Resolved I'm not sure if it's because of my MBP or not...

[a-m-k]

Clix Pix:Time machine does a "delta" (FYI delta is the greek letter used to represent change in science and engineering) backup incrementally.

First time around, it does a full backup of everything.

Every time after that, it only backs up what has changed from that original backup. If you've added a file, it'll add the file to the backup instead of re-doing it all from scratch.

a-m-k: what prevents you from leaving the house? Are you prevented from reaching the front door for a package? I'm still not sure what prevents you from fixing your computer after all these months. Your hard drive is likely about to crap out, you're on borrowed time, all that software fixing is just pushing back the moment when you'll press the power button and you'll get nothing but a folder with a question mark on the screen.

If you are disabled, can someone come around and help you out? Anyone able to operate a screwdriver can change a hard drive in your machine, it really isn't hard.

Hello, Snakey, its mostly because its for personal reasons. It's not that I didn't understand the class when I actually took it, I was told I did very well, however, those personal reasons are more safety related. I've heard that once you have a seizure, you're not able to drive. However, I haven't had one since the mid-1980's (or so), I'm not going to bore you with the actual reason also, this forum isn't the place for it. Let's just say, its neurological, if you have a friend or relative who has a pretty major neurological condition, perhaps they can explain more.
[doublepost=1488392543][/doublepost]

A-M-K, what is this "Mac Mechanic" software which you've mentioned several times? I ask because that name is not familiar to me and I've been using Macs for a long time (since 2005). There are programs which are repeatedly mentioned over and over as being reliable, trustworthy and non-damaging to one's machine, such as OnyX, Disk Warrior, etc. Where does this "Mac Mechanic" software come from? Are there reviews of it in reliable sources? You may or may not be aware that there are at least a couple of software programs which advertise heavily and which proclaim that they are superior for cleaning up problems in one's Mac but in reality can cause more problems than they resolve. Are you sure that "Mac Mechanic" is actually a safe, reliable software program to use?

The bigger image is the program itself, and the smaller picture is the icon its associated with. Yes, I was advised by a technician when all my problems started. (Do you remember me mentioning a very long talk with an technician one afternoon? That is how I ended up with this app. It does every cleaning aspect of all the different things that should be cleaned out.) I wouldn't go and search online for something like this. It's very helpful, however when I run it, It takes the bar graph forever to load... which is completely normal because it has to reindex. (I learned this from a friend who also has a Mac and has been helping me figure out why my HDD wasn't showing the bar graph correctly.)

 

[treekram]

Hmmmm...

So the software whose screenshot you've posted is different than the one I thought it was. It also seems that "re-indexing" that you were referring to was what this software did and not Spotlight re-indexing, which is what most people would assume if you mention "re-indexing" in a Mac context. So I did another search. The problem in doing a search for "Mac Mechanic" is that you get listings for Mac mechanics - people who do Mac repairs. I stopped looking after 5 pages. There were a few hits on the "Mac Mechanic" software but they weren't complimentary. It's pretty unusual that I can't find information on what a software program does after a few pages of search results.

I looked up the toll-free number (877-861-1418) in your screenshot and that is used by "Mac Cleaner" or "Advanced Mac Cleaner" and that software has a reputation for being adware at best. You seem to like this software, but I would be leery of it. And purely from the screenshot you posted (sorry, I don't even want to try to visit their website based on the reputation they have), it doesn't seem to help diagnosing HDD problems.

To be clear, your long talk was with an Apple support person and they didn't specifically recommend this software (or any non-Apple software for that matter) - is that correct?

 

[a-m-k]

Hmmmm...

So the software whose screenshot you've posted is different than the one I thought it was. It also seems that "re-indexing" that you were referring to was what this software did and not Spotlight re-indexing, which is what most people would assume if you mention "re-indexing" in a Mac context. So I did another search. The problem in doing a search for "Mac Mechanic" is that you get listings for Mac mechanics - people who do Mac repairs. I stopped looking after 5 pages. There were a few hits on the "Mac Mechanic" software but they weren't complimentary. It's pretty unusual that I can't find information on what a software program does after a few pages of search results.

