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Is a Clean Install worth the effort?

I am swapping out a 2015 27" iMac with a brand-new 2018 model, which comes equipped with Mojave. The older model will go to my place of work for personal use there and I am not likely to do much in the way of maintenance on that terminal in prep for the move, as it is been running fine and I'm frequently running repairs, cleaning caches etc. with various software apps (Clean My Mac, Sierra Cache Cleaner, etc.) and staying up-to-date on all the apps that I use on a regular basis, as well as looking for duplicate files, etc. In general, I think I've done a good job of maintaining my machines (I have 27 terminals at work that I run IT on, though that's not my background).


My question is, given that I have transferred users from machine to machine ad infinitum over the past several years as I continue to upgrade my own personal terminal, I wonder if there are useless files that are getting transferred year-by-year that may affect performance. At times, I have gone back into the system library and manually looked for files orphaned from long gone apps and deleted those, along with preferences that seem to not have any utility anymore.


My performance seems fine and the thought of doing a clean install and authorizing every single piece of software that I have on board is daunting. Additionally, it seems to me that if I simply click the option to transfer all files related to my main user account, some of the old garbage may get transferred across and may still yield some type of interruption of performance.


If my system seems to be running fine, is it worth this several hours of additional installation hassle to do a clean install, or should I simply move ahead with the user migration that I have performed countless times in the past?

iMac with Retina 5K display, macOS High Sierra (10.13.6), 32 GB Ram, 3 TB fusion drive

Posted on Oct 4, 2018 6:46 AM

Reply
Question marked as Best answer

Uninstall CleanMyMac as per the developer's instructions. It's as bad as malware.

Uninstall Intego Backup, no more protection is needed beyond Mac OS built-in security.

TechToolPro used to be goto utility for Mac, but with more modern OS, it really isn't needed. Running it in the background will affect performance, you might consider running it when needed.

Posted on Oct 4, 2018 10:28 AM

Similar questions

2 replies
Question marked as Helpful

Oct 4, 2018 9:20 AM in response to yebdox

If your Mac is running fine, there's no reason to do a clean install. Each time you upgrade old system files are cleaned out.

Additionally, no Anti-Virus software or so-called “cleaning” apps are needed or recommended for Mac OS. They can conflict with Mac's own built-in security. At best they will slow your Mac by using unnecessary resources and at worst will bork your entire system. I'd suggest you uninstall these and not use them on your new Mac.

Question marked as Helpful

Oct 4, 2018 9:52 AM in response to yebdox

Cleaning caches is generally counter-productive as caches help your Mac run faster. Instead of searching for the item as new each time it is loaded from cache.

Etrecheck will give you some review of the finding but generally it's recommended to post the result here for a more through look. It will contain no personal information.

10 replies
Question marked as Helpful

Oct 4, 2018 9:20 AM in response to yebdox

If your Mac is running fine, there's no reason to do a clean install. Each time you upgrade old system files are cleaned out.

Additionally, no Anti-Virus software or so-called “cleaning” apps are needed or recommended for Mac OS. They can conflict with Mac's own built-in security. At best they will slow your Mac by using unnecessary resources and at worst will bork your entire system. I'd suggest you uninstall these and not use them on your new Mac.

Oct 4, 2018 8:46 AM in response to yebdox

yebdox wrote:


...I'm frequently running repairs, cleaning caches etc. with various software apps (Clean My Mac, Sierra Cache Cleaner, etc.)....

These things are probably the worst possible things you can add to your Mac,

especially Clean My Mac as it is a ticking time bomb that will destroy your

system when you least expect it.


Also, clearing caches and any of these other so-called performance enhancers

only end up interfering with the performance of Mac. The fact that you are

"frequently running repairs" should be the biggest giveaway to this fact.

