Frequent and chronic Slowness on Late 2009 21.5" iMac, Issues with Display, Fan, and Booting

Question

Hello,
Sorry for the repost, but I realized after the edit period had passed that I left out a lot of information from my original post, and that I misrepresented my problem in the question heading. Because of this, I am posting again with the updated information.
I  am using a 21.5" iMac from Late 2009 with OSX Mavericks 10.9.2.  Recently, I have been experiencing several signs of failure/aging during  use:
Frequent:
Mail.app slow opening, closing; messages opened in large batches do not get marked as read
Terminal.app experiences noticeable lag when opening (it sometimes takes between 5 and 20 seconds between launching the application and getting an active prompt)
Processes lag or become unresponsive, even when not many applications are running
Browswers frequently become unresponsive, pinwheel, or lag considerably, frequently requiring a force-quit.
Mouse Pinwheels Frequently
Intermittent
Computer  generates loudly audible fan noises, persists even when computer is  briefly powered off during a reboot; does not always stop after  rebooting
Finder often becomes unresponsive
Rare (one time only)
Machine  powered on in "Safe Boot" mode for no apparant reason; red text reading  "Safe Boot" in menu bar of login screen; background picture slideshow  mode became very glitchy, phased and flashed in horizontal grey bars  before loading next background image
Chronic (Consistently Happens)
Machine  will not boot if plugged into normal powerpoint after being unplugged  from that power-point; cable must be plugged into a different A/C power  outlet for machine to boot, at which point it can be switched off again,  moved back to the original dedicated outlet, and booted again. This has  never failed to happen, and is mind-boggling.
I followed some instructions from a similar thread,  but I felt that my experiences were sufficiently different that I  couldn't troubleshoot from someone else's solution. I would greatly  appreciate any technical advice and help that the community can offer.
Specs (Obtained Using EtreCheck) :
Hardware Information:
    iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2009)
    iMac - model: iMac10,1
    1 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2 cores
    4 GB RAM
Video Information:
    ATI Radeon HD 4670 - VRAM: 256 MB
System Software:
    OS X 10.9.2 (13C64) - Uptime: 0 days 1:3:20
Disk Information:
    Hitachi HDE721010SLA330 disk0 : (1 TB)
        EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
        Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 999.35 GB (114.68 GB free)
        Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
    PIONEER DVD-RW  DVRTS09 
USB Information:
    Western Digital My Book 1130 2 TB
        VM (disk2s1) /Volumes/VM: 2 TB (757.31 GB free)
    Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
    Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
    Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
    Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
        Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
FireWire Information:
    WD My Book 111D 800mbit - 800mbit max
        disk1s1 (disk1s1) <not mounted>: 32 KB
        BigD (disk1s3) /Volumes/BigD: 2 TB (134.4 GB free)
Thunderbolt Information:
Configuration files:
    /etc/hosts - Count: 3
Kernel Extensions:
    org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxDrv    (4.2.14)
    org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxUSB    (4.2.14)
Startup Items:
    HP Trap Monitor: Path: /Library/StartupItems/HP Trap Monitor
    rEFItBlesser: Path: /Library/StartupItems/rEFItBlesser
    VirtualBox: Path: /Library/StartupItems/VirtualBox
Launch Daemons:
    [System]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist 3rd-Party support link
    [System]    com.github.GitHub.GHInstallCLI.plist 3rd-Party support link
    [System]    com.google.keystone.daemon.plist 3rd-Party support link
    [System]    com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist 3rd-Party support link
    [System]    com.ubuntu.one.fsevents.plist 3rd-Party support link
    [System]    org.freedesktop.dbus-system.plist 3rd-Party support link
    [System]    org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx.plist 3rd-Party support link
