I am adopting my daughter's old macbook pro laptop after my laptop crashed. Do I simply restore her old laptop to my latest backup? Will it update her old laptop to my user info?
I am adopting my daughter's old macbook pro laptop after my laptop crashed. Do I simply restore her old laptop to my latest backup? Will it update her old laptop to my user info? MacbookPro OSX 10.9.4, restoring from Timecapsule
Use these guidelines:
http://www.thesafemac.com/how-to-prepare-your-mac-for-sale/
This will insure that the Mac is totally yours with any imprint from your daughter.
Ciao.
Similar Messages
-
Hi,
I have the old MacBook Pro. Upgraded to Mountain Lion which completely wrecked the system. So downgraded to Snow Leopard.
Then updated the combo update. Now stuck on blue screen at start-up.
Need help. Greatly appreciated. Thank you.Downgrade Lion/Mountain Lion to Snow Leopard
1. Boot from your Snow Leopard Installer Disc. After the installer
loads select your language and click on the Continue
button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the
Utilities menu.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the
mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status
of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then
the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART
info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on
the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions
from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS
Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the
partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on
the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Quit DU and return to the installer. Install Snow Leopard.
This will erase the whole drive so be sure to backup your files if you don't have a backup already. If you have performed a TM backup using Lion be aware that you cannot restore from that backup in Snow Leopard (see below.) I suggest you make a separate backup using Carbon Copy Cloner.
If you have Snow Leopard Time Machine backups, do a full system restore per #14 in Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions. If you have subsequent backups from Lion, you can restore newer items selectively, via the "Star Wars" display, per #15 there, but be careful; some Snow Leopard apps may not work with the Lion files. -
Can I use my old Macbook Pro as an external disc drive while installing Windows 7 through boot camp?
I want to install the Windows 7 CD on the newest version of the 2013 Macbook pro 10.9.2 running OSX Mavericks, through Boot Camp. It does not have a disc port, nor do I have an external disc drive....but I do have an older macbook that does have a disc drive and I know you can supplement it for an external disc drive.
My question is can I use my old Macbook pro's as an external disc drive for the installation of Windows 7 in Boot camp? Will this be a problem? Or do I have to buy an external disc drive separately.http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5287
-
My daughter gave me her old MacBook Pro; How can I change the computer name and users account to mine; I have alraedy an Apple ID
Here are the steps to follow when giving away or selling a Mac.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5189?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US -
Migrating info from old Macbook Pro to new Macbook Pro and original laptop loses charge midway thru. After charging again how do I get things going, do I start from the beginning?
Agreed. Don't even think about starting a long, disc-intensive process like that without both machines powered by AC.
-
During an aborted migration attempt from old Macbook Pro to a new machine running Yosemite my recently installed apps and settings have been placed in a deleted user folder. How do I reinstate them?
I suggest starting over. Boot into Recovery mode, wipe the HD, reinstall the OS, and, on first boot, use the steps in Pondini's Setup New Mac guide to do the migration.'
-
Is this 3+ years old MacBook Pro's HDD going bad?
Hello.
I noticed my client's 3+ years old MacBook Pro (15")'s HDD seems to have problems according to its Mac OS X 10.5.8's DIsk Utility. I also tried rebooting, but that did not help. Here's are logs:
2011-10-15 18:07:58 -0700: Disk Utility started.
2011-10-15 18:08:41 -0700: Verifying volume “Macintosh HD”
Starting verification tool: 2011-10-15 18:08:41 -0700
2011-10-15 18:11:40 -0700:
2011-10-15 18:11:41 -0700: Performing live verification.
2011-10-15 18:11:41 -0700: Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
2011-10-15 18:11:41 -0700: Checking Extents Overflow file.
2011-10-15 18:11:41 -0700: Checking Catalog file.
2011-10-15 18:11:41 -0700: 2011-10-15 18:11:41 -0700: Missing thread record (id = 3902449)
2011-10-15 18:11:41 -0700: Incorrect number of thread records
2011-10-15 18:11:41 -0700: Checking multi-linked files.
2011-10-15 18:11:41 -0700: Checking Catalog hierarchy.
2011-10-15 18:11:41 -0700: Invalid volume file count
2011-10-15 18:11:42 -0700: 2011-10-15 18:11:42 -0700: 2011-10-15 18:11:42 -0700: (It should be 683839 instead of 683840)
2011-10-15 18:11:42 -0700: Checking Extended Attributes file.
