Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

My Mid 2012 Mac is increlslow and freezing

Bu

My mid 2012 Mac is so slow tI hat I can’t do anything with it. I see the wheel of death spinning for long minutes before anything happens. Tried rebooting several times including in safe mode but nothing happens.


I have just run a diagnosis by holding the D key and it has come back with a result - see photo attached. Tried realinstalling OS by holding down the Cmd+ R key


If someone might know what the problem might be please help me out.

Posted on Mar 3, 2018 10:53 AM

Reply
14 replies

Mar 3, 2018 11:06 AM in response to flrflr

A Troubleshooting Protocol to Identify Problems or Fix macOS El Capitan or Later

You should try each, one at a time, then test to see if the problem is fixed before going on to the next.


Be sure to backup your files before proceeding if possible.


  1. Shutdown the computer, wait 30 seconds, restart the computer.
  2. Disconnect all third-party peripherals and remove any support software like drivers and plug-ins.
  3. Resetting your Mac’s PRAM and NVRAM
  4. Reset the System Management Controller (SMC)
  5. Start the computer in Safe Mode, then restart normally. This is slower than a standard startup.
  6. Repair the disk by booting from the Recovery HD. Immediately after the chime hold down the Command and R keys until the Utility Menu appears. Choose Disk Utility and click on the Continue button. Select the indented (usually, Macintosh HD) volume entry from the side list. Click on the First Aid button in the toolbar. Wait for the Done button to appear. Quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu. Restart the computer from the Apple Menu.
  7. Create a New User Account Open Users & Groups preferences. Click on the lock icon and enter your Admin password when prompted. On the left under Current User click on the Add [+] button under Login Options. Setup a new Admin user account. Upon completion log out of your current account then log into the new account. If your problems cease, then consider switching to the new account and transferring your files to it - Transferring files from one User Account to another.
  8. Download and install the OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 Combo Update or 10.12.6 Combo Update or Download macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 Combo Update as needed.
  9. Reinstall OS X by booting from the Recovery HD using the Command and R keys. When the Utility Menu appears select Reinstall OS X then click on the Continue button.
  10. Erase and Install OS X Restart the computer. Immediately after the chime hold down the Command and R keys until the Apple logo appears. When the Utility Menu appears:
  1. Select Disk Utility from the Utility Menu and click on Continue button.
  2. When Disk Utility loads select the drive (out-dented entry) from the Device list.
  3. Click on the Erase icon in Disk Utility's toolbar. A panel will drop down.
  4. Set the Format type to APFS (for SSDs only) or Mac OS Extended (Journaled.)
  5. Click on the Apply button, then wait for the Done button to activate and click on it.
  6. Quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu.
  7. Select Reinstall OS X and click on the Continue button.

Ways to help make a slow Mac faster


  1. 17 Reasons Why Your Mac Runs Slower Than it Should
  2. Slow Mac Performance? This Article Solves It!
  3. Fix slow start-ups in OS X | MacFixIt - CNET Reviews
  4. How to fix slow shutdown and startup times. | MacTip.net
  5. 6 Easy Tips to Speed Up OS X Yosemite on Your Mac
  6. OS X El Capitan- If your Mac runs slowly
  7. Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on Performance
  8. Tips to Fix Issues that affect Mac Performance
  9. Avoid using any third-party cleanup software. Usually, this software does more bad than good. You don't need it. All computers become slower over time even under normal use. Experienced users erase the hard drive and do a clean install from scratch from time to time; or whenever installing a major OS upgrade. Doing so means you must maintain regular and multiple backups.
  10. If you have enabled iCloud Disk and are storing your Documents and Data in iCloud, then consider turning that off and signing out of iCloud. It can slow down the computer considerably. Please see the following from the user, fotomac: "The solution was to SIGN OUT of iCloud and my problem STOPPED! NO MORE SPINNING BEACHBALL! My computer's speed increased to what it should be and all my Apps now work!"
  11. Add more RAM or cut back on the number of concurrently running applications and utilities. Remove unnecessary anti-malware software and any software that promises to clean your Mac. Check for runaway processes: Runaway applications can shorten battery runtime, affect performance, and increase heat and fan activity. Also, visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on dealing with The Spinning Beach Ball of Death.
  12. The Ultimate Fix: Backup everything, erase the drive, reinstall OS X, and restore your data from the backup. Reinstall third-party software from original media/scratch.

