Q: Mac keeps freezing

OGELTHORPE wrote:

 

For most Mac applications, deleting a plist will essentially reset that particular feature.

True for a plist that is a preference file, but this one is a System Launch Agent which is a much different thing. Rarely a good idea to delete items in /System/Library/ especially with apple provided software.

You may very well be right but Kerberos is not an Apple provided software (or I maybe interpreting your last incorrectly).  I admit to my lack of knowledge regarding this particular 'beast'.

Ciao.

OGELTHORPE wrote:

 

You may very well be right but Kerberos is not an Apple provided software (or I maybe interpreting your last incorrectly).

It's com.apple.Kerbos.renew.plist which means the plist itself was provided by Apple as part of OS X. I recognize that much of Darwin (the Unix underpinings of OS X) is provided by third parties.

I did some hunting on my MBP and indeed there are kerberos items but I was unable to locate any plist in association with same.  Now I do not know if the OP has the application or not.  This is not in my area of expertise and I am inclined to say, leave it alone. 

You are correct that Apple has provided code which allows for one to use Kerberos application but I do not know if the plist is part of the Apple code or the application.  I am out of my element when it comes top Kerberos.

Ciao.

Sanvestro wrote:

 

so delete it?

I vote no. Following the instructions I gave  you before to disable it would be a much better choice since you can always re-enable it with:

sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.Kerberos.renew.plist

if you find that some function that needs it no longer functions.

OGELTHORPE wrote:

 

You are correct that Apple has provided code which allows for one to use Kerberos application but I do not know if the plist is part of the Apple code or the application.

Apple apparently installed it as a LaunchAgent in Snow Leopard, but since I've not used SL I can't say exactly what for.  My guess is that the reason it failed was that it's marked as "disabled" so it's not supposed to be loading. Apple does this with some such things such as the Malware Removal Tool plist after it's been run once. With Mountain Lion I only have /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.KerberosHelper.LKDCHelper.plist along and several more in LaunchDaemons, so Apple must have changed the architecture for it's use.

Perhaps my inability to find that plist is that I am using my 2010 MBP with Snow Leopard.  Clearly you have a better picture and understanding what is in the bowels of the OS than I. 

Ciao.

That is a time consuming but good option.  Do not install Norton AV or the CleanMyMac.  Delay the installation of any other third party applications until you have determined that the system is operating satisfactorily. 

Ciao.

Hi,

I was experiencing similar problems, with my MBP frequently freezing; yesterday 3 or 4 times.

This was happening with different applications, and the the symptom was always the appearance of a spinning wheel followed by an unresponsive system. The only way to overcome the issue and continue to work was a force shutdown by manually hold the power button.

Systems logs didn't show any information that could match the occurrence of the problems, and it took me some time to finally identify a pattern.

I noticed that this mainly occurred after the computer was idle for some minutes, with some applications opened, or even after a restart with no application running in the foreground.

Hopefully, looks like a reset to SMC (see http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964) has fixed the problem; so far no freeze at all.