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Lion slow response - seems disk related

I am getting very slow UI response in Lion. (iMac 27", 3 GHz, dual core i5 processor, 8 GB ram, 250 GB free on HD). SmartReporter says disk is operating in spec (ie no alarms). Opening disk folder takes 5 seconds to get a spinning beach ball, with another 5 or more seconds to get the folder open. Also slow on directory scan during file opening dialogs. Even get the delay when opening USB drives.


OS 10.7.3, with Apache running, and the usual load of extensions operating. But what I find irritating is that Activity Monitor reports CPU at 25 %, HD occassionally spiking to 100%, but not often, and still I seem to get these unexplained delays. Not fun. Turned off 'disk sleep' in energy saver preferences. Seemed to help for a while. Now not. Reinstalled OS X twice from store and with a USB download stick. Get wierd errors on Console: "5/6/12 5:20:31.000 PM kernel: IOSurface: buffer allocation size is zero".


Killing Safari/Flash via Activity Monitor makes a small amount of speed difference, but not much.


Any comments? Suggestions? Is this a general issue with Lion? Are there any profiling S/W diagnostics that might suggest where the processor is spending its time?


Nick

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.3), slow UI response, slow disk

Posted on May 6, 2012 2:38 PM

Reply
28 replies

May 6, 2012 4:57 PM in response to Soren Pearson

Been through Disk Utility multiple times. Best it ever finds is the odd file permission that is off. No obvious reason jumps out. Activity Monitor doesn't seem to show any single process hogging time, even while the pizza dish is spinning. I'm down to the point of lugging the machine to the local service department.


The document you point to does not actually detail a problem. It is just a set of incantations the user performs without explanation. I've done those and other incantations but I'm resolved to give up the box for a day or two while I take it in for service, hoping I don't have to do a complete rebuild of all my files and records - i.e. if they don't blindly reformat the HD.


Yeah, the display is incredible - that's what I paid for, but with the slow down, the system response is below average.

May 6, 2012 6:03 PM in response to Nick Radonic

If you have more than ten or so files or folders on your Desktop, move them, temporarily at least, somewhere else in your home folder.


Disconnect all wired peripherals except keyboard, mouse, and monitor, if applicable. Launch the usual set of applications you use when you notice the problem.


Step 1


Launch the Activity Monitor application in any of the following ways:


Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)


In the Finder, select Go Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.


If you’re running Mac OS X 10.7 or later, open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Activity Monitor in the page that opens.


Select the CPU tab.


Select All Processes from the menu in the toolbar, if not already selected.


Click the heading of the % CPU column in the process table to sort the entries by CPU usage. You may have to click it twice to get the highest value at the top. What is it, and what is the process? Also post the values for % User, % System, and % Idle at the bottom of the window.


Select the System Memory tab. What values are shown in the bottom part of the window for Page outs and Swap used?


Step 2


Launch the Console application in the same way as above, and select “kernel.log” from the file list. Post the dozen or so most recent messages in the log — the text, please, not a screenshot.


If there are runs of repeated messages, post only one example of each. Do not post many repetitions of the same message.

May 6, 2012 6:26 PM in response to Nick Radonic

Last page of console logs - no filtering


5/6/12 8:03:38.709 PM Evernote: -[EDAMAuthenticationResult read:]: unexpected field ID 6 with type 11. Skipping.

<deleted duplicates>

5/6/12 8:04:25.000 PM kernel: IOSurface: buffer allocation size is zero

<deleted duplicates - very common message>

5/6/12 8:10:25.568 PM [0x0-0x78078].com.google.Chrome: DVFreeThread - CFMachPortCreateWithPort hack = 0x6c894a40, fPowerNotifyPort= 0x6c894600

<deleted duplicates>

5/6/12 8:13:21.000 PM kernel: en1: BSSID changed to 00:1b:63:2c:90:7f

<deleted duplicates>

5/6/12 8:13:50.000 PM kernel: AirPort: RSN handshake complete on en1

5/6/12 8:13:58.358 PM Firewall: Allow httpd connecting from fe80:5::211:24ff:fec0:23b1:59492 to port 80 proto=6

<deleted duplicates>

<Xcode related messages removed>

5/6/12 8:47:07.662 PM Firewall: AcquiaDevDesktop is listening from 0.0.0.0:52215 proto=6

5/6/12 8:47:07.819 PM AcquiaDevDesktopControlPanel: -_continuousScroll is deprecated for NSScrollWheel. Please use -hasPreciseScrollingDeltas.

