Inspiron 15R: Daily life made simple
May 29, 2009 10:12 AM PDT
A tidy Desktop can lead to a faster Mac
After a short time using your
Mac it can be easy to acquire many files--pictures, videos, songs, e-mail downloads, and more. Because the information most of us receive is now available so quickly, we often do not get the opportunity to sort through and organize these files properly. What inevitably happens is that our Desktop becomes cluttered with all sorts junk--a habit that can slow your Mac?s computing power.
Apple Support Discussions user "marc smith6" describes the issue:
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Apple Support Discussions user "marc smith6" describes the issue:
"Ive got a MBP 2.4 with 4gig ram ever since the update to 10.5.7 my memory meter is at 1.7gig active there are no applications open apart from Launch Bar.While it is easy to understand why an application like Firefox may be consuming that much active RAM, the number for Finder is awfully high. While typing this article I have Safari 4 beta (208.78 MB of Real Memory), Entourage (100.40 MB of Real Memory), the Twitter client Nambu (79.00 MB of Real Memory), a couple small applications, and then Finder (17.83 MB of Real Memory).Had a look at (Activity Monitor) and the main hogs are:
Finder - 727MB
Firefox - 214MB"
Apple Support Discussions user "Francine Schwieder" agrees:
"Well, those sound a bit high to me. I just started my computer and launched Safari. Activity Monitor shows Used system memory at 747MBs, with Safari using 67MBs, kernel_task is next at 52MBs, then WindowServer and the Dock. Finder wasn't using much at all, so I opened a folder with a batch of graphics files (the window is set to display thumbs in icon view) and selected a file and hit QuickLook, and Finder jumped up to second place, using 55MBs of RAM"
Possible solution
Apple Support Discussions user "BobHarris" offers this suggestion:
"The Finder memory usage may very well depend on the number of folders opened (the desktop counts as one of those folders), and the number of files and (unique) icons the Finder needs to handle in those open folders.By creating customized icons for your Desktop, Finder must process each icon separately. When using the standard document icons, as "BobHarris" suggests, Finder can use one icon for each file, making it more efficient. If your icons are displaying content previews:With respect to unique icons, standard document icons that are used as the icon for multiple files would take up less Finder memory, but if each file has its own unique icon, like lots of JPEG files with each file displaying an icon representing the contents of the file."
1. From the Finder menu bar > View > Show View Options (Command J)
2. Uncheck the boxes for "Show item info" and "Show icon preview".
Apple Support Discussions user "Tim Haigh" also offers this tip:
"Many people dont realise this issue. I have dealt with many clients in my work who complain their mac is running slowly and feels sluggish. When I get there I see their desktop has 100's of files and folders on it. I move their entire desktop files into 1 folder called 'desktidy sortme out' then the mac runs fast again."It is a good idea to use Apple's standard file structure to begin organizing your files. Not only is the structure already provided (making it easy to sort files), but keeping your Desktop clear can free up system memory, better allocated to running your favorite applications.
Resources
Read an Apple Support Discussions thread about the importance of keeping a tidy Desktop on your Mac.
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OPTION-click on the Finder's Dock icon and select Relaunch is the easier and faster way to relaunch the Finder.
Yeah, I'm a sucker for the option-command-esc window, but with using the contextual menu you might mistakenly right-click the Finder with the options key held, resulting in the foremost application being hidden...hmm.
My Finder memory went from 218 MB to 9 MB when I selected relaunch. Before and after the relaunch, I had icons for 5 drives, one external drive alias (I changed what was in Spotlight when I first got this computer- now it's hidden), and 3 folders.
Adding 20 full-screen shots/captures increased the Finder size to 18 MB. Trashing them and then emptying the trash reduced the Finder size to 17 MB.
Option + selecting Finder in the Dock had no effect. Was this supposed to be control+click on Finder in the Dock? That produces a contextual menu that does not contain anything related to relaunch.
Relaunching the Finder (after accessing the Force Quit menu) reduced the size to 7 MB.
Wondering whether Apple ever tried to remedy this - one would believe it should keep up with this info on a more timely basis ... without the need for a relaunch.
To get the menu containing the Finder's Relaunch command, keep the mouse button down on the Finder icon in the Dock, while you hold down the Option key. Mousedowns/mouseups on the Finder icon in the Dock, while you're hold down the Option key, will just switch you back and forth between the Finder and the last app you had frontmost.
My solution is a Downloads folder, in my Home, and a Desktop folder that features the HD and an untitled "Stuff" folder. Spotlight lets you search easily, use it.
Please document or otherwise support your assertion that each desktop icon is handled as it's own window, and therefore uses the same CPU and memory resources as a window. I have heard this before, but never seen any evidence it was true.
Thank you.
Frank Martin
Author, FUNDimensions Fundraising Software
Apple Certified Help Desk Specialist
I've often read that the Finder *caches* window information for each Desktop item. I've never seen it documented or otherwise proven however.
It's good enough for me to read things like the support threads linked above, to believe that a tidy desktop is a good thing to shoot for...
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PEACE, POPPAJOHN
- by MacFixItUser June 2, 2009 5:53 AM PDT
- This misinformation about storing data on the Desktop makes me crazy. I wish it would die already.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(9 Comments)It came from the days prior to OS X when people would understandably confuse the confusingly named pair of invisible files called the Desktop File. The pair of invisible files named the Desktop File had nothing to do with the user's Desktop, which is why the name was confusing. From time to time they could become large or corrupt and would need rebuilding. Even that was an overstated practice.
All anyone needs to do to prove this is nonsense in OS X is carry out a little experiment:
Create a new user account and fire up Activity Monitor. Change from My Processes to All Processes. Sort the column by CPU.
For my experiment, (on a Mac Pro tower) I then copied about 2,000 items totaling about 33 GB to the Desktop. This consisted of .nef, .crw, .jpg, .tif, .dmg, .xml and who knows what else. Give Spotlight (mdworker) a chance to update its index. Make note of the most active processes.
I worked for a few hours in Photoshop, Illustrator and Bridge.
One will discover that data stored on the Desktop doesn?t trigger a hills worth of beans worth of activity. Data on the Desktop and and using Expose makes not a bit of difference.
As I write this on my MacBook Pro I have lots of data on my Desktop and my Finder is consuming 32.55 MB of RAM. And I haven't restarted in at least a week. All I do when I run out the door is put it to sleep, slip it in it's case, and go. I never shut it down.
I'm with Frank Martin. I want proof and documentation that each desktop icon is handled as it's own window, and storing data on the Desktop has an adverse impact on performance.