MAC running at slow speed

[kunda]

I am having a number of problems with my 14th month old Macbook.

My wifi is slow whilst my room mate who uses a PC gets a much faster speed.

My general processing speed is slowing down even though i have done a system clean using "Clean My Mac"

Safari is like a snail so I have given up completely and have been using Chrome which initially was great but the past few weeks it also is slowing down, behaves strangely and wont let me sign into either my Twitter or YouTube but again my flat mate who also uses Chrome but on a |PC has no problem with these.

I am wondering if I have a virus or well honestly dont know what is going on but things are not working as smoothly as 6 months ago and this is not what I expected from a MAC having had years and years of using sluggish PCs.

Thank you

 

[MisterMe]

I am having a number of problems with my 14th month old Macbook.

...

My general processing speed is slowing down even though i have done a system clean using "Clean My Mac"

...

I am wondering if I have a virus ...

OK. You do not have a virus.

Clean My Mac is a waste of money. Beyond that, you have given no relevant information what might be the cause of your problem. You have not even stated which version of MacOS X you are running.

Before responding to this post, make sure that you have at least 10% of your hard drive capacity available as free space. Many recommend 15%. If you can reach 15%, then go for it.

 

[kunda]

I have 60GB of hard drive space roughly 1/3left and I am using the latest MAC OS 10.5.8

I dont know what other information to provide?

Thank you

 

[coolbits]

You biggest problem is Clean My Mac and other "optimizing" software... this is not windows.

 

[kunda]

All I want is some help

I added myclean two days ago - long after the problem started which is why I thought to try it. I was hoping to sort out the problem myself and since it didnt help I came to this forum.

I know this is not windows. Why are you so unhelpful? I thought this was a forum to help people not make us feel like we shouldnt even seek help.



I would appreciate some useful advice if that is not too much trouble

Thank you

 

[miles01110]

I came to this forum to get help not to be treated like a fool. It is really disappointing when someone seeks advice from what is supposed to be a forum a community and gets next to nothing.

You got sound advice on how to go about getting help to solve your problem. You haven't provided much relevant information, and certainly didn't in your first post.

I posted I had multiple problems with the overall speed of my Mac Book which was impacting on my ITunes, my surfing and generally sluggishness compared to 6 months ago.

That's great. Re-read this paragraph- what are we supposed to do with the information you provided? You've described the symptoms, any of which could be due to any number of different causes.

I would appreciate some useful advice if that is not too much trouble

Then provide some useful information, if that is not too much trouble. MisterMe's response wasn't supposed to be condescending, it was meant to inform you that your original request for help cannot be acted upon further without some necessary information.

You could start by posting the exact specs of your Macbook as found in Apple Menu -> System Profiler (processor, amount of RAM would probably be most helpful).

Then, you could briefly describe what you use your network for. Is your roommate viewing text webpages while you're trying to view Youtube videos, for example? Are you downloading torrents? What kind of internet connection is it?

...these are just starting points.

 

[snberk103]

As well as the information requested already....

Do you tend to add "extensions" and what-not to the OS and to Safari? i.e. little programs to make Finder and Safari do more things? If you do, some of them can really bog down the system.

Look at activity monitor, and check the CPU - sort by CPU when the system is bogging down. Is there a process hogging the CPU? Also check the Memory tab when the system is bogging down. For what you need to check, Wired and Active are the same thing - are they using up virtually all RAM? Free and Inactive, again just for the moment are the same thing, should be showing more than a sliver. You can sort the monitor by Real Memory to see what is hogging memory, if you think something is.

Start with these, and report back.

Incidentally, when starting a thread you might get more responses if the thread title was more specific. "Multiple Mac problems" can be interpreted several different ways, and people who respond to calls for help are usually looking for problems that they know something about. So - "Mac Book slows down surfing the internet" will attract the interest of people who are interested in Safari and Network problems. As opposed to people who think you have a problem with too many Macs.

 

[MisterMe]

...

