Slow start up and other problems

My Mac Pro, running an update to snow leopard is giving me fits. The start up is taking 10 minutes on average. Sometimes I have to force quit and run fsck -fy. Then I can use it almost normally. The permissions utility freezes at times unless I have previously run fsck. Here are some details from fsck. I don't understand the Console so I am abbreviating the fsck output.

USBF 11.545
22.545
33.546
33.546
45.546
57.546
69.546
81.546

Busoxd 42000
ISUBMass storage class time out

Fsck gets me up and running. The problem started when I had to stop and install of a Canon printer. This may have nothing to do with it but all of this is after that. I have since removed all of the drivers and code for the printer. No difference so I am at loose ends. Thanks in advance for any expert help. macro

What are your system specs? Might help people help you

I'll get them up, thanks for the suggestion.

Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro1,1
Processor Name: Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB
Memory: 9 GB
Bus Speed: 1.33 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MP11.005D.B00
SMC Version (system): 1.7f10
Serial Number (system): G87482Z80GN
Hardware UUID: 00000000-0000-1000-8000-0017F20F3FE6

I really need some help from a person who knows Mac's. Inside and out. Please, I am a photographer and this problem is slowing me down tremendously.

It sounds like you may have a dying hard drive. Do you have another hard drive in your Pro that you can boot off to test? If you don't, I strongly suggest you make a backup as soon as you can and start thinking about replacing that hard drive.

I don't know how to read that output, however, the symptoms lead to:
A: HD
B:RAM
C:Corrupted preferences.

My first port of call would be backing up your HD.
Then, booting from the install disc holding C, I would verify/repair disc.
I would also while I am at it run an Apple hardware test from the second disc holding D while booting.
If all is not resolved after this, I would be running OnyX. Selecting automation tab and pretty much have everything checked except for rebuild folder display.

http://download.cnet.com/OnyX/3000-18512_4-10653022.html


Oooop... chscag got in there while I was typing

I am backed up on line. I do not have another HDD. Isn't there a chance that I picked something up on line as I am not the only one who uses this computer? I just am unfamiliar with the Mac as I switched to it from PC's. Just a few years ago. A few years ago should say something. I am so happy with the Mac but was realistic with my expectations in the first place. A computer is a computer; problems.

HD disks die..... this has nothing to with the computer it is in, or the OS that is running, be it Mac, Windows, Linux, etc,
What seems to be wrong with your Mac has nothing to do with trojans or viruses if that's what you are getting at.
HDs dying is a very minor 'problem' and now days, for the cost of new HDs, a very inexpensive fix as long as you have a good backup strategy in place.

Thank you all very much. I have gotten in touch with my online back up and been looking for this. This box is about 5 years old now and the HDD is the original. I guess I have to get the BU from this url.

How do I get the problem out of the BU when downloading it? Is it still there or am I just a numbskull? What is the best HDD to buy.

How do I get the problem out of the BU when downloading it?

Click to expand...

Sorry, but I have no idea what you are asking ^

What is the best HDD to buy.

Click to expand...

Any of these are going to be good, but you just have to decide on size, speed, and budget of coarse.
Data Storage Upgrades for your Mac Pro Quad Core 2.66GHz (Dual-Core x 2) - 667MHz Memory Bus - Late 2006 at OtherWorldComputing.com

To your remark what did I fail to give for a proper response? I thought this thread was going along a path and I am not acquainted with the Mac as to this problem.

I regret that this is not my forte but I am trying to solve this as best I can.

I placed the 9 G's of ram in the computer myself. I have never replaced an HDD. I am not confident in the plug and play. I just need help. As you know, the side comes down and out and the rest needs to be done in order, concerning the placement of the chips. I did that but am lost as to what needs be done concerning the HDD.

I still don't know what you mean by "How do I get the problem out of the BU when downloading it?"
I'm sorry if you took my response as being short or unhelpful.

I'll take a stab and guess that maybe you are asking how you get the faulty items out of the backup.
The answer to that would be that it seems that the HD is failing, so there is nothing faulty to get out of the backup.
If that is not what you are asking, then I will need you to explain it (word your question) a little differently.

