Quartz Extreme Stops Working after a while

Diggity-Dan · Feb 20, 2008, 03:16 PM

I'm running 10.5.2 on a 2GHz C2D BlackBook. Recently I've encountered 3 symptoms that suggests Quartz Extreme stops working after the computer's been running for a while (and by a while, I mean it could only be a couple hours).

I've recently (a few days ago) set my desktop picture to change every minute. It's supposed to fade smoothly between pictures, and it did for a while, but then eventually I noticed the fading transition had stopped and the pictures were just switching without any kind of transition. The problem was resolved after a restart.

I don't use iMovie often. But I opened iMovie '08 yesterday and I got the following error message: "iMovie requires a graphics card that is compatible with Quartz Extreme. One or more of your graphics cards does not support Quartz Extreme." My only option was to quit iMovie. I noticed my desktop picture was also not doing the transitions any more. After a restart, both problems were resolved.

Today, I got the same error message in iMovie and the desktop isn't transitioning again. I haven't restarted yet, but I assume it will fix itself when I do. Also, I tried adding a widget to my dashboard to see if I get the ripple effect, to test my theory that Quartz Extreme (or is it core image, or core graphics?) stops working after a while. I did not get the ripple effect I usually get when adding a widget.

Since I just started using the changing desktop feature and 10.5.2 is a new update, I don't know if one of those could be causing the issue. I'll try turning off the desktop transitions and see if it continues.

Anyone else with this issue? Or know how to resolve it?

Thanks.

avi4now · Mar 4, 2008, 09:49 PM

I've got a white 2.2 GHz Santa Rosa Merom, and I'm experiencing the same thing.

Diggity-Dan · Mar 5, 2008, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avi4now

I've got a white 2.2 GHz Santa Rosa Merom, and I'm experiencing the same thing.

I turned off the "change picture" option in the desktop preferences after my original post and haven't experienced the problem since. It must have something to do with that. Is your desktop picture set to change? And if so, how often?

mfjko · Mar 5, 2008, 04:51 PM

I am running a 17 inch MacBook Pro and have also received the error message below when trying to open iMovie. I am running 10.4.11.

iMovie requires a graphics card that is compatible with Quartz Extreme. One or more of your graphics cards does not support Quartz Extreme.

I was not able to even open iMovie. I shut down my laptop and tried again after restarting but got the same error message.

Recently I have been having problems using transitions in PowerPoint or slideshows with iPhoto. Is this a hardware or software problem that we are encountering and does anyone have another solution besides turning off the machine?

This has become a huge problem for me so would appreciate anyone that could enlighten me as to what is going on with my laptop's functionality.

avi4now · Mar 5, 2008, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diggity-Dan

I turned off the "change picture" option in the desktop preferences after my original post and haven't experienced the problem since. It must have something to do with that. Is your desktop picture set to change? And if so, how often?

No, it's not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfjko

Is this a hardware or software problem that we are encountering and does anyone have another solution besides turning off the machine?

No idea so far.

mrtune · Mar 6, 2008, 01:00 PM

My macbook does this all the time. Frequently I cannot open imovie or photobooth because it says I don't have a quartz extreme capable graphics card.

If I go into the system info area it'll say the same thing. Shows it as not supported.

If I simply log off and back on, then everything is fine again (no need to restart). It will show it as supported in the system info. At first I used to restart, but for the sake of trying it out once, I decided to just log off and on. It had the same effect as restarting, so that's what I do now.

This all started after I updated to 10.5.2. Never had a problem before. I bought my macbook new in december. It's a big pain in my ass, as I enjoy using both those programs all the time.

I've been trying to pinpoint when it happens. It has never happened after the computer has been running. Only when it comes out of sleep.

lpedro · Jun 23, 2008, 09:55 AM

Hi,
My macbook pro also does this when it comes from sleep. I solved the problem by changing resolution (to any other that the one using by default) and then changing again to the preferred resolution. Opening iMovie afterwords doesn't generates the error any more.

Hope it helps,

Cheers,

Luis Pedro

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrtune

My macbook does this all the time. Frequently I cannot open imovie or photobooth because it says I don't have a quartz extreme capable graphics card.

If I go into the system info area it'll say the same thing. Shows it as not supported.

If I simply log off and back on, then everything is fine again (no need to restart). It will show it as supported in the system info. At first I used to restart, but for the sake of trying it out once, I decided to just log off and on. It had the same effect as restarting, so that's what I do now.

This all started after I updated to 10.5.2. Never had a problem before. I bought my macbook new in december. It's a big pain in my ass, as I enjoy using both those programs all the time.

I've been trying to pinpoint when it happens. It has never happened after the computer has been running. Only when it comes out of sleep.