    [System]    org.macports.rsyncd.plist 3rd-Party support link
Launch Agents:
    [System]    com.google.keystone.agent.plist 3rd-Party support link
    [System]    com.hp.help.tocgenerator.plist 3rd-Party support link
    [System]    com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist 3rd-Party support link
    [System]    com.wacom.pentablet.plist 3rd-Party support link
    [System]    org.freedesktop.dbus-session.plist 3rd-Party support link
    [System]    org.macosforge.xquartz.startx.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Launch Agents:
    [not loaded]    com.google.Chrome.framework.plist 3rd-Party support link
    [not loaded]    com.valvesoftware.steamclean.plist 3rd-Party support link
    [not loaded]    org.virtualbox.vboxwebsrv.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Login Items:
    Flux
    Quicksilver
    iTunesHelper
    Air Mouse Server
    Launch_IKCP
    usb16
    Music Manager
    SpeechSynthesisServer
    VMware Fusion Start Menu
    Android File Transfer Agent
Internet Plug-ins:
    FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 12.0.0.70 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
    Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
    Flash Player: Version: 12.0.0.70 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
    QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
    o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.1.5.17733 3rd-Party support link
    WacomNetscape: Version: 2.1.0-1 - SDK 10.8 3rd-Party support link
    npgtpo3dautoplugin: Version: 0.1.44.29 - SDK 10.5 3rd-Party support link
    googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.1.5.17733 3rd-Party support link
    WacomTabletPlugin: Version: WacomTabletPlugin 2.1.0.2 3rd-Party support link
    JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 51 3rd-Party support link
Audio Plug-ins:
    BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9
    AirPlay: Version: 2.0 - SDK 10.9
    AppleAVBAudio: Version: 203.2 - SDK 10.9
    iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9
iTunes Plug-ins:
    Quartz Composer Visualizer: Version: 1.4 - SDK 10.9
User Internet Plug-ins:
    RealPlayer Plugin: Version: Unknown
    Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 7.1 3rd-Party support link
3rd Party Preference Panes:
    Flash Player  3rd-Party support link
    Java  3rd-Party support link
    MusicManager  3rd-Party support link
    TeXDistPrefPane  3rd-Party support link
    PenTablet  3rd-Party support link
    DWXBoxHIDPrefsPane  3rd-Party support link
Old Applications:
    None
Time Machine:
    Skip System Files: NO
    Auto backup: YES
    Volumes being backed up:
        Macintosh HD: Disk size: 930.71 GB Disk used: 823.91 GB
    Destinations:
        BigD [Local] (Last used)
        Total size: 2 
        Total number of backups: 89
        Oldest backup: 2013-02-19 05:21:21 +0000
        Last backup: 2014-02-27 02:52:20 +0000
        Size of backup disk: Too small
            Backup size 2  < (Disk used 823.91 GB X 3)
    Time Machine details may not be accurate.
    All volumes being backed up may not be listed.
Top Processes by CPU:
        47%    firefox
         3%    WindowServer
         1%    EtreCheck
         0%    com.ubuntu.one.fsevents
         0%    mds
Top Processes by Memory:
    489 MB    firefox
    147 MB    com.apple.IconServicesAgent
    66 MB    Dock
    53 MB    WindowServer
    41 MB    Finder
Virtual Memory Information:
    1.72 GB    Free RAM
    1.42 GB    Active RAM
    335 MB    Inactive RAM
    535 MB    Wired RAM
    683 MB    Page-ins
    564 KB    Page-outs
Results of Linc Davis's diagnostic test from the similar thread:
Boot Mode: Normal
System diagnostics:
   com.ubuntu.one.fsevents 2014-02-25-210509 crash
   com.ubuntu.one.fsevents 2014-02-25-210520 crash
   com.ubuntu.one.fsevents 2014-02-25-210531 crash
   com.ubuntu.one.fsevents 2014-02-25-210541 crash
   com.ubuntu.one.fsevents 2014-02-25-210553 crash
   com.ubuntu.one.fsevents 2014-02-25-210603 crash
   com.ubuntu.one.fsevents 2014-02-25-210618 crash
   com.ubuntu.one.fsevents 2014-02-25-210640-1 crash
   com.ubuntu.one.fsevents 2014-02-25-210640 crash
   diskarbitrationd,HPIO Trap Monitor,mds 2014-02-07-223647 shutdownStall
Kernel messages:
   Feb 23 20:52:38   Previous Shutdown Cause: -128
