iMac help please

[getoverit]

Hey Guys!!

I need some more help here....

My iMac is from 2007 and it is starting to slow down quite a bit. There is still more than half the memory left on it. I was not sure if there is anything I could do to "clean" it up a bit? I know with PC's you can de-fragment them. Was not sure if there was such a thing on a iMac.

Any help would be appreciated. Also please put it in simple terms. I am not the best with software .

Thank you!

 

[andysayshi]

What about your system has slowed down? What version of Mac OS are you using? (You can find out by clicking on the Apple logo in the top left corner and choosing "About This Mac".)

Unlike Windows machines, most other systems aren't bogged down by a single Registry file, and so don't tend to need the occasional "Windows Reinstall". But. the most extreme solution to system slowdowns is to back everything up and then erase your hard drive and reinstall the Operating System.

Depending on your hardware and current OS, perhaps it might be time to consider upgrading your OS to Mountain Lion (10.8). It only costs 20 bucks if you have Lion (10.7).

 

[silverbelt]

Defragmentation is an ongoing, automated process on Macs, as far as I'm aware, so you never have to instigate it yourself.

It may be the case that you are perceiving the iMac to be slowing down, whereas it's performing the same it did back in 2007: it's just that everything else around you may have sped up!

Other than that, it could be a number of things: what apps do you keep running? Apps like iTunes and Safari (Chrome, Firefox, etc) can hog RAM and limit the resources for other stuff you want to do. Using Spotlight (search in the top right of the menu bar), find Activity Monitor. It gives you a good summary of your system resources. Under memory, you should see free, wired, active, inactive and used RAM. Pay no attention to inactive, as this just means "memory not free, but available if required". If your free RAM is between 0MB and 80MB, that could be a good indication that it needs more. I find mine hangs around 30MB if it's effectively "run out" of memory.

 

[getoverit]

Thank you guys! I am using version 10.6.8. It is not Mountain Lion but whatever OS was right before that. I just notice when I run iTunes and Safari the internet takes a few more seconds to come up.

 

[Jack Springer]

If your ISP has virus protection - there is no reason to have a virus program. If you have one, that may be the reason for your slow downs.

Also check to make sure you aren't using a huge amounts of fonts -- it's not the big problem it used to be - -but can still be a problem.

Always keep up-to-date with Software Updates.

 

[silverbelt]

You shouldn't say you don't need anti-virus if your ISP has it, since the Internet is not the only way data gets onto your computer. External storage, like USB drives, are a risk if shared with others.

Sophos is a great, free AV app, very light on resources.

 

[trawler69]

When my old imac did this it turned out to be the hard drive. Replacing it solved the problem. As you have more and more apps open the HD gets more use as a cache. Extra memory can help reduce the load on it. You can use disk utility (Applications, utilities, disk utility) to check it out. You will have the option to verify disk and also check S.M.A.R.T. status.