Installed Lion. Now my computer is running really slow. Is it related? How to speed up?
I installed Lion about 2 months ago. Since then I have occasionally slow-downs to a crawl. Not every day. Sometimes all day, sometimes not. I've tried disconnecting the computer from the internet and that doesn't seem to have an effect. Installed Sophos anti-virus and swept the disks, no viruses, no effect. I can hear the computer "processing" although nothing is visible on screen. I have no idea how to go about solving this problem. Your help is sincerely appreciated.
Sounds to me like Sophos could be the problem.
See > Virus/Spyware Troj/Inor-Fam ...: Apple Support Communities
plus > What is the best virus/spyware software...: Apple Support Communities
and > What is the best virus/spyware software...: Apple Support Communities
Similar Messages
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Problem description:
(MacBook Pro 15” late 2008, OSX Yosemite 10.10.2 installed, no pending updates) computer is running very slow - takes 2-3 minutes to open apps such as Pages, even when no other apps are open. Randomly freezes and becomes unresponsive, requiring forced power down. Randomly logs off. Removed Kodak AIO software via Clean My Mac2, but BonjourAgent still there and requesting access. Cleaned weekly with Clean My Mac2 and running Sophos AntiVirus. 2GB memory installed. Currently 169.99 GB available of 249.2 GB capacity.
Help?
EtreCheck version: 2.1.8 (121)
Report generated March 21, 2015 at 11:35:35 AM EDT
Download EtreCheck from http://etresoft.com/etrecheck
Click the [Click for support] links for help with non-Apple products.
Click the [Click for details] links for more information about that line.
Hardware Information: ℹ️
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) (Technical Specifications)
MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro5,1
1 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2-core
2 GB RAM Upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0
1 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
BANK 0/DIMM1
1 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported
Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Battery Health: Normal - Cycle count 59
Video Information: ℹ️
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M - VRAM: 256 MB
Color LCD 1440 x 900
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT - VRAM: 256 MB
System Software: ℹ️
OS X 10.10.2 (14C1514) - Time since boot: 0:13:37
Disk Information: ℹ️
Hitachi HTS543225L9SA02 disk0 : (250.06 GB)
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 249.20 GB (168.91 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
HL-DT-ST DVDRW GS21N
USB Information: ℹ️
Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Apple, Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Gatekeeper: ℹ️
Mac App Store and identified developers
Kernel Extensions: ℹ️
/Library/Extensions
[not loaded] com.leapfrog.driver.LfConnectDriver (1.11.1 - SDK 10.10) [Click for support]
[loaded] com.sophos.kext.sav (9.2.50 - SDK 10.8) [Click for support]
[loaded] com.sophos.nke.swi (9.2.50 - SDK 10.8) [Click for support]
/System/Library/Extensions
[not loaded] com.leapfrog.codeless.kext (2) [Click for support]
Launch Agents: ℹ️
[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]
[running] com.kodak.BonjourAgent.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist [Click for support]
[running] com.sophos.uiserver.plist [Click for support]
Launch Daemons: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.leapfrog.connect.authdaemon.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist [Click for support]
[running] com.sophos.common.servicemanager.plist [Click for support]
User Launch Agents: ℹ️
[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.diskSpaceWatcher.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.scheduledScan.plist [Click for support]
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.trashWatcher.plist [Click for support]
User Login Items: ℹ️
Dropbox Application (/Applications/Dropbox.app)
Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
AdobeExManDetect: Version: AdobeExManDetect 1.1.0.0 - SDK 10.7 [Click for support]
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 16.0.0.305 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10