I looked up the toll-free number (877-861-1418) in your screenshot and that is used by "Mac Cleaner" or "Advanced Mac Cleaner" and that software has a reputation for being adware at best. You seem to like this software, but I would be leery of it. And purely from the screenshot you posted (sorry, I don't even want to try to visit their website based on the reputation they have), it doesn't seem to help diagnosing HDD problems.

To be clear, your long talk was with an Apple support person and they didn't specifically recommend this software (or any non-Apple software for that matter) - is that correct?

I honestly don't remember, I had so many calls with technicians, with included one that was with the head honcho (for lack of a better description.)

The software that you are bit cautious about runs great. I just checked my bar graph this morning and I am slowly getting a new color on it. I haven't been able to see what it is going to be associated with because it's not long enough to say what it is on the bar or I can't put my pointer on it and it'll read from that. The reindexing (of the bar graph and the colors associated with what's on it) takes a bit of time, but I'm fine with that.

If I can find it online, I'll post it the information. I'm not advertising it, I'm just saying that is what I have been using for the past few weeks (since I got my MBP to run and function again.)
[doublepost=1488469022][/doublepost]

I honestly don't remember, I had so many calls with technicians, with included one that was with the head honcho (for lack of a better description.)

The software that you are bit cautious about runs great. I just checked my bar graph this morning and I am slowly getting a new color on it. I haven't been able to see what it is going to be associated with because it's not long enough to say what it is on the bar or I can't put my pointer on it and it'll read from that. The reindexing (of the bar graph and the colors associated with what's on it) takes a bit of time, but I'm fine with that.

If I can find it online, I'll post it the information. I'm not advertising it, I'm just saying that is what I have been using for the past few weeks (since I got my MBP to run and function again.)

I just found this when after I posted my latest comment to you.... It didn't take me long to find it.
http://www.advancedmactools.com.

 

[treekram]

First of all, when you've talked over the phone for support, you've only talked to Apple support staff and they did not recommend "Mac Mechanic". Is that correct? This may seem a minor point to you but I think it's important to make that clear because in one of your previous posts, one could get the impression that you started using the software based on what an Apple support person told you and if that happened, that would be very uncharacteristic of how Apple does business.

So, that out of the way, I haven't used "Mac Mechanic" or OnyX (which looks like another poster recommended but which you didn't install?). My observation, and it's an observation only, is that the phone number in your screenshot is/was the phone number for "Mac Cleaner" and/or "Advanced Mac Cleaner" and that software has a bad reputation, mainly because of the computer-based (not person-based) sales tactics it uses. OnyX has a much better reputation. Both seem to do similar tasks.

When I did my search, I used the term "mac mechanic" (with the double-quotes) in google. In five pages of results yesterday, none of the results that I saw was for the software. Today, using the same search, there was one result with the license agreement of the software (the only one with the advancedmactools URL) and one result which points to this thread. Using a different search engine will have different results or results can be customized by the search engine for different users. But the results that I got are the results that I got.

Nobody can or will dispute what you observed when you observed it on your computer. However, the way the macOS works is such:
1) Software such as Mac Mechanic can alter and delete files which macOS allows a specific user to alter/delete.
2) Software such as Mac Mechanic cannot alter or delete files which macOS considers important to the running of the computer unless the software asks for the system administrator password and you give that to the software. If Mac Mechanic asks for this, I personally wouldn't do that.
3) Software such as Mac Mechanic cannot repair broken hardware, at best, it can help software run more efficiently on a computer.
4) When disks have problems, the best that software such as Mac Mechanic can do is a) try to recover from the problem that has already occurred; b) tell the OS to avoid using certain parts of a disk or c) more efficiently organize data on the disk. However, in order to do any of these things, it needs to go through the same process as in my point #2 above.

As I mentioned in a previous post, one possibility of why you're having the problems is because of 3rd-party software. Software like Mac Mechanic may help in that case. However, if there's a problem with your disk or some problem in macOS that makes computers with HDD's and small RAM (4GB) work improperly when under a heavy load, then software like Mac Mechanic will not improve the chances of problems occurring in the future.

I will say that your HDD is not typical in that one would have expected the HDD to have more problems than it is having, given when you started to have problems. However, you are still having periodic problems which are quite alarming so it's just very difficult to believe that you won't continue to have problems going forward.

