Clean Up And Revive Your Bloated, Sluggish Mac
A few years back you dropped significant cash to switch over from the virus-laden world of Windows to a shiny new Mac, but over time it’s gotten slow and crufty. Let’s clean it up.
Before you get started uninstalling this and deleting that, do yourself a favour: hook up an external drive to your Mac and back everything up with Time Machine (or any other free alternative). The last thing you want is for your “clean up” to turn into “holy crap where did all my Documents go.”
Ready? Let’s get started.
Find the CPU and Memory Hogs in the Activity Monitor
First things first. If your Mac is acting like a petulant three-year-old, dragging its feet, crossing its arms, and refusing to do what you ask in any reasonable amount of time, it’s time to fire up the Activity Monitor (in Applications > Utilities). Here you’ll see a list of running applications and processes. Sort the columns shown in the screenshot to find out what apps are hogging the most CPU time (Firefox, in this case), what apps are for Intel or PowerPC (it’s a good idea to use Intel-only apps on Intel Macs), and what apps are running at all. If there are processes running for software you don’t need, note them down. Also, if an app is a runaway CPU and memory hog, quit it and restart for immediate relief.
Clean Up Your Startup
Whether or not the Activity Monitor is showing processes you don’t recognise, it’s a good idea to audit what programs start up automatically when you log onto your Mac. In System Preferences, Accounts (I know, unintuitive placement), click on the Login Items tab. From there, make sure each and every app listed is something you need and use. If it isn’t? Just select it and click the minus (-) sign. (Rule of thumb: Generally you want to keep things called “SomethingHelper” where Something is an app you use, like iTunes or Growl, as shown.)
Uninstall Unneeded Apps (and Related Files)
Just like your Login Items, you want to cruise through your Applications folder and trash anything you don’t need or use any more. To be clear, this won’t speed up your Mac, but it will reclaim hard drive space.
Before you get to dragging and dropping unneeded applications to the trash, though, it’s a good idea to install a, well, uninstaller program. Strangely Apple still hasn’t shipped a proper uninstaller with Mac OS X, but a few free and pay-for apps will clear out related files when you send an application to the Trash. While the irony of having to install something in order to uninstall something isn’t lost on us, keep in mind: your Mac will be fine if an extra plist file gets left behind by an app you once used.
But, in case you’re a neat freak, you want to check out the likes of AppTrap (free), AppDelete (used to be free, now requires a minimum payment of $US5 after a few uses), or AppZapper ($US13).
Personally I prefer Hazel, which will set you back $US22 for a licence—however, in addition to clearing away application files on uninstall, Hazel can make your Mac self-cleaning, too, which makes it worth the cost.
Do Some Maintenance
Now it’s time to make sure your disks are in tip-top shape, and luckily, you can do this without any extra software. Simply run Disk Utility (in Applications > Utilities) to verify and repair disk permissions (which determine what apps can do what with what files on your Mac) and verify and repair the disk itself. These operations take some time, and you can’t do them while other applications are running, so set in motion before you head out to lunch or to grab coffee.
To run some more hardcore and detailed maintenance tasks, download the free OnyX (our review). While OnyX does lots of fun Mac customisation (see the Parameters tab for that stuff), you want the Maintenance and Cleaning tabs. There you can do things like manually run your Mac’s daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance scripts (which don’t on their own if you shut down your Mac at night), and clear out log files and system caches. You can also fix system application-specific issues, by rebuilding Spotlight’s or Mail’s index, if those apps are acting particularly wonky.
Reclaim Hard Drive Space
While you’re on a cleaning spree, figure out exactly what’s taking up all that space on your Mac with a visual tool that maps what’s what. Disk Inventory X (free) is your best bet in this area: it creates what’s called a “tree map” of your hard drive usage that will unearth things like 10 gigabytes of video files you just don’t need any more.
To get down to the unneeded-megabyte level, Macworld has some detailed advice for where to find redundant system files and Dashboard widgets. You can also reclaim space taken up by unneeded language files using the free Monolingual.
Care for and Troubleshoot Your Battery
If you’ve got a Mac notebook and you’re having trouble with your battery, a few troubleshooting techniques might help. First, to get the longest life out of your battery, calibrate it to make sure your life-o-meter is giving you the right readings.
If your Mac’s battery is cutting out before issuing the “You’re running out of power” warning, you want to reset the SMC or PMU, which cleared up that very problem on my MacBook.
Finally, some problems can be resolved by resetting your Mac’s PRAM and NVRAM—but this is generally a last-resort just-short-of-the-Genius-Bar troubleshooting technique for that inexplicable problem your Mac’s having.
Beef Up Your Memory and Get the Latest System Updates
This should go without saying, but the more memory your Mac has, the snappier it will be. Also, it’s generally a good idea to stay up-to-date with OS X patches and versions—and normally Software Update runs on its own and does just that. (Note: Yesterday the 10.5.7 came out, and while I had no problems with it, Gizmodo reports that some people are having issues. As always, back up your stuff continuously to avoid disaster.)
Got any tales of victory or defeat when it comes to cleaning up and speeding up your Mac? Tell ‘em in the comments.
Gina Trapani, Lifehacker’s founding editor, has a MacBook Pro that’s a bit snappier today than it was yesterday. Her feature Smarterware appears every Wednesday on Lifehacker.
Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
@cha0tic: I certainly agree with jsmorley on this. The whole argument on either side is getting of hand in my opinion. In the end a computer is a tool for getting stuff done. Whether you're using a Mac or PC it doesn't matter.
In that respect, it doesn't mean that because Mac users started the "our crap is better than your crap argument", means you need to join by hating them. In that case, legit arguments should be made against the other side, instead of just bringing up "Mac sucks" or "Winblows" [You haven't done this, it's just a general thing that happens in each one of these threads that people should stop doing].