5/6/12 8:47:07.820 PM AcquiaDevDesktopControlPanel: -deviceDeltaX is deprecated for NSScrollWheel. Please use -scrollingDeltaX.

5/6/12 8:57:02.000 PM kernel: en1: BSSID changed to 00:1b:63:2c:90:7f

5/6/12 8:57:22.000 PM kernel: AirPort: RSN handshake complete on en1

5/6/12 9:03:39.747 PM Evernote: -[EDAMAuthenticationResult read:]: unexpected field ID 6 with type 11. Skipping.

5/6/12 9:05:23.913 PM com.apple.usbmuxd: _handle_timer heartbeat detected detach for device 0x3-192.168.1.3:0!

5/6/12 9:06:01.847 PM com.apple.usbmuxd: _SendDetachNotification (thread 0x7fff77a4d960): sending detach for device cc:08:e0:ab:7e:68@fe80::ce08:e0ff:feab:7e68._apple-mobdev._tcp.local.: _BrowseReplyReceivedCallback got bonjour removal.

5/6/12 9:06:14.556 PM [0x0-0x99099].de.appsolute.MAMP: 120506 21:06:14 mysqld_safe Logging to '/Applications/MAMP/logs/mysql_error_log.err'.

5/6/12 9:06:16.330 PM Firewall: httpd is listening from ::ffff:0.0.0.0:8880 proto=6

5/6/12 9:06:20.197 PM Firewall: mysqld is listening from 0.0.0.0:8895 proto=6

5/6/12 9:06:56.601 PM com.apple.security.pboxd: Sun May 6 21:06:56 2012 com.apple.security.pboxd[2968] (FileSync.framework) _SFSendMessage: gServerMessagePortName = 'com.apple.FileSyncAgent.iDisk'

5/6/12 9:07:01.333 PM LKDCHelper: Starting (uid=501)

5/6/12 9:09:42.000 PM kernel: IOSurface: buffer allocation size is zero

5/6/12 9:09:53.300 PM com.apple.usbmuxd: _SendAttachNotification (thread 0x7fff77a4d960): sending attach for device cc:08:e0:ab:7e:68@fe80::ce08:e0ff:feab:7e68._apple-mobdev._tcp.local.: _GetAddrInfoReplyReceivedCallback matched.

5/6/12 9:09:53.879 PM usbmuxd: _AMDeviceConnectByAddressAndPort (thread 0x100781000): IPv4

5/6/12 9:10:29.113 PM com.apple.usbmuxd: _SendDetachNotification (thread 0x7fff77a4d960): sending detach for device cc:08:e0:ab:7e:68@fe80::ce08:e0ff:feab:7e68._apple-mobdev._tcp.local.: _BrowseReplyReceivedCallback got bonjour removal.

5/6/12 9:17:12.321 PM com.apple.launchd.peruser.501: (com.apple.KerberosHelper.LKDCHelper[2975]) Exited with code: 1

5/6/12 9:23:35.846 PM LKDCHelper: Starting (uid=501)

<note the last line was the only printout while I waited for a folder to open up, implying few if any internal error conditions>


Nick

May 6, 2012 6:36 PM in response to Linc Davis

Reboot this afternoon ...


May 6 18:26:42 localhost kernel[0]: Sound assertion "0 == alwaysDisplayRoutingArray" failed in AppleHDAController at line 3821 goto Exit

May 6 18:26:47: --- last message repeated 1 time ---

May 6 18:26:42 localhost kernel[0]: Previous Shutdown Cause: 3

May 6 18:26:42 localhost kernel[0]: DSMOS has arrived

May 6 18:26:42 localhost kernel[0]: ** Device in slot: SLOT--1 **

May 6 18:26:43 localhost kernel[0]: AirPort: Link Down on en1. Reason 8 (Disassociated because station leaving).

