slow mac book start up
- Thread starter oldTerry
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2014
- Messages
- 4,836
- Reaction score
- 241
Need to know what OS you are using (including the version number), and what exact Mac Book Pro model you have.
Also, for slow performance, re-installing the OS does not help much (most of the time). It is necessary to try other things first.
Also, for slow performance, re-installing the OS does not help much (most of the time). It is necessary to try other things first.
That is the one.
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2014
- Messages
- 4,836
- Reaction score
- 241
Good. One thing, though, is that Apple released a OS 10.10.3 Supplemental Update the other day. It will most likely not help you with your issues, but it would be good to have it\. You can get it from here:
https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1807?locale=en_US
So, download that first, and install it.
Next, have you been doing any maintenance at all on your machine? Specifically, any disk maintenance/repairs? Also, what about backing up? And, what about cleaning up "stuff"?
Third, what EMail program do you use? Also, do you have any third party disk repair/maintenance software, like Disk Warrior or TechTool Pro?
Let us know all that, and then we can provide some specific things you can do.
https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1807?locale=en_US
So, download that first, and install it.
Next, have you been doing any maintenance at all on your machine? Specifically, any disk maintenance/repairs? Also, what about backing up? And, what about cleaning up "stuff"?
Third, what EMail program do you use? Also, do you have any third party disk repair/maintenance software, like Disk Warrior or TechTool Pro?
Let us know all that, and then we can provide some specific things you can do.
Cory Cooper
Moderator
- Joined
- May 19, 2004
- Messages
- 11,098
- Reaction score
- 500
In addition to honestone's suggestion, do you have any anti-virus or third-party utilities such as MacKeeper installed? Those can easily cause the issue you are experiencing.
C
C
Email prog is Mail v.8.2(2098) All other items done as part of investigation into poss. causes of problem including visual scrutiny of files for any "rogues".
Many thanks for your rapid responses.
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2014
- Messages
- 4,836
- Reaction score
- 241
Cory makes some excellent points, especially if you have MacKeeper installed. To see if you do, look inside your Applications folder. If it's there, you'll need to get rid of it ASAP.
Also, please be specific as to what tasks you have already performed. For example, repairing permissions, using Disk Utility to Verify and Repair your hard drive, and to Verify and Repair your primary partition (the one containing the OS, all your applications, etc.).
Also, please be specific as to what tasks you have already performed. For example, repairing permissions, using Disk Utility to Verify and Repair your hard drive, and to Verify and Repair your primary partition (the one containing the OS, all your applications, etc.).
Disc utility operations have been performed ,Dr Cleaner used to clean up and remove unnecessary files,I believe disc permissions are OK.
Mail has been examined and only one irregularity identified (does not delete redundant mailbox).
To add further information which may yield further clues to source of problem. When starting up the progress bar beneath the Apple logo is slow to reach the 25% (approx.) progress then halts for a while (1 to 3 mins) thereafter it progresses at normal speed to 100%.. Further,
Mail and Safari are slower than previously to load. Not an unacceptable delay but a noticeable difference.
If there are specific permissions which I may have overlooked I would appreciate your suggestions.
From replies received and viewing comments on similar problems there may be an issue with Mail, but this is just a guess.
Mail has been examined and only one irregularity identified (does not delete redundant mailbox).
To add further information which may yield further clues to source of problem. When starting up the progress bar beneath the Apple logo is slow to reach the 25% (approx.) progress then halts for a while (1 to 3 mins) thereafter it progresses at normal speed to 100%.. Further,
Mail and Safari are slower than previously to load. Not an unacceptable delay but a noticeable difference.
If there are specific permissions which I may have overlooked I would appreciate your suggestions.
From replies received and viewing comments on similar problems there may be an issue with Mail, but this is just a guess.
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2014
- Messages
- 4,836
- Reaction score
- 241
Thanks for the reply. It is helpful.
The first thing you need to understand is that assuming the original hard drive is in the machine, it is already more than 6 years old, and it is spins at a slow 5400 rpm rate. Any recommended disk maintenance/repairs might not result in much improvement, given what I stated earlier about the drive. Also, given that you do not have a more robust disk repair/maintenance program like Disk Warrior or TechTool Pro, you are relying on Disk Utility to "help you". Not sure if that is good enough, but that is what you are working with.
