Images on MacBook Desktop/Folders/Finder not opening in Preview

[MalGV]

Hello everyone,

(I originally intended to ask for help on this issue on Apple's discussion website, but for some reason they refused to let me log in, so I have come here for help instead.)

I recently updated my Firefox to the current version of 57.0, and ever since then I noticed something odd and irritating with trying to open up images: before the Firefox update, they would always open up in Preview, just like they're supposed to; but after the update they would only open in "Fireworks", a program I have never used, so I Uninstalled Fireworks and tried again a little while later. Then they opened in another program that I never use, so I Uninstalled that as well.

Finally, when they started opening in Photoshop, a program I DO use, I tried going into the "Get Info" option in Finder; I saw in the "Open with:" section it mysteriously now had "Adobe Photoshop" in the slot, so naturally I went into the selection and changed it to "Open with Preview as Default" and Checked the box next to "Always Open With" before hitting the "Add" button. This works for a little while through the day. However, after a few hours I go and click on an image from either my Desktop or Finder and what happens? It opens up in Photoshop. I go to check the Finder settings under Get Info and like a curse it's back to Photoshop:

Here is an attached image:

file:///Users/mvdesand/Desktop/bad-opening-239479237432.png

I have now had to do this at least 4 times in one day and this is beyond frustrating. The "Open With" option will NOT stay with Preview as it had always done. Why is it that my Images will not stay opening with Preview?

Lastly, I ran an EtreCheck on my computer and it came up with this:

EtreCheck version: 3.4.4 (448)
Report generated 2017-11-27 11:25:39
Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com
Runtime: 3:27
Performance: Good

Click the [Lookup] links for more information from Apple Support Communities.
Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.

Problem: Other problem

Hardware Information: ⓘ
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2010)
[Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty & Service]
MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro6,1
1 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5 (i5) CPU: 2-core
8 GB RAM Upgradeable - [Instructions]
BANK 0/DIMM0
4 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
4 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
Handoff/Airdrop2: not supported
Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Battery: Health = Check Battery - Cycle count = 138

Video Information: ⓘ
Intel HD Graphics - VRAM: 288 MB
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M - VRAM: 512 MB
Color LCD 1920 x 1200

Disk Information: ⓘ
MKNSSDCL480GB-DX disk0: (480.1 GB) (Solid State - TRIM: No)
[Show SMART report]
(disk0s1) <not mounted> [EFI]: 210 MB
(disk0s2) <not mounted> [CoreStorage Container]: 479.24 GB
(disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB

HL-DT-ST DVDRW GS23N ()

USB Information: ⓘ
EHCI Root Hub Simulation
hub_device
Tablet PTK-640
Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
EHCI Root Hub Simulation
hub_device
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Apple Inc. Built-in iSight

Virtual disks: ⓘ
MAL HD (disk1 - Journaled HFS+) / [Startup]: 478.89 GB (139.00 GB free)
Physical disk: disk0s2 479.24 GB Online

System Software: ⓘ
OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 (13F1911) - Time since boot: about 62 days

Gatekeeper: ⓘ
Mac App Store and identified developers

Kernel Extensions: ⓘ
/Applications/KeepVid Pro.app
[not loaded] com.Perfect.Driver.SystemAudioRecorder (1.1.0 - SDK 10.6) [Lookup]

/System/Library/Extensions
[not loaded] com.wacom.kext.wacomtablet (Wacom Tablet 6.1.5-2) [Lookup]

System Launch Agents: ⓘ
[not loaded] 6 Apple tasks
[loaded] 133 Apple tasks
[running] 45 Apple tasks

System Launch Daemons: ⓘ
[not loaded] 48 Apple tasks
[loaded] 132 Apple tasks
[running] 68 Apple tasks

Launch Agents: ⓘ
[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-02-16) [Lookup]
[loaded] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-07-31) [Lookup]
[loaded] com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist (? 40cdc1ff 21868ea0 - installed 2017-02-16) [Lookup]
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist (? 47d04590 f8817326 - installed 2016-03-25) [Lookup]
[running] com.wacom.wacomtablet.plist (? 9e9edb5e 7db17fcd - installed 2010-02-25) [Lookup]

