Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Computers & Peripherals => Topic started by: hubell on October 20, 2008, 07:26:50 pm
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After I archived and installed then updated to 10.5.5 , my Mac Pro(Intel) takes a long time to boot. The Apple logo comes up, wheel spins for around 3 minutes and then a blue screen appears for around 6 minutes. When that disappears, everything is fine. Anyone else experiencing this? Any solutions to this? I run Spectraview II software on the NEC 26" LCD.
Thanks.
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After I archived and installed then updated to 10.5.5 , my Mac Pro(Intel) takes a long time to boot. The Apple logo comes up, wheel spins for around 3 minutes and then a blue screen appears for around 6 minutes. When that disappears, everything is fine. Anyone else experiencing this? Any solutions to this? I run Spectraview II software on the NEC 26" LCD.
Thanks.
Have you checked your login items and made sure that Spectraview is the only thing in there (System preferences/accounts/login items). It sounds to me like something is trying to start up and can't find the device it wants (old HP printer control panels were notorious for this if the printer they went to wasn't connected). It could also be something trying to connect to the Internet - is this computer always connected to the net? Certain software, including the Adobe suite, will always try and connect to update itself, and it can take take a long time to give up if it can't find an Internet connection... If you have an always-on connection on that computer, which you're sure is working, and there's no leftover software from some hardware device or other (do you always have Spectraview's calibrator connected - I don't know Spectraview, but some other calibration apps will complain if the calibrator's not hooked up), a third thing to try is whether all your RAM is good - bad RAM sometimes shows up on bootup... If you're trying to track down bad RAM or another tricky issue, Small Dog Electronics up in South Burlington and Waitsfield (VT) is great - I know you sometimes get up this way, and they are worth talking to.
-Dan
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1st thing to do: run Disk Utility/Repair Drive from a different boot drive (the Install disk if you have to...)
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Why didn't I think of that? A disk permissions error is VERY possible, and Chris's suggestion will clear that up...
-Dan
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You could try to boot your Mac in safe mode (hold the Shift key when booting). If the boot process also takes a long time then you might have a problem with your hard drive. In this case, as Chris metionned above, check you disk permissions and verify you disk for its integrity.
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1st thing to do: run Disk Utility/Repair Drive from a different boot drive (the Install disk if you have to...)
Not sure how to do that. I did try repairing the Disk Permissions with the Disk First Aid program in the Utilities under Mac OSX 10.5. No dice. There were also no items in the Start-Up tab in system Preference/Accounts. I do have ther color calibration software on the Hard Drive that I previously used with other monitors, and maybe there is some sort of loader that is trying to load a different profile from the Spectraview software. OTOH, this issue I am having only appeared woth 10.5, no problem under 10.4.
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I had a friend that had the same issue. Turned out there were some specific software conflicts that had to be rectified. Unfortunately, after spending three days trying to sort it out he never was able to find exactly where the conflict was. He ultimately "corrected" it by doing a fresh install of the OS and updated 10.5 versions for all of his software. I know, sucks.
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Interesting post. I have exactly those same symptoms for a Macbook Pro and it has been bugging me for ages. Though not sufficiently to try to remedy since I leave it sleeping when not in use. Prospect of doing lots of rebooting hasn't appealed in the circumstances!
I'll do some checking. Mine had all software transferred in target mode from a G4, so wondering if some options ported across with wrong boxes selected and haven't been rectified in subsequent software updates.
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Spurred on by this thread, I've just tried rectifying the issue. Not successfully!
Initially I found a few oddball items in the startup, so deleted them to make it same as my MacPro which races through the booting up routine. Restarted Macbook Pro and same lengthy time to get up and running. So no change.
Next up, booted from Leopard DVD, verified and repaired permissions. Restarted, still no change and the lengthy procedure.
When new, I was impressed about how speedily the Macbook Pro started up. So I know that it is software of some sort which is causing this unwelcome change. Any more ideas please?
Can I use target mode from MacPro to the laptop?
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To confirm if there is something awry in your usual User account as opposed to the general system it is a good start to create a 'clean' Admin account (it can be deleted later):
- go to System Prefs / Accounts / Click the plus sign to add an account (Unlock the padlock if necessary) / Name the new Admin account 'Admin Clean' or some such / (Turn off Automatic Log in if required)
- Restart the computer and log in to the new Admin account. If the boot process is quick as seems likely, you will know that it is a software conflict or preference in your original account that is causing the problem. You should then boot into that original account & start disabling the various startup items that you have in you regular User account: disable/restart repeatedly to see when/if that solves the problem to identify the culprit.
- If however the new 'Admin Clean' account is also as slow to boot as the original, you will need to do a complete new system install - after you have backed everything up...
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Can I use target mode from MacPro to the laptop?
Yes, simply hold down the 'T' key on startup
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I'm guessing that it has something to do with the old Spectro software - spectros are notorious for boot loaders, and Leopard doesn't work with everything that worked in Tiger, unfortunately...
-Dan
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I'm guessing that it has something to do with the old Spectro software - spectros are notorious for boot loaders, and Leopard doesn't work with everything that worked in Tiger, unfortunately...
