Applications Sometimes Hang Finder

Question

I relatively recently upgraded from a G3 IMac with 10.3 to a G4 IMac with 10.5.
I've noticed one or two discrepancies in performance quality which I initially ignored, but they've persisted long enough that they've become annoying and I really do want to resolve them. All issues occur only sometimes, but if I switch between a couple running applications enough I can sometimes cause them to happen.
1.) The first issue is that Finder hangs when I switch to it from a running application. I don't know why, or what sequence of actions causes it, but most often it will occur immediately after trying to click my desktop from Firefox or VLC.
I'll usually habitually click my desktop to shift out of the current application and to Finder. It won't and I only really end up noticing it when I start selecting or renaming files. When I try to select files, I can never deselect them, so I end up selecting more than I want in attempt to shake the issue. Also when I want to rename a file, the name text simply vanishes until I click away, and it returns to normal. I just can't rename files when this issue arises. All the while during whatever application I was leaving still appears in the menu bar even if I'm specifically selecting files in Finder.
I can only seem to shake the issue if I open a Finder window and click the window's menu bar area, when my menu switches back to Finder and I deselect and rename files again.
This is the biggest issue as it happens the most often.
2.) The second issue is a problem I encounter when I'm in the middle of renaming a file. Out of nowhere the name change text box will close when I type in a letter, and reopening it just leads to the problem repeating itself. A bit of fidgeting with windows and selections stifles the problem, but it's quite irritating when it comes up. Doesn't happen very often.
3.) And seems to have started happening. My third issue is that I'll quit an application like Firefox, Quicktime, or VLC, and then move to something else while it quits. I soon notice that it hasn't quit. The window's still open, the icon's still in the dock, and it's still "on". I don't get the "application is not responding" from the control-click or force-quit menus, and it immediately disappears if I click the still-open window, like it had already quit, but just forgot to leave my screen until I poked it.
So for the most part, it's just a bunch of issues with applications, selections, and renaming, and that ends up hurting when you're organizing lots of files.
Is this expected from a "top-heavy" computer? Is this an unresolved Leopard problem, or does my computer have the hiccups? I'm hoping it's the latter, cause I'd really like to fix it.
Message was edited by: MasterDogma

Answer 1

Hi James
It sounds like you might have moved all your applications into the folder that's on your desktop, for one thing. First, close all your open applications (except for Finder). If any of them are still in the trash, get them out, and move them all back to the correct location. While many applications will work fine wherever they are, it's a good idea to keep them in the main Applications folder at the top of the hard drive.
Once the apps are back where they should be (and the desktop folder is empty), trash the desktop folder. Then, open a new Finder window, and click on the Macintosh HD icon in the sidebar. You should see your Applications folder on the right, which you can now pull into the sidebar to create a shortcut.
Matt