Log in window hung (won't boot)

[iBlue]

help please!

i have searched for this repeatedly (with no applicable solutions) and have asked a few questions in other peoples threads about this, no answer. now i am having a genuine problem, i'm royally pissed off and need help. no to mention typing this on my XP machine is a pride swallowing and frustrating endeavor. [grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr] now that THAT is out...

summary:

this is a rev C - 17" powerbook G4 running Panther (10.3)

events:
i notice in my activity monitor that my log in window is hung - this only seems to bother the system when i need to shut down.
then by (i think) coincidence something (weeks later) causes almost all of my applications to hang and they need force quitting.
i try to reboot. it won't. it just sits there.
i have to force shut down. it does.
it won't boot back up - it sits on the last step, the "starting log in window" and goes no further.
here is where i am at, again.

i have had my log in window "hang" (crash, whatever you want to call it) twice now. from my limited knowledge of macs this seems a near unrecoverable problem... at least not without a MASSIVE pain in the ass to get it booted.

first time i had to use the system restore disc to get it to boot up. it would sit there at the log in window starting page and never move past it. (doing this again) i am sure i don't need to explain what a horrible hassle it is to restore your damn operating system when your computer crashes. i know no other way though.

i have done nothing strange (that i know of) to cause this problem, it seems random. either way i have seen the log in window hang in the activity monitor click for screenshot taken weeks ago and had a bad feeling i would be dealing with this again. back when i saw the log in window hung (a couple weeks ago) i ran OnyX but didn't reboot because i was afraid this would happen. sure enough, something caused my applications to crash and i was forced to reboot. now i just can't boot it back up.

any ideas? i'm completely at a loss here and desperate for some info on what to do.
thanks.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Have you tried the easy one: Repairing permissions?

Also, find the file ~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.systemuiserver.<gibberish>.plist (where ~/ is your users home folder) and trash that, and reboot.

<Removed because of stupidity>

 

[yellow]

I have a different take on fixing/dealing with it:

I would boot in Single User Mode, mount the drive as writable, and move /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow.plist to another name.. say com.apple.loginwindow.plist.BAK, then reboot.

 

[iBlue]

Have you tried the easy one: Repairing permissions?

Also, find the file ~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.systemuiserver.<gibberish>.plist (where ~/ is your users home folder) and trash that, and reboot.

If this doesn't help. Log in from another account on your Mac, make one if you have to, and see if everything behaves better from that.

thank you for the prompt response.

i haven't gotten it running yet because it won't actually get to the log in window, it sits there (blank light blue screen background) at the progress bar stating "starting log in window" - but it never does.
i am hoping i don't need to reload the operating system again just to turn the thing on. that takes about 20 minutes, the restore. i guess i'm just hoping there is an easier way.
i can do that though, if there isn't another way.

i did use the repair permissions when i ran OnyX - no change. but like i said, i was scared to reboot because the log in window was still hung at the time. here weeks later when i was forced to reboot the problem just didn't correct itself the way i had hoped dang!

what does deleting that file do by the way?

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I have a different take on fixing/dealing with it: ...

Not necessarily, although I forgot to say anything about single user mode... nice catch.

I would also get rid of both preference files, just in case...

what does deleting that file do by the way?

Some times the preference files get corrupted, and when that happens the application (or process) that owns that plist file can crash, hang or generally misbehave...

Deleting it will (often) fix this.

It's a bit tricky from commandline (like Terminal) but if you get into single user mode, I'm sure we can guide you through it...

 

[iBlue]

I have a different take on fixing/dealing with it:

I would boot in Single User Mode, mount the drive as writable, and move /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow.plist to another name.. say com.apple.loginwindow.plist.BAK, then reboot.

not sure what that means (sorry ) but i'm willing to try. i can't get it to boot at the moment though. unless i hear another way i only know to put in the restore disc and get it on that way.

i really appreciate your help though, very much.

 

[eva01]

wait isn't SystemUIserver the top right bar where all the icons are?

It is, i just tested it by killing that process and restarting it.

You have something up in there causing it to hang.

It isn't really the login window server i believe but some startup program in your UIserver that is crashing

First remove all 3rd party programs from that UIserver, and from startup

 

[yellow]

EDIT: Re-read the original thread.. I'll hold off posting prompts until the LOGOUT issue is dealt with first.

 

[eva01]

also from looking at your screenshot is Gmailstatus something that goes into that icon bin at the top right?

If it is i notice it was taking 67% of your CPU during screenshot, which is probably not good and possibly causing computer to hang

 

[iBlue]

wait isn't SystemUIserver the top right bar where all the icons are?

It is, i just tested it by killing that process and restarting it.

You have something up in there causing it to hang.

