User profile for user: fredfromredwater
fredfromredwater Author
User level: Level 1
18 points

MacOS Brutally Slow

There are hundreds of post about this but I can't find a solution. I have never been so frustrated with Apple and I have been a loyal fan for decades. I have had Apple II's, the original Macintosh, eMac's, the original iMacs and several of the current iMac design. I currently have a 2017. I mid 2012 iMac was awesome after I installed a SSD and would boot in about 20 seconds; not so the case anymore. Currently running Ventura. Beach balling, will take over two minutes to startup sometimes, takes "forever" for desktop icons to appear, opened my documents folder this morning and it displayed as empty (a reboot fixed it), task bar and menu bar will take a long to appear. Just messed up. I have never had issues with any other version of an OS like this. Is there a solution (other than buying a newer computer?) I have tried everything I know and I have been pretty good at diagnosing problems in the past and fixing them. Just about ready to get out a hammer. Does anyone have a solution to this problem. There appears to be 100's with the issue.

iMac 21.5″, macOS 13.2

Posted on Mar 24, 2023 4:54 PM

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User profile for user: Mac Jim ID
Mac Jim ID
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Posted on Mar 24, 2023 5:26 PM

No need to buy a new computer, your iMac will be just fine. Have you checked the Login Items to see what is getting loaded on startup. It is located at Apple Menu > System Settings > General > Login Items.


Also run EtreCheck on it and post the report. It is a safe diagnostic tool that is commonly used in these forums. It will have more info on what gets loaded on startup that may not be in the Login Items window. There is no personal information in the report that you need to be concerned about. There is a limit of I think 5000 characters that can be posted to this site, but you can still do it with the "Additional Text" button when you post.

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User profile for user: Mac Jim ID
Mac Jim ID
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Mar 24, 2023 5:26 PM in response to fredfromredwater

No need to buy a new computer, your iMac will be just fine. Have you checked the Login Items to see what is getting loaded on startup. It is located at Apple Menu > System Settings > General > Login Items.


Also run EtreCheck on it and post the report. It is a safe diagnostic tool that is commonly used in these forums. It will have more info on what gets loaded on startup that may not be in the Login Items window. There is no personal information in the report that you need to be concerned about. There is a limit of I think 5000 characters that can be posted to this site, but you can still do it with the "Additional Text" button when you post.

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User profile for user: Owl-53
Owl-53
User level: Level 10
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Mar 25, 2023 8:10 AM in response to fredfromredwater

Q1 - Fusion Drive with the small SSD and Rotational Platter Drive ( 5400 RPM) will be the Biggest Bottle Neck no matter how clean of an Installation on this machine


Q2 - Through in BitDefender


A1 - Rotational Drive are Mechanical and have to Spin / Rotate each and every time there is a change in data. The very Nature of Rotational Drives


A1 - If the User want to extent the Life of this Machine - Invest in a good Enclosure and a good SSD Drive for this enclose. Install Ventura to that drive and make the External Drive your Startup Drive


The speed and performance will be much more to the Expectation of the User


www.owc.co could be a good start and may even have specific suggestions that match this computer needs


A2 - There are no known Windows-like Viruses in the wild that self replicate and affect macOS, because of the underling UNIX  Foundation and Permission Limitation. 


Additionally, in macOS 11 Big Sur, macOS 12 Monterey and macOS 13 Ventura. 


The Operating System resides in a Sealed and Read Only Volume that can not be opened by the User nor by Third Party Applications.


The only Entity that can open and modify or alter this Volume is Apple.


That would occur when a update or UpGrade is performed.


The Only thing this Antivirus software is protecting is the Bank Account of the Developers and for zero return to the User aside from the problems this software creates.


AntiVirus Developers purposefully Market their product to create a “ Fear Factor “. In so doing, creating a False Need for their Product.


The The Built in Security  is all that is required to protect the computer.


Third Party Security Software 


This will include BitDefender , 


Read some of the posting and arrive at your own conclusions.




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User profile for user: Mac Jim ID
Mac Jim ID
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Mar 25, 2023 8:15 AM in response to fredfromredwater

Definitely need to try removing BitDefender to see if it makes a difference. If an uninstaller was provided with the App, I would use that. I do see it is not loaded on your User Account, so it may be disabled there, but apparently there are still some processes running.


The other one is 1Password. I have not heard of any incompatibility with this app, but don't believe it has been updated to Ventura and it also uses Safari Extensions that may not work nicely with Safari 16. Its worth checking.