Flash Player: Version: 16.0.0.305 - SDK 10.6 Outdated! Update
AdobeAAMDetect: Version: AdobeAAMDetect 2.0.0.0 - SDK 10.7 [Click for support]
AmazonMP3DownloaderPlugin1017265: Version: AmazonMP3DownloaderPlugin 1.0.17 [Click for support]
JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 8 Update 31 Check version
AmazonMP3DownloaderPlugin: Version: AmazonMP3DownloaderPlugin 1.0.17 [Click for support]
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.8
User internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: Version: 1.0.94 [Click for support]
Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 6.0 [Click for support]
Safari Extensions: ℹ️
AdBlock
Disconnect
Add To Amazon Wish List
3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
Flash Player [Click for support]
Java [Click for support]
Tuxera NTFS [Click for support]
Time Machine: ℹ️
Skip System Files: NO
Mobile backups: OFF
Auto backup: YES
Volumes being backed up:
Macintosh HD: Disk size: 249.20 GB Disk used: 80.29 GB
Destinations:
Backup [Local]
Total size: 63.67 GB
Total number of backups: 1
Oldest backup: 2015-02-23 16:16:08 +0000
Last backup: 2015-02-23 16:16:08 +0000
Size of backup disk: Too small
Backup size 63.67 GB < (Disk used 80.29 GB X 3)
Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
5% WindowServer
1% loginwindow
0% AppleSpell
0% SophosUIServer
0% SophosAntiVirus
Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
118 MB InterCheck
101 MB SophosScanD
60 MB Dropbox
54 MB mds_stores
41 MB SophosAntiVirus
Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️
49 MB Free RAM
682 MB Active RAM
652 MB Inactive RAM
315 MB Wired RAM
1.49 GB Page-ins
2 MB Page-outs
Diagnostics Information: ℹ️
Mar 21, 2015, 11:18:52 AM Self test - passed
Mar 21, 2015, 10:53:03 AM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/SophosUIServer_2015-03-21-105303_[redacted].cra sh
Mar 19, 2015, 07:59:03 PM /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/CalNCService_2015-03-19-195903_[redacted].crashLinc Davis wrote:
Slow performance after installing Yosemite on an older Mac is often caused by inadequate memory. Although you can install the upgrade on a Mac with 2 GB of memory, experience has shown that at least 4 GB is needed for full performance.
Select About This Mac from the Apple menu. If you have less than 4 GB of memory, and your model has upgradable memory, install as much as it can take, or at least that much. Any reputable RAM vendor will have a web form in which you can select the Mac model and be directed to compatible parts.
Memory in the MacBook Air is not upgradable. If that's what you have, you should restore the previous system from a backup, or replace the machine. Ask if you need guidance.
The Etrecheck report clearly shows that SylvieRose has a Macbook Pro, not a Macbook Air and that there are only 2 GB RAM installed. The Etrecheck report can be very informative if one takes the time to examine it.
Ciao. -
Everytime I tried to click something on my computer screen, this thing would jump over to the reading list. Then, after awhile, my computer was running really slow. So, I decided to shut down my computer. Then, I turned it back on. When I tried to log on, everything was on caps. But, my keyboard was not on caps lock. I thought that it might work, but then I had to put a dot. And instead it gave me a >, as if I was holding down the shift key, and I wasn't. So, I can't get on my computer, and I need it for school tomorrow. Thanks so much.
1. Startup in Safe Mode http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14204
2. Reset PRAM. http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4405
3. Reset SMC. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Choose the method for:
"Resetting SMC on portables with a battery you should not remove on your own". -
Just installed snow leopard and office for mac - now my computer is running very slow. Why?
I've recently installed snow leopard and office for mac - now my computer is running very slowly - why?
Which version of office did you install? If its 2008 the early version had some problems and you will want to update the office software to i think it is 12.3.0
If it is 2011 you might want to do the same thing. -
Can I re install Lion on my computer since it is running slow
How can I re install Lion since my computer is running slow?
