Apple iMac problem?

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GW208
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Apple iMac problem?

Post by GW208 »

I don't know if I got a lemon or what or if this is considered normal but I've had issues with this computer ever since I got it. The problem is I will get the spinning orange beachball and the screen freezes up and the only way to get out of it is to shut the computer down. There's a lot of stuff on-line about this but not anything that seems to apply to my situation. I only use this for e-mail and internet stuff so there is very little storage or memory used as far as I can tell.
I've had it in to the Genius Bar a couple of times and was escalated to a senior phone tech support person but no one has ever been able to come up with a permanent solution. I'm about ready to throw in the towel and get a new computer and would much prefer to stay with Apple as it's all I know how to use but not if this is a very common problem.
So I guess my question is are there iMac users out there that can go days, weeks or even months without getting the beachball and having their computer freeze up?
URSnshn
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by URSnshn »

My Mac computers never freeze up - if that happens it is extremely rare.

I've been very happy with my Apple products - with one exception. An iPhone - I had similar issue - it wasn't freezing up, but acting in another way that was irritating and time consuming. Like you I called Apple and it was escalated to a senior tech. This went on for quite a while, and then one day out of blue after another tech call - I asked if I could have another iPhone as this was a problem that shouldn't be happening. I'd never thought to ask this question before for some reason. Low and behold the answer was YES - I got a new one and never had the irritating issue happen again.

I'd ask for a replacement.

And, always when calling back for an issue of this kind - and trying to get it fixed - I'd ask immediately for a senior technician - they'll pass it on through.

Good luck!
Cheyenne
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by Cheyenne »

I've had an iMac for about seven months and have never experienced that. I have seen what you described though on my older MacBook Pro. I don't think it's normal based upon your description of your usage. If it's still under warranty I'd demand that they either fix or replace it.
rhoptry
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by rhoptry »

It might be a lemon. The spinning beach ball should only be once in a while. Asking for a replacement is good, if possible.
Do you have a hard disk? I would open DiskUtility application and click FirstAid for your hard disk.
Model number and operating system would be good to know.
mmcmonster
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by mmcmonster »

GW208 wrote:I don't know if I got a lemon or what or if this is considered normal but I've had issues with this computer ever since I got it. The problem is I will get the spinning orange beachball and the screen freezes up and the only way to get out of it is to shut the computer down. There's a lot of stuff on-line about this but not anything that seems to apply to my situation. I only use this for e-mail and internet stuff so there is very little storage or memory used as far as I can tell.
I've had it in to the Genius Bar a couple of times and was escalated to a senior phone tech support person but no one has ever been able to come up with a permanent solution. I'm about ready to throw in the towel and get a new computer and would much prefer to stay with Apple as it's all I know how to use but not if this is a very common problem.
So I guess my question is are there iMac users out there that can go days, weeks or even months without getting the beachball and having their computer freeze up?
I had this problem frequently when I update the operating system several years in a row. MacOS is really tuned to work fast on the hardware produced in the last couple years. If you install it on a 4 or 5 year old computer, you'll get the spinning beachball a lot more. Downgrading to an older version of the OS helped a lot.
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5th_Dimension
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by 5th_Dimension »

Are you getting the freezing just when you are doing tasks online? It could be an issue with your browser. Install a different browser and see if the issue persists.
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mrc
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by mrc »

There are many articles about the spinning beach ball such as this one, which includes several troubleshooting idea.

Boot in safe mode (to exclude extensions) (hold down the shift key while restarting). Run just one app and see if you experience the problem.

I found a fitbit dongle was creating a problem on a mac book pro, but the last time I upgraded the OS that stopped happening.

The screen freeze could be an errant screen saver too.
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hirlaw
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by hirlaw »

I get this sometimes when using Firefox browser on my IMac. If I switch to a different browser it solves the problem -- the beach ball has bounced off to another lucky user.
keaton
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by keaton »

umm, what is the iMac in question? Without that info, you cant really get much assistance.

- Do you have a solid state drive? this makes a massive difference
- How much ram?
- Have you looked at your activity monitor to see what is using your resources?
- Run a different browser?
- Reformatted the system and restore with timemachine?

