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marielox
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: QUICK LOOK HELPER IS GOING CRAZY ON MY CPU

My macbook pro every once in a while gets crazy hot and I figured out why. A process called Quick Look Helper is taking up 190% of my CPU usage. My computer get's to 95 degrees Celsius when this happens and the only way to stop it is if I kill the process. Has this happened to anybody. Does anyone have any ideas why it is doing this? I did a sample of the process when it was doing this and here is what I got. I have no idea if it means anything. Someone help.


Sampling process 218 for 3 seconds with 1 millisecond of run time between samples
Sampling completed, processing symbols...
Analysis of sampling quicklookd (pid 218) every 1 millisecond
Call graph:
2296 Thread_4887 DispatchQueue_1: com.apple.main-thread (serial)
2296 0x10000110c
2296 0x1000035bd
2296 CFRunLoopRunSpecific
2296 __CFRunLoopRun
2296 mach_msg
2296 machmsgtrap
2296 Thread_4889 DispatchQueue_2: com.apple.libdispatch-manager (serial)
2296 start_wqthread
2296 pthreadwqthread
2296 dispatch_workerthread2
2296 dispatch_queueinvoke
2296 dispatch_mgrinvoke
2296 kevent
2296 Thread_4892
2296 thread_start
2296 pthreadstart
2296 _NSThread__main_
2296 0x100007467
2296 kevent
2296 Thread_4893 DispatchQueue_28: quicklookd.auxiliarytasks (serial)
2296 thread_start
2296 pthreadstart
2296 _NSThread__main_
2296 0x100008608
2296 0x100004f69
2296 dispatchbarrier_syncf
2296 0x100006037
2296 0x10002522f
1178 0x100025403
471 0x100028b68
253 -[NSLock lock]
91 pthreadmutexlock
88 pthreadmutexlock
2 OSSpinLockUnlock
1 spinlock
68 _spinlock
37 -[NSLock lock]
31 object_getIndexedIvars
16 object_getIndexedIvars
15 classgetInstanceSize
11 dyldstub__spinlock
9 pthread_equal
4 dyldstub__spinunlock
2 pthread_self
86 0x100028e36
83 __QLShouldLogForLevel
34 __QLShouldLogForLevel
25 __QLShouldLogInConsoleForLevel
24 _QLShouldLogToExternalLog
3 0x100028e36
86 objc_msgSend
9 dyldstub_pthread_mutexlock
7 dyldstub__QLShouldLogForLevel
7 dyldstub_pthreadequal
6 0x100028e31
4 0x100028e20
3 0x100028b68
3 0x100028e62
3 dyldstub_objectgetIndexedIvars
2 0x100028e78
2 dyldstub_pthreadself
462 0x100028bd1
282 -[NSLock unlock]
82 _spinlock
79 pthreadmutexunlock
72 pthreadmutexunlock
6 spinlock
1 OSSpinLockUnlock
42 -[NSLock unlock]
38 pthread_equal
26 object_getIndexedIvars
16 object_getIndexedIvars
10 classgetInstanceSize
7 dyldstub__spinlock
5 dyldstub__spinunlock
3 pthread_self
73 0x100028d78
67 __QLShouldLogForLevel
26 __QLShouldLogForLevel
24 __QLShouldLogInConsoleForLevel
17 _QLShouldLogToExternalLog
6 0x100028d78
52 objc_msgSend
14 dyldstub_pthreadequal
10 dyldstub_objectgetIndexedIvars
8 dyldstub_pthread_mutexunlock
6 dyldstub_pthreadself
4 0x100028d62
3 0x100028bd1
3 dyldstub__QLShouldLogForLevel
2 0x100028d73
2 0x100028da4
2 0x100028dba
1 0x100028d67
68 0x100028b8d
61 __QLShouldLogForLevel
22 __QLShouldLogForLevel
20 _QLShouldLogToExternalLog
19 __QLShouldLogInConsoleForLevel
7 0x100028b8d
63 0x100028b80
