Hidden Stuff

Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
249
Reaction score
1
Points
18
Location
Solomons, Maryland
Your Mac's Specs
21.5 inch iMac, 2017
I am using OS 10.8.4. Despite many virus scans (using Saphos) and junk removal programs (Clean My Mac, MacKeeper, and Tune Up My Mac), plus going thru all of the stuff I have saved o eliminate what I no longer use, my Mac seems to be getting slower in the long term. I have 319 GB total capacity and have 241 GB available.
Is the computer storing something that I don't know about? All the time I read articles where computer whizzes recover things from bad guys computers that the bad guy didn't know was there. Am I just paranoid or are there background things that I can get rid of?
 
Joined
Dec 11, 2010
Messages
1,808
Reaction score
40
Points
48
Location
Chicago
Your Mac's Specs
late 2012 mini w/SSD
Am I just paranoid or are there background things that I can get rid of?

Yes, you are paranoid..... sorry.
Hidden files are mostly preferences and such. But, there are large parts of OS X intentionally hidden. Basically, since you don't know what's what, leave it all alone.

All those things you've installed are probably the cause of the slowdown. They use system resources with Very Little positive effect. You should use the Uninstall procedure for each of them and uninstall ASAP.

Another thing to consider. How much RAM do you have?
 

bobtomay

,
Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
26,561
Reaction score
677
Points
113
Location
Texas, where else?
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
About 95% (that may be an understatement) of the regulars here are going to recommend that you get rid of:

Sophos
Clean My Mac
MacKeeper
Tune Up My Mac

and don't put any of them back on your machine again.

Then, if you want a cleaning tool, get Onyx or Maintenance (simpler version) - link - the only OS X cleaning tool recommended here with any regularity - and they're free. There are a couple of good paid apps, however you have not listed any of them.

Personally recommend using the Automation tab of Onyx with everything checked under the Maintenance and Cleaning sections when you begin to notice slow downs or once every 2-6 months if you have a mechanical drive - much less often on a SSD.

As gsahli notes above, running multiple cleaning apps on your machine could very well be what's currently slowing it down.
And, you need to make sure you use the uninstaller that came with all of those apps, not just drag them to the trash.
 

bobtomay

,
Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
26,561
Reaction score
677
Points
113
Location
Texas, where else?
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
Another note - if you have been moving large amounts of data on and off the machine, your HDD could very well have it's free space highly fragmented and have your data spread from one end of the drive to the other - this will slow down your computer.

You can download the trial of iDefrag to determine if this is the case.
If you need to defrag the drive, I highly recommend it.

To defrag for free (since you should already have one of these in use), you could use cloning software Superduper! or CarbonCopyCloner to clone to an external drive, boot to that external and after making sure all is well, clone it back to your internal drive.

In my experience, iDefrag will show a superior improvement in boot times and application launch times over the cloning method.


(Anyone with a SSD, don't be defragging your drive.)
 

bobtomay

,
Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
26,561
Reaction score
677
Points
113
Location
Texas, where else?
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
I am using OS 10.8.4. Despite many virus scans (using Saphos) and junk removal programs (Clean My Mac, MacKeeper, and Tune Up My Mac), plus going thru all of the stuff I have saved o eliminate what I no longer use, my Mac seems to be getting slower in the long term. I have 319 GB total capacity and have 241 GB available.
Is the computer storing something that I don't know about? All the time I read articles where computer whizzes recover things from bad guys computers that the bad guy didn't know was there. Am I just paranoid or are there background things that I can get rid of?

You're making a large assumption that your computer is slow due to hard drive issues. Although hard drive issues can sometimes contribute to "slowness"...it's far from the only thing. With 241gig out of 320 available...it might be better to focus efforts somewhere else (read the links in my signature).

- Nick
 
OP
E
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
249
Reaction score
1
Points
18
Location
Solomons, Maryland
Your Mac's Specs
21.5 inch iMac, 2017
First, thanks to all a lot to all for trying to help a paranoid. I'll try to respond to each.

