MacOS X 10.4: Basic trouble-shooting

Question

Here is a check-list for some basic, unspecific trouble-shooting.
1. Restart the computer
2. Deactivate/Uninstall system haxies and third-party extensions (e.g. ASM, Norton AntiVirus, etc.)
3. Check/fix the filesystem as outlined in this article: Using Disk Utility and fsck for file system maintenance in Mac OS X and Using Disk Utility in Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later to verify or repair disks
4. Check for at least 5 GB of free space on the boot volume. Mac OS X needs at least that amount in order to run properly.
5. Repair permissions: Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility, choose your HD in the sidebar and click "Repair Permissions"
6. If one specific application gives you a headache, trash it's preference-file (User/Library/Preferences or in case of system "programs"
in Library/Preferences).
7. Create a new user account, and see if the problem persists.
8. Clear system & user caches with either Tiger Cache Cleaner or Cocktail.
9. Unplug all USB- and Firewire devices except original Apple mouse and keyboard.
10. Startup in Safe-mode and see if the problem persists: Starting up in Safe Mode
11. Repair and replace the directory with DiskWarrior or TechTool Pro 4
12. Zap PRAM: How to Reset PRAM and NVRAM
13. Unplug 3rd Party PCI cards.
14. Reinstall the latest combo updater.
15. Check the hard drive for bad blocks (e.g. with Drive 10 or TechTool Pro 4).
16. Take out 3rd party RAM.
17. Run the Apple hardware diagnostic CD.
18. Reset PMU: Resetting Power Management Unit (PMU), Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics/Gigabit Ethernet): Resetting the PMU on the Logic Board, Resetting PowerBook and iBook Power Management Unit (PMU)
19. Reinstall the system from scratch ( http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=607614

Answer 1

4. Check for at least 5 GB of free space on the boot volume. Mac OS X needs at least that amount in order to run properly.
Mac OS X 10.4 will work properly with less free space; about 2 or 3GB is enough. I currently have 4.03GB free on my Mac OS X 10.4 system, which is on a 7.3GB partition.
6. If one specific application gives you a headache, trash it's preference-file (User/Library/Preferences or in case of system "programs" in Library/Preferences)
The first path should reference the folder in the Finder's sidebar or choosing Go to Folder from the Finder's Go menu and entering ~/Library/Preferences as the location. A home folder does not need to be in /Users/, and in any case, the file should be left on the desktop temporarily instead of being immediately deleted.
You may also want to mention display issues which are account-specific; these include colors looking washed out, the monitor's colors being inverted, and a black box appearing on random items. These can be turned off from the Universal Access pane of System Preferences.
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