General Instability

<--Note: this post is about the MBP in my profile. I made a post a while back about just erasing my computer, reinstalling, and then replacing my files with boot camp. No one could really help me so I didn't do it but I am again starting to consider doing that sort of thing.

Here's some of the issues (which all seem to have started right after I have used Software Update):
1. No unclicking. I will click on something to drag it somewhere but when I let go of the button, the pointer won't let go of it and I can't click on anything. I've tried hitting every button on the keyboard, pressing the mouse button repeatedly, and trying to put the item back where I grabbed it from. The only way to get the pointer to let go is to put the computer to sleep. Then, when I've woken the computer up, the animations have stopped working (dock magnification, etc.).

2. Safari keeps crashing. This happened after the last operating system update that Apple put out. I can't find any patterns or reasons for it to crash and it always crashes on different websites. I could switch browsers but I like Safari the best...

3. Safari is using a lot of the system. Another random thing it does. The fans start going fast and Istat is showing that Safari is using 90% or more on the activity monitor. I'm not using any flash programs or watching any videos when it does this.

4. Speed. (This is has driven me to make this thread.) This computer is just running slower and slower every week. I feel like it is slowly going to its death but I know it's no where near it (it's only 1.5 years old). It sat running for 30 minutes while I was away and the screen turned off and I moved the mouse to turn it back on and the screen flashed between blue and the login screen and then I got a message saying that I need to restart it by holding the power button (which I did).

There are other things it does here and there but they aren't that important. Something that I have noticed, though, is that when the computer first starts up, X11 pops up in the dock and bounces once, then disappears. It just started doing this a few weeks ago and I'm thinking that something is running in the background that shouldn't be. I ran ClamXav but it came up with nothing.

Does anyone know how I can get this thing running as well as when I first got it?

Try running the Combo updater to sort the OS see this. Perhaps use Onyx to clean out some of the caches etc.

I already have that update. Should I try reinstalling it?

Yes you should, particularly if you used Software Update. Download and install the combo update. After downloading, verify the checksum of the file (SHA 1 digest) before running it to verify you have a good download. You can do that with this handy little app. Open up the app, then drag and drop your download onto it.

I would also run a repair permissions before and after the update.

Still not fixed, then I'd try Onyx - go to the Automation tab - I would try checking off everything on that page except Spotlight Index and Mail's Envelope Index.

And you do have a backup prior to doing all of this, right?

bobtomay said:

Still not fixed, then I'd try Onyx - go to the Automation tab - I would try checking off everything on that page except Spotlight Index and Mail's Envelope Index.

Click to expand...

Just a query on this bob, the .DS Store_files ???? what are they and is it good to clean them. The reason i ask is i use MainMenu and when i had the .DS files checked it took literally 1hr and half and it still didnt get thru them so i stopped my run unchecked them and it did the whole system in like 20 mins.
Would i have had a problem with them ??

Sorry to the OP to take over the thread but without making a thread just for it i have been waiting until something similar to pop up

Cheers

I've never touched the .ds store files personally. Have just left them alone. Did a tiny bit of research related to them when I first got my Mac and that was it.

According to what I remember, all they really do is store icon info related to size and location along with background info of a folder. Once I learned what they were, I pretty much just forgot about them. Kinda, sorta similar to windows thumbnails.db files but not really.

Would imagine it could take awhile to go through them all, since there would be one for every single folder on your machine. There are probably quite a few others here more knowledgeable than I related to this subject.

bobtomay said:

I've never touched the .ds store files personally. Have just left them alone.

Click to expand...

Thanks mate.... Thats good enough for me to be leaving them alone.
Not going to muck with them at all ....

Cheers