What are some tips on keeping my Mac trouble-free?

Here are some basic steps that every computer user should take to keep their Mac running smoothly.

1. Save multiple copies of critical files on multiple drives, disks, or tapes, some at another location. If you are running OS X 10.5 or later, use Time Machine too. In short, back up constantly and religiously, especially when you are under deadline pressure. Save early and often. When you are working on important documents, you may want to periodically save a new version (append a letter to the name, like important-work-a.doc, important-work-b.doc). Read our detailed backup advice or contact us for a custom solution.
2. Spend a little time getting ready to cope with a problem before you have one. All Macs come with a bootable disc with System software—keep it handy. If you own a copy of DiskWarrior, keep it up to date. It’s also helpful in many recovery situations to have an external storage device like an external hard drive. It’s even better if you install a bootable system on that drive.
3. Don’t save the only version of an important file on a CD or USB flash drive (in fact, you should never have only one copy of an important file). Make multiple copies. Don’t erase your last backup to make a new one—you might be backing up a corrupted file and might need the previous backup. And remember—it isn’t a backup if it’s the only copy! The act of removing a document from your internal drive and placing it on another drive or disc (rather than making a copy and leaving the original) is archiving, not backing up.
4. At least one of your recent backups should be in a different location (i.e., off-site). When working on critical material, you can email a copy to a coworker or another email account once in a while. An Apple MobileMe account for $99 per year includes 20GB of off-site storage on Apple’s servers. We've also like DropBox to store files online and CrashPlan to backup multiple computers in one house.
5. Once a month, start up from your OS X Install CD or DVD and run Apple’s Disk Utility to Repair Disk, which will repair any directory damage on your drives (always back up first). Disk Utility can also Repair Permissions, but there’s no need to do this regularly. (What does Repair Disk Permissions do?) After a full backup, you can also safely use a utility like DiskWarrior (our favorite).
6. Own the software you use, read the manuals, and keep the original application discs in a safe place. You might also want to back up copies of important application installer CDs/DVDs and keep them off-site, along with their serial numbers and installation codes. One good practice is to setup a “licenses” folder in your email account to save activation codes and download instructions. This works very well if your email is accessible online (like MobileMe or Gmail). You can even scan (or type) printed activations codes and email them to yourself.

Published March 24, 2009 12:00 PM
Last modified on December 29, 2010 7:59 PM