Bogged down iMac 21.5", 2012
Is there a way to remove enough programs from this old iMac so I can use it to just view and work with photos? The spinny wheel of death comes up nearly every time I try to open photos or finder to remove them.
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It will help us get a good idea of what is causing your problem if you provide a report of your system, that way we do not have to play 20 questions with you. The report we are requesting does NOT provide any personal information and is extremely safe to use. Please navigate to www.Etrecheck.com and download the free version of EtreCheck. Once you have you downloaded the app and installed it, please run the report and save it. This report will help us get a good idea what has been installed on your system and help us be able to diagnose what may be wrong.
When you have your report, you can attach it when you reply to this message and we can then review it and help you determine what is needed to get your system running well again.
For instructions on how to download your EtreCheck report and attach it to your reply to this message please click https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250000211
I suspect you may have a base model 2012 21.5" iMac which only has 8GB of RAM and a glacially slow 5400 RPM HD. The HD is the primary bottleneck!! On an 11 year computer it does not make sense to spend money on it as it's value is very low. You may want to consider replacing it with a new Mac mini or a new 24" iMac which will both be orders of magnitude faster. If you decide to look into this option, please get one with a minimum of 16GB of RAM and the highest capacity SSD you can afford.
