Level 1

9 points

An ALARM goes off every day at 2 a.m. - don't know why, please help

Over a month ago an alarm started going off everyday at 2 a.m.. I have exhausted dif. avenues to try to determine why. The alarm sounds similar to an alarm clock, but starts out slow and then reaches a frantic crescendo...and I almost swear its length of time is increasing. The alarm lasts around a minute. I used the app. to check the system and it found no errors. During the alarm, I can perform any function, so it's not affecting usage, but am desperate to find out its cause "and" cure, plus I'm tired of it making me up in the middle of night. Thanks for any help.

iBook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on May 20, 2008 6:49 PM

107 replies

shiptoshirl Author

Level 1

9 points

May 25, 2008 7:26 PM in response to Clea Rees

Have you tried resetting PRAM/NVRAM.

As a last, last resort. Had to reset my PRAM a year or so ago.....hated it.

You could also just check the settings in Terminal using
nvram -p

Wow, I understood near nothing. Can't check what you don't understand. Still have the headache. Easier questions please!

andyBall_uk

Level 7

20,516 points

May 26, 2008 4:27 AM in response to andyBall_uk

after more reading up.....

shiptoshirl - if you're happy entering a simple Terminal command ( it won't change any settings, just gets information )

open Terminal & paste the following

pmset -g sched

then press Enter
if no wakeup events are set, you should see "No scheduled events."..... if there's anything different, copy & paste the results here.
-------

Clea Rees

Level 4

1,245 points

May 26, 2008 5:35 AM in response to shiptoshirl

shiptoshirl wrote:
I opened Network in sys. pref. but did not find Network time update or anything close. Also, no clock. What am I doing wrong?

Look in the Date & Time pane instead. To switch off network time updates, uncheck the "Set Date & Time automatically" box under the Date & Time tab. To change the clock, select the Clock tab.

- cfr

Clea Rees

Level 4

1,245 points

May 26, 2008 5:41 AM in response to shiptoshirl

shiptoshirl wrote:
I have external speakers. The other night, or was it last night, when the alarm woke me, I pulled out the connection, but could still hear the alarm...maybe a little less annoying.

I believe the trick is to leave the speakers connected but ensure they are switched off. Leaving them connected effectively disables the computer's own speakers as it sends audio output to the external speakers (or to headphones) and switching them off stops them from actually producing any sound. I don't have external speakers to test this with. Headphones presumably work in the same way except that you don't have to switch them off.

I'm basing this on the instructions given for Aurora which is an alarm that can wake your computer. (I was looking at apps which could wake/start up a computer on a schedule during this thread's infancy!) According to those instructions, in order for the alarm to work, you have to make sure that you don't have headphones connected or external speakers which are switched off. Reversing this, I thought maybe ensuring one of these things would kill the sound and let you get some sleep!

- cfr

Clea Rees

Level 4

1,245 points

May 26, 2008 5:49 AM in response to shiptoshirl

shiptoshirl wrote:
Have you tried resetting PRAM/NVRAM.

As a last, last resort. Had to reset my PRAM a year or so ago.....hated it.

You could also just check the settings in Terminal using
nvram -p

Wow, I understood near nothing. Can't check what you don't understand. Still have the headache. Easier questions please!

Open /Applications/Utilities/Terminal. You'll get a very geeky/unixy looking window with a command prompt indicated by a flashing cursor. Basically, to give the computer a command, you type it and then hit return. The computer does whatever - gives you output, changes a file, what have you, and then returns you to a new prompt. So you just type "nvram -p" (without the quotes) at the prompt and hit return. Lots of commands just return you to the prompt unless there's an error but this one will give you quite a lot of information which you could paste here. (Might want to check and delete anything personal in it.) Then it will give you a new prompt and you can check the command suggested above, "pmset -g sched" (again without quotes). The main thing to be aware of is the importance of typing the commands exactly as written - the computer won't tolerate even minor deviations in spacing, spelling etc. Copying and pasting the commands should work fine.

- cfr

shiptoshirl Author

Level 1

9 points

May 26, 2008 12:27 PM in response to shiptoshirl

Hi again,
I see you've written more but can't answer right now as I'm half way out the door. I did prepare the following: Something for you to munch on. Happy Memorial Day!

