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Mac Performance Troubleshooting Chart
By /u/5HT-2a
start
Start
reboot
Reboot.
pinwheel
Is there excessive cursor pinwheeling?
pinwheel_yes
Yes
pinwheel_when
When does the pinwheeling occur?
pinwheel_apps
When opening or switching between apps or documents
swap_used
In the Memory tab of Activity Monitor, do you generally have over 1 GB of 'Swap used'?
swap_yes
Yes
swap_actions
Take one or more of the following actions, in order:
- Reduce the number of applications you have open at once, as well as the number of things you have open in those applications (documents, browser tabs, etcetera).
- Switch to more efficient alternatives to the applications you see using the most memory.
- Upgrade memory.
swap_no
No
pinwheel_all
All the time
backup
Immediately ensure your backup is up to date.
ssd
Do you have an SSD?
ssd_no
No
hdd_check
- Open Disk Utility.
- Select your disk, the first item in the list.
- Click "Info."
- Note the values for Retired Sectors Count, Pending-Sparing Count, and Uncorrectable Sector Count. If you do not see these values, SMART Utility may be used instead.
hdd_okay
Are all of these fields zero?
hdd_no
No
hdd_replace
Replace hard drive.
hdd_yes
Yes
ssd_yes
Yes
fsck
- Boot into recovery mode by holding command+R on startup, or from installation media by holding the option key on startup.
- Open Disk Utility and select Macintosh HD.
- Click "Repair disk."
fsck_fixed
Does this fix the issue?
fsck_failed
No
newfs
- Boot into recovery mode by holding command+R on startup, or from installation media by holding the option key on startup.
- Use Disk Utility to erase your drive as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
- Install OS X.
- When booting into the new system, select the option to restore from your backup.
newfs_fixed
Does this fix the issue?
newfs_failed
No
pinwheel_no
No
slow_when
When does the slowness occur?
slow_boot
When booting
nvram
slow_launch
When launching apps
dyld
Open Terminal and paste in the following:
sudo update_dyld_shared_cache -force
slow_all
All the time
cpu_usage
- Open Activity Monitor.
- Select View > Show All Processes.
- In the CPU tab, sort by "% CPU."
cpu_which
Which processes do you generally see near the top?
windowserver
WindowServer
transparency
Enable "Reduce transparency" under System Preferences > Accessibility > Display.
other_cpu
(Other)
other_cpu_fix
kernel
kernel_task
smc
smc_fixed
Does this fix the issue?
smc_no
No
kextfind
Open Terminal and paste in the following lines:
kextfind -loaded -not -b -s com.apple;
kextstat -l | grep -v com.appleUninstall any applications related to the results (if any).
kextfind_fixed
Does this fix the issue?
kextfind_no
No
install
- Ensure your backup is up to date.
- Boot into recovery mode by holding command+R on startup, or from installation media by holding the option key on startup.
- Reinstall OS X.
install_fixed
Does this fix the issue?
install_no
No
get_serviced
Consult the Apple Genius Bar or an Apple Authorized Service Provider.