Maintenance utilities for Mac Os X

Hi all
Does anyone recommend any type of maintenance utilities for mac os x, to make sure it is running always smoothly and effectively the way it should be? I mean i do sometime use disc utility now and again to make sure all is ok, plus i do run techtool delux that i got with my apple care plan. But anything else I should be doing too?
Thanks in advance

You could try this: http://www.titanium.free.fr/pgs2/english/onyx_leopard.html I've always used this to troubleshoot my Mac and help it run smoothly.

Similar Messages

WHAT REPAIR UTILITY CAN I USE BESIDES NORTON UTILITIES FOR MAC 0S 10.3.9?

I have been reading about the Disk Utility and repairing "repair permissions" and frankly I am confused. Since we cannot ue Norton Utilities for Mac OS 10.3.9. Is there a repair utility which will "deep fix" my hard drive the way that Norton used to before Panther? Some say Disk Warrior and some say Tech Tool. Which one is most effective or is there something else for Mac? Thanks.

Marcia:
In addition to Disk Warrior, mentioned in an earlier post, there is also Tech Tool Pro. DW does a great job of Directory repair and rebuilding. TTP repairs and rebuilds the directory in addition to hardware check, disk scan, files check, and files and disk optimization/defragmentation.
The first recourse, should always be, of course, OS X's own built in Disk Utility (Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility), for Repairing Disk Permissions and Repairing the Disk, along with other tasks.
ali b's links to maintenance sites also link resources for Unix Maintenance (also referred to as CRON cleaning) a very important maintenace item, and other very helpful utilities.
Sorry if this sounds a bit confusing. The sites ali linked have a lot of very useful information and I recommend that you check them out. May I, in addition, commend you for discontinuing the use of Norton.
Good luck.
cornelius
Message was edited by: cornelius

What is the best Maintenance Software for Mac?

I am looking for the best maintenance software out there for mac, anything similar to clean my mac..etc, etc,
What do any of you recommend. Price is not an issue.

1. Disk Warrior - fixes many problems Disk Utility can't even find. The most common potentially
serious problem Disk Warrior fixes that Disk Utility won't fix are Directory Structure problems.
2. iDefrag - a disk optimizer.
Why Defragment?
It has often been asserted that defragmentation (or disk optimization) is not a good idea on
systems using Apple’s HFS+ filesystem. The main reasons given for this historically have been:
HFS+ is very much better at keeping files defragmented than many other commodity filesystems.
Advanced features in recent versions of HFS+ can easily be disrupted by a defragmentation tool
that does not support them, resulting in decreased performance.
There is a risk associated with defragmentation.
Whilst these arguments are certainly valid, they are not the whole story. For one thing, iDefrag,
unlike most other disk defragmentation tools, fully supports the most recent features of HFS+,
namely the metadata zone (or “hot band”) and the adaptive hot file clustering support added in
Mac OS X 10.3. Not only does it avoid disrupting them, but it is capable of fixing disruption caused
by other software by moving files into or out of the metadata zone as appropriate.
Sensible arguments for occasional optimization of your disk include:
HFS+ is not very good at keeping free space contiguous, which can, in turn, lead to large files
becoming very fragmented, and can also cause problems for the virtual memory subsystem on Mac
OS X.
Older versions of the Mac OS are not themselves aware of the metadata zone policy, and may
disrupt its performance.
HFS+ uses B-Tree index files to hold information about the filesystem. If a large number of files
are placed on a disk, the filesystem may have to enlarge these B-Tree structures; however, there is
no built-in mechanism to shrink them again once the files are deleted, so the space taken up by
these files has been lost.
Whilst HFS+ is good at keeping individual files defragmented, mechanisms like Software Update
may result in files that are components of the same piece of software being scattered across the
disk, leading to increased start-up times, both for Mac OS X itself and for applications software.
This is a form of fragmentation that is typically overlooked.
Defragmenting disk images can be helpful, particularly if they are to be placed onto a CD/DVD, as
seeks on CD/DVD discs are particularly expensive.
Some specific usage patterns may cause fragmentation despite the features of HFS+ that are
designed to avoid it.
We do not recommend very frequent optimization of your disk; optimizing a disk can take a
substantial amount of time, particularly with larger disks, far outweighing the benefits that are
likely to be obtained by (say) a weekly optimization regime.
Optimization may make more sense, however, following large software updates, or on an
occasional basis if you notice decreased performance and lots of hard disk seeking on system
start-up or when starting an application.
3. Snow Leopard Cache Cleaner.
- Lots of goodies in that one.
4. Clix - literally, hundreds of utility scripts.
Kj

What are good maintenance apps for Mac mini

What is a good free app for the Mac mini for maintenance?

