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Lori Posted on Jul 27, 2012
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Fan won't stop

2 days ago fan started running all the time, even if I have just one window open with no movement on the page. Before this I could have 10 windows open on 2 screens with movement and the fan would not come on. I checked the activity monitor and it shows that the "DirectoryService" is using 97.3% CPU. THe next largest user is kernel_task with 3.1 %. Please tell me how to fix this. Thanks! L

1 Answer

Kerry Hostetter

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  • Expert 97 Answers
  • Posted on Dec 31, 2014
 Kerry Hostetter
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Resetting the PRAM may do the trick:
You reset the PRAM by rebooting a Mac and then immediately hold down the Command+Option+P+R keys, you will then hear the Mac reboot sound again, signifying your PRAM has been reset. You must hit the key combination before the grey screen appears otherwise it won't work.

you've tried rebooting, you've reset the PRAM, you've done it all, but your Mac is still behaving strangely. What next? In certain circumstances, resetting your Mac's System Management Controller (SMC) can be a solution. This is sometimes necessary to restore normal lower level system functionality to your Mac.

Here's how to reset the SMC on any type of Mac (and any version of OS X) and the type of problems that it may resolve.
When & Why Reset SMC on a Mac? Some Common Hardware Reasons

Typically it's power and hardware related issues that can be helped or resolved by resetting a Mac SMC, particularly if you're having these types of problems:

* Issues with your Mac's cooling fans and fan management: fans run constantly at high speed, fans run high despite low CPU usage and adequate ventilation, fans not working at all, etc

* Power management and battery problems: Mac isn't turning on, sleep isn't working, random shutdowns and reboots, battery isn't charging, Mac won't wake from sleep etc

* Light problems and improper lighting management: battery indicator lights aren't working, display backlighting isn't adjusting to ambient light changes, keyboard backlights not working, etc

* Video and external displays not working: display brightness functionality not working properly, target video mode isn't working properly, external display isn't working, etc

* General performance and functionality problems: abnormally sluggish behavior despite no CPU or disk usage, external ports not working, airport & bluetooth aren't showing up, external devices are not being found, etc

So now that you've concluded you need to reset your SMC (Note that the SMC is on Intel Mac's only), here's how to do it on MacBook's, MacBook Pro's, iMac's, Mac Mini's, and Mac Pro's. Notice that the reset instructions are different for MacBook and MacBook Pro's if you have an internal or detachable battery.
Reset SMC of a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro Retina, or MacBook Pro's with an internal non-removable battery

This is how to reset SMC on most modern Mac laptops:

Shutdown your MacBook Air / MacBook Pro
Connect the power adapter to your Mac
On the MacBook/Pro's keyboard, hold down the Shift+Control+Option keys and the Power button at the same time
Release all keys and the power button at the same time
Boot your Mac as usual

Here's the key sequence to hold down:

Reset the SMC of a MacBook Air or Retina MacBook Pro

Do keep in mind that by resetting the SMC you will lose power specific settings, like the time it takes to sleep a Mac and other customizations to power settings. No big deal, but if you have made many changes to your hardware behavior you will want to adjust stuff like sleep behavior again.
Reset SMC of an iMac, Mac Pro, Mac Mini

Resetting SMC is different for non-portable Macs:

Shut down your Mac
Disconnect the power cord
Press and hold the Mac's power button for 5 seconds
Release the button
Reattach the power cables and boot the Mac as usual

Reset the SMC of a MacBook or MacBook Pro's with detachable batteries

mac reset the smc Older MacBook laptops with a removable battery can reset SMC with the following approach:

Shutdown the MacBook/Pro and remove the battery
Disconnect the power adapter, hold the Power Key for 10 seconds
Release the power key and reconnect your battery and power adapter
Turn your Mac on
Let boot as usual

Hopefully that will clear up your problems, if not it might be worth a visit to the Apple Store or a certified repair center.

Happy New Year,
Kerry

2 Related Answers

ginko

Ginko

  • 19396 Answers
  • Posted on May 21, 2009

SOURCE: Computer has gotten very sluggish for no apparent reason...

The most common reason for slow processing speed is insufficient RAM memory.

Increase the RAM, if RAM available is no more than 512MB, then it must be upgraded.

Check also your hard drive state. If you have less than 1GB free, that will slow down the system. Go to Start>>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Defregmenter and do a Defrag of the hard disk.

If you have at least 1 GB RAM, and you took care of the hard drive, then you can check the process starting up on their own and remove the useless one, or spot mala-ware that can affect speed. You can use a software like Hijack This, and search on google te function of each process started on the list reported by the software.

You can download Hijack this here MajorGeeks | If download does not start, then click at the top of the page, where it says Click Here If It Does Not.
Be careful if you delete the wrong files using this software you can harm the system, and Windows may not work properly.

If you think you have malaware you can also install Spy Bot, and do a system scan. Download Spybot from The home of Spybot.

If all the above does not work, and there is no malaware, then you usually reinstall the system.

Check also the bios settings, BIOS can downgrade the CPU speed on default , even if this is uncommon on recent BIOS.

If a computer is still slow with a fresh system and enough resources then it is one of those rare occasions when you have an hardware fault.
Hardware that can cause slow down is: RAM CPU Motherboard HD Video card.

Some tips on procedure can damage your windows installation. Do not download Hijackthis software and do not change BIOS settings and do not touch hardware unless you are sure of what you are doing.

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Anonymous

  • 52 Answers
  • Posted on Aug 04, 2011

SOURCE: hai.. can you help me

Start by turning the machine off. Right after hitting the power button hold down the Shift key until the machine has started all the way. See how things work then, if everything is working better you may have problems with some 3rd party program or you have some corruption in the Mac OS.

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