Walsh1234

Q: The pinwheel spins constantly!!

I am fairly new to mac.  I have Mac Book Air with Yosemite 10.10.5.  I am so frustrated with not being able to use or having to wait to use my computer.  I use Firefox as my browser.  I quit or force quit constantly!  It doesn't help.  I also have a PC and use Firefox and I have no trouble with the hour glass spinning.  I thought Macs were supposed to be better than PCs.  I changed because of all of the viruses the PC gets.  I have had other trouble with my Mac and am almost sorry I spent a lot of money on it.  I have to constantly switch back to my old PC!  If you can help please be specific.  So many times I look for an explanation on how to solve a problem and I cannot understand the entire thing.  If you tell me to click on something PLEASE be specific on where to find it.

I would really appreciate your help.

MacBook Air (13-inch Mid 2013), OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Dec 5, 2015 10:38 AM

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Q: The pinwheel spins constantly!!

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  • by stedman1,

    stedman1 stedman1 Dec 5, 2015 10:39 AM in response to Walsh1234
    Level 9 (73,747 points)
    Apple Watch
    Dec 5, 2015 10:39 AM in response to Walsh1234

    Please review the article below, then post back with test results.

    Using EtreCheck

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Dec 5, 2015 11:17 AM in response to Walsh1234
    Level 5 (7,778 points)
    Notebooks
    Dec 5, 2015 11:17 AM in response to Walsh1234

    You likely have too little RAM to run several apps at once. This causes you Mac to "swap" between 'inactive' processes' RAM or Virtual Memory (disk space used as RAM)

     

    The "Spinning wait cursor" is a variation of the mouse pointer arrow, used in Apple's OS X to indicate that an application is busy. I favor the term "Beach Ball of Death" (BBoD) term that we have fondly named it. What it actually means is that the system is waiting for something - in your case, memory to be allocated.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinning_pinwheel

     

    You can see what is gobbling up your system resources using Activity Monitor

    OS X Yosemite: Apps included with your Mac

    Use Activity Monitor on your Mac - Apple Support

     

    Your choices are likely to be:

    • install more RAM (easiest to manage going forward)
      OR
    • run only what App you are currently using
      OR
    • use Activity Monitor to selectively see what is gobbling up the most RAM and decide what apps you can safely have open at once without slamming your system
  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Dec 5, 2015 11:18 AM in response to stedman1
    Level 5 (7,778 points)
    Notebooks
    Dec 5, 2015 11:18 AM in response to stedman1

    sorry stedman = Phantom Post got me - Again!

  • by stedman1,

    stedman1 stedman1 Dec 5, 2015 11:19 AM in response to ChitlinsCC
    Level 9 (73,747 points)
    Apple Watch
    Dec 5, 2015 11:19 AM in response to ChitlinsCC

    ChitlinsCC wrote:

     

    sorry stedman = Phantom Post got me - Again!

    We've been Jived

    Who's shocked?

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Dec 5, 2015 11:21 AM in response to stedman1
    Level 5 (7,778 points)
    Notebooks
    Dec 5, 2015 11:21 AM in response to stedman1

    > not I <

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Dec 5, 2015 12:54 PM in response to Walsh1234
    Level 10 (207,973 points)
    Applications
    Dec 5, 2015 12:54 PM in response to Walsh1234

    Is Firefox the only application you're having trouble with?

  • by Walsh1234,

    Walsh1234 Walsh1234 Dec 5, 2015 2:37 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iPad
    Dec 5, 2015 2:37 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Mostly, but it happens in others too.   Outlook is the worst by far, but I do open it through Firefox.

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Dec 5, 2015 2:41 PM in response to Walsh1234
    Level 5 (7,778 points)
    Notebooks
    Dec 5, 2015 2:41 PM in response to Walsh1234

    OUTLOOK.com is merely webpage IN Firefox.

