Why is my MBP using so much RAM and other issues?

Question

Level 1

7 points

Why is my MBP using so much RAM and other issues?

Hi,

I have early 2011 model 15" Macbook pro. (I7 2.3 / 8GB ram) .

This is my everyday browsing/downloading machine. Light work such as word processing and email. I take great care of it and maintain it well

Some issues I noticed recently. I get the BBOD (beachball of death??) a lot.. Even when just browsing. Yesterday I came across an article that explained try repairing keychain access. That seem to have worked a little bit for sure.

Now I have a couple of utilities that show the memory usage, like cleanmymac 3. Sometimes it shows I have only Mb free. With just Firefox open? Like right now i have 244,mb free.. Activity monitor is showing nothing strange? Now its gone to 145 just in the time it took to write the sentence? And no 83. everytime I check its lower.

Any ideas guys?

MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2011), OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on May 30, 2015 5:19 PM

Reply

Answer 1

realizment Author

Level 1

7 points

May 30, 2015 5:21 PM in response to realizment

If i click free up memory it goes back to 4.5 gb but slowly goes back down whilst doing nothing?

So strange!

Reply

Answer 2

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

May 30, 2015 5:22 PM in response to realizment

Post an etrecheck report back here for analysis and hope the CleanMyMac has not damaged your system as it has done to so many others.

Cheers

Pete

Reply

Answer 3

realizment Author

Level 1

7 points

May 30, 2015 5:27 PM in response to petermac87

Woah... Are you serious? And here is me thinking that this is a great program?? I will report back asap with the etrecheck report!

Thank you!

Reply

Answer 4

realizment Author

Level 1

7 points

May 30, 2015 5:54 PM in response to petermac87

Problem description:

High Ram usage and Beach ball of death issue.

EtreCheck version: 2.2 (132)

Report generated 5/30/15, 5:40 PM

Download EtreCheck from http://etresoft.com/etrecheck

Click the [Click for support] links for help with non-Apple products.

Click the [Click for details] links for more information about that line.

Hardware Information: ℹ️

MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011) (Technical Specifications)

MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro8,2

1 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7 CPU: 4-core

8 GB RAM Upgradeable

BANK 0/DIMM0

4 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok

BANK 1/DIMM0

4 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok

Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported

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

Battery: Health = Replace Soon - Cycle count = 1265 - SN = D8610740GCNDGDLAH

Video Information: ℹ️

Intel HD Graphics 3000

Color LCD 1680 x 1050

AMD Radeon HD 6750M - VRAM: 1024 MB

System Software: ℹ️

OS X 10.10.3 (14D136) - Time since boot: 0:57:21

Disk Information: ℹ️

TOSHIBA MK7559GSXF disk0 : (750.16 GB)

EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

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

Macintosh HD (disk1) / : 748.93 GB (84.18 GB free)

Core Storage: disk0s2 749.30 GB Online

MATSHITADVD-R UJ-898

USB Information: ℹ️

Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub

Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad

Seagate Expansion Desk 5 TB

EFI (disk2s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

Music Library (disk2s2) /Volumes/Music Library : 5.00 TB (4.73 TB free)

Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️

Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

Gatekeeper: ℹ️

Mac App Store and identified developers

Kernel Extensions: ℹ️

/Applications/Toast 8 Titanium/Toast Titanium.app

[not loaded] com.roxio.BluRaySupport (1.1.3) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.roxio.TDIXController (1.6) [Click for support]

/Library/Application Support/VirtualBox

[loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxDrv (4.3.22) [Click for support]

[loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetAdp (4.3.22) [Click for support]

[loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetFlt (4.3.22) [Click for support]

[loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxUSB (4.3.22) [Click for support]

/Library/Extensions

[not loaded] com.caiaq.driver.NIUSBMaschineControllerDriver (2.6.0 - SDK 10.8) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.motu.driver.FireWireAudio (1.6 64254 - SDK 10.4) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.motu.driver.MicroBookAudio (1.6 64254 - SDK 10.4) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.motu.driver.PCIAudio (1.6 64254 - SDK 10.4) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.motu.driver.USBMidiKext (1.6 64254 - SDK 10.4) [Click for support]

