A very poorly running iMac I am afraid

[tiredretired]

I love iMacs. I have owned them for years. They all ran superbly until the last few years.

The specs:

2017 model 21.5"
Running V 12.0.1
2.3 Dual Core i5
8GB DDR4
1GB HDD currently 10% full or so.
Xfinity broadband with ethernet connection to the modem

The Problem:

The computer just runs horrible slow. Always and always getting the rainbow wheel. It is like the computer is always running out of memory. Frustrated and not knowing what else to do I purchased a license for CleanMyMac. It offers an opportunity to push a button and free up memory. The program always says I have about 25MB of memory left. Frequently the software gives a dialog box warning on unresponsive applications. I free up some memory and up it goes to around 2GB or so and the iMac will run somewhat better but still a bit laggy. After an hour or so back down to 25MB of memory.

I have contacted Apple but no longer have Apple care. The lady tried to help checking a few things but in the end nothing changed.

I back up everything via Time Machine but I am worried that if I purchase a new 2022 model my wife is urging me to do, I simply just download whatever issues I have onto the new iMac. Of course there is the possibility this is a hardware issue but Apple could not find anything in that arena via our phone discussion. I guess bottom line I know little of computer troubleshooting and am also reluctant to spend money on a 5 year old iMac when it could be better spent on a new 2022 model. I live in a rural area in a rural state (Vermont) and there are no Apple Stores around my location.

Any advice for a dumb Apple user would be very much appreciated as I am at my wits end with this as it is very difficult to get work done efficiently as things stand now. As an older guy my patience is no longer what is once was, LOL.

Thank you all in advance.

 

[ferrarr]

If you can find more ram (memory) that will help some. Your iMac uses 2133 MHz DDR4 SDRAM.

Or you can check out one of our members website first,

Macintosh Slowdown Solutions

 

[Raz0rEdge]

First, CleanMyMac is tricking you into thinking it's doing something when it's not to make it seem like the money you spent on it was worth it. It isn't. It's a waste of a software.

Anyway..

To your computer issue. First, grab a copy of OnyX and run that to do some basic maintenance. Then grab a copy of EtreCheck and let it do it's scan. Then open up Disk Utility and ask it to repair the disk.

Then, ensure that your Mac is running the latest version of the OS that it supports.

Now, after going through all that and starting up fresh, ensure that no applications are running. Open up Activity Monitor and go to the CPU tab. Sort by % CPU and see how things look. At the bottom you'll see things like System, User, Idle. You want the Idle percentage to be generally high (as close to 100% as it can be).

Next, go to the Memory tab next and sort by Memory column. Take note of the applications on top. Now look at the bottom and you'll see Physical Memory, Memory Used, Wired, Cached, Swap Used, Compressed. Some combination of these depending on the version of the OS. The Physical should be 8 GB since that's what you have.

Now, with Activity Monitor running, open up each of your normally used Apps one at a time. But do it in the manner of opening the app, looking at the CPU and Memory tabs, using the app for a bit to see if the machine starts misbehaving and then opening the next app and so on.

As you go through this process, you might find a pattern to what causes the beachball to appear. Once you have that info, we can start looking at ways of resolving that.

 

[pigoo3]

If we assume there's nothing basically wrong with this 2017 iMac...sometimes all that's needed is to reboot the computer.

If you're running this computer for weeks & weeks (or more) without a reboot...rebooting more regularly (when you first notice slowness)...may help.

Also...perceived slowness can also be due to a slow internet connection (when doing things internet based)...especially if using WiFi. Sometimes double-checking your WiFi speed (or ethernet speed if using ethernet). If these speeds are slower than what they're supposed to be (based on your internet service provider plan you pay for)...rebooting your cable modem and/or router could be a solution.

If we assume some things need to be attended to...two items Ashwin mentioned above are important:

* Open Activity Monitor app...and see if there are any unexpected processes running.
* Install & run the Onyx app.

Please investigate all suggestions...then please let us know what you find.

