Checklist of problem solvers
When a Mac has problems, especially erratic problems, here’s some of the things I try:
Start in Safe Mode:
Press Shift/Power Button; let go when you see the spinning gears icon.
This forces a directory check and takes a while.
Once you see the sign on menu, click the restart button.
Start in Single-User Mode:
Press Command(Apple)/S/Power Button. Don’t panic.
You will see a black screen with white text.
Type fsck -fy and press return.
When the new message stops, look for “File System was modified.”
If you see it, type fsck -fy again and wait.
Repeat until you see the message “no problems found.”
Type “reboot” and press return.
The computer should start normally.
Zap the PRAM
Shut down the computer.
Hold down the option/command/p/r buttons. Turn on the computer. (You can also press the power button and quickly press and hold the buttons.)
Keep holding the buttons down until you hear it chime and pause three times.
Let go.
Repair Permissions
Go to Utilities/Disk Utility and select the start up disk on the left.
On the tabs, click on First Aid.
At the bottom of the screen, click on “repair permissions.”
When it has finished running, repeat “repair permissions” until there are no permissions left to repair.
Note: In 10.3 (Panther), you may see the same set of permissions being repaired each time. This are known as “spurious permissions” and may be safely ignored. Check apple.com for more information on these.