 

[a-m-k]

First of all, when you've talked over the phone for support, you've only talked to Apple support staff and they did not recommend "Mac Mechanic". Is that correct? This may seem a minor point to you but I think it's important to make that clear because in one of your previous posts, one could get the impression that you started using the software based on what an Apple support person told you and if that happened, that would be very uncharacteristic of how Apple does business.

So, that out of the way, I haven't used "Mac Mechanic" or OnyX (which looks like another poster recommended but which you didn't install?). My observation, and it's an observation only, is that the phone number in your screenshot is/was the phone number for "Mac Cleaner" and/or "Advanced Mac Cleaner" and that software has a bad reputation, mainly because of the computer-based (not person-based) sales tactics it uses. OnyX has a much better reputation. Both seem to do similar tasks.

When I did my search, I used the term "mac mechanic" (with the double-quotes) in google. In five pages of results yesterday, none of the results that I saw was for the software. Today, using the same search, there was one result with the license agreement of the software (the only one with the advancedmactools URL) and one result which points to this thread. Using a different search engine will have different results or results can be customized by the search engine for different users. But the results that I got are the results that I got.

Nobody can or will dispute what you observed when you observed it on your computer. However, the way the macOS works is such:
1) Software such as Mac Mechanic can alter and delete files which macOS allows a specific user to alter/delete.
2) Software such as Mac Mechanic cannot alter or delete files which macOS considers important to the running of the computer unless the software asks for the system administrator password and you give that to the software. If Mac Mechanic asks for this, I personally wouldn't do that.
3) Software such as Mac Mechanic cannot repair broken hardware, at best, it can help software run more efficiently on a computer.
4) When disks have problems, the best that software such as Mac Mechanic can do is a) try to recover from the problem that has already occurred; b) tell the OS to avoid using certain parts of a disk or c) more efficiently organize data on the disk. However, in order to do any of these things, it needs to go through the same process as in my point #2 above.

As I mentioned in a previous post, one possibility of why you're having the problems is because of 3rd-party software. Software like Mac Mechanic may help in that case. However, if there's a problem with your disk or some problem in macOS that makes computers with HDD's and small RAM (4GB) work improperly when under a heavy load, then software like Mac Mechanic will not improve the chances of problems occurring in the future.

I will say that your HDD is not typical in that one would have expected the HDD to have more problems than it is having, given when you started to have problems. However, you are still having periodic problems which are quite alarming so it's just very difficult to believe that you won't continue to have problems going forward.

Everything from the point of the end of the last phone call with tech support and finishing the first scan, everything has been great, I'm going to say better than when this started, it may not be optimal.

I believe that the one person I haven't had the opportunity to talk with them quite yet has been able to keep up with my situation.

The most baffling thing for me, as of right now my battery capacity is now at 91%. I believe the lowest it has been somewhere between the mid to upper eighties. I am wondering if I get the battery replaced, will my HDD luck go with it...

I mean assuming I can continue this strange luck I suddenly have, I'm not planning on replacing the battery anytime soon.

 

[a-m-k]

If you all know this already, I'm sorry for posting this. When I replied with the last image of my HDD storage graph, I didn't know what that almost unseeable line was, I now have enough to expand that part of the bar graph. It's the iCloud drive. (Which, I have been using, just incase.)

 

[a-m-k]

My battery capacity is slowly making its way back up to 100%, I'm very happy with that. Am I running something (like the Mac Mechanic) and it doing more good than I assumed it would? Since things have made a turn for the better, I have no intentions of upgrading to a MBA because at this point, I may make it to five years with this MBP after all. I am pretty much an optimistic person and highly doubt the battery health 2 app I am using is defective and giving me false readings.

Can battery capacity incline happen?

 

[ZapNZs]

The wild variation you have seen is likely first-hand demonstration of why battery Apps are not reliable.

1. Software cannot increase the battery capacity - it's physically impossible. However, capacity reporting errors are quite possible.
2. As Coconut Battery (and Apps like it) is highly unreliable in terms of accuracy, its figures may mean very little. Battery capacity naturally can fluctuate some (but not that much).

