User profile for user: horacenalle
horacenalle Author
User level: Level 1
27 points

iMac so slow

My iMac runs slowly and cannot complete basic tasks with acceptable wait times. I've tried the steps in various threads but nothing works. Any suggestions? I don't really want to switch desktops

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.2)

Posted on Mar 20, 2018 11:12 AM

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User profile for user: Kappy
Kappy
User level: Level 10
362,007 points

Posted on Mar 20, 2018 11:27 AM

A Troubleshooting Procedure that may Fix Problems with 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.
  3. Resetting your Mac’s PRAM and NVRAM
  4. Reset the System Management Controller (SMC)
  5. Reset your Startup Disk and Sound preferences.
  6. Start the computer in Safe Mode. Test in safe mode to see if the problem persists, then restart normally.
  7. Use Apple Hardware Test to see if there is any hardware malfunction.
  8. 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.
  9. Repair permissions on the Home folder: Resolve issues caused by changing the permissions of items in your home folder.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.

If none of the above helps then make an appointment at the Apple Genius Bar for service. If you need to find an Apple Store - Find a Store - Apple.


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.
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Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: Kappy
Kappy
User level: Level 10
362,007 points

Mar 20, 2018 11:27 AM in response to horacenalle

A Troubleshooting Procedure that may Fix Problems with 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.
  3. Resetting your Mac’s PRAM and NVRAM
  4. Reset the System Management Controller (SMC)
  5. Reset your Startup Disk and Sound preferences.
  6. Start the computer in Safe Mode. Test in safe mode to see if the problem persists, then restart normally.
  7. Use Apple Hardware Test to see if there is any hardware malfunction.
  8. 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.
  9. Repair permissions on the Home folder: Resolve issues caused by changing the permissions of items in your home folder.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.

If none of the above helps then make an appointment at the Apple Genius Bar for service. If you need to find an Apple Store - Find a Store - Apple.


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.
Reply
User profile for user: Eric Root
Eric Root
User level: Level 10
685,245 points

Mar 20, 2018 2:46 PM in response to horacenalle

Try running this program in your normal user account, then copy and paste the output in a reply. The program was created by etresoft, a frequent contributor. Please use copy and paste as screen shots can be hard to read. Click “Share Report” button in the toolbar, select “Copy Report” and then paste into a reply. This will show what is running on your computer. No personal information is shown. You can run the report for free at least once, but if you run it several times, at some point it will ask you to pay a license fee.

Etrecheck – System Information

Reply
User profile for user: Eric Root
Eric Root
User level: Level 10
685,245 points

Mar 26, 2018 9:42 AM in response to horacenalle

You are welcome. Link's to suggestions made by Mike.


There is no reason to leave it installed once troubleshooting is finished. The free version doesn't update itself. If you need it again, you can download it again.


Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac 10.10 and later


Malwarebytes uninstall

Most long time posters recommend not using antivirus software or cleaning software such as CleanMyMac.


Kapersky Uninstall

Reply
User profile for user: horacenalle
horacenalle Author
User level: Level 1
27 points

Mar 25, 2018 10:18 PM in response to Eric Root

Dear Eric,


Thanks for your reply.


Here is a cut and paste of the report.


Regards,



Hod

***
***
***

EtreCheck version: 4.1.3 (4A188)

Report generated: 2018-03-22 08:54:02

Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime: 7:25

Performance: Below Average


Problem: Computer is too slow


Major Issues: None


Minor Issues:

These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems.

Unsigned files - There is unsigned software installed. They appear to be legitimate but should be reviewed.

Low performance - EtreCheck report took over 5 minutes to run. This is unusual.

32-bit Apps - This machine has 32-bits apps that may have problems in the future.


Hardware Information:

iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015)

iMac Model: iMac16,2

1 3.1 GHz Intel Core i5 (i5-5675R) CPU: 4-core

8 RAM Not upgradeable

BANK 0/DIMM0

4 GB DDR3 1867 ok

BANK 1/DIMM0

4 GB DDR3 1867 ok

Video Information:

Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 - VRAM: 1536 MB

iMac 4096 x 2304


Drives:

disk0 - APPLE HDD HTS541010A9E662 1.00 TB (Mechanical)

Internal SATA 3 Gigabit Serial ATA

disk0s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) 210 MB

disk0s2 999.35 GB

disk1 - Macintosh HD (Journaled HFS+) 998.98 GB

disk0s3 - Recovery HD 650 MB


Mounted Volumes:

disk1 - Macintosh HD 998.98 GB (653.37 GB free)

Journaled HFS+

Mount point: /

Network:

