My applications are taking hours to open and when they do they can barely function properly.

[Amanda_Hugginkiss_]

My mid 2010 15" Macbook Pro running El Capitan 10.11 can be in one of two states. Either working like a dream or struggling to open most apps (when they do most can hardly function).

It tends to be after a couple of hours after turning on that my macbook starts working again and then once it's working it'll stay working for days but not necessarily infinitely.

So far I've tried (updated as I go along):

- Checked temperatures (image attached)
- Virus & Adware scans.
- Clearing all startup programs & caches.
- Booting in safe mode (everything functions properly).
- Logging in as a root user (problem still persists there).
- Doing a SMC reset.
- A hardware check on DriveDx, Disk Utility & SMART Utilitiy. (0 issues found)
- Formatting the hardrive and reinstalling the OS.
- Replaced hard drive ( problem still persists ).

I thought I'd post the results (https://shrib.com/see/5yYauWtIbkW0tznRxqXBBnslPTwPoRTkFrA0Et8fUUWEJAV7qt?v=nc) from etrecheck (even though this test was carried out when it was in a functional state) on the off chance that anyone can quickly see something not right.

I know its a long shot but I just thought that maybe someone here could have a suggestion. At this stage anything could help. I'd love to keep this guy going for a least another 2 years.

 

[Gregg2]

Excellent post! It's clear, concise, and telling what you tried already is a big help.

question: How full is the hard drive? ...what size is it, how much free space?

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

I had very slow to open apps at one point, among other things, and it turned out to be my SATA cable that needed to be replaced.

 

[MC6800]

Have you looked in Console? It might have error messages, or at least let you know what background process is slowing it down.

 

[JohnDS]

Open Activity Monitor and set it to sort by the %CPU column with the the highest at the top. When the slowdown occurs, check to see what process is hogging CPU time. Also, as MC6800 suggested, check the console logs for repeated error message.

Aside from that, if it runs fine in safe mode, that suggests that some startup item is causing the problem. Your Etercheck shows a couple of deprecated startup items:

CUDA: Path: /System/Library/StartupItems/CUDA
FanControlDaemon: Path: /Library/StartupItems/FanControlDaemon

and you might try moving them to the desktop and restarting to see if that makes a difference.

Otherwise, you might have to delete all startup items from the Logon Items tab in your Users and Groups prefs pane and add them back in one by one. (Note that unchecking login items does not disable them. To disable them, you have to select them and delete them using the minus button at the bottom of the window.)

 

[Erdbeertorte]

You really don't need software like Avira on a Mac. It is known for slowing down everything. I would recommend to uninstall that at first.

 

[Weaselboy]

Booting in safe mode (everything functions properly).

This is a big clue right here. Safe mode stops all launch and startup items from running. If it works fine in safe mode, that is proof positive your issue is a launch or startup item. Now we just need to figure out which one. Let's look over your Etrecheck report (big props for posting this by the way! )

First thing I see is you have some adware.

Adware: ⓘ
~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Extensions/Amazon Shopping Assistant.safariextension
~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Extensions/Slick Savings.safariextension
~/Library/Safari/Extensions/Amazon Shopping Assistant.safariextz
~/Library/Safari/Extensions/Slick Savings.safariextz
4 adware files found. [Remove]

Safari Extensions: ⓘ
Slick Savings - Spigot, Inc. (2014-05-29) Adware! [Remove]
AllMyTube - Wondershare Software Co., Ltd. - http://www.wondershare.com (2012-07-30)
iTube Studio - iSkysoft Studio - http://www.iskysoft.com (2012-12-20)
Amazon Shopping Assistant - Spigot, Inc. - http://www.spigot.com/ (2014-05-27) Adware! [Remove]

Download and run Malwarebytes to get rid of it.

Next I would take Erdbeertorte's suggestion and uninstall Avira. I have seen that cause problems like this.

If that does not fix it, then you have to start a trial and error process of removing all those launch and startup items until you find the culprit. You have a LOT of items running there, so this is going to require some work. What I usually do is printout the Etrecheck report then use that as a worksheet/checklist to keep track what you have done.

Make a folder on the desktop then start removing items from the list into the desktop folder and restart after to see if it is fixed. I would remove half at a time each restart, then once you narrow it down you can start adding things back in.