Hardware Information:
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2010)
MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro7,1
1 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2 cores
4 GB RAM
Video Information:
NVIDIA GeForce 320M - VRAM: 256 MB
System Software:
Mac OS X 10.7.5 (11G63) - Uptime: 0 days 11:4:21
Disk Information:
WDC WD5000BPVT-22A1YT0 disk0 : (500.11 GB)
disk0s1 (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
Mom's new HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 499.06 GB (77.74 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 700 MB
MATSHITADVD-R UJ-898
USB Information:
Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
FireWire Information:
Thunderbolt Information:
Launch Daemons:
[System] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist 3rd-Party support link
[System] com.bombich.ccc.plist 3rd-Party support link
[System] com.crosscountrysoftware.Online_Bible_Installer.plist 3rd-Party support link
[System] com.maintain.CocktailScheduler.plist 3rd-Party support link
Launch Agents:
[System] com.epson.eventmanager.agent.plist 3rd-Party support link
[System] com.maintain.CocktailPurgeInactiveMemory.plist 3rd-Party support link
[System] com.maintain.CocktailSystemEvents.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Launch Agents:
[not loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist 3rd-Party support link
[not loaded] com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-[...]@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist
[not loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist 3rd-Party support link
[not loaded] com.logos.LogosIndexer.plist 3rd-Party support link
User Login Items:
Android File Transfer Agent
iCal
Dropbox
Internet Plug-ins:
JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 14.9.0 - SDK 10.7 Outdated! Update
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 12.0.0.77 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.1
AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 10.1.9 3rd-Party support link
AdobePDFViewer: Version: 10.1.9 3rd-Party support link
CANONiMAGEGATEWAYDL: Version: 3.1.0.2 3rd-Party support link
Flash Player: Version: 12.0.0.77 - SDK 10.6 3rd-Party support link
OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin: Version: 12.3.0 3rd-Party support link
iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.8
Audio Plug-ins:
iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.1 - SDK 10.7
iTunes Plug-ins:
Quartz Composer Visualizer: Version: 1.3 - SDK 10.7
3rd Party Preference Panes:
Flash Player 3rd-Party support link
Old Applications:
None
Time Machine:
Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU:
5% WindowServer
2% EtreCheck
1% Finder
1% Skype
0% Pages
Top Processes by Memory:
217 MB WebProcess
197 MB Keynote
176 MB Pages
160 MB Skype
160 MB Bible Study
Virtual Memory Information:
226 MB Free RAM
2.82 GB Active RAM
152 MB Inactive RAM
576 MB Wired RAM
615 MB Page-ins
249 MB Page-outs -
I just bought the os 10.7 lion, so I want to install that in my macbook air running os 10.6.8. How can I do that?
Make sure your system is compatible:
To use Lion, make sure your computer has the following:
Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor
Find out if your current Mac has one of these processors by clicking the Apple icon at the top left of your screen, then choosing About This Mac.
OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
Get up to date with the latest version of OS X Snow Leopard to purchase OS X Lion. If you have Snow Leopard, click the Apple icon and choose Software Update to install version 10.6.8.
If you are running OS X Snow Leopard you may purchase OS X Lion for $19.99 by calling 1-800-MY-APPLE. You will receive an email containing a content code to download OS X Lion via the Mac App Store.
If you're running OS X Leopard, you need to upgrade to OS X Snow Leopard prior to upgrading to OS X Lion. OS X Snow Leopard is available via DVD for $19.99 by calling 1-800-MY-APPLE.
7GB of available disk space
2GB of RAM
Apple - Support - Lion - Installation and Recovery
Follow Instructions:
OS X Lion Installation Guides -
I need a program where I can remove objects and touch up dead grass, etc.
Reviews say Aperture runs really slow with Lion, any suggestions?
To add on to Corky02 answer:
The recent Aperture release AP 3.3.x is very efficient, both on Lion and Mountain Lion. But you need a decent hardware to support it. The older Macs will have problems with the storage and CPU requirements. For good performance on large raw images plenty of RAM is important, at least 4GB, but 8GB would be much better, and your library should be on a fast disk, preferably on an internal drive. And don't let the system drive get too full.
Many reports about Aperture being slow are due to putting the Aperture library onto slow disks or acessing the original image files over the network, insufficient RAM, or corrupted or ill-designedAperture databases.