LOTS of simple steps, but the actual specs mean a lot.
PFInterest
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by PFInterest »

if its still under warranty and you have brought it in multiple times i would definitely ask for a replacement. otherwise, too late then.
FraggleRock
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iMac problem

Post by FraggleRock »

Your hard drive is dying.
Soon to be dead.
Have a nice day.
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just frank
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by just frank »

GW208 wrote:I don't know if I got a lemon or what or if this is considered normal but I've had issues with this computer ever since I got it. The problem is I will get the spinning orange beachball and the screen freezes up and the only way to get out of it is to shut the computer down. There's a lot of stuff on-line about this but not anything that seems to apply to my situation. I only use this for e-mail and internet stuff so there is very little storage or memory used as far as I can tell.
I've had it in to the Genius Bar a couple of times and was escalated to a senior phone tech support person but no one has ever been able to come up with a permanent solution. I'm about ready to throw in the towel and get a new computer and would much prefer to stay with Apple as it's all I know how to use but not if this is a very common problem.
So I guess my question is are there iMac users out there that can go days, weeks or even months without getting the beachball and having their computer freeze up?
What you have is called a 'lemon'. You should demand a replacement. All makers make some lemons. Apple's lemon rate is lower than most, but they still get through.

I had a lemon MacBook pro that made me crazy the same way....turned out to be a cracked motherboard. They replaced the motherboard once I jawboned them enough....for free...and all my problems vanished (at least the macbook related ones).
Topic Author
GW208
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by GW208 »

I'll try and answer some of the questions. This is a 21.5' iMac running on OS Sierra version 10.12.5. with a 2.7 GHz Intel core I5 and 8GB memory. The hard drive is 1TB and I have 980GB's available. The build date says late 2013. No solid state drive. I use Safari but it freezes up when I try Chrome also.
I don't know enough about computers to get into the inner workings but I'm pretty sure Apple support had me try most things suggested. I know the computer was erased twice to like new condition and the operating system was reinstalled. The backup drive was also erased once to make sure something that might be causing the problem wasn't getting reinstalled.
There is no warranty left now but I did ask about a replacement a couple of times but that never went anywhere. In hindsight I guess I should have pressed harder.
What makes this hard to trouble shoot is it can go for a week or 3 with no problems and then it can start freezing 2 or 3 times a day for a week or 2. I have my forums like Bogleheads bookmarked and look at the same ones everyday so I'm not doing anything different to cause this.

I appreciate all the reply's and am glad to know that this isn't a common problem.
inbox788
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by inbox788 »

GW208 wrote:I'll try and answer some of the questions. This is a 21.5' iMac running on OS Sierra version 10.12.5. with a 2.7 GHz Intel core I5 and 8GB memory. The hard drive is 1TB and I have 980GB's available. The build date says late 2013. No solid state drive. I use Safari but it freezes up when I try Chrome also.
I don't know enough about computers to get into the inner workings but I'm pretty sure Apple support had me try most things suggested. I know the computer was erased twice to like new condition and the operating system was reinstalled. The backup drive was also erased once to make sure something that might be causing the problem wasn't getting reinstalled.
There is no warranty left now but I did ask about a replacement a couple of times but that never went anywhere. In hindsight I guess I should have pressed harder.
What makes this hard to trouble shoot is it can go for a week or 3 with no problems and then it can start freezing 2 or 3 times a day for a week or 2. I have my forums like Bogleheads bookmarked and look at the same ones everyday so I'm not doing anything different to cause this.

I appreciate all the reply's and am glad to know that this isn't a common problem.
If your problem is mainly with internet access, are you using WiFi? I recall a rash of problems relating to poorly performing WiFi cards. Try wired or external WiFi and see if that helps (disable onboard WiFi card).

Do you have trouble copying files? That's more hard drive failures.

Intermittent problems may be software or network related. Are you running something at times, but not others that may be interfering? Are you having network issues (other systems impacted)?

Overheating or hardware failure? I thought they learned from their mistakes, but you might have gotten unlucky.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/hey-apple- ... ng-sloppy/
keaton
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by keaton »

You have done the likely items, although I would install a SSD. If that doesn't work, sell and buy another machine. The SSD these days is key! It is not worth your time with a spinning drive, ever!
Topic Author
GW208
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by GW208 »

Yes, the problem is with the internet but that's all I ever use so I'm not sure about anything else. I do have a wired connection and the only things open on the dock are Finder, Mail and Safari.
We don't have AC and the room gets up to 85° at times but I can't say that is related to the problem. It happens when the room is cool just as often.
I think I'll go with the lemon idea and look into a new computer.

