[G4] Apple applications not responding.

[David Russell]

Hi Guys,

I am using a G4 1.4 Mhz OSX.3.9. When I started up this morning I found 
that some of my Apple applications were not responding. Initially it 
was Safari and Mail that would just bounce in the dock and not do 
anything. I subsequently discovered that iCal, iPhoto and a non-Apple 
utility -- World Clock -- were also not responding. I did not look 
further but I bet that there are system-based applications that are 
also not going to work. Otherwise the system works fine and all my 
other apps open perfectly.

I tried to repair permissions on the disk in question but Disk Utility 
just hung and I had to force quit to get rid of it.

I was able to start up from a remote disk and all the apps ran fine 
from that. Except that I seem to have lost about six months worth of 
mail and none of my cookies work.

I was able to run Disk Utility on the dodgy disk from the remote disk 
and it ran perfectly. I also ran Disk Warrior on the disk. However, 
when I started from that disk there was no change.

I am now running from my remote disk and I have been trying to find out 
what might be wrong. But I figure this is the best place to ask. I bet 
one of you gurus can tell me.

I tried retrieve my lost mail using the import facilty in Mail but, 
although I have two remote disks both containing complete clones of the 
main start-up disk (which presumably contain copies of the Mail 
software), the program couldn't find any other versions of Mail to 
import from. So where has my mail gone and how can I get it back? Or 
better, how can I get my usual start-up disk to the applications on it 
as it should?

Advice would be appreciated.


David