Slow Performance

If your Mac is launching apps on startup it may be one of two things. When you log out or restart/shutdown there is a box that you can uncheck to "reopen windows when logging back in". Also look in System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items and use the ➖ button to remove the Login Items. You can always add them back with the ➕ button.

If the speed doesn't improve download and run Etrecheck It is a diagnostic tool that's very useful to us in finding problems. Also it will give us further specs on your Mac. After it runs post the log file here. It will contain no personal information.

Hello! You have to consider the fact that at this point, your computer is 8 years old. The hard drive might be failing, 4GB of ram really isn't enough in 2018 and the Core 2 Duo is an older processor. You really have 2 options:

Upgrade the computer:

If you conformable with doing so, an SSD (rather than the traditional HDD the MacBook Pro comes with) and at least 8GB of RAM would drastically improve speed and the performance of the machine.

Replace the computer:

If you are willing to spend the money, it is probably best to get a newer computer at this point.

Hope it helps!
-Geotrax

Hi! My fully configured 2015 Retina iMac with 24Gb is so slow (beachballing galore, and slow browser responsiveness).

My Login Items is down to only dropbox, but I still have many other programs that appear to launch on startup - such as Malwarebytes, Backblaze, Pulse Secure etc - how do i disable these?

Separately, might the two following data points help isolate the issue with my Mac?

1. The Mac temporarily runs faster after a CCleaner run.

2. The last safe boot took about 18 hours. Any suggestions on how to figure out to make my Mac zippy again?

Thanks!

P.S. Etrecheck says:

EtreCheck version: 5.0.8 (5A019)

Report generated: 2018-11-23 16:54:03

Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime: 12:43

Performance: Poor

Problem: Beachballing

Description:

Mac very unresponsive

Major Issues:

Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention.

Failing hard drive - This machine has an older, mechanical hard disk that appears to be failing.

Unsigned files - There are unsigned software files installed that could be adware and should be reviewed.

More than one antivirus app - This machine has multiple antivirus apps installed.

Minor Issues:

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

Heavy RAM usage - This machine is using a large amount of RAM.

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

Hardware Information:

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

iMac Model: iMac17,1

1 3.2 GHz Intel Core i5 (i5-6500) CPU: 4-core

24 RAM - Upgradeable

BANK 0/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR3 1867 ok

BANK 0/DIMM1 - 8 GB DDR3 1867 ok

BANK 1/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR3 1867 ok

BANK 1/DIMM1 - 8 GB DDR3 1867 ok

Major Issues:

Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention.

Failing hard drive- This machine has an older, mechanical hard disk that appears to be failing.

Unsigned files- There are unsigned software files installed that could be adware and should be reviewed.

More than one antivirus app- This machine has multiple antivirus apps installed.

Minor Issues:

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

Heavy RAM usage- This machine is using a large amount of RAM.

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

Hardware Information:

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

iMac Model: iMac17,1

1 3.2 GHz Intel Core i5 (i5-6500) CPU: 4-core

24 GB RAM -Upgradeable

BANK 0/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR3 1867 ok

BANK 0/DIMM1 - 8 GB DDR3 1867 ok

BANK 1/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR3 1867 ok

BANK 1/DIMM1 - 8 GB DDR3 1867 ok

You need to post the full report. But so far, uninstall the AV software as per the developers instructions.

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.

Delete the adware (You can do this from within Etrecheck)

Etrecheck is also reporting a failing hard drive (this may be due to the AV and adware) or it may actually be failing. After uninstalling, run another another Etrecheck report and we can see if that was the cause.