ALARM ON
Active Memory: 142.16 MB
Free Memory: 1.06 GB
Wired Memory: 105.21 MB
Used Memory: 445.79 MB
Inactive Memory: 198.41 MB
Total VM: 4.13 GB
Number of processes: 52

ALARM OFF
Active Memory: 141.66 MB
Free Memory: 1.07 GB
Wired Memory: 105.06 MB
Used Memory: 444.38 MB
Inactive Memory: 197.66 MB
Total VM: 4.12 GB
Number of processes: 52

Following are the differences between ALARM ON and ALARM OFF: I captured and saved these images during alarm and then after alarm.

Column Titles:
ID .....Process Name ............User.........................CPU.................. RSIZE............. VSIZE

ON:
54 WindowServer windowserv 6.20 24.82 MB 150.73 MB
OFF:
54 WindowServer windowserv 6.10 23.23 MB 149.07 MB
ON:
156 mds root 0.00 5.03 MB 43.96
MB
OFF:
156 mds root 0.00 4.96 MB 43.90
MB
ON:
243 Activity Monitor shirleysch 18.80 15.89 MB 150.29 MB
/Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app
OFF:
243 Activity Monitor shirleysch 19.40 14.61 MB 148.89 MB
/Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app

Don't know if above translates into anything useful.

I read some of the Activity Monitor instrs. and noted I could save processes during Active Processes/ Disk Activity by going to menu File/Save (it automatically names file Exported Processes and is "much" more detailed than what appears in the window). I am now dead tired as after alarm woke me up, and performing above tasks, I was then wide awake and couldn't fall back to sleep for hours. Can't sleep in as I have to make baked beans for my brother's Memorial Day barbecue....am already running late.

Catch you later.
P.S. Hope when I copy and transfer this into Apple Discussions, format remains same, if not, sorry.

Clea Rees

Level 4

1,245 points

May 26, 2008 12:50 PM in response to shiptoshirl

shiptoshirl wrote:
Hi again,
I see you've written more but can't answer right now as I'm half way out the door. I did prepare the following: Something for you to munch on. Happy Memorial Day!

To you also. Well, it isn't Memorial Day here, but it is a Bank Holiday (i.e. a public holiday). Consequently, it has not only rained but rained hard and been extremely windy both yesterday and today. Definitely not BBQ weather!

ALARM ON
Active Memory: 142.16 MB
Free Memory: 1.06 GB
Wired Memory: 105.21 MB
Used Memory: 445.79 MB
Inactive Memory: 198.41 MB
Total VM: 4.13 GB
Number of processes: 52

ALARM OFF
Active Memory: 141.66 MB
Free Memory: 1.07 GB
Wired Memory: 105.06 MB
Used Memory: 444.38 MB
Inactive Memory: 197.66 MB
Total VM: 4.12 GB
Number of processes: 52

Following are the differences between ALARM ON and ALARM OFF: I captured and saved these images during alarm and then after alarm.

Column Titles:
ID .....Process Name ............User.........................CPU.................. RSIZE............. VSIZE

ON:
54 WindowServer windowserv 6.20 24.82 MB 150.73 MB
OFF:
54 WindowServer windowserv 6.10 23.23 MB 149.07 MB
ON:
156 mds root 0.00 5.03 MB 43.96
MB
OFF:
156 mds root 0.00 4.96 MB 43.90
MB
ON:
243 Activity Monitor shirleysch 18.80 15.89 MB 150.29 MB
/Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app
OFF:
243 Activity Monitor shirleysch 19.40 14.61 MB 148.89 MB
/Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app

Don't know if above translates into anything useful.

If so, it won't be my translation. Anybody?

You obviously know what Activity Monitor is. mds is Spotlight. WindowServer is part of the core OS graphics. I assume it has something to do with windows though I don't think I've ever checked.

Somebody else?

- cfr

shiptoshirl Author

Level 1

9 points

May 27, 2008 8:08 AM in response to Clea Rees

Hi.

