How much of computer malfunction is normal and how much is abnormal?

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an1980 Author

Level 1

30 points

How much of computer malfunction is normal and how much is abnormal?

We have all experienced some problem with our laptops. Many times we had to restart the computer because something didn't seem right. When do we consider the malfunction ok (can ignore) and when do we need to go further? In the details of my question is my problem with my MacBook Pro as below:

I bought a refurbshed 15" MacBook pro from Apple in November.I thought it wasn't as fast as I like but as a new MAC user I couldn't tell if normal or not. Then I noticed chobby video playback that couldn't be resolved by extensive troubleshooting with their customer service. I eventually took it to their retail store and they replaced my hard drive (ABOUT A WEEK AGO).

The chobby video playback resolved and performing other tasks is much faster. However, I still get the spinning wheel occasionally (not always) for simple tasks (like trying an address in Safari). I scanned a colored portrait and had to wait up to 6 seconds to open that 16 MB JPG file everytime I try to). Mounting a DVD with family videos took 40 seconds and opening these videos may take about 7 seconds (short videos).

Is it time to get it checked again or I have to be flexible and accept some performance flaws in any computer? Is Mac not any better than PC? or is it just my bad luck with that refurbished one?

MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)

Posted on Feb 1, 2014 9:39 PM

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Answer 1

babowa

Level 9

78,580 points

Feb 1, 2014 9:52 PM in response to an1980

How much RAM do you have installed? You should have an absolute minimum of 4 GB - 8 GB would be much better. And how much free space do you have on your hard drive?

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Answer 2

an1980 Author

Level 1

30 points

Feb 1, 2014 10:13 PM in response to babowa

I do have 4 GB. Most of my hard (512) is free. I don't have too many apps. Quad processor.

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Answer 3

babowa

Level 9

78,580 points

Feb 1, 2014 11:15 PM in response to an1980

I'd double the RAM - a 16 MB photo is a rather large file (for a photo), I'd expect a slight delay.

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Answer 4

an1980 Author

Level 1

30 points

Feb 2, 2014 7:35 AM in response to babowa

My friend has a 13" 4GB i5 dual processor and he takes professional pictures (up to 40GB). He was surprised when I told him that I was having difficulties with a 16 GB photo.

How about the other problems? Spinning wheel when trying to load a Safari page? Taking time to mount a disc?

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Answer 5

an1980 Author

Level 1

30 points

Feb 2, 2014 7:37 AM in response to babowa

Sorry. I meant to say 16 MB and 40 MB not GB.

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Answer 6

babowa

Level 9

78,580 points

Feb 2, 2014 8:08 AM in response to an1980

There are a lot of possibilities that can slow down a machine: RAM is one (the new OS consumes a lot), the programs you use is another, and - at least to me - the 5400 rpm hard drive in the notebooks is considerably slower than what I find acceptable (I upgraded my hard drive to an SSD soon after I got the Macbook Pro). It also depends on the processor and graphic cards.

Do you regularly reset Safari? Do you quit (Command + Q) programs or do you just close them with the red dot and they are running in perpetuity in the background (consuming resources)?

You can open Activity Monitor (Applications > Utilities) and see what process(es) are taking up your RAM or CPU and then post back with that info. You can also download Etrecheck which is a handy little app to show what you have installed and what may be a problem:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6171

If none of that helps, backing up your files and then using the recovery option to wipe your drive and reinstall from scratch would set the system back to normal.

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Answer 7

an1980 Author

Level 1

30 points

Feb 7, 2014 5:55 PM in response to babowa

Thank you Babowa.

I rearly use applications other than the simple ones with the OS (like Preview and such applications). I usually have a Safari with 2-3 tabs. I have dropbox running. I looked at the activity monitor and I couldn't tell what these processes are.

Before I had my hard drive replaced I did reinstall the OS (didn't format completely) and went over all the things that slow down the computer with the technical support (emptying trach, startup programs.......)

To be honest with you my question is a more generic one than a specific one:

I thought that spending more money on a PC prevents the headache of a PC but now I doubt it. I was about to replace it with a retina for the SSD but today one of the retina owners told me "It's horrible. It does whatever it wants to do".

My eventual question would be: Any reason to spend a couple of thousands if I can get equivelant specs PC during special offers for few hundreds?

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Answer 8

babowa

Level 9

78,580 points

Feb 7, 2014 6:06 PM in response to an1980

No one can answer that question for you. Personally, I wouldn't touch a Windows machine - I don't care if it was free (I'd sell it!). I don't care for the operating system - I like Mac OS, although - for my taste - it is getting a bit too iOS-ified lately. But it is still preferable to a Windows OS. Add to that that I'd be spending wayyy too much time fighting off viruses and other unwanted things.

You cannot expect anything electronic (hardware) or software to be trouble free. It is best to educate yourself so you can troubleshoot basic hiccups which there will always be. The OS is fine, but anything else you do will/can/might mess with it and then you get unexplained behavior. There is no guarantee that any software will run without problems - why do you think software mfr's add that they are not responsible if there are any problems in their license agreements .... And, your best defense is an up-to-date backup so you can recover when disaster strikes - I prefer bootable clones on external drives: boot from the external, wipe your internal drive, and clone your entire system back. Takes no more than an hour or so and you're back to where you were before your hard drive decided to have a temper tantrum.

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Answer 9

an1980 Author

Level 1

30 points

Feb 8, 2014 7:06 PM in response to babowa

I definitely liked the OS and the Mac in general but possibly the impression I had before enterring the Mac world was exagerrated when people would say " I never had any problem with my Mac" which I no longer beleive.

How often do you make bootable clones? I'm asking because at times I find myself not sure if I have a problem or I'm dealing with a normal behavior and so I feel not sure if going back in time is something I'm interested in. I can't tell if my problem started an hour ago or a week ago since I'm not a heavy user and I may try something for the first time every few months (tried to open a large picture file about 3 months after buying it and couldn't tell if it's a new or old problem or even if it's a problem or not)

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Answer 10

babowa

Level 9

78,580 points

Feb 8, 2014 8:28 PM in response to an1980

Well, what do you call a "problem"? Many times, it may be a user error (myself included) rather than a software or hardware glitch/malfunction. And, as I said, you cannot expect any computer (of any flavor) to be trouble or problem free. Both the machine and the OS are complex and finely tuned - you do something it doesn't expect and it throws up an error. Other times, it may be a compatibility problem.

As for clones: unless you maintain more than one clone, you would not really be going back in time (depending on when that clone was made) - and they are meant as a backup. I would only wipe my drive and clone back if there was a problem which rendered my Mac inoperable or totally messed up. Other than that, I will try to troubleshoot the problem. I usually update my clones about once a week or right after I've done some important work. If you don't know when the problem started, then you may even be cloning back the same problem... so trying to fix it is better.

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