Alright guys, I think this should be the last of my Mac newbie questions. Sometimes I'll leave my computer on and return but find everything performing slow and my airport express disconnected (it also can't relocate the wireless signal). This has happened three times to me so far. The only thing I left on the computer to run was bit torrent both times. I also plug in a mouse that needs to be removed before booting up otherwise it causes my computer to not be able to boot up (I just get the DONG and a continous black screen.) I don't know if the mouse could be a cause or be harmful to my system either. What do you guys think is causing this? *I've only had my ibook since wednsday.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
What causes the ibook to have performance issues?
- Thread starter WillMak
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
mad jew said:
It's a "Targus optical scroller mini mouse" that I got originally for my old windows xp machine. I plugged it into my Mac and it ended up workign properly. It's when I restart my computer or shut off and turn back on that the ibook refuses to go anywhere past a black screen and a dong. It that case, I usually just take out the mouse and reboot with command+control+power button. Perhaps this mouse has caused some permanent damage that I was not aware about?
Not necessarily. If they're not compatible, it may still work, but you may get other negative effects. Like a severe performance slow down. 
My guess is that the mouse is messing with your Mac. Give another mouse a go, preferably a Mac-compatable one. Hopefully you won't have any more performance issues.
My guess is that the mouse is messing with your Mac. Give another mouse a go, preferably a Mac-compatable one. Hopefully you won't have any more performance issues.
mad jew said:Not necessarily. If they're not compatible, it may still work, but you may get other negative effects. Like a sever performance slow down.
Oh hehehe, well if that's the case hopefully it's not permanent damage.
mad jew said:My guess is that the mouse is messing with your Mac. Give another mouse a go, preferably a Mac-compatable one. Hopefully you won't have any more performance issues.
Hmm, I guess this is a good excuse for me to buy the new apple mouse!
This business of getting logged off your Airport Express is troubling too.....
Things to look at:
1) Try changing the channel using the airport utility, in case you are having interference issues.
2) If you are using the mode that says to distribute IP addresses using DHCP (so that different computers have different IP addresses), make sure that the lease duration is long -- try several days.
3) When you lose the connection, if you do again, Can you reconnect wirelessly if you bring the 'book closer to the Airport Express, like right in front of it? Or does it still refuse? How do you solve it?
Things to look at:
1) Try changing the channel using the airport utility, in case you are having interference issues.
2) If you are using the mode that says to distribute IP addresses using DHCP (so that different computers have different IP addresses), make sure that the lease duration is long -- try several days.
3) When you lose the connection, if you do again, Can you reconnect wirelessly if you bring the 'book closer to the Airport Express, like right in front of it? Or does it still refuse? How do you solve it?
mkrishnan said:
hey Mkrish, what's happ'nin!
1) I don't think it's interference issues because my PC computers can still pick up a wireless signal when my ibook can't.
2) errr...I don't know what that is
3) When I lose connection the wireless airport can't detect my wireless network at all. If I try reconnecting to it manuall by typing in a network name and the the WEP password, it does not pickup. No matter how close I move it to and fro it wont pickup. Ironically if I just restart my mac everything turns out normal. The reason why I think the airport problem is related to the mouse problem is because there is always a "slow down" of the icons and mouse button (the mouse looks like it's moving at 5 frames per second!) when the internet is gone.
Unplug the mouse, repair permissions, restart the Mac, and run it for a few days without the mouse. See if things are fine for these few days, hopefully they will be.
For the record, you probably don't need to restart or repair permissions but it's sort of a case of may-as-well.
For the record, you probably don't need to restart or repair permissions but it's sort of a case of may-as-well.
mad jew said:Unplug the mouse, repair permissions, restart the Mac, and run it for a few days without the mouse. See if things are fine for these few days, hopefully they will be.
For the record, you probably don't need to restart or repair permissions but it's sort of a case of may-as-well.
Is repair permission the repairing the hard drive thing? The thing where you put in the tiger install disc and boot it up and go to the utilities?
