Insomnia - - My Mac won't SLEEP

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Insomnia - - My Mac won't SLEEP

Hi folks,
I just re-installed OS 10.5.4, ... and began to have a couple buggy behaviours:

Primarily, my computer won't respond when I try to put it in SLEEP mode.

---
Also, there is a funky little 1/4" square that appears in every window that opens. Clicking & dragging over it makes it go away, but it then reappears on the next open window.

p.s. In an attempt to 'fix' these anomolies, I downloaded the upgrade to 10.5.8 but this didn't help.

Any ideas ????? (This is my second post... with no responses).

Thanks,
P

PowerMac G5, 1.6 Ghz processor, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Jan 7, 2010 2:56 PM

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Answer 1

sig

Level 8

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Jan 7, 2010 3:04 PM in response to Phil Foster

Perhaps you should post in the Computer Hardware forums for your PowerMac G5.

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Answer 2

Jan 7, 2010 8:18 PM in response to Phil Foster

This is for a Mac that won't sleep.

Here is Apple's KB article HT1776 with their tips.

Mine follow;

USB devices and hubs often cause Macs to not sleep or wake quickly from sleep (notably HP printers and scanners, HP all in ones, and Cannon scanners). Disconnect all USB except for keyboard and mouse and try. If it sleeps, add one back at a time testing after each one to find the culprit.

If you've set your Mac to receive faxes, it may not be able to sleep. It might also have a damaged preferences file.
If you use your Mac for faxing, open System Preferences. click Print & Fax, click the Faxing tab, and uncheck the Receive Faxes On This Computer box.

If that doesn't work or you've never faxed on your Mac, go to Finder/Hard Drive /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration and delete the com.apple.PowerManagement.plist and com..apple.AutoWake.plist files (if your Mac asks, type your admin. password).
If the latter file isn't present in the folder, go to user name(probably your name)/Library/Preferences, delete the com.apple.systemuiserver.plist file, and reboot your Mac.

Hope this helps!

P.S. One member here reported this ( Michael Gleason);
"I have had this problem with my IMac G5. It is surprisingly irritating. LaCie's Silverkeeper backup software was the cause. By default it gave itself permission to wake up the computer to check if a backup was needed. Do you have this or a similar program installed which has scheduled activities including wake-up permissions as an option?"

Dave Hamilton provided this link, xlr8yourmac.com, to a member, which addresses failure of deep sleep with some users that updated and added new FireWire and USB card.

Also, here is Apple KB article TA2469 about PCI cards and sleep.

tomhorvat adds this; After few days of messing around I found out that I had desktop background (wallpaper) set to change every 1 minute.
After unchecking "Change picture..." in system preferences (under Desktop/Screen saver), my powerbook went to sleep all by itself.

Tristan Currier noticed this; "I have a Canon printer(shared) and my imac would not sleep. I opened up printer/fax in system prefs and noticed it said the printer was in use when it was off. Opened up the printer queue and noticed about 7 pending documents. Deleted them all and now it sleeps.
Check the printer queue!"

Allan Jones says "sometimes there is Network activity: launch System Preferences > Energy Saver > "Options" tab and uncheck "Wake for Ethernet network administrator access."

Good Luck!  DALE

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Answer 3

Phil Foster Author

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Jan 7, 2010 10:27 PM in response to Dale Weisshaar

Dear Dale,

First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to assist me.

Alas, I went through the several suggestion you mentioned, and the problem persists:

- I unplugged all my USB hub from the computer (except the keyboard & mouse)... it still wouldn't sleep.

- I then attempted to UNCHECK the "Receive Faxes On This Computer", but found no such tab there.

- I then trashed both the files you suggested (in the Libraries) and rebooted --- no help.

- I then checked the other suggestions: Desktop wallpaper, Printer Queue, and Energy Saver (adm. access)..... no help there either.

I'm still stumped. --- I can tell you that this anomoly is NEW, and only emerged right after I re-installed my OS 10.5.4 from the original CD.
Also, I'm still having a weird little 1/4" box appear on windows, which, I've noticed locates in association with where my cursor was first positioned when the window opened. ---- This anomoly too is NEW, and started right after this OS re-install.

*Before reaching out for help here, I did the OS update, and downloaded OS 10.5.8 which is now running.... it didn't fix things either.

ARGH! HELP! LOL ...... what a riddle.

Thanks to any Guru's out there who , like Dale, know their way around the guts of these gizmos.

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Answer 4

Jan 7, 2010 11:14 PM in response to Phil Foster

Have you done any basic repairs?

Try using Disk Utility to do a Disk Repair, as shown in this link, while booted up on your install disk.

You could have some directory corruption. Let us know what errors Disk Repair reports and if DU was able to repair them.

Then Repair Permissions.

 DALE

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Answer 5

Phil Foster Author

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Jan 8, 2010 8:20 AM in response to Dale Weisshaar

Thanks Dale, I'll give that (Disk Utility) a shot....

