Typing and window scrolling pause, short pause (freezes)

Hello,

For some time now I have noticed that while typing or scrolling windows, like safari, the system interface pauses / freezes, for perhaps .5 sec or more, then catches up to where I was.

Does anyone have any idea how to get this to stop?

It feels like I am working on a 1980's computer that could not process my input fast enough 🙂

iTunes plays without pausing the music, surely I can type input without pausing?

Many thanks for suggestions.

MacBook Pro (Intel), Mac OS X (10.4.11), 2.33GHz 2GB

Posted on Apr 2, 2009 12:40 PM

Reply
20 replies

Apr 2, 2009 1:37 PM in response to Matt Hardy

I've got a Canon MX700 printer, and issues like this seemed to increase after installing the drivers for that printer. Also it does not respond to a tackpad tap on the print button when I print which makes me think it is the printer. If I hit the Return key, it goes ahead and prints. Furthermore sometimes the print window comes up in the background when I'm working on something else, saying the slowness of selecting the print icon on Safari is such that there is a delay before it responds.

And I have 10.4.11 on a 2.2 Ghz Intel Core2Duo MacBook Pro.

Did you recently install printer drivers?
Did issues exist before installing any printer drivers?

Apr 3, 2009 4:31 AM in response to a brody

No drivers installed.

This kind <- actually I just typed this and it appeared right after I finished the 2 words...

The freezes are seemingly to do with processor load? Perhaps the finder is having to wait until another process finishes before allowing my words to appear, or scroll a window up or down.

This maybe a very common problem? Please advise if anyone else experiencing the micro-freezes.

Thanks again.

Apr 3, 2009 8:39 AM in response to Matt Hardy

Find Activity Monitor in Applications > Utilities and launch it. If you have not run it before, make sure the "Show" option in the upper portion of the window is changed from "my processes" to "all processes."

Now click the "%CPU" column to sort the list of processes by what share of the CPU cycles each takes. Note the names of any that are high, like over ~40 percent. You may have to watch for a while because the AM sampling rate may not match the rate at which the problem shows up.

Also check your Airport preferences to see if the computer is looking for a network previously used but not currently available. If you find one, delete it from the network list.

Apr 10, 2009 3:52 AM in response to a brody

Thank you for your response.

I have to report that I never use wireless, network latency kills my experience...
Always have ethernet cable plugged in.

However, the micro-pauses are not internet/network related. I could be offline typing in textedit and the machine pauses for say, half a second or less. I type some words, then the machine catches up - naturally happening now too 🙂

Often it occurs when I leave an app, or let the machine sit for a minute or so then go back to typing, or scrolling. But it is not constant, I can not reproduce the issue on demand - it is a seemingly random event.

I went to a friend who has next version MBP with led screen, max ram etc, and he thinks he gets micro-pauses too. ie. typing or scrolling and a micro-freeze, then catch up.

Just today I got slightly frustrated as I use Command+w to close windows, then the freeze, I made the keystroke again as I did not think I had done it right, then the computer catches up and closes my 2 top windows (browser tabs) which ruined my working space.

As you can probably tell this is a huge interruption to my work process and enough to drive any sane person mad 🙂

I have 25GB free space on hard drive, usually don't have many apps open at once and have run permission fixes etc recently.

I have a funny feeling this is a computer problem as I used to see it all the time in the 80's when I typed on a BBC - 32k ram etc. I could type a whole sentence, then wait for that computer to catch up... I usually only get to 1-3 words on my MBP...

My Ti667 also had this problem, the machine would make a kind of squeek, like some kind of hardrive write, not print the typing, then catch up. I though it was annoying then too 🙂

I have to laugh really, I try to use the smallest app possible to type now due to pauses - so I use textedit... But even that has these pauses.

Well, that is it - I really appreciate any suggestions or some experiences that other people may be having with this problem....

Many thanks.

Message was edited by: Matt Hardy

Apr 11, 2009 1:54 AM in response to a brody

Yes I have actually adjusted these settings - normally keyboard delay 2 from shortest, key repeat 1 from fastest.

I think that the micro-freeze is not about the speed of repeat, for example I put it on fastest, then a freeze happens, then it catches up as per other settings.

I put them on fastest and I do accidently get more that one letter when I type slower 😉
Am testing the typing now and am not sure if I will get any freezes. But you never know what the case may be with the computer at any one time...

I will report back after trying fastest settings...

Thanks for your response.

Apr 23, 2009 2:49 AM in response to Matt Hardy

Hi,

I am still getting these micro freezes. In fact just as I typed 'I am still...' the mac paused, then caught up on the text.

So, what this suggests is that when I am using safari, I click into a textarea and start typing, then the mac must process very hard to stop my typing being visible as I type, for about .5 of a second.

Now, I am listening to streaming radio on itunes, and that is not pausing at all, perhaps this is safari problem?

No wait, I get the same micro freezes in Text Edit.

Does anyone else in the world experience these effects?
It is such a problem, I am getting too tired.

Any suggestions, similar experiences appreciated.

Many thanks

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Typing and window scrolling pause, short pause (freezes)

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