May 6 18:26:43 localhost kernel[0]: 14.104998: setDISASSOC from ATH_INTERFACE_CLASS disconnectVap

May 6 18:26:43 localhost kernel[0]: 14.105014: switchVap from 1 to 1

May 6 18:26:44 localhost kernel[0]: 00000000 00000020 NVEthernet::setLinkStatus - not Active

May 6 18:26:47 WallEye kernel[0]: 17.946581: performCountryCodeOperation: Not connected, scan in progress[0]

May 6 18:26:47 WallEye kernel[0]: 17.946594: performCountryCodeOperation: No scan in progress, disconnect VAP

May 6 18:26:47 WallEye kernel[0]: 17.946606: setDISASSOC from ATH_INTERFACE_CLASS disconnectVap

May 6 18:26:47 WallEye kernel[0]: 17.952524: setWOW_PARAMETERS:wowevents = 2(1)

May 6 18:26:47 WallEye kernel[0]: en1: 802.11d country code set to 'US '.

May 6 18:26:47 WallEye kernel[0]: en1: Supported channels 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 100 104 108 112 116 120 124 128 132 136 140 149 153 157 161 165

May 6 18:26:50 WallEye kernel[0]: NTFS driver 3.10 [Flags: R/W].

May 6 18:26:51 WallEye kernel[0]: NTFS volume name BOOTCAMP, version 3.1.

May 6 18:26:53 WallEye kernel[0]: en1: BSSID changed to 00:1b:63:2c:90:7f

May 6 18:26:53 WallEye kernel[0]: AirPort: Link Up on en1

May 6 18:26:53 WallEye kernel[0]: en1: BSSID changed to 00:1b:63:2c:90:7f

May 6 18:26:54 WallEye kernel[0]: 24.774351: setWOW_PARAMETERS:wowevents = 2(1)

May 6 18:26:54 WallEye kernel[0]: AirPort: RSN handshake complete on en1

May 6 18:26:57 WallEye kernel[0]: [ffffff8015a63c00][BNBMouseDevice::init][66.6] init is complete

May 6 18:26:57 WallEye kernel[0]: [ffffff8015a63c00][BNBMouseDevice::handleStart][66.6] Done

May 6 18:26:57 WallEye kernel[0]: [ffffff8015b19200][AppleMultitouchHIDEventDriver::start] entered

May 6 18:26:57 WallEye kernel[0]: [ffffff801590f500][AppleMultitouchDevice::start] entered

May 6 18:26:58 WallEye kernel[0]: ast_pending=0xffffff80002af520

May 6 18:26:58 WallEye kernel[0]: cpu_interrupt=0xffffff80002c95f0

May 6 18:26:58 WallEye kernel[0]: vboxdrv: fAsync=0 offMin=0x798 offMax=0x147c

May 6 18:26:58 WallEye kernel[0]: VBoxDrv: version 4.1.6 r74713; IOCtl version 0x190000; IDC version 0x10000; dev major=34

May 6 18:26:58 WallEye kernel[0]: VBoxFltDrv: version 4.1.6 r74713

May 6 18:26:58 WallEye kernel[0]: VBoxAdpDrv: version 4.1.6 r74713

May 6 18:26:58 WallEye kernel[0]: macx_swapon SUCCESS

May 6 18:27:18 WallEye kernel[0]: IOHIDSystem: Seize of AppleEmbeddedKeyboard failed.

May 6 18:27:21 WallEye kernel[0]: utun_ctl_connect: creating interface utun0

May 6 18:27:24 WallEye kernel[0]: Elmedia Player KEXT version 4.2 (1.55)

May 6 18:27:35 WallEye kernel[0]: AppleSRP started.

