WHY is Safari failing to load pages on my late 2013 MBP retina?

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Level 1

8 points

WHY is Safari failing to load pages on my late 2013 MBP retina?

I have the latest OS and Safari on my machine. Safari is not usable. Every now and then, I can go to a web page in a reasonable amount of time but, more often, the page either doesn't load (the blue shading in the address bar stops after about an inch and freezes) or the page takes several minutes to load. This computer is too new to be having these kinds of issues.....

I know the next step (according to Apple support) is to reinstall the OS, which I will do once back up is complete. Here's what I've done previously, to no avail: confirmed that there are no extensions, reset Safari multiple times, deleted the plist file from the Library, repaired disk permissions, shut down, restarted, restarted in safe mode, etc. Regarding the repair permissions - there is always a Safari permission that needs to be repaired. Same one every time. Not that repairing permissions was a fix.....

I am hoping the reinstall works but I'm frustrated that this is happening on a new, very expensive computer. I want to understand what the root cause is....any ideas about what is broken and how it got broken? Thanks.

MACBOOK PRO (RETINA, 15-INCH, LATE 2013)

Posted on Apr 17, 2014 9:21 AM

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Answer 1

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Apr 17, 2014 10:56 AM in response to kab

Please answer as many of the following questions as you can. You may already have answered some of them. In that case, there's no need to repeat the answers.

Have you restarted your router and your broadband device (if they're separate) since you first noticed the problem? If not, do that now and see whether there's any change.

If your browser is Safari, then from the Safari menu bar, select

Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Privacy ▹ Remove All Website Data

and confirm. Any change?

If you're running OS X 10.9 or later, select the Advanced tab in the Preferences window and uncheck the box marked

Stop plug-ins to save power

Any change?

Quit and relaunch the browser. Any change?

Log out and log back in. Any change?

Enable Private Browsing in the Safari menu. Any change?

Are any other web browsers installed, and are they the same? What about other Internet applications, such as iTunes and the App Store?

If other browsers and Internet applications are also affected, follow these instructions and test. Any change?

If Parental Controls is active for any user, please turn it off and test. Any change?

If only Safari is affected, launch the Activity Monitor application and enter "web" (without the quotes) in the search box. If a process named "Safari Web Content" is shown in red or is using more than about 5% of a CPU, select it and force it to quit by clicking the X or Quit Process button in the toolbar of the window. There may be more than one such process. Any improvement?

Again, if only Safari is involved, open the iCloud preference pane and uncheck the box marked Safari, if it's checked. Any change?

Are there any other devices on the same network that can browse the Web, and are they affected?

If you can test Safari on another network, is it the same there?

If you connect to your router with Wi-Fi and you can also connect with Ethernet, do that and turn off Wi-Fi. Any difference?

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Answer 2

kab Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 18, 2014 1:59 PM in response to Linc Davis

I have done the following, no change:

- Restarted router and modem

- Removed all website data

- Unchecked stop plugins box

- Quit and relaunched browser

- Logged out and back in

- Enabled private browsing

- Unchecked Safari in iCloud

No parental controls are set.

I"m not sure that it is only Safari at this point. Mail is painfully slow to show new mail when I open the app, even if I select Synchronize or Get New Mail. The App Store is also very slow. In fact, I avoid using either of those apps b/c they are so slow. I have Chrome and it is also slower than expected but not as slow as Safari.

I looked at the DNS settings. The TCP/IP tab says to configure IPv6 automatically. The DNS tab lists two servers - actually one server is listed twice (exactly the same) and they are both greyed out.

Edited to add:

I have tried using Safari on my MBP on another network and it functions poorly there, as well. Safari is fine on my iPhone and iPad on my network and other networks.

I do not have the necessary cable to create a wired connection from my MBP to the network.

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Answer 3

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Apr 18, 2014 5:00 PM in response to kab

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.

Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you turn on the computer, and again when you log in.

Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a Fusion Drive or a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.

The login screen appears even if you usually login 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?

After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

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Answer 4

kab Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 18, 2014 6:15 PM in response to Linc Davis

Still a problem in safe mode. (And restarting normally.) First few pages loaded as expected, then the problem came back.

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Answer 5

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Apr 18, 2014 8:52 PM in response to kab

Start up in Recovery mode. In the OS X Utilities screen, select Get Help Online. A clean copy of Safari will launch. No plugins, such as Flash, will be available. While in Recovery, you'll have no access to your saved bookmarks or passwords, so make a note of those before you begin, if they're needed for the test.

Test. After testing, restart as usual and post the results.

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