Thanks again.
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GW208
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by GW208 »

keaton wrote:You have done the likely items, although I would install a SSD. If that doesn't work, sell and buy another machine. The SSD these days is key! It is not worth your time with a spinning drive, ever!
I know nothing about solid state drives, are they easy to install? What would I look for?
arsenalfan
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by arsenalfan »

Ask for a swap for a new one. Upgrade to a SSD if you desire.
My 27" iMac is 8 years old and humming along fine.
I turn it off probably 20 times a year.
Gumby252
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by Gumby252 »

Have you tried to force-quit whatever app is hanging you up?

CMD+OPT+ESC gets you to the force-quit dialog.

If you find it is just one app that is giving you trouble you can focus on that.

My MacBook was beach-balling from time to time; turns out it was Sketchup. Upgraded to the newest version and no more beach balls...
keaton
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by keaton »

GW208 wrote:
keaton wrote:You have done the likely items, although I would install a SSD. If that doesn't work, sell and buy another machine. The SSD these days is key! It is not worth your time with a spinning drive, ever!
I know nothing about solid state drives, are they easy to install? What would I look for?
A little googling and patience will have you up and running! It's an older machine yes but a good one. Those specs should serve you well. It is the hard drive that really can cause issues. There is a possibility that it's not the drive, but a little time and effort would be worth a try. If at the end it doesn't work, the computer will still be worth more with an SSD.
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in_reality
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by in_reality »

keaton wrote:
GW208 wrote:
keaton wrote:You have done the likely items, although I would install a SSD. If that doesn't work, sell and buy another machine. The SSD these days is key! It is not worth your time with a spinning drive, ever!
I know nothing about solid state drives, are they easy to install? What would I look for?
A little googling and patience will have you up and running! It's an older machine yes but a good one. Those specs should serve you well. It is the hard drive that really can cause issues. There is a possibility that it's not the drive, but a little time and effort would be worth a try. If at the end it doesn't work, the computer will still be worth more with an SSD.
My worry is that it's the GPU and you'd be stuck with an SSD that can't really be used.

Also, SSD's are faster, but why would a 2013 machine with a 2.7 GHz Intel core I5 and 8GB choke on surfing with Safari and Chrome? Something is wrong.

Anyway, I'm reasonably sure it's the autoplaying videos that cause mine to beachball.

I have 2011 MBP with GPU issues (replaced twice for free after failing under their replacement program) and just ordered a 21.5 iMac to replace it. It tends to beach ball and force closing Chrome and Safari sometimes helps. Sometimes it takes a reboot. Sometimes it takes a hard reboot (requiring a button push as it freezes in the reboot process) [especially if I'd been doing video editing].

The next version of Safari (in High Sierra this fall) will stop videos from autoplaying. You have lots of disk space so maybe could try a beta and see if that makes a difference. There are tutorials on how to do that. For instance ... https://www.igeeksblog.com/how-to-insta ... ra-on-mac/ https://www.imore.com/how-partition-your-mac

I don't have space on my disk and anyway my GPU is known to be problematic from overheating.
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GW208
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by GW208 »

in_reality wrote:
keaton wrote:
GW208 wrote:
keaton wrote:

Also, SSD's are faster, but why would a 2013 machine with a 2.7 GHz Intel core I5 and 8GB choke on surfing with Safari and Chrome? Something is wrong.

Anyway, I'm reasonably sure it's the autoplaying videos that cause mine to beachball.

.

I do get a ton of the auto playing videos/ads especially with our local papers online version?
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catdude
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by catdude »

Y'all,

I have an iMac with similar specs as GW208's (the OP). My browser is Safari and 98% of my usage is for web surfing and emailing. I get the beach ball fairly often... probably 3 or 4 times a week. Usually I can just move the cursor off of the Safari window, and onto the desktop, and the beach ball goes away. I then move the cursor back onto the Safari window and resume my mindless web surfing. Maybe 5 - 10% of the time, this process doesn't work, and I have to re-boot the Mac. All in all, the beach ball is more of a nuisance than a big problem for me. But anybody care to guess what the issue could be? I'm curious to know...
catdude | | All generalizations are false, including this one.
kjvmartin
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by kjvmartin »

