How do I know how much RAM my MacBook Pro is using

painterz wrote:

@leroydouglas, I looked at the links but not able to find if these security measures extend to old OS, like Mojave. Is it time to open a new thread for security? Do you know if Apple still supports Mojave? Thanks for your help getting my computer moving again, I haven't seen the wheel of indecision yet and no longer get the annoying messages from Kaspersky about my camera being blocked--not sure what they need to see.

Mojave is a support macOS—

You are not going to find detailed information on GateKeeper, XProtect, MRT, SIP outside the 'walled garden' of Apple.

You can see these update in your System Information

> (Option key) System Information>Software >Installations

toggle by date:

painterz wrote:

@leroydouglas, thanks for the suggestions. I'm glad you captured my graphics, I'm not sure why the moderator removed them. I've looked at the activity monitor and can't really see what's an issue. I do have dropbox running and would like to shut it down instead of it running in the background. According to the etrecheck report I also have a Canon scanner utility running and I no longer have a Canon printer. I backup my computer to and external hard drive using Time Machine. The biggest issue etrecheck found is my computer is obsolete--not helpful! I've added the report. I'd appreciate your thoughts.

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/53579501-1259-4181-90ae-a743e87e5799

<Slow Reaction Time for logging in and using apps.log>

Memoyy pressure is not an issue for you, regarding your graphic

Uninstall all third party apps that are Cleaners/Optimizers/Anti-Virus/VPN

Typically third party Anti-Virus does nothing but add issues and compete directly with Apple’s® own built in Security:

Start here:

< Kaspersky Internet Security >

< MacKeeper >

Use the official in-app uninstaller, if in doubt ask the developer via their Support/Help/FAQ

After that—

For best results run the EtreCheckPro w/ full disk access, no personal information is included in the report

These are known to cause issue s on the macOS..

re: screen shots removed— not advised to post personal info or Serial Numbers in the clear in a open public community. (I asked the mods to remove that ref from the above quote)

painterz wrote:

I have a MBP mid-2012 running Mojave, with 16 GB RAM, an SSD, and a fairly new battery. I upgraded to Catalina but had too many problems with my hard and software so downgraded back down to Mojave. I can no longer run diagnostics and took my laptop to the Genius Bar where I was told I'm not able to run diagnostics because Apple no longer supports my computer. He mentioned I was running 4 GB of memory, but then asked me if I was using third party software because my battery reading was off. My laptop should be screaming fast but it's not--I see the wheel of indecision every time I open my laptop and wait for it to catch up. How can I tell how much RAM I'm using?

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/d5a62aaa-70e3-4dc8-bb0e-9f5d54b8b21f

It does not sound like RAM is your issue...

RAM=Memory

HD/SSD=Storage

Activity Monitor.app>Memory you can see memory pressure

Activity Monitor User Guide for Mac - Apple Support

You can get a good look at your System config. and reveal conflicts or issues, you can download/run this trusted utility https://etrecheck.com

If you need help interpreting the report you can post it here in its entirety in the "Additional Text" box in the editing toolbar below, in your reply.

painterz wrote:

@leroydouglas that's the uninstall that doesn't get all of the files. I finally dug out Kaspersky and MacKeeper from my library. My laptop is extremely fast now. Still not sure about the MacMalware. Is that my only security that is pre-loaded in my OS? Thanks!

Malwarebytes is a trusted utility only when needed. I see no reason to run it full time.

XProtect, the anti-malware system on the macOS.

Apple uses its Software Update service— as a mechanism for installing “background and critical” updates that are installed silently in the background with no notifications to the user.

Gatekeeper mechanism, central to security services, which tries to ensure that any code loaded is ‘safe’. Code signatures are only part of this.

XProtect checks the security and integrity of files, including in broader ways too, vulnerable document types, such as JPEG images, are also screened to ensure that they’re not malicious.

MRT (Apple’s Malware Removal Tool) an app which often complements XProtect’s signature-based screening, and can automatically remove all traces of many different species of malware.

macOS - Security - Apple  https://www.apple.com/macos/security/

Apple Platform Security - Apple https://support.apple.com/guide/security/welcome/web

Macs running El Capitan and later require 6GB or more of real RAM to run in an appropriately-responsive way.

If your Mac is the model that does NOT have a Retina display, its RAM memory can be upgraded from your inadequate 4GB to as much as 16GB, installed as 2 @ 8GB in each of the two slots. if money is tight, you CAN upgrade by the each DIMM.

You need to be sure you get the exact correct DIMMs for your specific MacBook Pro, and the simplest way to do that is to buy from a Mac-centric vendor such as OWC (macsales.com).

Data Memory Systems and Crucial also get mentioned here as trusted Mac memory suppliers.

painterz wrote:

@leroydouglas, thanks for getting my graphics removed. I had wondered about the serial number. I've been trying to dig Kaspersky out of my computer. I found an article on all the places to look after the software is uninstalled that still has Kaspersky, https://nektony.com/how-to/uninstall-kaspersky-on-mac. It's been helpful but I can't find anything related to Kaspersky in library/launch daemon but the report did. I'm not sure where to look because it's not in the obvious place. I've unlocked my disc but it keeps saying it doesn't have full access. I think that's because I back up to an external hard drive. I've included a new report. Also, my Malwarebytes is out of date and when I click to update it there is a monthly fee. Is this normal? I've always used Kaspersky and not the native internet security so didn't know if I was missing something. Thanks for your help.

<Report after removal of Kaspersky and Canon.log>

See if this is it—

How to uninstall Kaspersky Internet Security 20 for Mac

https://support.kaspersky.com/15188