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Help please - Bad crashing, freezing, lines and pale patches and more

I wonder if anyone can help me. I am not very technobod and there are progressively awful problems on my Mac until it is now so slow.

I need to fix it before it dies altogether, or I throw it out of the window.....


Problems:-

Thin black lines randomly appearing across the windows.

Ghosting of windows, they leave another version when moved.

Sometimes windows just white out in areas with scribbly lines like pretend text.

Sometimes windows have large bare patches all of a sudden or go see through

Programs keep just quitting for no reason.

The whole computer just freezes every now and then. Sometimes it waits and returns, occasionally it crashes completely.

It is really painfully slow and can take me considerable minutes to open a new window or get something else up on screen.

The tool bar sometimes goes all skeletal with no background.

Loads more silly things like this... all random.


It is driving me absolutely potty. It's only used by me doing emails, filing pics, designing jam labels, letters, going on forums and things. I don't give it loads to manage unless I'm doing something spectacularly stupid. This computer ought to be big enough to run a design studio....


I have tried mackeeper, found it gave more problems than it solved, and uninstalled that, I've tried Clean my mac and only cleaned some, I left the universal binaries and the Caches alone. I then tried Onyx and fixed some listings (I kept the report) and cleaned up the caches in that, then restarted.


It is now even slower than before I started fixing it, and all of the problems are still here. I've got time machine for back up.


What can be going wrong? Is anyone able to help over the next couple of days?

iMac, I mac 6.1 intel core 2 duo

Posted on May 3, 2012 6:05 AM

Reply
18 replies

May 3, 2012 6:17 AM in response to Mumonmymac

First thing is to remove MacKeeper from your computer, in addition you probably do not need Onyx either although it may be OK. OS X does NOT require third party utilities to maintain it, if you used to use MS Windows where that was necessary it's not required for OS X. OS X does a good job of caring for itself and other utilities are built into it if needed. I would then recommend re-starting the computer in Safe Mode, this will clear some caches. Try this first then tell us what happens.


Also PLEASE tell us what system you have. It's difficult to troubleshoot a computer without know at the minimum what version of OS X it's running, the computer model etc. You can fill out your profile in Your Stuff (upper right of this screen) - Profile and then complete the fields as needed.

May 3, 2012 6:19 AM in response to Mumonmymac

At this point it sounds like you may have an internal hardware problem. I would recommend booting from your Original Installation Disk that came with the computer and run AHT (Apple Hardware Test) or even the Extended Apple Hardware Test to try and diagnose the failing component. It may well be the logic board is giving up the ghost.


Hope this helps 🙂

May 3, 2012 6:29 AM in response to Mumonmymac

It has taken me this long to reply to you because it is so slow.


Here is a pic

[IMG]http://i48.tinypic.com/2rr6kqd.jpg[/IMG]


OSX 10.6.8 Snow lepoard


Hardware Overview:


Model Name: iMac

Model Identifier: iMac6,1

Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo

Processor Speed: 2.16 GHz

Number Of Processors: 1

Total Number Of Cores: 2

L2 Cache: 4 MB

Memory: 1 GB

Bus Speed: 667 MHz

Boot ROM Version: IM61.0093.B07

SMC Version (system): 1.10f3


I will try the safe mode and see what happens. Thank you for helping me. It is really appreciated. I will be some time.... but will be back.

May 3, 2012 9:14 AM in response to Mumonmymac

I am having to answer you now on an iPad because I cannot get a window to open any more on my pute. I opened it in safe mode and that was ok, but now it will not let me get into this forum at all. The window opened but when I pressed the mouse, the little whirly thing just has been going around for over two hours now. I cannot stay on this as my son needs it for his exams. I will do the other things you suggest and I will return. Thank you peeps.

May 8, 2012 2:16 AM in response to Mumonmymac

Back again on the iPad. I had to do mummy stuff all over the bank holiday weekend so not able to be online. I am having trouble locating any relevant disks. I have a feeling the mac came pre loaded, but I am still looking. The computer itself spends hours hunting for any window I request and then either firefox or safari just bomb out on me saying something about it having trouble writing a script. I can go and read it again if it is of use. It still switches on, but not much else. I know that if I take it back to PC world, they will just tell me to buy a new one.


If it is a hardware problem, is that the only solution?

May 8, 2012 5:39 AM in response to Mumonmymac

Mumonmymac wrote:


The only discs I can find so far are IMac Mac OS X Install Disc 1 and 2 for version 10.4.7 Which isn't brilliant, but better than nothing. I will keep hunting to see if I can do better than that.

Yes those are the oringinal (and very old) Install Discs, please run Apple Hardware Test in Extended Mode. You can find instructions by clicking Hardware Test.

May 8, 2012 7:04 AM in response to Mumonmymac

I checked the number on other threads here, it appears to be a motor fan error in the CPU and if I understand it correctly, the speed is 2 from the number????


I presume I can get that fixed, but if one fan is on the way out, or in fact dead. Am I about to flog a dead horse if I start on the mending road? Do computers get mended these days, or is that just throwing good money after bad? I obviously do not have money to burn.


I am really grateful to you for guiding me and saving my sanity. I could never have found this out by myself in a million years. I'm almost glad it has a good reason to be going wrong and it isn't my fault.


Thank you ever so much for helping me find out what is wrong.

Gigantic virtual beers all round..... if I could make you taste it, I would. Give yourselves a really big hug from me instead.

Help please - Bad crashing, freezing, lines and pale patches and more

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