How come my Windows XP is more stable than Mac OS?

[Hakkinen]

I have only switched to Mac since May 20 2004 after getting a new ibook G4 14" 1.2GHz 768MB ram, and I have already encountered many unexpected quits and application/process hang.
Examples:
1) Mac Help quits. After calling apple support, I managed to get it working again. Then next day it quits unexpectedly again.
2) So far I have encountered one unexpected quit on Safari. Always got the impression it is the best browser.

I read this forum that Mac OX is very rock solid stable. Am I doing anything wrong that is causing the crash? Why is preference file so easily corrupted?

Don't get me wrong, i love my new ibook. But just get a bit upset i am having so many problems so soon. I hate Windows XP but it is working better than my Mac OS now!

I also wonder if some of the softwares downloaded from versiontracker or other websites may have caused some of this problems.

Would really appreciate advice from mac users.

[ChrisFromCanada]

Have you got the 10.3.4 update yet?

[Hakkinen]

I have not downloaded it yet. But I am not sure if it helps. Will get it tomorrow.

[sparky76]

Best idea is to backup everything, then do a totally fresh install, and add programs one at a time to isolate if there is something you have installed which is causing the problem.

[krimson]

XP and OS X are both really stable, it's the programs that you use/install, that usually screw things up.

I've not had any problems here on my Dell at work, and no problems on my QS, except when the 120mm's fan power cable came loose.

[wrldwzrd89]

I have only switched to Mac since May 20 2004 after getting a new ibook G4 14" 1.2GHz 768MB ram, and I have already encountered many unexpected quits and application/process hang.
Examples:
1) Mac Help quits. After calling apple support, I managed to get it working again. Then next day it quits unexpectedly again.
2) So far I have encountered one unexpected quit on Safari. Always got the impression it is the best browser.

I read this forum that Mac OX is very rock solid stable. Am I doing anything wrong that is causing the crash? Why is preference file so easily corrupted?

Don't get me wrong, i love my new ibook. But just get a bit upset i am having so many problems so soon. I hate Windows XP but it is working better than my Mac OS now!

I also wonder if some of the softwares downloaded from versiontracker or other websites may have caused some of this problems.

Would really appreciate advice from mac users.
One or more of the applications you have installed is the most likely cause of this problem. For example, if you have Norton Utilities for Macintosh installed, uninstall it (that application installs several kernel extensions which have been known to cause problems with some configurations). Other applications that install kernel extensions and all 'hacks' are also likely causes of the problem (this includes ALL theming programs).

[Hakkinen]

Best idea is to backup everything, then do a totally fresh install, and add programs one at a time to isolate if there is something you have installed which is causing the problem.

Is there certain programs that usually cause problems?

[telecomm]

1) Mac Help quits. After calling apple support, I managed to get it working again. Then next day it quits unexpectedly again.


Mac Help can be a pain. Check out http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=66435 for some ideas on getting Help Viewer to work properly. Deleting the contents of the cache folder and/or the preferences files usually does the trick.

[Hakkinen]

One or more of the applications you have installed is the most likely cause of this problem. For example, if you have Norton Utilities for Macintosh installed, uninstall it (that application installs several kernel extensions which have been known to cause problems with some configurations). Other applications that install kernel extensions and all 'hacks' are also likely causes of the problem (this includes ALL theming programs).
Nope I don't have norton utilities installed.
Also don't have any 'hacks' because i could not find any and even if i can find 'hacks' i feel insecure installing them.
So far i have downloaded handbrake, sidetrack, Diva, MSN messenger, Netscape, Eric's ultimate solitaire, VLC, menu meter, A4 wireless mouse driver.

[wrldwzrd89]

Is there certain programs that usually cause problems?
Norton Utilities for Macintosh is a big problem-causer on ANY version of Mac OS X. Also, system "hacks" can interfere with things like software updates (for example, if you have a hack installed when you were running 10.3.3, and then updated to 10.3.4 and experienced odd behavior, you can bet that the hack caused the system not to update properly).

[Zaty]

A reinstall could really help. I read somewhere that OS images that are loaded onto the machines can be faulty for some reason. I had a few problems with my PowerBooks as well so I reinstalled Panther and it's has been rock stable ever since.

[Hakkinen]

Mac Help can be a pain. Check out http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=66435 for some ideas on getting Help Viewer to work properly. Deleting the contents of the cache folder and/or the preferences files usually does the trick.
Thanks, i have figured that out awhile ago. But i am surprised how come preference files can be so easily corrupted.

[wrldwzrd89]

Thanks, i have figured that out awhile ago. But i am surprised how come preference files can be so easily corrupted.
Fortunately, such problems are very easy to fix - just find and delete the offending preference file(s) and let the application create new ones (do this while the application is NOT running).

