uTorrent Crashes on start-up MacBook Pro

[pete99]

I downloaded tha latest beta version (mine says 9.2 now but I replaced it today for another problem ), a couple of days ago, and it crashed every time I started the application. My MacBook has OS X 10.5.8, but Apple sent me a stack of SW updates yesterday that seemed to cause running problems, for the uTorrent I'd managed to get going. I got it started by starting the MacBook in 'Safe Mode' (hold the shift key when pressing the power on button). It takes about five minutes to boot up, and its restricted in some functionality, but it flushes a lot of registers and other things which sometimes throws up something into the console log files.

I found that some firewall software I had previously installed had become corrupted. I re-installed it okay, but when I added uTorrent as an application to set access permissions it crashed it again. But this time it didn't require a reboot. so I left uTorrent out and the firewall software disabled. It then ran okay for a 1.8GB file download. Then I installed all the Apple SW updates and started downloading another 1.8GB file, and it seemed to run okay - booted up normal mode. I left it running overnight and when I checked it in the morning it had downloaded 70% of the file but uploaded nothing and the file transfer had stalled.

Everything I tried - even un-installing the firewall software twice, because it was still getting calls even though it had been removed from the system, failed to get the file transfer going again. So I went back and got another copy of uTorrent, downloaded a new disk image file, removed all trace of my previous install and repeated the install process. This didn't work either so I dumped the file, after trying everything else I could think of. Even with a new torrent script and a blank download file, the tracker would not start to transfer the file again and uTorrent showed the yellow light and access_to_bitTorrent_Network parameter = 0. So I dumped that script and loaded a different file. That's still running now. It started fine and has been running well - nothing in the logs anyway that I can see.

I ran yesterday's download on UL set to auto, but I've since tested my broadband speeds and set an appropriate speed limit as per the uTorrent set-up guide. I think all the Mac software updates may have corrupted something in my earlier installation, but that doesn't explain why I can't get the other file with the new installation of uTorrent - unless the tracker has a block on it or something. Anyway, its running fine at the moment with the different file. I just thought that other people might find how to overcome start-up crashes with safe mode helpful. I had the same problem with virtually every other torrent client I tried, even those run under Crossover.

Cheers

[NoOneButMe]

This sounds like there's something else going on with your system that's messed up, not with µTorrent. My suggestion is to Archive and Install. This will keep your data, but reinstall the OS.

[pete99]

Thanks for that but I'd cured the crashing as described and Apple sent a pile of software updates probably as a thank-you for the pile of crash reports I'd sent them, well, that's what I thought anyway. I think there was a Java issue with my firewall software and most bit torrent clients, to be honest. That's why I un-installed it, along with the crash, crash, crash, etc. Re-installing the OS would also mean re-installing all of the updates again, and there were 17 of them for different things including the OS, plus other periodic upgrades. Anyway, its running okay without any crashes now and the other problems were unrelated, really.

I installed BitTorrent, which has excellent console logging and informative error traps that throw up meaningful comments - one of which was: "Darwin: Unable to detect any UPnP services", which gave a big clue, as to one problem - this run to stall on 1.8GB files, around 70 - 75% downloaded. UL/DL collapsing to 0.5KB/s handshakes, for long periods (hours).

Anyway, I popped off and manually opened a port on my router and checked the route back with http://www.canyouseeme.org , and it could, so that was one problem solved. But I had another one as well. When I checked my broadband UL speed settings they've collapsed - since my ISP 'upgraded' me to 'unlimited Broadband' - by over 50%, which cocked-up all my speed settings and other preferences in line with the set-up guide and http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?id=58404 . I tested for ISP line choking on Glasnost from http://trac.transmissionbt.com/wiki/SlowSpeeds , which also has some helpful suggestions for other things to check, but Glasnost said my line was okay. Obviously it didn't know about the massive performance reduction since it had been upgraded. When I contacted my ISP about it they said that work was ongoing, at the exchange, and they hoped to complete it by March next year.

So I've just had to adjust all my UL speed settings to accommodate my ISP 'upgrade'. Anyway, I've been back on with the uTorrent 9.2 (beta) version, and the same stalled file and its running fine now. But thanks for the feedback and helpful suggestions, I really do appreciate it. I've got splinters from scratching my head, but all seems tickety-boo now, which I'm quite pleased about, thanks.

Cheers

(oh, I'm new to torrents, I've only been dowmloading them - or trying to - over the last couple of weeks because there wasn't much on the UK telly. So before that I'd never used any torrent clients before and know little about it all, frankly. So I've just posted above what I did and the links I found useful. I know that cross-links are not welcome here, but I've only done it to help other people like me who don't know much about torrents and expect to load the programme and the software to do it all. Like other applications. I never anticipated any difficulties really. But I've found it a little more involved than I thought it would be and I hope my observations may help other new users.)