User profile for user: sdotbailey
sdotbailey Author
User level: Level 1
29 points

Mouseclicks and apps don't respond sporadically

Hey all,


Perhaps I'm not using the right search terms but I'm not finding anything specifically related to my issue here. I have a 2012 Mac mini with 10.9.2 on it and here is my occasional issue:

  • Open app (often Evernote or Messages)
  • App doesn't immediately respond to my mouseclicks (using magic trackpad, really)
  • Click on a different app (Safari, whatever) and it doesn't switch to it
  • If I CMD-Tab to the app, everything works fine - mouse, app, etc.
  • If I CMD-Tab back to the nonresponsive app, the window I was in 'appears' to be in the background i.e. the window lightens as if the app I switched to were displayed in front of it
  • But, the app doesn't actually appear and I can't click back to the app I was working on
  • I can force quit the app in question and then restart in a bit and it seems to work fine afterward


Has anyone else seen this issue? I feel like it's been occurring more recently in the last few weeks. It doesn't occur on my MacBook Air and it's also running 10.9.2. I'd rather not go through the trouble of a fresh installation of OS X because it's just a drag, even with the "keep your app/settings" option. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions here? If you've seen a thread with a similar issue, a link to it would be helpful as well!


Thanks,
Shawn

Mac mini, OS X Mavericks (10.9.2)

Posted on Mar 4, 2014 9:02 AM

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3 replies
User profile for user: Eric Root
Eric Root
User level: Level 10
685,311 points

Mar 4, 2014 9:37 AM in response to sdotbailey

Try setting up another admin user account to see if the same problem continues. If Back-to-My Mac is selected in System Preferences, the Guest account will not work. The intent is to see if it is specific to one account or a system wide problem. This account can be deleted later.


Isolating an issue by using another user account


If the problem is still there, try booting into the Safe Mode using your normal account. Disconnect all peripherals except those needed for the test. Shut down the computer and then power it back up after waiting 10 seconds. Immediately after hearing the startup chime, hold down the shift key and continue to hold it until the gray Apple icon and a progress bar appear. The boot up is significantly slower than normal. This will reset some caches, forces a directory check, and disables all startup and login items, among other things. When you reboot normally, the initial reboot may be slower than normal. If the system operates normally, there may be 3rd party applications which are causing a problem. Try deleting/disabling the third party applications after a restart by using the application un-installer. For each disable/delete, you will need to restart if you don't do them all at once.

Safe Mode


Safe Mode - About

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Mouseclicks and apps don't respond sporadically

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