Everything will be in one of these folders or the Users & Groups login items section in System Preferecnes.

~/Library/LaunchAgents (~ is your users folder)
/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
/Library/StartupItems
/System/Library/Extensions/

 

[Amanda_Hugginkiss_]

Excellent post! It's clear, concise, and telling what you tried already is a big help.

question: How full is the hard drive? ...what size is it, how much free space?

Thanks! So I formatted the hardrive as I said and it still didn't function but ive restored from time machine but currently have 80gb free of a 320gb disk.

 

[Amanda_Hugginkiss_]

This is a big clue right here. Safe mode stops all launch and startup items from running. If it works fine in safe mode, that is proof positive your issue is a launch or startup item. Now we just need to figure out which one. Let's look over your Etrecheck report (big props for posting this by the way! )

First thing I see is you have some adware.

Adware: ⓘ
~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Extensions/Amazon Shopping Assistant.safariextension
~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Extensions/Slick Savings.safariextension
~/Library/Safari/Extensions/Amazon Shopping Assistant.safariextz
~/Library/Safari/Extensions/Slick Savings.safariextz
4 adware files found. [Remove]

Safari Extensions: ⓘ
Slick Savings - Spigot, Inc. (2014-05-29) Adware! [Remove]
AllMyTube - Wondershare Software Co., Ltd. - http://www.wondershare.com (2012-07-30)
iTube Studio - iSkysoft Studio - http://www.iskysoft.com (2012-12-20)
Amazon Shopping Assistant - Spigot, Inc. - http://www.spigot.com/ (2014-05-27) Adware! [Remove]

Download and run Malwarebytes to get rid of it.

Next I would take Erdbeertorte's suggestion and uninstall Avira. I have seen that cause problems like this.

If that does not fix it, then you have to start a trial and error process of removing all those launch and startup items until you find the culprit. You have a LOT of items running there, so this is going to require some work. What I usually do is printout the Etrecheck report then use that as a worksheet/checklist to keep track what you have done.

Make a folder on the desktop then start removing items from the list into the desktop folder and restart after to see if it is fixed. I would remove half at a time each restart, then once you narrow it down you can start adding things back in.

Everything will be in one of these folders or the Users & Groups login items section in System Preferecnes.

~/Library/LaunchAgents (~ is your users folder)
/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
/Library/StartupItems
/System/Library/Extensions/

Hi there, thanks so much for the detailed and helpful response, I really appreciate it! I've gone ahead and removed Avira. I've attempted to run Malwarebytes but my macbook is currently in its non-functional mode so I can't run this at the moment.

Onto the start up items:

-Firstly I've cleared the apps and items from system preferences > User & Groups > Log in Items and then clicking the minus to whatever was there.
-Deleted whatever I can from /System/Library/Extensions (majority is required by the system).
-Deleted everything in System/Library/StartupItems.
-Deleted everything in System/Library/LaunchDaemons.
-Deleted everything in System/LaunchAgents
-Deleted everything in (User)/Library/LaunchAgents.

Unfortunately I haven't noticed any immediate difference from those steps but I'll just give it a reboot!
[doublepost=1472414866][/doublepost]

Open Activity Monitor and set it to sort by the %CPU column with the the highest at the top. When the slowdown occurs, check to see what process is hogging CPU time. Also, as MC6800 suggested, check the console logs for repeated error message.

Aside from that, if it runs fine in safe mode, that suggests that some startup item is causing the problem. Your Etercheck shows a couple of deprecated startup items:

CUDA: Path: /System/Library/StartupItems/CUDA
FanControlDaemon: Path: /Library/StartupItems/FanControlDaemon

and you might try moving them to the desktop and restarting to see if that makes a difference.

Otherwise, you might have to delete all startup items from the Logon Items tab in your Users and Groups prefs pane and add them back in one by one. (Note that unchecking login items does not disable them. To disable them, you have to select them and delete them using the minus button at the bottom of the window.)

Hi there, I'm not sure what to look out for with the CPU (I've uploaded an image just in case) but after checking it a few times nothing seems to be taking up to much of his attention.

I've also gone ahead and cleared all that I can from the startupitems!

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[JohnDS]

Activity monitor does not show a problem, so that is a dead end.

