Today we decided to make a guide to help you solve the two most common complaints people have: “my computer is slow” or “my computer/this application keeps on crashing”. There’s a good chance this could save you a trip to the Genius Bar so give it a try before you call Apple!
Verify your hard disk
First up, the most important thing to check is your hard disk. A failing or corrupt hard drive can cause a lot of very unexpected crashes and problems so if this is the culprit you need to deal with it as soon as you can to avoid loosing your data. Fortunately it is very easy to check the disk, just open up Disk Utility (it’s in the Utilities folder in Applications) and select the disk in the left hand pane. Next, press Verify Disk under the First Aid tab and within a few minutes Disk Utility will tell you whether the disk is ok or not. If everything is fine you can skip the rest of this section and move on the next step, Identify the problem.
If there is a problem with the disk, you’ll notice that it can’t be repaired while you are using it so you have to restart your computer and boot up using the Mac OS X Install DVD that came with your computer. To do this, just put the DVD in the Superdrive, reboot your computer and hold the Alt (Option) key while it is starting. When OS X shows you a list of drives you can start from, pick the DVD and wait until it has booted. From the Utilities menu, you’ll be able to choose Disk Utility and do the same thing again, only this time it will allow you to repair the disk. If the repair fails or Disk Utility keeps reporting errors on the disk you most likely have a physically damaged hard drive in which case the only solution is to backup your data immediately and take it to Apple for a replacement.
It might also be worth checking out Disk Warrior or TechTool Pro, two paid alternatives to Disk Utility. Disk Warrior is generally better at repairing and optimizing a corrupt disk while TechTool Pro can run a full surface scan which will tell you if the disk is physically damaged or not.
Identify the problem
Now that we have ruled out the most urgent problem we can start the actual troubleshooting. First up, check that you have at least 1 GB free on your hard disk. It sounds like a simple thing but you’d be surprised by how slow and weird Mac OS X can get when it runs out of disk space. Also try to disconnect all external devices you have connected, faulty external drives can cause Time Machine to crawl to a halt for example.
Next, we need to find out if the problem is related to your user settings or a problem with the Mac OS X install. To do this, create a new user account on your computer by going to System Preferences and then click Accounts. In the left pane you’ll see a Guest Account, select it and ensure that “Allow guests to log in to this computer” is checked (if all the settings are grayed out, click the padlock in the bottom left corner to unlock them). After this, close all your program and log out, then log in with the new guest account and see if the problem persists.
If the problem is gone it is likely due to a corrupt settings file in your user account so log back in to your normal account, then read go to the next step “Fixing a user problem” for some ideas. Otherwise, the problem is likely related to your Mac OS X install so skip to “Fixing a broken Mac OS X Install” for more help!
Fixing a user account problem
The trouble here is that a problem with an individual user account can be caused by a large number of things so the best we can do is give you some pointers to where to start and how to find out what may be causing it. The first thing is to decide if it is a system wide problem or if it is just an individual application which is acting up.
If it is only one application that is buggy, it could be due to a corrupt plist file. plists are preference files for applications and on the odd occasion they may become corrupt. If the application can’t deal with this it sometimes leads to a crash or unexpected behaviour which can make the entire application unusable. To solve it, open Finder and in your user’s folder go to Library then Preferences. In here you will find hundreds of files named as com.CompanyName.Application.plist, so for example if I have a problem with iPhoto the file I am looking for is com.apple.iPhoto.plist. Find the one that corresponds to your application and temporarily move the file to the desktop, then launch the application and see if the problem has disappeared.
You can also automate this using Cocktail by making it automatically verify the preferences, but remember that a file might check out in Cocktail yet still contain data that the application doesn’t expect.
If the problem occurs in other applications too it might be related to corrupt fonts or it might after all be related to a more serious problem with the Mac OS X install. Open Font Book in Applications and select all the fonts, then choose Validate Fonts from the File menu. Font Book will likely report some minor problems but if you receive an error make sure you at least temporarily remove the font causing it.
Fixing a broken Mac OS X Install
Problems with OS X can usually be related back to two main things, either a corrupt system file or incorrect hardware settings. The easiest way to make sure that your system is doing fine is to install the latest combo update from Apple and then run Cocktail to repair the disk permissions. We have written about this before so have a look here for more info!