How to maintain a Mac
1. Make two or more backups of all your files, keeping at least one off site at all times in case of disaster. One backup is not enough to be safe. Don’t back up your backups; all should be made directly from the original data. Don’t rely completely on any single backup method, such as Time Machine. If you get an indication that a backup has failed, don't ignore it.
2. Keep your software up to date. In the App Store or Software Update preference pane (depending on the OS version), you can configure automatic notifications of updates to OS X and other Mac App Store products. Some third-party applications from other sources have a similar feature, if you don’t mind letting them phone home. Otherwise you have to check yourself on a regular basis.
Keeping up to date is especially important for complex software that modifies the operating system, such as device drivers. Don't install such modifications unless they're absolutely necessary. Remove them when they are no longer needed. Before installing any Apple update, you must check that all system modifications that you use are compatible. Incompatibility with third-party software is by far the most common cause of problems with system updates.
3. Don't install crapware, such as “themes,” "haxies," “add-ons,” “toolbars,” “enhancers," “optimizers,” “accelerators,” "boosters," “extenders,” “cleaners,” "doctors," "tune-ups," “defragmenters,” “firewalls,” "barriers," “guardians,” “defenders,” “protectors,” most “plugins,” commercial "virus scanners,” "disk tools," or "utilities." With very few exceptions, such stuff is useless or worse than useless. Above all, avoid any software that purports to change the look and feel of the user interface.
It's not much of an exaggeration to say that the whole "utility" software industry for the Mac is a fraud on consumers. The most extreme examples are the "CleanMyMac," "TuneUpMyMac," and “MacKeeper” scams, but there are many others.
As a rule, you should avoid software that changes the way other software works. Plugins for Photoshop and similar programs are an obvious exception to this rule. Safari extensions, and perhaps the equivalent for other web browsers, are a partial exception. Most are safe, and they're easy to get rid of if they don't work. Some may cause the browser to crash or otherwise malfunction. Some are malicious. Use with caution, and install only well-known extensions from relatively trustworthy sources, such as the Safari Extensions Gallery.
Only install software that is useful to you, not (as you imagine) to the computer. For example, a word processor is useful for writing. A video editor is useful for making movies. A game is useful for fun. But a "cache cleaner" isn't useful for anything. Cleaning caches is not an end in itself.
Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it. Otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve. Do not rely on "utilities" such as "AppCleaner" and the like that purport to remove software.
4. Don't install bad, conflicting, or unnecessary fonts. Whenever you install new fonts, use the validation feature of the built-in Font Book application to make sure the fonts aren't defective and don't conflict with each other or with others that you already have. See the built-in help and this support article for instructions. Deactivate or remove fonts that you don't really need to speed up application launching.
5. Avoid malware. Malware is malicious software that circulates on the Internet. This kind of attack on OS X was once so rare that it was hardly a concern, but malware is now increasingly common, and increasingly dangerous.
There is some built-in protection against malware, but you can’t rely on it—the attackers are always at least one day ahead of the defense. You can’t rely on third-party protection either. What you can rely on is common-sense awareness—not paranoia, which only makes you more vulnerable.
Never install software from an untrustworthy or unknown source. If in doubt, do some research. Any website that prompts you to install a “codec” or “plugin” that comes from the same site, or an unknown site, is untrustworthy. Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must come directly from the developer's website. No intermediary is acceptable, and don’t trust links unless you know how to parse them. Any file that is automatically downloaded from the web, without your having requested it, should go straight into the Trash. A web page that tells you that your computer has a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with it, is a scam.
In OS X 10.7.5 or later, downloaded applications and Installer packages that have not been digitally signed by a developer registered with Apple are blocked from loading by default. The block can be overridden, but think carefully before you do so.
Because of recurring security issues in Java, it’s best to disable it in your web browsers, if it’s installed. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This action is mandatory if you’re running any version of OS X older than 10.6.8 with the latest Java update. Note: Java has nothing to do with JavaScript, despite the similar names. Don't install Java unless you're sure you need it. Most people don't.
6. Don't fill up your disk/SSD. A common mistake is adding more and more large files to your home folder until you start to get warnings that you're out of space, which may be followed in short order by a startup failure. This is more prone to happen on the newer Macs that come with an internal SSD instead of the traditional hard drive. The drive can be very nearly full before you become aware of the problem.
While it's not true that you should or must keep any particular percentage of space free, you should monitor your storage use and make sure you're not in immediate danger of using it up. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of free space on the startup volume for normal operation.
If storage space is running low, use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper to explore the volume and find out what's taking up the most space. Move seldom-used large files to secondary storage.
7. Relax, don’t do it. Besides the above, no routine maintenance is necessary or beneficial for the vast majority of users; specifically not “cleaning caches,” “zapping the PRAM,” "resetting the SMC," “rebuilding the directory,” "defragmenting the drive," “running periodic scripts,” “dumping logs,” "deleting temp files," “scanning for viruses,” "purging memory," "checking for bad blocks," "testing the hardware," or “repairing permissions.” Such measures are either completely pointless or are useful only for solving problems, not for prevention.
To use a Mac effectively, you have to free yourself from the Windows mindset that every computer needs regular downtime maintenance such as "defragging" and "registry cleaning." Those concepts do not apply to the Mac platform.
A well-designed computing device is not something you should have to think about much. It should be an almost transparent medium through which you communicate, work, and play. If you want a machine that needs a lot of attention, use a PC.
The very height of futility is running an expensive third-party application called “Disk Warrior” when nothing is wrong, or even when something is wrong and you have backups, which you must have. Disk Warrior is a data-salvage tool, not a maintenance tool, and you will never need it if your backups are adequate. Don’t waste money on it or anything like it.

Running Maintenance Scripts for Mac OS 10.5.8 HELP!

I am trying to run the maintenance scripts on my laptop for the first time. I go to Terminal type in "sudo periodic daily weekly monthly" and hit return. A warning message pops up the some data may be lost.... and the the Password prompt comes up. I back up consistently so I just want to run the scripts since it has never been done. However, when I try to type in my password, NOTHING types. I hit return and tried again, but nothing. Can someone please help me figure out what is wrong and if there is any other maintenance I need to do to the system?
Thanks in advance for any help.

