Yosemite slowing down macbook air performance

Question

Ever since upgrading to yosemite, my 2011 macbook air 11&#x27; has been very noticeably sluggish compared to how it was with mavericks. At first i thought it might be from some conflicts from the previous OS, so I did a completely fresh install with yosemite, but it&#x27;s still dragging and sluggish, especially with any kind of graphics intensive process. I know the air isn&#x27;t supposed to be a marvel at graphics performance, but I never had these performance issues with mavericks.Is yosemite just too resource heavy for my macbook air? I wonder if I&#x27;d just be better off going back to mavericks. However, if there&#x27;s some kind of settings I need to adjust, I&#x27;d be happy to experiment. I&#x27;ve already tried the &#x27;reduce transparency&#x27; trick, but it didn&#x27;t do much (not that I noticed anyways).

LordOmega · Answer

What are your specs? could be a memory issue.

pnewcomb · Answer

4 GB memory, 1.8 GHz i7 processor

Rafael B. · Answer

It seems to be a common issue, see e.g. http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t&#x3D;1814416In the last couple of days there also popped up several articles complaining about Apple’s current state of its software. You can find a good overview of the most common issues in this article (it’s also worth to skim over the comments as there are issues that aren’t discussed in the article): http://glog.glennf.com/blog/2015/1/6/the-software-and-services-apple-needs-to-fi x

petermac87 · Answer

Post an etrecheck report and we&#x27;ll see if there is anything obvious slowing down your Mac. Yosemite should work fine on your Mac.Pete

