AppleShooter Care Tips




		Do it yourself Care Tips The Apple of Love

Back up your data often: All hard drives eventually fail. As a rule of thumb you should back up vital files daily or weekly. You should back up all data once every 40 to 100 hours of usage. Let your system do backups when you are taking a shower or doing your gardening. Make your machine work for you when you are doing other chores. Keep removable backups at a safe distance from fire or emergencies. Stash them in a safe deposit box or in a fire safe in a separate location. Also be sure to keep your data safe from extreme temperatures, humidity, magnetism and rough handling. There's no quick fix if you lose years of data.
Handle your trash with extreme caution - I would advise to never use the quick and easy keyboard shortcuts to move items to trash or to empty your trash can. And never empty your trash can without first opening it to review what's in there. Then use your mouse to select "Empty Trash" from your Apple menu. This method is slower. But I can tell you it's worth it. I personally became so adept at using the keyboard shortcut to move some items to the trash that I became overconfident. Then after many years, one day I accidentally used the command twice in rapidfire succession without paying full attention. What happened was that the second use of the keyboard shortcut went up a folder level and deleted a folder containing hundreds of files. Then, without noticing the deletion, I used the other keyboard shortcut to empty the trash can. My immediate efforts to recover the deleted files using Norton and Tech Tool Pro yielded only a few of the files after many hours of slow drive scanning. Luckily I had a pretty recent backup. The worse thing about accidental deletions is that you may not even notice that you did it. Then when you do your backups, the backup file will also be missing whatever you deleted. That's why I find it wise to use only the mouse to deal with trash and do it slowly. I also advise emptying the trash can almost every time you put something in there. That way you will know these items are not accidental trash. Once you empty your trash, you can lose hundreds of accidental deletions forever with little hope of getting them back. And believe me, emptying the trash can is capable of destroying a thousand file items in a split second before you can say "Oh s#&t!" In the event of catastrophic accidental deletions, don't save any open files to that drive because it will over-write on the physical location of files marked as deleted. Then use an un-erase utility such as Norton Utilities/UnErase or Tech Tool Pro before you do anything else. Deleted files are usually not erased until something is saved to the same space on the disk. But even so, it may be impossible to recover.more than a few. Trash carefully!
Do Frequent Saves: Any computer can freeze, crash or go out in a power failure at any moment. Thus it is a good habit to save any data you are working on real often. For instance if you are writing a letter and the dog tripped the cord, you could lose a paragraph or a whole page. But if you are an inspired writer you will want to do a save every few sentences.
Defrag: Use a drive utility program such as Norton Utilities or FWB Toolkit to examine and defragment your drive. Drives do not deposit data in any fashion truly correlating to the naming of files., at least not in any sense that we might assume. In actuality, one file can be written to many parts of a drive. Likewise for the next file used and so forth. Sometimes a file is used on many random dates over a long period of time. The computer will gather up all the data for a single file by reading digital bits from all over the drive. Eventually, the data on the drive becomes broken up into an enormous number of locations on the drive platters as unused space decreases. This will slow down the drive because the drive arm has to make many more motions to gather up existing data or lay down new data. Fragmentation makes the data on the drive subject to more likelihood of corruption. By periodically using a drive utility such as Norton Speed Disk™, driver performance and reliability are greatly increased while potential data corruption is reduced. A drive utility will evaluate the degree of fragmentation and create a graphic visualization allowing you make an informed decision as to whether or not it's time to defrag.
Use a Disk Scan/Repair Utility: Norton Disk Doctor™ (Symantec), Disk First Aid™ (Apple), and FWB Toolkit™ are all drive utilities allowing you to repair buggy hard drives with corrupt data or fix bad bits. These utilities are sometimes invaluable when you have a file that is partially corrupt. Sometimes a corrupt data file can be fixed. But more often they are better at fixing problems before any real corruption occurs. Some disk utilities can be set to scan your drives continuously when your computer is at rest, and will inform you if and when a problem is found. But these utilities are safer when run at manual command since they sometimes disrupt the system in automatic mode if they happen to come on while you are using programs.
