Originally posted by booboo:
According to Activity monitor, my SystemUIServer spends a lot of time hung, in red. What's the significance of this? thanks
SystemUIServer controls Menu Extras -- the icons on the right side of the Apple Menu bar.
SystemUIServer can hang or consume an inordinate number of CPU cycles when using third-party Menu Extras that require an Internet connection if their network connection is busy or blocked. Examples of third-party Menu Extras requiring an Internet connection include Massinova, Weatherman, and SETI@Home.
If you're running Menu Extras like those mentioned above, they may hang waiting for data while you're listening to streaming media and consequently drive SystemUIServer CPU utilitzation to the max.
Poorly-written or incompatible Menu Extras can also cause the problem. If you have installed any third-party Menu Extras, check for updates, disable, or uninstall them.
Third-party Menu Extras can be a problem after Mac OS X Updates because Apple has never published the methodology for creating Menu Extras. Most authors of these tools employ a hack known as
MenuCracker to load their Menu Extra. This type of coding can lead to system instability after a Mac OS X Update, particularly if the Update closes one of the loopholes (undocumented features) used by the hack.
Another potential problem is corrupted preferences for SystemUIServer. Try the following:
(1) In your Home > Library > Preferences folder, trash the file
com.apple.systemuiserver.plist
(2) In your Home > Library > Preferences > ByHost folder, trash the file
com.apple.systemuiserver.xxx.plist
where xxx is an alphanumeric string, specifically the Media Access Control (
MAC) address of your Mac.
(3) Restart.
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