Safari has decided it doesn't want to work anymore...

Question

Level 1

0 points

Safari has decided it doesn't want to work anymore...

Safari was working just fine on my MacBook Pro 13" (10.7.2) a few days ago, until it decided it would not load anymore pages. The load bar stops a few cm in and stays there... also, when I open up Safari it freezes and presents me with the spinning wheel of death for a few minutes, then I get about 20 seconds of browsing time before it stops. Not freezing like its about to crash, but just stops loading web content. I definitely have good internet connection as I am typing this through a remote desktop connection via my university department.

This is a fairly common occurence, in the past I would either

reset Safari

empty cache

Restart

However now it just won't go away and the consistency of the described behaviour makes me think it won't. I have seen a several threads about this online, I have tried everything suggested including trying to delete various files in Library/Cache which of course aren't there on my computer (yes I looked everywhere).

Is there anything drastic I can do other than make offerings to Jobs departed soul, bless him? My thesis deadline is in under two weeks and not having internet is very stressing! I would download Chrome or Firefox, but obviously i can't.

I have also had separate issues with Office 2011 playing up in various ways, even causing me to lose half of my thesis at point, backups and all. I'm starting to wonder why I spent a grand on a peice of hardware that is causing me to go grey with stress in my twenties. I've been to the genius bar several times, they make an effort, but usually are useless. In the end I had to remove and reinstall Office, but still I get problems... sigh. Will there ever be an age of truly consumer friendly computers for code illterate numnuts like me?..

Any insightful hints from you technolords would be much appreciated 🙂

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.2)

Posted on Jan 11, 2012 9:28 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,541 points

Jan 11, 2012 9:31 AM in response to toby_call

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

This procedure is a diagnostic test. It won’t solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

The purpose of this exercise is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account, or is system-wide. Enable guest logins and log in as Guest. For instructions, launch the System Preferences application, select “Help” from the menu bar, and enter “Set up a guest account” (without the quotes) in the search box.

While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Any application you run will behave as if you were running it for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.

As Guest, launch the application(s) and test. Same problem(s)?

After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.

Reply

Answer 2

toby_call Author

Level 1

0 points

Jan 11, 2012 2:47 PM in response to Linc Davis

Hi,

Just tried logging out and back in as a guest, safari started up like for the first time, worked for about 20seconds and then stopped loading pages. Just about enough time to log into Facebook... So no improvement in behaviour

Cheers for the quick reply

Reply

Answer 3

Jan 11, 2012 3:35 PM in response to toby_call

When you have problems with the same app in more then one user account, since you are runnning Lion you need to use Lion Recovery

Reply

Answer 4

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,541 points

Jan 11, 2012 4:17 PM in response to toby_call

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

The purpose of this exercise is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. First, disconnect all wired peripherals except keyboard, mouse, and monitor, if applicable, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:

Be sure your Mac is shut down.
Press the power button.
Immediately after you hear the startup tone, hold the Shift key. The Shift key should be held as soon as possible after the startup tone, but not before the tone.
Release the Shift key when you see the gray Apple icon and the progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear).

The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.

Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including your login items.

Launch the application(s) and test. Same problem(s)?

After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)

Reply