Thanks! So I removed the AVirus. It no longer is an "Issue". Two issues remain - failing hard drive and unsigned files. All the unsigned files are on a whitelist, so that is not an issue. Can a 3 year old hard drive really be failing? Is there another test program perhaps for the hard drive (Disk Utility gives the drive a clean bill of health). EtreCheck version: 5.0.9 (5A020) Report generated: 2018-11-26 22:51:47 Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com Runtime: 32:15 Performance: Poor Problem: Computer is too slow Major Issues: Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention. Failing hard drive - This machine has an older, mechanical hard disk that appears to be failing. Unsigned files - There are unsigned software files installed that could be adware and should be reviewed. Minor Issues: These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems. Time Machine auto backup disabled - Time Machine auto backups are disabled. Apps crashing - There have been numerous app crashes. 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, Late 2015) iMac Model: iMac17,1 1 3.2 GHz Intel Core i5 (i5-6500) CPU: 4-core 24 RAM - Upgradeable BANK 0/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR3 1867 ok BANK 0/DIMM1 - 8 GB DDR3 1867 ok BANK 1/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR3 1867 ok BANK 1/DIMM1 - 8 GB DDR3 1867 ok Video Information: AMD Radeon R9 M380 - VRAM: 2048 MB iMac 5120 x 2880 Drives: disk0 - APPLE HDD ST1000DM003 1.00 TB (Mechanical - 7200 RPM) Internal SATA 3 Gigabit Serial ATA disk0s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB disk0s2 [APFS Container] 1000.00 GB disk1 [APFS Virtual drive] 1000.00 GB (Shared by 4 volumes) disk1s1 - Macintosh HD (APFS) (Shared - 810.11 GB used) disk1s2 - Preboot (APFS) [APFS Preboot] (Shared - 43 MB used) disk1s3 - Recovery (APFS) [Recovery] (Shared - 513 MB used) disk1s4 - VM (APFS) [APFS VM] (Shared - 12.88 GB used) disk2 - Seagate Expansion 4.00 TB External USB 5 Gbit/s USB disk2s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB disk2s2 - S**************************e (Journaled HFS+) 4.00 TB (3.21 TB used) Mounted Volumes: disk1s1 - Macintosh HD 1000.00 GB (176.24 GB free) APFS Mount point: / disk1s4 - VM [APFS VM] (Shared - 12.88 GB used) APFS Mount point: /private/var/vm disk2s2 - S**************************e 4.00 TB (788.49 GB free) Journaled HFS+ Mount point: /Volumes/S**************************e Network: Interface en0: Ethernet Interface en6: iPhone Interface en1: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Interface en4: Bluetooth PAN Interface bridge0: Thunderbolt Bridge System Software: macOS Mojave 10.14.1 (18B75) Time since boot: About an hour Security: System Status Gatekeeper Enabled System Integrity Protection Enabled Unsigned Files: Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/net.pulsesecure.AccessService.plist Executable: /Applications/Pulse Secure.app/Contents/Plugins/JUNS/dsAccessService Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.citrix.ServiceRecords.plist Executable: /usr/local/libexec/ServiceRecords.app/Contents/MacOS/ServiceRecords Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.citrix.ReceiverHelper.plist Executable: /usr/local/libexec/ReceiverHelper.app/Contents/MacOS/ReceiverHelper Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/net.pulsesecure.pulsetray.plist Executable: /Applications/Pulse Secure.app/Contents/Plugins/JamUI/PulseTray.app/Contents/MacOS/PulseTray 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.adobe.ARM.***.plist Executable: /Applications/Adobe Reader 9/Adobe Reader.app/Contents/MacOS/Updater/Adobe Reader Updater Helper.app/Contents/MacOS/Adobe Reader Updater Helper 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/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/LaunchAgents/com.citrix.AuthManager_Mac.plist Executable: /usr/local/libexec/AuthManager_Mac.app/Contents/MacOS/AuthManager_Mac Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.citrix.ctxusbd.plist Executable: /Library/Application Support/Citrix Receiver/ctxusbd 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 Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/net.pulsesecure.UninstallPulse.plist Executable: /Library/Application Support/Pulse Secure/Pulse/Uninstall.app/Contents/Resources/uninstaller Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK Launchd: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/net.juniper.SetupClient.plist Executable: ~/Library/Application Support/Juniper Networks/SetupClient/JuniperSetupClient.app/Contents/MacOS/JuniperSetupClient Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.mozy.restoremanager.plist Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.mozy.restoremanager Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK 32-bit Applications: 76 32-bit apps Kernel Extensions: /System/Library/Extensions [Not Loaded] jawbone.kext (1.1.2) [Not Loaded] SiLabsUSBDriver.kext (1.1.2 - SDK 10.4) System Launch Agents: [Not Loaded] 16 Apple tasks [Loaded] 174 Apple tasks [Running] 108 Apple tasks [Other] One Apple task System Launch Daemons: [Not Loaded] 36 Apple tasks [Loaded] 179 Apple tasks [Running] 119 Apple tasks [Other] 2 Apple tasks Launch Agents: [Not Loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist (? 8a5b7d4f - installed 2018-03-28) [Loaded] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-04-06) [Running] com.adobe.GC.AGM.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-11-06) [Running] com.citrix.ServiceRecords.plist (? 8e6543d - installed 2016-07-20) [Running] net.pulsesecure.pulsetray.plist (? 3d73aecc - installed 2017-05-16) [Running] com.citrix.ReceiverHelper.plist (? bbfad3f1 - installed 2016-07-20) [Loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist (Google, Inc. - installed 2018-07-17) [Not Loaded] com.teamviewer.teamviewer_desktop.plist (? a781fc7d - installed 2014-03-25) [Not Loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (? ffb65062 - installed 2017-03-05) [Loaded] com.citrix.AuthManager_Mac.plist (? 