Old iMac 8,1 slow -- how best to improve?

I have an old iMac for the kids: iMac 8,1 Core2 Duo with 3GB (2+1) RAM.
Recently upgraded it to Mavericks 10.9.
It's running quite slow; free RAM is always pretty low.
My question is, what will improve performance most?
Upgrade to an a 120GB SSD I have lying around?
Upgrade RAM to 6GB (4+2)?
Revert to older OSX? Which version would be best?
Disable multiple user accounts? (We have one for the parents and one for each kid, with Parental Controls -- but I notice the extra accounts uses up more RAM.)

Running on 3 GBs of RAM is really not enough RAM for Mavericks.
Your iMac year and model can take 6 GBs of RAM max.
I would install the full 6 GB of RAM.
Correct and reliable Mac RAM can be purchased from online Mac RAM sources Crucial memory or OWC (macsales.com).
OWC is the only source for the 6 GB kit OR the needed 4 GB RAM module.
Unless you have a known good and proper data backup, reverting to an older OS X version involves a complete hard drive reformatting and complete, clean install of a previous OS as well as re-installation of all of your applications.
How full is your Mac's hard drive?
Locate your iMac's hard drive icon on the OS X desktop. Click the icon once, then use the keyboard key combination Command-I. This will give you additonal info about your iMac's internal hard drive.
Post the used and available hard drive space in a reply here.
Your system could have some incompatible or unnecessary software installed that is compromising your iMac's performance.
Do you run any antivirus software on your Mac? Antivirus software can slow down the normal operation of OS X and can cause adverse system issue and negatively impact your Mac's speed and performance.
Do you have apps like MacKeeper or any other maintenance apps like CleanMyMac 1 or 2, TuneUpMyMac or anything like these apps, installed on your Mac?
These types of apps, while they appear to be helpful, can do too good a job of data "cleanup" causing the potential to do serious data corruption or data deletion and render a perfectly running OS completely dead and useless leaving you with a frozen, non-functional Mac.
Plus, these type of apps aren't really necessary. They really aren't.
There are manual methods to clear off unnecessary data off of your Mac that are safer and you have complete control over your Mac and not just leave a piece of auto cleaning software in charge of clearing off data off of your Mac. Their potential of causing OS X issues outweighs the implied good and benefits these types of hard drive or memory "cleaning" apps are written to do.
Plus, the software companies that write these apps make it hard to easily uninstall these apps if something DOES go wrong and these apps work in a way where you have no recovery or revert function to return your Mac back to its former, working state in the event something does go wrong.
It is best to never, EVER download and install these types of apps.
The risk to your system and data is too great a risk!
You you can have other third party software that is incompatible or not up to date to work with OS X Mavericks.
You may, also, have connected peripheral devices that may need update drivers to work with Mavericks.
If you so choose, Please download, install and run Etrecheck.
Etrecheck was developed as a simple Mac diagnostic and reporting tool by a regular Apple Support forum user and technical support contributor named Etresoft.
Etrecheck is a small, unobstrusive app that compiles a static snapshot of your entire Mac hardware system and installed software.
This is a free app that has been honestly created to provided help in diagnosing issues with Macs running the new OS X 10.9 Mavericks.
It is not malware and can be safely downloaded and installed onto your Mac.
http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck
Copy/paste and post its report here in another reply thread so that we have a complete profile of your Mac's hardware and installed software so we can all help with your Mac performance issues.

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My 6-year-old iMac is painfully slow after I installed Mavericks, despite increasing ram to 4 GB. Any help out there?.

My 6 year old iMac is painfully slow after I installed Mavericks, despite upgrading to 4 GB of Ram. Everything stops and I see the spinning beachball way too frequently. Any suggestions or solutions?

Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.
Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left. If you don't see that menu, select
View ▹ Show Log List
from the menu bar.
Click the Clear Display icon in the toolbar. Then try the action that you're having trouble with again. Select any messages that appear in the Console window. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message (command-V).
When posting a log extract, be selective. In most cases, a few dozen lines are more than enough.
Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
Important: Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

How can I upgr my system (10.6.8) to Mavericks with my old imac (end 2006)?, How can I update my system (10.6.8) to Mavericks with my old imac (end 2006)?

thanks

Not Possible. Your 2006 Mac is too old.
iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
Xserve (Early 2009)
From Here > http://www.apple.com/osx/how-to-upgrade/

I need to remove the hard drive from my old Imac before i recycle. how do I do that?

How do I remove the hard drive from my old imac befor I recycle it?

ifixit.com has picture-guides for most anything Mac. Others say "not a user-capable operation", but ifixit does not hold back the guide for such reasons.

