02-21-2009, 10:46 PM

Okay, I am kind of raging pretty hard at my computer right now. On Tuesday, the hard drive crashed. I lost everything. Luckily, I'd backed it all up on a 250GB Western Digital External Hard Drive only a couple weeks ago... ! Only, EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE IS ALSO DEAD FOR NO REASON. I don't know.

Anyway, there goes everything I've ever kept on my computer.

So I took the hunk of junk into the Apple Store on Wednesday to have them diagnose whatever was wrong with my MacBook. I was told that nothing was wrong, and everything was looking fine. I protested that some of my apps had been acting oddly since reinstalling OS X, but was assured I had nothing to worry about.

So I take my computer home and begin the task of slowly re-collecting my lost data from all four corners of the 'net. I finally get some of my music back, and decide to listen to it on iTunes (who, incidentally, froze up and was the seeming originator of my hard drive meltdown). iTunes begins to do it's gapless feedback thing and freezes. Repeatedly. I give up and restart.

Now it just won't start. It bounces once, twice, maybe a couple times. Sits in the dock for a while with the arrow under it. Quits of its own accord. I hit up Google, and delete everything related to iTunes except my music folder. I also delete the album that iTunes was freezing on previously, though this album was totally innocent and unworthy of deletion. Delete all the .plists in my Library, delete everything iTunes period.

Shut down. Wait thirty seconds. Restart. Download iTunes. Watch in despair as it does its thing--its thing being to sit uselessly in the dock, leaving me feeling defeated. I check to make sure my computer is iTunes 8 ready. It is.

I try the delete everything/reinstall trick again. No dice.

This is all on top of everything randomly freezing, various DMGs refusing to mount for no reason, and everything being retarded.

WHY DOES MY COMPUTER SUCK SO MUCH.

I am using a 1st Gen MacBook, OS X Version 10.4.11, I've downloaded all software updates, I don't *think* I have any viruses. What is up?

Sorry if I sound annoyed, I just feel like my computer is out to get me. It's certainly stolen all my free time this week with its shenanigans.

02-21-2009, 11:03 PM

One problem at a time - no point trying to tackle 8 problems at once.

Do you get any output at the command line after executing the following commands in Terminal.app:

cd /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/
./iTunes

02-21-2009, 11:16 PM

I do, but all it does is do its "sit in the dock" thing before quitting.

Personally, I think the ghost of Steve Jobs is getting revenge on my for buying a Sansa SanDisk Clip on eBay.

It was $20! I needed something for the gym! I was saving up for an iPhone...

Jobs loses another customer by haunting their 3rd party RAM.

02-21-2009, 11:58 PM

I downloaded OnyX for Tiger to see if that would help. The DMG mounts but it won't install.

I hate everything related to computers right now.

02-21-2009, 11:59 PM

Do you hear any funny noises coming from the HD? Have you tried replacing the HD?

02-22-2009, 12:04 AM

I WANTED them to replace it at the Apple Store since, hello, it already crashed once! But they said it was fine. It's not making any particularly odd noises though. I ran the Check Disk utility and it says everything is fine--clearly a lie.

02-22-2009, 12:21 AM

NEW UPDATES ON THE ****** COMPUTER FRONT:

I installed some new updates (Java/Safari) and rebooted. My computer then looks like this: http://i40.tinypic.com/20zrwnc.png

"Hey," you might be thinking, "Where is your hard drive/icons/ANYTHING?"

WELL LET ME TELL YOU. They weren't there! They have reappeared now that I've manually launched Finder. Further proof that my computer is mad/evil/retarded.

On the iTunes Front: It no longer even taunts me with a few bounces before giving up. Now it simply appears for a second before disappearing. Hurrah!

I... I just want my muuuuuuusic.

02-22-2009, 12:25 AM

Adium won't load now either! It bounces once and then does nothing.

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YYYYYYYYYYYYY

02-22-2009, 12:32 AM

List of Applications that won't load at all:

Adium, Automator, Dictionary, GarageBand, iChat, iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, iWeb, Mail, Safari, Sherlock, Transmission.

QuickTime Player will load, but immediately freezes and has to be force quit.

02-22-2009, 01:00 AM

I would suggest taking it back to the Apple Store and ask to speak to a manager. Does your machine still have any Apple Care left? It really sounds like the Hard Drive but it's just a guess. Have you tried to run the Apple Hardware test? Hold down D with the OSX DVD in the drive. When the Apple Hardware Test launches, do the extended test. See if that finds anything.

Intel-based Macs: Starting up into Apple Hardware Test