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JonD25

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 9, 2006
423
9
This is from someone else on another forum I go to every once in a while. I tried to answer a little, but my Mac knowledge quite small compared to some here, so I thought I'd consult the experts. Here's what he said:

"My school has a little lab of eMac computers as a sort of addendum to the normal computer labs (which are all Dells). I occasionally like to use them, as they have nice programs like Photoshop that the Dells don't have. However, it never fails that the first three I sit down at are simply DEAD. Either the spinning-wheel-of-death (is this Apple's BSOD?) is going eternally, the dock won't respond (nothing... nada... zip... zilch), or the computer locks itself into the screensaver. What in the name of high heaven is wrong with these computers?"

He said they were likely about 2 years old. I asked if they had Tiger on them, and he didn't understand the question. But I'm assuming they don't. I told him about Disk Utility, and the likely fact that these Macs probably aren't being maintained at all, plus adding the fact that a lot of users are going at them, that the eMacs just can't handle it. But anything else I could inform him about why these computers might be freaking out? He seems to think that even if they are lab computers, they should still be able to "keep themselves running" :rolleyes:
 
Difficult to say. They may have insufficient RAM (or a million apps running at once). I guess a restart would be a quick way of cleaning things up.

Quite often, I find people used to Windows end up leaving tonnes of apps running because they assume the little red dot closes the app and not just the window. If rebooting isn't an option (this'll also clear up the RAM), then make sure there aren't a bunch of icons on the Dock with black triangles under them. :)
 
Given that they are public computers their hd's might be full to the point of not being useful. Try restarting and deleting some of the files.
 
mad jew said:
Quite often, I find people used to Windows end up leaving tonnes of apps running because they assume the little red dot closes the app and not just the window. :)
Don't even get me started on that.... I must have said it a million times... Ah well.

Is there a head Mac person at that school? Im guessing not. Those poor little eMacs. They probable need to be serviced so bad.
 
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