IMac having a mind of it's own

Last couple of days, whenever I turn on the iMac, it won't let me access the keyboard (typing, volume, ect). And whenever I try to choose anything with the mouse, it gets all buggy by moving through all the selections under any menu item I choose. I'm using an older style wired mac keyboard for Final Cut Pro, if that's any help.
It has done this sort of thing before, in a way - about a month ago, whenever I would use Final Cut Studio 2, without warning, it would suddenly go dark and bring up the menu from Front Row, then face to dark and bring up Final Cut again. About a week or two of doing this, it stopped, making me think I was fine.
Is there some issue with Mac OS that shipped with it that I'm not aware of? In any case, I want my iMac to work like it's supposed to. Any suggestions would be of great help at this point.
James

Newdae wrote:
Not sure what happened between the time I posted originally and earlier this evening, but the problem seems to have righted itself (for the time being, at least). However, I will keep your suggestion in mind the next time something like this happens.
Wouldn't hurt to reset the PRAM at your leisure as it is quick and painless. Seems to be a 'catch-all' solution to weird things that occasionally happen. At least Mac users rarely need to use it, unlike my frequent <CTRL><ALT><DELETE> days on Windows to 'fix' problems in the good old days.

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My crazy Android has a mind of it's own!

I have an Android HTC touch screen that I bought from Verizon last January 2012, actually two of them. I started having problems with one of the phones about 6 months ago with the screen not unlocking as though it was not responding to touch at all. A few months later the other phone started having the same problem only worse. It has gotten so bad that the phone seems to have a mind of it's own. I have watched it flip around wildly and call one of my contacts on it's own many times. I have even watched it get on the internet and apps all on it's very own. I was on the phone a fews weeks ago with Verizon CS Rep. about my Veroizon Bill. I mentioned the problems with my phone to the CS rep. I ask if Verizon knew of any problems like that with the Android and she said "No, but those touch screens are really touchy". I got online today to see what I could find out about problems with the Android HTC. There seems to be a long list of people having the very same problems with this model. I have shut it down and pulled the battery several times to try and reset it. It NEVER works. I have an 11 hour trip this weekend with a child. Could you please contact me today or tomorrow. Please contact me via email if I don't answer because I can never tell if my phone is going to let me answer it! You can also contact me on a land line for the next two days.
SonjaB.
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This is a customer-to-customer forum, not Customer Service. Verizon reps occasionally respond to posts, but it's sporadic and often days, if not weeks, after a post is left. If you need an immediate response, you may want to contact Customer Service at *611 from a cell phone or 800-922-0204 from a landline.

HT1386 My iphone5 itunes playlist seems to have a mind of it's own, after selecting a song to play it will randomly flash through songs on my playlist without stopping. I've rebooting, and restored my iphone with no results. does anyone know how to stop t

My iphone5 itunes playlist seems to have a mind of it's own, after selecting a song to play it will randomly flash through songs on my playlist without stopping. I've rebooting, and restored my iphone with no results. does anyone know how to stop this from happening? also I am having trouble syncing songs from my library on my computer to my iphone. the songs so up on my playlist on the computer, but will not synch over to my iphone5. Thank you.

Hi TakesTwo2Tango,
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities. It sounds like you should definitely be seeing a plus sign after tapping Edit, so I would try a couple relatively easy things (closing the Music app, resetting the iPhone):
iOS: Force an app to close
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5137
iPhone, iPad, iPod touch: Turning off and on (restarting) and resetting
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1430
Cheers,
- Ari

My Touch has a mind of it's own!

