Mavericks Security & Privacy empty dialogue box freezes machine many times daily.

[MetroHopper]

MacPro freezes owing to Security & Privacy control panel, plays unsavory clicking music.

I have to re-boot my Map Pro several times daily. It is running 10.9.4 (Mavericks, which has wrecked no fewer than four Intel machines in under two years; I would go for YEARS on a single (Power)Mac publishing magazines and editing books. Now I have three (Intel) Macs (with at least one at all times in the repair shop; SquareTrade has paid me a few grand to refund its fees as well as to pay for Macs purchased via eBay) and it appears that the problem has to do with the start-up utility in Security & Privacy.

Every time I boot, I get a blank dialogue window showing the Sec & Privacy icon. If I don't immediately cancel, the machine just cycles with its spinning beachball.

If I cancel the blank dialogue window (which I wish I could submit a screenshot), the machine runs for a couple of hours before it inevitably starts up its swan song of hard drive clicking—no matter whether I am running a Web browser, InDesign, Word or even nothing. The only resolution is a hard re-boot.

Has anyone any solid advice as to why the Sec & privacy (as well as other such password-demanding dialogue boxes, none of which I use regularly) come up with no text? And why Mavericks seems so unstable with respect to all this?

Thanks.

 

[initialsBB]

MacPro freezes owing to Security & Privacy control panel

it appears that the problem has to do with the start-up utility in Security & Privacy.

It's unclear wether you are getting this message in System Preferences or during the Mac's boot phase. What are your Security & Privacy settings ? Do you have FileVault turned on ? Or is there an EFI password at boot ?

You could try applying an OS X Combo update (10.9.4 here, and 10.9.5 here) which may help repair a borked OS X install.
Your problem could also be indicative of hard disk drive problems. Have you tried installing OS X on another drive ?

Mavericks, which has wrecked no fewer than four Intel machines in under two years

Mavericks was released in october 22nd 2013, making it less a year old.

I would go for YEARS on a single (Power)Mac publishing magazines and editing books.

When you have a stable work system, best practise is to not update at all before extensive testing.

 

[MetroHopper]

Thanks! I'll look into the software and hard drive solution possibilities.