MatthewHeath

Q: Can uninstalling applications help to speed up my Macbook Pro?

OS X Yosemite 10.10.5

15 inch Mid-2012

MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012)

2.6 GHz Intel Core i7

16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3

 

Hello.

 

I know this is one of the most common questions, so I am going to attempt to give as much relevant information as possible. 

 

I've had my Macbook since January 2013 and use it predominantly for music.  I run Logic Pro X and Pro Tools 11 on a daily basis.  I hadn't too many problems for the first couple years or so, but only within the past year or so, and especially very recently has it it been slowing down.

 

It began shutting off for no apparent reason every once in a while maybe a year or a year and a half ago, but the slowness really began within the past 9-15 months.

 

I remember being told that those applications (Logic, Pro Tools, etc.) can slow down more after adding further applications, even if the additional apps aren't running.  I've upgraded from 8G of RAM to 16G, but it doesn't seem to help.

 

I have included a screenshot so you can see some of what my system looks like.

 

Screen Shot 2016-07-24 at 12.26.08 PM.jpg

 

I wonder if there isn't something practical that I can do somewhere, or perhaps maybe something I'm simply overlooking?

 

Thank you,

 

Matt H.

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5), MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012) Pro

Posted on Jul 24, 2016 10:28 AM

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Q: Can uninstalling applications help to speed up my Macbook Pro?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Drew Reece,Helpful

    Drew Reece Drew Reece Jul 25, 2016 8:48 AM in response to MatthewHeath
    Level 5 (7,490 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 25, 2016 8:48 AM in response to MatthewHeath

    MatthewHeath wrote:

     

    I wonder if there isn't something practical that I can do somewhere, or perhaps maybe something I'm simply overlooking?

     

    Based on the image your 750GB disk appears to be an old style 'spinning HD' (I may be wrong on that, check 'System Information' to confirm it). These are mechanical disks that are slower than SSDs. Spinning disks have latency associated with the heads that seek to read & write data. The nature of these disks also means that the more data you store on disk the slower performance will be…

    http://macperformanceguide.com/Storage-WhyYouNeedMoreThanYouNeed.html

    Your disk is over 2/3rd's full so it will operate slower than if it was empty.

    I dare say others will claim this is not a problem, just review the above link & make your own judgement. I have done tests & seen the effects of this on OS X.

     

    If you want maximum speed swap the disk for a SSD. It makes the OS read & write data much faster than a spinning disk. The cost may prohibit you having lots of space, so you may want to move of data you do not need all the time. SSD's do not get slower as they fill up, however you do need some free disk space for the OS to store RAM & cache files - never fill a Mac OS disk to bursting .

     

    Assuming you have been using your system normally before taking those screen grabs the memory pressure looks normal. The green bar will show orange or red when the memory is running low, as discussed at… http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/10/os-x-10-9/17/#compressed-memory ('memory pressure' was introduced in 10.9, hence the age of the review).

     

    The only apps that will 'slow a system' are ones that run in the background - antivirus, so called 'cleaning utilities' & other junk can do that. Most apps are harmless when they have no background tasks (not counting how the used storage space makes your spinning disk perform a little worse).

     

    Finally, the shutdowns are a concern - note the date & times, start capturing logs. Take it to Apple for inspection & potential repairs or servicing. A Mac should not shutdown under normal operation. It could be hardware or software issues.

    Apple stores will give a free initial appointment, but repairs will be charged if you don't have any warranty or Apple Care.

  • by MatthewHeath,

    MatthewHeath MatthewHeath Jul 24, 2016 8:45 PM in response to MatthewHeath
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Audio
    Jul 24, 2016 8:45 PM in response to MatthewHeath

    Thanks for the detailed answer/advice.  It is much appreciated.  Also two other things.  Could switching to SSD possibly make for less latency with external devices?  And a smaller, sort of separate thing.  I've been using Onyx to clean my system caches for quite sometime now.  Does this work best and/or are there other caches that Onyx doesn't get that I might need to clear?

     

    Thanks again,

     

    Matt H.

  • by Drew Reece,Helpful

    Drew Reece Drew Reece Jul 25, 2016 8:48 AM in response to MatthewHeath
    Level 5 (7,490 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 25, 2016 8:48 AM in response to MatthewHeath

    Sorry I don't know what external devices you use & I don't really know enough about audio latency to say with any accuracy. I suspect you'll get an answer via a new question in the Logic forum.

