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unable to enter text in text boxes in Safari

When using Safari 6.0.2 I frequently cannot enter text into a text box. If I open a new page, it will work fine for a while and then develop the same problem. Anybody else have this problem and find a solution?

Mac mini (Mid 2010), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Dec 13, 2012 9:23 AM

Reply
45 replies

Dec 15, 2012 8:05 AM in response to iaJim

Well, here's the deal. You haven't removed MacKeeper. I somehow doubt that it's causing your original problem, but on the other hand, I don't see anything else that's more likely to be causing it, and as long as any part of MacKeeper is installed, your system is unmaintainable.


We've exhausted my knowledge of the subject of removing MacKeeper. I gave you a procedure that worked in my tests, and has worked for everyone else I suggested it to. It's not working for you, perhaps because you have an older, more malware-like version.


So you have two choices: do your own research on MacKeeper removal, or do what I would do in your place -- a clean reinstallation of the system. If you choose the latter, proceed as follows.


Back up all data to at least two different storage devices, if you haven't already done so. The backups can be made with Time Machine or with a mirroring tool such as Carbon Copy Cloner. Preferably both.


Boot into Recovery (command-R at startup), launch Disk Utility, and erase the startup volume with the default options.This operation will destroy all data on the volume, so you had be better be sure of your backups. Quit Disk Utility and install OS X. When you reboot, you'll be prompted to go through the initial setup process. That’s when you transfer the data from one of your backups. For details of how this works, see here:


Using Setup Assistant


Transfer only "Users" and "Settings" – not "Applications" or "Other files." Don't transfer the Guest account, if it was enabled on the old system.


Reinstall your third-party software cautiously. Self-contained applications that install into the Applications folder by drag-and-drop or download from the App Store are safe. Anything that comes packaged as an installer or that prompts for an administrator password is suspect, and you must test thoroughly after reinstalling each such item to make sure you haven't restored the problem.


Note: You need an always-on Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to the Internet to use Recovery. It won’t work with USB or PPPoE modems, or with proxy servers, or with networks that require a certificate for authentication.

Dec 15, 2012 8:41 AM in response to Linc Davis

Thanks so much for all of your help. I don't know how you can possibly know all of this, but I'm glad you do. I think I'm going to try one more installation of MacKeeper and one more uninstall. Then I'm on to your fix. I think I have lots of stuff on my computer that is legacy stuff that I will never use again, so I'm not afraid of doing the reinstallation. I do want to insure that my emails and photos are safe. My music is all on iTunes match, so no problem there.


Thanks so much!

Dec 15, 2012 8:51 AM in response to iaJim

I think it worked this time. I reinstalled MacKeeper; quit it and relaunched it, and then quit again. I dragged it to the trash and got the prompt for the password and then got the dialog box. It looks like it is gone. I did the step 3 again with these results:


launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.apple|edu\.mit|org\.(x|openbsd)/{print $3}'

com.rim.BBLaunchAgent

com.oracle.java.Java-Updater

com.logmein.logmeingui

com.spotify.webhelper

com.google.keystone.user.agent

com.adobe.ARM.202f4087f2bbde52e3ac2df389f53a4f123223c9cc56a8fd83a6f7ae

James-Lippolds-Mac-mini:~ jim's computer


If the problem is gone, I'll post it here. Once again, thanks so much for your help on all of this.

Dec 16, 2012 6:44 PM in response to iaJim

Any third-party software that doesn't install by drag-and-drop into the Applications folder, and uninstall by drag-and-drop to the Trash, is a system modification.

Whenever you remove system modifications, they must be removed completely, and the only way to do that is to use the uninstallation tool, if any, provided by the developers, or to follow their instructions. If the software has been incompletely removed, you may have to re-download or even reinstall it in order to finish the job.


Here are some general guidelines. Suppose you want to remove something called “BrickYourMac.” First, consult the product's Help menu, if there is one, for instructions. Finding none there, look on the developer's website, say www.brickyourmac.com. (That may not be the actual name of the site; if necessary, search the Web for the product name.) If you don’t find anything on the website or in your search, email the developer. While you're waiting for a response, download BrickYourMac.dmg and open it. There may be an application in there such as “Uninstall BrickYourMac.” If not, open “BrickYourMac.pkg” and look for an Uninstall button.

If you can’t remove software in any other way, you’ll have to erase your boot volume and perform a clean reinstallation of OS X. Never install any third-party software unless you're sure you know how to uninstall it; otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve.

Trying to remove complex system modifications by hunting for files by name often will not work and may make the problem worse. The same goes for "utilities" that purport to remove software.

Dec 16, 2012 7:13 PM in response to Linc Davis

Here is the latest list:


sudo launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.(apple|openssh|vix)|edu\.mit|org\.(amavis|apache|cups|isc|ntp|postfi x|x)/{print $3}'

com.rim.BBDaemon

com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool

com.logmein.raupdate

com.adobe.fpsaud

James-Lippolds-Mac-mini:~ jim's computer


I uninstalled logmein, but it appears that some of it is still here.


I have been unable to find the correct version of Blackberry Desktop Manager, but I did remove the alias folder. A different BB file is still here.

unable to enter text in text boxes in Safari

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