Consequently, the system controller may not be reporting the capacity accurately, and a 3rd party App that reports battery capacity can make an already unreliable reading even more inaccurate. If you want a highly accurate assessment on the health of your battery, Apple or an Apple Authorized Repair Center would be the ones to do this. The results of their tests can be (and frequently are) wildly different from 3rd party battery Apps.

The best (limited) indicator of this specific battery health in this case that one can do at home is looking at the device's runtime.

 

[a-m-k]

Thank you. How can I be completely sure from a reliable source of what the battery capacity is, I thought since I got my HDD bar graph back, what I did when I spoke with technicians, helped my situation more than what I originally thought.

 

[ZapNZs]

Lithium batteries gradually decline in capacity with age, usage, and heat exposure - the computer's overall health cannot affect this, as the two are largely independent of each other. There is nothing one can do to reverse this decline, and only so much one can do to slow it.

You need to take the computer to an Apple Store or Authorized Repair Center where they will perform a test on it to get an accurate reading. Anything else is just a rough estimate with a potential for a big margin of error. While there, they will perform a test that looks for many other problems (and this would verify that your system is healthy.)

However, if you are still happy with your run times, then this really isn't necessary. When you become unhappy with your run times to a point where you are willing to invest in the replacement cost, then it is time to get it tested (and replaced.)

 

[DeltaMac]

I hope that the "tech support" that you talked to was AppleCare support, and NOT the support number at Mac Mechanic [sic] (?)

This page is virtually identical to this page
Notice that the same support phone number is used on both products. (and contact info/address is identical, too) Don't call them. I suggest that your next best move forward is to follow the steps to remove that software (and perhaps hope that it's all gone) - and try to forget that it seemed to offer you (nice) results.
It's unfortunate that you might have trusted that software (an AppleCare tech would not often suggest any third-party software), particularly those that offer system "improvement" as the primary goal.
There's other maintenance apps out there (such as OnyX) that are well respected (with a legitimate history), and are predictable in the help they can give. You have no such assurance from a company that uses an address that has at least 2 other products that are appear to be the same product, just different names.

Reliable source for Battery Information?
CoconutBattery is a decent GUI that displays the information reported by your Mac's hardware, and makes it pretty easy to interpret information about your Mac and battery.

 

[a-m-k]

I'll just keep an eye on it, I was pretty close to giving up on my MBP and getting an MBA, but in it's current state, i

I hope that the "tech support" that you talked to was AppleCare support, and NOT the support number at Mac Mechanic [sic] (?)

This page is virtually identical to this page
Notice that the same support phone number is used on both products. (and contact info/address is identical, too) Don't call them. I suggest that your next best move forward is to follow the steps to remove that software (and perhaps hope that it's all gone) - and try to forget that it seemed to offer you (nice) results.
It's unfortunate that you might have trusted that software (an AppleCare tech would not often suggest any third-party software), particularly those that offer system "improvement" as the primary goal.
There's other maintenance apps out there (such as OnyX) that are well respected (with a legitimate history), and are predictable in the help they can give. You have no such assurance from a company that uses an address that has at least 2 other products that are appear to be the same product, just different names.

I would never talk with app representatives unless it was advised by tech support from , like a transfer or something. The only people I have been talking to about this have all be with directly. When I talk to one of the three people who have Macs, I'll get their opinion
[doublepost=1488656564][/doublepost]I just downloaded coconut battery and compared the info, its the same thing. I'm not trying to be rude, you all have been great. I will probably be seeing someone who knows of my issues and the improvement of them soon to make sure I don't have apps I shouldn't.

 

[Clix Pix]

The simplest (non-technical) way to determine if the battery is starting to lose its full capacity is to simply take a look at the clock, unplug the machine and use it as you normally would, and then when you get the warning that the battery is down to about 10%, plug the thing back in and look at the clock again. Do you customarily use the machine unplugged and on battery power or do you more often keep it plugged in? One of my machines I use as a "desktop substitute," even though it's actually an rMBP, and that one I unplug occasionally when I think to do so in order to give the battery some exercise. Another machine I use primarily as a laptop and that one I unplug and use it on my lap or somewhere without bothering to plug it in again. When I'm finished with it then I do plug it in to fully recharge it for the next time I want to use it.

I wholeheartedly agree with DeltaMac and others who have suggested that this "Mac Mechanic" program is not a safe and reliable utility program to have and to be using in your machine. Some software programs which purport to "clean" one's machine are actually as bad as viruses and trojans infesting the machine.

