Improving performance in OS Lion

[qerae]

Okay, so I recently upgraded to Lion, but my hardware isn't very good (old macbook with a C2D / 3 gigs of RAM).

It's not painfully slow, but at times my performance is a bit more sluggish than I'd like. Any tips on how I can lighten the load? I've been trying to disable the animations, but the commands and codes aren't working. Could I possibly disable widgets?

[Stretch]

What kind of computer? Your best bet, if possible, would be to increase your RAM.

[qerae]

What kind of computer? Your best bet, if possible, would be to increase your RAM.

This laptop is so old that its a lost cause to upgrade the hardware. I just want ideas on how to make the operating system a little bit lighter.

[cwa107]

Did you do a clean install? We've found in the last several updates to OS X that a clean install is usually preferable to a straight upgrade in terms of performance.

[qerae]

Did you do a clean install? We've found in the last several updates to OS X that a clean install is usually preferable to a straight upgrade in terms of performance.

Clean install.

[rabbitjetta]

Try an app called iboostup Mac App Store - iBoostUp from the mac app store and run that, also try Mac App Store - RAMDrive and one more thing you can use is http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/freem...60931672?mt=12

[qerae]

Try an app called iboostup Mac App Store - iBoostUp from the mac app store and run that, also try Mac App Store - RAMDrive and one more thing you can use is Mac App Store - FreeMemory

Thanks. I don't know how much its going to help, but I'lll try it anyway. Is there any way to manage what programs start on boot? I don't want itunes to start on boot.

[chas_m]

Answering in reverse order:

Yes, you can control what programs start on bootup. The easiest way (there are several methods) is to start up the machine, let the programs boot, then click and hold on their icons in the dock, choose Options and select the checked "Open at login" option (this has the effect of unchecking them).

As for speeding up an older Mac running Lion: I'm using a 2007 Blackbook with w/3GB of RAM and for the most part Lion works fabulously fast (okay, not in comparison to a brand new machine, but as fast as I can keep up with it). One of the best "tricks" is to keep a LOT of hard drive space free, let's say 50GB for example.

Another is to remember to QUIT (not just close) programs you're not running at the moment. Another tip is to AVOID any "downloading" type programs running in the background -- they just eat resources for breakfast!

Of course, regular (by which I mean "maybe once every three months") running of a maintenance utility like OnyX (or its little brother Maintenance) is a good idea too. And backups, obviously.

[qerae]

Answering in reverse order:

Yes, you can control what programs start on bootup. The easiest way (there are several methods) is to start up the machine, let the programs boot, then click and hold on their icons in the dock, choose Options and select the checked "Open at login" option (this has the effect of unchecking them).

As for speeding up an older Mac running Lion: I'm using a 2007 Blackbook with w/3GB of RAM and for the most part Lion works fabulously fast (okay, not in comparison to a brand new machine, but as fast as I can keep up with it). One of the best "tricks" is to keep a LOT of hard drive space free, let's say 50GB for example.

Another is to remember to QUIT (not just close) programs you're not running at the moment. Another tip is to AVOID any "downloading" type programs running in the background -- they just eat resources for breakfast!

Of course, regular (by which I mean "maybe once every three months") running of a maintenance utility like OnyX (or its little brother Maintenance) is a good idea too. And backups, obviously.

Alright, thanks for the tips. I guess the only reason lion feels slow to me is because I recently built a new desktop.