Really slow harddisk operations

Hey,
When trying to copy files on the same partition (say, from home to /tmp), I get really long
transfer time. Copying a 107 mb file took about 30 (!) seconds.
I think that hdparm shows reasonable times.
Maybe its a defrag problem? (though I am using ext3, which shouldn't need a defrag)
Thanks
fiod
[root@lg-tux /tmp]# hdparm -tT /dev/sda
/dev/sda:
Timing cached reads: 1282 MB in 2.00 seconds = 641.27 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 116 MB in 3.00 seconds = 38.66 MB/sec

What are your system specifications like? What interface does your hard disk use? Usually, older or laptop hard disks tend to spin at lower RPMs than newer desktop hard disks. My laptop has a 4200rpm hard disk and it was a drag on Windows. Of course, it runs pretty nicely on arch, but yes I will admit file transfers are a bit sluggish on this thing.

Similar Messages

IMac operating really slow

Hi, I have a G5 iMac, which for the last couple of weeks has been operating really slow. I've tried re-starting it, re-setting my Airport, in case it is internet related but it still keeps operating slowly. I get the spinning beach ball while it is thinking and then finally it functions, only to happen again. Occasionally, I get normal operating speed but then it happens again. I'm just going through a software update to see if there's anything I've missed out but is there anyone who is having the same problem, and is there anything anyone can recommend?

Not sure if this is related, Brett, but Apple have just released a new KB page detailing a problem which can occur when using some 3rd party VPN software under OSX 10.4.8:
Issue or symptom
After updating to Mac OS X 10.4.8, if some third-party VPN client software is installed, Activity Monitor may show the AirPort process taking 90% or more of the CPU time, and the computer may seem "slow".
Products affected
Mac OS X 10.4.8
Airport
Solution
Make sure your third-party VPN client software is up-to-date. Contact your network administrator or the manufacturer of your VPN client software.
This document will be updated as more information becomes available.
(from http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304798 )
Not sure if this applies to you, but worth considering.
Regardless, you might want to start up Activity Monitor (in your utility folder), open the "Activity Monitor" window, and then choose "active processes" to see if this, or some other software, is hogging your processor.
Cheers
Rod

Help: I learned that I needed to upgrade to SnowLeopard before I could do Lion. I purchased it and downloaded it, but ever since my entire operating system has been really SLOW. I haven't even the nerve to go to Lion yet. Please advise!

Need help: After I upgrade to SnowLeopard, my entire operativing system seems to run really slow, and I am hesitant to upgrade to Lion now. What can I do?

How much RAM do you have installed...?
You can use this Link to check which RAM is suitable for your Mac...
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple/memory/
It is Important to get the Correct and Matching RAM
For best performance, fill all memory slots, installing an equal memory module in each slot.
That site also has videos on how to Install RAM should you need it...
How much Free Disc Space do you have...
Basically... Make sure you have enough Free Hard Drive space for your Mac to Perform as expected...
This is what Apple has to say.
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH10798
More Info here...
macworld.com/mac-troubleshooting-what-to-do-when-your -computer-is-too-slow.

Photoshop CS6 won't launch and when it does it's really slow...help?

Hi,
So my copy of Photoshop CS6 sometimes won't launch and when it does manage to launch fully, it's really slow. I mean ridiculously slow. The only times when I can get it to run even remotely quick is if I shut down my computer, and then restart it and then start up Photoshop CS6 as the first program. Even then it slows down after a while. (And I only have a firefox browser open usually, never more than a couple of tabs at once, so it's not a bandwidth issue)
Here are my comp specs:
Samsung
Processor:
AMD A6-3420M APU with
Radeon (Tm) HD graphics 1.50 ghz
Installed Memory (RAM) - 4.00 (3.48 usable)
64 Bit operating System running on Windows 7 home premium, service pack 1
I also did just recently install the new update Adobe had for Photoshop, so that's up to date.
It's getting really frustrating! I have another program I'm using in the meantime (Paint tool Sai), but I'd really like to use Photoshop CS6.....
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Make sure you updated the drivers from AMD's website, not Microsoft.
Make sure you are running the 64 bit version of Photoshop, not 32 bit.
Disable all third party plugins, and try disabling system utilities (we've seen font managers, antivirus, disk backup software, etc. cause slowdowns due to bugs in those utilities).

