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How can I make my iMac run faster?

memo90061

memo90061

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 2, 2008
558
134
Los Angeles, CA
I searched the forums and tried Onyx and I don't know if it helped. It probably did and I didn't notice. I just got my 24" 2.8 iMac last year. I have so many files and have 60gb left. I decided to back up my files onto an external hard drive with Time Machine and then reformatted the hard drive. When I did that it felt like new and it felt really fast! I recovered all my Applications and files and now it feels a LITTLE slow. What else can I do? I am going to transfer the files I don't use a lot to the external hard drive. I am not using Time Machine anymore. (I want to use that external hard drive for something else).
 
First thing I would do is buy another external hard drive and start doing time machine back ups again! To me, time machine has proved to be very valuable.

Now to your question, the single easiest thing you can do is upgrade the ram! It pretty cheap(unless its DDR3) and pretty easy to upgrade yourself. Go to Apples website and go to the support section. Fine your iMac and see how much ram it can handle and then max it out. Also under the support section you should be able to find instructions from Apple on how to upgrade the ram for your iMac.
 
Thanks! Should I partition my external hard drive and use one partition for Time Machine and the other one for whatever I want? I already maxed out the RAM on my iMac. I have 4gb.

I didn't think I would notice the difference from when I didn't have anything to when I transfered everything from Time Machine. It's not that bad, I just wish it was like how it was when it was new.
 
My iMac now freezes for like 3 - 10 seconds every time I double click on one of my digital pictures. It freezes when it opens preview. What could it be? Sometimes it freezes completely and I have to hold the power button. This rarely happens though.
 
Here's what I do to keep a Mac running "on the fast side" of things.

I partition the internal drive.

I maintain a "boot partition" which will contain
- OS X itself
- My applications and utilities
- A "trimmed down" home folder

This doesn't have to be really large -- say, under 50-60gig, or even smaller.

I maintain one [or more] "data partitions" that contain my "general files". This is stuff that most folks would simply allow the OS to put into their "home folders", but I'm used to doing it "the OS 9 way" (that is, I put my files where _I_ want them to go), and it's worked very well for me over 23 years of Macintosh use.

I further segregate my "more important data files" from those "less important", such as pics, videos, and non-critical stuff (by "critical files", I mean things like health records, tax records, financial records, etc.). This way I can keep the most important files in a "small container" that is easily and quickly backed up. The non-critical stuff isn't backed up [very much], simply because it's stuff "I can live without".

I occasionally defrag the boot partition as well as do the other routine maintenence tasks. This "bunches up" all the files on it, so the drive doesn't have to "go hunting around" to reach them at boot time.

With a smaller-size dedicated "boot partition" that isn't all "cobbed up" with non-essential files, it's easy to keep that boot partition "lean, mean, and clean". This means easy startups and a smoother overall "feel".
 
I don't know why I didn't do that before! That's kind of what I did when I had Windows. I just kept the OS and important stuff in one partition and wouldn't keep important stuff in there. I would reformat every 6 months and it felt like new. I wish my iMac had a bigger hard drive. :/ I feel like it's going to get full with all the pictures I've taken and the HD videos.

Thanks!
 
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