Mac OS basic troubleshooting

I found one day I needed to go through some basic troubleshooting steps and couldn’t remember some of the basic key combinations, so I googled for something that would jog my memory. I have decided to re-post this below:

1. Reboot the Computer. – Simple, I know… but it will fix so many “issues” without the need for any other steps to be taken.
This should be done before any other step is attempted.

2. Run Software Update – Again, very simple, I know… but many times simply updating your software with the latest patches will again fix so many “issues” without the need for any other steps to be taken.

3. Clean Your Caches – There are several tools that will do this for you, Onyx, MainMenu, Quicksilver…etc. Even if you don’t have one of those you can still do it manually. Just delete everything in the folders Library/Caches and in Users/*Your User Name*/Library/Caches. When finished reboot.

4. Delete the .plist file – If it is a particular program that is giving you problems delete its preferences (.plist) in ‘Your User Name’/Library/Preferences

5. Uninstall then reinstall the offending application – If it is a particular program that is giving you problems and deleting the .plist file didn’t help, then uninstall and reinstall the application.
Important — If your application came with an uninstaller then use that to uninstall it first. Do NOT just move it to the Trash and do NOT use a third-party app to uninstall it. Use the provided uninstaller and then reinstall the application.

6. Repair Disk Permissions – Go to Applications|Utilities|Disk Utility and select repair disk permissions on your OS X drive

7. Run Disk Repair – Boot from your restore/install disc and run a Volume/Disk repair on your startup disk.

8. Resetting the PRAM: When booting, hold down Command-Option-P-R and wait for the triple startup chimes.

9. File System Check – When booting up your computer hold down the Apple Key & the S key and it will boot into single user mode. When the text is done loading on the screen type in /sbin/fsck -f and hit enter.
When that is done if it fixed things then do the check again to make sure it is cleared
When finished with that type in exit and it will start the computer in normal mode

10. Reset Nonvolatile Firmware – When booting, hold down Command-Option-O-F and wait for the command prompt. Type “reset-nvram” and hit enter.

11. Search the Forums – At the top of the forum you will find the ‘Search’ feature. Type in your keyword and have at it.
You can also use the ‘Advanced Search’ to narrow your search by sub-forum, thread prefix, date, etc.
You can narrow things down even more by showing your results as individual posts or full threads.

12. Search the Apple Support Knowledge Base – If none of the above have helped, point your browser to – Apple – Support
Once there, you will be able to perform a search and should be able to locate a remedy for your issue.

From: http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os-x-operating-system/93819-basic-os-x-mac-troubleshooting.html

hall.dll missing or corrupt

I recently had an issue where an XP computer refused to boot. The computer had a black screen saying that the hall.dll file was missing or corrupt. I used option 4 and replaced the boot.ini file. The solution and links to each piece are below.

Error Message

There are few different ways that the “missing or corrupt hal.dll” error may present itself, with the first listing being the most common:

* “Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
\system32\hal.dll.
Please re-install a copy of the above file.”

* “\System32\Hal.dll missing or corrupt:
Please re-install a copy of the above file.”

* “Cannot find \Windows\System32\hal.dll”

* “Cannot find hal.dll”

The “missing or corrupt hal.dll” error displays shortly after the computer is first started. Windows XP has not yet fully loaded when this error message appears.

Windows 7 & Vista: Hal.dll does not exist in Windows Vista or later but there is a specific issue that can cause this error to appear. See How To Fix Hal.dll Errors in Windows 7 and Windows Vista for help.
Cause
Causes of the “missing or corrupt hal.dll” error include, naturally, a damaged hal.dll DLL file or a hal.dll file that has been deleted or moved from its intended location.

Additional causes may include a damaged or missing boot.ini file or possibly a physically damaged hard drive.
Resolution

1. Restart the PC. The hal.dll error could be a fluke.

2. Check for proper boot order in BIOS. You might see the hal.dll error if the boot order in BIOS is first looking at a hard drive other than your main hard drive.

Note: If you’ve recently changed your boot order or recently flashed your BIOS, this may be what’s causing your problem.

3. Run Windows XP System Restore from a command prompt. If this doesn’t work or you’re receiving the hal.dll error message before you’re able to complete this process, move on to the next step.

4. Repair or replace the boot.ini file. This will work if the cause of the problem is actually Windows XP’s boot.ini file and not the hal.dll file, which is often times the case.

Note: If repairing the boot.ini does correct the hal.dll issue but the problem reappears after a reboot and you’ve recently installed Internet Explorer 8 in Windows XP, uninstall IE8. In this specific situation, IE8 could be the root cause of your hal.dll problem.

5. Write a new partition boot sector to the Windows XP system partition. If the partition boot sector has become corrupt or isn’t properly configured, you may receive the hal.dll error.

6. Recover data from any bad sectors on your hard drive. If the physical part of your hard drive that stores any part of the hal.dll file has been damaged, you’re likely to see errors like this.

7. Restore the hal.dll file from the Windows XP CD. If the hal.dll file is truly the cause of the problem, restoring it from the original Windows XP CD may do the trick.

8. Perform a repair installation of Windows XP. This type of installation should replace any missing or corrupt files. Continue troubleshooting if this does not resolve the issue.

9. Perform a clean installation of Windows XP. This type of installation will completely remove Windows XP from your PC and install it again from scratch.

Note: While this will almost certainly resolve any hal.dll errors, it is a time consuming process due to the fact that all of your data must be backed up and then later restored.

Important: If you can’t gain access to your files to back them up, you should understand that you will lose them all if you continue with a clean installation of Windows XP.

10. Test the hard drive. If all else has failed, including the clean installation from the last step, you’re most likely facing a hardware issue with your hard drive but you’ll want to test it to be sure.

If the drive fails any of your tests, replace the hard drive and then complete a “new” installation of Windows XP.

Applies To
This issue applies to the Windows XP operating system, including Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition. Windows 7 and Windows Vista do not utilize the hal.dll file.

From: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/findbyerrormessage/a/missinghaldll.htm

To recreate the boot.ini, I used the following instructions:

The boot.ini file is a hidden file that is used to identify in what folder on which partition and on which hard drive Windows XP is located. Boot.ini can become damaged, corrupted or deleted for a number of reasons and is usually brought to your attention by an error message.

Follow these easy steps to repair the damaged/corrupted boot.ini file or replace it if it has been deleted.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: Repairing or replacing the boot.ini file usually takes less than 10 minutes
Here’s How:

1. Enter Windows XP Recovery Console. The Recovery Console is an advanced diagnostic mode of Windows XP with special tools that will allow you to restore the boot.ini file.

2. When you reach the command line (detailed in Step 6 in the link above), type the following command and then press Enter.
bootcfg /rebuild

3. The bootcfg utility will scan your hard drives for any Windows XP installations and then display the results. Follow the remaining steps to add your Windows XP installation to the boot.ini file.

4. The first prompt asks Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All).
Type Y in response to this question and press Enter.

5. The next prompt asks you to Enter Load Identifier:.
This is the name of the operating system. For example, type Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home Edition and press Enter.

6. The final prompt asks you to Enter OS Load options:.
Type /Fastdetect here and press Enter.

7. Take out the Windows XP CD, type exit and then press Enter to restart your PC.
Assuming that a missing or corrupt boot.ini file was your only issue, Windows XP should now start normally.

From: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/findbyerrormessage/a/missinghaldll.htm