2011-10-15 18:11:42 -0700: Checking volume bitmap.
2011-10-15 18:11:42 -0700: Checking volume information.
2011-10-15 18:11:42 -0700: 2011-10-15 18:11:42 -0700: The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.
2011-10-15 18:11:42 -0700: Error: Filesystem verify or repair failed.2011-10-15 18:11:42 -0700:
2011-10-15 18:11:42 -0700: Disk Utility stopped verifying “Macintosh HD” because the following error was encountered:
Filesystem verify or repair failed.
2011-10-15 18:11:42 -0700:
===== Saturday, October 15, 2011 6:15:08 PM US/Pacific =====
Console:
10/15/11 5:38:50 PM Disk Utility[279] **********
10/15/11 5:38:50 PM Disk Utility[279] Disk Utility started.
10/15/11 5:40:12 PM Disk Utility[279] Verifying volume “Macintosh HD”
10/15/11 5:40:12 PM Disk Utility[279] Starting verification tool:
10/15/11 5:42:56 PM Disk Utility[279]
10/15/11 5:42:56 PM Disk Utility[279] Performing live verification.
10/15/11 5:42:56 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
10/15/11 5:42:56 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking Extents Overflow file.
10/15/11 5:42:56 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking Catalog file.
10/15/11 5:42:56 PM Disk Utility[279] Missing thread record (id = 3902449)
10/15/11 5:42:56 PM Disk Utility[279] Incorrect number of thread records
10/15/11 5:42:56 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking multi-linked files.
10/15/11 5:42:56 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking Catalog hierarchy.
10/15/11 5:42:56 PM Disk Utility[279] Invalid volume file count
10/15/11 5:42:57 PM Disk Utility[279] (It should be 683842 instead of 683843)
10/15/11 5:42:57 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking Extended Attributes file.
10/15/11 5:42:57 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking volume bitmap.
10/15/11 5:42:57 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking volume information.
10/15/11 5:42:57 PM Disk Utility[279] The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.
10/15/11 5:42:57 PM Disk Utility[279] Error: Filesystem verify or repair failed.
10/15/11 5:42:57 PM Disk Utility[279]
10/15/11 5:42:57 PM Disk Utility[279] Disk Utility stopped verifying “Macintosh HD” because the following error was encountered:
Filesystem verify or repair failed.
10/15/11 5:42:57 PM Disk Utility[279]
10/15/11 5:55:14 PM Disk Utility[279] Verifying volume “Macintosh HD”
10/15/11 5:55:14 PM Disk Utility[279] Starting verification tool:
10/15/11 5:55:14 PM Disk Utility[279]
10/15/11 5:55:14 PM Disk Utility[279] Performing live verification.
10/15/11 5:55:14 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
10/15/11 5:55:14 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking Extents Overflow file.
10/15/11 5:55:14 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking Catalog file.
10/15/11 5:55:49 PM Disk Utility[279] Stopped by user
10/15/11 5:55:49 PM Disk Utility[279] Verifying tool completed:
10/15/11 5:55:49 PM Disk Utility[279]
10/15/11 5:55:49 PM Disk Utility[279]
10/15/11 5:55:53 PM Disk Utility[279] Verifying volume “Macintosh HD”
10/15/11 5:55:53 PM Disk Utility[279] Starting verification tool:
10/15/11 5:55:53 PM Disk Utility[279]
10/15/11 5:55:53 PM Disk Utility[279] Performing live verification.
10/15/11 5:55:53 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
10/15/11 5:55:53 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking Extents Overflow file.
10/15/11 5:55:53 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking Catalog file.
10/15/11 5:58:32 PM Disk Utility[279] Missing thread record (id = 3902449)
10/15/11 5:58:32 PM Disk Utility[279] Incorrect number of thread records
10/15/11 5:58:32 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking multi-linked files.
10/15/11 5:58:32 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking Catalog hierarchy.
10/15/11 5:58:33 PM Disk Utility[279] Invalid volume file count
10/15/11 5:58:33 PM Disk Utility[279] (It should be 683843 instead of 683844)
10/15/11 5:58:33 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking Extended Attributes file.
10/15/11 5:58:33 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking volume bitmap.
10/15/11 5:58:33 PM Disk Utility[279] Checking volume information.
