tawsh
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: iMac Super Slow

I posted this not too long ago, thought it was quicker, but within a few days it was back to being super slow.

 

My iMac is Slow – No Idea Why

 

So basically, I have the exact same question again:

 

Product name: iMac

Processor 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5

Memory: 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3

OS X: 10.9.4

 

--

 

My iMac is fairly new. Perhaps 3 years. All my programs are legal and I really only use my computer in the evening to work on freelance stuff. I feel as though ever since I updated to Mavericks, it's super slow doing the tiniest tasks. I'm a web developer/designer so I use Creative Cloud and often am switching between programs. Programs chug and even opening a browser is slower than it should be.

 

I've tried a few things to fix this.

 

1. I've rebooted my system and I always shut it off at night so it can clear it's cache.

2. I've disabled all my Google Chrome extensions (I read that that can slow things down)

3. My desktop is clean with only 3 folders on it.

4. I run verify disk/repair disk weekly.

5. I have the majority of my music on iMatch in the cloud and I regularly backup my photos on a hard drive.

6. All my working files for my work is located on a hard drive.

7. I unplug my hard drive when it's not in use and I don't work directly on it.

8. I've disabled most of my, 'open on restart' programs.

Posted on Sep 7, 2014 3:19 PM

by MichelPM,Solvedanswer
MichelPM MichelPM
Level 6 (13,653 points)
iPad
A:

I amazed that your computer wasn't running as slow on the previous OS X version you were using as 4 GBs of RAM is really a working, minimum RAM amount for just OS X, alone, nevermind running Adobe apps with just 4 GBs of RAM.

I believe you need to purchase and install more RAM to increase the amount of RAM in your system.

Your year and model iMac can take a grand total of 32 GBs of RAM.

I would increase your to, at. least, 12 GBs of RAM and 16 GBs of you can afford to do this. See if your iMac runs better on 15 GBs of RAM before even upgrading to even more RAM to make sure whether this is necessary to increase RAM to more the 16 GBs.

Correct, compatible and reliable Mac RAM can be purchased from online Mac RAM sources Crucial memory or OWC (macsales.com).

 

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/iMac/2011/DDR3_21.5_27

 

RAM is user upgradeable/installable and is, relatively, easy for new and novice users to install, themselves.

 

http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/imac_mid_2011_mem_h/

 

Good Luck!

Posted on Sep 8, 2014 7:39 PM

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tawsh

Q: iMac Super Slow

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  • by blackknife,

    blackknife blackknife Sep 8, 2014 10:56 AM in response to eightyearmarineveteran
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 8, 2014 10:56 AM in response to eightyearmarineveteran

    Although apps seem to be launching quicker, I'm still  experiencing the rolling beach ball….even as I type this. I type a few words, nothing appears, I get the BB, and my words type out after a few seconds. This is so very annoying!

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Sep 8, 2014 11:05 AM in response to blackknife
    Level 10 (140,898 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Sep 8, 2014 11:05 AM in response to blackknife

    Download and run Find Any File to search for any files with "the application's' name"  and the "developer's name" in the file name.  For example for Norton software you'd do two searches:

    1 - Name contains "the application name"

    2 - Name contains "norton".

    Any files that are found can be dragged from the search results window to the Desktop for deletion.

     

    FAF can search areas that Spotlight can't like invisible folders, system folders and packages.

    OTsig.png

  • by eightyearmarineveteran,

    eightyearmarineveteran eightyearmarineveteran Sep 8, 2014 11:19 AM in response to tawsh
    Level 1 (93 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 8, 2014 11:19 AM in response to tawsh

    Do you have a back up? If you do I would do an erase and reinstall then you can restore from the backup. That would bypass a lot of other tedious things that you may need to do. If you don't then you should make one. if nothing that doesn't work I would get a Apple Store Appointment and get a diagnostic done. Thats free to do and you'll at least find out if there is an actually issue.

     

    Hope that helps

  • by blackknife,

    blackknife blackknife Sep 8, 2014 11:46 AM in response to eightyearmarineveteran
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 8, 2014 11:46 AM in response to eightyearmarineveteran

    @ Old Toad-Searching files now via FAF, found one Norton file so far and deleted it, waiting for more results

     

    @ eightyearmarineveteran I have back ups from Time Machine. Could you briefly explain the process if I should have to do that? I'm sure I could trudge my way through it, but it's been quite a while since I've done anything like that

  • by blackknife,

    blackknife blackknife Sep 8, 2014 2:23 PM in response to blackknife
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 8, 2014 2:23 PM in response to blackknife

    just ran the hardware test and it said all was well

  • by blackknife,

    blackknife blackknife Sep 8, 2014 2:57 PM in response to blackknife
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 8, 2014 2:57 PM in response to blackknife

    well, this can't be good….time for a new machine?

     

    Screen Shot 2014-09-08 at 5.52.32 PM.png

  • by eightyearmarineveteran,

    eightyearmarineveteran eightyearmarineveteran Sep 8, 2014 4:06 PM in response to blackknife
    Level 1 (93 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 8, 2014 4:06 PM in response to blackknife

    Yea.