Well, sort of. I don't think that's all necessary though. I meant repair permissions from Disk Utility in your Utilities folder whereby you select the hard drive you want repaired and simply click "Repair Permissions".
Well, I suppose it's an equivalent but from what I've gathered, it doesn't work in the same way. Anyway, all you could ever want to know about repairing permissions.
mad jew said:Well, I suppose it's an equivalent but from what I've gathered, it doesn't work in the same way. Anyway, all you could ever want to know about repairing permissions.
Aww your link isn't working for me, but I have no doubt in my mind you know what you're talking about. You and Mkrish have been a great help in helping my adjustment to OSX tiger from windows in under a week.
WillMak said:
Well that sucks. It's just a page on Apple's support site describing the inner-most details of repairing permissions. You could do a search for it if you want to, it's pretty easy to find. It's weird that it's not letting you click on it though.
We're only too happy to help. Plus, you seem to be enjoying the switch, which is the main thing.
I had/have same issue with Airport connection
Hi Willmak,
I have the same issue with my Airport connection. I've had my iBook for about a week?? and have lost my connection a couple times, requiring me to restart my computer to get the connection back. After losing the connection, it certainly seemed like my performance took a hit as well -- cursor jumped a bit while moving it around the Finder, etc. Not sure what could be causing this, but I know it's not the mouse because I ran into the same issue without plugging in the mouse. I'm now running Disk Utility to see if it helps to prevent this from happening again. Let me know if you find out any solution. Thanks! :-D
Hi Willmak,
I have the same issue with my Airport connection. I've had my iBook for about a week?? and have lost my connection a couple times, requiring me to restart my computer to get the connection back. After losing the connection, it certainly seemed like my performance took a hit as well -- cursor jumped a bit while moving it around the Finder, etc. Not sure what could be causing this, but I know it's not the mouse because I ran into the same issue without plugging in the mouse. I'm now running Disk Utility to see if it helps to prevent this from happening again. Let me know if you find out any solution. Thanks! :-D
axisdrama said:
Well after removing my mouse for about a day and a half, I have yet to have anymore performance issues. It really does seem like the mouse was what did it in for me. Perhaps you have some sort of third party interference that isn't a mouse? printer, keyboard etc?
axisdrama said:
nevermind abotu the mouse thing. It just happened to me twice in one night. This is friggin annoying. When my windows notebook wireless signal disconnected it would just find it again but when the ibook disconnects, there's a performance lag and it says my network is "out of range" WTH!? I'm right next to the router! If you find a solution to this as well tell me.
Let's compare ibooks. I got a 1.33 12" 1.5GB. So far I've installed. Mac player OSX, VLC, and azureus. One common factor that all the disconnects have in common was the use of azureus (bit torrent) in all of them. When does the disconnects happen to you and what programs have you installed as well?
* I don't remember if this started before or after I installed the Crucial Ram. Do you think the crucial Ram could be causing this?
I second this. Earlier this year (this was even pre-Tiger) I was firing up BitTorrent, for the first time in ages, to download some of those Mercedes tapes (man those were disappointing, but I digress) and my iBook froze up completely, three times in a row. Switched to Bits On Wheels (that's how I got the Mercedes tapes down) and didn't have any problems.MacSA said:
BitTorrent was also my main suspect when my iBook had a kernel panic way back, and is a contributing factor to why i don't use it torrent programs at all. (Ethics and the availability of free music at the public local library are the main reasons.
)Isn't Azureus also Java based...? And thus doubling the chance of something going wrong...
Well, ever since running disk utility, it hasn't happened to me, but, of course, this doesn't mean that it fixed anything -- it could be unrelated. I don't use bit torrent. I think it happened to me while working on PowerPoint or Word -- not sure if my situation was really software related at all, though. I do have 1GB of Crucial RAM installed, so perhaps that could have caused the problem??? Not sure. If it happens to my computer again, I'll let you know, but so far so good.