Has any one else experienced anything like this? My new iPod Touch appears to have a mind of it's own.
Although I can slide to unlock the screen it then refuses to react to any motion or touch. However, applications open themselves, completely unprompted. I have no control. And, if the Notes app starts letters/numbers/characters appear completely at random. It's hard to explain - it's as if my iPod is haunted or being controlled remotely by someone else. Does that make sense?
The only way for me to get any control is to push the Home key. Sometimes I can't even slide to power off.
I'm really annoyed - I bought the iPod the day before going on holiday. Registered it, loaded the latest software as prompted on iTunes, filled it with songs and podcasts and then packed it away. Only for it to go wrong the next day in the hotel room before I got to the beach. Gutted. I've just returned from holiday - I've tried resetting it, like Apple suggest, by holding down the Home key and the on/off button until the Apple logo appears but this still doesn't offer any solution. Have also tried the Restore through iTunes, twice. However, my iPod still does has 'a mind of its own'.
If it was a software problem the Restore would've fixed it, right? It's got to be hardware, hasn't it? (By the way, it's a 2G Touch running 2.1.1)
I'm lost as to what to do. I bought it from the (nearest) Apple store in Cambridge, UK. It's a 120 mile round trip, there and back - returning to the store isn't going to be possible for a couple of weeks. I'm going to call Apple tomorrow to see what they say - but, before I do, thought I'd share my experience with other users... anyone else had anything like this happen to theirs?
John.

I was referring to the thread here: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1584043&tstart=250 where 3 different people report strange behavior using the same leather case.
Jailbreaking is a bad idea, and very bad advice. Discussing it violates the TOU of these forums, and doing it will void any warranty on the iPod.
Regards.

My trackpad mouse is not moving with my touch. The cursor seems to have a mind of it's own. I've updated my software and it's still happening. What do I do?

The mouse on my trackpad is not responding to my touch. The cursor is very jumpy and sometimes doesn't allow move it at all. It seems as if my cursor has a mind of it's own...what should I do?

Sometimes this is caused by a swollen battery.
Genius reservation http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/
Portables and Magic Trackpad: Jumpy or erratic trackpad operation
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1449

Difficulty Cropping - crop window has mind of it's own

When I crop photos (Edit - Crop), the crop window has a mind of it's own. I select crop, click and drag a corner or edge, and then another, and the window moves and resizes to something else. It takes a number of tries moving the window or edges back and forth until I can get the crop that I want. Note: I do not have the restrict aspect selected. It's very anoying. What to do? (iPhoto '11 v9.4.2 on OSX 10.7.5)

Try trash the com.apple.iPhoto.plist file from the HD/Users/ Your Name / library / preferences folder.
(On 10.7 or later: Hold the option (or alt) key while clicking on the Go menu in Finder to access the User Library)
(Remember you'll need to reset your User options afterwards. These include minor settings like the window colour and so on. Note: If you've moved your library you'll need to point iPhoto at it again.)
What's the plist file?
For new users: Every application on your Mac has an accompanying plist file. It records certain User choices. For instance, in your favourite Word Processor it remembers your choice of Default Font, on your Web Browser is remembers things like your choice of Home Page. It even recalls what windows you had open last if your app allows you to pick up from where you left off last. The iPhoto plist file remembers things like the location of the Library, your choice of background colour, whether you are running a Referenced or Managed Library, what preferences you have for autosplitting events and so on. Trashing the plist file forces the app to generate a new one on the next launch, and this restores things to the Factory Defaults. Hence, if you've changed any of these things you'll need to reset them. If you haven't, then no bother. Trashing the plist file is Mac troubleshooting 101.

Is it possible to deactivate a iMac from Creative Cloud I no longer own?

Good Morning,
Is it possible to deactivate a iMac from Creative Cloud I no longer own?
My company have sold my old iMac, they removed the old software but did not deactivate that computer from Creative Cloud.
Thanks Ian

Hi There,
We would like to inform you that there is a way to deactivate the subscription even if you do not have that machine available.
Please find the steps in the link mentioned below.
Maximum Activations Exceeded launching subscription or Creative Cloud products
Thanks,
Atul Saini

How do I stop the cursor from having a mind of its own?

