Mission Impossible: Shutdown

P

Pam Stroud

Registered
After I updated to 10.1.2 I found that I could no longer shut down my iMac 330. I don't know if the update is related or not. The only way I can shut down this machine is to unplug it, and when I plug it back in, it starts right up. It won't even sleep if I tell it to -- the only way I can even get the machine to sleep is to set it on 5 min of inactivity. I've read this problem else where and not seen a solution yet.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Pam in Austin
 
a ew nights a go I could not shut down but I think it was hanging on something. I forced quit my way to a shut down -- no need to pull the plug :)
 
Yes, its usually a disagreeable application or plug-in doesn't want to let the system go. If you can't find it using Force Quit, then you may need help hunting it down.
 
I have found that Classic seems to be the one who won't shut down, going into the System Prefs area and shutting it down usually fixes it... another option that is a sure fire way...

Open a terminal window...

sudo shutdown -h now


OR to REBOOT

sudo reboot

This will be a very quick and easy way without doing a hard shutdown.

Admin
 
Thank you all for your advice. I tried the fsck -y thing and it said everything was okay. (Nearly had a heart attack when it booted in Unix, though. Now I am a veteran.) I rebooted (actually shutdown, same thing) in 9.2 and tried to open the energy saver cp but it said it "wasn't installed" or wouldn't work on this machine (iMac 330), so I couldn't tell it not to restart on power outage. I tried to shut down from 9.2 but it restarted. An odd thing did happen that I had noticed once before -- Remote access automatically opened a connection. I had always wanted to figure out how to make it do that on its own and I have no idea why it has taken it upon itself to do it now.

I don't usually have Classic running when I try to shut down. (BTW what are all the Classic cps for if they can't be opened?).

I have noticed that sometimes the Mail Quit is greyed out and I have to force quit it. I have tried quitting and force quitting every app before trying to shut down, with no effect.

Also, what is supposed to be in the X startup folder if I haven't put anything in there? I have to confess I did a bad thing and dled Norton beta, but I trashed everything. Still there is somethng called NUDC something and NUM something in there. I deleted a Now Up to Date/Contact demo and think that may be it.

Sorry for the length and number of questions but I went straight from 8.6 to 10.1 and don't know much about 9.2. I did a disk repair from the CD -- there were problems but apparently they are fixed. I just think my computer is defective in some mysterious way. I am really ready to toss it out an upstairs window. I am so sick of messing with technology (just got a dsl thing and of course it won't work) any more complicated than a toaster I cringe when I even look at my computer. Macs have always been my friends until I got this iMac a couple of years ago and there's been growing enmity ever since.

There, I've said it. I hate my Mac.

I know a few Apple tech people so I guess I'll ask them what to try next.

Pam in Austin
 
Sometimes when there is unexplained "weirdness" zapping the PRAM (parameter RAM) can help. You will need to use both hands to hold down Apple-Option-P-R at startup. Keep holding down these keys while your Mac chimes 3 or 4 times.

_________________

Thanks for your suggestions. I was going to try zapping and forgot about it.
I'll do that first thing.
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If you suspect that Norton has done something to your system, you can always reinstall from the Mac OS X CD. It will replace all the changed system files, while leaving your user accounts intact. The only drawback is that you will need to go through the system updates again.
___________________________________________

Thanks -- I was afraid to reinstall, wondered what it might erase. It took me two weeks to get the thing to print in X and I didn't want to take any chances.
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If you have any symptoms like hard freezes (where you cannot move the mouse like in OS 9) this might indicate some hardware (possible RAM) problems.
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Haven't had that -- just the occasional spinning ball.
_________________

Did you have any of these problems before using NUM beta? Have you installed any hardware, or do you have any firewire or USB devices that may be a contributing factor?
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I had shutdown problems from the beginning but could eventually get it to work. NUM may be the culprit but I updated about the same time and I can't remember what I did immediately before the machine became Undead.

I did read your warnings elsewhere about Norton beta, and it did seem unconscionable that they would put out betas of something that had the potential to wreck the system.

I'll let you know if any of your suggestions has an effect.

You know, my husband's new iBook sits there so quietly, behaving itself. My iMac hits the HD about every 30 seconds to a couple of minutes, as if it's running some check, even when supposedly asleep. I don't remember it doing that before and it's become annoying.

Thanks again,

Pam
 
Pam,

I too am aflicted with the "can't shut down in os 10.1.2 no matter what" on my dual 1Ghz Quicksilver. I also have a 2001 iBook, both with 10.1.2, and both with the Norton beta, but I can shut down my iBook.

Any luck talking to Apple? I wanna put my foot through the wall over this one. I keep crashing my Mac and torquing my 2nd hard drive, so I have to run Disk Doctor on it over an over and over.... :(

John Venzon
 
I zapped the PRAM with no effect. A positive sign was that when I unplugged it, this time it did not start automatically when I plugged it back in. Cold comfort. Anyway, I have not talked to Apple but I will talk to a top-tier one at church tomorrow and see what she says. I know a couple of others I can ask for a second opinion if that doesn't work. I'll let you know if they come up with anything. I am also going to reinstall 10.1 and not upgrade and see how that works. The problem with 10.1 was that I couldn't print, and I don't know if the reason I can now is that I have 10.1.2 or what. One of the Apple tech people I know -- actually he quit in the fall -- told me that 10.1.1 was good but 10.1.2 was not, but didn't say why. I'll email him and see what he has to say.

