Safari 4.1.3 quits at SSL(?) drop down boxes

Sorry to hear about your biz. I also get to hear it from my clients, which leaves me feeling like I'm sitting in a toilet that might be abruptly flushed any minute now. Meanwhile, TV says that things are looking up. TV wouldn't lie to us, would it? 😕

Meanwhile, just to add to the info base here...

Briefly considering the recent Flashback malware issue, I tried running Safari with Java and Javascript disabled. Remarkably faster page loading, BUT... still continues to quit (at the real estate site) with slightly different behavior (not just the drop-down boxes, but selecting any data entry field now prompts a quit).

Which makes me ask again: is a reinstall of Safari a consideration, or is that thinking too simplistic? Also, if Mail is connected at the hip to Safari, I don't want to risk losing any Mail, where I keep a large archive of messages. (Currently studying how move maiboxes to an alternative backup place for safekeeping.)

Or is that wasted motion? Better to stick with FF for now, and work on other basic needs (new optical drive, G4 firmware update, replace PRAM battery, replace old int HD, restore it to Startup, Archive & Install etc).

And one more (unrelated?) question if I may... I did my routine backups last night (SuperDuper), but I've never touched the old internal HD since I reassigned Startup to an external months ago. Should I backup to the internal, or leave it alone?

Thanx!

Well, OK...

I've archived the 7 items listed. (ID'd as ZIP Archives, using Apple dropdown menu, I don't have right-clicking).

Should I similarly archive something from Safari as well, like Bookmarks?

I can move these in a single folder to each of the two "archive" partitions I've made available in ext HDs.

But I still can't do any custom install until I get an optical drive that can handle the OSX Install DVD.

Or am I simply stashing archives in the event that I lose Mail, Address Book, (Safari?) altogether?

OK, all that stuff is stored in "archive" partitions on two ext HDs, as well as in a standalone folder on my Startup Disk.

Again, nothing has been added to or taken from the old internal HD. In months.

Can't do custom installs without a replacement DVD drive/burner -- which I need anyway, but am putting off until absolutely nece$$ary. If you can convince me we're heading to a resolution with a custom install, I'll get one.

Any experience with OWC? http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/optical-drives/

Are these Liteon drives Mac-friendly? http://tinyurl.com/7uu4dnf

Guess I could replace my LaCie with a refurb for $45 and retain FireWire, but that drive often had difficulty reading the OSX Install disc (and they acknowledged as much).

avoid Bus powered ones.

Always use wall-wart powered HDs.

PPC Macs rarely boot OSX from USB, they need Firewire.

I'll get the LaCie refurb. Need it for other backup anyway. Thanks for that; that's never-discussed stuff that I would never know otherwise.

G4... I keep adding the profile to my replies, but it often doesn't show up.

No, not convinced, but if you need Safari then I think we've exhausted most all other options.

Also good to know. If everything else is working on an old desktop, and a damaged Safari will do no harm sitting unused, maybe it's more trouble than it's worth. I'll think it over, and report back after I install a replacement optical drive. Might be a few days.

Meanwhile, let's cut this loose and have a nice holiday weekend, yah?

Thanks again, friend.

Just checking in to bring this particular issue to a close, even if somewhat unresolved.

After a few days of varied activity, it appears that Safari is the only thing that's malfunctioning. Insofar as everything else works, I'm not inclined to hunt down virus / malware issues at this time.

I'm pretty sure my overriding problem is an old G4 with a wobbly internal HD that needs to be replaced and restored as the Startup Disk. And pursuant to that, I should do firmware updates, replace batteries, reinstall Safari (maybe all apps) from scratch etc. All a little too costly and time-consuming right now; I'll do it later. Meanwhile I can live with the mildly inconvenient Firefox.

Thanks again, BDA. I will mark helpful replies.

One quick add-on, mostly so I don't forget when I re-visit this later...

Just tried burning a disc in iTunes, and it repeatedly quit upon clicking Burn Disc. I hadn't tried a burn since all this came up. And I did just buy a refurb'd FireWire CD/DVD burner (LaCie), which successfully burns CDs and DVDs via the bundled Toast.

So, given the symptoms in Safari, Mail, iTunes, I'm all the more convinced there's somethng corrupted in the basic OSX, likely complicated by a old, deteriorating internal hard drive (despite seemingly uneventful Repair Permissions).

What I really need is a Mac Pro.