First to gsahli: I ran CleanMyMac then went to uninstall. That lists ever app that I have in the app folder, and asks me to check those that I want to uninstall. I don't know if I should check them all or what.
I have in memory 2 GB 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
 
OP
E
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
249
Reaction score
1
Points
18
Location
Solomons, Maryland
Your Mac's Specs
21.5 inch iMac, 2017
To bobtomay:
1. I went to ONYX and the download is MacKeeper, which I already use.
2. I installed the demo version of iDefrag and see a long list of files. Do I have to clone my entire HD then run iDefrag on the clone?
 
OP
E
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
249
Reaction score
1
Points
18
Location
Solomons, Maryland
Your Mac's Specs
21.5 inch iMac, 2017
More to bobtomay: I went to the link in your post and downloaded Onyx from there and when I tried to open it I get a message that it can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer.
 
OP
E
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
249
Reaction score
1
Points
18
Location
Solomons, Maryland
Your Mac's Specs
21.5 inch iMac, 2017
To pigoo3:
1. I don't see "Beachballs". Mabee it is because I don't know what the are.
2. "speedup" is for OS 10.4. I am using 10.8
 

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
2. "speedup" is for OS 10.4. I am using 10.8

Don't be so dismissive. Many of the things mentioned in "Speedup" are still useful for 10.8. That article was just written when OS 10.4 was "new".

Good luck finding a solution.

- Nick
 

Slydude

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
17,596
Reaction score
1,072
Points
113
Location
North Louisiana, USA
Your Mac's Specs
M1 MacMini 16 GB - Ventura, iPhone 14 Pro Max, 2015 iMac 16 GB Monterey
More to bobtomay: I went to the link in your post and downloaded Onyx from there and when I tried to open it I get a message that it can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer.
Slydude vainly attempting to impersonate bobtomay lol

You've run into a security feature called Gatekeeper. You could disable it permanently but personally I prefer to disable Gatekeeper on a case by case basis.
 
OP
E
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
249
Reaction score
1
Points
18
Location
Solomons, Maryland
Your Mac's Specs
21.5 inch iMac, 2017
Sorry pigoo3, and thanks Slydude (it worked)
 
OP
E
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Messages
249
Reaction score
1
Points
18
Location
Solomons, Maryland
Your Mac's Specs
21.5 inch iMac, 2017
More to bobtomay:
If I trash Sophos what do I use as an anti virus? I trashed Norton anti virus in favor of Sophos at the suggestion of folks here.
 

bobtomay

,
Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
26,561
Reaction score
677
Points
113
Location
Texas, where else?
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
If you "must" have an AV, guess Sophos is ok.

If not, don't:
open attachments that you don't know what they are in any email - even from people you know
download illegal software/movies/torrents/etc nor any that are not posted on un-trusted sites
click on / download anything from a browser popup window

That's about it.
 
C

chas_m

Guest
First to gsahli: I ran CleanMyMac then went to uninstall. That lists ever app that I have in the app folder, and asks me to check those that I want to uninstall. I don't know if I should check them all or what.

STOP!!

Tom told you to uninstall Clean My Mac, NOT use the uninstall function in Clean My Mac to uninstall *everything else,* which is what you are/were about to do.

Uninstall the junkware Tom indicated, ****using the uninstall procedures indicated by the manufacturers of those junkware products****. DO NOT repeat DO NOT just drag them to the trash.
 

bobtomay

,
Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
26,561
Reaction score
677
Points
113
Location
Texas, where else?
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
And don't download any software you find that are advertising themselves all over the place without asking/checking with long time Mac owners. Preferably, don't even click on those ads.
 
Joined
Oct 1, 2007
Messages
7,163
Reaction score
275
Points
83
Location
UK
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Mini i5 (2014 High Sierra), iPhone X, Apple Watch, iPad Pro 12.9, AppleTV (4)
'beachballs' are the colloquial term for the multi-coloured spinning disc you see in place of the normal arrow pointer when you Mac is busy.

Once you've removed the apps as listed in previous posts and run the Onyx Automation scripts you may wish to consider upgrading the RAM you have. You can see the spec and type of ram required by entering your machine details at Crucial.com

re your iDefrag query. You either use the clone method or iDefrag. No need for both.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top