Slow computer - help!

I have a 12in G4 Powerbook that is about 3 years old. It's running OS X Tiger and has been really slow lately. I have never had any trouble out of it, I just don't know what to do to make it faster. I know I could buy more RAM, but I want to buy a new computer soon and don't want to waste the money.
Does anyone have any tips on how to make it run faster?
Powerbook G4 12 in.   Mac OS X (10.4.7)  

Hi and Welcome to Apple Discussions
I have an iBook G4 as well and it runs great...well I REALLY want a new Mac Pro for speed. So we're in the same boat I want to sell mine as well.
Here are some tips taht you can use to make your life a bit better until you buy a new Mac!
1. How much HD space have you got left? if its any less than a 1GB I suggest you clean up a litlle bit.
2. Delete unused programs that no longer seem to offer any benefit.
3. RAM for the iBook is really cheap these days > check ebay for 512MB and you can decide whether its something you want to go for or not. If you have the 800MHz PPC version as I do it cannot have more than 640MB of Ram (128MB + 512MB). Check and see if its a worth investment.
My mac runs okay, and I'm typing from it right know. So its great for everyday use.
4. If you have a large amount of music > consider a mobile firewire/usb external HD. get the one without power brick. eg. the Lacie Brick http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/range.htm?id=10036
and transfer all your songs to it. Its really small the lacie and its something I can have with me in my bag wherever I travel with the ibook 12" as well.
5. Check versiontracker.com there is a program if I can remember called Cocktail (i don't use it) but I think its use to check and repair your system for faults.
6. Use disk utiility as well to repair any permissions
Hope this helps

Similar Messages

  • HP Network Software causing SLOW computer.....need help

    I am in the hurt locker.  I have an an Office Pro 8600 that is wirelessly conncted.  This software is causing significant slow computer issues. 
    Under the windows task manager, there is a file that keeps replicating itself called HPNetworkCo.... and it will replicate itself a few thousand times to the point where I have about 2,000 of these processes running and all my CPU usage is taken up.  It will add one process about every few seconds rendering the PC useless in about 1 to 2 hours and requiring a re-boot to scrub them.....then it starts over.
    Any ideas?

    What other error messages and oddities is your operating system showing to you? 
    The description you have given sounds more like an operating system issue rather than a printer software issue.
    Best regards,
    erico
    ****Please click on Accept As Solution if a suggestion solves your problem. It helps others facing the same problem to find a solution easily****
    2015 Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience Consumer

  • Slow computer after logicboard replacement/ any way to retrieve 18 month old receipts

    I purchased a Macbook Pro in August of 2008 and have been generally pleased with it. About a month ago it stopped turning on so I brought it in to the Apple store. They claimed that the video card was fried and that they would need to replace the entire logic board. The computer has been out of warranty for a little while now so I was seriously debating shelling out the $330 to replace the logic board. The genius guy assured me that it would run like new once it was replaced so I went ahead and did it. When I got it back, I soon noticed that everything was running slower. Over the last month, the computer has gotten so slow its almost unusable, so I started snooping into the computer a little bit. I noticed that I had 2 gb of memory. I think I originally installed 4 gb of memory but I cant be sure. I checked for the receipt but its nowhere to be found. Not too surprising considering how long its been sicne I originally bought the computer. I looked up the standard specs on everymac.com and found that 2 gb was the baseline. I am pretty sure Ive upgraded the memory on every computer I've ever gotten which further deepens my suspicion.  Now, I dont know for sure if I actually had 4 gb of memory and I dont want to start ranting and raving at the apple store about how the evil repairmen stole 2 gb of memory from me if I am not sure. Does anyone know of a way to check what was originally in my computer? If it turns out im simply forgetful, does anyone have any ideas about the slow computer following logicboard replacement? A quick google search let me know that I am not the only one with this problem but didnt turn up much in the way of help. Thanks so much.