I just received this computer T400. A mac user wswitching over to pc - not famliar with the land. I am using a notebook and the cursor clicks on its own when I let it rest and then transports me to whatever information/page that it happens to rest upon. needles to say this is very tiring. I have tried to go to the help section and there is not informaiton about how to stop this from happening. There is informaiton for mouse control. The information I found on the cursor only spoke to the rate of blinking.
also, I would like to incluse word in my start up programs and can't figure out how to do that.
the cursor information would be most useful to me at the moment. Thank you.

onlinebabe, welcome to the forum,
you probably need to turn off or adjust the sensitivity of tapping in the UltraNav Touchpad properties. Go to Control Panel > Mouse and select the UltraNav tab and adjust the settings.
Do you mean that you want word to start automatically when windows starts? Right click in an empty area of the task bar and choose properties > Start Menu > Customise and add Word to your Autostarts folder.
Hope this helps
Message Edited by andyP on 10-11-2008 08:38 PM
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My Imac seems to have a mind of it's own

I put my Imac to sleep over night, but when i go to use it it has shut down, and then my internet stops working on my ipad and phone as well until I restart my Imac and then I have problems with my internet. This has happened about 5 or 6 times now.

Open console in Applications>Utilities, check the system log for the date/time of the last problem & the Startup right after that for clues.
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 (Users & Groups in later OSX versions)>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
If Internet is still a problem on the Mac...
Make a New Location, Using network locations in Mac OS X ...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2712
10.7 & 10.8…
System Preferences>Network, top of window>Locations>Edit Locations, little plus icon, give it a name.
10.5.x/10.6.x/10.7.x instructions...
System Preferences>Network, click on the little gear at the bottom next to the + & - icons, (unlock lock first if locked), choose Set Service Order.
The interface that connects to the Internet should be dragged to the top of the list.
10.4 instructions...
Is that Interface dragged to the top of Network>Show:>Network Port Configurations.
If using Wifi/Airport...
Instead of joining your Network from the list, click the WiFi icon at the top, and click join other network. Fill in everything as needed.
For 10.5/10.6/10.7/10.8, System Preferences>Network, unlock the lock if need be, highlight the Interface you use to connect to Internet, click on the advanced button, click on the DNS tab, click on the little plus icon, then add these numbers...
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
(There may be better or faster DNS numbers in your area, but these should be a good test).
Click OK.

I am having problems with Google Earth.It just has a mind of it's own.

Just now Google Earth has gone weird. The position just floats around while slowly zooming in and out. I have no control.
Is this happening to others or just me?
Help!
Thanks
Dan Page Hawaii

Aloha Allen:
Thanks for the reply.
I think I have solved my problem. I completely removed the application "Google Earth" from my computer and then went online and down -loaded the brand new version.
I can now travel the globe on the wings of GE. All seems to be back to normal.
Dan Page
Hawaii

Why can't I turn Airport on in my iMac? It turns off on its own.

I have an iMac with leopard and an intel processor. Airport (the hardware/software responsible for my Wi-Fi) seems to turn on and off on its own.
Sometimes when I log on, Airport is on. Sometimes after it goes to sleep, Airport is on. But sometimes, Airport isn't on, and there's nothing I can do to turn it on. It appears that this is an issue other users are having, but I can't find the resolution. I am looking for easy steps!
I have gone to network preferences, and tried pushing that cute little "Turn Airport On" button. Nothing. I've tried deleting the locations and adding a new one. Nope. I've changed the order of the network devices. I've tried to turn airport on through that little icon in the upper right. It's hollow, and tells me "No Airport Card Installed". It's lying. It was there two days ago. System profiler tells me that there's no Aiport card installed, but it did *two days ago*.
I admit my ignorance of Macs whole-heartedly. I bought my first a month ago - I only spent 3 hours that first day getting it on my network. The next day I spent another 3 hours getting it BACK on the network. Now I have spent 2 days trying to get it to believe it CAN get on a network.
An Apple salesman convinced me how terrific Macs were, and impressed me with how easy they are to use. He made a crack about how inferior Dell was and how sorry he felt for me. I am writing this message on a Dell laptop. It is connected to my wireless network. It took me 3 minutes to connect it, and it never once has told me that it no longer has a network card. Neither have the other 3 PCs in my house.
Can someone PLEASE save a poor, helpless PC user. I clearly need assistance -I read somewhere that I can run a 'script' to turn it on - but I don't know this OS so I don't understand what that entails
If any answer involves taking my Mac into a "Genius Bar", then the "Genius" can keep it. I've never had to take an out-of-box PC to a "Genius" - because it doesn't take one to fix a PC. Please guys, save a PC user. This Mac cost more than the PC I wanted and it's worth a lot less to me right now.

