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AOL Desktop for Mac using 100% of processing power

B

BobaFettucini

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 19, 2009
18
0
My mother still uses AOL, and refuses to quit using it after 13 years of it, that's a battle I've given up on, but a couple years ago I finally convinced her to get a Mac. The machine is a 2.66 C2D iMac.

The problem is that once she starts up the computer, for around 15 minutes, AOL Desktop for Mac uses up between 95 and 100% of the processor. After that time it goes down to around 5 to 10%, and then at random intervals it will spike again. AOL itself is only using around 250mb of RAM at any given time as well. During the 100% phases it continuously beachballs, and takes at least 10 seconds to open a new tab, etc.

Is there a way around this? I found examples of huge processes in other apps, but AOL for Mac is what I assume would be rarely used at all, and I haven't found anyone else having this problem with the specific app.

I tried reinstalling AOL once and it didn't do anything really. Is there a command for terminal that can allot a certain amount of the processor to a specific app? some option hidden within the depths of the app itself maybe?

Thanks in advance for the help, and please no "Stop using AOL because its terrible" trolling, that will not work with her, I've tried.
 
Don't use the AOL app, use Adium or iChat. They both support the AOL AIM service. The AOL app is kind of old and buggy.
 
She doesn't use it for aim really, its what she uses to browse, get her email, etc.
 
Then it's time for her to meet Safari. I'm sorry to say this but AOL Desktop is pretty dead and very hard to use on Snow Leopard. And no, you cannot downgrade to Leopard or Tiger.
 
Again, I've tried. I've set up a gmail account to redirect her email for her and imported her favorites to safari, chrome, and firefox, but she won't use them.

I know that AOL for Mac can't do this to everyone that uses it. I realize that it's dated and I agree she shouldn't use it, but it's what she's going to use.

If anyone can help me get the process down while still using AOL your help would be appreciated.
 
Have you tried a complete uninstall of the software, downloading the latest version and then reinstalling?
 
Yes I have, I used appzapper to remove it to make sure I got everything. I know the client hasn't been updated for SL, but surely someone else's mom uses it just fine, right? :p
 
1.5

There was a beta available for 1.6, but it's gone for now. I'm sure with some digging I could find it though, but I wouldn't think the beta would be ideal for her.
 
Intell said:
Then it's time for her to meet Safari. I'm sorry to say this but AOL Desktop is pretty dead and very hard to use on Snow Leopard. ...
Click to expand...
Let me say this first. I use Safari almost exclusively for my web browsing. There is really no pressing need for AOL Desktop because the default Apple software is sufficient to do virtually everything that AOL Desktop is designed to do. However, to say AOL Desktop is either dead or very hard to use on Snow Leopard is simply nonsense. To the contrary, AOL Desktop is under active development. Within the last month or so, a new version was released. As for being difficult to use, well that statement boggles the mind.
 
I'll try the beta out for her, I'll post an update with the results.

One of her biggest reasons for using it is mail. She's used the same email address for 11 years, and she doesn't want to part with it. I have tried to set it up with Apple's own mail application before, and it doesn't seem to work quite right. It won't load all her messages etc, even though her 3GS will. Maybe there's a mail application alternative I could try that would work with AOL mail?
 
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