Would installation to the new OS this fall cure the maladies (indicated by frequent occurrence of the spinning beach ball) my present 2013 iMac is afflicted with? Or would it either replicate or amplify those issues?
Asking for a friend.
iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.7)
FWIW, if a machine is not working correctly. 80% of the time it's because of incompatible software. !0% is trying to run more than the system is capable of running at one time. 5% of the time it's a hardware issue. It's never a good idea or a cure to install a new OS without finding out what the current problems are.
Most likely no. Those kinds of problems are rarely caused by the OS itself. It's usually the result of 3rd party software, often adware/malware/cleanup-junk installed on the system. Upgrading the OS will not usually cure those problems.
Download and run Etrecheck.
This is not anti-malware or anti-virus software. It will generate a report of everything running on the system and can often help greatly in identifying what software or hardware shortcomings may be causing problems.
You can post the report here if you'd like assistance interpreting it.
It will almost never fix anything unless it was specifically designed to fix a known issue. Spinning beachballs occur, but they are not caused by the OS (normally).
It will generally make things worse.
One of the most common causes of a spinning beachball is a failing hard drive. You get the beachball because the drive is not returning the information requested by the OS.
There is also the possibility that the problem is caused by third-party software. Upgrading the OS will not fix the problem and will very likely exacerbate the issue.
It has been my experience that upgrading the operating system on a computer with problems usually makes the problems worst. It is far better to solve the problems first and them upgrade. I suggest that you download and install EtreCheck from http://etrecheck.com/
Run it and post the report here. From the EtreCheck maybe we can help you to fix the problems.
thanks for kiltedtim and Allen for the offer of interpreting my EtreCheck results. Here they are
EtreCheck version: 3.0.2 (306)
Report generated 2016-08-25 13:42:48
Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com
Runtime 6:28
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: ⓘ
iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013)
[Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty & Service]
iMac - model: iMac14,1
1 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 4-core
8 GB RAM Upgradeable - [Instructions]
BANK 0/DIMM0
4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported
Wireless: Unknown
Video Information: ⓘ
Intel Iris Pro
iMac 1920 x 1080
System Software: ⓘ
OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 (15G31) - Time since boot: about 4 hours
Disk Information: ⓘ
APPLE HDD ST1000LM024 disk0 : (1 TB) (Rotational)
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Audrey (disk0s2) / : 947.81 GB (183.07 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
Sierra Test (disk0s4) /Volumes/Sierra Test : 50.89 GB (35.88 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s5) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
USB Information: ⓘ
Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
Macally Peripherals Macally BUMPERMOUSE
HP HP Officejet Pro 8610
LITEON Technology USB Keyboard
Thunderbolt Information: ⓘ
Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Gatekeeper: ⓘ
Anywhere
Kernel Extensions: ⓘ
/Library/Extensions
[loaded] com.contentwatch.ghoti.NARCPacketInterceptor (1.1 - SDK 10.10 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxDrv (4.1.18 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetAdp (4.1.18 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetFlt (4.1.18 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
[not loaded] org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxUSB (4.1.18 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
/Library/StartupItems/ArcanaStartupSound/Resources
[not loaded] arcana.PRAM (1.1b3 - 2009-09-12) [Support]
/System/Library/Extensions
[not loaded] com.FTDI.driver.FTDIUSBSerialDriver (2.2.18 - SDK 10.6 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
[not loaded] com.dexcom.driver.DexComUSB (1.0.0 - SDK 10.6 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
