why spinning pinwheel of death with browsers?

[ceceliagm]

How can I figure out what is causing the SPOD to halt my Internet browsing? I'm guessing that some sort of system activity related to browsing is causing this, but I don't know how to troubleshoot OS10 very well yet.

Since I did the 10.3.9 combo update thru software update, all my browsers are periodically freezing with the stupid beachball. It can happen in a couple of minutes, or after 5 or 10 minutes of browsing, but it ALWAYS happens! This does not usually happen when I run other applications, however, such as Quark XPress 6.5 or even my Classis apps. Even before the 10.3.9 "upgrade" my browsers would periodically freeze up with the stupid beachball. It seemed that Safari did it less often than Netscape or Firefox. I'm having other funky problems since the "upgrade" but I'll deal with them later!

STATS: OS10.3.9, Firefox 1.0.3, Netscape 7.2 (no Safari now). I have OS10 installed on my external Firewire drive until I feel like I can trust it with my professional life and then install it on my PowerMac 450Mhz G4, 800Mb RAM. ACTIONS SO FAR: I reinstalled the security update #02 and then the Java update. I've installed the BSD subsystem, and I've been haunting these boards and Apple's support site now for days. I won't be upgrading to Tiger anytime soon, either. I give up! Please help me.

[riccbhard]

Try repairing permissions. Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilites > Disk Utility. Select "Macintosh HD" and then click "Repair Permissions".

[ceceliagm]

Sorry. I thought that was so obvious, I didn't mention I tried that already! I also repaired the disk, both from my original Install CD. Then I downloaded MacJanitor and ran all fixes, with no problem. I just keep getting that stupid wheel, and other quirky things. My Mail will stop working again, so I log out and back in. Terminal won't open, so I do the same thing. I just have the feeling something is happening in the background and I don't know how to figure it out. I kept having to "fix" Safari, so I just gave up and removed it. Do you think that maybe because it's happening with the browsers, that Java may be all or part the problem?

Thanks.

[The Ghost]

Originally Posted by ceceliagm

Sorry. I thought that was so obvious, I didn't mention I tried that already! I also repaired the disk, both from my original Install CD. Then I downloaded MacJanitor and ran all fixes, with no problem.

I would use the combo updater to install 10.3.9 again.

[riccbhard]

I'm thinking this could also be a Java problem?
Can you use Java things ok?

[The Ghost]

Originally Posted by riccbhard

I'm thinking this could also be a Java problem?
Can you use Java things ok?

To check on the 10.3.9 Java issue,
go here.

[ceceliagm]

Well, when I first reinstalled the Security Update #02, and then reinstalled the Java 1.4.2, it seemed to help my problem. And the main oddity of browsers are all the scripts and such that don't happen in other software, so it seems like a logical suspect. I did a lot of forum searches already for "spinning wheel," "browser hang," "firefox hang," "Safari hang," and "system freeze." So I think I must have found all the typical approaches to the chaos generated by the 10.3.9 update. . .

What I'm really looking for here is advice on how to track down what's happening when I see that $#@! beachball. If you can recommend a good book that will bring me up to speed, I will get it and finally get my brain properly aligned for this new, so-called improved, OS.

Right now, I think I'm going to make a clean reinstall of OS10.3, and make the updates thru 10.3.8, and hope Apple comes around to fixing this mess. I just don't have the time to baby my Mac like this. For that, I can use one of my Windows computers!

[The Ghost]

Originally Posted by ceceliagm

What I'm really looking for here is advice on how to track down what's happening when I see that $#@! beachball. If you can recommend a good book that will bring me up to speed, I will get it and finally get my brain properly aligned for this new, so-called improved, OS.

Check out Activity Monitor. See if any app or process is hogging your CPU. Any process/app taking over, say, 20% is suspect. If you find one that is taking significantly more than 20%, then quit it. Also, see if you have a RAM shortage as evidenced by excessive pageouts--say pageouts more than 10% of pageins. In this regard, you might have a memory leak--where an app requires more and more memory over time. If you see an app/process using excessive memory, then quit it. Don't quit any "Administrative" processes.