Why is my OSX so slow?

A

aluminum

Registered
Hi.

We have two OSX machines in our basement:

PPC Beige 233 G3
448MB Ram
OS 10.1.2

Powermac G4 350
448MB Ram
OS 10.1.2

The problem is that the G4 (my machine) is noticably slower than the old 233 running OSX.

For example, on the 233, the dock is incredibly smooth. Apple-Tabbing through applications is immediate. The window zooming animation is a fraction-of a second.

On the G4, the dock is visibly 'jerky'. Launching an app requires a painful 2-3 second animation of the zooming window rectangles. The dock can not keep up with my apple-tabbing between apps. Screen redraws are slllooowwww.

Anyone have ANY ideas as to go about figuring out what the problem is with my G4? The only real difference between the systems is that I'm running dual monitors.

I've been really dissapointed with the performance in OSX, but after seeing how well it runs on the older machine I'm now thinking that there is somthing set up incorrectly with my configuration.
 
If it's any help, I've been watching my process window. A process called TruBlueEnvironme keeps popping to the top hovering around 30% of my CPU processes but is jumping to 70% at times.

Could that be the culprit?
 
I just noticed that same process when I did 'top' in the Terminal because my OSX has seemed slow all day. I dunno what it is though...
 
The TruBlueEnvironme means Classic is running. You can quit this in Process Viewer using the Menu Bar, or in System Prefs open the Classic panel and shut it down etc. If you are not running a classic program, get rid of it to speed up X.

JJ
 
JJJ:

Yep that was it. I'm glad Apple used such an obvious process label for classic (yes, I'm being sarcastic ;) )

If I quit classic, OSX runs smooth as can be. However, the Beige 233 seems to run classic just fine, so I'm thinking it is an app in OS9 that is slowing down classic which, in turn, is slowing down OSX. So, it looks like I have some digging to do tonight.
 
1. have you installed any strange 3rd party software on the g4 that could be causing it to lag?

2. how does it behave when classic is not running?

3. have you ran any prebinding lately?

4. are you sure that OpenGL is properly installed? (What type of video card does a G4 350 have?)



sidenote:

TruBlue is a reference to the "Blue Box" otherwise known as what Apple called "Classic" during the Rhapsody development days...

"Rhapsody" was the code/dev name for OSX long ago (around OS8-8.5)

There was also a Yellow Box (for carbon/cocoa apps) and I believe a Red Box (maybe Java?) as well.
 
Hey Rinse.

As noted in my previous post, it is clearly a Classic problem. If I don't run classic, OSX runs perfectly.

As for OpenGL...what is that? How would I know if it is installed properly or not?

As for labeling it TrueBlue, yea, I understand why they named it that, but you would have thought at SOME point in the process SOMEONE would have pointed out 'hey, shouldn't we just go ahead and call it what it actually is so that people don't have to ask why it is named that?'

Obscure names and inside jokes are typically a *nix thing where there is a bit of geek pride in knowing them. OSX, however, is a consumer OS and Apple should have tried a bit harder to make it communicate a bit better with the user.
 
just a thought... how many "consumer" users need to use the terminal in first place?

anyway... OpenGL is used to display the graphics in the quartz layer... poor video performance could be caused by this. I know some of the earlier machine "compatible" with OSX have issues with the video cards and OpenGL drivers in OSX and I was trying to find out if your card may be one of them...
 
just a thought... how many "consumer" users need to use the terminal in first place?
Click to expand...

Not many. But that's no excuse to make labels totally irrelevant, does it?

Obviously I had to use it and then had to figure out what TrueBlue meant.

"f it said CLASSIC, then, hell, that must be classic hogging my processor."

OSX have issues with the video cards and OpenGL drivers in OSX and I was trying to find out if your card may be one of them...
Click to expand...

Ah. Well, it's the stock G4 card, so I assume it should be OK, but who knows.
 
A lot can be said for having a dediciated partition of your classic system. If you are using your normal OX 9 system for Classic then you loading up a lot of irrelevant stuff. MacOS X knows what to do whe you are using Classic and most of those Extensions and Control panels from System 9 are unneeded and can cause confusion.

A cut back Classic system weighs in at about 56 megs or so. Whats your system 9 size. Hundreds of megs??????

If you go to that extent then put OS X on its own partition, likewise System 9, Classic, Apps, Docs etc. When things go wrong its so easy to repair the problem. Its a bit of a pain to to do it, but once setup you won't look back.

OS X goes bad. Then you only have to erase that partition and restore from pre made backup. You really need a backup as who wants to go through that install OS X 10.1, the security updater, then installer updater, and so on and on.
 
If you are a single user, you won't have any problems later on if you just leave the /User and /Applications where they are. There is no need to move them. The Apple apps etc can say where thay were installed. Subsequent Apple updates will proceed as they should.

By having all other Apps/Documents etc on other partitions (as a single user) if OS X needs to be re-installed, then you don't have to re-install all your Apps, hope your backups of documents are up to date etc etc. Overall less fragmentation iof files and better housekeeping.

System re-installs are a lot easier.....but again its a matter of personal choice.

Of course you loose your security provisions of X with multiple users with Apps and docs on different partitions.....anybody can access anything unless you make certain modifications which are not entirely sucessful as Testuser points out. That is Apple expects Users and Apps to be where it places them, not where you want them to be, and subsequent updates will probably fall over. But then I advocate these multiple partitions for a single user.
 
Testuser,

Its my understanding that if you have used the Mac OS X 10.1 install disk as I have, once you have installed the security and the installer updaters, you can't do a clean install using the 10.1 disk........the drive has to be wiped to re-install the X operating system. If this is so, then its good night nurse for your Apps and Doc etc.

If you have a 10.1.2 CD I guess no problem as you have said, but I would think most users would have the 10.1 installer disk or earlier, and are progressively updating.

I am sure there is an Apple note on this but I can't find it. I stand to be corrected on this, regarding (10.04-10.1) because if the wiping of the disk clean to re-install X is not required, then separate volumes would be redundant.
 
apple warns against this reinstall for various reasons. however, IF you start over at the beginning with your original install disk and progress thru the updates, it can be done. and for everyone who wants to start arguing, there are several of us on the site who have "been there, done that." and with no ill effects. at least not overt ones.
or maybe it only works if you have an original that is pre 10.1. All i know is i can do it starting with a 9.0.3 install disk as a starting point.

btw it is not a clean install, and perhaps that is where you are confused. it installs over the previous version. be assured your admin password is going to be required a few times;)
 
Ed and Testuser are light years ahead in knowledge and experience, but until Apple repudiates http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106692
which states:

"You should not reinstall an earlier version of the same software over a later version. These "downgrade" installs may seem to work, but Apple does not test nor recommend downgrade installations. Some installers prevent downgrade installations. If you need to reinstall a later version of Mac OS X, erase your disk first or choose the erase option in the Mac OS X Installer. Be sure to reinstall any software updates after reinstalling the operating system."

and see also http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106549

I'm not prepared to risk a potentially flakey system. It stands to reason that if you have a misbehaving system, the only way you can be certain that some wayward but unknown corrupted file will not be effecting your re-installation is to wipe the disk/partition clean. I guess its just a matter of personel choice what you do.
 
Thanks for all of the advice. For the record, I do have OS9 on a different partition.

Well, I went in and turned off a ton of extensions, restarted, and it was STILL slowing OSX down.

On a whim, I quit Stickies in OS9.

PROBLEM FIXED!

For whatever reason, Stickies in OS9 was a major problem.

Anyways, I'm now happily running OSX and Classic together again!
 
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