    I purchased a Macbook Pro in August of 2008 and have been generally pleased with it. About a month ago it stopped turning on so I brought it in to the Apple store. They claimed that the video card was fried and that they would need to replace the entire logic board. The computer has been out of warranty for a little while now so I was seriously debating shelling out the $330 to replace the logic board. The genius guy assured me that it would run like new once it was replaced so I went ahead and did it. When I got it back, I soon noticed that everything was running slower. Over the last month, the computer has gotten so slow its almost unusable, so I started snooping into the computer a little bit. I noticed that I had 2 gb of memory. I think I originally installed 4 gb of memory but I cant be sure. I checked for the receipt but its nowhere to be found. Not too surprising considering how long its been sicne I originally bought the computer. I looked up the standard specs on everymac.com and found that 2 gb was the baseline. I am pretty sure Ive upgraded the memory on every computer I've ever gotten which further deepens my suspicion.  Now, I dont know for sure if I actually had 4 gb of memory and I dont want to start ranting and raving at the apple store about how the evil repairmen stole 2 gb of memory from me if I am not sure. Does anyone know of a way to check what was originally in my computer? If it turns out im simply forgetful, does anyone have any ideas about the slow computer following logicboard replacement? A quick google search let me know that I am not the only one with this problem but didnt turn up much in the way of help. Thanks so much.

  • My Macbook Pro(I bought in November 2012) 8 GB Ram, Suddenly Running Super Slow Please Help Me

    Hello Experts ,
    Please help me
    my macbook Suddenly Running Very slow not vey its super slow please help i am attaching Report
    EtreCheck version: 2.1.8 (121)
    Report generated February 5, 2015 at 6:04:18 AM PST
    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 (13-inch, Mid 2012) (Technical Specifications)
        MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro9,2
        1 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7 CPU: 2-core
        8 GB RAM Upgradeable
            BANK 0/DIMM0
                4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
            BANK 1/DIMM0
                4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
        Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported
        Wireless:  en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
        Battery Health: Normal - Cycle count 410
    Video Information: ℹ️
        Intel HD Graphics 4000
            Color LCD 1280 x 800
    System Software: ℹ️
        OS X 10.10.2 (14C109) - Time since boot: 10:25:19
    Disk Information: ℹ️
        TOSHIBA MK7559GSXF disk0 : (750.16 GB)
            EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
            Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>  [Recovery]: 650 MB
            Macintosh HD (disk1) / : 748.93 GB (242.19 GB free)
                Core Storage: disk0s2 749.30 GB Online
        MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-8A8 
    USB Information: ℹ️
        Logitech USB Receiver
        Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
        Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub
            Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
        Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
        Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
    Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️
        Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
    Configuration files: ℹ️
        /etc/hosts - Count: 1
    Gatekeeper: ℹ️
        Mac App Store and identified developers
    Kernel Extensions: ℹ️
            /Library/Extensions
        [not loaded]    com.BlackBerry.driver.USBCDCNCM (1.0.10 - SDK 10.7) [Click for support]
        [not loaded]    com.rim.driver.BlackBerryVirtualPrivateNetwork (1.0.18 - SDK 10.8) [Click for support]
        [not loaded]    foo.tap (1.0) [Click for support]
        [not loaded]    foo.tun (1.0) [Click for support]
            /System/Library/Extensions
        [not loaded]    com.cisco.nke.ipsec (1.0.0) [Click for support]
        [loaded]    com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverInt (0.0.97) [Click for support]
        [not loaded]    com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverVSP (0.0.97) [Click for support]
        [not loaded]    com.tomtom.driver.UsbEthernetGadget (1.0.0d1) [Click for support]
    Startup Items: ℹ️
        CiscoVPN: Path: /System/Library/StartupItems/CiscoVPN
        Startup items are obsolete in OS X Yosemite
    Problem System Launch Agents: ℹ️
        [loaded]    com.paragon.NTFS.trial.plist [Click for support]
        [loaded]    com.paragon.NTFS.upd.plist [Click for support]
    Launch Agents: ℹ️
        [loaded]    com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist [Click for support]
        [running]    com.teamviewer.teamviewer.plist [Click for support]
        [running]    com.teamviewer.teamviewer_desktop.plist [Click for support]
        [running]    jp.co.canon.CUPSCMFP.BG.plist [Click for support]
        [running]    jp.co.canon.UFR2.BG.plist [Click for support]
    Launch Daemons: ℹ️
        [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]
        [loaded]    com.chungwasoft.Shimo.plist [Click for support]
        [loaded]    com.google.keystone.daemon.plist [Click for support]
        [loaded]    com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent.plist [Click for support]
        [loaded]    com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist [Click for support]
        [loaded]    com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist [Click for support]
        [running]    com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist [Click for support]
        [running]    com.rim.tunmgr.plist [Click for support]
        [loaded]    com.teamviewer.Helper.plist [Click for support]
        [running]    com.teamviewer.teamviewer_service.plist [Click for support]
    User Launch Agents: ℹ️
        [not loaded]    com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist [Click for support]
        [loaded]    com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.diskSpaceWatcher.plist [Click for support]
        [loaded]    com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.scheduledScan.plist [Click for support]
        [loaded]    com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.trashWatcher.plist [Click for support]
    User Login Items: ℹ️
        None
    Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
        JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 8 Update 31 Check version
        FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 16.0.0.305 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
        Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10
        AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 10.1.12 [Click for support]
        AdobePDFViewer: Version: 10.1.12 [Click for support]
        Flash Player: Version: 16.0.0.305 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
        QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
        SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.2.4 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
        googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]
        Silverlight: Version: 5.1.10411.0 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
        iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0 - SDK 10.8
    Safari Extensions: ℹ️
        AdBlock
        iTube Studio
    3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
        AirServer  [Click for support]
        Flash Player  [Click for support]
        Flip4Mac WMV  [Click for support]
        Java  [Click for support]
        Paragon NTFS for Mac ® OS X  [Click for support]
    Time Machine: ℹ️
        Time Machine not configured!
    Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
            31%    TeamViewer_Desktop
            20%    WindowServer
             1%    launchd
             1%    TeamViewer_Service
             0%    UFR II BackGrounder
    Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
        180 MB    mds_stores
        172 MB    Finder
        103 MB    WindowServer
        88 MB    TeamViewer_Desktop
        86 MB    mds
    Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️
        2.87 GB    Free RAM
        4.13 GB    Active RAM
        523 MB    Inactive RAM
        1.07 GB    Wired RAM
        2.58 GB    Page-ins
        0 B    Page-outs
    Diagnostics Information: ℹ️
        Feb 4, 2015, 11:25:03 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Activity Monitor_2015-02-04-232503_[redacted].crash
        Feb 4, 2015, 07:27:24 PM    Self test - passed
        Feb 2, 2015, 07:47:02 PM    /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/TeamViewer_2015-02-02-194702_[ redacted].crash
        Feb 2, 2015, 06:37:06 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Microsoft Word_2015-02-02-183706_[redacted].hang
        Feb 2, 2015, 06:33:40 PM    /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/AdobeAcrobat_2015-02-02-183340 _[redacted].crash

