My iMac has been running slow, I have run a EtreCheck as I've seen it reccomended. It claims it has a failing hard drive, which has been a problem since its purchase.
iMac 21.5″, macOS 13.6
The truth is, that you purchased the base model 21.5" iMac with a really slow 5400rpm hard drive.
Sadly that base model was intended for light users to surf the web and run native macOS App's.
It was never intended for high performance or to be loaded down with Microsoft software.
At this point you a couple of options:
1) Consider replacing that iMac with a new one that has an SSD.
see > Mac - Which Mac is best for me? - Apple
2) Get an External SSD and run that 21.5" iMac from the External SSD.
see > Use an external SSD as your startup disk … - Apple Community
The truth is, that you purchased the base model 21.5" iMac with a really slow 5400rpm hard drive.
Sadly that base model was intended for light users to surf the web and run native macOS App's.
It was never intended for high performance or to be loaded down with Microsoft software.
At this point you a couple of options:
1) Consider replacing that iMac with a new one that has an SSD.
see > Mac - Which Mac is best for me? - Apple
2) Get an External SSD and run that 21.5" iMac from the External SSD.
see > Use an external SSD as your startup disk … - Apple Community
Well, it's a slow hard drive (5400rpm) which would explain why it appeared slow from the beginning. But the disk speeds reported are especially low, indicating some problem with either the drive itself or something getting in the way of disk access.
In that regard, something is using most of the RAM in your Mac but the report doesn't indicate what it might be.
I suggest removing Google Chrome (which is a known resource hog).
Also give Etrecheck full disk access (in Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access), then re-run Etrecheck and post the results; it should provide more detail.
You're welcome.
One problem is that MS-ware sets up and automatically launches multiply processes.
Try going to Apple > System Settings > General > Login Items > Remove those Items from the list.
see > Open items automatically when you log in on Mac - Apple Support
and > Remove login items to resolve startup problems on your Mac - Apple Support
Then only open those when needed and quit when not needed, to see if that helps your over-all performance.
Thank you for your response as well, would you recommend uninstalling the Microsoft 365 applications? I don't use them too frequently and I don't want the fuss of new external SSDs or purchasing a new SSD. Would uninstalling them solve the issue slightly or even completely? Thank you
Thank you for your response, I have uninstalled Chrome as you suggested and reran the diagnostics with the full disc enabled (hopefully). Hopefully this gives a more detail on the runnings, Thanks.
EtreCheck Report for slow running iMac with failing hard drive - how to fix?