[Hakkinen]

A reinstall could really help. I read somewhere that OS images that are loaded onto the machines can be faulty for some reason. I had a few problems with my PowerBooks as well so I reinstalled Panther and it's has been rock stable ever since.
I have not tried that. But i think i read somewhere in this forum that reinstalling does not solve all problems.
(how come my keystroke is acting so slow at this moment as i type this???)
What sort of reinstall did you do? 'Archive and install?'
(Hey, my ibook fan turns on for the first time, now!!!??) I am only browsing the web!!!)
What is happening to my ibook experience???? HELP

[Fukui]

I have only switched to Mac since May 20 2004 after getting a new ibook G4 14" 1.2GHz 768MB ram, and I have already encountered many unexpected quits and application/process hang.
Examples:
1) Mac Help quits. After calling apple support, I managed to get it working again. Then next day it quits unexpectedly again.
2) So far I have encountered one unexpected quit on Safari. Always got the impression it is the best browser.

OS X is very stable, BUT applications are another story. Mac help, well its not the best app in the universe... safari, is still a work in progress, and some web sites (esp. ones written for IE6) can case it to crash, though there is supposedly a large safari update coming. My best advice is to report any crashes to apple (the after crash window that pops up) and tell them the site and what you did, or in the case of help viewer, what help file you accessed... if you wanna get their attention, just tell them you'll "switch back to windows" if they don't fix it, that will get thier attention hehe ... :D

[Hakkinen]

Fan just stopped.
Keyboard speed is normal again.
What was that all about. Makes me worried sick about my ibook. I had to get some books to put below my ibook so that the cpu got enough gap to let hot air escape. Probably my room is too hot (82F) but i am surprise browsing the web can cause the fan to turn on. First time it happens.

[Kevlar]

Make sure that you repair permissions on a weekly or biweekly basis to get the best results out of OS X. Also I run disk warrior once a month and my computer never has a single problem.

[flyfish29]

Best thing to do is do a total reinstall after backing up of course. Don't install anything else unless it is absolutely necessary...let it run like that for a while and see if it remainis stable. After that, install programs one at a time and give enough time to see how stable it remains...until you find the culprit...if there is in fact one and it was not the OS orginal install itself.

My iMac has not crashed requiring a restart once since getting it last October. Mail and Safari are the only things I have had to force quit and run fine after that. I don't have many additional programs on it though so that is probably why.

Johnny

[iGary]

I think you have a few things going on here...(just opinions).

1. You are ultra sensitive that something is wrong with your machine (why wouldn't you be, you laid out a good deal of cash). I remember buying my first laptop and freaking when the fan DIDN'T come on, or when a page came up a little slow. It sounds to me as if you are being really over-sensitive to some of the things going on (no offense).

2. Third-party apps cause problems with all operating systems, but I have found them extremely havoc-wreaking with OS X. I try to use as few as possible, myself.

3. Pick up a copy of "The Missing Manual" by O' Reilly for OS 10.3 Panther. The book will give you a good idea of how to keep things runnig smoothly and why Macs do some of the things they do. It will also give a good overview on apps like Safari, Mail etc.

End of the day, your Mac will require less tweaking and playing with than Windoze. Just take some time to learn how it works and you will see how brilliant the OS really is in comparison to Windows.

Good luck!

[MisterMe]

I have only switched to Mac since May 20 2004 after getting a new ibook G4 14" 1.2GHz 768MB ram, and I have already encountered many unexpected quits and application/process hang.
Examples:
1) Mac Help quits. After calling apple support, I managed to get it working again. Then next day it quits unexpectedly again.
2) So far I have encountered one unexpected quit on Safari. Always got the impression it is the best browser.

I read this forum that Mac OX is very rock solid stable. Am I doing anything wrong that is causing the crash? Why is preference file so easily corrupted?

Don't get me wrong, i love my new ibook. But just get a bit upset i am having so many problems so soon. I hate Windows XP but it is working better than my Mac OS now!

I also wonder if some of the softwares downloaded from versiontracker or other websites may have caused some of this problems.

Would really appreciate advice from mac users.There is always the possibility that you have a faulty computer out of the box. However, that is not likely.

I have never had a global problem caused by third-party applications on MacOS X. Some applications--either beta versions or ancient versions--will crash, but they don't damage the rest the system.

You should, however, be careful with haxies. These are not so much applications as third-party modifications to your OS. Some are downright unstable. Haxies may also interfere with future updates.

Your installation of MacOS X is more likely to be faulty than Apple's installation.

A lot of people on this and other rumor sites run pirated versions of pre-release software. Keep this in mind when taking any advise given on the Internet.