Mar 4, 2018 3:42 PM in response to flrflr

flrflr wrote:


I have unfortunately used both hard drive as a TimeMachine backup so can’t use them. Is it a better option to replace the harddrive in the Mac by removing the old one, or is it better to use an external one (in which case I welcome brand recommendations)?


Many thanks


You can restore a Time Machine backup to an external drive, that would then be bootable. Whether or not you want to do that (i.e. sacrifice one of your drives by reformatting it to eventually turn it into a bootable external drive) is up to you. As was stated by Kappy there's a recovery volume on a Time Machine backup that will give you the full suite of utilities including Disk Utility, Restore from Time Machine, etc.


You could also access this suite of tools using Internet Recovery. Instructions are here:


About macOS Recovery - Apple Support


I would suggest getting a new drive and installing it yourself, but not everyone is comfortable doing it even though it's relatively straightforward. But if you just want to get started quickly using an external boot drive, you can reformat one of your Time Machine drives using Disk Utility (Erase function) and then restore your Time Machine backup into a bootable volume using the available utilities.

Mar 4, 2018 10:49 AM in response to Kappy

Hi Kappy,


It didn't give me the option to erase the drive, first I had re-installed Yosemite then when that didn't work I installed High Sierra.


Already made an appointment at my local genius bar for next weekend. I hope they will be able to give me a quote because I'd rather get a new computer then pay exorbitant amounts for the fix.

Mar 4, 2018 11:59 AM in response to flrflr

flrflr wrote:


I have just done that. Upon trying to reinstall High Sierra, I get the error message that the disk has S.M.A.R.T errors and it needs to be replaced.


Do you know what’s the best thing I can do?


Thank you


Sure - replace it and start from scratch. Most hard drive errors don't register as failing in S.M.A.R.T. but yours does. A new hard drive is pretty cheap. If your internal storage capacity needs aren't too high, then an SSD would work wonders, although it will cost more for a particular capacity. An SSD is inherently faster, and will result in better daily "usability" compared to a hard drive.


A 1 TB hard drive shouldn't be more than $50 in the US for a basic 5400 RPM drive, but maybe $65 if you bump up to a 7200 RPM drive that's marginally faster. However, a solid-state drive with around 240-256 GB might be a little bit more and will make daily operation considerably faster for things like opening/closing applications. It won't be enough with large bulk storage needs such as lots of video, but those needs can be met with an external hard drive.

Mar 4, 2018 12:05 PM in response to y_p_w

Hi y_p_w,


I have two external hard drives, a 1TB G-Drive (I read they were trustworthy) and a My Passport ultra.


So do I basically boot my laptop from one of my hard drives? Could you give me a step-by-step guide on how to do it given that Ive just uninstalled OX from my computer? (I’m a bit clueless about the while topic so please be detailed haha)


Thank you!

Mar 4, 2018 12:16 PM in response to flrflr

You need to replace the drive. Backup your files if you can. If one of your external drives has a bootable system on it then you can use it as the startup drive. You cannot use a drive that already is used for a Time Machine backup. It is bootable but only from a Recovery HD so you can reinstall macOS. You need a drive with a bootable system already installed. Assuming you can boot from one of the external drives you need to restart the computer and hold down the OPTION button until the Boot Manager screen appears. Click on the icon for the external drive then click on the Arrow button under it. If neither of your external drives appears in the screen that means neither have a bootable system on it.


If you are able to boot from an external drive then once started open the Startup Drive preferences, select this drive for startup. Then you won't have to go through the above each time you reboot the computer.

My Mid 2012 Mac is increlslow and freezing

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.