I wrote a powershell script to do pretty much the same thing
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Well, I spent the entire weekend rebuilding my NinjaTrader framework from scratch, and it was an educational experience. I became deeply familiar with the platform’s inner workings as I reviewed every single aspect.
The process involved more than just a simple reinstall. It was a complete, fresh install, followed by meticulously reapplying my indicators and settings one by one. This time, I only added what I absolutely need, leaving out any clutter.
Furthermore, I made another key change: I reduced the amount of data loaded for chart replay to a single day.
This is the deep clean I’ve been meaning to do for about two years to clear out all the accumulated bloat. The recent platform failures finally forced my hand.
It all led me to a major realization: Successful trading isn’t just about understanding the market; you also have to master your platform. You must know its ins and outs, what causes performance drag, and how to maintain it. If you don’t, the platform itself can become your biggest obstacle.
Over time, learning to manage the technical necessities of your setup is just a natural part of a trader’s development.
With all that done, I’m happy to report the platform finally appears stable, responsive, and usable again.
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I do this every morning. This works.
I’ve tried suggesting this, that the platform simply include this functionality, but so far, it has not been done.
After reading the entire stability thread, it became clear that the user reporting major issues was running NT8 on a Mac via a Windows virtual machine - something that was not disclosed initially. That setup alone can create significant instability, and it’s simply not appropriate for mission-critical trading.
It should be stated plainly that NinjaTrader is intended to run on native Windows hardware, and users should not expect reliable performance when using a Mac/VM environment. For serious trading, a dedicated Windows PC - kept clean and used only for NT - is the right approach. Reliable machines that meet NT’s needs can easily be found on the cheap online.
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I’ll look into it. It had been working since 2022.
@Maverick I liked your deep clean technique and your observations about mastering one’s trading platform. Perhaps you’ve fixed the problem long-term or at least bought some time during which you can continue using NinjaTrader on a Mac.
But when you are in the market for a new computer I definitely agree with @madeinnyc that you should probably get a Windows PC and run NinjaTrader on that. Plus, not that you plan on switching to another trading platform but all the popular fat clients that a serious trader like you would want to use run on Windows but only a minority run on Mac natively so you wouldn’t need to use a VM like Parallels for any trading platform going forward.
And to get the most computing power for your money, one option available to you is to do what I’ve done for the last three high-performance Dell Precision workstations I’ve bought over the last 15 years or so… 1) get a fixed desktop rather than a laptop, and 2) get an open box or lightly used workstation on a website like the Dell Outlet personal or business sites (I’ve only used the business site so far). I got a massive discount on my last Dell Precision workstation because the listing said “scratch or dent” but I never could find the actual scratch or dent that made the lightly used machine so much cheaper than if it were new.
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You’re right,It might be time to buy a new computer.
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I’m opting for an efficient setup (Dell OptiPlex RGB Desktop Computer PC, Intel Core i7 up to 3.8GHz, 16G RAM, 512G SSD)
After researching, it seems Parallels virtualization, even on an M2 Mac with 16 cores presents a challenge for a framework thats heavy on tick-by-tick order flow updates that hit the same core repeatedly at very high frequency.
Parallels virtualization introduces a 5–20% latency overhead per update.
The side quest begins, wish me luck 
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Yes, any virtualization layer will kill performance. Nothing beats bare metal pc for NT. And if by any chance you were connecting that mac using WiFi, that would be even worse.
I would strongly recommend going with at least 32GB of RAM. It’s a cheap upgrade and well worth it. Nowadays, windows 11 and a few browser windows will use up a good chunk of that 16GB right off the bat, not leaving much wiggle room. Add some memory leaks and windows background processes and before you know it, you’re swapping to disk. Get 32GB - trust me. You’ll thank me later. And make sure the system has room to expand beyond 32GB just in case.
A few other recommendations:
- Always connect your NT desktop using a high speed (gigabit) wired connection. I don’t care how fast your WiFi is, it is not going to be as reliable as wired. This is very important especially if you’re doing any sort of orderflow (footprint, volume profile, etc).
- When you get your new PC from Dell, first thing you should do is to wipe it clean and install a fresh/clean OS and remove all the crapware that Dell (or any other vendor for that matter) puts on. Turn off useless tasks and services that Windows installs.
- Make sure OneDrive gets disabled before you install NT. You don’t want your NT profile to end up on OneDrive.
Good luck.
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18 months ago I bought this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uch_EYbDfd4
I normally trade on a desktop, but when I have to go abroad I use this UM890Pro.
Fits in a small luggage, easy to take with me on a plane…
Connected to two 32" 4K screens, runs fast, liquid metal cooled (so no overheating problems).
The only thing I did was replace the AMD Adrenaline latest version by an older version, as this latest version is not stable.
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UPDATE:
All of a sudden, everything started working again.
I’m still on my M2 MAX 15 inch mac with Parrallels virtualization.
Things are working perfectly and that perhaps makes me think that the ninjatrader data feed was the problem.
I feel, that Ninjatrader fixed the connection.
Perhaps this is the only explanation.
Not so long ago you said this:With all that done, I’m happy to report the platform finally appears stable, responsive, and usable again.
So the problem was fixed, you deleted a lot of garbage from your Mac.
But what you basically say now is: I had problems. Nobody else seemed to have that problem. It is now suddenly gone and Ninjatrader fixed it???
Do you really think that Ninjatrader is going to fix a problem that only occurs on 1 clients datafeed. And that client is even not working on a windows PC?
I’m open to superstition as this point.
I certainly think the clean up helped a lot.
I spoke too soon, the problem persisted, so systematized my data feed loading routine.
Now, I don’t know if it was my process was what worked, (Probably) or if it was correction of a connection stabilization issue. I don’t know.
It was a problem that came out of nowhere and just as much, dissapeared.
Honestly, its a mystery, but its all working now and i’ve learned a heck of a lot form the experience.