Opinions - time for a new computer? need more RAM, Time Machine back up full - get new computer?

I am in a quandary. My early 2008 iMac needs more Ram. I could upgrade from 2gb to 4gb for around $60. My 1T external hard drive for Time Machine is full and I do not relish the idea of it erasing old data if I continue to use it this way, but then I am shelling out more money for a new hard drive. Can get new 3T hd for about $200. Is it worth it to shore up my computer? I have recently upgraded OS to ML and it is really starting to act sluggish. I hate the idea of having to transfer everything over to a new Mac and therefore new OS. I need a working computer every day for business for my husband, so it would be impossible to go without a computer while things are being transferred over - and how long would it take for me to do that. Plus, will files and photos be transferred over exactly as I have organized them? I have spent a lot of time organizing bookmark folders in Safari, mailboxes in Mail and albums and folders in iPhoto. Don't want to start from scratch again. Also don't like the idea that the new iMacs don't have a slot for dvds and cds, playing and burning. I do a lot of this kind of thing. So then I would need to buy a separate thing for doing this as well as the computer itself. Have wondered how many things have changed from ML to Maverick. Another big learning curve???
Would really appreciate any thoughts and opinions. I am a senior citizen and don't know how to sort through this. One thing I think about is that I don't know how much longer I will be living and able to do computer work. I know everything is a risk, but would like some advice even if it is only an opinion.

It's probably time for a new machine. You won't have to start from scratch. Migration Assistant will bring over all of your data and apps (some may need to be re-activated using product keys). Depending on how much you actually have, a few hours should be all it takes over Ethernet.
Time Machine should continually erase the oldest backups when it needs space for new ones.
You might want to do both. Upgrade the RAM in the old machine to the max it will take, and buy a new machine as well. If your husband really needs a machine available all the time for business, having a 'spare' is a good thing.
Check out what's available in the refurb store. They are virtually indistinguishable from new retail stock and come with a full warranty. You can save hundreds.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

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My time machine says it need more room to complete back up, how do i make more room? up

My time machine says it need more room to complete back up, how do i make more room?

Delete the old backups..
There is a reason though for this to happen. Tell us what model Time Capsule you are using and what size disk it has .. how much free space is available and how much is now required. If you upgraded to Mavericks it probably needs to do a whole new backup and simply doesn't have the space .. nor can it delete the old backup.
Please read Pondini FAQ for details of these issues.. deleting backups for example Q12
http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
There is also info on how much space is required for backups.
eg Q9

Can i transfer all my playlist from a time machine back up to a new computer?

can i transfer all my playlist from a time machine back up to a new computer?

Hey joven_photo,
Thanks for the question. Your iTunes playlists are stored within the iTunes Library files. The best option may be to move your entire iTunes Library to a new computer, as outlined in this article:
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
Thanks,
Matt M.

I have my own icloud account separate from my family's apple ID for itunes. I need more storage for icloud...do I have to pay a separate $20/ month to get more storage or does the $20 include all members of the plan?

I have my own icloud account separate from my family's apple ID for itunes. I need more storage for icloud...do I have to pay a separate $20/ month to get more storage or does the $20 include all members of the plan?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
If your iCloud account uses your family's Apple ID, you will pay $20/year for all your family members. If your iCloud account uses a different Apple ID than your family's Apple ID, you will pay only for you

I have an 8gb iPhone 4 and i need more space, is there a way to get more space rather then buying a whole new phone?

I have an 8gb iPhone 4 and i need more space, is there a way to get more space rather then buying a whole new phone?

No. Sell the 8gb and buy one with more capacity.

When I plug in a Lexar thumb drive, I get a "USB Low Power Notice' saying it cannot operate because it needs more power than is available. This is new. Thumb drives worked last week. Any suggestions? Is this an apple or a Lexar issue?

When I plug in a Lexar thumb drive, I get a "USB Low Power Notice' saying it cannot operate because it needs more power than is available. This is new. Thumb drives worked last week. Any suggestions? Is this an apple or a Lexar issue?

