No history in Disk Utility

Question

Hello. 
My disk utility is not showing any history or notes of any kind when I try and repair or verify permissions.  This is a new devlopment, I used to get a lot of notes about issues being fixed or being unfixable.  My computer is also running slowly - particularly firefox and mail.  No other issues to note.  I have a MacBook Pro running on 10.5.8
I am wondering what course of action is best to take next.  I could buy a copy of disk warrior.
I could also upgrade to Snow Leopard. 
Do you think the latter would help or compound the problem?
Thank you
Michael

Answer 1

DiskWarrior won't help too much.
You haven't upgraded your operating system to 10.6, so that suggests your just a regular computer user like most people and expect your machine to just work.
Well hate to shock you but Apple has left you out in the cold since July 2011 for any security and stability updates, and with the flashback malware floating around and a older 10.5 era machine, your problems could varied.
Apple only supports the last two OS versions in circulation.
Flashback checker and removal tool, that may work good enough.
https://www.securelist.com/en/blog/208193454/Flashfake_Removal_Tool_and_online_c hecking_site
Harden your Mac
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3291
You can follow along some of the Mac fix it techniques in this area, but it's for 10.6+
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro?view=documents
Far as upgrading your machine
In your case a backup of user files off the machine, a Zero erase of the entire drive from the 10.5 disk, a fresh install of eveything (first 10.5, then 10.6) with a drive check is in order to see if it's failing, then upgrade to 10.6.8 is likely the best you can do. This could run about $29 (for the 10.6.3 retail disk online at Apple) if you do the work yourself, or have someone do it that labor charge.
More money
If the Mac is very well taken care of, the drive is replaced, insides cleaned out of dust, 4GB of RAM, new battery/magsafe, then perhaps it can be upgraded to 10.7 (if it qualifies) if one is willing to buy all newer versions of compatible software and perhaps even third party hardware. This could cost you hundreds of dollars, I would only do this if the machine was barely used at all and off nearly most of the time you owned it.
Perhaps a new machine
You may decide it's not worth it and wait to invest in a new 10.8 machine to be issued this summer which Apple will take care of you for free for 3 months, 3 years with AppleCare.
Keep in mind, 10.8 is going to be released apx 1 year after 10.7, 10.6 issued machines were released as late as Early July 2011.
Once 10.8 is rolled out this summer, 10.6 users may be left in the cold and only 10.7 and 10.8 users supported.
If Apple releases another OS X version next summer, that means only 10.9 and 10.8 users will be supported.
When a new OS X version is released, it almost always breaks a good portion of one's third party software and hardware drivers for external devices.