pnewcomb · Answer

EtreCheck version: 2.1.5 (108)Report generated January 12, 2015 at 8:31:44 AM CSTClick the [Support] links for help with non-Apple products.Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.Click the [Adware] links for help removing adware.Hardware Information: ℹ️    MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2011) (Verified)    MacBook Air - model: MacBookAir4,1    1 1.8 GHz Intel Core i7 CPU: 2-core    4 GB RAM Not upgradeable        BANK 0/DIMM0            2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok        BANK 1/DIMM0            2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok    Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported    Wireless:  en0: 802.11 a/b/g/nVideo Information: ℹ️    Intel HD Graphics 3000 - VRAM: 384 MB        Color LCD 1920 x 1080        VX2703 SERIES spdisplays_1080pSystem Software: ℹ️    OS X 10.10.1 (14B25) - Uptime: 0:31:17Disk Information: ℹ️    OWC Aura Pro 6G SSD disk0 : (480.1 GB)        EFI (disk0s1) &lt;not mounted&gt; : 210 MB         Recovery HD (disk0s3) &lt;not mounted&gt;  [Recovery]: 650 MB         Mac (disk1) /  [Startup]: 478.87 GB (16.03 GB free) (Low!)            Core Storage: disk0s2 479.24 GB OnlineUSB Information: ℹ️    Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1 TB        EFI (disk3s1) &lt;not mounted&gt; : 210 MB         Backup (disk3s2) /Volumes/Backup : 999.86 GB (207.97 GB free)    Generic Mass Storage Device     Western Digital My Passport 0748 2 TB        disk2s1 (disk2s1) &lt;not mounted&gt; : 512 B         Passport (disk2s2) /Volumes/Passport : 2.00 TB (938.40 GB free)    Apple Inc. FaceTime Camera (Built-in)     Apple Inc. Apple USB Ethernet Adapter     Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad     Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub         Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️    Apple Inc. thunderbolt_busGatekeeper: ℹ️    AnywhereKernel Extensions: ℹ️        /Applications/VMware Fusion.app    [not loaded]    com.vmware.kext.vmci (90.6.3) [Support]    [not loaded]    com.vmware.kext.vmioplug.14.1.3 (14.1.3) [Support]    [not loaded]    com.vmware.kext.vmnet (0207.55.34) [Support]    [not loaded]    com.vmware.kext.vmx86 (0207.55.34) [Support]    [not loaded]    com.vmware.kext.vsockets (90.6.0) [Support]        /Applications/VyprVPN.app    [loaded]    foo.tap (1.0) [Support]    [loaded]    foo.tun (1.0) [Support]        /Library/Extensions    [loaded]    com.Perfect.Driver.SystemAudioRecorder (1.0.0 - SDK 10.9) [Support]    [loaded]    com.globaldelight.driver.BoomDevice (1.3 - SDK 10.9) [Support]    [not loaded]    com.quantumintech.driver.emwave (2.4.0 - SDK 10.8) [Support]        /System/Library/Extensions    [not loaded]    com.devguru.driver.SamsungComposite (1.4.23 - SDK 10.6) [Support]    [not loaded]    com.wacom.kext.pentablet (5.3.5 - SDK 10.9) [Support]        /System/Library/Extensions/ssuddrv.kext/Contents/PlugIns    [not loaded]    com.devguru.driver.SamsungACMControl (1.4.23 - SDK 10.6) [Support]    [not loaded]    com.devguru.driver.SamsungACMData (1.4.23 - SDK 10.6) [Support]    [not loaded]    com.devguru.driver.SamsungMTP (1.4.23 - SDK 10.5) [Support]    [not loaded]    com.devguru.driver.SamsungSerial (1.4.23 - SDK 10.6) [Support]Launch Agents: ℹ️    [not loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Support]    [loaded]    com.divx.dms.agent.plist [Support]    [loaded]    com.divx.update.agent.plist [Support]    [loaded]    com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Support]    [loaded]    com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist [Support]    [not loaded]    com.teamviewer.teamviewer.plist [Support]    [not loaded]    com.teamviewer.teamviewer_desktop.plist [Support]    [running]    com.wacom.pentablet.plist [Support]    [invalid?]    ss_conn_service [Support]Launch Daemons: ℹ️    [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Support]    [invalid?]    com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist [Support]    [loaded]    com.cocoatech.pathfinder.SMFHelper7.plist [Support]    [running]    com.devguru.ssconnservice.plist [Support]    [loaded]    com.google.keystone.daemon.plist [Support]    [invalid?]    com.lsreset.plist [Support]    [loaded]    com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist [Support]    [loaded]    com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist [Support]    [loaded]    com.teamviewer.Helper.plist [Support]    [not loaded]    com.teamviewer.teamviewer_service.plist [Support]    [running]    vyprvpnservice.plist [Support]User Launch Agents: ℹ️    [invalid?]    net.philosophicalzombie.eggtimer.plist [Support]User Login Items: ℹ️    CheatSheet    Application (/Applications/CheatSheet.app)    Flux    Application (/Applications/Flux.app)    iTunesHelper    Application (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)    Alfred 2    Application (/Applications/Alfred 2.app)    Dropbox    Application (/Applications/Dropbox.app)    BetterTouchTool    Application (/Applications/BetterTouchTool.app)    Keyboard Maestro Engine    Application (/Applications/Keyboard Maestro.app/Contents/Resources/Keyboard Maestro Engine.app)    ClipMenu    Application (/Applications/ClipMenu.app)    Path Finder    Application (/Applications/Path Finder.app)    VMware Fusion Start Menu    Application (/Applications/VMware Fusion.app/Contents/Library/VMware Fusion Start Menu.app)    PushPal    Application (/Applications/PushPal.app)    BitTorrent Sync    Application (/Applications/BitTorrent Sync.app)    EvernoteHelper    Application (/Applications/Evernote.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/EvernoteHelper.app)Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️    FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 16.0.0.235 - SDK 10.6 [Support]    DivX Web Player: Version: 3.2.4.1250 - SDK 10.6 [Support]    Flash Player: Version: 16.0.0.235 - SDK 10.6 [Support]    Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10    o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 [Support]    OVSHelper: Version: 1.1 [Support]    QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3    SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.4.7 - SDK 10.6 [Support]    googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 [Support]    JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 8 Update 25 Check versionUser internet Plug-ins: ℹ️    Picasa: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.6 [Support]Safari Extensions: ℹ️    Searchme [Installed] Adware! [Remove]3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️    Flash Player  [Support]    Java  [Support]Time Machine: ℹ️    Mobile backups: ON    Auto backup: YES    Volumes being backed up:        Mac: Disk size: 478.87 GB Disk used: 462.85 GB    Destinations:        Backup [Local]         Total size: 999.86 GB         Total number of backups: 43         Oldest backup: 2014-11-07 06:50:20 +0000         Last backup: 2015-01-12 02:58:03 +0000         Size of backup disk: Too small            Backup size 999.86 GB &lt; (Disk used 462.85 GB X 3)Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️         9%    WindowServer         8%    backupd         8%    firefox         2%    com.apple.InputMethodKit.UserDictionary         1%    ss_conn_serviceTop Processes by Memory: ℹ️    580 MB    firefox    94 MB    ocspd    86 MB    WindowServer    82 MB    Path Finder    77 MB    mds_storesVirtual Memory Information: ℹ️    77 MB    Free RAM    1.54 GB    Active RAM    1.44 GB    Inactive RAM    1.10 GB    Wired RAM    1.85 GB    Page-ins    2 MB    Page-outsDiagnostics Information: ℹ️    Jan 12, 2015, 08:01:02 AM    Self test - passed    Jan 11, 2015, 05:05:06 PM    /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Transmission_2015-01-11-170506 _[redacted].crash    Jan 11, 2015, 03:43:58 PM    /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/garcon_2015-01-11-154358_[reda cted].crash    Jan 11, 2015, 03:42:55 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/firefox_2015-01-11-154255_[redacted].cpu_resour ce.diag [Details]    Jan 11, 2015, 12:27:03 PM    /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/storeassetd_2015-01-11-122703_ [redacted].crash

