Macintosh Powerbook behaving like a PC with dropouts in iMovie et all

[foz405]

I originally logged this problem under another forum because I didn't have all the details.
Help please !! I'm running 10.3.9 on a 1.5ghz G4 Powerbook with 1GB DDR SDRAM, and today whilst working with iMOvie the whole show slowed to a crawl.
It is impossible to edit anything as the catherine wheel just spins. Can't play a movie (thorough iMovie either) as it is slow and jerky. (iLife04).
The whole system has slowed. I recopied iMovie from my external hard drive backup and it worked once and now has returned to dead slow. Recopying doesn't help.
I had a similar problem a while ago when iMovie died and wouldn't open, but restored the whole operating system and it worked.
I don't want to go through that again as I had SO many problems reloading downloaded software and getting the printer to work.
Someone said I may have problems with the hard disk.
I've repaired all the file permissions.
I created a new user logged in under that, but no different.
Once I changed all the folder permissions etc I am in under the other user AND it all is still the same. Worked OK until I went to timeline viewer and it got stuck and locked up. (I opened it from the original folder - Movies in the home user).

Then, I tried the following. Copied the project onto the external hard drive and started it all from there with 30GB free space. Same problem. However, just to check, I tried another backed up file from some months ago and it works in as much as I can edit volume through the timeline viewer??? Back to the mac and tried iMovie on a few files. Lockup again.

Now, I "shared" a clip to the desktop (.dv) and then created a new project and imported the clip. I can edit this new project through the timeline viewer as per normal. Am I now getting the message that iMOvie has somehow corrupted all my files and I will need to copy them down, delete the original file, and then create them again ? How can this be ?

Anyway, I decided to do the above this arvo. Copied all the clips to the external drive, made up a new movie and used the copy of iMovie on the external drive. Stayed away from the Powerbook. It was all going well, finished and I moved to timeline viewer when iMovie unexpectedly quit. Once I started it again ALL the above problems returned.
Now, I have had problems with programs unexpectedly quitting before - Safari etc.

By the way, this is not the first time I've had trouble with iMovie - it locked up a month or so ago and I reloaded the original discs and operating system with all the attendant problems that brings.
Could I have something wrong with the hard disk ? The local Apple shop wants me to spend $100+ to analyse the machine.

I've got 4.1GB free left - a little tight, but enough to write a DVD and then clear this stuff off my system when and if I can get it to work. I had 20GB left on the external drive after all this.

I purchased a Mac because I had all this sort of problem with Bill Gates PC and Windows and hoped I'd left it behind.

 

[CanadaRAM]

First:
Is your data all backed up? If not, do it now.

Second:
Repairing Permissions is not the same as verifying your disk.
Boot from the OS X CD that came with your machine (put the CD in, restart, hold the "C" key down until it boots into the Installer)
Accept the language selection if it asks you to, then go to the Installer or Utilities menu at the top and choose Disk Utility
Run a Repair Disk on your internal drive
Make note if it said it repaired issues, or if there were issues it couldn't repair.
If you have TechTool Pro or the Apple Hardware Test CD, run those tests.

Third:
4 Gb free on a hard drive is not enough. Clean it up. Use DeLocalizer to remove foreign language resources. (check www.versiontracker.com) move older files to your external and burn a DVD copy, and throw them off the internal drive.

Fourth:
Given random crashing in a variety of programmes, you may have either hardware or System problems. After doing the above 3, and assuming that Disk Utility gave the drive a clean bill of health, consider an Archive and Install of OSX to replace your OS components. That is the blunt instrument way of dealing with it: the alternative is selectively deleting .plist files and replacing components.

Fifth:
It is not directly related, probably, but if you are doing a lot of iMovie work, consider increasing the amount of RAM, and potentially a larger, faster hard drive (Certainly the latter if Disk Utility reports that SMART status is failing).

PS: Copying the project to the external was a smart move, but IIRC the swap files are still using the internal drive, where the problem is coming in.

 

[foz405]

First:
Is your data all backed up? If not, do it now.

Second:
Repairing Permissions is not the same as verifying your disk.
Boot from the OS X CD that came with your machine (put the CD in, restart, hold the "C" key down until it boots into the Installer)
Accept the language selection if it asks you to, then go to the Installer or Utilities menu at the top and choose Disk Utility
Run a Repair Disk on your internal drive
Make note if it said it repaired issues, or if there were issues it couldn't repair.
If you have TechTool Pro or the Apple Hardware Test CD, run those tests.

Third:
4 Gb free on a hard drive is not enough. Clean it up. Use DeLocalizer to remove foreign language resources. (check www.versiontracker.com) move older files to your external and burn a DVD copy, and throw them off the internal drive.

Fourth:
Given random crashing in a variety of programmes, you may have either hardware or System problems. After doing the above 3, and assuming that Disk Utility gave the drive a clean bill of health, consider an Archive and Install of OSX to replace your OS components. That is the blunt instrument way of dealing with it: the alternative is selectively deleting .plist files and replacing components.

Fifth:
It is not directly related, probably, but if you are doing a lot of iMovie work, consider increasing the amount of RAM, and potentially a larger, faster hard drive (Certainly the latter if Disk Utility reports that SMART status is failing).

PS: Copying the project to the external was a smart move, but IIRC the swap files are still using the internal drive, where the problem is coming in.

Thanks. I'll do it and reply.
This has happened before and I did all you recommended and the report was OK. I had SO much trouble with preferences and the printer when I reloaded OSX that I swore I'd never do it again. I thought I could hang out for Leopard .....
C'est le vie