iMac 27" - Starting to slow down, 4 years old - don't know what to


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Hey Neo, well looks like my HDD is shot! ;p

I just turned on my iMac this morning, and it's doing same thing again - once loaded up and on the desktop screen, when I try to click something or do something it's not responding and like everything is frozen again.

It took so long so then I just powered it off and powered it on again, and now again I've got the flashing folder icon when starting up.

So I guess it's really the HDD is gone.

So have to buy a good external one and run it off there

What's better 800 Firewire or is USB 3.0 also a possibility?

Thanks

Hi there,

I recent had a very similar issue. My iMac 27" Late 2009 was running very slow, to the point that it was very difficult to do the simplest task such as browse the internet or use iTunes.

After many hours of browsing various threads on the issue, I learned that the Seagate hard drives used by Apple at the time are known to be low quality.

I replaced the hard drive in my iMac with an SSD and it has been 100x faster than before.

There are fairly good guides on the net about how to dismantle an iMac and upgrade the hard drive but I'm thinking from your struggles to install Lion, that it might not be your idea of a good time.. so best stick to an external :)

Ok

I have a question about external's - when you take an external, and install say Lion on it - then tell Startup to boot from there.

When you install things in the future, and usually you drag the app to the applications folder to install, does it go to the external or to the internal? How does it know where to go and that it goes in the right place? Thanks

Ok

I have a question about external's - when you take an external, and install say Lion on it - then tell Startup to boot from there.

When you install things in the future, and usually you drag the app to the applications folder to install, does it go to the external or to the internal? How does it know where to go and that it goes in the right place? Thanks

The path "/" is always mapped to your current boot drive, so "/Applications" will always be your current boot drive's Applications folder.

When you install things in the future, and usually you drag the app to the applications folder to install, does it go to the external or to the internal?

When you copy a file to a certain directory it goes to that certain directory. So, yes. When you drag an .app package to Application directory it goes to that directory. And since when that directory and OS is on the external drive, it goes to your external drive.

How does it know where to go and that it goes in the right place?

Where else would it go? Your files are where they are. When volume A is used to host OS, that is where the OS is.

Nice, which one did you replace it with specifically KIZZA? And was yours a 27" or 24"? Mine is 24 and sounds like it might be same as yours

Did you replace it yourself or you got a pro to replace it?

Thanks

There are fairly good guides on the net about how to dismantle an iMac and upgrade the hard drive but I'm thinking from your struggles to install Lion, that it might not be your idea of a good time.. so best stick to an external :)

Hi Guys,

Don't be scared to open your Mac.

If you have have ever installed a hard drive into a PC, you should be fine with doing this inside an iMac.

I decided to replace the hard drive myself because my iMac is outside of warranty and an "Authorised Repair" centre would cost too much (I was quoted $300 AUD for a 1TB hard drive... $300!!! and it would have taken 3 days) so instead I bought a 120GB SSD for $150, $8 for Torx screw drivers and did it myself in less than an hour. The guides on iFixIt like this one are very detailed and often are more detailed than you need.

Before you replace the hard drive yourself, keep in mind:

  • You will need a set of Torx screwdrivers
  • The temperature sensor cable is not ISO standard so replacing the sensor cable is difficult. After careful research I decided to ignore the temp sensor cable and installed an app to manage the fan manually.

When you do replace the hard drive yourself:

  • Suction cups are not essential, just unscrew the memory module bay then use your fingers to gently remove the display cover.
  • When lifting the LCD out of the unibody, do it very carefully as there are three delicate ribbons (not cables) that connect the display (i.e. V-sync, display port and power).
  • I did it myself although having a second person to the LCD would make the job MUCH easier.

Swissdude, I have a 27" iMac although the insides should be relatively similar to a 24" and there are plenty of guides including video manuals to do it yourself.

I don't believe an external drive is the solution here. It would work, but I personally would prefer a more permanent and internal solution.

KCD

I'd also suggest an internal upgrade to an SSD. If you've never used one before, the speed increase will be somewhat insane. It's probably the biggest upgrade your iMac could have really, aside from more RAM which wouldn't be even close to such a performance increase. Firewire 800/USB 2.0 will not be as fast as even a standard internal hard drive, although I'm sure it's good for a temporary fix.