You don't need to use any utility, or perform any procedure, to make sure OS X's built-in maintenance tasks have run under OS X 10.5 and later.
OS X 10.5 will run its cron jobs automatically (actually, they are no longer handled by the UNIX facility "cron", they are now handled by a similar facility called "launchd". if that means anything to you) whether you have left your computer on all night or not. You no longer need a utility to run missed maintenance as of OS X 10.5. It will run automatically at the next available opportunity. Actually, this was the case as of OS X 10.4, but a bug kept the maintenance routines from running more than once per restart under OS X 10.4. This was fixed in OS X 10.5
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=6552347
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/os/macosx-10.4.ars/5
http://developer.apple.com/macosx/launchd.html

Myths of required versus not required maintenance for Mac OS X

Many people come in here claiming to have run maintenance scripts and other addons thinking they are doing a good thing for their computer. Turns out Mac OS X requires very little basic maintenance. Here is a true false listing of maintenance that Mac OS X requires:
1. Backing up your data. True. Definitely required unless you don't value your data, or wish to spend thousands on data recovery when your hard drive fails, or when you make a mistake about deleting a file that you shouldn't have.
2. Repairing permissions. Partially false. Most times it isn't required. Occasionally though it has been discovered that after a system is updated with new security or new operating system update, that issues disappear when permissions are repaired via Applications -> Utilities -> Disk Utility.
3. Repairing the directory. Partially false. Only required if your data is backed up, and access to your files suddenly is limited even after Spotlight indexing is complete. More true if you get a flashing ? disk, though zapping the PRAM sometimes fixes this issue as well.
4. Deleting cache files. False. Corrupted cache files can create more harm than good, but system maintenance utilities which attempt to delete those files frequently do it when some system applications are running, creating additional corrupted cache files. If you suspect corrupt cache files, often only restoring your backup will fix those issues. If you must try to fix corrupted cache files, backup your data first.
5. Updating prebinding. Partially false. Some applications may not launch properly if their update doesn't update prebinding in the process. Some Mac OS X system updates do updating prebinding when they are optimizing the system. Other times permissions, cache, preference, or incompatibility issues can cause applications not to launch. Backup your data before attempting.
6. Keeping your system not overflowing with data. True. Check your capacity of your system hard drive, and how much space is used. If over 85% is used, it has been arbitrarily found that the system may slow down. Deleting unessential files can help. Ask here what those are.
7. Logfile cleanup. True. Required at least once a month. Some third party utilities will do this manually whenever you choose. It can also be done by the operating system if your system is allowed to run in Screen Saver instead of Energy Saver overnight.
8. Spyware and virus cleanup. True to an extent. While there are no viruses in the wild as of the writing of this article for Mac OS X applications, if you share data with Windows users, you wouldn't want to become the Typhoid Mary affecting those users. Vigilence in understanding that you shouldn't open attachments from unknown e-mail sources and not falling pray to attempted identity information gathering by e-mail is always wise. If uncertain about a source, contact them first to find out if an e-mail really was sent with an e-mail, snail mail, or phone call sent to their known address, and not an e-mail replying to the message you received! The latter may be spoofed.
Mac OS X security updates will keep you even safer, though sometimes a system update is required to get them. Basic good security practices though are always recommended, even if you can't apply those updates, in event your application that you can afford isn't yet updated for the new system.

It is not strictly true that there are no viruses for Mac OS X applications. MS Office applications are Mac OS X applications, as are OpenOffice etc., and my understanding is that Word documents etc. can introduce macro viruses. Even though these may not be able to do the harm they would do on a PC, I believe they can do things such as infecting other documents, templates etc.
Given the number of users who are now also running Windows on their Macs via BootCamp or what have you, should a note about vulnerability to Windows viruses in such cases be added? It sounds otherwise as though only non-Mac Windows users are vulnerable.
- cfr

What is the best app for Maintenance/Cleanup for my mac? Do I need Virus Protection?

What is the best app for Maintenance/Cleanup for my Mac? Do I need Virus protection?