I bought my mac book pro 4 years ago and it is really slow now. I have downloaded Etrecheck after reading some threads on here and here are the results

I got my MacBook Pro 4 years ago and its getting really slow.
After reading dome threads on this site i downloaded Etrecheck and here are the results.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
EtreCheck version: 2.1.8 (121)
Report generated 21 March 2015 9:41:28 PM AEDT
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, Mid 2010) (Technical Specifications)
    MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro6,2
    1 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core
    4 GB RAM
        BANK 0/DIMM0
            2 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
        BANK 1/DIMM0
            2 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
    Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported
    Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
    Battery Health: Normal - Cycle count 814
Video Information: ℹ️
    NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M - VRAM: 256 MB
        Color LCD 1440 x 900
        spdisplays_display_connector
    Intel HD Graphics - VRAM: 288 MB
        spdisplays_display_connector
System Software: ℹ️
    Mac OS X 10.6.8 (10K549) - Time since boot: one day 2:7:40
Disk Information: ℹ️
    TOSHIBA MK3255GSXF disk0 : (298.09 GB)
        - (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
        Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 319.73 GB (150.44 GB free)
    MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-898
USB Information: ℹ️
    Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub
        Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
    Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
    Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
    Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
    Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
Configuration files: ℹ️
    /etc/hosts - Count: 31
Kernel Extensions: ℹ️
        /Library/Application Support/MacKeeper/AntiVirus.app
    [not loaded]    com.zeobit.kext.AVKauth (2.3.3 - SDK 10.8) [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    com.zeobit.kext.Firewall (2.3.3 - SDK 10.8) [Click for support]
        /System/Library/Extensions
    [not loaded]    com.devguru.driver.SamsungComposite (1.2.63 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    com.leapfrog.codeless.kext (2) [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    com.leapfrog.driver.LfConnectDriver (1.11.1 - SDK 10.10) [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    com.wibu.codemeter.CmUSBMassStorage (1.0.7) [Click for support]
        /System/Library/Extensions/ssuddrv.kext/Contents/PlugIns
    [not loaded]    com.devguru.driver.SamsungACMControl (1.2.63 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    com.devguru.driver.SamsungACMData (1.2.63 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    com.devguru.driver.SamsungMTP (1.2.63 - SDK 10.5) [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    com.devguru.driver.SamsungSerial (1.2.63 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]
Problem System Launch Daemons: ℹ️
    [running]    com.wibu.CodeMeter.Server.plist [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    org.samba.winbindd.plist [Click for support]
Launch Agents: ℹ️
    [not loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Click for support]
    [running]    com.hp.devicemonitor.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.hp.messagecenter.launcher.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.google.keystone.daemon.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.leapfrog.connect.authdaemon.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.skype.skypeinstaller.plist [Click for support]
    [running]    com.zeobit.MacKeeper.AntiVirus.plist [Click for support]
User Launch Agents: ℹ️
    [loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist [Click for support]
    [running]    com.akamai.single-user-client.plist [Click for support]
    [failed]    com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-[...]@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist [Click for details]
    [running]    com.leapfrog.connect.monitor.plist [Click for support]
    [running]    com.spotify.webhelper.plist [Click for support]
    [failed]    com.zeobit.MacKeeper.Helper.plist [Click for support] [Click for details]
User Login Items: ℹ️
    LOGINserver    Application (/Library/Printers/Brother/Utilities/Server/LOGINserver.app)
    InstUtilLaunch    Application (/Library/Printers/Brother/Utilities/InstallUtility.app/Contents/Resources/Inst UtilLaunch.app)
Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
    o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]
    OVSHelper: Version: 1.1 [Click for support]
    OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin: Version: 12.2.9 [Click for support]
    net.juniper.DSSafariExtensions: Version: Unknown [Click for support]
    Silverlight: Version: 4.0.60129.0 [Click for support]
    FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 16.0.0.305 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
    DivXBrowserPlugin: Version: 2.1 [Click for support]
    Flash Player: Version: 16.0.0.305 - SDK 10.6 Outdated! Update
    iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.7
    googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]
    QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.6.6
    AdobePDFViewer: Version: 10.0.3 [Click for support]
    SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.0.0 [Click for support]
    JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 13.9.8 - SDK 10.6 Check version
Safari Extensions: ℹ️
    Searchme [Adware! - Remove]
    DivX Plus Web Player HTML5 <video>
Audio Plug-ins: ℹ️
    iSightAudio: Version: 7.6.6
3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
    Akamai NetSession Preferences [Click for support]
    CodeMeter [Click for support]
    DivX [Click for support]
    Flash Player [Click for support]
    Growl [Click for support]
Time Machine: ℹ️
    Time Machine information requires OS X 10.7 "Lion" or later.
Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
        14%    firefox
         5%    WindowServer
         0%    ps
         0%    fontd
         0%    DirectoryService
Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
    528 MB    firefox
    176 MB    Finder
    159 MB    AntiVirus
    112 MB    WindowServer
    82 MB    mds
Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️
    1.07 GB    Free RAM
    1.29 GB    Active RAM
    1.01 GB    Inactive RAM
    784 MB    Wired RAM
    962 MB    Page-ins
    3 MB    Page-outs
Diagnostics Information: ℹ️
    Mar 20, 2015, 07:32:46 PM    Self test - passed

