Slow start up & shut down, freezes randomly, sleep issues

My mother has an iMac Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.8 GHz, model iMac8,1, with 4 GB RAM, and a 300 GB hard drive. She uses this computer primarily for email and the internet, and some writing using Pages. So on her hard drive, only 22 GB is used, and the rest is free. She is on OS 10.6.8.
She originally had 2 GB RAM so I thought the lack of RAM was causing her issues. So I recently installed 4 GB RAM, but she's still having problems.
A few of the problems are:
• She'd be typing an email and the monitor will suddenly go black.
• Safari and Mail sometimes are really slow to load, and often we get the spinning beachball.
•   Random freezes, especially in Safari, Mail and Pages.
•   It takes a long time to go to sleep.
•   It takes a long time to start up and/or shut down.
When the computer freezes, she'd try to restart it, and when that fails, she'd try to manually shut it down by pressing and holding the power button. Sometimes that doesn't even work and she ends up unplugging it.
She still has the same issues, even with the 4 GB of RAM. Her iMac is 2.8 GHz but seems very slow to me (and my MacBook Pro is only 2.0 GHz!)
I ran the Tech Tool Deluxe that she has with the extended Apple Care, and everything passed. I was also concerned about the hard drive's S.M.A.R.T. status, but Disk Utility reported that the S.M.A.R.T. status was verified. I ran the Apple Hardware test in Extended Mode, and everything passed. I also reset the SMC too, along with the PRAM. And of course repaired permissions. PageOuts are zero, and was even zero before increasing the RAM from 2 GB to 4 GB.
I checked Console, and I did find a few weird items that came up often:
com.apple.print.FaxPrefs.Fax#lookup
/usr/bin/fax
So I deleted the first one, but was unable to find the second one to delete. I figured it was from my mother's old all-in-one HP which has since been replaced with an Epson, as it seemed to be looking for a fax number or something. I had hoped all my work along with the new RAM would solve the problems but they haven't.
Thank you in advance for any help and suggestions.

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 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

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Boot Problem! Slow start up, shut down and wake from sleep mode.

I have a MBP late 2009. I used it a long time whit Snow Leopard, few month ago i did an upgrade to Mavericks.
To start up it takes 30-40 seconds until appear the apple logo. Then 2 minutes more to start up the sistem.
When I wake the machine from sleep mode it takes 40 seconds to be working.
Shut down 40 seconds.
Even sometime it get frezze using only Safari.
Things I have tried:
Reinstall Snow Leopard (clean install)
Install Mavericks (clean install)
Replace the HD
¿Any idea?
Sorry for mi poor English

Chepoka,
have you ensured that all of your installed software is compatible with Mavericks?
If you boot into Safe mode, does it still take 40 seconds to awaken from sleeping, or to shut down? (It will take longer to start up in Safe mode because it will perform “sanity checks” on your boot disk.)
If you have a bootable external disk with Mavericks installed, use Startup Manager to boot from the external disk. Does it take just as long to boot, awaken from sleep, and shut down from the external disk as it does from the internal disk?

IMac shuts down at random, any ideas on cause?

My iMac (G5, no iSight)has in the last 2 weeks started to shut down at random, for example last night it shut down twice in a two hour period. It makes one click noise when it does this and all power is immediately lost. So far it always starts up straight away when the power button is pushed. I did have the power board? replaced a few years ago under Apples extended warrenty scheme and it has been fine since then. I have noticed a few other similar posts and my questions are: does this sound serious and what is causing it, could it be linked to the same issue as the warrenty scheme replacement? is there anything I can do to put right without a big bill coming my way!?
Regards,
David.

