Q: slow mac

Unlikely that it has a virus.

MacKeeper is a kind of malware, which has its removal instructions here:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3036

Other system cache cleaning utilities should be removed according to their own directions.  System cache is used to speed up a system and should not be modified on a non-backed up system.

Make sure the following is being done properly:

1. Once a month Macs should at least be run overnight in screen saver instead of Energy Saver mode.  This allows a full run of the log file cleanup to be done properly by the system itself.

2. You aren't simultaneously backing up your system while using it for other purposes.  Time Machine can be manually controlled via its Apple menu -> System Preferences.

3. Your Java is the most current: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-5532

4. Your Flash is only updated from http://www.adobe.com/

5. Your hard drive is not over 85% full.

6. Your Spotlight (the little magnifying glass icon in the upper right) does not show that it is indexing.

7. Your cookies in your web browser preferences only are representative of websites you store passwords with.

8. You aren't dependent on external storage for anything but backing up.

9. You didn't use the migration/setup assistent from a pre-2006 Mac (PowerPC).  

10. The hardware test doesn't reveal anything wrong:

https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1509

11. You aren't getting kernel panics:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3742

1) What is the best way to clean things up?  Isn't there something I need to do in Utilities?

There is nothing that can clean up unneeded things for you. That's something you would have to do for yourself. So-called "cleaning" utilities only delete files that are temporary files, such as caches, which shows you a temporary gain in disk space. And then your machine slows down a bit as it re-creates all those files, and the disk space goes away again. In other words, you don't need such a utility... see The myth of the dirty Mac.

If you have unused apps that you want to delete, you will need to uninstall them using whatever uninstaller is provided by the developer. Do not use generic uninstaller apps that claim to remove anything, as they will usually either not remove enough or remove too much. If an app required an installer, seek out an uninstaller from the developer. This may already be on your machine somewhere, or may be part of the originall install distribution (even the original installer), or it may be something you will need to contact the developer for. If an app came from the App Store, or didn't need an installer, you can usually just drag it to the trash.

2) how can check to see if my iMac hasn't gotten a virus....(wasn't there one that was hitting Macs last year?)

There are many different malware programs out there for the Mac. The average person is probably aware of few, if any, of them. Fortunately, there's a good reason for that: they're quite rare. It's unlikely that your performance issues are related to malware. See my Mac Malware Guide for more info.

Regarding a fix for your problems, see my Mac Performance Guide.

1. Once a month Macs should at least be run overnight in screen saver instead of Energy Saver mode.  This allows a full run of the log file cleanup to be done properly by the system itself.

That hasn't actually been the case in quite a long time. Those log file cleanup scripts - which are actually pretty unimportant these days - run automatically at the first opportunity when the machine wakes up, if it was sleeping when the scripts were due to run.

7. Your cookies in your web browser preferences only are representative of websites you store passwords with.

Cookies do not cause generalized performance problems. They don't even cause browser problems unless there's some kind of corruption involved. I generally don't advise spending too much time trying to manage cookies. That's generally a waste of time

Hello,

Things you should do to make your computer work faster.  First of all, check the entire internet speed, using this website - http://http://www.speedtest.net/

You need to also clear all cookies and cache from your computer.  If you are using Firefox, you will need to click on "Firefox" in the top left corner of your screen and go down to preferences on the list. In the tab titled privacy, go to the bottom, and clear all of the recent history.  Make sure that when the window with the checked boxes appears, after you click clear history, that you check  clear cookies and cache.

If you are using Google Chrome, than you will need to find those 3 dashes on the right side of the window.  Click on those, and scroll down the list to preferences.  Then, you will need to scroll down to "show advanced settings" and click, clear browsing data.  Once you have clicked, clear cookies and cache, and checked from the beggining of time,  You are good to go.

You also NEED, to save and close all microsoft word windows, and all tabs and windows.  When you have a ton of windows and tabs open on your computer, they make it go SLOW!  After all of your tabs and windows are closed and saved, try the other options above. Sometimes, computers get old, and you need to realize that.  If your computer is older than 10 years old, you should definitely look into getting a new one, if nothing works.  It happens!

Certain applications can make your computer go slow. If you have downloaded anything onto your computer that you think may be the cause,  look into getting rid of it. ALSO,  don't freak out when you try to clear browsing data and cache and cookies, and it takes forever.  Don't WORRY!  If you haven't ever done it before, there is a lot of things to clear!  Try all options listed above.

I suggest NOT to use safari, as I have encountered many problems with it.  I don't know how to clear the browsing data and cache and cookies off of that. You can look it up in your search engine. 

Last but not least, if you need any help, and all of our suggestions didn't work, contact apple support!  You can call them, or speak to them via live chat!

http://http://store.apple.com/us/help Visit the help website at this link.

I wish you much luck,

CRG