Hardware Information: ℹ️
    MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010) (Technical Specifications)
    MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro6,2
    1 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core
    4 GB RAM
        BANK 0/DIMM0
            2 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
        BANK 1/DIMM0
            2 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
    Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported
    Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
    Battery Health: Normal - Cycle count 814
***Hardware looks fine
***Increasing the RAM can always help with slowness issues
Video Information: ℹ️
    NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M - VRAM: 256 MB
        Color LCD 1440 x 900
        spdisplays_display_connector
    Intel HD Graphics - VRAM: 288 MB
        spdisplays_display_connector
***Looks fine
System Software: ℹ️
    Mac OS X 10.6.8 (10K549) - Time since boot: one day 2:7:40
***You are running an Operating system over 4 years old but it shouldn't effect the speed of your computer
Disk Information: ℹ️
    TOSHIBA MK3255GSXF disk0 : (298.09 GB)
        - (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
        Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 319.73 GB (150.44 GB free)
    MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-898
***Looks fine
USB Information: ℹ️
    Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub
        Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
    Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
    Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
    Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
    Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
Configuration files: ℹ️
    /etc/hosts - Count: 31
***Looks fine
Kernel Extensions: ℹ️
        /Library/Application Support/MacKeeper/AntiVirus.app
    [not loaded]    com.zeobit.kext.AVKauth (2.3.3 - SDK 10.8) [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    com.zeobit.kext.Firewall (2.3.3 - SDK 10.8) [Click for support]
        /System/Library/Extensions
    [not loaded]    com.devguru.driver.SamsungComposite (1.2.63 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    com.leapfrog.codeless.kext (2) [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    com.leapfrog.driver.LfConnectDriver (1.11.1 - SDK 10.10) [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    com.wibu.codemeter.CmUSBMassStorage (1.0.7) [Click for support]
        /System/Library/Extensions/ssuddrv.kext/Contents/PlugIns
    [not loaded]    com.devguru.driver.SamsungACMControl (1.2.63 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    com.devguru.driver.SamsungACMData (1.2.63 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    com.devguru.driver.SamsungMTP (1.2.63 - SDK 10.5) [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    com.devguru.driver.SamsungSerial (1.2.63 - SDK 10.6) [Click for support]
***I'm honestly not super familiar with most kernal extensions but I do see you have MacKeeper running which can slow the computer down
****** This next section talks about Launch agents and Launch Daemons.
****Something to keep in mind is that when you first get the computer that all of these folders are empty and the files in them are all third party.
****If you want to see if the system runs better without them Shut the computer down and turn it on while holding the shift key
****This will put the computer into safemode which turns off third party files and extensions and does not let any launch agent/daemons files run.
Problem System Launch Daemons: ℹ️
    [running]    com.wibu.CodeMeter.Server.plist [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    org.samba.winbindd.plist [Click for support]
Launch Agents: ℹ️
    [not loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Click for support]
    [running]    com.hp.devicemonitor.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.hp.messagecenter.launcher.plist [Click for support]
***This is the root launch agent folder
***I'd remove all but the first three
Launch Daemons: ℹ️
    [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.google.keystone.daemon.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.leapfrog.connect.authdaemon.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.skype.skypeinstaller.plist [Click for support]
    [running]    com.zeobit.MacKeeper.AntiVirus.plist [Click for support]
***This is the root Launch Daemons folder
***I'd only keep com.adobe.fpsaud.plist and com.microsfot.office.licensing.helper.plist all the others will reinstall them selves if needed.
User Launch Agents: ℹ️
    [loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist [Click for support]
    [running]    com.akamai.single-user-client.plist [Click for support]
    [failed]    com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-[...]@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist [Click for details]
    [running]    com.leapfrog.connect.monitor.plist [Click for support]
    [running]    com.spotify.webhelper.plist [Click for support]
    [failed]    com.zeobit.MacKeeper.Helper.plist [Click for support] [Click for details]
***This is your users Launch Agent folder
***I'd remove everything here
User Login Items: ℹ️
    LOGINserver    Application (/Library/Printers/Brother/Utilities/Server/LOGINserver.app)
    InstUtilLaunch    Application (/Library/Printers/Brother/Utilities/InstallUtility.app/Contents/Resources/Inst UtilLaunch.app)
Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
    o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]
    OVSHelper: Version: 1.1 [Click for support]
    OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin: Version: 12.2.9 [Click for support]
    net.juniper.DSSafariExtensions: Version: Unknown [Click for support]
    Silverlight: Version: 4.0.60129.0 [Click for support]
    FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 16.0.0.305 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
    DivXBrowserPlugin: Version: 2.1 [Click for support]
    Flash Player: Version: 16.0.0.305 - SDK 10.6 Outdated! Update
    iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.7
    googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]
    QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.6.6
    AdobePDFViewer: Version: 10.0.3 [Click for support]
    SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.0.0 [Click for support]
    JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 13.9.8 - SDK 10.6 Check version
Safari Extensions: ℹ️
    Searchme [Adware! - Remove]
    DivX Plus Web Player HTML5 <video>
***The first extension in safari is adware and can be uninstalled
***The second one is a video web player and you could probably remove that as well but it wont effect your speed
Audio Plug-ins: ℹ️
    iSightAudio: Version: 7.6.6
3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
    Akamai NetSession Preferences [Click for support]
    CodeMeter [Click for support]
    DivX [Click for support]
    Flash Player [Click for support]
    Growl [Click for support]
Time Machine: ℹ️
    Time Machine information requires OS X 10.7 "Lion" or later.
Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
        14%    firefox
         5%    WindowServer
         0%    ps
         0%    fontd
         0%    DirectoryService
Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
    528 MB    firefox
    176 MB    Finder
    159 MB    AntiVirus
    112 MB    WindowServer
    82 MB    mds
Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️
    1.07 GB    Free RAM
    1.29 GB    Active RAM
    1.01 GB    Inactive RAM
    784 MB    Wired RAM
    962 MB    Page-ins
    3 MB    Page-outs
Diagnostics Information: ℹ️
    Mar 20, 2015, 07:32:46 PM    Self test - passed
***Everything else seems fine