[loaded] com.sophos.kext.sav (9.2.50 - SDK 10.8) [Click for support]

[loaded] com.sophos.nke.swi (9.2.50 - SDK 10.8) [Click for support]

/System/Library/Extensions

[not loaded] com.Huawei.driver.HuaweiDataCardDriver (2.8.2) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.MCCI.Microboards (1.4.0f2) [Click for support]

[loaded] com.digidesign.iokit.DigiDal (10.3.5f223 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.novatelwireless.driver.3G (2.0.1) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.novatelwireless.driver.DisableAutoInstall (1.0.0) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.master (5.9.1 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverInt (0.0.39) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverVSP (0.0.39) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.wibu.codemeter.CmUSBMassStorage (1.0.7) [Click for support]

[not loaded] net.pocketmac.driver.BlackberryUSB (3.1.3) [Click for support]

[not loaded] net.pocketmac.driver.BlackberryUSBDev (3.1.3) [Click for support]

[not loaded] nl.bjaelectronics.driver.PL2303 (1.0.0d1) [Click for support]

[loaded] tc.tctechnologies.driver.Saffire (4.1.4 18735 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]

/System/Library/Extensions/NovatelWireless3G.kext/Contents/PlugIns

[not loaded] com.novatelwireless.driver.3GControl (2.0.1) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.novatelwireless.driver.3GData (2.0.1) [Click for support]

/System/Library/Extensions/PACESupportFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns

[not loaded] com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.leopard (5.9.1 - SDK 10.4) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.panther (5.9.1 - SDK 10.-1) [Click for support]

[loaded] com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.snowleopard (5.9.1 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.tiger (5.9.1 - SDK 10.4) [Click for support]

Startup Items: ℹ️

DigidesignLoader: Path: /Library/StartupItems/DigidesignLoader

Startup items are obsolete in OS X Yosemite

Problem System Launch Daemons: ℹ️

[killed] com.apple.ctkd.plist

[killed] com.apple.icloud.findmydeviced.plist

[killed] com.apple.ifdreader.plist

[killed] com.apple.nehelper.plist

[killed] com.apple.nsurlsessiond.plist

[killed] com.apple.wdhelper.plist

6 processes killed due to memory pressure

Launch Agents: ℹ️

[running] com.epson.eventmanager.agent.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.hp.help.tocgenerator.plist [Click for support]

[running] com.motu.MOTULauncher.plist [Click for support]

[unknown] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist [Click for support]

[running] com.rim.BBLaunchAgent.plist [Click for support]

[running] com.sophos.uiserver.plist [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.teamviewer.teamviewer.plist [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.teamviewer.teamviewer_desktop.plist [Click for support]

Launch Daemons: ℹ️

[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.avid.bsd.DigiShoeTool.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.bombich.ccc.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Agent.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist [Click for support]

[unknown] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist [Click for support]

[running] com.paceap.eden.licensed.plist [Click for support]

[running] com.prey.agent.plist [Click for support]

[running] com.sophos.common.servicemanager.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.teamviewer.Helper.plist [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.teamviewer.teamviewer_service.plist [Click for support]

[running] net.privatetunnel.ptcore.plist [Click for support]

[not loaded] org.virtualbox.startup.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] PACESupport.plist [Click for support]

[loaded] tc.tctechnologies.Saffire.plist [Click for support]

User Launch Agents: ℹ️

[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.facebook.videochat.[redacted].plist [Click for support]

[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist [Click for support]

[running] com.spotify.webhelper.plist [Click for support]

[not loaded] org.virtualbox.vboxwebsrv.plist [Click for support]

User Login Items: ℹ️

Dropbox Application (/Applications/Dropbox.app)