Hi, sorry to hear that you are experiencing these problems, but sometimes a new machine (be it Apple, Dell, whatever) can be defective right out the box - its not unheard of.
If your machine came with defective hardware and is still under warranty (seems to be the case here) then you have nothing to lose taking it back to where you bought it and, if there really is defective hardware present I am sure they'll rectify the problem.
A small note: these problems are not manufacturer-specific - its pointless blaming the manufacturer as I can assure you this happens with ALL brands. Apple supplies quality hardware and software - I know of a user who has had a machine switched on since 1987 without problems

IMac switches on all on it's own!

Hi Ladies & Gents.
Bit of a funny one! My 2GHz Intel Core Duo 20" iMac switches on all on its own. Been an OS X user for over 5 years, but am a bit boggled by this one.
Have gone down the System Preferences route:
Energy Saver: Wake for Ethernet access, unchecked. Restart Automattically, unchecked. Schedule, both unchecked
.Mac: Manual Sync only
iCal: only Alarms set are email only. Also, have deleted iCalAlarmScheduler from Login items.
Have a very "tidy" hard drive, 2 Lacie Hard Drives only switched on when required and hardly any 3rd party stuff installed (Onyx, Firefox, Excel, Speed Download & a few Widgets). Network wise, wireless to a Netgear ADSL .n router which I've had for over 6 months, with no previous problems.
My main concern at the moment is that it powers-on the 20" ACD aswell. Which is always turned off manually at the monitor. And also, I cover my kit when i'm away with Tucano covers - 'affraid I'm gonna come back from a week or two away from home and my Mac will have overheated!!! Could unplug from the mains, I know!
I believe the SMU problems of old don't apply to Intel Macs. Am I right?
Bit of a weird one for someone to have a think about!! The Genious Bar were a bit perplexed!!!
Thanks in advance Guys & Gals!
Daz
20" Intel iMac 2GB, 20" ACD & Powerbook 1.67Ghz 15" 2GB Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Do you have EyeTV at all? If so check what TV programmes you've got set to record.
Alternatively try an SMC reset (link) as this controls all aspects of the computer's power.
regards
mrtotes