Nick

 

[tiredretired]

@ferrarr, thanx but this model of IMac does not have RAM xpan slots. It can be upgraded even though Apple says it cannot by taking the iMac apart to get to the buried memory. Youtube has a tutorial on that and it is something I do not feel comfortable doing on my own and do not see it as financially viable to pay a computer repair shop to do it.

@Raz0rEdge:

Thank you for your response. OK, I followed your instructions to the letter

> I downloaded OnyX and ran the maintenance check. It did not give a report one way or the other as to what it found. So I assume that was good news.
> I downloaded EtreCheckPro. It came back with a report.
> 2 major Issues. 1. HDD running slow and 2. Excessive CPU Usage.
> 5 minor issues. Time Machine backup not found. (Not true. TM had just completed a backup 10 minutes prior. Unsigned files, RUNAWAY USER PROCESS, computer has some x86 apps which may not work in the future, there is limited drive access and finally This Computer has some kernal extensions that may not work in the future.

> computer is now updated to Version 12.3.1

> As you directed I then moved onto the Activity Monitor. I did this through Recovery Mode. It worked very well and gave me the following information with all processes / apps NOT running.

> CPU tab showed no specific process utilizing high CPU usage. 3% System, 4% User and 93% Idle.
>Memory tab showed no specific process utilizing high Memory usage. Physical Memory 8GB, Used Memory 4.05, Cached 3.41, Swap 0, App Memory 2.35 and Wired Memory 1.69 and Compressed 7MB.

> As directed I then proceeded to open one app at a time and observed the effect that had in the Activity Monitor. I noticed no anomalies. I opened Safari browser, Mail App, Open Office. This was done for both CPU and MEM tabs.

In summary I could find nothing that backs up the Excessive CPU Usage & Runaway User Process that entreCheckPro found. As for the slow HDD, I verified that it has 136 GB out of a capacity of 1TB. Is it spinning to slow? LOL.

Looking at all those numbers I personally see nothing wrong, yet entreCheck backs what I am experiencing and seeing using the computer.

Sorry for the long post but you gave me a big job to do, LOL. Thank you for helping.

 

[tiredretired]

@pigoo3: Mac is rebooted daily. That was great advice as my iphone and ipad both need that as well..

Latest download speed on Xfinity is 318.7GB. More than enough for what I do on the internet.

Even my Garmin watch needs to be rebooted from time to time to keep the heart rate monitor and bluetooth connection with my iphone working and not locking up.

Thank you for your response.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Keep an eye on the Swap as you use the computer over the course of the day. As the apps begin to demand memory and hold onto it, you'll begin swapping to disk. With your spinning disk you'll definitely hit a performance snag there. Going with a SSD will help in that case.

You should ideally keep 20% of your drive free at all time. So you might want to see if you need all the 750+ GB worth of stuff on there or if you can offload that to a backup/external drive and keep the internal drive just for your OS/apps and key files.

I'm guessing that the HDD you have in there is a 5400 RPM drive which is pretty slow for reads/writes. So that's definitely a bottleneck.

If things look good when you start, then use the machine and as things begin to slow down, quickly jump into Activity Monitor and check the same things and see what you can learn.

 

[tiredretired]

Thank you. I believe I may have miss stated. The HDD has a capacity of 1TB and I am only using 136Gb, so there is plenty of free space.

Right now as I am using the computer the swap is still minimal at 3.5MB.

I've learned a lot today which is a good thing.

Would you recommend swapping out the spinner with a SSD? I have done some research on that and it appears to be an easy swap over. Much cheaper than a new computer. OWC is who I do business with and have had great luck with in the past. Cheers.

 

[pigoo3]

Would you recommend swapping out the spinner with a SSD? I have done some research on that and it appears to be an easy swap over.

I would say yes to the SSD swap. It will definitely make the computer feel faster. Unless you can find a good deal on a large capacity SSD...don't necessary feel you need to swap a 1TB HDD for a 1TB SSD. Especially since it doesn't sound like you presently need/use a lot of storage space.