3 year old iMac running very slow, freezing all the time. Advice?

My three year old iMac - 2.4Ghz processor, 2GB RAM, running Lion - is becoming almost totally useless. For many months it has been very slow, with multiple freezes, and then "force quits" on iPhoto and other applications.
First, I tried to free up some space - i now have about 44GB free. Then I ran disk utility etc, Then I ugraded to Lion.
But still I'm getting the same problems. Any suggestions?

It sounds like your problems are more serious than a 'hardware upgrade' issue. My late 2008 MacBook 2.4GHz with 2GB RAM runs applications (and iPhoto) fine. In addition I have run OS X operating systems with little more than 5GB free hard drive space with no issue (being able to run advanced applications like Photoshop).
My advice- if you have simply upgraded to Lion keeping all your systems settings and files intact then you may want to perform a 'clean install', you'll backup your important data/files in order to transfer them back again into Lion. You could even create a Time Machine Backup and use this to move only your data and applications back into your clean install of OS X Lion.

IMac running very slow; how can I fix it?

My iMac is running so slow, I can hardly use it all. All kinds of spinning balls, etc. I don't even know where to look to diagnose. If I restart, it will be faster for awhile. Both Safari and Firefox are running very slow...or not at all. I have repaired permissions and hard drive. I have dumped permissions for Safari and Finder and anything else that seemed involved. I checked my memory....this is the report I got. Does the fact that the first one say "disabled" mean anything? I will appreciate help you can give me.
Memory Slots:
ECC:          Disabled
BANK 0/DIMM0:
Size:          1 GB
Type:          DDR2 SDRAM
Speed:          667 MHz
Status:          OK
Manufacturer:          0xCE00000000000000
Part Number:          0x4D342037305432393533455A332D43453620
Serial Number:          0x772E336D
BANK 1/DIMM1:
Size:          1 GB
Type:          DDR2 SDRAM
Speed:          667 MHz
Status:          OK
Manufacturer:          0x2C00000000000000
Part Number:          0x3848544631323836344844592D3636374531
Serial Number:          0xE00CB01C

Questions and Answers:
How full is your Mac's hard drive? * Capacity: 248.92 GB.   * Available:175.18. *Used 73.75GB on disk.
How many applications do you run simultaneously in the background while working in another application?    *Not many. I try to remember to quit open apps especially when the computer runs slowly. I always have open Calendar, Mail, Safari.
Do you run any antivirus software on your Mac? Antivirus software can slow down the normal operation of OS X.    *I have an anti virus but I do not let it run. I turn in on to check files and email now and then.
Do you run any "crapware" like Mackeeper or any other type of so called hard drive "cleaning" apps? *No, I have none.
One thing I notice is that when I turn it off at night, it runs very well the next day until I've been on it for a few hours then it gets really bad. Last night, it wouldn't work at all so I gave up and turned it off. This afternoon I turned it back on and it has been working very well ever since.
Thanks for looking at this. I have never checked my hard drive before so I didn't know how much it had on it, but it doesn't seem like it is too full.

My imac is running slow how can i speed it up to where it was

my intel based imac is getting increasingly slower and that spinning color wheel shows up all the time when using the computer for just about anything.
additionally, i use mac's email program and its acting flaky, asking ror the password multiple times a week.

1. How much RAM does it have and how full is your Hard Drive?
2. Test your Hard Drive. > Intel-based Macs: Using Apple Hardware Test

My old iMac died...how do I get my songs back???

I had an Mac from work that finally died. I was using it to load my iPod and all my songs from iTunes and the CD's I ripped were on there. I bought a brand new Powerbook and I want to load the songs from my iPod to my new computer without having to start every thing from scratch.
But it keeps giving me a message saying I have to "break the link" to use iTunes on the Powerbook now which will make me lose all the content already on there....NO THANKS! How do I make my iPod work with my new Powerbook without having so start over and re-rip all my CD's???

