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Apps freeze when starting up on my iMac

Hi, I am getting a problem where apps often freeze when I try to start them up. I have reinstalled the OS (Catalina 10.15.7) twice, I have flushed the app cache in the library also twice, and I have uninstalled MacBooster - since I was told that could be the problem. I uninstalled and resinstalled MS Office, since those were the apps I was using most often. On each fix, the computer is quite responsive for a few days, and then it's back to beachballs. So I spend a lot of my working time fixing - or trying to fix - problems that are preventing me from actually working.


Today I tried to open an Excel file. It took more than two minutes from the app starting to bounce in the dock to me eventually getting a message saying 'application not responding.' I then tried to open the file in Numbers. No result. Similar when I tried to open Outlook.


This happens in other apps too.


Apart from putting my fist through the screen, are there any other options for fixing this problem?


Note, tech specs are iMac late 2013, 2.7GHz Quad Core Intel Core i5, 8Gb RAM.


Paul


iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Feb 7, 2021 7:31 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 7, 2021 7:33 PM

Hi glyderfach,


I believe we need to proceed with an EtreCheck report. EtreCheck is a useful app to diagnose issues, both hardware and software. It is trusted by many users. Please follow the steps outlined below:


  1. Go to the Mac App Store and search for "EtreCheck."
  2. Download it. It is a free and trusted app; as it is on the Mac App Store, and only trusted apps can be submitted.
  3. Run the report, and put it in a post, as seen here - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250000211
  4. If it asks for Full Disk Access, follow the prompts to enable it.


I think that you should also run Apple Diagnostics -  Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support


Please post results of both!


Cheers,


Jack

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Feb 7, 2021 7:33 PM in response to glyderfach

Hi glyderfach,


I believe we need to proceed with an EtreCheck report. EtreCheck is a useful app to diagnose issues, both hardware and software. It is trusted by many users. Please follow the steps outlined below:


  1. Go to the Mac App Store and search for "EtreCheck."
  2. Download it. It is a free and trusted app; as it is on the Mac App Store, and only trusted apps can be submitted.
  3. Run the report, and put it in a post, as seen here - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250000211
  4. If it asks for Full Disk Access, follow the prompts to enable it.


I think that you should also run Apple Diagnostics -  Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support


Please post results of both!


Cheers,


Jack

Reply

Feb 7, 2021 8:47 PM in response to Jack-19

Hi Jack, here is the EtreCheck report.


It didn't ask for full disk access. I haven't yet had chance to run the Apple Diagnostic tool, but I think that the 'failing hard drive' message probably gives the info we need.

