Heavy lag and "not responding" when using Preview for PDFs

Question

Hi there,
I have a problem with my MacBook Pro (9,1 15" Late 2012) running Mavericks 10.9.1.
Sometimes (quite often in the last weeks) Mavericks getting furious when I try to preview PDFs. This happens:
- I get an PDF. It came from my eXactScan add, from an email adress or I downloaded it - the source doesn't matter.
- I open the finder and want to preview the PDF with the built in preview and I get the spinning circle / load indicator. The circle runns for a long time.
- I can use Mavericks without any problems but the Finder only shows a small thumbnail of the file I wanted to preview.
- Now it's getting dirty: when I double click the PDF to view it with the Preview app the whole system "crashes":
the Preview app won't open (but it is shown in the dock),
my open Mail and Chrome wont react any more or start to lagg very heavy,
the Finder laggs very heavy
but the OS (menubar, dock, etc) responds without any problems.
If I open the "Close Apps" window the apps mentioned above are marked with "not responding".
I waited for some time but nothing gets better.
The only way to get rid of the problem is to restart the Mac which works without any problems.
That's it.

Answer 1

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 personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; 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.
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. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you boot, and again when you log in.
Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot 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 boot 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. Same problem?
After testing, reboot as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of steps 1 and 2.