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l008com · Jan 3, 2004, 04:19 AM

On my tower, I have recently developed this odd problem where my clock and all the little menus that are on the right side of the menu bar, freeze. It sucks because you don't realize it froze and you think its 2:52 when its actually after 3!! It sucks! When I mouse over it, it shows the beach ball. If I log out and log back in it will be normal. And it is very random, it will go for a day or so then just decide ti lock up like it does. Any ideas what is causing this?
(10.3.2)

TheMosco · Jan 3, 2004, 12:28 PM

NO idea, but I have the same problem. Very annoying.

gorickey · Jan 3, 2004, 01:41 PM

Doe this have anything to do with a "Network Time Server" going bonkers?

Possibly the "SystemUIServer" going nuts?

Just thoughts...

Moose · Jan 3, 2004, 02:25 PM

Code:
killall -9 SystemUIServer
open /System/Library/CoreServices/SystemUIServer.app/

Orion27 · Jan 3, 2004, 02:44 PM

go to user/library/preferences/com.apple.systemuiserver.plist and trash it.
You may have to reapply some application menubar inits but it fixed my problem as well as sticky modem connect problems I was having.

Oneota · Jan 3, 2004, 03:08 PM

You should also set your clock to display seconds; that way you can easily tell when it's frozen.

l008com · Jan 3, 2004, 03:12 PM

Originally posted by Moose:

Code:
killall -9 SystemUIServer open /System/Library/CoreServices/SystemUIServer.app/

That didn't work. I had to reboot to install something anyway though so its back for now. But theres no telling when it will leave again.

Stradlater · Jan 3, 2004, 04:47 PM

Originally posted by gorickey:
Doe this have anything to do with a "Network Time Server" going bonkers?

Possibly the "SystemUIServer" going nuts?

Just thoughts...

I think it's the SystemUIServer going nuts; this used to happen to me all the time. Are you running any third-party menuextras? What about statusitems (like WeatherPop, MenuMeters...)?

l008com · Jan 3, 2004, 05:00 PM

nope nothing i can think of

l008com · Jan 4, 2004, 01:29 AM

It just did it again, this is REALLY getting on my nerves, I thought it was 10:20 and it was 12:20!!!!!

Orion27 · Jan 4, 2004, 10:03 AM

My fix did repair the frozen menubar on the right but did nothing to help the sticky modem
modem connect.

l008com · Jan 10, 2004, 04:50 PM

Aaaah again it froze!

Andrman · Feb 17, 2004, 08:38 PM

This has happend to me now. I just installed Konfabulator, I wonder if this is causing it. I tried the mentioned Terminal commands and they did nothing. I also trashed the preferences, so I guess we'll see. I think I'm going to stop using Konfabulator though.

l008com · Feb 17, 2004, 08:43 PM

yeah mine seems to have just stopped, all by itself. Strange. Also infinitely annoying. Your trust in your clock is stronger than your common sense, I've thought it was the same time for hours upon hours before i realized the clock was frozen.

chabig · Feb 17, 2004, 08:48 PM

Are you running Unsanity's APE? That might cause it.

Chris

l008com · Feb 17, 2004, 08:55 PM

Yeah i think i am! those bastards!!! so many programs want that installed, i have no idea which ones of mine do but i'm sure some do. god i feel like i'm on windows :-\

Link · Feb 17, 2004, 09:21 PM

Set it to show the seconds, fa sure.

When I'm doing any kind of intensive work my g4's clock is about as reliable as a drunk janitor. *HICK* *jumps ahead 10 seconds* etc etc etc.

It's actually kinda funny.

l008com · Feb 17, 2004, 09:27 PM

i have it showing seconds, but after years of habit, i look so quick, without really even thinking, that i don't notice.

iBean · Feb 18, 2004, 02:21 PM

This happened to me once and turned out my IPOD was causing this.... I have no idea why, but when I took it from the dock, the clock started "working" again....

Pringlis · Mar 2, 2004, 06:50 PM

Weird.. been having the exact same problem.

Removing my iPod from the dock does indeed fix the clock. VERY odd.

I attribute to perhaps an iSynch issue? I recall I updated iSynch recently and the problem has only occured since then, as far as I can tell. The iSynch icon is in the menubar so perhaps that is affecting it?

N

Andrman · Mar 2, 2004, 07:01 PM

Hmm the iPod is possible... I haven't had my iPod in the dock for a while and it's been fine. I've also stopped runnign Konfabulator though. I don't run iSync in the menu bar so I don't know. Try removing it and seeing if it happens again?

