron jobs" as I always shut it down at night or put it in sleep mode when I'm not using it. I'll try the MacJanitor and see if that makes things better.
3) There's about 31GB left on my hard drive so I don't think low hard drive space is the problem.
4) Speaking of Norton, this is scary because now my Norton Antivirus is f**cked up! I thought my slowdown problem might have had something to do with my accidentally getting a virus, so I tried to run Norton AV but now the program keeps crashing on me. Isn't Norton supposed to *prevent* these kinds of things from happening??
Anyways, thanks again for your suggestions. I'll let you know how I go.
jim_mac_au - Jun 25, 2005 - 4:11 am
Hi Michael,
I finally had a chance to try your suggestions but unfortunately my computer is still running very slowly. This is what I did:
Downloaded the OS X 10.3.9 combo update. Installed it.
Rebooted.
Repaired permissions.
Downloaded the latest version of MacJanitor.
Ran the Daily tasks.
Ran the Weekly tasks. (This one took awhile!)
Ran the Monthly tasks.
Shut down and then restarted.
Repaired permissions again.
Ran All Tasks in MacJanitor.
Rebooted.
None of this seems to have worked. I still hear the hard disk clicking and whirring away whenever I'm opening a program or file. Do you have any other suggestions as to what might be causing my slowdown problems and how I could fix it?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Jim
I finally had a chance to try your suggestions but unfortunately my computer is still running very slowly. This is what I did:
Downloaded the OS X 10.3.9 combo update. Installed it.
Rebooted.
Repaired permissions.
Downloaded the latest version of MacJanitor.
Ran the Daily tasks.
Ran the Weekly tasks. (This one took awhile!)
Ran the Monthly tasks.
Shut down and then restarted.
Repaired permissions again.
Ran All Tasks in MacJanitor.
Rebooted.
None of this seems to have worked. I still hear the hard disk clicking and whirring away whenever I'm opening a program or file. Do you have any other suggestions as to what might be causing my slowdown problems and how I could fix it?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Jim
baldprof - Jun 25, 2005 - 8:04 am
Well there's still the issue of the Hard drive. When you installed the combo update, that would have defragrmented everything.
But the fact that you have trouble when loading prgrams suggests one more "software" sort of thing to try. Boot from an OS X CD. Insert the CD, and choose restart from the Apple menu. Hold down the C key to force a boot from the CD. When it has booted, click on Options, the run Disk Utility, and choose Repair Disk. This procedure cannot be run on the boot drive which is why you have to boot from the CD.
If that last thing doesn't help, let me know. I may just have to let somebody else try. Is this Powerbook still under warranty? The reason I ask is I am begining to suspect a hardware issue.
Here's something else to do, just in case. Backup all your key files (including that combo updater) to CDs or an external hard drive. Just in case. Then there's one more thing to try. A fresh install of the OS (Erase and Install option), followed immediately by the application of that combo updater. Then see how it runs. Start reinstalling programs. If it's still slow, there's a hardware problem.
But don't feel too bad if that turns out to be the case. I had to get the main logic board on a PowerMac G4 replaced. The flaw was really simply. It was that the motherboard would not feed power to the monitor through the special display connector which Apple used to use. Otherwise it was fine, using non Apple monitors. Of course now Apple doesn't use that type of connector any more. They were trouble. I was really steamed though when I had to get the repair. But it was covered by the warranty. Since then, it's been the best Mac I have ever owned.
I have also owned Dells and Gateways, and before that Microns. The DEll I currently have is a P.O.S. It sometimes spontaneously reboots if I eject a zip disk. It won't always recognize flash memory drives, etc.. Of course the Dell tech support people are clueless.
So as a last resort, try a fresh install of the OS.
But the fact that you have trouble when loading prgrams suggests one more "software" sort of thing to try. Boot from an OS X CD. Insert the CD, and choose restart from the Apple menu. Hold down the C key to force a boot from the CD. When it has booted, click on Options, the run Disk Utility, and choose Repair Disk. This procedure cannot be run on the boot drive which is why you have to boot from the CD.
If that last thing doesn't help, let me know. I may just have to let somebody else try. Is this Powerbook still under warranty? The reason I ask is I am begining to suspect a hardware issue.
Here's something else to do, just in case. Backup all your key files (including that combo updater) to CDs or an external hard drive. Just in case. Then there's one more thing to try. A fresh install of the OS (Erase and Install option), followed immediately by the application of that combo updater. Then see how it runs. Start reinstalling programs. If it's still slow, there's a hardware problem.
But don't feel too bad if that turns out to be the case. I had to get the main logic board on a PowerMac G4 replaced. The flaw was really simply. It was that the motherboard would not feed power to the monitor through the special display connector which Apple used to use. Otherwise it was fine, using non Apple monitors. Of course now Apple doesn't use that type of connector any more. They were trouble. I was really steamed though when I had to get the repair. But it was covered by the warranty. Since then, it's been the best Mac I have ever owned.
I have also owned Dells and Gateways, and before that Microns. The DEll I currently have is a P.O.S. It sometimes spontaneously reboots if I eject a zip disk. It won't always recognize flash memory drives, etc.. Of course the Dell tech support people are clueless.
So as a last resort, try a fresh install of the OS.
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