HT202225: How to avoid or remove Mac Defender malware in Mac OS X v10.6 or earlier

Learn about How to avoid or remove Mac Defender malware in Mac OS X v10.6 or earlier
bhg109
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: my IMac has become slow on all tasks (opening apps, browsing internet, navigating between apps, etc....) I have cleaned up hard drive using Mac Keeper SW, what other steps can I take?  I have 9k photos in iphoto and my HD only has 33gb free out of 350gb.

trying to find ways to improve performance on my iMac which has become incredibly slow over time

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Feb 4, 2012 8:38 AM

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bhg109

Q: my IMac has become slow on all tasks (opening apps, browsing internet, navigating between apps, etc....) I have cleaned up hard dr ... more

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  • by X423424X,

    X423424X X423424X Feb 4, 2012 11:29 AM in response to bhg109
    Level 6 (14,237 points)
    Feb 4, 2012 11:29 AM in response to bhg109

    First get rid of MacKeeper.

     

    Look at your Activity Monitor to see if there is anything that might be higging processor time that you might not need.

     

    Add more memory. 

     

    Certainly add a bigger drive.  I recommend you always keep about 25GB free for the OS.  If you only have 33GB that doesn't leave much space for you to add stuff of your own.

     

    Run Disk Utility to repair/verify your drive(s).

     

    Here's a general reference that may help:

     

    Tuning Mac OS X Performance

  • by WZZZ,

    WZZZ WZZZ Feb 4, 2012 11:36 AM in response to bhg109
    Level 6 (13,112 points)
    Mac OS X
    Feb 4, 2012 11:36 AM in response to bhg109

    Could run Applejack. It has been known to help in this situation.

     

    Download:

     

    http://sourceforge.net/projects/applejack/

     

    Article on using:

     

    http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10334620-263.html?tag=mfiredir

     

    Be sure to run the underlined below, as well

     

    It runs in single user mode, where it runs more safely than other maintenance/cleaning programs because there is less chance of interference from the OS. After installing (you won't see it in the Applications Folder) hold CMD-S at startup. You will get a black screen with MS-DOS like text. Just follow the prompts: type in "applejack AUTO" and it will run through the following:

     

    Correct any Disk problems.

    Repair Permissions.

    Clear out Cache Files.

    Repair/check several plist files.

    Dump the VM files for a fresh start.

    Trash old Log files.

     

    You can also run tasks selectively and for specific users by typing in "applejack." After running in "AUTO,"  you can go back and run it again as "applejack," steps 3 & 4 only, for your user.

     

    The first reboot will take much longer than usual, as it rebuilds caches. It may take several restarts to see the benefits. Because of the deep cache cleaning in AUTO mode some applications may tell you they are being opened for the first time.

     

    NOT YET UPDATED FOR LION (although it is reported by some that it is working)

     

     

     

    (Adapted from post by BDAqua)