Eidorian · Jun 23, 2008, 09:58 AM

I've had this happen when using an external display in clamshell mode and the Mini-DVI adapter accidentally slips out.

Just log out or reboot and Quartz Extreme will be back. There's some strangeness in OS X when it comes to swapping displays and waking from sleep that's the cause.

jsmithsole · Jul 21, 2008, 06:06 PM

I had the same problem, reboot worked but still annoying and every forum I have checked, there's no real solid answer...

Lunalova · Aug 15, 2008, 07:22 AM

I've got the same thing, i will try to reinstall QuartzComposerAppSupport.pkg later today, maybe that will work...

kev319 · Nov 9, 2008, 06:38 PM

I had the same exact problem.

After using Imove for a few years on my G5, it suddenly quit working.

I took a cue from one of the earlier posts and turned off EarthDesk as my active desktop. Once I restarted my computer, the error message disappeared.

I'd say make sure your desktop is stationary and see if that helps.

FénixMagnesio · Aug 28, 2009, 07:42 AM

I don't have a full explanation for this glitch, but here is what was causing the problem in my case. I had my display in grayscale. Not only did iMovie give the error message, System Profiler actually thought Quartz Extreme was "Not Supported". I unchecked the grayscale option, and everything (once I reopened it) was back to normal.

So the moral of the story is that any aberration in display settings, even outside of the Displays panel, has the potential to upset the status of graphics.

By the way, iMovie '06 has the same error message, but gives you the option of starting it anyway. (As if '08 wasn't lacking enough functionality.) Also, the changing wallpaper didn't cause me trouble. However, we are talking about different versions of OS X. I'm running 10.4.11, as is mfjko.

If you're wondering why I was using grayscale: I turn it on to remind me of another temporary setting - in this case, having the computer to never go to sleep.

Reported causes:

Change picture (Desktop & Screen Saver)
Use grayscale (Universal Access)

Let's keep this list going; I'm sure there are other triggers. Keep careful note of everything you do until Quartz goes AWOL.

Reported fixes:

Restart
Log Out, Log In
change resolution (Displays)

snorkeler · 10:26 AM

I have a Mac Mini purchased early 2009. It came with iMovie 08, and it has worked fine. I upgraded to Snow Leopard, and it still worked fine.

Then, upon returning and restarting it, now iMovie gives the same error message cited here. Changing resolutions does not resolve the problem.

I tried twice to set up an Apple support call. Very annoying--twice, after entering everything, it messaged "your call cannot be arranged at this time. Please try again later." Nice.

It certainly seems Apple has a system bug here. It would be nice if they didn't charge you for fixing it or at least giving you a workaround.

Update: a restart solved the issue.

It would be nice if you could find this fix via Apple support. Thanks to Macrumors for being here.

Feb 20, 2008, 03:16 PM	#1
Diggity-Dan macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada	Quartz Extreme Stops Working after a while I'm running 10.5.2 on a 2GHz C2D BlackBook. Recently I've encountered 3 symptoms that suggests Quartz Extreme stops working after the computer's been running for a while (and by a while, I mean it could only be a couple hours). I've recently (a few days ago) set my desktop picture to change every minute. It's supposed to fade smoothly between pictures, and it did for a while, but then eventually I noticed the fading transition had stopped and the pictures were just switching without any kind of transition. The problem was resolved after a restart. I don't use iMovie often. But I opened iMovie '08 yesterday and I got the following error message: "iMovie requires a graphics card that is compatible with Quartz Extreme. One or more of your graphics cards does not support Quartz Extreme." My only option was to quit iMovie. I noticed my desktop picture was also not doing the transitions any more. After a restart, both problems were resolved. Today, I got the same error message in iMovie and the desktop isn't transitioning again. I haven't restarted yet, but I assume it will fix itself when I do. Also, I tried adding a widget to my dashboard to see if I get the ripple effect, to test my theory that Quartz Extreme (or is it core image, or core graphics?) stops working after a while. I did not get the ripple effect I usually get when adding a widget. Since I just started using the changing desktop feature and 10.5.2 is a new update, I don't know if one of those could be causing the issue. I'll try turning off the desktop transitions and see if it continues. Anyone else with this issue? Or know how to resolve it? Thanks.

Mar 4, 2008, 09:49 PM	#2
avi4now macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2008	Same here I've got a white 2.2 GHz Santa Rosa Merom, and I'm experiencing the same thing.

