Q: I have a 2009 17" MB pro with 512 gb HD. it is starting to run slow. Is there a reliable program which can clean up the hard drive ... I have a 2009 17" MB pro with 512 gb HD. it is starting to run slow. Is there a reliable program which can clean up the hard drive. more
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Helpful answers
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May 12, 2016 2:38 AM in response to baz2326by K Shaffer,Issues with performance, too full hard disk drive, lack of system resources, too much old
or obsoleted applications, old system parts from former versions (or no longer valid) are
all reasons to be aware of what to do.
If the hard drive is too full of content, you may need to choose what to save & what to
remove; an external archive and another drive for backup (to recover or restore) are
a few items to invest in, and learn how to use Time Machine, OS X Recovery, and
perhaps learn to make, test, and use OS X full system Clones.
• Tech Guides - Malware, Adware, Performance - from thesafemac
http://www.thesafemac.com/tech-guides/
You could get and use a report-generating software that is non-invasive, to see a
general overview of where the system resources are being allocated; Etrecheck...
Avoid 'cleanmymac' or 'mackeeper' and other such items that are set to rip you off.
There are some uninstaller software that can help remove some software,
those are usually free such as AppCleaner, among others that can be used
with caution. There is much that is totally unknown content to a casual non-
technical user, which needs to be in the Mac OS X for the computer to run.
• Apps can affect Mac performance, battery runtime, temperature, and fan activity - Apple Support
How to completely delete applications from OS X with AppCleaner (& maybe mess up your Mac)
http://osxdaily.com/2012/02/15/delete-applications-mac-os-x-appcleaner/
Some of the stuff out there can be dangerous; so tread with caution...
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May 12, 2016 9:14 AM in response to baz2326by Linc Davis,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.
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May 12, 2016 9:16 AM in response to baz2326by ManSinha,Download Omnidisksweeper or Grand Perspective -
They can show you what is taking up space on the drive so you can make decisions about delete versus move to external storage
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May 12, 2016 9:51 AM in response to baz2326by Courcoul,And, of course, give MalwareBytes Anti-Malware a spin on the offender to root out and identify any hostile code that might be sapping performance. Developed and maintained by a respected member of the boards here: https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/mac/
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May 12, 2016 9:54 AM in response to baz2326by Linc Davis,Never use any kind of "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" software on a Mac. That's how you cause problems, not how you solve them.
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May 12, 2016 9:54 AM in response to baz2326by Grant Bennet-Alder,Is there a reliable program that will clean up the drive.
NO.
You need to approach such problems thoughtfully, and avoid such programs, which are similar to firing a Shotgun at the side of your Macintosh, hoping you will hit the problem directly.
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May 12, 2016 1:59 PM in response to baz2326by benwiggy,★Helpfulbaz2326 wrote:
I have a MB pro 17: with a 512 hard drive it is starting to run a bit slow. All update are installed. Is there a reliable program that will clean up the drive. `also is there any advantage of having an SSD drive replacement.
Your Mac is at least 5 years old. It's possible that the hard drive might be failing or full. An SSD will bring instant benefits and massively speed up your Mac, and I would advise anyone with an old MBP to switch to an SSD.
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May 12, 2016 1:59 PM in response to baz2326by OGELTHORPE,★HelpfulSince Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac is NOT "Never use any kind of "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" software on a Mac.", you can safely use it. It is even recommended and used by Apple telephone support and genius bar technicians in preference to Apples difficult to use and less comprehensive malware/adware removal procedures.
https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/mac/
Ciao.