It isn't really the login window server i believe but some startup program in your UIserver that is crashing

First remove all 3rd party programs from that UIserver, and from startup

i have Gmail status and Meteo (a weather thing) there. i wonder why it would take down the whole log in process though. it's weird that the application itself doesn't just freak out, i mean why my log in window? really weird.

 

[eva01]

i have Gmail status and Meteo (a weather thing) there. i wonder why it would take down the whole log in process though. it's weird that the application itself doesn't just freak out, i mean why my log in window? really weird.

Kill Gmail status boot into single user mode and get rid of it, it had 67% CPU and 487 threads. That is bad really bad.

I think that will fix everything

 

[iBlue]

Kill Gmail status boot into single user mode and get rid of it, it had 67% CPU and 487 threads. That is bad really bad.

I think that will fix everything

this is going to sound incredibly stupid (teminology is going over my head) how am i to boot in single user mode? is all of this assuming i restore the operating system? (this is the ONLY way i currently know how to get it to go past that log in issue) the powerbook is off and won't load because it sticks at "starting log in window" and won't proceed)



P.S. i will ditch gmail status though as soon as the PB is running again, gmail status is a piece of crap

 

[eva01]

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106388

when you press the power button hold down Command + S

 

[iBlue]

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106388

command + S

oh my god, i'm glad i asked but boy do i feel like a dumbass.

thank you... going to try it now...

 

[yellow]

Reboot, hold down Cmd-S

AT the prompt type:

mount -uw /

then

cd /Library/Preferences

then

mv com.apple.loginwindow.plist com.apple.loginwindow.plist.BAK

then

reboot

Does it reboot normally? If not, you should reboot (again) and hold down Cmd-V to boot in verbose mode so you can (hopefully) see where it dies.

 

[eva01]

oh my god, i'm glad i asked but boy do i feel like a dumbass.

thank you... going to try it now...

I hope it works, good luck. Don't use Gmail Status anymore

Make sure you remove it from startup

 

[iBlue]

damn, no cigar. still stuck at log in window starting

yellow: i did exactly as you wrote too.

dang this is frustrating

 

[eva01]

damn, no cigar. still stuck at log in window starting

yellow: i did exactly as you wrote too.

dang this is frustrating

did you remove gmail status?

if you did....then hmmm interesting

boot into verbose mode. Did the computer boot fully into single user mode?

 

[iBlue]

did you remove gmail status?

if you did....then hmmm interesting

boot into verbose mode. Did the computer boot fully into single user mode?

no i can't get in there AT ALL. it will not move past that "log in window starting" progress thing.

i tried singel user mode with the commands yellow suggested and it did the same thing (stuck at log in)

verbose threw so much text out so fast i could not read a bit of it (other than "no login" which i noticed right away) then it just sat at a blue screen and did nothing at all. i had to force it off again, when i hit the power button to tell it to "shut down" it then gave me a blank black screen with a white square in the upper left corner. so i held the power button down for 5 seconds to force it off.
it's truly bizarre

i tried (in vain) after that to boot normally and same thing)

i guess i can just do the damn restore and throw that gmail status thing as far away as possible.

crickey, macs seldom have problems but when they do (or when mine do) it is just a nightmare. ugh

i can't tell you all how much i appreciate your help though. it's embarrassing but i'm always willing to sacrifice pride when it comes to making sure my mac is running.

 

[eva01]

weird....really weird

 

[840quadra]

Mine did this once (my iBook) when I didn't detatch from a network drive (correctly) before putting my computer to sleep. In my case zapping the Parameter ram fixed the issue with my system not booting.

It is worth a shot.

Reboot.. After the chime press and hold Command(Apple)+Option+P+R until you hear the apple chime again.

It may not fix your issue, but it is quick, and worth a shot.

HTH
840

 

[iBlue]

i don't even know what to do - i am beyond furious. i want to throw that overpriced piece of crap into the snow! it won't do a damn thing! after an hour of trying to update the OS to get the friggin thing to just boot up, it now hangs on "waiting for update settings". i am SO sick of this... i just want the <insert massive swearing> thing to BOOT UP! is that so much to ask?! god this pisses me off!

sorry, i really needed to vent. i might need to set it aside for the night because i am so pissed i want to smash it to bits.

 

[Sun Baked]

sorry, i really needed to vent. i might need to set it aside for the night because i am so pissed i want to smash it to bits.

Go beat the crap out of a newbie, it'll make you feel better.

 

[iBlue]

Go beat the crap out of a newbie, it'll make you feel better.

HAHA thanks, this post alone made me feel better - SWEET!

 

[yenko]

not sure what that means (sorry ) but i'm willing to try. i can't get it to boot at the moment though. unless i hear another way i only know to put in the restore disc and get it on that way.

i really appreciate your help though, very much.

Use the system restore disk to run disk utility: don't use it to re-install.
Run repair disk from your install CD/DVD and reboot after you've finished.
Don't repair permissions from the installer disk!