Updated to Mavericks, now my computer is slow!

[kbstkbll88]

I was previously on 10.6 and suddenly was having issues with my Etrade Pro platform. I spoke to support and they told me it was a Java issue but I couldn't update my Java because it said Apple provided their own for 10.6 or something like that

Anyway, I updated my OS to 10.6.8 and was still having some issues with Etrade, although less issues. But still wasn't working 100% so I decided to update to Mavericks and see if that would solve it.

Now Etrade works fine, but everything goes slow. The etrade platform is laggy as well as my browsers (chrome and safari).

I'm on an older iMac (2009). Here are the specs:

Also here's a screen shot of my activity monitor:

I downloaded and used the app called "Free Memory" but it's not really helping. Any ideas on how I can get my computer running back to normal or does my computer just not have enough power?

If that's the case, can I revert back to 10.6.8 because I had no issues as far as speed with that OS.

Thank you!

 

[saberahul]

Well I have a 2011 i7 with 8GB RAM and 500GB HDD and was happy with performance until ML. Since Mavericks, it's become a lot slower but I can live with it. Tried reinstalling but it didn't really help (though I did do a TM restore after).

 

[Dj64Mk7]

This advice may not be the most convenient, or even possible in your situation, but I'll say it anyway. On my MacBook Pro 5,5 (specs in sig), I was running incredibly slow on Mavericks, so I did a clean install, without restoring from TM or any other backups. After that, I loaded all my data from iCloud. Now, my Mac is running just as good or better than it was with Snow Leopard (although that's ignoring Mavericks' quirks.)

 

[kbstkbll88]

Well I have a 2011 i7 with 8GB RAM and 500GB HDD and was happy with performance until ML. Since Mavericks, it's become a lot slower but I can live with it. Tried reinstalling but it didn't really help (though I did do a TM restore after).

This advice may not be the most convenient, or even possible in your situation, but I'll say it anyway. On my MacBook Pro 5,5 (specs in sig), I was running incredibly slow on Mavericks, so I did a clean install, without restoring from TM or any other backups. After that, I loaded all my data from iCloud. Now, my Mac is running just as good or better than it was with Snow Leopard (although that's ignoring Mavericks' quirks.)

Sorry I'm kind of a newb at this stuff. What is TM restore? I noticed both of you mentioned it.

I heard reinstalling Mavericks may fix the issue, how do I do this? I downloaded it from the app store, do I have to redownload it? I searched my Mac and can't find any file to run to re install it.

Also can I revert back to 10.6.8? If so could someone explain to me how to do this please?

Thank you

 

[mmomega]

I was previously on 10.6 and suddenly was having issues with my Etrade Pro platform. I spoke to support and they told me it was a Java issue but I couldn't update my Java because it said Apple provided their own for 10.6 or something like that

Anyway, I updated my OS to 10.6.8 and was still having some issues with Etrade, although less issues. But still wasn't working 100% so I decided to update to Mavericks and see if that would solve it.

Now Etrade works fine, but everything goes slow. The etrade platform is laggy as well as my browsers (chrome and safari).

I'm on an older iMac (2009). Here are the specs:

Image

Also here's a screen shot of my activity monitor:

Image



I downloaded and used the app called "Free Memory" but it's not really helping. Any ideas on how I can get my computer running back to normal or does my computer just not have enough power?

If that's the case, can I revert back to 10.6.8 because I had no issues as far as speed with that OS.

Thank you!

It shouldn't be because you don't have enough power because I have this Mac running Mavericks and it is actually running it very well. The only different than stock is it has been maxed to 6GB RAM and has a slightly newer 1TB HDD, no SSD.
I do not use it as my daily machine but I do use it a few times a week and I rarely fiat all get a beach ball, if I do it usually involves a website with flash on it.
I did do a complete fresh install, I know some people can't or don't want to but anytime I go to a new OS I'll do a fresh install. The 10.9.x updates I upgrade but going from Leopard to SL or SL to Lion and etc I will do clean install and migrate my data over after making sure everything is performing well.

 

[saberahul]

Sorry I'm kind of a newb at this stuff. What is TM restore? I noticed both of you mentioned it.



I heard reinstalling Mavericks may fix the issue, how do I do this? I downloaded it from the app store, do I have to redownload it? I searched my Mac and can't find any file to run to re install it.



Also can I revert back to 10.6.8? If so could someone explain to me how to do this please?



Thank you

TM = Time Machine

 

[kbstkbll88]

It shouldn't be because you don't have enough power because I have this Mac running Mavericks and it is actually running it very well. The only different than stock is it has been maxed to 6GB RAM and has a slightly newer 1TB HDD, no SSD.
I do not use it as my daily machine but I do use it a few times a week and I rarely fiat all get a beach ball, if I do it usually involves a website with flash on it.
I did do a complete fresh install, I know some people can't or don't want to but anytime I go to a new OS I'll do a fresh install. The 10.9.x updates I upgrade but going from Leopard to SL or SL to Lion and etc I will do clean install and migrate my data over after making sure everything is performing well.

What's a fresh install and how do I do it? Thanks!

TM = Time Machine

Ah, I see. Thanks.

