topic Re: System freezes when Text boxes. lines of fills are selec in Modeling

System freezes when Text boxes. lines of fills are selected.

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:14:00 GMT

Hi,

I'm experiencing a few problems in ArchiCAD, but also any Adobe application. When I click on a text box, line, fill or wall (or anything) in any view, the system freezes for around 5 seconds before the application responds. What I mean is, each time I want to click on something, Archicad/Adobe doesn't respond and my Dock (Mac) freezes, but does not crash.

Obviously this is making it very difficult to work properly and I need help. I've posted the problem on a Mac forum since I can't solve it myself. I was wondering if anyone, especially on Mac has experienced anything like this.

My Computer spec. if in my Signature.

Thank You

Re: System freezes when Text boxes. lines of fills are selec

Erika Epstein — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 13:48:47 GMT

Does your internet connection have a firewall?
I am assuming on the mac you don't have anti-virus.

Re: System freezes when Text boxes. lines of fills are selec

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:08:47 GMT

Erika wrote:
Does your internet connection have a firewall?
I am assuming on the mac you don't have anti-virus.

No I don't have a firewall. I highly doubt it's a virus too since everything else works correctly... I can't see it being a graphics issue as it's only 3 weeks old and it was working fine, plus the graphics aren't effected...

I've also repaired disk permissions...

I'll keep looking but if it doesn't get better by next week, I will format again.

Re: System freezes when Text boxes. lines of fills are selec

Ralph Wessel — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:47:50 GMT

NStocks wrote:
I'm experiencing a few problems in ArchiCAD, but also any Adobe application. When I click on a text box, line, fill or wall (or anything) in any view, the system freezes for around 5 seconds before the application responds. What I mean is, each time I want to click on something, Archicad/Adobe doesn't respond and my Dock (Mac) freezes, but does not crash.

It definitely isn't a virus - there aren't any affecting Macs. I'm surprised this is still the case, but I've enjoyed a decade of absolutely no virus concerns.

I haven't seen the behaviour you describe before, so I can't provide a definite solution. It could be a hardware problem, e.g. faulty RAM. There are a few troubleshooting steps you could take:

1. Repair permissions. Some installers leave a bit of a mess behind them - this process will tidy up. Open Disk Utility (in Applications/Utilities), select your hard drive in the left column, and click the "Repair Permissions" button.

2. Reset PRAM. The PRAM holds certain settings even when your computer is turned off. If the contents are corrupted, it can cause strange side-effects. This process resets the contents. Shut down the computer; turn it on again and immediately hold down the keys Command - Option - P - R; continue to hold them down until you hear the startup sound a second time; let go of the keys and allow it to start normally.

3. Start in Safe Mode. If the problem persists, you can start in Safe Mode, which disables all but essential system software. Shut down the computer and wait 10 seconds; press the power button; as soon as you hear the startup sound, hold down the Shift key; release the Shift key when you see the grey Apple logo.

If the problem persists in Safe Mode, I recommend taking the machine to the nearest Apple Store (or reseller). Ideally, make an appointment at the Genius Bar in an Apple store (it's free) and they will immediately diagnose the problem for you. I've used this service before and was very impressed. In one case, the accelerometer in a new iPhone wasn't calibrated correctly (it thought it was tilted all the time) and they replaced it on the spot.

Re: System freezes when Text boxes. lines of fills are selec

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:57:16 GMT

Ralph wrote:
NStocks wrote:
I'm experiencing a few problems in ArchiCAD, but also any Adobe application. When I click on a text box, line, fill or wall (or anything) in any view, the system freezes for around 5 seconds before the application responds. What I mean is, each time I want to click on something, Archicad/Adobe doesn't respond and my Dock (Mac) freezes, but does not crash.
It definitely isn't a virus - there aren't any affecting Macs. I'm surprised this is still the case, but I've enjoyed a decade of absolutely no virus concerns.

I haven't seen the behaviour you describe before, so I can't provide a definite solution. It could be a hardware problem, e.g. faulty RAM. There are a few troubleshooting steps you could take:
1. Repair permissions. Some installers leave a bit of a mess behind them - this process will tidy up. Open Disk Utility (in Applications/Utilities), select your hard drive in the left column, and click the "Repair Permissions" button.

2. Reset PRAM. The PRAM holds certain settings even when your computer is turned off. If the contents are corrupted, it can cause strange side-effects. This process resets the contents. Shut down the computer; turn it on again and immediately hold down the keys Command - Option - P - R; continue to hold them down until you hear the startup sound a second time; let go of the keys and allow it to start normally.