To be honest, any 2.5" should fit and work, so just look into what is popular at the moment within your price range. Even if you can only afford 60gb-120gb, you already have an external drive and you can just format that and use it for storage :)

Just don't totally cheap out on an SSD, some of the bargain bin ones might fail on you. I've been using a OCZ Vertex 2e on my main PC for over a year and I'm still totally happy with the performance. It's probably cheaper to get the vertex 3 at the moment even.

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    • Sihoo Doro C300 Pro V2 Ergonomic Office Chair review: The Ikea of chairs by Steven Parker I've reviewed a few gaming chairs over the past three years or so and generally found them to score well in our reviews. SIHOO reached out asking if I was interested in taking a look at their flagship chair, the Doro C300 Pro V2. I never got the chance to check out its predecessor, but the V2 is described as an "Adaptive Ergonomic Chair." It became available to buy in April of this year. Let's get things rolling with a closer look at the specifications and features. Specifications Doro C300 Pro V2 Model Ergonomic Materials Mesh Back and Seat; Soft PU Coated Armrests Height adjustability 45.5 - 53 cm / 17.5" - 20.9" Seat (w+d) 52 x 43 - 47 cm / 20.5" x 16.9" - 18.5" (adjustable) Backrest 52 – 60 cm / 20.5" - 23.6" (adjustable) Lumbar support Mesh built-in (adjustable) Armrest adjustability 8D Bionic Armrests Rocking angle 105°, 120°, 135° (fixed) Neck support Mesh built-in (adjustable) Net weight 27.3 kg / 59.64 lbs Weight support 150 kg / 330 lbs Colors Black, White Warranty 5 years (upon registering) Price $499.99, $539.99 Introduction At first glance, it looks like a chair that in another life wants to be a Herman Miller; It certainly looks like my Aeron Remastered, but the Doro C300 Pro V2 has quite a few more features and costs quite a bit less. SIHOO says that it is made up of a "DynaCore" system that tracks your movement and synchronizes the headrest, backrest, lumbar support, and armrests as you shift, twist, or recline. They also say that the "SyncroFlex Backrest" molds to your spine, which kind of describes how the mesh fabric works in most ergonomic chairs, but anyway. Below are the meat and potatoes measurements for the chair. Here is the same tech sheet, but in inches. Durability I would be remiss to not talk about the various durability testing this chair underwent before coming to market, as this is claimed on the product page. First of all, the chair is BIFMA-, SGS-, and TÜV-certified. As for durability, the tests undergone were: 100,000 Castor cycles tested 120,000 Armrest cycles tested 120,000 Recline cycles tested 120,000 Gas lift cycles tested 60,000 Armrest durability cycles tested 120,000 Rotation cycles tested Nothing about weights testing, though. Now that's all disclosed, now onto my own personal findings. Assembly The Doro C300 Pro V2 came in two large boxes (1) (2), and everything was packed very well, protecting the different parts of the chair. In the box, there is a folded sheet that explains the 12 steps to assemble it; they are: Remove the bottom cover on the aluminum base; Insert the five legs into the aluminum base and use ten screws to fasten them; Insert the castors into the legs; Replace the bottom cover on the bottom of the aluminum base; Place the Class 4 Hydraulics gas cylinder into the aluminum base; Screw the bottom part of the arm rests, taking care of the orientation using two screws on each side; Use three torx screws to fasten the footrest to the bottom of the seat; Fasten the backrest to the seat using four torx bolts; Fasten the armrests to the backrest using four Torx bolts (two on each side), taking care to note the orientation; Place the chair onto the Class 4 Hydraulics gas cylinder; Insert the headrest into the top of the backrest; Use two torx screws to fasten the headrest to the backrest. There's also an online guide you can refer to. Carefully unpacking the two boxes took around 15 minutes because almost everything is wrapped in plastic and protective foam; the chair assembly itself took around an hour. I say in the above assembly steps to take note of the orientation, because it's not obvious which way around the bottom portion of the armrests go, and although there is an L and R on the bottom of the armrests, it also wasn't clear from the instructions which was actually left or right, facing the chair, or in the seated down orientation? Anyway, I ended up putting the bottom portions on the wrong sides, and after securing one of the armrests, I discovered that although it was on the correct side, the armrest base could rotate a full 360°, but not when bolted to the chair, so I had to remove it, rotate it, and then bolt it back on. Truly an Ikea experience! Also, to complicate things further, although all the parts are labeled