As for this

I placed the 9 G's of ram in the computer myself. I have never replaced an HDD. I am not confident in the plug and play. I just need help. As you know, the side comes down and out and the rest needs to be done in order, concerning the placement of the chips. I did that but am lost as to what needs be done concerning the HDD.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure, but I think that you are asking how to upgrade the HD, to which I have found this link for you.
How do you upgrade the hard drives in the Mac Pro? How many drives of what type are supported? @ EveryMac.com
Also, at the top of this page
mac pro HD replacement - Google Search
you will see a Link to and Apple instructions PDF

macro said:

I really need some help from a person who knows Mac's. Inside and out. Please, I am a photographer and this problem is slowing me down tremendously.

Click to expand...

The fact that you have problems, but that they go away temporarily when you run FSCK, indicates that you are suffering from problems with your Mac's invisible Directory. The Directory keeps track of where your data is on your hard drive. After running FSCK the Directory has been repaired, but on your Mac, in short order it has become corrupted again. The question is...by what?

How big is your hard drive? How full is it? You are a photographer, so I assume that you are archiving a lot of very large photo files. Is your hard drive over 80% full? Do you frequently store photos on your drive and then delete them? It could be that your drive is both on the full side, and that you are suffering from quite a bit of file and drive fragmentation to the point that there isn't enough contiguous free space on your drive to suit your Directory. See:

Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
OS X Maintenance And Troubleshooting
Item #6 and Note #1

Are you experiencing any other unusual symptoms? Have any of your files disappeared? Do you get error messages occasionally that say that you are out of memory?

___________________________________________

Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
OS X Maintenance And Troubleshooting
___________________________________________

My HDD is less than half full as I use another computer for post processing digital and this one for doing film. I can't find the size of this hard drive and I used to get a status pie that showed it in graphics. I am mystified, quite honestly as this has been relatively problem free for years. If it's the hard drive I will get one and replace this one, no problem.

My problem is that I had a PowerMac for a few years in 95 - 99 and then went to PC. The Mac has been wonderful. I would hope that this is not an HDD problem. I think you are giving me hope. I need to go through your post and figure this out as I am somewhat unfamiliar with Unix and its vagueries.

Thank You for your reply

Your URL

I bookmarked your page and I want to thank you for taking the time to reply. I appreciate your interest in my problem. Tony (macro)

macro said:

My HDD is less than half full as I use another computer for post processing digital and this one for doing film. I can't find the size of this hard drive ...

Click to expand...

If you don't know the size of your hard drive, how do you know how full it is?

Click on an empty area of your desktop to get into the Finder. In the Finder menu choose Preferences. Click on the General tab, and make sure that Show These Items On Desktop/Hard Disks is checked.

Now go into the View menu and choose Show View Options. Make sure Show Item Info is checked.

Now there will be an icon on your desktop for your hard drive. Under this icon it will say how big your hard drive is, and how much of it is being used.

What are those numbers?

___________________________________________

Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
OS X Maintenance And Troubleshooting
___________________________________________

You will find the drive size by going to About this Mac > More Info > Serial ATA which will show the name and size of the drive and how much free pace is left. It may well be the drive failing. Today one needs an external drive for a cloned copy of the OS that is bootable, but for we Mac Pro users, simpler and faster to put a second drive in position two and clone to that.

When you have problems just boot from the second drive by holding down Option after the chime and selecting the drive.

macro said:

I bookmarked your page and I want to thank you for taking the time to reply. I appreciate your interest in my problem. Tony (macro)

Click to expand...

No problem! (I assume that you are referring to me.) I enjoy helping to troubleshoot more difficult problems.

I'm sure that we can get it worked out. The overwhelming number of problems that users encounter with their Macs have surprisingly simple solutions if you apply logic to your troubleshooting.

___________________________________________

Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
OS X Maintenance And Troubleshooting
___________________________________________

250.06 GB. It is less than a 1/3 full, slightly.