Can't log out/switch off/Finder won't quit

alanwoollcombealanwoollcombe
Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
The header says it all. I have a new iBook and briefly what happened is that:



1. iTunes refused to play CDs, including ones I've previously played. In fact, it wouldn't even show them on the desktop.



2. I tried to restart the iBook but it wouldn't shut down properly, just sleep (I assume it was asleep - the screen was blue and the white snooze light was doing its thing).



3. i tried to log out from the Apple menu and it wouldn't let me. Instead I got a spinning beachball-like cursor (it's still spinning some ten minutes later) and a window that says:



"Logout has timed out because the application Finder failed to quit. To try again, quit Finder and choose Log Out from the Apple menu. You can use the Force Quit menu item in the Apple menu (or press Command+Option+Esc) to quit an unresponsive application."



This window has an OK button to hit - but even that doesn't respond! (And earlier, when it did, I was unable to get into the Apple menu)



To coin a phrase: HELP!!!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    snofsnof Posts: 98member
    Well, I would recommend resetting the power manager, but I'm not familiar with how to do that on the most recent iBooks. Check apple's support pages, or wait for someone else here to tell you.
  • Reply 2 of 9
    alanwoollcombealanwoollcombe Posts: 54member
    Thanks, and I'll wait to see if anyone else has any detailed instructions.
  • Reply 3 of 9
    imhoimho Posts: 30member
    try using Ctrl+Eject, if you can.



    It may give you an option to choose to restart.



    Or, hold down the power key until the system shuts off. If all else fails, can't you simply remove the battery...?



    Anyone know if this is a Bad Thing?
  • Reply 4 of 9
    alanwoollcombealanwoollcombe Posts: 54member
    "Or, hold down the power key until the system shuts off."



    It worked! Thanks! (Curiously, it didn't earlier...)



    Next step has been to reinstall the OS's and partition the HD (with OS 9.2 in one part and OS X.1.2 in the other) to prevent a total shutdown etc in future.



    Of course, I'd feel a whole lot better if I knew what had caused the problem(s) in the first place, but this works for now.



    Anyone know what the latest OS versions are, and are they recommended?
  • Reply 5 of 9
    alanwoollcombealanwoollcombe Posts: 54member
    Oops - somehow I duplicated the message.



    [ 07-01-2002: Message edited by: alanwoollcombe ]</p>
  • Reply 6 of 9
    bombthroatbombthroat Posts: 35member
    Hold in the power button on the iBook until the machine shuts down completely. Then just reboot and go on your merry way. The same thing happened to me with my Ti PowerBook and that was the fix.
  • Reply 7 of 9
    spartspart Posts: 2,060member
    You can also kill it (the Finder) from the Terminal, which is what I love to do . Open Process Viewer, and type in Finder in the text box. Select Finder from the list, and remember the Process ID. Launch the terminal and when it's open type 'kill (Process ID)'. Make sure to replace (Process ID) with the Process ID of the Finder. For example, when I did this to mine just recently I typed 'kill 366'. Only use that if the Force Quit dialog doesn't work. Also, TinkerTool has a nice little option to add a Quit option to the Finder in the Dock, which if you hold the option key down turns into a Force Quit option.



    Just my little rant there on quitting stuff, YMMV, etc.



    [EDIT: I know there is also the top command, which shows what Process Viewer does in a CLI, but I was trying to keep him away from the Terminal as much as possible.]



    [ 07-01-2002: Message edited by: Spart ]</p>
  • Reply 8 of 9
    alanwoollcombealanwoollcombe Posts: 54member
    "Hold in the power button on the iBook until the machine shuts down completely. Then just reboot and go on your merry way. The same thing happened to me with my Ti PowerBook and that was the fix. "



    Thanks -but did you ever have the same problem again or find out what caused it?
  • Reply 9 of 9
    alanwoollcombealanwoollcombe Posts: 54member
    "You can also kill it (the Finder) from the Terminal, which is what I love to do . Open Process Viewer, and type in Finder in the text box. Select Finder from the list, and remember the Process ID. Launch the terminal and when it's open type 'kill (Process ID)'. Make sure to replace (Process ID) with the Process ID of the Finder. For example, when I did this to mine just recently I typed 'kill 366'. Only use that if the Force Quit dialog doesn't work..."



    OK, you've lost me! The terminal - is that the keyboard or an app? What and where is the Process Viewer? - Sherlock couldn't find it. Also, the problem was to get out of the loop (spinning beachball) so nothing would open and the machine wouldn't shut down until I pressed the power button and held it down.



    This sounds like something that a complete OS X and programming novice like me shouldn't even contemplate...



    Thanks for the assist anyway, but it does sound waaay over my head.
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