38 objcmsgSendvtable9
17 CFArrayGetCount
5 0x100028b80
3 -[NSCFArray count]
46 objc_msgSend
21 dyldstub_objcmsgSend
6 0x100028b4e
6 0x100028b5c
4 -[NSCFArray count]
4 0x100028b73
4 0x100028bc2
4 0x100028bd9
4 0x100028bdc
3 0x100028b54
3 0x100028dbc
3 0x100028e7a
2 0x100025403
2 dyldstubCFArrayGetCount
2 dyldstub__QLShouldLogForLevel
990 0x1000253f0
798 CFRunLoopRunSpecific
707 __CFRunLoopFindMode
590 CFSetGetValue
559 CFBasicHashFindBucket
527 _CFBasicHashFindBucket1
236 _CFBasicHashFindBucket1
165 __CFStringHash
86 CFHash
24 __CFBasicHashStandardCallback
16 __CFRunLoopModeHash
28 CFBasicHashFindBucket
4 __CFBasicHashStandardCallback
31 CFSetGetValue
49 __CFRunLoopFindMode
48 __bzero
12 _CFRuntimeSetInstanceTypeID
8 memset
69 CFRunLoopRunSpecific
9 OSSpinLockUnlock
7 dyldstubmemset
6 spinlock
92 CFRunLoopRunInMode
49 CFRunLoopGetCurrent
44 CFRunLoopGetCurrent
5 pthread_getspecific
35 CFRunLoopRunInMode
8 dyldstub_pthreadgetspecific
83 _spinlock
8 dyldstubOSSpinLockLock
5 dyldstubOSSpinLockUnlock
4 0x1000253f0
89 0x1000253ab
86 __QLShouldLogForLevel
33 __QLShouldLogForLevel
30 _QLShouldLogToExternalLog
23 __QLShouldLogInConsoleForLevel
3 0x1000253ab
10 dyldstub_objcmsgSend
9 dyldstubCFRunLoopRunInMode
6 CFRunLoopRunInMode
5 0x1000253d7
4 0x1000253a1
3 dyldstub__QLShouldLogForLevel
2 0x1000253f7
2296 Thread_4902: JavaScriptCore: FastMalloc scavenger
2296 thread_start
2296 pthreadstart
2296 ***::TCMalloc_PageHeap::runScavengerThread(void*)
2296 ***::TCMalloc_PageHeap::scavengerThread()
2296 pthread_condwait
2296 _semwaitsignal
2296 Thread_4903
2296 thread_start
2296 pthreadstart
2296 _NSThread__main_
2296 +[NSURLConnection(NSURLConnectionReallyInternal) _resourceLoadLoop:]
2296 CFRunLoopRunSpecific
2296 __CFRunLoopRun
2296 mach_msg
2296 machmsgtrap
2192 Thread_10665 DispatchQueue_43: quicklookd.cachedb (serial)
2192 thread_start
2192 pthreadstart
2192 _NSThread__main_
2192 0x100033f60
2192 0x100033d4a
2192 0x100011bdc
2192 0x1000172f3
2192 dispatchbarrier_syncf
2139 0x1000174f5
1308 0x10000f9c4
1097 0x10001176d
1092 fopen
1067 open$NOCANCEL
15 __sfp
8 __sfp
3 OSAtomicAdd32
3 __bzero
1 spinlock
4 OSAtomicAdd32
4 _atomicadd32
3 __sflags
1 __sfprelease
1 _spinlock
1 fopen
5 cerror
4 cthreadset_errnoself
4 __error
1 cerror
205 0x10001175e
197 -[NSFileManager fileSystemRepresentationWithPath:]
78 -[NSFileManager getFileSystemRepresentation:maxLength:withPath:]
74 _CFStringGetFileSystemRepresentation
72 CFStringGetFileSystemRepresentation
46 CFUniCharDecompose
7 CFStringGetFileSystemRepresentation
6 __memcpy
3 CFStringGetCharactersPtr
3 objc_msgSend
2 -[NSString _fastCharacterContents]
2 memmove
1 -[NSPathStore2 getCharacters:range:]
1 CFStringGetCharacters
1 CFStringGetLength
2 _CFStringGetFileSystemRepresentation
4 -[NSString isEqual:]
1 -[NSPathStore2 isEqualToString:]
1 -[NSString isEqual:]
1 objc_msgSend
1 objcmsgSendvtable11
38 +[NSData(NSData) dataWithBytesNoCopy:length:]
29 NSAllocateObject
25 internal_classcreateInstanceFromZone
20 calloc
16 malloczonecalloc
9 szonemalloc_shouldclear