    1. Choose Apple menu > Restart, and then hold down the Command (⌘) and R keys while the computer restarts.
    2. Select “Disk Utility,” and then click Continue.
    3. Select your startup disk from the list on the left, and then click the Erase tab.
    4. From the Format pop-up menu, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled), type a name for your disk, and then click Erase.
    5. After the disk has been erased, choose Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility.

    The Recovery menu that appears includes the option to restore from a Time Machine backup. If you are using Mac OS X Snow Leopard, start your computer from the installation disc. Then use the "Restore From Time Machine Backup" utility.

     

    Hope that helps

  • by tawsh,

    tawsh tawsh Sep 8, 2014 4:21 PM in response to MichelPM
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 8, 2014 4:21 PM in response to MichelPM

    Here it is:

     

    --

     

    EtreCheck version: 1.9.15 (52)

    Report generated September 8, 2014 at 7:15:35 PM GMT-4

     

    Hardware Information: ?

      iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011) (Verified)

      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

      iMac 2560 x 1440

     

    System Software: ?

      OS X 10.9.4 (13E28) - Uptime: 4 days 11:47:52

     

    Disk Information: ?

      ST31000528AS disk0 : (1 TB)

      S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified

      EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB

      Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 999.35 GB (754.64 GB free)

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

     

      OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5690H 

     

    USB Information: ?

      Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

      Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub

      Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

      Apple Inc. iPhone

      LaCie P'9223 Mobile Drive 1 TB

      S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified

      BATMAN (disk1s1) /Volumes/BATMAN: 190.04 GB (107.05 GB free)

      ROBIN (disk1s2) /Volumes/ROBIN: 810.17 GB (809.52 GB free)

      Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

      Apple Internal Memory Card Reader

     

    Thunderbolt Information: ?

      Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

     

    Configuration files: ?

      /etc/hosts - Count: 15

     

    Gatekeeper: ?

      Mac App Store and identified developers

     

    Kernel Extensions: ?

      [not loaded] com.wacom.kext.pentablet (5.2.4) Support

     

    Startup Items: ?

      AdobeVersionCueCS2: Path: /Library/StartupItems/AdobeVersionCueCS2

     

    Problem System Launch Daemons: ?

      [failed] com.apple.wdhelper.plist

     

    Launch Daemons: ?

      [loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support

      [loaded] com.adobe.versioncueCS3.plist Support

      [loaded] com.adobe.versioncueCS4.plist Support

      [loaded] com.barebones.textwrangler.plist Support

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

     

    Launch Agents: ?

      [not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist Support

      [running] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist Support

      [loaded] com.adobe.CS4ServiceManager.plist Support

      [running] com.brother.LOGINserver.plist Support

      [loaded] com.divx.dms.agent.plist Support

      [loaded] com.divx.update.agent.plist Support

      [running] com.epson.eventmanager.agent.plist Support

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

      [running] com.wacom.pentablet.plist Support

     

    User Launch Agents: ?

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

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

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

      [running] com.akamai.single-user-client.plist Support

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

     

    User Login Items: ?

      iTunesHelper

      Backup of Natasha McDiarmid’s MacBook (7)

      AdobeResourceSynchronizer

      Google Drive

      TransmitMenu

      LaCie Network Assistant

      Google Chrome

      Dropbox

      EpsonLowInkReminderAgent

     

    Internet Plug-ins: ?

      o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.4.2.18903 Support

      WacomNetscape: Version: 1.1.1-1 Support

      OVSHelper: Version: 1.1 Support

      Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9

      Loki: Version: 3.0 Support

      OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin: Version: 12.2.0 Support

      WacomSafari: Version: 1.1.1-1 Support

      AdobeAAMDetect: Version: AdobeAAMDetect 2.0.0.0 - SDK 10.7 Support

      FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 14.0.0.176 - SDK 10.6 Support

      DivX Web Player: Version: 3.2.1.977 - SDK 10.6 Support

      AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.07 - SDK 10.6 Support

      Flash Player: Version: 14.0.0.176 - SDK 10.6 Support

      iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0

      googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.4.2.18903 Support

      QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

      AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.07 - SDK 10.6 Support

      Silverlight: Version: 5.1.30514.0 - SDK 10.6 Support

      JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 14.9.0 - SDK 10.7 Check version

     

    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 ?

      ConduitNPAPIPlugin: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.6 Support

      Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 7.1 Support

     

    3rd Party Preference Panes: ?

      Adobe Version Cue CS2  Support

      Adobe Version Cue CS3  Support

      Adobe Version Cue CS4  Support

      Akamai NetSession Preferences  Support

      PenTablet  Support

      Flash Player  Support

     

    Time Machine: ?