Launch Daemons: ⓘ
[loaded] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist (? 68cad67 0 - installed 2010-09-19) [Lookup]
[running] com.adobe.adobeupdatedaemon.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-07-31) [Lookup]
[running] com.adobe.agsservice.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-09-20) [Lookup]
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (? 2afb3af7 a56d5fc2 - installed 2017-10-25) [Lookup]
[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (? 6d8cb30e afb3bef0 - installed 2010-08-25) [Lookup]
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist (Shell Script e3fefdd2 - installed 2016-03-25) [Lookup]

User Launch Agents: ⓘ
[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-02-16) [Lookup]
[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist (? e18d8339 63c5d68b - installed 2013-05-14) [Lookup]
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist (Google, Inc. - installed 2017-09-27) [Lookup]

User Login Items: ⓘ
iTunesHelper Application (Apple, Inc. - installed 2017-07-20)
(/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
Aimersoft Helper Compact Application
(~/Library/Application Support/Helper/Aimersoft Helper Compact.app)
EpsonLowInkReminderAgent Application
(/Applications/Epson Software/Epson Low Ink Reminder.app/Contents/EpsonLowInkReminderAgent.app)

Internet Plug-ins: ⓘ
WacomNetscape: 1.1.0-5 (installed 2010-02-25) [Lookup]
Default Browser: 537 (installed 2014-11-04)
WacomSafari: 1.1.0-5 (installed 2010-02-25) [Lookup]
AdobeAAMDetect: 3.0.0.0 (installed 2017-07-31) [Lookup]
FlashPlayer-10.6: 27.0.0.187 (installed 2017-11-14) [Lookup]
Silverlight: 5.1.20125.0 (installed 2013-04-09) [Lookup]
QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (installed 2016-08-03)
Flash Player: 27.0.0.187 (installed 2017-11-14) [Lookup]
PepperFlashPlayer: 27.0.0.187 (installed 2017-11-14) [Lookup]
SharePointBrowserPlugin: 14.4.3 (installed 2014-07-08) [Lookup]
AdobePDFViewer: 9.5.5 (installed 2013-05-14) [Lookup]
iPhotoPhotocast: 7.0 (installed 2010-09-17)
JavaAppletPlugin: Java 8 Update 77 build 03 (installed 2016-03-25) Check version

Safari Extensions: ⓘ
[not loaded] AdBlock - BetaFish, Inc. - https://getadblock.com (installed 2017-10-31)
[not loaded] KeepVid Pro - KeepVid Studio - http://www.keepvid.com (installed 2017-01-16)
[enabled] iMedia Converter Deluxe - iSkysoft Studio - http://www.iskysoft.com (installed 2013-02-26)
[enabled] iTube Studio - iSkysoft Studio - http://www.iskysoft.com (installed 2013-07-11)

3rd Party Preference Panes: ⓘ
Flash Player (installed 2017-10-25) [Lookup]
hueyPRO (installed 2009-03-12) [Lookup]
Java (installed 2016-03-25) [Lookup]
Perian (installed 2011-07-23) [Lookup]
WacomTablet (installed 2011-03-01) [Lookup]

Time Machine: ⓘ
Skip System Files: NO
Mobile backups: ON
Auto backup: YES
Volumes being backed up:
MAL HD: Disk size: 478.89 GB Disk used: 339.89 GB
Destinations:
[redacted]'s Backup [Local]
Total size: 2.00 TB
Total number of backups: 12
Oldest backup: 7/14/17, 10:22 PM
Last backup: 11/25/17, 7:13 PM
Size of backup disk: Excellent
Backup size 2.00 TB > (Disk size 478.89 GB X 3)

MalArt Glob [Local]
Total size: 498.46 GB
Total number of backups: 2
Oldest backup: 12/10/13, 3:38 PM
Last backup: 12/10/13, 3:38 PM
Size of backup disk: Too small
Backup size 498.46 GB < (Disk used 339.89 GB X 3)

Data [Network]
Total size: 2.00 TB
Total number of backups: 44
Oldest backup: 7/18/15, 3:57 PM
Last backup: 11/29/16, 10:22 AM
Size of backup disk: Excellent
Backup size 2.00 TB > (Disk size 478.89 GB X 3)

Top Processes by CPU: ⓘ
45% Adobe Photoshop CS5
11% WindowServer
9% firefox
6% kernel_task
4% mds