For every effect, there is usually a logical explanation. What have you done with your computer since you bought it? The answer to this question will most likely lead to to the cause of your current problems. It will also likely lead you to their solution.

[numediaman]

I totally agree with igary & flyfish.

Since getting my PowerBook back from the shop (new logic board & hard drive) I have switched to OS X. This means a clean install, no programs, no files, nothing.

Building back up the computer to where I want it has meant no crashes, no slow downs, no issues at all. I do graphics, video and audio work on it, so you know its getting a workout.

The point is this: if, after trying everything suggested above, you still have problems, don't screw around -- back up and start over. If you still have problems, then you know you are have serious hardware issues (but I doubt you will find this).

[janey]

Hey, i think its time you do an erase and install of Panther.
Archive is a pain in the neck. Better to start all over.

Last night I reinstalled os x, both my laptops are working perfectly now :)

About the iBook fan thing, I suggest you get something like an iCurve from Griffin or a PowerPad. Or one of those laptop stands with built in fans. The fan makes a lot of noise, but really theres nothing you can do about it :( You could do what I do, get one of those refreezable gel pack thingies you can slip in lunchboxes and stuff, pretty cheap, and just pop one underneath the laptop when you feel it getting a little too hot.

[Hakkinen]

Sorry my reply came in too late. It was 1 am when i log off. Now back in my office. Thanks for all the suggestions out there.
Agreed that I over reacted about my fan coming on. Probably i set the power in 'highest performance', probably my room was a bit warm last night. Do you think ibreeze is worth buying?

Since i got my ibook one week ago, the things that I have done are installing 3rd party softwares found in versiontracker and apple.com. I am not the type who wants as many softwares to play around. i think most of us will look for freebies first when we want to get something done, in my case, i was hunting for a software that can compress my movie files downloaded from my Canon camcorder, and to edit them.

Have no hacks or warez that sort of stuff installed.

I think I will take the advice and do a re-install once I got hold of the softwares I want to use. :)

[wide]

I have not tried that. But i think i read somewhere in this forum that reinstalling does not solve all problems.
(how come my keystroke is acting so slow at this moment as i type this???)
What sort of reinstall did you do? 'Archive and install?'
(Hey, my ibook fan turns on for the first time, now!!!??) I am only browsing the web!!!)
What is happening to my ibook experience???? HELP

That happens to both my Pismo (G3 PowerBook) and my Dell. I don't think it's something to worry about. I usually give my comptuer a little rest, let the fan stop spinning so fast, and proceed to what I had been doing. I wouldn't worry about that if I were you

[ingenious]

Since i got my ibook one week ago, the things that I have done are installing 3rd party softwares found in versiontracker and apple.com. I am not the type who wants as many softwares to play around. i think most of us will look for freebies first when we want to get something done, in my case, i was hunting for a software that can compress my movie files downloaded from my Canon camcorder, and to edit them.


Ummm...., have you tried iMovie? It came free with your iBook. It's the blue scene marker icon in your dock. Also, iPhoto (for editing/sorting photos), iTunes(sorting/playing music), GarageBand(creating/editing music), and (if you have a SuperDrive) iDVD (creating DVDs made from projects created in other iLife apps) came with it. Don't worry, they'll still be there after you reinstall. All are very easy to use (Garageband is the hardest, but I'm sure its easy or otherwise it wouldn't be in iLife.)

[djjon]

Another Mac app that in my opinion is horrible is MSN Messenger. It constantly disconnects. I decided to just ditch it and switch over to Proteus which is an MSN Client for mac.

[Hakkinen]

Ummm...., have you tried iMovie? It came free with your iBook.

yes, I use imovie to import my videos from my canon camcorder. But the files are rather huge! a 5 second video takes up 17MB!
Is there any software (hopefully freebies), that can let me compress the file, say to VCD format, which is much smaller. This way i can keep my entire holiday video on my ibook without wasting gigabytes of space.

[Hakkinen]

Another Mac app that in my opinion is horrible is MSN Messenger. It constantly disconnects. I decided to just ditch it and switch over to Proteus which is an MSN Client for mac.

Yes, i agree. It disconnects often. But I have no choice, since i can't afford the pricy isight, and all my buddies and family members are on MSN messenger. :-(
And too bad it can't do video, while in PC version it can.

[janey]

okay. NO PROTEUS!!! NO MSN MESSENGER!!!
Please, if you REALLY need to use it, use Adium instead.
Bahhhhh...
And btw, you can use USB webcams with iChat, but honestly, just get a firewire dv cam, useful for a LOT of things. :) Or just get an iSight, theyre major fun to have :) I absolutely love mine.