     

    Personally I'm unconvinced by clearing caches, OS X has routines for system caches that cycles logs & rebuilds various caches on boot, restart or on schedules etc. I occasionally will wipe out browser caches by resetting the browsers but I don't think it is something that is required often.

    I'll clear out caches in my user account (~/Library) if I find an application has used lots of disk space on caches, generally I leave them alone, unless there is a valid reason to suspect they need to go.

     

    Caches are there for a reason - to save the resources creating or obtaining the data again. Some of them can take a while to recreate, simply making the next application launch (or other operation) a slow one.

     

    I will occasionally check the disk usage via Omni Disk Sweeper, WhatSize or GrandPerspectiv to see where space is used.

     

    Onyx has lots of tools to tweak a Mac but I think it's better to just get on with work instead. There are many other Mac utility apps that claim to do more, frankly many of them seem harmful & waste resources that can be better spent elsewhere.

  • by Allan Jones,

    Allan Jones Allan Jones Jul 25, 2016 7:13 AM in response to MatthewHeath
    Level 8 (35,044 points)
    iPad
    Jul 25, 2016 7:13 AM in response to MatthewHeath

    Some people with OS10.10 are affected by an OSX bug that improperly judges the size of the "Other" category, reporting it larger than it should be. Before trying to remove anything, please see this Apple article on how to rebuild the Spotlight index:

     

    Rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac - Apple Support

     

    That fixes the isse in some cases.

     

    You may also have incompatible third-party software like anti-virus or cleaning/tuneup apps installed. None work without causing real performance problems. If you are not sure what is installed, please download and run ths free utility:

     

    http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

     

    It is secure and written by one of our most valued members to allow users to show details of their computer's configuration in Apple Support Communities without revealing any sensitive personal data. It does no repairs but rather reports potential issues for evaluation.

     

    Run the program and click the "Share Report" button when it finishes; chose "Copy to Clipboard" from the resulting menu. Then return here and paste the report into a response to your initial post. It can often show if any harmful files/programs are dragging down your performance or causing overheating.

  • by MatthewHeath,

    MatthewHeath MatthewHeath Jul 25, 2016 8:57 AM in response to MatthewHeath
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Audio
    Jul 25, 2016 8:57 AM in response to MatthewHeath

    EtreCheck version: 2.9.13 (267)

    Report generated 2016-07-25 10:56:03

    Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

    Runtime 5:14

    Performance: Below Average

     

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

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

     

    Problem: No problem - just checking

     

    Hardware Information:

        MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012)

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

        MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro9,1

        1 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7 CPU: 4-core

        16 GB RAM Upgradeable - [Instructions]

            BANK 0/DIMM0

                8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

            BANK 1/DIMM0

                8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

        Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported

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

        Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 854

     

    Video Information:

        Intel HD Graphics 4000

        NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M - VRAM: 1024 MB

            Color LCD 1440 x 900

            32DR420NA16 1920 x 1080

     

    System Software:

        OS X Yosemite 10.10.5 (14F1808) - Time since boot: about one day

     

    Disk Information:

        APPLE HDD HTS547575A9E384 disk0 : (750.16 GB) (Rotational)

            EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

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

            Macintosh HD (disk1) / : 748.93 GB (215.71 GB free)

                Core Storage: disk0s2 749.30 GB Online

     

        MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-8A8   ()

     

    USB Information:

        CELink USB3.0 Hub

            CELink USB3.0 Hub

            CELink USB3.0 Hub

                LaCie d2 USB 3.0 3 TB

            EFI (disk4s1) <not mounted> : 315 MB

            LaCie (disk4s2) /Volumes/LaCie : 3.00 TB (2.64 TB free)

                Seagate BUP Slim BK 1 TB

            EFI (disk3s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

            Boot OS X (disk3s3) <not mounted> : 134 MB

            Backup Drive (disk5) /Volumes/Backup Drive : 999.53 GB (60.99 GB free)