SQL Query running really slow, any help in improving will be Great!

Hi,
I am really new to this performance tuning and optimization techniques. Explain plan also, I only have theoretical knowledge, no clues on how to find out the real issue which is making the query slow..So if anyone can give me a good direction on where to start even, it will be great..
Now, my issue is, I have a query which runs really really slow. If I run this query for a small subset of data, it runs fast(Its flying, actually..) but if I give the same query for everything(Full required data), its running for ages..(Actually it is running for 2 days now and still running.)
I am pasting my query here, the output shows that the query stucks after "Table created"
SQL> @routinginfo
Table dropped.
Table created.
Please please help!
I also ran explain plan for this query and there are a number of rows in the plan_table now..
SORRY!IS there a way to insert a file here, as I want to attach my explain plan also?
My query -Routinginfo.sql
set trimspool on
set heading on
set verify on
set serveroutput on
drop table routinginfo;
CREATE TABLE routinginfo
( POST_TOWN_NAME        VARCHAR2(22 BYTE),
DELIVERY_OFFICE_NAME VARCHAR2(40 BYTE),
ROUTE_ID              NUMBER(10),
ROUTE_NAME            VARCHAR2(40 BYTE),
BUILDING_ID           NUMBER(10),
SUB_BUILDING_ID       NUMBER(10),
SEQUENCE_NO           NUMBER(4),
PERSONAL_NAME         VARCHAR2(60 BYTE),
ADDRESS               VARCHAR2(1004 BYTE),
BUILDING_USE          VARCHAR2(1 BYTE),
COMMENTS              VARCHAR2(200 BYTE),
EAST                  NUMBER(17,5),
NORTH                 NUMBER(17,5)
insert into routinginfo
(post_town_name,delivery_office_name,route_id,route_name,
building_id,sub_building_id,sequence_no,personal_name,
address,building_use,comments,east,north)
select
   p.name,
   d.name,
b.route_id,
r.name,
b.building_id,
s.sub_build_id,
b.sequence_no,
b.personal_name,
ad.addr_line_1||' '||ad.addr_line_2||' '||ad.addr_line_3||' '||ad.addr_line_4||' '||ad.addr_line_5,
b.building_use,
rtrim(replace(b.comments,chr(10),'')),
b.east,
b.north
from t_buildings b,
     (select * from t_sub_buildings where nvl(invalid,'N') = 'N') s,
     t_routes r,
     t_delivery_offices d,
     t_post_towns p,
     t_address_model ad
where b.building_id = s.building_id(+)
and   s.building_id is null
and   r.route_id=b.route_id
and   (nvl(b.residential_delivery_points,0) > 0 OR nvl(b.commercial_delivery_points,0) > 0)
and   r.delivery_office_id=d.delivery_office_id
--and   r.delivery_office_id=303
and   D.POST_TOWN_ID=P.post_town_id
and   ad.building_id=b.building_id
and   ad.sub_building_id is null
and   nvl(b.invalid, 'N') = 'N'
and   nvl(b.derelict, 'N') = 'N'
union
select
p.name,
d.name ,
b.route_id ,
r.name ,
b.building_id ,
s.sub_build_id ,
NVL(s.sequence_no,b.sequence_no),
b.personal_name ,
ad.addr_line_1||' '||ad.addr_line_2||' '||ad.addr_line_3||' '||ad.addr_line_4||' '||ad.addr_line_5,
b.building_use,
rtrim(replace(b.comments,chr(10),'')),
b.east,
b.north
from t_buildings b,
     (select * from t_sub_buildings where nvl(invalid,'N') = 'N') s,
     t_routes r,
     t_delivery_offices d,
     t_post_towns p,
     t_address_model ad
where s.building_id = b.building_id
and   r.route_id = s.route_id
and   (nvl(b.residential_delivery_points,0) > 0 OR nvl(b.commercial_delivery_points,0) > 0)
and   r.delivery_office_id=d.delivery_office_id
--and   r.delivery_office_id=303
and   D.POST_TOWN_ID=P.post_town_id
and   ad.building_id=b.building_id
and   ad.sub_building_id = s.sub_build_id
and   nvl(b.invalid, 'N') = 'N'
and   nvl(b.derelict, 'N') = 'N'
union
select
p.name,
d.name,
b.route_id ,
r.name ,
b.building_id,
s.sub_build_id ,
NVL(s.sequence_no,b.sequence_no) ,
b.personal_name ,
ad.addr_line_1||' '||ad.addr_line_2||' '||ad.addr_line_3||' '||ad.addr_line_4||' '||ad.addr_line_5 ,
b.building_use,
rtrim(replace(b.comments,chr(10),'')),
b.east,
b.north
from t_buildings b,
     (select * from t_sub_buildings where nvl(invalid,'N') = 'N') s,
     t_routes r,
     t_delivery_offices d,
     t_post_towns p,
     t_localities l,
     t_localities lo,
     t_localities loc,
     t_tlands tl,
     t_address_model ad
where s.building_id = b.building_id
and   s.route_id is null
and   r.route_id = b.route_id
and   (nvl(b.residential_delivery_points,0) > 0 OR nvl(b.commercial_delivery_points,0) > 0)
and   r.delivery_office_id=d.delivery_office_id
--and   r.delivery_office_id=303
and   D.POST_TOWN_ID=P.post_town_id
and   ad.building_id=b.building_id
and   ad.sub_building_id = s.sub_build_id
and   nvl(b.invalid, 'N') = 'N'
and   nvl(b.derelict, 'N') = 'N';
commit; Edited by: Krithi on 16-Jun-2009 01:48
Edited by: Krithi on 16-Jun-2009 01:51
Edited by: Krithi on 16-Jun-2009 02:44

