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ISP/Safari problems
#44275 04/07/17 03:29 PM
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I'm having a fight with my ISP which is Comcast. They rolled out a new email platform in the middle of February and every since I've been having a lot of issues viewing my email from their website. I go to the Xfinity webpage and click on the email icon. That opens a new window with the email. Within 10 to 20 seconds the spinning beachball appears on both the main window and email window. I open Activity Monitor and under Safari I get a red message that says 'Safari Webcontent Not Responding'. I try to refresh the windows and it asks me if I want to Force Reload. I click yes and the page reloads and shortly the spinning beachball returns. Occasionally it will reload and will operate normally but mostly I just get the spinning beachball.

I have signed in and out, deleted cache files and cookies.

In addition to email, you can also watch TV from the Xfinity website. If I click on the TV icon I get the spinning beachball and a message that says to upgrade to the latest Flashplayer plugin. I have the very latest plugin and have specifically set it to use that on Xfinity in Safari preferences.

I can use Google Chrome to access my email and that works more often but not all the time. Trying to view TV with Chrome I get an error message that says to download the latest Flashplayer plugin which I already have.

For both Safari and Google Chrome trying to watch TV almost always results in an error message in Activity Monitor 'Flash Player Not Responding'

I have an ad blocker extension but I disabled that and still have the spinning beachball.

Comcast keeps trying to tell me there is something wrong with my equipment.

I am having NO issues with any other website except Comcast.

Anyone got any ideas if it's me or Comcast that is the problem? Thanks.

Last edited by Douglas; 04/07/17 03:33 PM. Reason: Additional info added
Re: ISP/Safari problems
Douglas #44278 04/07/17 08:46 PM
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It is not entirely you. I too get a message to update to the latest version of Flash when I try to use the Comcast speed test; of course my version is the latest, but they offer an alternate HTML beta test site.

Two solutions: try using Firefox and/or download the Xfinity Streaming app on an iDevice (the latter works quite well; haven't tried the former).


On a Mac since 1984.
Currently: 24" M1 iMac, M2 Pro Mac mini with 27" BenQ monitor, M2 Macbook Air, MacOS 14.x; iPhones, iPods (yes, still) and iPads.
Re: ISP/Safari problems
Ira L #44279 04/07/17 08:57 PM
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I've seen the same "outdated Flash" notice at sites that have nothing to do with Comcast.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: ISP/Safari problems
Ira L #44280 04/07/17 11:24 PM
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I'm not nearly as concerned about the ability to stream TV shows as I am that I keep getting the spinning beachball and 'Safari web content not Responding' when I'm trying to view, answer and read emails.

Re: ISP/Safari problems
Douglas #44281 04/08/17 12:00 AM
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I frequently go to Firefox to access pages with which Safari is unable to deal...and that includes Apple's own website where I was unable to buy a computer a while back. tongue crazy

Getting to the point, though, the problem may actually be on your end, but only in the sense that you're running browsers with which Comcast is only more or less compatible.

Much as we'd love it to be, Safari just plain isn't a dominant browser that commands the attention of every website builder...Apple apparently included.

But that doesn't excuse Comcast! (Dunno how you convince them of that, though.)


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: ISP/Safari problems
Douglas #44290 04/09/17 11:54 PM
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Originally Posted By: Douglas
I'm not nearly as concerned about the ability to stream TV shows as I am that I keep getting the spinning beachball and 'Safari web content not Responding' when I'm trying to view, answer and read emails.


How much memory (RAM) is in your computer?


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Re: ISP/Safari problems
tacit #44292 04/10/17 04:12 AM
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I have 16MB memory

Re: ISP/Safari problems
Douglas #44293 04/10/17 06:00 AM
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Originally Posted By: Douglas
I have 16MB memory

I hope you mean 16 GB. wink


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: ISP/Safari problems
artie505 #44297 04/10/17 02:04 PM
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Yes, I meant 16 GB : )

Re: ISP/Safari problems
Douglas #44298 04/11/17 12:48 AM
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Okay, so the beachball is not lack of RAM. What version of OS X and what version of Safari are you using?


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Re: ISP/Safari problems
tacit #44299 04/11/17 04:12 AM
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I am using El Capitan 10.11.6 and Safari 10.1. There was no change in behavior when I upgraded to Safari 10.1 at the end of March. Adobe and Shockwave are the latest versions as well.

