Just updated to Ventura 13.7.4 & lots of bugs...

Saxman wrote:

Thanks for all that info. I will download and use the DriveDx to check my hard drive. So is Apple's Disk Utility not a reliable enough gauge when it says the drive checked out OK?

Disk Utility First Aid only checks the integrity of the file system. Disk Utility does not verify the health of the internal drive(s). Actually that is not quite true....Disk Utility will provide you with a "SMART status" of verified or failed, but from what I've seen this only alerts when the drive failure is extreme....most people would not be able to use the computer at that point. I've only ever seen Disk Utility report a "SMART Status failed" once, maybe twice in 20 years, but I've had to replace thousands of hard drives during that same period.

FYI, even the First Aid summary will lie to you....it is important to click "Show Details" and scroll back through the First Aid report to look for unfixed errors. Disk Utility is a terrible app overall as it is barely able to even do the simple task of erasing a disk/volume....many times failing at that for unknown reasons.

Many drives utilize an industry SMART health monitoring feature within the drives that will report on the health aspects of various drive systems. Unfortunately only a few of these SMART health attributes are actually useful for determining drive health...with SSDs, unfortunately there is even less use SMART health attributes these days. So monitoring & analyzing the SMART health attribute of a Hard Drive is very useful in determining the health of a Hard Drive (it can detect issues very early for over 90% of traditional drive failures in my experience). SSDs are another matter & are completely different as most SSD failures are quite sudden and involve the SSD's controller which is not being monitored.

Also, I do back-up with both TM & CCC.

Very good, I wish more people did this.

If the drive is failing, is it possible to install an SSD internally? My Intel iMac allowed me to add more RAM, so I wonder if replacing a drive is possible? I'll post results of the DD check, and maybe also an EtreCheck one, too.

Technically it is possible to replace the internal drive within an Intel iMac, but it is not easy to do. The Display Assembly has adhesive strips holding it to the frame and there are several difficult to see/access cables/connectors that are very delicate & easily damaged since they must be connected/disconnected while holding the display slightly separated from the frame. If one of these cables or connectors is damaged, it may render the iMac a brick since it may require a new Logic Board or Display Assembly (both extremely expensive). If the Display Assembly (glass & LCD panel) are not handled properly, it can easily crack under their own extreme weight. OWC sells drive upgrade kits including the adhesive strips & tools necessary for the repair and does provide installation videos (those video look much easier than it is in reality). I would not recommend this option unless done by an experienced professional.

It would be much easier to use an external USB3 SSD to boot the iMac as it would give you about the same speed as the internal SATA III controller. It is best to get a USB3 drive that supports the UASP for the best transfer rates (if using a hub/dock/adapter with the drive, then that should also support UASP). Of course Thunderbolt2 SSDs may provide faster transfers, but are usually much more expensive.

Saxman wrote:

Well, at one point I did get rid of all third party "junk" I had on my iMac, yet didn't find the OS working any better than before, and reinstalled this one app, just to enable it to function better. However, after a lengthy session on the phone with support, and letting them see all the buggy behaviors (that even they couldn't explain), it was suggested I reinstall my OS, which I will do, clearing everything, and starting fresh with a fresh OS.

Uninstalling the junk may not actually fix anything if the junk made any system modifications. Some people get lucky and uninstalling the junk software will fix their problems, but for others people must start over from scratch.

When you performed a clean install of macOS, did you first erase the disk followed by reinstalling macOS? Then, did you test Safari with those websites before installing any third party software and before restoring from a backup? If not, then you most likely brought the problem back onto the clean install.

FYI, after performing a clean install and you want to get rid of junk, then when you restore from your backup.....make sure to only transfer your home user folder and making sure to deselect Settings (both system & local account) and Applications. Even this may still bring back something unexpected, but it may be a good compromise so you don't have to manually restore just your data files.

Of course I'm also assuming you don't have any odd or complex network configurations that may be interfering. I don't recall when Apple introduced some of the newer privacy & security features into macOS regarding hiding one's IP address, etc., but those have been known to cause problems. Plus browser extensions & plugins are another source of browser issues.

