Regular crashing and takes an eternity to start-up

If you would like to post the panic report, I will look at it.

Finder -> Go (menu) -> Go to folder -> /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports

Press: Command-Shift-period - this will show invisible files. We are looking for .contents.panic

Or any recent file that ends in the word .panic

If you find such a file, please post it in an Additional Text box

Press: Command-Shift-period again to hide the invisible files

Also please post the text output from an EtreCheck report

https://EtreCheck.com

Hi bazomis,

We understand that your Mac is restarting, then providing an error message. We'd be happy to help with this! Does it seem to occur when using certain apps or features?

Start with the steps in this article: If your Mac restarted because of a problem

Be sure that all software updates are installed, including those in the App Store and for macOS.

If you have anything connected to your Mac, disconnect it to see if the behavior persists.

Be sure to test it out in safe mode to help isolate what could be causing it: How to use safe mode on your Mac

If needed, reinstall macOS after backing up your data: How to reinstall macOS

We hope that helps!

Cheers!

On no evidence (and until proven otherwise), I’d assume the hard disk drive is failing.

If you do not have a current and complete backup, do what you can to try to get one.

If you don’t have a current and complete backup, that’s pretty much your only priority.

On ample evidence, I’d assume the hard disk drive is failing.

If you do not have a current and complete backup, do what you can to try to get one. Now.

If you don’t have a current and complete backup, that’s pretty much your only priority. Now.

If you don’t have a backup, the longer you defer getting that backup and the more work you give to this (failing) hard disk, the less data you might potentially recover.

Failing hard disks tend to degrade.

“Degrade” here means “loses more and more of your data”.

Backups are not something you can get after the problem (hardware failure, device loss, fire, flood, etc) happens,

You cannot repair or diagnose or troubleshoot your way out of a failing hard disk. They get flaky, slow, crashy, beachballing, and start to lose data, start to lose more data, then they stop working. The ‘fix” is to replace the hard disk and restore the backup. Or to replace the Mac, and migrate the backup.

When looking in /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports, did you do the Command-SHIFT-Period trick so you could see invisible files? If you have a panic, there might be a .contents.panic file

  Failing hard drive - This computer has a hard drive that appears to be failing.

is a strong indication that MrHoffman was correct about your boot drive failing.

Also a battery that is in bad shape will cause the Mac to slow itself down in order to conserve battery life (only affects performance with running on the battery).

This is a 2009 Mac. Rather than upgrade the hardware, I would seriously consider getting a new (newer) Mac. Maybe one of the new Apple Silicon M1 Macs. Even the lowest end M1 Macbook Air would run rings around your current Mac, even if you upgraded the hardware.