Oct 4, 2018 9:45 AM in response to woodmeister50

Thanks, I can certainly try running the new machine without those, but there are 2 or 3 that I use (Clean My Mac, Sierra Cache Cleaner and occasionally, App Zapper) and I don't use any anti-virus software. They seem useful for doing a complete uninstall at times, and finding large older files as well as duplicate files, when I feel like cleaning house. I don't let Clean My Mac run on auto, though. I've been using Macs since 1985, so not a newbie, but also not a trained IT guy, but I can generally tell when performance suffers with a particular app and have thrown a lot of stuff away, over the years. In particular, Sierra/Mojave Cache Cleaner seems to do a better job than just running disc utility.


When I say frequent repairs, I'm really talking about running permission repairs, (along with cache cleaning with one app or the other) then doing a restart, and often zapping the PRAM on a weekly basis. I haven't fallen for the virus scares, but it does seem that emptying caches from time to time will boost performance. Still, will give it a try without those on the new machine and see, thanks for the suggestion. If Apple was a bit more willing to speak publicly about their flaws, buggy apps and bad feature management decisions ( for example, removing the "first page" set up on Pages.... ***? How can they call it a professional word processor, when they take a fundamental feature like that away?)... I would be more inclined to have faith in their official tech edicts. But, they aren't, so I'm not.


When I run ETRE check, as suggested further down, where do I send that for a review, or does it generate an obvious assessment of some conflict?


Thanks!

Question marked as Helpful

Oct 4, 2018 9:52 AM in response to yebdox

Cleaning caches is generally counter-productive as caches help your Mac run faster. Instead of searching for the item as new each time it is loaded from cache.

Etrecheck will give you some review of the finding but generally it's recommended to post the result here for a more through look. It will contain no personal information.

Oct 4, 2018 10:15 AM in response to macjack

Thanks, I appreciate that. There have been times when cleaning the cache (particularly on Safari) has been helpful, but I understand the principal. I think over the years, the most useful corrective measures I've found (besides permissions repair and a restart) have been zapping PRAM and an occasional PMU reset. Sometimes a complete uninstall for a particularly buggy app has been necessary, but then, one doesn't know what one doesn't know.


I have been able to dig around in the system library and find files that seem ancient and orphaned, and wondered about whether or not they are affecting performance. Sometimes I've gotten myself into trouble and had to do a re-install, sometimes I've seen a boost in performance, and mostly I've seen no change, but felt better about a cleaner system folder, thus my initial inquiry.


Here's my Etre Check report (crashed the first time when attempting to generate a report):


EtreCheck version: 5.0.3 (5A014)

Report generated: 2018-10-04 10:12:06

Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime: 2:30

Performance: Good


Problem: No problem - just checking


Major Issues: None


Minor Issues:

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


Configuration profiles present- This machine has configuration profiles. These are sometimes used by adware and malware.

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

System modifications- There are a large number of system modifications running in the background.

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


Hardware Information:

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2014 - 2015)

iMac Model: iMac15,1

1 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5 (i5-4690) CPU: 4-core

32 GB RAM - At maximum

BANK 0/DIMM0 - 8 GB DDR3 1600 ok

BANK 1/DIMM0 - 8 GB DDR3 1600 ok

BANK 0/DIMM1 - 8 GB DDR3 1600 ok

BANK 1/DIMM1 - 8 GB DDR3 1600 ok


Video Information:

AMD Radeon R9 M290X - VRAM: 2048 MB

iMac 5120 x 2880


Drives:

disk0 - APPLE SSD SD0128F 121.33 GB (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)

Internal PCI 5.0 GT/s x2 Serial ATA

disk0s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB

disk0s2 [Fusion Drive] 120.99 GB

disk2 - D**********c (Journaled HFS+) 3.11 TB (2.07 TB used)

disk0s3 - B*******X (Journaled HFS+) 134 MB


disk1 - APPLE HDD ST3000DM001 3.00 TB (Mechanical - 7200 RPM)

