Mail Hangs

I think mail is all screwed up lately. Since this weekend my Mail has not been working correctly. I cannot reply or attach files without having to force quit. Also, my iChat takes forever to load on top of that. Man, this is getting sickening. Funny thing though, is that my .Mac mail works fine...but not from my home computer.

I've noticed since Sunday, Mail is starting to hang when I first open the app, the first time I Reply, Attach, Send, Mail will hang for up to 2 minutes before eventually completed the task (opening the new mail window for reply, actually returning to the new mail window once the attachment has occurred - any size attachment, or actually sending the new mail). This only happens the first time I do each task, whether from a cold start, re-start, wake from sleep, opening the app, or returning to the app from sleep state.

Thoughts or suggestions are much appreciated.

TY!

-Lashmoe

I've had the exact same thing within the last week or so. Opening Mail is fine, but if I hit reply, I can not click into the body of the message at all. I can move the window, close it, even change the signature via the Signature box and it'll pop up. But I physically can not type into the window.

Closing the window and reopening the window does not let me type. I have to wait a couple minutes for it to be responsive.

This happens only when I first boot up and open Mail. If I close Mail and then reopen it, everything is fine.

I find this more then a coincidence that this has started happening to several of all all within the last week or so.

Has anyone filed a bug report?

Matt

Matt,

How will you describe this behavior as a "bug" when most of us do not experience such behavior?

Have you added, removed, or otherwise altered any fonts recently? Have you deleted and reinstalled the Mail application, by any chance?

In your post you have not provided any version information for the model of Mac and OSX you are using? If you launch Mail, click on the word Mail in the menubar, choose About Mail, what is reported?

Ernie

People need to report their machine models, software versions, and run Activity Monitor, Choose Windows->Activity Monitor, select the hung Mail process, and then choose View->Sample Process.

Save the sample and send to Apple, also copy the contents and paste in a report here so we can help figure out where Mail is hung.

Also, POP3, IMAP, which mail servers, etc is useful.

I just ran this and am copying the content here...however, the last time Mail hung was several hours ago...I don't know whether this has to occur immediately after the problem manifests itself...or running it at anytime is cool...please advise if I have to do so immediately following the "hang" time.

Analysis of sampling pid 1225 every 10.000000 milliseconds
Call graph:
300 Thread_0f07
300 0x94d19
300 0x94df2
300 NSApplicationMain
300 -[NSApplication run]
300 -[NSApplication nextEventMatchingMask:untilDate:inMode:dequeue:]
300 _DPSNextEvent
300 BlockUntilNextEventMatchingListInMode
300 ReceiveNextEventCommon
300 RunCurrentEventLoopInMode
300 CFRunLoopRunInMode
300 CFRunLoopRunSpecific
300 mach msgtrap
300 mach msgtrap
300 Thread_1003
300 pthreadbody
300 forkThreadForFunction
300 +[NSURLConnection(NSURLConnectionInternal) _resourceLoadLoop:]
300 CFRunLoopRunInMode
300 CFRunLoopRunSpecific
300 mach msgtrap
300 mach msgtrap
300 Thread_1103
300 pthreadbody
300 forkThreadForFunction
300 +[NSURLCache _diskCacheSyncLoop:]
300 CFRunLoopRunInMode
300 CFRunLoopRunSpecific
300 mach msgtrap
300 mach msgtrap
300 Thread_1203
300 pthreadbody
300 forkThreadForFunction
300 +[WebFileDatabase _syncLoop:]
300 -[NSRunLoop run]
300 -[NSRunLoop runMode:beforeDate:]
300 CFRunLoopRunInMode
300 CFRunLoopRunSpecific
300 mach msgtrap
300 mach msgtrap
300 Thread_1303
300 pthreadbody
300 forkThreadForFunction
300 +[_NSSocket _runIOThread]
300 -[NSRunLoop run]
300 -[NSRunLoop runMode:beforeDate:]
300 CFRunLoopRunInMode
300 CFRunLoopRunSpecific
300 mach msgtrap
300 mach msgtrap
300 Thread_1403
300 pthreadbody
300 select
300 select
300 Thread_1503
300 pthreadbody
300 forkThreadForFunction
300 -[NSUIHeartBeat _heartBeatThread:]
300 -[NSConditionLock lockWhenCondition:]
300 semaphore wait_signaltrap
300 semaphore wait_signaltrap
300 Thread_1603
300 pthreadbody
300 PrivateMPEntryPoint
300 kevent
300 kevent
300 Thread_1703
300 pthreadbody
300 PrivateMPEntryPoint
300 TNodeSyncTask::SyncTaskProc(void*)
300 MPWaitOnQueue
300 semaphore wait_signaltrap
300 semaphore wait_signaltrap
300 Thread_1803
300 pthreadbody
300 forkThreadForFunction
300 -[InvocationQueue _drainQueue]
300 -[NSConditionLock lockWhenCondition:beforeDate:]
300 F CONDITION_WAITTIMEOUT
300 semaphore timedwait_signaltrap
300 semaphore timedwait_signaltrap
300 Thread_1903
300 pthreadbody
300 forkThreadForFunction
300 -[InvocationQueue _drainQueue]
300 -[NSConditionLock lockWhenCondition:beforeDate:]
300 F CONDITION_WAITTIMEOUT
300 semaphore timedwait_signaltrap
300 semaphore timedwait_signaltrap