Top Processes by Memory: ⓘ
1.44 GB kernel_task
410 MB Adobe Photoshop CS5
226 MB plugin-container
196 MB firefox
158 MB Finder

Top Processes by Energy Use: ⓘ
42.72 com.apple.WebKit.WebContent
37.90 Adobe Photoshop CS5
13.44 WindowServer
12.62 firefox

Virtual Memory Information: ⓘ
405 MB Available RAM
8 MB Free RAM
7.60 GB Used RAM
397 MB Cached files
8.58 GB Swap Used

Software installs: ⓘ
Adobe Flash Player: (installed 2017-11-14)
Adobe Pepper Flash Player: (installed 2017-11-14)

Install information may not be complete.

Diagnostics Information: ⓘ
2017-11-24 11:52:20 Adobe Fireworks CS5.app Hang [Open]
2017-09-26 06:54:05 Last shutdown cause: -60 - Corrupt filesystem

From what I can see, there is no bad stuff on my computer that the program is asking me to "Delete", so I don't know where to go from here.

Thank you to anyone who can help me with this problem,
MalGV

 

[chscag]

Follow these Macworld directions to change it back to Preview. Notice - especially the last two steps (4 and 5). You were not clear if you had done that.

And welcome to our forums.

 

[MalGV]

Thank you for having me here and thank you for replying.

I actually did do steps 4 and 5 for each file type (png., jpg., gif., and tiff.) on my computer each time I had to go to "Get Info" to change the setting. Sorry if I wasn't clear or if I forgot to mention it.

I followed the steps in the link and switched the Open With option to Preview once again. I did this at 5:00PM. I will wait and see if this keeps the images opening in Preview. If it opens up in Photoshop or any other program again, I will come back and report it.

 

[MalGV]

Ok, it did not work. It is now a few hours later and I went to click on something on my Desktop; it opened up in Photoshop, not Preview. I checked under the "Get Info" section again and here's what it says:

file:///Users/mvdesand/Desktop/open-with-error-902304790342.png (Let me know if you're not able to see this.)

Not only is it back to showing Photoshop, but I also noticed there are unusual symbols/icons next to the names of the pictures. These are not how they used to be before my update. They all showed the Preview icon next to the names, every picture that was not saved under some special program like Photoshop (psd.) But now everything is opening in Photoshop, changing the setting in Get Info isn't working, and it makes no sense to me.

 

[chscag]

Something in your system is interferring with the default settings. Try this and let us know: Go through the "get info" routine again and change the default back to Preview. After doing that, reboot your Mac into Safe Mode by holding down your shift key as soon as you hear the boot sound. Keep holding it down until the Apple appears. The machine will then boot with everything generic and all third party kexts and extensions will be blocked including those from Adobe. Run that way for a bit and test to see if opening graphic files with Preview is working or not. Let us know.

 

[MalGV]

Thank you for the advice! I tried the reboot and things actually worked as they should, pictures opened in Preview, and the Preview program stayed selected in the Get Info section. So since the reboot version worked, I had to leave my computer for a bit, so I turned it off. I turned it back on and now everything it back to normal! The pictures are opening in Preview again, and now even icons next to the names are back to normal (showing the icons for Preview).

I'm guessing what I needed to do was just shut down my computer and then Restart it, but I think the Safe Mode helped as well. Thank a lot for your help! If anything changes or goes bad, I'll be sure to come back.

 

[MalGV]

Hate to have to keep doing this, but it happened again. This time, when I pull up the Get Info section, the little icons next to the picture names are Preview icons, but the Open With section is back to reading Photoshop. Here is a screenshot:

file:///Users/mvdesand/Desktop/previewstillnotbeingused2093472.png

I'm thinking maybe I didn't play around in the Safe Mode long enough to tell if everything was opening fine. I'm going to try the reboot again and I'll come back and let you all know what I find.

 

[gsahli]

Did you install this:
Aimersoft Helper Compact Application
(~/Library/Application Support/Helper/Aimersoft Helper Compact.app)
What is it for?
Did you notice that your Mac has 8.58 GB of swap used? That doesn't look healthy to me. Something is going on there.

 

[chscag]

You definitely have something that's interferring as proven by when you booted to Safe Mode and then everything returned to normal. As I told you above.... safe mode shuts down all third party kexts and extensions. Now you need to figure out what that is. Also, answer member "gsahli". He may be on to something.

