Processor - 2.7GHz; memory - 8GB 1600MHz, DDR3
Easily takes 5 minutes to boot, and to go from one software to another. I'm not technology savvy so I have no idea how to improve the problem. I don't want to walk into the Apple Store with my machine and have them charge me $$$ for things I don't need, so if someone might see something obvious to improve, I would really appreciate the advice.
Thanks for any thoughts,
Kathy
iMac, OS Sierra 10.12.6
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 for your idea! I did run the software just as you suggested; it is pasted below. I do see that i can add memory! Also the comment about too many modifications running in background, any suggestions about what to do about that or how to fix it!?
Thanks again,
Kathy
EtreCheck version: 4.3.1 (4D024)
Report generated: 2018-05-29 17:11:15
Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com
Runtime: 6:13
Performance: Below Average
Problem: Computer is too slow
Description:
cold boot or restarting reveals an extremely slow computer. It requires at least 5 minutes just to restart the computer.
Major Issues: None
Minor Issues:
These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems.
Apps crashing- There have been numerous app crashes.
Unsigned files- There is unsigned software installed. They appear to be legitimate but should be reviewed.
System modifications- There are a large number of system modifications running in the background.
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 (21.5-inch, Late 2012)
iMac Model: iMac13,1
1 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5 (i5-3330S) CPU: 4-core
8 GB RAM - Upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR3 1600 ok
BANK 1/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR3 1600 ok
Video Information:
NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M - VRAM: 512 MB
iMac 1600 x 900
Drives:
disk0 - APPLE HDD ST1000LM024 1.00 TB (Mechanical)
Internal SATA 3 Gigabit Serial ATA
disk0s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB
disk0s2 - Macintosh HD (Journaled HFS+) 999.35 GB
disk0s3 - Recovery HD (Journaled HFS+) [Recovery] 650 MB
disk1 - Seagate Backup+ Hub BK 6.00 TB
External USB 5 Gbit/s
disk1s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB
disk1s2 - T**********e (Journaled HFS+) 4.50 TB
disk1s3 - P*********n (ExFAT) 1.50 TB
disk2 - Western Digital My Book 500.11 GB
External USB 480 Mbit/s
disk2s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB
disk2s2 - M B (Case-Sensitive Journaled HFS+) 499.76 GB
Mounted Volumes:
disk0s2 - Macintosh HD 999.35 GB (546.74 GB free)
Journaled HFS+
Mount point: /
disk1s2 - T**********e 4.50 TB (3.91 TB free)
Journaled HFS+
Mount point: /Volumes/T**********e
disk1s3 - P*********n 1.50 TB (1.50 TB free)
ExFAT
Mount point: /Volumes/P*********n
disk2s2 - M B 499.76 GB (3.59 GB free)
Case-Sensitive Journaled HFS+
Mount point: /Volumes/M B
Network:
Interface Bluetooth-Modem: Bluetooth DUN
Interface en0: Ethernet
One IPv4 address
Interface en6: iPad
Interface en1: Wi-Fi
802.11 a/b/g/n
One IPv4 address
Interface en5: iPhone
Interface en4: Bluetooth PAN
Interface bridge0: Thunderbolt Bridge
iCloud Quota: 145.57 GB available
System Software:
macOS Sierra 10.12.6 (16G1314)
Time since boot: About 5 hours
System Load: 1.51 (1 min ago) 1.72 (5 min ago) 2.28 (15 min ago)
Security:
| System | Status |
|---|---|
| Gatekeeper | Mac App Store and identified developers |
| System Integrity Protection | Enabled |
Unsigned Files:
Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.paragon-software.NTFS.fsnotify.agent.plist
Executable: /Library/PreferencePanes/ParagonNTFS.prefPane/Contents/Resources/com.paragon-so ftware.NTFS.fsnotify.agent.app/Contents/MacOS/com.paragon-software.NTFS.fsnotify .agent
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.nike.nikeplusconnect.plist
Executable: /Applications/Nike+ Connect.app/Contents/MacOS/Nike+ Connect Helper Daemon
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.paragon-software.facebook.agent.plist
Executable: /Library/Application Support/Paragon Software/Paragon Software Facebook Agent.app/Contents/MacOS/Paragon Software Facebook Agent
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.seagate.TBDecorator.plist
Executable: /Library/Application Support/Seagate/TBLoopDriveParams
Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK
Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.paragon-software.NTFS.fsnotify.daemon.plist
Executable: /Library/PreferencePanes/ParagonNTFS.prefPane/Contents/Resources/com.paragon-so ftware.NTFS.fsnotify.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/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/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
32-bit Applications:
33 32-bit apps
Kernel Extensions:
/Library/Extensions
[Loaded] ufsd_NTFS.kext (Paragon Software GmbH, 14.2.288 - SDK 10.5)
[Loaded] Seagate Storage Driver.kext (Seagate Technologies LLC, 5.2.7 (26995) - SDK 10.4)
/Library/Extensions/Seagate Storage Driver.kext/Contents/PlugIns
[Not Loaded] SeagateLeafPowSecDriver_10_4.kext (Seagate Technologies LLC, 5.2.7 (26995) - SDK 10.4)
[Loaded] SeagateLeafPowSecDriver_10_5.kext (Seagate Technologies LLC, 5.2.7 (26995) - SDK 10.5)
[Not Loaded] SeagateDriveIcons.kext (Seagate Technologies LLC, 5.2.7 (26995) - SDK 10.4)
/System/Library/Extensions
[Not Loaded] LogitechHIDDevices.kext (3.9.0 - SDK 10.6)
[Not Loaded] LogitechUnifying.kext (1.3.0 - SDK 10.6)
[Not Loaded] NikeSportWatch.kext (1.0.0)
[Not Loaded] udstrendnet.kext (1.56)
System Launch Agents:
| [Not Loaded] | 6 Apple tasks |
| [Loaded] | 172 Apple tasks |
| [Running] | 107 Apple tasks |
System Launch Daemons:
| [Not Loaded] | 38 Apple tasks |
| [Loaded] | 172 Apple tasks |
| [Running] | 108 Apple tasks |
| [Other] | 3 Apple tasks |
Launch Agents:
| [Running] | com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist (? faec172d - installed 2015-07-07) |
| [Loaded] | com.microsoft.update.agent.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-05-29) |
| [Not Loaded] | com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (? ffb65062 - installed 2015-11-29) |
| [Running] | com.Logitech.Control Center.Daemon.plist (? 5b5e4f6b - installed 2014-06-19) |
| [Loaded] | com.google.keystone.agent.plist (Google, Inc. - installed 2018-02-03) |
| [Not Loaded] | com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-01-19) |
| [Loaded] | com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist (? 8aa99a9f - installed 2018-03-28) |
| [Other] | com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a725c38014c95072f92651fb65e1bf9c8e43c37a2 3d420d.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-15) |
| [Loaded] | com.paragon-software.facebook.agent.plist (? 95fb0bd4 - installed 2016-08-29) |
| [Running] | com.nike.nikeplusconnect.plist (? c057c0cc - installed 2015-10-09) |
| [Running] | com.paragon-software.NTFS.fsnotify.agent.plist (? dcda45f4 - installed 2016-08-29) |
Launch Daemons:
| [Loaded] | com.microsoft.OneDriveUpdaterDaemon.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-05-29) |
| [Loaded] | com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-15) |
| [Running] | com.paragon-software.NTFS.fsnotify.daemon.plist (? 66744841 - installed 2016-08-29) |
| [Loaded] | com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-05-29) |
| [Running] | com.adobe.adobeupdatedaemon.plist (? f00845ea - installed 2015-07-07) |
| [Loaded] | com.paragon.NTFS.launch.plist (Apple - installed 2018-03-08) |
| [Loaded] | com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-04-29) |
| [Loaded] | com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (? 6d8cb30e - installed 2010-08-25) |
| [Loaded] | com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist (? e3fefdd2 - installed 2018-03-28) |
| [Running] | com.adobe.agsservice.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-01-19) |
| [Running] | com.fitbit.galileod.plist (Fitbit, Inc. - installed 2018-02-07) |
| [Loaded] | com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-15) |
| [Loaded] | com.google.keystone.daemon.plist (Google, Inc. - installed 2018-03-05) |
| [Running] | com.seagate.TBDecorator.plist (? 595582c - installed 2015-11-02) |
| [Loaded] | com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-05-24) |
User Launch Agents:
| [Loaded] | com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent.plist (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2018-04-12) |
| [Not Loaded] | com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-11) |
User Login Items:
iTunesHelper Application (Apple - installed 2018-04-03)
(/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
