MBA is sooooo slow in OSX not windows. Advice Needed

[The Governor]

Ok I'll try and make this short and sweet:

A good friend of mine (who I have just recently converted to apple) bought his first mac, the air after seeing that he really like it while using mine.

His work applications (some allstate insurance app) is only compatible with windows. No problem, just dual booted with XP and OSX. So that solved that problem. And everything worked great he said for the first 4 months. After that, anytime he uses OSX for the INTERNET it runs so slow. Everything else runs very smooth like it should. And when he boots up with XP and uses the internet there it runs great; fast and responsive.

So what could be wrong? I suggested do a complete backup (he has time capsule also) and then wipe everything and reinstall. He is hesitant do that since he and I aren't sure if his work program would be included in the backup. So then I created a test account in OSX to see if the internet was working better on another account....but it wasn't.

So I am out of ideas. Does anyone know if his work application would be included if he went the back-up and wipe route? Any suggestions or advice?

 

[drew0020]

Back it up and then reinstall the operating system! Let us know how it turns out!

 

[The Governor]

Back it up and then reinstall the operating system! Let us know how it turns out!

Would that be his only option?

 

[Brooklyn8]

You could remove OSX and just run windows only

 

[AIRniloc]

Ok I'll try and make this short and sweet:

A good friend of mine (who I have just recently converted to apple) bought his first mac, the air after seeing that he really like it while using mine.

His work applications (some allstate insurance app) is only compatible with windows. No problem, just dual booted with XP and OSX. So that solved that problem. And everything worked great he said for the first 4 months. After that, anytime he uses OSX for the INTERNET it runs so slow. Everything else runs very smooth like it should. And when he boots up with XP and uses the internet there it runs great; fast and responsive.

So what could be wrong? I suggested do a complete backup (he has time capsule also) and then wipe everything and reinstall. He is hesitant do that since he and I aren't sure if his work program would be included in the backup. So then I created a test account in OSX to see if the internet was working better on another account....but it wasn't.

So I am out of ideas. Does anyone know if his work application would be included if he went the back-up and wipe route? Any suggestions or advice?

reset safari, remove the safari .plists in home>library>preferences (usually titled com.apple.Safari.plist and com.apple.Safari.RSS.plist)...

if this doesn't work, trash and re-install safari.

if that doesn't work, create a new admin user and see if safari works correctly in this user environment (this will tell you if it is system wide vs user preferences).

If it doesn't work there, then yeah...i'd re-install the OS

 

[Matthew Yohe]

Try Safari Beta 4?

 

[steveza]

. . . or Firefox

 

[n0de]

I know I am going to get flamed for this, but the MBA does run OSX really slow. With or without bootcamp. I think you only notice it when you boot from a really fast XP install to the really slow OSX install.

Don't get me wrong, I still love my MBA, it is just annoying. The only thing I can think of is that Apple's drivers for the chipset are wonky. This would also explain the heat/fan/core-shutdown issues that have affected the machines from the beginning (yes the last update helped a bit, but not enough).

 

[Consultant]

Any web site with flash content will slow down the computer because Adobe did a poor job with the adobe flash player for OSX. That's probably what's happening.

Block flash and see whether browsing the web is still slow.

You could remove OSX and just run windows only

Bad suggestion. OSX is needed for firmware updates.

 

[aaquib]

You could remove OSX and just run windows only

 

[Scottsdale]

I wouldn't reinstall the whole OS over that. I would check all of the connection and wireless settings. What type of wireless network is it? I have had problems with Netgear routers and this. Once I installed an AirPort Extreme Base Station, my OS X wireless network was fast and never dropped. Before, my OS X wireless connection would drop very frequently. It also dropped in Windows, BUT it stayed quick most of the time.

So, how about figuring out if this is a wireless connection issue before reinstalling everything. How well does OS X show the wireless connection in terms of signal strength?

 

[The Governor]

You could remove OSX and just run windows only

I definitely will not tell him to do that, especially since he doesn't have anti-virus for xp

reset safari, remove the safari .plists in home>library>preferences (usually titled com.apple.Safari.plist and com.apple.Safari.RSS.plist)...

if this doesn't work, trash and re-install safari.

Never thought of this, I will help him try this out.

if that doesn't work, create a new admin user and see if safari works correctly in this user environment (this will tell you if it is system wide vs user preferences).

If it doesn't work there, then yeah...i'd re-install the OS

I already setup a test account, and the Internet was very slow there as well.

. . . or Firefox

Another route I didn't even think of..

I know I am going to get flamed for this, but the MBA does run OSX really slow. With or without bootcamp. I think you only notice it when you boot from a really fast XP install to the really slow OSX install.

Don't get me wrong, I still love my MBA, it is just annoying. The only thing I can think of is that Apple's drivers for the chipset are wonky. This would also explain the heat/fan/core-shutdown issues that have affected the machines from the beginning (yes the last update helped a bit, but not enough).

I have had no issues with mine since I purchased it when the first one came out. And me hyping it up back then before he bought it certainly doesn't help the situation. He's not mad, just disappointed.

Any web site with flash content will slow down the computer because Adobe did a poor job with the adobe flash player for OSX. That's probably what's happening.

Block flash and see whether browsing the web is still slow.

Again, something that I haven't tried, but would that really be fixing it if he needs to disable something within safari? I can't speak of the sites he frequents while on the Internet, but I'm sure he visits flash based sites.

