Mac freezes up after user login?

[SpankMarvin]

Hi there - first post, and an irritating problem! If anyone can help, I'd realy appreciate it...

I've been having a problem with my system freezing after login. After I enter my password, the top bar appears, there is a fair pause, the dock appears, desktop, etc. The menu bar also appears, then disappears, and this is where the freeze occurs. For 20 seconds or so, my machine becomes completely unresponsive. The dock, everything freezes where it is. Then, the menu bar reappears and everything seems fine.

I've tried everything I can think of, including:

- Repairing permissions, running maintenance scripts
- Repairing the disk (fsck)
- Repairing font caches and verifying all fonts
- Zapping PRAM
- Various Apple support documented tips, including trashing network system library prefs, and other file trashings...

I had limited success yesterday, after I noted that microsoft mouse had 2 startup items in my user account. I removed these, and my system started in the way it should - really quick, solid startup with no disappearances.

Now I think this possibly wasn't the cause as it's started happening again. What seems so strange to me is that I'll do something, and it'll appear to cure the problem, but then there's a relapse! It's doing my head in! Any advice which isn't a complete reinstall would be greatly appreciated.

Incidentally I've been having this problem since 10.4.9 for sure, perhaps 10.4.8, and I'm now on 10.4.10. The system install is a relatively clean one - only a couple of weeks since I completely erased and installed - and I've been having the problem on and off since. Computer is a MacBook Pro 15" C2Duo 2.33.

I'll make another post with a copy of the system log for a troublesome boot.

Thank you in advance

John

 

[SpankMarvin]

Ok, here's a copy of my system log from reboot:

