Too Slow To Work

[MichaelGoldberger]

Hello, My first time here. I've had my Mac Desktop for about two years, and in the past month it's ability to function has declined greatly. I've begun the process of backing up my files for an eventual factory reset, that said I'd rather not have to make that option. I've checked out some other forums with people who have similar problems, and I've attempted the suggested fixes. Some of them have worked, temporarily, others have not. I am aware you'll need much more information than I am providing you with, and I'm aware these aren't built to last forever, but there's no reason emptying two files from the garbage can or being able to select eject (not actually go through the operation of ejecting) an external should take over two minutes to complete.

Please let me know what information you need, and what if anything I can do to keep from having to wipe this thing back to the stone age.

Thanks.

 

[honestone]

OK, to start, here is what we need to know:

1. The exact Mac model you have.

2. The exact Mac OS you are using.

3. When you say "I've begun the process of backing up my files for an eventual factory reset,", what process/software are you using for that? And, what is the exact model of the external drive you are using?

4. How much free space is left on your internal drive?

5. What third party applications are you using? And, are they up to date?

6. Are you using either MacKeeper (real, real bad!), or CleanMyMac?

7. Have you been performing any disk cleanup/maintenance tasks on a periodic basis? (Just like any other mechanical device (a car is an excellent example), one needs to take care of it with periodic maintenance).

8. Do you happen to have a more advanced disk maintenance program like TechTool Pro or Disk Warrior?

I believe that is everything we would need for now.

 

[MichaelGoldberger]

Sorry about the delay.

1) iMac 13,2 (it's older than I thought)

2) OS X El Capitan Version 10.11.13

3) Im using two externals one is a Seagate the other is a MyPassport I'm not using any software to do so. I'm a bit fastidious about organization and separation of my work/personal files and prefer direct control.

4) I've got 572.65 GB free out of 999.35

5) Mostly I only ever use Photoshop CS6, FinalCut 7 , VLC Player, Chrome, RAR expander, Avast Antivirus, Skype, League of Legends. After checking the Updates section they all seem to be in their most current version

6) I wish I was using MacKeeper because solving this would have been much easier and am not using CleanMyMac (unless they're secretly running somewhere)

7) I have not, what should I do?

8) I do not, which should I get/do?

 

[MichaelGoldberger]

PS: thanks again!

 

[honestone]

First, that machine is not very old at all.

Secondly, you DO NOT WANT MacKeeper! That is one of the most perilous programs you can use on a Mac. And, CleanMyMac is not much better. There are numerous ways you can perform all the same tasks (and other things) with some effort on your part, and with good, proven software (both free and not free).

Now, the first thing you need to do is to do "real" backups. You can either do it for free, via Time Machine, or you can spend some money to purchase a product that will do a bootable backup/clone of your entire system. Time Machine is OK, but it is not such a simple process to recover from a Disaster with Time Machine. Yes, it can be done, but it does take some work. Myself, I use the excellent program called SuperDuper! to make a bootable backup/clone of my "system". I use it for both of my Macs, and it works very, very well. In fact, I have twice recovered from a minor disaster using its' recovery feature, and I was back in business quickly. The other excellent one is Carbon Copy Cloner. The primary difference is that Carbon Copy Cloner also backs up the hidden Recovery HD partition, whereas SuperDuper! does not (also, SuperDuper! is less expensive). But, that is not a concern for me, as 1) I already have the two excellent disk maintenance/repair programs TechTool Pro and Disk Warrior (along with having the necessary El Capitan OS files), and thus I do not need what is on the Recovery HD partition, and 2) I have an easy way to re-create that Recovery HD partition.

Here are the links for SuperDuper! and Carbon Copy Cloner:

SuperDuper! - http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html

Carbon Copy Cloner - https://bombich.com/

So, before starting on attempting anything "serious", you need to do backups.

As for #8, I already mentioned TechTool Pro and Disk Warrior. If you want to get serious about disk maintenance/repairs, you should invest in one (or both) of those. As I said, I have both, and every Saturday, I take the time to 1) do some disk cleanup using another excellent freeware program, Onyx:

http://www.titanium.free.fr/onyx.html

2) run numerous features of TechTool Pro, and 3) finally run SuperDuper!. I do this for both of my Macs, and I do two SuperDuper! backups to two different external drives for both of my Macs. Recently, someone on here asked me about that process. Here is the link where I answered that person:

https://www.mac-help.com/threads/a-question-for-honestone.221623/

Finally, here are the links for TechTool Pro and Disk Warrior:

TechTool Pro - https://www.micromat.com/products/techtool-pro

Disk Warrior - http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/

As you can see, TechTool Pro is less expensive, and it has some more tasks it can do. But, I have read (and it also happened to me once) that Disk Warrior can sometimes do "miraculous things" that other products can't do.

All 5 of those products (SuperDuper!, Carbon Copy Cloner, Onyx, TechTool Pro, and Disk Warrior) have been around for quite a long time, and they are proven, reliable programs which have also had (and continue to have) numerous, excellent reviews.

 

[cyberioten]

I would make a clean installation of Mac OS X - not an upgrade or reinstall. Make a bootable usb-drive with the installation files and boot from that drive. Delete and reformat you harddrive and install again. This has saved all my macs through time. Somehow Mac OS X are sanding up the drive making int slower.

Remember to backup all your user files before deleting. AND DO NOT reestablish OS X from a backup. This will port all you all settings that might be messed up.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

First thing I would try before performing a reinstall - either disable AVAST or uninstall it. That could easily be the culprit.

C

 

[cyberioten]

Well, feel free to take the detour. Sooner og later a complete reinstall is needed.

 

[honestone]

Well, feel free to take the detour. Sooner og later a complete reinstall is needed.

What Cory stated was not actually a detour. In fact, there are also some other critical tasks that one needs to do prior to doing such a clean installation. (Some of the following assumes that there has been no periodic maintenance on the internal hard drive/SSD).

First, do as much "safe" cleaning as possible.

Also, make sure one has all the necessary third party software upgraded to work with the new OS.

Second, make a complete backup of one's current drive to an external drive. Time Machine is OK, but software such as SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner is better, as either of those fine products will make a bootable backup/clone of your current "partially clean" system.

Assuming one only has Disk Utility as their disk maintenance tool, re-boot one's Mac from that just-created bootable backup, and run Disk Utility from there to perform more extensive checking/cleanup.

Next, re-boot the "clean" Mac. If all is well, make another bootable backup/clone to the same place as the prior one. Don't worry, each of the products I mentioned above will take care of the necessary "clean up" of the prior backup.

Then, re-boot from that new backup, and run Disk Utility from there to Erase and Format (and if necessary, partition) the internal dive on the Mac.

Next, perform a clean, "virgin" installation of the new OS. If that new OS is not the latest version, either go to the App Store to get it, or what is better, download the latest Combo Updater for the OS. For example, if the above steps lead to the installation for OS 10.11 (the initial one for El Capitan), the Combo Updater for OS 10.11.3 can be downloaded from here:

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1859?locale=en_US

Then, re-boot from the machine, and then use Migration Assistant to "migrate"/copy all the necessary/pertinent stuff from that backup to the machine. You'll then be finally in business.