302      iPhone_iPad_Mac_apple

CPU Overheating + Activity Monitor Usage

Hi Folks,


I have a 13" mid-2009 MacBook Pro (2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB memory, non-removable battery). The laptop is currently running OS X El Capitan Version 10.11.6, which was recently updated from Snow Leopard 10.6.8.

After that update (it’s not clear whether the installation prompted the problem) the CPU started overheating despite low task usage. I'm currently controlling the excess heating by workarounds. Online sources seemed to indicate that the SMC needed to be reset. However, the steps given online (e.g. “Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac - Apple Support”) seem to have no effect. It's possible that the laptop isn't even booting up in Recovery Mode.

One notable recent issue is that it has proved impossible to open large (5MB) MS PowerPoint presentations, apparently since there was not enough memory available to do so. The common factor is that these documents contained multiple images, so I wonder whether the relatively high diskimages-helper usage is something to do with the problem? I need to find a solution as I’m losing significant amounts of work.

I’m including a screenshot of what the Activity Monitor shows for CPU & Memory in the hope that this information may be of use in identifying how to proceed.

Any responses or step-by-step guidance would be immensely appreciated! I look forward to hearing from you and send many thanks in advance.

Hi,

There may be an issue with your hard drive or the directory structure on it. Open Utilities > Disk Utility > select your HD on the left (the first item on the list) > make sure S.M.A.R.T. status says “Verified” (if it doesn’t it means there is a hardware issue with the HD, or an impending one) > click on the second item on the list (which should be Macintosh HD or the name you named your internal HD) > click on “First Aid” > (depending on your OS, you may have to click on Repair Disk or Verify Disk) > click on “Run” > allow it to finish running > click on “Show Details” > look at the last few lines and see if it says something like "Appears to be OK" and/or “Operation successful;” if so, click on “Done,” go to the Disk Utility menu and select “Quit Disk Utility.”

If it says “Cannot be repaired” or something like it any time during the run, run it a few more times to see if Disk Utility can repair it. If not, click on “Done,” go to the Disk Utility menu, select “Quit Disk Utility.”

Try booting into Safe Mode: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262 and see if the issue persists there.

Try creating a new administrator user account, log into it, and see if the issue persists there: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204443

The OS is using Swap, meaning there isn't enough RAM, which is not surprising as you're running the absolute minimum for El Capitan. Upgrade to the maximum your machine can handle, 8 GBs.

Hi tjk,

Thank you very much for getting back to me and for detailing the procedure to be followed so clearly. I tried the steps and have the following information:

Running First Aid yielded an unequivocal big, green tick confirming that the operation had been successful. At this stage things looked optimistic. In principle, it seems that there’s no major issue with the computer.

I then booted up in Safe Mode and tried the New Administrator User Account steps you mentioned. However, not only did the Safe Boot not solve/isolate the issue, but during that step, the computer began to work about 4-5 times slower, and this slowness has continued “across the board” with all processes (including the initial start up) since then. I’ve checked and the Mode is listed as Normal.

I would be most grateful for any suggestions as to what might have happened and how I can potentially rectify this most unfortunate recent development, which has rendered the MacBook pretty much unusable.

I am willing to invest in the RAM upgrade—if you feel this expenditure is justified on this old machine? I am not currently in a position to buy another Mac, and hope very much to find a solution as I am a big fan of them! But it very much seems the case that something else has now gone amiss. As ever, I’m happy to respond with any necessary screenshots and/or system information that would help pinpoint/solve the issue.

Many thanks in advance for your assistance, which is very much appreciated.  

Try resetting the SMC: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295.

Hi tjk,

Thanks for the suggestion. The system may have improved a little after the reset (which I did yesterday and I've waited to contact you to see how the speed issue played out), but the MacBook is still painfully slow and sluggish and the machine is still overheating.

Does is help to try the reset multiple times or is it a a one-off thing (I imagine it's the latter)?

Do the steps we've tried sometimes solve a CPU issue such as the one I mentioned, or is that a low RAM-related problem?

If the 2GB RAM is the issue, please can you let me know whether i) it's necessary to buy RAM from a specific dealer or are there second hand options, and ii) does the RAM need to be installed professionally? I've never attempted any similar installation, but a lot of sites online, including an official Apple Support page, seem to suggest that this can be done yourself.

Any help, further suggestions to try or specific responses to the above would be very much appreciated!

I used to be of the opinion that once should help if it's going to, but I've seen more recent posts suggesting several resets. I confess I have no idea as to the validity of this, but it shouldn't hurt.

No, except for the Safe Boot and SMC reset which both reset things, they're more troubleshooting steps to see if the issue is OS/software related.

I do not believe the lack of RAM is causing that much of this issue, so I guess I'd hold off at this time.

I recommend only Crucial or Macsales/OWC as both are time tested by many people and the RAM is tested and guaranteed 100% compatible, has a lifetime warranty, and excellent tech support.

RAM is an easy install: MacBook Pro 13" Unibody Mid 2009 RAM Replacement - iFixit

Run Apple Hardware Diagnostics and see if it catches anything: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202731

I skimmed the whole thread, and I didn't see anything about reinstalling the OS, so if AHT doesn't show anything, I'd backup and reinstall the OS: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

Dear tjk,

Thank you very much once again for your help! I'm about to depart for a long-haul flight and intensive 2.5 week trip. The MacBook is staying at home on this occasion as in its present state, it's not much help. I'll follow up on all these points and respond asap on my return (22nd). I'm intrigued to get to the bottom of this issue (like an IT whodunnit?!), especially if it might not be the RAM that's the culprit. Sincere thanks and best wishes.

Will wait for your reply. Have a good trip.

Hi tjk!

I hadn't forgotten about getting back to you but following my trip to Southern Africa, having tried your suggestions to no avail, the MacBook spontaneously started with a whole new level of problems and suddenly went completely dead.

The technician was completely frazzled as he was unable to find any solution. In the end, after a two week period of puzzlement and failed attempts, one of the attempts to revive the laptop worked. It required a new hard disk and more RAM and it's now seemingly working better than ever. The data was eventually recovered in toto and the overheating has stopped too.

So, fingers crossed that this good fortune continues as my MacBook is a pleasure to use again!

Thanks a million for your help and support - both practically and in terms of the morale boost as well. Very much appreciated!!

You're welcome, and glad it's all worked out now.

最後更新：2017-09-27 23:33:22

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