Jun 24 11:36:30 john-sparrows-computer SystemStarter[247]: authentication service (261) did not complete successfully
Jun 24 11:36:32 john-sparrows-computer SystemStarter[247]: The following StartupItems failed to properly start:
Jun 24 11:36:32 john-sparrows-computer SystemStarter[247]: /System/Library/StartupItems/AuthServer
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: hi mem tramps at 0xffe00000
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: PAE enabled
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: 64 bit mode enabled
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: standard timeslicing quantum is 10000 us
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: vm_page_bootstrap: 512795 free pages
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: mig_table_max_displ = 71
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Enabling XMM register save/restore and SSE/SSE2 opcodes
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: 92 prelinked modules
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: ACPI CA 20060421
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement: ready
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: AppleACPICPU: ProcessorApicId=0 LocalApicId=0 Enabled
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: AppleACPICPU: ProcessorApicId=1 LocalApicId=1 Enabled
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Copyright (c) 1982, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1993
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: using 10485 buffer headers and 4096 cluster IO buffer headers
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Enabling XMM register save/restore and SSE/SSE2 opcodes
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Started CPU 01
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: IOAPIC: Version 0x20 Vectors 64:87
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: ACPI: System State [S0 S3 S4 S5] (S3)
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Security auditing service present
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: BSM auditing present
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: disabled
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: rooting via boot-uuid from /chosen: 6BFC197A-D531-407A-9CA5-F6A5560EC091
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Waiting on <dict ID="0"><key>IOProviderClass</key><string ID="1">IOResources</string><key>IOResourceMatch</key><string ID="2">boot-uuid-media</string></dict>
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: USB caused wake event (EHCI)
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: FireWire (OHCI) TI ID 8025 built-in now active, GUID 0019e3fffe691012; max speed s800.
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Got boot device = IOService:/AppleACPIPlatformExpert/PCI0@0/AppleACPIPCI/SATA@1F,2/AppleAHCI/PRT2@2/IOAHCIDevice@0/AppleAHCIDiskDriver/IOAHCIBlockStorageDevice/IOBlockStorageDriver/FUJITSU MHW2120BH Media/IOGUIDPartitionScheme/Customer@2
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: BSD root: disk0s2, major 14, minor 2
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: CSRHIDTransitionDriver:robe:
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: CSRHIDTransitionDriver::start before command
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: CSRHIDTransitionDriver::stop
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: IOBluetoothHCIController::start Idle Timer Stopped
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Jettisoning kernel linker.
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Resetting IOCatalogue.
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: display: family specific matching fails
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Matching service count = 0
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Matching service count = 1
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Matching service count = 1
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Matching service count = 1
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Matching service count = 1
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Matching service count = 1
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Previous Shutdown Cause: 5
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: display: family specific matching fails
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: ath_attach: devid 0x24
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: Override HT40 CTL Powers. EEPROM Version is 14.4, Device Type 5
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost kernel[0]: mac 12.10 phy 8.1 radio 12.0
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost mDNSResponder-108.5 (May 9 2007 17: 14:16)[30]: starting
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost memberd[37]: memberd starting up
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost DirectoryService[43]: Launched version 2.1 (v353.6)
Jun 24 11:37:11 localhost lookupd[42]: lookupd (version 369.6) starting - Sun Jun 24 11:37:11 2007
Jun 24 11:37:12 localhost diskarbitrationd[36]: disk0s2 hfs 39FDF412-C733-39C7-9C07-08448BBD08FA Macintosh HD /
Jun 24 11:37:12 localhost kernel[0]: yukonosx: Ethernet address 00:17:f2:cd:d8:44
Jun 24 11:37:12 localhost kernel[0]: AirPort_Athr5424ab: Ethernet address 00:19:e3:08:07:c6
Jun 24 11:37:13 localhost kernel[0]: Registering For 802.11 Events
Jun 24 11:37:13 localhost diskarbitrationd[36]: disk0s3 ntfs 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000 Untitled /Volumes/Untitled
Jun 24 11:37:13 localhost kernel[0]: [HCIController][setupHardware] AFH Is Supported
Jun 24 11:37:13 john-sparrows-computer configd[34]: setting hostname to "john-sparrows-computer.local"
Jun 24 11:37:15 john-sparrows-computer lookupd[66]: lookupd (version 369.6) starting - Sun Jun 24 11:37:15 2007
Jun 24 11:37:15 john-sparrows-computer /System/Library/CoreServices/loginwindow.app/Contents/MacOS/loginwindow: Login Window Application Started
Jun 24 11:37:16 john-sparrows-computer mDNSResponder: Adding browse domain local.
Jun 24 11:37:16 john-sparrows-computer loginwindow[68]: Login Window Started Security Agent
Jun 24 11:37:43 john-sparrows-computer BatteryUpdater[142]: Battery is already up-to-date with BatteryUpdater v 1.2
Jun 24 11:38:23 john-sparrows-computer configd[34]: executing /System/Library/SystemConfiguration/Kicker.bundle/Contents/Resources/enable-network
Jun 24 11:38:23 john-sparrows-computer configd[34]: posting notification com.apple.system.config.network_change
Jun 24 11:38:23 john-sparrows-computer lookupd[155]: lookupd (version 369.6) starting - Sun Jun 24 11:38:23 2007
Jun 24 11:38:23 john-sparrows-computer configd[34]: setting hostname to "john-b228ed1b9c"
Jun 24 11:38:26 john-sparrows-computer configd[34]: target=enable-network: disabled

 

[quadra800]

Try to disable password protection for all accounts on your computer.

 

[SpankMarvin]

Try to disable password protection for all accounts on your computer.

Thank you for your reply. This seems to have worked - could I ask how you knew? Do you know what might have caused it?

I'd rather have to enter a password at startup, but can live without it. Anyway, I'd be interested to know the reason if you have an idea?


Thanks again

J

 

[quadra800]

What made me think of passwords was this:

/System/Library/StartupItems/AuthServer

I just guessed the AuthServer was the password protection service.
I didn't really have a clue.

 

[SpankMarvin]

What made me think of passwords was this:
I just guessed the AuthServer was the password protection service.
I didn't really have a clue.

Well, I'm on day 2 and it hasn't reverted to its beach ball frenzy yet. I'll keep an eye - thanks for your help!

J

 

[Ric]

Very nice Quadra800 !

Just as a side note, amongst your 'various trashings' did you trash

com.apple.loginwindow.plist

It would be in Users/yourUsername/Library/Preferences/

It was possibly corrupt, and by trashing that and rebooting it will create a new file...

Also did you have any items set to 'Auto Run' (ie login items) SystemPreferences->Accounts->Login Items

regards

Ric

 

[quadra800]

Thanks, Ric!
Maybe an indexing of you startup drive is what you need, SpankMarvin?