iMac 27" 2.9GHz Quad Core I5 Slow to Boot

Question

iMac 27" 2.9GHz Quad Core I5 Slow to Boot

Late 2012 with macOS Catalina 10.15.7

24GB 1600 MHz DDR 3 Ram

My Mac is slow to boot, I have to leave it for about 15 minutes before I go back to start using it, its not particularly slow to use web surfing, Pages, Numbers and Photo Stuff (mainly photo editing).

The memory slots are as follows (as you look at the about my Mac memory tab):

4GB - 8GB

Both 4GB are the OE RAM, while the 2 x 8GB are Crucial RAM.

I read a post similar which was sent in in June 2021, it recommended downloading EtreCheck from the Mac app store and running this to complete diagnostics. However, its not listed when I search the app store, I can find it online (I don't like downloading and installing when I'm not sure of the source)

My question is: Am I expecting too much from my machine, I have an older iMac 20.5" which is 2008 vintage and this seems to run faster. I've also checked a Mac mini which seems to have the same slow boot up, and it also seems to run slower.

Any help will be gratefully received.

Regards

Terence

Posted on Oct 20, 2021 3:09 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Jack-19

Level 8

45,872 points

Oct 20, 2021 6:02 AM in response to terencefromsutton coldfield

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities.

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

Navigate to: https://etrecheck.com and get the free version of EtreCheckPro.
Download it. It is a free and trusted app. It is often recommended here on Apple Support Communities.
Open EtreCheck, and before running the report, be sure to check “Allow full Drive Access” at the bottom of the EtreCheckPro window.
Run the report, and put it in a post, as seen here: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250000211. We will then examine the report for issues in your Mac.

Jack

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Answer 2

Jack-19

Level 8

45,872 points

Oct 20, 2021 4:16 PM in response to terencefromsutton coldfield

If you are not ready to purchase a new Mac, you could use an external SSD and run macOS from that, it will make your Mac 10 to 30 times faster for storage. For more info, instructions, and what external SSD to buy, please read: How to Setup and Use an External SSD as y… - Apple Community.

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Answer 3

Nov 7, 2021 1:48 AM in response to terencefromsutton coldfield

Just in case I can help I've fixed this problem.

After booting into recovery mode I ran dick utility and its repair option, this showed many disc errors which were caused by several recent power outages.

My actions were as follows:

Back up my HD using Carbon Copy Cloner (bootable)
Check that this CCC actually boots
Boot into recovery mode and re-install MacOS
Update MacOS fully (but not upgrade to the next level OS)
Re-install all my apps
Back up using Time Machine

All is now working as it did when I first bought this iMac, I didn't use CCC's recover function, mainly because it may have re-installed error's. It may seem a lot of effort to complete a fresh install of everything, but Apple's system make this fairly easy, especially if you've purchased apps via the app store.

I'd advise this action if Disk Utility shows a long list of errors.

Hope this helps others

Terence

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Answer 4

Old Toad

Level 10

208,523 points

Oct 20, 2021 12:59 PM in response to terencefromsutton coldfield

Since the new M1 iMacs are not user upgradeable be sure to order the max RAM, 16GB, available and as large an SSD as the budget allows.

The report looks clean. One thing to know is when you upgrade your Mac it will be running at least Big Sur or newer (Monterey) and any 32 bit app you have will not be supported. To find out which of your current apps will have to be upgraded or a replacement found download and run the free GO64 app. It will tell you which apps are 32 bit and which are 64 bit.

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Answer 5

Eau Rouge

Level 8

42,560 points

Oct 20, 2021 3:18 AM in response to terencefromsutton coldfield

How does it operate when it has booted up.

It could be an indication the internal drive is failing.

Etrecheck is perfectly safe to download, it is often used here to diagnose problems in macs.

Apple does not test all the apps in the App Store, there are many apps there that

have the potential to cripple your mac.

I would also download and install this app, https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx

there is a free trial period.

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Answer 6

Oct 20, 2021 11:38 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Thanks for getting back to me.

I appreciate this, however, I'm comparing it to when it was new. Probably upgrading MacOS has some influence on this, the EtreCheck said performance was good and it contained no major issues. So I guess its maybe time to look at getting a new Mac.

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Answer 7

rkaufmann87

Level 10

141,656 points

Oct 20, 2021 11:50 AM in response to terencefromsutton coldfield

Wouldn't hurt, the bottle neck on most computers is a HDD. All of Apple's current line up of Mac have SSDs and many are using the new M1 base CPU. These both make the computers VERY quick. You have quite a bit to choose from. I bought a 27" iMac in 2020 which is a beautiful machine however in hindsight I probably should have bought a nice Mac Mini and a display and used the keyboard and mouse from my old iMac.

Best and good luck.

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Answer 8

rkaufmann87

Level 10

141,656 points

Oct 20, 2021 12:49 PM in response to terencefromsutton coldfield

I like the M1 MM's too, I think they are very capable. Remember Apple has a 14 day return policy if you buy directly from them. You can use that if you are unhappy for some reason but I think you would be thrilled.

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