I wanted to share a discovery I made trying to troubleshoot a system problem I was having a frustrating time tracking down.
After installing several software updates and a new external hard disk on my iMac 24 (late 2008) I was having intermittent problems with system slowdowns, multiple apps hanging when starting or running and even the Finder hanging. I tried a number of different utilities and all the usual procedures, repairs and rebuilds with no success. No viruses, corrupt files, or problems with the Mac hardware. In fact the problem seemed to be getting worse with me unable to force relaunch the Finder or Restart via the OS.
I was ready to start a complete system install and upgrade from my original 10.5 disks, when I decided to go to the Apple support site to look for a local repair shop since there is no Apple store within 100s of miles.
In the trouble shooting guide they suggested disconnecting all external hardware to track down possible driver or firmware problems. I routinely check for upgrades for these but followed the procedure anyway since I have a number of peripherals connected including a time capsule.
Everything checked out with the exception of a Belkin powered USB hub I was using to extend my available ports. Lo and behold when I reconnected it, the problems immediately returned and appear to be absent with it gone. I don't believe it even uses a software driver and I have not yet checked to see if there is a firmware upgrade though it likely is only available for PCs anyways.
I guess the lesson here is to start with Apple's troubleshooting first. I guess it got me to do some system trimming that was long overdue but I would have saved a lot of time had I started with Apple.
After installing several software updates and a new external hard disk on my iMac 24 (late 2008) I was having intermittent problems with system slowdowns, multiple apps hanging when starting or running and even the Finder hanging. I tried a number of different utilities and all the usual procedures, repairs and rebuilds with no success. No viruses, corrupt files, or problems with the Mac hardware. In fact the problem seemed to be getting worse with me unable to force relaunch the Finder or Restart via the OS.
I was ready to start a complete system install and upgrade from my original 10.5 disks, when I decided to go to the Apple support site to look for a local repair shop since there is no Apple store within 100s of miles.
In the trouble shooting guide they suggested disconnecting all external hardware to track down possible driver or firmware problems. I routinely check for upgrades for these but followed the procedure anyway since I have a number of peripherals connected including a time capsule.
Everything checked out with the exception of a Belkin powered USB hub I was using to extend my available ports. Lo and behold when I reconnected it, the problems immediately returned and appear to be absent with it gone. I don't believe it even uses a software driver and I have not yet checked to see if there is a firmware upgrade though it likely is only available for PCs anyways.
I guess the lesson here is to start with Apple's troubleshooting first. I guess it got me to do some system trimming that was long overdue but I would have saved a lot of time had I started with Apple.