Major delays on Mac Mini

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Level 1

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Major delays on Mac Mini

In running A-v Scans I have found the following files.

273670.emix - HTML Phishing

275334.emix - Heuristics-Phishing.

Could the presence of these and similar be causing delays in operation due to the fact that most of the time I have almost no RAM available to me? I have used iStat Nano to check what was using what but they seem to be minimum figures generally. Safari is severely slowed down and multi-tasking is something of a laugh. Can anyone offer guidance on really fidning out what is doing it and how to overcome? Thanks.

Brian Hope

MacMini, Mac OS X (10.7), 2009 Highest Spec Mac Mini - twin Intel.

Posted on May 14, 2012 8:15 AM

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Answer 1

a brody

Level 10

82,841 points

May 14, 2012 8:32 AM in response to Brian Hope1

Upgrade to 10.7.3 and apply the Flashback patch:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3261

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Answer 2

MadMacs0

Level 5

5,221 points

May 14, 2012 12:00 PM in response to Brian Hope1

Brian Hope1 wrote:

In running A-v Scans I have found the following files.

273670.emix - HTML Phishing

275334.emix - Heuristics-Phishing.

Could the presence of these and similar be causing delays in operation due to the fact that most of the time I have almost no RAM available to me?

No, those are e-mails. The first one is probably a phishing attempt and the second may be. In any case, do not move them or allow your A-V software to move them as doing so will corrupt the mailbox index. Locate them on your hard drive and double-click to open them in your e-mail client. If you agree that they are just junk/spam/phishing attempts use the delete key in your e-mail application to delete the message from your hard drive and perhaps your ISP's e-mail server, if you have it set up that way.

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Answer 3

Brian Hope1 Author

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May 15, 2012 5:50 AM in response to a brody

Thank you for the advice, but I have already done that and before finding these problems.

What I would greatly appreicate is being able to check which applications are using up the memory and by how much when I am connected to the Net. For instance, opening my nachine before strating this with apparently onlt Finder, Dock View, and Main menu open, I had 37Mb of RAM available to me. It doesn't seem logical that they would absorb almost 2Gb of Ram. Any help, direction or other guidance would be welcomed. If I open Safari, it hangs almost all the time, if I add Mail obviously it gets worse, but since intuitively that's why we have Macs, their interconnection, etc., is their main strength. Hope someone can comment.

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Answer 4

a brody

Level 10

82,841 points

May 15, 2012 6:07 AM in response to Brian Hope1

Mac OS X uses protected memory. And it dynamically assigns memory to applications both through physical RAM and swapfile allocation. Any system maintenance applications, including anti-virus that run in the background can actually waste valuable space in memory, being always on. Many have their own memory leaks which need to be fixed. Sophos right now is probably your best anti-virus choice, and primarily when communicating to Windows users, and checking attachments. If the hard drive space is low, it runs rampant trying to reallocate swap file space. To avoid that problem, it is important to make sure the hard drive never gets over 85% full. This number has been arbitrarily found by many users. External hard drives slow the machine down, if they are constantly accessed while using the machine, because data transfer is asynchronous. This can be a bigger problem when attached to hubs or daisy chained. Time Machine I find is best run when I'm not using the computer, and same with any other backup software. Perhaps one of these tips can help avoid you from over tasking the machine. Do not use any cache emptying softawre as this actually will slow your machine down, and possibly corrupt the cache. That includes Onyx, Macaroni. MacKeeper is the worst of these, and does not even uninstall with the manufacturers own uninstaller. There are tips on this board for removing it.

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Answer 5

Brian Hope1 Author

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May 17, 2012 12:50 AM in response to a brody

I'm grateful for the information and believe I understand the concept. I have removed/shutdown activity of the types that you recommended, but it has not made any difference to the RAM situation. I never full-time connect External HD's and like you I only run TimeMachine when nothing else is open, and my HD is only 53% full.

Right now I have Safari and Mail open only and am showing only 15MB available, this I know because I have Free Memory running. Is that the problem?

Safari seems to do all the damage and I only have a minimum number of extensions to that (Evernote clipper, Do not track me, iPassword and Ad block...I like my privacy) I would welcome any comment that may explain its high RAM usage, everything takes ages and the beachball is a regular visitor.

By the way, I apologise for all the typos in my previous message. Sorry.