NIHardwareAgent Application (/Library/Application Support/Native Instruments/Hardware/NIHardwareAgent.app)

CleanMyMac 3 Menu Application (/Applications/CleanMyMac 3.app/Contents/MacOS/CleanMyMac 3 Menu.app)

Spotify Application (/Applications/Spotify.app)

Director Docker UNKNOWN (missing value)

HPEventHandler UNKNOWN (missing value)

Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.41.0.0 - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]

GameTapPlugIn: Version: 1.0 [Click for support]

Unity Web Player: Version: UnityPlayer version 4.5.2f1 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10

iLokClientHelper: Version: 3.6 - SDK 10.5 [Click for support]

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.11 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 17.0.0.188 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

DivXBrowserPlugin: Version: 2.0 [Click for support]

Silverlight: Version: 5.1.30514.0 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

Flash Player: Version: 17.0.0.188 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

PepperFlashPlayer: Version: 17.0.0.188 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.41.0.0 - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]

iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.8

AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.11 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.3.4 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

Audio Plug-ins: ℹ️

Avid CoreAudio: Version: 10.3.5.223 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️

Déjà Vu [Click for support]

Flash Player [Click for support]

MacFUSE [Click for support]

Native Instruments USB Audio [Click for support]

Time Machine: ℹ️

Skip System Files: NO

Mobile backups: ON

Auto backup: YES

Volumes being backed up:

Macintosh HD: Disk size: 748.93 GB Disk used: 664.74 GB

Destinations:

BackUp [Local]

Total size: 2.00 TB

Total number of backups: 17

Oldest backup: 2012-11-10 06:37:37 +0000

Last backup: 2015-02-12 01:53:04 +0000

Size of backup disk: Adequate

Backup size 2.00 TB > (Disk used 664.74 GB X 3)

Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️

13% firefox

4% mdworker(13)

3% WindowServer

1% loginwindow

1% launchd

Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️

711 MB kernel_task

696 MB firefox

205 MB mdworker(13)

147 MB mds_stores

74 MB InterCheck

Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️

3.17 GB Free RAM

4.82 GB Used RAM

52 MB Swap Used

Diagnostics Information: ℹ️

May 30, 2015, 04:37:09 PM Self test - passed

May 30, 2015, 03:02:39 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/firefox_2015-05-30-030239_[redacted].cpu_resour ce.diag [Click for details]

May 29, 2015, 03:49:22 PM /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/WebKitPluginHost_2015-05-29-15 4922_[redacted].crash

May 29, 2015, 12:42:10 PM /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/WebKitPluginHost_2015-05-29-12 4210_[redacted].crash

May 29, 2015, 03:55:29 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.apple.WebKit.WebContent_2015-05-29-035529_[ redacted].cpu_resource.diag [Click for details]

May 29, 2015, 12:44:32 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/firefox_2015-05-29-004432_[redacted].cpu_resour ce.diag [Click for details]

May 28, 2015, 11:32:41 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Pro Audio Converter_2015-05-28-233241_[redacted].cpu_resource.diag [Click for details]

May 28, 2015, 10:20:36 PM /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Finder_2015-05-28-222036_[reda cted].crash

May 28, 2015, 09:24:50 PM /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Finder_2015-05-28-212450_[reda cted].crash

May 28, 2015, 09:15:38 PM /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Finder_2015-05-28-211538_[reda cted].crash

May 28, 2015, 05:07:18 PM /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/WebKitPluginHost_2015-05-28-17 0718_[redacted].crash

May 28, 2015, 03:19:44 PM /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/JavaApplicationStub_2015-05-28 -151944_[redacted].crash

May 28, 2015, 01:47:16 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/CleanMyMac 3_2015-05-28-134716_[redacted].cpu_resource.diag [Click for details]

May 28, 2015, 01:27:03 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Pro Audio Converter_2015-05-28-132703_[redacted].cpu_resource.diag [Click for details]

This is the report. Other issues I have is firefox hates facebook it constantly chokes on facebook.. seems to be only facebook.. I think I might be having a java issue but updating always fails.. I read the latest is not good with yosemite.

