Super Slow and laggy, Simply Mac cannot figure out.

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Super Slow and laggy, Simply Mac cannot figure out.

I have a late 2009 macbook unibody. Since I bought it 5 months ago, it has been a bit slow. Since this was my first Mac and I haven't had a laptop for a while I thought it was just the way it was. The only way I can temporally fix it is to restart the computer.

Issues I have been having:

After it has been asleep I will wake it up. Shortly after I will be tying in a URL and there will be a 2-6 second delay from when I type the word to when it shows up. I have noticed this in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.
Doing light editing in Lightroom will cause the computer to freeze and not respond for a few minutes.
I get the beachball a lot even when just typing, opening programs.
Some programs will go in and out of not responding.

Steps done to diag:

Reinstalled OS and upgraded to Mountain Lion
Fixed permissions
Verified disc
Replaced RAM
Cleared caches
Reinstalled all programs (did not install from backups)
Took to Simply Mac, they could not find any causes of slowness

Specs:

Late 2009 Macbook 13'
8GB RAM
256GB stock HDD (only 95GB used)
Core 2 Duo

I am thinking of replacing my HDD, could be having some issues but I am unsure.

MacBook, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Sep 16, 2013 3:51 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 16, 2013 3:54 PM in response to glitchvdub

How much free space on the disk?

Click your Apple menu  top left in your screen. From the drop down menu click About This Mac > More Info > Storage

Make sure there's at least 15% free disk space.

Less can cause the problems you are describing.

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Answer 2

glitchvdub Author

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Sep 16, 2013 3:54 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

I only have 95GB used on the disc.

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Answer 3

Sep 16, 2013 3:59 PM in response to glitchvdub

When you verified the disk using Disk Utility, exactly what did it report? I'm not referring to permissions. The startup disk.

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Answer 4

glitchvdub Author

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Sep 16, 2013 7:33 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

Showed in green HD appears to be OK.

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Answer 5

glitchvdub Author

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Sep 17, 2013 10:07 AM in response to glitchvdub

Quick edit it's actually a late 2008

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Answer 6

bestofall

Level 2

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Sep 17, 2013 10:10 AM in response to glitchvdub

Having done all those steps I would say its just your HD. I cant see a MLB causing issues that severe in terms of lagginess. Buy a HD off Amazon that comes with a 30 day return. If the same issues occur then just return it for the refund.

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Answer 7

John Galt

Level 10

141,296 points

Sep 17, 2013 11:25 AM in response to glitchvdub

Did you obtain the Mac's original grey System and Applications Install DVDs from the seller?

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Answer 8

glitchvdub Author

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Sep 17, 2013 11:35 AM in response to John Galt

John Galt wrote:

Did you obtain the Mac's original grey System and Applications Install DVDs from the seller?

No they did not come with it. Simply Mac ran the ASD on it and it did not come up with any faults. I downloaded Tech Tools and ran it also. All passed except Spin up Rety Count. From my research I am thinking there is a failing HD or HD cable.

The issues tend to get exasperated when it gets warm (fan comes on).

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Answer 9

John Galt

Level 10

141,296 points

Sep 17, 2013 11:55 AM in response to glitchvdub

Obtain a replacement System Install DVD from Apple. After you receive it, you will be in position to fix the problem. TechTool Pro and similar utilities are completely worthless. Draw no conclusions from its results.

Replacing the HD, whether or not it is justified, will require reinstalling OS X, which is not possible without that disc.

The cost for the disc is reasonable ($25 or so).

Post a reply when you are ready.

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Answer 10

glitchvdub Author

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Sep 17, 2013 12:57 PM in response to John Galt

John Galt wrote:

Obtain a replacement System Install DVD from Apple. After you receive it, you will be in position to fix the problem. TechTool Pro and similar utilities are completely worthless. Draw no conclusions from its results.

Replacing the HD, whether or not it is justified, will require reinstalling OS X, which is not possible without that disc.

The cost for the disc is reasonable ($25 or so).

Post a reply when you are ready.

Leopard is no longer available from the store, and sourcing a good used copy will not be so easy. I was thinking of cloning the old drive on to the new one. I also created a recovery disk on a USB.

On a side note, I have heard the HD cables tend to fail on these. Have you also heard of that or experienced that?

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Answer 11

John Galt

Level 10

141,296 points

Sep 17, 2013 1:21 PM in response to glitchvdub

glitchvdub wrote:

Leopard is no longer available from the store, and sourcing a good used copy will not be so easy.

By far your biggest challenge will be to find someone at Apple who understands what you require. People have been successful obtaining replacement System DVDs for Macs much older than yours. Call the phone number in your Apple Online Store page, and be persistent: say "I need a replacement set of installation DVDs for my MacBook." Your goal is to speake to someone knowledgeable who will ask for its serial number, your credit card, and a shipping address, and you'll be set.

If their location is convenient for you, it may be worth going to Simply Mac and delegating that task to them. They probably have a shortcut to finding the support you require.

The HD cable may be a factor but if Simply Mac ran ASD and found nothing wrong, the problem is likely to be one or more system modifications that should really be addressed by completely erasing the disk and reinstalling OS X. The seller should have done that prior to selling it, as well as having supplied you with its original discs. Not only is that required by Apple's end user license agreement, it is a practical necessity to avoid the kinds of problems you're encountering. The seller was remiss in doing so, as most of them are, so that task has fallen to you.

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