Turn off Time Machine. It gets extremely burdensome on older iMacs with non-SSD storage. Backup manually every-so-often overnight. Do not use the automatic backup feature. I had a similar issue and this solved it.
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GW208
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by GW208 »

catdude wrote:Y'all,

I have an iMac with similar specs as GW208's (the OP). My browser is Safari and 98% of my usage is for web surfing and emailing. I get the beach ball fairly often... probably 3 or 4 times a week. Usually I can just move the cursor off of the Safari window, and onto the desktop, and the beach ball goes away. I then move the cursor back onto the Safari window and resume my mindless web surfing. Maybe 5 - 10% of the time, this process doesn't work, and I have to re-boot the Mac. All in all, the beach ball is more of a nuisance than a big problem for me. But anybody care to guess what the issue could be? I'm curious to know...
This is exactly what I'm seeing except it's only about 10% percent of the time moving the cursor off Safari and back on that it works. 90% of the time the beachball is still there, quite often I can't even move the beachball. Trying to force quit using the keys or cursor does nothing, only pulling the plug or holding the power button down will get the computer to shutdown so I can power back on and get going again.
I've noticed that every time I power back up and open Safari, it opens on a screen about 2,3 or 4 screens prior to where the freeze up occured.

Like catdude, it's not like I'm doing any important work or anything so this is just a nuisance issue but it would sure be nice to find a fix.
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in_reality
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by in_reality »

GW208 wrote:
catdude wrote:Y'all,

I have an iMac with similar specs as GW208's (the OP). My browser is Safari and 98% of my usage is for web surfing and emailing. I get the beach ball fairly often... probably 3 or 4 times a week. Usually I can just move the cursor off of the Safari window, and onto the desktop, and the beach ball goes away. I then move the cursor back onto the Safari window and resume my mindless web surfing. Maybe 5 - 10% of the time, this process doesn't work, and I have to re-boot the Mac. All in all, the beach ball is more of a nuisance than a big problem for me. But anybody care to guess what the issue could be? I'm curious to know...
This is exactly what I'm seeing except it's only about 10% percent of the time moving the cursor off Safari and back on that it works. 90% of the time the beachball is still there, quite often I can't even move the beachball. Trying to force quit using the keys or cursor does nothing, only pulling the plug or holding the power button down will get the computer to shutdown so I can power back on and get going again.
I've noticed that every time I power back up and open Safari, it opens on a screen about 2,3 or 4 screens prior to where the freeze up occured.

Like catdude, it's not like I'm doing any important work or anything so this is just a nuisance issue but it would sure be nice to find a fix.
One trick I found, though it might not work for an iMac was to use a four finger gesture on the track pad to hide all the windows and get back to the homescreen. It sometimes unfreezes things even when the cursor won't move with a mouse/or trackpad. It's like the culprit (some window with a misbehaving browser window) gets put to sleep in the background and then I can go back to where I was and close the browser before the process freezes again. Maybe one of the function keys does the same thing on an iMac.

I've often got external disks mounted and I am reluctant to just cut power.
arsenalfan
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by arsenalfan »

GW208 wrote:I'll try and answer some of the questions. This is a 21.5' iMac running on OS Sierra version 10.12.5. with a 2.7 GHz Intel core I5 and 8GB memory. The hard drive is 1TB and I have 980GB's available. The build date says late 2013. No solid state drive. I use Safari but it freezes up when I try Chrome also.
I don't know enough about computers to get into the inner workings but I'm pretty sure Apple support had me try most things suggested. I know the computer was erased twice to like new condition and the operating system was reinstalled. The backup drive was also erased once to make sure something that might be causing the problem wasn't getting reinstalled.
There is no warranty left now but I did ask about a replacement a couple of times but that never went anywhere. In hindsight I guess I should have pressed harder.
What makes this hard to trouble shoot is it can go for a week or 3 with no problems and then it can start freezing 2 or 3 times a day for a week or 2. I have my forums like Bogleheads bookmarked and look at the same ones everyday so I'm not doing anything different to cause this.

I appreciate all the reply's and am glad to know that this isn't a common problem.
Sorry just read this and realized no warranty. You have a similar mac to our "newer" one I believe - late 2012 model, we haven't had any problems with that one. We also have 980 gb avail of HDD.

Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac13,1
Processor Name: Intel Core i5
Processor Speed: 2.7 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 8 GB

I really have had no problems with either iMac - maybe you could just use the 21" monitor as display and buy a mac mini?
inbox788
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by inbox788 »

in_reality wrote:Anyway, I'm reasonably sure it's the autoplaying videos that cause mine to beachball.
I was running fine without extensions, but the autoplay videos (and especially those that played in the background -- impossible to track down sound source) drove me to use adblockers, anti-trackers, and such. Also, extension Disable HTML5 Autoplay seems to help some. BTW, I use Chrome. YMMV. Also, they do sometimes cause problems, but on net beneficial to me.

OP, have you tried other browser as others have suggested? Chrome? Firefox? Brave?
topos
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by topos »

keaton wrote:
GW208 wrote:
keaton wrote:You have done the likely items, although I would install a SSD. If that doesn't work, sell and buy another machine. The SSD these days is key! It is not worth your time with a spinning drive, ever!
I know nothing about solid state drives, are they easy to install? What would I look for?
A little googling and patience will have you up and running! It's an older machine yes but a good one. Those specs should serve you well. It is the hard drive that really can cause issues. There is a possibility that it's not the drive, but a little time and effort would be worth a try. If at the end it doesn't work, the computer will still be worth more with an SSD.
Replacing the Hard Drive of a 2013 iMac with and an SSD? Good luck with that! Accessing the inside of a recent iMac is very difficult, certainly not for somebody who is not very familiar with hardware.
A better solution would be to buy an external SSD, connect it through an USB 3.0, and create a boot able copy of your system. You can then boot every time your mac through the external SSD. Even if a USB 3.0 SSD is slower than an internal SSD, it is still significantly faster than a hard drive. Especially if the hard drive starts having problem.Even if it does not resolve your issue, it would be very easy to use the an external SSD with another computer.
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Duckie
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by Duckie »

GW208 wrote:Yes, the problem is with the internet but that's all I ever use so I'm not sure about anything else.
Try opening in Safe Mode. Safe Mode does diagnostic checks and rebuilds caches. It's much slower and doesn't allow for all processes.
  1. Be sure your Mac is completely shut down.
  2. Press the Power button to turn it on.
  3. Immediately after you hear the startup sound, press and hold the Shift key. The Shift key should be pressed as soon as possible after startup, but not before the startup sound.
  4. Release the Shift key when you see the Apple logo appear on the screen.
  5. It takes a while, but once you've logged in you'll see the words "Safe Mode" appear in the upper right corner of the screen.
  6. Don't do anything for a few minutes, let it check itself. After five or ten minutes, shut down normally.
  7. When you turn it on and log in again do it the standard way. Expect the first time logging in after Safe Mode to take longer than normal.
If it doesn't help, it won't hurt.
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GW208
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by GW208 »

kjvmartin wrote:Turn off Time Machine. It gets extremely burdensome on older iMacs with non-SSD storage. Backup manually every-so-often overnight. Do not use the automatic backup feature. I had a similar issue and this solved it.
I have a Western Digital external hard drive as a backup, is that what you mean? It would be easy enough to unplug it for awhile.

The only browsers I use are Safari and Chrome and it acts up with either.

As far as starting up in Safe Mode, Apple tech support has had me try that several times and I've also logged in as a guest. Neither really got to the bottom of whatever the problem is.

I think at this point I will wait for that new system in the fall that is supposed to stop the auto/play popups and see if that helps. If it doesn't help I will probably just go ahead and get a new computer. It's odd though that catdude has the same problem with similar internet usage.

Thanks everyone for your tips and ideas.
Beck49
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by Beck49 »

You've probably done this, but the first thing I would do is go to Applications/Utilities and open the Activity Monitor to see if I could identify whatever is slowing things down. I'm assuming something is using a lot of memory. Good luck.
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by catdude »

arsenalfan wrote:I really have had no problems with either iMac - maybe you could just use the 21" monitor as display and buy a mac mini?
arsenal fan -

This is an intriguing idea. But is it possible to do this? What port on the iMac display would one use to hook up a mac mini?

