Apple Logic Pro /LogicExpress Discussion

from NY Times 



Maintaining the Mac 


By J. D. BIERSDORFER

Published: December 3, 2008 



Q. I recently switched to a Mac from Windows and was wondering what type of regular maintenance needs to be done to keep the computer running smoothly. I haven’t found the Mac equivalent of Disk Defragmenter, so what should I do?



A. Mac OS X, which is based on the Unix operating system, does not include its own disk defragmentation program. According to Apple, however, Mac OS X does not need to be regularly defragmented because the system uses disk space in a way that tries to avoid fragmenting files to begin with. It’s all explained at support.apple.com/kb/HT1375.

The Mac does include a program called Disk Utility that can help solve quirky system behavior or repair damaged disks. Apple has information on how to find it and use it at support.apple.com/kb/TS1417.

The Mac system also automatically runs many routine maintenance chores in the background, like purging unneeded system logs or temporary files. By default, the Mac usually does its self-maintenance between 3:15 to 5:30 in the morning (in the computer’s local time zone) as long as the machine is left on and is not in sleep mode.

If you regularly shut down at night, you can manually run these routines at a given time. Apple has tips and suggestions for utility programs at support.apple.com/kb/HT2319. Apple’s site also offers a link to a utility called Maintenance 3.8 that can perform many basic maintenance
 and troubleshooting tasks to keep the Mac running smoothly; visit www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/automator/maintenance.html for the free download.

Macworld magazine has its own guide for more detailed maintenance chores and commercial utility software at snipurl.com/6vv87.


Questions about computer-based technology may be sent to QandA @.... This weekly column will address questions of general interest, but e-mail and letters cannot be answered individually.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]