napa-web-designer

Q: iMac becomes slow constantly

My iMac performance goes through on and off periods of just being very slow to respond or not.  The best way to refresh its speed is to restart it, which I only do when performance gets really bad.  It comes and goes but more often over the past few years it is more frequent.

 

About 1 year ago I finally took the time to do a fresh reinstall of OSX and freshly installed all of my apps.  But it still is this way.

 

I looked at Console and put forth this thread a while back about one task error that repeated every second thinking that might be an issue but had not response. Finder issues. mbfloagent Metadata. framwork [Error] :  mdscopystoreattributes failed: (8) (os/kern) no access

 

I have the following iMac:

 

OSX 10.11.4 on a Mid 2011 27 inch iMac

Processor: 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5

Memory: 8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3

Only using about 1/3rd of hard drive space

 

I have Activity Monitor open always now because I have regular problems on my iMac with apps Not Responding, especially Google Chrome, Finder and Mail on occasion, but also Ember and Sketch.


I have found I simply cannot leave Sketch open for 24 hours so that solves that problem, I just close it down. Ember the same. Chrome I often have multiple tabs open because I am multi-tasking for days and I see that in Activity Monitor it takes up more an more Memory - but often when I have issues, the memory pressure is fine.


I used to have extra iCloud storage but I removed that because it seemed to slow down my Finder and on this Mac, (I have a laptop with none of these problems). I still use dropbox.


Any help would be appreciated.


Thanks,

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.2)

Posted on May 16, 2016 10:34 AM

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Q: iMac becomes slow constantly

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  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 May 16, 2016 10:51 AM in response to napa-web-designer
    Level 9 (58,184 points)
    Photos for Mac
    May 16, 2016 10:51 AM in response to napa-web-designer

    Without really knowing anything about the system it's difficult to say. If you have any type of third party utilities such as cleaning apps, antivirus apps, etc installed that would be the first guess. Do you have any of those types of apps installed?

  • by napa-web-designer,

    napa-web-designer napa-web-designer May 16, 2016 2:18 PM in response to rkaufmann87
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Desktops
    May 16, 2016 2:18 PM in response to rkaufmann87

    I do not. I stay away from those.  Thanks for asking.

  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 May 16, 2016 3:56 PM in response to napa-web-designer
    Level 9 (58,184 points)
    Photos for Mac
    May 16, 2016 3:56 PM in response to napa-web-designer

    PPlease Google EtreCheck and then download and run the report. Please copy and paste the report into your reply to this message. The report will show if there are any obvious issues.

  • by napa-web-designer,

    napa-web-designer napa-web-designer Jun 3, 2016 12:19 PM in response to rkaufmann87
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 3, 2016 12:19 PM in response to rkaufmann87

    Thanks for your offer to help,

     

    Below is the etreCheck report, along with my note that when I look at it and see many processed killed due to insufficient RAM, it does not make sense because when I look at Activity Monitor undrer RAM, memory pressure is in green.

     

    EtreCheck version: 2.9.12 (265)

    Report generated 2016-06-03 12:13:31

    Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

    Runtime 11:40

    Performance: Poor

     

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

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

     

    Problem: Beachballing

     

    Hardware Information:

        iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)

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

        iMac - model: iMac12,2

        1 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 4-core

        8 GB RAM Upgradeable - [Instructions]

            BANK 0/DIMM0

                4 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok

            BANK 1/DIMM0

                4 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok

            BANK 0/DIMM1

                Empty  

            BANK 1/DIMM1

                Empty  

        Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported

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

     

    Video Information:

        AMD Radeon HD 6770M - VRAM: 512 MB

            iMac 2560 x 1440

     

    System Software:

        OS X El Capitan 10.11.4 (15E65) - Time since boot: less than an hour

     

    Disk Information:

        ST31000528AS disk0 : (1 TB) (Rotational)

            EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

            Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 999.35 GB (618.49 GB free)

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

     

        OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5690H   ()

     

    USB Information:

        Primax Electronics Apple Optical USB Mouse

        Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

        Apple Card Reader

        Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

        hp deskjet 5550

        Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub

            Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

     

    Firewire Information:

        Iomega HDD unknown_device 800mbit - 800mbit max

            EFI (disk1s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

            Iomega HDD (disk1s2) /Volumes/Iomega HDD : 999.86 GB (460.28 GB free)

     

    Thunderbolt Information:

        Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

     

    Gatekeeper:

        Mac App Store and identified developers

     

    Kernel Extensions:

            /System/Library/Extensions

        [loaded]    zoom.us.ZoomAudioDevice (1.2 - SDK 10.9 - 2016-05-16) [Support]

     

