SystemUserUI Not Responding - Help

[Shortsord]

I really hope this isn't related to my previous problem with many tabs, because no one was able to help with that and I hope that this is at least solvable.

Occasionally, and it only happens rather rarely, the upper right hand part of the drop down menu not only freezes like my previous problem, but will all disappear except for the spotlight button. No volume or wifi or time/date or anything like that except for the spotlight button, and if the cursor is put on it it becomes a constant beach ball.

It happened just tonight and I opened Activity Monitor to check out anything, and the only notable difference is something called SystemUIServer is showing orange as not responding. Everything else is normal, aside from the massive amount of memory used by my many tabbed Safari. But this frozen drop bar is across all three users on the computer, not just mine with Safari hoggin'.

Any ideas as to what causes this and how to fix and prevent it? Relaunching Finder has no effect, in the past only a restart would fix it.

Thanks a lot.

 

[Lovesong]

Have you run all the regular maintenance stuff? Like repairing permissions, verifying your disks, and maybe even zapping the PRAM.

This could also be due to some software running in the background, what does your Activity monitor say is running? Did you install anything before these problems started happening? Maybe post a link to your previous thread.

 

[mad jew]

You could try trashing the com.apple.systemuiserver.plist preference file, but I wouldn't recommend this 'til we know more about your problem. Do you have any third party Menu Bar add-ons (even if not active)?

 

[Shortsord]

Do you have any third party Menu Bar add-ons (even if not active)?

Not to my knowledge as being third party, but (from what I recall as it is currently gone) all that's there is Bluetooth, volume, date/time, iChat, wifi, and the user switch thing, aside from spotlight. I thought those would all be Apple, as I hadn't installed them in the bar myself.

Have you run all the regular maintenance stuff? Like repairing permissions, verifying your disks, and maybe even zapping the PRAM.

This could also be due to some software running in the background, what does your Activity monitor say is running? Did you install anything before these problems started happening? Maybe post a link to your previous thread.

This was the thread I referenced in regards to my tab problem.

As far as maintanance, the only I use is OnyX run once every two weeks. I run the automation on it, using these selections:
verify and repair permissions, optimize system, execute maintenance scripts, clear the cache of applications, internet, fonts, system, and kernel, clean mail downloads, delete logs and crashreporter, recent items, temporary items, reset mac help, display of folders content, launchservices database, and spotlight index.
(On a side note, ever since I've updated OnyX to 1.7.9, it wants to check S.M.A.R.T. status every time I open it. Kinda weird, but not a problem or priority.) I don't use any other maintance. If you'd like to point me towards any other or better maintance utilities I'd love it. It's been forever since I've
zapped PRAM, and I hope it doesn't come to that, but if you think it would help, I'll try.

No major installations that started this that I can recall. As for processes, there are 60 process listed when I select All Processes, and if you need all of them I'd be happy to list them, but I kind of doubt they are all necessary. Instead, here is all processes under My Processes:
Safari, Activity Monitor, HP IO Classic Proxy, HP IO Classic Proxy 2, ATSServer, loginwindow, pbs, Dock, iTunes Helper, System Events, HP Events Handler, UniversalAccessApp, AppleSpell, Finder, mdimport, and SystemUIServer(not responding).

I also noticed that I typed the name of the problem process wrong throughout my earlier post and the title. SystemUIServer is the problem, SystemUserUI doesn't exist. Sorry if that makes it something obvious.

The machine is a 1.9Ghz 17" iMac, OS 10.4.9, 1.5GB ram(extra 1GB from datamem).

I really appreciate any help here.

 

[Lovesong]

As far as maintanance, the only I use is OnyX run once every two weeks. I run the automation on it, using these selections:
verify and repair permissions, optimize system, execute maintenance scripts, clear the cache of applications, internet, fonts, system, and kernel, clean mail downloads, delete logs and crashreporter, recent items, temporary items, reset mac help, display of folders content, launchservices database, and spotlight index.
(On a side note, ever since I've updated OnyX to 1.7.9, it wants to check S.M.A.R.T. status every time I open it. Kinda weird, but not a problem or priority.) I don't use any other maintance. If you'd like to point me towards any other or better maintance utilities I'd love it. It's been forever since I've
zapped PRAM, and I hope it doesn't come to that, but if you think it would help, I'll try.

Hmmm that should be fine. One thing that I'm thinking is the remote possibility that Onyx itself might be the culprit. I've never used it (and pray I never have to), but I thought I saw some post a while back that were complaining that Onyx messed up their computer, and they had to scratch the disk (don't quote me on this, but when you said Onyx I shuttered- there's a number of people that swear by it, and they would know better). I guess a possibility is to run another onyx-like program to make sure that all is well. I've read good things about cocktail, but, once again, I've never used it.


The rest of your processes look fine (read: I'm useless to you... sorry ).

 

[mad jew]

I also don't use OnyX (no need), so I can't be of too much help, but trash that file I mentioned from the Preferences folder, restart, reconfigure your Menu Bar and see how things go.