Interface en0: Ethernet

Interface en1: Wi-Fi

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

One IPv4 address

3 IPv6 addresses

Interface en5: iPhone

Interface en4: Bluetooth PAN

Interface bridge0: Thunderbolt Bridge

iCloud Quota: 1.01 GB available


System Software:

macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 (17D102)

Time since boot: Less than an hour

System Load: 1.75 (1 min ago) 1.85 (5 min ago) 1.14 (15 min ago)


Security:

System Status

Gatekeeper Mac App Store and identified developers

System Integrity Protection Enabled


Unsigned Files:

Launchd: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.amazon.music.plist

Executable: /Applications/Amazon Music.app/Contents/MacOS/Amazon Music Helper

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.DuetUSBDaemon.plist

Executable: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/Apogee/DuetUSB/DuetUSBPlugIn.bundle/Contents/MacOS/ duetUSBDaemon

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.DuetDaemon.plist

Executable: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/Apogee/DuetFW/DuetPlugIn.bundle/Contents/MacOS/duet Daemon

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist

Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist

Executable: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Resources/Java Updater.app/Contents/MacOS/Java Updater -bgcheck

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist

Executable: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Resources/Helper-Tool

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/PACESupport.plist

Executable: /System/Library/Extensions/PACESupportFamily.kext/Contents/Resources/paceload

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.google.keystone.daemon.plist

Executable: /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/MacOS /GoogleSoftwareUpdateDaemon

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.amazon.sendtokindle.launcher.plist

Executable: /usr/bin/stkLaunchAgent.sh

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK


32-bit Applications:

Name Version

MacScan 2.9.4

MacScan Scheduler 2.1

Nanosaur 2 2.0.8

Kaspersky Virus Scanner Agent 15.0.4

HP Photo Creations 1.0.0.11792

Kindle 1.21.1

quicklookd32 5.0

DVD Player 5.8

GoToOpener 1.0.473

Kaspersky Virus Scanner 15.0.4

InkServer 10.9


Kernel Extensions:

/Library/Application Support/WiTopia

tap10.7.kext (1.2)

tun10.7.kext (1.2)

/Library/Extensions

DuetFWOverideDriver.kext (1.4.4 - SDK 10.9)

DuetUSBOverideDriver.kext (1.0.0 - SDK 10.10)

/System/Library/Extensions

PACESupportFamily.kext (5.9 - SDK 10.6)

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

PACESupportLeopard.kext (5.9 - SDK 10.4)

PACESupportPanther.kext (5.9 - SDK 10.-1)

PACESupportSnowLeopard.kext (5.9 - SDK 10.6)

PACESupportTiger.kext (5.9 - SDK 10.4)


System Launch Agents:

8 Apple tasks

163 Apple tasks

119 Apple tasks


System Launch Daemons:

34 Apple tasks

190 Apple tasks

107 Apple tasks

One Apple task


Launch Agents:

com.ApogeePopup.plist (? cea60555 - installed 2015-09-03)

com.microsoft.update.agent.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-03-20)

com.amazon.sendtokindle.launcher.plist (? d18c2039 - installed 2014-10-28)

com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist (? 55fee2db - installed 2017-12-19)

com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a725c38014c95072f92651fb65e1bf9c8e43c37a 23d420d.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-15)


Launch Daemons:

com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-15)

com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-03-20)

net.witopia.WiTopiaHelper.plist (SparkLabs Pty Ltd - installed 2017-07-06)

com.apple.installer.osmessagetracing.plist (Apple, Inc. - installed 2018-02-16)

com.DuetUSBDaemon.plist (? 2117e572 - installed 2015-09-03)

com.DuetDaemon.plist (? 2568eb02 - installed 2015-03-18)

com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-23)

com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (? 6d8cb30e - installed 2014-02-26)

com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist (? e3fefdd2 - installed 2017-12-19)

com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-15)

com.google.keystone.daemon.plist (? 6ee2490f - installed 2017-10-12)

com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-02-10)

PACESupport.plist (? ab6b5614 - installed 2012-07-11)


User Launch Agents:

com.spotify.webhelper.plist (Spotify - installed 2018-01-26)

Cuttinsledge.btvlit.plist (? 0 - installed 2018-03-21)

com.facebook.videochat.horacenalle.plist (Apple, Inc. - installed 2018-03-19)

com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent.plist (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2017-08-10)

com.hp.devicemonitor.plist (HP Inc. - installed 2017-08-29)

Cuttinsledge.dolnwoad.plist (? 0 - installed 2018-03-21)

com.logmein.GoToMeeting.G2MUpdate.plist (Citrix Online LLC - installed 2018-02-22)