You can also create a new User account just as a test and see if the problems continue. If everything is fine with the new account, then you can concentrate on your User folder.

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User profile for user: BobHarris
BobHarris
User level: Level 9
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Mar 25, 2023 11:55 AM in response to fredfromredwater

Applications -> Utilities -> Activity Monitor -> View (menu) -> All Processes -> CPU (tab)


Look for processes taking excessive CPU. If one of the processes is kernel_task and it is taking 100's% CPU, then you have an overheating problem, and kernel_task is putting the CPU chip into a low power idle mode to keep the chip from melting inside.


If this is the case, then look for processes using excessive CPU. It can be web browsers with lots of taps open as each tab has its own process running Javascript, so while no single tab is using a lot of CPU, if you have enough open tabs, they add up.


If there are not specific processes, then consider that maybe there is an accumulation of dust/pollen/smoke particles in the fans and cooling fins. Have the inside of the Mac cleaned.


With respect to the SSD, did you enable TRIM? An SSD that does not have TRIM enabled, can bog down.

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User profile for user: fredfromredwater
fredfromredwater Author
User level: Level 1
18 points

Mar 25, 2023 7:44 AM in response to Yer_Man

Slow to start, slow to load desktop icons, slow to display contents of folders sometimes. Once started up it will work fine most of the time. I have run EtreCheck and post.


EtreCheckPro version: 6.7.1 (67011)

Report generated: 2023-03-25 08:38:51

Download EtreCheckPro from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime: 3:27


Performance: Excellent


Problem: Beachballing

Description:

Beachballing, slow to boot, desktop icons take a long time to show.


Major Issues: None


Minor Issues:

    These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems or opportunities for improvement.


    Apps crashing - There have been numerous app crashes.

    Unsigned files - There are unsigned software files installed. These files could be old, incompatible, and cause problems. They should be reviewed.

    System modifications - There are a large number of system modifications running in the background.

    Heavy I/O usage - Your system is under heavy I/O use. This will reduce your performance.

    x86-only Apps - This computer has x86-only apps might not work on future versions of the operating system.

    Limited permissions - More information may be available with Full Disk Access.

    Kernel extensions present - This computer has kernel extensions that may not work in the future.


Hardware Information:

    iMac (21.5-inch, 2017)

        Status: Supported

    iMac Model: iMac18,1

    2.3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 (i5-7360U) CPU: 2-core

    16 GB RAM - Upgradeable by an Apple Authorized Service Provider

        BANK 0/DIMM0 - 8 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM 2133

        BANK 1/DIMM0 - 8 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM 2133


Video Information:

    Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 - VRAM: 1536 MB

        iMac 1920 x 1080


Drives:

    disk0 - APPLE HDD HTS541010A9E632 1.00 TB (Mechanical - 5400 RPM)

    Internal SATA 3 Gigabit Serial ATA

        disk0s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB

        disk0s2 [APFS Fusion Drive] 1000.00 GB

            disk2 [APFS Virtual drive] 1.03 TB (Shared by 6 volumes)

                disk2s1 (APFS) [APFS Container] (8.94 GB used)

                    disk2s1s1 - Macintosh HD (APFS) [APFS Snapshot] (8.94 GB used)

                disk2s2 - Macintosh HD - Data (APFS) [APFS Virtual drive] (558.45 GB used)

                disk2s3 - Preboot (APFS) [APFS Preboot] (1.81 GB used)

                disk2s4 - Recovery (APFS) [Recovery] (1.13 GB used)

                disk2s5 - VM (APFS) [APFS VM] (2.15 GB used)

                disk2s6 - Update (APFS) (6 MB used)


    disk1 - APPLE SSD SM0032L 28.00 GB (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)

    Internal PCI-Express 8.0 GT/s x2 NVM Express

        disk1s1 - EFI [EFI] 315 MB

        disk1s2 [APFS Fusion Drive] 27.55 GB

            disk2 [APFS Virtual drive] 1.03 TB (Shared by 6 volumes)

                disk2s1 (APFS) [APFS Container] (8.94 GB used)

                    disk2s1s1 - Macintosh HD (APFS) [APFS Snapshot] (8.94 GB used)

                disk2s2 - Macintosh HD - Data (APFS) [APFS Virtual drive] (558.45 GB used)

                disk2s3 - Preboot (APFS) [APFS Preboot] (1.81 GB used)

                disk2s4 - Recovery (APFS) [Recovery] (1.13 GB used)

                disk2s5 - VM (APFS) [APFS VM] (2.15 GB used)

                disk2s6 - Update (APFS) (6 MB used)


    disk3 - LaCie Rugged USB-C 2.00 TB

    External USB 5 Gbit/s USB

        disk3s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB

        disk3s2 [APFS Container] 2.00 TB

            disk5 [APFS Virtual drive] 2.00 TB (Shared by 1 volumes)

                disk5s2 - L*****2 (APFS) (132.55 GB used)

