My Mac keeps freezing, what can I do about it?
I have a power mac G4. I'm running OS 10.4.11. About 6 months ago I started having problems with the computer freezing on me. I've never experienced this with an Apple computer. I tried to solve the problem myself by cleaning up the hard drive and using Disk First Ad. It didn't work. It's becoming quite frustrating.
The odd thing is it seems to happen in cycles. Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, it will work just fine with no freeze ups. Then, just as suddenly, it will freeze all the time. Sometimes I can't even boot the computer because it will freeze before I even click on my start up file.
Any suggestions?
Answer
Let me be clear, there are a number of things that could be causing this issue.
First, you might have some bad hardware. There could include RAM, hard drive, logic board, power supply or attached USB or FireWire devices.
Second, you might have a software issue.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO:
First, backup your hard drive(s) ASAP. If anything goes wrong with any attempts to repair, or your hard drive, you'll be glad you have a backup.
Second, insert the Apple hardware test disk that came with your computer. Restart (or turn on) with the C key held down. The computer should then boot from the hardware test on the CD. Be patient, it may take a few minutes for it to fully load up. Once loaded, run the EXTENDED test. If possible, run it several times. You might want to start this test before heading out, going to dinner, or going to bed as it may take several hours -- especially if your computer has a lot of RAM. If the hardware test reveals a failed component, you can generally trust that what it's reporting is true. HOWEVER, if it reports no failures, that doesn't mean that there's not bad hardware ... it just means that the bad hardware either wasn't present during the test or that is was not exhibiting symptoms during that time.
Third, you should either seek out a current copy of TechTool Pro and/or DiskWarrior. DiskWarrior is designed to thoroughly check the health of the file-system on your hard drive and is able to make repairs. TechTool Pro also does this but includes the ability to test other hardware as well. Personally, I use DiskWarrior on clients' computers with regularity and rarely use TechTool Pro.
If the hardware test(s) pass, and your computer has multiple RAM chips installed, you might want to try removing one at a time. By removing one at a time and working for a while, you might be able to identify a bad RAM chip through the process of elimination. If you're not comfortable with opening up your computer or are unable to identify all of the components, you should seek the help of a Mac technician.
If all of those attempts have failed, you might want to consider reinstalling Mac OS X onto a fresh hard drive. Hard drives are relatively inexpensive these days and if your hard drive is aging, it's good preventative maintenance to replace it. When purchasing a replacement, you'll be looking for a PATA (Parallel ATA) drive. These are getting a little tougher to find these days due to the prevalence of SATA (Serial ATA) drives on the market today.
The beauty of this is that you automatically have a backup of your data on your old drive. So once you install the new drive, you can install a fresh copy of Mac OS X onto it, then use the Migration Assistant to import all of your applications and data (optional). Beware that if the problem is software, it may transfer over when using the Migration Assistant.
If some or all of this is just way over your head, don't despair. That's what we Mac technicians are here for. Competent Mac techs are armed with the latest versions of all the tools mentioned and have the resources and skills to isolate and solve your computer problems.