Mac Pro 4,1 Has a Finder Problem

[CheMillan]

My Mac Pro 4,1 has a big Finder problem. When adding, moving, and deleting a file or multiple files to a folder or any folder, files take between 7 to 10 seconds to appear in a folder when added or moved, and 5 seconds to disappear from a folder when they are deleted. It's an annoying and frustrating lag in Finder. My Mac Pro only has two internal drives and both drives have Yosemite 10.10.5 installed. I don't have Dropbox or any other app that requires access to my Mac Pro. Any Remote Access, Remote Login, File Sharing, Location Services, Bluetooth, Time Machine, and Notification is all disabled.

The boot drive is a Samsung 850 Evo 1TB SSD thats on an Apricorn Velocity x2 Solo card and installed in PCIe slot #2 next to the Nvidia GT 120 card. The other internal drive is in Bay 1. I have performed the following diagnostics:

Recovery HD
Disk Utility - Repair Disk
Disk Utility - Repair Permissions
Apple Hardware Test, twice - Passed
PRAM Reset
Malwarebytes Scan - No threats found
EtreCheck - No issues found. Here's the EtreCheck report:

EtreCheck version: 2.9.13 (267)
Report generated 2016-08-20 09:19:28
Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com
Runtime 1:44
Performance: Excellent

Click the [Support] links for help with non-Apple products.
Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.

Problem: Other problem
Description:
Finder is slow

Hardware Information: ⓘ
Mac Pro (Early 2009)
[Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty & Service]
Mac Pro - model: MacPro4,1
1 2.66 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon CPU: 4-core
10 GB RAM Upgradeable - [Instructions]
DIMM 1
4 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok
DIMM 2
4 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok
DIMM 3
1 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok
DIMM 4
1 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported

Video Information: ⓘ
NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 - VRAM: 512 MB
DELL 2709W 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz

System Software: ⓘ
OS X Yosemite 10.10.5 (14F1909) - Time since boot: less than an hour

Disk Information: ⓘ
HL-DT-ST DVD-RW GH41N ()

Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB disk0 : (1 TB) (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Samsung SSD (disk0s2) / : 999.35 GB (661.15 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB

Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 disk1 : (1 TB) (Rotational)
EFI (disk1s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Mac Pro (disk1s2) /Volumes/Mac Pro : 999.35 GB (661.24 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk1s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB

USB Information: ⓘ
Apple, Inc. Keyboard Hub
Logitech Apple Optical USB Mouse
Apple, Inc Apple Keyboard
Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Gatekeeper: ⓘ
Mac App Store and identified developers

Kernel Extensions: ⓘ
/Applications/DiskWarrior.app
[not loaded] com.alsoft.Preview (5.0 - SDK 10.5 - 2014-12-02) [Support]

/Applications/VMware Fusion.app
[not loaded] com.vmware.kext.vmci (6.0.4 - 2016-07-30) [Support]
[not loaded] com.vmware.kext.vmioplug.12.1.17 (6.0.4 - 2016-07-30) [Support]
[not loaded] com.vmware.kext.vmnet (6.0.4 - 2016-07-30) [Support]
[not loaded] com.vmware.kext.vmx86 (6.0.4 - 2016-07-30) [Support]
[not loaded] com.vmware.kext.vsockets (6.0.4 - 2016-07-30) [Support]

/System/Library/Extensions
[not loaded] com.wacom.kext.pentablet (Pen Tablet 5.3.6-6 - SDK 10.9 - 2016-08-12) [Support]

System Launch Agents: ⓘ
[running] net.culater.SIMBL.Agent.plist (2016-07-27) [Support]
[not loaded] 5 Apple tasks
[loaded] 155 Apple tasks
[running] 52 Apple tasks

System Launch Daemons: ⓘ
[not loaded] 48 Apple tasks
[loaded] 145 Apple tasks
[running] 68 Apple tasks

Launch Agents: ⓘ
[running] com.wacom.pentablet.plist (2014-12-23) [Support]

Launch Daemons: ⓘ
[loaded] com.malwarebytes.HelperTool.plist (2016-07-27) [Support]
[loaded] com.noatime.root.plist (2016-08-12) [Support]

User Login Items: ⓘ
iTunesHelper Application (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
homerstartupsound Application (~/Documents/homerstartupsound.app)
cDockHelper Application (/Applications/My Apps/cDock 0.10.3/cDock.app/Contents/Resources/cDockHelper.app)

