Mac G4 867 + OS X = LC III

MacAndy

I found a way to turn a high-end Mac into a doorstop!!!!!! Take one perfectly fine, healthy, System 9 happy G4 and install OS X. Doesn't matter what OS X - any old OS X will do. The performance is comparable to an LC III - remember those? I don't! Never had one! Just know I see a lot of doors being propped open by them.

OK, in all seriousness, a client's G4 with OS X 10.3.8 has taken a serious nosedive in performance in just the last week, with no new installs to note.

Finder performance is where it sucks the most. Moving a file, just across an open window, and it freezes - the beachball of death appears and it hangs for 2-3 minutes while it decides just what the hell is going on.

Invoke Finder restart - nothing. Invoke Finder restart AGAIN and it shows Finder is not responding. Three or more restarts and finally it accomplishes the task.

Have run CockTail all over its ass. OS X 10.3.8 has been on it since I don't know when - first week it was released.

I figgered it was a font problem - when is it NEVER a font problem?

It can't be a font problem as I've pared it down to zilch, System only, problem persists.

If this IS a cache problem then I have a real problem with Apple and OS X. We're how many years into OS X and this can still happen? Can Apple ever get OS X running on Unix to fix itself on the fly?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

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macandy [pic is me at 6yrs]
iMac 24" G5 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 4GB/1TB - ohmygawdwhatalovelymac!
MacBook Pro 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo 1GB/60GB
iPhone 3Gs 16GB black
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INHOUSE Productions Ltd.
Design and digital composition

AWK

Have you run DiskWarrior? Is there sufficient (20%) drive space? Was it tested without non-OEM peripherals or internal modifications/additions?

__________________
- Alice (like Cooper)

Heart

System Preferences > System > Accounts

Make a new user. Click the '+' on the bottom left.

Call it 'Test' or something, give a password.

And then click 'Login Options', and click OFF the 'Automatically loggin......'

And see if you still have the Finder slow down.

You will not have isolated the problem User or Finder - OS

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MacAndy

WHOAHOHOHOHOMYGAWD!!!! Where the hell did you learn this one? Worked like a charm.

I just did this on the sick Mac - I'm here now - and man, what a difference - night and day!!

I think Apple should ship all new Macs with a great big freaking sticker on the outside showing people how to fix this problem.

And credit it to you! ;-)

Someone else here mentioned that any folder in which he has custom icons - like PhotoShop's picture icons - any time he saves to that folder, or the first time he opens that folder on the desktop - his Finder quits.

I love OS X but man, there are many, many holes they have yet to fix.

Thanks for your help!

__________________
macandy [pic is me at 6yrs]
iMac 24" G5 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 4GB/1TB - ohmygawdwhatalovelymac!
MacBook Pro 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo 1GB/60GB
iPhone 3Gs 16GB black
---------------------------------------------
INHOUSE Productions Ltd.
Design and digital composition

AWK

Cool fix! But I'm confused as to what makes it work?!?

__________________
- Alice (like Cooper)

Hank

Creating a new user is a quick way to determine if the core software is good or bad. If the new user has the same problem as the other account, then you probably have a system software problem (could also be hardware [RAM]). You still have to go back to the problem account and make repairs, maintenance utility such as Onyx is a good place to start.

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If it ain't broken, don't fix it!