I really have not seen a single Apple or Microsoft related editorial post that has been bash free. Honestly, people need to rise above their association with being a Mac or PC.
As for your idea of recommending Linux, the problem I see with that is the fact that it requires installation on most systems. For example: I usually recommend Thinkpads as laptops, but last time I checked there was not a Linux pre-install option for them [feel free to correct me]. It amounts to a bit more hassle to get them started on Linux. If there is such an option now, I'll consider it for future recommendations on laptops.
Mint137
@JerryA: yeah, but usually mac users think that their computers are completely and absolutely invulnerable to Bad Stuff(TM). so they don't do any sort of maintenance. win users are so used to doing this stuff that its become a habit.
perryizgr8
@gtx2000: Still not seeing where it says pcs only. It implies it, but never actually says it. It's called marketing, see also microsofts new ads.
Also, none of these steps are necessary. I do them on my computer at home, but we've never done any of these for the macs at work and we've never had a single problem (10 years).
DeadlineX
@jackburnt: Heh, tangentially related I've been trying to reinforce to my kids as much as possible (e.g. every time a commercial comes on) "All commercials are lying to you. Don't believe any of it."
Wait... Macs need maintanence at some point too? But Apple told me they didn't!
Ok, justh ad to get that out. Honestly I think any system needs basic maintance, weather being Windows based, OS X based, or Linux based, they all need some maintance, just like any car requires some maintance. I can just imagine Apple marketing a car that doesn't require maintance ever, that would be gold. OS X is a solid OS just like all others, but the way Apple is marketing right now is just playing on the stupidity of the unknowing, and uneducated (in tech) consumer, which is sad, and just an insult to everyone. Great article though, I'll be sure to pass this to all my Mac using ene...err buddies, yeah buddies.
Killing off PowerPC apps is a good way to reclaim extra CPU cycles too. In Gina's case, "CNQL blah blah ButtonManager" listed as PowerPC in Activity Monitor is a background daemon for Canon scanners. Canon has released a newer version of the support package with a universal/Intel native build. Your cpu won't be wasting cycles emulating a PowerPC.
Better yet, just find and nuke that app if you don't use the extra shortcut buttons on the scanner. Basic scan functions will still work fine. Same goes for any other "helper" apps that add support functionality you don't need.
bxd
@cha0tic: "I agree with you on that, however, I became a "Mac hater" when the Mac users began the "Windows is crap" arguement."
So... you're coming up on your 20th Anniversary?
@PartOfIMAXConspiracy_GitEmSteveDave: If I had a PC with that kind of processor I'd never get anything done. :)
Actually, that's not really true, I have an ancient Toshiba Portege with a 133MHz procesor that I use with a DOS based word processor for note taking. Light, portable, has a fantastic keyboard and I just transfer my work to another computer after I get home from the library.
@cosmicrob: That was my understanding as well.
@EzekielMagoot: Agreed. Since I like to tinker with new software fairly often, AppCleaner is great to have.
@cosmicrob: Actually it's the opposite. Smaller files are defragged (I may be wrong about this).
But as I wrote, it's my experience with it. I actually timed boot time and some operations before defrag (to see if I had wasted money) and there was a big difference.
The one good thing I got here was Onyx, wherein I found about my "maintenance" scripts. I regularly shut down nightly or afternoonly. In Onyx I found out my daily and monthly scripts were last run April 1 and my weekly scripts were not ever listed with a date. I ran them. We'll see whether a system speed-up occurs.
(Of course, I noticed a significant slow-down in the start-up time of Camino after Onyx did its thing: hope that's not a bad sign.)
@Brassen: I think Mac OS X actually auto-defrags files over a certain size.. like 20mb.
cosmicrob
@jsmorley: I agree with you on that, however, I became a "Mac hater" when the Mac users began the "Windows is crap" arguement.
There are those out there who like Mac, and thats fine with me, but it has been in my experience that many, if not most, Mac users cannot shutup about "how bad Windows is." I like to say that Mac users are simply PC users that didn't know how to use the OS (I'm not talking about all you graphic designers, video editors, etc.). Generally, Macs are simple(er) machines for simple(er) people -- which, again, isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it becomes frustrating when the Mac users attempt to point out the flaws in Windows when there are obvious ones in Macs.
cha0tic
@JackClytius: I say this because of my own experience. I'm with my MacBook for exactly 13 months (bought April/08). Wonderful machine, switched to Mac after 10+ years with Windows.
After some time I noticed it was slower, look for information on forums about this and some recommended defrag, other saying Macs don't need it.
I finally decided to try, so bought iDefrag. First defrag took about 10 hours... Couldn't be happier. Now I run it every 15 days. It's perfect again.
Use Monolingual to delete unused languages which are supplied with applications. This will save you a few GB's of file space, possibly making applications faster to launch as well. It's also worth deleting printer drivers you don't think you will be using. Again it will save a few GB of disk space.
@JackClytius: actually there is NO filesystem that does not need to be defragged. because there is not physical way to ensure you will alwayshave a contiguous patch of free space exactly the size of your file.
perryizgr8
@JerryA: I specifically referred to my Windows machine. Stop assuming that everything is to you/general public.
Just for the sake of it, I use a Windows 7 desktop, all parts from Newegg. I also have a Macbook Pro. The thing is all of this is just removing stuff you don't need/upgrading which is applicable to all systems. I just usually have to do a few more things on my Windows machine like check for viruses/spyware [so sue me if I'm slightly paranoid].
Mint137
@Mint137: Well if you're looking to change those simple users to something else, I would recommend Linux to them, not Mac. It's free and works just fine (better than Windows and Mac in most occasions) for those that want to browse the Internet and read mail.