 

[Weaselboy]

I've attempted to run Malwarebytes but my macbook is currently in its non-functional mode so I can't run this at the moment.

Try rebooting into safe mode, then run Malwarebytes to get rid of that adware.

After removing any launch items, you will need to reboot to test each time.

If you think you have everything removed, you can reboot, then run another Etrecheck report to verify.

But the bottom line is if a safe mode boot fixes it, it is one of those items causing this.

 

[Amanda_Hugginkiss_]

Try rebooting into safe mode, then run Malwarebytes to get rid of that adware.

After removing any launch items, you will need to reboot to test each time.

If you think you have everything removed, you can reboot, then run another Etrecheck report to verify.

But the bottom line is if a safe mode boot fixes it, it is one of those items causing this.

Hi Weaselboy, I've carried this out this morning.

Unfortunately after rebooting it still started with the same issues.

I was just wondering if it could be the hard drive? I put my ear to the hard drive while trying to open some apps trying to hear if there were any irregular noises and I actually caught the moment the computer kicked back into action and was able to open apps. I did hear the hard drive pick up when this happened but I'm not sure if thats telling of the hard drive health (for some reason it seems like the macbook is more likely to kick into action if the bottom is off).

 

[Weaselboy]

Hi Weaselboy, I've carried this out this morning.

Unfortunately after rebooting it still started with the same issues.

I was just wondering if it could be the hard drive? I put my ear to the hard drive while trying to open some apps trying to hear if there were any irregular noises and I actually caught the moment the computer kicked back into action and was able to open apps. I did hear the hard drive pick up when this happened but I'm not sure if thats telling of the hard drive health (for some reason it seems like the macbook is more likely to kick into action if the bottom is off).

Ordinarily, I would say what you are describing (really slow app launches) is a bad drive or bad drive cable, but the fact it is completely fixed and works fine (is that still the case?) in safe mode, makes me think otherwise.

Are you sure you got everything removed? How about reboot in regular mode and post up another Etrecheck report.

 

[msh]

Check the SMART status of your drive. Run the demo of this SMART utility and see if it passes:

https://www.volitans-software.com/apps/smart-utility/

Even if it does pass, I would replace the current HDD with a Samsung SSD.

 

[Amanda_Hugginkiss_]

Ordinarily, I would say what you are describing (really slow app launches) is a bad drive or bad drive cable, but the fact it is completely fixed and works fine (is that still the case?) in safe mode, makes me think otherwise.

Are you sure you got everything removed? How about reboot in regular mode and post up another Etrecheck report.

Ah okay. How strange. Yeah I'm pretty sure I did remove everything because that was also the second time I've done it from those locations.

Link to new EtreCheck ( working state ) - https://shrib.com/see/6orFX5SFxJmf0yI9KkwpP4ZU1aQQPTBL7tQVojabtD7j1FjCpV?v=nc
[doublepost=1472485368][/doublepost]

Check the SMART status of your drive. Run the demo of this SMART utility and see if it passes:

https://www.volitans-software.com/apps/smart-utility/

Even if it does pass, I would replace the current HDD with a Samsung SSD.

Hi there, I've attached the smart utility results.

If it does come down to buying a new hardrive I think I'd go for this seagate 500gb Hybrid (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-La...37&sr=8-5&keywords=macbook+pro+2.5+hard+drive) just in case its not the solution I wouldn't spend so much!

 

[Weaselboy]

Ah okay. How strange. Yeah I'm pretty sure I did remove everything because that was also the second time I've done it from those locations.

You got most of it, but there is a bit left.

Launch Daemons: ⓘ
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (2016-06-29) [Support]

User Launch Agents: ⓘ
[running] com.spotify.webhelper.plist (2016-08-29) [Support]

User Login Items: ⓘ
Flux Application (/Applications/Flux.app)

You also have a bunch of Internet plugins, but those would only cause possible browser problems. If the issues persists even with no browser open, those are not the problem.

Confirm we are still in a situation where everything works perfectly in safe mode and not in regular mode??

 

[Amanda_Hugginkiss_]

You got most of it, but there is a bit left.