Welcome to Discussions - it sounds as if your power supply unit is failing, and yes, it could be the same problem as before. Unfortunately, Apple's extended warranty expired last year, so you would have to bear the expense yourself. However, first try vacuuming all the air vents, and open the machine up and vacuum the fans. This could help, as well as resetting the SMU
1. Turn off the computer by choosing Shut Down from the Apple menu, or by holding the power button until the computer turns off.
2. Unplug all cables from the computer, including the power cord.
3. Wait 10 seconds.
4. Plug in the power cord while simultaneously pressing and holding the power button on the back of the computer.
5. Let go of the power button.
6. Press the power button once more to start up your iMac.
Let us know how you make out,

After installing Mac OS 10.5.8 my 2005 iMac G5 shuts down instead of sleeping

After install of OS 10.5.8 my iMac G5 - 2005 model, no Intel processor - whenever I choose sleep from the Apple menu or the time-out goes to sleep mode the computer shuts down instead of sleeping. Any insight would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Try using Disk Utility t repair your disk
   1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc that came with your computer, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
   2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
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   3. Click the First Aid tab.
   4. Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
   5. Select your Mac OS X volume.
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Then reboot and repair permissions from your internal drive.
Miriam

Since I installed Mountain Lion, my iMac has shut down after 15-20 minutes. I have adjusted screen saver, shut down time, and sleep after. Nothing seems to help, any ideas?

Since I installed Mountain Lion, my iMac has shut down after 15-20 minutes. I have adjusted screen saver, shut down time, and sleep after. Nothing seems to help, any ideas?

As old as your iMac is, have you cleaned out the dust? Dust buildup can lead to over heating issues. Remove any and all things plugged into it including the power cord, Remove the RAM access grille. Vacuum all openings starting with the RAM access area (air intake). Vacuum all ports and plugs, DVD slot and the opening across the top of the rear of the body. Blow compressed air through all your openings and vacuum again to remove any dust you loosend. Reinstall the RAM grille. Plug in the keyboard and mouse if not blue tooth. Insert power cord...
You are now in a perfect position to do a
SMC RESET
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord and ALL peripherals.
Wait 15 seconds.
Attach the computers power cable.
Wait another 5 seconds and press the power button to turn on the computer.
It is the 5 second timing that initiates the reset.
Here is a link to a Widget to monitor your temps and other operations:
http://islayer.com/apps/istatpro/

MBP unib. 17" shut down instead of sleeping (also when plugging magsafe)

Hi All!
I've this problem.
When i get the system message that the battery is running out and i wait for it to discharge sometimes the MPB just shut down without apparently sleep, but when i turn it on the screen shows it went in hibernation.
Other times it goes and still in safe sleep but when i plug the magsafe it shut down immediately and i have to reboot it from hibernation every time.
Is there any way to fix this myself or i have to send it to support?
ty
jw

eww wrote:
Calibrate your battery and see whether that makes a difference:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1490
I tried but apparently nothing happened.
the calibration steps are:
_Plug in the power adapter and fully charge your PowerBook's battery until the light ring or LED on the power adapter plug changes to green and the onscreen meter in the menu bar indicates that the battery is fully charged._
_Allow the battery to rest in the fully charged state for at least two hours. You may use your computer during this time as long as the adapter is plugged in._
_Disconnect the power adapter while the computer still on and start running the computer off battery power. You may use your computer during this time. When your battery gets low, the low battery warning dialog appears on the screen._
_At this point, save your work. Continue to use your computer; when the battery gets very low, the computer will automatically go to sleep._
*At this point my macbook saves ram on disk for hibernation and shuts down itself imediatly after. Or in best cases it stays in a "can't wake" sleep for an hour or two and if i plug magsafe while in this state it shuts down...*
*Anyway i also did the last 2 steps:*
_Turn off the computer or allow it to sleep for five hours or more._
_Connect the power adapter and leave it connected until the battery is fully charged again._
And again, when i leave the mac on battery power after the warning dialog the insane behavior occurs every time.
Can't figure out why my battery seems not to handle the 5 hour forced sleep it should.