I know this is not windows. ....

The fact that you are not running Windows does not reduce your obligation to describe your problem as best you can when asking for help to solve your problem.

This is what you said in your OP:

My wifi is slow whilst my room mate who uses a PC gets a much faster speed.

My general processing speed is slowing down even though i have done a system clean using "Clean My Mac"

Safari is like a snail so I have given up completely and have been using Chrome which initially was great but the past few weeks it also is slowing down, behaves strangely and wont let me sign into either my Twitter or YouTube but again my flat mate who also uses Chrome but on a |PC has no problem with these.

Complaint No. 1 We know nothing about your Mac. We know nothing about your roommate's PC. We know nothing about you. We know nothing about your roommate. We have no idea what you mean by "slow."

Complaint No. 2 Again, we have no idea how you are determining that "processing speed is slowing down." We have by now established that running Clean My Mac was a bad idea.

Complain No. 3 Again undefined phrases including "like a snail." However, you do hint at the real problem. The fact that you can't log into Twitter and YouTube means that you do not have to credentials to do so. It sounds like that router that you are using has the required ports blocked.

In the absence of any other useful information from you, I suggest that you disable MacOS X's built-in firewall.

 

[Hellhammer]

Try the usual PRAM and SMC reset and repair permissions and verify the disk with Disk Utility. You could do a clean install of OS X as well.

 

[kunda]

You got sound advice on how to go about getting help to solve your problem. You haven't provided much relevant information, and certainly didn't in your first post.



That's great. Re-read this paragraph- what are we supposed to do with the information you provided? You've described the symptoms, any of which could be due to any number of different causes.



Then provide some useful information, if that is not too much trouble. MisterMe's response wasn't supposed to be condescending, it was meant to inform you that your original request for help cannot be acted upon further without some necessary information.

You could start by posting the exact specs of your Macbook as found in Apple Menu -> System Profiler (processor, amount of RAM would probably be most helpful).

Then, you could briefly describe what you use your network for. Is your roommate viewing text webpages while you're trying to view Youtube videos, for example? Are you downloading torrents? What kind of internet connection is it?

...these are just starting points.

I purchased my MacBook in May 2009 - my OS 10.5.8
HD = 148.73GB with 66.76GB available


Model Name:MacBook
Model Identifier:MacBook5,1
Processor Name:Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:2 GHz
Number Of Processors:1
Total Number Of Cores:2
L2 Cache:3 MB
Memory:2 GB
Bus Speed:1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version:MB51.007D.B03
SMC Version (system):1.40f2




My room mate and I use the network for the same eg Video, text, live streaming of news, sport, movies etc etc. Not downloading torrents. The connection is through Comcast Business

As well as the information requested already....

Do you tend to add "extensions" and what-not to the OS and to Safari? i.e. little programs to make Finder and Safari do more things? If you do, some of them can really bog down the system.

Look at activity monitor, and check the CPU - sort by CPU when the system is bogging down. Is there a process hogging the CPU? Also check the Memory tab when the system is bogging down. For what you need to check, Wired and Active are the same thing - are they using up virtually all RAM? Free and Inactive, again just for the moment are the same thing, should be showing more than a sliver. You can sort the monitor by Real Memory to see what is hogging memory, if you think something is.

Start with these, and report back.


Incidentally, when starting a thread you might get more responses if the thread title was more specific. "Multiple Mac problems" can be interpreted several different ways, and people who respond to calls for help are usually looking for problems that they know something about. So - "Mac Book slows down surfing the internet" will attract the interest of people who are interested in Safari and Network problems. As opposed to people who think you have a problem with too many Macs.

See my response re my system specifications. I no longer use Safari as it is impossibly slow even with the latest update - I have deleted all extensions including Growl already. I use Chrome. I use QuickSilver

Point taken about thread title.

I dont know what you mean by CPU hogger but Chrome and Chrome Flash plugin is taking up quite a bit of memory 130 - 288 Mb respectively.