 

[MalGV]

Hmm... I don't know what that is, hadn't noticed that before. I searched it in Finder and found only a "plist" document simply called "aimersoft.plist". I deleted it and went into EasyFind, where I found 11 items with the name. I don't know where these came from or if I downloaded something with these attached, so I deleted them all as well (though I had to use "Secure Empty" trash for a few items that were supposedly "still in use"). I'm going to Restart my computer again so I can be sure I cleansed my MacBook of these.

As for the "8.58 of swap used", I did notice that before when I used EtreCheck in the past, but I don't know what that means or how to change it. If it is about a backup disk, I do use a Porsche Design backup drive to save my work every 10 days or so.

 

[MalGV]

Yeah, I see now. I went into Safe Mode again and everything came up in Preview like normal. I did reply to Gsahli that the "aimersoft" thing is something I didn't recognize and deleted it off my computer, along with a few other items of that name that I found in EasyFind.

One odd thing I didn't get a chance to mention in my last post before going back into Safe Mode was that I opened the Get Info section again and found that now the Open With selection was now back to Preview as Default and the little icons had turned back into those weird other icons. I also noticed that the problem comes up after something like an hour of not opening anything in Preview. Hopefully with that "aimersoft" things deleted this will be solved. I'll check back in with what happens after I Restart it again.

 

[gsahli]

FYI - swap is hard drive space used by the operating system when it has too much data/too many apps in RAM memory, and it offloads them temporarily to swap space. This is a big hit to the speed of the OS.

 

[MalGV]

Ok, sorry for the long wait and thank you for the continued help throughout this annoyance. For the past day everything seemed to be working and pictures were opening up in Preview like they're supposed to. Unfortunately just a few minutes ago I went to open up a picture on my Desktop and it popped up in Photoshop. So I go to the Get Info spot again and here's what it says now:

file:///Users/mvdesand/Desktop/previewstillnotbeingused22222.png

Notice how the little icons next to both the image file names and the Open With selection have changed yet again. This is just becoming irritating, and this didn't start until after I updated Firefox (which is why I hate having to do Updates on anything).

Once thing I think I might have noticed is if Preview is off for an extended period of time the images will pop up in Photoshop. But I can't keep Preview open at all times (I don't think), so I'm not sure where to go next.

And before I forget, regarding the "Swap" space: thank you, gsahli, for explaining what it was. The hard drive in question is actually an older backup drive that has not been in use since 2013 and will be replaced with a new one eventually. I just haven't removed it from my Time Machine Preferences. I'm using a different, newer backup drive to save my computer information.

Again, any and all further help is much appreciated.

 

[gsahli]

When a URL starts "file:///" that means the browser is looking at a file on Your computer - we can't see that.

I think another run of etrecheck (posted here) may help us.

 

[MalGV]

(The site isn't letting me post pictures. I click on the "Insert Image" icon and try adding my screenshot, but I don't know any other way of doing it.)

Ok, here is the latest EtreCheck:

EtreCheck version: 3.4.6 (460)
Report generated 2017-12-01 11:20:40
Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com
Runtime: 2:33
Performance: Excellent

Click the [Lookup] links for more information from Apple Support Communities.
Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.

Problem: Other problem

Hardware Information: ⓘ
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2010)
[Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty & Service]
MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro6,1
1 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5 (i5) CPU: 2-core
8 GB RAM Upgradeable - [Instructions]
BANK 0/DIMM0
4 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
4 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
Handoff/Airdrop2: not supported
Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Battery: Health = Check Battery - Cycle count = 139

Video Information: ⓘ
Intel HD Graphics - VRAM: 288 MB
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M - VRAM: 512 MB
Color LCD 1920 x 1200

Disk Information: ⓘ
MKNSSDCL480GB-DX disk0: (480.1 GB) (Solid State - TRIM: No)
[Show SMART report]
(disk0s1) <not mounted> [EFI]: 210 MB
(disk0s2) <not mounted> [CoreStorage Container]: 479.24 GB
(disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB

HL-DT-ST DVDRW GS23N ()

USB Information: ⓘ
EHCI Root Hub Simulation
hub_device
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
EHCI Root Hub Simulation
hub_device
Tablet PTK-640
Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Virtual disks: ⓘ
MAL HD (disk1 - Journaled HFS+) / [Startup]: 478.89 GB (157.46 GB free)
Physical disk: disk0s2 479.24 GB Online

