Seriously sick to death of my imac

[Skitty31]

Hi everyone, this is my last hope of solving the beach ball of death on my 2009 27” iMac.
Since moving from windows to iMac 7 years ago I vowed never to go back but just lately I feel like smashing it up.

My wife is a teacher so used it for work, word, spreadsheets etc and I use it to download movies etc, so nothing that uses much memory etc.

Few months ago the BBOD started when using safari, had an IT man at her school reinstall Sierra and clear it clean.

Worked fine for a month and now I can’t even put in the password without the BBOD appearing, it’s almost unusable now, tried cleanmymac and last week upgraded the RAM to 16GB.

It has made no difference at all and I’m out of ideas to be honest, I’ve followed various guides, getting it back to basics but it’s just unusable.

Only using 74GB of a 1TB hard drive so it’s not a memory issue.

Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks for looking

 

[gian8989]

Download DriveDx and check if the HDD is failing https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx

 

[Skitty31]

Download DriveDx and check if the HDD is failing https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx

I may struggle to do any tasks with it but I’ll give it a try, thanks.

 

[TimothyR734]

What macOS is installed on it you could always go to macOS Mojave for unsupported Macs and follow the instrctions there or the macOS Catalina for unsupported Macs to upgrade your macOS that may fix some issues I am running macOS Catalina Beta on my mid 2009 22" iMac a few issues but its fast as macOS Mojave the big difference is Mojave still supports 32 bit software where as Catalina does not it is worth checking out and also depends on what video card is in your iMac. If you have macOS Sierra installed I believe that is no longer supported for Security updates as well as updates for apps like Safari

 

[Skitty31]

What macOS is installed on it you could always go to macOS Mojave for unsupported Macs and follow the instrctions there or the macOS Catalina for unsupported Macs to upgrade your macOS that may fix some issues I am running macOS Catalina Beta on my mid 2009 22" iMac a few issues but its fast as macOS Mojave the big difference is Mojave still supports 32 bit software where as Catalina does not it is worth checking out and also depends on what video card is in your iMac. If you have macOS Sierra installed I believe that is no longer supported for Security updates as well as updates for apps like Safari

I can’t even get google to open to get the hard drive tool

 

[Sedulous]

I may struggle to do any tasks with it but I’ll give it a try, thanks.

Or boot from an external if the drive won’t cooperate.

 

[BarbaricCo]

Make a new administrator user. If it's software issue you will catch what installation bring problems.

 

[Skitty31]

I’m really not good with this type of stuff, trying to copy my photos etc on to a external drive at the moment, seems safari is the biggest culprit of the BBOD.
I can try booting from external if I can get a guide on my phone

 

[mikehalloran]

If it's the original drive, do not wonder whether or not it's bad. It is.

If settings are lost, that indicates a bad NV RAM battery also. On a late 2009 (must be because someone installed Sierra), the motherboard must be removed to replace it but a CR2032 is fine—no need for a BR2032.

 

[Skitty31]

If it's the original drive, do not wonder whether or not it's bad. It is.

If settings are lost, that indicates a bad NV RAM battery also. On a late 2009 (must be because someone installed Sierra), the motherboard must be removed to replace it but a CR2032 is fine—no need for a BR2032.

Sorry if I’ve misled you, the settings are fine, I basically cannot do anything without the BBOD, I don’t want to bung out for a new hard drive if it wont improve much, are macs like old iPhones?? Once they get a certain age they are near useless?

 

[mikehalloran]

I can try booting from external if I can get a guide on my phone

Easy but it will be USB 2. Just install a Mac OS on the drive. It will be slow but anything is better than what you have now.

The 2009s that I still maintain (well over 100) had their HDDs and batteries replaced years ago. None are giving grief and all are running High Sierra on SSDs.

EOL on High Sierra is next fall because that's when Apple will no longer support the OS with security updates. A whole lot of 2009–2011 iMacs that I've been maintaining will be taken out of service at that time.

 

[Skitty31]

Easy but it will be USB 2. Just install a Mac OS on the drive. It will be slow but anything is better than what you have now.

The 2009s that I still maintain (well over 100) had their HDDs and batteries replaced years ago. None are giving grief and all are running High Sierra on SSDs.

EOL on High Sierra is next fall because that's when Apple will no longer support the OS with security updates. A whole lot of 2009–2011 iMacs that I've been maintaining will be taken out of service at that time.

So would you recommend not bothering to upgrade the hard drive? I was going to buy a 2019 model but we hardly use it nowadays so lot of money for useage.

 

[mikehalloran]

I don’t want to bung out for a new hard drive if it wont improve much,

The improvement will be much, much better than new. Until earlier this year, I made my living on a 2010 — I couldn't believe the difference when I tossed the HDD in 2015 and then I got used to it.

