The spiral of death shows up each time I type the first letter into the search bar and when loading the page. After that, it types/runs just fine.

Hi 1105Sue,

Are you referring to using the search bar with Safari? If so, for help test the steps below found in the article here: If Safari on Mac doesn't open a webpage or isn’t working as expected

"Test with a private window 

A website can store cookies, caches, and other data on your Mac, and issues with that data can affect your use of the website. To prevent the website from using that data, view it in a private window. From the menu bar in Safari, choose File > New Private Window, or press Shift-Command-N.

If that works, use the following steps to remove the website's data, including its caches and cookies. The website can then create new data as needed. If it's a website that you sign in to, make sure that you know your sign-in information before continuing.

1. Choose Safari > Settings (or Preferences), then click Privacy.
2. Click Manage Website Data.
3. Select the affected website from the list shown.
4. Click Remove.
5. Click Done.
6. Open the website again in a non-private browser window."

Be sure to complete and check the additional steps in the article. You can also test the issue when booted to safe mode. How to use safe mode on your Mac

Cheers.

Hey 1105Sue,

It's fantastic that the community was able to get you pointed in the right direction to get this taken care of. If you run into troubles in the future, please create a new thread and detail those concerns and the community will spring into action once again to give you a hand.

Take care.