                Encrypted AES-XTS Unlocked

                Core Storage: disk3s2 999.86 GB Online

        CELink USB2.0 Hub

            CELink USB2.0 Hub

                Seagate BUP Slim RD 1 TB

            EFI (disk2s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

            MATTY I (disk2s2) /Volumes/MATTY I : 999.86 GB (301.00 GB free)

            iLok iLok

            CELink USB2.0 Hub

        PreSonus AudioBox 44 VSL

        Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

        Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad

        Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub

            Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

        Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

     

    Thunderbolt Information:

        Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

     

    Configuration files:

        /etc/sysctl.conf - File exists but not expected

     

    Gatekeeper:

        Mac App Store and identified developers

     

    Kernel Extensions:

            /Library/Extensions

        [not loaded]    com.caiaq.driver.NIUSBGuitarRigMobileDriver (2.6.0 (R82) - SDK 10.8 - 2016-07-18) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.caiaq.driver.NIUSBHardwareDriver (2.6.0 (R82) - SDK 10.8 - 2016-07-18) [Support]

     

            /Library/StartupItems/M-Audio PCI Audio Helper

        [not loaded]    com.midiman.driver.MAudioDelta (2.0.8 - 2013-02-04) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.midiman.driver.MAudioDeltaHT (2.0.8 - 2013-02-04) [Support]

     

            /System/Library/Extensions

        [loaded]    com.Cycling74.driver.Soundflower (1.6.6 - SDK 10.6 - 2016-07-18) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.LaCie.ScsiType00 (1.9.1 - SDK 10.5 - 2016-07-18) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.avid.usb.mbox.driver (Avid Mbox 1.0.18 - 2016-07-18) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.avid.usb.mboxmini.driver (Avid Mbox Mini 1.1.1 - SDK 10.6 - 2016-07-18) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.digidesign.iokit.DigiDal (10.0 - SDK 10.6 - 2016-07-18) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.digidesign.usb.elevenrack.driver (Digidesign Eleven Rack 1.0.1 - 2016-07-18) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.master (5.9.1 - SDK 10.6 - 2016-07-18) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.presonus.driver.audiobox.vsl.KernelDriver (1.50 - SDK 10.8 - 2016-07-18) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.presonus.driver.audiobox.vsldsp.KernelDriver (1.50 - SDK 10.8 - 2016-07-18) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.seagate.driver.PowSecDriverCore (5.2.6 (26977) - SDK 10.4 - 2016-07-18) [Support]

     

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

        [not loaded]    com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.leopard (5.9.1 - SDK 10.4 - 2016-03-05) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.panther (5.9.1 - SDK 10.-1 - 2016-03-05) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.snowleopard (5.9.1 - SDK 10.6 - 2016-03-05) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.tiger (5.9.1 - SDK 10.4 - 2016-03-05) [Support]

     

            /System/Library/Extensions/Seagate Storage Driver.kext/Contents/PlugIns

        [not loaded]    com.seagate.driver.PowSecLeafDriver_10_4 (5.2.6 (26977) - SDK 10.4 - 2015-01-30) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.seagate.driver.PowSecLeafDriver_10_5 (5.2.6 (26977) - SDK 10.5 - 2015-01-30) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.seagate.driver.SeagateDriveIcons (5.2.6 (26977) - SDK 10.4 - 2015-01-30) [Support]

     

    Startup Items:

        DigidesignLoader: Path: /Library/StartupItems/DigidesignLoader

        M-Audio FireWire Audio Helper: Path: /Library/StartupItems/M-Audio FireWire Audio Helper

        M-Audio PCI Audio Helper: Path: /Library/StartupItems/M-Audio PCI Audio Helper

        Startup items are obsolete in OS X Yosemite

     

    System Launch Agents:

        [not loaded]    6 Apple tasks

        [loaded]    141 Apple tasks

        [running]    65 Apple tasks

     

    System Launch Daemons:

        [running]    com.seagate.TBDecorator.plist (2013-10-11) [Support]

        [not loaded]    45 Apple tasks

        [loaded]    136 Apple tasks

        [running]    82 Apple tasks

     

    Launch Agents:

        [not loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (2013-04-11) [Support]

        [failed]    com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a...plist (2016-07-13) [Support]

        [running]    com.avid.mbox.helper.plist (2010-08-06) [Support]

        [running]    com.avid.mboxmini.helper.plist (2012-11-14) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.google.keystone.agent.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.intego.backupassistant.agent.plist (2014-07-30) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.lacie.LaCieDesktopManagerAgent.plist (2016-07-24) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist (2015-01-12) [Support]