BTW, can you open the energy saver cp in 9 or Classic? Not me.

You know, I am hardly a power user, but no matter what computer I have, no matter what system, I end up spending a big chunk of my time on the computer just getting everything to work. This has gone on for many years, starting with 575s. I keep thinking if I just get this new computer, or this new system, or more memory, or a new printer, it will finally work. I really don't do anything abusive to my computers. I really need a support group just to talk about the personal trauma of being constantly betrayed by one's computer.
 
Thanks for one more thing to try. I really appreciate it. I had read that tip, and when I dismantled my computer a couple of months ago to add RAM (as you have to do to install RAM on my iMac 330) I looked for the CUDA but didn't see anything like it. I didn't look very hard because I didn't know I was going to have this problem, but it wasn't where it apparently is on the nifty newer iMacs that you can install RAM on easily. I had completely forgotten about that tip. I think I'll reinstall 10.1 first and see if that works, and if not, then take the computer apart and look for the button.

I really appreciate your suggestions. :)
 
I'd be willing to bet (but not a lot, LOL) that NU beta is the culprit here. One of the problems with it is that it installs stuff all over the place, and some of its files are left behind when you run its uninstaller.
Try searching for files with "FS" in their name. Those will be part of NU's FileSaver function, which has caused a lot of grief for a lot of folks.
:mad:
 
genghiscohen you are 100% right the culprit is Norton Utility beta. I had exactely the same problem. The problem is the filesaver in Norton as far as I could figure out.
I had to reinstall my System
 
I have read so many warnings about changing anything in the system folder, but I did indeed find NFS in my system startup folder. Can I boot in 9 and just throw them out???

I hate to sound like such a dolt, but I did a search for firmware and came up with nothing. I ran the Profiler and didn't see anything. Where can I find out what firmware I have?

Thanks so much for the advice,

Pam
 
Since I don't have a slot-loading CD (but do have the one that sounds like a helicopter taking off) I can't use any updaters. I guess I'm just SOL.

Pam
 
You can get rid of those FS files either by booting up in OS 9, or by using "sudo" in the Terminal.
As for your firmware, in Apple System Profiler > System Profile, click the reveal arrow for Production Information. Boot ROM Version will give your firmware version.
 
The system profiler, under production, shows nothing. I guess I am supposed to select a HD somewhere but I don't see where. Anyway, I can't use the update.

I was about to just reinstall 10.1 but my son took the disk (again) so I am waiting around for him to show up with it. Meanwhile, I can't boot in 9 anymore. It reboots in 10 but when I check the startup disk, it still says 9. If I click the restart button in the startup disk pref, it does nothing. If I cleck system prefs in the dock, it does nothing. Everything is going verrrry slow. I guess I will have to quit my job and devote myself fulltime to trying to get this thing to work.

Okay, my disk has arrived so I am going to first see if anything is wrong with the HD again, the reinstall.

Thanks again for your advice!

Pam
 
Pam & All,

Oh Happy Day!

After reading the posts about the Norton Public Beta causing shutdown problems, I printed out the Norton Install Log and in OS 9 dragged all the installed files to the trash and rebooted.

Shazam! I can shut down now. Naughty Norton.

So, feel free to try that Pam, it worked for me,

John
jvenzon
 
Originally posted by testuser


Did you click the triangle next to "Production Information"? This causes it to open and list several fields, including Boot ROM version.
Click to expand...

Yep. It's blank. Up near the top it says Note: No startup disk is selected. Maybe that's why. It gives some other info about the machine, but lots of stuff is just blank.

Anyway, the 9 boot disk says my firmware is current.

Thanks again,

Pam
 
Originally posted by jvenzon
Pam & All,

Oh Happy Day!

After reading the posts about the Norton Public Beta causing shutdown problems, I printed out the Norton Install Log and in OS 9 dragged all the installed files to the trash and rebooted.

Shazam! I can shut down now. Naughty Norton.

So, feel free to try that Pam, it worked for me,

John
jvenzon
Click to expand...

I did it, but I still can't shut down, among other things. :(
 
Well, I reinstalled 10.1 with no effect on shutdown, but, naturally, am back to no printer in X. Oh well. I read on the apple site that I am NOT to reinstall 10.1 if I have installed any updaters.Too late. My choice at this point is to zero out the drive or just use 9. My computer is such a mess I don't think it would reliably back up info (had that experience before) so I am ignoring X for the foreseeable future. I plugged the computer into a power strip and plugged that strip into another one. This way I can shut down and before it boots up on its own I can turn off the power strip with my foot -- no more tugging on the cord.

So, I know when I am beat, but I am declaring victory anyway, since at least I now have a working computer. And as a bonus, during all this mess, 9 has taken it upon itself to start up Remote Access automatically at boot, something I could never figure out how to make it do before.

Thanks to everyone who offered advice, and hopefully others will benefit from it.

Pam
 
The fsck -y command solved all my problems. My new iMac works like a charm again, it's faster and it will shutdown properly. Great to have been in unix for the first time in my life. I will stick to the OSX GUI however!
 
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