Constant lags - Mac Mini - Mavericks

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Constant lags - Mac Mini - Mavericks

MacMini 2012, 8Gb RAM, running Mavericks.

I'm experiencing frequent 1~4 seconds lags while using my MacMini. My MacBook, which is at least one year older runs without any of this lags.

This behaviour started about 3~4 weeks ago, when I started to use this computer less frequently, turning it on once in a week in contrast to the previous month when the frequency of use was 5 days a week.

It occurs quite frequently when interacting with the UI in any app. Any of the below results in lags.

Examples:

- focusing on text input fields (System Preferences App, Firefox, Finder, Chrome, whatever...)

- clicking on segmented buttons (System Preferences)

- opening any menu, including Apple menu

- finder (dragging and dropping files)

- scrolling

- trashing (command+delete)

- emptying trash (command+shift+delete)

- closing an file (command+w)

- quitting any app (command+q)

- opening folders in dock

Important: repeating the latest action doesn't cause lags.

What I've tried with no improvements:

- repair/fix permissions

- repair/fix disc

- update to 10.9.5

- recovery mode: repair/fix permissions

- recovery mode: repair/fix disc

- reset the PRAM

- Apple Hardware Test: fully tested, reports nothing wrong

- monitoring with Activity Monitor, with 1/2/5 second intervals shows no suspects (while lagging Activity Monitor freezes - it's useless)

Having nothing more to try I did:

- erased the hard drive

- installed Mavericks from scratch

- Disk Util: verify disk

- Disk Util: verify disk permissions

- S.M.A.R.T. status tells nothing wrong.

...and the lags aren't gone and I'm tired...

Any advice?

Mac mini, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)

Posted on Aug 4, 2015 2:45 PM

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Answer 1

fernando_fr Author

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Aug 5, 2015 4:20 AM in response to fernando_fr

Any clues, folks?

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Answer 2

fernando_fr Author

Level 1

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Aug 5, 2015 7:26 AM in response to fernando_fr

Console shows this events after a lag with Finder:

8/5/15 11:22:51.871 WindowServer[94]: disable_update_timeout: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "Finder" for over 1.00 seconds. Server has re-enabled them.

8/5/15 11:22:56.585 WindowServer[94]: common_reenable_update: UI updates were finally reenabled by application "Finder" after 5.72 seconds (server forcibly re-enabled them after 1.00 seconds)

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Answer 3

Eric Root

Level 10

684,039 points

Aug 5, 2015 9:27 AM in response to fernando_fr

Activity Monitor - Mavericks also Yosemite

Activity Monitor in Mavericks has significant changes

Performance Guide

Why is my computer slow

Why your Mac runs slower than it should

Slow Mac After Mavericks

Things you can do to resolve slowdowns see post by Kappy

6 Easy Tips to Speed Up OS X Yosemite on Your Mac

Try running this program and then copy and paste the output in a reply. The program was created by Etresoft, a frequent contributor. Please use copy and paste as screen shots can be hard to read.

Etrecheck – System Information

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Answer 4

fernando_fr Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 5, 2015 11:47 AM in response to Eric Root

Activity Monitor isn't helping much...

From the moment it becames frozen the UI frozes and all I can see, represents the state from 2-3 seconds in the past, not the actual state.

When it becomes reponsive again all updates to the UI that should have been done in the last 2-3 seconds are made in half or less than a second.

Thus it's impossible to read what was going on Activity Monitor...

If I could record the events instead of watching them happen it could be more helpfull.

This is what EtreCheck reports:

Problem description:

Random UI Lag/Freeze

EtreCheck version: 2.3 (135)

Report generated 8/5/15, 3:35 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:(What does this mean?)

Mac mini (Mid 2011) (Technical Specifications)

Mac mini - model: Macmini5,1

1 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-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

Video Information:(What does this mean?)

Intel HD Graphics 3000 - VRAM: 512 MB

S23B550 1920 x 1080

System Software:(What does this mean?)

OS X 10.9.5 (13F1096) - Time since boot: less than an hour

Disk Information:(What does this mean?)

TOSHIBA MK5065GSXF disk1 : (500.11 GB) (Rotational)

EFI (disk1s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

HD (disk1s2) / : 499.25 GB (383.22 GB free)

Recovery HD (disk1s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB

USB Information:(What does this mean?)