One question no one has asked yet is, what do you actually do with your computer? What is your "use case" for it? That is, do you do a lot of web-surfing, watching videos, writing and editing documents, sending and receiving email, photographic collecting and editing, listening and purchasing/downloading music? As i have mentioned before, it really is not necessary to "clean" one's computer every time it is being used and in fact Apple does much of that for us by specific behind-the-scenes scripts that they run which keeps the OS working smoothly. I use my computers every day and one of the joys of a Mac is that one can turn the thing on (or wake it from sleep if one sleeps the machine rather than shutting it down) and immediately get right to doing whatever one wants to do -- check and respond to email, read the online weather reports and news, check in with forums such as this one, etc., etc. A Mac is not a Windows machine where, yes, one has to wait while the Windows machine scans for viruses and adverts and all that junk. Windows machines need to be "cleaned up" once in a while and discs defragmented because cruft does accumulate there. Macs and macOS have the reputation of being much more efficient in handling all this kind of thing and the computer is really meant to be used and enjoyed.....

As has been mentioned earlier in this thread, you probably would do yourself and your machine a favor if you replaced your dog-slow "spinner" drive with a speedy SSD and also if you add more RAM. 4 GB RAM is not very much these days as software and websites become more demanding of memory. Currently for most users 8 GB is satisfactory but I think we are coming closer and closer to the time when 16 GB is considered "standard."

If on the other hand you decide to replace your rMBP, rather than going with what is now outdated, the MBA, you might want to take a look at the lightweight, speedy 12" MacBook. It has the beautiful retina screen (MBA does not) and it has SSD and 8 GB RAM standard.

Yes, it really would be best if you could take your machine in to the Apple store or to an authorized Apple/Mac shop and have someone run some diagnostic tests on it and also advise you on software programs that are in the machine which really should not be.

 

[a-m-k]

How many times can you upgrade storage space on iCloud? I just uploaded to iCloud and almost half of my initial free space is gone. While I am on the subject of space on my MBP, I just uploaded my pictures to iCloud. How do I delete them off my MBP, but still have them stored in the cloud? I don't think I am doing it right....

 

[Clix Pix]

I believe iCloud acts more in a sync capacity than a storage capacity.......

 

[a-m-k]

I believe iCloud acts more in a sync capacity than a storage capacity.......

I was thinking that. I wasn't sure if I was doing something wrong or not.

 

[Clix Pix]

I have never quite figured out iCloud and subsequently don't trust anything important to it...... Instead, if I want to back up and save images or my iTunes library or documents, I put all of them on an external drive which is then readily accessible by me and truly private. Once the photos or documents or other items are on one or more external drives (for redundancy) then I feel free to remove them from my rMBP if I am trying to free up space. If I want to retrieve or look at specific images again, easy enough to do that by plugging in the external drive.......

 

[a-m-k]

Everything is great right now, sure I have had a few moments of worry but I'm getting used to the "calculating" of the HDD bar graph, but it does activate after a little while. (Since I have to re-build my iTunes lists, and I am always adding songs or whole albums, its starting to take a long time to calculate on the HDD bar graph. No big deal, its normal.) I figure I am getting as much space back by running the Mac Mechanic app because it cleans out a lot of space on my HDD.

 

[Clix Pix]

One thing which I always make sure to back up regularly is my iTunes library, which is fairly large these days.......that way if there is ever a disaster with my main computer I've got everything safely backed up -- including playlists, organization, etc. -- and can easily transport that to a different computer if need be. Along with songs and albums that I've purchased from Apple/iTunes, I also have albums on CD that I've imported into the computer as well as various songs in mp3 format that I've collected along the way. It's the non-Apple stuff and the organization of playlists and such that is especially valuable to me, hence I always want to have backup available on an external drive.

I'm not sure why you seem to be so fixated on the bar graph thingy -- can't you just highlight your internal drive and then click on "Get Info" to see how much space has been used and how much you've still got available? Once in a while after I've added or subtracted a lot of stuff from my internal SSD I will run a quick "Get Info" to see how things are going but I think I've only bothered with that bar graph thingy a couple of times; it's not something upon which I need to depend to know how much space I've got on my SSD and as for how much is in different categories, I can pretty well predict without even checking that my iTunes library takes up a substantial portion of my drive! Aside from that, it's only really when one is getting close to actually filling up a hard drive or an SSD that it's time to become a little concerned, as ideally 10-20% of the drive should always remain free.

