[JohnVL]

Since the 10.3.7 my Mail application has been much, much slowing in launching. I read in MacFixit:
"I installed 10.3.7 on three different computers...all of them ran slow. What caught my eye was how slow Web pages loaded after upgrading. It was taking 2 to 3 minutes when it took a few seconds on 10.3.6. My mail program would not respond...I remembered a problem with a previous OS: The DHCP would not get stored correctly, [but] if you put in valid DNS numbers in the Network [preferences], Safari would work just fine. I put in the DNS numbers in all three computers and everything including Mail works just fine."
I get my mail solely through my .mac account. How can I get the valid DNS numbers and put them in my mail settings?
Thanks,
John

[drmbb]

Mail itself does not work directly via DNS. However, your ISPs DNS servers are used to resolve your mail server addresses (IMAP, POP and SMTP). You would need to contact your ISP (or use their web page) to find out their DNS addresses, then put those in your Network settings in Sys. Prefs.
And for the record, I've noticed no slowdown with mail or browsers in 10.3.7 and I always just let DHCP handle assigning my DNS (i.e. I don't enter DNS addresses directly into Network preferences), whether I'm connecting my TiBook from home or work.

[Grant_G]

Various threads here, however, have reported that when first inputting a URL, Safari and other browsers sometimes report that "the server so and so cannot be found." Hitting the return key or the refresh button immediately brings up the site though. The recommended remedy is to add DNS server addresses to TCP/IP and it has worked for me. Camino balked every single time I tried going to its home page (my bank), but since entering DNS info it hasn't happened.
It's such a simple thing to do, and apparently it takes care of more than one issue.
G

[JohnVL]

I've reset my settings and although the speed is fine, I still can't understand the 9 sec. delay in launching Mail after the lates update.
Before the update I repaired the permissions on the hard drive by starting up with my back-up hard drive. Then, from that back up hard drive I ran Disk Warrior on the hard drive. Then I did a back up of the newly cleaned hard drive. Then I downloaded the upgrade, having disconnected my firewire peripherals. Instead of restarting I shut it down completely and waited 5 minutes, then launched it and waited for the new update to load fully. Then I repaired the permisions and and mail would not launch at all (I waited 30-40 seconds on my dual 2.5 G5. I force quit it and did a shut down. Then I plugged the back up drive in and did a restart from it and again repaired the permissions and ran Disk Warrior again. No problems were found. I then shut it down, disconnected the back-up drive and launched it again. This time it again did not launch the first few times but finally would launch as it does now after about 9 seconds. Safari connects immediately and downloads the sites quickly as before.
So, after doing everything I could to prepare the HD, it still gave me problems.
All my applications are in the applications folder and not spread around, etc.
So, contrary to the comments made on another thread, fate or whatever will strike, even to the prepared and it's not a matter of "if" but "when".
I've not had any problems until now but know that my HD and I have both been "blessed".
Time for Christmas. Thanks for your suggestions.
John

[Grant_G]

John, why are you running repair permissions from an external volume? It should always be run from the volume it's repairing. Open Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility and run it from there. See if doing it that way helps. Also, have you done anything else in the form of regular maintenance? Do you have either Cocktail or OnyX, for example? You may have corrupted database files or massively full cache files that need to be attended to. Download OnyX from either VersionTracker or MacUpdate (it's free) and run the Automate flag. Check everything on it except prebinding (that's done automatically in Jaguar and Panther).
G

[JohnVL]

Hi Grant, thanks for your help. Let me explain:
>John, why are you running repair permissions from an external volume?
Yes, I almost always repair permissions using the disk utilities on the volume I'm using. In fact, I have Disk Utilities in my dock. But from my understanding, if one wants to do an occasional more complete repair, such as before an installation, one can do so by running the Disk Utility from the system disks that come with the computer. The point here, I assume, is that a complete repair of the start-up disk is more completely possible by doing so from using some other souce of as a start up disk and from that source the disk utility on the computer's hard drive. In the same way you can't run Disk Warrior on the startup volume.
True?
If so, then using any other sources as a start up would be equally good. Hence, why not start up from my Maxtor backup drive and using the clone (from CCC) and repair permissions on my main hard drive in my computer?
>It should always be run from the volume it's repairing. Open Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility and run it from there. See if doing it that way helps.
I do this before and after every installation of software no mattter how small.
>Also, have you done anything else in the form of regular maintenance? Do you have either Cocktail or OnyX, for example? You may have corrupted database files or massively full cache files that need to be attended to.
I have both and use both. I usually use Onyx and clean out the cache regularly. I clean out the cache in Safari between Onyx usages.
I install software updates almost immediately after they are released, however, with major upgrades I wait a day or two. I read about the problems of others on MacFixit daily, and have been spared. My problem with Mail not launching quickly is also reported on that site by others who seem to know what they're doing.
Any other sugggestions?
Thanks,
John V.L.

[Grant_G]

In reply to:

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The point here, I assume, is that a complete repair of the start-up disk is more completely possible by doing so from using some other souce of as a start up disk and from that source the disk utility on the computer's hard drive. In the same way you can't run Disk Warrior on the startup volume.

True?

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Up to a point, and only with FSCK (Repair Disk, which is the same thing). Like DiskWarrior, this CANNOT be run from the startup volume, only from an external such as a CD or Firewire drive. But permissions is a different matter, and really should be run from within the volume (in case Apple has made changes since your CD was burned). Using a CCC clone makes sense however, since it is in essence the exact same System (assuming the clone is recent).

In reply to:

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Any other sugggestions?

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Just one, and you may have already done it ... not sure from what you said. You indicated in an earlier post that DW indicated there was no problem. What DW is telling you in that initial report is that there won't be any change to the size or number of directory files -- it isn't really telling you there's nothing wrong. When I have gone that far in DW, regardless of what it tells me at this point, I always let it go ahead and replace the directory, just in case the problems inside are subtle ones. If you didn't, I would go back and do it again and let it finish. DW has never been known to cause a problem, so this won't hurt anything.
G