Watli

Q: Safari keeps crashing on old MacBook.

I have an old MacBook which runs Mac OS X 10.6.8. I can't update to a newer operating system as my Mac is too old apparently. My safari has stopped working, Everytime I try to open it, I get the error "Safari quit unexpectedly". I can't reinstall Safari asI can't download the software. The only options seems to be to update the operating system but my Mac won't allow that. I have searched for Softwre updates but it says it is up to date. What options do I have besides buying a new laptop?

Thanks.

MacBook (13-inch Late 2008), Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jul 1, 2015 12:48 AM

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Q: Safari keeps crashing on old MacBook.

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  • by thunderzzz,

    thunderzzz thunderzzz Jul 1, 2015 12:54 AM in response to Watli
    Level 6 (8,379 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 1, 2015 12:54 AM in response to Watli

    Try to launch Safari while holding down the shift key.

    Also check this article: If Safari is slow, stops responding, quits unexpectedly, or has other issues - Apple Support

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Jul 2, 2015 7:22 AM in response to Watli
    Level 9 (72,561 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 2, 2015 7:22 AM in response to Watli

    If you want to stay with 10.6, try Firefox which is still being updated.

     

    Firefox

     

    Safari 5.1.10 for Snow Leopard

  • by Watli,

    Watli Watli Jul 7, 2015 12:17 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 7, 2015 12:17 PM in response to Eric Root

    UNfortunately I can't get into safari to download Firefox and it isn't in the App Store. If I download it on our mini Mac which runs Yosemite surely it will give us the version of Firefox appropriate for that operating system not for my old operating system.

  • by Watli,

    Watli Watli Jul 7, 2015 12:24 PM in response to thunderzzz
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 7, 2015 12:24 PM in response to thunderzzz

    i tried to open safari while holding the shift key and it still gives the same error message. I tried following the advice in the link you suggested and unfortunately I can't open the preferences menu in safari as I can't even open safari. I deleted the suggested files but that made no difference.

    unfortunately I don't want to stay with Mac OS 10.6.8 but I don't have a choice as the laptop is old. I could retire it but it seems a waste. I just want it for Internet and email.

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Jul 8, 2015 7:17 AM in response to Watli
    Level 9 (72,561 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 8, 2015 7:17 AM in response to Watli

    Safari/Preferences/Advanced - enable the Develop menu, then go there and Empty Caches. Quit/reopen Safari and test. Then try Safari/History/Show History and delete all history items.  Quit/reopen Safari and test. You can also try try Safari/Reset Safari. The down side is it clears all cookies.Doing this may cause some sites to no longer recognize your computer as one that has visited the web site. Go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J.  When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder.  Select Library./Caches/com.apple.Safari/Caches.db and move it to the trash.

     

    Go to Safari Preferences/Extensions and turn all extensions off. Test. If okay, turn the extensions on one by one until you figure out what extension is causing the problem.

     

    Safari Corruption       See post by Linc Davis

     

    If you can't do that.

     

    Try a restart.

     

    Do a backup, using either Time Machine or a cloning program, to ensure files/data can be recovered. Two backups are better than one.

     

    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