I, however, prefer Windows because I am an IT student and I enjoy being able to work the back end of the OS. Also the games are nice.
cha0tic
I'm sorry but most of the recommendations won't make a single difference to performance other than making start up a teeny weeny bit quicker, but then the whole point of a mac is that you never need to restart or shutdown other than for a software update. And no Macs don't need to be defragged. Running macs for years and haven't done one of these things mentioned and have never experienced a slow down. People should be careful of killing processes via the activity monitor and instead use the alt-command escape. jc
YvonneMule
@cha0tic:
I think Gina's initial comment was meant to be somewhat tongue-in-cheek and really as much a poke at the mac vs pc wars as anything else. After following Lifehacker for a few years, one thing I think it is safe to say is that Gina is a proud Mac convert, but hardly a Windows basher..
In general though folks I make the following observation:
Liking one thing doesn't have to require hating something else. If your choice of OS, Software, hardware, whatever won't stand on its own merits and can only be praised by slamming something else that isn't just like it, then it has received small praise indeed.
I like Windows, but certainly don't hate, nor feel a need to constantly compare, the Mac or Ubuntu to Windows. They all have their advantages and disadvantages, and I made my choice based on factors important to me and only me.
jsmorley
I'm glad to see the mac users here aren't complete zealots and will share these tips without worrying about losing face. I know mac users who will deny that any of this is necessary, but I'd rather keep it real for the sake of getting the most from my mac.
that said, macs still 'just work', but they 'just work' a little better when you do this stuff.
SamburgerHandwich
But Mac's are perfect. Why would people need to do anything?
@JerryA: The fact remains that most people aren't as computer savvy as most of us on Lifehacker are. For them, slowdowns are common, viruses are a nuisance, and spyware is rampant. I think it's much more important to educate people that ultimately only the user can prevent stuff from happening on the computer. What type/OS they have is not going to matter.
Mint137
Thanks for this! Here's something that's been bugging me about my mac. I went through and hand-deleted some apps a few months ago, and have since installed Hazel. Is there a way to clean out the files associated with those deleted files? (Other than doing that by hand, of course, because I'd be too concerned about misidentifying the associated program and dumping something necessary.)
RutherfordNuggletron
@chapoec: that's because you're running windows on your mac like the guy in the commercial. and for some reason you're getting a firefox 404 in ie.
SamburgerHandwich
@infmom: Wow, a speed demon. 350mhz G3 running 10.2.8 is what I'm running right now. Even w/1gb of RAM, she's still struggling under all that OS.
@TheLouis: 'I haven't gotten a single one in about 5 years' that you know of...
SamburgerHandwich
@cha0tic: Open Safari/Firefox + no worries = Mac (I know the "Win" you were talking bout I just found this funnier)
@+ Watch video
@JerryA: Are you saying I'm losing "bang for my buck" by using a Mac? Are you saying the powerful manual command unix undercore of OSX is "Automatic"? Please explain.
@JerryA: Nod32 + Firefox + AdBlock Plus + NoScript = Win
All behind a simple DD-WRT router firewall.
cha0tic
Keep in mind a really great way to speed up performance on a seemingly slow Mac is to free up some disk space. If your computer is running low (less than 3~4gb) making room for files will be an almost instant performace boost. For a while I hadn't realized that 'nix systems needed hard drive space for substantial amounts of caching and thus found my computer slow to a crawl when it didn't have enough sequential disk space to cache to.
GardnerHaermm
@tatsuyame: too fracking late, just look at all the haters
what they don't seem to realise is this doesn't need doing every year, every 3 years of full on hardcore use, maybe.
little known fact, more hdd space = good because virtual memory likes to have space to expand
@sjnims: Functionality doesn't exist :(
@Tobias104: you thought right. they just work just like vista.
perryizgr8
@Mint137: umm, no. actually for me with xpsp3 and ubuntu, the list contains two items:
1. don't install useless bloated cruft like tweetdeck, actually don't install adobe air at all.
2. on windows defrag once a month.
that's it. updates for everything are automatic. from the antivirus to office to firefox. and i need memory upgrades only once in a computer's lifetime. like i upgraded my laptop to 2.25gb from 512mb (huge improvement) and 60gb hdd to 500gb.
perryizgr8
They don't.
JackClytius
@Mint137: The funny thing is that it is pretty much identical to what I do on Windows.
Keep startup programs to a minimum. Run less in the background. Do all updates. Don't cheap out on storage or RAM.
JerryA
This is all fine and dandy unless you need to be up to date on stuff and got phased out on Macs when they switched to intel-only support. Newer browsers (needed for some people's work email and such) require newer OS X versions requiring non-G4 macs.
Making windows machined surprisingly more future proof than macs in the last decade.
Carl Case
These are basically the same things you do on any computer if you want to speed it up. I've been doing this one Windows for years.
- Run less stuff in the background.
- Run less stuff at startup.
- Make sure you have enough disk space.
- Make sure you have enough RAM.
- Make sure you do all of your updates.
These basic tips will keep any computer running faster.
JerryA
@sjnims: Why can't I edit that post? Is this blog hosted on an IIS server or something?
I WIN!
@cha0tic: I have to agree. I use Windows primarily and haven't seen a virus in years. Last time I had any malware was back in the IE6 days maybe around 2003 or so. Got a browser hijacker that messed it up. Since I switched to Firefox and installed a lightweight free antivirus I haven't seen a single bit of malware on any of my machines.
It's the equivalent of learning how to drive stick. Some folks would rather pay more for an automatic and lose some of the bang for their buck rather than spending a week learning to drive a manual. There's definitely a market for automatic transmissions but I prefer minor effort to spending money. YMMV.
JerryA
Hmm. Addendum. I didn't know about the reset button because this computer appears not to have one, at least not in the location the Mac knowledge base article says it is.
