Apps on iBook keep quitting

Question

I've got an iBook G4, and like the title says, anything you try to run on it abruptly quits. I'd read the reports on why things are quitting, but the application displaying them also abruptly quits.
I've run the disk utility and the hardware checker from the install disks, no problems found. Reinstalled with just the OS, iPhoto and AppleWorks. No change. I should note that the installation itself was interrupted a couple times with some unidentified difficulties, so I suspect the hard drive itself might have a problem, but the disk utility says no.
Any thoughts on where the problem might be?
Thanks

Answer 1

Hi Brett, is it Console that is quitting also?
Open Console in Utilities & see if there are any clues or repeating messages when this happens.
One way to test is to Safe Boot from the HD, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, Test for problem in Safe Mode...
PS. Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive
Reboot, test again.
If it only does it in Regular Boot, then it could be some hardware problem like Video card, (Quartz is turned off in Safe Mode), or Airport, or some USB or Firewire device, or 3rd party add-on, Check System Preferences>Accounts>Login Items window to see if it or something relevant is listed.
Check the System Preferences>Other Row, for 3rd party Pref Panes.
Also look in these if they exist, some are invisible...
/private/var/run/StartupItems
/Library/StartupItems
/System/Library/StartupItems
/System/Library/LaunchDaemons
/Library/LaunchDaemons