[boxworthy]

Hi all. I posted a while ago about my crippled Quicksilver and now I need some additional help.

It all started after a botched attempt to replace the original video card with a Radeon. After we reinstalled the original video card, the Quicksilver simply wouldn't boot. It'd either freeze upon startup or it'd proceed to the desktop only to freeze the moment we tried to open an application.

After running Diskwarrior, etc., my system was still running unusually slow and freezing. Upon my friend's suggestion, we decided to get new memory (in case the third party ram was damaged), and a new apple processor (in case the original one was damaged).

After replacing the old parts and doing a clean install of Panther, the computer still runs slowly. It now boots normally, but operates unusually slowly... We can't figure out why.

My friend tried booting from his external HD but the computer just froze... We're not sure if it may be the HD.

We don't think there is a problem with the video card... so if anyone has suggestions on how to solve our problem, please please let me know!

Thanks in advance.

[gizzard]

I'm the one working on this computer. I replaced the generic MacMall RAM with OWC RAM and replaced the stock 733 processor with a 867 processor. Everything is seated and connected correctly. The abnormally slow behavior still persists. I tried booting the Quicksilver from an external FW HD with 10.4.2, but that resulted in a frozen white screen of death. I wish I had an internal PATA HD to test with.

[reader50]

We need some more info.

How much RAM does the system have?
What was the SMART status of the internal drive?
What problem(s) did DiskWarrior find?
How full is the internal hard drive? Also, how big is the internal HD?
The slow behavior. Is it slow bootup, slow application launches, slow application operation (iTunes skipping, Quicktime dropping frames, etc), slow everything?
How is the internal HD jumpered? Choices are Master, Slave, Single (AKA Master without Slave) or Cable Select.
When you boot from the Install CD, does the system seem slow then?

note: the original thread is here. It's a good idea to link up previous efforts, so that we have as much info to work with as possible.

[gizzard]

Originally Posted by reader50

How much RAM does the system have?

128 MB Apple RAM and 512 MB OWC RAM (512 MB MacMall RAM was pulled)

What was the SMART status of the internal drive?

Status is "verified".

What problem(s) did DiskWarrior find?

I don't recall, but I repaired them all and replaced the directory structure. I'll run it again to see if it finds anything.

How full is the internal hard drive? Also, how big is the internal HD?

I performed a low level format on the drive and made a clean install of Tiger with updates.

The slow behavior. Is it slow bootup, slow application launches, slow application operation (iTunes skipping, Quicktime dropping frames, etc), slow everything?

Slow booting up, slow loading the finder, slow app launching, slow logging out. Generally sluggish behavior. Sometimes the widgets in the upper right hand corner don't load and the computer freezes. I know this computer shouldn't be so slow because I have a G4/800 iMac in the other room that is much snappier.

How is the internal HD jumpered? Choices are Master, Slave, Single (AKA Master without Slave) or Cable Select.

The jumpers are set correctly (master).

When you boot from the Install CD, does the system seem slow then?

I don't recall.

[reader50]

Low RAM will cause an OSX system to run very slowly. 128 MB could do that, but 640 MB is plenty. With the system booted up, go to the Apple Menu -> About This Mac. It's the very first choice. It will say how much RAM the system is recognizing, if it's only seeing 128 MB that would indicate the socket the 512 is plugged into may be bad. Clicking the "More Info" button will launch Apple System Profiler, which will indicate which RAM slots are seen as occupied.

Weird behavior after a clean install suggests a hardware problem. Since the HD's diagnostics (SMART) say it's ok internally, that mostly rules the HD out. Not entirely ruled out, it could be the cable connector with mechanical damage - so far as I know, SMART only checks problems in the HD's control board and the disk mechanicals.

Try rejumpering the HD as Single (Master without Slave). Several years ago, I pulled the power plug from a 2nd drive when I didn't need it - HDs made more noise then than they do now. My system started experiencing a 60-90 second delay on bootup. It turned out that if one HD is present and set to Master or Slave, the system will spend a minute or more looking for the other 'missing' drive. Jumpering the drive as Single removed the delay before bootup got going.

Of course, that answer at most only covers a bootup delay. When an application launches slowly, what does the Console log say? Launch the Console to find out, it's in /Applications/Utilities/Console.app

You could boot from the Install CD and do a permissions repair on the drive. Even after a clean install, permissions don't always get set correctly. Incorrect permissions can cause a lot of weird behavior. But Apple has gotten better on that front with successive OS releases. Still, it's an easy step to try.

When the Install CD boots, check the Apple and File menus. One of them will contain Disk Utility, you can jump to there and do the permissions repair without doing any installing.

Since this all started with an attempt to install a different video card, my best guess is that a static electric spark jumped somewhere during the procedure. If the new vid card didn't work, putting the old one back should have resolved all problems. But let's hope it will narrow down to something easy to fix. Like one bad RAM socket. Or the HD ribbon cable getting pinched when the case was closed back up.