Mar 5, 2008, 04:51 PM	#4
mfjko macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2008	Quartz Extreme I am running a 17 inch MacBook Pro and have also received the error message below when trying to open iMovie. I am running 10.4.11. iMovie requires a graphics card that is compatible with Quartz Extreme. One or more of your graphics cards does not support Quartz Extreme. I was not able to even open iMovie. I shut down my laptop and tried again after restarting but got the same error message. Recently I have been having problems using transitions in PowerPoint or slideshows with iPhoto. Is this a hardware or software problem that we are encountering and does anyone have another solution besides turning off the machine? This has become a huge problem for me so would appreciate anyone that could enlighten me as to what is going on with my laptop's functionality.

Jun 23, 2008, 09:58 AM	#8
Eidorian macrumors G3 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Indiana	I've had this happen when using an external display in clamshell mode and the Mini-DVI adapter accidentally slips out. Just log out or reboot and Quartz Extreme will be back. There's some strangeness in OS X when it comes to swapping displays and waking from sleep that's the cause. __________________ MRoogle it! hikari T7500 2.2 GHz / 4 GB / 320 GB / GMA X3100 / 10.5.8 shinobu Core i5 750 2.66 GHz / 4 GB / 640 GB / 4830 / Windows 7

Jul 21, 2008, 06:06 PM	#9
jsmithsole macrumors newbie Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: So Cal	I had the same problem, reboot worked but still annoying and every forum I have checked, there's no real solid answer... __________________ iMac 24"--2.4-3gb--10.5.2 / MacBook Pro 17"--2.4--2gb--10.4.11 / iPod 5G 60GB /iPhone 3G next....

Mar 6, 2008, 01:00 PM	#6
mrtune macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2007	My macbook does this all the time. Frequently I cannot open imovie or photobooth because it says I don't have a quartz extreme capable graphics card. If I go into the system info area it'll say the same thing. Shows it as not supported. If I simply log off and back on, then everything is fine again (no need to restart). It will show it as supported in the system info. At first I used to restart, but for the sake of trying it out once, I decided to just log off and on. It had the same effect as restarting, so that's what I do now. This all started after I updated to 10.5.2. Never had a problem before. I bought my macbook new in december. It's a big pain in my ass, as I enjoy using both those programs all the time. I've been trying to pinpoint when it happens. It has never happened after the computer has been running. Only when it comes out of sleep.

Aug 15, 2008, 07:22 AM	#10
Lunalova macrumors newbie Join Date: Aug 2008	Same thing I've got the same thing, i will try to reinstall QuartzComposerAppSupport.pkg later today, maybe that will work...

Nov 9, 2008, 06:38 PM	#11
kev319 macrumors newbie Join Date: Nov 2008	EarthDesk conflict I had the same exact problem. After using Imove for a few years on my G5, it suddenly quit working. I took a cue from one of the earlier posts and turned off EarthDesk as my active desktop. Once I restarted my computer, the error message disappeared. I'd say make sure your desktop is stationary and see if that helps.

Aug 28, 2009, 07:42 AM	#12
FénixMagnesio macrumors newbie Join Date: Aug 2009	A clue (also my first post) I don't have a full explanation for this glitch, but here is what was causing the problem in my case. I had my display in grayscale. Not only did iMovie give the error message, System Profiler actually thought Quartz Extreme was "Not Supported". I unchecked the grayscale option, and everything (once I reopened it) was back to normal. So the moral of the story is that any aberration in display settings, even outside of the Displays panel, has the potential to upset the status of graphics. By the way, iMovie '06 has the same error message, but gives you the option of starting it anyway. (As if '08 wasn't lacking enough functionality.) Also, the changing wallpaper didn't cause me trouble. However, we are talking about different versions of OS X. I'm running 10.4.11, as is mfjko. If you're wondering why I was using grayscale: I turn it on to remind me of another temporary setting - in this case, having the computer to never go to sleep. Reported causes: Change picture (Desktop & Screen Saver) Use grayscale (Universal Access) Let's keep this list going; I'm sure there are other triggers. Keep careful note of everything you do until Quartz goes AWOL. Reported fixes: Restart Log Out, Log In change resolution (Displays)

Oct 31, 2009, 10:45 PM	#13
snorkeler macrumors newbie Join Date: Oct 2009	Same problem on Mac Mini I have a Mac Mini purchased early 2009. It came with iMovie 08, and it has worked fine. I upgraded to Snow Leopard, and it still worked fine. Then, upon returning and restarting it, now iMovie gives the same error message cited here. Changing resolutions does not resolve the problem. I tried twice to set up an Apple support call. Very annoying--twice, after entering everything, it messaged "your call cannot be arranged at this time. Please try again later." Nice. It certainly seems Apple has a system bug here. It would be nice if they didn't charge you for fixing it or at least giving you a workaround. Update: a restart solved the issue. It would be nice if you could find this fix via Apple support. Thanks to Macrumors for being here. Last edited by snorkeler : Nov 1, 2009 at 10:26 AM.

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