Split Your Storage: Use at least two hard on your Mac. Most Macs have the space and internal connections or you can do it externally. It is beneficial to use the startup drive for programs and the operating system exclusively. Use the other for data exclusively. Better yet, have two data drives for speedy backups in addition to the startup. The third drive should be external in case you have an emergency and need to grab your data fast. The startup/programs drive will do a huge number of accesses over time because your system and programs are in constant usage. It is usually a waste of time to back up your programs because you can reinstall them from original CDs if the drive corrupts a program. Data is sacred and I just feel safer keeping it away from program storage. Also keep in mind that your startup drive is the default location for virtual memory, which is nothing more than using your drive as a crutch to assist RAM. Get a CD burner for widely compatible backups and taking your media to a service bureau for print jobs and such chores.
Install and Manage System Memory: Most Macs can benefit from installation of more memory.. Physical RAM is the random access memory chips installed inside your machine. RAM has no moving parts and is therefore much faster than a hard drive. RAM is used to store the active portions of the operating system and currently running applications as well as current data being used or swapped. RAM is electronic and stores nothing once the machine is shut down. The various settings in your Memory Control Panel are a big factor in System performance. Typically you should set your disk cache to 32k for each MB of physical RAM not used as RAM Disk. However the system will normally set this automatically. Don't overdo your Virtual Memory setting. Virtual memory simulates additional memory over and above physical RAM by swapping to a hard drive. Thus overusing it often leads to a crash or data corruption or at least slow performance since VM relies on the hard drive. Typically you should set Virtual Memory only 20% above physical RAM unless you are desperately low on physical RAM. Even then don't go overboard. Unlike Virtual Memory, RAM Disk is a portion of physical RAM you set aside with a desktop icon just like a hard drive to store things only until you shut down your machine. Thus if you are using it as a Netscape cache for instance, it will sock away the data for one session on your lightning speed physical RAM chips instead of tying up the relatively slower hard drive. It's nice to set your RAM Disk at 5 or 10MB if you have enough physical RAM. Set programs like Netscape or Explorer to use it for faster browsing. Memory management is complex at first. But learning to tweak it skillfully can unleash your Mac's maximum potential to speed up your productivity.
Rebuild Your Desktop: Hold down the command and option keys during startup until a window comes up asking if you want to rebuild the desktop for each drive. This is commonly suggested as periodic maintenance of your machine in general and for specific problems. The Mac OS maintains a database of settings pertaining to desktop and system operation. This procedure is needed because your OS generally falls apart over time.
Adjust Program Memory: Some programs will crash or freeze if you don't allot enough memory. There is an escape key maneuver that can sometimes keep you from having to reboot. RAM needs of software can vary and occasionally will require far more than the suggested amounts.
Reinstall OS: Some experts say you should reinstall your OS every six months if your machine goes through average daily usage. OS reinstallation is occasionally the only hope for specific problems, regardless of whether you have a Mac or an IBM compatible. The operating system of any computer undergoes lots of wear and tear because System files are forever being read and rewritten by the hard drive, often while the same drive is administering one or more programs. This flurry of drive activity eventually results in some small or major part of the OS becoming corrupted. A typical machine might go six to 12 months before it needs an OS reinstall and 9 to 18 months before it develops a problem so bad it requires a so-called "clean install" of the Mac OS. A clean install is typically time consuming, especially if there is any likelihood of an extension conflict. You should not perform a clean install without tech help unless you are well familiar with the process of restoring extensions and weeding out any bad ones.
Keep the Latest Mac OS Installed: Each new version of the Macintosh Operating System is a refinement on the last. Typically it incorporates new operating power and greater compatibility with the latest Mac software.
Reset the PRAM: The PRAM (pronounced "pea-RAM") is the parameter RAM, an area of memory (RAM) where many System preference settings are stored (not to be confused with System Preference files). PRAM may control certain preference settings for such things as monitors, ports, sound, keyboard, memory and Power Manager. Resetting PRAM returns the settings to default. Your settings are thus discarded. Resetting or "zapping" PRAM is typically one method attempting to remedy a Mac that crashes, freezes or will not start. You should not reset PRAM for minor or single occurrences of problems. To reset PRAM you reboot the computer and immediately press and hold the following four keys: Option + Command (Apple key) + R + P keys while making sure the Caps key is not in use. Hold the keys until you hear the startup sound twice, then release the keys. Then restore any settings that were lost. (The procedure is in your Mac OS Help file). There are also software utilities designed to zap the PRAM. Some Mach techs feel that the normal zapping method does not always work fully.