3. Start in Safe Mode. If the problem persists, you can start in Safe Mode, which disables all but essential system software. Shut down the computer and wait 10 seconds; press the power button; as soon as you hear the startup sound, hold down the Shift key; release the Shift key when you see the grey Apple logo.
If the problem persists in Safe Mode, I recommend taking the machine to the nearest Apple Store (or reseller). Ideally, make an appointment at the Genius Bar in an Apple store (it's free) and they will immediately diagnose the problem for you. I've used this service before and was very impressed. In one case, the accelerometer in a new iPhone wasn't calibrated correctly (it thought it was tilted all the time) and they replaced it on the spot.

I had already done the first 2 steps; repairing permissions and resetting the Ram. I'm now in Safe Mode and it works fine. I can click on any fill, slab, line or text box and it responds extremely fast in both ArchiCAD and Adobe applications

Not sure if you know, but what would be the next step from here, since the hardware is fine. I'm assuming a system re-install... I've also posted this on a mac forum so I will ask the members on there what I should do to fix it.

Thank You.

Re: System freezes when Text boxes. lines of fills are selec

Ralph Wessel — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:20:50 GMT

NStocks wrote:
Not sure if you know, but what would be the next step from here, since the hardware is fine. I'm assuming a system re-install.

Difficult to say what to do - I've never seen that kind of behaviour. I've never come across a case where a complete reinstall was warranted (unless you were working with Windows).

I would usually do some diagnostics to isolate the source of the problem, but it's really a hands-on kind of job. Do you have an Apple Store you can visit? The Genius Bar is all part of Apple's service, so you might as well make use of it.

Try using just the trackpad on the computer rather than an external mouse or graphics pad. Turn the devices off (if possible) and disable Bluetooth and all networking. If the problem disappears, this is a big clue.

Otherwise, you could look for the cause using Activity Monitor (in Applications/Utilities). This can show you what proportion of the processor's time is taken up by each application or process, and give you an overview of network and disk activity. If you noted a spike in network activity or a specific process when you click, it might provide another clue to the solution.

Open Activity Monitor and position is so you can see it in the background while you work in ArchiCAD (see attached image). Start by clicking the 'CPU' button at the bottom and set the order of the list to %CPU (so the highest is at the top). Watch what happens when you click something, and take note of the process taking the greatest proportion of the CPU.

Then click the 'Network' button, and watch out for any spike in activity when the problem occurs. Likewise for Disk Activity. Any unusual patterns may also be an important clue.

Re: System freezes when Text boxes. lines of fills are selec

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:57:00 GMT

My nearest Apple store is over 100 miles away, so that's not really possible... The Mac is less than a month old anyway, so if it was a RAM problem, they'd just replace it.

Regarding the external peripherals: I disconnected everything, apart from power but the problem still persists in normal mode. In safe mode, using the trackpad or mouse, things worked fine.

I'm looking into Activity monitor now, but I'm not sure what would differentiate between normal mode and safe mode to causes such issues.

Re: System freezes when Text boxes. lines of fills are selec

Eduardo Rolon — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:03:36 GMT

This is a long shot but have you checked your Fonts? Try opening FontBook and repair them.

If in Safe Mode it works it might mean that the culprit is something that loads in the background and it is affecting only AC and Adobe.

You can try creating a New User to see if the same problem happens. If the problem is gone then it is something that is installed only for that user, you can check in System Preferences for items that load automatically for that specific user. If not then you can check in the StartUp Folder under Library under Mac HD to see if there are items that are automatically loading.

In addition to using Activity Monitor you can open Console (under Utilities) to see any strange messages that might pop up.

Re: System freezes when Text boxes. lines of fills are selec

Eduardo Rolon — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:08:20 GMT

FWIW some software that sometimes causes Macs to misbehave:

- Norton
- Logitech's Mouse Control Center.

Re: System freezes when Text boxes. lines of fills are selec

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:52:25 GMT

How do I repair the fonts from FontBook?

It's not just fonts though, that's the strange thing. It's lines and paths too. Even clicking on a external drawing placed in ArchiCAD makes it freeze.

Re: System freezes when Text boxes. lines of fills are selec

Ralph Wessel — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:05:28 GMT

NStocks wrote:
I'm looking into Activity monitor now, but I'm not sure what would differentiate between normal mode and safe mode to causes such issues.

Safe Mode disables many non-essential system/kernel extensions. You can see a more complete description here. I'm inclined to think that something you installed after purchasing the machine is causing the problem. The question is, which one is the culprit?

The font issue raised by ejrolon is also worth investigation because Safe Mode also disables all non-essential fonts. You can check them with Font Book by selecting "All Fonts", and then the menu item "File > Validate Fonts".

You could narrow this down by disabling items. The easiest target is startup/login items. Go into System Preferences and click on Accounts. Select your account and click the 'Login Items' tab to the right. Can you send a screen-grab of the list you see there?

Also, did you try disabling Bluetooth and networking as I suggested earlier?