[legion]

yes, I use imovie to import my videos from my canon camcorder. But the files are rather huge! a 5 second video takes up 17MB!
Is there any software (hopefully freebies), that can let me compress the file, say to VCD format, which is much smaller. This way i can keep my entire holiday video on my ibook without wasting gigabytes of space.

That's the standard DV compression rate. It does take up space. Once you've brought it into your computer, you can compress it to a much smaller level. (I don't use iMovie, so I don't know what compression levels it has available to it) On FCP, there are all the standard compression levels as is true for Avid or using something like ProCoder or Squeeze; however all of these packages cost a lot of money if you're not using it for work. You need to convert to a different format (mpeg or .mov wrapper) and set the compression level to higher. Once again, though, you need the initial space to bring over the video first before you can start compressing.

As for Safari, use Mozilla Firefox and be done with it. It's a much better browser IMO and completely stable (faster too after initial startup)

[Fukui]

yes, I use imovie to import my videos from my canon camcorder. But the files are rather huge! a 5 second video takes up 17MB!
Is there any software (hopefully freebies), that can let me compress the file, say to VCD format, which is much smaller. This way i can keep my entire holiday video on my ibook without wasting gigabytes of space.
You can compress it to Mpeg-4, which if done right, can have very good quality. If you want even more, you might try mencoder...which is a free software and has very very good compression, though it is difficult to use.

[7on]

Yeah, in iMovie there's a share menu option where you can export to Web, email, LAN/DSL, or use expert settings. Lan/DSL would be good for you I guess, if you're uncomfortable with the expert settings. If you want VCD, Roxio's Toast does that and has a QT plugin that allows you to export as VCD from within QT apps.

10.3.4 makes Help a lot more usable. I can actually open it without having time to get up and go to the bathroom. It's nice now.

[Hakkinen]

You can compress it to Mpeg-4, which if done right, can have very good quality. If you want even more, you might try mencoder...which is a free software and has very very good compression, though it is difficult to use.
I read on other forum about how to use mencoder. Sounds really complicated to use since it only runs on the terminal and i am still so new to mac OS. Probably i will go check out my friend's Toast to see if it works.
Any other software other than mencoder?

[rueyeet]

How come my Windows XP is more stable than Mac OS? Because all is not right with the universe, it appears. ;) :)

In regards to your fan coming on: 82 degrees F is a bit hot for computing, especially if it's humid as well. Expect your fan to run often in those kinds of temperatures. Check out the manual for the normal operating temperature your iBook was designed for...82 is going to be near the top of, or even over, that range.

All browsers occasionally run into pages they don't like. For me, all the Gecko-based browsers (Mozilla, Camino, etc) all quit when I try sending AOL webmail (not that I blame them :) ). One unexpected quit isn't cause for concern, especially if it always happens on a specific webpage.

So far i have downloaded handbrake, sidetrack, Diva, MSN messenger, Netscape, Eric's ultimate solitaire, VLC, menu meter, A4 wireless mouse driver. Any of those could potentially cause problems, with the possible exceptions of VLC and Netscape. I've never heard of half of these....when downloading from versiontracker, read the reviews and references first. If there's only one or two reviews, and a lower download count, chances are you're dealing with a little-known, and potentially problem-causing, bit of 3rd party software.

Digital video is GOING to take up space, that's why they make RAID systems and 120 GB hard drives. 17MB for five seconds may be about the going rate. Try importing into iMovie, editing there (it's free and already on your Mac!) and exporting or compressing using QuickTime Pro (less than $50, come on, you aren't going to get digital video functionality for free).

In all, I support the idea of getting at least book on the Mac to give you an idea of what your system can do. Also very helpful to me, initially, was the free Macworld subscription I was offered when I registered my system. Macworld has a lot of tips, hints, and product reviews that help you figure out what your Mac can already do, and what programs are good for the rest. I say this because it sounds like you went out and downloaded a bunch of stuff when you couldn't immediately figure out how to make your Mac do it.

[Fukui]

I read on other forum about how to use mencoder. Sounds really complicated to use since it only runs on the terminal and i am still so new to mac OS. Probably i will go check out my friend's Toast to see if it works.
Any other software other than mencoder?
There are many encoders on Versiontracker that wraps mencoder in a gui.
Just search more "divx encoder" or "mpeg 4 encoder" etc. Even the plain mencoder on versiontracker for OS X has a gui.

[killmoms]

Yeah, as far as the DV goes, I'd suggest importing and editing (making sure you have enough space for it before you start), and when you're done you can export it to a self-contained QuickTime movie that's compressed and get rid of the originals, or print it back out to DV tape from iMovie to preserve quality.