System Software: ⓘ
OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 (13F1911) - Time since boot: about one day

Gatekeeper: ⓘ
Mac App Store and identified developers

Kernel Extensions: ⓘ
/Applications/KeepVid Pro.app
[not loaded] com.Perfect.Driver.SystemAudioRecorder (1.1.0 - SDK 10.6) [Lookup]

/System/Library/Extensions
[not loaded] com.wacom.kext.wacomtablet (Wacom Tablet 6.1.5-2) [Lookup]

System Launch Agents: ⓘ
[not loaded] 6 Apple tasks
[loaded] 141 Apple tasks
[running] 37 Apple tasks

System Launch Daemons: ⓘ
[not loaded] 48 Apple tasks
[loaded] 134 Apple tasks
[running] 66 Apple tasks

Launch Agents: ⓘ
[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-02-16) [Lookup]
[running] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-07-31) [Lookup]
[loaded] com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist (? 40cdc1ff 21868ea0 - installed 2017-02-16) [Lookup]
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist (? 47d04590 f8817326 - installed 2016-03-25) [Lookup]
[running] com.wacom.wacomtablet.plist (? 9e9edb5e 7db17fcd - installed 2010-02-25) [Lookup]

Launch Daemons: ⓘ
[loaded] com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist (? 68cad67 0 - installed 2010-09-19) [Lookup]
[running] com.adobe.adobeupdatedaemon.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-07-31) [Lookup]
[running] com.adobe.agsservice.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-09-20) [Lookup]
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (? 2afb3af7 a56d5fc2 - installed 2017-10-25) [Lookup]
[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (? 6d8cb30e afb3bef0 - installed 2010-08-25) [Lookup]
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist (Shell Script e3fefdd2 - installed 2016-03-25) [Lookup]

User Launch Agents: ⓘ
[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-02-16) [Lookup]
[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist (? e18d8339 63c5d68b - installed 2013-05-14) [Lookup]
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist (Google, Inc. - installed 2017-09-27) [Lookup]

User Login Items: ⓘ
iTunesHelper Application (Apple, Inc. - installed 2017-07-20)
(/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
Preview Application
(/Applications/Preview.app)
EpsonLowInkReminderAgent Application
(/Applications/Epson Software/Epson Low Ink Reminder.app/Contents/EpsonLowInkReminderAgent.app)

Internet Plug-ins: ⓘ
WacomNetscape: 1.1.0-5 (installed 2010-02-25) [Lookup]
Default Browser: 537 (installed 2014-11-04)
WacomSafari: 1.1.0-5 (installed 2010-02-25) [Lookup]
AdobeAAMDetect: 3.0.0.0 (installed 2017-07-31) [Lookup]
FlashPlayer-10.6: 27.0.0.187 (installed 2017-11-14) [Lookup]
Silverlight: 5.1.20125.0 (installed 2013-04-09) [Lookup]
QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (installed 2016-08-03)
Flash Player: 27.0.0.187 (installed 2017-11-14) [Lookup]
PepperFlashPlayer: 27.0.0.187 (installed 2017-11-14) [Lookup]
SharePointBrowserPlugin: 14.4.3 (installed 2014-07-08) [Lookup]
AdobePDFViewer: 9.5.5 (installed 2013-05-14) [Lookup]
iPhotoPhotocast: 7.0 (installed 2010-09-17)
JavaAppletPlugin: Java 8 Update 77 build 03 (installed 2016-03-25) Check version

Safari Extensions: ⓘ
[not loaded] AdBlock - BetaFish, Inc. - https://getadblock.com (installed 2017-11-28)
[not loaded] KeepVid Pro - KeepVid Studio - http://www.keepvid.com (installed 2017-01-16)
[enabled] iMedia Converter Deluxe - iSkysoft Studio - http://www.iskysoft.com (installed 2013-02-26)
[enabled] iTube Studio - iSkysoft Studio - http://www.iskysoft.com (installed 2013-07-11)

