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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > MBP spinny beachball of death attacks

MBP spinny beachball of death attacks
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cambro
Senior User
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Laurentia
Status: Offline
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Dec 3, 2006, 01:58 PM
 
For months, my MBP has been very reliable, never crashing etc. Lately, however, my MBP has been very unreliable - so much so that I really can't use it in mission-critical settings.

No changes have been made to the hardware during this time, I've installed no third-party system hacks of any kind, and I'm unsure whether I have a hardware or software problem. I've used OS X since 10.0 and this has been the worst stretch yet in terms of reliablility so something is definitely wrong with this machine/installation. Here are the symptoms (10.4.8, all recent updates applied, permissions repaired and normal; I think problems have accelerated since 10.4.8, or possibly started after 10.4.8):
  • Frequent Beachball of Death - hard lockups occur regularly and unpredictably with respect to running apps and whether I am connected to a network or not. Usually these require hard restarts, but sometimes they will escape after serveral minutes, followed by rapid sequential execution of all mouse clicks that occurred during lock up. Force quit dialogue cannot be opened and when remote login is turned on, I cannot connect via ssh. These are becoming increasingly frequent.
  • Question Mark Folder icon - commonly (but not always) after hard restart from spinning beach ball, the startup screen will display a folder with a question mark, indicating that the boot volume cannot be found. Hard restarting from this always results in an apparently normal boot.
  • Hardware test produces no errors - extended testing using Apple hardware tools supplied on original installation disks return no errors.
  • Disk Utility from DVD boot reports no disk errors.
  • RARELY (as in 2-3x), I have noticed an unusual, short-lived and rather loud electronic-sounding "squeal" or "chirp" (not the much talked about whine or buzz). Sounds like it comes from left half of laptop, possibly the left speaker? This does not coincide with crashes, but it first started at about the same time crashes started and I have never heard anything like it before.

Any ideas? I am on the verge of re-installing the system and/or creating a new user and killing the current account, but the question mark boot-up and audible, definitely non-normal sound has me worried that there is something more deeply wrong than some bad preference files.

EDIT: just heard the noise again, and it was followed by a brief beachball (~10 sec) when I tried to open a new Safari window. The squeaky electronic noise lasts less than 1 sec and sounds like it could be related to HD spinning (even though it is not a mechanical grind)?
     
romeosc
Mac Elite
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Memphis, Tn. USA
Status: Offline
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Dec 3, 2006, 07:31 PM
 
Download and install Applejack
restart in single user mode (Command S on reboo)

type "applejack auto restart" Return

wait until applejack runs and reboots you mac.....
     
cambro  (op)
Senior User
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Laurentia
Status: Offline
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Dec 4, 2006, 10:56 AM
 
Update:

Complete HD failure!

Luckily I backed up my data, because later that night after I made this post, the HD completely died. Can't boot, Disk Utility won't even erase the volume. The HD is DEAD!

Backup your data if you are getting OS X beachballs regularly! It is a sign your HD is about to die!
     
ghporter
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
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Dec 4, 2006, 12:38 PM
 
Any time you have a question mark folder picture it means the hard drive is not doing what it's supposed to. I'm surprised you got it to run at all...

Warranty is a good thing, right?

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
   
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