Herman the worm man
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Help! My MacbookPro is super slow (and the HD is only half full)

I would really appreciate any help I can get before I spend a fortune upgrading to a SDD or increasing the RAM.

 

I have a mid-2010 Macbook Pro (2.4 Ghz) with:

- 4 gb's RAM

- 500 GB HD (219 GB available)

 

(Please let me know if any other specs would help).

 

My laptop is super slow, even with the most basic of requests. Even if I have nothing open and simply start Microsoft Word it will show the spinning wheel for a good minute or so, before opening. Opening PDF's, Preview and even changing tabs on Firefox can equal the same lag (the degree varies). Regardless, it is frustratingly slow and everyone who uses my computer comments on this. My girlfriends MacBook which is even older than mine does not have this issue.

 

Because I do a lot of graphic design work (using Photoshop, Lightroom and various browsers open at the same time) I was told that increasing the RAM will help my problem, as would a SSD. While I understand the applications I use are hungry for RAM, I can't be certain this is my laptops core issue, since even the simple act of opening a web page is met with serious lag time (when no other applications are open).

 

I am also unsure if a SSD would help since my HD is only half full (or empty depending on how you'd look at it). Does this sound like an issue with the HD cable? Or any other issues?

 

Thanks, I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to this sort of stuff.

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.2), null

Posted on Feb 13, 2016 12:10 AM

by Linc Davis,Apple recommended
Linc Davis Linc Davis
Level 10 (208,037 points)
Applications
A:

Please back up all data.

This procedure will delete the Spotlight index. It should be recreated automatically.

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

/.Spotlight-V100

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

          Services ▹ Open

from the contextual menu. A folder should open with a subfolder named ".Spotlight-V100" selected. Move the subfolder to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password.

Restart the computer in safe mode. Certain caches maintained by the system will be rebuilt.

Safe mode is much slower to start up than normal. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.

When the login screen appears, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and test. There's no need to log in while in safe mode.

Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t start in safe mode. In that case, ask for instructions.

You can't see the folder in the Trash because it's invisible. The next time you empty the Trash, it should be deleted.

Posted on Feb 13, 2016 5:50 PM

Close
Herman the worm man

Q: Help! My MacbookPro is super slow (and the HD is only half full)

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by OGELTHORPE,Helpful

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Feb 13, 2016 3:25 AM in response to Herman the worm man
    Level 9 (52,793 points)
    Mac OS X
    Feb 13, 2016 3:25 AM in response to Herman the worm man

    Download and post an Etrecheck report:

     

    http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

     

    Ciao.

  • by Herman the worm man,

    Herman the worm man Herman the worm man Feb 13, 2016 3:25 AM in response to OGELTHORPE
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 13, 2016 3:25 AM in response to OGELTHORPE

    Thanks heaps for the reply. Upon doing the check, I think it might actually be the RAM. Would this be enough to slow it down? It shows:

     

    94 MB Free RAM
    3.91 GB Used RAM (434 MB Cached)

     

    Here's what the full EtreCheck showed:

     

     

    EtreCheck version: 2.9.3 (253)

    Report generated 2016-02-13 21:15:54

    Download EtreCheck from http://etrecheck.com

    Runtime 6:34

    Performance: Below Average

     

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

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

     

    Problem: Beachballing

     

    Hardware Information: ⓘ

        MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2010)

        [Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty & Service]

        MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro7,1

        1 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2-core

        4 GB RAM Upgradeable - [Instructions]

            BANK 0/DIMM0

                2 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok

            BANK 1/DIMM0

                2 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok

        Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported

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

        Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 8 - SN = 9G5300CFJD3MB

     

    Video Information: ⓘ

        NVIDIA GeForce 320M - VRAM: 256 MB

            Color LCD 1280 x 800

     

    System Software: ⓘ

        OS X Yosemite 10.10.2 (14C109) - Time since boot: about 15 days

     

    Disk Information: ⓘ

        TOSHIBA MK5065GSXF disk0 : (500.11 GB) (Rotational)

            EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

            Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 499.25 GB (219.30 GB free)

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

     

        MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-898   ()

     

    USB Information: ⓘ

        SanDisk Cruzer Blade 31.39 GB

            NO NAME (disk2s1) /Volumes/NO NAME : 31.39 GB (596 MB free)