May 6 18:27:50 WallEye kernel[0]: ASP_TCP CancelOneRequest: cancelling slot 4 error 89 reqID 5 flags 0x9 afpCmd 0x14 so 0xffffff801a4b57d8

May 6 18:33:19 WallEye kernel[0]: IOSurface: buffer allocation size is zero

May 6 18:35:09: --- last message repeated 2 times ---

May 6 18:35:09 WallEye kernel[0]: IOSurface: buffer allocation size is zero

May 6 18:37:42 WallEye kernel[0]: IOSurface: buffer allocation size is zero

May 6 18:39:02 WallEye kernel[0]: BootCache: could not terminate cache on bad hitrate

May 6 18:39:32: --- last message repeated 13 times ---

May 6 18:40:57 WallEye kernel[0]: IOSurface: buffer allocation size is zero

<deleted duplicates>

May 6 20:13:50 WallEye kernel[0]: AirPort: RSN handshake complete on en1

May 6 20:57:02 WallEye kernel[0]: en1: BSSID changed to 00:1b:63:2c:90:7f

May 6 20:57:22: --- last message repeated 1 time ---

May 6 20:57:22 WallEye kernel[0]: AirPort: RSN handshake complete on en1

May 6 21:34:01 WallEye kernel[0]: IOSurface: buffer allocation size is zero

May 6, 2012 6:40 PM in response to Nick Radonic

Please read this whole message before doing anything.


This procedure is a diagnostic test. It won’t solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.


Third-party system modifications are a common cause of usability problems. By a “system modification,” I mean software that affects the operation of other software — potentially for the worse. The following procedure will help identify which such modifications you've installed. Don’t be alarmed by the complexity of these instructions — they’re easy to carry out and won’t change anything on your Mac.


These steps are to be taken while booted in “normal” mode, not in safe mode. If you’re now running in safe mode, reboot as usual before continuing.


Below are instructions to enter some UNIX shell commands. The commands are harmless, but they must be entered exactly as given in order to work. If you have doubts about the safety of the procedure suggested here, search this site for other discussions in which it’s been followed without any report of ill effects.


Some of the commands will line-wrap or scroll in your browser, but each one is really just a single line, all of which must be selected. You can accomplish this easily by triple-clicking anywhere in the line. The whole line will highlight, and you can then either copy or drag it. The headings “Step 1” and so on are not part of the commands.


Note: If you have more than one user account, Step 2 must be taken as an administrator. Ordinarily that would be the user created automatically when you booted the system for the first time. The other steps should be taken as the user who has the problem, if different. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this paragraph doesn’t apply.


Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:


☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)


☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.


☞ If you’re running Mac OS X 10.7 or later, open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the page that opens.


When you launch Terminal, a text window will open with a line already in it, ending either in a dollar sign (“$”) or a percent sign (“%”). If you get the percent sign, enter “sh” (without the quotes) and press return. You should then get a new line ending in a dollar sign.


Step 1


Copy or drag — do not type — the line below into the Terminal window, then press return:


kextstat -kl | awk '!/com\.apple/{printf "%s %s\n", $6, $7}'


Post the lines of output (if any) that appear below what you just entered (the text, please, not a screenshot.)


Step 2


Repeat with this line:


sudo launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.(apple|openssh|vix)|edu\.mit|org\.(amavis|apache|cups|isc|ntp|postfix|x)/{print $3}'


This time, you'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning not to screw up. You don't need to post the warning.


Note: If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before taking this step. If that’s not possible, skip to the next step.


Step 3


launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.apple|edu\.mit|org\.(x|openbsd)/{print $3}'


Step 4


ls -1A /e*/mach* {,/}L*/{Ad,Compon,Ex,Fram,In,Keyb,La,Mail/Bu,P*P,Priv,Qu,Scripti,Servi,Spo,Sta}* L*/Fonts 2> /dev/null


Important: If you synchronize with a MobileMe account, your me.com email address may appear in the output of the above command. If so, anonymize it before posting.


Step 5


osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to get name of every login item' 2> /dev/null


Remember, steps 1-5 are all drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste, whichever you prefer — no typing, except your password. Also remember to post the output.