Apple intentional, use a powered USB hub instead.

Need more ram on 10.4.11, what can i safely dump?

need more ram on 10.4.11, what can I safely dump after saving on x-ternal h/d?

OS X 10.4 is Tiger, and 10.4.11 is the last release. It's been stable for quite some time, so I wouldn't hesitate to upgrade to it. The next operating system upgrade would be to Leopard 10.5, and with a MacBook you could probably upgrade to Snow Leopard 10.6.
When upgrading within an operating system release, ie 10.4.10 to 10.4.11, you don't typically have issues. When going to the next level of operating system, that's where you can run into issues with printer or other drivers and/or programs that need to be updated to run with the newer operating system. With the exception of losing the OS X classic environment when upgrading to 10.5 Leopard and losing the Rosetta emulator (which runs PowerPC code on Intel platforms) when upgrading to 10.7 Lion, for the most part, the upgrades are pretty straight forward.

Since the os7 update on my iPad, my safari is not right, it only opens one page at a time, crashes when trying to open more, it has no back button. Help

Since the os7 update on my iPad, my safari is not right, it only opens one page at a time, crashes when trying to open more, it has no back button. Help

Well, I rebuilt the entire workbook... that was a few months ago and so far, the problem hasn't resurfaced. It really wasn't fun to do, but whatever glitch there was in the file, I eliminated it.
I think I should mention that I am using Office v.X, NOT Office 2004. I got a new Intel iMac this week and yesterday when I opened up my files, it opened up the test drive (a JOKE of a program if you ask me) Anyway, some of the very minor issues I had with Office v.X were solved in the 2004 version. (When opening up large multi worksheet files without Excel being already opened, the tabs have white text) Anyway, I am still going to wait for the universal version to come out, but it seems that the newer versions may have fewer glitches (as is to be expected)
At any rate, best of luck to you!

Does my MacBook White 7,1 need more RAM?