     

    Firefox is a very robust browser, requiring a hefty amount of RAM - 300-500MB would not surprise me.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Dec 5, 2015 2:46 PM in response to Walsh1234
    Level 10 (207,973 points)
    Applications
    Dec 5, 2015 2:46 PM in response to Walsh1234

    Please read this whole message before doing anything.

    This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

    Step 1

    The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.

    Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”

    While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your documents or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this behavior; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.

    Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?

    After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.

    *Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.

    Step 2

    The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load 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.

    Please take this step regardless of the results of Step 1.

    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.

    Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is 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 log in 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. It will be slow, but there should be no beachballs. Same problem?

    After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of Steps 1 and 2.

  • by etresoft,

    etresoft etresoft Dec 6, 2015 9:48 AM in response to Walsh1234
    Level 7 (29,228 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 6, 2015 9:48 AM in response to Walsh1234

    Hello Walsh1234,

    Do you want the bad news first, or the worse news?

     

    I'll start with the bad news. You didn't say how much RAM you have. While MacBook Airs can be configured to 8 GB RAM, most people have only 4 GB. I recommend that anyone who is running OS X 10.10 or later on a machine limited to 4 GB RAM should avoid most 3rd party software unless absolutely necessary. That means using Safari instead of Firefox or especially Chrome. It also means using Mail instead of Outlook.

     

    Now the worse news. While viruses still aren't a problem on Macs, adware is reaching epidemic proportions. Adware can slow down your entire system, not just your web browsing. Your EtreCheck report would list any installed adware, but it won't help you remove it. For that, you should download and run MalwareBytes for Mac: https://www.malwarebytes.org/mac-download/

  • by etresoft,

    etresoft etresoft Dec 6, 2015 9:49 AM in response to Walsh1234
    Level 7 (29,228 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 6, 2015 9:49 AM in response to Walsh1234

    Just responding to see if my last post went through.

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Dec 6, 2015 10:02 AM in response to etresoft
    Level 5 (7,778 points)
    Notebooks
    Dec 6, 2015 10:02 AM in response to etresoft

    Sure did... looks like Phantom Post Syndrome has developed a new twist = * one's own post immediately after [Reply] twanger * (I got it the other day myself)

     

    BTW, welcome back from 'sabbatical'! Enlightenment achieved atop the mountain?

  • by etresoft,

    etresoft etresoft Dec 6, 2015 10:58 AM in response to ChitlinsCC
    Level 7 (29,228 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 6, 2015 10:58 AM in response to ChitlinsCC

    Hello ChitlinsCC,

    I'm afraid that is old behaviour.

     

    No sabbatical for me. While the "missing reply" issue is still a problem, the hosts have managed to fix the search feature. I am now able to search for any "etrecheck" posts and provide assistance or encouragement if I think it might be needed.

  • by ChitlinsCC,

    ChitlinsCC ChitlinsCC Dec 6, 2015 11:40 AM in response to etresoft
    Level 5 (7,778 points)
    Notebooks
    Dec 6, 2015 11:40 AM in response to etresoft

    etresoft wrote:

     

    Hello ChitlinsCC,

    I'm afraid that is old behaviour.

     

    No sabbatical for me. While the "missing reply" issue is still a problem, the hosts have managed to fix the search feature. I am now able to search for any "etrecheck" posts and provide assistance or encouragement if I think it might be needed.

    *Immediately missing* is New "to me", I guess -

     

    I used to see your moniker more often, it seems to me... Maybe I am confusing our friend thomas-r's sabbatical with you taking one - he is missed.

     

    Searching

    My understanding (based on the periodic maintenance notices I receive from the JiveCommunity forums) is that the databases need "indexing" on a regular basis to provide accurate and relevant search results. Perhaps our AppleJiveTeam wizards-behind-the-curtain have taken a cue from the practices of the JiveJiveTeam? Hope so.

     

    I have been conditioned to rely upon Google Site search for all my Apple searching needs - maybe I'll give the in-house search a try (as I see your 'etrecheck' example seemed to provide good results if one scrolls down and chooses the "newest first" filter) 

     

    see you around, amigo

    ÇÇÇ

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