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Luis_Mercado Author

Level 1

46 points

Guide: How to solve Yosemite memory leaks and CPU usage

I post this hoping to help those users who, like me, are experiencing high CPU usage and massive memory leaking with OS X core services and apps, leading to slow performance and battery drain.

I've tried everything mentioned, but found the right combination of steps to follow. I've tried this with seven different Apple computers, including mine, and has worked well so far. I applied this method yesterday to give these process a 24 hour window to fail again, so far everything good.

First step: disconnect any external or secondary monitors, if any is present. The video memory allocation leak can also happen if you have a system with an integrated card, like Intel, with no external monitors attached.

Second step: Shut down your machine and enter Safe Mode (press shift once you turn on your computer again, more info below). Once you're there, fix your disk permissions.

Guide of how to access Safe Mode: OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?

Third step: From Safe Mode turn off your machine again and reset your System Management Controller (SMC). There are different methods, depending on machine, to do this. To know what method applies to yours read the following guide.

Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)

Fourth step: Once your machine completes a full boot after resetting the SMC turn it off again and reset your PRAM (THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP, BUT THE PREVIOUS ONES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR THIS ONE TO WORK). The PRAM stores small bits of data that indicate our Apple computer how to interact with the devices connected to it, including monitors and video cards. It also affects software.

To reset it you should hold the OPTION, COMMAND, P and R keys in your keyboard immediately after turning on your machine again.You'll hear the start up chime, continue pressing the keys until the machine boots and the chime starts A SECOND TIME, then release. IF YOUR YOSEMITE INSTALLATION LOCKS UP AT A BLACK SCREEN AFTER THIS, DONT PANIC! It's normal, just turn off your computer and let it boot again.

More info about PRAM: OS X Mavericks: Reset your computer’s PRAM

Voila, reconnect your external displays and enjoy your system.

Message was edited by: Luis_Mercado

MacBook Air, OS X Yosemite (10.10)

Posted on Oct 23, 2014 10:45 AM

557 replies

Oct 28, 2014 3:59 AM in response to MadMacs0

yeah i haven't the slightest idea what arcana sound thing was it wasn't a panel i never saw it, but its gone now. to be completely honest, the jumbles of color that were my icons for a few days have not showed up anymore. this is after i went through the system and deleted things like perian, something called ltcm, flip4mac, things like that are now gone. i also deleted as many 3rd party softwares as i could from my users applications folder just to take out that element. and spent the last night going through those user and system application support and preference folders as well as some start up agents.. and the thing restarts and works in that whatever i delted didnt crash my computer.

heres my system now,

EtreCheck version: 2.0.6 (91)

Report generated October 28, 2014 at 6:54:52 AM EDT

Hardware Information: ℹ️

iMac (27-inch, Late 2012) (Verified)

iMac - model: iMac13,2

1 3.2 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 4-core

8 GB RAM Upgradeable

BANK 0/DIMM0

4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

BANK 1/DIMM0

4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

BANK 0/DIMM1

empty empty empty empty

BANK 1/DIMM1

empty empty empty empty

Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported

Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n

Video Information: ℹ️

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX - VRAM: 1024 MB

iMac 2560 x 1440

System Software: ℹ️

OS X 10.10 (14A389) - Uptime: 0:58:1

Disk Information: ℹ️

APPLE HDD WDC WD10EALX-408EA0 disk0 : (1 TB)

S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified

EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 999.35 GB (800.94 GB free)

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

USB Information: ℹ️

Western Digital My Book 1140 3 TB

S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified

disk1s1 (disk1s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

My Book (disk1s2) /Volumes/My Book : 3 TB (37.13 GB free)

Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub

Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️

Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

Configuration files: ℹ️

/etc/hosts - Count: 20

Gatekeeper: ℹ️

Mac App Store and identified developers

Launch Agents: ℹ️

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

[running] com.epson.ecrp.launcher.plist Support

[running] com.epson.Epson_Low_Ink_Reminder.launcher.plist Support

[loaded] com.epson.esua.launcher.plist Support

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

[loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist Support

[loaded] info.lokiware.attachmenttamer.setupagent.plist Support

Launch Daemons: ℹ️

[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support

[loaded] com.charlessoft.pacifist.helper.plist Support

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

[loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist Support

[loaded] com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist Support

[running] com.syniumsoftware.CleanAppDaemon.plist Support

[loaded] info.lokiware.attachmenttamer.securetool.plist Support

User Launch Agents: ℹ️

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

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

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

[loaded] info.lokiware.attachmenttamer.cleanup.plist Support

User Login Items: ℹ️

iTunesHelper Application (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 15.0.0.189 - SDK 10.6 Support

QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

Flash Player: Version: 15.0.0.189 - SDK 10.6 Support

Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10

SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.1.0 Support

Silverlight: Version: 5.1.30317.0 - SDK 10.6 Support

JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 71 Check version

User Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 7.1 Support

3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️

CleanApp Logging Service Support

Flash Player Support

Java Support

Time Machine: ℹ️

Auto backup: YES

Destinations:

My Book [Local]

Total size: 3 TB

Total number of backups: 97

Oldest backup: 2013-08-10 04:35:37 +0000

Last backup: 2014-10-28 09:30:56 +0000

Size of backup disk: Excellent

Backup size 3 TB > (Disk size 0 B X 3)

Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️

3% WindowServer

1% bluetoothaudiod

1% VLC

1% Safari

1% coreaudiod

Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️

318 MB mds_stores

198 MB VLC

163 MB softwareupdated

137 MB Mail

103 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️

3.86 GB Free RAM

3.00 GB Active RAM

682 MB Inactive RAM

1.04 GB Wired RAM

4.80 GB Page-ins

0 B Page-outs

Oct 28, 2014 4:07 AM in response to readytorun

here are a list of files i dont need.

