FREEZE
 

Jesus Christ.

I've had this problem for a little while. Sometimes my Mac locks up... I know, sounds impossible, but it's true. It's rare, but true. Strangely, I can still roll over icons on my desktop with the arrow keys and open them in quicklook. I could also still shift Spaces. But the cursor is unable to click on anything and all the windows I have open at the moment don't work.

I'm usually browsing the internet when that happens... which is something I do a ton of the time. It doesn't happen very often, but it just did. (I had a game open that time too.)

So... what's the deal here? :[

OSX? Freezing? Impossible. You've obviously discovered a new feature, congratulations!

My Mac does the same from time to time.

Normally if I'm running a lot of different programs at the same time.

It's called a computer.

Try running a system cleanup/maintenance utility like OnyX to clear up your system. I do that from time to time.

Onyx said that I need to repair my volume. I'm about to run Time Machine right now incase that fails.

Hoo boy...
(I also learned I need a bigger external HD. The one I'm using is just 92.something gb.)

ROFLMFAO.

Repairing your volume is completely nondestructive, whether it succeeds or fails. Worst case scenario, your drive will simply remain in exactly the state it's in right now.

Ah well, too late. I figured I should backup anyway.

I repaired both permissions and the disk itself. Probably should've just repaired the disk itself... I read repairing permissions while booted from the Leopard DVD might undo some updates. Will I be able to re-update them if that happened?

You do realize Time Machine is supposed to be 100% automatic, right? With no user intervention required?

First, you should know that that is very probably completely untrue. All repairing permissions does is exactly what it says -- repairs permissions. It doesn't replace any files, which is the only way it could feasibly undo an update. But in the 0.00001% chance that it does do something like that, you'll be able to restore the updates simply by running Software Update again like usual.

I hadn't used Time Machine in ages and my HD couldn't take it all in anymore, so I wiped the external HD and had it do the initial backup again.

Yeah, I felt better after I saw the "10.5.4" update in Software Update.

And when I said undo an update, I just meant undoing a permissions update. I read that sometimes permissions are updated for better security or something.

Hearing that from you makes me strongly suspect that you have no idea what permissions actually are.

No idea, nope.
Little files with important data in them that I assume allows access to stuff. That's all I know.

Even that is wrong. Permissions are just the operating system's way of seeing what has access to what. Permissions aren't separate files -- they're on every file. And it also has nothing whatsoever to do with security. You're not more or less secure because file permissions are set a certain way.

Ok, thanks for clearing that up. :)

Also, I'd like to note this real quick: Way back in my iMac thread when you asked whether I used Upgrade or Fresh Install? The disc that came with the computer is an upgrade-only disk.

Regardless, I was able to do the disk repair with it. Just saying.

#Permissions...
Oh you beautiful gorgeous Permissions...
You make it so easy to implement
A security system that won't get bent#

er.

I just started a song about permissions.

WHAT IS GOING ON

I do not know...

I do.

But I'm not telling.

Do you know the rest of the song?

I'm no stranger to permissions...

...you make the rules, and so do I.

Not seeing forums is what I'm thinking of...

...you wouldn't get this from, any other site.