Aperture excels at all kinds of image processing that can be considered image developement - raw processing and color/lighting adjustments, but does not do compositing. If you are shooting raw and want professional image developement I'd recommend to do this in Aperture and not in iPhoto - you will have much more control over this in Aperture (after a steep learning curve). You can also repair and retouch the image to correct minor blamishes. For graphics compositing and inpainting you can set up an external editor and send your images from Aperture to this external editor - any of the editors Corky recommended would be o.k. for this.
To see, if you will want the advanced image processing in Aperture or the easy to use, more basic options in iPhoro will be sufficient to you have a look at the Aperture User manual, or the tutorial on the support page: Aperture Support
But Aperture is a professional apllication, not "plug and play". You should only consider it, if you are willing to spend some time on learning to use it properly and are willing to work your way through the manual.
Regards
Léonie -
After installing PS and LR newer CC versions, should uninstall the previous versions? Computer is running ver slow in those programs.
you can uninstall them, but do not need to uninstall them. you should probably wait a few months to make sure all your peripherals and plugins work with the cc 2014 versions before uninstalling cc.
-
Hey i have a old powerbook G4 laptop and i was wondering where can i download the OS ( Mac OSX 10.5.8 Build ( 9L30 ) to do a fresh install my system is running really slow is there any place where i can down load this OS?
Hello,
Unfortunately Apple do not offer a download for mac OS X 10.5.8. They will only provide updates available for download. ( Normally you would do so once the OS is installed)
To do a fresh install of this software your going to need to buy a retail copy of the disk.
There are some vendors who do still stock the media disk, but they can be expensive.
Best of luck. -
Installed Lion, now Iphoto doesn't open. Think I tried all tricks mentioned so far. None seems to work for me. Anybody any thoughts?
Installed Lion, now Iphoto doesn't open. Think I tried all tricks mentioned so far. None seems to work for me. Anybody any thoughts?
-
I own two I macs. I bought and installed Lion on one computer. How can I install Lion on the other compute without additional charge?
If it's the same email address Apple registration on both, use the 2nd computer and go to the App Store and find Lion. If different, use the second computer but log in to the App store with the address you used on the first go round. The buy button should instead say install. Then go through the same process again.
-
I installed Lion, now in quickbooks when I try to Export to Excel, it says I need to install Microsoft Excel version 10.1.0 -- Why won't it go to Numbers spreadsheet?
Oops ... make that 15.0.1 sry
-
My MacBook Pro is running really slow - how can I fix it?
my MacBook Pro is running really slow - how can I fix it?
Things You Can Do To Resolve Slow Downs
If your computer seems to be running slower here are some things you can do:
Start with a visit to: OS X Maintenance - MacAttorney.
Boot into Safe Mode then repair your hard drive and permissions:
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions Pre-Lion/Mountain Lion
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
Repair the Hard Drive - Lion/Mountain Lion
Boot from your Lion Recovery HD. When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported, then click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu. Select Restart from the Apple menu.
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Restart your computer normally and see if this has helped any. Next do some maintenance:
Suggestions for OS X Maintenance
For situations Disk Utility cannot handle the best third-party utility is Disk Warrior; DW only fixes problems with the disk directory, but most disk problems are caused by directory corruption; Disk Warrior 4.x is now Intel Mac compatible.
OS X performs certain maintenance functions that are scheduled to occur on a daily, weekly, or monthly period. The maintenance scripts run in the early AM only if the computer is turned on 24/7 (no sleep.) If this isn't the case, then an excellent solution is to download and install a shareware utility such as Macaroni, JAW PseudoAnacron, or Anacron that will automate the maintenance activity regardless of whether the computer is turned off or asleep. Dependence upon third-party utilities to run the periodic maintenance scripts was significantly reduced since Tiger. These utilities have limited or no functionality with Snow Leopard or Lion and should not be installed.
OS X automatically defragments files less than 20 MBs in size, so unless you have a disk full of very large files there's little need for defragmenting the hard drive. As for virus protection there are few if any such animals affecting OS X. You can protect the computer easily using the freeware Open Source virus protection software ClamXAV. Personally I would avoid most commercial anti-virus software because of their potential for causing problems. For more about malware see Macintosh Virus Guide.