[not loaded] com.parentalctrl.kext.filter (3.6.7 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
[not loaded] com.prolific.driver.PL2303 (1.5.0 - SDK 10.6 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
[loaded] com.seagate.driver.PowSecDriverCore (5.2.6 (26977) - SDK 10.4 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
[loaded] com.squirrels.airparrot.framebuffer (1.6 - SDK 10.8 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
[loaded] com.squirrels.driver.AirParrotSpeakers (1.8 - SDK 10.8 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
[not loaded] com.tandemdiabetes.tslim.kext (1.0 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
[not loaded] com.wacom.kext.pentablet (Pen Tablet 5.2.4-4 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
[not loaded] net.pocketmac.driver.BlackberryUSB (3.0.12 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
[not loaded] net.pocketmac.driver.BlackberryUSBDev (3.0.12 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
[not loaded] org.dungeon.driver.SATSMARTDriver (0.8.1 - SDK 10.6 - 2016-08-23) [Support]
/System/Library/Extensions/DexComUSB.kext/Contents/Plugins
[not loaded] com.dexcom.driver.DexComUSBCDCACMControl (1.0.0 - SDK 10.6 - 2015-02-19) [Support]
[not loaded] com.dexcom.driver.DexComUSBCDCACMData (1.0.0 - SDK 10.6 - 2015-02-19) [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 - 2015-07-22) [Support]
[loaded] com.seagate.driver.PowSecLeafDriver_10_5 (5.2.6 (26977) - SDK 10.5 - 2015-07-22) [Support]
[not loaded] com.seagate.driver.SeagateDriveIcons (5.2.6 (26977) - SDK 10.4 - 2015-07-22) [Support]
Startup Items: ⓘ
ArcanaStartupSound: Path: /Library/StartupItems/ArcanaStartupSound
ProTec6b: Path: /Library/StartupItems/ProTec6b
TuxeraNTFSUnmountHelper: Path: /Library/StartupItems/TuxeraNTFSUnmountHelper
Startup items are obsolete in OS X Yosemite
System Launch Agents: ⓘ
[not loaded] 7 Apple tasks
[loaded] 153 Apple tasks
[running] 78 Apple tasks
System Launch Daemons: ⓘ
[running] com.seagate.TBDecorator.plist (2013-10-11) [Support]
[not loaded] 45 Apple tasks
[loaded] 155 Apple tasks
[running] 90 Apple tasks
Launch Agents: ⓘ
[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (2016-08-22) [Support]
[failed] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist (2015-11-30) [Support]
[loaded] com.carbonite.launchd.carbonitealerts.plist (2010-11-09) [Support]
[failed] com.carbonite.launchd.carbonitestatus.plist (2010-11-09) [Support]
[failed] com.contentwatch.ghoti.Agent.plist (2016-04-06) [Support]
[loaded] com.contentwatch.ghoti.Registration.plist (2016-04-06) [Support]
[loaded] com.contentwatch.ghoti.UpdaterAgent.plist (2016-04-06) [Support]
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist (2016-07-12) [Support]
[failed] com.seagate.SeagateStorageGauge.plist (2010-03-10) [Support]
[not loaded] com.smartlaunch.usbdetection.plist (2011-12-05) [Support]
[running] com.wacom.pentablet.plist (2010-10-06) [Support]
Launch Daemons: ⓘ
[running] com.adobe.adobeupdatedaemon.plist (2016-08-22) [Support]
[running] com.adobe.agsservice.plist (2016-08-15) [Support]
[failed] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (2016-05-09) [Support]
[loaded] com.apple.installer.osmessagetracing.plist (2016-05-17)
[loaded] com.barebones.authd.plist (2011-10-29) [Support]
[running] com.contentwatch.ghoti.Daemon.plist (2016-04-06) [Support]
[running] com.contentwatch.ghoti.LaunchProxy.plist (2016-04-06) [Support]
[loaded] com.contentwatch.ghoti.Updater.WaitForIPC.plist (2016-04-06) [Support]
[failed] com.contentwatch.ghoti.Updater.plist (2016-04-06) [Support]
[failed] com.google.GoogleML.plist (2008-03-10) [Support]
[loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist (2016-07-12) [Support]
[loaded] com.malwarebytes.MBAMHelperTool.plist (2016-03-05) [Support]
[loaded] com.microsoft.autoupdate.helpertool.plist (2016-08-03) [Support]
[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (2015-03-11) [Support]
[running] com.seagate.TBDecorator.plist (2013-10-11) [Support]
User Launch Agents: ⓘ
[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (2012-06-20) [Support]
[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist (2012-11-17) [Support]
[running] com.akamai.single-user-client.plist (2016-05-17) [Support]
[running] com.c-command.SpamSieve.LaunchAgent.plist (2016-08-25) [Support]