3rd Party Preference Panes: ⓘ
Flash Player (installed 2017-10-25) [Lookup]
hueyPRO (installed 2009-03-12) [Lookup]
Java (installed 2016-03-25) [Lookup]
Perian (installed 2011-07-23) [Lookup]
WacomTablet (installed 2011-03-01) [Lookup]

Time Machine: ⓘ
Skip System Files: NO
Mobile backups: ON
Auto backup: YES
Volumes being backed up:
MAL HD: Disk size: 478.89 GB Disk used: 321.42 GB
Destinations:
[redacted]'s Backup [Local]
Total size: 2.00 TB
Total number of backups: 13
Oldest backup: 7/14/17, 10:22 PM
Last backup: 11/29/17, 8:04 PM
Size of backup disk: Excellent
Backup size 2.00 TB > (Disk size 478.89 GB X 3)

MalArt Glob [Local]
Total size: 498.46 GB
Total number of backups: 2
Oldest backup: 12/10/13, 3:38 PM
Last backup: 12/10/13, 3:38 PM
Size of backup disk: Too small
Backup size 498.46 GB < (Disk used 321.42 GB X 3)

Data [Network]
Total size: 2.00 TB
Total number of backups: 44
Oldest backup: 7/18/15, 3:57 PM
Last backup: 11/29/16, 10:22 AM
Size of backup disk: Excellent
Backup size 2.00 TB > (Disk size 478.89 GB X 3)

Top Processes by CPU: ⓘ
23% firefox
15% plugin-container
8% com.apple.coremedia.videodecoder
7% mdworker
6% mdworker

Top Processes by Memory: ⓘ
874 MB kernel_task
368 MB plugin-container
314 MB Safari
261 MB firefox
172 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

Top Processes by Energy Use: ⓘ
23.42 plugin-container
9.92 com.apple.coremedia.videodecoder
5.64 firefox
5.42 WindowServer

Virtual Memory Information: ⓘ
453 MB Available RAM
17 MB Free RAM
7.56 GB Used RAM
436 MB Cached files
355 MB Swap Used

Software installs (last 30 days): ⓘ
Adobe Flash Player: (installed 2017-11-14)
Adobe Pepper Flash Player: (installed 2017-11-14)

Install information may not be complete.

Diagnostics Events (last 3 days for minor events): ⓘ
2017-11-30 00:10:27 Microsoft Word.app Hang [Open]
2017-11-29 21:19:05 WacomTabletDriver.app Crash [Open]
2017-11-29 20:06:21 Adobe Desktop Service.app Crash [Open]
2017-11-29 02:00:04 AAM Updates Notifier.app Crash [Open]

Note: I don't know if you guys use EtreCheck too, but usually if something is harmful it will appear in red. Nothing in this check appeared in red.

 

[gsahli]

I'd be checking on updated drivers for Pantone Huey Pro and Wacom tablet.
I'd take Preview out of Login items.
Do you do a lot of video conversions as a background process?

 

[MalGV]

I used to do video conversions back in 2013-2014, but not much anymore.

I had originally put Preview into the Login items a day ago in the hopes that keeping it open would stop pictures from opening up in the wrong program. Sadly, that has not worked, as a few moments ago I tried to open a picture and it still opened in Photoshop, even through Preview was still open.

I use my Wacom tablet daily but not my Huey Pro. I'm not sure how to "update drivers" for those items. How do I go about doing that?

 

[gsahli]

To update drivers, go to their web sites and look for updates.

This makes me think there are still video conversions going on in the background:

Top Processes by CPU: ⓘ
23% firefox
15% plugin-container
8% com.apple.coremedia.videodecoder

But I could be wrong.

 

[MalGV]

Thanks for the continued help; I went through my computer, ran EtreCheck and other malware/adware detectors, and deleted a whole bunch of old/suspicious stuff from my computer (including any video/media converters). I'll have to do another shut down/restart to see if the problem persists, but I'm hoping this won't be a continuous problem.

I'll also work on updating those drives, because I did find out today that my Huey Pro is out of date.

Ok, I see what you mean now regarding the video conversions still going on somewhere. I did another check with EasyFind and found 114-126 items under the name "coremedia". I don't know what CoreMedia is, so should I delete those items from my computer?

I will keep updating this thread until the problem is solved.

 

[gsahli]

Coremedia is part of OS X/MacOS. I wouldn't delete those just yet. I think some 3rd-party product is calling (making it run) Coremedia.