Compounding iMac problems

Question

Level 1

19 points

Compounding iMac problems

I own a late-2012 Core i5 iMac. Despite some issues, I think it is an excellent machine.

This evening, after the machine has been left asleep all day, I woke the iMac to check my e-mail. When the machine woke, the cooling fan began to run non-stop and very audibly. The cooling fan in this machine is almost always inaudible. Now, even after two restarts, the iMac's fan will not quit and it is annoying. The iMac takes several minutes to boot up. The iMac runs unusually slowly. I can actually type faster than the iMac can keep up. This new problem began today with no explanation. Even after shutting the iMac down and leaving it off for an hour or more, turning it back on did not solve anything.

In February of this year, I started a discussion thread about another problem I was having, with sleep and USB:

Weird USB / sleep issue; what can I do?

In 2014, I posted a concern about a strange problem I was having with my bluetooth input. This problem is ongoing, and I'm not sure what I can do about it.

Weird quirk

I am beginning to wonder if all of these problems are related, and if they would be hardware or software related issues.

If this is software related, do I have to clean-install MacOS X? If so, will a clean-install of the OS mean that all of my passwords, bookmarks, and internet accounts will be disabled and require me to configure everything all over again?

I already have a complete Time Machine backup of the iMac.

iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5), late-2012 Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1 TB HD

Posted on Aug 30, 2015 8:31 PM

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Answer 1

Aug 30, 2015 8:34 PM in response to Walt_Atwood

Please download and install EtreCheck from http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

Run it and post the report here.

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Answer 2

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,564 points

Aug 30, 2015 8:36 PM in response to Walt_Atwood

Solve problem 1 first, try resetting the SMC, don't be surprised if it takes 2-3 attempts to work. You can learn how by clicking Intel iMac SMC and PRAM resets.

After the fan issue is handled then we can look at the other issues. The problems are possibly related but then again, possibly not.

OS X does not need to reinstalled, it is not like like MS Windows that needs a clean install when ever any problems arise. Usually some simple resets or minor work will do the trick.

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Answer 3

Walt_Atwood Author

Level 1

19 points

Aug 30, 2015 9:33 PM in response to rkaufmann87

I followed the SMC and Zapping the P-RAM instructions linked above. Machine shut down and unplugged once, followed by restart with 3 PRAM zaps.

No change in machine's behavior. Startup very slow, general routine tasks extremely sluggish, fan whirring right from startup sound.

Open to suggestions.

Thank you thus far.

Reply

Answer 4

Aug 30, 2015 9:38 PM in response to Walt_Atwood

Please download and install EtreCheck from http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

Run it and post the report here.

Reply

Answer 5

Walt_Atwood Author

Level 1

19 points

Aug 30, 2015 9:40 PM in response to Allan Eckert

Running EtreCheck now.

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Answer 6

Walt_Atwood Author

Level 1

19 points

Aug 30, 2015 9:51 PM in response to Allan Eckert

EtreCheck report as follows:

Problem description:

Visit my posting on Apple’s discussion forum for full details:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7196347

EtreCheck version: 2.4.1 (137)

Report generated 8/31/15, 12:48 AM

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?)

iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012) (Technical Specifications)

iMac - model: iMac13,1

1 2.9 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 4-core

8 GB RAM Upgradeable

BANK 0/DIMM0

4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

BANK 1/DIMM0

4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported

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

Video Information:(What does this mean?)

NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M - VRAM: 512 MB

iMac 1920 x 1080

System Software:(What does this mean?)

OS X 10.9.5 (13F34) - Time since boot: less than an hour

Disk Information:(What does this mean?)

APPLE HDD HTS541010A9E662 disk0 : (1 TB) (Rotational)

EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 999.35 GB (293.76 GB free)

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

USB Information:(What does this mean?)

Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub

Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

Thunderbolt Information:(What does this mean?)

Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

Gatekeeper:(What does this mean?)

Mac App Store and identified developers

Kernel Extensions:(What does this mean?)

/Applications/Toast 9 Titanium/Toast Titanium.app

[not loaded] com.roxio.BluRaySupport (1.1.6) [Click for support]

/System/Library/Extensions

[not loaded] com.dymo.usbprinterclassdriver.kext (1.1 - SDK 10.5) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.kensington.mouseworks.iokit.KensingtonMouseDriver (3.0) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.wacom.kext.pentablet (5.2.6) [Click for support]

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

[not loaded] com.kensington.mouseworks.driver.ADBID32Mouse (3.0) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.kensington.mouseworks.driver.ADBID32MouseX1 (3.0) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.kensington.mouseworks.driver.ADBID4Mouse (3.0) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.kensington.mouseworks.driver.ADBID4MouseX1 (3.0) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.kensington.mouseworks.driver.KMWBluetoothHIDMouse (3.0) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.kensington.mouseworks.driver.KMWBluetoothOldHIDMouse (3.0) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.kensington.mouseworks.driver.KMWUSBHIDMouse (3.0) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.kensington.mouseworks.driver.USBMouseX1 (3.0) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.kensington.mouseworks.driver.VirtualMouse (3.0) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.kensington.mouseworks.driver.VirtualMouseX1 (3.0) [Click for support]

[not loaded] com.kensington.mouseworks.iokit.KensingtonMouseDriverX1 (3.0) [Click for support]

~/Library/Services/ToastIt.service/Contents/MacOS

[not loaded] com.roxio.TDIXController (2.0) [Click for support]

Launch Agents:(What does this mean?)