This link is helpful alright..but as a beginner, it is taking me too long to understand..But I am going to learn the techniques for sure..
Fo the time being,I am pasting my explain plan for the above query here, so that I hope any expert can really help me on this one..
STATEMENT_ID     TIMESTAMP     REMARKS     OPERATION     OPTIONS     OBJECT_NODE     OBJECT_OWNER     OBJECT_NAME     OBJECT_INSTANCE     OBJECT_TYPE     OPTIMIZER     SEARCH_COLUMNS     ID     PARENT_ID     POSITION     COST     CARDINALITY     BYTES
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          SELECT STATEMENT                                   CHOOSE          0          829,387,159,200     829,387,159,200     3,720,524,291,654,720     703,179,091,122,042,000
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          SORT     UNIQUE                                        1     0     1     829,387,159,200     3,720,524,291,654,720     703,179,091,122,042,000
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          UNION-ALL                                             2     1     1
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          HASH JOIN                                             3     2     1     11,209     87,591     15,853,971
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          FILTER                                             4     3     1
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          HASH JOIN     OUTER                                        5     4     1
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          HASH JOIN                                             6     5     1     5,299     59,325     6,585,075
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          VIEW               GEO2     index$_join$_006     6                    7     6     1     4     128     1,792
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          HASH JOIN                                             8     7     1     5,299     59,325     6,585,075
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          INDEX     FAST FULL SCAN          GEO2     POST_TOWN_NAME_I          NON-UNIQUE     ANALYZED          9     8     1     1     128     1,792
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          INDEX     FAST FULL SCAN          GEO2     POST_TOWN_PK          UNIQUE     ANALYZED          10     8     2     1     128     1,792
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          HASH JOIN                                             11     6     2     5,294     59,325     5,754,525
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     FULL          GEO2     T_DELIVERY_OFFICES     5          ANALYZED          12     11     1     7     586     10,548
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          HASH JOIN                                             13     11     2     5,284     59,325     4,686,675
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     FULL          GEO2     T_ROUTES     4          ANALYZED          14     13     1     7     4,247     118,916
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     FULL          GEO2     T_BUILDINGS     1          ANALYZED          15     13     2     5,265     59,408     3,029,808
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     FULL          GEO2     T_SUB_BUILDINGS     3          ANALYZED          16     5     2     851     278,442     3,898,188
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     FULL          GEO2     T_ADDRESS_MODEL     7          ANALYZED          17     3     2     3,034     1,582,421     88,615,576
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          NESTED LOOPS                                             18     2     2     10,217     1     189
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          NESTED LOOPS                                             19     18     1     10,216     1     175
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          HASH JOIN                                             20     19     1     10,215     1     157
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          HASH JOIN                                             21     20     1     6,467     80,873     8,168,173
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     FULL          GEO2     T_ROUTES     11          ANALYZED          22     21     1     7     4,247     118,916
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          HASH JOIN                                             23     21     2     6,440     80,924     5,907,452
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     FULL          GEO2     T_BUILDINGS     8          ANALYZED          24     23     1     5,265     59,408     3,029,808
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     FULL          GEO2     T_SUB_BUILDINGS     10          ANALYZED          25     23     2     851     278,442     6,125,724
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     FULL          GEO2     T_ADDRESS_MODEL     14          ANALYZED          26     20     2     3,034     556,000     31,136,000
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     BY INDEX ROWID          GEO2     T_DELIVERY_OFFICES     12          ANALYZED          27     19     2     1     1     18
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          INDEX     UNIQUE SCAN          GEO2     DELIVERY_OFFICE_PK          UNIQUE     ANALYZED     1     28     27     1          1
