Big Sur boot up (at least) 3 times slower than Catalina.

[Smudger]

In late 2019/early 2020 I bought a new 27" iMac to replace my old 24" iMac (late 2008). The new iMac came with Catalina which booted rapidly. Around October 2020 I updated the OS to Big Sur and was very disappointed to find that the boot process took at least 3 times longer than when booting Catalina.

Also that awful startup (dis)chord was back! I'd successfully muted that way back (it was muted for Catalina) and would like to do the same now but my searches haven't thrown up any solutions.

Oh! and how about that awful log-in screen which seems to be a multi-coloured abstract representation of waves - perhaps those which wash ashore at the Big Sur? Changing the log-in screen background doesn't seem to be possible as it is drawn from an encrypted part of the boot process I believe.

Another gripe I have concerns TextEdit. I use that a lot to maintain many table-of-contents .txt files. The version which is currently installed (1.16 build 354) has a very disconcerting trait. When I delete/cut any text which starts at the left margin the cursor remains in the correct place but the screen scrolls to the very top of the document! I can get back to where I should be by hitting any of the arrow keys but having to do that is very annoying and time consuming. Why does the screen scroll up uncommanded?

Other than the above I am very happy with Big Sur.

 

[ferrarr]

Just as an FYI, 11.1 is available. It may fix some issues you are experiencing.

What's new in the updates for macOS Big Sur - Apple Support

macOS Big Sur updates improve the stability, performance, or compatibility of your Mac and are recommended for all macOS Big Sur users.

support.apple.com

 

[Lifeisabeach]

I have a 2019 iMac myself and I'm not seeing any performance issues with Big Sur vs Catalina. I did hold off upgrading until 11.1 was released, so I would certainly give updating to that a whirl as ferrarr suggested.

As for TextEdit, the current version is a slightly newer build, so maybe that will address your problem also. I'm not quite sure how to test it myself without using the same types of files you are working with. Try the update, then let us know how it works out. After updating, use Onyx' full suite of maintenance tools to make sure you don't have any caching issues that are behind this. Bear in mind that when Onyx wipes out those caches, your first restart will be a bit sluggish as the system rebuilds them.

 

[MacInWin]

Oh! and how about that awful log-in screen which seems to be a multi-coloured abstract representation of waves - perhaps those which wash ashore at the Big Sur? Changing the log-in screen background doesn't seem to be possible as it is drawn from an encrypted part of the boot process I believe.

Another gripe I have concerns TextEdit. I use that a lot to maintain many table-of-contents .txt files. The version which is currently installed (1.16 build 354) has a very disconcerting trait. When I delete/cut any text which starts at the left margin the cursor remains in the correct place but the screen scrolls to the very top of the document! I can get back to where I should be by hitting any of the arrow keys but having to do that is very annoying and time consuming. Why does the screen scroll up uncommanded?

The multi-colored wallpaper is a representation of the terrain in the Big Sur area. You can see more of the abstract artwork in the various wallpapers available for Desktop & Screen Saver in System Preferences. It's only on the system for a login, not for any unlock.

As for Text Edit, I've tried to duplicate your experience, but I cannot. It sounds like it's something in the source document, but without knowing where the cut is made, it's hard to duplicate the paste.

 

[chscag]

I don't have a new iMac (mine is a 2017 27" model) but as far as I can determine, boot up is just as fast if not faster than it was with Catalina.

And as far as the boot chime goes, that can be turned off very easily in Big Sur. Do this:

Go to System Preferences, Sound, and remove the small check that's in the box labelled "Play sound on startup". Reboot and the sound is gone.

Any more complaints?

 

[Smudger]

I don't have a new iMac (mine is a 2017 27" model) but as far as I can determine, boot up is just as fast if not faster than it was with Catalina.

And as far as the boot chime goes, that can be turned off very easily in Big Sur. Do this:

Go to System Preferences, Sound, and remove the small check that's in the box labelled "Play sound on startup". Reboot and the sound is gone.

Any more complaints?

Thanks for the suggestion for the startup sound - that worked a treat.

I still maintain that my system booting Big Sur is ridiculously slow compared to Catalina. Booting Catalina would occur before my 2nd screen timed out and announced that it had no input (HDMI). Big Sur has the second screen not only announcing a lack of input but actually going into sleep mode.

Thanks again.

 

[Smudger]

I have a 2019 iMac myself and I'm not seeing any performance issues with Big Sur vs Catalina. I did hold off upgrading until 11.1 was released, so I would certainly give updating to that a whirl as ferrarr suggested.

As for TextEdit, the current version is a slightly newer build, so maybe that will address your problem also. I'm not quite sure how to test it myself without using the same types of files you are working with. Try the update, then let us know how it works out. After updating, use Onyx' full suite of maintenance tools to make sure you don't have any caching issues that are behind this. Bear in mind that when Onyx wipes out those caches, your first restart will be a bit sluggish as the system rebuilds them.

Hi

The behaviour I'm seeing is very easy to reproduce. Simply open a new .txt file, add some lines of text - it doesn't seem to matter how they are formatted - chose a line at random, highlight several characters starting at the left margin and delete or cut. In my case the screen scrolls up to the top of the file while the cursor stays in the same place that the deletion or cut took place but is usually out of sight if the file is big enough.

Where can I find a later build of TextEdit? Also if there is a version 11.1 of MacOS why has it not been offered to me? All other updates seem to get offered.

Edit: OK found the V11.1 update. It probably wasn't offered 'cos I didn't have Automatic updates selected.

Thanks for the response and a Happy New Year.