--Cless

[kel]

Hi,

When I first got my iBook 800 G3, it worked perfectly. After about a month, it started having kernal panics and crashing. I erased the hard disk and reinstalled. I learned that you need to repair permissions with Disk Utility (in the Utilities folder) regularly. You should repair permissions especially after installing software and updating. When updating, repair permissions before updating also.

There are three unix maintainence scripts that automatically run between 3 and 6 am. When these run, there is a lot of disk activity that can heat up your computer. If your comp is off or sleeping during these hours, then the scripts will not run. You can use a utility like MacJanitor (don't know if it works in Panther), to run these scripts at any time.

I repair permissions at least once a week and more often than that if possible because I make and delete a lot of my own apps. MacJanitor is run as often as I can. After doing all these things, the computer doesn't panic anymore and software hardly crashes unless I do funny things to the system and software.

Editted: Panther is a new OS and their still working out all the new bugs. I'm running Jaguar OS 10.2.8.

gl,

[beg_ne]

From iMove goto File -> Share
On the sheet choose Quicktime and choose Expert Settings from the dropdown then click export.
At that point it will ask you what the filename should be, if you dont see the options click the Triangle to the right of that to get the extended options. From there you can choose what format to encode to and what settings. No 3rd party apps or QT Pro required. You can even download codecs such as divx and realmedia and they will be added there.

[Crikey]

Hi,

When I first got my iBook 800 G3, it worked perfectly. After about a month, it started having kernal panics and crashing. I erased the hard disk and reinstalled. I learned that you need to repair permissions with Disk Utility (in the Utilities folder) regularly. You should repair permissions especially after installing software and updating. When updating, repair permissions before updating also.

There are three unix maintainence scripts that automatically run between 3 and 6 am. When these run, there is a lot of disk activity that can heat up your computer. If your comp is off or sleeping during these hours, then the scripts will not run. You can use a utility like MacJanitor (don't know if it works in Panther), to run these scripts at any time.

I repair permissions at least once a week and more often than that if possible because I make and delete a lot of my own apps. MacJanitor is run as often as I can. After doing all these things, the computer doesn't panic anymore and software hardly crashes unless I do funny things to the system and software.

Editted: Panther is a new OS and their still working out all the new bugs. I'm running Jaguar OS 10.2.8.

gl,


I'm not discounting anyone else's experience. Lots of posters here report that repairing permissions has saved their Macs. Cool.

I bought my dual-800 tower (a retired store demo) in August of 2002. It had MacOS X 10.1 on it. I installed all the updates, then upgraded to Jaguar, installed all the Jaguar updates that came out, then upgraded to Panther, and from there to 10.3.3 (I'll go to 10.3.4 this weekend). I have never repaired the permissions on my Mac, which has always run fast and reliably for me.

Lately when I install system updates, I notice it takes some time "optimizing the system" or some such -- I assume that recent updates may actually run a permissions repair behind the scenes. I've never knowingly done it, under the theory that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I don't go crazy installing third-party software, especially not hacks, but I do have a pile of stuff installed by now.

Hakkinen, I suspect that some third-party software is your culprit. Good luck with your iBook!


Crikey

[windowsblowsass]

I read on other forum about how to use mencoder. Sounds really complicated to use since it only runs on the terminal and i am still so new to mac OS. Probably i will go check out my friend's Toast to see if it works.
Any other software other than mencoder?
just do it from imovie file> share> quicktime> expert settings
click share a dialog box will show up listing the settings click the export box click what kind of compression that easy

[billyboy]

Erase the volume from Disk Utlity and then install Panther. Repair permissions, do the combo upgrade from Software Update, repair permissions. After that, download and install whatever you like, but just repair permissions before and afterwards. It sounds a pain, but it is worth it.

I suggest you install anacron which will do the cron (maintenance) scripts behind the scenes for you, and if you should ever have any wierd inexplicable slowdowns, using Onyx, clean the caches. When you restart, the system will appear slow, but it speeds up.

When you have the system working to your liking, go to Disk Utility and create a bootable disk image of your system.

If you have a string of problems after a proper re installation, suspect RAM first, and check your handbook to explain how to take out any extra RAM.

Hope that helps, because OS X is pretty much bomb proof if you play fair with simple maintenance tasks.

[Hakkinen]

From iMove goto File -> Share
On the sheet choose Quicktime and choose Expert Settings from the dropdown then click export.
At that point it will ask you what the filename should be, if you dont see the options click the Triangle to the right of that to get the extended options. From there you can choose what format to encode to and what settings. No 3rd party apps or QT Pro required. You can even download codecs such as divx and realmedia and they will be added there.

