Macs, Safari, Firefox - slowing down

[jimmybcool]

Hi everyone. I'm new here. And I am baffled by a problem I have with my Macs.

My first Mac is an iMac G5. Initially it was very fast. Opening programs. Surfing the net. Sweet.

Thing is it is slowing down. It is most noticeable surfing the net. But opening some programs also takes longer than it should for example iTunes or iPhoto. I have about 3800 songs in iTunes and maybe 2800 photos in iPhotos. I have lots of disc space left.

The lag time from click on a webpage and screen fill has increased a lot. I am on a DSL link and had the carrier here and their IBM notebook screamed on the same line so that isn't the problem.

I have tried reseting safari, clearing the cache, and using Firefox. All the same thing. I am in process of cleaning up unused files from the database such as redundant photos or downloads I don't need.

So far no change,

To throw a monkey wrench in the works I also have a Mac laptop which is doing the same thing. Slowing down. Slow response on internet.

Equipment is:

G5 1.8G running 10.3.9
2 G DDR SDRAM
All software up to date

Powerbook G4 1.67G running 10.4.7
512 M DDR SDRAM

The databases are similar (not exactly but similar in size). Internet access is wireless but I tried isolating the G5 and using a ehternet cable. No change.

I am kinda baffled.

Thanks for any help.

[barhar]

Consider trying a utility which clears caches, system files, swap files, etc.

ignore the 'Cache Out X 4.7.2' link. Use 'AppleJack' if you like booting to the command line (in single user mode), or 'Yasu' for a graphic user interface. If you prefer to have menu bar access to maintain your Mac - then consider 'Main Menu'.

Then there is the 'Shareware' utility - 'Cocktail'; along with others.

[jimmybcool]

Thank you barhar.

I ran yasu and I don't think it has speeded up my computer. It is a subjective problem I know.

But the real test seems to be how long it takes me to check email. And I don't recall sitting waiting for the screen to change when I click on the hotmail line in the MSN main page. Now I do.

It seems that the screen fills with some of the items downloaded, then the program stops and waits for the next transfer of data to fill the screen. It truly feels like it is my internet link but the carrier was out and on their laptop the screens filled much faster.

I'd just be happy to get Safari to work quicker.

[eric2006]

Have you tried enabling full processor performance? Go to
System preferences -> Energy Saver -> Options
and look for the "Processor Performance" menu.

Hope that helps.

[jimmybcool]

Hi Eric,

Thanks for the tip. It was set to automatic and I set it to highest. I don't understand why a desktop with an ac power source would have this option.

I can't tell if it is helping yet. Or yasu for that matter. Problem is so darned subjective. And perhaps sometimes the lag is network related.

I think I need to test it over a days period and see if performance is improved.

Thanks again.

Jim

[jimmybcool]

Well, it is still slow.

Heck, I typed that line above before the entire screen finished loading. I don't think it is my internet connection or the webpage.

?

[eric2006]

It would appear that you are not alone.

In the Apple support forums, there are many people with similar problems. Some fixes suggest that memory may be bad, others say Applejack fixes it for a while.

This thread had some good ideas:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread....34609&#2334609

Adobe Version Cue seems to be causing major problems - disable it, if you have it.

MacFixit has an article on this, but it sounds like you've tried most of the suggestions.

You should also have a look at this doc:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106797

Sorry I can't give you a definite solution.. it seems to be a foggy issue.

[jimmybcool]

Eric,

Thanks for the links. I am still following them up but so far have not found anything that seems to work.

Truth is, it seems as if everything runs OK except internet. Since I cleared everything programs open plenty fast and all run OK. It is just the internet.

If I had not seen their PC jump from page to page so fast on my line with my own eyes I would not believe it.

Call me the suspicious type wondering if there is something with the server parameters I need to know.

Thanks again. Still searching for the answer. This can't be right with a 1.5 mbps internet link.