Additionally, I don't think the slowness is due to Apple's Mail program, as you indicted this happens both on start up, and when using an application like Safari (I'm assuming Mail is not running at any of those times).
So, to get started, you need to boot your Mac via the Recovery HD partition. What you need to do is press the Command and R keys as your machine is starting up. It will take some time, especially with your slow 5400 rpm drive, but eventually you'll get to the menu. One of those menu options is Disk Utility (I am not sure of the exact verbiage, as I use TechTool Pro (and once in a while Disk Warrior) for performing disk repairs/maintenance). Running Disk Utility in that environment is the best,as it is basically "isolated", and can do a better job with the repairs. What you need to do is 1) Verify and Repair the disk at the Volume level, and 2) do a Verify and Repair Permissions, and a Verify and Repair disk at the partition level. Hopefully, Disk Utility will give you some indication as to the "health" of your drive.
Assuming all that works fine, reboot your Mac normally. Note, however, that using Disk Utility to Verify and Repair permissions only does that for Apple software. What you need to do next is to download and run the excellent free program called Onyx. Besides repairing permissions for any program, it also has some useful clean up functions. You can get Onyx from here:
http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/11582/onyx
The other thing you should consider doing is defragmenting/optimizing the drive. That can be helpful to get it running faster and more smoothly. Unfortunately, I do not know of any freeware programs that can do this effectively. Such functions (Volume and File Optimizations) are included in TechTool Pro, and I have performed those tasks in the past for hard disks I have owned. The result was an improvement in speed. (I now have SSDs in both of my Macs, and only File Optimization is needed).
Finally, you might want to consider getting an SSD installed in your machine (you might be able to do it yourself). Your machine will feel like it got a breath of fresh air after installing one, as they are much, much faster than a standard hard drive.
The first thing you need to understand is that assuming the original hard drive is in the machine, it is already more than 6 years old, and it is spins at a slow 5400 rpm rate. Any recommended disk maintenance/repairs might not result in much improvement, given what I stated earlier about the drive. Also, given that you do not have a more robust disk repair/maintenance program like Disk Warrior or TechTool Pro, you are relying on Disk Utility to "help you". Not sure if that is good enough, but that is what you are working with.
Additionally, I don't think the slowness is due to Apple's Mail program, as you indicted this happens both on start up, and when using an application like Safari (I'm assuming Mail is not running at any of those times).
So, to get started, you need to boot your Mac via the Recovery HD partition. What you need to do is press the Command and R keys as your machine is starting up. It will take some time, especially with your slow 5400 rpm drive, but eventually you'll get to the menu. One of those menu options is Disk Utility (I am not sure of the exact verbiage, as I use TechTool Pro (and once in a while Disk Warrior) for performing disk repairs/maintenance). Running Disk Utility in that environment is the best,as it is basically "isolated", and can do a better job with the repairs. What you need to do is 1) Verify and Repair the disk at the Volume level, and 2) do a Verify and Repair Permissions, and a Verify and Repair disk at the partition level. Hopefully, Disk Utility will give you some indication as to the "health" of your drive.
Assuming all that works fine, reboot your Mac normally. Note, however, that using Disk Utility to Verify and Repair permissions only does that for Apple software. What you need to do next is to download and run the excellent free program called Onyx. Besides repairing permissions for any program, it also has some useful clean up functions. You can get Onyx from here:
http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/11582/onyx
The other thing you should consider doing is defragmenting/optimizing the drive. That can be helpful to get it running faster and more smoothly. Unfortunately, I do not know of any freeware programs that can do this effectively. Such functions (Volume and File Optimizations) are included in TechTool Pro, and I have performed those tasks in the past for hard disks I have owned. The result was an improvement in speed. (I now have SSDs in both of my Macs, and only File Optimization is needed).
Finally, you might want to consider getting an SSD installed in your machine (you might be able to do it yourself). Your machine will feel like it got a breath of fresh air after installing one, as they are much, much faster than a standard hard drive.