Just tested it, NOT BAD !
At least now I am downsize my holiday movies and keep it in my ibook! :-)
Now its time to test out the different compression options.....
Thanks for the helpful hint, beg_ne & windowsblowsass & Cless!
I guess I don't need QT PRO anymore? Does QT PRO do a different and better job than imovie's share option?

[Hakkinen]

Erase the volume from Disk Utlity and then install Panther. Repair permissions, do the combo upgrade from Software Update, repair permissions. After that, download and install whatever you like, but just repair permissions before and afterwards. It sounds a pain, but it is worth it.

I suggest you install anacron which will do the cron (maintenance) scripts behind the scenes for you, and if you should ever have any wierd inexplicable slowdowns, using Onyx, clean the caches. When you restart, the system will appear slow, but it speeds up.

When you have the system working to your liking, go to Disk Utility and create a bootable disk image of your system.

If you have a string of problems after a proper re installation, suspect RAM first, and check your handbook to explain how to take out any extra RAM.

Hope that helps, because OS X is pretty much bomb proof if you play fair with simple maintenance tasks.

I took a look at anacron at apple's downloads, it says it does the 3am maintenance task at anytime when available. But pardon me for asking, what sort of maintenance task it handles. How will it help our ibook/powerbooks?
Onyx - i read good reviews about this at versiontracker.
Both softwares seems to be very good for the smooth operation of the Mac OS.
Anyone else have this installed and how do you like it?

So far, after installing the Kingston 512MB by my apple distributor, i have not encountered any problems. Firstly I avoid downloading 3rd party softwares, the only one i have downloaded this 2 days is MissingMpgedit but i have not opened it. Got to be careful from now on :-)

As for my ibook's heat problem (and my warm and humid environment), I tried putting some sort of rubber bumper on the 4 corners of my ibook. The back bumpers are higher than the front, to make the ibook tilting. I am testing to see if the extra gap there can help dissipates heat.

[Hakkinen]

My rubber bumper experiment to tilt the ibook up so that heat can escape underneath is not working.
The fan turned on 8 minutes ago and still running.
One thing too, my battery charger/adapter is super hot. Is this normal?
I remembered the last few times i use, it was just slight warm. But 2nd time today the adapter is super hot.
I shall probably post this on the hardware discussion now.

[Fukui]

My rubber bumper experiment to tilt the ibook up so that heat can escape underneath is not working.
The fan turned on 8 minutes ago and still running.
One thing too, my battery charger/adapter is super hot. Is this normal?
I remembered the last few times i use, it was just slight warm. But 2nd time today the adapter is super hot.
I shall probably post this on the hardware discussion now.
Its possible that it may be defective. My moms AC Adapter started getting really hot (melting the wire) and wouldn't charge her PB, so we took it to the apple store and they gave her a new one free. Maybe you should have them look at it...

[Hakkinen]

Its possible that it may be defective. My moms AC Adapter started getting really hot (melting the wire) and wouldn't charge her PB, so we took it to the apple store and they gave her a new one free. Maybe you should have them look at it...

Wow, your mom's case is really serious. Mine is not that bad. But still it is so hot.

[Paulo the Limey]

My rubber bumper experiment to tilt the ibook up so that heat can escape underneath is not working.
The fan turned on 8 minutes ago and still running.
One thing too, my battery charger/adapter is super hot. Is this normal?
I remembered the last few times i use, it was just slight warm. But 2nd time today the adapter is super hot.
I shall probably post this on the hardware discussion now.
I would stick my neck out and say that you should take a deep breath, and try and forget about the heat thing. First up, the AC adaptor can get hot, especially when your are doing intensive work (downloading video into iMovie for instance) while charging the battery. Try to keep the adaptor in a cool place, unless it starts to not work, don't worry.
Second, about the rubber feet- don't bother. Place the iBook flat on a desk, with good ventilation all around the vents. It'll probably conduct heat away better directly through the table rather than trying to increase air flow underneath it.
Third, apologies if someone has picked up on this already, but can you give more details on the A4 wireless mouse that you have installed drivers for? Is it USB? Some USB drivers can cause lots of strange occurrences.
Hope this helps, and calm down, your mac isn't really behaving that badly- a little TLC and it'll last you a damn long time :)

[Hakkinen]

I would stick my neck out and say that you should take a deep breath, and try and forget about the heat thing. First up, the AC adaptor can get hot, especially when your are doing intensive work (downloading video into iMovie for instance) while charging the battery. Try to keep the adaptor in a cool place, unless it starts to not work, don't worry.
Second, about the rubber feet- don't bother. Place the iBook flat on a desk, with good ventilation all around the vents. It'll probably conduct heat away better directly through the table rather than trying to increase air flow underneath it.
Third, apologies if someone has picked up on this already, but can you give more details on the A4 wireless mouse that you have installed drivers for? Is it USB? Some USB drivers can cause lots of strange occurrences.
Hope this helps, and calm down, your mac isn't really behaving that badly- a little TLC and it'll last you a damn long time :)