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     BY INDEX ROWID          GEO2     T_POST_TOWNS     13          ANALYZED          29     18     2     1     1     14
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          INDEX     UNIQUE SCAN          GEO2     POST_TOWN_PK          UNIQUE     ANALYZED     1     30     29     1          1
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          MERGE JOIN     CARTESIAN                                        31     2     3     806,976,583,802     3,720,524,291,567,130     703,179,091,106,188,000
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          MERGE JOIN     CARTESIAN                                        32     31     1     16,902,296     73,359,971,046     13,865,034,527,694
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          MERGE JOIN     CARTESIAN                                        33     32     1     1,860     1,207,174     228,155,886
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          MERGE JOIN     CARTESIAN                                        34     33     1     1,580     20     3,780
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          NESTED LOOPS                                             35     34     1     1,566     1     189
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          NESTED LOOPS                                             36     35     1     1,565     1     175
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          NESTED LOOPS                                             37     36     1     1,564     1     157
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          NESTED LOOPS                                             38     37     1     1,563     1     129
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          NESTED LOOPS                                             39     38     1     1,207     178     12,994
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     FULL          GEO2     T_SUB_BUILDINGS     17          ANALYZED          40     39     1     851     178     3,916
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     BY INDEX ROWID          GEO2     T_BUILDINGS     15          ANALYZED          41     39     2     2     1     51
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          INDEX     UNIQUE SCAN          GEO2     BUILDING_PK          UNIQUE     ANALYZED     1     42     41     1     1     31
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     BY INDEX ROWID          GEO2     T_ADDRESS_MODEL     25          ANALYZED          43     38     2     2     1     56
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          INDEX     UNIQUE SCAN          GEO2     MODEL_MODEL2_UK          UNIQUE     ANALYZED     2     44     43     1     1     1
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     BY INDEX ROWID          GEO2     T_ROUTES     18          ANALYZED          45     37     2     1     1     28
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          INDEX     UNIQUE SCAN          GEO2     ROUTE_PK          UNIQUE     ANALYZED     1     46     45     1          1
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     BY INDEX ROWID          GEO2     T_DELIVERY_OFFICES     19          ANALYZED          47     36     2     1     1     18
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          INDEX     UNIQUE SCAN          GEO2     DELIVERY_OFFICE_PK          UNIQUE     ANALYZED     1     48     47     1          1
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          TABLE ACCESS     BY INDEX ROWID          GEO2     T_POST_TOWNS     20          ANALYZED          49     35     2     1     1     14
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          INDEX     UNIQUE SCAN          GEO2     POST_TOWN_PK          UNIQUE     ANALYZED     1     50     49     1          1
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          BUFFER     SORT                                        51     34     2     1,579     60,770
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          INDEX     FAST FULL SCAN          GEO2     LOCAL_COUNTY_FK_I          NON-UNIQUE     ANALYZED          52     51     1     14     60,770
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          BUFFER     SORT                                        53     33     2     1,846     60,770
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          INDEX     FAST FULL SCAN          GEO2     LOCAL_COUNTY_FK_I          NON-UNIQUE     ANALYZED          54     53     1     14     60,770
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          BUFFER     SORT                                        55     32     2     16,902,282     60,770
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          INDEX     FAST FULL SCAN          GEO2     LOCAL_COUNTY_FK_I          NON-UNIQUE     ANALYZED          56     55     1     14     60,770
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          BUFFER     SORT                                        57     31     2     806,976,583,788     50,716
     06/16/2009 09:33:01          INDEX     FAST FULL SCAN          GEO2     TLAND_COUNTY_FK_I          NON-UNIQUE     ANALYZED          58     57     1     11     50,716      -------------------------------------------------------------
Edited by: Krithi on 16-Jun-2009 02:47