Tweak Your SCSI Chain: SCSI, always pronounced "scuzzy", is an acronym that stands for Small Computer Systems Interface. It is a bus system still widely in use on legacy machines even though it is no longer a built-in standard on Macs. Many hard drives and many old flatbed scanners are SCSI. SCSI involves the use of big clunky cables. SCSI is notorious for being temperamental or difficult to set up, especially when more than one or two SCSI peripherals are being added on to a Mac (or IBM) machine. SCSI allows up to seven peripherals on a daisy chain. Typically SCSI performs extremely well once you overcome any problems like ID settings for each unit (selecting a different ID number for each unit, one through 7). But sometimes SCSI will not cooperate. One theory explaining SCSI problems is "line noise" or the crossover of signals between wires inside SCSI cables. It can be a nuisance because peripherals must sometimes be mounted in a particular physical order and cables must often be limited to certain lengths. Termination issues can get complex. Connector configurations occasionally become too varietal to permit simplicity. If you have a SCSI problem you typically check all your ID settings and then start switching the order of cables and devices. You may not know you have a SCSI problem unless you use a SCSI utility or better yet, several. The most important thing about SCSI is to mark where each end of each cable plugs into each item in case you ever move. Once you get your SCSI chain working, it usually remains reliable until you modify it. Techs refer to SCSI work as "SCSI voodoo". That's why SCSI is being replaced by Firewire and USB.
Tweak your USB: Universal Serial Bus peripherals may occasionally freeze the system or in the case of USB drives, fail to mount. Often you can overcome such problems just by unplugging and replugging either a USB cable or the power supply to a bus box. One cause of these USB problems might be that the USB peripherals are drawing too much power.
Replace the CMOS Battery: If you set your clock and date and the settings change the next time you reboot, then your CMOS battery is probably dead. The CMOS keeps track of other settings as well.
Toss Preference File(s): Sometimes you can remedy a problem pertaining to specific software or the desktop or printing problem by trashing the relevant preference file in the Preferences folder in the System folder. The preference file will be made anew upon restarting and loading the relevant software. You may then have to redo your preference settings for the relevant application. The difficult part may be knowing when bad prefs are the problem and then being able to identify the appropriate prefs to toss.
Use Labels to Help Isolate Corrupt Files: The typical procedure for isolating a corrupt extension, file or font normally requires you to go though a lengthy investigation process whereby you you remove files temporarily and restore these items in limited quantities until you reproduce the freeze or crash that you are trying to solve. Such procedure can be one of the most time-consuming things to accomplish since the computer usually must be rebooted often. It can take anywhere from an hour to a whole day or more depending how many files, programs, extensions, fonts and files are packed into the effected computer. The Mac OS allows you to label files from the desktop with labels like "Essential, Hot, In Progress, Cool, Personal, Project 1, and Project 2." Each label has a color code. I have used these labels when narrowing down conflicting extensions and corrupt fonts. If I am testing all the fonts in the System/Font folder I will reboot with all extensions off (to make system use minimum number of fonts). Then I will remove all but the handful of fonts the System is using to a new temporary folder on the desktop. I label these removed items (fonts) "Project 1" (green). If this remaining handful of fonts are vindicated by replicating whatever procedure caused the freeze or crash before (but not this time) then I label the System/Fonts "Cool" (blue) to show they are vindicated. Then I keep restoring random quantities of fonts from the temp folder to the System/Fonts folder and restarting the effected program and/or file until I get the freeze or crash. Each time a group of items (fonts) is restored and tested with no problem, I then label them "In Progress" (pink) in case I need to test them again. Once I get a freeze or crash I reboot and go back to see that one of the greens is the culprit. Once I isolate the particular green item that is causing the freeze or crash I remove it and label all the others "Cool" (blue) in their appropriate folder. You don't need to use my labeling choices. The point is to use those labels because they can help you save time tracking down corrupt items during the most aggravating types of troubleshooting procedures.