Dropbox Application (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2018-05-24)
(/Applications/Dropbox.app)
USB Control Center Utility Application (? - installed 2015-07-08)
(/Applications/TRENDnet/USB Control Center Utility.app)
Photosmart 7520 series [D12DFE] Application (? - installed 2017-03-28)
(/Users/***/Library/Printers/Photosmart 7520 series [D12DFE].app)
Google Chrome Application (Google, Inc. - installed 2018-05-14)
(/Applications/Google Chrome.app)
Internet Plug-ins:
AdobeAAMDetect: 3.0.0.0 (installed 2015-07-07)
FlashPlayer-10.6: 29.0.0.171 (installed 2018-05-09)
QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (installed 2018-04-07)
AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: 17.012.20098 (installed 2018-05-15)
AdobePDFViewer: 18.011.20040 (installed 2018-05-15)
Flash Player: 29.0.0.171 (installed 2018-05-09)
Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: 3.2.0.16 (installed 2013-06-19)
SharePointBrowserPlugin: 14.7.7 (installed 2017-10-17)
Silverlight: 5.1.50901.0 (installed 2016-10-28)
JavaAppletPlugin: Java 8 Update 171 build 11 (installed 2018-04-24)
User Internet Plug-ins:
CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: 1.0.105 (installed 2013-04-25)
WebEx64: 1.0 (installed 2015-07-17)
Safari Extensions:
| Evernote Web Clipper.safariextz - Evernote Corp. - http://evernote.com(installed 2015-12-30) |
3rd Party Preference Panes:
Flash Player (installed 2018-04-29)
Flip4Mac WMV (installed 2013-03-29)
Java (installed 2018-04-24)
Logitech Control Center (installed 2014-07-16)
Paragon NTFS for Mac® (installed 2017-09-04)
Seagate Dashboard for Mac OSX (installed 2017-09-18)
Time Machine:
Skip System Files: No
Mobile backups: No
Auto backup: Yes
Volumes being backed up:
Macintosh HD: Disk size: 999.35 GB - Disk used: 452.60 GB
Destinations:
T**********e [Local] (Last used)
Total size: 4.50 TB
Total number of backups: 43
Oldest backup: 2017-09-11 15:12:41
Last backup: 2018-05-29 16:56:25
Top Processes by CPU:
| Process (count) | Source | % of CPU | Location |
| WindowServer | Apple | 4 | |
| kernel_task | Apple | 1 | |
| Fitbit Connect Menubar Helper (2) | ? | 0 | /Applications/Fitbit Connect.app |
| AddressBookSourceSync | Apple | 0 | |
| Adobe (6) | ? | 0 | /Library/Application Support/Adobe |
Top Processes by Memory:
| Process (count) | Source | RAM usage | Location |
| kernel_task | Apple | 1.08 GB | |
| Google Chrome Helper (13) | Google, Inc. | 891 MB | |
| mdworker (20) | Apple | 399 MB | |
| Google Chrome (2) | Google, Inc. | 373 MB | |
| Microsoft Word (2) | ? | 300 MB | /Applications/Microsoft Word.app |
Top Processes by Network Use:
| Process | Source | Input | Output | Location |
| mDNSResponder | Apple | 2 MB | 411 KB | |
| Dropbox | Dropbox, Inc. | 394 KB | 209 KB | |
| apsd | Apple | 29 KB | 64 KB | |
| Apple | 42 KB | 7 KB | ||
| netbiosd | Apple | 36 KB | 11 KB |
Top Processes by Energy Use:
| Process (count) | Source | Energy (0-100) | Location |
| photoanalysisd (2) | Apple | 17 | |
| photolibraryd (2) | Apple | 6 | |
| mediaanalysisd | Apple | 3 | |
| WindowServer | Apple | 2 | |
| Fitbit Connect Menubar Helper (2) | ? | 1 | /Applications/Fitbit Connect.app |
Virtual Memory Information:
| Available RAM | 1.95 GB |
| Free RAM | 192 MB |
| Used RAM | 6.05 GB |
| Cached files | 1.76 GB |
| Swap Used | 62 MB |
Software Installs (past 30 days):
| Name | Version | Install Date |
| Adobe Flash Player | 29.0.0.171 | 2018-05-09 |
| Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (18.011.20040) | 18.011.20040 | 2018-05-15 |
| Gatekeeper Configuration Data | 139 | 2018-05-26 |
| Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac | 16.13.18052304 | 2018-05-29 |
Diagnostics Information (past 7 days):
2018-05-29 11:55:31 quicklookd.app Crash
/System/Library/Frameworks/QuickLook.framework/Versions/A/Resources/quicklookd.a pp
quicklookd seems struck trying to quit, crashing abort() called |
2018-05-29 11:13:04 USB Control Center Utility.app Crash (3 times)
/Applications/TRENDnet/USB Control Center Utility.app
2018-05-27 17:33:15 Java Updater.app Crash (5 times)
/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Resources/Java Updater.app
Detected over-release of a CFTypeRef |
End of report
Hi Kathy
Sorry you are having problems and running Etrecheck is a good beginning.
