Q: Mac osx, really slow, beachball all the time

How much free space do you have on youyr hard disk drive?

Allan

Sorry, it does not appear like the easy solution will work in your case then.

For a complete list of trouble shooting, read http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/performance.html

Allan

See:

Mac Maintenance Quick Assist,
Mac OS X speed FAQ,
Speeding up Macs,
How to Speed up Macs,
Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance,
Mac troubleshooting: What to do when your computer is too slow,
Essential Mac Maintenance: Get set up,
Essential Mac Maintenance: Rev up your routines,
Five Mac maintenance myths and
Myths of required versus not required maintenance for Mac OS X for information.