The spinning color wheel?

Sometimes when I turn on the computer, the cursor is a spinning color wheel, why? how to stop that from happening? Thank you in advance for your help.

sarah:
Dr. Smoke's FAQ The Spinning Beachball of Death has suggestions which might help. Post back after you have tried them, or with further questions or comments.
cornelius

Similar Messages

  • Performance is very slow, i continue to get the spinning color wheel whenever i try anything (email, browser, word, etc)  any ideas

    Performance is very slow.
    I continue to get the spinning color wheel on whatever I try.
    It doesnt matter if its an email, browser or document of any kind it takes several seconds for anything to happen.

    Hello, see how many of these you can answer...
    See if the Disk is issuing any S.M.A.R.T errors in Disk Utility...
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH7029
    Open Activity Monitor in Applications>Utilities, select All Processes & sort on CPU%, any indications there?
    How much RAM & free space do you have also, click on the Memory & Disk Usage Tabs.
    Open Console in Utilities & see if there are any clues or repeating messages when this happens.
    In the Memory tab, are there a lot of Pageouts?

  • The spinning colored wheel wont  stop and my word is open so i do not want to lose my paper

    The spinning colored wheel wont  stop and my word is open so i do not want to lose my paper. What do I do wihtout having to cut my computer off

    Sbmills,
    will it allow you to copy the text of your paper, paste it into TextEdit, and save it as a text document? You’d lose the formatting, but you’d still have the text.

  • When I am in e-mail. I get the spinning color wheel. Then, when I check the activity montior, it notes high cpu usage (99%) for "Safari web content.". then I quit this process and cpu usage drops way done. but I have to log in again to my e-mail. what can

    When I am in e-mail, I sometimes get the spinning color wheel, which lock up everything. when it doesn't go away, I see on the activity monitor, that CPU usage is very high (99%), for a process calles " Safari web content'. When I click on the proccess and quite, the CPUusage goes way down. Problem is that I have to then log back in to e-mail. What can I do to eliminate this proble.  thanks

    How much FREE RAM do you have when this occurs. It's easy to tell, when it beach balls open Activity Monitor (Applications - Utilities - Activity Monitor) click the System Memory tab and note how much FREE RAM is listed. If it's 500MB or less it's time for a RAM upgrade.

  • I tried to download some photos from a corrupted CD and now every time I try to open iPhoto the frame pops up but nothing will load.  I just get the spinning color wheel.  Any ideas???

    I tried to download some photos from a corrupted CD and now every time I try to open iPhoto the frame pops up but nothing will load.  I just get the spinning color wheel.  Any ideas???

    What version of iPhoto? Assuming 09 or later:
    Option 1
    Back Up and try rebuild the library: hold down the command and option (or alt) keys while launching iPhoto. Use the resulting dialogue to rebuild. Choose to Rebuild iPhoto Library Database from automatic backup.
    If that fails:
    Option 2
    Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. This will create a new library based on data in the albumdata.xml file. Not everything will be brought over - no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your albums and keywords back.
    Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one. .
    Regards
    TD

  • Calendar entry takes along time.  I get the spinning color wheel after each tab.

    Calendar entry takes along time.  I get the spinning color wheel after each tab.  How do I avoid this?

    Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
    ☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.
    Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left. If you don't see that menu, select
    View ▹ Show Log List
    from the menu bar.
    Click the Clear Display icon in the toolbar. Then try the action that you're having trouble with again. Select any messages that appear in the Console window. Copy them to the Clipboard (command-C). Paste into a reply to this message (command-V).
    When posting a log extract, be selective. In most cases, a few dozen lines are more than enough.
    Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
    Important: Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

  • When I open iphoto, I only get the spinning color wheel

    When I open iphoto, the window is blank and I just get the spinning color wheel.  I have OSX 10.6.8.  The last time I used iphoto I had deleted over 100GB of photos (they were backed up to an external hard drive). Now I just get the spinning wheel.  I have to force quit to shut it down.

    Option 1
    Back Up and try rebuild the library: hold down the command and option (or alt) keys while launching iPhoto. Use the resulting dialogue to rebuild. Choose to Rebuild iPhoto Library Database from automatic backup.
    If that fails:
    Option 2
    Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. This will create a new library based on data in the albumdata.xml file. Not everything will be brought over - no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your albums and keywords back.
    Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one. .
    Regards
    TD

  • What does the spinning color wheel mean?

    Have been getting a spinning color wheel alot lately, is this a problem?

    Launch the Activity Monitor application in any of the following ways:
    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
    ☞ In the Finder, press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
    ☞ If you’re running Mac OS X 10.7 or later, open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Activity Monitor in the page that opens.
    Select the CPU tab. Select All Processes from the popup menu in the toolbar, if not already selected. Click the heading of the % CPU column in the process table to sort the entries by CPU usage. You may have to click it twice to get the highest value at the top. What is it, and what is the process? Also post the values for % User, % System, and % Idle at the bottom of the window.
    Now select the System Memory tab. What values are shown in the bottom part of the window for Page outs and Swap used?