EDIT: I just checked the Apple website. Looks like you can hook up the mini to the iMac via the thunderbolt port. Do I understand that correctly?
catdude | | All generalizations are false, including this one.
kjvmartin
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by kjvmartin »

GW208 wrote:
kjvmartin wrote:Turn off Time Machine. It gets extremely burdensome on older iMacs with non-SSD storage. Backup manually every-so-often overnight. Do not use the automatic backup feature. I had a similar issue and this solved it.
I have a Western Digital external hard drive as a backup, is that what you mean? It would be easy enough to unplug it for awhile.

The only browsers I use are Safari and Chrome and it acts up with either.

As far as starting up in Safe Mode, Apple tech support has had me try that several times and I've also logged in as a guest. Neither really got to the bottom of whatever the problem is.

I think at this point I will wait for that new system in the fall that is supposed to stop the auto/play popups and see if that helps. If it doesn't help I will probably just go ahead and get a new computer. It's odd though that catdude has the same problem with similar internet usage.

Thanks everyone for your tips and ideas.
Time Machine is an option in settings which will automatically backup your computer once every hour. If you have this option on, try disabling it.

kjvm
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GW208
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by GW208 »

Beck49 wrote:You've probably done this, but the first thing I would do is go to Applications/Utilities and open the Activity Monitor to see if I could identify whatever is slowing things down. I'm assuming something is using a lot of memory. Good luck.
It took awhile but I finally found the activity monitor, I was going to post a screen shot but I don't see how to do that. This is what I see on the activity monitor.
Physical memory 8.00 GB
Memory used 3 GB
Cached files 3 GB
The memory pressure is a full green bar.

The biggest numbers I see in the memory list is Kernel_task at 770 MB and Safari at 102 MB.
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GW208
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by GW208 »

Time Machine is an option in settings which will automatically backup your computer once every hour. If you have this option on, try disabling it.

kjvm

Okay I think I've found it, it looks like my WD MyBook external drive is the Time Machine and is updating every hour. I unplugged it and will see how it goes.
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by TheGreyingDuke »

You did state that you were considering a new machine?? You are essentially using a browser and email??

Buy a Chromebook, they just work! :D
"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." H.G. Wells
Clark Kent
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by Clark Kent »

GW208 wrote:It took awhile but I finally found the activity monitor, I was going to post a screen shot but I don't see how to do that. This is what I see on the activity monitor.
Physical memory 8.00 GB
Memory used 3 GB
Cached files 3 GB
The memory pressure is a full green bar.

The biggest numbers I see in the memory list is Kernel_task at 770 MB and Safari at 102 MB.
Look at CPU usage instead. That's a much more likely place to find the reason for a slow computer. When the system is idle you should average more than 90% idle CPU. If something is running in the background slowing your machine down you'll see it at the top of the list.
Beck49
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by Beck49 »

I don't recall if you mentioned whether you are syncing everything to iCloud. That could slow down the network connection. You might try turning off any iCloud connection and see what happens.
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arthurdawg
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by arthurdawg »

I have a pair of mac book pro laptops from 2010. About 2015 or so (? 2014) they began to develop more issues with slow downs and the beachball of great irritation. My IT guys at work (a great resource I'm blessed with) changed out the HDDs to SSDs and increased the RAM to max amount (16 GB I believe) and it completely resolved barring the occasional slow down when 80 windows are open all trying to play video. We still use both of these laptops on a daily basis, mostly surfing the web with Chrome.

It might be worthwhile to see if you can find a local IT guy or have the Apple folks put in an SSD and start over with a clean reboot of the system.
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kjvmartin
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by kjvmartin »

TheGreyingDuke wrote:You did state that you were considering a new machine?? You are essentially using a browser and email??

Buy a Chromebook, they just work! :D
+1 (kind of)

I'm a big fan of what Apple does, but if I were starting over from scratch I'd strongly consider a Chromebook. What they lack, so far, is the same quality of hardware of an Apple. I am addicted to the Apple Trackpad with force touch. It's so accurate, smooth, and functional.

Perhaps Chromebooks will catch up one day. We own a couple cheaper ones for travel/kids etc. They are great for the money. Apple PCs are luxury items.

kjvm
arsenalfan
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by arsenalfan »

catdude wrote:
arsenalfan wrote:I really have had no problems with either iMac - maybe you could just use the 21" monitor as display and buy a mac mini?
arsenal fan -

This is an intriguing idea. But is it possible to do this? What port on the iMac display would one use to hook up a mac mini?

EDIT: I just checked the Apple website. Looks like you can hook up the mini to the iMac via the thunderbolt port. Do I understand that correctly?

