8/11/2019 How to Maintain a Mac

1/4

How to maintain a Mac

1. Make redundant backups, keeping at least one offsite at all times. One backup is not enough. Dont backup your backups; make them independent of each other.

Dont rely completely on any single backup method,such as Time Machine. If you get an indication that abackup has failed, don't ignore it.

2. Keep your software up to date. In the SoftwareUpdatepreference pane, you can configure automaticnotifications of updates to O ! and other Mac "pptore products. ome third#party applications from othersources ha$e a similar feature, if you dont mind lettingthem phone home. Other%ise you ha$e to checkyourself on a regular basis. This is especially importantfor comple& soft%are that modifies the operating system,such as de$ice dri$ers. efore installing any "ppleupdate, you must check that all such modifications that

you use are compatible.

3. Don't install crapware, such as (themes,) *ha&ies,*(add#ons,) (toolbars,) (enhancers,* (optimi+ers,)(accelerators,) (e&tenders,) (cleaners,) *doctors,* *tune#ups,* (defragmenters,) (fire%alls,) *barriers,* (guardians,)

(defenders,) (protectors,) most (plugins,) commercial*$irus scanners,) *disk tools,* or *utilities.* ith $ery fe%e&ceptions, this stuff is useless, or %orse than useless.

The more acti$ely promoted the product, the more likelyit is to bearbae.The most e&treme e&ample is the(Mac-eeper) scam.

"s a rule, the only soft%are you should install is that%hich directly enables you to do the things you use a

8/11/2019 How to Maintain a Mac

2/4

computer for such as creating, communicating, andplaying and does not modify the %ay other soft%are%orks. Useyour computer; don't fuss %ith it.

/e$er install anythird#party soft%are unless you know

!ow to uninstall it. Other%ise you may create problemsthat are $ery hard to sol$e.

The free anti#mal%are application 0lam!a$ is not crap,and although its not routinely needed, it may be usefulin some en$ironments, such as a mi&ed Mac#indo%senterprise net%ork.

". #eware of tro$ans. " tro1an is malicious soft%are2(mal%are)3 that the user is duped into installing$oluntarily. uch attacks %ere rare on the Mac platformuntil sometime in 4566, but are no% increasinglycommon, and increasingly dangerous.

There is some built#in protection against do%nloadingmal%are, but you cant rely on it the attackers areal%ays at least one day ahead of the defense. 7ou cantrely on third#party protection either. hat you can relyon is common#sense a%areness not paranoia, %hichonly makes you more $ulnerable.

/e$er install soft%are from an untrust%orthy or unkno%nsource. If in doubt, do some research. "ny %ebsite thatprompts you to install a (codec) or (plugin) that comesfrom the same site, or an unkno%n site, is untrust%orthy.oft%are %ith a corporate brand, such as "dobe 8lash

9layer, must be ac:uired directly from the de$eloper. /ointermediary is acceptable, and dont trust links unlessyou kno% ho% to parse them. "ny file that isautomatically do%nloaded from a %eb page %ithout your

8/11/2019 How to Maintain a Mac

3/4

ha$ing re:uested it should go straight into the Trash. %website t!at claims you !a&e a &irus() or t!atanyt!in else is wron wit! your computer( is roue.

In O ! 65..< or later, do%nloaded applications and

Installer packages that ha$e not been digitally signed bya de$eloper registered %ith "pple are blocked fromloading by default. The block can be o$erridden, butthink carefully before you do so.

ecause of recurring security issues in =a$a, its best todisable it in your %eb bro%sers, if its installed. 8e%%ebsites ha$e =a$a content no%adays, so you %ont bemissing much. This action is mandatoryif yourerunning any $ersion of O ! older than 65.>.? %ith thelatest =a$a update. /ote@ =a$a has nothing to do %ith=a$acript, despite the similar names. Don't install =a$aunless you're sure you need it. Most users don't.

*. Don't fill up your boot &olume." common mistakeis adding more and more large files to your home folderuntil you start to get %arnings that you're out of space,%hich may be follo%ed in short order by a boot failure.This is more prone to happen on the ne%er Macs thatcome %ith an internal D instead of the traditional hard

dri$e. The dri$e can be $ery nearly full before youbecome a%are of the problem. hile it's not true thatyou should or must keep any particular percentageofspace free, you should monitor your storageconsumption and make sure you're not in immediatedanger of using it up. "ccording to "pple documentation,you need at least A B of free space on the startup

$olume for normal operation.

If storage space is running lo%, use a tool such as thefree application OmniDisk%eeper to e&plore your

http://www.omnigroup.com/products/omnidisksweeper/http://www.omnigroup.com/products/omnidisksweeper/

8/11/2019 How to Maintain a Mac

4/4

$olume and find out %hat's taking up the most space.Mo$e rarely#used large files to secondary storage.

+. ,ela-( dont do it.esides the abo$e, no routinemaintenance is necessary or beneficial for the $ast

ma1ority of users; specifically not (cleaning caches,)(+apping the 9C"M,) *resetting the M0,* (rebuildingthe directory,) *defragmenting the dri$e,* (runningperiodic scripts,) (dumping logs,) *deleting temp files,*(scanning for $iruses,) *purging memory,* *checking forbad blocks,* or (repairing permissions.) uch measuresare either completely pointless or are useful only for

sol$ing problems, not for pre$ention.

The $ery height of futility is running an e&pensi$e third#party application called (Disk arrior) %hen nothing is%rong, or e$en %hen something is%rong and you ha$ebackups, %hich you must !a&e. Disk arrior is a data#sal$age tool, not a maintenance tool, and you %ill ne$er

need it if your backups are ade:uate. Dont %astemoney on it or anything like it.