Laptop Lagging

[DOLZero]

I bought my MacBook Pro about a year ago (and have been loving it quite a lot), but lately things have been starting to slow down. Sometimes when I hit my multi window button (not sure what its called, but the alt function is F3) I get the pinwheel thing spinning for a bit before it actually responds. Sometimes this happens when I am just switching between tabs in my firefox browser.

I really dont know a whole lot about macs in general (I bought the laptop in hopes that I would learn more about them). Before owning this one, I had not used one in about 10 years. So I did a little research on my own to help clean up my system before I came here. I have used the Disk Utility program to fix errors on my drives, and used a program called Cache Out X to clean up my caches and temporary files. Even using these programs on a regular basis, I am still having some issues with my system lagging up on me.

Are there other steps I should be taking to ensure my system continues to run in top condition? Thanks!

The following is a copy and paste of my hardware and software profile:

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,4
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.53 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP53.00AC.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.49f2
Serial Number (system): W89530KJ7XJ
Hardware UUID: 000CAC48-33E0-5BAC-9BBB-ABB9D687BE9C
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled

System Software Overview:

System Version: Mac OS X 10.6.6 (10J567)
Kernel Version: Darwin 10.6.0
Boot Volume: Macintosh HD
Boot Mode: Normal
Computer Name: xxxxx xxxxx's MacBook Pro
User Name: xxxxx xxxxx (xxxxx)
Secure Virtual Memory: Enabled
64-bit Kernel and Extensions: No
Time since boot: 4 days 9:14

(replaced name values with xxxxx)

[Nuclear Krusader]

How many apps do you have running when this happens?

Take a look at this article.

[DOLZero]

Thanks for your response. I typically dont have more than a couple of applications running at any given time. Usually a web browser, an IRC client and Finder apps, possibly along with preview or calculator apps running as well. I have had times when this problem happens when I only have the 3 programs first mentioned, but in the past I have had several (8-9) applications running, with multiple windows, and not seen the SBBOD.

I have started reading that article, and will continue to finish it. hopefully I can find something to help resolve my issue. Thanks again

[Nuclear Krusader]

Take a look at the processes you have running and how much memory they're using (make sure to select 'All Processes' from the drop down box). Use activity monitor for this and whilst you're there, what's the system memory status (free, wired, active, inactive, used)?

Have you performed the maintenance on the system? OS X is set to maintain itself automatically but you can do it manually as well. Just for good measure go into the console and type this:

sudo periodic daily weekly monthly

The commands will execute one after the other. Note that no report or output will shew, so just be patient and don't do/type anything until you see the bash come back on screen again. Then just type exit and Command-Q to close the console.

BTW, you always close your apps with Command-Q instead of just clicking on the red orb, right?

[DOLZero]

Sorry it took me so long to respond. Things have been busy lately.

Most of the issues I had were addressed in that article you posted earlier. Thanks again for the link. There is a lot of great advice on there. As for the system memory status you requested, here are the current numbers:

Free 2.53 GB
Wired 528.7 MB
Active 715.9 MB
Incactive 265.8 MB
Used: 1.48 GB

I am not exactly sure which part of the maintenance you are asking if I perform. I run the Disk Utility and Cache Out X about every other week. I plan on running through everything listed in that link when things start to really slow down, but have not had many issues since then. I also dont get any results when I type that line into the console (meaning nothing really seems different).

I dont usually use command Q. typically I just quit from the drop down menu, but command Q would probably save me some time with just a keystroke. I might start using it more often.

Thanks!

[Nuclear Krusader]

S'ok, as long as you quit the application it's dismissed from memory (or should be). If your problems are mostly solved, then just leave it.

And yes, when you type that into the console no feedback will be given, but the maintenance routine is done nevertheless.

Enjoy.

[Nuclear Krusader]

Oh, for the record, you might find this app useful: it monitors memory, CPU usage, temps and fan speeds:

iStat Pro, a Dashboard Widget by iSlayer

Runs as a widget. Enjoy!