        [loaded]    org.macosforge.xquartz.startx.plist (2013-11-10) [Support]

     

    Launch Daemons:

        [loaded]    PACESupport.plist (2013-02-01) [Support]

        [failed]    com.absolute.rpcgeo.plist (2013-01-05) [Support]

        [running]    com.absolute.rpcnet.plist (2015-08-20) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (2016-07-13) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (2016-07-13) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist (2013-01-28) [Support]

        [failed]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (2016-06-13) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.avid.bsd.ShoeTool.plist (2014-05-09) [Support]

        [running]    com.avid.bsd.shoe.plist (2014-10-13) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.avid.sari.plist (2013-05-14) [Support]

        [running]    com.digidesign.elevenrack.helper.plist (2009-10-16) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.ea.origin.ESHelper.plist (2015-09-07) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.gobbler.DownstreamProxy.plist (2014-11-05) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.google.keystone.daemon.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

        [running]    com.intego.BackupAssistant.daemon.plist (2014-07-30) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.lacie.LaCieDesktopManagerDaemon.plist (2015-08-12) [Support]

        [running]    com.m-audio.firewire.helper.plist (2009-11-04) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (2010-08-25) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist (2015-01-12) [Support]

        [running]    com.paceap.eden.licensed.plist (2014-10-08) [Support]

        [loaded]    org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx.plist (2013-11-10) [Support]

     

    User Launch Agents:

        [failed]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (2013-01-28) [Support]

        [failed]    com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist (2013-03-15) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.apple.FolderActions.folders.plist

        [loaded]    com.citrixonline.GoToMeeting.G2MUpdate.plist (2016-06-07) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.facebook.videochat.[redacted].plist (2014-08-08) [Support]

        [running]    com.spotify.webhelper.plist (2016-07-08) [Support]

     

    User Login Items:

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

        AdobeResourceSynchronizer    Application  (/Applications/Adobe Acrobat Reader DC.app/Contents/Helpers/AdobeResourceSynchronizer.app)

        NIHardwareAgent    Application Hidden (/Library/Application Support/Native Instruments/Hardware/NIHardwareAgent.app)

        Stickies    Application  (/Applications/Stickies.app)

     

    Other Apps:

        [running]    com.native-instruments.NIHardwareService.79552

        [loaded]    407 Apple tasks

        [running]    178 Apple tasks

     

    Internet Plug-ins:

        o1dbrowserplugin: 5.41.3.0 - SDK 10.8 (2015-12-16) [Support]

        Unity Web Player: UnityPlayer version 4.5.3f3 - SDK 10.6 (2015-09-24) [Support]

        Default Browser: 600 - SDK 10.10 (2015-08-18)

        iLokClientHelper: 3.6 - SDK 10.5 (2013-02-23) [Support]

        AdobeAAMDetect: AdobeAAMDetect 1.0.0.0 - SDK 10.6 (2012-08-09) [Support]

        FlashPlayer-10.6: 22.0.0.192 - SDK 10.9 (2016-06-23) [Support]

        AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: 15.017.20050 - SDK 10.11 (2016-07-13) [Support]

        Silverlight: 5.1.30514.0 - SDK 10.6 (2014-09-03) [Support]

        QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (2016-05-17)

        Flash Player: 22.0.0.192 - SDK 10.9 (2016-06-23) Outdated! Update

        googletalkbrowserplugin: 5.41.3.0 - SDK 10.8 (2015-12-11) [Support]

        SharePointBrowserPlugin: 14.6.5 - SDK 10.6 (2016-06-26) [Support]

        AdobePDFViewer: 15.017.20050 - SDK 10.11 (2016-07-13) [Support]

        JavaAppletPlugin: Java 8 Update 101 build 13 (2016-07-20) Check version

     

    User internet Plug-ins:

        CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: 1.0.105 (2014-06-12) [Support]

        Picasa: 1.0 - SDK 10.4 (2014-02-06) [Support]

     

    3rd Party Preference Panes:

        Digidesign Eleven Rack (2009-10-16) [Support]

        Flash Player (2016-06-13) [Support]

        Java (2016-07-20) [Support]