You can then quit Terminal.

May 6, 2012 6:49 PM in response to Linc Davis

Last login: Sun May 6 21:45:59 on ttys002

WallEye:~ Nick$ kextstat -kl | awk '!/com\.apple/{printf "%s %s\n", $6, $7}'

com.AmbrosiaSW.AudioSupport (4.0)

com.Cycling74.driver.Soundflower (1.5.2)

org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxDrv (4.1.6)

org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxUSB (4.1.6)

org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetFlt (4.1.6)

org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetAdp (4.1.6)

com.eltima.ElmediaPlayer.kext (1.0)

WallEye:~ Nick$

WallEye:~ Nick$ sudo launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.(apple|openssh|vix)|edu\.mit|org\.(amavis|apache|cups|isc|ntp|postfi x|x)/{print $3}'



WARNING: Improper use of the sudo command could lead to data loss

or the deletion of important system files. Please double-check your

typing when using sudo. Type "man sudo" for more information.



To proceed, enter your password, or type Ctrl-C to abort.



Password:

com.promethean.activhardwareservice

com.google.keystone.daemon

com.eltima.ElmediaPlayer.daemon

com.barebones.textwrangler

com.backblaze.bzserv

WallEye:~ Nick$

WallEye:~ Nick$

WallEye:~ Nick$ launchctl list | sed 1d | awk '!/0x|com\.apple|edu\.mit|org\.(x|openbsd)/{print $3}'

com.promethean.activmgr

com.google.keystone.root.agent

com.flipvideo.FlipShareAutoRun

com.brother.LOGINserver

com.netputing.airprintactivator

com.adobe.ARM.202f4087f2bbde52e3ac2df389f53a4f123223c9cc56a8fd83a6f7ae

WallEye:~ Nick$

WallEye:~ Nick$

WallEye:~ Nick$

WallEye:~ Nick$ ls -1A /e*/mach* {,/}L*/{Ad,Compon,Ex,Fram,In,Keyb,La,Mail/Bu,P*P,Priv,Qu,Scripti,Servi,Spo,Sta} * L*/Fonts 2> /dev/null

/Library/Components:

XiphQT.component



/Library/Extensions:

VBoxDrv.kext

VBoxNetAdp.kext

VBoxNetFlt.kext

VBoxUSB.kext



/Library/Frameworks:

.DS_Store

AEProfiling.framework

AERegistration.framework

Adobe AIR.framework

AsVisualPresenter.framework

AudioMixEngine.framework

DivX Toolkit.framework

EWSMac.framework

Mono.framework

NyxAudioAnalysis.framework

PluginManager.framework

Python.framework

SDL.framework

SGCS102.framework

TSLicense.framework

Tcl.framework

Tk.framework

VisualPresenter.framework



/Library/Input Methods:



/Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

.DS_Store

AdobePDFViewer.plugin

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI.plugin

Disabled Plug-Ins

DivXBrowserPlugin.plugin

Flash Player.plugin

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.plugin

Google Earth Web Plug-in.plugin

JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

Mathematica.plugin

OVSHelper.plugin

OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin.plugin

PDF Browser Plugin.plugin

Quartz Composer.webplugin

QuickTime Plugin.plugin

RealPlayer Plugin

RealPlayer Plugin.xpt

Silverlight.plugin

Unity Web Player.plugin

Unused

flashplayer.xpt

googletalkbrowserplugin.plugin

iPhotoPhotocast.plugin

npgtpo3dautoplugin.plugin

nsIQTScriptablePlugin.xpt



/Library/Keyboard Layouts:



/Library/LaunchAgents:

com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

com.brother.LOGINserver.plist

com.flipvideo.FlipShare.AutoRun.plist

com.google.keystone.agent.plist

com.promethean.activmgr.plist



/Library/LaunchDaemons:

com.apple.remotepairtool.plist

com.backblaze.bzserv.plist

com.barebones.textwrangler.plist

com.eltima.ElmediaPlayer.daemon.plist

com.google.keystone.daemon.plist

com.promethean.activhardwareservice.plist

org.macports.frameworks.macports.plist



/Library/PreferencePanes:

.DS_Store

3ivxPrefPane.prefPane

BackblazeBackup.prefPane

DivX.prefPane

Flash Player.prefPane

Flip4Mac WMV.prefPane

Growl.prefPane

Network Link Conditioner.prefPane

TiVoDesktop.prefPane



/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools:

com.barebones.textwrangler

org.macports.frameworks.macports



/Library/QuickLook:

GBQLGenerator.qlgenerator

iWork.qlgenerator



/Library/QuickTime:

3ivxVideoCodec.component

AppleIntermediateCodec.component

AppleMPEG2Codec.component

DivX Decoder.component

DivX Encoder.component

Flip4Mac WMV Advanced.component

Flip4Mac WMV Export.component

Flip4Mac WMV Import.component

Google Camera Adapter 0.component

Google Camera Adapter 1.component

QTMpeg4Codec.component



/Library/ScriptingAdditions:



/Library/Spotlight:

GBSpotlightImporter.mdimporter

Microsoft Office.mdimporter

Wolfram Notebook.mdimporter

iWork.mdimporter



/Library/StartupItems:

MySQLCOM

TiVoDesktop

VirtualBox



/etc/mach_init.d:



/etc/mach_init_per_login_session.d:



/etc/mach_init_per_user.d:



Library/Address Book Plug-Ins:

SkypeABDialer.bundle

SkypeABSMS.bundle



Library/Fonts:

encodings.dir

fonts.dir

fonts.list

fonts.scale

jsMath-cmbx10.ttf

jsMath-cmex10.ttf

jsMath-cmmi10.ttf

jsMath-cmr10.ttf

jsMath-cmsy10.ttf

jsMath-cmti10.ttf



Library/Frameworks:

EWSMac.framework



Library/Input Methods:

.localized



Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

ClickToFlash.webplugin

EvernoteSafariClipperPlugin.webplugin

Google Earth Web Plug-in.plugin

Picasa.plugin

RealPlayer Plugin.plugin

WebEx64.plugin



Library/Keyboard Layouts:



Library/LaunchAgents:

com.adobe.ARM.202f4087f2bbde52e3ac2df389f53a4f123223c9cc56a8fd83a6f7ae.plist

com.apple.AddressBook.ScheduledSync.PHXCardDAVSource.2D6329B4-5679-4C08-9DD1-A1A DAEB95E76.plist

com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-nick_r@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist

com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-nradonic@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist

com.apple.FolderActions.enabled.plist

com.apple.FolderActions.folders.plist

com.apple.SafariBookmarksSyncer.plist

com.netputing.airprintactivator.plist

org.virtualbox.vboxwebsrv.plist



Library/PreferencePanes:

MagicPrefs.prefPane

Perian.prefPane



Library/QuickTime:

AC3MovieImport.component

Perian.component



Library/Services:

GraphicConverter.service

WallEye:~ Nick$

WallEye:~ Nick$

WallEye:~ Nick$ osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to get name of every login item' 2> /dev/null

iTunesHelper, Google Quick Search Box, HimmelBar, Mail, GrowlHelperApp, Evernote, Remind Me Later, BOINCManager, SpeechSynthesisServer, OpenDNS Updater, BetterTouchTool (127), AdobeResourceSynchronizer, EvernoteHelper, SMARTReporter, bzbmenu, Dropbox, MagicPrefs, Acquia Dev Desktop Control Panel, CNQL3202_ButtonManager

WallEye:~ Nick$


Thanks - Nick

May 6, 2012 7:07 PM in response to Nick Radonic

Please read this whole message carefully, especially the warnings, before doing anything.


The changes to your configuration suggested here should be considered provisional; they may not solve your problem, or they may remove functionality that you find useful. If a third-party system modification that you want to keep is causing the problem, seek help from its developer.