   Feb 23 21:06:01   PM notification timeout (pid 364, MusicManagerHelp)
   Feb 23 21:44:13   Sound assertion - 1002:aa30 FIFO error (Stream 0)
   Feb 23 21:57:33   PM notification timeout (pid 364, MusicManagerHelp)
   Feb 26 20:29:58   Previous Shutdown Cause: -128
   Feb 26 20:44:56   PM notification timeout (pid 436, MusicManagerHelp)
Loaded extrinsic kernel extensions:
   org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxDrv (4.2.14)
   org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxUSB (4.2.14)
Extrinsic system jobs:
   org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx
   com.ubuntu.one.fsevents
   com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool
   com.google.keystone.daemon
   com.github.GitHub.GHInstallCLI
   com.adobe.fpsaud
Extrinsic agents:
   org.macosforge.xquartz.startx
   com.wacom.pentablet
   com.oracle.java.Java-Updater
   com.hp.help.tocgenerator
   com.google.keystone.system.agent
   com.valvesoftware.steamclean
   com.google.Chrome.framework.service_process/Users/XXXXX/Library/Application_Sup port/Google/Chrome
/Library/LaunchAgents:
   /Library/LaunchAgents/com.google.keystone.agent.plist
   /Library/LaunchAgents/com.hp.help.tocgenerator.plist
   /Library/LaunchAgents/com.wacom.pentablet.plist
   /Library/LaunchAgents/org.macosforge.xquartz.startx.plist
/Library/LaunchDaemons:
   /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.adobe.fpsaud.plist
   /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.github.GitHub.GHInstallCLI.plist
   /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.google.keystone.daemon.plist
   /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.ubuntu.one.fsevents.plist
   /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx.plist
/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools:
   /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.github.GitHub.GHInstallCLI
   /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.ubuntu.one.fsevents
/Library/StartupItems:
   /Library/StartupItems/HP Trap Monitor/HP Trap Monitor
   /Library/StartupItems/HP Trap Monitor/Resources/English.lproj/Localizable.strings
   /Library/StartupItems/HP Trap Monitor/StartupParameters.plist
   /Library/StartupItems/rEFItBlesser/rEFItBlesser
   /Library/StartupItems/VirtualBox/Resources/English.lproj/Localizable.strings
   /Library/StartupItems/VirtualBox/VirtualBox
Library/LaunchAgents:
   Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.FolderActions.enabled.plist
   Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.FolderActions.folders.plist
   Library/LaunchAgents/com.google.Chrome.framework.plist
   Library/LaunchAgents/com.valvesoftware.steamclean.plist
   Library/LaunchAgents/org.virtualbox.vboxwebsrv.plist
Extrinsic loadable bundles:
   /System/Library/Extensions/DWXboxHIDDriver.kext
       (org.walisser.driver.DWXBoxHIDDriver)
   /System/Library/Extensions/Pen Tablet.kext
       (com.wacom.kext.pentablet)
   /System/Library/Extensions/TabletDriverCFPlugin.bundle
       (No bundle ID)
   /Library/Audio/MIDI Drivers/EmagicUSBMIDIDriver.plugin
       (info.emagic.driver.unitor)
   /Library/Extensions/VBoxDrv.kext
       (org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxDrv)
   /Library/Extensions/VBoxNetAdp.kext
       (org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetAdp)
   /Library/Extensions/VBoxNetFlt.kext
       (org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetFlt)
   /Library/Extensions/VBoxUSB.kext
       (org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxUSB)
   /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Flash Player.plugin
       (com.macromedia.Flash Player.plugin)
   /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/googletalkbrowserplugin.plugin
       (com.google.googletalkbrowserplugin)
   /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin
       (com.oracle.java.JavaAppletPlugin)
   /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/npgtpo3dautoplugin.plugin
       (com.google.o3d)
   /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/o1dbrowserplugin.plugin
       (com.google.o1dbrowserplugin)
   /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/WacomNetscape.plugin
       (com.wacom.tabletplugin)
   /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/WacomTabletPlugin.plugin