I would also recommend downloading a utility such as TinkerTool System, OnyX 2.4.3, or Cocktail 5.1.1 that you can use for periodic maintenance such as removing old log files and archives, clearing caches, etc.
For emergency repairs install the freeware utility Applejack. If you cannot start up in OS X, you may be able to start in single-user mode from which you can run Applejack to do a whole set of repair and maintenance routines from the command line. Note that AppleJack 1.5 is required for Leopard. AppleJack 1.6 is compatible with Snow Leopard. There is no confirmation that this version also works with Lion.
When you install any new system software or updates be sure to repair the hard drive and permissions beforehand.
Get an external Firewire drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
1. Carbon Copy Cloner
2. Data Backup
3. Deja Vu
4. SuperDuper!
5. SyncTwoFolders
6. Synk Pro
7. Synk Standard
8. Tri-Backup
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQs on maintenance, optimization, virus protection, and backup and restore.
Additional suggestions will be found in Mac maintenance Quick Assist.
Referenced software can be found at CNet Downloads or MacUpdate.
Additional Hints
Be sure you have an adequate amount of RAM installed for the number of applications you run concurrently. Be sure you leave a minimum of 10% of the hard drive's capacity as free space.
Add more RAM. If your computer has less than 2 GBs of RAM and you are using OS X Leopard or later, then you can do with more RAM. Snow Leopard and Lion work much better with 4 GBs of RAM than their system minimums. The more concurrent applications you tend to use the more RAM you should have.
Always maintain at least 15 GBs or 10% of your hard drive's capacity as free space, whichever is greater. OS X is frequently accessing your hard drive, so providing adequate free space will keep things from slowing down.
Check for applications that may be hogging the CPU:
Open Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder. Select All Processes from the Processes dropdown menu. Click twice on the CPU% column header to display in descending order. If you find a process using a large amount of CPU time, then select the process and click on the Quit icon in the toolbar. Click on the Force Quit button to kill the process. See if that helps. Be sure to note the name of the runaway process so you can track down the cause of the problem.
Often this problem occurs because of a corrupted cache or preferences file or an attempt to write to a corrupted log file. -
My mac book pro is running really slow what should I do?
My mac book pro is running really slow what should I do?
Things You Can Do To Resolve Slow Downs
If your computer seems to be running slower here are some things you can do:
Start with visits to: OS X Maintenance - MacAttorney;
The X Lab: The X-FAQs;
The Safe Mac » Mac Performance Guide;
The Safe Mac » The myth of the dirty Mac;
Mac maintenance Quick Assist.
Boot into Safe Mode then repair your hard drive and permissions:
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions Pre-Lion
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
Repair the Hard Drive - Lion/Mountain Lion/Mavericks
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the Utilites Menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD disk icon and click on the arrow button below.
When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported, then click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu. Select Restart from the Apple menu.
Restart your computer normally and see if this has helped any. Next do some maintenance:
For situations Disk Utility cannot handle the best third-party utility is Disk Warrior; DW only fixes problems with the disk directory, but most disk problems are caused by directory corruption; Disk Warrior 4.x is now Intel Mac compatible.
Note: Alsoft ships DW on a bootable DVD that will startup Macs running Snow Leopard or earlier. It cannot start Macs that came with Lion or later pre-installed, however, DW will work on those models.
Suggestions for OS X Maintenance
OS X performs certain maintenance functions that are scheduled to occur on a daily, weekly, or monthly period. The maintenance scripts run in the early AM only if the computer is turned on 24/7 (no sleep.) If this isn't the case, then an excellent solution is to download and install a shareware utility such as Macaroni, JAW PseudoAnacron, or Anacron that will automate the maintenance activity regardless of whether the computer is turned off or asleep. Dependence upon third-party utilities to run the periodic maintenance scripts was significantly reduced since Tiger. These utilities have limited or no functionality with Snow Leopard or later and should not be installed.
OS X automatically defragments files less than 20 MBs in size, so unless you have a disk full of very large files there's little need for defragmenting the hard drive.