DO NOT attach & sync your full iPod to an empty iTunes!!!
These links will give you several methods of recovering whatever songs remain on your iPod; some free, some third-party software, some more comprehensive for restoring Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts, etc. Read them and their associated links before deciding on a strategy that works for you. There are many various third-party software programs that will offer a more robust process, or an easier GUI. Do a Google search for them if the links below leave you wanting…
Don King Resurrected: Deleted files from hard drive (free user steps – music recovery only)
MacMuse: Computer Crashed (free user steps – music recovery only)
Copying music from iPod to computer (a primer on various methods and software)
Copying Songs from Your iPod to a Mac or PC (resource for 3rd party software)
iPodRip Software (Free trial: Mac & Windows)
PodUtil Software (Mac & Windows)
YamiPod Software (Free: Mac & Windows)
PodPlus Software (Windows)
TuneJack Software (Windows)
Senuti (Mac OS X v10.3 or higher Recovery Utility)
XPlay (Windows software For Music Recovery &/or Cross-Platform Functionality)
XPlay Photo Browser (For recovering Photos)
Extremely Simple & Free Method: (just to recover the song files – may not work on a Mac)
1 - Open iTunes
2 - Edit=>Preferences=>’Advanced/General’ tab
2a --- Select ‘Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library’: checked
2b --- Select ‘Keep iTunes Music folder organized’: checked
2c --- Click OK to store changes
3 - Attach your iPod to the PC and hold down the ‘Shift+Ctrl’ keys until the iPod is fully recognized (this will defeat the auto-sync process)
4 - If you get a dialog box to link the Library, decline this option
5 - Within iTunes: Edit=>Preferences=>’iPod’ tab: switch iPod to ‘Manually manage songs & playlists’ – click ‘OK’
6 – Eject iPod
7 – Close iTunes, then reopen iTunes and attach the iPod (it’s in manual sync now)
8 – File=>Add Folder
9 - Browse to and open ‘My Computer’ (click on the ‘+’) and select the iPod (or the lower ‘\iPod_Control’ sub-folder)
10 - Click OK
-- The music files should start to transfer back into iTunes with its correct information
–-- This will take some time depending on your PC’s speed and the amount of songs on the iPod
No Playlists, or Ratings, Last Played, & Play Count attributes will be transferred from the iPod to iTunes using this method.
If you have problems with seeing the iPod within 'My Computer', try again switching your update method to 'manual', detach the iPod, then reconnect the iPod to the PC.
After recovering your Library, strongly consider developing a thorough and frequent backup strategy for just this type of situation (and many other potential disasters).
You need at least two full sets of your music, not including what is on the iPod:
-- One full set on the PC within iTunes (on internal HD or ExHD)
-- One full set on an separate external backup medium (CD/DVD/ExHD/other)
-- One (full or partial) set on the iPod
Music files on just the iPod and only one other medium is not considered having any backup.
If you cannot store your complete music files on the computer’s internal HD, then create and maintain at least two external sets (any multiple combinations of ExHDs, DVDs, CDs).
Backup both the music files and the Library database file (iTunes Library.itl). What are the iTunes Library files?
Here is a post on developing a thorough Backup Strategy
Adapt the above for a Mac platform.

HT201364 my Imac is so slow. how can i fix this problem? How can i install a new installer the one this computer has is out of date

can someone please help me
<E-mail Edited by Host>

Hi ...
Responses to your topic will arrive in your email mailbox automatically. Better to not post your email address on a public forum. I have asked the moderators to delete it.
Mac troubleshooting: What to do when your computer is too slow

How best to improve graphics performance on RDS host servers??

We have a small RDS farm running on Windows Server 2012 R2.
All the RDS hosts and related servers are virtual servers running on vSphere 5.5 (hardware version 8 if that makes any difference).
I've seen various articles about configuring RemoteFX in Group Policy, but they are confusing.
I'm not asking about improving things like watching YouTube videos etc., I'm asking about improving graphics in general, like screen redraws and displaying mouse movements, keystrokes, etc.
What are the best things to do to improve these things within an RDS farm??
I will try increasing the video RAM within the host servers' VM settings but this is a guess, and these hosts are logged into by multiple users over VPN connections...
Thank you, Tom

This is what I'm talking about wrt MTU on the central SonicWall:
http://carltonit.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/how-to-optimize-bandwidth-on-sonicwall-nsa-2400/ -- see the ping command for figuring out the best MTU, then configure it on the WAN interface, advanced settings
http://www.firewalls.com/blog/sonicwall-throughput/
Can change MTU on central SonicWall, it's already been configured in the SonicWall 3500 in my building (1468) but I can't change all the other places (3 other agencies) that touch the central servers, they all use different ISPs and firewalls and routers
etc.
However knowing about MTU is a good thing.
Checking network usage etc. -- I'm usually not with the person(s) when they say things are "slow," I usually find out 'after the fact' or through someone else, sigh...
I'll work on MTU over the weekend...
Thank you, Tom

How can I best make use of all my devices ? Mac mini, Apple TV, AirPort Extreme, airport express, ipad 2 (all purchased in 2011) and an old imac with OS X. I use my iPhones personal hotspot for all Internet.