@snowmoon: Actually, you'd think they were fairly reasonable. Having too many programs launching at start-up is taxing on your system regardless of OS, and the same goes for unneeded programs, it just takes up resources you could be using on more useful things. In fact, most of these tips aren't even addressing OS issues, they're showing how to fix general problems made by hardware limitations, it's just showing how to fix them using Mac programs.
Making sure the battery runs well, freeing hard drive space, adding extra RAM, how is it that things like that aren't needed on a Mac? Of course, updating is a good practice on any OS (just look at Conficker).
My Mac runs slow because it is a 667MHz Powerbook G4. :)
Still, I haven't been getting the battery warning consistently and I had no idea there was such a thing as a reset switch, so now I've got something to try today.
@Brassen: I think since 1994 or so, I've de-fragmented a Mac once. ...didn't really need it.
Thanks for this. Writing extended features must take a lot of time, but it was very interesting reading!
monomaniacpat
@cha0tic:
That is a brilliant line.
@cha0tic: It's interesting when Lifehacker comes out with comment guidelines that prevent you from starting mac vs windows flame wars and starts the post with that. :(
Shashank Agarwal
I do too that is a great piece of software ;)
EzekielMagoot
I use applejack for cleaning up things it's also a general 'help my mac won't boot' utility. Runs on 10.5.6 don't know about 10.5.7 yet... http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/15667
CuthbertPapus
@prixdc: "Show me an Apple commercial that says "You never have to clean your hard drive."
"In order for PCs to achieve optimal performance on a regular basis and for long periods of time, routine maintenance should include (but is not limited to) the following... defragment hard drive, free up disk space..."
gtx2000
@Death: The internet doesn't make you stupid, it just makes your stupidity more accessible to others.
cha0tic
This is a nice list. I was actually just searching for something like this the other day. I love my mac but it has gotten very slow in the last few weeks. The biggest hog is almost always firefox (unfortunately).
One of the best apps I've paid for is Xslimmer. Works super well and really cleans up a lot of useless space. Another really good and free uninstall utility is AppCleaner.
HughGoddard
WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH!
The mac guy LIED????!!!! In his COMMERCIAL???!!!!
My mind hurts...
TheLouis
@Mint137: Maybe, but I haven't gotten a single one in about 5 years.
TheLouis
You know, next time somebody tells me that Windows or Ubuntu needs all this maintenance and such, and Macs "just work", I'm going to point them at this article. That oughta shut their smug yaps.
@four12: +1 Have been using it for over 1 year. No problems.
Let the flame wars begin.
Also, "The last thing you want is for your "clean up" to turn into "holy crap where did all my Documents go."" made me lol.
tatsuyame
Don't forget to defrag. And don't tell me Mac's don't need it.
@jackburnt: I hate to be the guy that does this, but shut up :)
Leave OS users in peace, it's a choice, there is no right and wrong, your comments will not make anybody switch, and if they do, you get nothing from it.
I like AppCleaner (free) for uninstalling apps - does a good job.
[www.freemacsoft.net]
four12
@cha0tic:
"if you aren't stupid on the internet" is a big assumption.
Death
Here are the tips I've used.
1) Stay up-to-date. Don't delay any of the system updates or SMC patching. It really does work
2) Make sure to clean up download and desktop on occasion
3) Rarely go through and delete apps
4) Check "console" on occasion for errors/warning. ( usually from misbehaving apps )
That's it. Trying to "out smart" the system is, for most users, a good way to screw something up.
Good lord, the Mac haters are so predictable.
Thanks for the post Gina.
orinos73
@Tobias104: They do, most of these tips are completely unnecessary.
@cha0tic: You really can't deny the fact that there are more viruses on Windows than Mac OS X even if it is due to market share.
Mint137
Thanks for the excellent summary. I'm long overdue for a system cleanup.
xtal
@[gizmodo.com]
telepheedian
I thought Macs just worked.
Definitely a helpful list of stuff to do to fix up a Mac. A lot shorter than the one for my Windows machine at least.
Mint137
Great write up. Thanks. I've been doing alot of this the long way, some of those tools will make it much easier (Both on PC/Macs).
DarqAnshin
virus laden PC... blah blah blah....I've used PC's for many years and have never had a problem. Ever. AVG antivirus free edition. Problem solved. And I've never paid more than $600 for a PC or a notebook.
ShaguftaArtimus
@jackburnt: SACRILEGE!!
@jackburnt: Show me an Apple commercial that says "You never have to clean your hard drive."
It's like defragging. You don't have to do it, but it's nice every once and a while.
I got a different solution. Before my computer was slow but used to be fast. Then I went to www.finallyfast.com. My computer was fast finally!XD
chapoec
Microsoft has totally bs commercials now too.
Both companies advertise near-infallibility and tons of questionable (or just deceptive) "facts" about their product.
How about instead of snarky comments, there are some:
Thanks Gina! A lot of my friends will find this very useful and it'll hopefully prompt them to do the minimal amount of computer maintenance actually required to keep modern computers running smoothly.
That's correct, this must be an April Fool's 2010 article idea that accidentally got posted early.
SatyaLelex
Wait, I thought we only had to do this kind of thing on PCs?
You mean... Apple's commercials aren't gospel?
"...to switch over from the virus-laden world of Windows..."
C'mon now... really? If you aren't stupid on the Internet, you have nothing to fear from viruses, malware or spyware. The only reason that Mac's don't have many viruses is because of the small market share.
Plus, I seem to recall that somewhat recent horrendous Mac vulnerability that gave the cracker access to the entire root.
cha0tic
I think you should forward this to Justin Long and Apple's Marketing Dept.
nightryder21
@infmom: At work we keep an old Toshiba Satellite around for laughs. 75 MHz and 8 MB of RAM. A beastly presence.
cha0tic
Is this a trap to get people banned? An OS is a means to an end. It just depends on which one you want to get you there.
