On 2011-01-11 +0900 (JST), at 6:45 PM, Þorvarður Davíðsson wrote:

> I'm able to work nicely for many hours, then I suddenly notice that my MacBook Pro 17 '' gets very slow. I quit all applications and make a restart or I shut down (doesn't seem to make any difference which one I do.)

Open Activity Monitor, switch to System Memory tab and look at the size of 'swap used'. If it is large, say, more than 200 MB, it is the frequent access to swap files (virtual memory) that makes your MBP slow down. In that case, log out and log back in. Then, your MBP will work snappily again.

Also, look at Real Memory and/or Real Private Memory used by applications. You can reduce the generation and the use of swap files by quitting or relaunching those which are consuming large memory.

Um... why does UnicodeChecker consumes so much memory? More than NWP. I should not keep UnicodeCheker running when I don't need it. 

> When I startup again all desktop icons have been placed neatly on the right side of the monitor. It is as if I had chosen the menu command "Arrange by Name" in Finder View > Show View Options 'Arrange by Name'. I never do this because I always have "Arrange by NONE" as default.

I'm not sure but, soon after the release of Snow Leopard, I heard that the Finder is affected by that kind of bugs. They may have been already fixed, though.

> Could it be that I have too little RAM for OS 10.6.5 (I have 4 GB)? 

Depends on what applications you are running. 4 GB would be sufficient if you don't use DTP, DTM, DTV programs or a Windows emulator.

> Does a MacBook Pro NEEDS a restart, let's say, every 2 hours or so in order to regain full memory and run smoothly

That's odd. Usually I keep running my Mac mini and MBP for two weeks or so without problem. Both have 4 GB of memory. When I don't use them, I just let them sleep.


On 2011-01-14 +0900 (JST), at 4:06 AM, Þorvarður Davíðsson wrote:

> It’s a brand new MacBook Pro bought last December.

If you suspect a hardware problem, bring your MBP to the local store from which you purchased it or to an Apple store. Your MBP is still under warranty, no?


Kino