Extremely slow Macbook Pro (Mid 2010)

[esc1234]

Hi,

First post on these forums. I am using an old Macbook pro (2010) and did not have any problems while using the 10.6 OSX. Last year i updated to Mavericks and am currently using 10.9.5.


I noticed my MBP started being a bit laggy after updating the OS but just ignored it because it wasn't too bad. But over the past few days it has become significantly worse to the point where I get the loading wheel turning for minutes on end while just trying to scroll down a webpage in safari. Note I have done almost nothing for the upkeep of my MBP besides the odd wipe of the screen now and again


So far I have only looked at the activity monitor and noted that CPU usage was almost nil but my RAM usage was almost maxed out at 3.96Gb ram out of 4Gb. I closed a few apps running in the background but I have little improvement. I have read up on the RAM usage on macs and it seems that it is normal for the Mac to use all available RAM even when idle.


My question is where do I go from here? What are a few things I could check that might be at the root of the problem. Ive tried looking it up myself but there is a plethora of info out there and I don't know where to start.



Many thanks,


Mike

 

[CoastalOR]

You might be seeing signs of a problem with the hard drive or the SATA cable connected to it. Make sure you have a good backup of your system. Run Disk Utility to Verify/Repair (if necessary) your disk and try running the Apple Hardware Test (AHT).

 

[esc1234]

Well I think you might be right that it is a hard drive problem.

Prior to running disc utility as suggested I tried to run a timemachine backup. That failed. So I downloaded important files to an external hard drive that I thought wouldn't be in a previous timemachine backup. I then ran disc utility and almost immediately an error message appeared stating that there was an error in the hard drive and it could not be fixed.

Then with the help of someone else, we ran disc utility from the recovery partition which was accessed when the computer was booting. When we ran disc utility there another error message appeared stating that the error could not be fixed and that I should back up everything (in red writing no less).

I left it like that overnight and now this morning as I tried to exit the disc utilities in the recovery partition and restart the computer as normal I am now getting the initial startup white screen with the apple logo followed by a black screen. Nothing! The startup is now failing.

This seems really bad. Does it mean I need a new hard drive? Is there any way of accessing the files on my hard drive? I think I got most of what was important but there might be one or two more things on there I would like to get.

Any ideas on where to go from here?


Many thanks for your reply btw CoastalOR. It was very helpful indeed!

Mike

 

[Weaselboy]

This seems really bad. Does it mean I need a new hard drive? Is there any way of accessing the files on my hard drive? I think I got most of what was important but there might be one or two more things on there I would like to get.

That does sound like a failed drive. It is less common, but it could also be a bad drive cable like CoastalOR mentioned.

You might try getting a USB enclosure and putting the drive in there to see if it can be read that way.

 

[CoastalOR]

Then with the help of someone else, we ran disc utility from the recovery partition which was accessed when the computer was booting. When we ran disc utility there another error message appeared stating that the error could not be fixed and that I should back up everything (in red writing no less).

Does it mean I need a new hard drive? Is there any way of accessing the files on my hard drive? I think I got most of what was important but there might be one or two more things on there I would like to get.
Any ideas on where to go from here?

Normally when you get those messages from Disk Utility you have to erase your HDD and reinstall your OS and then data from backup, but if you have an internal drive problem then you need to fix the hardware before fixing the software.

Do you have the install disks that came with you 2010 MBP?

Have you done a Time Machine backup since installing OS 10.9.5?

Can you still boot from your Recovery partition (command+r)? If you can then Disk Warrior MIGHT be able to repair your main boot volume directory, but it is expensive and in the end you still may need to replace hardware (hard drive or cable).

To troubleshoot the hardware you need to first determine if you have a HDD problem or a drive SATA cable problem. The best way is to remove your internal drive, place it in an external drive case, and try to boot from it externally. If it boots, then it is the internal SATA cable and all your data should be accessible. If it does not boot then it is your drive.

If it is the HDD then you need to get a new drive (consider this a good time to step up to a SSD), install the drive, boot from your time machine backup or install DVD, erase (format) your new drive for GUID partition Mac OS Extended (Journaled), and restore your system from the time machine backup. You may have to use data recovery software or a service to recover old data from the failed drive.

If it is the cable then you have to get a new cable, install it, and reinstall your internal drive.

What size screen does your 2010 MBP have so I can find some hardware install guide links for you?

 

[esc1234]

Do you have the install disks that came with you 2010 MBP?

Unfortunately not

Have you done a Time Machine backup since installing OS 10.9.5?

No, as far as I can remember I don't think so. The last backup I did with time machine I had still had snow leopard running. But is there any way I can check to verify this?

Also, is this a bad thing if indeed I haven't a backup with the Mavericks OS installed?

Can you still boot from your Recovery partition (command+r)? If you can then Disk Warrior MIGHT be able to repair your main boot volume directory, but it is expensive and in the end you still may need to replace hardware (hard drive or cable).

I can boot from the Recovery partition but if Disc Warrior is expensive then it would not be worth it as my really valuable data is backed up. There's only bits and pieces on my malfunctioning hard drive that would be nice to get back but not all that important

To troubleshoot the hardware you need to first determine if you have a HDD problem or a drive SATA cable problem. The best way is to remove your internal drive, place it in an external drive case, and try to boot from it externally. If it boots, then it is the internal SATA cable and all your data should be accessible. If it does not boot then it is your drive.

I'll look up these external drive cases and see if there is a pc shop near me that sells them. But that means I must open up my machine and take out the hard drive myself. I'm assuming it's fairly easy but it's something I haven't done before :/

What size screen does your 2010 MBP have so I can find some hardware install guide links for you?

I have a 13" MBP purchased around July/August 2010.

Jeez this has been a BIG help. I would be absolutely lost without this and probably sending my machine to a costly repair shop. Thanks a million CoastalOR and Weaselboy!!

 

[CoastalOR]

OP: Not having the Install DVD and recent Time Machine backup limits our options. The trick is to have a method to format your new Hard Drive which means a way to run Disk Utility. If the Install DVD was available you could boot from the DVD, then run Disk Utility to format the new drive in the external case. If the Time Machine backup was available from 10.7 on it also backs up the Recovery partition which means you could boot from the Time Machine, run Disk Utility, and format the new drive in the external enclosure.

It is good that you can still boot from the Recovery partition, but it resides on the possibly failing HDD, so it could also be lost. If the Recovery partition keeps working then it could be used to format you new drive. What is your access options for OS 10.9.5?

MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement instructions.
MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2010 Hard Drive Cable Replacement instructions.

Make sure you have the correct tools, see the tools posted in the repair guides.

 

[esc1234]

Apologies, I have been travelling the past few days and haven't had time for my malfunctioning machine.

OP: If the Install DVD was available you could boot from the DVD, then run Disk Utility to format the new drive in the external case.

I have actually found the osx install dvd that was shipped with the machine since I posted last. So this it seems is good news then. Does this mean i dont need the external closure to test if my hard drive is working and it is in fact the cable connecting to it?

OP:What is your access options for OS 10.9.5?

Sorry but what do you mean by access options?

OP:
MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement instructions.
MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2010 Hard Drive Cable Replacement instructions.

These look awesome. Thank you. Very well explained and provide everything necessary. Im a bit wary of going in and doing it myself but if it saves some money it's well worth!

Also, does it matter that my machine was bought in Europe and these kits seem to be sent from the US? They aren't region specific or anything like that?

 

[CoastalOR]

I have actually found the osx install dvd that was shipped with the machine since I posted last. So this it seems is good news then. Does this mean i dont need the external closure to test if my hard drive is working and it is in fact the cable connecting to it?

You will still need the external drive enclosure to place your internal drive in it to try booting your Mac. If it boots fine and tests fine, then the problem is your drive cable. If you have to replace a bad drive then the external drive enclosure can be used for the new drive to format and install the OS to insure it works fine before placing the new drive in the MBP.

The install DVD will be used to start your MBP (boot from it holding the c key at startup), erase (format) the new Hard Drive (if you get one), and install the OS on the new drive (10.6 from the DVD if you do not have 10.9.5 available). I would suggest that you try booting from your install DVD to verify that it works.

Sorry but what do you mean by access options?

How will you reinstall OS 10.9.5? Do you have the full installer already downloaded and available? Do you have to re-download it from the App Store?

Also, does it matter that my machine was bought in Europe and these kits seem to be sent from the US? They aren't region specific or anything like that?

No, it does not matter. They are not region specific. The purpose of the links was to show you the process and needed tools. You might be able to find the parts and tools you need in Europe by searching around.

 

[esc1234]

Well it took a while but I finally managed to get a new hard drive in my machine. It turned out it was indeed the hard drive that went and the SATA cable was still working. So I have just put in a new 500Gb HD and installed Mac OSX 10.6.3 from my install disk.

However when I connect my external hard drive with time machine backup, the hard drive is recognized by my machine and when I enter time machine I can see my last backup on the timeline but it is not allowing me to select or restore from the previous backup. Why would this be so? Is it necessary perhaps to have the same version of OSX as I had when I did the backup?

With regards to the Mavericks OSX on my previous broken Hard Drive. I don't have the installer for that so I can't install it at this point.

 

[saudor]

Yes you would need that version of OSX to restore. However, can't you boot from the time machine drive itself? I could have sworn that was possible - or maybe it was old versions only..

Anyhow, hold down the option key while booting and see if booting from time machine is an option

 

[Weaselboy]

Yes you would need that version of OSX to restore. However, can't you boot from the time machine drive itself? I could have sworn that was possible - or maybe it was old versions only..

Anyhow, hold down the option key while booting and see if booting from time machine is an option

Yep... you can option key boot to a local TM backup since Lion. You can't run the system, but it will get you a recovery serene where you can use Disk Util to format a new drive then restore the OS and all data.

 

[Tony.Msfv]

You will still need the external drive enclosure to place your internal drive in it to try booting your Mac. If it boots fine and tests fine, then the problem is your drive cable. If you have to replace a bad drive then the external drive enclosure can be used for the new drive to format and install the OS to insure it works fine before placing the new drive in the MBP.

The install DVD will be used to start your MBP (boot from it holding the c key at startup), erase (format) the new Hard Drive (if you get one), and install the OS on the new drive (10.6 from the DVD if you do not have 10.9.5 available). I would suggest that you try booting from your install DVD to verify that it works.

How will you reinstall OS 10.9.5? Do you have the full installer already downloaded and available? Do you have to re-download it from the App Store?
No, it does not matter. They are not region specific. The purpose of the links was to show you the process and needed tools. You might be able to find the parts and tools you need in Europe by searching around.

1-Upgrade your ram to the max
2-Upgrade your hard drive with a Solid State 500GB
Fix Preference File And Permission With Onix Or Coktail.
see how it goes... cheers