Well, as I mentioned, this heat problem of my adapter started yesterday. First time, I put ibook in sleep mode and charge it. So I was not doing any work at all.
2nd time, I was only browsing the web, no downloading of any video, no graphic intensive work. So both occasions I was not doing any intensive work at all.
I know adapter can get hot, but it was just too hot.
I will test out again to see if removing the bumpers are a better way to conduct heat away. Thanks for bringing that up.
My A4 wireless mouse is USB driven, it does act strange sometimes. And rechargeable batteries only last me about 3 days, at average of 6 hours usage a day. And when I open the A4 menu to do any setting, the words are distorted. I can see some of the words in the menu as they are all overlapping each other. Must be something wrong with the software.
I bought it for around USD24. Bought it because it is compact and comes with battery charger that connects to my USB port.
This is how the mouse looks like:
http://www.a4tech.com/en/product2.asp?CID=1&SCID=5&MNO=RP-1558

[wrldwzrd89]

I took a look at anacron at apple's downloads, it says it does the 3am maintenance task at anytime when available. But pardon me for asking, what sort of maintenance task it handles. How will it help our ibook/powerbooks?
Anacron handles things like trimming old entries from your system's log files (so your logs don't grow excessively large - one user here reported that over 40 GB of hard drive space was dedicated to one log file!), deleting old caches that aren't used anymore, and other general cleanup tasks.

[Hakkinen]

One thing about my MAC HELP. I notice when I type in a search phrase for the 1st time, the results will be displayed. But when I entered the 2nd phrase, it just hangs. And after waiting for awhile I press Enter, no response, press one or two more times, it quits.
I have to delete the .plist files again and it will work. Or I can wait for a few minutes, run Mac Help, and it works again for the 1st search phrase. Not sure what is wrong with it.

[Fukui]

One thing about my MAC HELP. I notice when I type in a search phrase for the 1st time, the results will be displayed. But when I entered the 2nd phrase, it just hangs. And after waiting for awhile I press Enter, no response, press one or two more times, it quits.
I have to delete the .plist files again and it will work. Or I can wait for a few minutes, run Mac Help, and it works again for the 1st search phrase. Not sure what is wrong with it.
I might recomend a format + reinstall.
You can find out how on these forums and many places...

[janey]

I might recomend a format + reinstall.
You can find out how on these forums and many places...
pop in CD, reboot, its in settings. Honestly, it babysits you the entire way, its not hard.

[Hakkinen]

pop in CD, reboot, its in settings. Honestly, it babysits you the entire way, its not hard.
Oh....do i really have to do a format and reinstall? How can I save my existing files and settings. Do a Archive and install?
Back in Windows 98 to XP days, the worst thing is re-install. Follow by drivers, and drivers and drivers, and restart and restart and no such device and etc etc....
man, hope this is not a tough thing to go through.

[Fukui]

Oh....do i really have to do a format and reinstall? How can I save my existing files and settings. Do a Archive and install?
Back in Windows 98 to XP days, the worst thing is re-install. Follow by drivers, and drivers and drivers, and restart and restart and no such device and etc etc....
man, hope this is not a tough thing to go through.
Its waaaaayyy better than XP, trust me. All you need to do is backup your home folder (or example /users/somebody) just back up that to a firewire drive or DVD/CD, its enough to just copy the folder with the Finder. If you wanna back up your applications, just copy the Applications folder too.

Then, pop in the CD and restart, hold the 'c' key when restarting and it will load from the CD. Just go through the installer process, and when you get to the point to choose the disk, choose the option to erase as HFS+ format before continuing. If you still have trouble, it could be the hardware... take it to an Apple store and show them whats up.

[Hakkinen]

Pardon me for asking too much.
If I backup up my applications, for example, Yahoo! messenger, I can basically just drag and copy the icon with the Yahoo! onto a CD or disk drive?
Because in Windows OS, I can't just copy the whatever_the_name.exe, i have to copy the whole installation file. Since after the installation, some of the application's files are in system folder.

[Fukui]

Pardon me for asking too much.
If I backup up my applications, for example, Yahoo! messenger, I can basically just drag and copy the icon with the Yahoo! onto a CD or disk drive?

Yes.


Because in Windows OS, I can't just copy the whatever_the_name.exe, i have to copy the whole installation file. Since after the installation, some of the application's files are in system folder.
Some applications that install in folders (like photshop, dreamweaver etc) you can just copy the folder. Only system utilities/drivers need be re-installed. As an example, to install MS office, you just drag the folder off the CD!

