When I've tried to open my copy of Avid today and the opening stops as soon as "Initializing Avid Media Access Volume Manager" comes up on the bottom of the screen.  Avid freezes and refuses to continue opening.  Can anyone help me with figuring out what is wrong with it?  I have a personal suspicion when I was trying to do a test export of Red files into Avid (that failed) might have had something to do with it but I highly doubt it.  

Has this problem ever occurred to anyone?

Hello Rick, and welcome to the Forum. In order to help you, we need to know the details of your system specifications. Click on your name, then "edit my profile", then "profile options" to get to the appropriate text field. Also, check your system against the Media Composer version matrix and system requirements.

I'll second Larry with his request.

One though though: if you force-quit MC and try to relaunch it right away, does it open on second launch?

Just updated with system specs.  

No, I've forced quit and it still doesn't open.  I've had MC since last April/May and it's never given me a single problem.  Part of me almost wonders if the Red Quicktime Codec I've installed or the attempt to bring Red footage into Avid might have done it, but it seems so unlikely.  

Check out the thread:  MC 4.0.5 on Mac w Snow Leopard: Hanging on Startup

http://community.avid.com/forums/t/79731.aspx

It all has to do with System Prefs, from what people are saying.  You have various options, including a new Patch (see the pinned thread above: "New Patches Available (Yes, for Mac too!)"

Regards, Malcolm