Also I think I might narrowed down the bulk of the ram issue to Vuze. But still need to figure out the beach ball issue.

The above report claims my HD only has 89GB free when it actually has almost 200gb free. I find that odd.

I look forward to hearing your findings.

Thanks

Reply

Answer 5

realizment Author

Level 1

7 points

May 30, 2015 5:54 PM in response to realizment

The report above claims I only have 89gb free of hd space but I actually have almost 200gb.

Reply

Answer 6

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

May 30, 2015 6:33 PM in response to realizment

Now I have a couple of utilities that show the memory usage, like cleanmymac 3.

"CleanMyMac" is a scam and a common cause of instability and poor performance. Depending on what version you have, the developer's instructions may not completely remove it. Follow those instructions, then do as below.

Back up all data before proceeding.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent.plist

Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select

Services ▹ Reveal in Finder (or just Reveal)

from the contextual menu.* A folder may open with an item selected. If it does, move the selected item to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password.

Repeat with this line:

/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent

Restart the computer and empty the Trash.

You may also have to remove these items in the same way:

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac.helperTool.plist

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac.volumeWatcher.plist

Never again install "CleanMyMac" or anything like it.

*If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. In the Finder, select

Go ▹ Go to Folder...

from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

Reply

Answer 7

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

May 30, 2015 7:48 PM in response to realizment

Uninstall Sophos, CleanMyMac and all the .rim (Blackberry) software you are not using for a start. Also uninstall Motu as the drivers are not loading, uninstall all these as per the Developers instructions on their sites. Then reboot.

Pete

Reply

Answer 8

realizment Author

Level 1

7 points

May 30, 2015 9:21 PM in response to Linc Davis

Are you guys sure about cleanmymac? It has defintely cleaned things up for me and got me lots of space. I have version 2 and 3 which I just paid to upgrade. If you guys are sure please provide me with enough proof to pursue a refund. Ill have the legal sector of my company get onto them so they take it seriously.

I appreciate the help and heads up please let me know. Thanks

Reply

Answer 9

realizment Author

Level 1

7 points

May 30, 2015 9:22 PM in response to petermac87

Why sophos? This is has saved my *** a couple times I believe? Good advice on the blackberry stuff. As for cleanmymac pls see above post?

Ah yes the motu drivers where only for temp set up.

Thanks!

Reply

Answer 10

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

May 30, 2015 9:31 PM in response to realizment

Search this site, and the Web, for reports about "CleanMyMac." Draw your own conclusion.

How to maintain a Mac

Make two or more backups of all your files

One backup is not enough to be safe. A copy of a backup doesn't count as another backup; all backups must be made directly from the original data.

Keep at least one backup off site at all times in case of disaster. Backing up to a cloud-data service is one way to accomplish this, but don't rely exclusively on such backups.

In fact, don’t rely exclusively on any single backup method, such as Time Machine.

If you get an indication that a backup has failed, don't ignore it.

Keep your software up to date

In the App Store or Software Update preference pane (depending on the OS version), you can configure automatic notifications of updates to OS X and other Mac App Store products. Some third-party applications from other sources have a similar feature, if you don’t mind letting them phone home. Otherwise you have to check yourself on a regular basis.

Keeping up to date is especially important for complex software that modifies the operating system, such as device drivers. Don't install such modifications unless they're absolutely necessary. Remove them when they are no longer needed. Before installing any Apple update, you must check that all system modifications that you use are compatible. Incompatibility with third-party software is by far the most common cause of difficulties with system updates.

Don't install crapware

...such as “themes,” "haxies," “add-ons,” “toolbars,” “enhancers," “optimizers,” “accelerators,” "boosters," “extenders,” “cleaners,” "doctors," "tune-ups," “defragmenters,” “firewalls,” "barriers," “guardians,” “defenders,” “protectors,” most “plugins,” commercial "virus scanners,” "disk tools," or "utilities." With very few exceptions, such stuff is useless or worse than useless. Above all, avoid any software that purports to change the look and feel of the user interface.

