Mid-2011iMac, 3.1Ghz i5, 4 Gb ram has recently started "hanging" during operation.

Question

Level 1

0 points

Mid-2011iMac, 3.1Ghz i5, 4 Gb ram has recently started "hanging" during operation.

Mid-2011iMac, 3.1Ghz i5, 4 Gb ram has recently started "hanging" during operation. I'm typically running FMP 12, Safari with multiple open tabs, mail, calendar and message. I will randomly get the "beach ball", more frequently as the day goes on. Activity Monitor show nothing unusual, but system.log is filled with "memorystatus_thread: idle exiting pid #### [SleepServiceD]" messages. Trying to copy a section of log and get it onto my iPad so I can post it. Not running MacKeeper, or any other such utilities.

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8), Server

Posted on Sep 5, 2013 3:47 PM

Reply

Answer 1

John Galt

Level 10

140,964 points

Sep 5, 2013 4:12 PM in response to Don Kemp

If you have not done so already, back up your data because what you describe may indicate an impending hard disk failure.

Confirm you are running the OS X version in your profile (10.6.8). This was posted in the Mountain Lion forum.

Run Apple Hardware Test by booting from your original grey Applications DVD while holding the d key. Any result other than "No trouble found" indicates a hardware failure that must be addressed first. Then,
Boot from your original grey System Install DVD and choose Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. Select your startup volume (usually named "Macintosh HD") and from the First Aid tab, click the Repair Disk button. Reply with the results of any errors it reports in red.

Reply

Answer 2

Don Kemp Author

Level 1

0 points

Sep 5, 2013 6:59 PM in response to John Galt

The OS X version in my profile is out of date. The machine came with 10.8 installed, and is now at 10.8.4. Have already run AHT, both simple and advanced, with no errors appearing. Same with Repair Disk.

The machine is connected to a 10.6.8 server, with a Portable Home Directory. The contents of all the users' home directories are backed up nightly using MozyPro. There is an additional on-premises Time Machine drive that all users back up to. I was hoping to attach a portion of the system log, but can't find where TextEdit hid it on iCloud. I'll try again tomorrow when back at the office.

Reply

Answer 3

John Galt

Level 10

140,964 points

Sep 5, 2013 7:50 PM in response to Don Kemp

In that case the Internet version of Apple Hardware Test can be invoked on your iMac by holding option d at startup, and you can boot OS X Recovery to run Disk Utility. No discs are required.

The relevant system.log excerpts would be helpful.

Mozy could be responsible for the periodic unresponsiveness. I know of no subscription-based offsite backup services that function well on a Mac.

Reply

Answer 4

Don Kemp Author

Level 1

0 points

Sep 6, 2013 8:13 AM in response to John Galt

John, as I said above, have already run AHT and Disk Repair, with no errors. MozyPro is running on the server (10.6.8) and the problem is on my workstation (10.8.4). Now that I'm back at work, here's a small snippet from system.log.

Sep 5 15:34:34 Dons-iMac com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.sleepservicesd[4341]): Exited: Killed: 9

Sep 5 15:34:34 Dons-iMac kernel[0]: memorystatus_thread: idle exiting pid 4341 [SleepServicesD]

Sep 5 15:34:38 Dons-iMac com.apple.launchd.peruser.1035[179] (com.apple.tccd[4344]): Exited: Killed: 9

Sep 5 15:34:38 Dons-iMac kernel[0]: memorystatus_thread: idle exiting pid 4344 [tccd]

Sep 5 15:34:38 Dons-iMac com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.xpcd.0B040000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000[4338]): Exited: Killed: 9

Sep 5 15:34:38 Dons-iMac kernel[0]: memorystatus_thread: idle exiting pid 4338 [xpcd]

Sep 5 15:34:39 Dons-iMac com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.iCloudHelper[4337]): Exited: Killed: 9

Sep 5 15:34:39 Dons-iMac.local Dock[244]: find_shared_window: WID 1144

Sep 5 15:34:39 Dons-iMac.local Dock[244]: CGSGetWindowTags: Invalid window 0x478

Sep 5 15:34:39 Dons-iMac.local Dock[244]: find_shared_window: WID 1143

Sep 5 15:34:39 Dons-iMac.local Dock[244]: CGSGetWindowTags: Invalid window 0x477

Sep 5 15:34:39 Dons-iMac.local Dock[244]: find_shared_window: WID 1142

Sep 5 15:34:39 Dons-iMac.local Dock[244]: CGSGetWindowTags: Invalid window 0x476

Sep 5 15:34:39 Dons-iMac.local Dock[244]: find_shared_window: WID 1141

Sep 5 15:34:39 Dons-iMac.local Dock[244]: CGSGetWindowTags: Invalid window 0x475

Sep 5 15:34:39 Dons-iMac.local Dock[244]: find_shared_window: WID 1140

Sep 5 15:34:39 Dons-iMac.local Dock[244]: CGSGetWindowTags: Invalid window 0x474

Sep 5 15:34:39 Dons-iMac kernel[0]: memorystatus_thread: idle exiting pid 4337 [com.apple.iCloud]