Internal SATA 6 Gigabit Serial ATA

disk1s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB

disk1s2 [Fusion Drive] 3.00 TB

disk2 - D**********c (Journaled HFS+) 3.11 TB (2.07 TB used)

disk1s3 - Recovery HD (Mac OS Extended) [Recovery] 650 MB


disk3 - LaCie P9233 5.00 TB

External USB 5 Gbit/s USB

disk3s1 - EFI [EFI] 315 MB

disk3s2 [Core Storage Container] 5.00 TB

disk6 - 5*******e (Journaled HFS+) 5.00 TB (3.30 TB used)

disk3s3 - B*******X (Journaled HFS+) 134 MB


disk4 - Seagate BUP Slim SL 2.00 TB

External USB 5 Gbit/s USB

disk4s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB

disk4s2 - 2********p (Journaled HFS+) 2.00 TB (821.81 GB used)


disk5 - Apple iPod 2.02 GB

External USB 480 Mbit/s USB


Mounted Volumes:

disk2 - D**********c 3.11 TB (1.04 TB free)

Journaled HFS+

Mount point: /

Encrypted


disk4s2 - 2********p 2.00 TB (1.18 TB free)

Journaled HFS+

Mount point: /Volumes/2**********3


disk6 - 5*******e 5.00 TB (1.70 TB free)

Journaled HFS+

Mount point: /Volumes/5*********1

Encrypted


Network:

Interface en0: Ethernet

Interface en5: iPad

Interface en6: iPhone

Interface en1: Wi-Fi

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

Interface en4: Bluetooth PAN

Interface bridge0: Thunderbolt Bridge

iCloud Quota: 82.94 GB available


System Software:

macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 (17G65)

Time since boot: About 2 days


Configuration Profiles:

This computer has configuration profiles installed.


Security:

SystemStatus
GatekeeperEnabled
System Integrity ProtectionEnabled


Unsigned Files:

Launchd: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/jp.co.pfu.ScanSnap.SearchablePDFConverter.plist

Executable: /Applications/ScanSnap/SearchablePDFConverter.app/Contents/Resources/Searchable PDFConverterOCR.app/Contents/MacOS/SearchablePDFConverterOCR os

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.audiojinglex.soundtree.agent.plist

Executable: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/Audiojingle.driver/Contents/Resources/Audiojingleag ent.xpc/Contents/MacOS/Audiojingleagent

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Resources/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/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

Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.wacom.DataStoreMgr.plist

Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.wacom.DataStoreMgr.app/Contents/MacOS/com.wa com.DataStoreMgr

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.akamai.single-user-client.plist

Executable: ~/Applications/Akamai/netsession_mac

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.audiojinglex.soundtree.agent.plist

Executable: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/Audiojingle.driver/Contents/Resources/Audiojingleag ent.xpc/Contents/MacOS/Audiojingleagent

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

Launchd: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Resources/com.oracle.java.Java-Update r.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:

119 32-bit apps


Kernel Extensions:

/Applications/Boom 2.app

[Loaded] Boom2Device.kext (Global Delight Technologies Pvt. Ltd, 1.2 - SDK 10.10)


/Applications/Rowmote Helper.app

[Loaded] RowmoteIREmu_106.kext (Evan Schoenberg, M.D., 1.2 - SDK 10.11)


/Applications/Splashtop Streamer.app

[Loaded] Soundflower.kext (Splashtop Inc., 1.6.7 - SDK 10.9)

[Not Loaded] SRXDisplayCard.kext (Splashtop Inc., 1.6 - SDK 10.9)

[Not Loaded] SRXFrameBufferConnector.kext (Splashtop Inc., 1.6 - SDK 10.9)


/Applications/TechTool Pro 9.app

[Not Loaded] spdKernel.kext (Micromat, Inc., 1.0 - SDK 10.11)

[Not Loaded] spdKernel_10.8.kext (Micromat, Inc., 1.0 - SDK 10.8)


/Applications/VMware Fusion.app

[Not Loaded] VMwareVMCI.kext (VMware, Inc., 8.5.8)

[Not Loaded] vmioplug.kext (VMware, Inc., 8.5.8)

[Not Loaded] vmnet.kext (VMware, Inc., 8.5.8)

[Not Loaded] vmmon.kext (VMware, Inc., 8.5.8)


/Library/Extensions

[Loaded] AmbrosiaAudioSupport.kext (Ambrosia Software, Inc., 4.1.4 - SDK 10.11)