Can someone please help. I have a really old MacBook that is running really slow. I want to wipe everything and reinstall the latest software but don't know how to do this. Also is there a way of keeping Microsoft Office when doing this? Thanks in advance

Can someone please help. I have a really old MacBook that is running really slow. I want to wipe everything and reinstall the latest software but don't know how to do this. Also is there a way of keeping Microsoft Office when doing this? Thanks in advance

You do realise that wiping the disk means that everything on the disk is erased. Everything. Photos, music, emails, ...
So the first piece of advice is to make sure you have a back up of everything.
You need the OS disk to reintsall the operating system. You will use that disk first to erase the drive, then to reinstall the OS.
Here's the link for the US. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard
As for MS Office, you will need the original disk that it came on to reinstall it.

First Backup with TC: REALLY slow...

Hello everybody.
I'm performing a 300 Gb backup with Time Capsule via wi-fi. It is REALLY slow. I started yesterday at 6.00 pm and now (10.20 am) I'm at 100 Gb which means that it will be done by tomorrow afternoon. Somebody is advising me to switch from wi-fi to an ethernet cable.
Is it possible to do that while it's backing up? I mean, is it enough if I connect my mac to TC with an ethernet cable without doing any other operation or do I have to click somewhere?

To be honest Matteo, you are averaging roughly about 6Gb per hour on wi-fi, that's reasonably good for time machine backing up to time capsule. Mine had averaged about 3GB per hour.

How do you fix a really slow iMac?

Ho dow you fix a really slow iMac?

More details please! Slow doing what: Web browsing"? Opening files? Starting up? Help us help you.
Apple has these suggestions for posting:
How to write a good question
To help other members answer your question, give as many details as you can.
Include your product name and specs such as processor speed, memory, and storage capacity. Please do not include your Serial Number, IMEI, MEID, or other personal information.
Provide the version numbers of your operating system and relevant applications, for example "iOS 6.0.3" or "iPhoto 9.1.2".
Describe the problem, and include any details about what seems to cause it.
List any troubleshooting steps you've already tried, or temporary fixes you've discovered.

My macbook pro is running really slow after upgrade to Mavericks

my macbook pro is running really slow after upgrading to Mavericks....any ideas?