Helpful Links Regarding Malware Protection
An excellent link to read is Tom Reed's Mac Malware Guide.
Also, visit The XLab FAQs and read Detecting and avoiding malware and spyware.
See these Apple articles:
Mac OS X Snow Leopard and malware detection
OS X Lion- Protect your Mac from malware
OS X Mountain Lion- Protect your Mac from malware
About file quarantine in OS X
If you require anti-virus protection I recommend using VirusBarrier Express 1.1.6 or Dr.Web Light both from the App Store. They're both free, and since they're from the App Store, they won't destabilize the system. (Thank you to Thomas Reed for these recommendations.)
Troubleshooting Applications
I recommend downloading a utility such as TinkerTool System, OnyX, Mavericks Cache Cleaner, or Cocktail that you can use for removing old log files and archives, clearing caches, etc. Corrupted cache, log, or temporary files can cause application or OS X crashes as well as kernel panics.
If you have Snow Leopard or Leopard, then for similar repairs install the freeware utility Applejack. If you cannot start up in OS X, you may be able to start in single-user mode from which you can run Applejack to do a whole set of repair and maintenance routines from the command line. Note that AppleJack 1.5 is required for Leopard. AppleJack 1.6 is compatible with Snow Leopard. Applejack does not work with Lion and later.
Basic Backup
For some people Time Machine will be more than adequate. Time Machine is part of OS X. There are two components:
1. A Time Machine preferences panel as part of System Preferences;
2. A Time Machine application located in the Applications folder. It is
used to manage backups and to restore backups. Time Machine
requires a backup drive that is at least twice the capacity of the
drive being backed up.
Alternatively, get an external drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
1. Carbon Copy Cloner
2. Get Backup
3. Deja Vu
4. SuperDuper!
5. Synk Pro
6. Tri-Backup
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files. For help with using Time Machine visit Pondini's Time Machine FAQ for help with all things Time Machine.
Referenced software can be found at MacUpdate.
Additional Hints
Be sure you have an adequate amount of RAM installed for the number of applications you run concurrently. Be sure you leave a minimum of 10% of the hard drive's capacity as free space.
Add more RAM. If your computer has less than 2 GBs of RAM and you are using OS X Leopard or later, then you can do with more RAM. Snow Leopard and Lion work much better with 4 GBs of RAM than their system minimums. The more concurrent applications you tend to use the more RAM you should have.
Always maintain at least 15 GBs or 10% of your hard drive's capacity as free space, whichever is greater. OS X is frequently accessing your hard drive, so providing adequate free space will keep things from slowing down.
Check for applications that may be hogging the CPU:
Pre-Mavericks
Open Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder. Select All Processes from the Processes dropdown menu. Click twice on the CPU% column header to display in descending order. If you find a process using a large amount of CPU time (>=70,) then select the process and click on the Quit icon in the toolbar. Click on the Force Quit button to kill the process. See if that helps. Be sure to note the name of the runaway process so you can track down the cause of the problem.
Mavericks and later
Open Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder. Select All Processes from the View menu. Click on the CPU tab in the toolbar. Click twice on the CPU% column header to display in descending order. If you find a process using a large amount of CPU time (>=70,) then select the process and click on the Quit icon in the toolbar. Click on the Force Quit button to kill the process. See if that helps. Be sure to note the name of the runaway process so you can track down the cause of the problem.
Often this problem occurs because of a corrupted cache or preferences file or an attempt to write to a corrupted log file. -
My 2011 13'' MacBook Pro has started to run really slow.
I have a 2011 13" MacBook pro and this week it has started to run really slow. Specifically it takes about 3 to 4X longer to do just about every task. The only thing ive done recently was update from Lion 10.7.3 to 10.7.4 and a Safari update. Are there any suggestions on what I should do to fix it or on what could be the potential cause?
Things That Can Keep Your Computer From Slowing Down
If your computer seems to be running slower here are some things you can do:
Boot into Safe Mode then repair your hard drive and permissions:
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions Pre-Lion
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
Repair the Hard Drive - Lion
Boot from your Lion Recovery HD. When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported, then click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu. Select Restart from the Apple menu.