4 __bzero
4 memset
1 _cpunumber
3 malloczonecalloc
2 _spinlock
2 szone_calloc
4 calloc
3 object_cxxConstructFromClass
2 classhasCxxStructorsNoSuper
1 object_cxxConstructFromClass
2 internal_classcreateInstanceFromZone
2 __CFSetLastAllocationEventName
1 classgetName
1 class_getInstanceSize
5 -[NSData(NSData) initWithBytesNoCopy:length:]
4 -[NSConcreteData initWithBytes:length:copy:freeWhenDone:bytesAreVM:]
3 -[NSConcreteData initWithBytes:length:copy:freeWhenDone:bytesAreVM:]
1 objcassignivar
1 objc_msgSend
2 objc_msgSend
1 +[NSData(NSData) allocWithZone:]
1 dyldstub_classgetInstanceSize
26 -[NSString isEqual:]
21 -[NSPathStore2 isEqualToString:]
8 -[NSCFString getCharacters:range:]
5 -[NSCFString getCharacters:range:]
3 _CFStringCheckAndGetCharacters
5 objc_msgSend
3 +[NSObject(NSObject) self]
2 -[NSPathStore2 isEqualToString:]
1 NSCompareCharacters
1 objcmsgSendvtable3
1 objcmsgSendvtable7
4 objc_msgSend
1 objcmsgSendvtable11
21 malloczonemalloc
18 szonemalloc_shouldclear
9 szonemalloc_shouldclear
7 tinymalloc_from_freelist
2 _cpunumber
3 _spinlock
8 CFStringGetMaximumSizeOfFileSystemRepresentation
3 CFStringConvertNSStringEncodingToEncoding
3 objc_msgSend
1 -[NSString(NSCFAdditions) _fastestEncodingInCFStringEncoding]
1 CFStringGetFastestEncoding
7 objc_msgSend
6 -[NSObject(NSObject) autorelease]
4 _CFAutoreleasePoolAddObject
2 -[NSObject(NSObject) autorelease]
6 NSAllocateCollectable
2 NSDefaultMallocZone
2 mallocdefaultzone
1 NSAllocateCollectable
1 objc_collectingEnabled
2 objcmsgSendvtable0
1 -[NSFileManager fileSystemRepresentationWithPath:]
1 dyldstub_objcmsgSend
1 objcmsgSendvtable12
1 strlen
1 szone_malloc
4 objc_msgSend
3 -[NSString(NSPathUtilities) fileSystemRepresentation]
2 -[NSString(NSPathUtilities) fileSystemRepresentation]
1 objc_msgSend
1 dyldstub_objccollectingEnabled
5 0x10001173a
2 dispatchbarrier_syncf
2 objc_msgSend
1 dispatchsyncf
1 0x100011784
602 0x1000118f6
601 unlink
600 __unlink
1 unlink
1 cerror
1 cthreadset_errnoself
116 0x1000118ee
113 -[NSFileManager fileSystemRepresentationWithPath:]
39 -[NSFileManager getFileSystemRepresentation:maxLength:withPath:]
37 _CFStringGetFileSystemRepresentation
37 CFStringGetFileSystemRepresentation
22 CFUniCharDecompose
6 __memcpy
5 objc_msgSend
1 CFStringGetCStringPtr
1 CFStringGetCharacters
1 CFStringGetFileSystemRepresentation
1 memmove
2 -[NSString isEqual:]
1 -[NSPathStore2 isEqualToString:]
1 -[NSCFString getCharacters:range:]
1 _CFStringCheckAndGetCharacters
1 objcmsgSendvtable11
30 +[NSData(NSData) dataWithBytesNoCopy:length:]
23 NSAllocateObject
18 internal_classcreateInstanceFromZone
12 calloc
11 malloczonecalloc
7 szonemalloc_shouldclear
2 __bzero
2 szonemalloc_shouldclear
2 tinymalloc_from_freelist
1 memset
2 _spinlock
1 dyldstub__spinunlock
1 malloczonecalloc
1 calloc
6 object_cxxConstructFromClass
4 object_cxxConstructFromClass
4 object_cxxConstructFromClass
3 classhasCxxStructorsNoSuper
1 object_cxxConstructFromClass
1 classgetSuperclass
1 object_cxxConstructFromClass
2 class_getInstanceSize
