Q: Mac paw applications and problems with El Capitan

Remove all third party apps that claim to clean, protect, manage, monitor, etc. your computer including CleanMyMac.

Even if you disbelieve the many folks around the forums that will refer to these and other tools as problematic at best, and even if you disbelieve what Apple as told you, please remove these tools — and see if things start working better.

Various add-on OS X packages and tools — those that can claim to "optimize" caches or storage, or that claim to "improve" or "enhance" security, that "protect" against viruses or other malware, or that provide other such "benefits" — are usually unnecessary at best, and can be resource-or performance-intensive — beachballs, slow response times — and various of these tools can leave the system unstable or corrupted or crashing.

In this case, I'd wonder whether the Clean My Mac package is yanking something out from underneath OS X unexpectedly, and leading to problems like those that you're seeing here.

And FWIW, I have no idea what "memory enhancing" is — OS X uses memory for application and data and I/O caches and to try to avoid needing vastly slower operations such as disk I/O.   Further, OS X can compress the data in memory to make more efficient use of available resources.   But remember too that free memory — while it might look great on some displays — is also memory that you've paid for that you're not using — better to have more of your memory filled with data and caches and such, if it helps with performance.   For tools that claim to clean caches, remember that the caches that get cleaned here were implemented to cache the results of and to avoid the overhead of more time-consuming operations.  So now those slower operations have to be performed, and the caches rebuilt.

Clean My Mac gets discussed around the forums rather often.   Have a look around for previous threads discussing issues involving that tool.  The usual remediation suggested is removal, as you'll probably notice when looking around.

To remove Clean My Mac, follow the directions from the vendor.   There are previous discussions here in the forums with links to the usual sequences.   With most applications, you drag the application to the trash.   With applications that tie into OS X, you're generally left with whatever instructions or tools the particular vendor provides.

You may not be able to fix the problem by just uninstalling CleanMyMac.

CleanMyMac (which really should be called ****************) has probably damaged your OS beyond what a simple uninstall can repair. This is what CMM does.

If I were you I would back up your documents and erase your HD, and then start over with a clean install.

<Edited by Host>

Always have backups.  Always have backups.  Get Time Machine going to an external disk or to a Time Capsule on your network — it's unfortunately very common for folks to not have backups, and mistakes can happen, and even the best software can fail, and even the best hardware will fail.   No backups means no path to recovery and restoration of your data.   OS X is replaceable, of course, can be reinstalled from distribution kits.  Your data is not easily replaceable.  Not without backups.

If this or any other particular tool cannot be cleanly removed or of the OS has become sufficiently corrupted, OS X can be installed atop itself without requiring the disk be erased and reloaded.   Even if the problem does require erasing and reformatting and reloading, those backups — Time Machine — can be restored and can get you back where you were.

The removal procedures are those from the folks that installed the packages.  I've previously linked to the removal sequences.

The most common malware that's been targeting OS X (that I've seen) is stuff that the end-user is convinced into installing that may or may not be needed, bogus documents and tools, or cases where the user is convinced into allowing remote access.   Stuff that's downloaded, and that the user then runs.   This includes ads and adware, some rather pernicious pop-up ads that try to convince you to call "Apple" for "service" for "malware" (thus giving the miscreants full remote access to your Mac!), and malware that tries to exercise vulnerabilities in Adobe Flash Player or Oracle Java — those two packages have long histories of security problems and those get updated with new fixes for security problems.  Either use a plug-in blocker for those two, or simply don't have those two packages installed.   This is also the sort of stuff that goes right around most anti-virus and anti-malware software — that stuff is at best ~45% effective, per one AV industry VP — and OS X already has Gatekeeper and Xprotect built in, to keep most stuff off your Mac.   Keep Gatekeeper set to at least App Store and Identified developers, too.  Not the anybody, anywhere, anyhow wide-open setting.

But let the Apple support folks work through the clean-up sequences with you here.

Subsequent to using ill-conceived "cleaning" programs you might need to erase that Mac completely and reconfigure it. The procedure is described below.

... a memory enhancing program and a disk drive enhancing software ...

Avoid any product even remotely resembling those descriptions. No Mac can be so "enhanced". They can only be degraded. Excerpted from Effective defenses against malware and other threats:

• Never install any product that claims to "clean up", "speed up", "optimize", "boost" or "accelerate" your Mac; to "wash" it, "tune" it, or to make it "shiny". Those claims are absurd.
  • Such products are very aggressively marketed. They are all scams.
  • They generally operate on the flawed premise that a Mac accumulates "junk" that needs to be routinely "cleaned out" for optimum performance.
  • Trial versions of those programs are successful because they provide the instant gratification of greater free disk space.
  • That increased space is the result of irreversible destruction of files, programs, or operating system components normally protected from inadvertent alteration or deletion. The eventual result will be unreliable operation, poor performance and random crashes that may not become evident for months or even years after their use, when updates to programs or OS X are eventually released.
  • Memory "cleaners" that circumvent OS X's memory management algorithms work by purging inactive memory contents to mass storage, which can only result in degraded performance and accelerated hardware failure.

To remove CleanMyMac 3 itself, use its Uninstaller module, followed by these additional steps:

• Remove the file ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist

  • To navigate to that file, copy and paste the following line into the Finder's Go menu > Go To Folder...

~/Library/LaunchAgents/

• Locate the following file and drag it to the Trash:

com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist

• Then, open  (Apple menu) > System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items.
• Select the item CleanMyMac3 Menu
• Click the [—] (minus) button.
• Restart your Mac.