How to maintain a Mac
Make two or more backups of all your files
One backup is not enough to be safe. A copy of a backup doesn't count as another backup; all backups must be made directly from the original data.
Keep at least one backup off site at all times in case of disaster. Backing up to a cloud-data service is one way to accomplish this, but don't rely exclusively on such backups.
In fact, don’t rely exclusively on any single backup method, such as Time Machine.
If you get an indication that a backup has failed, don't ignore it.
Keep your software up to date
In the App Store or Software Update preference pane (depending on the OS version), you can configure automatic notifications of updates to OS X and other Mac App Store products. Some third-party applications from other sources have a similar feature, if you don’t mind letting them phone home. Otherwise you have to check yourself on a regular basis.
Keeping up to date is especially important for complex software that modifies the operating system, such as device drivers. Don't install such modifications unless they're absolutely necessary. Remove them when they are no longer needed. Before installing any Apple update, you must check that all system modifications that you use are compatible. Incompatibility with third-party software is by far the most common cause of difficulties with system updates.
Don't install crapware
...such as “themes,” "haxies," “add-ons,” “toolbars,” “enhancers," “optimizers,” “accelerators,” "boosters," “extenders,” “cleaners,” "doctors," "tune-ups," “defragmenters,” “firewalls,” "barriers," “guardians,” “defenders,” “protectors,” most “plugins,” commercial "virus scanners,” "disk tools," or "utilities." With very few exceptions, such stuff is useless or worse than useless. Above all, avoid any software that purports to change the look and feel of the user interface.
It's not much of an exaggeration to say that the whole "utility" software industry for the Mac is a fraud on consumers. The most extreme examples are the "CleanMyMac," "TuneUpMyMac," and “MacKeeper” scams, but there are many others.
As a rule, you should avoid software that changes the way other software works. Plugins for Photoshop and similar programs are an obvious exception to this rule. Safari extensions, and perhaps the equivalent for other web browsers, are a partial exception. Most are safe, and they're easy to get rid of if they don't work. Some may cause the browser to crash or otherwise malfunction. Some are malicious. Use with caution, and install only well-known extensions from relatively trustworthy sources, such as the Safari Extensions Gallery.
Only install software that is useful to you, not (as you imagine) to the computer. For example, a word processor is useful for writing. A video editor is useful for making movies. A game is useful for fun. But a "cache cleaner" isn't useful for anything. You didn't buy a computer so you could clean caches.
Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it. Otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve. Do not rely on "utilities" such as "AppCleaner" and the like that purport to remove software.
Don't install bad, conflicting, or unnecessary fonts
Whenever you install new fonts, use the validation feature of the built-in Font Book application to make sure the fonts aren't defective and don't conflict with each other or with others that you already have. See the built-in help and this support article for instructions.
Deactivate or remove fonts that you don't really need to speed up application launching.
Avoid malware
"Malware" is malicious software that circulates on the Internet. This kind of attack on OS X was once so rare that it was hardly a concern, but it's now increasingly common and dangerous.
There is some built-in protection against malware, but you can’t rely on it—the attackers are always at least one day ahead of the defense. You can’t rely on third-party "anti-virus" products for protection either. What you can rely on is common-sense awareness—not paranoia, which only makes you more vulnerable.
Never install software from an untrustworthy or unknown source. If in doubt, do some research. Any website that prompts you to install a “codec” or “plugin” that comes from the same site, or an unknown site, is untrustworthy. Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must come directly from the developer's website. No intermediary is acceptable, and don’t trust links unless you know how to parse them. Any file that is automatically downloaded from the web, without your having requested it, should go straight into the Trash. A web page that tells you that your computer has a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with it, is a scam.
In OS X 10.7.5 or later, downloaded applications and Installer packages that have not been digitally signed by a developer registered with Apple are blocked from loading by default. The block can be overridden, but think carefully before you do so.
Because of recurring security issues in Java, it’s best to disable it in your web browsers, if it’s installed. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This action is mandatory if you’re running any version of OS X older than 10.6.8 with the latest Java update. Note: Java has nothing to do with JavaScript, despite the similar names. Don't install Java unless you're sure you need it. Most people don't.
Don't fill up your disk or SSD
A common mistake is adding more and more large files to your home folder until you start to get warnings that you're out of space, which may be followed in short order by a startup failure. This is more prone to happen on the newer Macs that come with an internal SSD instead of the traditional hard drive. The drive can be very nearly full before you become aware of the problem.
While it's not true that you should or must keep any particular percentage of space free, you should monitor your storage use and make sure you're not in immediate danger of using it up. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of free space on the startup volume for normal operation.
If storage space is running low, use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper to explore the volume and find out what's taking up the most space. Move seldom-used large files to secondary storage.
Relax, don’t do it
Besides the above, no routine maintenance is necessary or beneficial for the vast majority of users; specifically not “cleaning caches,” “zapping the PRAM,” "resetting the SMC," “rebuilding the directory,” "defragmenting the drive," “running periodic scripts,” “dumping logs,” "deleting temp files," “scanning for viruses,” "purging memory," "checking for bad blocks," "testing the hardware," or “repairing permissions.” Such measures are either completely pointless or are useful only for solving problems, not for prevention.
To use a Mac effectively, you have to free yourself from the Windows mindset that every computer needs regular downtime for maintenance such as "defragging" and "registry cleaning." Those concepts do not apply to the Mac platform.
A well-designed computing device is not something you should have to think about much. It should be an almost transparent medium through which you communicate, work, and play. If you want a machine that needs a lot of attention just to keep going, use a PC, or collect antique cars.
The very height of futility is running an expensive third-party application called “Disk Warrior” when nothing is wrong, or even when something is wrong and you have backups, which you must have. Disk Warrior is a data-salvage tool, not a maintenance tool, and you will never need it if your backups are adequate. Don’t waste money on it or anything like it.

