Thank you Marcus. But my wife takes mine when I upgrade.
And would rather go without than buy a new one. Regards, Stephen Chape Mac by choice Windows because my employer knew no better On 3 Jun 2026, at 6:04 pm, Marcus Harris via WAMUG <[email protected]> wrote: Hi Steven. A 2017 Intel Mac is getting into past history with Apple. Maybe think about upgrading A new Mac mini is advertised for about $1300 And a Kogan 27" UHD 4K Frameless USB-C Monitor (3840 x 2160) is about $300 With that set up you get the latest Apple software and the software upgrades and security checks for free. I think you can pay off with instalments these days. Cheers Marcus Marcus Harris Mobile +61417965618 On 3 Jun 2026, at 4:56 pm, Rod Blitvich via WAMUG <[email protected]> wrote: AI said: "That sounds more like a wake-from-sleep / wake-from-display issue than a startup issue. On a 2017 Intel Mac running macOS Ventura, a 10–15 second delay before the password field becomes active is commonly caused by one of these: * external drives or USB devices “hanging” wake-up * network/login items trying to reconnect * FileVault delay * Mail or cloud syncing during wake * corrupted power management settings * failing SSD or low free space * old Intel Macs struggling with Ventura Here’s the order I’d check things. _________________________________________________________________ _ 1. Disconnect ALL external devices first This is the biggest culprit surprisingly often. Temporarily unplug: * USB hubs * external drives * printers * webcams * SD cards * dongles Then: * restart the Mac * let it sleep * wake it again If the delay disappears, reconnect one item at a time. External drives that are spinning up from sleep are especially notorious. _________________________________________________________________ _ 2. Check free disk space Ventura behaves badly when storage gets low. Go to: Apple Menu → About This Mac → Storage If free space is under about: * 30–40 GB = possible slowdowns * under 15 GB = very likely issue _________________________________________________________________ _ 3. Turn OFF “Wake for network access” Go to: System Settings → Battery → Options Turn OFF: * Wake for network access Also turn OFF: * Power Nap (if shown) These can cause delays while networking wakes up. _________________________________________________________________ _ 4. Test without Mail running Even though Mail isn’t a startup issue, it can hang during wake while reconnecting accounts. Try: * quit Mail completely * let Mac sleep * wake it If fixed: * one email account may be stalling * Exchange accounts are common offenders _________________________________________________________________ _ 5. Disable FileVault temporarily (test only) FileVault can occasionally cause delayed login responsiveness on older Intel Macs. Check: System Settings → Privacy & Security → FileVault If ON: * temporarily disable it * test for a day (Decryption takes time, so only worth trying if other fixes fail.) _________________________________________________________________ _ 6. Reset SMC and NVRAM On Intel Macs this still matters. Reset SMC (2017 MacBook/iMac Intel) Shut down. Then press: * Shift + Control + Option * AND power button Hold 10 seconds. Release and start normally. Reset NVRAM Start Mac and immediately hold: * Option + Command + P + R Hold about 20 seconds. _________________________________________________________________ _ 7. Check Activity Monitor after wake Immediately after the lag: Open: Applications → Utilities → Activity Monitor Look for: * very high CPU * “Not Responding” * kernel_task spikes * Mail * Spotlight * cloud storage apps _________________________________________________________________ _ 8. Ventura on 2017 Intel Macs Ventura is near the upper limit for some 2017 Intel machines. They often become sluggish after updates. If everything else fails: * a clean restart may help temporarily * safe mode test is worthwhile * reinstalling Ventura without erasing can repair corrupted system files _________________________________________________________________ _ 9. Quick diagnostic question One important clue: Does the delay happen: * ONLY after sleep/wake? * or ALSO from a full restart? If it’s sleep/wake only, power management or peripherals are most likely. If it also happens after reboot/login, storage or background processes become more likely." Rod Blitvich - Amy & Sam’s Dad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . On 3 Jun 2026, at 11:38 am, STEPHEN CHAPE via WAMUG <[email protected]> wrote: Hi folks. My wife uses my previous iMac. MacOS Ventura 13.7.8 2017 Model Intel i7 Just lately an annoying issue is happening. When she taps a key to activate the screen (Mac is on) there is delay. Once the login box appears it takes about 15 seconds before the password can be entered. I have checked her startup apps and the only one is Mail. But the Mac is not booting when it does this anyway … it is already on. Regards, Stephen Chape Mac by choice Windows because my employer knew no better -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- Archives - <https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> Settings & Unsubscribe - <https://lists.wamug.org.au/mailman/listinfo/wamug> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- Archives - <https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> Settings & Unsubscribe - <https://lists.wamug.org.au/mailman/listinfo/wamug> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- Archives - <https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> Settings & Unsubscribe - <https://lists.wamug.org.au/mailman/listinfo/wamug>
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