10/15/11 5:58:33 PM Disk Utility[279] The volume Macintosh HD needs to be repaired.
10/15/11 5:58:33 PM Disk Utility[279] Error: Filesystem verify or repair failed.
10/15/11 5:58:33 PM Disk Utility[279]
10/15/11 5:58:33 PM Disk Utility[279] Disk Utility stopped verifying “Macintosh HD” because the following error was encountered:
Filesystem verify or repair failed.
10/15/11 5:58:33 PM Disk Utility[279]
I noticed DU said to try rebooting with the disc, but I can't find that DVD so I will need to use a third party. I thought about using smartctl, but it has to be done through Fink. I don't want to have to download, configure, etc. it since this might make the HDD issue worse. I already ran TimeMachine and a manual backup copy of the profiles (data only).
What else can I try? Thank you in advance.BDAqua wrote:
Laptop drives do die earlie than others, but you may need to just repair it...
Tough without the Install disc, but some things to try...
Does it boot to Single User Mode, CMD+s keys at bootup, if so try...
/sbin/fsck -fy
Repeat until it shows no errors fixed.
(Space between fsck AND -fy important).
Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
Thanks! I just started that command. This might take a while? Is there a way to log all the results just in case? So far, it says "Miss thread record..", "Incorrect number of thread records (4, 36436), Invalid file count should be 63849 instead of 68348, etc. -
How do I transfer files from my old MacBook Pro to my New MacBook Pro?
I am trying to transfer some files, not all, from my old MacBook Pro to my new MacBook Pro. I have tried to use Migration Assistant, but it doesn't let me choose what I want to transfer (only generic things like "users" and "files and folders"). I have tried to use Firewire. Now here is the funny thing. When I put my old mac in target mode it doesn't appear on my new mac anywhere. But, when I put my new mac in target mode, it pops right up on the dashboard and in finder. The problem is I have tried using my new mac as the target and just place the files into the icon, but the don't stay after I eject. I get a prompt that says downloading and when all files and apps are transferred I turn off my new mac then turn it back on and nothing. I've done search after search and repeated this process 3 times and nothing. Am I doing something wrong? Please help.
Time Machine will not "overwrite". New back ups are added to what is there, without erasing.
Connect the Time Machine back up, double click on the icon and navigate through its contents - the back ups are chronological, so you just select the date then go through the contents just like on any other drive. You can select any files you want and drag and drop on the new Mac's desktop (or anywhere else). -
I recently purchased Snow Leopard v10.6.3 in order to upgrade the OSX platform on my 5 year old Macbook Pro. That loaded without trouble. Then I needed to do an online upgrade from 10.6.3 to 10.6.8 (via 10.6.4) and there the trouble commenced !! Somewhere along the way, the "Mail" application simply disappeared! On advice from Apple telephone support, I did a "selective" reinstall of "Mail" from the Snow Leopard disk, but the version of Mail it loaded (v4.5) was wrong for use with OSX v10.6.8 and so it kept asking for the 'latest" version (v4.6) and just would not work. I tried a "Fix" download provided on the Apple site, that didn't work.
I spent 2 hours at the Genius Bar of my local Apple Store and they finally found a fix, after some difficulty. Apparently there had been a programming error somewhere in one of the Apple update downloads.
So now I have "Mail" back - but the Mailbox folders now not as they were before - particularly they do not contain my archive Folders that I had been using to store certain historic emails.
I think the folder structure on "Mail" is now identical to that on my "BT Yahoo" screen - whereas before they had been different. My local Apple Store told me that it was practice now to synchronise the "Mail" screen and (for example) the BT Yahoo screen to be identical. This is well and good going forward - but does not help me with access to my historic "email filing system" !!
Anyone help me find those missing folders ?? They must be stored somewhere, but where ??!!
Cheers
Higgins5000Use the trackpad to scroll, thats what it was designed for. The scroll bars automatically disappear when not being used and will appear if you scroll up or down using the trackpad.
This is a user-to-user forum and most people will post on here if they have problems. You very rarely get people posting to say there update went smooth. The fact is the vast majority of Mountain Lion users will not be experiencing any major problems with the OS, or maybe with apps which are not compatible, but thats hardly Apple's fault if developers don't update their apps. -
Trapped at transferring data from my old macbook pro to iMac
I got a new iMac yesterday and was trying to transfer data from my old macbook pro to iMac through time machine...