[running] com.memeo.Memeod.plist (2011-09-30) [Support]
[running] com.spotify.webhelper.plist (2015-04-17) [Support]
User Login Items: ⓘ
iTunesHelper Application (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
Dropbox Application (/Applications/Dropbox.app)
Internet Plug-ins: ⓘ
AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: 11.0.10 - SDK 10.6 (2015-01-24) [Support]
Flash Player: 21.0.0.242 - SDK 10.6 (2016-05-17) Outdated! Update
AdobePDFViewer: 11.0.10 - SDK 10.6 (2015-01-24) [Support]
Unity Web Player: UnityPlayer version 4.3.3f1 - SDK 10.6 (2014-01-15) [Support]
googletalkbrowserplugin: 5.41.3.0 - SDK 10.8 (2015-12-11) [Support]
MacCouponPrinter2: Unknown (2008-05-06)
AdobeExManDetect: AdobeExManDetect 1.1.0.0 - SDK 10.7 (2013-08-03) [Support]
iPhotoPhotocast: 7.0 - SDK 10.8 (2013-04-21)
Scorch: 6.1.0 (2010-04-23) [Support]
Veoh Plugin: 3.0 (2007-03-19) [Support]
DirectorShockwave: 12.0.2r122 - SDK 10.6 (2013-04-03) [Support]
QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (2016-07-08)
FlashPlayer-10.6: 21.0.0.242 - SDK 10.6 (2016-05-17) [Support]
AdobeAAMDetect: 3.0.0.0 - SDK 10.9 (2016-08-22) [Support]
ToontownBundleManager: Unknown (2009-06-25) [Support]
CANONiMAGEGATEWAYDL: 3.1.0.2 (2009-09-08) [Support]
Musicnotes: 1.18.8 (2010-09-20) [Support]
Silverlight: 5.1.30514.0 - SDK 10.6 (2014-12-22) [Support]
Google Earth Web Plug-in: 7.1 (2016-08-19) [Support]
Default Browser: 601 - SDK 10.11 (2016-07-08)
Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: 2.4.0.11 (2011-12-06) [Support]
o1dbrowserplugin: 5.41.3.0 - SDK 10.8 (2015-12-15) [Support]
SharePointBrowserPlugin: 14.6.6 - SDK 10.6 (2016-08-23) [Support]
JavaAppletPlugin: Java 7 Update 09 (2012-11-27) Check version
WacomNetscape: 1.1.1-1 (2011-08-11) [Support]
User internet Plug-ins: ⓘ
CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: 1.0.79 (2012-09-06) [Support]
fbplugin_1_0_3: Unknown (2010-02-26) [Support]
Google Earth Web Plug-in: 7.1 (2013-10-07) [Support]
Safari Extensions: ⓘ
Evernote Web Clipper - Evernote Corp. - http://evernote.com (2016-08-22)
3rd Party Preference Panes: ⓘ
Akamai NetSession Preferences (2016-05-17) [Support]
Flash Player (2016-05-09) [Support]
Flip4Mac WMV (2011-06-30) [Support]
Growl (2009-10-28) [Support]
Seagate Dashboard for Mac OSX (2016-08-17) [Support]
ArcanaStartupSound (2009-09-12) [Support]
Time Machine: ⓘ
Skip System Files: NO
Mobile backups: OFF
Auto backup: NO - Auto backup turned off
Volumes being backed up:
Audrey: Disk size: 947.81 GB Disk used: 764.74 GB
Destinations:
Lafferty Archive II [Local]
Total size: 4.00 TB
Total number of backups: 12
Oldest backup: 8/22/16, 3:39 AM
Last backup: 8/23/16, 7:42 AM
Size of backup disk: Excellent
Backup size 4.00 TB > (Disk size 947.81 GB X 3)
Top Processes by CPU: ⓘ
4% systemstatsd
2% kernel_task
0% Mail
0% WindowServer
0% Dropbox
Top Processes by Memory: ⓘ
758 MB kernel_task
459 MB Mail
254 MB mdworker(15)
254 MB mds_stores
221 MB SpamSieve
Virtual Memory Information: ⓘ
2.09 GB Free RAM
5.91 GB Used RAM (2.03 GB Cached)
7 MB Swap Used
Diagnostics Information: ⓘ
Aug 25, 2016, 09:00:08 AM ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Creative Cloud_2016-08-25-090008_[redacted].crash
/Applications/Utilities/Adobe Creative Cloud/*/Creative Cloud.app/Contents/MacOS/Creative Cloud
Aug 25, 2016, 08:53:49 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/cwupdater_2016-08-25-085349_[redacted].crash
/Applications/Net Nanny/Net Nanny.app/Contents/MacOS/cwupdater
Aug 25, 2016, 08:51:46 AM Self test - passed
Aug 24, 2016, 08:06:44 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/cwupdater_2016-08-24-200644_[redacted].crash
Aug 24, 2016, 03:53:28 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Mail_2016-08-24-155328_[redacted].cpu_resource. diag [Details]
/Applications/Mail.app/Contents/MacOS/Mail
Aug 24, 2016, 08:24:28 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/cwupdater_2016-08-24-082428_[redacted].crash
Aug 24, 2016, 06:06:51 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/cwupdater_2016-08-24-060651_[redacted].crash
Aug 23, 2016, 09:56:04 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/cwupdater_2016-08-23-215604_[redacted].crash
Aug 23, 2016, 09:55:53 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/cwupdater_2016-08-23-215553_[redacted].crash