Other Apps: ⓘ
[running] com.etresoft.EtreCheck.50016
[running] com.wacom.ConsumerTouchDriver.139476
[running] com.wacom.TabletDriver.139760
[running] org.w0lf.cDock-Helper.369800
[loaded] 381 Apple tasks
[running] 140 Apple tasks

Internet Plug-ins: ⓘ
Default Browser: 600 - SDK 10.10 (2016-07-26)
QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (2016-07-26)
Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: 3.2.0.16 - SDK 10.8 (2016-07-27) [Support]

3rd Party Preference Panes: ⓘ
Flip4Mac WMV (2013-03-29) [Support]
Perian (2013-12-10) [Support]
PenTablet (2016-08-05) [Support]

Time Machine: ⓘ
Time Machine not configured!

Top Processes by CPU: ⓘ
4% fontd
2% WindowServer
1% kernel_task
0% opendirectoryd

Top Processes by Memory: ⓘ
532 MB kernel_task
113 MB Finder
82 MB mdworker(8)
72 MB sharingd
61 MB cfprefsd(2)

Virtual Memory Information: ⓘ
7.66 GB Free RAM
2.34 GB Used RAM (1.20 GB Cached)
0 B Swap Used

Diagnostics Information: ⓘ
Aug 20, 2016, 09:00:10 AM Self test - passed


I don't know what else to do. Please Help. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[AidenShaw]

My Mac Pro 4,1 has a big Finder problem. When adding, moving, and deleting a file or multiple files to a folder or any folder, files take between 7 to 10 seconds to appear in a folder when added or moved, and 5 seconds to disappear from a folder when they are deleted. It's an annoying and frustrating lag in Finder. My Mac Pro only has two internal drives and both drives have Yosemite 10.10.5 installed. I don't have Dropbox or any other app that requires access to my Mac Pro. Any Remote Access, Remote Login, File Sharing, Location Services, Bluetooth, Time Machine, and Notification is all disabled.

The boot drive is a Samsung 850 Evo 1TB SSD thats on an Apricorn Velocity x2 Solo card and installed in PCIe slot #2 next to the Nvidia GT 120 card. The other internal drive is in Bay 1. I have performed the following diagnostics:

Recovery HD
Disk Utility - Repair Disk
Disk Utility - Repair Permissions
Apple Hardware Test, twice - Passed
PRAM Reset
Malwarebytes Scan - No threats found
EtreCheck - No issues found. Here's the EtreCheck report:

EtreCheck version: 2.9.13 (267)
Report generated 2016-08-20 09:19:28
Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com
Runtime 1:44
Performance: Excellent

Click the [Support] links for help with non-Apple products.
Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.

Problem: Other problem
Description:
Finder is slow

Hardware Information: ⓘ
Mac Pro (Early 2009)
[Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty & Service]
Mac Pro - model: MacPro4,1
1 2.66 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon CPU: 4-core
10 GB RAM Upgradeable - [Instructions]
DIMM 1
4 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok
DIMM 2
4 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok
DIMM 3
1 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok
DIMM 4
1 GB DDR3 ECC 1066 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported

Video Information: ⓘ
NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 - VRAM: 512 MB
DELL 2709W 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz

System Software: ⓘ
OS X Yosemite 10.10.5 (14F1909) - Time since boot: less than an hour

Disk Information: ⓘ
HL-DT-ST DVD-RW GH41N ()

Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB disk0 : (1 TB) (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Samsung SSD (disk0s2) / : 999.35 GB (661.15 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB

Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 disk1 : (1 TB) (Rotational)
EFI (disk1s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Mac Pro (disk1s2) /Volumes/Mac Pro : 999.35 GB (661.24 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk1s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB

USB Information: ⓘ
Apple, Inc. Keyboard Hub
Logitech Apple Optical USB Mouse
Apple, Inc Apple Keyboard
Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Gatekeeper: ⓘ
Mac App Store and identified developers

Kernel Extensions: ⓘ
/Applications/DiskWarrior.app
[not loaded] com.alsoft.Preview (5.0 - SDK 10.5 - 2014-12-02) [Support]

/Applications/VMware Fusion.app
[not loaded] com.vmware.kext.vmci (6.0.4 - 2016-07-30) [Support]
[not loaded] com.vmware.kext.vmioplug.12.1.17 (6.0.4 - 2016-07-30) [Support]
[not loaded] com.vmware.kext.vmnet (6.0.4 - 2016-07-30) [Support]
[not loaded] com.vmware.kext.vmx86 (6.0.4 - 2016-07-30) [Support]
[not loaded] com.vmware.kext.vsockets (6.0.4 - 2016-07-30) [Support]