However, I encountered HUGE problems....
Background info: I set up a new account before I transffered my data.
Here is what I did:
I used migration assistance to transfer data. I chose to transfer everything listed on migration assistance from time machine to my new iMac.
After this process was completed, I switched to the transferred account from my newly-set account. Then I realized all the old stuf, (including the software problems + old apps such as microsoft 2008, had been transferred to my new iMac. what I really wanted were all the documents, pictures and music! Therefore I decided to delete this account....
Question 1:
1) I deleted the transferred account, then there was a windown came up asking me if i wanted to keep the home folder, I chose no. then mac started cleaning up and BACKING UP. Since I already had a copy of everything, I stopped the backup process....then this transferred account was deleted. However, everything was still on my mac that I don't have access to (at least I don't know how...) when I checked my mac stroage!
Could anyone tell me how to delete all the files I transferred from time machine to my new iMac?
Question 2:
2) how can i only transfer documents+pictures+music from my old macbook pro to new iMac through time machine without creating a new account? I want all the files to be directly transferred to my newly-set account...
LSS:
Question 1
I tried to transfer everthing from my old macbook pro to new iMac but i realized there were something I didn't want that had been transferred as well. Therefore I deleted this transferred account. However, all the files are still in my mac even if I have deleted that account. Could anyone tell me how I can access to those content and delete them?
Question 2
I just want the documents, music and pictures (from iPhone library) to be directly transferred to the newly-set account on my iMac through time machine (instead to transferred the whole old account to my imac) How can I do it??
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE OF GOING THROUGH THIS MESSAGE. I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IF YOU COULD GIVE ME A HAND.
btw, you can totally see that i'm not a computer person at all....:( thanks for your help!!I suggest starting over. Boot into Recovery mode, wipe the HD, reinstall the OS, and, on first boot, use the steps in Pondini's Setup New Mac guide to do the migration.'
-
I recently bought a new MacBook Pro, and wanted to transfer all the data from my old MacBook Pro, but I get the message saying I need to update time machine on my old one in order to use time machine. However, my old one is too old to update. So I decided to use the cable to transfer, because I heard I can do it that way even though it could take time. But I have no idea what to do...
Can someone help me?A Basic Guide for Migrating to Intel-Macs
The Knowledgebase article Intel-based Mac: Some migrated applications may need to be updated refers to methods of dealing with migrating from PowerPC chips to Intel with the Migration Assistant safely. The authors of this tip have not had a chance to verify this works in all instances, or that it avoids the 10.6.1 and earlier Guest Account bug that caused account information to get deleted upon use of the Migration/Setup Assistant. However, a well backed up source that includes at least two backups of all the data that are not connected to your machine will help you avoid potential issues, should they arise. In event it does not work, follow the steps below.
If you are migrating a PowerPC system (G3, G4, or G5) to an Intel-Mac be careful what you migrate. Keep in mind that some items that may get transferred will not work on Intel machines and may end up causing your computer's operating system to malfunction.
Rosetta supports "software that runs on the PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor that are built for Mac OS X". This excludes the items that are not universal binaries or simply will not work in Rosetta:
Classic Environment, and subsequently any Mac OS 9 or earlier applications
Screensavers written for the PowerPC System Preference add-ons
All Unsanity Haxies Browser and other plug-ins
Contextual Menu Items
Applications which specifically require the PowerPC G5 Kernel extensions
Java applications with JNI (PowerPC) libraries
See also What Can Be Translated by Rosetta.
In addition to the above you could also have problems with migrated cache files and/or cache files containing code that is incompatible.
If you migrate a user folder that contains any of these items, you may find that your Intel-Mac is malfunctioning. It would be wise to take care when migrating your systems from a PowerPC platform to an Intel-Mac platform to assure that you do not migrate these incompatible items.
If you have problems with applications not working, then completely uninstall said application and reinstall it from scratch. Take great care with Java applications and Java-based Peer-to-Peer applications. Many Java apps will not work on Intel-Macs as they are currently compiled. As of this time Limewire, Cabos, and Acquisition are available as universal binaries. Do not install browser plug-ins such as Flash or Shockwave from downloaded installers unless they are universal binaries. The version of OS X installed on your Intel-Mac comes with special compatible versions of Flash and Shockwave plug-ins for use with your browser.
