tinfoilrose

Q: iMac is running unbelievably slow - please help!

The "wheel of death" appears constantly, even when just trying to switch from one application to another.  It was pretty bad before, but once I upgraded to Maverick it's become unbearable. Typical applications that I have open concurrently include mail, safari, office. If I want to run Parallels or Photoshop, I have to close everything else, and even so I have time to go make a sandwich while the apps load.  I'm considering upgrading RAM, but before I do so I want to be sure there's nothing else I can do to make the system run more efficiently.  Appreciate any advice. Specs are below, let me know if I can provide more info.

My specs: OSX 10.9.2

 

Model Name:          iMac

  Model Identifier:          iMac12,2

  Processor Name:          Intel Core i5

  Processor Speed:          2.7 GHz

  Number of Processors:          1

  Total Number of Cores:          4

  L2 Cache (per Core):          256 KB

  L3 Cache:          6 MB

  Memory:          4 GB

  Boot ROM Version:          IM121.0047.B1E

  SMC Version (system):          1.72f2

  Serial Number (system):          C0********HJP

  Hardware UUID:          ***************

 

 

<Edited by Host>

iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9.2)

Posted on Jun 10, 2014 12:32 PM

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Q: iMac is running unbelievably slow - please help!

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  • by tbirdvet,

    tbirdvet tbirdvet Jun 10, 2014 5:10 PM in response to tinfoilrose
    Level 4 (3,013 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 10, 2014 5:10 PM in response to tinfoilrose

    You may have too may processes running.  How many logins items do you have?  Go to preferences, users and check your items.  You can also run Etrecheck and post the results here.  It will show more detail of what's going on.

  • by petermac87,

    petermac87 petermac87 Jun 10, 2014 5:18 PM in response to tinfoilrose
    Level 5 (7,402 points)
    Jun 10, 2014 5:18 PM in response to tinfoilrose

    etresoft  a long time contributer to Apple Support Communities wrote a very useful app he called etrecheck which helps in diagnosing many problems caused by third party installs etc.. Go to his website, read his information and from there download and run the program according to his instructions

     

    http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

     

    Post results back here

     

    Pete

  • by tinfoilrose,

    tinfoilrose tinfoilrose Jun 11, 2014 4:04 AM in response to petermac87
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 11, 2014 4:04 AM in response to petermac87

    Thanks!  Here's my Etreheck Report:

    EtreCheck version: 1.9.11 (43) - report generated June 11, 2014 at 7:02:22 AM EDT

     

    Hardware Information:

              iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)

              iMac - model: iMac12,2

              1 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 4 cores

              4 GB RAM

     

    Video Information:

              AMD Radeon HD 6770M - VRAM: 512 MB

     

    System Software:

              OS X 10.9.2 (13C64) - Uptime: 0 days 0:18:1

     

    Disk Information:

              ST31000528AS disk0 : (1 TB)

                        EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB

                        Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 999.35 GB (708.13 GB free)

                        Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB

     

              HL-DT-STDVDRW  GA32N 

     

    USB Information:

              Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

              Apple Inc. iPhone

              Maxtor OneTouch II 251 GB

                        EFI (disk2s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB

                        IMAC BACKUP (disk2s2) /Volumes/IMAC BACKUP: 250.66 GB (3.11 GB free)

              DYMO DYMO LabelWriter 450  Turbo

              PNY USB 2.0 FD 16.03 GB

                        NO NAME (disk1s1) /Volumes/NO NAME 1: 16.02 GB (10.71 GB free)

              Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub

                        Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

              Apple, Inc. Keyboard Hub

                        Apple Inc. Apple Keyboard

              Apple Internal Memory Card Reader

              Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

     

    Thunderbolt Information:

              Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

     

    Gatekeeper:

              Mac App Store and identified developers

     

    Kernel Extensions:

              [not loaded] com.FTDI.driver.FTDIUSBSerialDriver (2.2.18 - SDK 10.6) Support

              [kext loaded] com.digidesign.iokit.DigiDal (9.0.5f4 - SDK 10.5) Support

              [not loaded] com.dymo.usbprinterclassdriver.kext (1.1 - SDK 10.5) Support

              [not loaded] com.m-audio.driver.firewire.dice (2.3.2) Support

              [not loaded] com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.leopard (5.8 - SDK 10.4) Support

              [not loaded] com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.master (5.8) Support

              [not loaded] com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.panther (5.8 - SDK 10.3) Support

              [kext loaded] com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.snowleopard (5.8 - SDK 10.6) Support

              [not loaded] com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.tiger (5.8 - SDK 10.4) Support

              [not loaded] com.philips.iokit.DLconnect (85 - SDK 10.4) Support

     

    Launch Daemons:

              [loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support

              [loaded] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist Support

              [loaded] com.bombich.ccc.plist Support

              [running] com.bombich.ccc.scheduledtask.C240D320-83A9-4104-95DD-637D58889780.plist Support

              [invalid] com.dymo.pnpd.plist

              [loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist Support

              [running] com.paceap.eden.licensed.plist Support

              [loaded] PACESupport.plist Support

     

    Launch Agents:

              [running] com.newwellnesssolutions.DLconnectMonitor.plist Support

     

    User Launch Agents:

              [loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist Support

              [loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support

              [failed] com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-[...]@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist

              [running] com.bombich.ccc-user-agent.plist Support

              [loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support

     

    User Login Items:

              iTunesHelper

              Wondershare Helper Compact

     

    Internet Plug-ins:

              DYMO NPAPI Addin: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.6 Support

              Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9

              DYMO Safari Addin: Version: (null) - SDK 10.5 Support

              AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 10.1.10 Support

              FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 13.0.0.214 - SDK 10.6 Support

              Flash Player: Version: 13.0.0.214 - SDK 10.6 Outdated! Update

              QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

              CitrixICAClientPlugIn: Version: 11.4.0 - SDK 10.0 Support

              SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.3.9 - SDK 10.6 Support

              AdobePDFViewer: Version: 10.1.10 Support

              CouponPrinter-FireFox_v2: Version: 1.1.10 - SDK 10.5 Support

              Scorch: Version: 6.2.0 Support

              JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 51 Check version

     

    Safari Extensions:

              autocomplete: Version: 1.0

              Open in Internet Explorer: Version: 1.0

              Add To Amazon Wish List: Version: 1.8

     

    Audio Plug-ins:

              BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9

              AirPlay: Version: 2.0 - SDK 10.9

              AppleAVBAudio: Version: 203.2 - SDK 10.9

              iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9

     

    iTunes Plug-ins:

              Quartz Composer Visualizer: Version: 1.4 - SDK 10.9

     

    User Internet Plug-ins:

              Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 7.1 Support

     

    3rd Party Preference Panes:

              Flash Player  Support

              PreferencesPane  Support

     

    Time Machine:

              Mobile backups: OFF

              Auto backup: NO - Auto backup turned off

              Volumes being backed up:

                        Macintosh HD: Disk size: 930.71 GB Disk used: 271.21 GB

              Destinations:

                        IMAC BACKUP [Local] (Last used)

                        Total size: 0 B

                        Total number of backups: (null)

                        Size of backup disk: Too small

                                  Backup size 0 B < (Disk used 271.21 GB X 3)

              Time Machine details may not be accurate.

              All volumes being backed up may not be listed.

     

    Top Processes by CPU:

                  12%          Dock

                   7%          WindowServer

                   0%          opendirectoryd

                   0%          mds_stores

                   0%          mds

     

    Top Processes by Memory:

              197 MB          com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

              188 MB          com.apple.IconServicesAgent

              180 MB          Safari

              164 MB          Skype

              106 MB          Evernote

     

    Virtual Memory Information:

              14 MB          Free RAM

              1.53 GB          Active RAM

              1.53 GB          Inactive RAM

              885 MB          Wired RAM

              1.71 GB          Page-ins

              12 MB          Page-outs

  • by tbirdvet,

    tbirdvet tbirdvet Jun 11, 2014 4:57 AM in response to tinfoilrose
    Level 4 (3,013 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 11, 2014 4:57 AM in response to tinfoilrose

    Two things:

    Looks like you need more Ram as you have some page outs

    Not sure why your dock is using 12% of CPU.  Seems way high.  Do you have the standard dock and are apps. open?

  • by tinfoilrose,

    tinfoilrose tinfoilrose Jun 11, 2014 7:10 AM in response to tbirdvet
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 11, 2014 7:10 AM in response to tbirdvet

    As far as I know, I have the standard dock - maybe I have too many items in the dock?  I have about 30.

     

    At the time of running the check, I had the following apps open:
    Finder

    Mail

    Safari

    Skype

    Evernote

  • by tinfoilrose,

    tinfoilrose tinfoilrose Jun 11, 2014 8:34 AM in response to tbirdvet
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 11, 2014 8:34 AM in response to tbirdvet

    Just tried to buy some RAM from the Apple Store and it says they do not have memory available for my model.  Any suggestions on what brands/where to buy?

  • by Allan Eckert,

    Allan Eckert Allan Eckert Jun 11, 2014 8:42 AM in response to tinfoilrose
    Level 9 (53,825 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 11, 2014 8:42 AM in response to tinfoilrose

    I would suggest that you uninstall

     

       [loaded] PACESupport.plist Support

     

    Directions to uninstall it are at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1640428

     

    Test the Mac after it is uninstalled.

     

    PACE is usually used by some software applications for anti-privacy.