Excellent article (as always) from Gina.
Come back more often Gina, you are sorely missed.
cryptowiz
From the 8088 on I have only had one virus, and it was that stupid Excel virus that people at work kept emailing around. I have never actually seen a virus from the web on any of my pc's, spyware is another story. But there again nothing serious, just cookie trackers from shopping sites etc..
Talryyn
@HeartBurnKid uses Linux: the taint of OS's:
learn to read, I said "doing every year" as I know Windows does, wouldn't know about Linux as it's not an os I use
@skorned: Oh, I don't think FF's so bad on resources at this point. Mine sits around 50MB, (jumping to 65MB during intensive client-side operations like 1000+ element javascript array sorting), about the same as a freshly opened IE8, and a freshly opened gChrome on the same PC is around 35MB. If you have at least 1GB RAM, it's really not a big chunk of it.
@sjnims: Actually yes, it looks like it is. But that has absolutely nothing to do with it not having edit functionality.
@Quine:
I think all the snarky comments are necessary.
Mac users need a reality check.
All computers require some maintenance.
Tell a friend.
greenbot
I'm an iBook user (yeah, the old one) and not high on computer-savvy; she's sluggish but lovable. Will this stuff be relevant to me? I'd love to improve performance.
DesmondElephunk
@orinos73:
Fancy that! Mac users will attack with a ferocious vendetta in every windows post. Yet when they get the opportunity to taste their own medicine, they're not such fans.
PEOPLE are so predictable.
ericesque
I would also suggest running the excellent DiskWarrior to rebuild your Directory structure about once a month. Most people just use this when problems occur but Alsoft (the maker of the software) suggest running it monthly as a preventative measure against hard drive issues.
LeolaKollx
@JackClytius: Wrong... I'm a ProTools user, and a regular defrag via TechTool means the difference between glitchy audio and pristine sound.
drmaybe
@revmatty:
You should be reinforcing that they should be knowledgeable consumers. Commercials don't lie. They market. Hit the fine selling points and ignoring the others. Like we all do when we sell ourselves to employers and partners.
jupiterthunder
Thanks, LH. I'm a Linux/Windows guy who's about to take on his new girlfriend's Macbook's kernel panics and random shutdowns this weekend.
I have a feeling this post is a great starting point. :)
Greg.Rowler
Gina, one way you could save some memory is by installing a Twitter client that isn't Tweetdeck. Being an OS X user, you have a lot of great options that don't require AIR to use.
andrewcilento
@Gonzie: Yes, and Windows and Linux need it done every single day. Right.
@Phoshi: i thought that it was funny.... im glad he did it
@cha0tic: Ha if everyone wants to go by the market share logic switch to Linux it has the smallest share.(which doesnt mean it sucks)... for all you "haters" out there if you dont believe me go on youtube and search windows v.s ubuntu (pretty good video) i think its great to try everything before deciding weather they suck or not i wish i could try a mac but i dont have the cash right now .... i even tried making a hackintosh out of one of my dells but it turns out there was somthing wrong with the drivers )X i think that windows is just the most used Os and that is why there are more virus's for it. not because anyone is stupid on the internet.
I hope this helps me because there is seriously something wrong with my macbook. It's always freezing - more so when I'm using any browser. It's just not working right. It's constantly 'thinking' about what it should do. Right now I'm running onyX. Hoping that will fix things. :)
But yes, one problem is eating at me...the mac seems to be INCREDIBLY resource innefficient....at most times, with just a firefox window open and music playing in the background, I'm using 1.98 of my 2 GB of RAM, and 7.5 GB of Virtual Memory!!! I read somewhere that the count of virtual memory is incorrect because it counts the shared files repeatedly...but i'm not sure whether that's true...and the apps are also ridiculously big, with awesome windows media players like Mediamonkey on Windows being only 7-8 mb and loaded with features, while apps devoid of features like iTunes are 50-60 mb!!!
and what is up with mozilla apps being so completely retarded with resources, with firefox and songbird together using up my entire resources (which is on a fairly new, fairly high specced macbook pro btw). granted songbird is beta, but firefox? seriously? after all these years, and 270 MILLION users, they cant get memory management right?
skorned
Since a million people already beat me to the 'whaat...macs need maintenance??' line, i'm just gonna go ahead with the usual quip about how LH comes out with stuff right after you need it...I just migrated properly to my mac a couple of days back, after my PC got spoilt, and love it...but although I had used it quite a bit earlier, and loaded it with all kinds of beta apps, it runs smooth as hell, often starting up in less than 20 seconds!!! I distinctly recall starting up my mac after waiting for my pc to start up for 20 seconds, so I could check my mail on the mac while staring at the lil vista circle
anyway, my point being...you have shown a lot of alternatives to apps I use for the same functionality, and many of your choices are better, bringin me back to the why dint this come up before? I used GrandPerspective for the hard disk image to find those elusive giant ISOs...and I use Cocktail for maintenance scripts instead of Onyx, and AppZapper for uninstalling...
however, functionality wise, my mac is still good, the only degradations being a rapid filling up of the hard drive and dramatic loss of 3% of my battery's life thanks to all that torrenting...
skorned
Clean up OSX... install Linux. :D
Toribor
A cute, petite and quirky gal put me onto MainMenu. Like a witch throwing a spell on me, I found this free utility clean caches, and fixed numerous slowdowns that just running disk utility won't fix (although Unix routines run in the background to clean most Unix cache stuff).
-Backup. I'll say it once. But don't just do it once.