    System Launch Agents:

        [not loaded]    9 Apple tasks

        [loaded]    153 Apple tasks

        [running]    53 Apple tasks

        [killed]    23 Apple tasks

        23 processes killed due to insufficient RAM

     

    System Launch Daemons:

        [not loaded]    45 Apple tasks

        [loaded]    155 Apple tasks

        [running]    70 Apple tasks

        [killed]    18 Apple tasks

        18 processes killed due to insufficient RAM

     

    Launch Agents:

        [not loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (2016-04-14) [Support]

        [failed]    com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a...plist (2016-05-11) [Support]

        [running]    com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist (2016-03-17) [Support]

     

    Launch Daemons:

        [loaded]    com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (2016-05-11) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (2016-05-11) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist (2015-04-06) [Support]

        [running]    com.adobe.adobeupdatedaemon.plist (2016-04-14) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.agsservice.plist (2016-03-02) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (2016-04-04) [Support]

        [running]    com.backblaze.bzserv.plist (2015-05-15) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (2014-02-26) [Support]

     

    User Launch Agents:

        [loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (2015-04-08) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist (2016-02-05) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.aviator.agent.plist (2015-05-18) [Support]

        [running]    com.backblaze.bzbmenu.plist (2016-06-03) [Support]

        [running]    com.c-command.SpamSieve.LaunchAgent.plist (2016-06-03) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.google.keystone.agent.plist (2016-03-01) [Support]

     

    User Login Items:

        SkyFonts    Application  (/Applications/SkyFonts/SkyFonts.app)

        iTunesHelper    Application Hidden (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

        Dropbox    Application Hidden (/Applications/Dropbox.app)

        TextExpander    Application Hidden (/Applications/TextExpander.app)

        Mail    Application  (/Applications/Mail.app)

        Things    Application  (/Applications/Things.app)

        ChronoMate    Application Hidden (/Applications/ChronoMate.app)

        Growl    Application Hidden (/Applications/Growl.app)

        Guidance    Application Hidden (/Applications/Guidance.app)

        Captur    Application Hidden (/Applications/Captur.app)

        TransmitMenu    Application  (/Applications/Transmit.app/Contents/MacOS/TransmitMenu.app)

        Alfred 2    Application  (/Applications/Alfred 2.app)

        Printer Pro Desktop    Application  (/Applications/Printer Pro Desktop.app)

     

    Other Apps:

        [running]    2BUA8C4S2C.com.agilebits.onepassword4-helper

        [running]    P97H7FTHWN.com.realmacsoftware.ember.librarymediator

        [running]    com.Growl.GrowlHelperApp.63072

        [running]    com.adobe.CCLibrary.149472

        [running]    com.adobe.CCXProcess.148832

        [running]    com.adobe.acc.AdobeDesktopService.135072.99C84F14-2E5C-494B-829D-013CC8DE071D

        [running]    com.adobe.accmac.147552

        [running]    com.agilebits.onepassword4.94112

        [loaded]    com.batoulapps.GuidanceLauncher

        [running]    com.batoulapps.GuidanceMac.63392

        [running]    com.c-command.SpamSieve.78752

        [running]    com.cescobaz.ColorMakerHelper

        [running]    com.cescobaz.iColor.55712

        [loaded]    com.culturedcode.things.80032

        [running]    com.getdropbox.dropbox.58912

        [loaded]    com.google.Chrome.103072

        [loaded]    com.growl.GrowlLauncher

        [running]    com.koolesache.ColorSnapper.56672

        [loaded]    com.koolesache.ColorSnapperHelper

        [running]    com.mti.Monotype-SkyFonts.154272

        [running]    com.mti.Monotype-SkyFontsHelper

        [running]    com.mti.Monotype-SkyFontsHelper.162592

        [running]    com.panic.Transmit.TransmitMenu.106272

        [loaded]    com.quadbyte.ChronoMateLoginHelperApp

        [running]    com.quadbyte.chronomate.55072

        [loaded]    com.realmacsoftware.ember.storeadapterservice

        [running]    com.runningwithcrayons.Alfred-2.50912

        [running]    com.smileonmymac.textexpander.79712

        [running]    haerul.Captur.54112

        [loaded]    402 Apple tasks

        [running]    198 Apple tasks

        [killed]    45 Apple tasks

     

    Internet Plug-ins:

        AdobeAAMDetect: 3.0.0.0 - SDK 10.9 (2016-04-14) [Support]

        FlashPlayer-10.6: 21.0.0.213 - SDK 10.6 (2016-04-08) [Support]

        QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (2016-04-14)

        AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: 15.016.20045 - SDK 10.11 (2016-06-02) [Support]