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Random Details:
Provider: Orange
Model: Curve 9360
OS System: Had some real issues finding this, ill write down what i found (though its probably incorrect). 7.0 bundle 1825 (v7.0.0.400).
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Hi and Welcome to the Community!
I recommend that you attempt to boot into Safe Mode:
KB17877 How to start a BlackBerry smartphone in Safe Mode
It may take you multiple attempts to get the ESC key sequence (press/release/hold) correct, so be patient. When successfully into Safe Mode, think carefully...what happened just before this behavior started? A new app? An update? A Theme? Something else? Think carefully as the smallest change could be causal...and attempt to undo whatever that was.
If your BB remains under warranty, it may be just as well to cease any further diagnostics and seek support from your warranty service provider.
Good luck and let us know!
Occam's Razor nearly always applies when troubleshooting technology issues!
If anyone has been helpful to you, please show your appreciation by clicking the button inside of their post. Please click here and read, along with the threads to which it links, for helpful information to guide you as you proceed. I always recommend that you treat your BlackBerry like any other computing device, including using a regular backup schedule...click here for an article with instructions.
Join our BBM Channels
BSCF General Channel
PIN: C0001B7B4 Display/Scan Bar Code
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Mac wont shut down, restart or sleep - corrupted software update?

My Mac Pro (2007 - OSX 10.6.7) will no longer shut down, restart or sleep. When I try to shut down, it logs me out of my user account, shows the light blue screen, momentarily shows the Leopard space background screen, before showing the blue screen again, and finally returning to the login screen prompting for my user/password.
The only way to poweroff from this point is to hold down the power switch until it forces a power down. This issue has been present for the last two weeks or so ever since I did a Software Update containing a security update. Initially it just failed to perform that update, although after a few days it did do the update, seemingly by fluke. After that, the problem persisted and now there is a new update (Fonts) which again fails to update.
I have tried all of the following:
Power off Mac, unplug power and leave for a few seconds
Power on Mac holding down Ctr + Opt + R + P (resetting PRAM etc)
Boot up from install CD and perform Disk repair (it did find problems with the disk and repaired them)
Check and repair permissions
Delete Software Update related plists & caches from ~/Library and /Library
Still the problem persists. Examining the logs shows me this:
04/05/2011 00:24:50          com.apple.WindowServer[11503]          Wed May 4 00:24:50 macpro.local WindowServer[11503] <Error>: kCGErrorFailure: Set a breakpoint @ CGErrorBreakpoint() to catch errors as they are logged.
04/05/2011 00:25:00          com.apple.launchd[1]          ([0x0-0x226226].com.apple.SoftwareUpdate[11517]) Job appears to have crashed: Segmentation fault
04/05/2011 00:25:00          com.apple.ScreenSharing.server[11508]          Wed May 4 00:25:00 macpro.local AppleVNCServer[11508] <Warning>: CGSShutdownServerConnections: Detaching application from window server
04/05/2011 00:25:00          com.apple.ScreenSharing.server[11508]          Wed May 4 00:25:00 macpro.local AppleVNCServer[11508] <Warning>: CGSDisplayServerShutdown: Detaching display subsystem from window server
04/05/2011 00:25:00          com.apple.UserEventAgent-LoginWindow[11507]          Wed May 4 00:25:00 macpro.local UserEventAgent[11507] <Warning>: CGSShutdownServerConnections: Detaching application from window server
04/05/2011 00:25:00          com.apple.UserEventAgent-LoginWindow[11507]          Wed May 4 00:25:00 macpro.local UserEventAgent[11507] <Warning>: CGSDisplayServerShutdown: Detaching display subsystem from window server
04/05/2011 00:25:00          com.apple.ReportCrash.Root[11518]          2011-05-04 00:25:00.895 ReportCrash[11518:2703] Saved crash report for Software Update[11517] version ??? (???) to /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Software Update_2011-05-04-002500_localhost.crash
04/05/2011 00:25:02          com.apple.WindowServer[11520]          Wed May 4 00:25:02 macpro.local WindowServer[11520] <Error>: kCGErrorFailure: Set a breakpoint @ CGErrorBreakpoint() to catch errors as they are logged.
I can paste the crash report referred to in the logs if that would be helpful but for now will leave it out as it's huge and largely full of gobledygook.
I'm at my wits end now. I've always been very proud that in ~4 years of Mac ownership I've never had to reinstall OSX - something I used to do on an anual basis with Windows. My next step probably is a full reinstall, but I really do consider it a drastic step and a last resort.
Here's hoping that the Mac Support Community can help me out
Thanks in advance.

