Mid 2017 iMac too slow

THis is probably the worst bit of performance-killing uselessness ever foist upon Mac users:

[Running] MacKeeper Real-time Protection - version 5.7 (KROMTECH ALLIANCE CORP. - 2021-10-23)

Application: /Applications/MacKeeper.app - version 5.7 (Not found!)

Description: MacKeeper Real-time Protection

You should be able to remove it with MalwareBytes. Otherwise it is hard to get rid of.

This is a big issue:

Drives:

disk0 - APPLE SSD SM0032L 28.00 GB (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)

Internal PCI-Express 8.0 GT/s x2 NVM Express

disk0s1 - EFI [EFI] 315 MB

disk0s2 - Untitled (Journaled HFS+) 27.04 GB (22.56 GB used)

disk0s3 - Recovery HD (Journaled HFS+) [Recovery] 650 MB

disk1 - APPLE HDD ST1000DM003 1.00 TB (Mechanical - 7200 RPM)

Internal SATA 6 Gigabit Serial ATA

disk1s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB

disk1s2 [APFS Container] 1000.00 GB

disk2 [APFS Virtual drive] 1000.00 GB (Shared by 6 volumes)

disk2s1 - U******** - Data (APFS) [APFS Virtual drive] (743.45 GB used)

disk2s2 - Preboot (APFS) [APFS Preboot] (1.86 GB used)

disk2s3 - Recovery (APFS) [Recovery] (1.15 GB used)

disk2s4 - VM (APFS) [APFS VM] (13.96 GB used

disk2s5 (APFS) [APFS Container] (9.17 GB used)

disk2s5s1 - Untitled (APFS) [APFS Snapshot] (9.17 GB used)

disk2s6 - Update (APFS) (8 MB used)

That drive configuration suggests your Mac shipped with Apple's Fusion hybrid drive. It also suggests that the two components of the hybrid system are now "split," i.e., not communicating with each other. Your drive scores for that equipment should be Writes in the 600-900MB/sec range and Reads up to 2000MB/sec.

See this Apple article: How to fix a split Fusion Drive - Apple Support

First, CleanMyMac is 100% trash and only helps to make your computer slower. Please locate the developers uninstall instructions and follow them to the letter. Mac OS does not require nor does it benefit in ANY way by adding third party:

• Antivirus apps
• Cleaning apps
• Security apps
• VPN apps
• maintenance apps

If you have any of these installed please follow the same instructions as I recommended for CMM. After you have done so please do the following:

It will help us get a good idea of what is causing your problem if you provide a report of your system, that way we do not have to play 20 questions with you. The report we are requesting does NOT provide any personal information and is extremely safe to use. Please navigate to www.Etrecheck.com and download the free version of EtreCheck. Once you have you downloaded the app and installed it, please run the report and save it. This report will help us get a good idea what has been installed on your system and help us be able to diagnose what may be wrong.

When you have your report, you can attach it when you reply to this message and we can then review it and help you determine what is needed to get your system running well again. 

For instructions on how to download your EtreCheck report and attach it to your reply to this message please click How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community It is helpful to us if you download the report to your Desktop.

xgadget wrote:

I did, it is not in my applications folder or in my launchpad anymore, same for "Sophos"

they are still seen in your new report, so there must be some remnants left over that are still installed. how exactly did you "remove" them. if you simply dragged them from your applications folder to the trash, in many cases of apps like those, that will not remove all the related files.

since they are no longer in your applications, you may need to re-install them and then use the app's uninstaller to remove them. and if there is not an uninstaller for any of those apps, you will need to locate the developer's instructions on how to completely remove them.

Once you uninstall the AV apps, re-post a new EtreCheck report.

FWIW, this is a bad sign…

Write speed: 13 MB/s

Read speed: 12 MB/s

xgadget wrote:

I saw on the report that a major issue was a failing hard drive, is this problem fixable or not?

I have seen in the past (on my aunt's Mac) where there was software related issues that were causing a failing hard drive message. I would suggest that after removing CMM as well as your two antivirus apps, re-run EtreCheck and see if you still get the failing hard drive message. if you do, then the hard drive may be failing.

The first thing you need to do is uninstall Sophos & TotalAV. You don't need any AV programs, much less two.

Effective defenses against malware and ot… - Apple Community

If the drive is failing it would need replaced. Or, you could boot from an external drive.

If the AV and Cleaning apps were uninstalled they would NOT show up on your EtreCheck Report. That means you likely did not follow the developers instructions to uninstall and bits and pieces of these apps were left behind. Please follow the developers instructions to uninstall!!!!

If you moved those apps to the Trash and emptied the Trash that is NOT a full install, this is another reason why these types of apps are so damaging.

If you cannot uninstall per the developers instructions your best option is to download the free version of FindAnyFile and have it remove anything with the names:

• Sophos
• TotalAV

and then run a fresh EtreCheck report and scan it to see if EtreCheck finds any evidence of these 2 apps. If it does then you will have to do an erase and install and start all over again. To check the health of your HD then you will need to download the free version of DriveDX and have it test your HD and if any errors are found that confirms that your HD must be replaced.

Apparently you did not uninstall the AV programs…

"Antivirus software: Malwarebytes, Sophos, Apple, and TotalAV".