1 class_createInstance
1 dyldstubcalloc
1 object_getClassName
5 -[NSData(NSData) initWithBytesNoCopy:length:]
4 -[NSConcreteData initWithBytes:length:copy:freeWhenDone:bytesAreVM:]
1 objc_msgSend
2 objc_msgSend
17 malloczonemalloc
13 szonemalloc_shouldclear
11 tinymalloc_from_freelist
9 tinymalloc_from_freelist
2 tinyfree_list_addptr
2 szonemalloc_shouldclear
3 _spinlock
1 malloczonemalloc
13 -[NSString isEqual:]
7 -[NSPathStore2 isEqualToString:]
3 -[NSPathStore2 isEqualToString:]
2 objc_msgSend
1 -[NSCFString getCharacters:range:]
1 _CFStringCheckAndGetCharacters
1 objcmsgSendvtable7
5 objc_msgSend
1 -[NSString isEqual:]
3 CFStringGetMaximumSizeOfFileSystemRepresentation
2 CFStringGetMaximumSizeOfFileSystemRepresentation
1 -[NSString(NSCFAdditions) _fastestEncodingInCFStringEncoding]
1 objc_msgSend
3 objcmsgSendvtable12
2 -[NSObject(NSObject) autorelease]
1 -[NSObject(NSObject) autorelease]
1 dyldstub_pthreadgetspecific
2 objc_msgSend
2 objcmsgSendvtable15
1 objcmsgSendvtable0
1 strlen
3 objc_msgSend
68 -[NSAutoreleasePool drain]
58 _CFAutoreleasePoolPop
34 -[NSConcreteData dealloc]
11 szonefree_definitesize
7 szonefree_definitesize
3 tinyfree_list_removeptr
1 tinyfree_list_addptr
9 -[NSObject(NSObject) dealloc]
8 internal_objectdispose
6 objc_destructInstance
5 object_cxxDestructFromClass
4 classhasCxxStructorsNoSuper
1 classgetSuperclass
1 objc_destructInstance
2 szonefree_definitesize
1 object_dispose
4 -[NSConcreteData dealloc]
4 objc_msgSendSuper
3 free
2 _NSGenericFree
1 dyldstub_objccollectingEnabled
12 -[NSObject(NSObject) release]
10 __CFDoExternRefOperation
8 CFBasicHashRemoveValue
7 _CFBasicHashFindBucket1
4 _CFBasicHashFindBucket1
3 __CFBasicHashNullCallback
1 CFBasicHashRemoveValue
2 __CFDoExternRefOperation
1 dyldstubOSSpinLockLock
1 dyldstubOSSpinLockUnlock
4 CFRelease
3 _CFAutoreleasePoolPop
3 objc_msgSend
2 pthread_getspecific
4 NSPopAutoreleasePool
3 _CFExecutableLinkedOnOrAfter
1 NSPopAutoreleasePool
2 -[NSAutoreleasePool drain]
1 OSAtomicCompareAndSwap64
1 dyldstub_CFExecutableLinkedOnOrAfter
1 dyldstub_objccollectingEnabled
1 objc_removeAssociatedObjects
13 0x10001191a
5 objc_msgSend
4 dispatchbarrier_syncf
2 QLRequestSessionEnableInstantOff
2 dispatchwakeup
1 dispatchwakeup
1 dummyfunctionr0
10 0x1000118d4
8 -[NSAutoreleasePool init]
8 _CFAutoreleasePoolPush
5 _CFAutoreleasePoolPush
2 objc_collectingEnabled
1 pthread_getspecific
2 objc_msgSend
4 0x10000f9dc
4 objc_msgSend
4 0x100011921
3 0x10000f967
2 0x10000f99e
2 objc_msgSend
2 0x1000118c5
2 +[NSAutoreleasePool allocWithZone:]
2 objc_msgSend
1 0x10000f9cb
1 0x10000fa9a
1 0x1000118fd
1 0x1000174f5
1 _compare_andswap64
40 -[NSAutoreleasePool drain]
33 _CFAutoreleasePoolPop
21 -[NSConcreteData dealloc]
11 -[NSObject(NSObject) dealloc]
9 internal_objectdispose
7 szonefree_definitesize
4 szonefree_definitesize
3 tinyfree_list_addptr
1 free
1 szone_size
1 objc_destructInstance
1 object_cxxDestructFromClass
2 -[NSObject(NSObject) dealloc]
5 szonefree_definitesize
3 tinyfree_list_addptr
2 szonefree_definitesize
2 _spinlock