        Apple Inc. Built-in iSight

        Apple Internal Memory Card Reader

        Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub

            Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

        Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

        Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad

     

    Configuration files: ⓘ

        /etc/hosts - Count: 1

     

    Gatekeeper: ⓘ

        Anywhere

     

    Kernel Extensions: ⓘ

            /System/Library/Extensions

        [not loaded]    com.ZTE.driver.ZTEUSBCDCACMData (1.3.35) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.ZTE.driver.ZTEUSBMassStorageFilter (1.3.35) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.wacom.kext.pentablet (5.2.4) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.zte.driver.cdc_ecm_qmi (1.0.26) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.zte.driver.cdc_usb_bus (1.0.26) [Support]

        [loaded]    net.telestream.driver.TelestreamAudio (1.0.5 - SDK 10.6) [Support]

     

    System Launch Agents: ⓘ

        [killed]    com.apple.CallHistoryPluginHelper.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.CallHistorySyncHelper.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.EscrowSecurityAlert.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.Maps.pushdaemon.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.cloudd.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.coreservices.appleid.authentication.plist

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

        [killed]    com.apple.nsurlsessiond.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.security.cloudkeychainproxy.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.telephonyutilities.callservicesd.plist

        [loaded]    144 Apple tasks

        [running]    51 Apple tasks

        10 processes killed due to insufficient RAM

     

    System Launch Daemons: ⓘ

        [killed]    com.apple.AssetCacheLocatorService.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.GSSCred.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.awdd.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.ctkd.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.emond.aslmanager.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.ifdreader.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.installd.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.nehelper.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.nsurlsessiond.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.periodic-daily.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.periodic-monthly.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.periodic-weekly.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.softwareupdate_download_service.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.softwareupdated.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.systemstats.analysis.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.tccd.system.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.wdhelper.plist

        [running]    de.novamedia.VMRServer.plist [Support]

        [loaded]    178 Apple tasks

        [running]    67 Apple tasks

        17 processes killed due to insufficient RAM

     

    Launch Agents: ⓘ

        [loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Support]

        [running]    com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist [Support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist [Support]

        [running]    com.wacom.pentablet.plist [Support]

        [loaded]    org.macosforge.xquartz.startx.plist [Support]

     

    Launch Daemons: ⓘ

        [loaded]    com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist [Support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.agsservice.plist [Support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Support]

        [loaded]    com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist [Support]

        [loaded]    org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx.plist [Support]

     

    User Launch Agents: ⓘ

        [loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Support]

        [failed]    com.facebook.videochat.[redacted].plist [Support]

        [loaded]    com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Support]

     

    User Login Items: ⓘ

        None

     

    Other Apps: ⓘ

        [running]    com.adobe.acc.AdobeDesktopService.130672.134BF79E-E7E7-4C2E-8B96-A083CECE46AA

        [running]    com.adobe.accmac.167876

        [running]    com.adobe.illustrator.106816

        [running]    com.apple.xpc.launchd.oneshot.0x10000061.EtreCheck

        [running]    com.microsoft.Word.48596

        [running]    com.microsoft.autoupdate.fba.87220

        [running]    com.wacom.Consumer_TouchDriver.73304

        [running]    com.wacom.TabletDriver.73588

        [running]    jp.co.canon.cijscannerregister.76712

        [running]    org.mozilla.firefox.44620

        [running]    org.videolan.vlc.170148

     

    Internet Plug-ins: ⓘ

        JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 15.0.0 - SDK 10.10 Check version

        FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 20.0.0.306 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

        QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

        Flash Player: Version: 20.0.0.306 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

        AdobeAAMDetect: Version: 3.0.0.0 - SDK 10.9 [Support]

        Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10

        WacomNetscape: Version: 1.1.1-1 [Support]

        SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.0.0 [Support]

        WacomSafari: Version: 1.1.1-1 [Support]

        Silverlight: Version: 5.1.10411.0 - SDK 10.6 [Support]

        iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.7

     

    3rd Party Preference Panes: ⓘ

        Flash Player  [Support]

        Growl  [Support]

     

    Time Machine: ⓘ

        Time Machine not configured!