     

    The application using PACE will probably fail to load. You will then have to deside if you want to keep PACE and the problems or give up the application.

  • by Allan Eckert,

    Allan Eckert Allan Eckert Jun 11, 2014 8:45 AM in response to tinfoilrose
    Level 9 (53,825 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 11, 2014 8:45 AM in response to tinfoilrose

    If you go to Crucial, you can download a scanner which will tell you exactly what you need in the way of RAM.

     

    Once you know the number for the RAM card your Mac needs you can then check the pirce at other site such as MacSales.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jun 11, 2014 9:07 AM in response to tinfoilrose
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Jun 11, 2014 9:07 AM in response to tinfoilrose

    Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:

    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

    ☞ In the Finder, select Go Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

    ☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.

    The title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select

    SYSTEM LOG QUERIES All Messages

    from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select

    View Show Log List

    from the menu bar at the top of the screen.

    Click the Clear Display icon in the toolbar. Then try the action that you're having trouble with again. Select any messages that appear in the Console window. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.

    ☞ The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of which is irrelevant to solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. A few dozen lines are almost always more than enough.

    Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.

    Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.

    ☞ Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

  • by tbirdvet,

    tbirdvet tbirdvet Jun 11, 2014 9:38 AM in response to tinfoilrose
    Level 4 (3,013 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 11, 2014 9:38 AM in response to tinfoilrose

    I use Crucial and ordered directly from their Web site.  Price was as good as anywhere else.

  • by tinfoilrose,

    tinfoilrose tinfoilrose Jun 11, 2014 12:28 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 11, 2014 12:28 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Here's a snippet of messages that came up in Console in one minute:

     

    6/11/14 3:26:14.226 PM mdworker[9656]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:26:17.289 PM mdworker[9673]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:26:17.291 PM mds[39]: (Warning) DiskStore: Server returned -1 setting attributes

    6/11/14 3:26:17.291 PM mds[39]: (Warning) DiskStore: Server returned -1 setting attributes

    6/11/14 3:26:21.083 PM mdworker[9666]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:26:22.284 PM mdworker[9674]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:26:33.495 PM mdworker[9674]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:26:35.141 PM mdworker[9675]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:26:38.356 PM mdworker[9650]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:26:38.870 PM mdworker[9677]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:26:38.873 PM mdworker[9662]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:26:39.461 PM mdworker[9678]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:26:41.347 PM mdworker[9677]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:26:43.380 PM mdworker[9679]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:26:53.196 PM mdworker[9673]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:26:54.808 PM mdworker[9680]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:26:58.241 PM mdworker[9680]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:26:58.823 PM mdworker[9681]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:27:03.757 PM mds[39]: (Warning) DiskStore: Server returned -1 setting attributes

    6/11/14 3:27:10.119 PM mdworker[9675]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:27:12.862 PM mdworker[9683]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:27:18.031 PM mdworker[9679]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:27:18.649 PM mdworker[9684]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:27:21.798 PM mds[39]: (Warning) DiskStore: Server returned -1 setting attributes

    6/11/14 3:27:21.799 PM mds[39]: (Warning) DiskStore: Server returned -1 setting attributes

    6/11/14 3:27:24.777 PM WindowServer[98]: disable_update_timeout: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "Microsoft Word" for over 1.00 seconds. Server has re-enabled them.

    6/11/14 3:27:24.931 PM WindowServer[98]: common_reenable_update: UI updates were finally reenabled by application "Microsoft Word" after 1.15 seconds (server forcibly re-enabled them after 1.00 seconds)

    6/11/14 3:27:34.174 PM mdworker[9683]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:27:36.323 PM WindowServer[98]: disable_update_timeout: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "Microsoft Word" for over 1.00 seconds. Server has re-enabled them.

    6/11/14 3:27:38.843 PM mdworker[9691]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

    6/11/14 3:27:38.845 PM mds[39]: (Warning) DiskStore: Server returned -1 setting attributes

    6/11/14 3:27:39.886 PM WindowServer[98]: common_reenable_update: UI updates were finally reenabled by application "Microsoft Word" after 4.56 seconds (server forcibly re-enabled them after 1.00 seconds)

    6/11/14 3:27:44.173 PM mdworker[9678]: (Warning) Import: Bad path:

  • by tinfoilrose,

    tinfoilrose tinfoilrose Jun 11, 2014 12:41 PM in response to tbirdvet
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 11, 2014 12:41 PM in response to tbirdvet

    Thank you, and also to Allan.  I ordered an additional 12 GB of memory from Crucial via Amazon.

     

    Would still appreciate any other advice - based on the reports above, if there's anything else I could be doing to run more efficiently.

     

    Thanks!

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jun 11, 2014 12:49 PM in response to tinfoilrose
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Jun 11, 2014 12:49 PM in response to tinfoilrose

    Please unmount all external storage devices. Any change?

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