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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Programs Won't Launch
jfar - Jul 7, 2005 - 2:08 am
I'm running a G4 cube, os 10.3.9
Started with my computer freezing, I have that aquarium screen saver. I couldn't do anything but hold the button to restart. Once I got back to the desktop, I tried to launch mail and it would bounce once - that's it. No program to be seen. Same thing is happening with Address book and TextEdit. Safari gets an endless rolling beach ball - have to force quit it. Ical just bounces endlessly. I ran Disk Warrior and it did detect small problems, but they were fixed.
The kids have been using Limewire...not sure if that's related or not.
Other programs seem to be launching but are sluggish.
I also tried trashing mail preferences, but that didn't seem to help. I'm no techie, but I can follow directions if you have any suggestions!
I've also had the computer in recently (4months ago)for what I was sure was going to be a HD failure. The hard drive would just spin (blue screen) and make a faint beeping sound. Of course, when I took it in, it started working! They insisted it was fine.
Thanks for any ideas you may have!
Jennifer
Started with my computer freezing, I have that aquarium screen saver. I couldn't do anything but hold the button to restart. Once I got back to the desktop, I tried to launch mail and it would bounce once - that's it. No program to be seen. Same thing is happening with Address book and TextEdit. Safari gets an endless rolling beach ball - have to force quit it. Ical just bounces endlessly. I ran Disk Warrior and it did detect small problems, but they were fixed.
The kids have been using Limewire...not sure if that's related or not.
Other programs seem to be launching but are sluggish.
I also tried trashing mail preferences, but that didn't seem to help. I'm no techie, but I can follow directions if you have any suggestions!
I've also had the computer in recently (4months ago)for what I was sure was going to be a HD failure. The hard drive would just spin (blue screen) and make a faint beeping sound. Of course, when I took it in, it started working! They insisted it was fine.
Thanks for any ideas you may have!
Jennifer
kcartesius - Jul 7, 2005 - 3:55 am
I've studied medicine before I switched to CS, so I know especially well that all isn't necessarily fine just because the symptoms are gone ;-)
There are a million possibilities here, but obviously your OS and/or startup disk file system isn't in order. What should be done here is to back up all files and re-install the OS and all apps. That's a lot of work, though, and only geeks actually enjoy doing that. So trying to keep it simple to begin with:
1) Start Disk Utility, select the startup disk and have it "Repair Disk Permissions". This takes a while but it's a good idea to do it now and then.
2) Download the 10.3.9 update from Apple to disk and run it again.
3) Restart the Mac holding down Command-S. This will get you into a UNIX screen; there type "fsck -f" (without the quotes). This checks and repairs the UNIX file system that runs behind OS X. If the fsck utility tells you that modifications were made, run it again (it may need to go a few rounds with the OS). More than, say, 5 passes without an OK result indicates the file system is in really baaad shape and we will have to do other things.
If the above steps get you nowhere, a full re-install would be the technically simplest thing to do. Manually tweaking all the 1001 files is much more work and only nerds enjoy that kind of thing.
Please let me know how it goes,
Klaus C
iChat "jazzfixer" (AOL)
There are a million possibilities here, but obviously your OS and/or startup disk file system isn't in order. What should be done here is to back up all files and re-install the OS and all apps. That's a lot of work, though, and only geeks actually enjoy doing that. So trying to keep it simple to begin with:
1) Start Disk Utility, select the startup disk and have it "Repair Disk Permissions". This takes a while but it's a good idea to do it now and then.
2) Download the 10.3.9 update from Apple to disk and run it again.
3) Restart the Mac holding down Command-S. This will get you into a UNIX screen; there type "fsck -f" (without the quotes). This checks and repairs the UNIX file system that runs behind OS X. If the fsck utility tells you that modifications were made, run it again (it may need to go a few rounds with the OS). More than, say, 5 passes without an OK result indicates the file system is in really baaad shape and we will have to do other things.
If the above steps get you nowhere, a full re-install would be the technically simplest thing to do. Manually tweaking all the 1001 files is much more work and only nerds enjoy that kind of thing.
Please let me know how it goes,
Klaus C
iChat "jazzfixer" (AOL)
jfar - Jul 7, 2005 - 6:09 pm
Thanks for your help. I was able to run Disk Utility and repair Disk Permissions. I downloaded 10.3.9 but the installer wouldn't run. Just got an endlessly spinning beach ball. I went on to do the UNIX fsck -f......it ran fine and said HD was okay.
I think I'm game for re-installing the system. I managed to back up most of my stuff onto CDs, thankfully that seems to be functioning!
I would really appreciate your advice on what you consider the best maintenance routine for a HD. Disk Warrior is what was recommended to me, and I have been running it every month....that didn't seem to prevent my problems.
Once again, I am grateful for your help, what an awesome resource!
Jennifer
I think I'm game for re-installing the system. I managed to back up most of my stuff onto CDs, thankfully that seems to be functioning!
I would really appreciate your advice on what you consider the best maintenance routine for a HD. Disk Warrior is what was recommended to me, and I have been running it every month....that didn't seem to prevent my problems.
Once again, I am grateful for your help, what an awesome resource!
Jennifer
kcartesius - Jul 9, 2005 - 4:57 am
A spinning color wheel still warrants waiting and observing for a minute or 2, but the beach ball... no ;-)
Since Norton System Works began to disappear from the Mac scene, lots of new utilities have surfaced; these are more specialized and each claims to do serious hi-tech stuff.