-FSCK -yf (if you gotta ask, then you need help)
-disk warrior (fix the directories/volume...)
-Install ONLY the Combo Updates from Apple (deltas are smaller but problematic from experience)
-Repair permissions AFTER installs/updates.
-Get a utility like Drive Genius (scan that drive surface for bad blocks...and optimize clusters and files)
Unlike windows, the mac DOESN'T have a good Uninstaller for those apps you continuously download from helpful links, blogs and update sites. Run TM BEFORE installing, then if you don't like it, go back in time. Otherwise, Apptrap (free) is a good start (builds a database of the installation) to find apps that you want to clean.
(in the windows side, I like CCleaner...as in CrapCleaner. Mac OS X could sure learn a lesson there...)
SigmundTheSeaMonster
How do you add "iTunes Helper" back onto list of items that open on log in?
HaldenElipant
@fjpoblam: An alternative way of forcing the scripts to run is to use Maintidget, which installs as a dashboard widget. Or, just leave your Mac on overnight once a month and it will take care of itself with no need to install anything.
[www.giantmike.com]
woot
@cha0tic: And yet, at one time that was top of the line. :)
My Portege 660CDT was hot stuff in its day. Of course, I bought it on eBay for $250 including the shipping and an extra battery, long after its day was done.
There will always be some people who have issues with any upgrade and Apple users tend to have high expectations of their product (as all users should). So, the minority that complain on Gizmodo, will always exist. Do realise that they are a mere minority and the vast majority of users of any application have few problems.
Wow, lots of Mac haters. Come on, us Mac users aren't all bad...though I guess I would have to submit that there are a lot who would pretend this stuff isn't necessary...
Great article. I do or have done almost all of this stuff at some point, and it's helped immensely. Hopefully this will be a step toward some more educated Mac users.
I use applejack from single user mode. Works quite well for maintenance!
@Brassen: I think part of the HFS+ spec is to defrag files that are smaller than 20 MB and in more than 6 fragments, which is evaluated and remedied when files are opened.
Robert Roue
@Mint137:
Yea well for me using Vista or Win7 my list contains 1-2 item...
Uninstalling programs which I don't use.
And like every 2-3 months i do a disk clean up and that's it
long list eh? well you know when the operative runs on a filesystem which barely gets fragmented as well as defragments on its own that problem is solved... and if you dont install a lot of crap you dont have a lot of background processes
Leonick
@cha0tic: I have an Apple Performa 475 running 4MB of RAM and I believe 33mhz.
Regarding startup items, it's also worth checking the following folders: /Library/LaunchAgents /Library/LaunchDaemons /Library/StartupItems Deleting stuff in these locations may stop certain applications from working, so keep a copy just in case.
LucioCalvinus
I almost went insane trying to fix all the little bugs with my father-in-law's brand new Dell with Vista. I've since become the person you hate. I liked Windows 98. Windows 2000 was great. XP is outstanding and I've been thrilled with it for 8 years now. But Vista, much to my continued surprise, is the most agonizing miserable experience I've had in 23 years of computer geek-dom. Having 2 Macs has only flamed my white-hot rage because I know what good is, XP was good, and they screwed it up. All they had to do was rip-off OSX.
TracyAppius
Keep those Firefox tabs to a modest number (e.g., 12 or less). Some sites use a painful amount of Javascript - never leave those pages open for longer than necessary. Use TimeMachineEditor, or similar tool, so set you backups to occur every 2 - 8 hours (and override the default of once per hour). Use mdutil -E / to rebuild your metadata on the root partition from time to time, especially after a hard crash. Buy more memory. This is about the cheapest way to boost your performance.
SulakshanaRail
Defragging is definitly speading up my Mac big time. The best & fastest way of defragging: clone your system disk to another drive using diskutility/restore or 'Carbon Copy Cloner'. En clone it back to the original (wiped) disk. A little less safe, but it "only" takes about 2 hours per 100GB (using external USB), and beats iDefrag (many hours & less defragmentation) .
RaulCheney
I feel the memory issue should be mentioned more. My MacBook (Black) used up 220/250GB of HD and looked slow recently. I tried to make more free space, deleting cahce, Movies, etc. It didn't work much. The resolution was to increase memory from 2GB to 3GB. I tend to open Firefox tabs as many as 30 to 40, and my memory is almost zeo Free space in the Activity Monitor. After installing 3GB total of memory, the Free space increased up to several-100MB, and now its fine even under the free HD space of 12GB. I insatlled 1GB+2GB (not 2GB+2GB) memory chips and it looks satisfactorily fast.
ErnestNavroz
I use linux. Seems to be the answer to all these problems.
SavitashriGalopagus
@cha0tic:
The only problem with this is that quite a few people still rely on Internet Explorer and end up going to a legit site that has an infected ad banner or script and they are now infected with malware/trojan/virus.
I had to clean up a Windows XP machine last year that was infected from switchboard.com and one this week that was hit by the fake AV 2009 garbage - all from web browsing using IE. The latest user does not even have administrative rights to his computer.
I beg to differ about the OS X users not being able to use Windows. I started on Windows 3.0 back in the DOS days. I have several Microsoft certifications and I find OS X a much better OS from quite a few perspectives (personal choice, I know). I use Linux on my work laptop, Mac at home and support Windows (Server mainly, but assist with desktop - XP, Vista when my co-worker is overwhelmed), so I get a fair amount of mileage and digging into each OS on a daily basis.
Zuato
I SAY!!! This is NOT POSSIBLE, what????! Come along let's be quittting this Mac clutter bloat nonsense!! Be sensible, what??! Only those Win blokes got cruft, what??!!!
Pip pip!!! Carry on, what??!!!
paintbox
@tatsuyame: Be lucky that this ain't Engadget.
MudkipNPC: Pork or Non-player?
