accountsmacmacbook promacos
I recently had some problem with my account that I use on a regular basis.
After logging in, my Mac blocks completely showing the spinning color wheel everywhere I click to open something. Finally I need to restart my mac, because I'm not able to do anything. Now, the strange thing is that this does not happen when I log in into another account on my mac, then is everything working fine.
Anyone that knows how an issue like this?
My mac is on Mac OS X Mavericks and is a Macbook Pro Mid-2010.
In my case, it just means the Finder is gathering the contents of a folder in order to present them to you, that's all. It shows only when displaying a folder full of hundreds of file, or while browsing network shares.
Complementing other answers …
Mac OS X: How to start up in single-user or verbose mode
– if you start in verbose mode, then restart or shut down will be similarly verbose.
Hint: if things in verbose mode seem to not progress beyond a certain point, allow maybe five minutes before either:
If a forced restart does not succeed, that could be another clue to the cause of the problem(s).
A related question, albeit not problem-oriented: Can anyone interpret verbose shutdown messages?
The problem-oriented case here should be easier to resolve for lupincho. Fewer tea leaves.
A preference can be stored in NVRAM. Enter the following command in Terminal, and be prepared to enter your admin password:
sudo nvram boot-args="-v"
The next start of the system will be verbose.
Before each restart or shutdown, in Terminal:
sudo sysdiagnose
It's time consuming, but you need not investigate the results of all runs. Pay attention only if a problems arises.
For a case such as lupincho's:
sysdiagnose may reveal a problem before a restart or shut downMore specifically: if a run of sysdiagnose fails to progress beyond a certain point, knowing that point can help to gain a sense of the underlying problem.
During the run you can use the following key combination, repeatedly, to see whether things are progressing:
For the allmemory part of the sysdiagnose routine, Apple's two minute estimate may be wildly inaccurate. Be patient.
If you suspect that sysdiagnose fails to progress beyond a certain point, then key:
If repeated use of Control-C fails to abort sysdiagnose, then (in my experience with Mountain Lion) it's almost certain that an attempt to restart or shut down the operating system will fail.
In Finder, go to:
/private/var/log/shutdown_monitor.log
This file is typically empty, but may contain items of interest following a problematic shutdown. (I have little experience in this area.)
It's not unusual to have stray processes at shutdown. A stray can be problematic only if it is not killed.
If you suspect that WindowServer is not killed, and that this particular stray is contributory to shutdown failure: ask yourself whether any third party software makes nonstandard use of the WindowServer process.
Quick Look of a GrabFS view of WindowServer on Mountain Lion, with two displays:
If Lion is similar, then my gut feeling is that the cause of shutdown failures lies beyond WindowServer.
Whilst the machine is running normally, what response to the following command?
sudo launchctl list | grep --invert-match com.apple
Wonder whether any non-Apple software is contributory to the problem. Anti-virus, anti-malware software?
Aim for:
/private/var/log/com.apple.launchd/launchd-shutdown.system.log
It seems the default is one log per shut down, with a maximum of two so there's also:
/private/var/log/com.apple.launchd/launchd-shutdown.system.log.1
Following any forced restart or forced shut down, you might choose to set aside a copy of the most recent of the two. If force is required on any more than one occasion, you can compare files to see whether a pattern emerges.
Don't rule out the possibility of an issue with third party software, even release quality. Little Snitch may be well written and widely respected but:
I tested Build 12A269 of OS X 10.8 for around two weeks before it was released, with particular attention to shut down behaviours in difficult situations. Whilst I have not watched any videos from WWDC 2012, I do have a sense that Apple has worked very hard to prevent the need for force in all but the most difficult situations.
At least on Mountain Lion, I see the load of Little Snitch 3.0 Preview 2 (3857) very early – before shutdown logging begins. If things relating to this KEXT are similarly late around shutdown time, then maybe an issue will be not evident in the usual log files on disk.
If ever you discover the cause of the problem – with either Lion or Mountain Lion – I'll be pleased to know.
In the meantime, with big thanks for the bounty, a closing thought:
kextstat -l | grep --invert-match com.apple
Best Answer
You could try to login in without starting login items and opening finder windows. You can do this by holding down the SHIFT key after you type your username and password at the login screen.
This will probably only solve simple problems with your login. More details are available here: http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14215