Q: OS X Lion freezes at login screen + App Store is slow

thanks for your valiant efforts, Terry. I don't have enough knowledge on the parameters issue, but, slightly off-topic, did you know that there's also been a related thread running over on the nVidia forums, and it turns out

that some of the faults on the logic boards had something to do with the nVidia graphics chip not being properly seated...

http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=180690

there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of official support from nVidia on that forum, though – and there ought to be.

@mrstee (hubby) - Things to try: (1) If you haven't already, run Software Update [Apple > Software Update] and apply any available Firmware or Software updates. (2) run Apple's Disk Utility [Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility ...] and, in the [First Aid] tab, click on the name of the drve partition (typically Mackintosh HD, unless you have renamed it) - this should display the two buttons for [Verify/Repair Disk Permissions]. Run the "Repair". If nothing else it will clean things up a bit. (3) if things are really Sloooow - one possible cause is that your HD is getting full - if you are at 75% then consider a cleanup campaign and/or a larger HD. (4) If you have more than 3 or 4 Apps running simultaneously - you are probably cluttering up available RAM. Either Quit some of the Apps not currently in use, or consider a RAM upgrade. (5) Find a utility that will rebuild the dictionary on your HD. I've used DiskWarrior, for years. It's still great - but there are alternatives.

@Metalizer: thanks for the pat on the back - always appreciated. Still no freezes or SBBoD, and I have been twisting Lion's tail hard on that MBP all day. I am prepping that machine for sale to a young friend - agreed-to before the Lion problem appeared - and this has been a show-stopper, until now.

Also thanks for the nVid link. Interesting - but I wd prefer to sit on the sidelines. Hope it doesnt impact me. I tend to get obsessive-compulsive once my interest has been snared. Cheers!

Apple phone support finally called me back and the engineers requested that I go back to an Apple Store to re-run diagnostics for hardware failures.  I think the Apple Store ran the same diagnostics as before but, rather ignoring the false alarms (forgot to mention earlier), they agreed try to replace the logic board.  What helped also was that the tech I worked with this time was familiar with the issue.

However, to my surprise, the logic board replacement was not going to be free since I was out of hardware warranty even when I politely protested that the problem is arguably Apple's fault.  Maybe a detail I missed in previous posts or folks left out.

At this point, I plan to either leave the auto graphics switching off or try the ktext fix. Probably will also send an email update to the tech I spoke at Apple phone support to see if there is anything further he can do.  I can live with the workarounds for the time being but hoping that Apple will come out with an official response soon.

Thanks for the assistance and good luck.

Hi Terry-both our MacBook Pros are up to date with the latest Apple updates. We both have repaired permissions a few times. I have a 500GB hard drive of which 307GB is available. I have 8G of RAM, hubby has 4. I don't know how full his hard drive is but it can't be very full-it's new and he doesn't have the stuff on his like I do mine. I will try Disk Warrior-I have that in addition to Drive Genius and TechTool Pro. My husband is getting very upset with his laptop and I think the next stop will be the Genius Bar. Thanks for all your suggestions, Terry! Judy

@mrstee: Ok. Diskwarrior may make a small but noticeable difference in hd performance. The most fun is seeing the before-and-after difference in the DW Graph.

Lion (cub ) has teething problems. The suggested workarounds on this thread are aimed at "freezing" and Spinning Beach Ball of Death issues (on upcraded Snow Leopard Macs) - not slow performance. But the available workarounds (see above, in the previous 3 or 4 pages: i.e., turn AGS OFF; or remove and save the AGPM kext file; or apply my own hack, if you are inclined - but you will need TextWrangler to edit the kext's info.plist file without jumping thru hoops) all seem to be effective until Apple releases an official fix. CGS Consultant's suggestion is probably simpler and turning off AGS ins System Preferences >Energy Saver is quickest and dirtiest, but harmless.

New Macs, with Lion installed, are a different case. I'm using a new OEM Lion MBP 17-nch. It's had a couple of freezes, apparently related to iPhoto (which apparently causes a graphics-switch, the apparent root of the problem). But I cannnot reproduce it consistently. Other than that - no problems - the machine runs fast and smooth. I wd visit the Genius Bar and demo the problems with your partner's new Mac.

@mrstee: one last reminder, re. slow performance: don't leave a hallf dozen or more Apps running without quitting the ones you are not using. They just sit in RAM and eventually force disk-paging to occur - which is horribly slow! You can use Activity-Monitor [System Memory] to get an idea of usage. I have a friend who regularly left 6 or 8 Apps unused but active - and wondered why her system was so slow. I had to wheeldle and coax but she eventually got the idea.

Ooops! CGS Consultant should've been SDG Consultant.

@mrstee: Re. Slooooww Macs: One More Thing! (at the risk of preaching to the converted) I'd (again) use Apple's Activity Monitor (in utilities) to watch the "%CPU" column and see which Processes are using the most of the available CPU cycles. That might offer a clue as to what is really going on under the hood.

I do this but my husband does not fully quit programs-just clicks on the red x. Will mention (again) to hubby to fully quit the apps. Thanks for the tip about using Activity Monitor!

I looked in System Prefs--->Energy Saver to turn off the graphics switching thing but I don't find it on my MBP. Will check hubby's. Thanks!

Judy: here's what you should see in the System Preferences > Energy Saver panel ...

https://discussions.apple.com/message/16626943#16626943

It's the [check-box] at the top left. Uncheck to turn AGS Off.

If you don't see it on your Mac then it must be a different model that only has one Graphics board (and I'm stumped ). Or maybe there's a hardware problem with your Mac? Good luck.

I've deleted the 'AppleGraphicPowerManagent.kext' now. Is there any problem without this file in the system?

Hi Terry, i think what Judy originally meant is that both are 13" models (the older one probably has the nVidia 9400M or the 320M, so wouldn't have ags)

I got my MBP back from the Apple Store yesterday.  So far no issues at all, looks like the logic board replacement did the trick.