I wouldn't reinstall the whole OS over that. I would check all of the connection and wireless settings. What type of wireless network is it? I have had problems with Netgear routers and this. Once I installed an AirPort Extreme Base Station, my OS X wireless network was fast and never dropped. Before, my OS X wireless connection would drop very frequently. It also dropped in Windows, BUT it stayed quick most of the time.

So, how about figuring out if this is a wireless connection issue before reinstalling everything. How well does OS X show the wireless connection in terms of signal strength?

His wireless network is composed of a Belkin (I'm pretty sure) G router. I told him he should just use his time capsule, but is very reluctant to do so. Don't ask way, I did and still don't understand it, even after I said the capsule would be a better/faster router....

This was also one of my first thoughts...that it was his internet connections, but it isn't. I have used my air on his network and he has used his on mine. I have same performance as I get while at home, and he still has a huge lag on mine, and it's an N router (not airport extreme).

Besides all of that, every other (non-mac) computer that he has on his LAN runs fine.

To answer your last question, his wireless strength is great...all bars

 

[n0de]

@The Governor

I pre-ordered my MBA, so no I didn't purchase it based on forum fan-boy postings, I was a cheerleader too

Yes I am disappointed but never really noticed how slow it is until I installed XP in Bootcamp.

The one app that really made me notice is calculator, takes 3 seconds in OSX - it is instant in XP. Excel takes as long as 10 seconds in OSX, XP is about 2.

No I am not bitter, I still love the machine, it is just a love/hate relationship (just like my wife).

 

[tubbymac]

No I am not bitter, I still love the machine, it is just a love/hate relationship (just like my wife).

LOL

 

[Brooklyn8]

I definitely will not tell him to do that, especially since he doesn't have anti-virus for xp

Not to sound like MS fanboy, but I have found you really don't need AV if you use Windows intelligently. Keep it updated and don't download questionable files or attachments. I have not had AV on my Windows (XP, 2003, and now 7) machines for several years and I have not had a problem.

 

[Scottsdale]

Not to sound like MS fanboy, but I have found you really don't need AV if you use Windows intelligently. Keep it updated and don't download questionable files or attachments. I have not had AV on my Windows (XP, 2003, and now 7) machines for several years and I have not had a problem.

Just don't open any bogus emails. The problem is downloading a bogus app or a fun email. I used Windows business computers and never got viruses. They run SO MUCH FASTER without AntiVirus. I would recommend everyone wise up and forget the AV. But, most people like the "fun" stuff. When I ran Windows that way, I didn't open any attachment that wasn't from a known associate who told me it was coming, and that was Word, Excel, or PDF. Never downloaded a joke or clicked on a link to porn or a fun game or anything. Always 100% strictly business, and never got viruses. I remember clear back in the day of the university when as soon as the floppy went into the the school computer, my disk had a virus. The point is use ONE Windows computer, and use it like business, and not download fun anything.

But for MOST people this just will not work, and God help all of the women I know... every one of them just opens any link, any attachment, or etc because it is sent by a friend or looks like a lot of fun to find their IQ or read about a God story via an application download or whatever.

But I do agree, it can be done, Windows without antivirus as long as you are extremely careful.

I think XP is minimal compared to OS X and Vista, so that is why it is faster. There is literally no security. I guess Windows 7 and Snow Leopard should improve on computing experiences for all of us.

 

[AIRniloc]

I know I am going to get flamed for this, but the MBA does run OSX really slow. With or without bootcamp. I think you only notice it when you boot from a really fast XP install to the really slow OSX install.

Don't get me wrong, I still love my MBA, it is just annoying. The only thing I can think of is that Apple's drivers for the chipset are wonky. This would also explain the heat/fan/core-shutdown issues that have affected the machines from the beginning (yes the last update helped a bit, but not enough).

my speedtest results have been the highest they've ever been on my rev b MBAir...then again, i'm running 10.6 build 10A286

 

[mcavjame]

cycle the cache files. You can use a program like onyx (free download) that will run daily weekly monthly scripts. If you are new to macs, you may not have know this little bit of maintenance. The system will do it for you if you happen to have your machine on at 3 in the morning.

 

[chrono1081]

Not to sound like MS fanboy, but I have found you really don't need AV if you use Windows intelligently. Keep it updated and don't download questionable files or attachments. I have not had AV on my Windows (XP, 2003, and now 7) machines for several years and I have not had a problem.

Just because you don't have problems doesn't mean your not infected

You wouldnt believe the amount of crap I find on computers without problems when I run antivirus and antispyware scans. The nastiest programs don't want to be detected so do nothing to screw your system up. Dont forget downloading attachments and programs arent the only way to get viruses and spyware. Just visiting a hijacked site will do it, or installing cracked software. Infected websites are the common trend as of late.

On a side note, I didn't read through the whole post but pitch the belkin router. Those are 100% trash. So many of them are defective, and on many occasions I have had to call belkin tech support because the router settings I entered were 100% correct, but the thing still wouldn't work, and their first (FIRST!) suggestion from their tech support was to try another brand router. Way to go belkin. (Did I mention this happened numerous times?)

 

[badtzmaru]

im glad im not the only one who feels XP seems faster on the air than OSX!

 

[stylinexpat]

A quicker SSD should do the trick.

 

[Davy.Shalom]

Back up important data, then reformat and bring back the data.