why is my Mac sooo much slower than my PC

[sukidarlin]

I am getting DSL in two days, but meanwhile I'm using dialup and I'm itching to fix something. I don't know anything about Macs, always been a PC user. I have a Mac OSX v. 10.2.8, 512 MB, processor 500 MHz PowerPC G3. It has Applications for Mac OS 9 and 10.2.8. It takes about 30 seconds to delete an e-mail vs. no time on PC. I can't access my bank because it times out after 15 minutes of trying. Remembering that I haven't bothered to use the Mac because it's so slow and I know NOTHING, can anyone make a suggestion? I'd appreciate it.

[John A]

I have a Mac OSX v. 10.2.8, 512 MB, processor 500 MHz PowerPC G3. It has Applications for Mac OS 9 and 10.2.8. It takes about 30 seconds to delete an e-mail vs. no time on PC. I can't access my bank because it times out after 15 minutes of trying. Remembering that I haven't bothered to use the Mac because it's so slow and I know NOTHING, can anyone make a suggestion? I'd appreciate it.

It could depend on a number of things. For example, you said that you run Mac OS 9 applications. Well, this requires the use of an emulated Classic enviroment, so while Classic is on everything will be much slower (even if you aren't running any OS 9 programs). Try quitting any OS 9 apps and turning off Classic (accessible from the System Preferences).

Your hard drive could also be full of junk. A common trick PC users do when they have crap on the HD is to grab any documents and back them up, and then do a reformat reinstallation of the OS, and then put the documents back on the hard drive. Obviously, you would then have to find all the disks for your applications, but this will usually improve computing speed if you haven't done this in a while.

[sukidarlin]

Thanks for replying. I don't use OS9. I bought the Mac used and it was on the machine. Can I just get rid of it?

[John A]

I don't use OS9. I bought the Mac used and it was on the machine. Can I just get rid of it?

OK, please clarify: do you have OS 9 on your machine, or just OS 9 Applications? If you've got OS 9 on your machine, it will show up as an entry under System Preferences -> Startup Disk. If it doesn't then you've only got OS 9 applications, and I would suggest finding OS X alternatives so you don't need to use Classic. Sometimes, Classic is started when the Mac is booted, so you might want to check the settings under System Preferences -> Classic.

Oh, and if you bought the computer used, it would definitely be a good idea to reformat the hard drive. That's probably the biggest reason for the slow down. The sticky for installing Tiger at the top of this forum might also be of use to you, even if you're installing Jaguar.

[sukidarlin]

When I click on startup disk, it says "Select the system you want to use to start up your computer." The choices are Mac OS 9.2.2, Mac OSX 10.2.8, Network startup. At the bottom it says "You have selected Mac OS X 10.2.8 on the volume 'iMacBubba.'" And I don't know how to find a sticky and a search doesn't direct me to an answer, and I don't find it on FAQ. I feel so stupid and like I don't even belong here. All I've done with the Mac since I got it is stare at it while working on the pc trying to figure out how best to use it. If I'm wasting your time, please chase me away.

[John A]

And I don't know how to find a sticky and a search doesn't direct me to an answer, and I don't find it on FAQ. I feel so stupid and like I don't even belong here. All I've done with the Mac since I got it is stare at it while working on the pc trying to figure out how best to use it. If I'm wasting your time, please chase me away.

I'm so sorry! I mistakenly thought that this thread was in the OS X forum (where the sticky happens to be), not the Mac Users lounge. Just click here:
http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/thread54207.html
My apologies to you. :sad:

And looking at the state of your system, I would say now is definitely a good time to reformat/reinstall OS X. I don't think the installation of Tiger is too much different from older versions of OS X, so I hope you can follow along.

[sukidarlin]

Thanks for your time. The sticky instructions are clear. Can I ask for reassurance? The installer screen at Select a Destination says "A newer version of Mac OS X is installed." Will I get back to verson 10.2.8 when I choose Apple Software Update? I believe I went through this scenario before and I ended up having to return the iMac to Headgap and having them ship another. I presume I did something wrong the first time.

[John A]

As long as the disk is Jaguar (10.2 or later), and not some older version of Mac OS X, you should be fine. The Software Update will be able to bring it up to 10.2.8, and hopefully you will notice that your Mac is snappier. Good luck.