24" iMac having startup issues

I thought I would post here in an effort to try and see if there is anything else I can do before heading to an Apple Store tomorrow. I own a 24" iMac, which I got in the fall 2006. A few weeks ago, this problem first occurred. The computer started up and the chime sounded then it got to a gray screen with an Apple logo and a spinning wheel below it. Then the spinning wheel would freeze. Then the screen would go black. I don't quite remember how I got the computer working again after the first time this happened (probably one of the solutions below), but I did and now the same problem has occurred today and I cannot figure out any way to fix it.
Solutions I have tried today:
1) Unplugged AC adapter and let computer alone for 30 secs and then plugged in and restarted. Nothing changed. Computer froze as describe above.
2) Unplugged all the peripherals and restarted. Nothing changed. Computer froze as describe above.
3) I reset the SMC by removing the SO-DIMM modules and reinstalled them. Nothing changed. Computer froze as describe above.
4) I reset the PRAM and NVRAM by holding command option P R. Nothing changed. Computer froze as describe above.
5) I tried booting from the OSX Install disk. It would not do so. Computer froze as describe above. Computer froze as describe above.
6) I tried starting up holding C and it actually gave me the option of selecting the hard drive. But then it froze as described above.
So far, I plugged in a firewire cable and am using my MacBook to backup files so I can access the computer and its various files via this FireWire Target Mode.
Does anybody have any further suggestions before I take it in to an Apple Store?
24" iMac Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Add me to the list on of startup problems with my 24" iMac. First off the computer seemed to be slowing up and some of my icons were disappearing.....labels were still there but not the icon. Then I tried installing the 10.4.9 upgrade. Big mistake.......it wouldn't completely install even when I used the standalone installation. Kept getting errors and the try again message.
So after all of this, the computer would not boot up from the hard drive or from the install DVD. Fortunately, I have a external startup drive and eventually I was able to get the computer to startup from that drive. From there I was able to startup from the install CD DVD. I tried to repair Disk but it failed because of an error and I am now doing an install and archive while I write this. Keeping my fingers crossed.
This is my second iMac that I have had startup problems. With my last iMac, it was the hard drive......Apple replaced it and the computer works fine.(my wife is now using that computer) It was during my problems then that I learned it is helpful to have an external startup drive. I operated that iMac from the external startup drive a couple of months before I took it in for repair.
Oh boy, the first install DVD just finished and it won't eject and now I have the message "there were errors installing the software" Try again.
Complete frustration...........I will try the installation once more and then probably a clean install if that doesn't work.
iMac G5, G4 Powerbook
iMac G5, G4 Powerbook Mac OS X (10.4.8)
iMac G5, G4 Powerbook
iMac G5, G4 Powerbook
iMac G5, G4 Powerbook

IMac having very low reliability with Hard Drive

Hi, I recently had to replace the hard drive in my Early 2008 iMac. I replaced it with a 2 TB Seagate (pretty reliable) but my computer has been stuttering lately. It'll be fine for a couple days, and then it will just die (not permanently, just until I reboot).
Anyway, I was trying to save a document, and Pages froze with a spinning wheel after I clicked "save as." I was ultimately forced to force quit and lose my document. I then went to search activity monitor in spotlight, but it froze too. I went through stacks to get to activity monitor, and it froze too when I went to look at disk activity. Mail also froze and forced me to quit it. Only after a hard shutdown (as it got stuck trying to shut down) did my computer go back to normal.
Today, this happened again, and I'm becoming worried that I'm going to have to buy a new computer. I'm going to verify the disk tonight to look for problems, but I was wondering if you all could diagnose the problem.
Thank You!
On a side note: Mail has been unable to send any emails, and I've had trouble with some servers. I've had to redo them and they've worked, but at this time I can't send messages through mail on ANY outgoing server I have (multiple email addresses too).

The HDD corruption is a symptom. It's caused by the iMac locking up and having to be booted. When mine locks, the HDD runs constantly while the screen is frozen or a solid color. I'm forced to power it off.
Unfortunately, you are in the same boat as many others, and your issues are heat related. For me it was the HDD, then burn marks on the LCD, then GPU failures and now OS X is just unusable.
I am able to run Windows through bootcamp since my GPU recovers in Windows but not OS X. I have the fans cranked to 6000rpm and it gets to 150 - 170 degrees then things get weird. Screen flashing, spinning beach ball, solid colors, graphic distortion.
I've cleaned the vents, and fans and confirmed air flow. Be sure to try and keep your temps under control and check with Apple Store and let me know how it goes. I think mine is a goner.

Imac having trouble with startup

My iMac is currently having issues starting up. When I press the power button it will boot up and take me to a gray screen. Once it's at the gray screen a loading bar appears. At that time, the computer shuts back down. I've been able to startup and go to disk utility but that has been no help. When verifying the disk, the messages "invalid key length" and "the volume macintosh HD could not be verified completely" appear. Any ideas?

Hi nickrsnider,
I understand that you may be seeing a gray screen while attempting to boot OS X. Take a look at this link, which describes your issue and may be able to help you troubleshoot this issue further:
Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2570
Thanks for being a part of the Apple Support Communities!
Cheers,
Braden

IMac having a mind of it's own

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