If the problem is caused by corrupt hardware settings there are two more things to try, resetting the PRAM & NVRAM. It sounds scarier than it is, the PRAM & NVRAM is where OS X stores basic information such as the date and time, which startup disk it should use and so on. The process to reset it is slightly different for the various generations of Apple computers so have at the official Apple support document for more details.
Identifying Hardware Problems
The last thing to do before giving up is to verify that the hardware in your Mac is okay. Sometimes problems can be caused by faulty RAM memory or problems with the logic board so to test the components insert the Mac OS X Install DVD and reboot your computer. As it starts booting press and hold the D key until the Apple Hardware Test starts to load. For detailed instructions on how to use the Hardware Test refer to this Apple support document.
If the hardware test indicates that the RAM memory is faulty you should be able to find instructions on how to replace it in your computer’s manual without voiding the warranty. However, if the problem is related to any other component the only option is usually to hand over the computer to Apple.
Conclusion
In addition to this guide there are also a lot great Mac forums around the world where people are happy to help you solve problems with your computer. One of the best resources is the official Apple Discussion Forum but there are also a lot of other forums (many of them international so you can get help in your own language) so do have a look around!
Verify your hard disk
First up, the most important thing to check is your hard disk. A failing or corrupt hard drive can cause a lot of very unexpected crashes and problems so if this is the culprit you need to deal with it as soon as you can to avoid loosing your data. Fortunately it is very easy to check the disk, just open up Disk Utility (it’s in the Utilities folder in Applications) and select the disk in the left hand pane. Next, press Verify Disk under the First Aid tab and within a few minutes Disk Utility will tell you whether the disk is ok or not. If everything is fine you can skip the rest of this section and move on the next step, Identify the problem.
If there is a problem with the disk, you’ll notice that it can’t be repaired while you are using it so you have to restart your computer and boot up using the Mac OS X Install DVD that came with your computer. To do this, just put the DVD in the Superdrive, reboot your computer and hold the Alt (Option) key while it is starting. When OS X shows you a list of drives you can start from, pick the DVD and wait until it has booted. From the Utilities menu, you’ll be able to choose Disk Utility and do the same thing again, only this time it will allow you to repair the disk. If the repair fails or Disk Utility keeps reporting errors on the disk you most likely have a physically damaged hard drive in which case the only solution is to backup your data immediately and take it to Apple for a replacement.
It might also be worth checking out Disk Warrior or TechTool Pro, two paid alternatives to Disk Utility. Disk Warrior is generally better at repairing and optimizing a corrupt disk while TechTool Pro can run a full surface scan which will tell you if the disk is physically damaged or not.
Identify the problem
Now that we have ruled out the most urgent problem we can start the actual troubleshooting. First up, check that you have at least 1 GB free on your hard disk. It sounds like a simple thing but you’d be surprised by how slow and weird Mac OS X can get when it runs out of disk space. Also try to disconnect all external devices you have connected, faulty external drives can cause Time Machine to crawl to a halt for example.
Next, we need to find out if the problem is related to your user settings or a problem with the Mac OS X install. To do this, create a new user account on your computer by going to System Preferences and then click Accounts. In the left pane you’ll see a Guest Account, select it and ensure that “Allow guests to log in to this computer” is checked (if all the settings are grayed out, click the padlock in the bottom left corner to unlock them). After this, close all your program and log out, then log in with the new guest account and see if the problem persists.
If the problem is gone it is likely due to a corrupt settings file in your user account so log back in to your normal account, then read go to the next step “Fixing a user problem” for some ideas. Otherwise, the problem is likely related to your Mac OS X install so skip to “Fixing a broken Mac OS X Install” for more help!
Fixing a user account problem
The trouble here is that a problem with an individual user account can be caused by a large number of things so the best we can do is give you some pointers to where to start and how to find out what may be causing it. The first thing is to decide if it is a system wide problem or if it is just an individual application which is acting up.
If it is only one application that is buggy, it could be due to a corrupt plist file. plists are preference files for applications and on the odd occasion they may become corrupt. If the application can’t deal with this it sometimes leads to a crash or unexpected behaviour which can make the entire application unusable. To solve it, open Finder and in your user’s folder go to Library then Preferences. In here you will find hundreds of files named as com.CompanyName.Application.plist, so for example if I have a problem with iPhoto the file I am looking for is com.apple.iPhoto.plist. Find the one that corresponds to your application and temporarily move the file to the desktop, then launch the application and see if the problem has disappeared.