Database Your Problem History and Solutions: People with experience using a database program like FileMaker Pro know the power of building up useful data in singular searchable files. Years of computer experience will have you wanting to never forget when you found an ugly problem or special solution to it. Problems can be sorted into many categories. Some appear to be System wide. Others are particular to one program. Some problems are particular to one file. If the file crashes your desktop machine but can be opened with no problem from a laptop networked to the desktop machine, then the problem is particular to the desktop machine. Likewise a file may appear to be corrupt when actually it is freezing the machine only because you have a corrup font among zillions of fonts. Do the math. Troubleshooting is detective work. You need to keep a log of your worst problems on a database. My database has custom fields for entering the program title and version, for checking things like "System" or "Font" or "Extension" or "peripheral". It has a memo field where I lay out my troubleshooting procedure step by step. I use the database not only for my worst troubleshooting experiences. I also use it to log my most useful but otherwise forgetable software tips and hard to find serial numbers and much else. Over a period of time a database identify lots of troublemakers among zillions of extensions, fonts, preference files, peripherals, or programs. It''s not worthwhile to log every nit-picking thing. But it can save you a bundle of time to log any wisdom or data you expect to need later on.
Use a Database Program for File Making: A good DB program like FileMaker Pro can vastly increase your productivity by systematizing the way you file, modify and retrieve data. A DB program helps to keep you from accumulating a huge file count that can eventually become a big mess and a drain on time opening and closing files.
Organize Your Data: Name your drives beginning with a number zero such as "01Drive10GB". This method assures your drive names will appear at the top of any desktop list in any application and in the Apple Menu Item finder. Beyond that, file naming is very personal. Be sure to develop a consistency of method in how you name files and the way you organize them into folders.
Regiment Your Desktop: Learn to use all the file control features that Apple pioneered. Learn to place aliases of your most commonly used utilities or files in your Apple Menu Items folder so they will appear under the Apple Menu (the desktop icon in the upper left corner of your screen). Learn to use pop-up menus. Use Sherlock to find files, especially files whose names you forgot.
Use System Modifiers Sparingly: Beware of any program or inexpensive shareware that seems to modify any truly important part of your Mac OS environment such as the desktop, its pulldown menus, extensions, data compression, utilities, memory management, etc. It's hard to be more specific. Just be sure to track down some critical reviews or multiple expert referrals before you install some program that proposes to add a feature to the Mac OS. Programs which get to the heart of the Mac OS for the purpose of changing it are sometimes wonderful, often horrible. Some have been known to cause extension conflicts, crashes, or specific performance problems. Read up on the latest bugs in bad programs in monthly Mac magazines.
Take Care of Your Mouse: If your screen cursor fails to move freely with your mouse or trackball, it may be time for a cleaning. Remove the ball. Use isopropyl alcohol (from your grocer or drugstore) with cotton swaps and toothpicks to clean all the grunge off the little wheels that normally contact the ball. This needs to be done any time the mouse fails to move freely. Also use your Mouse Control Panel to set your mouse for ideal speed. Normally you'll want it set fast.
Dust Your Machine Inside: The fan in your desktop Mac pumps air to keep your CPU and chips from overheating. Dust can build up fast if you live near a busy street or a dry area. This dust accumulates on electronic components, thermally insulating them. This can lead to more heat build up and more potential for failure or shortened component life. There are several ways to get rid of dust. The most common safe way is to buy a can of tech spray (used for computers and cameras). It is filled with compressed inert gas and comes with a tube to dust in hard to reach places like drive bays and under circuits. Be especially sure to dust the fan and power supply. Open the computer by following your original instruction manual. A compressed air gun can also do the job if it is not powerful enough to damage anything. A third method is to use a specially made tiny vacuum. Do not use brushes or dry cloths to dust as they can generate static that can damage your circuitry. Always make sure your computer is plugged into a grounded outlet and turned off when you open it. Part of your body should be grounded to the chassis or to a grounded water pipe in order to avoid zapping any chips.
