Spinning wheel very common/often after upgrade on switching apps or tasks within apps

Your problem may be that your HD is too full. The usual recommendation is to keep at least 10% free.

Your internal hard drive is getting close to the 15 GB minimum free space limit.

Here are some general tips to keep your Mac's hard drive trim and slim as possible

You should never, EVER let a computer hard drive get completely full, EVER!

With Macs and OS X, you shouldn't let the hard drive get below 15 GBs or less of free data space.

If it does, it's time for some hard drive housecleaning.

Follow some of my tips for cleaning out, deleting and archiving data from your Mac's internal hard drive.

Have you emptied your Mac's Trash icon in the Dock?

If you use iPhoto or Aperture, both have its own trash that needs to be emptied, also.

If you store images in other locations other than iPhoto, then you will have to weed through these to determine what to archive and what to delete.

If you are an iMovie/ Final Cut user, both apps have their own individual Trash location that needs to be emptied, too!

If you use Apple Mail app, Apple Mail also has its own trash area that needs to be emptied, too!

Delete any old or no longer needed emails and/or archive to disc, flash drives or external hard drive, older emails you want to save.

Look through your other Mailboxes and other Mail categories to see If there is other mail you can archive and/or delete.

STAY AWAY FROM DELETING ANY FILES FROM OS X SYSTEM FOLDER!

Look through your Documents folder and delete any type of old useless type files like "Read Me" type files.

Again, archive to disc, flash drives, ext. hard drives or delete any old documents you no longer use or immediately need.

Look in your Applications folder, if you have applications you haven't used in a long time, if the app doesn't have a dedicated uninstaller, then you can simply drag it into the OS X Trash icon. IF the application has an uninstaller app, then use it to completely delete the app from your Mac.

To find other large files, download an app called Omni Disk Sweeper.

http://www.omnigroup.com/more

Also, Find Any File

http://apps.tempel.org/FindAnyFile/

Download an app called OnyX for your version of OS X.

http://www.titanium.free.fr/downloadonyx.php

When you install and launch it, let it do its initial automatic tests, then go to the cleaning and maintenance tabs and run the maintenance tabs that let OnyX clean out all web browser cache files, web browser histories, system cache files, delete old error log files.

Typically, iTunes and iPhoto libraries are the biggest users of HD space.

move these files/data off of your internal drive to the external hard drive and deleted off of the internal hard drive.

If you have any other large folders of personal data or projects, these should be archived or moved, also, to the optical discs, flash drives or external hard drive and then either archived to disc and/or deleted off your internal hard drive.

Moving iTunes library

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449

Moving iPhoto library

http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2506

Moving iMovie projects folder

http://support.apple.com/kb/ph2289

Start with doing this first.

Good Luck!

Make sure to update all of your third party software if there are OS X Mavericks updates that can be applied. You may need to go the third party developers' websites if there are no updates through the Mac App Store.

Update all of your Web browser Internet plugins, too!

Also, if you have any third party devices, like keyboards, mice, drawing tablets, hubs, card readers, etc, you need to update the drivers for these devices to OS X Yosemite compatible versions by going to the support/drivers/downloads section of each device makers' websites.

You have third party devices installed or plug into your Mac.

You have a Go Pro camera, some sort of Logitech device.

Make sure the drivers/software are up to date.

Loungin wrote:

I appreciate the help. Keep in mind, minutes before the upgrade everything was completely fine, so I highly doubt it is memory related. Especially considering I was down to 5GB with no issues until I freed up 20GB. I now freed up around 70GB and the problem still persists. I don't really have any active 3rd party devices. I suppose I'll just wait until Apple fixes this through updates. No wonder insiders are starting to dump the stock.

You stated you started having issues after you deleted 15 GBs of files.

What, exactly did you delete and what or how did you delete these files?

I fear the answer, but need to know this since you said your Mac wasn't giving you issues with only 5 GBs left on your hard drive ( this statement I am highly dubious of).

I can't believe you are having all of these issues.

Especially with 16 GBs of RAM installed.

Make sure all of your installed software is up to date.

Also, just as a check, Google wares run like garbage on newer versions of Mac OS X.

All of Google's software is very intrusive on the Mac operating system.

I would start by disabling Google Drive and see if your performance picks up. If it does do a search for the proper way to uninstall Google Drive and maybe consider ditching Google Chrome, as well.

https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95319?hl=en

https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2375081?hl=en

If you do not like Apple's Safari, try Mozilla FireFox, instead. Mozilla FireFox is much more Mac/OS X friendly and the Mozilla group regularly updates FireFox.

I just saw something.

Are you using data encryption on your hard drive like OS X File Vault?

I am really now out of ideas.

I am starting to lean toward hard drive is failing.

If the delay is consistent, it could get worse indicating hard drive failure.

Purchase an external hard drive and backup your Mac using either OS X Time Machine or a by using a data cloning app like CarbonCopyCloner or Super Duper to create a bootable backup of your current system.

if you get a fast connection ( USB 3.0, Thunderbolt or FireWire 800 connected) external hard drive and use a data cloning app to clone your entire system to the drive, you can boot this drive to see if your performance is better on a brand new hard drive to test whether you have an OS issues or a hard drive issues.

If a hard drive issues, you have the bootable backup of your current system on a good quality external hard drive and you can bring your Mac into an Apple Store or Apple authorized service/repair center for a free diagnosis and quote for a possible repair.

Best place to purchase a good quality fast connection hard drive is OWC ( macsales.com)

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Thunderbolt/

Best diagnosis I can give you at this point.

Good Luck!

I don't think so - never heard of it, so assuming no.

That assumption is wrong. The EtreCheck report shows FileVault is either encrypting or decrypting ("Encrypted AES-XTS UnlockedConverting").

Check System Prefences -> Security & Privacy -> FileVault tab for the progress status.

Thank you!!!!!!

I spotted this after a time and it looked to me as if File Vault is being used.

That is what is causing the OP's delay times on the Mac.

Everytime the Mac has to access the hard drive, there is a slight delay as File Vault encrypts/decrypts the data.

This is what is causing the OP's issues.

I knew it!

BRILLIANT!!!

Thank You!

🙂