Mac experts...

Before I throw my Mac out a window, I'm hoping that someone here has some input. At varying intervals when using the computer, I get this stupid rainbow colored pinwheel that pops up and spins around while the rest of my computer locks up tighter than a frog's behind. After fifteen or twenty (or thirty) seconds, the pinwheel goes away and my computer resumes to normal behavior. Then, it happens again. All of this seems completely random and I can't seem to find any pattern for it. Advice? Hammer?

 

I should also note that it's my cursor that turns into the pinwheel and that I can move the pinwheel around with my mouse while it spins around, sending me into a state of fury.

 

Which Mac?

Have you recently upgraded to Snow Leopard? Or purchased a Magic Mouse?

Wouldn't happen to be a 27" iMac?

Are you closing your applications?

 

24" iMac that I've had for about 1.5-2 yrs.

Have not upgraded to Snow Leopard.

No magic mouse.

Happens randomly, whether I am starting up fresh (no applications open) or have been on the computer for a while with applications running.

 

Do you have any external hard drives attached? WiFi? printers? Ethernet? listening to internet radio? iTunes?

 

Are you wireless? If so, is it possible to try it "wired" directly to your router?

Did it start misbehaving "all of a sudden", or has it got gradually worse?

Has anything changed? [New router? New location?]

Any S/W updates recently?

Cheers,
Ian

 

I have a Time Capsule that was recently added, but the pinwheel appeared both before and after I got the Time Capsule.

No internet radio but will sometimes listen to iTunes. Pinwheel pops up either way with iTunes on or off.

The problem has been going on for a little while now and some times are worse than others (even in a given day or session on the computer).

The computer is hooked up with one printer here in the house.

No new software updates lately, but I perform the regular updates that the computer prompts me to do. The last piece of software installed on the computer was Punch! Home Design software, and that was a while back. Is it possible that the Punch! software created a problem? I bought the software new, so it's not like this is some pirated version of anything.

 

Time to switch to PC.

 

Very helpful. Thanks.

 

??

You may also want to try "System preferences" -> accounts -> Login items - I'm on Snow Leopard, so you may be a little different, but you're looking for "stuff" that starts automatically when you login - Is anything there?

Cheers,
Ian

 

I've gotten the pinwheel using the internet both wirelessly and directly hooked up.

 

Nothing in there.

 

Oops.....

Do you have multiple accounts set up?

 

hmm... the only times I've ever gotten the pinwheel is when an app is looking for something on my drives or network storage. This can happen in the background or even when an app isnt running (some auto functions of some apps run when the app isnt running).

With lots of big drives or network storage this can bring things in the foreground to a halt and give you the pinwheel.

other then that....hmmm... you got me.

 

No, just one.

 

I'm good at coming up with unique problems on my electronic devices.

Right now, I get the pinwheel every time I click on something in Fchat. After I make a click, it's ok until I click again. It's happening every single time I click on something.

 

I guess you're ****ed then.

Hmmm. Is Time Machine "happy"? - IIRC it can "hunt" on occasion for (as yet) unknown reasons. [Do things change if you disable it?]

 

Time Machine seems to be doing fine. I had the problem before adding Time Machine and haven't noticed any difference now that I'm running it.

I guess this is what I get for bragging about Mac being so reliable. Dang things are supposed to just "work" aren't they?

 

Which browser?

Is it happening in other apps? Or just when your browsers running?

 

If you bought AppleCare extended warranty, they will help you with tech support questions.

The pin wheel simply means the computer is busy doing something.

If it started happening after you installed a program - uninstall the program and see if that corrects it - well before you do that run the program, click on "help" and check for updates. The system update does not update all the applications.

 

You know, my Time Machine does this too. I'm using a Fantom 1TB drive, and every now-and-then, the system reports it has been 'unplugged'. I click OK, and it starts running again and appears on the desktop like nothing ever happened. It's like the USB cable had been disconnected (but it certainly has not).

 

Many external hard drives will power down after x minutes of inactivity which occasionally makes OS'es wonder WTF, especially if the external device is of dodgy origin.

 

I too have this problem, so if you are using Safari when this pinwheel happens, try "Reset Safari." If you browse a lot, you might have to do this at least daily, and perhaps more than once a day. Using Firefox I don't ever have this problem.

 

I think this must be happening to mine. I'm going try getting a higher quality drive today.