     

    Top Processes by CPU: ⓘ

            41%    firefox

            15%    kernel_task

            14%    WindowServer

            10%    mds

             2%    Creative Cloud

     

    Top Processes by Memory: ⓘ

        561 MB    firefox

        495 MB    kernel_task

        98 MB    Finder

        78 MB    Preview

        70 MB    mdworker(6)

     

    Virtual Memory Information: ⓘ

        94 MB    Free RAM

        3.91 GB    Used RAM (434 MB Cached)

        3.65 GB    Swap Used

  • by KimUserName,

    KimUserName KimUserName Feb 13, 2016 4:00 AM in response to Herman the worm man
    Level 4 (1,400 points)
    Notebooks
    Feb 13, 2016 4:00 AM in response to Herman the worm man

    Hi Herman:

     

    It looks like you have a lot of stuff running. Increasing the memory would certainly help. http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade/DDR3

    Also the runtime was 6 minutes and 34 seconds, which is quite long.

     

    I would suggest that if you do not have a current backup, now would be a good time to do it, as this may be an indication of a failing hard drive.

    Also when backing up to a external drive, using either Carbon Copy Cloner https://bombich.com/ or Super Duper will allow you to make a bootable backup. Which is very handy when you hard drive fails.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Feb 13, 2016 6:59 AM in response to Herman the worm man
    Level 10 (208,037 points)
    Applications
    Feb 13, 2016 6:59 AM in response to Herman the worm man

    When you see a beachball cursor or the slowness is especially bad, note the exact time: hour, minute, second.  

    These instructions must be carried out as an administrator. If you have only one user account, you are the administrator.

    Launch the Console application in any one of the following ways:

    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

    ☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.

    The title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select

              SYSTEM LOG QUERIES ▹ All Messages

    from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select

              View ▹ Show Log List

    from the menu bar at the top of the screen.

    Each message in the log begins with the date and time when it was entered. Scroll back to the time you noted above.

    Select the messages entered from then until the end of the episode, or until they start to repeat, whichever comes first.

    Copy the messages to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.

    The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of it useless for solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. A few dozen lines are almost always more than enough.

    Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.

    Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.

    Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

    When you post the log extract, you might see an error message on the web page: "You have included content in your post that is not permitted," or "The message contains invalid characters." That's a bug in the forum software. Please post the text on Pastebin, then post a link here to the page you created.

    If you have an account on Pastebin, please don't select Private from the Paste Exposure menu on the page, because then no one but you will be able to see it.

  • by we04ndy,Helpful

    we04ndy we04ndy Feb 13, 2016 5:26 PM in response to Herman the worm man
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 13, 2016 5:26 PM in response to Herman the worm man

    I have a 2011 MacBook Pro that was super slow. For $100, I purchased a SSD, replacement was easy, and it made a huge difference. However, I do have a lot of RAM which is quite reasonable. MacSales is a great place to purchase (I have no affiliation, but found them great to work with). They have an app on their site which will examine your laptop and recommend your Ram and SSD options for purchase. My MacBook works like a brand new computer and has a lot of data on it.

    I also occasionally use Disk Warrior to optimize and check the integrity of my files and directory.

  • by Herman the worm man,

    Herman the worm man Herman the worm man Feb 13, 2016 5:25 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 13, 2016 5:25 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks for the reply. Here are 15 lines from my System Log Queries. Hopefully this can be of use:

     

    2/14/16 11:15:20.000 AM kernel[0]: wlEvent: en1 en1 Link UP virtIf = 0

    2/14/16 11:15:20.000 AM kernel[0]: AirPort: RSN handshake complete on en1

    2/14/16 11:15:20.000 AM kernel[0]: wl0: Roamed or switched channel, reason #8, bssid 3a:ca:da:4b:fd:22

    2/14/16 11:15:20.000 AM kernel[0]: en1: BSSID changed to 3a:ca:da:4b:fd:22

    2/14/16 11:15:20.000 AM kernel[0]: en1: channel changed to 1

    2/14/16 11:15:20.000 AM kernel[0]: en1::IO80211Interface::postMessage bssid changed

    2/14/16 11:19:44.663 AM firefox[374]: Set intl.ime.nstextinput.enable to true in about:config to fix input.

    2/14/16 11:20:10.885 AM firefox[374]: Set intl.ime.nstextinput.enable to true in about:config to fix input.