[Not Loaded] SamsonUSBAudioPlugin.kext (Andrea Electronics Corporation, 1.1.1 - SDK 10.9)

[Not Loaded] FTDIKext.kext (Wacom Technology Corp., 1.0 - SDK 10.12)

[Loaded] VoilaDevice.kext (Global Delight Technologies Pvt. Ltd, 2.1 - SDK 10.10)


/System/Library/Extensions

[Not Loaded] FTDIUSBSerialDriver.kext (2.2.14)

[Loaded] LaCieScsiType00.kext (1.9.1 - SDK 10.5)

[Not Loaded] NIUSBGuitarRigMobile.kext (2.3.9)

[Not Loaded] NIUSBAudioDriver.kext (2.3.9)

[Not Loaded] M-AudioFireWireBeBoB.kext (1.10.2)

[Not Loaded] IOMissingSyncMassStorage.kext (6.0.4)

[Not Loaded] Missing Sync Classic Seize.kext (1.0.0)

[Not Loaded] OlympusDSSDriver.kext (2.0.0)

[Not Loaded] Wacom Tablet.kext (Wacom Technology Corp., Wacom Tablet 6.3.10-2 - SDK 10.9)

[Loaded] SATSMARTDriver.kext (Kirill Luzanov, 0.8.1 - SDK 10.6)


Startup Items:

DynDNSUpdater Path: /Library/StartupItems/DynDNSUpdater

MissingSyncMounting Path: /Library/StartupItems/MissingSyncMounting

MySQLCOM Path: /Library/StartupItems/MySQLCOM


System Launch Agents:

[Not Loaded]8 Apple tasks
[Loaded]151 Apple tasks
[Running]133 Apple tasks
[Other]One Apple task


System Launch Daemons:

[Not Loaded]37 Apple tasks
[Loaded]159 Apple tasks
[Running]138 Apple tasks
[Other]2 Apple tasks


Launch Agents:

[Running]com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist (? 5c916fd9 - installed 2016-09-22)
[Loaded]com.intego.backupassistant.agent.plist (? f2f62dfd - installed 2014-08-27)
[Loaded]com.microsoft.update.agent.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-07-31)
[Running]com.wacom.DataStoreMgr.plist (? c4053da4 - installed 2017-10-05)
[Running]com.adobe.GC.AGM.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-10-03)
[Other]com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a725c38014c95072f92651fb65e1bf9c8e43c37a2 3d420d.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-13)
[Loaded]com.google.keystone.agent.plist (Google, Inc. - installed 2018-07-17)
[Running]com.splashtop.streamer-for-user.plist (Splashtop Inc. - installed 2018-08-05)
[Not Loaded]com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (? ffb65062 - installed 2015-09-17)
[Running]com.wacom.wacomtablet.plist (Wacom Technology Corp. - installed 2017-10-05)
[Running]com.micromat.TechToolProAgent.plist (Micromat, Inc. - installed 2018-06-09)
[Loaded]com.audiojinglex.soundtree.agent.plist (? 5c0ee2b3 - installed 2018-02-21)
[Not Loaded]com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-10-03)
[Not Loaded]com.splashtop.streamer-for-root.plist (Splashtop Inc. - installed 2018-08-05)


Launch Daemons:

[Loaded]com.github.IngmarStein.Monolingual.Helper.plist (Ingmar Stein - installed 2017-03-02)
[Loaded]com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-08-27)
[Loaded]com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (? 6d8cb30e - installed 2012-04-02)
[Running]com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-13)
[Loaded]com.google.keystone.daemon.plist (Google, Inc. - installed 2018-07-17)
[Loaded]com.adobe.agsservice.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-10-03)
[Running]com.regularrateandrhythm.rowmotehelperaide.plist (Evan Schoenberg, M.D. - installed 2017-05-15)
[Loaded]com.microsoft.OneDriveUpdaterDaemon.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-07-31)
[Running]com.micromat.TechToolProDaemon.plist (Micromat, Inc. - installed 2018-06-09)
[Loaded]com.ambrosiasw.ambrosiaaudiosupporthelper.daemon.plist (Ambrosia Software, Inc. - installed 2016-09-03)
[Loaded]com.audiojinglex.soundtree.agent.plist (? 5c0ee2b3 - installed 2018-02-21)
[Loaded]com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-07-31)
[Loaded]com.splashtop.streamer-srioframebuffer.plist (Splashtop Inc. - installed 2018-08-05)
[Running]com.wacom.UpdateHelper.plist (? 247c9951 - installed 2017-10-05)
[Loaded]com.tunabellysoftware.TGFanHelper.plist (? 19176e1b - installed 2016-06-15)
[Loaded]com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist (? e3fefdd2 - installed 2016-09-22)
[Loaded]com.apple.installer.osmessagetracing.plist (Apple - installed 2018-07-04)
[Loaded]com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Agent.plist (MacPaw Inc. - installed 2018-10-04)
[Loaded]com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-07-10)
[Loaded]com.wacom.displayhelper.plist (Apple - installed 2018-07-04)
[Loaded]com.rogueamoeba.aceagent.plist (Rogue Amoeba Software, LLC - installed 2018-06-28)
[Running]com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-13)
[Running]com.splashtop.streamer-daemon.plist (Splashtop Inc. - installed 2018-08-05)
[Running]com.intego.BackupAssistant.daemon.plist (? f4eb85c2 - installed 2014-08-27)


User Launch Agents:

[Loaded]com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (? 0 - installed 2015-09-17)
[Loaded]com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent.plist (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2018-08-21)
[Running]com.hp.devicemonitor.plist (HP Inc. - installed 2018-10-02)
[Running]com.akamai.single-user-client.plist (? 0 - installed 2018-05-09)
[Not Loaded]com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-10-03)
[Loaded]com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist (MacPaw Inc. - installed 2017-12-26)
[Running]com.spotify.webhelper.plist (Spotify - installed 2018-09-21)
[Loaded]com.skype.skype.shareagent.plist (Skype Communications S.a.r.l - installed 2018-04-12)
[Running]jp.co.pfu.ScanSnap.SearchablePDFConverter.plist (? 0 - installed 2016-03-06)
[Running]com.ecamm.printopia.plist (? 0 - installed 2017-01-08)


User Login Items:

Boom2Daemon (Global Delight Technologies Pvt. Ltd - installed 2016-04-23)

(/Applications/Boom 2.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/Boom2Daemon.app)

TemperatureGaugeHelper (App Store - installed 2015-02-01)

(/Applications/Temperature Gauge.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/TemperatureGaugeHelper.app)

LaunchAtLoginHelperApp (App Store - installed 2018-10-04)

(/Applications/Be Focused Pro.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/LaunchAtLoginHelperApp.app)

2Do Helper (App Store - installed 2018-10-04)

(/Applications/2Do.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/EKT6323JY3.com.guidedways.Tod oMac.Helper.app)

Day One Helper (App Store - installed 2018-10-04)

(/Applications/Day One.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/Day One Helper.app)

CleanMyMac 3 Menu (MacPaw Inc. - installed 2018-09-22)

(/Applications/CleanMyMac 3.app/Contents/MacOS/CleanMyMac 3 Menu.app/Contents/MacOS/CleanMyMac 3 Menu)

Audio Hijack 3 Schedule Helper (Rogue Amoeba Software, LLC - installed 2017-11-15)

(/Library/Application Support/Audio Hijack/Audio Hijack 3 Schedule Helper.app/Contents/MacOS/Audio Hijack 3 Schedule Helper)

Dropbox (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2018-10-04)

(/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox)

ScanSnap Manager (PFU LIMITED - installed 2017-12-26)

(/Applications/ScanSnap/ScanSnap Manager.app/Contents/MacOS/ScanSnap Manager)

Rowmote Helper (Evan Schoenberg, M.D. - installed 2016-10-23)

(/Applications/Rowmote Helper.app/Contents/MacOS/Rowmote Helper)