It's not much of an exaggeration to say that the whole "utility" software industry for the Mac is a fraud on consumers. The most extreme examples are the "CleanMyMac," "TuneUpMyMac," and “MacKeeper” scams, but there are many others.

As a rule, you should avoid software that changes the way other software works. Plugins for Photoshop and similar programs are an obvious exception to this rule. Safari extensions, and perhaps the equivalent for other web browsers, are a partial exception. Most are safe, and they're easy to get rid of if they don't work. Some may cause the browser to crash or otherwise malfunction. Some are malicious. Use with caution, and install only well-known extensions from relatively trustworthy sources, such as the Safari Extensions Gallery.

Only install software that is useful to you, not (as you imagine) to the computer. For example, a word processor is useful for writing. A video editor is useful for making movies. A game is useful for fun. But a "cache cleaner" isn't useful for anything. You didn't buy a computer so you could clean caches.

Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it. Otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve. Do not rely on "utilities" such as "AppCleaner" and the like that purport to remove software.

Don't install bad, conflicting, or unnecessary fonts

Whenever you install new fonts, use the validation feature of the built-in Font Book application to make sure the fonts aren't defective and don't conflict with each other or with others that you already have. See the built-in help and this support article for instructions.

Deactivate or remove fonts that you don't really need to speed up application launching.

Avoid malware

"Malware" is malicious software that circulates on the Internet. This kind of attack on OS X was once so rare that it was hardly a concern, but it's now increasingly common and dangerous.

There is some built-in protection against malware, but you can’t rely on it—the attackers are always at least one day ahead of the defense. You can’t rely on third-party "anti-virus" products for protection either. What you can rely on is common-sense awareness—not paranoia, which only makes you more vulnerable.

Never install software from an untrustworthy or unknown source. If in doubt, do some research. Any website that prompts you to install a “codec” or “plugin” that comes from the same site, or an unknown site, is untrustworthy. Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must come directly from the developer's website. No intermediary is acceptable, and don’t trust links unless you know how to parse them. Any file that is automatically downloaded from the web, without your having requested it, should go straight into the Trash. A web page that tells you that your computer has a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with it, is a scam.

In OS X 10.7.5 or later, downloaded applications and Installer packages that have not been digitally signed by a developer registered with Apple are blocked from loading by default. The block can be overridden, but think carefully before you do so.

Because of recurring security issues in Java, it’s best to disable it in your web browsers, if it’s installed. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This action is mandatory if you’re running any version of OS X older than 10.6.8 with the latest Java update. Note: Java has nothing to do with JavaScript, despite the similar names. Don't install Java unless you're sure you need it. Most people don't.

Don't fill up your disk or SSD

A common mistake is adding more and more large files to your home folder until you start to get warnings that you're out of space, which may be followed in short order by a startup failure. This is more prone to happen on the newer Macs that come with an internal SSD instead of the traditional hard drive. The drive can be very nearly full before you become aware of the problem.

While it's not true that you should or must keep any particular percentage of space free, you should monitor your storage use and make sure you're not in immediate danger of using it up. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of free space on the startup volume for normal operation.

If storage space is running low, use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeperto explore the volume and find out what's taking up the most space. Move seldom-used large files to secondary storage.

Relax, don’t do it

Besides the above, no routine maintenance is necessary or beneficial for the vast majority of users; specifically not “cleaning caches,” “zapping the PRAM,” "resetting the SMC," “rebuilding the directory,” "defragmenting the drive," “running periodic scripts,” “dumping logs,” "deleting temp files," “scanning for viruses,” "purging memory," "checking for bad blocks," "testing the hardware," or “repairing permissions.” Such measures are either completely pointless or are useful only for solving problems, not for prevention.

To use a Mac effectively, you have to free yourself from the Windows mindset that every computer needs regular downtime for maintenance such as "defragging" and "registry cleaning." Those concepts do not apply to the Mac platform.