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User profile for user: fredfromredwater
fredfromredwater Author
User level: Level 1
18 points

Mar 25, 2023 7:49 AM in response to fredfromredwater

Here is more:


System Extensions:

    [Running] Bitdefender.SPSE - version 1.5.7 (Bitdefender SRL - 2023-01-10)

        Application: /Applications/Bitdefender/BitdefenderAgent.app - version 1.5.7 (Bitdefender SRL - 2023-01-10)


    [Running] com.bitdefender.vpn.neprovider - version 4.3.0 (Bitdefender SRL - 2023-03-10)

        Application: /Applications/Bitdefender/Bitdefender VPN.app - version 4.2.1 (Bitdefender SRL - 2023-03-10)


Kernel Extensions:

    /Library/Extensions

        [Not Loaded] EPSONUSBPrintClass.kext - com.epson.print.kext.USBPrintClass (Seiko Epson Corporation, 2.7.3)

        [Not Loaded] BJUSBLoad.kext - jp.co.canon.bj.print.BJUSBLoad (2.0.11)


System Launch Daemons:

    [Not Loaded] 40 Apple tasks

    [Loaded] 183 Apple tasks

    [Running] 162 Apple tasks

    [Other] One Apple task


System Launch Agents:

    [Not Loaded] 22 Apple tasks

    [Loaded] 183 Apple tasks

    [Running] 187 Apple tasks


Launch Daemons:

    [Loaded] com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Loaded] com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Loaded] com.adobe.acc.installer.v2.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Loaded] com.adobe.agsservice.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-03-21)

    [Not Loaded] com.bitdefender.agent.plist (Bitdefender SRL - installed 2023-01-10)

    [Loaded] com.bitdefender.upgrade.plist (Bitdefender SRL - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Loaded] com.epson.RemotePrintIODaemon.plist (Seiko Epson Corporation - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Loaded] com.github.IngmarStein.Monolingual.Helper.plist (Ingmar Stein - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist (Google LLC - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Loaded] us.zoom.ZoomDaemon.plist (Zoom Video Communications, Inc. - installed 2023-03-07)


Launch Agents:

    [Other] com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a725c38014c95072f92651fb65e1bf9c8e43c37a23d420d.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Not Loaded] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Loaded] com.adobe.ElementsAutoCreator-19.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Running] com.adobe.GC.AGM.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-03-21)

    [Not Loaded] com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-03-21)

    [Loaded] com.adobe.ccxprocess.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Running] com.bitdefender.antivirusformac.plist (Bitdefender SRL - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Loaded] com.epson.RemotePrintIOHelper.plist (Seiko Epson Corporation - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Loaded] com.epson.esua.launcher.plist (Seiko Epson Corporation - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Running] com.epson.eventmanager.agent.plist (Seiko Epson Corporation - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Running] com.epson.scannermonitor.plist (Seiko Epson Corporation - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist (Google LLC - installed 2023-03-07)

    [Loaded] com.google.keystone.xpcservice.plist (Google LLC - installed 2023-03-07)


User Login Items:

    [Running] 1Password Extension Helper (AgileBits Inc. - installed 2023-03-07)

        Modern Login Item

        /Applications/1Password 7.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/1Password Extension Helper.app


    [Loaded] 1Password Launcher (AgileBits Inc. - installed 2023-03-07)

        Modern Login Item

        /Applications/1Password 7.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/1Password Launcher.app


    [Not Loaded] Bitdefender VPN Helper (Bitdefender SRL - installed 2023-03-10)

        Modern Login Item

        /Applications/Bitdefender/Bitdefender VPN.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/Bitdefender VPN Helper.app


    [Not Loaded] CapturerLauncher (App Store - installed 2023-03-07)

        Modern Login Item

        /Applications/Capturer.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/CapturerLauncher.app


    [Not Loaded] Menu World Time Launcher (App Store - installed 2023-03-07)

        Modern Login Item

        /Applications/Menu World Time.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/Menu World Time Launcher.app


    [Not Loaded] PhotoStreamAgent (App Store - installed 2023-03-07)

        Modern Login Item

        /Applications/iPhoto.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/PhotoStreamAgent.app


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MacOS Brutally Slow

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