 

[MacInWin]

The behaviour I'm seeing is very easy to reproduce. Simply open a new .txt file, add some lines of text - it doesn't seem to matter how they are formatted - chose a line at random, highlight several characters starting at the left margin and delete or cut. In my case the screen scrolls up to the top of the file while the cursor stays in the same place that the deletion or cut took place but is usually out of sight if the file is big enough.

Did exactly that. No movement of the cursor, no movement of the text, no movement at all. Something is wrong in your system. I used a two page long document, cut from near the bottom. Nothing changed except the deleted text disappeared, the cursor sat right there where the deletion was made.

As for the updates, I don't have Automatic Updates on, but I got the notice when the update was available. That also tells me something is not right with your system. But give 11.1 a go to see if it fixes the issues you have had.

BTW, I have two monitors and when the system is booted the second monitor pops right up with no issues at all. If your monitor is timing out either the settings in the monitor need adjustment to extent the timeout times, or again, something is wrong with your particular installation. It may be time for a nuke/pave installation (Wipe the drive, install just the OS, play with it for a while to see if the problems are gone, then add back your apps, one at a time, to see which one is causing the issues.)

 

[Randy B. Singer]

The behaviour I'm seeing is very easy to reproduce. Simply open a new .txt file, add some lines of text - it doesn't seem to matter how they are formatted - chose a line at random, highlight several characters starting at the left margin and delete or cut. In my case the screen scrolls up to the top of the file while the cursor stays in the same place that the deletion or cut took place but is usually out of sight if the file is big enough.

Try this in your test document and see if it makes a difference.

Go into: TextEdit menu --> Preferences --> New Document tab --> under Format, if it says Rich Text change it to Plain Text. If it says Plain Text, change it to Rich Text.

After changing that setting, see if the problem has resolved.

Many folks don't realize that TextEdit isn't simply a text editor. It can also be a lightweight word processor. The above settings switch it from one to the other. If it is in the wrong mode for your needs, you can see unexpected results when using it.

 

[Smudger]

Did exactly that. No movement of the cursor, no movement of the text, no movement at all. Something is wrong in your system. I used a two page long document, cut from near the bottom. Nothing changed except the deleted text disappeared, the cursor sat right there where the deletion was made.

As for the updates, I don't have Automatic Updates on, but I got the notice when the update was available. That also tells me something is not right with your system. But give 11.1 a go to see if it fixes the issues you have had.

BTW, I have two monitors and when the system is booted the second monitor pops right up with no issues at all. If your monitor is timing out either the settings in the monitor need adjustment to extent the timeout times, or again, something is wrong with your particular installation. It may be time for a nuke/pave installation (Wipe the drive, install just the OS, play with it for a while to see if the problems are gone, then add back your apps, one at a time, to see which one is causing the issues.)

Hi

Thanks for the response.

When I took delivery of the system at the end of 2019 or early 2020 (I can't find the order or acknowledgement) the system was working well under Catalina and the TextEdit behaviour was normal. Things only started to go wrong after the update to 11.0.1. The slow boot was noticeable from the first boot into Big Sur.

My 2nd monitor is my old 24" iMac screen with a driver board of uncertain origin (Hong Kong springs to mind!). It works superbly but the OSD menu doesn't offer time-out parameter changes.

I will update to 11.1 ASAP and see what further problems that brings!

The boot speed is the only performance downgrade I've noticed. Everything else runs smoothly and quickly as I would expect from the hardware spec.

 

[Smudger]

Try this in your test document and see if it makes a difference.

Go into: TextEdit menu --> Preferences --> New Document tab --> under Format, if it says Rich Text change it to Plain Text. If it says Plain Text, change it to Rich Text.

After changing that setting, see if the problem has resolved.

Many folks don't realize that TextEdit isn't simply a text editor. It can also be a lightweight word processor. The above settings switch it from one to the other. If it is in the wrong mode for your needs, you can see unexpected results when using it.

The text files I use are partially cut & pasted from on-line documents and, on occasion, have UTL-16 characters embedded. Though the strange behaviour doesn't seem to depend on whether the entire document is UTL-8 or UTL-16.

The default setting is Plain Text but I suspect that changes for the docs which have UTL-16 chars.

I will investigate further later as my dog is getting impatient for her morning walk, bless her! (Known to us as Hettie the Hooligan - Golden Retriever)

 

[Smudger]

OK, we're getting there.

After taking the hound for a walk I summoned up the courage to update the OS to 11.1 with the result that the boot process, while still slightly slower than under Catalina, is now fast enough to keep the 2nd monitor from going catatonic AND TextEdit is now build 365.1 and doesn't display the ridiculous scrolling when deleting/cutting at the left-hand margin.

Along with the muting of the horrible (dis)chord on startup just about mission accomplished.

Many thanks to everyone who responded and a Happy New Year to one and all.

One satisfied customer.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

OK, we're getting there.

After taking the hound for a walk I summoned up the courage to update the OS to 11.1 with the result that the boot process, while still slightly slower than under Catalina, is now fast enough to keep the 2nd monitor from going catatonic AND TextEdit is now build 365.1 and doesn't display the ridiculous scrolling when deleting/cutting at the left-hand margin.

Along with the muting of the horrible (dis)chord on startup just about mission accomplished.

Many thanks to everyone who responded and a Happy New Year to one and all.

One satisfied customer.

Good to hear. If you haven't run the maintenance tools in Onyx, I definitely suggest doing so. It's not uncommon to have caching problems after upgrades and rebuilding those might make a big difference in your boot times.