[Ilja]

Since a hard-reboot yesterday my Addressbook won't startup anymore. Finder says it doesn't respond. Also starting up mail.app will have the app constantly say 'loading addressbook', and it won't succeed. Another problem I have is Safari and Camino beachballing every time I want to type something in an text-field (am using firebird now)

Sometimes my hd makes weird clicks resulting in me having to hard-reboot and alot of beachballing.

Am affraid my hd is corrupted. Any way to check if it is?

[TETENAL]

Yes, that sounds like your hard disk is broken. You can use Disk Utility select the disk (not the volume) and click the Info button. If the S.M.A.R.T. status is not verified you know the hard disk is likely to fail.

Since the disk is making strange clicks and losing data I suggest you replace it anyway.

You can also use the "First Aid" section of Disk Utility to repair the directory structure of the disk. Since the boot volume can not be repaired you need to boot from the system install CD and selet Disk Utility from the Installer's application menu. You can then use First Aid to repair the directory structure of the disk. This will not bring back any lost data though and obviously doesn't help if the disk is really defective.

[C.J. Moof]

Check this first: AddressBook can go totally funky if something happens to helvetica. If a font got damaged in a goofy way, it could also make other apps go crazy, espicially if they're trying to render that font in a text entry box.

You could probably replace them (I'd do them all, in case it's a font, but not Helvetica) from the system CDs. Or, just do a reinstall of the OS, but then you'll have to do all the updates since your CDs were burned, which can be a hassle. But at least your user data will remain intact- as long as you don't format the disc.

[Ilja]

S.M.A.R.T. status is verified, couldn't find the way to verify or repair the directory structure....

I will look into the Helvetica issue, allthough I suspect my Addressbook database is corrupted: my Addressbook.data is 1.2 mb, while my Addressbook.data.previous is 3 mb. Is it smart to replace my .data with the .data.previous?

Thanks

[TETENAL]

Originally posted by Ilja:
couldn't find the way to verify or repair the directory structure....

Boot from the system install CD. You will see the Installer. Don't install anything of course. In the Installer's application menu (the menu in bold called "Installer") there is the Disk Utility. Launch it, then click the First Aid tab and then click the repair disk button. Repeat until it says the disk appears to be OK.

[workerbee]

Originally posted by C.J. Moof:
Check this first: AddressBook can go totally funky if something happens to helvetica.

This should be the very first thing checked for when strange and mysterious stuff happens on a OS X install, like apps not starting or beachballing for no apparent reason.

[C.J. Moof]

Yep, it's not just Address book- I've seen the same thing keep iTunes from launching, and make DVD Studio Pro weird. That one would start, but just beachaball if you tried to apply a template.