03-11-2012, 05:43 PM

A few weeks ago, I would get booted out of the application whenever I tried to run searches/watch video/generally use any funciton within Firefox on my 2007 MBP. Soon after that, it started happening with other web browsers as well- Safari, Opera, Chrome. From there on in, there was a rapid downward spiral- upon trying to open browsers or iTunes or MS Word, I'd get the spinning wheel of death, which would signal an eventual total freeze of my laptop. I'd have to hard restart, and then on booting, maybe 50-60% of the time, the computer wouldn't even progress past the boot screen (one time I waited to see, it just hung out there for about 40 minutes before I cut and run).

Originally, I thought maybe it was just overfull, or too fragmented or something. So I tried running basic utilities on it, defragging... it'd freeze up. Then I tried throwing away large quantities of files I didn't use anymore... and the computer wouldn't even delete some of the files. Said they were in use, or I didn't have permissions, etc. (these are just .wav files and the like). Sometimes, while emptying the recycle bin, it'd freeze again. It got so the computer was essentially useless for even the most basic functions.

At this point, I dumped as many uncorrupted files as I could onto an external, and tried to go nuclear- put in the OSX disc, tried to reformat... but it froze with the spinning wheel about 30% of the way through formatting. Same situation.

So this is kind of my last resort. I have no idea what the deal is, but I suspect it's some sort of basic hardware issue (which I assume would explain why it froze even during reformatting). Does anybody here recognize these symptoms? Is it a hard drive issue? RAM? Something that can be fixed with a replacement part? I should mention that I worked this machine pretty hard- used it for recording since pretty much the first day I had it. Don't know if that was the root of the problem. Anyhow, I love it, and I hope it isn't either a "mystery problem" with no clear solution or just a total systems failure.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

03-11-2012, 06:45 PM

I wonder if you aren't experiencing the beginnings of a failing hard drive. Do you have another drive that you could load a fresh copy of the OS onto and attempt to boot from? Even if it were an external drive that should work. If you can boot and work reliably from there then I would be looking for a new hard drive.

03-11-2012, 09:24 PM

Thanks. I tried installing another hard drive, but it was previously used and formatted to a Windows machine; it wasn't formattable from the Snow Leopard install disc. I had no idea I could just use an external HD to the same purpose; I'll try this tonight.

03-12-2012, 07:41 AM

Originally Posted by hypnotoad

Thanks. I tried installing another hard drive, but it was previously used and formatted to a Windows machine; it wasn't formattable from the Snow Leopard install disc. I had no idea I could just use an external HD to the same purpose; I'll try this tonight.

Sure it is Formattable from the SL install DVD. You have to use Disk Utility while booted from that install DVD.