1 -[NSConcreteData dealloc]
1 free
1 szone_size
1 objc_msgSendSuper
6 -[NSObject(NSObject) release]
5 __CFDoExternRefOperation
4 CFBasicHashRemoveValue
4 _CFBasicHashFindBucket1
1 __CFDoExternRefOperation
1 -[NSObject(NSObject) release]
3 _CFAutoreleasePoolPop
2 pthread_setspecific
1 objc_msgSend
3 objc_removeAssociatedObjects
2 objc_removeAssociatedObjects
1 classinstancesHaveAssociatedObjects
2 -[NSAutoreleasePool drain]
2 dyldstub_pthreadgetspecific
4 0x1000174ec
3 -[NSAutoreleasePool init]
2 -[NSAutoreleasePool init]
1 _CFAutoreleasePoolPush
1 objc_msgSend
3 0x1000174dd
1 OSAtomicCompareAndSwap64
1 _compare_andswap64
1 _compare_andswap64
1 objcmsgSendvtable1
2 0x100017576
1 0x100017584
1 OSAtomicCompareAndSwap64
1 _compare_andswap64
1 dispatchbarrier_syncf
1 objc_msgSend
1318 Thread_11758
1318 start_wqthread
1318 pthreadwqthread
1318 _workqkernreturn
978 Thread_11446
978 start_wqthread
978 pthreadwqthread
978 _workqkernreturn
96 Thread_10665
96 thread_start
96 pthreadstart
96 _NSThread__main_
46 0x100033f60
22 0x100033d4a
17 0x100011bdc
9 0x1000172f3
5 dispatchbarrier_syncf
2 dispatch_sync
1 dispatchwakeup
1 dispatchsyncf
7 objc_msgSend
1 0x1000172f4
3 0x100011bee
3 Block_objectdispose
1 0x100011be0
1 objc_msgSend
18 0x100033cbd
15 _NSThreadGet0
9 CFDictionaryGetValue
6 CFBasicHashFindBucket
4 _CFBasicHashFindBucket1
3 _CFBasicHashFindBucket1
1 __CFDictionaryCallback
2 CFBasicHashFindBucket
3 CFDictionaryGetValue
5 _NSThreadGet0
1 _spinlock
2 objc_msgSend
1 dyldstubOSSpinLockLock
4 objc_msgSend
1 0x100033cf8
1 0x100033d4e
24 0x10003403e
15 -[NSConditionLock lockBeforeDate:]
6 -[NSCondition unlock]
3 -[NSCondition unlock]
1 object_getIndexedIvars
1 pthread_equal
1 pthreadmutexunlock
5 -[NSCondition lock]
2 dyldstub__spinlock
1 _spinlock
1 object_getIndexedIvars
1 classgetInstanceSize
1 pthread_self
3 objc_msgSend
1 -[NSConditionLock lockBeforeDate:]
6 objc_msgSend
3 -[NSConditionLock lock]
2 objc_msgSend
1 -[NSConditionLock lock]
20 0x100033f55
19 -[NSConditionLock unlockWithCondition:]
6 -[NSCondition lock]
3 _spinlock
2 pthreadmutexlock
1 -[NSCondition lock]
3 object_getIndexedIvars
2 object_getIndexedIvars
1 classgetInstanceSize
2 -[NSCondition unlock]
2 _spinlock
2 -[NSConditionLock unlockWithCondition:]
2 pthread_equal
1 _spinlock
1 dyldstub__spinlock
1 objc_msgSend
1 pthreadcondbroadcast
1 objc_msgSend
2 0x100033f6a
2 __QLShouldLogForLevel
2 0x100034031
1 0x100033f10
1 __QLShouldLogForLevel
1 __QLShouldLogInConsoleForLevel
1 dyldstub_objcmsgSend
8 Thread_10665 DispatchQueue_25: quicklookd.instantoff (serial)
8 thread_start
8 pthreadstart
8 _NSThread__main_
8 0x100033f60
8 0x100033d4a
8 0x100011bdc
8 0x1000172f3
8 dispatchbarrier_syncf
8 0x1000174f5
5 0x10001191a
5 dispatchbarrier_syncf
5 _QLRequestSessionEnableInstantOff_block_invoke1
4 vproc_transactionend
1 _QLRequestSessionEnableInstantOff_block_invoke1
3 0x10000f9c4
3 0x10001173a
3 dispatchbarrier_syncf
3 _QLRequestSessionDisableInstantOff_block_invoke1
2 vproc_transactionbegin
1 vproctransactionbegin
1 vproc_transactionbegin