But but but... it just works. All the fanbois assure me their machines are so clean and so fast forever and ever. i'm so confused!
Apeiron242
Nice article Gina, being a relatively new user to the mac, I found this post to be a good start for me
Anthony Fernandes
This article is ignorant on so many levels. I am by no means a mac fanboy or a pc fanboy. I use both on a day to day basis. Ive used my pc for years without a virus scan and from tasks from engineering to design and 3d. I have never had to deal with virii or spyware. If youre not a fuckin moron, you wont have issues.
@cha0tic: Well, that's exactly the right point. I don't find any OS to be any easier than the next. I don't see any OS to be more secure, more bloat-proof, more crash-free, more user friendly. If all you do on your computer is email and browse the internet, simplicity comes down to the browser and email client. Either OS can put a f-cking icon on your desktop so you can get to your Browser easier.
I don't find that Macs are all that stable at all, but that's just personal experience. I got 30 computers, 5 personal computers, and another 10 that I manage for friends and family, 98% Windows XP. I haven't witnessed a BSoD in about 5 years. Most of my restarts are because I'm modifying programs, most crashes are due to phucked hardware. Try running a computer for 6 years straight until the motherboard blows its caps...there's a BSod for ya.
I probably only have a couple dozen hours experience behind the wheel of a Mac...and when I say behind the wheel, I'm talking about a spinning rainbow wheel. I mean, for having used a mac maybe 20 times in my life, I'd say about 3 or 4 times, I got that &^%$# wheel of doom.
If you want a bloat-free, maintenance-free system, boot from a live CD.
Justin Culmo
What about bloated, sluggish PCs? Any cures?
RT
www.privacy-resources.us.tc
Spammy Jones
While it's wise to stay up to date on your system updates, it's also extremely prudent not to be one of the first to download those updates (as we just saw). Don't be a first adopter - let someone else find out if an update has a flaw.
SuvarnaNumskis
"[...] I've used PC's for many years [...] And I've never paid more than $600 for a PC or notebook". wow. you might want to rethink that logic, or am i just dating myself by thinking "many years" ago all computers were on the order of $3k? I mean really, even my crappy TRS-80 was a hell of a lot more than $600. But hey, who am i to judge? Many years, 2 years, half a year, a dozen years --- it's all the same if you have "never had a problem. Ever". I think, in terms of computer experience years, the lack of any problems (ever) puts your insight at the equivalent of a first time buyer to me. now me: i've had loads of problems. mostly with windows, then with linux, third place goes to macosx and last place (oh the best OS ever) goes to BeOS. but maybe i push things a little too hard? i am a computer engineer, i design microprocessors for a living (well, just one so far) and my computer usage tends to expose flaws in any machine i use. but of course saying that doesn't do justice to the godly saints that are my software vendor's CEOs. is it just me, or are windows users (who misuse the term 'PC' as badly as the media does the word 'hacker') beginning to sounds at least as bad as the most zealous apple fanboys? My name is Jared and I'm not a PC. Or a Mac. I'm a person, who puts up with both Windows and MacOSX on a regular basis. If they were both in this room right now, I'd tell Bill Gates he f'd up just moments before telling Steve Jobs the same thing. Then I might repeat myself to Bill and ask the comments be recorded and played endlessly every night while Ballmer sleeps. Both of these companies have done inexcusable harm to the industry - yet both have helped as well. Microsoft did much more harm than Apple, but also more good. Want to get religious? Pick linux. it sucks, but at least it's free and has failed to do harm to the industry yet.
EugeneAthos
Personally, I find commercials just as believable as old books about virgins having babies and people rising from the dead.
FloraAnakes
I'm no pfanbouy but after purchasing a Mac 2.5 years ago, I'm happy to report the Mac is still fast and going strong. Start up times are great. Never had to do any maintenance other than software updates. I used Diskwarrior to correct file permissions but never saw any performance degradation or enhancement from this. The worst thing I did (which was necessary to use workplace software) was install a virtual machine running Windows). That really slows things down.
ultracaffeinated
I found this list extremely helpful and effective. Thank you very much for putting it together. My Macbook Pro had gotten so slow that it was really impairing my productivity. I'm a fairly tech saavy business development guy working for a web company. Now, my three year old 32 bit Macbook Pro is running lickety split. Patrick
HalbertGalolahere
Just the post I needed... our Mac at home has been slowing down recently. I'm sure the real source is the fact that I've added so much hi-res photo and hi-def videos to the hard drive, so after I back those up, I'll give these tips a go.
@cha0tic Some people don't have a choice about being "smart" on the internet. My job requires that I go out and visit tons of different, and sometimes crap, websites daily. Even with the latest spyware and anti-virus, malicious programs sometimes find their way in.
@cha0tic: The reason Macs are less susceptible to viruses is due to how they deal with permissions/groups of files. Basically it is much much harder for a program to gain access to the 'root' user (or 'admin' in the windows world) on a Unix based OS. So when people are able to find an exploit in a program the virus they might unleash wont be able to do much damage as it has limited access to anything on the computer. Windows has made, and is making, attempts to be more secure in vista, as you may have noticed, with running things in "Administrator Mode". So yes, it is true, Macs (and Linux, BSD, any flavor of Unix...) are far less likely to get a virus compared to a windows machine, especially an older OS.
This article is good stuff! I have a few people who need to see this. A tool is a tool. I like my ballpeen hammer and you like your framing hammer. It would be ignorant for me to not realize both have their uses. Mac or PC? Who cares, use the one that makes the job you are doing right now easier. If I tell you that I have 60 computers at home running 35 different operating systems would it make my post more credible?....No?...I didn't think so.
@four12:
+1 AppCleaner (donations accepted) is my default application uninstaller. Have been using it since I bought my first OS X Mac in April 2007.
