Rainbow wheel of death-multi program

Question

the subject says it all. after a year of perfect performance my imac g5 with 2 external hard drives, 1/3 of internal being used, is giving me pinwheels suddenly. it's across programs-internet, finder, photoshop....any ideas short of taking it to the genius bar? i ran onyx which seemed to help a bit but i am still seeing struggles. thanks.

Answer 1

HI,
Boot from your install disc and run Disk Utility. The startup disk may need repairs.
Insert your install disk and Restart, holding down the "C" key until grey Apple appears.
Go to Installer menu and launch Disk Utility.
Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in the left panel.
Select First Aid in the Main panel.
*(Check S.M.A.R.T Status of HDD at the bottom of right panel. It should say: Verified)*
Click Repair Disk on the bottom right.
If DU reports disk does not need repairs quit DU and restart.
If DU reports errors Repair again and again until DU reports disk is repaired.
When you are finished with DU, from the Menu Bar, select Utilities/Startup Manager.
Select your start up disk and click Restart
While you have the Disk Utility window open, look at the bottom of the window. Where you see Capacity and Available. *Make sure there is always 10% to 15% free disk space*
If you cannot boot from your install disc, try booting in Safe Mode
Probably a good idea to run the Apple Hardware Test also.
Carolyn