        M-Audio Delta Family (2007-11-09) [Support]

        PreferencesPane (2009-11-04) [Support]

        Mbox (2010-08-06) [Support]

        Mbox Mini (2014-03-05) [Support]

        Native Instruments USB Audio (2016-05-15) [Support]

        Seagate Dashboard for Mac OSX (2015-06-09) [Support]

     

    Time Machine:

        Skip System Files: NO

        Mobile backups: ON

        Auto backup: YES

        Volumes being backed up:

            Macintosh HD: Disk size: 748.93 GB Disk used: 533.22 GB

        Destinations:

            Seagate Backup Plus Drive [Local]

            Total size: 999.53 GB

            Total number of backups: 79

            Oldest backup: 10/29/15, 8:15 AM

            Last backup: 7/25/16, 10:27 AM

            Size of backup disk: Too small

                Backup size 999.53 GB < (Disk used 533.22 GB X 3)

     

    Top Processes by CPU:

            46%    mdworker(8)

            13%    WindowServer

             4%    Safari

             3%    com.apple.WebKit.WebContent(4)

             2%    fontd

     

    Top Processes by Memory:

        1.52 GB    com.apple.WebKit.WebContent(4)

        1.18 GB    kernel_task

        475 MB    softwareupdated

        295 MB    mds_stores

        147 MB    Finder

     

    Virtual Memory Information:

        8.38 GB    Free RAM

        7.61 GB    Used RAM (2.36 GB Cached)

        0 B    Swap Used

     

    Diagnostics Information:

        Jul 24, 2016, 03:21:20 PM    Self test - passed

        Jul 24, 2016, 08:07:08 AM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Kernel_2016-07-24-080708_[redacted].panic [Details]

        Jul 23, 2016, 04:52:39 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/iTunes_2016-07-23-165239_[redacted].hang

            /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes

        Jul 22, 2016, 11:53:39 PM    ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/iZotope Check for Updates_2016-07-22-235339_[redacted].crash

            com.izotope.audioapps.updater - /Library/Application Support/iZotope/*/iZotope Check for Updates.app/Contents/MacOS/iZotope Check for Updates

        Jul 12, 2016, 11:55:27 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Kernel_2016-07-12-235527_[redacted].panic [Details]

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Jul 25, 2016 9:42 AM in response to MatthewHeath
    Level 9 (70,061 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 25, 2016 9:42 AM in response to MatthewHeath

    Try uninstalling Intego.

     

    Intego Uninstall


    Try uninstalling Paceap using the Developer's uninstall instructions.

  • by Drew Reece,

    Drew Reece Drew Reece Jul 25, 2016 9:47 AM in response to MatthewHeath
    Level 5 (7,490 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 25, 2016 9:47 AM in response to MatthewHeath

    The logs show recent kernel panics - if that is the case you need to investigate these.

    Mac OS X: How to log a kernel panic - Apple Support

    http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/kernelpanics.html

     

    I'd consider removing Facebook's video chat app if you don't use it, I recollect other users having issues but I can't remember what problems it caused. It is setup as a user launch agent, run on login. Search here for info, it was on this site it was discussed.

     

    Several of the kernel extensions seem old, Soundflower is out of date. The old site had uninstallers if you want to remove it, I think they were in the installer download…

    https://code.google.com/archive/p/soundflower

     

    Install the latest from github if you need it.

    https://github.com/mattingalls/Soundflower

     

    I'd check for updates to the other kernel extensions too. Personally I don't trust Seagate enough to run low level extensions for their hardware, in the past there software has been buggy. Update or remove if you can find their instructions for that.

     

    There is a lot going on that appears to be mostly audio software related, sadly that seems to have some convoluted low level access to the OS & can be quite invasive (like the defunct startup items, what else did they leave behind?). It may be wise to backup everything, erase & reinstall the apps you use, eventually too much old cruft gets difficult to clear out or troubleshoot. Migration Assistant can move just your user data from a clone, removing issues created by most applications.

  • by MatthewHeath,

    MatthewHeath MatthewHeath Jul 29, 2016 10:48 AM in response to Drew Reece
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Audio
    Jul 29, 2016 10:48 AM in response to Drew Reece

    Okay.  I ordered an SSD and it should be here today.  My question now is about the transfer.  Because I am replacing my original hard disk with the SSD as opposed to adding another hard drive, correct?  My main question is about the transfer of data, or more specifically, the applications. 