BTW, things have worked this way for 20 (?) odd years, since the mac first came out. I was pretty surprised too, but thats one of the things that made me wanna get a mac a few years ago...

[ingenious]

Yes.


Some applications that install in folders (like photshop, dreamweaver etc) you can just copy the folder. Only system utilities/drivers need be re-installed. As an example, to install MS office, you just drag the folder off the CD!

BTW, things have worked this way for 20 (?) odd years, since the mac first came out. I was pretty surprised too, but thats one of the things that made me wanna get a mac a few years ago...
edit: This makes me look stupid! I guess it's what I get for not reading above one post! I wish that when you press last unread that it actually to the ones you haven't read yet, not the very last one! Oh well, have fun reading this... :rolleyes:

Yea, those things work in Mac OS (X or w/e), but hes talking about Windows. Those ways of doing things will not work in Windows. Sorry, bud. You're best bet is to copy the documents from those programs (i.e. .doc and things like that) and then just reinstall the program on your new computer.

[Hakkinen]

I think to be on the safe side, i will just copy the *.dmg and *.sit files, then I will just reinstall from there. But I may still experiment with just dragging the application itself and save it, and drag it back to my harddisk after reformating to see if it works too.

can't believe i have to reformat my harddisk and reinstall Mac OS after only 12 days of switching. This is not fun. Hope after this, things will run fine.

[Fukui]

can't believe i have to reformat my harddisk and reinstall Mac OS after only 12 days of switching. This is not fun. Hope after this, things will run fine.
I agree, but since I got my first mac, it was the first thing I did, since with windows re-format/install was "Standard Operating Procedure," so I didn't feel as bad...

P.S You don't have to reformat, but it is a good idea to do it.

[Hakkinen]

I agree, but since I got my first mac, it was the first thing I did, since with windows re-format/install was "Standard Operating Procedure," so I didn't feel as bad...

P.S You don't have to reformat, but it is a good idea to do it.

I would like to hear your views on why I should not reformat. Is there a better way?
Currently, my problem is with MAC HELP, which seems to quit on me after a few searches. I removed the .plist files, that helps only for a few searches again and it quits. So far 2 quits from Safari.

(Just now my ibook won't go to wake up from sleep mode, I have to close and open my ibook for 3 times then it wakes up. Arrgh, whats next???)

[Abstract]

Reformat. Don't reformat. I think all advice possible for your situation has been given. I think you should reformat, but if you're such a nervous wreck with computers, then don't do it.

[Hakkinen]

Reformat. Don't reformat. I think all advice possible for your situation has been given. I think you should reformat, but if you're such a nervous wreck with computers, then don't do it.
I am just frustrated about why my supposed to be super stable Mac OS is having so many problems.
Anyway, I am not going to do any format for now. Just called Apple support to seek help. Will let my machine run for a longer time to see how it goes.

Dont' be upset (like me), Abstract. I am here to seek help, like many of us. :-)

[janey]

I really recommend doing an erase and install. It's really convenient, and it only takes a few clicks to configure your OS X install to erase the drive before installing. It takes around 15 minutes, give or take around an additional 20 for miscellaneous applications and drivers.

About the drag and drop installs, I really recommend you NOT copy any applications using a drag/drop method unless you know for a fact you installed it by dragging and dropping. If you used an installer, use the installer again. If you drag/drop, you will be missing all sorts of files, like GarageBand loops and fonts to name a few. Make sure you have serial numbers for all of your apps that need them too, because the app will ask you for a serial number again. You will ahve to save your preferences if you want them as well.

[Hakkinen]

I really recommend doing an erase and install. It's really convenient, and it only takes a few clicks to configure your OS X install to erase the drive before installing. It takes around 15 minutes, give or take around an additional 20 for miscellaneous applications and drivers.

About the drag and drop installs, I really recommend you NOT copy any applications using a drag/drop method unless you know for a fact you installed it by dragging and dropping. If you used an installer, use the installer again. If you drag/drop, you will be missing all sorts of files, like GarageBand loops and fonts to name a few. Make sure you have serial numbers for all of your apps that need them too, because the app will ask you for a serial number again. You will ahve to save your preferences if you want them as well.

If I reinstall the whole thing, I believe that includes my iLife right. Since the OS and other applications comes with the ibook, will they ask me for serial number? Where can I find my serial number? Is this the same number as found in About This Mac/Hardware preview?

[Fukui]

If I reinstall the whole thing, I believe that includes my iLife right. Since the OS and other applications comes with the ibook, will they ask me for serial number? Where can I find my serial number? Is this the same number as found in About This Mac/Hardware preview?
OS X has no serial number, iLife has no serial number. No product activation, etc.