Tools for mac maintenance? imac quite slow

are there any good free tools (or out of the box ones) for mac maintenance? my imac seems to have slowed down considerably over the last months, and i'm wondering if i can do anything to scan/repair. I know a usual answer is buy more RAM, but hoping to avoid that if possible. here's what i got for output from etrescan:
EtreCheck version: 1.9.15 (52)
Report generated October 4, 2014 at 9:45:31 AM PDT
Hardware Information: ?
iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011) (Verified)
iMac - model: iMac12,1
1 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 4 cores
4 GB RAM
Video Information: ?
AMD Radeon HD 6750M - VRAM: 512 MB
iMac 1920 x 1080
System Software: ?
OS X 10.9.5 (13F34) - Uptime: 7 days 23:43:18
Disk Information: ?
ST3500418AS disk0 : (500.11 GB)
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 499.25 GB (40.6 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5690H
USB Information: ?
Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Apple Inc. iPod
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
Firewire Information: ?
Seagate GoFlex Pro Mac 800mbit - 800mbit max
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
EFI (disk1s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
FreeAgent GoFlex Drive (disk1s2) /Volumes/FreeAgent GoFlex Drive: 499.76 GB (13.53 GB free)
Thunderbolt Information: ?
Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Gatekeeper: ?
Mac App Store and identified developers
Kernel Extensions: ?
[loaded] com.Cycling74.driver.Soundflower (1.6.6 - SDK 10.6) Support
[loaded] com.logmein.driver.LogMeInSoundDriver (1.0.0) Support
Problem System Launch Daemons: ?
[failed] com.apple.AOSNotificationOSX.plist
[failed] com.apple.wdhelper.plist
Launch Daemons: ?
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support
[loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist Support
[not loaded] com.logmein.logmeinserver.plist Support
[loaded] com.logmein.raupdate.plist Support
[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist Support
Launch Agents: ?
[loaded] com.divx.dms.agent.plist Support
[loaded] com.divx.update.agent.plist Support
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support
[running] com.logmein.logmeingui.plist Support
[not loaded] com.logmein.logmeinguiagent.plist Support
[not loaded] com.logmein.logmeinguiagentatlogin.plist Support
User Launch Agents: ?
[failed] com.apple.CSConfigDotMacCert-[...]@me.com-SharedServices.Agent.plist
[loaded] com.valvesoftware.steamclean.plist Support
[running] com.victorpimentel.TVShowsHelper.plist Support
[loaded] uk.co.markallan.clamxav.freshclam.plist Support
User Login Items: ?
Skype
ClamXavSentry
ClamXav
Internet Plug-ins: ?
LogMeInSafari64: Version: 1.0.586 Support
OVSHelper: Version: 1.1 Support
Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
Silverlight: Version: 5.1.10411.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 15.0.0.152 - SDK 10.6 Support
DivX Web Player: Version: 3.2.3.1164 - SDK 10.6 Support
LogMeIn: Version: 1.0.586 Support
Flash Player: Version: 15.0.0.152 - SDK 10.6 Support
LogMeInSafari32: Version: 1.0.586 Support
CitrixICAClientPlugIn: Version: 11.4.3 - SDK 10.0 Support
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
GarminGpsControl: Version: 4.0.2.6 Beta - SDK 10.6 Support
SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.4.4 - SDK 10.6 Support
JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 14.9.0 - SDK 10.7 Check version
Safari Extensions: ?
Ultimate
Audio Plug-ins: ?
BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9
AirPlay: Version: 2.0 - SDK 10.9
AppleAVBAudio: Version: 203.2 - SDK 10.9
iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9
iTunes Plug-ins: ?
Quartz Composer Visualizer: Version: 1.4 - SDK 10.9
User Internet Plug-ins ?
WebEx64: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
3rd Party Preference Panes: ?
Flash Player Support
Perian Support
TVShows Support
Time Machine: ?
Skip System Files: NO
Auto backup: YES
Volumes being backed up:
Macintosh HD: Disk size: 464.96 GB Disk used: 427.15 GB
Destinations:
FreeAgent GoFlex Drive [Local] (Last used)
Total size: 465.44 GB
Total number of backups: 82
Oldest backup: 2013-04-25 15:05:03 +0000
Last backup: 2014-09-28 06:42:19 +0000
Size of backup disk: Too small
Backup size 465.44 GB < (Disk used 427.15 GB X 3)
Time Machine details may not be accurate.
All volumes being backed up may not be listed.
Top Processes by CPU: ?
      3% WindowServer
      2% Finder
      0% coreaudiod
      0% iTunes
      0% fontd
Top Processes by Memory: ?
168 MB iTunes
135 MB softwareupdated
74 MB Google Chrome
74 MB Messages
70 MB mds_stores
Virtual Memory Information: ?
904 MB Free RAM
935 MB Active RAM
512 MB Inactive RAM
941 MB Wired RAM
15.36 GB Page-ins
6.45 GB Page-outs
Thank you in advance

I addition to running less concurrent processes or installing more RAM as Kappy mentioned.
I also see that you have less than 10% of free space left on your HDD.
Disk Information: ?
ST3500418AS disk0 : (500.11 GB)
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 499.25 GB (40.6 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
Which is fairly low and forcing it to work on the slowest part of the HDDs platter.

I was getting support for my Office 2008 for Mac, and the support tech said my OS was very slow. I have latest update for Snow10.6.7. Question how can I speed up my Macbook?

I was getting support for my Office 2008 for Mac, and the support tech said my OS was very slow. I have latest update for Snow10.6.7. Question; How can I speed up my Macbook?