    Remove Clean My Mac: http://macpaw.com/support/cleanmymac/knowledgebase/how-to-uninstall-cleanmymac-2
    If you are not using TeamViewer, remove it also. If you had it running while you ran Etrecheck, then it doesn't need to be removed.
    ~Lyssa

  • Places feature in iPhoto '09 superrr slow! Help!

    I've got a very big problem. Places feature in iPhoto 09 is so slow. The thing is that I thought that this problem was caused by slow computer.... I previouslu owned iMac Core Duo. But now I bought the newest one... Alu Core 2 Duo 2.66GHz... And I'm still occuring this problem? Is it possible that there is some error with my library? I exported it from my previous system and selected it on my new Mac when I was starting iPhoto for the first time (with alt button). Can anyone help me? I would be grateful.

    Just a few questions to get us started: When you say that you exported your library from your previous system did you copy/transfer the whole of the folder iPhoto Library to the new system without making any modifications to it? How many photos have you in your library? Are you using the same version of iPhoto? You might try some of the rebuild option available when restarting iPhoto while holding down alt and cmd.

  • Super slow computer and doesn't shut down

    Hi all,
    I think it is only fair to come and share with you an issue I had with my 2011 Mac Pro runing on Lion 10.7.3. The computer is just a few months old. For a month or so I started experiencing a SUPER slow computer. To illustrate, it would slow down suddently and would take 10 minutes to give me the About this Mac info. After hard shutdown it would get normal again for a few hours. This happen usually while using Google Docs, and after trouble shooting and not getting anywhere... reseting power management (SMC), etc... Just to test I de-activated the Kaspersky Anti-Virus software for Mac, thinking that it may have been the cause while working on Google Docs... and it work!
    One problem solve... but I run into another one. The computer would freeze after shuting down, and the screen would be gray with the little turning wheel... Every day from there I had to do the hard shutdown... not healthy for the computer of course... After re-installing the operating system, going back and forth with Apple Care Specialist (very helpful and nice people), and spending hours figuring the problem out... I decided to un-install completely the Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac, but downloading the 'free' version and using the un-installer from the package... After this my computer shuts down everytime and goes to sleep normally. This saved me from formatting the HD and doing a clean installation of Lion - which was my next step if things didn't work according to Mac support.
    I still have the Kaspersky for the parallels side of the computer and that doesn't seem to be an issue. I hope this saves some people the trouble, the frustration and the MANY hours of trying to figure it what's wrong with the computer.
    I have read many blogs, and articles and none of them pointed at Kaspersky... I found issues with Parallels, Office for Mac, etc but I guess after the last Lion update thing went south with the anti virus software... and of course my computer! Now we're all happy again!

    Something is causing it to not shut down, more than likely some process that refuses to quit. Do all of your applications quit when you shut down or do you have to force quit any of them? You also should look in your console messages and see if perhaps there is a clue there.
    When you ran Disk Utility did you get the message that the "drive appears to be o.k." or did you get some other message?
    Do you have problems with freezing in general or just when you are installing applications? When you say freezes do you mean you get the spinning beachball or does it freeze and you can't do anything including moving the cursor?
    Do you use a lot of widgets in Dashboard? Sometimes they will cause problems. If you have loaded any of them recently you might try removing them and see if that helps with the shutdown issue.

  • My I photo is taking forever to load. When it does load everything runs super slow. Help!

    My I Photo is taking forever to load my pictures. When they finally load, everything I do  in I photo is super slow. Help!

    With the amount of information you've provided it's impossible to offer a solution.  We can't see your computer so we need to know the details of your problem and setup, i.e.:
    what version of iPhoto are you using?
    what system version are you running?
    what fixes have you tried?
    where is your library located?
    did you apply any updates or upgrades just prior to the problem occurring?
    are you running a "managed" or "referenced" library?
    what type of Mac?
    how much free space on your boot drive?

  • Constant unresponsive script warnings - constant - no particular site - just slows computer- now using Explorer (not a fan) but computer now running smoothly. in English

    Constant "unresponsive script" warnings - no particular site - slows computer for considerable time. Now using Explorer (not a fan) but computer running smoothly. I believe the problem is with Firefox. What can be done so I can go back to Firefox?
    == This happened ==
    Every time Firefox opened
    == User Agent ==
    Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)

    I noted Dino had the same problem..many things crossed my mind..could it be my computer, could it be two other browsers parked in my computer but not be using as a default, or is it Firefox...I have not received any specific answers without spending a lot of bucks for professional help..any suggestions would be beneficial..Rob [email protected].Firefox Default user

  • I accientally synced my iPhone to 2 different computers. Now my older apps are on one computer and new apps are on another.  Every time I try to sync all apps on one computer it takes the other apps of and just syncs what is on that computer - Help please

    I accientally synced my iPhone to 2 different computers. Now my older apps are on one computer and new apps are on another.  Every time I try to sync all apps on one computer it takes the other apps of and just syncs what is on that computer - Help please
    I cannot for the life of me figure this out.

    What you need to do is connect your phone to iTunes but do not click sync.  Go to File at the top and click transfer purchases from phone, that'll put all your apps into iTunes.  When it's done transferring, locate your phone on the sidebar and click it.  Then find the apps option above the picture of your iphone, you can select which apps you want or don't want on your phone.  After selecting your apps then you can sync.  Once you do this you should never have your problem anymore.

  • Time machine slows computer

    When TM does its hourly thing the computer slows dramatically for abut 5 minutes. Is it supposed to?
    If this is correct, is there a way I can ask TM to forget the hourly back up and do a daily only?
    Geoff

    on an older and slower computer like yours (your profile indicates 1GHz iMac G4) this will happen, yes. I had this problem with my powerbook. Try [TimeMachineEditor|http://timesoftware.free.fr/timemachineeditor> to change the backup intervals.

  • I'm getting a box pop up that says Adobe Disteller - error 5 and nothing is working right on my computer - help!

    i'm getting a box pop up that says Adobe Disteller - error 5 and nothing is working right on my computer - help!