Total number in stack (recursive counted multiple, when >=5):
40 objc_msgSend
14 _spinlock
8 dispatchbarrier_syncf
7 pthreadstart
7 thread_start
6 _NSThread__main_
6 __QLShouldLogForLevel
5 __QLShouldLogInConsoleForLevel
5 object_cxxConstructFromClass
5 object_getIndexedIvars

Sort by top of stack, same collapsed (when >= 5):
kevent 4592
machmsgtrap 4592
_semwaitsignal 2296
_workqkernreturn 2296
open$NOCANCEL 1067
__unlink 600
objc_msgSend 286
_spinlock 254
_CFBasicHashFindBucket1 247
__CFStringHash 165
__QLShouldLogForLevel 117
__QLShouldLogInConsoleForLevel 92
_QLShouldLogToExternalLog 91
pthreadmutexlock 90
CFHash 86
pthreadmutexunlock 73
CFRunLoopRunSpecific 69
CFUniCharDecompose 68
__bzero 57
pthread_equal 50
__CFRunLoopFindMode 49
CFRunLoopGetCurrent 44
-[NSLock unlock] 42
CFRunLoopRunInMode 41
objcmsgSendvtable9 38
-[NSLock lock] 37
object_getIndexedIvars 35
dyldstub_objcmsgSend 33
CFSetGetValue 31
CFBasicHashFindBucket 30
__CFBasicHashStandardCallback 28
classgetInstanceSize 27
dyldstub__spinlock 21
dyldstub_pthreadequal 21
tinymalloc_from_freelist 18
CFArrayGetCount 17
__CFRunLoopModeHash 16
dyldstub__QLShouldLogForLevel 15
szonefree_definitesize 15
spinlock 14
dyldstub_objectgetIndexedIvars 13
memset 13
szonemalloc_shouldclear 13
OSSpinLockUnlock 12
_CFRuntimeSetInstanceTypeID 12
__memcpy 12
dispatchbarrier_syncf 12
dyldstub_pthreadgetspecific 11
dyldstubOSSpinLockLock 10
dyldstub__spinunlock 10
classhasCxxStructorsNoSuper 9
dyldstubCFRunLoopRunInMode 9
dyldstub_pthread_mutexlock 9
tinyfree_list_addptr 9
CFStringGetFileSystemRepresentation 8
__sfp 8
dyldstub_pthread_mutexunlock 8
dyldstub_pthreadself 8
pthread_getspecific 8
-[NSCFArray count] 7
-[NSConcreteData initWithBytes:length:copy:freeWhenDone:bytesAreVM:] 7
0x100028b8d 7
dyldstubmemset 7
-[NSPathStore2 isEqualToString:] 6
0x100028b4e 6
0x100028b5c 6
0x100028d78 6
0x100028e31 6
_CFAutoreleasePoolPop 6
_CFAutoreleasePoolPush 6
dyldstubOSSpinLockUnlock 6
pthread_self 6
-[NSCFString getCharacters:range:] 5
-[NSConcreteData dealloc] 5
0x1000253d7 5
0x100028b80 5
_CFStringCheckAndGetCharacters 5
_NSThreadGet0 5
calloc 5
objc_msgSendSuper 5
Sample analysis of process 218 written to file /dev/stdout