Sep 5 15:34:46 Dons-iMac com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.sleepservicesd[4346]): Exited: Killed: 9

Sep 5 15:34:46 Dons-iMac kernel[0]: memorystatus_thread: idle exiting pid 4346 [SleepServicesD]

Sep 5 15:34:59 Dons-iMac.local com.apple.time[233]: Interval maximum value is 946100000 seconds (specified value: 9223372036854775807).

Sep 5 15:35:04 Dons-iMac.local WindowServer[85]: CGXDisableUpdate: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "Finder" for over 1.00 seconds. Server has re-enabled them.

Sep 5 15:35:04 Dons-iMac.local WindowServer[85]: reenable_update_for_connection: UI updates were finally reenabled by application "Finder" after 1.04 seconds (server forcibly re-enabled them after 1.00 seconds)

Sep 5 15:35:05 Dons-iMac.local WindowServer[85]: CGXDisableUpdate: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "Finder" for over 1.00 seconds. Server has re-enabled them.

Sep 5 15:35:14 Dons-iMac.local WindowServer[85]: reenable_update_for_connection: UI updates were finally reenabled by application "Finder" after 9.40 seconds (server forcibly re-enabled them after 1.00 seconds)

Sep 5 15:35:26 Dons-iMac.local WindowServer[85]: CGXDisableUpdate: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "Finder" for over 1.00 seconds. Server has re-enabled them.

Sep 5 15:35:27 Dons-iMac.local WindowServer[85]: reenable_update_for_connection: UI updates were finally reenabled by application "Finder" after 2.00 seconds (server forcibly re-enabled them after 1.00 seconds)

Sep 5 15:36:14 Dons-iMac com.apple.launchd.peruser.1035[179] (com.apple.printtool.agent[4367]): Exited: Killed: 9

Sep 5 15:36:14 Dons-iMac kernel[0]: memorystatus_thread: idle exiting pid 4367 [printtool]

Sep 5 15:36:15 Dons-iMac com.apple.launchd.peruser.1035[179] (com.apple.tccd[4350]): Exited: Killed: 9

Sep 5 15:36:15 Dons-iMac kernel[0]: memorystatus_thread: idle exiting pid 4350 [tccd]

Sep 5 15:36:17 Dons-iMac com.apple.launchd[1] (com.apple.sleepservicesd[4348]): Exited: Killed: 9y

Perhaps you can tell something from this.

Reply

Answer 5

John Galt

Level 10

140,964 points

Sep 6, 2013 8:54 AM in response to Don Kemp

The logs show the periodic "hangs" you describe but the underlying cause is not evident. To help determine that I suggest the following, in no particular order of importance:

Safe Mode or "Safe Boot" is a troubleshooting mode that bypasses all third party system extensions and loads only required system components. Read about it: Starting up in Safe Mode
- Note that a Mac does not behave normally in Safe Mode. Screen redraws won't be as smooth, certain network functions are disabled, and some programs (iTunes for example) will not work at all. Read the above link for a more thorough description. Restarting your Mac normally will restore its previous environment.
- If the periodic "hangs" do not occur in Safe Mode, it's a clue that will advance troubleshooting. The cause must still be determined though.
Creating a temporary account to isolate user-specific problems: Isolating an issue by using another user account
- Log our of your normal account, log in to the temporary one, and determine if there is any change.
- Delete the temporary account when you are finished testing.
Memory limitations: Using Activity Monitor to read System Memory and determine how much RAM is being used
Installing more memory is beneficial but is not a panacea for resource-hogging or poorly written programs.
Consider posting the results of EtreCheck in accordance with the following.
EtreCheck will collect and present a summary of certain system information that may reveal a potential cause.

Apple Support Communities contributor etresoft wrote a very useful app to quickly gather certain system information that may help point to a cause of this problem. Go to his website, download and run EtreCheck:

http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

Etrecheck will be in your Downloads folder. Open it from there. You may see the following dialog box:

Click Open - etresoft contributes to this forum frequently and can be considered a trustworthy developer.

It will take a moment to run as it collects its data.

Copy and paste its output in a reply.

Do not be concerned about anything that says "Problem" or "failed".