As far as the swap over. I wouldn't exactly say it's an "easy swap"...unless you do this sort of thing regularly. The iMac display panel is held in with adhesive strips...which must be carefully detached before the display panel can be removed.

There's a special tool for this that makes things easier...but extra care still must be taken.

Here's the ifixit.com procedure for review:

iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 3068 Hard Drive Replacement

Follow the steps in this guide to upgrade or replace the SATA hard drive in a iMac Intel 21.5" EMC 3068. Note that if you are upgrading your drive,...

www.ifixit.com

Nick

 

[tiredretired]

Thanx, no I do not do this regularly but OWC includes a nifty little cutting tool with a wheel and depth guide, with their SSD package that really looks to be the perfect tool for the job, plus I am good at following procedures and being patient when taking things apart so I have a level of confidence going in.

I did change the HDD on my last iMac but that screen was held on by magnets so it was easier than this iMac.

I have decided on the 512GB SSD as you are correct in my not needing a 1TB.

 

[pigoo3]

Thanx, no I do not do this regularly but OWC includes a nifty little cutting tool with a wheel and depth guide, with their SSD package that really looks to be the perfect tool for the job, plus I am good at following procedures and being patient when taking things apart so I have a level of confidence going in.

Good deal...that's the special tool I was referring to. Sounds like you'll do great!

I did change the HDD on my last iMac but that screen was held on by magnets so it was easier than this iMac.

Yes I had one of these as well...MUCH easier to open! That would have been a 2011 iMac or earlier.

I have decided on the 512GB SSD as you are correct in my not needing a 1TB.

Good choice! The added bonus may be...if you had any "problem junk" on the old HDD...with a new SSD... if you install everything fresh...no "junk" issues!

If you move forward with this...please let us know how it goes.

Nick

 

[techiesteve]

Slow 2.5" 5400 hard drives in 21.5" iMac's from 2012 - 2017 tend to be rather common. After erasing the HD and reinstalling the macOS they still run slow. Apple's MRI and Storage Diagnostics will mainly pass the HD, although some may fail. Replacing the HD with an SSD normally resolves the slow down and leaves you with a faster Mac than before the slow down started.

 

[ferrarr]

If you choose to swap the startup drive, you can also do the ram at the same time.

iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display (2017) RAM Replacement

This guide details removing the logic board in a 2017 iMac 4K in order to remove or replace the RAM. Some images in this guide use a 2015 iMac,...

www.ifixit.com

Did your iMac come with the fusion drive (32gb SSD & 1TB HDD)? Or just the basic rotating disk HDD?

 

[pigoo3]

Great idea Bob! Gotta "break the seal" anyway for the SSD install...might as well bump the RAM up to 16GB as well!

Nick

 

[tiredretired]

@ferrarr: My 18.1 Imac came with just the basic HDD spinner. No Fusion Drive.

Thanx all! The thing I am wondering though is after I install the new SSD, should I not do a recovery from Time Machine? Seems to me, a full recovery from TM will just migrate back any and all potential junk that I currently have if indeed I have some. Or, am I just being paranoid and most likely my culprit is the current 5400 RPM HDD.

Is there a way just to do a partial recovery after the OS is installed on the new SSD? Maybe bring things over a little at a time so I can keep better track if and when the junk arrive so to speak?

Sorry for all the questions and for being a pain in the arse. LOL.

 

[pm-r]

Thanx all! The thing I am wondering though is after I install the new SSD, should I not do a recovery from Time Machine?

Personally, I would seriously suggest using a proper Full cloning application such as Carbon Copy Cloner or Super Duper, and then all you have to do is use either of them to clone back ton younew SSD boot drive.

BTW: have you tried a cold boot using safe boot mode, Login, aInd then just reboot normaly?

Doing so can often purge a lot of surplus junk and slow down type files and help get your Mac into a more normal operating mode.

