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Browser failure?

With an active internet connection I could not load web pages in Safari or Chrome. Network showed active Wi-Fi and another computer was online on the network but mine couldn't load webpages. I had to restart.


Catalina is installed only recently and I'm trying to smooth out bumps.


What explains this behavior?

Thanks.

MacBook Pro 13″, OS X 10.11

Posted on Aug 4, 2020 11:55 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 4, 2020 3:46 PM

I’d disable all the Internet plugs, as a test.


I suspect that one of those—probably an old one, obviously—is what you’re having issues with.


To test that, create a new login (System Preferences > Users & Groups > add a new user, and log into that, and test Safari.


There are a lot of 32-bit apps around, and those won’t work. You’ll want to figure out which you need and must upgrade, which you don’t need and can remoce, and which you might hace to migrate to some other app if there’s no upgrade available.


Microsoft Office looks to old to work, for instance.


There are enough older apps here that wiping, migrating just files and docs and not apps, and re-loading current software, might be the easier approach.


Here’s a tool that works well for finding older apps: Go64. You may (will) have to download that tool on another Mac, and transfer it over to the problem Mac, then go hunting for the older apps, and decide which you’re using and will need to upgrade or to replace, and which of the older apps can be removed.

11 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 4, 2020 3:46 PM in response to Bruce L.

I’d disable all the Internet plugs, as a test.


I suspect that one of those—probably an old one, obviously—is what you’re having issues with.


To test that, create a new login (System Preferences > Users & Groups > add a new user, and log into that, and test Safari.


There are a lot of 32-bit apps around, and those won’t work. You’ll want to figure out which you need and must upgrade, which you don’t need and can remoce, and which you might hace to migrate to some other app if there’s no upgrade available.


Microsoft Office looks to old to work, for instance.


There are enough older apps here that wiping, migrating just files and docs and not apps, and re-loading current software, might be the easier approach.


Here’s a tool that works well for finding older apps: Go64. You may (will) have to download that tool on another Mac, and transfer it over to the problem Mac, then go hunting for the older apps, and decide which you’re using and will need to upgrade or to replace, and which of the older apps can be removed.

Aug 5, 2020 12:34 PM in response to Bruce L.

I’m not a proponent of add-on cleaners, as some of those have caused corruptions.


Trying a different login tests for rubbish within the problematic login among the parts of the user’s environment common to all apps running within the environment. It’s a way to differentiate a user-local issue from a system-wide issue. User-local network shenanigans, profiles, settings corruptions or weirdnesses, etc., as differentiated from system-wide rubbish blocking all users and all apps.


Some of the apps here are pretty old for Catalina compatibility, and a user-local 32-bit app in the networking path would be bad. If it’s installed per-user, then a separate login will work.



Aug 6, 2020 12:04 PM in response to MrHoffman

MrH;


Still working on this. Browser failure happened again although I had not taken any steps to address this yet. I see in Safari Preferences that under Advanced there is a box to check to stop plug-ins. That is chceked.


For Internet plug-ins folders I see them in four places; HD/Library; home/Library; HD/users...Relocated items; HD/Library/Internet plug-ins disabled. Inside the folders I see plug-in files for older software (both 32 bit and not used). Would it be useful to delete these old plug-ins manually? I can use AppCleaner to do that quickly. Would that do any damage?





Aug 6, 2020 12:16 PM in response to Bruce L.

I’m not inclined to suggest trying to manually untangle and salvage this install based on what was in the report, nor with the use and occasional side-effects of add-on cleaners and add-on security apps that have been installed here, and given the presence of what are probably a number or 32-bit apps, hence my “reinstall” comment.


Once an old install gets tangled, it’s usually more work to untangle it than to use migration assistant and that with current-version app installs.


Browser failure?

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