I spent hours cleaning cache and moving everything to an external drive to free up memory on my macbook air. Results were good until I bought clean my mac/genesis. Now I'm back to heavy memory usage. And how can I get rid of 'other'?
MacBook Air
In addition to all of the other good advice so far given (get rid of all those "cleaner apps"), I can tell you that the machine you have is going to struggle with memory pressure no matter what you do. I just recently upgraded from that very machine. It was a great little computer but 4 gigs of RAM is not very much. You will need to be fairly conservative about how many apps you're running at one time. Use Activity Monitor to see what's using up your RAM and close things out accordingly.
Second thing to do is an Etrecheck report. Download and apply the program then publish the result as an answer in this thread. It is perfectly safe to do so.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7924145
'Snap!' Allan. 😀
Hi,
By "memory" I assume you mean storage space on your drive? Memory is RAM.
First, try rebuilding your Spotlight index, then restart: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201716
Go to Applications > Utilities > System Information > Hardware > Storage to see your total available space.
Use one or more of the following to see exactly where your space is being used (delete or transfer as desire, but only if you know exactly what the file is; you can cause major issues if you deleted things the OS needs):
https://www.omnigroup.com/more (OmniDiskSweeper)
http://grandperspectiv.sourceforge.net (Grand Perspective)
http://www.derlien.com/downloads/ (Disk Inventory X)
I have a copy of my report:
EtreCheck version: 3.1.5 (343)
Report generated 2017-04-14 18:09:59
Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com
Runtime 1:44
Performance: Excellent
Click the [Support] links for help with non-Apple products.
Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.
Click the [Remove] links to remove adware.
Problem: Other problem
Description:
memory
Hardware Information:ⓘ
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011)
[Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty & Service]
MacBook Air - model: MacBookAir4,2
1 1.7 GHz Intel Core i5 (i5-2557M) CPU: 2-core
4 GB RAM Not upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0
2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported
Wireless: en0: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 182
Video Information:ⓘ
Intel HD Graphics 3000 - VRAM: 384 MB
Color LCD 1440 x 900
System Software:ⓘ
OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 (13F1911) - Time since boot: less than an hour
Disk Information:ⓘ
APPLE SSD SM128C disk0 : (121.33 GB) (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)
[Show SMART report]
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 120.47 GB (71.83 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
USB Information:ⓘ
Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Apple Inc. FaceTime Camera (Built-in)
Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
Thunderbolt Information:ⓘ
Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Gatekeeper:ⓘ
Mac App Store and identified developers
Adware:ⓘ
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.jdibackup.ZipCloud.autostart.plist
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.jdibackup.ZipCloud.notify.plist
2 adware files found. [Remove]
Unknown Files:ⓘ
~/Library/LaunchAgents/translated.tav.plist
/usr/bin/java -jar -Dapple.awt.UIElement=true Applications/TAV/uninstall.app/TAV.jar
One unknown file found. [Check files]
Kernel Extensions:ⓘ
/Library/Extensions
[loaded] com.sophos.kext.oas (9.6.51 - SDK 10.11 - 2017-03-24) [Support]
[loaded] com.sophos.nke.swi (9.6.50 - SDK 10.11 - 2017-03-24) [Support]
System Launch Agents:ⓘ
[not loaded] 6 Apple tasks
[loaded] 146 Apple tasks
[running] 32 Apple tasks
System Launch Daemons:ⓘ
[failed] com.apple.softwareupdated.plist (2016-08-23)
[not loaded] 51 Apple tasks
[loaded] 140 Apple tasks
[running] 56 Apple tasks
Launch Agents:ⓘ
[not loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist (2017-04-14) [Support]
[running] com.sophos.uiserver.plist (2017-02-01) [Support]
Launch Daemons:ⓘ
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (2016-01-12) [Support]
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Agent.plist (2017-04-14) [Support]
[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (2011-03-10) [Support]
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist (2016-12-13) [Support]
[running] com.sophos.common.servicemanager.plist (2017-02-01) [Support]
[loaded] com.teamviewer.Helper.plist (2015-12-21) [Support]
User Launch Agents:ⓘ
[not loaded] com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent.plist (2017-04-07) [Support]
[not loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist (2016-08-24) [Support]
[not loaded] com.jdibackup.ZipCloud.autostart.plist (2016-02-09) Adware! [Remove]
/usr/bin/open
[not loaded] com.jdibackup.ZipCloud.notify.plist (2016-02-09) Adware! [Remove]
/usr/bin/open
[not loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist (2017-04-14)
[not loaded] translated.tav.plist (2016-08-27)
User Login Items:ⓘ
CleanMyMac 3 Menu Application (2017-04-14)
(/Applications/CleanMyMac 3.app/Contents/MacOS/CleanMyMac 3 Menu.app)
Google Chrome Application Hidden
(/Applications/Google Chrome.app)
Upwork Application
(/Applications/Upwork.app)
Internet Plug-ins:ⓘ
Default Browser: 537 - SDK 10.9 (2017-04-14)
QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (2016-08-23)
JavaAppletPlugin: Java 8 Update 121 build 13 (2017-04-14) Check version
3rd Party Preference Panes:ⓘ
Java (2017-04-14) [Support]
Time Machine:ⓘ
Skip System Files: NO
Mobile backups: OFF
Auto backup: NO - Auto backup turned off
Volumes being backed up:
Macintosh HD: Disk size: 120.47 GB Disk used: 48.64 GB
Destinations:
TOSHIBA EXT [Local]
Total size: 499.76 GB
Total number of backups: 2
Oldest backup: 4/6/17, 6:43 PM
Last backup: 4/6/17, 6:57 PM
Size of backup disk: Excellent
Backup size 499.76 GB > (Disk size 120.47 GB X 3)
Top Processes by CPU:ⓘ
31% mdworker(7)
14% WindowServer
4% kernel_task
2% fontd
2% Disk Inventory X
Top Processes by Memory:ⓘ
573 MB Google Chrome Helper(3)
485 MB kernel_task
221 MB Google Chrome
53 MB mdworker(6)
49 MB SophosScanD
Virtual Memory Information:ⓘ
1.55 GB Available RAM
733 MB Free RAM
2.45 GB Used RAM
854 MB Cached files
197 MB Swap Used
Diagnostics Information:ⓘ
Apr 14, 2017, 05:09:02 PM Self test - passed
EtreCheck version: 3.1.5 (343)
Report generated 2017-04-14 19:06:59
Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com
Runtime 1:40
Performance: Excellent
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 Air (13-inch, Mid 2011)
[Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty & Service]
MacBook Air - model: MacBookAir4,2
1 1.7 GHz Intel Core i5 (i5-2557M) CPU: 2-core
4 GB RAM Not upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0
2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported
Wireless: en0: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 182
Video Information:ⓘ
Intel HD Graphics 3000 - VRAM: 384 MB
Color LCD 1440 x 900
System Software:ⓘ
OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 (13F1911) - Time since boot: less than an hour
Disk Information:ⓘ
APPLE SSD SM128C disk0 : (121.33 GB) (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)
[Show SMART report]
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 120.47 GB (71.90 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
USB Information:ⓘ
Apple Inc. FaceTime Camera (Built-in)
Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
Thunderbolt Information:ⓘ
Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Gatekeeper:ⓘ
Mac App Store and identified developers
Unknown Files:ⓘ
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent.plist
~/Library/Dropbox/DropboxMacUpdate.app/Contents/MacOS/DropboxMacUpdate -check periodic
~/Library/LaunchAgents/translated.tav.plist
/usr/bin/java -jar -Dapple.awt.UIElement=true Applications/TAV/uninstall.app/TAV.jar
2 unknown files found. [Check files]
Kernel Extensions:ⓘ
/Library/Extensions
[loaded] com.sophos.kext.oas (9.6.51 - SDK 10.11 - 2017-03-24) [Support]
[loaded] com.sophos.nke.swi (9.6.50 - SDK 10.11 - 2017-03-24) [Support]
System Launch Agents:ⓘ
[not loaded] 6 Apple tasks
[loaded] 145 Apple tasks
[running] 33 Apple tasks
System Launch Daemons:ⓘ
[not loaded] 51 Apple tasks
[loaded] 140 Apple tasks
[running] 58 Apple tasks
Launch Agents:ⓘ
[not loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist (2017-04-14) [Support]
[running] com.sophos.uiserver.plist (2017-02-01) [Support]
Launch Daemons:ⓘ
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (2016-01-12) [Support]
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Agent.plist (2017-04-14) [Support]
[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (2011-03-10) [Support]
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist (2016-12-13) [Support]
[running] com.sophos.common.servicemanager.plist (2017-02-01) [Support]
[loaded] com.teamviewer.Helper.plist (2015-12-21) [Support]
User Launch Agents:ⓘ
[not loaded] com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent.plist (2017-04-07) [Support]
[not loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist (2016-08-24) [Support]
[not loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist (2017-04-14)
[not loaded] translated.tav.plist (2016-08-27)
User Login Items:ⓘ
Google Chrome Application Hidden
(/Applications/Google Chrome.app)
Upwork Application
(/Applications/Upwork.app)
Internet Plug-ins:ⓘ
Default Browser: 537 - SDK 10.9 (2017-04-14)
QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (2016-08-23)
JavaAppletPlugin: Java 8 Update 121 build 13 (2017-04-14) Check version
3rd Party Preference Panes:ⓘ
Java (2017-04-14) [Support]
Time Machine:ⓘ
Skip System Files: NO
Mobile backups: OFF
Auto backup: NO - Auto backup turned off
Volumes being backed up:
Macintosh HD: Disk size: 120.47 GB Disk used: 48.57 GB
Destinations:
TOSHIBA EXT [Local]
Total size: 499.76 GB
Total number of backups: 2
Oldest backup: 4/6/17, 6:43 PM
Last backup: 4/6/17, 6:57 PM
Size of backup disk: Excellent
Backup size 499.76 GB > (Disk size 120.47 GB X 3)
Top Processes by CPU:ⓘ
5% WindowServer
4% fontd
3% kernel_task
1% Google Chrome Helper(4)
0% loginwindow
Top Processes by Memory:ⓘ
815 MB Google Chrome Helper(4)
375 MB kernel_task
319 MB Google Chrome
250 MB SophosScanD
115 MB com.apple.IconServicesAgent
Virtual Memory Information:ⓘ
1.18 GB Available RAM
9 MB Free RAM
2.82 GB Used RAM
1.17 GB Cached files
0 B Swap Used
Diagnostics Information:ⓘ
Apr 14, 2017, 06:26:48 PM Self test - passed
Files deleted by EtreCheck:ⓘ
Apr 14, 2017, 06:25:25 PM - ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.jdibackup.ZipCloud.autostart.plist
Apr 14, 2017, 06:25:25 PM - ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.jdibackup.ZipCloud.notify.plist
First thing is to uninstall Clean My Mac. It is known to cause problems on Macs.
