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User profile for user: Doug Weiner
Doug Weiner Author
User level: Level 1
14 points

Pinwheels & Freezes in Mail, Quicktime PlayerX

Hello,


I recenty installed Lion 10.7.2 fresh onto my MacPro (3,1) - 12 gigs memory. (No Leopard upgrade - just Lion). This setup also has a non Apple SSD drive as the boot (60 gigs) and 500 gig hard drive where my Home folder lives.


I did migrate a few user settings (like Mail and Mail downloads) to the new Lion setup from my Snow Leopard Back up (10.6.7) I do have lots of Mail active and and a fair amount archived on my Mac.


I also am still using MobileMe and not iCloud yet.


Problem:

The problem seems to be that upon first boot and opening Mail or double clicking a quicktime so Quicktime Player X opens, both have big pauses until the spinning pinwheel goes away. They do eventually disappear, but with mail that can be up to 5 minutes. With Quicktime Player X, its about 1-2 minutes. Also upon wake from sleep, even if Mail is running, it still gives this long pause before eventually giving up the beachball and comes to life.


I have tried numerous fixes to troubleshoot and isolate the problem, but have still am uncertain if this is an hard drive problem, an internet problem, or a memory problem. It certainly 'seems' to be a Lion issue.


Solutions I have tried:

- Repair Disk Permsions (with boot drive and off the Lion Install DVD)

- Cloned SSD to another SSD different and brand new SSD and booted from that.

- Ran Cocktail muliple times.

- Ran Activity Monitor and Little Snitch before starting Mail and Quicktime X, but there doesn't seem to me to be anything obvious going on other than the app is 'not responding' in Activity Monitor. However, although I think I know a lot, I am not an expert with these apps and the lower processes going on here.

- Quicktime Player 7 Pro, does not exhibit the "Pause" Quicktime Player X does.


Hopefully I have given enough info here for an Apple Expert to help isolate the issue.


Thanks

Doug

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.2), 12g RAM, 64g SSD boot, 500g user

Posted on Feb 14, 2012 5:46 AM

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User profile for user: Linc Davis
Linc Davis
User level: Level 10
209,547 points

Posted on Feb 14, 2012 6:16 AM

Please read this whole message before doing anything.


This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.


Step 1


The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.


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. Applications will behave as if you were running them 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.


Step 2


The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login.


Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. 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).


Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on some Macs.


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.


Test while in safe mode. Same problem(s)?


After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.) Post the results of steps 1 and 2.

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User profile for user: Linc Davis
Linc Davis
User level: Level 10
209,547 points

Feb 14, 2012 6:16 AM in response to Doug Weiner

Please read this whole message before doing anything.


This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.


Step 1


The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.


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. Applications will behave as if you were running them 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.


Step 2


The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login.


Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. 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).


Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on some Macs.


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.


Test while in safe mode. Same problem(s)?


After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.) Post the results of steps 1 and 2.

Reply
User profile for user: Doug Weiner
Doug Weiner Author
User level: Level 1
14 points

Feb 14, 2012 6:58 AM in response to Linc Davis

Sounds good. As I wrote the original post, I realized I should just create a new user on the internal SSD drive and try similar steps. I am rendering out a bunch of files right now, but when I am done, I will test it and let you know.


If you search google or these support forums, you will see that a bunch of people are encountering similar problems with Lion, Mail and what they call "Movies," which I am sure means Quicktime Player X. (Lion does not install QT7). But the problem although prevelant, is not widespread. Also, it seems to happen across hardware (iMacs and others) so I think a problematic user setting is a good theory. Lets hope.

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User profile for user: Chad72
Chad72
User level: Level 1
5 points

Dec 16, 2012 8:45 AM in response to Doug Weiner

You may have already solved your problem, maybe even with this solution, but to close this loop for others like me, here's what worked (at least so far) for me. I will reply back if this isn't the long term solution:


Here's an exceprt from this website: http://macs.about.com/od/usingyourmac/qt/Fix-Spod-How-To-Fix-A-Spinning-Pinwheel -Of-Death.htm


Clearing the dyld Cache

  1. Launch Terminal, located at /Applications/Utilities/.

  2. At the Terminal prompt, enter the following command. Please note this is a single line; some browsers may show this command spanning multiple lines.

    3. sudo update_dyld_shared_cache -force
  3. Press enter or return.

  4. You will be asked for an administrator account password.

  5. Once the password is accepted, Terminal may display some warning messages about mismatches in the dlyd cache. Don't worry; these are warnings about the content that is being cleared out and then updated by the command.

Clearing the dyld cache can take a few moments. Once it's complete, the normal Terminal prompt will return.

You should now be able to use that application without encountering the SPOD.

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Pinwheels & Freezes in Mail, Quicktime PlayerX

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