How can I best make use of all my devices ? Mac mini, Apple TV, AirPort Extreme, airport express, ipad 2 (all purchased in 2011) and an old imac with OS X. I use my iPhones personal hotspot for all Internet.

Maybe you are looking to re-purpose this equipment versus getting rid of it if so, the best thing to do is search the internet for tutorials. And I say this because it's what I would do, there are a lot of tutorials online. Hope you can find good use for them. Worse case scenario if you can't find something right now, package them very nicely and when you come across something unbox and enjoy. I've re-purposed a mac color classic and LOVE IT!!

How best to go wireless on my old iMac?

I'd like some advice re: going wireless with my iMac SE DV graphite running OS 10.3.9. I'd like to take advantage of my new high speed internet (cable modem) service that I recently had installed since I just purchased a new iMac24"(Leopard).
Besides purchasing and installing an Airport card (plus adapter), do I also need to get an Airport base station?
Is Airport Extreme the "better" base station and can I use it?
OR..........
Is there an option to use the new iMac as its "base" ? ) Would my 2 computers be able to communicate since new iMacs already come with wireless capability?
Am I better off using a stand-alone base station and accessing it with both computers' wireless feature?
Lots of questions, I know but I would at the very least like to keep using my old iMac for surfing, but never again via dial-up!
Any tips and advice?
Thanks in advance and peace everyone.

I assume your old iMac has an ethernet port? - if so, you could look for a wireless ethernet bridge such as this one by Linksys. It connects to the computer via the ethernet socket, and thus doesn't require a driver, and can connect to any wireless-g (or slower) network. Of course as stated above if your cable modem doesn't include a wireless router you will need one. This is a much better route than using the new Mac as a base station, since with a standalone router you don't have to have the new one running in order to be able to use the old one.

I had a data migration done from old iMac to new iMac, how do I use that file to find my old email contacts, Safari bookmarks, etc ?

I recently had a data migration from old iMac to new iMac 11.2
How do I use that data file to get old email contacts, Safari bookmarks, etc ?

FireWire cables are dirt cheap and that's how you should be doing the migration. You might have to start over, wiping the new machine's HD, and restoring the software as described in the Everything Mac manual that came with it. See Best Practices and Setup new Mac for more details.

I just bought a new IMac. I have photoshop elements installed on my old IMac and would like to move it to the new one. How can i do this?

I just bought a new IMac. I have photoshop elements installed on my old IMac and would like to move it to the new one. How can i do this?

Unfortunately, adobe doesn't have photoshop elements 6 available for download, as far as i know, so your best bet is to either get an usb dvd drive or use an computer with a dvd drive and copy the contents of the pse 6 dvd to somethiing like
a flash drive and then copy the contents from that drive to your new computer.
Do you still have your older mac and it has a dvd drive?
You can share files between the two using airdrop or an ethernet cable.
http://support.apple.com/en-is/HT203106
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH18722
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14409

How do I transfer files from my current imac to the new one. My old imac is running 10.5.8

Hello
I got a new iMac 10.8.2 and also have a iMac 10.5.8 how can I conenct those 2 ?
All I want is to use some of my files on my new one.I don't want to transfer ALL my files,just some,like pictures. But only the once I need. Not all of them.
I have a FireWire cable,don't work, I have ethernet cable,don't work.
So I must do something wrong If someone could maybe explaint it to me step by step that would be great,since I am not a big Mac (computer) freak.
So basically I would like to use my old iMac as a external drive where I could get my files from and transfer them to my Mountain Lion, iMac.
Also If someone knows,why Mountain Lion always loses internet conections,would be also a very big help! Thank you!
But please, in simple step by step explaining. My english is not the best,my German is much better
Thank you so much already for the help, I really appreciated!

Oh, on the losing Internet, try this...
Make a New Location, Using network locations in Mac OS X ...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2712
10.7 & 10.8…
System Preferences>Network, top of window>Locations>Edit Locations, little plus icon, give it a name.
10.5.x/10.6.x/10.7.x instructions...
System Preferences>Network, click on the little gear at the bottom next to the + & - icons, (unlock lock first if locked), choose Set Service Order.
The interface that connects to the Internet should be dragged to the top of the list.
Instead of joining your Network from the list, click the WiFi icon at the top, and click join other network. Fill in everything as needed.
For 10.5/10.6, System Preferences>Network, unlock the lock if need be, highlight the Interface you use to connect to Internet, click on the advanced button, click on the DNS tab, click on the little plus icon, then add these numbers...
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
Click OK.
PS. Your English is quite good & completely understandable.

Old iMac 8,1 slow -- how best to improve?

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