        AdobePDFViewer: 15.016.20045 - SDK 10.11 (2016-06-02) [Support]

        Flash Player: 21.0.0.213 - SDK 10.6 (2016-04-08) Outdated! Update

        Default Browser: 601 - SDK 10.11 (2016-04-14)

        SharePointBrowserPlugin: 14.6.4 - SDK 10.6 (2016-05-22) [Support]

        Silverlight: 5.1.30514.0 - SDK 10.6 (2015-04-21) [Support]

        JavaAppletPlugin: 15.0.1 - SDK 10.11 (2015-04-06) Check version

     

    User internet Plug-ins:

        ZoomUsPlugIn: 3.5.49863.0509 - SDK 10.11 (2016-05-26) [Support]

     

    Safari Extensions:

        1Password - AgileBits - https://agilebits.com/onepassword (2016-05-21)

        Ember - Realmac Software - http://realmacsoftware.com/ember (2014-01-30)

        Buffer - Buffer - http://buffer.com (2015-04-06)

        Save to Pocket - Read It Later, Inc. - http://getpocket.com/ (2015-11-06)

        Subtle Patterns - Matt Rajca - https://github.com/mattrajca/Safari-Extensions/tree/master/SubtlePatterns (2012-04-05)

        un-utm - Joseph Schmitt - http://joe.sh/un-utm (2014-04-16)

     

    3rd Party Preference Panes:

        Backblaze Backup (2015-05-15) [Support]

        Flash Player (2016-04-04) [Support]

     

    Time Machine:

        Skip System Files: NO

        Mobile backups: OFF

        Auto backup: YES

        Volumes being backed up:

            Macintosh HD: Disk size: 999.35 GB Disk used: 380.86 GB

        Destinations:

            Iomega HDD [Local]

            Total size: 999.86 GB

            Total number of backups: 75

            Oldest backup: 11/18/15, 6:25 PM

            Last backup: 6/3/16, 11:15 AM

            Size of backup disk: Too small

                Backup size 999.86 GB < (Disk used 380.86 GB X 3)

     

    Top Processes by CPU:

            19%    Google Chrome Helper(54)

             9%    Mail

             8%    Google Chrome

             3%    CoreServicesUIAgent

             3%    WindowServer

     

    Top Processes by Memory:

        4.57 GB    Google Chrome Helper(54)

        797 MB    kernel_task

        319 MB    mdworker(19)

        246 MB    Google Chrome

        205 MB    mds_stores

     

    Virtual Memory Information:

        62 MB    Free RAM

        7.94 GB    Used RAM (1.28 GB Cached)

        10 MB    Swap Used

     

    Diagnostics Information:

        Jun 3, 2016, 11:50:36 AM    ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Printer Pro Desktop_2016-06-03-115036_[redacted].crash

            /Applications/Printer Pro Desktop.app/Contents/MacOS/Printer Pro Desktop

        Jun 3, 2016, 11:26:58 AM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Kernel_2016-06-03-112658_[redacted].panic [Details]

        Jun 3, 2016, 11:25:43 AM    Self test - passed

     

  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Jun 3, 2016 12:37 PM in response to napa-web-designer
    Level 9 (58,184 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jun 3, 2016 12:37 PM in response to napa-web-designer


    Something is eating all of your RAM, this would cause the beach balling you are experiencing. The simple thing to do would be add more RAM (your machine can accommodate up to 32GB) however with 8GB already installed this should be adequate in most cases. My recommendation is to learn how to use Activity Monitor (Applications - Utilities - Activity Monitor) by reading Use Activity Monitor on your Mac - Apple Support. After using it you will see where all the RAM is being used, then you can get a better idea of what to do.

  • by Baby Boomer (USofA),

    Baby Boomer (USofA) Baby Boomer (USofA) Jun 3, 2016 12:47 PM in response to napa-web-designer
    Level 9 (57,623 points)
    Jun 3, 2016 12:47 PM in response to napa-web-designer

    Max out your RAM.  Use Mactracker to check the maximum amt of RAM your model can use.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    ezgif.com-resize.gif

  • by napa-web-designer,

    napa-web-designer napa-web-designer Jun 30, 2016 8:39 PM in response to rkaufmann87
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Desktops
    Jun 30, 2016 8:39 PM in response to rkaufmann87

    The EtreCheck results had this in red:

     

    Size of backup disk: Too small

                Backup size 999.86 GB < (Disk used 380.86 GB X 3)

     

    but a backup disk that is 3 times as big is supposed to be sufficient and I have 421 GB available.  Should I be concerned about this affecting my performance? It is to an external drive via USB2.