A well-designed computing device is not something you should have to think about much. It should be an almost transparent medium through which you communicate, work, and play. If you want a machine that needs a lot of attention just to keep going, use a PC, or collect antique cars.

The very height of futility is running an expensive third-party application called “Disk Warrior” when nothing is wrong, or even when something is wrong and you have backups, which you must have. Disk Warrior is a data-salvage tool, not a maintenance tool, and you will never need it if your backups are adequate. Don’t waste money on it or anything like it.

Reply

Answer 11

realizment Author

Level 1

7 points

May 30, 2015 10:34 PM in response to Linc Davis

Thanks for the great advice. But im not as much of a novice user as the post probably makes me sound. As for cleanmymac that is one of them programs I gave the benefit of the doubt. Honestly I checked reviews today after you guys said and I found mostly positive feedback. It has worked for me thus far. I am not writing off what you guys are saying though. Id just like to kno what its doing that it shouldn't be doing.

Reply

Answer 12

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

May 30, 2015 10:49 PM in response to realizment

so called 'cleaning' apps will clean more than you want! Also Sophos is not required, nor any other anti-virus program. But it is your call. If you search here, you will be lucky to find one recommendation for CleanMyMac. It is junk and can ruin your system as it has done to many others.

Cheers

pete

Reply

Answer 13

realizment Author

Level 1

7 points

May 31, 2015 12:25 AM in response to petermac87

Looks like Firefox is also eating up Ram is this normal Ram usage for firfox with only 5 tabs open? I only have 5 addons. Adblock plus, adblock plus popup, Downthemall, WOT and chat undetected.

Reply

Answer 14

thomas_r.

Level 7

31,989 points

May 31, 2015 3:18 AM in response to realizment

realizment wrote:

Are you guys sure about cleanmymac? It has defintely cleaned things up for me and got me lots of space.

All such "cleaning" apps are scams. You generally shouldn't delete the things they delete, and most of that stuff is purely temporary gain anyway. It will end up being re-created, and will result in a brief period of performance loss as that happens. (The cache files that these apps seem to have declared war on are there to keep your machine running fast... deleting them constantly hurts your Mac's performance.)

These apps prey on people who don't understand the underpinnings of the system and who are fooled into believing that such "cleaning" is necessary. Worse, the problems these apps can cause are not always immediately evident or can be subtle enough to escape notice (for example, if you have a very powerful new computer, the performance loss will probably be extremely minor). And in some cases, where the caches have somehow become corrupt, these apps actually have a one-time positive impact. This results in many positive reviews from people who don't understand all this and have fallen for the marketing.

Worst of all, these apps are sometimes known to clean too vigorously. There are plenty of reports on these forums from people who have used CleanMyMac, and other similar utilities, and ended up having to reinstall their system and/or apps as a result.

Reply

Answer 15

thomas_r.

Level 7

31,989 points

May 31, 2015 3:28 AM in response to realizment

It is entirely normal for web browsers to eat up a lot of RAM. The more tabs, and the more browser extensions and internet plug-ins are installed, the more RAM they'll eat. This isn't something you need to worry much about as long as the memory pressure graph in Activity Monitor stays low and green. If you're having performance problems and the memory pressure graph isn't spiking and changing to yellow or red, then the performance problems aren't the result of insufficient RAM.

Of course, you can reduce Firefox's footprint by reducing browser extensions and internet plug-ins. There's really no reason to have two ad blockers... if one isn't doing the trick, get rid of it and replace it with the other. It should be noted that Adblock Plus is known to allow ad providers to pay to have their ads allowed through the Adblock Plus filtering, if the ads meet some undisclosed criteria (being "unobnoxious") defined by the developer of Adblock Plus. If you're going to use an ad blocker - and I don't necessarily recommend that, as it robs you of one of the great ways to determine how far to trust a site; namely, the presence of lots of obnoxious ads - I'd recommend using another one.

Reply