OSX still slow after complete OS reinstall

[Sad, little man]

Seriously, wtf!? My Macbook Pro circa 2009 was running unbearably slow, so I finally decided to bite the bullet and completely wipe the HDD and load a fresh install of El Capitan. And guess what, it's still slow to the point where it will barely play locally stored mp3s in itunes.

Shouldn't this thing be running like a new computer? I didn't even bring over most of my files from the backup of the old HDD, just to be sure it would run as lean and fast as possible, and it still sucks. :|

[Alan P]

Hard drive dying? All the RAM listed correctly?

[Rare White Ape]

Buy a [new] Mac?


Sorry, I'm no help at all. I could only offer a riff on a joke from 2005.

[thesameguy]

Old Macs running slow on Yosemite and beyond has been my experience. Our late '08 ran so poorly we had to replace it.

[George]

Why not give the Ubuntu OS a try? It's free and easy enough to install that even I can do it, and if you don't like it, you can always reinstall your Mac OS again.

www.ubuntu.com

[Sad, little man]

Because then wouldn't I have to search around for an Ubuntu version of every application I want to download and use? Doesn't sound like fun. Sometimes it's hard enough finding an OSX version of some applications. But, it has gotten better in recent years.

Anyway, I feel like this might be a HDD or RAM issue. I guess I always assumed HDDs either worked or they didn't, but maybe not.

I can't imagine this is just a product of having a newer OS than the computer came with. I mean there are times in itunes when I'll play a song, and the playback will just freeze up for like a whole minute, and then continue. It's pretty excessive.

[thesameguy]

HDDs either work or they don't. They don't slow down over time. Insufficient RAM can exacerbate the issue, but the bottom line is 2016 OS has higher hardware expectations than 2009 OS. More RAM and faster storage will get you closer to that expectation, but you'll still be limited by CPU and bus.

[George]

Because then wouldn't I have to search around for an Ubuntu version of every application I want to download and use?

I had no problems finding everything I needed right there in the Ubuntu Software Center, an app that comes with the OS. The only shortcoming I see is there aren't a lot of games, but Steam (which I'm just discovering, along with my son) may change that.

I just thought I'd mention it in case you weren't aware of it, as it has given two old computers (so far) of mine a new lease on life. Sounds like you know the score, though. Good luck.

[Jason]

10.11.5 released today, maybe give that a shot. Fact is, though, older Macs aren't great on Yosemite/El Capitan.

[Sad, little man]

Is there a way to roll back to before Yosemite?

And again, I really feel like there is something more going on here than just an old machine struggling with a new OS. Earlier today I was browsing facebook. A page wouldn't load, everything seemed to hang up for a long time, and then the whole screen just went black and the computer crashed and rebooted on its own. But oddly enough, things seem more smooth now. Ugh, wtf is going on!?

[Jason]

Take it to an Apple Store if you're thinking you have some sort of hardware issue.

[Yw-slayer]

Just buy a new computer. It's 2016, so your old one is already 7 years old. Preferably a PC. But maybe that's not possible because you keep giving away your photos?

Or you could try and install Neverware Cloudready, which works great on my wife's ancient ASUS and my X301. Or as George suggested, Ubuntu.


Because then wouldn't I have to search around for an Ubuntu version of every application I want to download and use? Doesn't sound like fun.

Have you even looked into it? Just how many applications DO you use?


I can't imagine this is just a product of having a newer OS than the computer came with. I mean there are times in itunes when I'll play a song, and the playback will just freeze up for like a whole minute, and then continue. It's pretty excessive.

Welcome to reality.

P.S. itunes is and always has been an utter POS.

[Sad, little man]

I decided to throw a SSD and more RAM in it. We'll see how that helps.

Regarding Ubuntu... It's not so much the applications I use all the time, it's those times when you need some specialized application.

For instance, when I wanted to find the shutter count on my used camera, it can be easily done with a utility someone wrote for Windows and Mac. Just out of curiosity I googled to see if it could be done in Ubuntu. Seems like it's possible, but it's one of those stand on your head kind of procedures. And what about updating my Garmin GPS? Seriously, eff that. I want simple. I just want things to work. There's a reason almost everyone tends to use one of two operating systems... They just work with stuff.

[Jason]

P.S. itunes is and always has been an utter POS.

On Windows, yes.

On OSX, it works about as solidly as the OS itself, in my experience. (If your system is running well, iTunes will as well, if your system isn't, then iTunes will suck)

[Yw-slayer]

Yeah, itunes for windows is horrible. I also hate the interface.

I did just manage to swap, I think, a 256GB PNY flash drive into my ipod classic though (fried the HDD by putting it next to my phone's magnetic mount).

[Sad, little man]

Regardless of how much itunes may or may not suck, surely you aren't insinuating that music playback locking up repeatedly in the middle of a song is just par for the course, and has nothing to do with the crapppiness of the machine it's running on.

[thesameguy]

What's going on is old computer.

[Sad, little man]

I installed the SSD day, and I have to say, wow, this is like a new computer. Really, the difference is incredible. I also got more RAM, but for some reason it seems like it's faulty because the computer won't boot with it installed. So, I will exchange the RAM for a new set of chips.

But even just the change to the SSD is just incredible. It just works now. It's really amazing.

I'm really not convinced that there wasn't perhaps a degradation of the performance of the old HDD over time. I mean, granted it's not fair to compare the speed of any HDD to a SSD, but this is such an extreme difference in performance. I have no desire for a new computer at this point, and hopefully once I actually get some more RAM in here it will be even better.

[Yw-slayer]

Welcome to the mid-2010s.

[Sad, little man]

Why didn't you guys tell me a SSD would solve all my problems? :assclown:

[George]

Ubuntu or a similar Linux OS would have been cheaper. :assclown:

[Rare White Ape]

Why didn't you guys tell me a SSD would solve all my problems? :assclown:

We just don't care man. Sorry to break it to you.

[Yw-slayer]

We just don't care man. Sorry to break it to you.

Yup, that. Your "I know better than you lot" attitude also helped.