My iMac is running very slow...

Question

I&#x27;ve tried to reduce memory. I&#x27;ve got 250 GB left on my 1 TB drive. Do I need more RAM? I have 2 RAM slots, 2 GB each.I&#x27;ve run etrec and got following results:EtreCheck version: 2.2 (132)Report generated 6/24/15, 11:34 PMDownload EtreCheck from http://etresoft.com/etrecheckClick 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    iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010) (Technical Specifications)    iMac - model: iMac11,2    1 3.2 GHz Intel Core i3 CPU: 2-core    4 GB RAM Upgradeable        BANK 0/DIMM0            Empty           BANK 1/DIMM0            Empty           BANK 0/DIMM1            2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok        BANK 1/DIMM1            2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok    Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported    Wireless:  en1: 802.11 a/b/g/nVideo Information: ℹ️    ATI Radeon HD 5670 - VRAM: 512 MB        iMac 1920 x 1080System Software: ℹ️    OS X 10.10.3 (14D136) - Time since boot: 0:18:49Disk Information: ℹ️    WDC WD1001FALS-40Y6A0 disk0 : (1 TB)        EFI (disk0s1) &lt;not mounted&gt; : 210 MB         Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 999.35 GB (249.84 GB free)        Recovery HD (disk0s3) &lt;not mounted&gt;  [Recovery]: 650 MB     OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5680H  USB Information: ℹ️    Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub         Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller     Apple Internal Memory Card Reader      USB DISK Pro     Apple Inc. Built-in iSight     Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver Gatekeeper: ℹ️    Mac App Store and identified developersKernel Extensions: ℹ️        /System/Library/Extensions    [not loaded]    com.leapfrog.driver.LfConnectDriver (1.0.1) [Click for support]Startup Items: ℹ️    Jaksta: Path: /Library/StartupItems/Jaksta    Startup items are obsolete in OS X YosemiteLaunch Agents: ℹ️    [loaded]    com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist [Click for support]Launch Daemons: ℹ️    [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]    [loaded]    com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Agent.plist [Click for support]    [loaded]    com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist [Click for support]User Launch Agents: ℹ️    [loaded]    com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist [Click for support]User Login Items: ℹ️    CalendarBar    Application  (/Applications/CalendarBar.app)    SpeechSynthesisServer    Application  (/System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks /SpeechSynthesis.framework/Versions/A/SpeechSynthesisServer.app)    Dropbox    Application  (/Applications/Dropbox.app)    CleanMyMac 3 Menu    Application  (/Applications/CleanMyMac 3.app/Contents/MacOS/CleanMyMac 3 Menu.app)Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️    JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 8 Update 45 Check version    FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 18.0.0.194 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]    QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3    Flash Player: Version: 18.0.0.194 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]    Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10    Silverlight: Version: 5.1.10411.0 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]    iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.83rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️    Flash Player  [Click for support]    Growl  [Click for support]    Java  [Click for support]Time Machine: ℹ️    Skip System Files: NO    Mobile backups: OFF    Auto backup: YES    Volumes being backed up:        Macintosh HD: Disk size: 999.35 GB Disk used: 749.50 GB    Destinations:        Data [Network]         Total size: 2.00 TB         Total number of backups: 97         Oldest backup: 2013-02-03 06:24:04 +0000         Last backup: 2015-06-25 02:19:50 +0000         Size of backup disk: Too small            Backup size 2.00 TB &lt; (Disk used 749.50 GB X 3)Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️         3%    secinitd(2)         3%    launchd         2%    WindowServer         2%    tccd(2)         1%    DropboxTop Processes by Memory: ℹ️    336 MB    kernel_task    131 MB    Dock    123 MB    iconservicesagent(2)    123 MB    Finder    111 MB    mdworker(8)Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️    23 MB    Free RAM     3.98 GB    Used RAM     0 B    Swap Used Diagnostics Information: ℹ️    Jun 24, 2015, 11:08:12 PM    Self test - passed

Kappy · Answer

Add more RAM. You don&#x27;t have enough for the processes you run concurrently.Ways to help make a slow Mac faster17 Reasons Why Your Mac Runs Slower Than it ShouldSlow Mac Performance? This Article Solves It!Fix slow start-ups in OS X | MacFixIt - CNET Reviews6 Easy Tips to Speed Up OS X Yosemite on Your MacAvoid using any third-party software that claims to clean up your computer. Usually this software does more bad than good. Furthermore, you don&#x27;t need it. Note that all computers will become slower over time even under normal use. Experienced users typically erase the hard drive and do a clean install from scratch at least once a year or whenever installing a major OS upgrade. Of course doing so also means you must maintain regular and multiple backups.Add more RAM or cut back on the number of concurrently running applications and utilities. Remove unnecessary software such as anti-malware and software that promises to clean your Mac. Check for runaway processes: Runaway applications can shorten battery runtime, affect performance, and increase heat and fan acti… Also see:Pre-MavericksOpen Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder.  Select All Processes from the Processes dropdown menu.  Click twice on the CPU% column header to display in descending order.  If you find a process using a large amount of CPU time (&gt;&#x3D;70,) then select the process and click on the Quit icon in the toolbar.  Click on the Force Quit button to kill the process.  See if that helps.  Be sure to note the name of the runaway process so you can track down the cause of the problem.Mavericks and laterOpen Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder.  Select All Processes from the View menu.  Click on the CPU tab in the toolbar. Click twice on the %CPU column header to display in descending order.  If you find a process using a large amount of %CPU, then select the process and click on the Quit icon in the toolbar.  Click on the Force Quit button to kill the process.  See if that helps.  Be sure to note the name of the runaway process so you can track down the cause of the problem.

rccharles · Answer

Uninstall ... CleanMyMac3You seem to have done the test just after you booted.  You should be running your normal applications for awhile. Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️         3%    secinitd(2)         3%    launchd         2%    WindowServer         2%    tccd(2)         1%    DropboxVirtual Memory Information: ℹ️    23 MB    Free RAM     3.98 GB    Used RAM     0 B    Swap Used 23mg of free ram isn&#x27;t enough.  You need to max out the ram on your machine.

johnfrompacific grove · Answer

Thanks for all the help.So I uninstalled Clean My IMac and bought RAM chips on Amazon. I also bought a My Book for IMac (2TB) to do a hard drive backup. My existing HD is 1 TB, but I only have 200 GB left.  I have OS Yosemite.  Now, the My Book firmware will not download.  I plug in the drive, click install and just get the round rainbow for hours.  It can&#x27;t be this slow to download. ???