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204592
http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac/us ... c-3596055/

I'd bring to apple store and test the setup before buying. Seems like you have to have the exact right cable. $500 for a new mac mini and you're in business...
Johio
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by Johio »

I have both a MBP and 27" iMac... The MBP is mid 2014 build, 16 GB memory and SSD. I have had the spinning rainbow, but very rarely, and I attributed it to periodic slow wireless. Mac is a bit newer, 32GB, also SSD, no spinning rainbow. Both have i7 processor.
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catdude
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by catdude »

arsenalfan wrote:https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204592
http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac/us ... c-3596055/

I'd bring to apple store and test the setup before buying. Seems like you have to have the exact right cable. $500 for a new mac mini and you're in business...
arsenalfan, thank you very much for the links. They're very helpful; I've saved them for future reference. I'll give this some thought. I've also been thinking that I could just get a new monitor to go along with that mac mini. Currently, I've got the 21.5 inch iMac... well, 23-24 inch monitors are pretty cheap these days. Another alternative would be to stick with the iMac for awhile... other than the nuisance beach ball problem, I don't have any complaints about it. So I've got some options here.

Regarding testing the setup at an Apple store -- the closest one is ~150 miles away, so unfortunately that's not really feasible...

Anyway, thanks again!
catdude | | All generalizations are false, including this one.
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GW208
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by GW208 »

Clark Kent wrote:
GW208 wrote:It took awhile but I finally found the activity monitor, I was going to post a screen shot but I don't see how to do that. This is what I see on the activity monitor.
Physical memory 8.00 GB
Memory used 3 GB
Cached files 3 GB
The memory pressure is a full green bar.

The biggest numbers I see in the memory list is Kernel_task at 770 MB and Safari at 102 MB.
Look at CPU usage instead. That's a much more likely place to find the reason for a slow computer. When the system is idle you should average more than 90% idle CPU. If something is running in the background slowing your machine down you'll see it at the top of the list.
The CPU is at 98% idle until I open a website and then it drops to anywhere between 50 and 70 for a few moments and then climbs back into the 90's.

@ Beck49, I have no idea if I'm syncing to iCloud or not and would have no idea where to look.

Regarding the Chromebook, we have one that we take with us when traveling and it works very well with no issues. Honestly though, as soon as we get home I look forward to using the iMac again, it's just what I prefer. I know the Mac or any computer has way more features than I will ever use but I'm okay with that.
Beck49
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by Beck49 »

@ Beck49, I have no idea if I'm syncing to iCloud or not and would have no idea where to look.

I doubt if this is an issue, but you might check. Go to Preferences (the upper left apple), then click on iCloud. See if you are even signed up, and if any boxes are checked.
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GW208
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by GW208 »

Beck49 wrote:@ Beck49, I have no idea if I'm syncing to iCloud or not and would have no idea where to look.

I doubt if this is an issue, but you might check. Go to Preferences (the upper left apple), then click on iCloud. See if you are even signed up, and if any boxes are checked.
Actually I was signed up and most of the boxes were checked. I think Apple support did that before we erased the operating system and back up drive last time so I wouldn't lose a few pictures. I unchecked everything except for "find my mac". There was very little storage used though, of 5.0 GB capacity it said there was 4.99 still available.
KALS
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by KALS »

I'd be hesitant about buying a Mac Mini because it has not been updated since 2014. The MacRumors buying guide lists it as 'Don't Buy '. https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Mac

Perhaps that forum might help you with your question.
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catdude
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by catdude »

KALS wrote:I'd be hesitant about buying a Mac Mini because it has not been updated since 2014. The MacRumors buying guide lists it as 'Don't Buy '. https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Mac

Perhaps that forum might help you with your question.
Thanks for the heads-up. I think I'll sit tight for awhile and keep using my iMac. Maybe Apple will update the Mini this fall?
catdude | | All generalizations are false, including this one.
student
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Re: Apple iMac problem?

Post by student »

GW208 wrote:Time Machine is an option in settings which will automatically backup your computer once every hour. If you have this option on, try disabling it.

kjvm

Okay I think I've found it, it looks like my WD MyBook external drive is the Time Machine and is updating every hour. I unplugged it and will see how it goes.
Do you encrypt your external hard drive? I do and sometimes this causes problem.
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