Just a short note to let you know I'll be working on your suggestions off line and get back to you. Definitely appreciate your hanging in there. Sorry yesterday for you was rainy. We had a beautiful, although a bit on the humid side, day. Sunny, in high 70's, slight breeze. Today is overcast, gloomy, and chilly.....ahhhh it's Springtime. Later

shiptoshirl Author

Level 1

9 points

May 27, 2008 9:31 AM in response to Clea Rees

Hi,

I did it!! It sounded scarier than it actually was. After entering nvram -p and pmset -g sched, I got the following: No scheduled events.
Do you need to see the output for any reason? There's nothing personal, unless it's hidden in code. It all looked pretty boring. Do I leave the Terminal window as is or should I delete the output? Is my computer illiteracy showing? On to my next task.

shiptoshirl Author

Level 1

9 points

May 27, 2008 9:36 AM in response to andyBall_uk

Hi,
Did as instructed and to my surprise it was easy. At least now I know Terminal has a purpose...although knowing what commands to give it (or understanding the output) is way beyond my computer literacy.

The result: No scheduled events.

Do I still have to do the techy stuff?: (listed in your other message)
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.AutoWake.plist
open it by dragging it onto textedit & paste the contents here

Clea Rees

Level 4

1,245 points

May 27, 2008 11:59 AM in response to shiptoshirl

Congratulations!

You don't need to delete the stuff in the Terminal window. It isn't a document but your history of interaction with the computer. It isn't saved as such unless you make special efforts to save it. Once you close the window, it's gone. I always type "exit" and hit return to finish as it is neat and ensures there are no processes running which I've forgotten about. The text is more like a record of all the things you do - the equivalent would be something like "open Finder window, select file.txt, request info for file.txt, change owner to me, close Finder window" - the change to the owner would persist but there's no record of all the steps you took or what you looked at. (At least, there may be but that's a matter for log files and such.)

If you have a /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.AutoWake.plist, then do let us see the contents. If you've never set a scheduled wake or sleep / start up or shut down, I will be very interested to see what's in it. I've never used the schedules in Engery Saver either and I completely lack the file.

- cfr

shiptoshirl Author

Level 1

9 points

May 27, 2008 1:37 PM in response to Clea Rees

Hi,

Will uncheck the "Set Date & Time automatically" box tonight, shortly before bedtime. Of course, if I sleep thru the alarm like I did last night (was totally exhausted), I won't know if it works. Guess I'll have to find and set an alarm clock so I can wake up for the alarm. As a joke I was going to tell you I was going to change all the clocks in my house to throw off the computer's clock. But because I am so obviously out of my element in having any understanding of the inner workings of my computer, thought you just might think I lost touch with reality. Not yet!

shiptoshirl Author

Level 1

9 points

May 27, 2008 1:54 PM in response to Clea Rees

Hi,

(You don't need to delete the stuff in the Terminal window. It isn't a document but your history of interaction with the computer. It isn't saved as such unless you make special efforts to save it. Once you close the window, it's gone. I always type "exit" and hit return to finish as it is neat and ensures there are no processes running which I've forgotten about.)

....Thanks. That is what I sort of thought but wasn't sure.

As to:

Tried to follow the instructions exactly....couldn't. Was only able to do the following:

Library/Preferences/ (There is NO SYSTEM CONFIGURATION in Preferences folder)
The Preferences folder did have a lot of com.apple. BUT no com.apple.AutoWake.plist
To be absolutely sure, I read "all" the 154 docs. in this folder. So, I was at a dead in.

At least I tried.

shiptoshirl Author

Level 1

9 points

May 27, 2008 2:03 PM in response to andyBall_uk

Hi,

Tried to follow the instructions exactly....couldn't. Was only able to do the following:

Library/Preferences/ (There is NO SYSTEM CONFIGURATION in Preferences folder)
The Preferences folder did have a lot of com.apple. BUT no com.apple.AutoWake.plist
To be absolutely sure, I read "all" the 154 docs. in this folder. I tried!

andyBall_uk

Level 7

20,516 points

May 27, 2008 2:32 PM in response to shiptoshirl

Hi again

if there were 154 items & no system configuration folder - I'd guess you looked at the Library/Preferences/ folder in your home account, and not at the HD/Library/Preferences/ one.

to be sure, use the Finder menus at the top of your screen - click Go, then 'Go to Folder' then paste this next line

/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration

in the box that opens up - it should take you straight to the right folder.

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An ALARM goes off every day at 2 a.m. - don't know why, please help