      Skip System Files: NO

      Mobile backups: OFF

      Auto backup: NO - Auto backup turned off

      Volumes being backed up:

      Macintosh HD: Disk size: 930.71 GB Disk used: 227.90 GB

      Destinations:

      Natasha McDiarmid's Time Ca [Network] (Last used)

      Total size: 929.19 GB

      Total number of backups: 42

      Oldest backup: 2013-12-04 20:24:37 +0000

      Last backup: 2014-08-04 22:30:16 +0000

      Size of backup disk: Adequate

      Backup size 929.19 GB > (Disk used 227.90 GB X 3)

      Time Machine details may not be accurate.

      All volumes being backed up may not be listed.

     

    Top Processes by CPU: ?

          3% Google Chrome

          2% Dreamweaver

          2% WindowServer

          1% coreaudiod

          1% mds

     

    Top Processes by Memory: ?

      242 MB Finder

      146 MB mds

      102 MB Google Chrome Helper

      94 MB Google Chrome

      66 MB com.apple.IconServicesAgent

     

    Virtual Memory Information: ?

      17 MB Free RAM

      806 MB Active RAM

      804 MB Inactive RAM

      1.08 GB Wired RAM

      12.58 GB Page-ins

      543 MB Page-outs

  • by blackknife,

    blackknife blackknife Sep 8, 2014 4:55 PM in response to eightyearmarineveteran
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 8, 2014 4:55 PM in response to eightyearmarineveteran

    sorry, are you saying yeah I will need a new HD or machine, or can this be solved by erase & restore? Also if I load up a back up, I think I would want to choose an older one so as not to load a back up file that has the same issue?

     

    I really appreciate you taking the time to help

  • by eightyearmarineveteran,

    eightyearmarineveteran eightyearmarineveteran Sep 8, 2014 5:02 PM in response to tawsh
    Level 1 (93 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 8, 2014 5:02 PM in response to tawsh

    Oh my bad I thought I saw a command asking for a walk through. yes there is the chance you will put the issue back on. The way around that is to go into your back up file on your external and click and drag one by one the information onto your computer.

     

    The best way to really find out whats wrong with the computer you would want to take it into an apple store. It takes about 15 minutes and they tell you what is wrong and what options you may have.

     

    Hope that helps

  • by MichelPM,

    MichelPM MichelPM Sep 8, 2014 7:29 PM in response to blackknife
    Level 6 (13,653 points)
    iPad
    Sep 8, 2014 7:29 PM in response to blackknife

    Your hard drive is failing!

    If you have a, fairly, recent backup, already, then it is time to call and make an appointment with an Apple store or an Apple authorized reseller/repair center, bring your Mac in  and get a free diagnosis and quote for a hard drive replacement.

  • by MichelPM,Solvedanswer

    MichelPM MichelPM Sep 8, 2014 7:39 PM in response to tawsh
    Level 6 (13,653 points)
    iPad
    Sep 8, 2014 7:39 PM in response to tawsh

    I amazed that your computer wasn't running as slow on the previous OS X version you were using as 4 GBs of RAM is really a working, minimum RAM amount for just OS X, alone, nevermind running Adobe apps with just 4 GBs of RAM.

    I believe you need to purchase and install more RAM to increase the amount of RAM in your system.

    Your year and model iMac can take a grand total of 32 GBs of RAM.

    I would increase your to, at. least, 12 GBs of RAM and 16 GBs of you can afford to do this. See if your iMac runs better on 15 GBs of RAM before even upgrading to even more RAM to make sure whether this is necessary to increase RAM to more the 16 GBs.

    Correct, compatible and reliable Mac RAM can be purchased from online Mac RAM sources Crucial memory or OWC (macsales.com).

     

    http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/iMac/2011/DDR3_21.5_27

     

    RAM is user upgradeable/installable and is, relatively, easy for new and novice users to install, themselves.

     

    http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/imac_mid_2011_mem_h/

     

    Good Luck!

  • by tawsh,

    tawsh tawsh Sep 9, 2014 5:46 AM in response to MichelPM
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 9, 2014 5:46 AM in response to MichelPM

    Oh wow that's all it is? I considered that but I just was confused as to why it was running fast when I first got my iMac on 4GB. Perhaps the new Adobe Creative Cloud takes up a lot more than previous versions?

     

    I'm considering purchasing: 16GB of RAM. Do you think that will suffice? Will that make a major improvement?

  • by B_Baygan,

    B_Baygan B_Baygan Sep 9, 2014 10:26 AM in response to tawsh
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 9, 2014 10:26 AM in response to tawsh

    This is a good article and will explain further how much RAM is need for different tasks. Still it's a very personal questions and the answer you get from everyone depends on their needs and usage.

     

    http://www.macworld.com/article/2034655/lab-tested-the-ramifications-of-addition al-memory-on-a-mac.html

  • by MichelPM,

    MichelPM MichelPM Sep 9, 2014 12:14 PM in response to tawsh
    Level 6 (13,653 points)
    iPad
    Sep 9, 2014 12:14 PM in response to tawsh

    If you are using Adobe apps, 16 GBs of RAM should be fine.

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