Aug 23, 2016, 09:55:51 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/cwupdater_2016-08-23-215551_[redacted].crash
Aug 23, 2016, 05:56:56 PM ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/dynamiclinkmanager_2016-08-23-175656_[redacted ].crash
com.adobe.dynamiclinkmanager.application - /Applications/Adobe Lightroom/Adobe Lightroom.app/Contents/Helpers/DynamicLinkSupport/support/common/dynamiclink/dy namiclinkmanager.app/Contents/MacOS/dynamiclinkmanager
Aug 23, 2016, 05:44:42 PM ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/quicklookd_2016-08-23-174442_[redacted].crash
/System/Library/Frameworks/QuickLook.framework/Versions/A/Resources/quicklookd. app/Contents/MacOS/quicklookd
Aug 22, 2016, 09:49:39 PM ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Creative Cloud_2016-08-22-214939_[redacted].crash
Aug 22, 2016, 09:08:43 PM ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/AppYM_2016-08-22-210843_[redacted].crash
com.ymeshul.AppYM - /Users/USER/Library/Application Support/Epolife/Epolife.app/Contents/MacOS/AppYM
Files deleted by EtreCheck: ⓘ
Aug 24, 2016, 08:00:21 PM - ~/Library/LaunchAgents/Epolife.AppVemoral.plist
Aug 24, 2016, 08:00:21 PM - ~/Library/LaunchAgents/Epolife.btvlit.plist
Aug 24, 2016, 08:00:21 PM - ~/Library/LaunchAgents/Epolife.dolnwoad.plist
Aug 24, 2016, 08:00:21 PM - ~/Library/LaunchAgents/Epolife.uadpte.plist
Aug 24, 2016, 08:00:21 PM - ~/Library/LaunchAgents/Smokyashan.update.plist
I'm sure they will have much to say but I'm wondering why you have 4 yr old VirtualBox kexts installed.
I'm sure they will have much to say but I'm wondering why you have 4 yr old VirtualBox kexts installed.
Besides all of the outdated software that is installed on your Mac, the first thing I would do it uninstall Epolife. It is a malicious extension to Safari and should be removed first.
Second thing to try to see if it helps to clear up your problem is to either uninstall or disable Carbonite. It has been the primary culprit on a number of Mac I have been asked to fix.
The third suggestion would be uninstall and reinstall all of your Adobe software. it is crashing on your Mac which needs to be fixed before you can expect good performance on your MAC.
Hello Allan,
The Epolife files are in a new output section for EtreCheck 3.0. pcpclafferty has already used EtreCheck to delete these files. EtreCheck is now more aggressive towards adware and scamware. It will allow the user to delete any Launchd config files that launch unsigned files or any Safari extensions that don't have good provenance (i.e. that doesn't list an author and associated web site). In consideration of the new risks that this brings, EtreCheck also now prints out whatever files the user deletes. If there is a problem, hopefully people here on ASC can clean up the mess.
The only additional suggestion I can make is to uninstall Net Nanny. Like Carbonite, it has also failed. Whether or not it should be used is irrelevant, since it isn't even working on that machine.
While EtreCheck does allow the user to delete some adware and unknown files, anything legitimate like Net Nanny or Carbonite should only be uninstalled using a vendor-provided uninstaller or uninstallation instructions. Never use an "app zapper" and never try to delete these hidden files by hand.
[failed] com.contentwatch.ghoti.Updater.plist (2016-04-06) [Support]
Try uninstalling the above using the Developer's uninstall instructions. Content watch is crashing.
I wish I knew how to remove those! I can't find them. I thought I'd fully uninstalled them!
Just as dialabrain inquired about the outdated VirtualBox kexts, I don't know how to remove the carbonite residuals. I thought I'd gotten rid of all of carbonite way back when. How do I find and erase those?
I've just transferred data to a new machine (the 2013 iMac). I'm having trouble re-installing net nanny (waiting on their tech support answers, too). But regarding Carbonite, is there an uninstaller I can download to rid my system of what's left of it? I thought I'd dispensed with it years ago. Obviously I was mistaken.
The tech support at Carbonite would be the once to ask on that.
Hello pcpclafferty,
Apparently Carbonite has a built-in uninstaller. They also have uninstallation instructions posted on their website: https://support.carbonite.com/articles/Personal-Pro-Mac-Manually-Uninstalling
Is a new OS an antidote to present problems?
