Skip to content

The Eclectic Light Company

Macs, painting, and more
Main navigation
  • Downloads
  • M1 & M2 Macs
  • Mac Problems
  • Mac articles
  • Art
  • Macs
  • Painting

spinning beachball

Did your Mac crash, freeze or panic?

How to tell apart unexpected quits, WindowServer crashes, kernel panics, and more – and what to do about them.

June 6, 2020 Macs, Technology

Was that a crash, freeze, panic, or spinning beachball?

Knowing the difference helps you work out what to do in response, and how to work out what went wrong.

November 30, 2019 Macs, Technology

Why the spinning beachball?

Is there anything more irritating than that spinning coloured wheel, or beachball, which stops you from getting on with a task? This explains why, and what to do about it.

October 28, 2017 Macs, Technology

Was that a crash, freeze, panic, or spinning beachball? A diagnostic guide

Can you tell the difference? What is the significance of each, and do you know what to do about them? An introductory guide.

April 15, 2017 Macs, Technology

Diagnosing problems: crash, freeze, panic, or spinning beachball?

T T Read More

Was that crash a freeze, a panic, or just a spinning beachball? And what do they mean?

July 3, 2016 Macs, Technology

Q&A: Spinning beachballs

My iMac keeps stalling with the ‘spinning beachball’. Is this a memory problem?

July 25, 2015 Macs, Technology
Blog at WordPress.com.
Footer navigation
  • About & Contact
  • Macs
  • Painting
  • Language
  • Tech
  • Life
  • General
  • Downloads
  • Mac problem-solving
  • Extended attributes (xattrs)
  • Painting topics
  • Hieronymus Bosch
  • English language
  • LockRattler: 10.12 Sierra
  • LockRattler: 10.13 High Sierra
  • LockRattler: 10.11 El Capitan
  • Updates: El Capitan
  • Updates: Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur
  • LockRattler: 10.14 Mojave
  • SilentKnight, silnite, LockRattler, SystHist & Scrub
  • DelightEd & Podofyllin
  • xattred, Metamer, Sandstrip & xattr tools
  • 32-bitCheck & ArchiChect
  • T2M2, Ulbow, Consolation and log utilities
  • Cirrus & Bailiff
  • Taccy, Signet, Precize, Alifix, UTIutility, Sparsity, alisma
  • Revisionist & DeepTools
  • Text Utilities: Nalaprop, Dystextia and others
  • PDF
  • Keychains & Permissions
  • LockRattler: 10.15 Catalina
  • Updates
  • Spundle, Cormorant, Stibium, Dintch, Fintch and cintch
  • Long Reads
  • Mac Troubleshooting Summary
  • LockRattler: 11.0 Big Sur
  • M1 & M2 Macs
  • Mints: a multifunction utility
  • LockRattler: 12.x Monterey
  • VisualLookUpTest
  • Virtualisation on Apple silicon
  • LockRattler: 13.x Ventura
Secondary navigation
  • Search

Begin typing your search above and press return to search. Press Esc to cancel.

  • Follow Following
    • The Eclectic Light Company
    • Join 3,125 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Eclectic Light Company
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar