iMac running slow, no obvious reason

[dsiim]

I've got an iMac late 2006 model, have been using it 3 years. About a month ago it started running slow and constantly got the spinning wheel. I've then upgraded it from Tiger to SL and added a total of 4 GB ram instead of the previously 1 GB.

A week ago it went deadly slow, more than ever. I managed to run Disk Utility and Disk Permission said something about "open error 5: input/output error". I've since made a zero out data and installed SL again, so everything should be fresh. Now its starting to run slow again, using a lot of thinking time in Safari and some lack in iTunes. Disk Permission now said something with AirPort settings being "80 when they should be 0". I'm not using AirPort.
Also Youtube, Vimeo etc constantly stops even when its fully streamed.

I have no idea what the problem is. I haven't tried resetting the PRAM, but could this be issue? Also i've tried deleting the "com.apple.audio.coreaudiod.plist"

Anybody got some ideas?

Specs:
iMac "Core 2 Duo" 2.16 20-Inch
4 GB ram (probably only using 3 GB)
ATI Radeon X1600 graphics
128 MB of GDDR3

 

[taylortm]

I managed to run Disk Utility and Disk Permission said something about "open error 5: input/output error".

That line suggests trouble in River City.

Try running Console (just type "Console" into your Spotlight search bar). Within Console, look at the upper left... make sure it's showing all logs, then make sure you're clicked on "All Messages." Now, looking at the Console Log, scroll back a few pages (up) and see if you see similar errors about Input/Output or Bus timeout errors.

I fear your internal hard drive may be reaching end of life.

If you're not already backing up, you might be in trouble. But, I would suggest trying to get your data backed up ASAP. If your HD is indeed failing, you'll want to replace it and restore it from your backup.

 

[dsiim]

I've been keeping an eye on Console and can't seem to find any input/output error. I'm getting some notes about itunes (number 1 to 499) and some invalid CGContext in Adobe Illustrator, but nothing major.

Replacing the HD on a iMac 20" 2006 - that doesn't sound like an easy task?

 

[rWally]

I've been keeping an eye on Console and can't seem to find any input/output error. I'm getting some notes about itunes (number 1 to 499) and some invalid CGContext in Adobe Illustrator, but nothing major.

Replacing the HD on a iMac 20" 2006 - that doesn't sound like an easy task?

Will probably run you $100 or so at a local authorized shop. You can save yourself around $40 if you want to try it yourself.

Here are instructions if you're interested:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/...C-2105-and-2118-Hard-Drive-Replacement/1092/1