Re: ISP/Safari problems
Douglas #44300 04/12/17 05:28 AM
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Huh. It does seem the problem is something on the service provider's end, then.


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Re: ISP/Safari problems
Douglas #44302 04/12/17 12:51 PM
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One additional test to validate that it's the ISP and not your end......if you take your computer to another network (NOT Comcast) and have the same issues, that would lead me to believe there might be a problem at your end - if there are no issues displayed while on the other network, then that points very clearly to a Comcast network issue.

The problem COULD be hardware at your end, but it would be THEIR hardware, not yours.

Give it a try and let us know.


Freedom is never free....thank a Service member today.
Re: ISP/Safari problems
Douglas #44303 04/12/17 01:17 PM
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Originally Posted By: Douglas
...Comcast. ..rolled out a new email platform in the middle of February and every since I've been having a lot of issues viewing my email from their website. I go to the Xfinity webpage and click on the email icon. That opens a new window with the email. Within 10 to 20 seconds the spinning beachball appears on both the main window and email window. ...

In addition to email, you can also watch TV from the Xfinity website. If I click on the TV icon I get the spinning beachball and a message that says to upgrade to the latest Flashplayer plugin. I have the very latest plugin and have specifically set it to use that on Xfinity in Safari preferences. ...

I have an ad blocker extension but I disabled that and still have the spinning beachball.

Comcast keeps trying to tell me there is something wrong with my equipment.

I am having NO issues with any other website except Comcast. ...


I use Comcast as my ISP, and I'm using Safari 10.1, which uses the Ghostery extension, and I do not have Flash installed on my MBP. (Ghostery is set to block advertising, but allows analytics & beacons on Comcast web pages.) Excepting TV, which I haven't attempted to use via the web, I have no problems logging into my Comcast web mail which I gain access just as you've described. ...So, I'm not getting a spinning beachball, nor "Safari Webcontent Not Responding."

So, while I can't offer a solution, I did want to advise I'm not having a problem with Comcast's web mail. This doesn't mean to say Comcast isn't somehow causing issues for you, but seems to me if the issue was solely on Comcast's end, I would also have a problem, which I'm not.

I can only advise to keep digging into your settings, as there's something contributing to your issue.


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Re: ISP/Safari problems
pbGuy #44304 04/12/17 03:17 PM
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Originally Posted By: pbGuy
... So, while I can't offer a solution, I did want to advise I'm not having a problem with Comcast's web mail. This doesn't mean to say Comcast isn't somehow causing issues for you, but seems to me if the issue was solely on Comcast's end, I would also have a problem, which I'm not.
I can only advise to keep digging into your settings, as there's something contributing to your issue.

Even though you two guys live within spitting distance from one another, totally separate ComCast servers could explain the difference, if in fact the problem is on their end.

Re: ISP/Safari problems
grelber #44305 04/12/17 04:40 PM
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I actually have 2 email accounts, one of which is still on Comcast's old email platform. It works perfectly with no access issues whatsoever. My primary email on the new platform is nothing but trouble with the spinning beachball and ''Safari Webcontent Not Responding'.

I have already asked if they could switch my primary email back to the old system and was told no.

Re: ISP/Safari problems
Douglas #44306 04/12/17 05:39 PM
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One additional troubleshooting thought / suggestion.....

Make a new user on your troubled Mac so you have a clean slate to start with....then try to access your new email account from that clean slate to see if the issues you are experiencing with your normal user account are still affecting you.

The new user account that you make should isolate any prior caches / plists / add-ons / etc. that might be affecting your normal user logon.....

Let us know how it goes.


Freedom is never free....thank a Service member today.
Re: ISP/Safari problems
MacManiac #44307 04/13/17 02:00 PM
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I will give do a test account and see what that yields but I am backed up on a project so it will take me several days to clear some time.

Re: ISP/Safari problems
Douglas #44417 04/25/17 03:00 PM
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Apologies for the delay. Finally got around to checking this out via a 'test' account. Problem not solved, still got the spinning beachball but only on the Xfinity web site as before.

A couple days ago, Comcast changed their website again and all of a sudden no spinning beachball on the main webpage or on the page that comes up when you check email. I have done nothing to my system, no added software or upgrades. IMHO this was entirely a Comcast issue.

Re: ISP/Safari problems
Douglas #44418 04/25/17 03:06 PM
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Sounds to me like your thought process is logically correct.....


Freedom is never free....thank a Service member today.

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