13" Macbook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Jan 27, 2010 9:55 PM

Close
marielox

Q: QUICK LOOK HELPER IS GOING CRAZY ON MY CPU

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Jan 27, 2010 10:41 PM in response to marielox
    Level 9 (58,956 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jan 27, 2010 10:41 PM in response to marielox
    Marie,

    Can you tell us what you have done to trouble shoot this so we have a place to start?

    Thanks,

    Roger

  • by marielox,

    marielox marielox Jan 27, 2010 11:11 PM in response to rkaufmann87
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 27, 2010 11:11 PM in response to rkaufmann87
    It happen's completely randomly. I am not doing anything to extensive. When it happened I shut down apple mail thinking that "quicklook helper" had something to do with the quick look feature on email. That did nothing. I closed every application that was open. That did nothing. The only thing that worked was to actually go to the activity monitor and kill the process.

  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Jan 27, 2010 11:22 PM in response to marielox
    Level 9 (58,956 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jan 27, 2010 11:22 PM in response to marielox
    The first thing to do is to create another user account no your MBP and then log into that account to see if the problem replicates itself. If it doesn't then it's a software problem that needs to be taken care of and if it does repeat in the other user account then you might have a hardware problem.

    Roger

  • by marielox,

    marielox marielox Jan 27, 2010 11:25 PM in response to rkaufmann87
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 27, 2010 11:25 PM in response to rkaufmann87
    Well it happens once maybe every month and a half so I am not sure if I can catch it in the act. My machine is only 5 months old and I have apple care so I am covered until 2012. If it goes to ****, it goes to ****, no worries right?

  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Jan 27, 2010 11:54 PM in response to marielox
    Level 9 (58,956 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jan 27, 2010 11:54 PM in response to marielox
    If it's happening rarely the next time pick up the phone and call AppleCare immediately so it's fresh in your mind what you did exactly what occurred. The phone number is in the owners manual, if you happen to be in the US the number is 800-275-2273.

  • by Tommy_Lee,

    Tommy_Lee Tommy_Lee Mar 9, 2010 2:38 PM in response to marielox
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 9, 2010 2:38 PM in response to marielox
    I've personally been dealing with this issue with Leopard/Snow Leopard for some time now. You'll also notice when this happens that while in "Finder" (using the column view mode), the "Preview" of the file will not display, but rather simply the spinning circle you see at start up on your Mac.

    I to learned early on that the only resolution was to fire up "Activity Monitor" and "Force Quit" the "Quick Look Helper" process. Once that is done, everything returns to normal, and all is well until that random moment when the "Quick Look Process" is out of its sorts once again.

    At this point, anytime something seems to NOT be working correctly from Mail to Firefox on my Mac, I simply check the "Quick Look Helper" process. 10 out of 10 times, it is out of control. Usually at 189.** CPU usage. I force quit the process and everything returns to normal. On average, it happens to me maybe once or twice a month at random. I haven't been able to narrow down anything that may be causing it, simply because it has been so random. However, there is definitely an issue with it.

    It happens on two different MacBook Pro's and my 24" iMac :/

    Message was edited by: Tommy_Lee

  • by Richard Sugden,

    Richard Sugden Richard Sugden Apr 3, 2010 9:44 AM in response to Tommy_Lee
    Level 1 (25 points)
    Apr 3, 2010 9:44 AM in response to Tommy_Lee
    Exact same problem for several months ... much more common now w. 10.6.3 ... and w. several Macs ... both iMacs, PowerBooks and PowerMacs ... all running 10.6.2 and then 10.6.3 ... Not sure what Quick Look Helper is doing, but it takes up to 175% (?) of processor time and can use up to 3GB of real memory ... I suspect it's trying to index preview icons ... because when this happens all the Preview Icons in the column display in Finder disappear and are replaced w. spinning wheels ... All fixed by quitting the Quick Look Helper process ...