     

    How do I move all of my applications (Logic X, MS Office, etc.) to operate on the new SSD as well as the data.  I do have a backup that I have been using with Time Machine.  Could I simply install the SSD and restart the new hard drive from the backup maybe?

     

    Matt H.

  • by Drew Reece,

    Drew Reece Drew Reece Jul 29, 2016 2:26 PM in response to MatthewHeath
    Level 5 (7,490 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 29, 2016 2:26 PM in response to MatthewHeath

    Time Machine is not bootable so you need to install an OS before you can use that. Personally I prefer to use a full clone or directly copy from the original if you want everything however a Time Machine backup should be OK.

     

    Download the required OS from the App Store & write that to a USB stick so you can install after fitting the SSD otherwise you need to use internet recovery which can be slow & may install the older original OS. One of these will make a bootable USB thumb drive, it will be erased…

    Create a bootable installer for OS X - Apple Support

    http://diskmakerx.com/

     

    I think you have a number of options depending on how much you would like to clear out older data.

     

    You can clone the entire disk onto the SSD to have everything but that may include some of the issues you hope to get away from. Get an external disk case or adaptor for the old disk to be able to read it after removing it. Disk Utility within the installer can clone the data between disks (ask if you want to pursue that). It is a good idea to run the installer to get the disk setup correctly with a recovery partition even if you plan on cloning the data back.

     

    Another option is to move your user account(s) back onto the fresh install, reinstall the apps you need manually. Migration Assistant will allow you to copy from the backup or from a clone/ the original disk.

    Connect the backup when prompted in the OS installer, you can choose some options to migrate the Users, Applications and 'other data'.

     

    Personally I'd be tempted to avoid migrating the applications if you can, however it is your choice & depends on if you have all the installers & registration codes available etc.

    Sadly the Migration Assistant 'Applications' option is 'all or nothing', you get all supporting files if you use that method so that will include older code that may be out of date & run in the background.

     

    'Other data' is the items outside of your home folder that were not applications (generally the junk at the root of the disk if you ever stored your own data there).

  • by MatthewHeath,

    MatthewHeath MatthewHeath Jul 29, 2016 2:56 PM in response to Drew Reece
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Audio
    Jul 29, 2016 2:56 PM in response to Drew Reece

    I can't find the OS X installer anywhere on the app store.

  • by Drew Reece,

    Drew Reece Drew Reece Jul 29, 2016 3:57 PM in response to MatthewHeath
    Level 5 (7,490 points)
    Notebooks
    Jul 29, 2016 3:57 PM in response to MatthewHeath

    You have 10.10 installed, do you have Yosemite in your App store purchase history?

    That is the installer, it will download into the Applications folder as 'Install OS X Yosemite'.

     

    If you haven't already purchased 10.10 & acquired the OS with the Mac I don't think you can re-install it, the Mac can reinstall the original shipping OS (10.8) via recovery mode or any compatible OS in your purchase history.

     

    10.10 has been taken off the store, so you may have to buy & install 10.11 if you don't have Yosemite. I have heard that you can contact Apple & acquire a redeem code for some OS's, but I don't think there is one for 10.10.

     

    Sign in & check your purchases.

  • by rccharles,

    rccharles rccharles Jul 29, 2016 4:18 PM in response to MatthewHeath
    Level 6 (8,471 points)
    Classic Mac OS
    Jul 29, 2016 4:18 PM in response to MatthewHeath

    Installing the ssd will not hurt, but I'm not sure the cause the slowdown has been identified.

     

     

    Top Processes by CPU:

            46%    mdworker(8)

     

    This is spotlight indexing one of your harddrives.  I'd go and tell spotlight to stop indexing the drives you do not need indexed. Indexing drives you do not needed indexed would drive up i/o.  You do not want to be indexing when you are doing auto recording.

     

    Perhaps this person is on to something:

    https://coolestguidesontheplanet.com/spotlight-control-mac-os-x-mavericks-10-9/

     

    Ways of stopping spotlight.

    https://www.tekrevue.com/tip/three-ways-to-prevent-spotlight-from-indexing-items -on-your-mac/

     

     

     

    R