EtreCheck was designed to remove any personal information (such as your computer's name and serial numbers) but if you see anything that looks like an email address or any other personal information that should not be divulged to others, please delete or obscure that information when you post the reply.

When you are finished with EtreCheck, quit the program. It occupies very little space, and you can keep it or drag it to the Trash as you wish.

Reply

Answer 6

Don Kemp Author

Level 1

0 points

Sep 6, 2013 11:25 AM in response to John Galt

Downloaded and ran EtreCheck, but haven't had time yet to restart in single-user mode. Results from EtreCheck are:

Hardware Information:

iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)

iMac - model: iMac12,2

1 3.1 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 4 cores

4 GB RAM

Video Information:

AMD Radeon HD 6970M - VRAM: 1024 MB

Startup Items:

ChmodBPF - Path: /Library/StartupItems/ChmodBPF

System Software:

OS X 10.8.4 (12E55) - Uptime: 0 days 2:43:50

Disk Information:

ST31000528AS disk0 : (1 TB)

disk0s1 (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB

Macintosh HD (disk0s2) /: 999.35 GB (722.25 GB free)

Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB

HL-DT-STDVDRW GA32N

USB Information:

Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

Apple, Inc. Keyboard Hub

Apple Inc. Apple Keyboard

Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub

Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Apple Internal Memory Card Reader

Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

FireWire Information:

Thunderbolt Information:

Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

Kernel Extensions:

Problem System Launch Daemons:

[failed] com.apple.wdhelper.plist

Problem System Launch Agents:

[failed] com.apple.accountsd.plist

[failed] com.apple.coreservices.appleid.authentication.plist

[failed] com.apple.pbs.plist

[failed] com.apple.printtool.agent.plist

[failed] com.apple.tccd.plist

Launch Daemons:

[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist

[loaded] com.barebones.authd.plist

[not loaded] com.barebones.textwrangler.plist

[loaded] com.fernlightning.fseventer.plist

[failed] com.google.GoogleML.plist

[loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist

[loaded] com.meraki.agentd.plist

[failed] com.mozy.backup.plist

[failed] com.themha.airlock.daemon.plist

[loaded] org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx.plist

Launch Agents:

[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist

[loaded] com.hp.devicemonitor.plist

[loaded] com.hp.messagecenter.launcher.plist

[loaded] org.macosforge.xquartz.startx.plist

User Launch Agents:

[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.df0ab5bbe6f698196fcc21e3c1e66dcb758bd911f4d637272d9d8109.plist

[loaded] com.facebook.videochat.don.plist

User Login Items:

Users

Office

MCXMenuExtraTool

iTunesHelper

Mail

Calendar

Messages

IP Broadcaster

Dropbox

ElementsOrganizerSyncAgent

3rd Party Preference Panes:

Flash Player

Java

Perian

Internet Plug-ins:

AdobePDFViewer.plugin

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI.plugin

Flash Player.plugin

FlashPlayer-10.6.plugin

Gears.plugin

Google Earth Web Plug-in.plugin

iPhotoPhotocast.plugin

JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

LogMeIn.plugin

LogMeInSafari32.plugin

LogMeInSafari64.plugin

QuickTime Plugin.plugin

User Internet Plug-ins:

CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin.plugin

Bad Fonts:

None

Top Processes by CPU:

31% com.apple.quicklook.satellite

16% WebProcess

2% Console

2% WindowServer

1% Activity Monitor

1% EtreCheck

1% FileMaker Pro

1% activitymonitord

1% Safari

0% PluginProcess

Top Processes by Memory:

1.54 GB WebProcess

176 MB Safari

86 MB mds

86 MB FileMaker Pro

78 MB Mail

45 MB Console

45 MB PluginProcess

45 MB Calendar

45 MB FileSyncAgent

45 MB WindowServer

Virtual Memory Statistics

138 MB Free RAM

1.58 GB Active RAM

1.56 GB Inactive RAM

736 MB Wired RAM

709 MB Page-ins

798 MB Page-outs

Reply

Answer 7

John Galt

Level 10

140,964 points

Sep 6, 2013 9:42 PM in response to Don Kemp

Safe Mode should be instructive.

Google Desktop may be causing the random hangs; I suspect it only because Google has yet to demonstrate the ability to write anything for OS X that is not a resource hog.

In addition,

Mozy is in fact installed
Make sure Wireshark is the 64 bit version
Western Digital SmartWare does nothing beneficial and has been known to cause problems.

There are several other processes launched at startup with which I am not familiar (FernLightning, "themha"???). Not all of them may be compatible with Mountain Lion, so if the periodic unresponsiveness does not occur in Safe Mode, your task is to search their respective developers' websites for updates, or methodically uninstall them.

Reply