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Answer 6

a brody

Level 10

82,841 points

May 17, 2012 4:21 AM in response to Brian Hope1

Where do you see "15MB available?" Is "Free Memory" some application you got, and where from? Are you using Safari 5.1.7?

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Answer 7

Brian Hope1 Author

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May 17, 2012 11:06 PM in response to a brody

Yes I am using 5.1.7 and "Free Memory" was obtained through the App Store. It advises what the available Ram is when it gets low. Unfortunately it doesn't say what is using it, just how much is available, and is stated to be able to assist the built in system.

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Answer 8

MadMacs0

Level 5

5,221 points

May 17, 2012 11:56 PM in response to Brian Hope1

Brian Hope1 wrote:

"Free Memory" was obtained through the App Store. It advises what the available Ram is when it gets low. Unfortunately it doesn't say what is using it, just how much is available, and is stated to be able to assist the built in system.

Hope you didn't have to pay for that.

Open up Activity Monitor (found in /Applications/Utilities/) where all that and more will be revealed.

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Answer 9

Brian Hope1 Author

Level 1

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May 18, 2012 7:08 AM in response to MadMacs0

Oh, how pitiful it must all seem to the technically proficient. I have looked at Activity Monitor before but never applied the brain to it. I see that there are an amalgamation of things consuming Memory, many of which I am not using at this moment, but they are all involved somehow. Pity it can't show snapshots as opposed to live action, at 81 my eyes get tricked by the constant movement.

Is it always the case that many are permanently using RAM whether actually in use or not? I must take a screen shot or something so that I can seriously review their use.

Unfortunately, my little monitor, which does at least give me a reading when the beach ball is spinning, can't do some of that to help. Maybe the developer reads things like this, I hope so, he'd have a winner if it did.

I am very grateful to you for your help and tolerance, and this board is yet another indicator of the Apple thinking about users.

Brian Hope

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Answer 10

May 18, 2012 3:08 PM in response to Brian Hope1

Brian it looks like the problem persists. You might want to download

and install FireFox if you haven't already then quit Safari for the time

being in case the browser you have might be damaged in some way.

Good luck, Tom

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Answer 11

Brian Hope1 Author

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May 19, 2012 1:07 AM in response to Tom Meade1

Well thank you for taking an interest Tom. I've done what you suggested and things do seem better, no beachball so far. Sorry to see Safari go though. Do you think that if I uninstall and then reinstall it that might correct the problem?

Thanks again.

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Answer 12

Star1

Level 2

465 points

May 19, 2012 11:02 AM in response to Brian Hope1

Hi Brian,

"It doesn't seem logical that they would absorb almost 2Gb of Ram."

From this quote I assume you have only 2GB of RAM - with 10.7 running that would be your problem.

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Answer 13

May 19, 2012 2:11 PM in response to Brian Hope1

Before you try to change out Safari you may want to head on

over to the Safari Community page and post about RAM

useage and memory leaks with the browser:

https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os/safari

As Star1 has pointed out installed RAM might possibly be a

limiting factor, although I doubt it. True,  did up the required

memory for Lion to 2GB from Snow Leopard's one - but I think

that 2GB should cover basic operations and surely with only a

single browser running.

You might check Activity Monitor to get a feel for things but I've

seen recent Minis that run a bunch of apps simultaneously in 2

GB.

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Answer 14

Brian Hope1 Author

Level 1

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May 20, 2012 1:16 AM in response to Tom Meade1

Thanks Tom, and to Star 1. My Mini is now three and a half years old, twin core, etc. but have never heard how to extend the RAM, it's something an idiot like me should stay away from I feel, and it would probably be nearly as cheap and infinitely less trouble to buy a new one. However, Pensioners were probably not known to people in Apple Marketing, there are surely many of us who cannot keep up with their developments financially.

Firefox has certainly improved things, but I still get into single figures from time to time. I will endeavour to watch Activity Monitor from time to time in the hope that I will learn something productive, but as I said the speed of information change on screen is diifficult for the old eyes to handle.

I will keep this thread open a little longer if I may.

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Answer 15

May 20, 2012 11:11 AM in response to Brian Hope1

Brian, Permissions Repair asn't been mentioned here. Are you

comfortable doing this with Disk Utility?

The lastest OS update is 10.7.4 and has a new Safari.

Tom

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