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Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
#31692 11/01/14 06:29 PM
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JCLover Offline OP
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I've just recently reinstalled OS X 10.6.8 to fix a Finder/catalog problem. Everything is working fine now.

Before that I noticed my machine was noticeably slower than when I first got it. I started using MacKeeper (Version 1.9) to optimize and for anti-virus.

Although, the reinstall did seem to improve performance, it isn't as fast at startup as before. Also, shut down is much slow after app. install or anything requires the Admin password. Did read performance tips on other Slow Mac thread, but was hoping for a tip on a better optimizer/antivirus app. or anything else that I can do to increase speed with the hardware I have (can't afford anything new).


MacBookPro5,4; 1 Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.53 GHz; 4 GB Memory; 15" Monitor; OS X 10.6.8

JCLover
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
JCLover #31693 11/01/14 08:13 PM
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Antivirus apps are usually a big cause of system slowdowns, and aren't really that useful on Macs anyway.

What kind of Mac do you have? How much RAM?


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Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
JCLover #31694 11/01/14 09:15 PM
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The consensus around here is get rid of MacKeeper (it is generally considered to be worse than a virus in and of itself). The other primary speed improvement is max out the RAM memory if you haven't already done so.

Last edited by joemikeb; 11/01/14 09:16 PM.

If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
JCLover #31695 11/02/14 09:46 PM
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Originally Posted By: JCLover
I started using MacKeeper (Version 1.9) to optimize and for anti-virus.

I'm with joemike on MacKeeper. Get rid of it as soon as you can....and I'm willing to bet you'll see an improvement in your performance. I made the mistake of installing it a few years ago and found it really crippled performance. Then, when I wanted to get rid of it, I had a real challenge.

Since then I avoid anything like Mackeeper, MacCleaner, or any other of these types of software.

Originally Posted By: JCLover
.....was hoping for a tip on a better optimizer/antivirus app.

So far as an antivirus program is concerned, I've tried a few and found that generally I couldn't let them run continuously because of the diminished performance. Sophos was a good example.

However, I have started using Avast and letting it run continuously. It seems to be just fine. As well, it's free and seems to be well-regarded. You can find reviews here and here.

Last edited by ryck; 11/02/14 09:47 PM.

ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

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Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
ryck #31711 11/06/14 05:43 PM
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Thanks all.

Ok, kill MacKeeper. If uninstalling MacKeeper is a problem, could you offer advice on how best to do it?

Ok, will check out Avast.

So then there doesn't exist optimize only apps for Mac? How does one optimize a Mac? Are there no configuration settings to check? Is there nothing to delete other than user files?


MacBookPro5,4; 1 Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.53 GHz; 4 GB Memory; 15" Monitor; OS X 10.6.8

JCLover
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
JCLover #31712 11/06/14 06:24 PM
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Check these links for ways to uninstall MacKeeper.

There are several ways to optimize a Mac. One (free) way is to run the default tasks in the Automation tab of OnyX 2.4.0. If you opt to repair permissions (and you can uncheck that box), this may take a long time. Probably, repairing permissions is unnecessary.

You can also boot from the Install Disk and run Disk Utility to Repair Disk, but if I recall from another thread, you already did this. If you want a heavy-duty utility (not free), you can rebuild the directory with Disk Warrior, a venerable app that can often repair things that stump Disk Utility.


Jon

macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
JCLover #31713 11/06/14 06:40 PM
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Hi all.

Warning about Avast: Avast Installs Adware

Don't know how to verify this with an official Apple source, but I offer it for your edification: OS X Has Built In Anti-Malware

Last edited by dkmarsh; 11/06/14 07:00 PM. Reason: Edited non-functioning link.

MacBookPro5,4; 1 Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.53 GHz; 4 GB Memory; 15" Monitor; OS X 10.6.8

JCLover
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
jchuzi #31714 11/06/14 06:44 PM
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Hi jchuzi. Thank you. That is very helpful.


MacBookPro5,4; 1 Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.53 GHz; 4 GB Memory; 15" Monitor; OS X 10.6.8

JCLover
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
JCLover #31715 11/06/14 08:31 PM
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I had two adware apps Ciuvo and AddThis, so deleted.