[www.freemacsoft.net]
brian_st
@four12: same here! it's a great lightweight piece of software.
rula
@cha0tic:
As na IT student I would assume that you would want to learn UNIX, hence the Mac....
Then again, since 90+% of the world's computers run on Windows maybe you are on the right track.
And yeah, the games ARE nice.....
rcorrino
@bigdave914:
Nah, the Mac is like the autosticks of old or the new cars with paddle shifters. The convenience is there if you want it but if you really want to be in control, you can.
rcorrino
@TheLouis:
that you are aware of......
I use Macs, Windows and Linux but I reformat and re-install windows more than OSX and Ubuntu simply for peace of mind. Most viruses, trojans etc. don't actualy announce themselves nowadays. If you have a fast internet connection and a fast machine you might not even realize your machine has become a 'bot.
rcorrino
If you have a Macbook try upgrading the slowest component in the chain...the hard drive. Upgrading from 5400rpm to 7200rpm or SSD will greatly improve your performance. Although with the 7200rpm drive you'll eat up more power.
AtwoodBelus
@ShaguftaArtimus:
and since when did the exception become the rule? Just because you are still alive does not mean that people don't die all the time ...
George Kraev
@cha0tic:
Actually there is no such thing as a smart user. If you believe there is you have apparently never seen networked computers where you are not the manager of all of the computers.
And yes OS X can be hacked much like any other OS. And since you started the discussion, maybe you have seen articles about the Windows boot problem present in EVERY currently supported version including 7 and how MS has absolutely no plans to fix it since it is too small of a problem for them. Oh and unlike the Safari exploit this one is available with full source code and very detailed description.
George Kraev
No, it's true, only end users and idiots get viruses these days. Since MAC still only holds less than 5% market share, you won't see any truly cumbersome MAC viruses for a while. But don't worry, they will eventually become part of everyday life for MAC users. At least Windows is being pro-active about preventing threats, all Apple is doing is relying on their crappy market share to ensure nothing will happen. What happens when the Russian teens want to start screwing with MAC users? I'll be safely tucked away with my Windows 7 PC, running adequate anti-virus, and being smart on the internet, while MAC users will all be smacked in the face with some new virus and they won't understand how something like that could happen to them. It will be a great day for us all.
SolCandisay
The article is incorrect about iTunesHelper. iTunesHelper is simply a small service which listens for iPod/iPhone devices and then starts iTunes automatically once connected. This service needs to be removed if you like to plug in your iPod/iPhone (eg. to charge) and don't want iTunes to start automatically every single time. iTunes does not need iTunesHelper to function correctly whatsoever. If you want to sync your device with iTunes, just start iTunes manually. I removed iTunesHelper when I bought my iPhone back in July 2007 and have never looked back. Plus, since I use a MacBook Pro daily for both work and home and store my iTunes collection on an external RAID array at home, plugging my iPhone into my laptop to charge at work does not cause iTunes to start and mess up its configuration when it can't find the iTunes library.
Ryan LaMothe
@Brassen: i appreciate your post because i am on the fence about defragmentation on the mac since i am a somewhat recent convert (aug 08) and usually have been very aggressive about pc fragmentation for years.
i will have to buy idefrag and see if i notice any improvements as well. thanks for your post.
@chapoec: Also notice that the Macs that are being used get a BSOD, which doesn't happen on Macs at all.
endersdestiny
@Tobias104: they do but sometimes you have to find something to write about...
@ShaguftaArtimus: i agree but the average consumer and pc user just cannot somehow install free antivirus and stay away from malicious emails.
i am a mac-user but still respect pcs. although i wish that more of my friends and family used macs - it would save me a lot of time fixing their machines...
@cha0tic: yes. but tell that to all pc users and 90 % will not know what you just said. example, my cousins who have grown up with computers all their life's and dont know the difference between freeware and shareware. they dont know how to narrow a "something free" search to find good really free programs. pc is good and mac is as good if you know what you want.
Fuji-kun
@JerryA: Some folks don't learn to drive manual because it's completely useless to know when driving in some places (like New York City). Unless you like having to shift like crazy just to parallel park, move through traffic, etc.
bluebird420
AAAAAIIIIIEEEEEE!!!!!! Hold on there with that "Get the Latest Systems Updates" advice! Danger, danger, Will Robinson! I've been a Mac (& pc) user for decades but I was ROYALLY screwed by advice like that. I use my Mac for work (video editing) but in trying to keep my system "current," I system-updated my machine beyond what my version of Final Cut supported which I only discovered after months of bizarre and hard-to-pin-down problems. The real kicker was that once I found this problem, the technical advice I got from "experts" was smug and snarky comments like, "why would you run system updates on a working computer?" (Because the freakin company that made the damn thing sent me continual messages about upgrading, that's why, cheeseheads.) The best advice is to take ANY advice with a huge grain of salt, especially if it comes from the OS manufacturer
ClaudeBaucis
how about skip that dollar-a-day coffee and buy one 6 gig chip for your macbook. only 375 bucks. by the time i'm done with this post, it'll probably drop by 50$. welcome to the world of the bloated OS. ain't going away time soon.
WilletteLagman
@rcorrino: UNIX-based is not UNIX. I have worked, albeit little, with UNIX and Linux for classes mostly using the command line and x-windows. However, I am a networking major and not going into system administration so it is a little less important that I know the complete workings of them.
I have tried several distros of Linux (Fedora, Ubuntu, Knoppix, Redhat and SUSE), but I don't really enjoy the command line very much. Also, I don't know if it's just me, but even in a Linux admin account, you don't really have all the privileges and continually having to use SU becomes tiresome.
I have just recently switched from XP to Windows 7 RC1 and I am really enjoying it.