Hi, I'm Federico from Argentina.
It's my first post here. First of all, sorry for my english, hope it's not so bad.
I am photographer and digital retoucher, so, as you might imagine... I use a lot Photoshop (CC).
I'm thinking that I need to upgrade my Macbook to 8gb (now I have 4gb) because my OSX is running slow, and it's affecting my workflow (upgrading to MB Pro is not a chance... no budget for that...).
In the Activity Monitor when retouching in Photoshop memory pressure shows in yellow (Mavericks).
Beyond that, here's my EtreCheck report, I think you may find it useful for troubleshooting my problem.
Thank you so much!
EtreCheck version: 1.9.12 (48)
Report generated 5 de agosto de 2014 19:25:37 ART
Hardware Information:
MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2010) (Verified)
MacBook - model: MacBook7,1
1 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2 cores
4 GB RAM
Video Information:
NVIDIA GeForce 320M - VRAM: 256 MB
DELL E207WFP 1680 x 1050 @ 60 Hz
System Software:
OS X 10.9.4 (13E28) - Uptime: 0 days 1:30:0
Disk Information:
TOSHIBA MK2555GSXF disk0 : (250,06 GB)
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209,7 MB
Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 249,2 GB (3,45 GB free) (Low!)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
HL-DT-ST DVDRW GS23N
USB Information:
Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
Wacom Co.,Ltd. CTL-460
Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Gatekeeper:
Anywhere
Kernel Extensions:
[not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileMS (1.0.0 - SDK 10.5) Support
[not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileMTP (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support
[not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSB (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support
[not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSBLAN (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support
[not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSBLANMerge (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support
[not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSBSwch (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support
[not loaded] com.wacom.kext.pentablet (5.3.3 - SDK 10.8) Support
Startup Items:
ChmodBPF: Path: /Library/StartupItems/ChmodBPF
Problem System Launch Daemons:
[failed] com.apple.softwareupdated.plist
[failed] com.apple.wdhelper.plist
Launch Daemons:
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support
[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist Support
[running] com.motorola-mobility.mmcfgd.plist Support
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist Support
[not loaded] com.teamviewer.teamviewer_service.plist Support
Launch Agents:
[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist Support
[running] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist Support
[loaded] com.motorola.MDMUpdater.plist Support
[running] com.motorola.motohelper.plist Support
[loaded] com.motorola.motohelperUpdater.plist Support
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist Support
[not loaded] com.teamviewer.teamviewer.plist Support
[not loaded] com.teamviewer.teamviewer_desktop.plist Support
[running] com.wacom.pentablet.plist Support
User Launch Agents:
[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist Support
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support
User Login Items:
iTunesHelper
Notas
Android File Transfer Agent
EOS Utility
Internet Plug-ins:
AdobeAAMDetect: Version: AdobeAAMDetect 2.0.0.0 - SDK 10.7 Support
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 14.0.0.145 - SDK 10.6 Support
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
Flash Player: Version: 14.0.0.145 - SDK 10.6 Support
Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
WacomNetscape: Version: 2.1.0-1 - SDK 10.8 Support
SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.0.0 Support
Silverlight: Version: 5.1.20913.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
WacomTabletPlugin: Version: WacomTabletPlugin 2.1.0.2 Support
JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 65 Check version
Safari Extensions:
Turn Off the Lights: Version: 3.0.0.12
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
3rd Party Preference Panes:
Flash Player Support
Java Support
PenTablet Support
Time Machine:
Skip System Files: NO
Auto backup: YES
Volumes being backed up:
Macintosh HD: Disk size: 232.09 GB Disk used: 228.87 GB
Destinations:
Time Machine [Local] (Last used)
Total size: 465.79 GB
Total number of backups: 9
Oldest backup: 2014-04-04 23:29:39 +0000
Last backup: 2014-07-29 17:57:09 +0000
Size of backup disk: Too small
Backup size 465.79 GB < (Disk used 228.87 GB X 3)
Time Machine details may not be accurate.
All volumes being backed up may not be listed.
Top Processes by CPU:
      6% WindowServer
      1% Google Drive
      0% Creative Cloud
      0% AdobeCrashDaemon
      0% Activity Monitor
Top Processes by Memory:
1.40 GB Adobe Photoshop CC 2014
29 MB Adobe Bridge CC
29 MB WindowServer
12 MB Finder
12 MB Dock
Virtual Memory Information:
30 MB Free RAM
885 MB Active RAM
856 MB Inactive RAM
472 MB Wired RAM
898 MB Page-ins
519 MB Page-outs

Yes, you need more RAM, but more imprtantly:
Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 249,2 GB (3,45 GB free) (Low!)
Your Mac is running on vapour! You are risking data loss and a fouled-up system. You urgently need to move files (not applications) to an external hard drive, to leave at least 30GB free.

HT1342 so how do i know if i need more ram? (upgrade from snow- mt. lion)

Here is the mac that i have. I want to upgrade from snow l. to mt, lion when it comes out. articles are saying that i will need 4gb even though the updae page says 2gb. how do i read the activity monitor to see if i need more ram for the update? or do i just need to wait, install teh update, and then check? I want to get this all done in the next month so help would be great!

2 GBs is the minimum required. 4 GBs or more would be better. Your model supports up to 8 GBs.
About OS X Memory Management and Usage
Reading system memory usage in Activity Monitor
Memory Management in Mac OS X
Performance Guidelines- Memory Management in Mac OS X
A detailed look at memory usage in OS X
Understanding top output in the Terminal
The amount of available RAM for applications is the sum of Free RAM and Inactive RAM. This will change as applications are opened and closed or change from active to inactive status. The Swap figure represents an estimate of the total amount of swap space required for VM if used, but does not necessarily indicate the actual size of the existing swap file. If you are really in need of more RAM that would be indicated by how frequently the system uses VM. If you open the Terminal and run the top command at the prompt you will find information reported on Pageins () and Pageouts (). Pageouts () is the important figure. If the value in the parentheses is 0 (zero) then OS X is not making instantaneous use of VM which means you have adequate physical RAM for the system with the applications you have loaded. If the figure in parentheses is running positive and your hard drive is constantly being used (thrashing) then you need more physical RAM.
Adding RAM only makes it possible to run more programs concurrently. It doesn't speed up the computer nor make games run faster. What it can do is prevent the system from having to use disk-based VM when it runs out of RAM because you are trying to run too many applications concurrently or using applications that are extremely RAM dependent. It will improve the performance of applications that run mostly in RAM or when loading programs.