As a followup, upon the advice from someone else I created another user account (non admin) and logged in as that user. From that account I could successfully power down.
I'm still convinced the issue is related to Software Update as examining the logs showed none of the Software Update related entries as above:
04/05/2011 09:56:40          com.apple.WindowServer[760]          Wed May 4 09:56:40 macpro.local WindowServer[760] <Error>: kCGErrorFailure: Set a breakpoint @ CGErrorBreakpoint() to catch errors as they are logged.
04/05/2011 09:56:44          com.apple.coreservicesd[87]          ThrottleProcessIO: throttling disk i/o
04/05/2011 09:56:50          com.apple.loginwindow[759]          2011-05-04 09:56:50.297 migCacheCleanup[781:903] Flushing Cache Locations...
04/05/2011 09:57:12          com.apple.WindowServer[840]          Wed May 4 09:57:12 macpro.local WindowServer[840] <Error>: kCGErrorFailure: Set a breakpoint @ CGErrorBreakpoint() to catch errors as they are logged.

I am so frustrated I could spit.. I have been experiencing issues for 1 week now and am unable to use my iphone. It started by shutting down every time I'd try to use it and now it won't turn on. When I plugged it in the charger apple flashes .

i have been unable to use my iphone for going on a week. It started by shutting down when ever I'd try to use it. Now it has just a dead black screen. If i plug it in it doesn't charge And the flashing apple continues every 2seconds never charging or turning on. I'm frustrated because I can't even get in to troubleshoot. I bought an iphone cuz I thought it was the best phone at the time. My contract isn't up til Aug. and I'm stuck with a bill and no phone. I do not own a computer but I have an ipad4 which I love. HELP!

Make an appointment at the genius bar are your nearest Apple store. At this point there is nothing you can do without a computer, so if you don't have one and don't know anyone who has one that you can use the Apple store is a good fallback.

Solved Vista Home Premium Start up / shut down loop

Ta Da The C:\windows\winsxs ETC. that was my solution found it on this site and other sites and decided to try it:
It was actually the 3rd choice of solutions on that particular page and I could not complete the solution as directed because the files I was supposed to delete were not there, funnily enough that is why I chose that solution as I really did not believe it was an update error but may provide me with a "Look Inside" . So I followed along and it would not let me delete the file as instructed but it let me rename it I did rename 1 file and rebooted. Everything proceeded as normal but it actually finished loading the NVidia driver for onboard graphics ( which was where it was crashing ) and that was it.
I still dont know for sure why it would not load the driver and I never did get any blue screens or failed update messages or error codes. On the upside I now have a working repair disk that I didnt have before, and created a backup that I didnt do before
I have an HP Pavilion m 7580n ( Media Center) that is locked in a start up shut down loop.
It starts normally and runs up normally until the desktop flashes on the screen for about 3 seconds. At this point It is still loading things like the Internet connection , Icon indicates connected, nvidia control panel icon. It never gets any further than that.....?
if I am fast enough to dbl click an icon it will load whatever the icon represents but will immediately flash to the "Shutting down" screen. It then shuts down and auto starts the loop again.
I have also tried ctrl / alt / del and I get there but it crashes instantly.
The machine is now running Vista Home Premium. Upgraded from XP by an online download so I have no OEM disk.
I dont know if it is 32 or 64 bit I would guess 32 as it was an XP upgrade
What I have tried so far
I have ruled out ANY Hardware problems by swapping hard drives and loading a different OS. Win 7 on it and everything works fine for hours. Benchmarks, stress tests, temp tests, games, mem tests
I have made a vista repair disk and tried all of the "Non Destructive" options available.
I have tried every safe mode option.
I have hooked the problem hard drive to another computer and accessed it that way, and ran virus scanners
and clean and repair programs. No Bad sectors, clusters, nothing bad
I have removed all "Junk" and files I can replace
I have striped all unnecessary hardware. swapped RAM, Vid Cards ETC.
I have tried all of the above both connected and not connected to the Internet and everything many times and many differant combinations.
Nothing has made any difference at all
A little history of the machine.
It was bought second hand with the Vista Installed and came with a paper sticker with a hologram
and a Key That was apparently mailed after the online update ?
It was activated and displayed windows genuine logo in System Folder
It received updates automatically and by request no problems.
I mention this only because I cannot be absolute certain it is a legal copy and was wondering if this is some sort of disabling of pirated software or an expired demo?
It was used in a cottage where it could possibly of had a power failure during an auto update. I mention this as some update problems resemble my problem. I have shied away from trying those fixes as they involve elevated commands and such and my knowledge in that area is very limited. and I dont have any of the stages loading screens
It would be easy for me to format and reload an OS But the files I want are protected and I cant access them from another computer.
I havent Listed any Hardware as I am satisfied it is not a hardware issue However it is the AMD X 2 64 version
Any Non hardware related suggestions would be appreciated as I am certain this hardware all works
I get no BSOD's no errors.
Thanks for reading my lament

