find out which process is preventing restart / logout

Question

Created Aug ’15

Replies 6

Boosts 0

Participants 4

hey guys!

since a few weeks i cannot restart or logout normally. when i press restart or logout all the open applications in the dock close as usual and i see a blank desktop. but nothing happens next, even if i wait for half an hour. i can still move the mouse and open any applications again. i always have to force restart if i want to.

i think there might be a process preventing the mac from restarting. but i don't know how to find out which one.

i added a user but i am experiencing the same problem with the new account.

i am running the public beta of el capitan. i also had the problem on yosemite, so this seems to have nothing to do with the beta. but because i am running it, i have to ask in the developer forums.

i tried using the console app but i am very new to that.

can you please help me?

thanks in advance!
jaro

Boost

Answer 1

bob133 OP

Aug ’15

I'm not that experienced with OS X's core, but I can tell you that Console is the wrong app for what you're trying to figure out. Use Activity Monitor instead for information about which processes are running and what they're doing.

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Answer 2

KMT OP

Aug ’15

It might not have anything to do with a 'stuck' process, but more to do with the beta acting out and/or a corrupted install. I'd treat it that way instead of a normal OS X issue.

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Answer 3

Max108 OP

Aug ’15

Hi Jaro,

Boot up in Verbose Mode by holding cmd + V from when you start your Mac to when you see white writing scrolling down the screen. Now, when you begin the shut down / restart you should soon see the white writing again, which should give you a clue as to what is causing the process to hang.

Before you restart though, it's worth looking in the Activity Monitor and make a note of the processes that are red.

Post back your findings 🙂

Max.

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Answer 4

quastenberg OP

Aug ’15

it's definitely not! i just updaeted to the beta because i thought this could fix the problem. i was dealing with the restart / logut problems for weeks now. i always had to force restart.

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Answer 5

quastenberg OP

Aug ’15

hey max! thank you. i will try that tonight! 🙂

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Answer 6

Max108 OP

Aug ’15

Hi Quastenberg,

Did Verbose Mode prove instructive for you? From seeing this somewhere else, I think that you could use the following as a workaround until the issue is fixed (it would help with that if you file a bug report here: https://bugreport.apple.com):

Before you shutdown, run the following from Terminal:

killall Dock

The reason I think that will work is that I suspect the answer to your original question is that the Finder (controlled by the Dock process) is failing to unmount network drives or the drives of other computers that you are mounting during your session.

Let me know if this answers your question 🙂

Max.

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