The same problem will exist for any hardware drivers such as mouse software unless the drivers have been compiled as universal binaries. For third-party mice the current choices are USB Overdrive or SteerMouse. Contact the developer or manufacturer of your third-party mouse software to find out when a universal binary version will be available.
Also be careful with some backup utilities and third-party disk repair utilities. Disk Warrior, TechTool Pro , SuperDuper , and Drive Genius work properly on Intel-Macs with Leopard. The same caution may apply to the many "maintenance" utilities that have not yet been converted to universal binaries. Leopard Cache Cleaner, Onyx, TinkerTool System, and Cocktail are now compatible with Leopard.
Before migrating or installing software on your Intel-Mac check MacFixit's Rosetta Compatibility Index.
Additional links that will be helpful to new Intel-Mac users:
Intel In Macs
Apple Guide to Universal Applications
MacInTouch List of Compatible Universal Binaries
MacInTouch List of Rosetta Compatible Applications
MacUpdate List of Intel-Compatible Software
Transferring data with Setup Assistant - Migration Assistant FAQ
OS X Lion: How to use Migration Assistant to transfer files from another Mac
Because Migration Assistant isn't the ideal way to migrate from PowerPC to Intel Macs, using Target Disk Mode, copying the critical contents to CD and DVD, an external hard drive, or networking will work better when moving from PowerPC to Intel Macs. The initial section below discusses Target Disk Mode. It is then followed by a section which discusses networking with Macs that lack Firewire.
If both computers support the use of Firewire then you can use the following instructions:
Repair the hard drive and permissions using Disk Utility.
Backup your data. This is vitally important in case you make a mistake or there's some other problem.
Connect a Firewire cable between your old Mac and your new Intel Mac.
Startup your old Mac in Transferring files between two computers using FireWire.
Startup your new Mac for the first time, go through the setup and registration screens, but do NOT migrate data over. Get to your desktop on the new Mac without migrating any new data over.
If you are not able to use a Firewire connection (for example you have a Late 2008 MacBook that only supports USB:)
1. Set up a local home network: Creating a small Ethernet Network.
2. If you have a MacBook Air or Late 2008 MacBook see the following:
MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008) and MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008)- What to do if migration is unsuccessful;
MacBook Air- Migration Tips and Tricks;
MacBook Air- Remote Disc, Migration, or Remote Install Mac OS X and wireless 802.11n networks.
Copy the following items from your old Mac to the new Mac:
In your /Home/ folder: Documents, Movies, Music, Pictures, and Sites folders.
In your /Home/Library/ folder:
/Home/Library/Application Support/AddressBook (copy the whole folder) /Home/Library/Application Support/iCal (copy the whole folder)
Also in /Home/Library/Application Support (copy whatever else you need including folders for any third-party applications)
/Home/Library/Keychains (copy the whole folder) /Home/Library/Mail (copy the whole folder) /Home/Library/Preferences/ (copy the whole folder) /Home /Library/Calendars (copy the whole folder) /Home /Library/iTunes (copy the whole folder) /Home /Library/Safari (copy the whole folder)
If you want cookies:
/Home/Library/Cookies/Cookies.plist /Home/Library/Application Support/WebFoundation/HTTPCookies.plist
For Entourage users:
Entourage is in /Home/Documents/Microsoft User Data Also in /Home/Library/Preferences/Microsoft.
Credit goes to Macjack for this information.
If you need to transfer data for other applications please ask the vendor or ask in the Discussions where specific applications store their data.
5. Once you have transferred what you need restart the new Mac and test to make sure the contents are there for each of the applications.
Written by Kappy with additional contributions from a brody.Revised 5/21/2011 -
Old MacBook Pro slow and hangs frequently, hard drive problems?
Hi,
I have an old Macbook Pro (one of the originals, from about 4 1/2 years ago). Recently I've been noticing that it runs really slow, especially when its been running for a while and there are multiple programs open. It will take a long time to switch between windows, opening a tab in Safari will usually cause a spinning beach ball for 10-15 seconds and Safari crashes frequently. Other programs have similar problems, but don't normally crash. It's running Snow Leopard and has 1GB of RAM. Obviously I expect it to be slower with lots of stuff open, but my usage patterns haven't changed and its performance certainly has. The harddrive always seems to be being accessed when I have these problems.