Free is green 189MB and Wired is 266MB Used is 1.56GB

The above figures are during a relative optimum period. I will check these again when the system becomes impossible. For example yesterday I was trying to download an album from Itunes and it repeatedly stopped the downloads. This now happens all the time whereas previously I did not have this problem.

Thank you

 

[snberk103]

I purchased my MacBook in May 2009 - my OS 10.5.8
HD = 148.73GB with 66.76GB available


Model Name:MacBook
Model Identifier:MacBook5,1
Processor Name:Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:2 GHz
Number Of Processors:1
Total Number Of Cores:2
L2 Cache:3 MB
Memory:2 GB
Bus Speed:1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version:MB51.007D.B03
SMC Version (system):1.40f2




My room mate and I use the network for the same eg Video, text, live streaming of news, sport, movies etc etc. Not downloading torrents. The connection is through Comcast Business

What kind of 3rd party applications have you added?

I think what people are trying to figure out is this. Generally speaking if a Mac is running as Apple designed it (HW and OS), it should run very well. If it is not running very well, then usually it's because it's not running as Apple designed and built it (there are exceptions of course, but they are not common). One exceptions might be your ISP provider. Do a Google search to see if other Mac users are experiencing issues with Comcast Business.

Just read your last message that popped up after I started this one...

How did you remove the extensions?
I'm beginning to think it's a network issue.... are you only noticing the slowness during internet sessions? Or doing other things as well? Activity monitor has a network tab.... is there heavy network traffic even if you aren't loading a page, or downloading anything? For those memory stats you posted.... what, if you remember, was the biggest single user of the memory?

Anyway, I'm probably not going to be able to help you directly - but I can ask the right questions so that hopefully someone who knows more about these things will see the information that they need.

I believe if you go to the edit screen (for your initial post) and then click the 'advanced' tab you can change the thread title. A title that addresses the internet slowness may bring in the people who can help. Think of it like fishing. You need to have the right bait to catch the fish you want.

Cheers

 

[DewGuy1999]

Are you and your roommate using the same kind of WiFi connection, ie. 802.11n?

Do you both have strong connections?

Do you have anything installed under your Login Items (System Preferences/Accounts) that could be slowing things down?

Is all your installed RAM recognized by the system? You can check under Apple/About This Mac.

You could try running the Daily, Weekly, Monthly tasks in case they're not getting run automatically. I like to use a Widget called Maintidget, besides allowing you to run them manually, it will tell you when they were last run. Maintidget only does the tasks mentioned above, other utilities like Cocktail or OnyX will also allow you run these as well as some other things.

 

[MisterMe]

... The connection is through Comcast Business

...

It is time to stop dancing around the issue. You have network problems. In some cases, you appear not to have the the credentials to access certain sites. In others, you appear not to have enough signal strength to maintain a reliable connection.

What this all boils down to is that it appears that the problematic Internet connection belongs to a neighboring business rather than to your roommate and you. If this is the case, then you may expect to have connection problems no matter what you do. Walls tend to attenuate wireless signals. The antennas of certain model MacBooks are not very sensitive to weak signals. Your Windows-using roommate is having a better time of it. Windows-based laptops tend to have more sensitive antennas.

 

[kunda]

The fact that you are not running Windows does not reduce your obligation to describe your problem as best you can when asking for help to solve your problem.

This is what you said in your OP:
Complaint No. 1 We know nothing about your Mac. We know nothing about your roommate's PC. We know nothing about you. We know nothing about your roommate. We have no idea what you mean by "slow."

Complaint No. 2 Again, we have no idea how you are determining that "processing speed is slowing down." We have by now established that running Clean My Mac was a bad idea.

Complain No. 3 Again undefined phrases including "like a snail." However, you do hint at the real problem. The fact that you can't log into Twitter and YouTube means that you do not have to credentials to do so. It sounds like that router that you are using has the required ports blocked.

In the absence of any other useful information from you, I suggest that you disable MacOS X's built-in firewall.