    Hi jeffreyl82842175,
    Please check out this discussion and see if it applies to your situation: Keep getting Acrobat Distiller Error 5 everytime my computer turns on and I try to print a PDF...PLEASE HELP!!! (Install…
    If that doesn't solve the issue for you, please provide a few more details about when the error occurs (when you open Acrobat, or try to print to PDF, and so on). Also let us know what version of Acrobat you're using, and on what operating system.
    Best,
    Sara

  • HT4946 i locked my new ipod touch and cant it back open from the computer help.?:(

    i locked my new ipod touch and cant it back open from the computer help.?:

    First:
    - See:       
    iPod touch: Hardware troubleshooting
    - Try another cable. Some 5G iPods were shipped with defect cables
    - Try another charging source
    - Inspect the dock connector for bent or missing contacts, foreign material, corroded contacts, broken, missing or cracked plastic.
    - Make an appointment at the Genus Bar of an Apple store.
    Apple Retail Store - Genius Bar
    If you get it to charge then:
    iOS: Device not recognized in iTunes for Windows
    or
    iOS: Device not recognized in iTunes for Mac OS X

  • Slow computer and Prebinding Woes

    Greetings.
    I have been experiencing slow overall system performance as of late on my Dual 2.0GHZ G5. Normally, a repair permissions and prebind will solve this problem. I tried this last night, however when I ran prebinding from the terminal, it asked for my password, and after I entered it, the terminal hung for about 15 seconds and the next line I get reads c-67-161-216-202:~"my user name"$
    Then I get the little rectangle cursor as if the terminal is waiting for a new command.
    The lines of text I would expect to follow after I enter my password no longer apear.
    I don't know if it makes any diference, but I did experience a kernal panic a few weeks ago.
    Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
    Dave.

    First, there's no need to ever do prebinding unless you are using OS X 10.1.x or earlier. Repairing permissions also won't make a slowing computer run faster. Your computer may be running slower because you need more RAM or maybe just need to do an occasional restart. It could also slow down due to large cache and log files that need clearing (use TinkerTool System.) If the problem is due to hard drive corruption then use Disk Utility to repair the hard drive. Unless you are having permissions related problems there's no need to repair permissions.
    Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on maintenance and optimization. Following is my suggestions on maintenance:
    Kappy's Personal 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 called Macaroni that will automate the maintenance activity regardless of whether the computer is turned off or asleep.
    OS X automatically defrags 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.
    I would also recommend downloading the shareware utility TinkerTool System that you can use for periodic maintenance such as removing old logfiles and archives, clearing caches, etc.
    When you install any new system software or updates be sure to repair the hard drive and permissions beforehand. I also recommend booting into safe mode before doing system software updates.
    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 significant):
    1. Retrospect Desktop (Commercial - not yet universal binary)
    2. Synchronize! Pro X (Commercial)
    3. Deja Vu (Shareware)
    4. SuperDuper (Commercial)
    5. Carbon Copy Cloner (Freeware - not universal binary.)
    6. LaCie SilverKeeper (Freeware)
    7. MimMac (Shareware)
    8. RsynchX 2.1 and PsyncX 2.2.1 (Freeware)
    Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQs on maintenance, optimization, virus protection, and backup and restore.

  • I'm currently running 10.6.8 and would like to upgrade to mountain lion but all i keep getting is the following: We could not complete your purchase. OS X Mountain Lion is not compatible with this computer. help

    I'm currently running 10.6.8 and would like to upgrade to mountain lion but all i keep getting is the following: We could not complete your purchase. OS X Mountain Lion is not compatible with this computer. help

    ERA AND MCM wrote:
    We could not complete your purchase. OS X Mountain Lion is not compatible with this computer.
    it means exactly that, you mac is not compatible to run ML. http://support.apple.com/kb/SP654

  • What's the best fix for a slow computer?

    What's the best fix for a slow computer?

    What model computer? What are your primary uses and apps?
    First thing anyone can do is replace or upgrade the system boot drive to SSD. Makes a very nice improvement.
    How new or old is it? What version of OS X is it running?
    Maybe it won't run faster but could run better with more RAM.
    Take a look at all the tabs in Activity Monitor. If not on the Dock, go into Applications/Utilities and open it and keep it on the dock. Can tell you what is using your processor the most, RAM usage, disk and network I/O.
    Don't install things that aren't needed. That can be counter intuitive to some but 'less is more' and some just really pull a computer system down. Security programs, "clean up programs" and others.
    General purpose Mac troubleshooting guide:
    Isolating issues in Mac OS X
    Creating a temporary user to isolate user-specific problems:
    Isolating an issue by using another user account
    Identifying resource hogs and other tips:
    Using Activity Monitor to read System Memory and determine how much RAM is being used
    Starting the computer in "safe mode":
    Mac OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?
    To identify potential hardware problems:
    Apple Hardware Test
    General Mac maintenance:
    Tips to keep your Mac in top form

Maybe you are looking for