MacBookPro5,4; 1 Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.53 GHz; 4 GB Memory; 15" Monitor; OS X 10.6.8

JCLover
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
JCLover #31717 11/06/14 08:53 PM
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Wow, what a difference!
MacKeeper gone!
At least some adware gone!

My Mac definitely seems faster. Shut down nearly instantaneous. Boot is noticeably faster. Surfing is way faster.

Thank you all. Have a great day.


MacBookPro5,4; 1 Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.53 GHz; 4 GB Memory; 15" Monitor; OS X 10.6.8

JCLover
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
JCLover #31718 11/06/14 09:00 PM
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Originally Posted By: JCLover
Ok, kill MacKeeper.

Good move.

Originally Posted By: JCLover
Warning about Avast: Avast Installs Adware

Good to know....thanks. I note that it affects Chrome & FireFox but not Safari, which is most likely why I was not aware. I use Safari almost exclusively. Periodically I find a site that doesn't like to play with Safari, so I'll load the page in FireFox.

Looks like I'll be going back to ClamXav....

Originally Posted By: JCLover
Don't know how to verify this with an official Apple source, but I offer it for your edification: OS X Has Built In Anti-Malware

....or maybe not.

Last edited by ryck; 11/06/14 09:02 PM.

ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

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Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
ryck #31733 11/08/14 03:13 PM
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EtreCheck will tell you what items load at startup, among other things.

Check fonts also. Higher number of fonts will make the Mac start up slower and programs start up slower.

Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
ryck #31743 11/11/14 11:03 PM
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I've used Firefox since it first started to became popular (v. 3 circa 2008 & 9). When I switched to Mac (2010), I read some bad press about Safari being a poor reworking of I.E., which seemed to be verified when I couldn't load some popular websites. I've never had trouble with Firefox, so I just stick with it.
Enjoy your holiday.


MacBookPro5,4; 1 Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.53 GHz; 4 GB Memory; 15" Monitor; OS X 10.6.8

JCLover
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
deniro #31744 11/11/14 11:03 PM
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Ok, great! Thanks for the tips.


MacBookPro5,4; 1 Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.53 GHz; 4 GB Memory; 15" Monitor; OS X 10.6.8

JCLover
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
JCLover #31745 11/11/14 11:20 PM
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I use Opera sometimes in addition to Firefox. Seems fast to me.

Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
JCLover #31748 11/12/14 12:51 PM
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Originally Posted By: JCLover
When I switched to Mac (2010), I read some bad press about Safari being a poor reworking of I.E.,.....

We can't know what the press might have been four years ago, but Safari being anything but built "from the ground up" doesn't sound right to me.


ryck

"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers

iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4
OS Ventura 13.6.3
Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer
Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software
TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
ryck #31749 11/12/14 05:09 PM
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Originally Posted By: ryck
We can't know what the press might have been four years ago, but Safari being anything but built "from the ground up" doesn't sound right to me.

Just as OS X's open source Darwin kernel is a derivative of the XNU open source Unix, Safari's Webkit rendering engine (a fork off of the KHTML rendering engine stream), Nitro javascript interpreter, and other key components are all open source technologies. Apple has, of course, modified and tuned them through various versions of Safari, but the open source code is still there and Apple frequently releases their modifications back into the open source stream. So Safari may have been assembled from the ground up, but the components did not neccesarily originate with Apple.

Originally Posted By: jclover
When I switched to Mac (2010), I read some bad press about Safari being a poor reworking of I.E.

Whoever said that was badly informed. Safari and Internet Explorer have never had any common components. While Apple happily adopts and uses open source material, Microsoft has only recently admitted that open source is a four letter word describing a bodily function.

Last edited by joemikeb; 11/12/14 05:17 PM. Reason: add comment on JCLover's post

If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
JCLover #31757 11/13/14 05:27 PM
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Originally Posted By: JCLover
Wow, what a difference!
MacKeeper gone!


One of mackeeper's "features" is to install a WINDOWS antivirus software that runs IN EMULATION on your computer, scanning periodically in the background. Nuff said.


I work for the Department of Redundancy Department
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
joemikeb #31764 11/13/14 07:15 PM
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Originally Posted By: joemikeb
Just as OS X's open source Darwin kernel...

Good to know.


MacBookPro5,4; 1 Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.53 GHz; 4 GB Memory; 15" Monitor; OS X 10.6.8

JCLover
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
JCLover #31766 11/13/14 08:46 PM
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Originally Posted By: JCLover
Don't know how to verify this with an official Apple source, but I offer it for your edification: OS X Has Built In Anti-Malware

I believe I have confirmed that OS X 10.6.8 has built in anti-virus software. I've discovered the top command. One of the processes is:
PID COMMAND %CPU TIME #TH #WQ #POR #MREG RPRVT RSHRD RSIZE VPRVT VSIZE PGRP PPID STATE UID FAULTS COW MSGSENT
60- AntiVirus 0.0 00:12.03 2 1 31 117 239M 6660K 250M 260M 865M 60 1 sleeping 0 721048 168 965

Sorry I couldn't figure out how to format this correctly.

From what I could discern, it's a process that has only used 12.03 seconds of CPU time in the 108 minutes since power up. I'll try to learn more.


MacBookPro5,4; 1 Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.53 GHz; 4 GB Memory; 15" Monitor; OS X 10.6.8

JCLover
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
JCLover #31768 11/13/14 10:25 PM
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if it says "antivirus" it's probably NOT apple. Apple uses clamav. (has had it for a LONG time... 10.3?)

I'd suspect that "antivirus" is something else you downloaded and installed, possibly without realizing what it was. Could be mackeeper's av engine.


I work for the Department of Redundancy Department
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
JCLover #31769 11/14/14 01:11 AM
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There is an inherent problem with any anti-virus software, it cannot detect an unknown virus. In spite of advertising claims, virus detection depends upon detecting the "signature" of the virus therefore the virus must be known so the AV program can know what its "signature" is. This is dependent on a "signature" file that to be effective must be updated daily if not more often. Since there are no known viruses for OS X the only viruses AV software can detect are Windows viruses and unable to infect OS X. There have been a few trojans that can infect OS X but a trojan depends on the ignorance or cupidity of the user to download and install the trojan. As these trojans are installed just like any application, AV software cannot tell the difference between a desired application and an undesired one. Apple's primary internal virus protection has been directed at immediately releasing updates to OS X to block any identified vulnerabilities.

The ClamX AV mentioned by Virtual1 is, like much of OS X, an open source product. It is generally well thought of because of its low impact on system performance. It does not have any "disinfecting" capabilities, but it can move suspected files to a Quarantine folder. It is available for download from the App Store. However, the last time I heard Apple had withdrawn its recommendation for any anti-virus software because of general ineffectiveness and too often negative effect on system performance. I don't know whether or not that still stands.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
JCLover #31770 11/14/14 04:45 AM
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The "antivirus" process is part of MacKeeper. It's hard to get rid of. The application that corresponds to that process is

/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.zeobit.MacKeeper.AntiVirus


Photo gallery, all about me, and more: www.xeromag.com/franklin.html
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
joemikeb #31871 11/25/14 10:17 PM
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Good info, thank you.


MacBookPro5,4; 1 Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.53 GHz; 4 GB Memory; 15" Monitor; OS X 10.6.8

JCLover
Re: Slow Mac - How Can I Improve Performance?
tacit #31873 11/25/14 10:36 PM
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Hi Tacit. Thanks for your help.

I know you saw that I deleted MacKeeper and appreciate that it's hard to get rid of. I don't have this file:
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.zeobit.MacKeeper.AntiVirus
but do have this file:
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.zeobit.MacKeeper.AntiVirus.plist
A search for antivirus gets no hits, but a search for system or hidden files with that name yields:
AntiVirus.app and
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.zeobit.MacKeeper.AntiVirus.plist

May I safely move those to Trash?
Are there other files to look for?
Any idea why uninstalling MacKeeper would NOT delete those files?
Thanks again.


MacBookPro5,4; 1 Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.53 GHz; 4 GB Memory; 15" Monitor; OS X 10.6.8

JCLover
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