[PHoynak]

All of a sudden my menu clock is gone and when I go to Systen Prefs and turn it on the settings are not saved. Also I just started getting the "spinning beachball" at startup. Once when I log-in and for about 3 mins when the desktop appears (without any icons yet).

Does anyone know what is going on?

[wulf]

Originally posted by PHoynak:
Does anyone know what is going on?

Something got hosed.

It could be corrupt preference files. Try moving com.apple.MenuBarClock.plist and com.apple.systempreferences.plist out of your Home/Library/Preferences/ folder, and restart. See if that helps.

You could also try the usual troubleshooting rituals: restart + zap PRAM, single user mode + fsck, fix permissions.

If nothing else works there's always the old Archive and Install option. Bit drastic, but it fixes most things

[threestain]

I have had this problem too, and am in the process of getting everything back on, after archive and install didn't fix everything - some things just didn't work somehow - like buttons and I couldn't use my modem that disappeared! I would back up and clean install personally. I think its a bug in the 14/8/2003 security update - are more peeps with it over on the apple boards.

[Telusman]

I'd check the permissions on your home directory to make sure you have proper acess, i've installed a program or two thats actually reset my permissions so my home directory was readable, but i couldn't write to it to save preferences, etc.

If you have proper access and it's still all awry, i'd get a copy of Cocktail and give that a go, i really like it and it helps get all the tasks done without having to do a bunch of terminal commands. (which i like doing, don't get me wrong, but this is just mucho faster.)

-Telusman

[chris v]

1. If it's a user prefs problem, an archive and install won't fix the problem, since it maintains the current users folder intact.

2. DiskWarrior. Buy it, use it, love it.

CV

[Telusman]

Permissions are very easily fixed, either a simple terminal command or through the get info window, but either way, it's easy and an archive and reinstall would not be nessecary or feasible.

chmod 700 <userdir>

or if you use personal web sharing

chmod 711 <userdir>

I haven't seen disk warrior work much unless its total volume structure, to be honest i've seen most Mac OS X problems to be Stupid Human Tricks™ or errant apps and not the OS itself. Some people just have no discretion when authorizing root (administrative) access to any app that asks for it. Prevention is always the best way to avoid these particular problems.

If theres sluggishness in login i find destroying the caches that are in the ~/library and /library folders. I've found many problems arise if these files become over abundant and or corrupted. If there are still problems after destroying the caches, i'll often just remove the entire ~/library from my home directory and let the system build new preferences files for me, then drop needed preferences back into the new folder as needed. it may seem like a lot of work, but it's still faster than reinstall, and you get to keep your preferences important preferences and let the system build new ones for some things.

- Telusman

[threestain]

I did try resetting permissions before archive and reinstall - in fact I followed all the instructions on the apple website under start up problems. This made no difference, not even when I had archived and reinstalled, so it looks like the problem is more deeply rooted

[Pierre B.]

Originally posted by threestain:
This made no difference, not even when I had archived and reinstalled, so it looks like the problem is more deeply rooted

Does this happens for a specific users or for all users in your system? Just create a new user and login to see if that makes a difference. If yes, then the corruption is located at the user level.

[PHoynak]

I ran Disk Warrior which found problems and fixed them all. I also ran Cocktail, fixed permissions etc etc. The hanging beachball at startup is gone but I still cannot get the menu clock to come back. I click to have it displayed but the setting will not stick.

I trashed the prefs noted above but still no luck.

If I trash all of the preferences will I have bigger problems?