system preferences freezing screensaver

First follow the instructions in this support article.

If the iPhoto library is the source of your desktop pictures, it may need to be rebuilt, or you may need to update the iPhoto application to the latest version.

Otherwise, continue as below.

Back up all data.

In the Finder, hold down the option key and select

Go ▹ Library

from the menu bar. From the Library folder, delete the following item, if it exists:

Caches/com.apple.systempreferences

and move the following item to the Desktop:

Preferences/com.apple.desktop.plist

Launch System Preferences and test. If you still have the issue, put the item on the Desktop back where it came from and post again. Otherwise, delete the item.

OS X: System Preferences stops responding after viewing Desktop & Screen Saver pane

Products Affected

OS X Lion, OS X Mountain Lion, iPhoto

Symptoms

System Preferences may stop responding if you select an iPhoto Event that is no longer available in iPhoto as the source for your desktop picture.

Resolution

1. Quit System Preferences if it's running.
 
 If System Preferences is running but not responding, choose Force Quit from the Apple menu, or right-click its icon on the Dock and choose "Force Quit".

2. Open iPhoto.

3. Select Events in the Source list (on the left side of the iPhoto window).

4. Double-click on any of the events shown. Verify that the name or date of this event is now shown under RECENT in the Source list.

5. Choose Apple menu () > System Preferences.

6. Click Desktop & Screen Saver, click on Desktop, and verify that you can now select a new desktop picture.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4407?

Quit System Preferences if it's running.

Triple-click the line below to select it:

~/Library/Preferences/ByHost

Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select Services ▹ Open from the contextual menu. A folder window should open. In that folder are one or more files with long names that begin with "com.apple.screensaver." Move those files to the Desktop, leaving the window open. Test. If there's no change, quit again and put the files you moved back where they were, overwriting the ones that may have been created in their place. Otherwise, delete the files you moved.

Hey Linc Davis, I have followed all the 3 methods suggested by you:

• deleted com.apple.systemprefernces.plist from ~/Library/Preferences/
• deleted com.apple.Screensaver* from ~/Library/Preferences/ByHost
• replaced my iPhoto library elsewhere and created a new one

The problem starts when i select slideshow in screen saver pane. Since I have purchased MBA recently(first Apple Product) I was trying to customize the screensaver option which was working fine 2 days back when i purchased. But once I started choosing other options of slideshow in screensaver pane, the system preference application went on hang.

Kindly suggest what else can be done....

Regards,

Bhushan S