TITLE
    Mac OS 9: Finder Sluggish When Desktop First Appears
Article ID:
Created:
Modified:
25214
12/1/00
1/5/01

TOPIC

    If you have set up your computer to automatically open a file server volume at system startup time, or have an alias of your hard disk in the Apple Menu Items folder, there may be a brief delay when the desktop first appears.


DISCUSSION

    Symptom

    At system startup time, when the desktop first appears, the Finder appears to ignore desktop activities for a brief period. For example, you cannot open a menu from the menu bar.

    Products affected

    • Mac OS 9

    Solution

    There are two reasons this may occur: if an alias of the hard disk is put into the Apple Menu items, or if a file server volume is opening at startup time.

    Alias of Hard Disk in Apple Menu Items

    If an alias of the hard disk is placed in the Apple Menu Items folder, the Finder must index the hard disk and build the menu for every item it finds. This can take a long time depending on the number of items and directory structure of the hard disk.

    To prevent the delay at startup time, remove the hard disk alias.

    File Server Opens at Startup Time

    The brief delay may occur while the computer is attempting to connect to the file server volume(s) that you have chosen to automatically open at system startup time. Turning off this feature eliminates the brief delay.

    If the server volume is available on the network, follow this procedure to no longer have it opened automatically at system startup time:


      1. Connect to the network.

      2. Open the Chooser.

      3. Click the AppleShare icon to select it.

      4. Log on to the AppleShare file server containing the volume(s) you no longer wish to open at system startup time.

      5. Click the appropriate checkbox to deselect the volume(s) you no longer wish to open at system startup time (see Figure 1).

      6. Click OK.

      7. Close the Chooser.




    Figure 1 The checked volume will open automatically at system startup time

    If the server volume is not available on the network, follow this procedure to no longer have it opened automatically at system startup time:


      1. Open your computer's startup disk.

      2. Open the System Folder.

      3. Open the Servers folder.

      4. Locate the alias(es) of the file server volume(s) you no longer wish to open at system startup time.

      5. Drag the alias(es) to the Trash.


    For more information on this issue and system responsiveness, please see the following articles:

    Article 60544: " Mac OS 9: What Is The Servers Folder In The System Folder? "
    Article 31175: " Macintosh: Reducing Startup Time "
    Article 10182: " Mac OS: Rebuilding Desktop File and Icon Recovery "
    Article 17697: " AppleShare Volumes: Disabling Automatic Log On "
    Article 60400: " Mac OS 8.6: Computer Pauses Every Five Minutes On DHCP "
    Article 22059: " Macintosh: Startup Sequence "


Document Information
Product Area: Mac OS System Software
Category: Mac OS 9.0
Sub Category: Troubleshooting
Keywords: kmos90

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