Hi
In the first instance, I'd use Onyx and run through its sequence of maintenance and tune up tools:
Verify, Maintenance, Cleaning.
I'd also reset the SMC and PRAM (Google them)
If that doesn't help then I'd look at System Preferences.. > Accounts > Login Items tab (not Login Options). Check what processes get started at login and decide which ones you don't want.
After that I'd use Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor to see if any processes are using a lot of computer power or if anything else nasty might be happening.
If none of this helped then my final step would be to reinstall OS X.
Bob

Is there any form of system cleanup for mac air

is there any form of system cleanup for mac air

How to maintain a Mac
1. Make redundant backups, keeping at least one off site at all times. One backup is not enough. Don’t back up your backups; make them independent of each other. Don’t rely completely on any single backup method, such as Time Machine. If you get an indication that a backup has failed, don't ignore it.
2. Keep your software up to date. In the Software Update preference pane, you can configure automatic notifications of updates to OS X and other Mac App Store products. Some third-party applications from other sources have a similar feature, if you don’t mind letting them phone home. Otherwise you have to check yourself on a regular basis. This is especially important for complex software that modifies the operating system, such as device drivers. Before installing any Apple update, you must check that all such modifications that you use are compatible.
3. Don't install crapware, such as “themes,” "haxies," “add-ons,” “toolbars,” “enhancers," “optimizers,” “accelerators,” "boosters," “extenders,” “cleaners,” "doctors," "tune-ups," “defragmenters,” “firewalls,” "barriers," “guardians,” “defenders,” “protectors,” most “plugins,” commercial "virus scanners,” "disk tools," or "utilities." With very few exceptions, this stuff is useless, or worse than useless. Above all, avoid any software that purports to change the look and feel of the user interface.
The more actively promoted the product, the more likely it is to be garbage. The most extreme example is the “MacKeeper” scam.
As a rule, the only software you should install is that which directly enables you to do the things you use a computer for — such as creating, communicating, and playing — and does not modify the way other software works. Use your computer; don't fuss with it.
Safari extensions, and perhaps the equivalent for other web browsers, are a partial exception to the above rule. Most are safe, and they're easy to get rid of if they don't work. Some may cause the browser to crash or otherwise malfunction. Some are malicious. Use with caution, and install only well-known extensions from relatively trustworthy sources, such as the Safari Extensions Gallery.
Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it. Otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve.
4. Beware of trojans. A trojan is malicious software (“malware”) that the user is duped into installing voluntarily. Such attacks were rare on the Mac platform until sometime in 2011, but are now increasingly common, and increasingly dangerous.
There is some built-in protection against downloading malware, but you can’t rely on it — the attackers are always at least one day ahead of the defense. You can’t rely on third-party protection either. What you can rely on is common-sense awareness — not paranoia, which only makes you more vulnerable.
Never install software from an untrustworthy or unknown source. If in doubt, do some research. Any website that prompts you to install a “codec” or “plugin” that comes from the same site, or an unknown site, is untrustworthy. Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must be acquired directly from the developer. No intermediary is acceptable, and don’t trust links unless you know how to parse them. Any file that is automatically downloaded from a web page without your having requested it should go straight into the Trash. A website that claims you have a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with your computer, is rogue.
In OS X 10.7.5 or later, downloaded applications and Installer packages that have not been digitally signed by a developer registered with Apple are blocked from loading by default. The block can be overridden, but think carefully before you do so.
Because of recurring security issues in Java, it’s best to disable it in your web browsers, if it’s installed. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This action is mandatory if you’re running any version of OS X older than 10.6.8 with the latest Java update. Note: Java has nothing to do with JavaScript, despite the similar names. Don't install Java unless you're sure you need it. Most people don't.
5. Don't fill up your boot volume. A common mistake is adding more and more large files to your home folder until you start to get warnings that you're out of space, which may be followed in short order by a boot failure. This is more prone to happen on the newer Macs that come with an internal SSD instead of the traditional hard drive. The drive can be very nearly full before you become aware of the problem. While it's not true that you should or must keep any particular percentage of space free, you should monitor your storage consumption and make sure you're not in immediate danger of using it up. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of free space on the startup volume for normal operation.
If storage space is running low, use a tool such as the free application OmniDiskSweeper to explore your volume and find out what's taking up the most space. Move rarely-used large files to secondary storage.
6. Relax, don’t do it. Besides the above, no routine maintenance is necessary or beneficial for the vast majority of users; specifically not “cleaning caches,” “zapping the PRAM,” "resetting the SMC," “rebuilding the directory,” "defragmenting the drive," “running periodic scripts,” “dumping logs,” "deleting temp files," “scanning for viruses,” "purging memory," "checking for bad blocks," "testing the hardware," or “repairing permissions.” Such measures are either completely pointless or are useful only for solving problems, not for prevention.
The very height of futility is running an expensive third-party application called “Disk Warrior” when nothing is wrong, or even when something is wrong and you have backups, which you must have. Disk Warrior is a data-salvage tool, not a maintenance tool, and you will never need it if your backups are adequate. Don’t waste money on it or anything like it.

How to uninstall AVG LinkScanner for Mac

After a bit of an ordeal trying to remove AVG LinkScanner for Mac, heres a bit of help.
My trash started prompting me for my password whenever I placed an item in it after installing either AVG LinkScanner or MacKeeper, both of which i have now, at long last, successfully removed.
AVG Link scanner was an absolute nightmare to uninstall. Instead of simply dragging and dropping into the trash like every other application I’ve ever uninstalled, you have to use a separate uninstaller application. After spending 30 minutes on the phone to AVG customer support, who were actually very helpful, I was finally given a link to which I could download the uninstaller.
In the hope that this may save anyone else the headache it gave me, and the time wasted I'm going to supply the link below to which you can download the uninstaller for AVG LinkScanner if like me, you decide it's annoying and you don't actually want it.
To download the LinkScanner uninstaller for Mac OS X, please click on the link below:
http://download.avgfree.com/filedir/inst/avg_lsm_stf_all_2012_1812.dmg
If you cannot download the files through the link above, please refer to this website:
http://free.avg.com/us-en/download-free-all-product
Hope this helps.