Also cleaning cache is not a way to speed up or free disk space on a Mac. The system will only regenerate it again. Until the cache is regenerated the Mac will actually be slower.
I suggest you use the program created by Etresoft, a frequent contributor. It will provide a snapshot of your system which we can analyze to possibly determine the cause of your problem. Please use copy and paste as screen shots can be hard to read. On the screen with Options, please open Options and check the bottom 2 boxes before running. Click “Share Report” button in the toolbar, select “Copy to Clipboard” and then paste into a reply. This will show what is running on your computer. No personal information is shown.
Thank you! I'm currently running ccleaner... but it's taking forever. I've asked for a refund for clean my mac and genesis, it's only been 10 minutes so hopefully they will comply. And by the way, my son has Minecraft on my computer. But I'm a freelancer and use it for work. Will try your suggestion now.
christie ann wrote:
Thank you! I'm currently running ccleaner... but it's taking forever. I've asked for a refund for clean my mac and genesis, it's only been 10 minutes so hopefully they will comply. And by the way, my son has Minecraft on my computer. But I'm a freelancer and use it for work. Will try your suggestion now.
Next thing to do is get rid of ccleaner, like all others it is complete junk and will do no good for your Mac at all. Do not install anything that claims to clean, optimize or protect your Mac, they are Windows habits not needed here.
Use the "Remove" function with Etrecheck to get rid of the Adware you have installed. After getting rid of the Adware, restart the computer and check for improved performance. Improved performance will also depend on the removal of the previously mentioned Apps.
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.jdibackup.ZipCloud.autostart.plist
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.jdibackup.ZipCloud.notify.plist
2 adware files found. [Remove]
I removed and restarted, but rather liked that handy top menu item that showed my memory etc from clean my mac, which is now gone. I'm seeing bank o and 1 dimmo slots under my memory 2gb. status ok. But not sure how to make comparisons now...
That is not the correct way to remove cleaner form a Mac.
To correctly remove it, read https://www.piriform.com/docs/ccleaner-for-mac/using-ccleaner-for-mac/uninstalli ng-applications.
You have so much junk on your Mac that it appears to be time for you to erase and reinstall. This will of course mean that you will need to backup everything. Once you reinstall macOS, you will need to reinstall all of your app again. Please don't reinstall of the so called cleaning apps though and any data you want from the backup.
I advise you to erase your Mac and start again, back it up first so you can restore your data (only)
Then I advise you to stop using it as if it was a Windows machine and stop with the unnecessary and dangerous junk.
Why are you putting any credence at all in what the junk says. If you can't stop doing that the end will be nearer than you think it is.
For the last time this is NOT Windows, time to rid yourself of Windows habits.
christie ann wrote:
Well, my memory was full, according to menu item on clean my mac. I now have removed nearly everything to an external drive, including itunes library etc, and nothing left on my mac!
Well, that is one of many reasons not to use cleanmymac. Get rid of it properly, as suggested, you won't see that message anymore, and everything is fine, nothing to worry about.
christie ann wrote:
Well, my memory was full, according to menu item on clean my mac. I now have removed nearly everything to an external drive, including itunes library etc, and nothing left on my mac!
Those are two totally different issues. Moving data to an external drive does not affect memory use. I suspect the memory issue was created by the Adware you installed. You then compounded the issue by installing useless "Cleaning software".
I spent hours cleaning cache and moving everything to an external drive to free up memory on my macbook air. Results were good until I bought clean my mac/genesis. Now I'm back to heavy memory usage. And how can I get rid of 'other'?