Internet Plug-ins:

DirectorShockwave: 11.0.0r430 (installed 2015-01-16)

WacomNetscape: 1.1.1-1 (installed 2015-01-16)

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: 3.3.8.1 (installed 2017-01-08)

Musicnotes: 1.17.2 (installed 2015-01-16)

RealPlayer Plugin: (installed 2015-10-11)

AdobeAAMDetect: AdobeAAMDetect 1.0.0.0 (installed 2015-09-17)

FlashPlayer-10.6: 31.0.0.108 (installed 2018-10-04)

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: 17.012.20098 (installed 2018-10-02)

Silverlight: 5.1.41212.0 (installed 2016-06-20)

QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (installed 2018-07-04)

Flash Player: 31.0.0.108 (installed 2018-10-04)

iPhotoPhotocast: 7.0 (installed 2015-01-16)

SharePointBrowserPlugin: 14.7.7 (installed 2017-11-13)

AdobePDFViewer: 19.008.20071 (installed 2018-10-02)

CANONiMAGEGATEWAYDL: 3.1.0.2 (installed 2015-10-11)

npDDRia: 0.0.14.5 (installed 2017-03-17)

JavaAppletPlugin: Java 8 Update 111 build 14 (installed 2016-12-19)


User Internet Plug-ins:

CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: 1.0.105 (installed 2013-04-25)

WebEx64: 1.0 (installed 2014-10-10)


Safari Extensions:

QuickBrowse.safariextz - Catalin Andrei Vasiliu - http://www.unionsoftwareonline.com (installed 2016-11-10)
Facebook Cleaner.safariextz - Sonny Fazio - http://sonstermedia.com (installed 2015-04-01)
Add To Amazon Wish List.safariextz - Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/wishlist?ref=cm_wl_saf_ext (installed 2014-07-24)
UTM Stripper.safariextz - Sean Graham - http:///github.com/grahams/safari-utm-stripper(installed 2017-07-12)
Reload Button.safariextz - John Siracusa - http://siracusafamily.org/safari/extensions/(installed 2016-11-22)
Wipr Part 1 - App Store (installed 2018-08-03)
Open in Papers.safariextz - Alexis Grimaldi - http://github.com/sopo/OpenInPapers(installed 2013-03-18)
eBay for Safari.safariextz - eBay Inc - http://anywhere.ebay.com/browser/safari/(installed 2017-11-16)
Wipr Part 2 - App Store (installed 2018-08-03)
Do Not Track Plus.safariextz - Abine INC - http://www.abine.com (installed 2012-08-08)
DuckDuckGo Private Search.safariextz - DuckDuckGo - http://duckduckgo.com (installed 2018-09-19)
TrafficLight.safariextz - Bitdefender SRL - http://trafficlight.bitdefender.com/ (installed 2018-06-15)
Incognito.safariextz - Orbicule - http://www.orbicule.com/incognito/ (installed 2014-07-14)
Wipr Part 3 - App Store (installed 2018-08-03)
Translate.safariextz - SideTree.com - http://SideTree.com/extensions.html#Translate(installed 2018-07-29)


3rd Party Preference Panes:

Akamai NetSession Preferences (installed 2018-05-22)

Device Detector (installed 2015-01-16)

Flash Player (installed 2018-08-27)

Flip4Mac WMV (installed 2017-01-08)

Java (installed 2016-12-19)

Perian (installed 2015-01-16)

Printopia (installed 2017-02-18)

TechTool Protection (installed 2018-06-10)

WacomTablet (installed 2017-11-22)


Time Machine:

Skip System Files: No

Mobile backups: No

Auto backup: Yes

Volumes being backed up:

D**********c: Disk size: 3.11 TB - Disk used: 2.07 TB

Destinations:

5*******e [Local] (Last used)

Total size: 5.00 TB

Total number of backups: 99

Oldest backup: 2017-10-01 14:07:02

Last backup: 2018-10-04 09:10:14


Performance:

System Load: 2.79 (1 min ago) 2.29 (5 min ago) 2.07 (15 min ago)