1ce99fae - installed 2016-07-20) [Not Loaded] com.teamviewer.teamviewer.plist (? 57c754ae - installed 2014-03-25) [Not Loaded] com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-11-06) Launch Daemons: [Loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-11-15) [Not Loaded] .com.nginx.plist.swo (? c26b4ff5 - installed 2018-09-03) [Running] com.tclementdev.timemachineeditor.scheduler.plist (Thomas CLEMENT - installed 2018-07-04) [Loaded] com.citrix.ctxusbd.plist (? 44dc9c9f - installed 2016-07-20) [Running] com.sonos.SonosLibraryServer.plist (Sonos, Inc. - installed 2018-10-02) [Loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist (Google, Inc. - installed 2018-07-17) [Running] net.pulsesecure.AccessService.plist (? 1d36417 - installed 2017-05-16) [Running] com.adobe.agsservice.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-11-06) [Loaded] com.mozy.restoremanager.plist (? ac098625 - installed 2017-01-29) [Loaded] com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2017-04-11) [Running] com.backblaze.bzserv.plist (Backblaze - installed 2018-11-23) [Not Loaded] com.teamviewer.teamviewer_service.plist (? e1f717d0 - installed 2014-03-25) [Not Loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist (? e3fefdd2 - installed 2018-03-28) [Loaded] com.apple.installer.osmessagetracing.plist (Apple - installed 2018-10-24) [Loaded] net.pulsesecure.UninstallPulse.plist (? 54408489 - installed 2017-05-16) [Running] com.fitbit.galileod.plist (? 7ad1c5c - installed 2015-06-19) [Running] com.adobe.adobeupdatedaemon.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-04-06) User Launch Agents: [Loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (? 0 - installed 2017-03-05) [Loaded] com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent.plist (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2018-10-24) [Not Loaded] com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-11-06) [Running] com.spotify.webhelper.plist (Spotify - installed 2018-09-02) [Loaded] com.adobe.ARM.***.plist (? 0 - installed 2013-05-16) [Running] com.backblaze.bzbmenu.plist (Backblaze - installed 2018-11-26) [Loaded] net.juniper.SetupClient.plist (? 0 - installed 2018-11-26) User Login Items: Dropbox.app (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2018-11-08) (/Applications/Dropbox.app) Internet Plug-ins: o1dbrowserplugin: 5.41.3.0 (installed 2016-01-04) nplastpass: 3.2.11 (installed 2015-10-24) OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin: 12.3.6 (installed 2013-03-15) net.juniper.DSSafariExtensions: (installed 2013-10-01) AdobeAAMDetect: 3.0.0.0 (installed 2017-04-06) FlashPlayer-10.6: 31.0.0.153 (installed 2018-11-20) LogMeIn: 1.0.935 (installed 2013-03-12) Silverlight: 5.1.20125.0 (installed 2013-03-22) QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (installed 2018-11-23) Flash Player: 31.0.0.153 (installed 2018-11-20) googletalkbrowserplugin: 5.41.3.0 (installed 2015-12-11) iPhotoPhotocast: 7.0 (installed 2010-04-04) AdobePDFViewer: 9.5.5 (installed 2013-05-16) CitrixICAClientPlugIn: 12.2.0 (installed 2016-08-25) LogMeInSafari32: 1.0.935 (installed 2013-03-12) JavaAppletPlugin: Java 8 Update 171 build 11 (installed 2018-05-13) User Internet Plug-ins: CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: 1.0.105 (installed 2013-04-25) WebEx64: 1.0 (installed 2013-07-11) Picasa: 1.0 (installed 2011-03-28) Safari Extensions: LastPass.safariextz - LastPass - https://lastpass.com/ (installed 2018-09-30) 3rd Party Preference Panes: Backblaze Backup (installed 2018-11-23) Flash Player (installed 2018-11-15) Java (installed 2018-05-13) Time Machine: Skip System Files: No Mobile backups: No Auto backup: No Volumes being backed up: Macintosh HD: Disk size: 1000.00 GB - Disk used: 823.75 GB Destinations: A**********************************c [Network] Total size: 999.52 GB Total number of backups: 31 Oldest backup: 2018-10-02 10:09:47 Last backup: 2018-11-26 09:30:59 S**************************e [Local] (Last used) Total size: 4.00 TB Total number of backups: 55 Oldest backup: 2018-05-04 02:27:47 Last backup: 2018-11-26 14:55:48 Performance: System Load: 2.49 (1 min ago) 1.82 (5 min ago) 1.12 (15 min ago) Nominal I/O speed: 2.46 MB/s File system: 268.65 seconds (timed out) Write speed: 6 MB/s Read speed: 31 MB/s CPU Usage: Type Overall Individual cores System 4 % 8 % 5 % 3 % 2 % User 4 % 7 % 4 % 3 % 2 % Idle 92 % 85 % 91 % 94 % 96 % Top Processes by CPU: Process (count) Source CPU Location WindowServer Apple 9.48 % kernel_task Apple 5.30 % usbmuxd Apple 5.20 % EtreCheckPro Etresoft, Inc. 3.60 % AppleMobileBackup Apple 2.38 % Top Processes by Memory: Process (count) Source RAM usage Location bztransmit Backblaze 968 MB EtreCheckPro Etresoft, Inc. 663 MB mds_stores Apple 473 MB mdworker_shared (17) Apple 442 MB iTunes Apple 318 MB Top Processes by Network Use: Process Source Input Output Location mDNSResponder Apple 783 KB 225 KB Dropbox Dropbox, Inc. 89 KB 140 KB Mail Apple 131 KB 70 KB usbmuxd Apple 54 KB 40 KB apsd Apple 29 KB 36 KB Virtual Memory Information: Available RAM 18.76 GB Free RAM 12.32 GB Used RAM 5.24 GB Cached files 6.44 GB Swap Used 0 B Software Installs (past 30 days): Name Version Install Date Gatekeeper Configuration Data 156 2018-10-30 Adobe Flash Player 31.0.0.153 2018-11-20 "Malwarebytes for Mac Uninstaller" 1.0 2018-11-26 Diagnostics Information (past 7 days): 2018-11-26 21:29:44 galileod Crash /usr/local/bin/galileod objc_msgSend() selector name: stop 2018-11-24 01:35:09 logd CPU /usr/libexec/logd 2018-11-23 16:30:12 Creative Cloud.app Crash /Applications/Utilities/Adobe Creative Cloud/*/Creative Cloud.app End of report