EtreCheck version: 5.7.1 (5243) Report generated: 2021-02-08 11:56:21 Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com Runtime: 15:11 Performance: Poor Sandbox: Enabled Full drive access: Disabled Problem: Beachballing Description: App start up problems. Major Issues: Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention. Failing hard drive - This computer has a hard drive that appears to be failing. Minor Issues: These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems or opportunities for improvement. No Time Machine backup - Time Machine backup not found. Clean up - There are orphan files that could be removed. Unsigned files - There are unsigned software files installed. Apple has said that unsigned software will not run by default in a future version of the operating system. Vintage hardware - This computer may be considered vintage. Limited drive access - More information may be available with Full Drive Access. Kernel extensions present - This computer has kernel extensions that may not work in the future. Hardware Information: iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013) - Vintage! iMac Model: iMac14,1 2.7 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 (i5-4570R) CPU: 4-core 8 RAM - Upgradeable by an Apple Authorized Service Provider BANK 0/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR3 1600 BANK 1/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR3 1600 Video Information: Intel Iris Pro - VRAM: 1536 MB 21.5 monitor 1920 x 1080 iMac 1920 x 1080 Drives: disk0 - APPLE HDD HTS541010A9E662 1.00 TB (Mechanical - 5400 RPM) Internal SATA 3 Gigabit Serial ATA disk0s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB disk0s2 [APFS Container] 999.86 GB disk1 [APFS Virtual drive] 999.86 GB (Shared by 5 volumes) disk1s1 - U******** - Data (APFS) [APFS Virtual drive] (Shared - 75.76 GB used) disk1s2 - Preboot (APFS) [APFS Preboot] (Shared) disk1s3 - Recovery (APFS) [Recovery] (Shared) disk1s4 - VM (APFS) [APFS VM] (Shared - 4.30 GB used) disk1s5 - Untitled (APFS) (Shared - 11.27 GB used) Mounted Volumes: disk1s1 - U******** - Data [APFS Virtual drive] 999.86 GB (Shared - 75.76 GB used, 910.41 GB available, 907.72 GB free) APFS Mount point: /System/Volumes/Data disk1s4 - VM [APFS VM] 999.86 GB (Shared - 4.30 GB used, 907.72 GB free) APFS Mount point: /private/var/vm disk1s5 - Untitled 999.86 GB (Shared - 11.27 GB used, 910.41 GB available, 907.72 GB free) APFS Mount point: / Read-only: Yes Network: Interface en0: Ethernet Interface en1: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Interface en4: Bluetooth PAN Interface bridge0: Thunderbolt Bridge System Software: macOS Catalina 10.15.7 (19H512) Time since boot: Less than an hour Notifications: Notifications not available without Full Drive Access. Security: Gatekeeper: Enabled System Integrity Protection: Enabled Antivirus software: Apple and Kaspersky Unsigned Files: Apps: 1 Kernel Extensions: /Library/Extensions klif.kext - com.kaspersky.kext.klif (3.6.15a58) klsat.kext - com.kaspersky.kext.klsat (1.0.1a5) klnke.kext - com.kaspersky.nke (2.1.0) System Launch Agents: [Not Loaded] 16 Apple tasks [Loaded] 171 Apple tasks [Running] 124 Apple tasks [Other] 2 Apple tasks System Launch Daemons: [Not Loaded] 35 Apple tasks [Loaded] 178 Apple tasks [Running] 124 Apple tasks Launch Agents: [Loaded] com.kaspersky.kav.app.plist (Kaspersky Lab UK Limited - installed 2020-10-21) [Running] com.kaspersky.kav.gui.plist (Kaspersky Lab UK Limited - installed 2020-10-20) [Loaded] com.microsoft.OneDriveStandaloneUpdater.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2021-02-06) [Loaded] com.microsoft.update.agent.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2021-02-06) Launch Daemons: [Running] com.iobit.MBHelpToolerDaemon.plist (Lulu Tang - installed 2020-09-18) [Running] com.kaspersky.kav.kavd.plist (Kaspersky Lab UK Limited - installed 2020-10-21) [Running] com.kaspersky.sysextctrld.plist (Kaspersky Lab UK Limited - installed 2020-10-21) [Loaded] com.microsoft.OneDriveStandaloneUpdaterDaemon.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2021-02-06) [Loaded] com.microsoft.OneDriveUpdaterDaemon.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2021-02-06) [Loaded] com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2021-02-06) [Loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2021-01-12) [Loaded] com.microsoft.teams.TeamsUpdaterDaemon.