Without recommending one or the other, here is what I do - starting with a fresh, stable system:
1) Run fsck -fy (the syntax on Tiger) twice a week
2) Routinely repair permissions on the boot volume
3) Routinely run Verify Disk on non-boot volumes (also in Disk Utility)
4) Every other week or so, I boot with the Mac OS X installer disk - pressing and holding the C letter while rebooting (Tiger DVD in my case, Panther disk 1 in your), then NOT installing anything, I choose Disk Utility from the menu and run Verify Disk on the boot volume*.
These steps are already a LOT more than most users do and keeps the system running in a healthy state. Since you have Disk Warrior (always use the latest version); run it also and you should be fine.
Regards,
Klaus C
--------
ichat jazzfixer
PS For an elaborate discussion of the pros and cons of disk/file (de)fragmentation, I suggest we should use the forums.
*Some may disagree with me on the last one because the Disk Utility app on an installer CD is likely older than the latest one from Software Update. I argue the disk format is still the same.
Since Norton System Works began to disappear from the Mac scene, lots of new utilities have surfaced; these are more specialized and each claims to do serious hi-tech stuff.
Without recommending one or the other, here is what I do - starting with a fresh, stable system:
1) Run fsck -fy (the syntax on Tiger) twice a week
2) Routinely repair permissions on the boot volume
3) Routinely run Verify Disk on non-boot volumes (also in Disk Utility)
4) Every other week or so, I boot with the Mac OS X installer disk - pressing and holding the C letter while rebooting (Tiger DVD in my case, Panther disk 1 in your), then NOT installing anything, I choose Disk Utility from the menu and run Verify Disk on the boot volume*.
These steps are already a LOT more than most users do and keeps the system running in a healthy state. Since you have Disk Warrior (always use the latest version); run it also and you should be fine.
Regards,
Klaus C
--------
ichat jazzfixer
PS For an elaborate discussion of the pros and cons of disk/file (de)fragmentation, I suggest we should use the forums.
*Some may disagree with me on the last one because the Disk Utility app on an installer CD is likely older than the latest one from Software Update. I argue the disk format is still the same.
jfar - Jul 9, 2005 - 4:20 pm
Again, many thanks for your valuable input!
Regards,
Jennifer
Regards,
Jennifer
jfar - Jul 9, 2005 - 11:55 pm
Klaus,
If I could trouble you for your thoughts again.....:-)
I've re-installed System 10.3 which seemed to go fine. I chose the option to archive the previous system and save network settings. Now I'm finding that Mail, Address Book, Installer all still won't run. I had hoped to update the re-installed system (through system update) but once I give permission to install, nothing happens.
I tried to install a downloaded version of Update combo for 10.3.9, the installer just spins its wheels and doesn't respond.
What other options do I have? Do I have to go out and purchase Tiger? Or should I be choosing a different option when I re-install Panther - like erasing the HD? If I remember correctly the software had limited my options for a re-install because I was re-installing an earlier OS. Thank goodness Explorer is still operating.
Jennifer
If I could trouble you for your thoughts again.....:-)
I've re-installed System 10.3 which seemed to go fine. I chose the option to archive the previous system and save network settings. Now I'm finding that Mail, Address Book, Installer all still won't run. I had hoped to update the re-installed system (through system update) but once I give permission to install, nothing happens.
I tried to install a downloaded version of Update combo for 10.3.9, the installer just spins its wheels and doesn't respond.
What other options do I have? Do I have to go out and purchase Tiger? Or should I be choosing a different option when I re-install Panther - like erasing the HD? If I remember correctly the software had limited my options for a re-install because I was re-installing an earlier OS. Thank goodness Explorer is still operating.
Jennifer
kcartesius - Jul 10, 2005 - 5:56 am
Hi again!
If you can, do a clean install. That means backing up important documents, then booting with the Panther installer disk 1 (holding the C key on restart if necessary) and indeed erasing the hard disk before installing.
The archive install option is intended for a more ideal situation where the OS is OK to begin with. Sure, it's always possible to fix anything manually, but very few people have the time, patience and file-level expertise to do this.
Once you have a fresh system and take the time to do the service routines described earlier on a regular basis, you should be fine for months, maybe years. Maybe it would cheer you up to get Tiger and install it instead 8-)
It looks like I'll be at the computers all week-end, so feel free to add me on iChat for real-time support if needed. If you - for whatever reason - still insist on trying to fix your original installation, I'll put this thread back in the general pool; I feel I have given good advice but would not see the point in starting to fiddle with an almost endless amount of small files here.
Fair enough, I hope ;-)
Klaus C
--------
ichat: jazzfixer
If you can, do a clean install. That means backing up important documents, then booting with the Panther installer disk 1 (holding the C key on restart if necessary) and indeed erasing the hard disk before installing.
The archive install option is intended for a more ideal situation where the OS is OK to begin with. Sure, it's always possible to fix anything manually, but very few people have the time, patience and file-level expertise to do this.
Once you have a fresh system and take the time to do the service routines described earlier on a regular basis, you should be fine for months, maybe years. Maybe it would cheer you up to get Tiger and install it instead 8-)
It looks like I'll be at the computers all week-end, so feel free to add me on iChat for real-time support if needed. If you - for whatever reason - still insist on trying to fix your original installation, I'll put this thread back in the general pool; I feel I have given good advice but would not see the point in starting to fiddle with an almost endless amount of small files here.
Fair enough, I hope ;-)
Klaus C
--------
ichat: jazzfixer
jfar - Jul 10, 2005 - 8:58 pm
Excellent, I will do a clean install and follow your advice!
Thankfully,
Jennifer
Thankfully,
Jennifer
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