Total number in stack (recursive counted multiple, when >=5):
10 pthreadbody
7 forkThreadForFunction
5 CFRunLoopRunInMode
5 CFRunLoopRunSpecific
5 mach msgtrap

Sort by top of stack, same collapsed (when >= 5):
mach msgtrap 1500
semaphore timedwait_signaltrap 600
semaphore wait_signaltrap 600
kevent 300
select 300
Sample analysis of process 1225 written to file /dev/stdout
Sampling process 1225 each 10 msecs 300 times

Ernie,

A bug does not mean it will affect everyone with a Mac. This could be specific to a number of circumstances... Those running 10.4 but with iLife 08 installed for example. No, I'm not saying iLife 08 is the issue, merely pointing out that it may be a particular setup that is causing this freeze.

I'm surprised you don't find this odd simply that my issue started just about 1 week ago. And others who have posted here say the exact, same, thing.

No, I have not added any fonts, removed any fonts, or altered anything in my Library, System, or Users/Library.

No I have not reinstalled Mail.

And I did not need to provide any information about the model of my Mac or OSX in my post. It's listed *directly below the post*, just as your information is as well.

At any rate, a number of users are having this problem, so it is a bug. The next time I boot up I'll take a sample and post here for the Apple engineers.

Matt

Matt,

When I backed up to check you original post, the info was not present. With the problems with the servers of the AD lately, this might have been a short gap of providing that info.

I would still appreciate the report using About Mail, please.

Another thing that would be useful, is to create a New User Account, and as that New User setup at least one email account, and test Mail. This would provide further info about the application vs what might be unique to your normal User directory.

I do find it odd, because in the scheme of things, only a few are reporting problems that seem even remotely similar.

Ernie

This will be no help but corroboration. I too get the 'spinning ball of death' when I click reply or attempt to attach something to a Mail message. The problem began within the last week, possibly as recently as this weekend, and is intermittent. I previously used 'force quit' to exit Mail, but recently just let the cursor spin and after a few moments/minutes the operation was successful. Reminds me of my original Mac.
I'm running an Intel iMac, OS10.4.10, Mail Version 2.1.1 (752.3). I've run Disk Doctor and Tech Tool Pro but to no avail.
Best Regards - paul

Hi there,

Just chiming in to mention that I too experience this exact problem. For me it's been going on for about three weeks. I haven't changed a thing beyond running the usual software updates from Apple. When I initially try to reply to a message or attach a file I get the hang factor. I give it a couple of minutes and all is fine. This is a bug of some sort, would love to find the cause.

Cheers,
Mon

I'm also having this problem. For both my POP work account and my .MAC accounting receiving simply fail to work. It started only in the last few days. Symptoms include:

* Internet access otherwise ok.
* SMTP still working.
* I get the "server on Port 0" error (even though my accounts aren't configured to connect on Port 0).
* Mailboxes and folders often take several minutes to display.
* Occasionally if I restart my machine or restart Mail several times it will work, but then stops again.

My Macbook Pro is only a few weeks old, and I haven't installed any applications on it recently. My mailboxes are under 100 megabytes.

I've been having the same "hang-up" problem that started about two weeks ago. I have both iMAP and POP accounts. I've been using these same accounts with mail for a couple years without major problems. Now, sporadically when I reply to a message I get the spinning ball of death and have to ultimately force quit mail to proceed.

hmmm, maybe I should just switch mail clients.... thunderbird? any thoughts?

Thanks!

How many of these postings are required before Apple looks into this? Or do I have take my machine into the Genius Bar (what a pain in the butt!)?

It's obvious by the number of postings and the frequency of postings that there is some issue here that is beyond all of our immediate control...

Lashmore, et al,

Earlier in this topic I suggested a test of creating a New User Account, and as that New User setting up at least one email account and testing. Thus far I don't believe anyone has responded that they had tried this. Yet this would yield valuable information which might allow us to help you.

I hope that you have noticed that most reporting this would appear to be rather new users, or at least new to posting to the AD. Apple is not likely to look into this without further diagnosis and a better description of what has been tried. I am using the latest update of Mail on both Intel and PPC Macs, with nearly every type of account, without such experience.

If Mail works in the New User account, then I have an often used method to fix the normal User account's Mail Preferences. But if the test as a New User fails, then suspicion falls on the application, itself -- a far rarer situation.

More info, please.

Ernie

Verify/repair the startup disk (not just permissions), as described here:

The Repair functions of Disk Utility: what's it all about?

Go to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Network, choose Network Port Configurations from the Show popup menu, and make sure that the configuration used to connect to Internet appears at the top of the list. Leave checked (enabled) only the port configuration needed to connect to Internet and Built-in Ethernet (in that order if not the same), uncheck (disable) the rest of network port configurations, and see whether that helps — if it doesn’t, turn ON again the ones you want enabled.

Finally, try launching Mail under the following conditions (you may need to force quit it first if it’s running) and post back with your observations:

1. Holding the Shift (⇧) key down until the main window appears. This tells Mail to not select any mailboxes or load any messages upon start up.

2. With no Internet connection.