If it's worth a dime, it's worth doing right — and there's the rub. Replace the battery and install an SSD and you can get a lot of years out of it as long as a) you aren't running anything that needs to be current with Mojave or later and b) there's no school or district requirement regarding security — EOL on Sierra is in a few weeks and you really, really do not want to install HS on an HDD that's giving you grief.

I can give you a parts list. Labor on the battery from most techs is $75 and it is not that hard to do it yourself.

 

[Skitty31]

The improvement will be much, much better than new. Until earlier this year, I made my living on a 2010 — I couldn't believe the difference when I tossed the HDD in 2015 and then I got used to it.

If it's worth a dime, it's worth doing right — and there's the rub. Replace the battery and install an SSD and you can get a lot of years out of it as long as a) you aren't running anything that needs to be current with Mojave or later and b) there's no school or district requirement regarding security — EOL on Sierra is in a few weeks and you really, really do not want to install HS on an HDD that's giving you grief.

I can give you a parts list. Labor on the battery from most techs is $75 and it is not that hard to do it yourself.

Yes please, I’m in the UK.
I’m not very tech minded but can do most things, no soldering though.

 

[bpeeps]

I don’t want to bung out for a new hard drive if it wont improve much, are macs like old iPhones?? Once they get a certain age they are near useless?

It's a ten year old computer. TEN YEARS. And even if you weren't the owner of it in 2009, the computer has had a long life and paid for itself in use twice already. It was time for a new mac three years ago.

 

[Skitty31]

It's a ten year old computer. TEN YEARS. And even if you weren't the owner of it in 2009, the computer has had a long life and paid for itself in use twice already. It was time for a new mac three years ago.

Fully aware how old it is but it’s literally for browsing and using word, upto 6 months ago it was running as fast as the day I got it.
Not spending £1500 to browse the net and download the odd movie.
If spending £100 odd quid on a new hard drive gives me a couple more years that would do me.

 

[wardie]

I’m in UK and have a 2009 iMac i7 27 inch - got it second hand and spent some £ with an installer to get both new SSD put in plus extra memory (basically about same cost again as I paid for it). Now running High Sierra just fine no problems, great machine for my kids general use with a lovely big screen for well under £500 total. Try macupgrades.co.uk and stick your serial number in.

 

[Skitty31]

I’m in UK and have a 2009 iMac i7 27 inch - got it second hand and spent some £ with an installer to get both new SSD put in plus extra memory (basically about same cost again as I paid for it). Now running High Sierra just fine no problems, great machine for my kids general use with a lovely big screen for well under £500 total. Try macupgrades.co.uk and stick your serial number in.

Will do , thanks

 

[CheesePuff]

Fully aware how old it is but it’s literally for browsing and using word, upto 6 months ago it was running as fast as the day I got it.
Not spending £1500 to browse the net and download the odd movie.
If spending £100 odd quid on a new hard drive gives me a couple more years that would do me.

I think that statement there points to hardware failure, most likely the HDD as others mentioned.

Luckily your older model is easier to take apart, and highly recommend an upgrade to a SSD will be like a (relatively) new machine.

 

[mikehalloran]

Yes please, I’m in the UK.
I’m not very tech minded but can do most things, no soldering though.

Nope, no soldering.

Look at the iFixIt and OWC sites for the drive replacements and iFixIt for the battery. As you replace the battery, you'll see that the drive is a side job that takes a few minutes extra.

Besides the list below, you'll need a bottle of white-out or light colored, opaque lacquer like nail polish. There will be a few tiny connectors on the motherboard and inline. Marking one side of each half will show you the correct polarity when reassembling. On a few, it's not that hard to force it back incorrectly causing problems like the fans going on full or the microphone not working. A little white paint saves tons of time.

As the battery gets weaker, it will cause settings to be lost but black screen and/or weird objects mimicking GPU problems are also common. Most of the older Macs that come to me for GPU problems leave with a new battery and nothing else. Yours is 10 years old, way, way past time. A CR2032 battery from the pharmacy or convenience store is fine. The BR2032 that Apple uses has a wider heat tolerance, that's all.

Ok. These links are to Amazon UK.