from A to X (yes, that's 24 parts) unhelpfully, these letters do not appear on the parts themselves or the package with the bolts, screws, and washers. There's also a pair of protective gloves in the box, but I think they were made for much smaller hands than I have. Even my friend, who is 5.1, had difficulty putting them on. Once assembled, I needed to sit down. Anyway, as I said, it looks quite similar to my Herman Miller. And here is the back of it. If you look at the product page and on Amazon, it seems like a lot of thought has gone into the chair itself and what it's capable of, but there is no mention at all about the castors, and this is an area where I think the chair trips up quite quickly. I found it difficult to move the chair in any direction. I asked a friend who came to visit me earlier this week to test my findings, and she said that the wheels were "no good," so it definitely isn't just me. I am 6'2 myself and a big guy, I work from home and gained a few pounds from mostly staying in and the hell away from other people. However, the Doro C300 Pro V2 is rated for up to 150kg (330lbs), which in my case is used well within its max rating. Ergonomics The number of adjustments you can make, right up to setting it in nap mode — which I haven't fully tested yet — is what you'd expect from a premium chair. Yes, you can go up and down (max 7.5 cm adjustment), rock back and forth (with tilt adjustment), and lock the chair between three stages of 105°, 120°, 135°, which is not quite as flat as the AndaSeat I tested at 160°. Some thought has also gone into the "8D" armrests, too, which are cushioned but quite firm; you'll only know it if you press hard into the PU-covered tops, which give about half a centimeter, but it's enough to ensure your skin won't get awkwardly stuck to it in warmer (or sweatier) conditions. It almost feels like plastic and is very easy to keep clean. 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However, the backrest cannot be locked into place, and this is actually a feature; as you shift or recline yourself on the chair, the backrest moves with your body. It took some getting used to. The lumbar gives ample support, but I would have preferred an adjustable one built into the seat base, as this causes the backrest to move up and down at will. Again, as with my previous chair review, this chair is also rated for tall people, but nowhere in the product documentation does it say how tall. Being 6'2 myself, I'm happy to say that the backrest is tall and wide enough, and thought has been given to being able to adjust the neck rest, but as others have mentioned in their reviews, people as tall as 6.2ft is about the limit for the neckrest. Conclusion What I didn't like The footrest is rated for 15kg (33 lbs), which to me seems a bit light, and after looking online, it seems like a chair footrest for adults must be at least twice that rating. In all honesty, they are just hollow metal tubes, so it is not recommended to let a kid sit on them. I also feel like it doesn't really go out far enough for my height, so that kind of puts the dampener on me being able to use it regularly. I'll just have to continue to use my subwoofer as a footrest! I do not like the armrests being able to shift around as easily as they can, and they are a little too forward-positioned in the chair to comfortably sit close to my desk, because even in the lowest height position, they don't allow me to go under the desk like is possible with my Herman Miller. I also feel like this chair could have been delivered partially constructed, especially the armrests on the seat, and why the aluminum base wasn't already pre-constructed (without the castors) is baffling, considering it would have fit in one of the two boxes that way. The instructions also need to be clearer. On the pamphlet, there's an A to X listing (which is also used in the steps), but none of the physical parts use this lettering system! What I did like I'll be honest, I haven't used it for very long, just one week, and seating comfort is subjective after all! Any spills wiped straight off it, the stitching, and the lines look great, not a fray to be seen or stitch out of place. It looks kind of cool, too. My favorite feature of these seats is the nap mode. While you're not lying completely flat, it leans far back enough to make you easily doze off after a heavy gaming or working session. Overall, this chair offers plenty of comfort features. The MSRP does vary quite a bit depending on the region, at £549.99 in the UK, and €580 in Europe, and $599 before tax in the U.S. However, shipping is free, which is a bonus for such a heavy item. Is it worth it, though? At three years' warranty, I think it's a decent deal. 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Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
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