My Mac computer is always freezing up?

Question

So recently I've been having trouble with my Mac computer. My computer is pretty old it's about five years old, but it's always freezes. Whenever I go on, (I usually just go on Safari) it will work for around an hour, but then it will freeze. Sometimes it will come back, and other times it doesn't and I have to restart my computer. Usually when I restart it doesn't work, and I have to go back and restart it again. It's like a cycle. Also, after being on a website for about 5 minutes, it will get these weird purple lines across the screen that only go away if the window is closed. Sometimes the screen will just go black by itself and I'll have to restart.
Is this happening because it's old, or is it a virus? Also, how do I stop this from happening? Please help!
(It's a Mac OS X Version 10.6.6 and it's not used much during weekdays, but it's used a lot during weekends.)

Answer 1

Try repairing your disk permissions. To do this, open Disk Utility, click Macintosh HD in the left box. Then, click "Repair Disk Permissions". This usually fixes small glitches, or sluggish processes that give you the "spinning beach ball".



However, the purple lines on the screen hint that something more serious may be happening. Your graphics card may be malfunctioning. The other symptoms though, suggest that the Hard Drive may be on the path to failing.



I suggest taking it in for diagnostics or replacing it if my first tip does not help with the issues.

Answer 2

What does "always freezes" mean? Do you mean as soon as the system loads, it always immediately freezes? If not, it isn't always. It is "often". Reading further, I see it only freezes about once an hour. You also said those purple lines "only go away if the window is closed". Well, if closing a window fixes the purple line issue, then the purple lines are related to that app you were using... you know, the one with the window that had purple lines in it. It was... oh, help me out here. Tell me what app has the purple lines. Is it Safari? If closing a Safari window eliminates the purple lines, Safari is wacky and all else is safe from purple lines.



Before you throw this... this... hey, what is it? Is it a MacBook, a Mac Mini, an iMac??? I guess all we really know is you are using OS 10.6.6... hey, why are you using an outdated OS version? Open Software Update and get all the updates. You can't expect a computer to get fixed if you haven't even done the free updates. Anyhow, before you throw it out the window, do these steps (ALL of them)...



-- Boot to the OS X Install DVD.

-- Go past the language choice.

-- Open Disk Utility.

-- Select the"Macintosh HD" at left.

-- Select the "First Aid" tab.

-- Click the "Erase" button.

-- When it is done, quit Disk Utility, and install OS X.

-- When that is done, it will restart and you will create a new admin user. You can use the same name and short name as before, since that is all erased now.



Now you can test it for at least three hours BEFORE YOU INSTALL AN-Y-THING ELSE to see if it freezes. If it does, either the RAM is bad (replace the RAM) or the logic board needs to be replaced (Don't even think it will be worth the money).

Answer 3

It's not "a Mac OS X". That's the version of OS X. It's a Macbook, iMac, etc. The purple lines point a big red sign toward the vide card, and unless you're on a Mac Pro, you're pretty well screwed as the video card will be integrated with the motherboard and it'll be too costly to replace.

Answer 4

No need to worry my friend, you are just a call away to get fixed. Just visit http://mac.customer-supports.com/ and make a call on their toll free. You will get a certified technician to fix mac related issues only in a single call.