John Galt · Answer

You inadvertently installed adware. You do not need to download or install anything to fix it.For a description of how this may have occurred, how to avoid it in the future, and for Apple&#x27;s recommended actions read How to install adware. Apple&#x27;s instructions are linked in the Recovery Procedure near the end of that document. Read and follow them carefully.You are running a torrent client, which will leave you vulnerable to malware. May I suggest that you review the following setting in System Preferences?Although you may easily override that setting, it will serve to protect you from inadvertently installing garbage.

pnewcomb · Answer

Yes, I enabled that "anywhere" setting purposefully, so that I can use software that isn&#x27;t officially "identified" by apple, even though it is trusted. Are you saying that if that setting is enabled that adware can be installed without me knowing it, or that anything that isn&#x27;t officially "identified" by apple is adware? I&#x27;m kind of confused.Is there anything I can do to possibly identify which apps may be slowing my system down?

John Galt · Answer

Gatekeeper is described here: OS X: About Gatekeeper  - Apple Support. It is only one defense to protect you from inadvertently installing malware, and an effective defense does not rely upon only one method. ... I can use software that isn&#x27;t officially "identified" by apple, even though it is trusted.Apple&#x27;s philosophy is such that a Mac user with Admin privileges always has control over what he or she installs. As I wrote Gatekeeper will serve to protect you against inadvertently installing malware, including the adware that is affecting your Mac. Adware does not get installed on its own - it requires your explicit permission, which you provided by supplying your Admin name and password. When that dialog appears, it should be expected, not a surprise, and its implications should be clearly understood. By providing your credentials OS X concludes you know what you&#x27;re doing and the reason you&#x27;re doing it. Determining the "trusted" aspect of software thereby falls to you.In your case, by choosing the "anywhere" option you effectively circumvented this basic OS X security feature.The problem with adware is that it relies upon deception to convince you that it&#x27;s legitimate software offered for some beneficial purpose, when in fact all it will do is interfere with your normal activity and possibly crash your Mac.Is there anything I can do to possibly identify which apps may be slowing my system down?Yes, although you installed quite a number of them. For troubleshooting, read below the line that follows the end of this post.An EtreCheck report generated on a Mac as it ships from Apple will show no entries under Kernel Extensions, Launch Agents, User Launch Agents, Safari Extensions, 3rd Party Preference Panes, etc. Everything that appears under those headings is there because you installed them. As I wrote it&#x27;s a user&#x27;s responsibility to understand the specific benefits they are intended to convey, the effects they will have, and the means of uninstalling them should they result in unacceptable performance - which was your original complaint.It&#x27;s also possible that the slowdowns are not caused by software, but given the extent to which your system has been modified, hardware failure is less likely than incompatible or poorly implemented software.... anything that isn&#x27;t officially "identified" by apple is adware?Although OS X incorporates specific prohibitions against installing common malware, they can hardly attempt to classify specific user-installed modifications as adware. The only certain way to do that would be to prevent user-installed system modifications altogether, in the same manner as they do with iOS (iPads and iPhones).Adware&#x27;s appearance changes approximately every day. Their pathetic developers are desperate to change its appearance in an effort to continue their deceptive tactics, and a simple change of a file name precludes a reliable automated means of intercepting it. That&#x27;s the reason it&#x27;s incumbent upon Mac users to educate themselves about its appearance so that they are not so easily gulled into installing some junk. Gatekeeper merely helps you understand that&#x27;s what you&#x27;d be doing.Back up your Mac if  you have not already done so. To learn how to to that read Mac Basics: Time Machine backs up your Mac - Apple Support.If your Mac is momentarily unresponsive, consider the following.Launch the Console app - it is in your Utilities folder. You can find it by selecting Utilities from the Finder&#x27;s Go menu.If the log list column on the left is not already displayed, show the log list by selecting Show Log List from Console&#x27;s View menu. Select Show Toolbar if it is not already shown.Locate system.log in the list and select it. Many date and time-stamped entries will appear, hundreds of them, and you must find the entries relevant to your Mac&#x27;s problem.To do that click the Clear Display button in the Toolbar. All previously displayed log entries will be disappear.Next: Perform whatever actions cause the Mac to exhibit the slow behavior. If the problem is caused by errors logged by the system, the Console window will show them being recorded in system.log.One or more of them, along with their time stamps, may reveal the reason for the problem you describe.Copy and paste those log entries in a reply. If hundreds of the same repetitive messages appear, please edit them before posting. There should be no need for more than a few log entries.Most of the entries will be cryptic but will contain information you might consider personal such as your Mac&#x27;s name. If you do not want that information to appear, delete or obscure it when posting your reply. Leave enough information so that the entries can be deciphered.