I agree with @dialabrain, third party software is most likely to be the cause of the problem. Many people discover the problem when they upgrade their OS. I have not had any issues with Ventura, nor has my organization...even with the more troubling macOS upgrades of Sonoma & Sequoia. macOS needs no anti-virus software, cleaning/optimizer apps, or third party security software. These types of apps usually cause more problems than they solve because they interfere with the normal operation of the OS at a low level, plus they all weaken the security of macOS to a greater or lesser extent. I think everyone should read the following article as it will keep their devices running smoothly while also protecting their devices & themselves:

Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community

Saxman wrote:

Why do they keep demonizing all third party helpers, if Apple's own OS fails to keep our devices working well?

If I was a betting man I would bet the reason your Macs don't work well is because the third-party junk you install. So you need one piece of junk to fix the problems caused by the others. Fortunately, our Macs work well because we don't install junk.

+1 - updated from 13.7.2 to 13.7.4 and audio processing for certain VST3 plugins got broken (known as the double sample rate bug, this happened before with macos updates).

I can't see why a security update should affect audio processing on my professionally used mac. It just makes no sense at all.

[Edited by Moderator]

By the way the same (reintroduced) audio bug was reported for latest security updates 
for Sonoma and Sequioa as well.

So this affects all professional users of the latest 3 major Apple macos versions

Saxman wrote:

I've been wanting to do a clean install, as I know after years of just updating as is, there's a lot of older stuff and settings and apps that have been causing many, many weird actions, that even when Apple Tech people followed them occurring via screen share, they were stumped. However, I've sought advice as to how best to do it, and am even more confused. I surely don't want to save everything to a drive, install the newest OS, only to transfer all the same stuff right back! But I'm not clear as to the best way to filter what is restored, how to reinstall all apps, and what to leave out, so that it truly is a fresh start. Is there any site or page, where I can find the clearest path to ridding myself of old, obsolete, & unfriendly stuff, and becoming fresh? Thanks.

I would start with making sure you have a good backup of your data. I would go for a Time Machine backup and also make a backup using another method just in case TM has some problem with the restoration. Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) is a good option and it has a free trial period for you to check out the software.

I would create a bootable macOS USB 13.x Ventura USB installer using the instructions in the following Apple article:

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

I highly recommend creating this USB installer since some people have issues using Internet Recovery Mode and once the internal drive is erased, most people don't have access to another working compatible Mac in order to make a bootable macOS USB installer. So the time to do so is now while the system is still booting normally.

I would also run the third party app DriveDx to check the health of the internal hard drive. It would not surprise me that the internal hard drive is worn out or even failing. No sense taking the time to install macOS onto a bad drive if it won't help. Post the complete DriveDx text report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper and I will review it for you. If you have a Fusion Drive setup, then include the report for the internal SSD as well.

If the internal hard drive appears worn out or failing, then it would be best to purchase an external USB3 SSD so you can install & boot macOS from the external SSD.

When you boot the macOS installer (either USB installer or through Internet Recovery Mode), you will want to erase the whole physical destination drive (Intel Macs only) unless you have a Fusion Drive setup where you will want to just erase the "Fusion Drive" item instead. Within Disk Utility you will need to click "View" and select "Show All Devices" before the physical drive or even the Fusion Drive item appears on the left pane of Disk Utility. Erase the drive as GUID partition and APFS (top option). Quit Disk Utility and click "Reinstall macOS" option.

Once macOS is installed, you can restore from the TM backup when Setup Assistant walks you through setting up the new OS. When you restore from a TM backup.....make sure to only select the home user folder(s). Even then, make sure to uncheck "Settings" as well so only the home user folder & data are transferred. There is also a system wide "Settings" option as well, so make sure to deselect both as well as the Applications. This should get rid of all the clutter that has built up over the years that can affect system performance & stability.

Download & install the most recent versions of only the apps you really need.

Don't know what sites aren't working in Safari for you but feel free to send a bug report from the feedback page.

Feedback - macOS - Apple

Just to add, we still have a 2017 iMac running Ventura 13.7.4 and Safari 18.3 seems to work with any sites we visit.

Just to add, I never heard of the 32degrees.com site before you mentioned it but It works perfectly fine with Safari for me.