Launch Agents

info.lokiware.attachmenttamer.setupagent.plist

Launch Daemons

com.charlessoft.pacifist.helper.plist

info.lokiware.attachmenttamer.securetool.plist

User Launch Agents

info.lokiware.attachmenttamer.cleanup.plist

now, here (lokiware attatchment tamer) is a case where i downloaded an uninstaller and did the correct process but it still obviously has these files. it is no longer a working part of my system or the mail program. in fact since i uninstalled it, the mail program tells me in a popupwindow on restart i have disabled a nonworking ad on or plug in. so the question is:

could you help me locate these files along with the pacifist one? i checked preferences folders in the hd and useres folders and did not find them, thank you.

MadMacs0

Level 5

5,227 points

Oct 28, 2014 4:07 AM in response to readytorun

readytorun wrote:

Still nothing there.

Oct 28, 2014 4:15 AM in response to MadMacs0

can you see this one? if not there are 20 lines (is that what the code referred to when it said "20"?) of adobe addresses underneath the four you wrote about. local broad, local local, all those numbers and characters are the same 127.0.0.01, 255.255.255.255, ::1, fe80::1%lo0

andthen twenty lines of adobe code with the 127.0.0.1 to its left, presumably referring to the local host?

MadMacs0

Level 5

5,227 points

Oct 28, 2014 4:17 AM in response to readytorun

readytorun wrote:

Launch Agents

info.lokiware.attachmenttamer.setupagent.plist

That one is in /Library/LaunchAgents/ I thought you might be hanging onto it for when they post an update.

Launch Daemons

com.charlessoft.pacifist.helper.plist

info.lokiware.attachmenttamer.securetool.plist

Those are in /Library/LaunchDaemons/

User Launch Agents

info.lokiware.attachmenttamer.cleanup.plist

And that one is a bit more difficult to find. First hold the <Option>-key down while selecting "Library" from the Finder's Go menu. Now look in the LaunchAgents folder.

As I mentioned to stevenhaines, I find EasyFind and Find Any File essential to help me weed out all the cruft that gets left behind. Just search for both the app name and the developer name and you'll find 99% of it.

Oct 28, 2014 4:20 AM in response to MadMacs0

will downloading another 3rd party software like a search thing help me or harm me? if I'm trying to make everything compatible? ill look again at the paths you mentioned. again, thank you.

and naw, I'm trying to eek out any kind of weirdness so attachment tamer isn't really priority now. working system is.

got em all thank you.

MadMacs0

Level 5

5,227 points

Oct 28, 2014 4:20 AM in response to readytorun

readytorun wrote:

well i looked there already for those files in those folders and theyre not there.

If EtreCheck says they are there, then they are. Make sure you are looking in the correct Library as there are three of them.

/System/Library/

/Library/

Users/<yourusername>/Library/ (hidden).

It's way past my bed time (4am), so that's all for tonight.

Oct 28, 2014 4:23 AM in response to MadMacs0

got em thanks. do you suppose reinstalling yosemite would help matters at all or just confuse things even more?

J_Ajay

Level 1

0 points

Oct 28, 2014 4:59 AM in response to Luis_Mercado

Hello,

I have successfully installed Yosemite on my MacBook Air 2013. Everything is working fine but a third party USB dongle app "Tata Photon 3G" is getting closed unexpectedly whenever I try to open. I connect to internet using this app so I am not able to send the Error report to apple as this app itself is not working. Can someone please post how to fix this issue.

Thanks in advance.

azag0

Level 1

0 points

Oct 28, 2014 6:07 AM in response to Luis_Mercado

This has solved my issues as well, thanks.

Though it seems that the problem that is solved by this guide is unrelated to the fact that transparency eats about 10% of a core in yosemite

nlesh

Level 1

21 points

Oct 28, 2014 10:17 AM in response to Luis_Mercado

Hi Luis

I am afraid the process you suggested did zero. I had done it one more time to exclude I made a mistake, and I do use a second monitor on the iMac,

but zero effect. Mail keeps going into Memory leak or whatever you call it 40-60 Gb in activity monitor and you get the memory warning, shutting off a number of other applications that you can resume to use once Mail has been force quit.

Apple HELP !!!!!!!!!! PLEASE !!! I am a loyal customer since 1986 and I am losing my patience the third major major issue due to an update from Apple.

Thanks