HunterT3001 wrote:
is MacKepper a bad one too?? I think I paid money for that one. Am I a sucker?
Most forum members recommend against it's use. It has a long rather sordid history of using aggressive advertising that often involved stretching the truth. In the beginning the code was unpolished and could do more harm than good. I am led to believe that the latter is no longer a problem and they have at least pretended to change ownership to try and clean up their act, but only time will tell if that's enough.
I guess I'd have to ask you why you think you need an application such as MacKeeper? There is freeware available which can do almost everything it does, but in the hands of an inexperienced user, all of these utilities can be harmful and should never be used for periodic, routine maintenance tasks. The system takes very good care of itself, so they should only be used when you sense there is a problem and target the problem, not fire a shotgun at it.

Can anyone help with a good system maintenance tool for ML

Does any one have any suggestions for a good dependable all-in-one system maintenance tool for ML and is it straight forward and easy to use?
Thanks in advance .....

You really have no need for one. That said:
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. Drive Genius provides additional tools not found in Disk Warrior. Versions 1.5.1 and 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 you are using a pre-Leopard version of OS X, 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 was significantly reduced since Tiger. (These utilities have limited or no functionality with Snow Leopard, Lion, or Mountain Lion and should not be installed.)
OS X automatically defragments 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. For more about malware see Macintosh Virus Guide.
I would also recommend downloading a utility such as TinkerTool System, OnyX 2.4.3, or Cocktail 5.1.1 that you can use for periodic maintenance such as removing old log files and archives, clearing caches, etc.
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 command line. Note that AppleJack 1.5 is required for Leopard. AppleJack 1.6 is compatible with Snow Leopard. (There is no confirmation that this version also works with Lion or later.)
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):
1. Carbon Copy Cloner.
2. Data Backup
3. Deja Vu
4. SuperDuper!
5. SyncTwoFolders
6. Synk Pro
7. Synk Standard
8. Tri-Backup
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQs on maintenance, optimization, virus protection, and backup and restore.
Always have a current backup before performing any system updates or upgrades.
Additional suggestions will be found in
1. Mac Maintenance Quick Assist,
2. Mac OS X speed FAQ,
3. Speeding up Macs,
4. Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance,
5. Essential Mac Maintenance: Get set up,
6. Essential Mac Maintenance: Rev up your routines,
7. Maintaining OS X,
8. Five Mac maintenance myths,
9. How to Speed up Macs, and
10. Myths of required versus not required maintenance for Mac OS X.
Referenced software can be found at CNet Downloads or MacUpdate.
Be sure you have an adequate amount of RAM installed for the number of applications you run concurrently. Be sure you leave a minimum of 10% of the hard drive's capacity or 20 GBs, whichever is greater, as free space.

Safe, easy clean-up app for Mac Book Pro?

Any ideas for a safe, easy clean-up app for my laptop? Getting slow... Thanks!

