Hello. I'm currently running a 2010 macbook, 10.6.8, 4GB RAM, 250GB HDD (80-85% full but deleting stuff out), 2.4 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo and about 2 months ago I did a full erase of everything to do a full clean install using only the programs I really need (about a dozen: mostly just web browsing, music, basic photo editing and basic office software).
Despite this "clean out" my system seems slower than ever. After a 30-40 second start up and an app actually becomes clickable on my dock it will bounce for up to 30 seconds before opening, no matter if its my most used apps or least used. I constantly get the spinning colour wheel, I'm not a heavy user but use 2 or 3 workspaces at a time. If I open 5/6/7 tabs in any web browser the entire laptop freezes (sometimes I can force quit, most of the time I just have to hold the power button down and force a laptop shutdown). This happens even if no other application is open. If I have Office + web browser + itunes open, the same thing happens: spinning wheel and total freeze up. Everytime I open Activity Monitor and go to System Memory, the green free ram bit is always small, even if I'm doing nothing.
On the rare occasions it doesn't freeze, the system runs slow and laggy - for example I can drag a window across a screen and release the track button but it wont actually happen for 5 seconds, like the system is playing catch up with what I want it to do. Same goes for typing in browsers or office docs, there is always a delay. It just doesn't feel like a clean install despite it only being a couple of months in with very few apps installed.
This is now happening multiple times a day and is most frustrating, with the macbook constantly making a noise as if every internal part is stressing to its maximum despite being slow and freezing constantly. Can anyone offer advice on how to fix this, or why it is happening? Should I do another clean install or upgrade the OSX even though I have minimum spec for Yosemite? (or is the laptop just old and about to die?) Thanks in advance.
Despite this "clean out" my system seems slower than ever. After a 30-40 second start up and an app actually becomes clickable on my dock it will bounce for up to 30 seconds before opening, no matter if its my most used apps or least used. I constantly get the spinning colour wheel, I'm not a heavy user but use 2 or 3 workspaces at a time. If I open 5/6/7 tabs in any web browser the entire laptop freezes (sometimes I can force quit, most of the time I just have to hold the power button down and force a laptop shutdown). This happens even if no other application is open. If I have Office + web browser + itunes open, the same thing happens: spinning wheel and total freeze up. Everytime I open Activity Monitor and go to System Memory, the green free ram bit is always small, even if I'm doing nothing.
On the rare occasions it doesn't freeze, the system runs slow and laggy - for example I can drag a window across a screen and release the track button but it wont actually happen for 5 seconds, like the system is playing catch up with what I want it to do. Same goes for typing in browsers or office docs, there is always a delay. It just doesn't feel like a clean install despite it only being a couple of months in with very few apps installed.
This is now happening multiple times a day and is most frustrating, with the macbook constantly making a noise as if every internal part is stressing to its maximum despite being slow and freezing constantly. Can anyone offer advice on how to fix this, or why it is happening? Should I do another clean install or upgrade the OSX even though I have minimum spec for Yosemite? (or is the laptop just old and about to die?) Thanks in advance.