Protect Against Electrical Surges: Chances are an electrical storm will not hurt your Mac since desktop Macs have a well regulated power supply. But it's better to be safe than sorry. The worst time to be online on the Internet is during a thunder storm since any unchecked voltage surge can fry your modem through the phone line. In fact modems probably get fried more often than computers. If a power surge enters the power supply of your desktop Mac, it can cause circuit degradation. Power surges can happen even without a thunder storm. Therefore it is common practice to plug your Mac AC cord into a common surge protector available at any office supply store. Read the instructions with your protector to see if it mentions any limits on life of service. A surge protector may fail without a clue if it takes too many jolts. An uninteruptable power supply may provide voltage spike protection depending on the design. Be sure to see if it's mentioned on the specs before you consider buying one. The main purpose of a UPS is to provide a brief period of power (such as 5 to 30 munites) and guarantee you can carry out a normal shutdown procedure in event the power goes out, thus also giving you a chance to save all data that you are working on.
Use Apple System Profiler: This sometimes useful feature of your Apple menu on recent versions of the Mac OS allows added insight into your machine, what's connected to it, what software's installed in it and info about assorted configurations. The data provided may seem banal until you are seeking out some special item that is difficult to obtain through other means.
Fasten Your Cables & Cords: An accidentally yanked or jarred cable can damage the jack it's connected to and make the connection static or defunct. It's a good policy to round up all your outbound desktop Mac cables and fasten them to the computer cabinet using insulated wire scraps or food bag tie wire. This is especially easy if you have a late model Mac (G3 or G4) with handles. If you use a notebook Mac on a table with cables or a power supply, make it a habit of wrapping the cord(s) around the table leg or some other object that will stay with the machine. That way if you forget and trip over the cord or the dog runs by, your expensive laptop won't go flying to the floor. At worst your cord might get damaged.
Anchor Your Mac: Set up your machine on a rock steady desk or table, never a wobbly one. If you have a shaky floor, set up your desk in the corner or against a wall as opposed to the middle of a room. Bumping the desk or frequent vibration during hard drive spin, can eventually cause data corruption because delicate drive heads can mis-write or crash against data while spinning. This usually won't result in physical damage but may require tedious reinstallation of software or the Mac OS. Or you may lose data.
Be Water Wise: A small quantity of liquid can destroy a Mac notebook or desktop. machine in seconds. If you spill even one drop of water into a keyboard or into a laptop, pull the power cord or shut it off as fast as possible, don't even go through normal shutdown procedure. You do NOT have one second to waste. If it's a laptop turn it upside down, then pull the battery out immediately. Likewise, if it's a keyboard turn it upside down and let it evaporate the water for an appropriate amount of time between one hour to 72 hours depending on whether we're talking drizzle or flood. In the meantime use paper towel edges to get between the keys while the keyboard is still upside down. Water can and will cause a short circuit wherever gravity or osmosis causes it to flow. Thus it can damage components. But damage can often be prevented by acting fast. That's why you need to kill the power in a split second after a spill. One time I splashed less than a half teaspoon quantity of soy milk onto my monitor while shaking the soy milk in a container. Apparently the liquid got onto a circuit inside the monitor. The monotor image started melting like an acid burn. I thought my monitor was doomed. I rapidly turned everything off and immediately kept the monitor upside down for over an hour or two. I then parked it on each side for awhile. Later I was pleasantly surprised to save the monitor with no circuit damage. The monitor is still working fine to this day. The key is to act fast. Never use a hair drier to try drying out electronic components. The hair drier can damage chips by inflicting static electricity, an electromegnetic field and deadly heat. You should make it a habit to keep beverages at least four feet away from and preferably lower than any electronic equipment. And get your friends and business associates to do the same when they come near your computer. I know someone who once killed a PowerBook while having a glass of wine. Be very conscious of where you put liquids and how far they might splash if spilled. It all happens too fast.