Nominal I/O speed: 0.59 MB/s

File system: 20.44 seconds

Write speed: 182 MB/s

Read speed: 537 MB/s


CPU Usage:

TypeOverallIndividual cores
System22 %27 %20 %20 %20 %
User19 %21 %18 %18 %20 %
Idle59 %52 %62 %62 %61 %


Top Processes by CPU:

Process (count)SourceCPULocation
iTunesCacheExtensionApple39.00 %
backupdApple30.16 %
kernel_taskApple28.66 %
Splashtop PersonalSplashtop Inc.17.64 %
EtreCheckProEtresoft, Inc.15.80 %


Top Processes by Memory:

Process (count)SourceRAM usageLocation
kernel_taskApple1.99 GB
softwareupdatedApple907 MB
iTunesApple685 MB
mds_storesApple662 MB
EtreCheckProEtresoft, Inc.586 MB


Top Processes by Network Use:

ProcessSourceInputOutputLocation
mDNSResponderApple182 MB14 MB
DropboxDropbox, Inc.18 MB5 MB
netbiosdApple3 MB23 KB
athApple615 KB873 KB
apsdApple479 KB214 KB


Virtual Memory Information:

Available RAM19.45 GB
Free RAM10.05 GB
Used RAM12.55 GB
Cached files9.40 GB
Swap Used0 B


Software Installs (past 30 days):

NameVersionInstall Date
Splashtop Streamer1.02018-09-05
WiFi Scanner2.8.12018-09-06
Adobe Flash Player31.0.0.1082018-09-11
Red Hot Timer1.9.12018-09-17
Pixelmator3.7.52018-09-19
Pages7.02018-09-20
Keynote8.02018-09-20
Numbers5.02018-09-20
Be Focused Pro1.7.42018-09-20
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (18.011.20063)18.011.200632018-09-20
Day One2.92018-09-22
Wipr1.42018-09-23
Gatekeeper Configuration Data1552018-09-25
AudioSwitcher2.992018-09-26
MacPractice DC5.12018-09-27
WiFi Explorer2.5.12018-09-27
XProtectPlistConfigData21002018-09-28
2Do2.5.92018-09-29
AudioNote 2 - Notepad and Voice Recorder6.12018-09-30
Dragon6.0.72018-10-01
Mach Desktop3.0.22018-10-01
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (19.008.20071)19.008.200712018-10-02
MRTConfigData1.352018-10-03
iReal Pro8.3.22018-10-03
Safari12.02018-10-03
Permute2.5.122018-10-04


Diagnostics Information (past 7 days):

2018-10-04 10:08:29 ReportCrash Crash (2 times)

/System/Library/CoreServices/ReportCrash

Analyzing process: EtreCheckPro[20309], path: ???; parent process: [1], path: /sbin/launchd



End of report

Question marked as Best answer

Oct 4, 2018 10:28 AM in response to yebdox

Uninstall CleanMyMac as per the developer's instructions. It's as bad as malware.

Uninstall Intego Backup, no more protection is needed beyond Mac OS built-in security.

TechToolPro used to be goto utility for Mac, but with more modern OS, it really isn't needed. Running it in the background will affect performance, you might consider running it when needed.

Oct 4, 2018 2:06 PM in response to macjack

Thanks, will give it a go. Not sure what that Intego backup is linked to, will have to investigate that. Haven't upgraded Techtool Pro, those tests seem to run a long time and I get more rapid utility of an app called DriveDx.


Can you recommend a good book that would point me in the direction of some of your knowledge base? I feel like someone who's been driving a Mercedes for 30 years, and knows which buttons to push and maybe can change the oil, but really only has a superficial conception of all of this. I don't want to learn programming, I just feel like I could benefit from a better understanding of systems, command line stuff, networking, etc. Maybe that's too tall an order, but there are definite holes in my knowledge base, in spite of running my own office network for the last 15 or 20 years, and owning everything from a fat mac to most versions of desktops and laptops in some iteration.


Thanks again for the help!

Is a Clean Install worth the effort?

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