 

[mmomega]

What's a fresh install and how do I do it? Thanks!



Ah, I see. Thanks.

Step 1: Download the OS X Mavericks installer from the App Store, but don't run the installer yet. If you've already upgraded, you'll have to download the installer again from the App Store, since it deletes itself after the upgrade. Make sure the installer is located in the Applications folder.

Step 2: Format a USB flash drive that's at least 8GB, as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and keep the default name as "Untitled." Make sure that you don't have another volume with the same name. If you do, unmount the other volume or rename it temporarily. You can also name the USB flash drive to something other than "Untitled," but just make sure to change the command in Step 3 to reflect the correct name.

Step 3: Open a terminal window and enter the following command:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app --nointeraction

(^^you may have to scroll over to get the entire command)

Since the utility requires root privileges, you'll need to enter your password to continue. It shouldn't take more than 20 minutes or so for it to complete.

That's it. You should now be able to boot with the USB installer while holding down the Option key and begin your clean install of OS X Mavericks. If the utility seems to be stuck at "Copying installer files to disk," try switching to a different USB flash drive. Another issue that seems to come up is the USB installer not appearing in Startup Manager. Again, try switching to a different USB flash drive if you have problems booting into it. If you're not having any luck with the Apple utility, you might also want give DiskMaker X (formerly Lion DiskMaker) a try.

(Very tired tonight so I just copy and pasted the info from an article on CNET)

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I decided to update to Mavericks and see if that would solve it.

Now Etrade works fine, but everything goes slow. The etrade platform is laggy as well as my browsers (chrome and safari).

These steps are a lot simpler than a clean install, and may get the job done for you - definitely worth trying.

• Boot into Safe Mode
  
• Open Apple menu > System Preferences > Users & Groups and click on the Login Items button at the top. Any programs you don't absolutely need running every time you start up - click the program name (not the checkbox), and the - (minus) button under the list to remove it from startup. You're not deleting programs, just telling them not to run automatically.
  
• Open Finder. For each of the following, click the Go menu > Go to Folder - type in the folder name shown - select all files (Command-A or Edit menu > Select All), and trash them (File menu > Send to Trash or your favorite method).

/System/Library/Caches/
/Library/Caches/
/Library/StartupItems/
~/Library/Caches/​

• Empty the trash
• Click Apple menu > Restart

Also, IMO - get rid of Chrome. It's a pig under Mavericks compared to Safari.

 

[heisenberg123]

was having issues using the update method, since then I have installed a SSD and a clean install, now Mavericks is blazing fast

 

[kbstkbll88]

These steps are a lot simpler than a clean install, and may get the job done for you - definitely worth trying.

• Boot into Safe Mode
  
• Open Apple menu > System Preferences > Users & Groups and click on the Login Items button at the top. Any programs you don't absolutely need running every time you start up - click the program name (not the checkbox), and the - (minus) button under the list to remove it from startup. You're not deleting programs, just telling them not to run automatically.
  
• Open Finder. For each of the following, click the Go menu > Go to Folder - type in the folder name shown - select all files (Command-A or Edit menu > Select All), and trash them (File menu > Send to Trash or your favorite method).

/System/Library/Caches/
/Library/Caches/
/Library/StartupItems/
~/Library/Caches/​

• Empty the trash
• Click Apple menu > Restart

Also, IMO - get rid of Chrome. It's a pig under Mavericks compared to Safari.

Hmm tried this but no luck

Thanks though.

----------

Step 1: Download the OS X Mavericks installer from the App Store, but don't run the installer yet. If you've already upgraded, you'll have to download the installer again from the App Store, since it deletes itself after the upgrade. Make sure the installer is located in the Applications folder.

Step 2: Format a USB flash drive that's at least 8GB, as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and keep the default name as "Untitled." Make sure that you don't have another volume with the same name. If you do, unmount the other volume or rename it temporarily. You can also name the USB flash drive to something other than "Untitled," but just make sure to change the command in Step 3 to reflect the correct name.

Step 3: Open a terminal window and enter the following command:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app --nointeraction

(^^you may have to scroll over to get the entire command)

Since the utility requires root privileges, you'll need to enter your password to continue. It shouldn't take more than 20 minutes or so for it to complete.

That's it. You should now be able to boot with the USB installer while holding down the Option key and begin your clean install of OS X Mavericks. If the utility seems to be stuck at "Copying installer files to disk," try switching to a different USB flash drive. Another issue that seems to come up is the USB installer not appearing in Startup Manager. Again, try switching to a different USB flash drive if you have problems booting into it. If you're not having any luck with the Apple utility, you might also want give DiskMaker X (formerly Lion DiskMaker) a try.

(Very tired tonight so I just copy and pasted the info from an article on CNET)

was having issues using the update method, since then I have installed a SSD and a clean install, now Mavericks is blazing fast

I guess I will have to try a clean install and see if that fixes it...

mmomega, can I use an external hard drive instead of a flash drive in step 2? I'm not sure how to do the formatting process but I'll look into it this weekend and try it out.

Thanks again for all the help guys.

 

[heisenberg123]

Hmm tried this but no luck

Thanks though.

----------






I guess I will have to try a clean install and see if that fixes it...

mmomega, can I use an external hard drive instead of a flash drive in step 2? I'm not sure how to do the formatting process but I'll look into it this weekend and try it out. Thanks again for all the help guys.

to make it easier you can use diskmaker x insted of using terminal, and yes you can use an external drive, just make a 8GB partition on it

 

[kbstkbll88]

to make it easier you can use diskmaker x insted of using terminal, and yes you can use an external drive, just make a 8GB partition on it

Okay I did it with my external drive and re installed Mavericks... but it's still going slow. Maybe I'm confused with what a clean install is? Is it simply just a reinstall..because that's all I did and it didn't seem to help

Should I just go back to Snow Leopard?

 

[HenryDJP]

Okay I did it with my external drive and re installed Mavericks... but it's still going slow. Maybe I'm confused with what a clean install is? Is it simply just a reinstall..because that's all I did and it didn't seem to help

Should I just go back to Snow Leopard?

A clean install is complete erase of the hard drive and installation of the operating system on an empty drive, then manually installing your applications back one by one. "Reinstalling" is just an archive and install which just shoves your home folder to the side and reinstalls the OS and necessary files and puts back you existing home folder. That's not a clean install and generally doesn't always solve issues with stability or slowness.

 

[kbstkbll88]

A clean install is complete erase of the hard drive and installation of the operating system on an empty drive, then manually installing your applications back one by one. "Reinstalling" is just an archive and install which just shoves your home folder to the side and reinstalls the OS and necessary files and puts back you existing home folder. That's not a clean install and generally doesn't always solve issues with stability or slowness.

I see, that makes sense. So I just reinstalled it then.

So basically I need to backup all my files and applications and then delete everything before I reinstall Mavericks? Is there an option in the install process that deletes everything automatically or do I have to delete everything manually?

Thanks.

 

[HenryDJP]

I see, that makes sense. So I just reinstalled it then.

So basically I need to backup all my files and applications and then delete everything before I reinstall Mavericks? Is there an option in the install process that deletes everything automatically or do I have to delete everything manually?

Thanks.

Yeah, and that's what took me about a week doing. I have a ton of video files that I needed to backup to my external drive. Now, you will need to create a bootable Mavericks thumb drive or SD card. You will need to follow these instructions to do that as it's different from previous versions of OS X. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_61WkC_5Rs

After you've backed up everything plug in your bootable Mavericks drive, turn on your Mac and hold down the OPTION key to boot up to the installer. Choose DISK UTILITY from the list of options. From there you can erase the hard disc. Then begin your install. If you just install Mavericks without erasing in disk utility your hard drive will not get erased and you won't have a true clean install.

 

[mmomega]

I see, that makes sense. So I just reinstalled it then.

So basically I need to backup all my files and applications and then delete everything before I reinstall Mavericks? Is there an option in the install process that deletes everything automatically or do I have to delete everything manually?

Thanks.

Yes sorry I left that step out.

Once you boot to your OS X bootable disk, select Disk Utility, your HDD/SSD and choose to format it. Use Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and you can name the drive to your liking. It should not take long at all, maybe a few seconds.
Now remember this erases the drive so be sure to back up any important files prior to this.

Next close Disk Utility and proceed to Installing OS X Mavericks, once started go grab a bite to eat, do some work or take a nap, even on a quick SSD the install takes a while.

 

[kbstkbll88]

Yeah, and that's what took me about a week doing. I have a ton of video files that I needed to backup to my external drive. Now, you will need to create a bootable Mavericks thumb drive or SD card. You will need to follow these instructions to do that as it's different from previous versions of OS X. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_61WkC_5Rs

After you've backed up everything plug in your bootable Mavericks drive, turn on your Mac and hold down the OPTION key to boot up to the installer. Choose DISK UTILITY from the list of options. From there you can erase the hard disc. Then begin your install. If you just install Mavericks without erasing in disk utility your hard drive will not get erased and you won't have a true clean install.

Yes sorry I left that step out.

Once you boot to your OS X bootable disk, select Disk Utility, your HDD/SSD and choose to format it. Use Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and you can name the drive to your liking. It should not take long at all, maybe a few seconds.
Now remember this erases the drive so be sure to back up any important files prior to this.

Next close Disk Utility and proceed to Installing OS X Mavericks, once started go grab a bite to eat, do some work or take a nap, even on a quick SSD the install takes a while.

Well I did the clean install this time, wiped my hard drive first. But still having the same issues.

I went back to Snow Leopard and the lag issue is gone, everything seems to be working fine now. Guess I'll just stick with this for now as long as I'm not having any more issues.


Thanks again for the all the help guys

 

[IceMustard]

I know I am a bit late to the party, but I think you just need more RAM for Mavericks. 4GB is too lean.

A friend of mine had issues with his MacBook Pro 13 (2011). He upgraded from 4 to 8 GB and Mavericks became usable.

I run my own Macbook Pro 13 (2009) also with 8GB RAM and Mavericks works fine. I upgraded directly from Snow Leopard, where I had 8GB installed for many month already.

@kbstkbll88 , so might be worth to look at http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1423.