Tons of SSDs on the market. Everyone I know is using the WD Blue 3D or Sandisk Ultra 3D (same drive), Samsung 860 EVO or Crucial MX500. All have 3D Nand and 5 year warranties. The SanDisk 3D has it on price at the moment 250GB–4TB with 3 sizes in between.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-WDS500G2B0A-Blue-Internal/dp/B073SB2MXW/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=wd+blue+3d&qid=1567198269&s=gateway&sr=8-1&th=1

You'll need the following magnetic Torx drivers: T6, T8 & T10, a Phillips #2. A pair of suction cups, a spudger or two, a tool that pokes all come in handy.
This kit should have the tools you need except for a Phillips driver and suction cups. Magnetized drivers are a must, IMO.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kaisi-Scre...VGAE44XADV98T5XR8441&qid=1567196715&s=gateway

There are many ways to get the front glass off but nothing beats a pair of suction cups like these—one each in the upper right and left hand corners and pull till the magnets release.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/MMOBIEL-Su...s=imac+tools&qid=1567195181&s=gateway&sr=8-38

You will need to deal with the temp sensor—remove it and the fans go full-on. The software so-called solutions absolutely suck. With the 2009-10, you have three choices (the 2011-on are different and the following won't work):

a) short the leads of the one in there already—keeps the fan quiet but if the drive warms up the fans don't come on. I really don't like that.

b) Use an optical drive sensor instead (not the one on your optical drive!). It works but isn't calibrated for a hard drive or SSD. Still, it works and is less expensive than (c)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Replacemen...c+temp+sensor&qid=1567198965&s=gateway&sr=8-2

c) OWC has a sensor specifically for the late 2009-10 iMac.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/OWC-OWCDID...c+temp+sensor&qid=1567199707&s=gateway&sr=8-1

The right bracket is convenient and helps keep the drive cool. Or you can use double-stick foam tape to attach the drive to the back after you remove the HDD. Some stick the SSD to the old drive and leave the old sensor in but I don't recommend that—the internal cooling is worse and there's no heat sensor? Yikes!

Anyway, lots of bracket designs but this is the one for the iMac. If it looks like this, you're good.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sabrent-De...o+3.5+adapter&qid=1567200158&s=gateway&sr=8-3

 

[Skitty31]

I think that statement there points to hardware failure, most likely the HDD as others mentioned.

Luckily your older model is easier to take apart, and highly recommend an upgrade to a SSD will be like a (relatively) new machine.

Will try and run the hard drive checker tomorrow, hopefully I can get google to work long enough

 

[bpeeps]

Fully aware how old it is but it’s literally for browsing and using word, upto 6 months ago it was running as fast as the day I got it.
Not spending £1500 to browse the net and download the odd movie.
If spending £100 odd quid on a new hard drive gives me a couple more years that would do me.

One day you’re walking fine and the next day you wake up with a killer pain in your back. That’s just how things break, especially hard drives. There’s no rule that says it’s always going to be a slow progression of exhausting reliability. One day they work, and sometimes the next day they don’t.

I also think you’re approaching the finance aspect of this wrong. You’re spending 1500 to browse the net and download a movie for the NEXT TEN YEARS. A computer is an investment that pays itself off over time, it isn’t immediate.

 

[wardie]

Will try and run the hard drive checker tomorrow, hopefully I can get google to work long enough

Irrespective of whether your HDD is on the edge of failing or not, I’d move to an SSD anyway. Real life performance difference is massive e.g. boot times, you’ll think you have a new computer.

What I did was keep in the original HDD (as mine appeared fine too) but I use this as a clone backup. I had an SSD fitted into the DVD bay (and moved DVD to cheap external enclosure). It all works of old SATA II Interface for drives anyway so don’t waste your money on the latest fastest SSD. Only way to get a fast drive is internal, as external options are limited to slow USB2 / FireWire800.

You can get some decent choices off the site I mentioned, and with either fit yourself or get them to do it. I have upgraded various macs myself but with this this one for the money I couldn’t be bothered to take the time needed / risk of messing it up e.g. breaking all the little connector leads TBH. Personal choice, depends how competent and confident you are.

 

[Skitty31]

Irrespective of whether your HDD is on the edge of failing or not, I’d move to an SSD anyway. Real life performance difference is massive e.g. boot times, you’ll think you have a new computer.

What I did was keep in the original HDD (as mine appeared fine too) but I use this as a clone backup. I had an SSD fitted into the DVD bay (and moved DVD to cheap external enclosure). It all works of old SATA II Interface for drives anyway so don’t waste your money on the latest fastest SSD. Only way to get a fast drive is internal, as external options are limited to slow USB2 / FireWire800.

You can get some decent choices off the site I mentioned, and with either fit yourself or get them to do it. I have upgraded various macs myself but with this this one for the money I couldn’t be bothered to take the time needed / risk of messing it up e.g. breaking all the little connector leads TBH. Personal choice, depends how competent and confident you are.

Yep I agree thanks, I’ll go for a ssd and get someone to fit it for me, I’m competent but impatient so best I don’t try ☺️

 

[priitv8]

Does your iMac bootinto recovery mode?
Then you could run disk utility against your boot volume.