You can also automate this using Cocktail by making it automatically verify the preferences, but remember that a file might check out in Cocktail yet still contain data that the application doesn’t expect.
If the problem occurs in other applications too it might be related to corrupt fonts or it might after all be related to a more serious problem with the Mac OS X install. Open Font Book in Applications and select all the fonts, then choose Validate Fonts from the File menu. Font Book will likely report some minor problems but if you receive an error make sure you at least temporarily remove the font causing it.
Fixing a broken Mac OS X Install
Problems with OS X can usually be related back to two main things, either a corrupt system file or incorrect hardware settings. The easiest way to make sure that your system is doing fine is to install the latest combo update from Apple and then run Cocktail to repair the disk permissions. We have written about this before so have a look here for more info!
If the problem is caused by corrupt hardware settings there are two more things to try, resetting the PRAM & NVRAM. It sounds scarier than it is, the PRAM & NVRAM is where OS X stores basic information such as the date and time, which startup disk it should use and so on. The process to reset it is slightly different for the various generations of Apple computers so have at the official Apple support document for more details.
Identifying Hardware Problems
The last thing to do before giving up is to verify that the hardware in your Mac is okay. Sometimes problems can be caused by faulty RAM memory or problems with the logic board so to test the components insert the Mac OS X Install DVD and reboot your computer. As it starts booting press and hold the D key until the Apple Hardware Test starts to load. For detailed instructions on how to use the Hardware Test refer to this Apple support document.
If the hardware test indicates that the RAM memory is faulty you should be able to find instructions on how to replace it in your computer’s manual without voiding the warranty. However, if the problem is related to any other component the only option is usually to hand over the computer to Apple.
Conclusion
In addition to this guide there are also a lot great Mac forums around the world where people are happy to help you solve problems with your computer. One of the best resources is the official Apple Discussion Forum but there are also a lot of other forums (many of them international so you can get help in your own language) so do have a look around!
Great guide. I really enjoy your blog posts, there are very interesting and a great source of help to me and my family! Keep them coming! Thanks Maintain!
Posted by: Spencer Luxford | February 23, 2010 at 11:06 PM
I found this very informative as I am running a iMac G5 PPC. I have had this computer just over 5 years. I suffered a disc failure 2 years ago when 3 weeks out of Applecare!!
I had to replace the hard disc and managed to successfully recover from a Time Machine Backup. I bought Cocktail to periodically cleanup my computer using Pilot, this has reported some disc repair issues but I am keen to keep the computer in tip top condition. The machine has continued to work well but from time to time some programmes do crash though not catastrophically. I mitigated most of my problems with Appleworks and have migrated to iWork and third party Eazydraw.
A recent run indicated some Disc repair issues and SUID Files warnings as follows:
"Repairing permissions for “Macintosh HD”
Reading permissions database.
Reading the permissions database can take several minutes.
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/AirPort Base Station Agent.app/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "Applications/Utilities/AirPort Utility.app/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrw-rw-r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/DVD.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/FRSettings.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/FRSources.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Movies.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Music.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Photos.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/Podcasts.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/CoreServices/Front Row.app/Contents/PlugIns/TV.frappliance/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/BackRow.framework/Versions/A/CodeResources", should be -rw-r--r-- , they are lrw-r--r-- .
Permissions differ on "Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrw-rw-r-- .
Permissions differ on "Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Frameworks/InternetUtilities.bundle/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrw-rw-r-- .
Permissions differ on "Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/Resources/iTunesHelper.app/Contents/CodeResources", should be -rw-rw-r-- , they are lrw-rw-r-- .
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/Filesystems/AppleShare/afpLoad" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DiskManagement.framework/Versions/A/Resources/DiskManagementTool" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "sbin/umount" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "usr/bin/quota" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DesktopServicesPriv.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Locum" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "usr/sbin/pppd" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Warning: SUID file "usr/sbin/vpnd" has been modified and will not be repaired.
ACL found but not expected on "Applications/Utilities".
ACL found but not expected on "Applications".
Permissions repair complete"
I have looked at these issues on Apple Support this seems to indicate they are not serious issues but I am keen to correct these if I can. See: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1448?viewlocale=en_US
Can I safely ignore these or preferably repair them?
Thanks for your interesting Blog.
Could you think about providing strategies and settings for using Cocktail more extensively.
Posted by: Mervyn Deem | March 16, 2010 at 11:14 AM