My iMac behaves weird

[UbuntuOSX]

Hello all, I have a problem with my iMac, or may be its just my imagination, i don't know for sure. My iMac behaves weird. Sometime it starts up like a brand new machine and sometime it takes upto 15 minutes to complete start up. I don't know what is the problem. Even after the long startup, it behaves normally then. Sometimes even after normal startup, some applications wont start, If i click on the dock icon, it will bounce for few seconds and then it will stop. Can anyone help me with this? Please help!!

[Solomon]

You can use a disk repair utility to fix any issue if your computer won't start up normally. Mac OS X includes two utilities for this : Disk Utility which is a GUI based tool and fsck which is a command-line tool. You can also use these tools even when you feel your machine is fine and your computer starts fine but you still want to check the disk for possible problems. If you're using Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you should use Disk Utility instead of fsck, whenever possible.

[Rudra.J]

Try a Safe Boot, which will start up your iMac into Safe Mode. This will allow you to start up your machine successfully using a only the required softwares and utilities of the system and which also includes Automatic Disk Check. To do this, follow these steps:

• Start up in Safe Mode
• Once your iMac starts up fully, restart your Macbook normally

If the computer successfully restarts, you do not need to do any more troubleshooting.

[UbuntuOSX]

Try a Safe Boot, which will start up your iMac into Safe Mode. This will allow you to start up your machine successfully using a only the required softwares and utilities of the system and which also includes Automatic Disk Check. To do this, follow these steps:

• Start up in Safe Mode
• Once your iMac starts up fully, restart your Macbook normally

If the computer successfully restarts, you do not need to do any more troubleshooting.

SafeMode in Mac? I am sorry but i am not aware of it... Please tell me how to start my macbook pro in safe mode? I never new, like Windows OS, Mac too has a safemode boot. What does the Mac SafeMode do? I mean like windows will not load unnecessary drivers and startup so similarly there must be something in Mac too. Thanks!

[SmirnOFF]

Safe Boot is a special way to start up in Mac OS X when troubleshooting. Safe Mode is the state Mac OS X is in after a Safe Boot. To perform a Safe Boot, hold the Shift key as your Mac starts up.

The Mac OS Safe Boot does :

• It forces a directory check of the startup volume.
• It loads only required kernel extensions (some of the items in /System/Library/Extensions).
• In Mac OS X 10.3.9 or earlier, Safe Mode runs only Apple-installed startup items (such items may be installed either in /Library/StartupItems or in /System/Library/StartupItems; these are different than user-selected account login items).
• It disables all fonts other than those in /System/Library/Fonts (Mac OS X 10.4 or later).
• It moves to the Trash all font caches normally stored in /Library/Caches/com.apple.ATS/(uid)/ , where (uid) is a user ID number such as 501 (Mac OS X 10.4 or later).
• It disables all startup items and login items (Mac OS X 10.4 or later).
• Mac OS X 10.5.6 or later: A Safe Boot deletes the dynamic loader shared cache at (/var/db/dyld/). A cache with issues may cause a blue screen on startup, particularly after a Software Update. Restarting normally recreates this cache.

[Noverism]

Try Disk Utility

• Start from your Mac OS X Install disc: Insert the installation disc, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
• When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.) Note : Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.
• Click the First Aid tab.
• Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the hard drive icon to display the names of your hard disk volumes and partitions.
• Select your Mac OS X volume.
• Click Repair. Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk.