Any startup/processes tweaks in OS X similar to that in Windows?

[kman79]

I'm very new to the OS X world. Only a one week old Mac user as of yesterday. I've installed and uninstalled plenty of programs trying to figure out what works best for me. I uninstalled by either dragging apps out of the application folder to the trash or using the uninstall method that is included with the program. If OS X is anything similar to windows, there are still some residual trash from deleted apps somewhere on my HDD, and maybe even my startup. How do I tweak my startup apps and completely delete uninstalled programs? I'll most likely be reinstalling the OS once I feel I know what I want in terms of programs and utilities, just so I have an OS that is as clean as can be. Any help on this is greatly appreciated.

[baggss]

AppZapper......

There is no where near as much stuff left over in OSX like there is in Windows, and what is won't cause any issues with the system or it's operations.

[D3v1L80Y]

Good to hear that you are enjoying your Mac.
Let me stop you and remind you of something first....
You aren't using Windows anymore. You can stop thinking like you are.
What I mean by this is can be seen in your post here:

I'll most likely be reinstalling the OS once I feel I know what I want in terms of programs and utilities, just so I have an OS that is as clean as can be.

This is completely and absolutely unnecessary. That is a Windows "tactic" to get things running smoothly. You don't need to do that with a Mac. In 20 years of using a Mac I have never had the need to do that.

Also, I would assume that you are referring to the "msconfig" in Windows when you are talking about streamlining your startup. There really isn't anything like that with a Mac, so there isn't anything to worry about. You won't have to trim anything down. Yes, there is a "startup items" list in your System Preferences for Accounts, but that is about it. As long as you haven't added anything to it, you are fine.

Your uninstalled apps are uninstalled. Relax. Enjoy. Don't try to find Windows-type solutions to Windows-type problems that don't exist on a Mac.

[dtravis7]

I completely agree with DB on this. If you still are worried and might loose sleep, get Appzapper that Baggss recommended. It will kill everything, but really it's not needed. And remember, there is no registry with all those entries that never get zapped in OSX.

[kman79]

HAHA...thanks guys. I guess old habits die hard. I love the mac for its simplicity and design. After just a week's use, I'm wondering why aren't more people using this instead of windows. I appreciate the responses.

[Kash]

Now THAT'S a question for the ages

But I'll agree with DB. I've had my Macbook since December and lord knows how many programs I've installed and uninstalled. If this were on a Windows machine, I would have reformatted at least once by now just to get rid of the garbage. But my Mac runs as smoothly as it did on day one, which still blows my mind.

[bobtomay]

Ditto Kash - Definitely would have done a fresh install with XP by now. And check out this post from yesterday, try running that much junk in a XP machine and still maintain that boot time.

Which is making it even harder to decide what to do for my next desktop.
Do I get the hardware I want and an OS that will use that hardware?
Or get the OS I want and the hardware that will use that OS?

[Spankey]

I guess I'm still focused in the windows world as well, right now. This has been one question that has been nagging me since I began pondering the move to mac. Ok, I know I will switch as soon as I can afford a new PC since it makes no sense not to switch right now.

Still, here is my question. How can we be sure OS X is running at peak performance. Background apps drive me nuts. Do widgets cause the OS to slow? Any other background apps that are CPU and memory hogs? How do we shut those down if we want to?

[Kash]

Things always require RAM, that's for sure. So yes, widgets take up RAM, not a lot, but they add up as you keep tacking on more widgets. And you already know that applications need RAM when running, so if you want to run more programs, be sure you have enough RAM.

That's pretty much the best you can do to optimize OS X. Give it more RAM and it'll eagerly use it.

[kman79]

Ditto Kash - Definitely would have done a fresh install with XP by now. And check out this post from yesterday, try running that much junk in a XP machine and still maintain that boot time.

HAHA...I made it a priority to strip down my startup items in XP and Vista, and even then I don't ever remember it starting up as fast as the OS X has.

Did a search on MainMenu App, seems like an application I need to try out later when I get home.

The only program that seems to startup slow for me is Entourage, but everything else seems load up very quick. This is on a SR 2.4GHz MBP with 2GB. Pondering the upgrade to 4GB, since RAM is so cheap these days and I'll be using the MBP for some minor video editing when I get back from my vacation at the end of July.

I appreciate the responses everyone. I've never felt this good about a 2,500.00 purchase. It's now a chore to come to work and have to use an XP machine, what a frustration.

[pirrip]

Before you buy any more RAM ( I'd be happy with what yoy've got) try a little App called I free mem. It's cheap and when you want a lot of memory it will get it back for you.