The hard drive S.M.A.R.T. status is "verified," and I ran the Apple Hardware Test and it came out fine. But I'm still really worried that something could be going wrong, especially with the hard drive and since I am going away in a few weeks to work on a project and will be away from my backup drive I really want to make sure any problem is taken care of beforehand.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what could be the the problem or about anything I should try?
Much Thanks.With lots of concurrent processes and insufficient memory you will experience slow performance and beachballing. This is because the OS is forced to use the hard drive to replace the non-existent physical RAM. See the following:
About OS X Memory Management and Usage
Reading system memory usage in Activity Monitor
Memory Management in Mac OS X
Performance Guidelines- Memory Management in Mac OS X
A detailed look at memory usage in OS X
Understanding top output in the Terminal
The amount of available RAM for applications is the sum of Free RAM and Inactive RAM. This will change as applications are opened and closed or change from active to inactive status. The Swap figure represents an estimate of the total amount of swap space required for VM if used, but does not necessarily indicate the actual size of the existing swap file. If you are really in need of more RAM that would be indicated by how frequently the system uses VM. If you open the Terminal and run the top command at the prompt you will find information reported on Pageins () and Pageouts (). Pageouts () is the important figure. If the value in the parentheses is 0 (zero) then OS X is not making instantaneous use of VM which means you have adequate physical RAM for the system with the applications you have loaded. If the figure in parentheses is running positive and your hard drive is constantly being used (thrashing) then you need more physical RAM.
Also, a small hard drive with too little free space and a system lacking in any regular maintenance can also lead to slow performance. See the following:
Kappy's Personal Suggestions for OS X Maintenance
For disk repairs use Disk Utility. For situations DU cannot handle the best third-party utilities are: Disk Warrior; DW only fixes problems with the disk directory, but most disk problems are caused by directory corruption; Disk Warrior 4.x is now Intel Mac compatible. TechTool Pro provides additional repair options including file repair and recovery, system diagnostics, and disk defragmentation. TechTool Pro 4.5.1 or higher are Intel Mac compatible; Drive Genius is similar to TechTool Pro in terms of the various repair services provided. Versions 1.5.1 or later are Intel Mac compatible.
OS X performs certain maintenance functions that are scheduled to occur on a daily, weekly, or monthly period. The maintenance scripts run in the early AM only if the computer is turned on 24/7 (no sleep.) If this isn't the case, then an excellent solution is to download and install a shareware utility such as Macaroni, JAW PseudoAnacron, or Anacron that will automate the maintenance activity regardless of whether the computer is turned off or asleep. Dependence upon third-party utilities to run the periodic maintenance scripts had been significantly reduced in Tiger and Leopard. These utilities have limited or no functionality with Snow Leopard and should not be installed.
OS X automatically defrags files less than 20 MBs in size, so unless you have a disk full of very large files there's little need for defragmenting the hard drive. As for virus protection there are few if any such animals affecting OS X. You can protect the computer easily using the freeware Open Source virus protection software ClamXAV. Personally I would avoid most commercial anti-virus software because of their potential for causing problems.
I would also recommend downloading the shareware utility TinkerTool System that you can use for periodic maintenance such as removing old logfiles and archives, clearing caches, etc. Other utilities are also available such as Onyx, Leopard Cache Cleaner, CockTail, and Xupport, for example.
For emergency repairs install the freeware utility Applejack. If you cannot start up in OS X, you may be able to start in single-user mode from which you can run Applejack to do a whole set of repair and maintenance routines from the commandline. Note that AppleJack 1.5 is required for Leopard. AppleJack 1.6 is compatible with Snow Leopard.
When you install any new system software or updates be sure to repair the hard drive and permissions beforehand. I also recommend booting into safe mode before doing system software updates.
Get an external Firewire drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
Backuplist
Carbon Copy Cloner
Data Backup
Deja Vu
iBackup
JaBack
Silver Keeper
MimMac
Retrospect
Super Flexible File Synchronizer
ynchronizer
SuperDuper!
Synchronize Pro! X
SyncTwoFolders
Synk Pro
Synk Standard
Tri-Backup
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQs on maintenance, optimization, virus protection, and backup and restore.
Additional suggestions will be found in Mac Maintenance Quick Assist.
Referenced software can be found at CNet Downloads or MacUpdate.
