Blue screen problem, but during use...

[blenderdude]

For a while, I was having the login problem where the computer would stop at the blue screen. I fixed this with the article on mac 101.

However, now a blue screen will pop up seemingly at random, after a while of using the computer. This means that if I leave the computer on over night, there is invariably a blue screen up in the morning. When this happens I have to do a manual shutdown, and I can't save in any of my programs.

Putting the computer to sleep prevents this from happening during sleep, but I don't want to do that *every* time I step away from my computer...

Any help would be awesome.

 

[mad jew]

Do you mean you're getting logged out?

Do you have Log Out After X Minutes Of Inactivity ticked in the Security pane of System Preferences?

Alternatively, what exactly is running on your system when this happens? Would it be possible to post a screen shot or a photo of one of these blue screens?

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

What kind of "blue screen" are we talking about here? Just a plain blue screen like the one at start up or something with a message or what?

Long shot: Have you set your Mac to log out after a certain number of minutes inactivity in System Preferences -> Security? Edit: Beaten well and good... time to go to bed...

Also: Have you tried all the usual mumbo jumbo™: Running maintenance scripts, repairing permissions, verifying your disk, checking SMART status, logging in from another user account, etc.?

 

[blenderdude]

Sorry about the lack of details.

The blue screen is just a blank, pale blue screen, like you see briefly during the log on process.
I don't have the preferences set to automatically log out at all.

I just ran a repair permissions, but as I said the screen only happens after a long time (overnight, mostly). I guess I'll find out tommorow morning whether repair permissions worked or not %|

 

[mad jew]

What apps do you have running overnight? Also, is the machine warm when you get back to it in the morning (with the blue screen)?

 

[blenderdude]

It doesn't matter what apps are open. Regardless of what I'm doing, there's a blue screen.

And repair permissions didn't help.

 

[mad jew]

Please go back over this thread and answer some of the other questions. This is a pretty weird/unorthodox problem so the more information we all have, the better the chance we have of getting to the bottom of your problem.

In the meantime, create a new user account in System Preferences and see if the same problems happen.

 

[blenderdude]

Sorry about not answering all the questions; I'm pretty busy (not to mention a little frustrated)
The S.M.A.R.T status is 'Verified' in disk utility.
I've done everything listed by Mitthrawnuruodo except create a user account. I'll try and do that tonight, and report back tommorow.

Thanks for the help.

 

[mad jew]

No worries, there's no hurry. Hopefully the new account will work properly because that pretty much means it's a software-side issue and at worst you'll just have to migrate everything across to the new one.

 

[blenderdude]

Well, I left the computer on all night, and there was no blue screen.
I switched to my regular admin account during the day, and left it on... and no blue screen.

Weird! I just hope the problem is really gone