Kappy's Personal Suggestions About Mac Maintenance
For disk repairs use Disk Utility. For situations DU cannot handle the best third-party utility is: Disk Warrior; DW only fixes problems with the disk directory, but most disk problems are caused by directory corruption. Drive Genius provides additional tools not found in Disk Warrior for defragmentation of older drives, disk repair, disk scans, formatting, partitioning, disk copy, and benchmarking.
Four outstanding sources of information on Mac maintenance are:
1. OS X Maintenance - MacAttorney.
2. Mac maintenance Quick Assist
3. Maintaining Mac OS X
4. Mac Maintenance Guide
Periodic Maintenance
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.) See Mac OS X- About background maintenance tasks. If you are running Leopard or later these tasks are run automatically, so there is no need to use any third-party software to force running these tasks.
If you are using a pre-Leopard version of OS X, 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 was significantly reduced after Tiger. (These utilities have limited or no functionality with Snow Leopard, Lion, or Mountain Lion and should not be installed.)
Defragmentation
OS X automatically defragments 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 except when trying to install Boot Camp on a fragmented drive. But you don't need to buy third-party software. All you need is a spare external hard drive and Carbon Copy Cloner.
Cheap and Easy Defragmentation
You will have to backup your OS X partition to an external drive, boot from the external drive, use Disk Utility to repartition and reformat your hard drive back to a single volume, then restore your backup to the internal hard drive. You will use Carbon Copy Cloner to create the backup and to restore it.
1. Get an empty external hard drive and clone your internal drive to the
       external one.
2. Boot from the external hard drive.
3. Erase the internal hard drive.
4. Restore the external clone to the internal hard drive.
Clone the internal drive to the external drive
1. Open Carbon Copy Cloner.
2. Select the Source volume from the left side dropdown menu.
3. Select the Destination volume from the left side dropdown menu.
4. Be sure the Block Copy button is not depressed or is ghosted.
5. Click on the Clone button.
Destination means the external backup drive. Source means the internal startup drive.
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager appears. Select the icon for the external drive and click on the upward pointing arrow button.
After startup do the following:
Erase internal hard drive
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. After DU loads select your internal 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.
Restore the clone to the internal hard drive
1. Open Carbon Copy Cloner.
2. Select the Source volume from the left side dropdown menu.
3. Select the Destination volume from the left side dropdown menu.
4. Be sure the Block Copy button is not selected or is ghosted.
5. Click on the Clone button.
Destination means the internal hard drive. Source means the external startup drive.
Note that the Source and Destination drives are swapped for this last procedure.
Malware Protection
As for malware protection there are few if any such animals affecting OS X. Starting with Lion, Apple has included built-in malware protection that is automatically updated as necessary. To assure proper protection, update your system software when Apple releases new OS X updates for your computer.
Helpful Links Regarding Malware Protection:
1. Mac Malware Guide.
2. Detecting and avoiding malware and spyware
3. Macintosh Virus Guide
For general anti-virus protection I recommend only using ClamXav, but it is not necessary if you are keeping your computer's operating system software up to date. You should avoid any other third-party software advertised as providing anti-malware/virus protection. They are not required and could cause the performance of your computer to drop.
Cache Clearing
I recommend downloading a utility such as TinkerTool System, OnyX 2.4.3, Mountain Lion Cache Cleaner 7.0.9, Maintenance 1.6.8, or Cocktail 5.1.1 that you can use for periodic maintenance such as removing old log files and archives, clearing caches, etc. Corrupted cache files can cause slowness, kernel panics, and other issues. Although this is not a frequent nor a recurring problem, when it does happen there are tools such as those above to fix the problem.
If you are using Snow Leopard or earlier, then for emergency cleaning 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 command line. Note that AppleJack 1.5 is required for Leopard. AppleJack 1.6 is compatible with Snow Leopard. (AppleJack works with Snow Leopard or earlier.)
Installing System Updates or Upgrades
Repair the hard drive and permissions beforehand.
Update your backups in case an update goes bad.
Backup and Restore
Having a backup and restore strategy is one of the most important things you can do to maintain your computer. 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. You can never have too many backups. Don't rely on just one. Make several using different backup utilities. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
     1. Carbon Copy Cloner
     2. Get Backup
     3. Deja Vu
     4. SuperDuper!
     5. Synk Pro
     6. Tri-Backup
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQs on maintenance and backup and restore.
Always have a current backup before performing any system updates or upgrades.
Final Suggestions
Be sure you have an adequate amount of RAM installed for the number of applications you run concurrently. Be sure you leave a minimum of 10% of the hard drive's capacity or 20 GBs, whichever is greater, as free space. Avoid installing utilities that rely on Haxies, SIMBL, or that alter the OS appearance, add features you will rarely if ever need, etc. The more extras you install the greater the probability of having problems. If you install software be sure you know how to uninstall it. Avoid installing multiple new software at the same time. Install one at a time and use it for a while to be sure it's compatible.
Additional reading may be found in:
1. Mac OS X speed FAQ
2. Speeding up Macs
3. Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
4. Essential Mac Maintenance: Get set up
5. Essential Mac Maintenance: Rev up your routines
6. Five Mac maintenance myths
7. How to Speed up Macs
8. Myths of required versus not required maintenance for Mac OS X
Referenced software can be found at CNet Downloads or MacUpdate.
Most if not all maintenance is for troubleshooting problems. If your computer is running OK, then there isn't really a thing you need to do except repair the hard drive and permissions before installing any new system updates.

What is your view of regularly (weekly) running maintenance utilities/programs

I’m getting mixed messages on whether its necessary to run maintenance utilities/programs as a protective agent or only if something goes wrong. I was told by Micromat that I should run Techtools Pro 6 weekly especially on the volume rebuild and the Cocktail people told me I should run their program at least weekly to keep my iMac clean, efficient and prevent trouble. I’ve had others, such as Dave Nanian, the maker of SuperDuper that he only runs say Disk Warrior if there’s a problem. I don’t want to do something that is unnecessary and may cause potential problems if its not necessary but if there’s value in it I certainly don’t mind.
I just like to get some feedback from other Mac users.
Thanks
Kerry

Thanks. Yes SuperDuper saved my bacon on more than one occassion. Last week I was running Techtools Pro, which I had used for ten years and the final thing I went to run, Volume Rebuild, completely blew my drive. I had to do a complete reformat and I decided to get rid of TTP’s edrive so I just created one partition and cloned my system back from SuperDuper. Whew! It works perfectly now. However, after last weeks incident I’m nervous to run these things especially TTP as they are aware of this problem in 6 cases but they don’t know what’s causing it. I said but your software is meant to prevent and help us recover from a fatal disk error and it couldn’t the destruction was so severe. The disk was renamed disks07 and it sure was no longer bootable.

Windows mediaplayer/flip for mac

does anyone know if either of these two things work on the Intel machines? I cannot seem to find anything and when i have tried these downloads they don't work.
thanks,
chris

If you read the information on Intel Macs you would know that PowerPC plug-ins, preference panes, contextual menu items, etc. that are not universal binaries will not work.
WMP and Flip4Mac players will run as standalone apps via Rosetta, but their plug-ins will not work until they have been converted to universal binaries.
See the following:
A Basic Guide for Migrating to Intel-Macs
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 or G4 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.
Be sure to verify with developer or from information on download sites whether software is a universal binary. Many of the incompatible products currently in use will likely be updated in time.
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. These versions are not universal binaries and will not work on Intel-Macs. 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 only current choice is USB Overdrive. 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 (does not work), TechTool Pro (does not work), SuperDuper (newest release works), and Drive Genius (untested) may not work properly on Intel-Macs. The same caution may apply to the many "maintenance" utilities that have not yet been converted to universal binaries.
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
Written by Kappy with additional contributions from a brody.

Maintenance utilities for Mac Os X

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