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2021-02-06) [Running] com.nordvpn.osx.helper.plist (TEFINKOM & CO S.A - installed 2020-07-30) User Launch Agents: [Other] com.kaspersky.kav.delayed_start.plist (? 0 - installed 2020-09-26) User Login Items: [Running] 1Password Extension Helper (AgileBits Inc. - installed 2020-11-22) Modern Login Item /Applications/1Password 7.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/1Password Extension Helper.app [Loaded] 1Password Launcher (AgileBits Inc. - installed 2020-11-22) Modern Login Item /Applications/1Password 7.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/1Password Launcher.app [Loaded] NordVPNLauncher (App Store - installed 2020-12-27) Modern Login Item /Applications/NordVPN IKE.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/NordVPNLauncher.app [Not Loaded] Launcher Disabler (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2021-02-06) Modern Login Item /Applications/OneDrive.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/Launcher Disabler.app [Not Loaded] OneDrive Launcher (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2021-02-06) Modern Login Item /Applications/OneDrive.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/OneDrive Launcher.app User Internet Plug-ins: User Internet Plug-ins need Full Drive Access User Audio Plug-ins: User Audio Plug-ins need Full Drive Access User iTunes Plug-ins: User iTunes Plug-ins need Full Drive Access Safari Extensions: 1Password (AgileBits Inc. - installed 2020-11-22) Kaspersky Security (Kaspersky Lab UK Limited - installed 2020-10-24) Backup: Time Machine information not available without Full Drive Access. Performance: System Load: 1.70 (1 min ago) 1.61 (5 min ago) 1.41 (15 min ago) Nominal I/O speed: 0.73 MB/s File system: 121.06 seconds (timed out) Write speed: 34 MB/s Read speed: 47 MB/s CPU Usage Snapshot: Type Overall System: 3 % User: 4 % Idle: 93 % Top Processes Snapshot by CPU: Process (count) CPU (Source - Location) Other processes 18.38 % (?) EtreCheck 5.77 % (App Store) Microsoft Outlook 1.50 % (Microsoft Corporation) LocationMenu 0.32 % (Apple) Dropbox 0.19 % (Dropbox, Inc.) Top Processes Snapshot by Memory: Process (count) RAM usage (Source - Location) EtreCheck 518 MB (App Store) Dropbox 347 MB (Dropbox, Inc.) NordVPN IKE 284 MB (App Store) Microsoft Outlook 242 MB (Microsoft Corporation) App Store 150 MB (Apple) Top Processes Snapshot by Network Use: Process (count) Input / Output (Source - Location) Other processes 274 KB / 189 KB (?) Dropbox 22 KB / 9 KB (Dropbox, Inc.) SystemUIServer 0 B / 64 B (Apple) backgroundtaskmanagementagent 0 B / 0 B (Apple) UsageTrackingAgent 0 B / 0 B (Apple) Virtual Memory Information: Physical RAM: 8 GB Free RAM: 134 MB Used RAM: 5.66 GB Cached files: 2.21 GB Available RAM: 2.34 GB Swap Used: 0 B Software Installs (past 30 days): Install Date Name (Version) 2021-01-14 Microsoft AutoUpdate 2021-01-14 Microsoft PowerPoint 2021-01-14 Microsoft Excel 2021-01-14 Microsoft OneNote 2021-01-14 Microsoft Outlook 2021-01-14 Microsoft Word 2021-01-15 Security Update 2020-001 (10.15.7) 2021-01-15 Numbers (10.0) 2021-01-15 Keynote (10.0) 2021-01-15 Pages (10.0) 2021-01-26 Microsoft Office for Mac License Removal Tool 2.5 2021-02-02 macOS Catalina Security Update 2021-001 (10.15.7) 2021-02-02 Safari (14.0.3) 2021-02-05 MRTConfigData (1.73) 2021-02-05 XProtectPlistConfigData (2139) 2021-02-06 Microsoft Office 2021-02-08 EtreCheck (5.7.1) Clean up: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.kaspersky.kav.delayed_start.plist ~/Library/Application Support/Kaspersky Lab/delayed_start.sh Executable not found Diagnostics Information (past 7-30 days): Directory /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports is not accessible. Enable Full Drive Access to see more information. End of report


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Feb 7, 2021 8:53 PM in response to glyderfach

Yup. The failing hard drive is it. Backup all data immediately, as soon you will loose access to it if it completely fails. You can either setup service for your Mac at an Apple Store or look at purchasing a new iMac, as yours is getting old, and something else might have an issue soon as well.


Also, delete Kaspersky and NordVPN. They are not good on Mac and could cause other issues.


Cheers,


Jack

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Apps freeze when starting up on my iMac

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