  • I'm getting the spinning color wheel only on FCP

    I'm getting the spinning colour wheel but only on FCP & not Logic or iMovie.

    What version is your copy of FCP X and what OS? What year is your MBP?
    When do you get the lag (what are you doing when it happens)? Does it hang so you have to force quit?
    Does it happen regardless of what library you open?
    Russ

  • My iMac 8,1 (early 2008) is running very slow.  I continually get the spinning color wheel.  The free space dropped from 133. GB to 87.86 GB in about 2 days.  System memory is 2.00 GB with 1.25 GB free.  kernel_task   root   1.1  63   205.3 MB intel.

    My Mac is running very slowly.  After reading other posts I have attempted to gather more info for an easier more accurate response but not being computer savy am unsure what is helpful/necessary.  The utilized space is 231.6 GB with 88.13 GB free.  Memory is 2.00 GB w/ 1.25 GB free and 771.8 MB used.  The kernel_task  root  1.1  63  205.3 MB intel.  What can I do to increase the speed and stop the spinning wheel?  Thanks for all your help.

    See:
    Mac Maintenance Quick Assist,
    Mac OS X speed FAQ,
    Speeding up Macs,
    Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance,
    Essential Mac Maintenance: Get set up,
    Essential Mac Maintenance: Rev up your routines,
    Maintaining OS X, 
    Five Mac maintenance myths, and
    Myths of required versus not required maintenance for Mac OS X for information.

  • I get the spinning color wheel

    My Mac seems lazy with most programs - It hates AOL, my B&W G3 seemed a lot faster, what causes the color wheel to appear? Thanks
    Imac   Mac OS X (10.4.7)   Intel

    First, back up your hard disk, not necessarily that there is any reason to suspect it is failing, but the behaviour you describe can presage an impending disk failure and you should have backups anyway.
    Apple Support Communities contributor etresoft wrote a very useful app to quickly gather certain system information that may help point to a cause of this problem. Go to his website, download and run EtreCheck:
    http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck
    Etrecheck will be in your Downloads folder. Open it from there. You may see the following dialog box:
    Click Open - etresoft contributes to this forum frequently and can be considered a trustworthy developer.
    It will take a moment to run as it collects its data.
    Copy and paste its output in a reply.
    Do not be concerned about anything that says "Problem" or "failed".
    EtreCheck was designed to remove any personal information (such as your computer's name and serial numbers) but if you see anything that looks like an email address or any other personal information that should not be divulged to others, please delete or obscure that information when you post the reply.
    When you are finished with EtreCheck, quit the program. It occupies very little space, and you can keep it or drag it to the Trash as you wish.

  • MacBook Pro is running slow and always showing the spinning color wheel. Help!

    Problem description:
    MacBook Pro is running slowly and shows me the color wheel all the time.
    EtreCheck version: 2.1.8 (121)
    Report generated March 26, 2015 at 2:07:06 PM CDT
    Download EtreCheck from http://etresoft.com/etrecheck
    Click the [Click for support] links for help with non-Apple products.
    Click the [Click for details] links for more information about that line.
    Hardware Information: ℹ️
        MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011) (Technical Specifications)
        MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro8,1
        1 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core
        4 GB RAM Upgradeable
            BANK 0/DIMM0
                2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok
            BANK 1/DIMM0
                2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok
        Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported
        Wireless:  en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
        Battery Health: Normal - Cycle count 448
    Video Information: ℹ️
        Intel HD Graphics 3000 - VRAM: 384 MB
            Color LCD 1280 x 800
    System Software: ℹ️
        OS X 10.10.2 (14C1514) - Time since boot: one day 2:51:19
    Disk Information: ℹ️
        ST9500325ASG disk0 : (500.11 GB)
            EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
            Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>  [Recovery]: 650 MB
            Macintosh HD (disk1) / : 498.88 GB (362.93 GB free)
                Encrypted AES-XTS Unlocked Converting
                Core Storage: disk0s2 499.25 GB Online
        MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-8A8 
    USB Information: ℹ️
        Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
        Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
        Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub
            Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
        Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
    Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️
        Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
    Gatekeeper: ℹ️
        Mac App Store and identified developers
    Launch Daemons: ℹ️
        [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]
        [running]    com.zeobit.MacKeeper.plugin.AntiTheft.daemon.plist [Click for support]
    User Launch Agents: ℹ️
        [loaded]    com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Click for support]
        [failed]    com.zeobit.MacKeeper.Helper.plist [Click for support]
    User Login Items: ℹ️
        iTunesHelper    Application Hidden (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
    Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
        Silverlight: Version: 5.1.10411.0 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
        FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 17.0.0.134 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
        Flash Player: Version: 17.0.0.134 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
        QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
        JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 15.0.0 - SDK 10.10 Check version
        Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10
    3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
        Flash Player  [Click for support]
    Time Machine: ℹ️
        Time Machine not configured!
    Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
            25%    WindowServer
             4%    hidd
             1%    Dock
             0%    systemstatsd
             0%    AppleIDAuthAgent
    Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
        86 MB    Finder
        77 MB    WindowServer
        73 MB    ocspd
        47 MB    mds_stores
        43 MB    CalendarAgent
    Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️
        1.06 GB    Free RAM
        1.57 GB    Active RAM
        568 MB    Inactive RAM
        1.09 GB    Wired RAM
        1.46 GB    Page-ins
        0 B    Page-outs
    Diagnostics Information: ℹ️
        Mar 25, 2015, 11:13:52 AM    Self test - passed
        Mar 24, 2015, 07:05:57 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.apple.WebKit.Plugin.64_2015-03-24-190557_[r edacted].cpu_resource.diag [Click for details]

