MacOS – way to stop the optimization process behind “Optimizing Your Mac”

macosperformance

Using OS X 10.9.5 I got this message after logging out and back in with different UID. Screen is frozen except I can move the mouse courser around just cannot select anything. Display sleep mode does work. How long does this take? Is there a key combination to stop optimization or reboot?

For more context please see link: What is happening when my Mac is being optimized after an OS X update?

Again, the screen is frozen including clock. Can move mouse and trackpad cursor but cannot select anything. Keyboard works only to wake machine.

Ok, so I tried the hard reboot option and that seems to have worked thus far. Then tried two soft restarts and no problems either. Been using Mavericks over a year now and never had a problem, so I''m gonna run my antivirus software and backup before deciding on what to do with spotlight or the problematic user profile.
Funny, I've waited for Yosemite and iOS 8 to mature and was just preparing my machines for the upgrades.

Best Answer

What you describe is far worse than the normal optimization phase.

If your Mac is so sluggish that the cursor movement and launching of apps is unworkable (delays more than 60 seconds per action) and persists past a reboot, you'll need to get the hardware checked as the storage system is likely failing due to software or hardware failure.

To troubleshoot this:

  1. back up all files you care to ever see again
  2. disconnect the backup drive (and test restore to another Mac if that costs less in time and $ than you'd spend to recreate the files or compensate you for the loss - i.e. wedding and/or baby pictures, etc...)
  3. Reinstall a clean OS - import no data, set up no network, no Apple ID, no iCloud. Run that system until it's idle in activity monitor and there's no delay launching apps from spotlight.
  4. Test opening any three apps you care from Launchpad

If this OS is slow, troubleshoot the hardware further.

If this OS is fast:

  1. connect to the internet
  2. update all the software
  3. install any critical software you need to work/test (this rules out a software conflict with the software you were running when the machine was stuck)
  4. open Activity Monitor and be sure the system is idle and performs properly
  5. now decide to import your user files, connect to iCloud and Dropbox and any other tools that can cause slowness and external dependancies. If you don't want to set things up by hand, you can wipe this test OS and reinstall and choose to restore your backup in one shot.

Good luck - troubleshooting hardware/software isn't a hard concept, but being organized, limiting change, and testing after each step is what makes it sometimes tedious and worth outsourcing.

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