    C'mon Apple ... how about some help!!

  • by auroraz7,

    auroraz7 auroraz7 Apr 24, 2010 10:42 AM in response to Tommy_Lee
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mac App Store
    Apr 24, 2010 10:42 AM in response to Tommy_Lee
    I have the exact same problem. It's really getting on my nerves. It happens numerous times a day, it's completely random, and every time I dutifully fill out the "report" that asks me to tell it what I was doing when it happened. In some cases, what I was doing is this: staring at the screen, reading something, not touching the computer except to hold it in my lap, as it is a laptop. I hope that someone notices how many people are having this problem and takes action, e.g. to provide us with a real solution.

  • by auroraz7,

    auroraz7 auroraz7 Apr 24, 2010 4:40 PM in response to auroraz7
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mac App Store
    Apr 24, 2010 4:40 PM in response to auroraz7
    Since I wrote that last post, I have gotten the same message approximately 250 times, I have reported it to Apple per the auto-request, and I have told you what I was doing (that is: nothing but looking at the screen). This is totally irritating.

  • by Richard Sugden,

    Richard Sugden Richard Sugden May 6, 2010 10:25 AM in response to marielox
    Level 1 (25 points)
    May 6, 2010 10:25 AM in response to marielox
    Quick Look Helper problem solved! (I think)

    Still chasing down why Quick Look Helper hogs the CPU, allocates a ton of memory, and slows the machine down to a crawl ... and all OK after quitting the process ...

    Finally decided to call Apple, and a software specialist helped me debug the problem.
    I'll go through the whole scenario, as we found some unrelated problems that you might find too.

    First, ran "Verify Disk" on Macintosh HD ... and found some errors.
    Did a Time Machine Backup

    Ejected and disconnected all external hard drives

    Rebooted in Single User mode (Cmd-S during boot)

    Ran "/sbin/fsck -fy" (type in exactly as shown)

    The previously noted verify disk errors were repaired (whew...)

    Re-ran "/sbin/fsck -fy"

    All checked out OK (Apple engineer said this fixes many of the problems they see w. slowdown).

    Re-booted normally

    Started Activity Monitor and Quick Look Helper was taking up about 2% CPU activity

    Opened Macintosh HD in column view ... to Documents ... to a .rtf file and clicked on it
    Spinning wheel for about one sec in Preview pane
    Then preview pane went blank (white)
    Quick Look Helper immediately went to 195% CPU activity and computer response slowed
    Clicked on some other files and many showed just a spinning wheel in the Preview pane

    Looked in System/Library/Quicklook and removed VMWARE FUSION QUICKLOOK.QLGENERATOR and
    Pacifist qlgenerator

    Rebooted .... and all functions normal ... previous files w/o preview icons displayed normally, Quick
    Look Helper stayed at 1%, and dropped back to 0.0% when no keyboard activity, no slowdown,
    etc...

    Re-installed the Pacifist Quicklook helper file

    Rebooted ... and all functions normal

    So - it looks like VMWare Fusion QuickLook.qlgenerator is the culprit --- and I sent this note to
    VMWare as well.

    I've gone to Bootcamp as I have few Windows applications that I use, and it is pretty foolproof.

    Might take another look at VMWare Fusion in the future though ... as I like the convenience ...

    Hope this helps

  • by sthAT,

    sthAT sthAT Jun 9, 2010 7:24 AM in response to marielox
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 9, 2010 7:24 AM in response to marielox
    Hello,

    Coincidently, I found a way to reproduce the panic.

    I wrote a program that writes a log into a file.
    As long as this log file is selected in any Finder window and my program is writing to it, the bespoken problem arises. Deselecting the file solves the issue.

    I think this is a true bug in OS X! The helper seems to try to keep up with the file changes …

    Best regards,
    StH