So from what you said, I gather that in order for Disk Utility to inspect my HD, I need to be running from (externally) from the install disk. ---- I've forgotten how to do that. As I recall, you insert the Installation DVD, then do a Restart.... while holding down certain keyboard keys during the restart.
Can you remind me which keyboard commands to use?

Thanks,
P

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Answer 6

Jan 8, 2010 11:07 AM in response to Phil Foster

From BDaqua (couldn't have said it better):
"Try Disk Utility

1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc that came with your computer (Edit: Do not use this disc if it is not the same general version as what you have currently on your computer, e.g. use a Tiger disc for a Tiger drive, not a Panther disc), 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.)
Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.
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.
6. Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk.

Then Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it completes."

DALE

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Answer 7

Phil Foster Author

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Jan 9, 2010 12:44 PM in response to Dale Weisshaar

Greetings Dale,

Well, I attempted the last round of suggestions from you and one other fellow.
Alas... no progress. Mac insomnia continues. (and the mysterious little 1/4" boxes on screen).

- Note: I ran Disk Utility as you instructed - however - during the process, I never got the opportunity you listed on item #4, i.e. no triangle was available next to my HD icon. So I was not able to single out the OS for examination and fix-up. So, I ran Disk Utility on what I could, my HD. It found no problems.

- I rebooted and ran the Disk Utility a second time, this time running the "Repair Permissions" process. It seemed to itemize several things, then ran the repairs.

- Finally, (though I was dubious of this suggestion) I opened up the machine, and took a compressed air to the insides, blowing out any dust in there that might be overheating things, and triggering the fans to kick on and interrupt the sleep mode.

Well.... No good. My Mac won't even BEGIN to go into sleep mode. -(well, let me ammend that)- After I select SLEEP, I hear an old familiar sound (for years) of my ZIP drive (attached to a USB hub) going through some sort of little mechanical noise just prior to everything shutting down to sleep.
So, I AM hearing that familiar sound, which tells me that the "sleep" signal is making it's way along and out to my USB hub..... but, the monitor never blinks an eye, nor the computer itself gearing down into silence.

Any other notions out there ??? ---- I'm beginning to think that it's about time for me to take the machine to my local Mac dealership for them to resolve. Or, (sigh) retire my trusty old machine (single processor), since it is probably at that 5 year old mark, and nearing the brink of 'keeping up'. It's been a great machine, hate to dump it based upon such little anomolies. Just makes me wonder if the old hardware doesn't "dance" with the software updates that I've downloaded from Apple (when they suggest it). --- Just a reminder, NONE of these no sleep & 1/4" box graphic anomalies existed until I reloaded my OS from the original CD. -(why you ask?, to reinstall the Dictionary and Preview applications that I had accidentally erased. Couldn't figure out how to reinstall them without reinstalling the whole OS)

Anyway, long-winded here...... thanks again for your wonderful expertise in trying to assist.
Any other notions are certainly appreciated.

Best,
Phil

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Answer 8

Jan 10, 2010 2:07 PM in response to Phil Foster

(and the mysterious little 1/4" boxes on screen).

Maybe +Voice Over+ is turned on? Try entering Command F5 to turn it off.

Well.... No good. My Mac won't even BEGIN to go into sleep mode. -(well, let me ammend that)- After I select SLEEP, I hear an old familiar sound (for years) of my ZIP drive (attached to a USB hub) going through some sort of little mechanical noise just prior to everything shutting down to sleep.

Any sleep tests should be done without USB hubs connected as they are at the top of the list for causing sleep issues.

Try a PMU reset, if you have an early G5, or a SMU reset for the later ones with all USB and firewire disconnected except keyboard and mouse.
This governs sleep, wake, shutdown and more. Maybe it will help!

DALE

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Answer 9

Phil Foster Author

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Jan 10, 2010 6:23 PM in response to Dale Weisshaar

The SAGA continues.... 😟

Regarding the myserious 1/4" boxes that appear on screen (sometimes one, sometimes several in a line): I tried the Command F5 key commands - no help. *(I've been down that road before when myserious "black outlines" were around everything... this present graphic anomaly is different).

Regarding the SMU reset: This is new/foreign turf for me. I followed the directions that applied to an "older 2004" G5 (shutdown, unplug cord, wait 2 minutes, re-plug cord, power up). This was supposed to do it. Well, no good... my Mac still won't respond to the SLEEP command. *I could try opening the machine, and depressing the PMU/SMU button (if my older machine has one). But, the literature seemed to suggest it was only for later 2005 G5's.

Thanks again Dale....

p.s. BY THE WAY, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE UTILITY APPLEJACK ? --- Another poster said I should try it, and that it was better/different than Disk Utility. ??? I downloaded, but haven't run it yet... a tad dubious of outside (non Apple) solutions to my OS problem.

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Answer 10

Jan 12, 2010 11:15 PM in response to Phil Foster

Phil Foster wrote:
p.s. BY THE WAY, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE UTILITY APPLEJACK ? --- Another poster said I should try it, and that it was better/different than Disk Utility. ??? I downloaded, but haven't run it yet... a tad dubious of outside (non Apple) solutions to my OS problem.

I've never used it. But many here have used it without issues.

Dale

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