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Restart your computer normally and see if this has helped any. Next do some maintenance:
Suggestions for OS X Maintenance
For situations Disk Utility cannot handle the best third-party utility is Disk Warrior; DW only fixes problems with the disk directory, but most disk problems are caused by directory corruption; Disk Warrior 4.x is now Intel Mac compatible.
OS X performs certain maintenance functions that are scheduled to occur on a daily, weekly, or monthly period. The maintenance scripts run in the early AM only if the computer is turned on 24/7 (no sleep.) If this isn't the case, then an excellent solution is to download and install a shareware utility such as Macaroni, JAW PseudoAnacron, or Anacron that will automate the maintenance activity regardless of whether the computer is turned off or asleep. Dependence upon third-party utilities to run the periodic maintenance scripts was significantly reduced since Tiger. These utilities have limited or no functionality with Snow Leopard or Lion and should not be installed.
OS X automatically defragments files less than 20 MBs in size, so unless you have a disk full of very large files there's little need for defragmenting the hard drive. As for virus protection there are few if any such animals affecting OS X. You can protect the computer easily using the freeware Open Source virus protection software ClamXAV. Personally I would avoid most commercial anti-virus software because of their potential for causing problems. For more about malware see Macintosh Virus Guide.
I would also recommend downloading a utility such as TinkerTool System, OnyX 2.4.3, or Cocktail 5.1.1 that you can use for periodic maintenance such as removing old log files and archives, clearing caches, etc.
For emergency repairs install the freeware utility Applejack. If you cannot start up in OS X, you may be able to start in single-user mode from which you can run Applejack to do a whole set of repair and maintenance routines from the command line. Note that AppleJack 1.5 is required for Leopard. AppleJack 1.6 is compatible with Snow Leopard. There is no confirmation that this version also works with Lion.
When you install any new system software or updates be sure to repair the hard drive and permissions beforehand.
Get an external Firewire drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
Carbon Copy Cloner
Data Backup
Deja Vu
SuperDuper!
SyncTwoFolders
Synk Pro
Synk Standard
Tri-Backup
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQs on maintenance, optimization, virus protection, and backup and restore.
Additional suggestions will be found in Mac maintenance Quick Assist.
Referenced software can be found at CNet Downloads or MacUpdate.
Additional Hints
Be sure you have an adequate amount of RAM installed for the number of applications you run concurrently. Be sure you leave a minimum of 10% of the hard drive's capacity as free space.
Add more RAM. If your computer has less than 2 GBs of RAM and you are using OS X Leopard or later, then you can do with more RAM. Snow Leopard and Lion work much better with 4 GBs of RAM than their system minimums. The more concurrent applications you tend to use the more RAM you should have.
Always maintain at least 15 GBs or 10% of your hard drive's capacity as free space, whichever is greater. OS X is frequently accessing your hard drive, so providing adequate free space will keep things from slowing down.
Check for applications that may be hogging the CPU:
Open Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder. Select All Processes from the Processes dropdown menu. Click twice on the CPU% column header to display in descending order. If you find a process using a large amount of CPU time, then select the process and click on the Quit icon in the toolbar. Click on the Force Quit button to kill the process. See if that helps. Be sure to note the name of the runaway process so you can track down the cause of the problem.
Often this problem occurs because of a corrupted cache or preferences file or an attempt to write to a corrupted log file.
If nothing here seems to help, then reinstall Lion:
Reinstalling Lion Without Erasing the Drive
Boot to the Recovery HD: Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions: Upon startup select Disk Utility from the main menu. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions as follows.
When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion: Select Reinstall Lion and click on the Continue button.
Note: You can also re-download the Lion installer by opening the App Store application. Hold down the OPTION key and click on the Purchases icon in the toolbar. You should now see an active Install button to the right of your Lion purchase entry. There are situations in which this will not work. For example, if you are already booted into the Lion you originally purchased with your Apple ID or if an instance of the Lion installer is located anywhere on your computer.
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