Quote
Do this, and while it is in the open re-examine your cpu pins w/ a bight light and hd zoom or a magnifying glass.
Thanks, xmad, I'll look at th CPU again tomorrow/next day under the glass when I take the board out. I already checked them under magnification and was leaning toward a funky board, but it never hurts to re-check. Eyesight is not what it used to be, for sure (I miss DOS, if that's a clue...). Don't want to flash the BIOS if not necessary, since it runs Windows fine and everything works except that RAM.
Bernhard, I don't have CPU-Z installed on that machine and don't want to install anything else until it's working normally. I'd never seen Click-Bios before and just need to get over my initial suspicion of something new! Also learn my way around it before I change anything. I'd never encountered a board reporting a bios different than printed on it. I've never messed with manual memory settings or done more overclocking than just a little exploratory and suprisingly successful nudge - if you could point me toward a good basic explaination of all those settings, I could learn from there.
Appreciate your input very much.
Have learned a lot just reading the threads here for the last few days. This is the best forum I've ever encountered. I'll report back - some suggestions in other posts resembling my problem ended with no resolution, and that's a shame because one doesn't know if it worked or not.

How to start or shut down database using sql developer in windows

Dear Sir/Madam,
how we start or shut down database using sql developer in windows
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Thanks & Regards
Manish Kumar
Datbase Team
TCS Ltd.

HI, Welcome to OTN form,
SHUTDOWN is not a SQL statement but a SQL*Plus command . You cannot use SHUTDOWN in PL/SQL.
Check following link:
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More Information please check OTN discussion: https://forums.oracle.com/thread/2349159
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To shut down, I've got to push the off button, there's no other way it will shut down.
I've run avg, spybot, lavasoft adaware, xsoftspy, registry mechanic, spywareblaster etc but there doesn't seem to be anything 'wrong'.
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Hi Joao
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However, I'm still getting problems - when I start up, it's in the lap of the Gods whether I need to reboot before I can open my broadband software.
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Ipad doesn't start or shut down.

From one second to another my new iPad2 (1 months old) doesn't start or shut down anymore. The only visible activity is a small round circle on the screen. When connected, my PV recognizes the device, on the pad itself, however nothing seems to change. I even tried to reset my iPad and the corresponding synchrosations with iTunes seemed to work. Hoewever, after unplugging it from the PC, everything is as it was before - just the circle on the screen and from time to time a beep tone. It goes without saying that i didn't make any changes on the set up of the device. Any advice would be highly appreciated.

Donmiguel98-
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Did you try connecting the iPad to your computer, running iTunes and clicking on Restore?
If you did and it didn't make any difference, you may have a defective iPad. If you show it to an Apple Store Genius, you may get a new one on the spot.
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Why is my computer shutting down instead of sleeping?

My comptuer is shutting down instead of sleeping. I have looked at my preferences a million times and nothing has changed regarding my sleep time or any other options.
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Check System Preferences > Energy Saver > Schedule

My MacBook Pro starts then shuts down on its own 4 seconds later. An idea on what I should do? Thanks!

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Is the little LED on your adapter's MagSafe plug glowing when it's connected? What color?
It sounds as though your battery is drained and the adapter isn't charging it. Try resetting the SMC:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
That may start the battery charging again.

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