SanDisk Cruzer Blade 16.01 GB

EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

Install OS X Yosemite (disk0s2) /Volumes/Install OS X Yosemite : 15.66 GB (9.93 GB free)

Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

Full-Speed Mouse Full-Speed Mouse

Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub

Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Thunderbolt Information:(What does this mean?)

Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

Gatekeeper:(What does this mean?)

Mac App Store and identified developers

User Launch Agents:(What does this mean?)

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

User Login Items:(What does this mean?)

None

Internet Plug-ins:(What does this mean?)

Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9

QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

3rd Party Preference Panes:(What does this mean?)

None

Time Machine:(What does this mean?)

Time Machine not configured!

Top Processes by CPU:(What does this mean?)

5% WindowServer

4% fontd

0% gssd(2)

0% diskmanagementd

0% imagent

Top Processes by Memory:(What does this mean?)

454 MB kernel_task

49 MB mds_stores

41 MB Finder

41 MB Dock

41 MB WindowServer

Virtual Memory Information:(What does this mean?)

5.84 GB Free RAM

2.15 GB Used RAM (1.17 GB Cached)

0 B Swap Used

Diagnostics Information:(What does this mean?)

Aug 5, 2015, 03:19:18 PM Self test - passed

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Answer 5

fernando_fr Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 5, 2015 11:51 AM in response to Eric Root

I have seen more users complaining about Mavericks being slow AFTER upgrading.

My case is a bit different:

- I was using Mavericks when it became laggy.

- It's still lagging after a full wipe and reinstall.

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Answer 6

fernando_fr Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 5, 2015 12:00 PM in response to Eric Root

Disk Util report of my HD:

Name : TOSHIBA MK5065GSXF Media

Type : Disk

Partition Map Scheme : GUID Partition Table

Disk Identifier : disk1

Media Name : TOSHIBA MK5065GSXF Media

Media Type : Generic

Connection Bus : SATA

Connection ID : "Lower"

Device Tree : IODeviceTree:/PCI0@0/SATA@1F,2/PRT0@0/PMP@0

Bay : "Lower"

Writable : Yes

Ejectable : No

Location : Internal

Total Capacity : 500.11 GB (500,107,862,016 Bytes)

Disk Number : 1

Partition Number : 0

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

Raw Read Error Rate : 000000000000

Spinup Time : 000000000801

Start/Stop Count : 00000000146D

Reallocated Sector Count : 000000000011

Seek Error Rate : 000000000000

Seek Time Performance : 000000000000

Power-On Hours : 000000001061

Spinup Retries : 000000000000

Power Cycles : 000000001432

Power Off Retract Count : 00000000001C

Load/Unload Cycles : 000000051655

HDD Temperature : 0034000C0029

Reallocation Event Count : 000000000003

Current Pending Sector Count : 000000000000

Off-Line Scan Uncorrectable Sector Count : 000000000000

CRC Error Count : 000000000000

Disk Shift : 000000000024

Loaded Hours : 000000000CF7

Load Retry count : 000000000000

Load Friction : 000000000000

Load in Time : 0000000000F0

Write Head : 000000000000

FFS Trigger Count : 000000000000

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Answer 7

fernando_fr Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 5, 2015 3:20 PM in response to Eric Root

I'd also did:

- disabled spotlight

- disabled app nap

No improvements yet.

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Answer 8

Eric Root

Level 10

684,039 points

Aug 6, 2015 9:33 AM in response to fernando_fr

Try a restart.

Do a backup, using either Time Machine or a cloning program, to ensure files/data can be recovered. Two backups are better than one.

Try setting up another admin user account to see if the same problem continues. If Back-to-My Mac is selected in System Preferences, the Guest account will not work. The intent is to see if it is specific to one account or a system wide problem. This account can be deleted later.

Isolating an issue by using another user account

If the problem is still there, try booting into the Safe Mode using your normal account. Disconnect all peripherals except those needed for the test. Shut down the computer and then power it back up after waiting 10 seconds. Immediately after hearing the startup chime, hold down the shift key and continue to hold it until the gray Apple icon and a progress bar appear. The boot up is significantly slower than normal. This will reset some caches, forces a directory check, and disables all startup and login items, among other things. When you reboot normally, the initial reboot may be slower than normal. If the system operates normally, there may be 3rd party applications which are causing a problem. Try deleting/disabling the third party applications after a restart by using the application un-installer. For each disable/delete, you will need to restart if you don't do them all at once.

Safe Mode

Safe Mode - Mavericks also Yosemite

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