-Dan
Thanks. Any idea where these loaders for other monitor profiling software may be "hiding" in my system? My Mac Pro is on a network with my wife's G5 that probably also has profiling software loaded.
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Before doing anything too invasive, take a look at your Console logs. (Console is a utility in Applications/Utilities.)
Specifically, shut down the machine. Then do a cold start. Open Console and read the logs for the System for the start-up time (it is marked). You will likely find something being repeated, over and over, as the System tries to resolve whatever is the problem. While this is not a cure, it will give you a pretty certain indication of where the problem.
You can also "search" for the error phrasing in Google to find forum posts that discuss and perhaps fix the problem.
Hope this helps.
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Before doing anything too invasive, take a look at your Console logs. (Console is a utility in Applications/Utilities.)
Specifically, shut down the machine. Then do a cold start. Open Console and read the logs for the System for the start-up time (it is marked). You will likely find something being repeated, over and over, as the System tries to resolve whatever is the problem. While this is not a cure, it will give you a pretty certain indication of where the problem.
You can also "search" for the error phrasing in Google to find forum posts that discuss and perhaps fix the problem.
Hope this helps.
Right, Console logs is a very good but often overlooked information source. One can also try to boot the Mac in verbose mode (single user) and see where the Mac spends cpu cycles.
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Baxter:
No wonder you have some issues. You should not directly migrate from a PPC machine to an Intel machine. There are a number of lengthy and excellent step-by-step posts on the Apple forums on how to do the platform changeover. Here's a starter: PPC-Intel Migration (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1872713)
Most important: applications should be freshly installed.
Interesting post. I have exactly those same symptoms for a Macbook Pro and it has been bugging me for ages. Though not sufficiently to try to remedy since I leave it sleeping when not in use. Prospect of doing lots of rebooting hasn't appealed in the circumstances!
I'll do some checking. Mine had all software transferred in target mode from a G4, so wondering if some options ported across with wrong boxes selected and haven't been rectified in subsequent software updates.
-
To confirm if there is something awry in your usual User account as opposed to the general system it is a good start to create a 'clean' Admin account (it can be deleted later):
- go to System Prefs / Accounts / Click the plus sign to add an account (Unlock the padlock if necessary) / Name the new Admin account 'Admin Clean' or some such / (Turn off Automatic Log in if required)
- Restart the computer and log in to the new Admin account. If the boot process is quick as seems likely, you will know that it is a software conflict or preference in your original account that is causing the problem. You should then boot into that original account & start disabling the various startup items that you have in you regular User account: disable/restart repeatedly to see when/if that solves the problem to identify the culprit.
- If however the new 'Admin Clean' account is also as slow to boot as the original, you will need to do a complete new system install - after you have backed everything up...
No dice on using new Admin account. Same slow bootup. A new system install is so unappealing. Reinstalling applications and plugins and actions and finding the serial numbers.....Ugh I'll try Console first and see what turns up.
Thanks.
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A new system install is so unappealing.
Agreed. OTOH, if you had done it when it was suggested a few posts back, it would all be over already. Your machine would be running smoothly and in total you might have even spent less time on it
Sorry...
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Agreed. OTOH, if you had done it when it was suggested a few posts back, it would all be over already. Your machine would be running smoothly and in total you might have even spent less time on it
Sorry...
True, but I did try a reinstall of 10.5 once before and that did not work, so I am loath to try again. I guess 10.6 is not too far off at this point.
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Resolved! My wife's computer is networked with my Mac Pro and she had a copy of the NEC Spectraview II monitor profiling software on her desktop, which I use but was not being used by her because she has an Apple Cinema Display. I deleted her copy and, voila, my Mac now boots normally.
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Resolved! My wife's computer is networked with my Mac Pro and she had a copy of the NEC Spectraview II monitor profiling software on her desktop, which I use but was not being used by her because she has an Apple Cinema Display. I deleted her copy and, voila, my Mac now boots normally.
Good news, indeed!
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Baxter:
No wonder you have some issues. You should not directly migrate from a PPC machine to an Intel machine. There are a number of lengthy and excellent step-by-step posts on the Apple forums on how to do the platform changeover. Here's a starter: PPC-Intel Migration (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1872713)
Most important: applications should be freshly installed.
Oops! Thanks Pat.
Puzzled that it did work fine when first installed though. I'll read the link.
Target mode from my Mac Pro (intel) might be the lazy way round this.
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I'm having the same problem. 6 minutes to start up. So was your problem a software conflict? I don't understand how removing the nec software on another machine solved your problem. Does your machine search other networked machines on startup?
dan
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Well I guess I'll answer my own question just in case some one searches this problem in the future.
After hours and hours of online reading, downloading/buying and running software fixes, mac fix it, applejack etc., fixing pram and checking ram, I finally unplugged the half dozen external drives and holy MACkerel ! it started up quickly and perfectly. Just unplugging everything did it.
dan
I'm having the same problem. 6 minutes to start up. So was your problem a software conflict? I don't understand how removing the nec software on another machine solved your problem. Does your machine search other networked machines on startup?
dan