    2/14/16 11:20:14.817 AM mdworker[61605]: code validation failed in the process of getting signing information: Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-67062 "The operation couldn’t be completed. (OSStatus error -67062.)"

    2/14/16 11:20:15.223 AM mdworker[61606]: code validation failed in the process of getting signing information: Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-67062 "The operation couldn’t be completed. (OSStatus error -67062.)"

    2/14/16 11:20:15.368 AM mdworker[61604]: code validation failed in the process of getting signing information: Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-67062 "The operation couldn’t be completed. (OSStatus error -67062.)"

    2/14/16 11:20:33.289 AM com.apple.xpc.launchd[1]: (com.apple.quicklook[61607]) Endpoint has been activated through legacy launch(3) APIs. Please switch to XPC or bootstrap_check_in(): com.apple.quicklook

    2/14/16 11:21:07.343 AM Console[61611]: Failed to connect (_consoleX) outlet from (NSApplication) to (ConsoleX): missing setter or instance variable

    2/14/16 11:21:10.115 AM WindowServer[125]: disable_update_timeout: UI updates were forcibly disabled by application "Console" for over 1.00 seconds. Server has re-enabled them.

    2/14/16 11:21:12.062 AM WindowServer[125]: common_reenable_update: UI updates were finally reenabled by application "Console" after 2.95 seconds (server forcibly re-enabled them after 1.00 seconds)

  • by Linc Davis,Apple recommended

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Feb 13, 2016 5:50 PM in response to Herman the worm man
    Level 10 (208,037 points)
    Applications
    Feb 13, 2016 5:50 PM in response to Herman the worm man

    Please back up all data.

    This procedure will delete the Spotlight index. It should be recreated automatically.

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

    /.Spotlight-V100

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

              Services ▹ Open

    from the contextual menu. A folder should open with a subfolder named ".Spotlight-V100" selected. Move the subfolder to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password.

    Restart the computer in safe mode. Certain caches maintained by the system will be rebuilt.

    Safe mode is much slower to start up than normal. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.

    When the login screen appears, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and test. There's no need to log in while in safe mode.

    Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t start in safe mode. In that case, ask for instructions.

    You can't see the folder in the Trash because it's invisible. The next time you empty the Trash, it should be deleted.

  • by OGELTHORPE,Apple recommended

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Feb 14, 2016 3:33 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 9 (52,793 points)
    Mac OS X
    Feb 14, 2016 3:33 AM in response to Linc Davis

    To reindex Spotlight, these APPLE directions are simpler and straitforward:

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201716

     

    Ciao.

  • by Herman the worm man,

    Herman the worm man Herman the worm man Feb 14, 2016 4:22 AM in response to OGELTHORPE
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 14, 2016 4:22 AM in response to OGELTHORPE

    I'm not sure I follow. What does reindexing Spotlight do? It may be a bit tricky backing up all my data.

     

    Also, is there anything that can be determined from the above Etrecheck report and System Log posted? Thanks.

  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Feb 16, 2016 6:12 AM in response to Herman the worm man
    Level 9 (52,793 points)
    Mac OS X
    Feb 16, 2016 6:12 AM in response to Herman the worm man

    Reindexing Spotlight will often correct the display in 'About this Mac' which shows the various categories utilizing HDD space.

     

    As has been mentioned, your MBP is short on RAM for the applications you are using.  A 13" 2010 MBP will accept up to 16 GB RAM.  A RAM increase to 8 GB or 16 GB should eliminate the swaps that are occurring.  The best sources of Mac compatible RAM are OWC and Crucial.

     

    http://blog.macsales.com/16353-owc-announces-maxram-memory-upgrades-to-16gb-for- 2010-mac-mini-macbook-and-macbook-pro

     

    Installing a SSD would also enhance performance.  I have installed a Crucial SSD on my 2010 MBP.  A 2010 MBP has SATA2 connectivity so ypou will not experience full potential from the SSD, the difference still will be noticeable.  OWC also offers first rate SSDs.  Avoid Samsung SSDs at this time.

     

    Since your MBP is 'old' by some standards, it might be advisable top check its 'health' via Disk Utility>First Aid by booting into the recovery partition:

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314

     

    Make certain that you have your data backed up first.

     

    Ciao.