Use a UPS: An uninterruptable power supply (UPS) unit can save you plenty of trouble. Although most homes and businesses have a relatively stable power supply, many do not. Even a change in one appliance used in your building, can wreak havoc on your computer. In my own experience, after moving to a new location, my late model Mac crashed many times right when the refrigerator went off. Presumably, the fridge drew an extra momentary supply of current, the Mac power supply adjusted to it, and then there was a relative surge each time the fridge compressor clicked off. Although such maladies may not be common, they can theoretically damage the logic board of your computer whether it is a Mac or an IBM PC. A UPS "conditions" the power to your machine. AC Power is supplied from a battery and inverter in the UPS which is constantly recharged from the AC line. Most UPS units are far better at stabilizing power than a mere surge receptacle. A UPS is simply the best way to minimize spikes and dips. A second advantage of a UPS is that it will keep your machine running for a short period of time after a power failure. This is usually just enough time to save your files and do a proper shutdown.
Clean the Keyboard: Use cotton swab sticks and isopropyl alcohol (from the grocery or drugstore) to clean off keyboard grunge leaving it look just like new.
Tame Your Cable Mess: It is a good idea to take apart all your cables periodically and reassemble them for two reasons. Untangling them is just neatness and the other reason is that the motion can keep tarnish from gaining a foothold that might eventually degrade a signal or two, although that depends on your environment and is not usually critical. Use labels for SCSI cables since they are prone to trouble if not always kept in an ideal order. Other cables such as USB and FireWire usually do not need labels unless you just need to learn your cables. It can also be a good idea to bunch some of your cables using insulated wire ties and to set up your computer operation about two feet out from a wall if you have the extra space. This can be very useful for users who have a large number of cabled peripherals that need periodic checking.
Refine Your Ergonomic and Visual Comfort: Optimal computer productivity depends on a good pleasing lighting arrangement, comfortable posture, the proper height and position for your monitor, fresh air flow, isolation from distractions and noise, and a clean orderly desktop. Over time you will discover what works best for you and your computer work will flow more freely.
Use Your Mac Help Files, ReadMe Files and Acrobat Help Files: Many mysteries of the Mac can be solved by simply tapping into the Mac OS help file at the top of your desktop or the Help file in any program you use. Be sure to save every ReadMe file in the folder where you install each new application program. ReadMe files often warn about potential problems and known conflicts. You should also save all Acrobat (PDF) files that come with programs and the Mac OS. These are typically digital manuals you can use to accomplish troubleshooting.
Get Help Online: Apple maintains a vast website offering a stupendous quantity of free resources including specifications, troubleshooting tips and wisdom, updates and much about compatibility. In fact the quality of that web site is just another excellent reason to stay with Macintosh. While a new Mac has a limited free tech support duration, the Apple site offers volumes of data on every Mac, no matter how old or how new. There you will find tens of thousands of pages you can read online. Peruse the Links section of AppleShooter to find tons of other web sites created by Mac fanatics for lots of free helps and tips.
Read Lots of Mac Publications: There are many excellent Macintosh magazines including MacAddict, MacHome, MacWorld, MacToday and MacTech available at supermarkets and bookstores. Seek out well-illustrated and comprehensive books on the Macintosh OS and Mac programs by going to good bookstores or computer superstores. These books, typically costing $15 to $45, are the best way to develop a true depth of Mac knowledge with less dependence upon pro tutors. They can also help you to do some of your own troubleshooting now and then. A leading troubleshooting book is titled "Sad Macs, Bombs and Other Disasters" by Ted Landau (Peachpit Press). Of course, if you read enough of it you won't need me. A quarterly publication titled "MacDirectory" offers thousands of Mac software and hardware company listings including web addresses. It's about six bucks at computer superstores and leading bookstores.
Join a Local Mac User Group: If you have extra time on your hands and feel gung ho about Mac skills, check your local computer newspapers or the local (Denver-Boulder) links on this web site to find Apple Macintosh user groups meeting in your area. These groups are mainly for general Mac users and for specific Mac applications. User groups probably don't have time to deal with too much of your specific troubleshooting questions. But they allow a means to make peer conections and new friends who you can then share Q&A with. User groups are especially recommended when you find one that meets just a few blocks away. Be sure to avoid groups that stagnate or fail to get involved with serious Mac topics. In some cases a Mac user group may help you learn with greater speed and depth.
Contact AppleShooter for Troubleshooting, Maintenance, or Tutoring: Whether you choose to be a do-it-yourselfer or not, you should periodically subject your system to evaluation, maintenance, tune-up or needed tech repairs, unless of course you are practically a Mac tech youself.