This should give you a few things to start sorting things out and getting better performance from your computer within its limitations.
If you have a Core Duo model then 2 GBs is the maximum RAM you can install. If you have a Core 2 Duo model then you can install up to 4 GBs but they system will only make use of 3 GBs. As for the hard drive it can be replaced. Notebook drives in the 250 to 500 GB - 7200 RPM range are relatively inexpensive. Visit OWC for pricing on drives and RAM. Visit Data Mem for pricing on RAM. -
I gave my old MacBook Pro away and no longer have access to it. I didn't think to deauthorize it first. I DO NOT want it to have access to all music in my iCloud or any music that may have been downloaded sinceI gave away the computer. It now belongs to my teenage daughter,who has since been in my WI-FI area and knows that code. I had EVERYTHING removed from the computer before I gave it to her (long story), but since I hadn't deauthorized the Mac,I'm assuming even without the itunes password the iCloud material would had loaded onto her computer.My iCloud had somehow included personal voice mails under Unknown Artist that I did not want on there or shared. How can I deauthorize the Mac Laptop without having the machine available to do it on? Change the iTunes/iCloud password? I should now have my desktop computer, new PC (Aspire) laptop,Ipod Touch, and if possible my Evo 3D as well as my boyfriend's Samsung smartphone being able to access the iCloud account/library--whatever it is called. HELP
Thanks, I appreciate the help. I think this is one of the problems Apple is creating by changing the OS so often. I had fomer colleagues at [a major aerospace contractor] who told me that so many original files were ultimately lost because of the deadly change in the "Save As" operation that they are now afraid of every OS update. Apple has badly damaged their support base with that very prominent company (they won't update now until they've fully examined and understand changes in the pre-conditioned nature of OS computer functions), and they are a whole lot less enthaled with Mac-related equipment/software. Can't blame them, I too used orginal files that way (as easy-to-use templates), and lost some important files before I realized what was happening (to late to revert). Companies should not have to retrain employees each time an OS gets an update, it's can be very expensive several different ways. They learned a painful lesson with that one. And because I'm now retired and don't use multiple devices, I need iCloud like I need a hole in the head... but I'm told there's no way to keep Apple out of my computer. Fortunately, because of major problems when initially installing Mountain Lion, one hold-over of the hardware/software damage I experienced was that iCloud can no longer access my computer even though everything else is working fine again. That was the only "good luck" I had as a result of that expensive nightmare.
-
How can I transfer my email accounts and emails from my old macbook pro with ML to my new macbook pro with ML
Do you have your system backed up to Time Machine? If so, you can open your user Library and copy your Mail folder from Time Machine to your Desktop on your new machine; then copy THAT folder to your new machine's user Library.
To get to your user Library, open Finder and Go and press the Option key. Library will show up. Click on it to get into your user Library. Now go into Time Machine and you should see your user Library for Time Machine. Restore the Mail folder to your Desktop. -
since upgrading phone to iOS 5. I have an old macbook pro and it is running snow leopard OS 10.6.8. I have a minimum of 40 recurring events per week, several of which change. I use the information to schedule future appointments based on those changes and it's causeing a major problem to not have the changes sync. Any help would be very much appreciated.
Did you try to replace the calendar info on the phone with the one on your Mac? You can find this option in iTunes/Info pane, Advanced section.
Maybe you are looking for
-
I have problem login to you tube built in
I have problem login to youtube built in in ipad1 3.2 upgraded to 5.1.1, it simply do not get in rather in pc logged in without problems well? may install new you tube app not built in but stand alone or it can not done?
-
Can I use Apple TV with time Warner cable? I have the Twc bundle of cable, phone and wifi. Thanks for your help!
-
I can't invite my husband to appts using iCloud to his outlook ever since iCloud came out. how
ever since we installed icloud we cant send invites to my husband or possibly anyone else. what to do? we just bought all new computers and still an isssue
-
Why is Warranty replacement always a hassle?
I have had to replace my phone several times through the warranty program. Each time I have been given a phone that had problems. It seems as if they don't verify that these phones are working correctly before sending them to customers. And on top of
-
Tracing images - I'm not doing it right.
Hi, I'm using Image Trace to trace a black and white shape and I need some pointers on the procedure as I'm getting unwanted results. I want to end up with one shape, yet (especially it seems with complex shapes) I seem to end up with a stacked dupli