    Back up your Mac if you have not done so already. To learn how to use Time Machine read Mac Basics: Time Machine backs up your Mac - Apple Support.
    Uninstall MacKeeper:
    Follow these instructions to uninstall MacKeeper. They have been tested with the most recent version of MacKeeper. Earlier versions than the one released in 2012 required more extensive work to uninstall all its components.
    If you actually used MacKeeper to alter your system, e.g. "remove excess binaries" or such, you will need to reinstall OS X as well as all your additional software. Uninstalling MacKeeper is insufficient to reverse the corruption it is capable of - once again, that is if you used it.
    If you merely installed MacKeeper but did not use it to perform any particular action, the following instructions will suffice.
    If you used MacKeeper to encrypt any files or folders, use MacKeeper to un-encrypt them first.
    Quit the MacKeeper app if it is running.
    Open your Applications folder: Using the Finder's Go menu, select Applications.
    Drag the MacKeeper icon from your Applications folder (not the Dock) to the Trash.
    You will be asked to authenticate (twice):
    You do not need to provide a reason for uninstalling it:
    Just click the Uninstall MacKeeper button. You will be asked to authenticate again.
    After it uninstalls you may empty the Trash and restart your Mac. All that will remain is an inert log file that does nothing but occupy space on your hard disk.

  • `I had to do a force quit to get the spinning color wheel off the screen for itunes, system preferences and finder.  `now the screen is lit but it cannot find finder and the itunes icon just bounces up and down whenI click on it-whay should do?

    I think my card reader was just taken out of the back of my mack pro without proper ejection. I had to use force quit on everything open to get rid of the color wheel.  `itunes, system preferences, finder were open and not responding.  `now the screen is lit but if `i click on itunes the symbol just bounces and for finder it says finder cannot be found 10810.  What should I do next?  Thanks-

    Hi Janice,
    You are posting in an iMac forum, you may want to repost in the Mac Pro forum.
    Roger

  • The spinning color wheel on my lock screen wont go away

    When I went to go open my computer the color wheel came up and now will not go away.

    Turn your machine off by holding down the power button for 10+ seconds.
    Boot whilst holding down the Shift key. This will let you boot (hopefully) in Safe mode, which will be slow to boot and feel sluggish in performance.
    If you can't boot into Safe mode, call back and let us know which model MacBook Pro you have and which version of OS X you're running.
    Clinton

  • While using Firefox when I click the mouse or when typing like this I get the Mac spinning color wheel and any action is delayed about 10 seconds.

    I'm on an iMac, 10.4, Firefox 3.6.20 and the problem is occurring with greater frequency. When I installed 3.6.20, it ran perfectly for a short time, but now the spinning color wheel happens on almost every mouse click and it makes using Firefox an impossibility. I tried the Apple installed Safari and had no difficulties. It does not occur when I use Thunderbird 2.0.0.17 either. I will appreciate any help because I rely on Firefox. Thanks.

    It is possible that there is a problem with the files sessionstore.js and sessionstore.bak in the Firefox Profile Folder.
    Delete the sessionstore.js [2] file and possible sessionstore-##.js [3] files with a number and sessionstore.bak in the Firefox Profile Folder.
    * Help > Troubleshooting Information > Profile Directory: Open Containing Folder
    * http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox
    Deleting sessionstore.js will cause App Tabs and Tab Groups and open and closed (undo) tabs to get lost, so you will have to create them again (make a note or bookmark them).
    See also:
    * [1] http://kb.mozillazine.org/Session_Restore
    * [2] http://kb.mozillazine.org/sessionstore.js
    * [3] http://kb.mozillazine.org/Multiple_profile_files_created

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