Powermac82

Q: Powerbook 540c lagging

I have received a Powerbook 540c that has received a PowerPC 603e upgrade a while back, ridding of the older, slower, Motorola 680LC40 processor. Every time I start it up, it seems as if it takes longer and longer to start up. It is currently running Mac OS 8.1, and has all the bells and whistles when it comes to software and specs. Ram is 40MB, HDD is at 250MB, Mac OS 8.1, and has not a single scratch. I know Older Mac OS (Pre-OS X) Os's can be very slow during startup, but mine takes more time than it does for my Macbook Pro to do a complete startup and shutdown 3 times. I do notice alot of extensions loading up at the beginning, so how do I turn them off? Also, I want to find a way to make it startup faster. It lags sooooo slowly when starting up, as if unresponsive almost. When fully loaded, however, it is speedy. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

G4 Sawtooth Sonnet 1.6, iMac G4 800 700, iMac G3 23, Mac OS X (10.5.8), Mac OS 9.1, Mac OS X 10.2.3, Mac OS X 10.4.6, 10.4.11, Mac OS X 10.5.8, Mac OS X 10.6.4

Posted on Feb 19, 2011 5:54 PM

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Q: Powerbook 540c lagging

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  • by Appaloosa mac man,Helpful

    Appaloosa mac man Appaloosa mac man Feb 19, 2011 8:19 PM in response to Powermac82
    Level 5 (4,330 points)
    Feb 19, 2011 8:19 PM in response to Powermac82
    Powermac82,

    Welcome to the forums.

    First suggestion is to start up while holding down the shift key. Time that and see how it does. A fresh PRAM battery might help the computer remember the last startup configuration. It may be doing a fresh check for all components every time it starts. Zapping the PRAM will make it take longer the first time but might help it speed up after that.

    Next, you can start up while holding down the space bar. That should bring up 'Extensions Manager.' Extensions manager will let you boot with just the basic extensions and not all the extras. Unfortunately, since you have a processor upgrade, you may have to include some of the extensions needed by the new processor. Having a copy of the documentation that came with the upgrade would be helpful.

    Try that much, take two asprin and see how you feel in the morning!

    Jim
  • by Powermac82,

    Powermac82 Powermac82 Feb 20, 2011 9:26 AM in response to Appaloosa mac man
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 20, 2011 9:26 AM in response to Appaloosa mac man
    Well, thanks for the tips, but the PowerBook 540c still lags at startup. It takes about a minute or 2 shorter to startup now, but still takes a long time. Any ideas?

    I am going to zap the PRAM to see what happens. Thanks.
  • by Niteshooter,

    Niteshooter Niteshooter Feb 23, 2011 1:42 PM in response to Powermac82
    Level 2 (454 points)
    Feb 23, 2011 1:42 PM in response to Powermac82
    I'd guess the main and pram batteries are probably at the end of their lifespan so that might be part of it as Jim mentions.

    You can also check and see if memory testing is turned on by option clicking the memory control panel and see if you have the ability to shut it off. If just the option key didn't work try cmd and option when clicking the memory control panel.
  • by Appaloosa mac man,

    Appaloosa mac man Appaloosa mac man Feb 23, 2011 7:35 PM in response to Niteshooter
    Level 5 (4,330 points)
    Feb 23, 2011 7:35 PM in response to Niteshooter
    Niteshooter,

    You bring up a good point the that reminded me of another thing in the memory control panel. Quadras will start in a mode that is compatible with older software. The 68020 and 68030 processors did not handle 32 bit processing. The Quadras introduced a whole new level of computing power. You have to go into the Memory Control Panel and turn ON 32 bit processing after losing power. A fresh PRAM battery will keep that setting in 32 bit mode as part of the system configuration preferences. A dead battery will allow the computer to reset back to default mode. If 32 bit is turned off, the system will allocate about 95% of your RAM to system needs and leave 5% for a program. Thanx for the reminder.

    Jim