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What is the most effective way to speed up my MacBookPro? I used to be able to have 15-20 windows open at the same time with no noticeable decrease in speed. Now even with just a few windows open it is slow. What do you suggest that won't risk doing damage? Other than the speed, everything works perfectly.I have done the standard clear cookies, temp files, but no substantial change. It seems like something in the background is bogging down the processor. Thanks, XXXXX XXXXX
Optional Information: Product: Macbook Software (if necessary): OS X Already Tried: Clearing cookies, temp files, history.
Hello and thank you for asking your question, with JustAnswer.com/Mac. I am Sr. Mac Tech Support Specialist, Terry, glad to assist you.
Nice to meet you Terry!
Glad to be of service Paul!
How would you suggest I resolve this speed issue?
Can you do me a favor and click on the black Apple menu icon, located in the upper left corner of your screen and select About this Mac
I need to have you verify these details for me
the version of your Mac OS X as well as Processor Speed and RAM if you woulld
I will definitely be able to assist you here
just need some system specifications of your Macbook Pro first
Version 10.6.8 / Processor 2.66 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo /Memory 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
thanks Paul, one moment - I am going to provide you some information to help you with your question
be right with you sir!
Excellent!
just checking to see if you're still there.
What I have for you first and foremost and would like you try now Paul, so you can see for yourself, that this will optimize your Macbook Pro's performance
is to use Disk Utility from within your Mac OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard desktop
-RUN DISK UTILITY FIRST-
Go to Finder Menu bar
• Click Go > Utilities > Disk Utility and open up Disk Utility app.
• Click on Macintosh HD volume (or on the name you have changed
this volume to.)
• Select "Repair Disk Permissions"
*Let Disk Utility run this repair permissions until completion
Once Disk Utility is complete and there are no errors in red in the completion summary (if there are errors listed in red, re-run DU to see if those error will clear- if they don't reply back to this post right away and let me know what the exact error message is), quit Disk Utility.
To test this optimization and repair process, you will need to open some applications, web browser and at least 5-7 windows
How long does the DU process usually take and can I keep working while it is running?
this way you see marked improvement in the performance of your Macbook Pro
depends on the size of your hard drive
on my 1 TB internal HD on my mac-
10 mins or less
Ok. Can I keep working while it is running or should I get out of browsers, etc?
that is the good part
you can still keep working while permissions are being repaired
Ok. I will start it now and see what the results are. Is this something I should schedule monthly as a regular maintenance item? Are there any other regular maintenance routines I should do on a regular schedule to keep my Mac running at optimal performance?
I recommend maybe somewhere around 2-3 times or more a month is not bad
Other than the Repair Disk Permissions, any other utilities or clean ups I should be running as maintenance?
yes, I would recommend you download this great application for wiping your Mac OS X system clear of any old, unwanted master applications
AppZapper v2.0 for Mac
here is a link to activate this fantastic application removal software, which really recovers alot of space on your hard drive when you use it
Sounds good. Is this a paid or free app?
MacTechShare
click that link
:)
Great. My DU progress now says estimated time 38 mins with 1.1 mil files to complete.
and as you perform this disk permissions repair more often Paul, you will find that the process will move faster because you are keeping up with make sure your Mac OS X directory is being cleaned
Clearly I have not been doing that with so many files to be repaired. I also am downloading the AppZapper program you recommended and will run that after the DU process is completed.
that way you can go into your Applications folder and remove those master applications you don't want to take up any unnecessary space anymore Paul.
When you are done with running Repair Disk Permissions, you can also click on the Macintosh HD and then click on the Erase tab on the right side view
and Erase Free space on your hard drive
that is not being used for anything
it is very effective way to gather more space and speed up your Mac
My business is on the web, so keeping my Mac at optimum performance is important. For my subscribers, I research and find the best products of their type. www.GreatStuffThatWorks.com, if you're interested.