Launch Daemons: ⓘ
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (2016-06-29) [Support]

User Launch Agents: ⓘ
[running] com.spotify.webhelper.plist (2016-08-29) [Support]

User Login Items: ⓘ
Flux Application (/Applications/Flux.app)

You also have a bunch of Internet plugins, but those would only cause possible browser problems. If the issues persists even with no browser open, those are not the problem.

Confirm we are still in a situation where everything works perfectly in safe mode and not in regular mode??

Yeah, these guys keep reappearing (I turned f.lux back on), Spotify when I open the app and Adobe sneaked in at some point today.

I've cleared most of my internet plugins and extensions just before I read your post. (telepathy again)

but yeah I can confirm that everything immediately launches in safe mode yet not in regular mode after start-up.

 

[Gregg2]

Thanks! So I formatted the hardrive as I said and it still didn't function but ive restored from time machine but currently have 80gb free of a 320gb disk.

25% free should be fine. I've seen some users saying not to get down below 15%. If others can confirm that, and why, then you might need a strategy for reducing file storage to free up some space in the near future.

 

[Amanda_Hugginkiss_]

This is one of the common console messages I'm getting after failing to launch an app.

-[NETProxyLookup pacLookupCompleteroxies:error:] PAC evaluation error: Error Domain=kCFErrorDomainCFNetwork Code=2 "(null)" UserInfo={kCFGetAddrInfoFailureKey=8}

 

[MC6800]

This is one of the common console messages I'm getting after failing to launch an app.

-[NETProxyLookup pacLookupCompleteroxies:error:] PAC evaluation error: Error Domain=kCFErrorDomainCFNetwork Code=2 "(null)" UserInfo={kCFGetAddrInfoFailureKey=8}

Curious-- it's having trouble reading a PAC (Proxy Auto-Config) file. Is your network configured to use a proxy?

It's possible this is just a symptom of a disk going bad. Do you see any "I/O Error" messages? (use Console's search box)

 

[Amanda_Hugginkiss_]

Curious-- it's having trouble reading a PAC (Proxy Auto-Config) file. Is your network configured to use a proxy?

It's possible this is just a symptom of a disk going bad. Do you see any "I/O Error" messages? (use Console's search box)

Hi there, searching for 'I/O Error' doesn't give me anything. I am at least hoping that it's a disk going bad so at least then I'll know what it is.

 

[msh]

Have you tried booting from a clone of your OS on an external drive?
[doublepost=1472562821][/doublepost]

Ah okay. How strange. Yeah I'm pretty sure I did remove everything because that was also the second time I've done it from those locations.

Link to new EtreCheck ( working state ) - https://shrib.com/see/6orFX5SFxJmf0yI9KkwpP4ZU1aQQPTBL7tQVojabtD7j1FjCpV?v=nc
[doublepost=1472485368][/doublepost]

Hi there, I've attached the smart utility results.

If it does come down to buying a new hardrive I think I'd go for this seagate 500gb Hybrid (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-Laptop-Laptop--2-5 inch-Internal/dp/B00B99JU5M/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1472475537&sr=8-5&keywords=macbook+pro+2.5+hard+drive) just in case its not the solution I wouldn't spend so much!

SMART is showing your disk has 21000+ hours on it. According to the folks at SoftRaid a notebook HDD should be replaced at only 5000 hours. I would replace that drive posthaste.

 

[Amanda_Hugginkiss_]

Have you tried booting from a clone of your OS on an external drive?
[doublepost=1472562821][/doublepost]
SMART is showing your disk has 21000+ hours on it. According to the folks at SoftRaid a notebook HDD should be replaced at only 5000 hours. I would replace that drive posthaste.

I haven't tried booting from a cloned drive yet but I reckon that'll provide the best indication as to whether this is my HDD. I'm looking into what I have to do for this though but I don't have an external hard drive free at the moment so I'm just wondering if I can erase and format everything ( still doesn't function properly after i last tried that ) and then cloning the empty drive to a 16gb USB and booting it from there?

Edit: apparently it has to be the same size or bigger to clone the drive so I instead of buying a 500gb external hardrive I reckon I'm just going to take a punt on the SSD/HDD hybrid to go in my computer.

 

[Amanda_Hugginkiss_]

Replacing the hard drive didn't fix the issue...So odd. Time to go to Apple.