It's difficult to read the report the way you posted it. Click on share Report, choose Copy then paste into your reply.

As far as a failing hard drive, yes a hard drive can fail at any time new or old. Your runtime of 32:15 suggests that is the case. Disk Utility cannot accurately predict if a hard drive is failing and other tests aren't accurate either. Back up your files now and replace the drive.

Thanks macjack for all your help. I actually did share report and copy, but that jumble is what resulted. I tried again, but Discussions now complains about a 5000 character limit.

Bottom line. I rebooted my Mac in safe mode - this btw took 18 hours - does that indicate anything? (1TB Hard drive, 24 Gb RAM)

Etre check takes 4 minutes to run in safe mode and 24-48 minutes in regular boot mode. I now have just one startup login item in Sys Pref (dropbox) but i see 6-8 other launch daemons.

Any thoughts? My expensive fully-configured 3 year old retina mac is frustrating! How do i get non beachballing performance again? :(

Thanks! I did see that, but I don't get that diagnosis in safe mode. Does that suggest that perhaps the diagnosis isnt correct?

There also appears to be some chats on the web that question Etrecheck's HDD diagnosis.

Might there be another way to confirm the HDD diagnosis?

I rebooted my Mac in safe mode - this btw took 18 hours - does that indicate anything?

Yikes, that indicates some serious problem, how much free space is on the HDD?

Thanks BDAqua. I have 229.4GB available of 1TB.

Here you go macjack

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nrd5sek0vh9n7hb/Atul%20Khanna%E2%80%99s%20Retina%20iMac%202016%202018-12-11.etrecheck?dl=0

Hi macjack: and here is etrecheck in safe mode: performance good

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2bdeapcalkd67h6/safe%20mode%20Atul%20Khanna%E2%80%99s%20Retina%20iMac%202016%202018-12-01.etrecheck?dl=0

Failing hard driveThis machine has an older, mechanical hard disk that appears to be failing.

Whew, is it repeatable both ways?

Other ways would involve a 3rd party App, like DiskWarrior.