I guess for someone who has been using computers since the mid-80s I am completely ignorant of what information to provide. My sincere apologies for being so dumb. Meanwhile the information you requested has now been submitted.


RE: Logging into Twitter and Youtube. This does not happen with my room mate who is using the same router and also the same browser which is Crhome.

 

[kunda]

Mac running at slow speed

What kind of 3rd party applications have you added?

I think what people are trying to figure out is this. Generally speaking if a Mac is running as Apple designed it (HW and OS), it should run very well. If it is not running very well, then usually it's because it's not running as Apple designed and built it (there are exceptions of course, but they are not common). One exceptions might be your ISP provider. Do a Google search to see if other Mac users are experiencing issues with Comcast Business.

Just read your last message that popped up after I started this one...

How did you remove the extensions?
I'm beginning to think it's a network issue.... are you only noticing the slowness during internet sessions? Or doing other things as well? Activity monitor has a network tab.... is there heavy network traffic even if you aren't loading a page, or downloading anything? For those memory stats you posted.... what, if you remember, was the biggest single user of the memory?

Anyway, I'm probably not going to be able to help you directly - but I can ask the right questions so that hopefully someone who knows more about these things will see the information that they need.

I believe if you go to the edit screen (for your initial post) and then click the 'advanced' tab you can change the thread title. A title that addresses the internet slowness may bring in the people who can help. Think of it like fishing. You need to have the right bait to catch the fish you want.

Cheers

Thank you for your response. I had initially thought it a Network problem but since my room mate is not experiencing similar problems I had discounted this. Also I do travel quite a bit and for example I have recently been in Detroit and a Washington DC and pretty much had the same issues.

The biggest memory user was Chrome. However I am unable to use Safari [without extensions] as it is impossibly slow. I cannot recall how I deleted the extensions but followed the instructions. I use ZAP to uninstall MAC software.

 

[kunda]

What kind of 3rd party applications have you added?

I think what people are trying to figure out is this. Generally speaking if a Mac is running as Apple designed it (HW and OS), it should run very well. If it is not running very well, then usually it's because it's not running as Apple designed and built it (there are exceptions of course, but they are not common). One exceptions might be your ISP provider. Do a Google search to see if other Mac users are experiencing issues with Comcast Business.

Just read your last message that popped up after I started this one...

How did you remove the extensions?
I'm beginning to think it's a network issue.... are you only noticing the slowness during internet sessions? Or doing other things as well? Activity monitor has a network tab.... is there heavy network traffic even if you aren't loading a page, or downloading anything? For those memory stats you posted.... what, if you remember, was the biggest single user of the memory?

Anyway, I'm probably not going to be able to help you directly - but I can ask the right questions so that hopefully someone who knows more about these things will see the information that they need.

I believe if you go to the edit screen (for your initial post) and then click the 'advanced' tab you can change the thread title. A title that addresses the internet slowness may bring in the people who can help. Think of it like fishing. You need to have the right bait to catch the fish you want.

Cheers

Sorry forgot to add 3rd party applications I use. Quicksilver is the only one I have.

 

[MisterMe]

... This does not happen with my room mate who is using the same router and also the same browser which is Crhome.

You are using a browser with the name name, Chrome, and based on the same browser frameworks, WebKit. However, they are not the same. Chrome for Windows is much more mature than Google's port of its browser for the Mac.

Otherwise, I note that you have addressed none of the questions and none of the issues that I have raised in my previous two posts. To be blunt about it, you will have a lot fewer problems if your roommate and you get your own Internet service rather than relying on the neighbor's Wi-Fi.

 

[DisMyMac]

Check for sources of wi-fi interference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_interference_at_2.4_GHz

Phones, Bluetooth, microwave ovens.... Look around your area for any electronics.

Your roommate's computer might be immune (or even causing the problem) because of where it is or how the case is designed.

