do i need to defrag the HD like you do on a winbox? anything else that falls in this area? <br><br>

Defraging, desktop rebuilding, PRAM zapping, extensions & preferences Ä's cleaning, ect, ect, ectÉ<br><br>[color:red]-- John Bailey</font color=red> ( [color:red]Bdog</font color=red> )<br><br>[color:blue]Email Me!</font color=blue> [email] [color:green]bdog_111@yahoo.com</font color=green> [/email]

scaught....<br><br>there are a lot of utilities out there... I trust Misha's judgement on which are best.... ask him. yes, you should do all of what is recommend just above my post.... and frequently... most of all though... back up quarterly if nor more often your most important files....<br><br>***<br>"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." <br> -- Ecclesiastes 10:2

thanks for the replies so far, but im not the most knowledgable about macs, yet, but am learning quite alot. i rely on a 17 year old australian kid for all my computer help. heh. so if you could point me to programs or instructionals that would be great. thanks<br><br>

I pretty much go overboard with my Mac maintenance. What I've done is create a SuperUtilities Disk. I have TechTool Pro, DiskWarrior, Disk First Aid and a 9.1 system folder so that I can boot off of this disk.<br><br>TechTool takes care of all my general diagnostic/repair needs, while DiskWarrior keeps my directiories optimized and PlusOptimizer (included with DiskWarrior) keeps my drives optimized. I boot up from this disk at least once a week and check my computer for any problems and optimize the drives - like I said, I go overboard, but then I've never had a meltdown or any major problems. There's also a great little AppleScript that you get with DiskWarrior that you put in your ShutDown Items Folder that auto-magically optimizes your hard drives. It's great. Just let my HD's get optimized when I go to sleep, I wake up and everyone's happy!<br><br>A lot of people use Norton Disk Doctor over TTP, but since having to deal with their customer service a little over a year ago, I will not support that product. Besides I think TTP is a better all-round product with the exception of it's Drive Optimization feature which it incredibly slow! (That's why I use PlusOptimizer - just as fast and efficient as Speed Disk).<br><br>The bottom line is that most Mac Gurus I think will agree that if you have TechTool Pro, DiskWarrior and Norton Utilities you will be pretty much covered. Since there is a lot of functionality overlap with NDD and TTP you can probably pick one over the other and you'll be fine, but I highly recommend DiskWarrior. Even though it is a very specialized tool (Directory Optimization) it is worth it's weight in gold IMO and the inclusion of PlusOptimizer just makes it a must have for any Mac owner.<br><br>Here's the links to the products I mentioned:<br>DiskWarrior/PlusOptimizer<br>TechTool Pro<br>Norton Utilities<br><br>

ages since I used Norton and nearly as long since I used TT pro... use MacsBug & DFA mostly and DiskWarrior, occasionally... but I don't screw up my directories like I used to...using Conflict Catcher to manage extensions is the best way, though since CC taught me what to do ... I do a lot manually..<br><br>

Hey, Cake, that's exactly what I did! Great minds, doncha know <br><br>And that's true too/--Shakespeare, King Lear

Check out this thread!<br><br>http://www.ResExcellence.com/htdocs/dcforumlite/725.shtml<br><br>[color:red]-- John Bailey</font color=red> ( [color:red]Bdog</font color=red> )<br><br>[color:blue]Email Me!</font color=blue> [email] [color:green]bdog_111@yahoo.com</font color=green> [/email]

Hmm... maintenance... clear the prefs every few weeks of apps you're never gonna open again, clean the extensions folder, rebuild the desktop, and thats about once every two months.<br><br>I defrag the HD once every 3 or 4 months, or when I'm bored. I hate zapping the PRAM and only do so when ABSOLUTELY necessary.<br><br>Macs don't require a lot of maintenance. They just keep on going.<br><br>For most people, just the usual routine WHEN there is a problem will make everything alright again :)<br><br>Cipher13<br><br>

what is "rebuilding the desktop" ? ive heard alot of people refer to doing that as a solution to problems....<br><br>