My Macbook is very slow, do I need more RAM?

I have checked the Activity Monitor as advised on the forums here and it says 16.3MB free.
It's around 5 years old and I've just upgraded to 10.8.2
I have no idea what this means but I also saw that this number is important?
Page ins 5.92GB
Page outs 6.88 GB
My question is do I need more RAM and if so how do I go about doing it?
Thanks!

Yes, you need more memory. While 2GB is the minimum for OS X 10.8, many have found that 4GB is needed for general performance. For what you run, you can see this in your page in/outs. Page outs generally should be no more than 10% to 15% of page ins. More than that can really slow the system down as it writes pages of memory to the hard drive while making space for something else to use memory.
OWC and Crucial are two vendors that sell quality memory. Your user guide for your MacBook will tell you how to install the new memory.

Does my iMac need more RAM?

I have a 4-year old iMac 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM currently running OS 10.8.2. I'm wondering if I should add more RAM. Is there software that will tell me if I need more RAM? I have no idea how much memory is required for the System, or applications like MSWord, Safari, Firefox, MSExcel, or iPhoto when I am using them.

Below is my model information. I have just looked at OWC memory and their video for installation; is OWC something you would recommend?
Model Name:
iMac
Model Identifier:
iMac7,1
Processor Name:
Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:
2 GHz
Number of Processors:
1
Total Number of Cores:
2
L2 Cache:
4 MB
Memory:
2 GB
Bus Speed:
800 MHz
Boot ROM Version:
IM71.007A.B03
SMC Version (system):
1.20f4
Serial Number (system):
W******X85
Hardware UUID:
00000000-0000-1000-8000-001B63A3EADB
<Edited By Host>

New Processor Or More RAM?

Hi,
I just wanted to know whether to buy a new processor or some more RAM. I am pretty sure more RAM won't help, seeing as I only have a 400mhz processor. Its just my brother wants to play runescape on it and it won't take it, it's too laggy.
-Ollie

One trick you may try is to go to the top menu bar in your desktop and pull down: GO > Go to Folder... > and type in /var/vm/. This will take you to a directory and if you see several files with names like swapfile0, swapfile1, etc. , then you need more ram. Judging from your profile, it probably does need max ram as you're talking about running a game. Don't concern yourself too much with clock speed as the ram is of greater impact, in this particular case.
Good luck

How do i know if i need more ram

mac is running slow, how do i know if i need more ram?

Well, how much RAM do you have? Post back what you have.
Another possibility is that your hard drive is getting too full - the Mac OS needs a minimum of 10 - 15% of hard drive space free and available at all times. So, click on your hard drive icon once and hit Command and I on the keyboard. In the resulting window, post the results: space available, used, etc.

Time machine back up problem after new hard drive install

After having my hard drive replaced I restored using time machine (Seagate backup drive) There are 2 users of this iMac. After restoring I seem to have all my stuff back but the other user has nothing, no pics etc. I assumed that time machine backed up everything on the computer. Is it possible that it only backed up my data? If not, how do I restore the other users data. Appreciate any help with this!

How did you restore the computer? If you used migrate it is important you prepared the computer correctly. If you already setup the user name that pre-existed on the old hard disk migrate will not work properly.. you cannot restore to the same username. So you might need to do the restore again.. (migrate but to a different location eg a USB drive and pick up the files from there).. TM should backup all users that previously were on the computer.. but how you restored will affect how it behaves now.

Opinions - time for a new computer? need more RAM, Time Machine back up full - get new computer?

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