Cuttinsledge.disable.plist (? 0 - installed 2018-03-21)

com.citrixonline.GoToMeeting.G2MUpdate.plist (Citrix Online LLC - installed 2017-08-23)

com.amazon.music.plist (? 0 - installed 2017-06-27)

com.hp.productresearch.plist (HP Inc. - installed 2017-08-29)

Cuttinsledge.uadpte.plist (? 0 - installed 2018-03-21)

com.adobe.ARM.202f4087f2bbde52e3ac2df389f53a4f123223c9cc56a8fd83a6f7ae.plist (? 0 - installed 2017-11-01)

Cuttinsledge.AppVemoral.plist (? 0 - installed 2018-03-21)


User Login Items:

Dropbox Application

(/Applications/Dropbox.app)

HP Product Research SMLoginItem (HP Inc. - installed 2017-10-24)

(/Library/Printers/hp/Utilities/HPPU Plugins/ProductImprovementStudy.hptask/Contents/Helpers/HP Product Research Manager.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/HP Product Research.app)

Kaspersky Virus Scanner Login Item SMLoginItem (Mac App Store - installed 2017-08-27)

(/Applications/Kaspersky Virus Scanner Free.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/Kaspersky Virus Scanner Login Item.app)

HP Device Monitor SMLoginItem (HP Inc. - installed 2017-10-24)

(/Library/Printers/hp/Frameworks/HPDeviceMonitoring.framework/Versions/1.0/Help ers/HP Device Monitor Manager.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/HP Device Monitor.app)


Internet Plug-ins:

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: 3.2.0.16 (installed 2016-06-06)

FlashPlayer-10.6: 29.0.0.113 (installed 2018-03-13)

QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (installed 2018-01-19)

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: 17.012.20098 (installed 2018-02-25)

AdobePDFViewer: 18.011.20038 (installed 2018-02-25)

Flash Player: 29.0.0.113 (installed 2018-03-13)

SharePointBrowserPlugin: 14.7.7 (installed 2018-03-09)

Silverlight: 5.1.30514.0 (installed 2016-06-06)

JavaAppletPlugin: Java 8 Update 161 build 12 (installed 2018-01-18)


User Internet Plug-ins:

WebEx64: 1.0 (installed 2016-06-06)

ZoomUsPlugIn: 4.0.29390.0411 (installed 2017-04-12)


Safari Extensions:

Cuttinsledge.safariextz - Cuttinsledge - http://www.cuttinsledge.com/faq#cuttinsledge (installed 2018-01-05)


3rd Party Preference Panes:

Flash Player (installed 2018-02-23)

Flip4Mac WMV (installed 2013-03-29)

Java (installed 2018-01-18)


Time Machine:

Skip System Files: No

Mobile backups: No

Auto backup: Yes

Volumes being backed up:

Macintosh HD: Disk size: 998.98 GB - Disk used: 345.61 GB

Destinations:

S***********************e (Last used)

Total size: 2.00 TB

Total number of backups: 115

Oldest backup: 2015-09-15 15:15:41

Last backup: 2018-03-21 07:16:26


Top Processes by CPU:

Process (count) Source % of CPU

WindowServer Apple 4

kernel_task Apple 2

iCalExternalSync Apple 1

mdworker (18) Apple 0

HP Device Monitor HP Inc. 0


Top Processes by Memory:

Process (count) Source RAM usage

kernel_task Apple 764 MB

mdworker (18) Apple 438 MB

Dock Apple 312 MB

com.apple.WebKit.WebContent (3) Apple 282 MB

Finder Apple 207 MB


Top Processes by Network Use:

Process Source Input Output

Mail Apple 1 MB 22 KB

mDNSResponder Apple 165 KB 40 KB

Dropbox Dropbox, Inc. 53 KB 113 KB

apsd Apple 7 KB 16 KB

netbiosd Apple 10 KB 3 KB


Top Processes by Energy Use:

Process (count) Source Energy usage (0-100)

WindowServer Apple 5

syspolicyd Apple 1

HP Device Monitor HP Inc. 0

iCalExternalSync (2) Apple 0

duetUSBDaemon 0


Virtual Memory Information:

Available RAM 2.68 GB

Free RAM 59 MB

Used RAM 5.32 GB

Cached files 2.62 GB

Swap Used 0 B


Software Installs (past 30 days):

Name Version Install Date

Firewatch 1.0.8 2018-03-10


Diagnostics Information (past 7 days):

2018-03-22 08:43:39 Cuttinsledge.app Crash (once)

2018-03-21 10:39:32 duetUSBDaemon Crash (once)

2018-03-20 13:45:21 Logic Pro X.app CPU (once)

2018-03-20 09:21:30 Microsoft Excel.app Hang (once)

[Personal Information Edited by Host]

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iMac so slow

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