[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]

[failed] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist [Click for support] [Click for details]

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

[running] com.wacom.pentablet.plist [Click for support]

Launch Daemons:(What does this mean?)

[running] com.adobe.adobeupdatedaemon.plist [Click for support]

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

[unknown] com.dymo.pnpd.plist [Click for support]

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

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

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

User Launch Agents:(What does this mean?)

[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]

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

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

User Login Items:(What does this mean?)

Google Drive Application (/Applications/Google Drive.app)

Dropbox Application (/Applications/Dropbox.app)

EvernoteHelper Application (/Applications/Evernote.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/EvernoteHelper.app)

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

WacomNetscape: Version: 1.1.1-1 [Click for support]

DYMO NPAPI Addin: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: Version: 3.2.0.16 - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]

DYMO Safari Addin: Version: Unknown - SDK 10.5 [Click for support]

Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 6.1 [Click for support]

AdobeAAMDetect: Version: 3.0.0.0 - SDK 10.9 [Click for support]

FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 18.0.0.232 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 10.1.15 [Click for support]

DivXBrowserPlugin: Version: 2.1 [Click for support]

Flash Player: Version: 18.0.0.232 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.7

OVSHelper: Version: 1.0 [Click for support]

QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

AdobePDFViewer: Version: 10.1.15 [Click for support]

SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.2.3 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

Silverlight: Version: 5.1.20913.0 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

WacomTabletPlugin: Version: WacomTabletPlugin 2.1.0.1 [Click for support]

DirectorShockwave: Version: 11.6.6r636 [Click for support]

User internet Plug-ins:(What does this mean?)

RealPlayer Plugin: Version: Unknown [Click for support]

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

DVCPROHDAudio: Version: 1.3.2

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

PenTablet [Click for support]

DivX [Click for support]

Flash Player [Click for support]

Flip4Mac WMV [Click for support]

Kensington MouseWorks [Click for support]

Time Machine:(What does this mean?)

Skip System Files: NO

Auto backup: YES

Volumes being backed up:

Macintosh HD: Disk size: 999.35 GB Disk used: 705.59 GB

Destinations:

LaCie [Local]

Total size: 3.00 TB

Total number of backups: 11

Oldest backup: 2015-01-17 03:40:54 +0000

Last backup: 2015-08-30 23:02:19 +0000

Size of backup disk: Excellent

Backup size 3.00 TB > (Disk size 999.35 GB X 3)

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

8% WindowServer

0% configd

0% SystemUIServer

0% Google Drive

0% dpd

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

664 MB kernel_task

516 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent(5)

295 MB mds_stores

270 MB Safari

172 MB com.apple.IconServicesAgent

Virtual Memory Information:(What does this mean?)

3.78 GB Free RAM

4.22 GB Used RAM (2.41 GB Cached)

0 B Swap Used

Diagnostics Information:(What does this mean?)

Aug 30, 2015, 11:51:06 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/AdobeCrashDaemon_2015-08-30-235106_[redacted].c rash

Aug 30, 2015, 11:34:01 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/EvernoteHelper_2015-08-30-233401_[redacted].cra sh

Aug 31, 2015, 12:25:43 AM ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Creative Cloud_2015-08-31-002543_[redacted].crash

Aug 31, 2015, 12:17:20 AM Self test - passed

Aug 30, 2015, 11:02:40 PM ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Adobe Desktop Service_2015-08-30-230240_[redacted].crash

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Answer 7

Walt_Atwood Author

Level 1

19 points

Aug 30, 2015 9:54 PM in response to Walt_Atwood

Getting late here.

Going to bed now.

Will check this thread in the morning.

Thank you for your participation.

Reply

Answer 8

Walt_Atwood Author

Level 1

19 points

Aug 31, 2015 11:14 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Tried re-setting the SMC and zapping the P-RAM again today.

No change. Al previously described problems persist.

Reply

Answer 9

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,564 points

Aug 31, 2015 12:22 PM in response to Walt_Atwood

Walt_Atwood wrote:

Tried re-setting the SMC and zapping the P-RAM again today.

No change. Al previously described problems persist.

I don't see anything obvious in your report. You may want to take the machine in to be checked by an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

Good luck.

Reply

Answer 10

blumenth

Level 1

0 points

Aug 31, 2015 12:46 PM in response to rkaufmann87

All of the above advise is good, but after working with Mac since 1984 I've found that before I start chasing "weird" problems around, I want to BE SURE that there is a solid foundation (OS + Library files) to build on.