There are several things that stand out for me that I would eliminate if possible.
JAVA do you really need this? Java is very problematic and is a known vector for malware. It is also crashing your system and therefore is very suspicious. Even Oracle is giving up on it. Unless you have a VERY good reason to have it, you should uninstall.
You have 2 programs that I think are no longer working in Sierra or not needed. Flip4Mac is no longer supported and may cause issues. Do you also have Perian installed? If so get rid of it. Silverlight is also no longer supported (I think??) and should not be needed any longer. This is a video player/streamer app.
If possible stop using Flash Player, some web sites still require it, but it can be problematic and is a known malware target. If you absolutely need it, keep it updated via your System Preferences. I haven't needed it for over a year.
Do you have any TrendNet gear? You have a crash reported from that plug-in. If no longer using any TrendNet gear, uninstall the Control Center app. I have seen some problems in the past with the drivers and really poor app coding from them. Think about replacing any gear you may have from them in the near future.
Are you using any NTFS formatted drives? Are you sharing some external drives with Windows? Don't think this is an issue, but if you are networked there may be processes running when you boot.
OK now some house keeping…
Do you keep lots of photos or videos on your desktop? If you keep tons of photos or videos on the desktop, then the macOS needs to read/load them everytime you log-in, ouch! My wife does this and my side opens much faster than her side of same computer. Make a folder, put em in there and move to pictures or if you have to have fast access, move folder into the dock. Macs don't read inside the folder.
Have you emptied all your Trash? System Trash and also app Trashes, especially Mail and Photos? Some of the apps have separate Trashes and if they load/launch on Startup, this can slow down your computer or app launch. Empty them and while you are at it, think about Archiving old Mail. Having 10s of thousands emails and attachments will slow down Mail launch.
Speaking of Photos, it is still analyzing photos. Have you recently installed new OS? (Sierra?) If so, leave your computer plugged in and running overnight. While Photos is doing it's thing in the background, it can slow your computer down, especially in Sierra. Got a little better in HS. I just keep my photos/videos on external drives so don't have the process running. Once it completes, this will free resources, but depending on how many thousands of photos/videos you have, it can take a very long time. If you are constantly adding photos, be aware that this process will run in the background for any photos/videos added till it completes and will use resources, processor, RAM.
Do you run lots of apps at same time? Do you close down with apps open? Upon start up, the Mac will restart all open apps, open Safari sessions etc… You can set preferences to close windows in SysPrefs>General and tabs in Safari Pref. This might speed up start ups.
You have Adobe Creative Cloud, do you have this open when you shut-down? It phones home all the time.
You could try to boot into Safe Mode. This may clear out crud. This will take a long time. Once it finishes, you can reboot. This reboot make take longer too the first time.
Finally, you can re-install your OS from Recovery Mode. You may just have a minor corruption somewhere. You might also decide this is a good time to upgrade to High Sierra.
OK all I can think of…
Hope this Helps, Greg
You could try installing Sierra on an external drive. Then you could compare the performance of the freshly installed OS to the performance of the system on your internal drive. It’s a good idea to have a bootable external drive in any case. For one thing, it is easier to run Disk Utility’s repair function from a drive other than the boot drive.
The Seagate software may not be helping. You shouldn’t need it to use a Mac-formatted Seagate drive with your Mac.
Improve startup speed