PS: For a replacement SSD Drive, maybe give the OWC SSDs a thought as they don't need any TRIM or anything added. They are fast and reasonably priced. Macsales.com
I have no affiliation with the company at all, just a happy user of several of their product's.

- Patrick
=======

 

[tiredretired]

Thank you. Well, did the cold boot as recommended and I must say the iMac booted up much quicker than it seems it ever has. LOL.

Yes, buying the SSD from OWC. I have done business with them in the past and a very good company.

Never heard of Cloner or Super Duper. Will check them out. Thanx!!!

 

[techiesteve]

If you choose to swap the startup drive, you can also do the ram at the same time.

iMac Intel 21.5" Retina 4K Display (2017) RAM Replacement

This guide details removing the logic board in a 2017 iMac 4K in order to remove or replace the RAM. Some images in this guide use a 2015 iMac,...

www.ifixit.com

Did your iMac come with the fusion drive (32gb SSD & 1TB HDD)? Or just the basic rotating disk HDD?

The only additional work when fitting larger RAM is removing the chin, fan, power supply and logic board. If you do this be careful to disconnect the microphone cable at the front, I've seen damage to the cable and socket, and make sure you fit the correct VHB strip with the hole for the mic. Also take ESD precautions when handling the logic board.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

The computer just runs horrible slow. Always and always getting the rainbow wheel.

You were advised early in this thread that I offer a Web site specifically to handle the sort of problem that you are having. You really should have looked at it and followed the suggestions there.:

Macintosh Slowdown Solutions

Folks on discussion lists like to throw YOUR money away on things that are rarely the solution to a slowdown problem. Let me ask you...has this Mac EVER run normally? If it has, the problem isn't that you need more RAM or that your hard drive is too slow (assuming that both are healthy). Adequate hardware doesn't become inadequate hardware unless it is failing or your use case for your computer really drasically changes. Changing out your RDHD for an SSD WILL give you more performance, there is no doubt, but that's not the source of your slowdown. The same with adding more RAM. In fact, adding more RAM may not give you noticeably better performance at all.

In troubleshooting your problem, the very first thing that I'd ask you is if you are running stay-resident anti-virus software. If you are, eight or nine times out of ten, fully uninstalling that anti-virus software, using the developer's own uninstaller or detailed guide for doing so manually, will usually fix things immediately. (Sophos is often the problem. It's a POS.)

Not the problem? The next thing that I'd check is if your hard drive is failing. Hard drives fail at a surprising rate. You can check the health of your hard drive quickly, easily, and for free. Run the free (but fully functional) free demo of this program:

DriveDX - free demo

DriveDx - the most advanced drive health diagnostics and monitoring utility

DriveDx - the most advanced drive health (S.M.A.R.T.) diagnostics and monitoring utility. Save yourself the data loss and downtime that is associated with unexpected SSD and HDD failures. Don't worry about losing your important data, music, and photographs.

binaryfruit.com

Hard drive fully healthy? Test your RAM with this free utility:

Rember (free)

Kelley Computing

Portland area Mac IT, Onsite and Consulting Services; Software and Scripts for iOS and OS X

www.kelleycomputing.net

Run it and see what it says. Typically the problem (if there is one) will be due to non-Apple RAM. Remove the bad RAM and send it back to the supplier for replacement.

RAM not the problem? Test the rest of your hardware with this free utility from Apple:

Apple Diagnostics

Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support

Apple Diagnostics, formerly known as Apple Hardware Test, can check your Mac for hardware issues.

support.apple.com

If none of the above points to the problem, then check out the other, less common suggestions on my Slowdown Solutions Web site. Throwing money at the problem by purchasing upgraded hardware (SSD and/or more RAM) is almost always a misguided way to go.

 

[pm-r]

Thank you. Well, did the cold boot as recommended and I must say the iMac booted up much quicker than it seems it ever has. LOL.

Thanks for the feedback, It's nice to hear that a simple free maintenance type procedure again worked for a user. And it sure doesn't hurt anything to invoke it and try.


- Patrick
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