Big Mac · Mar 3, 2004, 07:54 AM

the only issue I've ever had with the clock is the minor defect that fails to synch the time properly upon wake; it corrects the display when a minute has passed, thankfully. I've had that problem since 10.0, and I imagine it effects most machines. Nope, no freezing here. Of course, I only have a second generation iPod, and I don't play with haxies.

Basilisk · Mar 3, 2004, 12:52 PM

Both the clock and iPod automount are handled by SystemUIServer, so it is possible that the iPod is the cause.

I'd suggest you trash the com.apple.systemuiserver.plist file in your Preferences folder (back it up first!), and then logout and relogin. This will reset all your menu extras (clock, volume, iSync, etc.) as well as the hidden prefs that drive the iPod automount. Then see if the problem persists.

Bas

mfessenden · Aug 19, 2004, 09:33 AM

I started having this problem yesterday as well, and when I woke up this morning the clock was still stuck at 1am.

After reading down this thread, I realized my iPod had been attached overnight, and off and on yesterday as well. When I unplugged it, al the menubar items vanished and quickly turned into the Norton Autoprotect ball (I have Norton Antivirus installed) and then righted themselves...so it defintely has something to do with the iPod!

SMacTech · Aug 19, 2004, 09:37 AM

Originally posted by mfessenden:
When I unplugged it, al the menubar items vanished and quickly turned into the Norton Autoprotect ball (I have Norton Antivirus installed) and then righted themselves...so it defintely has something to do with the iPod!

I would question Norton AV before the iPod. I have never had any issues with my iPods on many different Macs.

I certainly wouldn't run Norton Autoprotect or AV on my Macs. IMHO, they are problematic with the autoprotect and AV software isn't needed on OS X. It certainly does not need to be running in the background analyzing every file you open and save slowing down your Mac.

chabig · Aug 19, 2004, 10:32 AM

I agree. Norton is the Mac's spyware. It does not good at all.

drive-thru · Aug 19, 2004, 12:38 PM

I used to have the same trouble (started this thread about it, obviously didn't do a search of the forums first

)

Anyway...It's started coming back over the last week or so, I went 4 hours without noticing that every time I had looked at the clock in that time it had been 13:27
I haven't noticed any connection between this behaviour and my iPod (but haven't been looking for one either), but it hasn't happened in the past 4 days (when my iPod hasn't been connected).
Trashing the plist now...

goose · Aug 19, 2004, 01:05 PM

Do you have a Bluetooth dongle attached to your computer? I've had this happen to me and it was when the Bluetooth thing ran into some issues. Unplugging it got it working again.

rilina · Aug 21, 2004, 12:44 AM

I've also been having the problems described above. I took my iPod off the dock after reading this thread and noticed that it fixed the clock after the latest freeze. I've also noticed that iTunes has been launching very slowly lately.

I didn't have these problems until I did some system upgrades this week (I'm running 10.3.5 on a G4 iBook). I don't have any extra menubar apps or Bluetooth that could be causing it on my computer.

Anyway, I've trashed the preferences file, and hopefully this will fix things permanently.

brapper · Dec 11, 2004, 03:13 AM

yeah, my clock said 1:22, I just removed my iPod from the dock and it and now it says 2:09.

bye bye com.apple.systemuiserver.plist

Boondoggle · Dec 11, 2004, 08:33 AM

<inane apologist comment>

of course there is the possibility that time actually did stand still.

</inane apologist comment>

l008com · Dec 11, 2004, 08:36 AM

Originally posted by Boondoggle:
<inane apologist comment>

of course there is the possibility that time actually did stand still.

</inane apologist comment>

But then how would you have perceived it?

Link · Dec 11, 2004, 06:33 PM

Have you guys made sure "show seconds" in the clock was enabled?

brapper · Dec 11, 2004, 06:44 PM

Originally posted by Link:
Have you guys made sure "show seconds" in the clock was enabled?

i know i did.

Boondoggle · Dec 12, 2004, 02:50 PM

Originally posted by l008com:
But then how would you have perceived it?

You'd be in a different time frame. Kinda like bullet-time. Which is at least as plausible as time standing still.

Dr. Smoke · Dec 14, 2004, 06:50 PM

This probelm has also been reported on the Apple Discussions. Here's my standard answer:

---

Do you have an iPod? Is it docked when this problem occurs? If so, remove the iPod from its dock. This thread reports a similar problem with Apple-provided Menu Extras freezing as you describe when an iPod is docked.

In the above-referenced thread, Rick Lecoat reports here that:

"The glitch seems only to occur when iTunes is launched with the iPod connected."

Thererfore, to avoid the glitch, first launch iTunes, then place the iPod in its dock. If the iPod is inserted in its dock before launching iTunes, the problem occurs.

This problem has been reported to Apple. Hopefully it will be corrected in a future update of Mac OS X or iTunes.