1) Make a backup NOW

2) Run Disk Utility from the Recovery Part.

3) Re-boot into Safe Mode OS X Yosemite: Start up in safe mode - Apple

3) Download smcFanControl http://www.eidac.de/ to get clues about the condition of the hardware.

4) Download & run cCleaner for the Mac https://www.piriform.com/

5) Download & run MalwareBytes for the Mac https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/mac/

Optional Steps (these will cost you $$):

Run Disk Warrior to fix problems & optimize the directory http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/

I also run Tech Tools Pro https://www.micromat.com/products/techtool-pro

And Drive Genius 4 https://www.prosofteng.com/drivegenius4/

TRY ALL THE FREE UTILITIES FIRST

6) Upgrade to Yosemite. This will give you a fairly clean OS & may solve the issues.

THEN, we'll start troubleshooting the issue.

P.S. The very best way to speed up a Mac like this is with an SSD drive. They are not expensive and you won't believe the difference!

But do it AFTER the underlying problems are fixed so you're not simply masking the problem.

Reply

Answer 11

blumenth

Level 1

0 points

Aug 31, 2015 12:50 PM in response to rkaufmann87

All of the above advise is good, but after working with Mac since 1984 I've found that before I start chasing "weird" problems around, I want to BE SURE that there is a solid foundation (OS + Library files) to build on.

1) Make a backup NOW

2) Run Disk Utility from the Recovery Part.

3) Re-boot into Safe Mode OS X Yosemite: Start up in safe mode - Apple

3) Download smcFanControl http://www.eidac.de/ to get clues about the condition of the hardware.

4) Download & run cCleaner for the Mac https://www.piriform.com/

5) Download & run MalwareBytes for the Mac https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/mac/

Optional Steps (these will cost you $$):

Run Disk Warrior to fix problems & optimize the directory http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/

I also run Tech Tools Pro https://www.micromat.com/products/techtool-pro

And Drive Genius 4 https://www.prosofteng.com/drivegenius4/

TRY ALL THE FREE UTILITIES FIRST

6) Upgrade to Yosemite. This will give you a fairly clean OS & may solve the issues.

THEN, we'll start troubleshooting the issue.

P.S. The very best way to speed up a Mac like this is with an SSD drive. They are not expensive and you won't believe the difference!

But do it AFTER the underlying problems are fixed so you're not simply masking the problem.

Reply

Answer 12

Walt_Atwood Author

Level 1

19 points

Aug 31, 2015 3:50 PM in response to blumenth

Backup already made last night.

Disk Utility ran from Recovery Partition. Permissions repaired aplenty. Disk Repair showed no repairs needed.

SMC Fan Control ran. 128 degree Celcius. 3399 rpm fan speed.

CCleaner for Mac ran. 20 GB of junk removed.

Malwarebytes ran twice. No malware found.

I have yet to boot into "safe mode". Breaking for supper.

Normal reboot was somewhat faster, but the fan still whirs like there's no tomorrow and performance is still very sluggish.

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Answer 13

Walt_Atwood Author

Level 1

19 points

Aug 31, 2015 5:04 PM in response to blumenth

Booting into "safe mode" made performance even worse. I have never seen a modern Mac this sluggish. You can actually watch the windows of the applications draw themselves on the screen.

Fan speed and temperature remain unchanged from before. 128º C , 3400 rpm.

Reply

Answer 14

Walt_Atwood Author

Level 1

19 points

Aug 31, 2015 9:00 PM in response to blumenth

I have noticed a few things while I have been trying to remedy whatever ails this iMac:

1: Even while booting the iMac from the "recovery partition" or in "safe mode", performance was sluggish and the fan ran at high speed the whole time.

2: I ran Software Update, which took a ridiculously long time, to install MacOS 10.9's latest Security Update. The update took a couple of hours to install. Once the installation process was over, the fan briefly shut down, then started right back up again. Fan noise and sluggishness are the same as before.

3: It typically takes 10 to 20 minutes to fully reboot the iMac. Just getting the desktop icons to appear takes several minutes.

4: The computer works, but it is so slow that a click on an application's pop-up menu on the dock often says "Application Not Responding", but if I wait a few minutes, I find there is no need to force-quit the application. (Such as Safari or Mail.)

I'm wondering if simply installing Yosemite would be enough. To date, nothing has remedied the iMac's problems or blunted them to a significant degree.

Should I try launching into "partition mode" to re-install MacOS 10.9? Or should I upgrade to 10.10 Yosemite?

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Answer 15

Walt_Atwood Author

Level 1

19 points

Aug 31, 2015 9:02 PM in response to Walt_Atwood

I would also like to note that the strange Bluetooth issue I mentioned at the top of this thread ("Weird Quirk"), is unchanged. Everything else is slow, but the cursor still occasionally jumps around.

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