 

[MisterMe]

Check for sources of wi-fi interference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_interference_at_2.4_GHz

Phones, Bluetooth, microwave ovens.... Look around your area for any electronics.

Your roommate's computer might be immune (or even causing the problem) because of where it is or how the case is designed.

This is all true, but is highly unlikely to be the source of kunda's problems. Cordless phones have been moving away from the 2.4 GHz band for years. If the phone is on the charger, then it is not broadcasting its signal. Bluetooth is an incredibly weak signal. Microwave ovens are rarely on. Computers must meet FCC regulations for interference. If the roommate bought a laptop from Acme Laptops, then there might have been a lemon to slip through. However, if the computer comes from Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, or another reputable manufacturer of Windows laptops, then it is improbable that it is leaking sufficient RF to prevent the MacBook from maintaining a reliable connection.

 

[Mike225]

Ive yet to see anyone on this site solve a users OS X problems. Jus sayin. Pretty pathetic. Usually its just gathering info and then retreating with "take it to Genius Bar or reformat"

 

[inket]

If boot speed/system is slower than usual check the Console to see if there is Apps that generate a lot of errors or daemons that are still launching on boot even though the App is deleted. (happened to me with Parallels & VMware Fusion)

You might aswell clean up Safari's cookies, history and cache then see if it changes anything.

The Console offers important information about your computer's behavior.

 

[MisterMe]

Ive yet to see anyone on this site solve a users OS X problems. Jus sayin. Pretty pathetic. Usually its just gathering info and then retreating with "take it to Genius Bar or reformat"

You have only been here for a month. It is also important to understand that no one is paid to be here. We are all users on a fan site named "MacRumors." This means that our primary purpose for being here is to learn the latest rumors about our favorite fruit company and its upcoming products. Helping our fellow users is a side benefit.

That said, there are actually quite a few people receive help that solves their problems. They are grateful for the help and don't call people names. There are, however, a couple of trends. First, as the MacOS X becomes more bulletproof, the easy problems are disappearing. Second, the quality of help requests is declining. We are getting a lot more cries for help that go something like this:

Excuse me. I'm new to Macs. My best friend and I went to Meemaw's house yesterday. Paw-Paw asked me to take a picture of her with her cat on her lap. Now I can't get my printer to print. Please help me!

 

[kunda]

You are using a browser with the name name, Chrome, and based on the same browser frameworks, WebKit. However, they are not the same. Chrome for Windows is much more mature than Google's port of its browser for the Mac.

Otherwise, I note that you have addressed none of the questions and none of the issues that I have raised in my previous two posts. To be blunt about it, you will have a lot fewer problems if your roommate and you get your own Internet service rather than relying on the neighbor's Wi-Fi.

I dont understand . We HAVE OUR OWN INTERNET SERVICE WHICH IS COMCAST BUSINESS. How you misunderstood I dont know. I have answered all your questions. I realise what you say about Chrome but it is 50 times faster than Safari or Firefox which is why I am using it.

 

[kunda]

If boot speed/system is slower than usual check the Console to see if there is Apps that generate a lot of errors or daemons that are still launching on boot even though the App is deleted. (happened to me with Parallels & VMware Fusion)

You might aswell clean up Safari's cookies, history and cache then see if it changes anything.

The Console offers important information about your computer's behavior.

I have "cleaned up Safari" it is running completely on its own.

 

[kunda]

This is all true, but is highly unlikely to be the source of kunda's problems. Cordless phones have been moving away from the 2.4 GHz band for years. If the phone is on the charger, then it is not broadcasting its signal. Bluetooth is an incredibly weak signal. Microwave ovens are rarely on. Computers must meet FCC regulations for interference. If the roommate bought a laptop from Acme Laptops, then there might have been a lemon to slip through. However, if the computer comes from Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, or another reputable manufacturer of Windows laptops, then it is improbable that it is leaking sufficient RF to prevent the MacBook from maintaining a reliable connection.

Actually my room mate has two computers, one for work and his home computer and he says they both run normally though not at the same time.