Next step when re-imaging fails

[jjacob]

I just had a fresh install of OS X Sierra on a 2012 macbook pro that was experiencing severe performance issues as follows:

Programs extremely slow to open (minutes), frequent color wheels, spotlight extremely slow (minutes) even when recently indexed. All this without any memory pressure and without substantial CPU load. Hard drive reported to be functioning normally.

Within a day or so after bringing my Time Machine backup onto the re-imaged computer, the same performance issues returned (it's not clear to me whether they were ever gone or not--I am certain they began to reappear within a day).

My question is what a reasonable next step would be. Some kind of anti-malware purge? New computer? Other? Is it worth taking this computer back to the apple store for another appointment, or is re-imaging their "fix of last resort"?

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

If the issues reappeared after you restored the Time Machine backup, then there must be something in the previous install that was causing it. Know things that cause those issues are:

-Third-party apps like MacKeeper, CleanMyMac, antivirus software, some online backup systems like Carbonite, etc. Have any of those installed?
-Did you notice the slowness with the fresh install, before the Time Machine backup was restored? Or did you not try it out?
-What did you use to determine that the hard drive was functioning normally?

C