Again, I'll reiterate what I and others have already said, that it's truly not necessary to "clean" a Mac's drive every single time one is using it, and also that this "Mac Mechanic" app seems a bit.....questionable.

 

[a-m-k]

Since I have been adding songs occasionally, I am hoping by checking the bar graph often, I don't go over my allotted space. What would happen if something I added did go over the remain space? I imagine there would be a notification of some sort.

I am trying to avoid certain things from taking majority of the HDD. I do have an 8 gig iPod nano. (I don't remember what generation though, its a little old. Older than my first MBP which was replaced years ago with this one.)

 

[Clix Pix]

Interesting that you mention the iPod...... Even as I type I'm charging up my old 5th-generation iPod that came out in 2005..... I use it in the car for playing music but hadn't updated it with some of the newer music I've added over the past several months and after lying around for a while the thing needed to be recharged, too. The connector I have in the car is the old 30-pin one, and as long as this iPod still works, I'm going to keep using it!

 

[a-m-k]

and as long as this iPod still works, I'm going to keep using it!

Me too, however, how do I find the generation of it. I don't think I have the box anymore, I have it and all the parts for it in one place. I suppose if I hook it up to my MacBook, it'll tell me. I never noticed. :/
[doublepost=1489195079][/doublepost]

I suppose if I hook it up to my MacBook, it'll tell me. I never noticed. :/

Nope.

 

[Clix Pix]

The reason I remember the generation of mine so clearly is that it was my first iPod, purchased not too long after my first Mac. Although I had tried fumbling around with iTunes in Windows I never quite got the hang of it or what the purpose was..... About a month or so after I'd gotten my shiny new iMac (G5, Rev B) in late October 2005, I decided to see if I could figure out iTunes now that I was using a Mac. Voila! To make a long story short I did and the lightbulb went on in my head and I saw why people were running around with iPods -- bingo! Bought myself an iPod and while I used it some at home I found that it was really handy in the car. That first Mac and that first iPod were the first two items in my long love affair with Apple products......

There may be a website that shows photos of all the various iPods and you might be able to identify yours by the serial number, model number, features, capacity and even the color, as with each new iteration Apple usually changed the colors of them, too. Actually, I just looked at the back of mine and it tells the capacity (60 GB) and in the smaller print it also states the year -- 2005. I don't know if all iPods have that info on the back or not but it's worth taking a look......

ETA: there is indeed a page that shows photos of the various iPods! https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204217

 

[a-m-k]

The reason I remember the generation of mine so clearly is that it was my first iPod, purchased not too long after my first Mac. Although I had tried fumbling around with iTunes in Windows I never quite got the hang of it or what the purpose was..... About a month or so after I'd gotten my shiny new iMac (G5, Rev B) in late October 2005, I decided to see if I could figure out iTunes now that I was using a Mac. Voila! To make a long story short I did and the lightbulb went on in my head and I saw why people were running around with iPods -- bingo! Bought myself an iPod and while I used it some at home I found that it was really handy in the car. That first Mac and that first iPod were the first two items in my long love affair with Apple products......

There may be a website that shows photos of all the various iPods and you might be able to identify yours by the serial number, model number, features, capacity and even the color, as with each new iteration Apple usually changed the colors of them, too. Actually, I just looked at the back of mine and it tells the capacity (60 GB) and in the smaller print it also states the year -- 2005. I don't know if all iPods have that info on the back or not but it's worth taking a look......

ETA: there is indeed a page that shows photos of the various iPods! https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204217

If it helps, it's the purple eight gigabyte iPod nano.
[doublepost=1489197362][/doublepost]It's the 4th generation 8 gig nano. I did a quick look-up. Now I have a way to monitor how much space my music files are taking up on my MBP because my iPod easily keeps track of it.

 

[Clix Pix]

Excellent! Glad you've been able to identify your iPod! Actually, iTunes, too, shows how much music, movies and other stuff you've got in it, too.....