Very odd behaviour... (apps not opening)

[Applespider]

Just tried to look at Activity Monitor and it flashed up briefly in the Dock and then disappeared again.

Now none of my apps will open - they flash briefly and close again. I tried to relaunch the Finder but it's now doing the same. The apps that were already open are fine - and I opened one a few minutes before this odd behaviour started.

Any ideas - and sorry... just realised what a crap title it was!

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

You didn't by any chance install/uninstall some fonts just as this happened?

If not, have you tried summoning the digital gods by restarting, repairing permissions, deleting any pref. files, etc.?

 

[Applespider]

Nope... no fonts.

I did install a new version of the widget iStat Pro earlier tonight but it's been out for a few days.

I noticed my free memory had gone down and thought I'd just check how much memory the widget was taking.

Powerbook is running Tiger and is up to date.

I haven't tried restarting it in case when I turn it back on, the same thing happens - in which case I couldn't get to MR for help...

 

[Lau]

Hmm, it is a bit of a dilemma, because chances are a restart will fix it and it'll be as if nothing happened, but, as you say, if it doesn't you're screwed. I'd be tempted to try it though. My bluetooth stopped working yesterday and my heart sank, thinking it was buggered hardware, but a restart sorted it...

 

[Applespider]

OK... looks like I'm going to have to bite the bullet and try although from the few searches on 'apps not launching' in Google, people seem to have tried it before...

If the worst comes to the worst, I guess I can boot from my backup drive since it's probably the system that's screwed rather than the hardware.

[fingers crossed]

 

[Lau]

Good luck!

 

[Applespider]

If not, have you tried summoning the digital gods by restarting, repairing permissions, deleting any pref. files, etc.?

Can't repair permissions or delete pref files since Finder won't restart and Terminal won't open (even using Quicksilver) since it does a v rapid bounce and vanish from the Dock.

OK... having waited an extra few minutes, mentally checking I recall my fsck, my key for choosing startup drive etc... I'm going for the tried and tested restart.

 

[gekko513]

Good luck. It seems you have no choice but to restart, unless you don't happen to have other accounts that you can try to fast user switch into.

 

[Applespider]

Good luck. It seems you have no choice but to restart, unless you don't happen to have other accounts that you can try to fast user switch into.

Restarting worked...

I didn't think of FUS into my admin account! Doh!

I couldn't tell the Mac to restart since the Apple menu wouldn't bring up the restart dialogue box... tried to shut down apps but with no Finder, it just froze eventually so had to do a manual shut down.

 

[Lau]

Restarting worked...

Yay! It does say something for Macs when a restart is the last resort. If you had been on a PC you'd have restarted it for the third time today...

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Welcome back...

It's amazing how often a simple restart can solve any problems, though I don't envy you those nervous seconds while the machine rebooted, but - what's the saying? - all's well that ends well... right...?

Now is a good time to make sure you have an extra backup of those data you cannot afford loosing...

 

[Applespider]

Now is a good time to make sure you have an extra backup of those data you cannot afford loosing...

Actually, data loss was one thing I wasn't worried about. Aside from a few emails (which are still on the servers), I think I'd only have lost a couple of iPhoto amends and the free songs from the iTMS this week. Everything else was on Sunday's backup

 

[Benjamin]

Yay! It does say something for Macs when a restart is the last resort. If you had been on a PC you'd have restarted it for the third time today...

Don't you mean reinstall windows with 3 restarts.... ??

Anyway I guess I got here late but in the past I have had this happen a few times. Normally when the system hangs (used to be with wmv files, i doubt that happened with you) but i have had to hard restart in these situations. Although i try to use terminal before activity monitor.

 

[Applespider]

Normally when the system hangs (used to be with wmv files, i doubt that happened with you) but i have had to hard restart in these situations.

Ah... but that was the odd thing... the system wasn't hung. All the apps that were actually open were running without problems - it was only when I tried launching new ones that nothing happened.

Ah well.. let's hope it doesn't happen again!

 

[Benjamin]

Ah... but that was the odd thing... the system wasn't hung. All the apps that were actually open were running without problems - it was only when I tried launching new ones that nothing happened.

Ah well.. let's hope it doesn't happen again!

Well.. i ment that nothing new would be allocated ram (i suspect)... so apps like you said were being shut down. idk im not thinking to technically now... but anyway probably wont happen for sometime, I haven't had to force restart for a long time under this situation.

blah tired

 

[gekko513]

I'm glad it worked out with just a restart. I find OS X rarely locks itself up so that I have to do a restart to get things back on track, but it has happened occasionally.