Beware that reinstalling OS X alone will have no effect on either removing CleanMyMac or reversing the damage it is capable of inflicting upon a system. To recover from the effects of having used it to modify OS X, the additional software you require and the essential files you need, follow the applicable recovery procedure below:

• If you have a backup that you created prior to using CleanMyMac, now is the time to use it. For Time Machine, boot OS X Recovery, and at the Mac OS X Utilities screen, choose Restore from Time Machine Backup. Choose a date preceding the installation of CleanMyMac.
• If you do not have a backup that predates the use of CleanMyMac, create one now. To do that read Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac.
  • The recovery procedure will require that you erase the Mac using OS X Recovery, and then create a new User Account whose contents will be empty. You will then be able to use Setup Assistant to migrate your essential documents including photos, music, work products and other essential files.
  • To erase and install OS X read How to reinstall OS X on your Mac.
    • Follow the instructions in that document under Erase your drive and install OS X.
    • Then, follow the procedure in Move your content to a new Mac.
    • When asked how you want to transfer your information, select Transfer from a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk.
    • Under Select the Information to Transfer, select only your previous User account and do not select "Applications", "Computer and Network Settings" or "Other files and folders". De-select those choices.
  • Subsequent to using Setup Assistant, you will need to reinstall the essential software you may require, once again remembering to install software only from their original sources, and omitting all non-essential software.
  • "Non-essential software" is a broad category that includes but is not limited to third party "cleaning", "maintenance", and "anti-virus" products.

Retro Bird wrote:

 

Mr. Hoffman,

 

THANK YOU once again! I DO have backups; both Time Machine and an external WD drive that backs up my Quicken for Mac data!! However, I installed the Mac Paw applications months (maybe even over a year ago) so I feel restoring from Time Machine would probably be NOT the solution as it could install corrupt files even if I erase those programs (which I am going to do) and re-install El Capitan again via recovery which I did last week. The program I'm most concerned about is Quicken for Mac but since I have a backup on a WD external drive I should be able to recreate that file easily.

 

If I were to follow your directions and totally erase the HD and only transfer my "previous user account" will I get all my documents and photos? The whole thing scares me but it makes good sense. I am calling Apple Tech Support Monday as they wanted me to call back if the problem returned after Recovery re-install of El Capitan. I'll read him (or her) your directions and maybe with the Tech "holding my hand" I'll erase HD, re-install El Capitan again and then use the Time Machine backup to transfer only my user profile data. The only programs er applications I will re-install are Quicken for Mac; MS Office for Mac and Print Shop for Mac.

OS X is not Windows, and OS X differs from Windows in some very fundamental ways.

(From my own experience moving to OS X and from what you've posted here, I might infer you're remembering what was needed from your time with Windows.   That's not always the most helpful and not always the most beneficial approach — I know I had problems with that, until I broke myself of the habit of trying to apply those old experiences and assumptions to OS X.)

Follow the removal procedures from the vendor.  That's usually the most straightforward approach.

If those vendor removal procedures do not work or of corruptions remain, then you can reinstall OS X right over itself to recover the environment.   This recovers the OS X environment with very minimal changes to your own user environment.    Unless the corruptions are in your local preferences or in the underlying volume structures or some other component that survives the complete reinstallation, the corruptions will be removed by reloading OS X.  This reinstallation process is not expected to perturb your environment nor your settings, nor your installed application bundles.  (Do have backups, as there can occasionally be errors here.   Problems with a reinstallation are not common, but can arise.  The versions of Windows I've used didn't really have anything similar to this approach, either.)

If reinstalling OS X over the top of itself does not recover the environment, then erasing the disk and pulling in the files and documents from the Time Machine backup will recover your files.   This is not likely necessary.   But if it is, the recovery process and the migration tools will recover your data and — other than what you've excluded in the migration — all of your data.   (Versions of Windows couldn't always migrate data from older releases to newer versions.   That OS X can do this for upgrades as well as for reinstallations — and that it normally works quite well — was a bit of a surprise to me.)

Again, have backups.

But if you're at all uncomfortable about this, then most certainly have a chat with the Apple folks.   They'll very likely lead you through one or more of these sequences.   (They'll want you to have backups, too.  )

Hi

I have the same type problems as retro bird, I don't have any 3rd party apps on my mac, when I upgraded to I also had a problem with my mac not my wifi not starting back up after sleep. support helped me get that working again. I had to delete my network and reset it now that works but still have the issue that retro bird describes hopefully some can come up with a solution

jwarner964 wrote:

 

Hi

I have the same type problems as retro bird, I don't have any 3rd party apps on my mac, when I upgraded to I also had a problem with my mac not my wifi not starting back up after sleep. support helped me get that working again. I had to delete my network and reset it now that works but still have the issue that retro bird describes hopefully some can come up with a solution

Hello jwarner964, and welcome.  Please consider starting your own posting here, as your question is probably unrelated to this one and conflating a Wi-Fi question and a font question that's apparently not related to add-on software will just boggle my brain, and probably also anybody else reading this thread.  Please post the output of Etrecheck in your new thread, and please also try a safe-mode boot to clear and rebuild the boot caches.

Retro Bird wrote:

 

Thank you. Again, how do I remove CleanMyMac3, CleanMyDrive2, Memory Clean, Mac Paw Gemini? Is it as simple as dragging the application to the trash?

You have all of those on your computer.....and it still turns on?  Wow.  I've seen people on here with computers almost turned into expensive paperweights because of just one of those programs.  I think it goes without saying that once those programs are removed, you should never, never, EVER put anything like them on your hard drive again.  Not ever.  Macs do not need cleaners, optimizers, refreshers, organizers, or any other "maintenance" apps.  Apple does a great job of designing computers that essentially take care of themselves in that regard.