Help! Finder freezes following every reboot

C

clerkie

Registered
Hi there,

I have a PowerBook G4, running OS 10.3.9. it's about 3 yrs old, but I can't access the "about this mac" for more system info, I think 256RAM and 867MHz PPC. (I'm using another computer to write this!) No particular add ons or extra software, apart from Firefox and MS office for mac.

For the last week or so the finder has been freezing every startup, goes to spinning beachball and have to hard shutdown (ie command-alt-esc doesn't work). but other apps have worked. I've been trying to find the problem.

From today the finder freezes, with a open window when the computer is started up, and nothing works - no dock, no other app, no command+ anything. Can't do anything. Can only hold down the power button to shut down.

I've tried:rebooting, repairing permissions thru disk utility, resetting pram, resetting nvram, safe reboot, booting from disk warrior (won't work, just says in 4 languages need to restart), have deleted finder prefs via the single user mode which is the only way i can seem to do anything. but then reboot and it's the same, spinning beachball on startup.

Have lost my original installation disks, but have a 10.2 installation cd from another powerbook. Tried to boot from it, could only do it by rebooting and holding down "option", (as holding down "c" while booting didn't work). Then screen fixed onto apple logo, with about one third of the screen covered in horizontal shading.

All help very gratefully received!

Thanks in advance.
 
Did booting from cd work? If so, try to repair the disk. I didn't see it on your "tried" list. You can also type fsck -y from single user mode to do the same. (there is a space before the hyphen)
Also, try verbose mode. ( hold apple key and V ) It's similar to single user mode, but shows info on screen during reboot. (might be helpful)
 
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Thanks Soulwar. I can't boot from cd, either disk warrior or the old os 10.2 powerbook install disk I have. I have tried a few times repairing the disk thru single user mode and fsck -fy. Once it found something to repair, so i ran it again and it came back HD seems ok. Then rebooted, same problem finder immediately hung up on the spinning beachball.

I went into verbose mode once, and it went thru too quickly to note anything down. I'll try it again and report back.

I've just remembered that the system totally froze after i removed the finder and sidebar prefs, in single user mode. Don't know if that means anything.
 
OK in verbose mode the following things don't seem right:

AppleRS232Serial: 0 0 AppleRS232Serial::start -returning false early. Connector or machine incorrect

localhost mDNSResponder[169]: SetupAddr invalid sa_family 0

Checking disks
/etc/rc: line 286: 128 Hangup

Then a few lines of [HCIController][RequestPowerStateChange] that says sleep not enabled etc.

Now I'm really out of my depth (had to use a camera to take screenshots of verbose mode!). Any thoughts? Thanks again.
 
Do you have the original install disk that came with your PowerBook? If so, you can try the Apple Hardware Test. Hold option during restart and it should come up in the startup manager.
 
I don't have the original disks (I'm trying to find them but I've moved house twice since i bought the PowerBook). I do have the disks from my partner's PowerBook, bought in the UK about 6 months before mine (which was bought in the States).

I tried the hardware test disk and it came up with the message "Apple Hardware Test does not support this machine".

I also tried to boot from this system install disk using the startup manager and shrotly after the grey screen with the apple logo it froze with sort of horizontal stripes across the middle of the screen, like a fax looks when the ink is running out.

May be that the US and UK spec machines are slightly different, or the original OS (10.2.3 on the disk I have) was a different version.
 
If you are able to log in, immediately after you hit enter, hold down the shift key. (before the desktop appears) It will stop any finder windows from opening and startup items that may be causing the freeze.
Hopefully, the preferences that you deleted, won't be a problem.
 
I don't get the option to log in, it just starts straight into the finder. (but there is only one user, and I usually go straight in anyway). I CAN start in safe mode, by immediately holding the shift key on startup. But the screen is the same. Frozen, with the spinning beachball.
 
Try holding the shift key down until the desktop appears. The "Connector or machine incorrect" in the startup log appears to be normal for PowerBooks. However, the "hangup" issue, seems to indicate a startup conflict. ( what we are trying to stop )

Read this article for some startup ideas...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106464

If we can't work around it, it might be a good time to upgrade to Tiger... :)
 
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Clerkie ,
I have quite the same problem with an iMac running 10.3.9 , & I noticed that this occurs only when the main AC-wire makes a sharp angle with the body of the Mac . So I deduced it was certainly an electric problem ( bad contact) , & I now mind to strech the main wire along when plugging in . Had recently a bog with Safari impishly vanishing away , wich I think I resolved by reseting the ethernet cable wich was a little loose & by brushing its contacts . Looking for bad contacts when something f...s up is here the first thing buggers of the babyboomers-generation do ( specially when handling old dear trash) & I think we have learned to do that out of wearing down 2CV Citroen " tortoise" cars ... Good luck signed vanostade
 
I took the PB to an apple store and they reinstalled the original OS (I'd lost the disk), and managed an archive and install and all is now well - apart from the hole in the wallet! I have now found the original disk too, which makes me feel really stupid.

Thanks so much for your help Soulwar, you were right about Tiger - I would have bought it if they'd had it instore, but only Leopard (and I don't have enough RAM).

Funnily enough the power socket seems a bit dodgy, so will have a look at that hoping to stave off more trouble!

Goodbye and good luck...
 
I'm glad to hear you have things running, and sorry to hear about your wallet... ;)
Good luck to you as well!
 
Clerkie , dear young one , I'm glad to read you have fixed up your problem . Does your " funnily enough , the power socket seems dodgy" means that you have read my advice about checking electrical bad contacts and , with a beautiful young smile , granted that maybe there was a problem there ? ... Then , before paying again a visit to your Mac retailer , buy a reel of adhesive tape ( we have here a very good brand , by the name of Scotch ...) , you'll find it very useful .And ( I don't know if it is possible on MacBooks ...) also try once to run without batteries ...Advice prompted out of our well known & reputed french "Système D." (D. meaning "getting out of something very unactractive " , ability genetically acquired after three occupations in the last century ...). ;)+ good luck signed vanostade
 
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