Safari 4 "Webpage Preview Fetcher" runaway process
I just installed the new Safari 4 via Software Update Utility. Process called "Safari Webpage Preview Fetcher" is chewing up 50 - 75% of my CPU and isn't stopping. I've tried restarting Safari with no luck. Safari is basically unusable - I'm writing this from Firefox.
UPDATE: I tried "reset safari" and checked the "reset top sites, remove all webpage preview images, and empty the cache" boxes. This stops the process as long as I don't go back to the "top sites" page. I had to disable the "go to top sites" option when opening a new tab or window. This is a temp fix at best.
I found this on a board and tried it. Works great with no resulting glitches (so far).
1. Quit Safari 4.0 and right-click on it's icon in the Finder. Select "Show Package Contents".
2. Look inside the Contents folder and right-click on Safari Webpage Preview Fetcher and select Compress "Safari Webpage Preview Fetcher".
3. Put the original Safari Webpage Preview Fetcher in the trash and empty it.
4. Navigate to ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Webpage Previews and highlight it. Get Info on it.
5. At the bottom click on the padlock, type in your password and then change the Privilege column for your login name to "Read only" and lock the folder. Close the Get Info window.
6. Launch Safari.
I followed your steps exactly, and it seems to be working so far. Thanks! I'm not sure why the other user does not have that folder he was talking about. I am using Safari 4.0.3.
I don't understand what I am supposed to do now with the .ZIP file of the Safari Webpage Fetcher now...it's sitting on my desktop. The instructions told me to compress the original, which I did, and that sends the .ZIP to my desktop. I then deleted the original file.
Also, will this interfere with future updates to Safari or the OS?
I just reverted my Safari settings back to the original ones (and put the Web page Preview Fetcher back). It was really messing up the Top Sites, and even after loading any webpage, Safari would continue to endlessly load.
I'm just gonna stick with Firefox now until Apple can fix this issue. I hope they can do it quick, because I miss Safari.
I'm having this problem too. Since installing Snow Leopard Top Sites has been very slow to load, and the Safari Webpage Preview Fetcher is taking up quite a large percentage of my CPU.
I'm getting the process quit unexpectedly every time I open a new tab/page. I've checked for old InputManager plugins and Internet plugins, reset Safari, turned off the Top Sites toolbar item... Safari is currently unusable.
I'm guessing it has to be something third-party, but I just can't nail it down...
Iam having this problem as well, however, it not consumes my cpu but RAM, up to 1.13GB. No wonder i find it so lagging and thought it was not enough ram. true, because is consumed by this bug even though i only open safari. **** it!