WARNING: Back up all data now if you haven’t already done so. Before proceeding, you must be sure you can restore your system to its present state, even if it becomes unbootable. If you’re not sure you can do that, STOP — DON’T CHANGE ANYTHING. If you’re dissatisfied with the results of the procedure suggested below, restore from your backup. I will not be responsible for the consequences, and I will not help, if you ignore this warning.


You should either remove or update the following system modification(s), if an update is available from the developer:


VirtualBox


and definitely remove at least the following:


† 3ivx

† DivX

† Elmedia Player

† Real Player

Ambrosia and Soundflower audio drivers

FlipShare

TiVoDesktop


Whatever you remove must be removed completely, and (unless otherwise specified in this message) the only way to do that is to use the uninstallation tool, if any, provided by the third-party developer, or to follow his instructions. In some cases it may be necessary to re-download or even reinstall the software in order to get rid of it. I can't be more specific, because I don't install such things myself. Please do your own research.


Here are some general guidelines to get you started. Suppose you want to remove something called “BrickYourMac.” First check the developer's website, say www.brickyourmac.com, for instructions. If you don’t find any, email the developer. Failing that, download BrickYourMac.dmg and open it. There may be an application in there such as “Uninstall BrickYourMac.” If not, open “BrickYourMac.pkg” and look for an Uninstall button.


If you can’t remove the software in any other way, you’ll have to erase your boot volume and perform a clean reinstallation of the Mac OS. Never install any third-party software unless you're sure you know how to uninstall it; otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve.


WARNING: Trying to remove complex system modifications by hunting for files by name often will not work and may make the problem worse.


I recommend that you never reinstall the modifications marked with a dagger (†) above, if any. If your problem is resolved after uninstalling all the above modifications and rebooting, but you still want to use some of those not marked with a dagger, you can experiment with putting them back, one at a time, testing carefully after each step. Keep in mind that system modifications may be incompatible with each other or with future Mac OS updates, so it may not be clear which one is at fault.


If you still have problems after making the suggested changes and rebooting, post again. Remember: if you don’t like the results of this procedure, you can undo it by restoring from the last backup you made before you started.

May 6, 2012 8:53 PM in response to Linc Davis

Linc


Thank you for your time and consideration of my issue. It is my considered opinion that the audio drivers you highlighted have been installed for a long time and I don't see any other correlated evidence that they are causing UI delays. I have more issues with the Promethean software, and I ran the uninstall program today. The Tivo server is off.


Does the Activity Monitor / inspect output mean anything to you? I sampled the Finder operation for a while:

Sort by top of stack, same collapsed (when >= 5):

__workq_kernreturn (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) 7029

__psynch_cvwait (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) 5212

kevent (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) 2626

__select (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) 2625

mach_msg_trap (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) 2085

__syscall (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) 1877

getdirentriesattr (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) 1188

__open (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) 196

May 7, 2012 12:50 AM in response to Nick Radonic

I have had the same problems. Very frustrating as disk activity is low and the disk performance is within spec. Memory is also adequate with 50% free on average. No applications taking up excessive cpu. Yet the computer is slow. After trying many many suggestions I did a time machine backup, formatted the hard drive, reinstalled the OS, and restored all my stuff from time machine. Took several hours to do this but the computer is noticeably faster although still not as fast as my older computer that has less ram. I would suggest you start with a fresh install in this manner.


Next month I plan to replace the hard drive with an ssd. My older computer has an ssd and it tests 4x faster for reads as compared to my newer computer. So I expect moving to an ssd will help.


Overall I think Lion is a performance killer. Invariably people will pop up and say they haven't noticed any difference in speed but there are lots and lots of posts to the contrary.

May 7, 2012 12:56 AM in response to Dave Calhoun2

Dave Calhoun2 wrote:


Overall I think Lion is a performance killer. Invariably people will pop up and say they haven't noticed any difference in speed but there are lots and lots of posts to the contrary.

That may be because this is a trouble shooting forum, and the many many millions of Lion users have no such problems, therefore no such reason to come to these forums. A lot that come here believe that these posts are a true representation of all Lion users.


Cheers


Pete

Lion slow response - seems disk related

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