OS X Mavericks: If your Mac runs slowly
The above link is not very useful, so if it doesn't help read on.
There are many potential reasons that a Mac may be running slower than expected, but more information is required to begin troubleshooting, much more.
Back up your documents and everything else important to you before proceeding. It is premature to conclude your hard disk is failing, but the symptoms you describe may presage an impending disk failure, and you should have backups anyway.
To help determine the possible causes of this behaviour read the following. None of what follows is intended to fix anything, but it will provide the additional information required to advance troubleshooting:
Boot OS X Recovery by holding ⌘ and r (two fingers) while you start your Mac. At the Mac OS X Utilities screen, select Disk Utility. Select your startup volume (usually named "Macintosh HD") and click the Repair Disk button. Describe any errors it reports in red.
When it finishes restart your Mac and test again for operation. If it's still not behaving as you expect it should, please post the results of EtreCheck in accordance with the following instructions:
Apple Support Communities contributor etresoft wrote a very useful app to quickly gather certain system information that may help point to a cause of this problem. Go to his website, download and run EtreCheck:
http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck
Etrecheck will be in your Downloads folder. Open it from there. You may see the following dialog box:
Click Open - etresoft contributes to this forum frequently and can be considered a trustworthy developer.
It will take a moment to run as it collects its data.
Copy and paste its output in a reply.
Do not be concerned about anything that says "Problem" or “failed” or anything else that may appear in red.
EtreCheck was designed to remove any personal information (such as your computer's name and serial numbers) but if you see anything that looks like an email address or any other personal information that should not be divulged to others, please delete or obscure that information when you post the reply.
When you are finished with EtreCheck, quit the program. It occupies very little space, and you can keep it or drag it to the Trash as you wish.
After completing the above please determine if the problems also occur in "Safe Mode":
Safe Mode or "Safe Boot" is a troubleshooting mode that bypasses all third party system extensions and loads only required system components. Read about it: Starting up in Safe Mode
You must disable FileVault before you can start your Mac in Safe Mode.
Starting your Mac in Safe Mode will take longer than usual, graphics will not render smoothly, audio is disabled on some Macs, and some programs (iTunes for example) may not work at all.
Merely starting your Mac in Safe Mode is not intended to resolve the problem, it's to observe its performance without certain additional components.
To end Safe Mode restart your Mac normally. Shutdown will take longer as well.
System performance problems for reasons that cannot be isolated to any other cause justify an SMC reset. Be sure to read the procedure carefully and follow all the steps exactly as written, even if they seem inapplicable or trivial.

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.

REALLY Slow Internet Loading--Is there a way to make it faster?

I bought a new Macbook 3 weeks ago at the Apple store. I am a long-time pc user who took the Apple plunge mostly because I am sick of getting viruses all the time. Unfortunately, I am pretty disappointed with the speed of the Internet and REALLY slow loading of websites--especially business websites (cnn.com, WAMU, Citibank, WSJ, etc.) It's not my wireless internet connection because I did a side-by-side test. I sat on my couch with my 4 year old Dell pc and the new Macbook and went to the same websites at exactly the same time. My old Dell was always faster loading each website and in some business-related or video-related sites, about 35-55 seconds faster. Is there anyway to make the apple load websites faster or is slow internet just the price I have to pay to be virus-free? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks,

Well here are some things for you.
the macbook has a 2.4 and 5 GHz wifi module. If you have a N wifi router, it may have the ability to process at the 5 GHz range. Un fortunately most receivers are operating in the 2.4 GHz range.
My recommendation is to lock your access point to either 2.4 if it is a draft N spec or G only if a B/G AP.
If you are using security to lock down your access point and are using WPA or WPA2, set the encryption to AES only.
If you have a draft N AP also set the channel width to 20/40
If you have draft N ad set it to 2.4 you will only get 130 Mb speeds on the Macbook. that is the limitation of not using 5 GHz
Check the forums of your AP manufacturer for known issues and make sure your firmware is up to date.
There is nothing inherent with Macs that make the internet slower. They use the same technology as everyone else. The issue is with how you have your AP set and how the adapter in the MB is setup.
I am going to go out on a limb and assume you do not understand the differences in the settings, frequencies, etc of wireless so it might do you good to learn a bit about it first so you better understand how to get the most out of your equipment. I hope what I have posted gets you started int he right direction

WHY HAS MY APPLE IMAC GONE REALLY SLOW

HI all,
i have a 17 inch imac i gig ram 160 gb hdd
after installing opera (which i have now deleted) my mac has turned really slow
i turn it on then it loads for about 15 minutes..... then it goes into mac and haveto wait another 15 minutes for it to return to normal then only can i use it normally
can nayone help
regrds
shakeel

Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
Let me refer you to an excellent website about maintaining Mac OS X. It also has great troubleshooting tips and ideas. The site is maintained by a regular contributor to the Apple Discussions, Dr. Smoke. The site is the X Lab.
Some of the things that you might try are Repairing Permissions from Apps/Utilities/Disk Utility. Resetting the PRAM. Also making sure that the Cron Scripts have actually been running on your Mac. The X Lab can instruct you in all of these ideas and more.

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.

Really slow harddisk operations

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