That looks great
I'm going to have to check that out when I get a chance:)
Here is a link I want to provide you also Paul, because it is a great, supplemental way to free up more space on your Mac OS X volume, thereby providing more improvements in the performance of your Macbook Pro:
Link: Freeing Up Space on your Mac OS X Startup Disk
I'm always looking for suggestions from subscribers on what information or services they would like to see added to GreatStuffThatWorks. I would greatly appreciate your input, if you think of how I might make the site more valuable to you and others. XXXXX@XXXXXX.XXX
I like using that article as a good reference point on additional ways to keep your Mac clean
thanks you for the information, but if you notice, your email is being X'ed out
that is built into our chat system, in order to protect your privacy
this comes from high up in our company
still appreciate the information however:)
Thanks for the additional link to the article. I'm always looking for information to improve the products both I and my subscribers own. Thank you. It doesn't X out on my end, but you can always find it on GSTW.
The link I gave you by the way is older, but still very useful:)
One other recommendation I can make - and this is a really good way to free space and improve performance on your Mac is to use the Secure Empty Trash
When you run this procedure Paul, it will initially blow your mind, how space your Mac reclaims when using that Mac OSX function
Finally, I must provide you the link to this free but very effective maintenance and optimization utility application called
Onyx
Really! Is there some automated setting that will empty the trash? How do I save all the great info you have given me so I can refer to it later? Does it save on this site or can I email to myself for a reference?
Onyx is the ideal compliment to any Mac when performing routine maintenance and optimization of your Mac OS X 10.6.8 system
its free and boy does it come with a lot of great features
the more you use it, the more effective Onyx becomes and useful to you for improving overall performance of your Mac
Cool! I will add that to the great toolbox of performance boosters you have provided!
haa haa!
glad to see!
The repair utility just finished and I'm running it again just to be sure it is clear.
This time it only says 20 mins.
Good call
that is what I usually recommend you do
only because DIsk Utility will sometimes catch more repairs the second go-around that it missed during the first
So, do you know how I can save this info to an email or copy it to save our chat?
I know you can bookmark this session and can always come back it
I am however, unsure what you will see after a session ends from the customer side
because our interface is different on the Expert's view
so not too sure
but if you want to be creative Paul
you can just open a blank Word document and copy and paste this chat into that document
The Onyx link goes to a blank"go to this page" untitled page. Any suggestions as to why or can you resend the link?
I do that sometimes :)
Yes one moment
sorry about that- the link must have not copied right
I will get it for you now
Thanks
Download Onyx
Because you are running Mac OS X 10.6.8 on your Macbook Pro, be sure to download Onyx version 2.3.8
2.4.7 version is for Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and up
Snow Leopard version, correct?
exactly
2.3.8
version of Onyx
Got it! and it is downloaded. Thank you. This link worked perfectly.
Excellent
now Onyx is a bit more indepth in its use Paul, so I can't stay on while you use that application,
but I can tell you this- its interface is not only intuitive, but clear and concise and definitely easy to learn how to use
No problem! I will take the tools you've given me and see what I can do from here! The second pass of the DU just completed also. So, should my next steps be to run the Secure Trash app and AppZapper, then run the Onyx program?
Correct
and you should see a significant improvement it your Macbook Pro's performance with all of the processes and resources I have provided you Paul
Great. If I encounter any questions as I complete these steps, can I contact you and how would i do that?
Here are some instructions for you for that:)
If you are satisfied that I have resolved your question to your satisfaction, please feel free to rate my service, as we are always glad to gain insight from our customer's perspective on how we are Experts are doing. Keep in mind also, when you "Accept" an answer, it does not mean the session is over, especially if the issue you received help from me, recurs or you have more questions. If all is well however, then there is no need to return. If you want to be cautious however, you are welcome to bookmark this session so you can come back to this session and alert me.
And that will assure you can almost always get back to me and I will be alerted you are seeking me, even if I am offline
Just bookmark the session in Safari?
correct!
Thanks so much! I will sign off so others can take advantage of the great support you have given me. Thanks, again! Paul G.
Always a pleasure sir
and continued success with your website business Paul!
Experience: Apple Certified Desktop & Portables Technician, A+, Cross-Platform (Mac/PC) Tech - for over 14 Years
Thank you for the Accept and the kindness of your Bonus Paul G! I appreciate this very much.I hope the information I provided you, has helped you resolve your Mac technical issue.However, remember, an "Accept" is not necessarily the end of the session, especially if you still have questions, or you find your issue is still not resolved after accepting my initial answer.So please, feel free to reply again, if you still have questions regarding the question I just answered for you.Thank you for using JustAnswer.com!Sincerest Regards,-Terry ("Mactechtrainer")