/System/Library/Extensions
[not loaded] com.wacom.kext.pentablet (Pen Tablet 5.3.6-6 - SDK 10.9 - 2016-08-12) [Support]

System Launch Agents: ⓘ
[running] net.culater.SIMBL.Agent.plist (2016-07-27) [Support]
[not loaded] 5 Apple tasks
[loaded] 155 Apple tasks
[running] 52 Apple tasks

System Launch Daemons: ⓘ
[not loaded] 48 Apple tasks
[loaded] 145 Apple tasks
[running] 68 Apple tasks

Launch Agents: ⓘ
[running] com.wacom.pentablet.plist (2014-12-23) [Support]

Launch Daemons: ⓘ
[loaded] com.malwarebytes.HelperTool.plist (2016-07-27) [Support]
[loaded] com.noatime.root.plist (2016-08-12) [Support]

User Login Items: ⓘ
iTunesHelper Application (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
homerstartupsound Application (~/Documents/homerstartupsound.app)
cDockHelper Application (/Applications/My Apps/cDock 0.10.3/cDock.app/Contents/Resources/cDockHelper.app)

Other Apps: ⓘ
[running] com.etresoft.EtreCheck.50016
[running] com.wacom.ConsumerTouchDriver.139476
[running] com.wacom.TabletDriver.139760
[running] org.w0lf.cDock-Helper.369800
[loaded] 381 Apple tasks
[running] 140 Apple tasks

Internet Plug-ins: ⓘ
Default Browser: 600 - SDK 10.10 (2016-07-26)
QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (2016-07-26)
Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: 3.2.0.16 - SDK 10.8 (2016-07-27) [Support]

3rd Party Preference Panes: ⓘ
Flip4Mac WMV (2013-03-29) [Support]
Perian (2013-12-10) [Support]
PenTablet (2016-08-05) [Support]

Time Machine: ⓘ
Time Machine not configured!

Top Processes by CPU: ⓘ
4% fontd
2% WindowServer
1% kernel_task
0% opendirectoryd

Top Processes by Memory: ⓘ
532 MB kernel_task
113 MB Finder
82 MB mdworker(8)
72 MB sharingd
61 MB cfprefsd(2)

Virtual Memory Information: ⓘ
7.66 GB Free RAM
2.34 GB Used RAM (1.20 GB Cached)
0 B Swap Used

Diagnostics Information: ⓘ
Aug 20, 2016, 09:00:10 AM Self test - passed


I don't know what else to do. Please Help. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Did any of those tests look at the S.M.A.R.T. diagnostics on the drives?

"Mystery pauses" can be due to the system retrying IO on a failing drive.

 

[CheMillan]

Update - Smart Status: Verified

I switched Startup Disk and booted the Mac Pro from the other internal Hitachi spinning HD in Bay 1 and conducted a few more copy/move/delete file tests. The results: Copying, moving, and deleting files was instant with no Finder lag at all when the Mac Pro is booted from the internal spinning drive in Bay 1. The Samsung SSD is only a few months old and it checks out OK no S.M.A.R.T errors or disk corruption of any kind. So it's possible that the Apricorn Velocity card may be defective or in the wrong PCIe slot which is where the Samsung SSD is installed and it's the Mac Pro's main boot drive.

 

[AidenShaw]

Update - Smart Status: Verified

I switched Startup Disk and booted the Mac Pro from the other internal Hitachi spinning HD in Bay 1 and conducted a few more copy/move/delete file tests. The results: Copying, moving, and deleting files was instant with no Finder lag at all when the Mac Pro is booted from the internal spinning drive in Bay 1. The Samsung SSD is only a few months old and it checks out OK no S.M.A.R.T errors or disk corruption of any kind. So it's possible that the Apricorn Velocity card may be defective or in the wrong PCIe slot which is where the Samsung SSD is installed and it's the Mac Pro's main boot drive.

Controller problems on the Apricorn could also trigger retries - and would not show up as S.M.A.R.T. errors.

Can you try the SSD on one of the SATA II ports?

 

[CheMillan]

Thanks,

I will put the Apricorn Velocity card with the SSD in a different PCIe slot and see if that will fix the Finder lag. I need the Icy Dock adapter before I can put the SSD in Bay 2 to test it.

 

[leon771]

Stick it in spare optical drive slot and let it just hang for testing purposes.