       (com.WacomTabletPluginLib.WacomTabletPlugin)
   /Library/PreferencePanes/Flash Player.prefPane
       (com.adobe.flashplayerpreferences)
   /Library/PreferencePanes/JavaControlPanel.prefPane
       (com.oracle.java.JavaControlPanel)
   /Library/PreferencePanes/PenTablet.prefPane
       (com.wacom.PenTabletSettingsPrefPane)
   /Library/PreferencePanes/TeXDistPrefPane.prefPane
       (comp.text.tex.distribution.preference)
   /Library/PreferencePanes/XboxHIDPrefsPane.prefPane
       (org.walisser.XBoxHIDDriver)
   /Library/QuickTime/FLV.component
       (com.macromedia.FLVExporter)
   Library/Address Book Plug-Ins/SkypeABDialer.bundle
       (com.skype.skypeabdialer)
   Library/Address Book Plug-Ins/SkypeABSMS.bundle
       (com.skype.skypeabsms)
   Library/Internet Plug-Ins/doubleTwistWebPlugin.bundle
       (com.doubleTwist.webPlugin)
   Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Google Earth Web Plug-in.plugin
       (com.Google.GoogleEarthPlugin.plugin)
    Library/Mail/V2/[email protected]/Sent Messages  (XXXXXX).mbox/XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX/Data/X/X/Attachments/XXXXX/X   /XXXXXXXXXXXXX.pages
       (No bundle ID)
    Library/Mail/V2/[email protected]/Sent Messages  (XXXXXX).mbox/XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX/Data/X/X/Attachments/XXXXX/X   /XXXXXXXXXXXXXX.pages
       (No bundle ID)
    Library/Mail/V2/[email protected]/Sent Messages  (XXXXXX).mbox/XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX/Data/X/X/Attachments/XXXXX/X   .X/XXXXXXXXXXXXXX.pages
       (No bundle ID)
    Library/Mail/V2/[email protected]/Sent Messages  (XXXXXX).mbox/XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX/Data/X/X/Attachments/XXXXX/X   /XXXXXXXXXXXXX.pages
       (No bundle ID)
    Library/Mail/V2/[email protected]/Sent Messages  (XXXXXX).mbox/XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX/Data/X/X/Attachments/XXXXX/X   .X/iReceiver.app
       (com.yourcompany.iReceiver)
   Library/PreferencePanes/MusicManager.prefPane
       (com.google.musicmanager.pref)
   Library/Services/Attach to Email.workflow
       (No bundle ID)
Unsigned shared libraries:
   /usr/lib/libgcc_s.10.5.dylib
hosts:
   205.228.34.175     uat.rvionline.com
   205.228.34.176    www.rvionline.com
   127.0.0.1         *********.blogspot.com
Global login items:
   /Applications/Epson Software/Epson Low Ink Reminder.app/Contents/EpsonLowInkReminderAgent.app
Font problems: 8
Bad plists:
   Library/Preferences/com.apple.iphotomosaic.plist
Keychains files: 10
Elapsed time (s): 273

Answer 1

6Kam. wrote:
1: If I hold down option key with my USB plugged in to see my hard drives so I can boot into Windows, boot camp is not there. It does not show up on my Start Up Disk in my Mac, either. Though, I do see it in Finder with nothing in it (I can put stuff into it).
This indicates that your Bootcamp partition is still FAT, which also indicates that the Windows Installer has not been used to reformat it to NTFS yet, as required by Windows Installer. No Windows installation exists yet.
2: If I don't hold down option key with my USB plugged in, it gives me a black screen saying "Non-system disk, press any key to reboot". My keyboard is unresponsive. I have to hard shut down my computer.
The NVRAM in the Mac (as set by Bootcamp Assistant) is telling it to boot from the built-in Optical drive. Is it fully functional and has Windows Installer media in it or broken? Since no drivers have been loaded, the Keyboard/Mouse which are BT/USB, will not function.
From iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2009) - Technical Specifications, it has a built-in Optical drive...
Optical drive
Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Writes DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL discs at up to 4x speed
Writes DVD-R and DVD+R discs at up to 8x speed
Writes DVD-RW discs at up to 6x speed and DVD+RW discs at up to 8x speed
Reads DVDs at up to 8x speed
Writes CD-R discs at up to 24x speed
Writes CD-RW discs at up to 16x speed
Reads CDs at up to 24x speed
3: If I don't hold down option key and it is without my USB plugged in, it gives me a black screen saying "No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key". My keyboard is, again, unresponsive. I have to hard shut down my computer.
No bootable media in Optical drive, hence this error.