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IMac running so slowly it is practically non functional

Recently my iMac has been getting slower and slower for almost everything. Programs open and run slowly, internet speed is terrible, even boot time is much slower than usual. I don't know where to start to figure out what is wrong. I have restarted the computer several times but it doesn't help.


I have a late 2013 iMac that I have partitioned to run High Sierra for a bunch of older software and Catalina for newer software. So far that has worked well. But now both partitions are very slow. Both partitions seen to have adequate open memory, about 200gb in the High Sierra partition and 800gb in the Catalina partition.


Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. If you need more info please tell me what you need to know.

Posted on Dec 7, 2022 3:05 PM

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13 replies

Dec 9, 2022 4:36 PM in response to tomellis

Enable SIP...


Apple Developer Documentation


SSD might be cheaper than you think! :)

Mac OS Compatibility


  • macOS 13.x Ventura
  • macOS 12.x Monterey
  • macOS 11.x Big Sur
  • macOS 10.15 Catalina
  • macOS 10.14 Mojave
  • macOS 10.13 High Sierra
  • macOS 10.12 Sierra
  • OS X 10.11 El Capitan
  • OS X 10.10 Yosemite
  • OS X 10.9 Mavericks
  • Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion
  • Mac OS X 10.7 Lion
  • Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard


https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/ENVPMCA02/

Dec 9, 2022 12:13 AM in response to tomellis

It's highly unlikely Malware killed your Mac, it can slow it down of course.


If you get no lights, sound ,or action out of it, my guess is the Power Supply finally gave out, & all the hard drive too slow was the hdd was dying.


The refurbed 2013 27" I linked to comes with a 512B SSD, which speed wise will leave any fusiondrive in the dust, you can also boot it of an external SSD or HDD of your choice.


Forget the Unsigned files.


They have 2015 models too.

Dec 7, 2022 4:03 PM in response to tomellis

Hello,


You can use Drive DX to possibly get a better view of Drive health…

https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx


Further than that We need to see what all is running, a report from this will not display any personal info...


EtreCheck is a FREE simple little diagnostic tool to display the important details of your system configuration and allow you to copy that information to the Clipboard. It is meant to be used with Apple Support Communities to help people help you with your Mac. It will not display any personal info.

https://www.etrecheck.com/


Pastebin is a good place to paste the whole report if you capture the URL while there…

https://pastebin.com/


Workable but harder for me to work with...the Note tool on the bottom of this editor's toolbar, as shown in the image, to copy and paste the output from EtreCheck. In a Reply before you click post, look for this to add longer texts...

Dec 7, 2022 5:02 PM in response to BDAqua

Thanks for the quick response. It took awhile, but I was able to download etrecheck and am currently running a scan. No idea how long it will take Etrecheck to run the report, but once that completes I'll try to use Pastebin so I can post the report. If there are any tricks I need to know to use Pastebin please let me know.


Thanks again for your help!

Dec 8, 2022 9:28 PM in response to BDAqua

I have not tried CMD+r keys, not familiar with that. I put TotalAV in not long before going onto the forum, in the hope it might tell me what was wrong and how to fix it. Stupid, I just should have gone straight to the forum. I saw that the report showed Panda in the computer and I looked in Applications but it was not there. Spotlight was not working, so I couldn't do a good search. Everything else was taking forever to open and I really did not know where to look.


Any last ditch ideas to try? Is it worth taking to the Apple Genius? I have everything saved on Time Machine, but I'd sure hate to just give up on the computer if there is a reasonable chance of saving it for less than the cost of replacing. Can't really afford a new iMac, will need to look for something on eBay or Craigslist.

Dec 8, 2022 10:01 PM in response to tomellis

To start up from macOS Recovery, turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold ...


Command (⌘)-R


Installs the latest macOS that was installed on your Mac.


Apple will not work on a Mac that old, if you have them look at it they'll offer to recycle it for you.


You might find a 3rd party to work on it, but Apple doesn't even offer parts for Macs that old, so any replacement would be a 9 year old used part.


A very long shot...


1.. Shut the machine down.

2.. UNPLUG the power lead to the computer and any peripheral devices.

3.. leave it for 10 minutes.

4.. Hold power Button in for 10 seconds

5.. Connect everything back up and restart. 


It'd likely be cheaper to buy a refurbished 1013 iMac than have yours repaired...


Used & Refurbished Apple iMac Desktops | Mac of All Trades

Dec 8, 2022 11:23 PM in response to BDAqua

Thakns, I'll try those two options tomorrow.


Do you have any idea what the likely problem is? I'm just not familiar enough with how all the systems tie into each other to make sense out of the symptoms. Not just slow running software, but also with internet. Though I suppose that since the browser software is in the hard drive, a bad hard drive might explain both symptoms.


I installed TotalAV because I was concerned that maybe the issue was malware or a virus. Is that a possible cause for the crash? I'd hate to get a replacement machine and by restoring it with Time Machine just reinstall what killed my current machine. When I looked at the Etre report I saw the following -


Major Issues:

Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention.

Hard drive too slow - The hard drive in this computer is too slow.

Unsigned files - There are unsigned software files installed that could be malicious and should be reviewed.

Automatic updates disabled - Automatic updates are disabled. This computer is at risk of malware infection.

Apple security disabled - Apple security software is disabled. This computer is at risk of malware infection.


The "hard drive is too slow" would make me think the drive is dying. But I had no idea that Apple security software is disabled, and apparently the mac is vulnerable to malware. I'm afraid I don't know what "unsigned software files" are or how to review them.


I'd love to get a newer mac, but it looks like after the 2015 models getting one with a large hard drive is difficult to impossible. And I've been spoiled by that 3TB Fusion drive, both for the size and speed. If you have any suggestions for other options I'd love to hear them.


Sorry to keep on, I'm afraid I'm just babbling now. Thanks again for all your help, and if you have any other advice I'd very much appreciate it.

Dec 9, 2022 4:12 PM in response to BDAqua

I tried both of the possible solutions you suggested several times without success. Interestingly, when I push the power button I can hear some noise from the computer, sounds just like when it was working. But no chime sound and screen never gives login display.


So it looks like this Mac is well and truly dead.


I am now looking for a replacement, hopefully I can at least move up to the 2015 model. I need to talk to someone at OWC or similar to find out more about bootable external drives. I need to have the capability to run Catalina or newer for newer software, and High Sierra for some older expensive software that would otherwise need to be replaced. SSD would be nice but likely out of my price range.


Thanks so much for your help. One last thing - you said that I should not use TotalAV. Is there any antivirus/anti malware software that I should use? The Etre report menioned that the Apple security software is disabled. I have no idea how I might have disabled that software, and did not even know that it existed.


Thanks again!

IMac running so slowly it is practically non functional

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