MacBook Pro 2011 running very slow when starting things

bo0o0o0 wrote:

My mom's MacBook Pro from 2011 is running very slowly, especially when starting up and starting applications. Once the application is running, it works most of the time.

These are the troubleshooting steps I've performed:

Changed battery

Removed Adobe Creative Something which was starting automatically

Updated to High Sierra

Used OnyX to clear everything up, removed and rebuilt

Reset SMC

Reset NVRAM

Checked hard disk space

Reindexed Spotlight

Removed all start-up applications

Turned off iCloud

Started in safe mode (since then, some things on the screen are twitching in Google Chrome?!?)

<EtreCheck.log>

4 GB of RAM and a rotational HD (Mechanical - 5400 RPM) is going to be pokey no matter what you do.

What are you comparing this slowness to?

Both RAM and SSD storage will make the Mac seem like new—

see OWC/Macsales if interested:

Best to buy RAM from reliable source with the exact specs.

Usually a lifetime guarantee on RAM from third party source like:

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple/memory/

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/owc/macbook-pro/2011

Onyx is known to remove more than what is anticipated—

You can try reinstalling the macOS on top of the existing macOS for a refresh

ref: How to reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

Always have a current backup plan in place if you value your user data.

3-2-1 Backup Strategy: three copies of your data, two different methods, and one offsite.

Boot clone https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-10081

How to use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201250

Use DiskUtility Restore feature https://support.apple.com/guide/disk-utility/restore-a-disk-dskutl14062/mac

note: >System Preferences>Security & Privacy >Privacy>Full Disk Access

unlock the padlock, press the + button and add Disk Utility

I have the same MacBook Pro series but one year newer. Very little actual speed difference from your in use, and the logic board architecture is nearly the same. Data is always good: here are some app launch times I measured numerous times as I upgraded.

App launch time data from my 2012 MacBook Pro 13 non-Retina:

Base system as shipped:

4GB RAM and slow SATA 3GBps 5400rpm hard drive: Office and Photoshop Elements took 15-18 seconds to be ready to use.

First upgrade, RAM:

8GB RAM and slow SATA 3GBps 5400rpm hard drive: Office and Photoshop Elements took 15-18 seconds to be ready to use.

Second upgrade, inexpensive solid-state drive

8GB RAM and fast SATA 6GBps SSD: Office and Photoshop Elements take under 4 seconds to be ready to use.

The difference with the SSD is stunning. I've used much newer Macs since adding the SSD and there is not a lot of perceived speed difference in actual use. I had begun to avoid the old MBP due to the slow launching, but now I use it much of the time, and enjoy doing so.

I saw a couple of other things in the report that are potential slow-downs.

Configuration Files:

/etc/hosts - Count: 15

Please see this User Tip to learn what these are and how to deal with them:

Fixing a hacked /etc/hosts file - Apple Community

And:

DivX Web Player: 3.2.1.977 (? - installed 2014-06-11)

2014 is the Late Cretaceous in computer years. There is emerging evidence that old versions of DivX can play poorly with newer macOS versions. If Mom uses it, update it to current. If not, send it packing.

I would very much like to know what one of these is:

Top Processes Snapshot by CPU:

Process (count) CPU (Source - Location)

Other processes 64.63 % (?) <<<<<

trustd 20.37 % (Apple)

EtreCheck 4.83 % (App Store)

Google Chrome 0.68 % (Google, Inc.)

SystemUIServer 0.15 % (Apple)

I think you need a newer version of macOS to see the EtreCheck readout of the diagnostic log, and you cannot upgrade that model any higher. "Other processes" may show up with Activity Monitor, already on your computer. Please see this Apple article on how to use Activity Monitor (AM) to find apps and processes that are using more than their share of resources:

See how apps affect Mac performance, battery runtime, temperature, and fan activity - Apple Support

A couple of notes on this article:

1) Step 1 is vitally important to getting a representative view of the processes at play

2) The display is dynamic, changing every few seconds. You will need to watch the display for 20-30 seconds, looking for any app or processing that keeps "bubbling" to the top of the list as a resource hog. Write down the process name, as a screen shot of AM's constantly changing window is ineffective here about 90 percent of the time

My 2011 is just slower compared to newer machines. I upgraded to 16 GB RAM (it can run that) and an SSD from Crucial. Boot time dropped from 2 minutes to just 20 seconds on the SSD. My 2011 system remains shut off now in case I need to run certain SnowLeopard software again, but my new 16 in MBP is my daily machine.

You should be happier with a new SSD and more RAM. Good luck.

bo0o0o0 wrote:

Thank you, will try to update both RAM and harddrive. I am comparing it to my MacBook Air 2013, which might be an unfair comparison. But I really do think it is excessively slow in doing some things, especially booting, which can take up to 2 minutes. It might be that the software of 2020 simply does not work that well on a MacBook Pro model from 2011.

All best,

Björn

Beside Onyx on the system as mentioned above the rest of the report looks to be fairly clean.

Yes comparing 2011 to a 2013 Air is part of the perceived problem 😉.

macOS 10.13 High Sierra is the end of the line for this MBP, but the stable release, In keeping with Apple's release cycle, macOS 10.13 High Sierra will be receiving security updates  through November 2020.

OWC/Macsales has excellent customer support, fact is you can ask them about replacing the SATA cable at the same time as the SSD ( a very nominal expense.)