Basic Maintenance

Your Mac seems a bit... off. It's working normally for the most part, but it has some strange quirks. These troubleshooting steps will help the stars align and fix some of the most sporadic issues with your Mac. 

Below are some helpful tips for maintaining a happy Mac. 

1. Back that Mac up! 
   1. Time Machine is a great tool that Apple has built into Mac OS X for backing up your machine.
   2. If you want a full bootable backup, a program like SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner will create a working version of your hard drive on your machine. 
2. Keep that software updated!
   1. We know, we get annoyed by the constant stream of updates as well, but they can help maintain the stability of your machine. 
      • We recommend waiting at least one week before updating the OS so as to avoid any potential bugs with updates.
   2. If you want to wait for an extended amount of time before updating to a major OS upgrade, feel free to! 
3. Reboot!
   1. This seems simple enough, but sometimes our machines can work so well for months on end and rebooting it can solve some of the most basic issues. 
4. Take out the Trash
   1. That little trashcan in the dock can start stinking up your computer. By emptying it regularly you can reclaim valuable disk space. 
5. Repair and Verify Disk Permissions: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repairing-Mac-OS-X-Disk-Permissions/9314/1
   1. If you are running Mac OS X El Capitan (Mac OS 10.11.x), disk permissions have been replaced with First Aid. See our guide here: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Run+First+Aid+on+Disk/52680
   2. Repairing and Verifying Disk Permissions is one of the most important things you can do. Permissions will frequently get out of date through various means (software install, restore issues, etc.)
6. Reset the NVRAM/PRAM: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT137
   
   1. The NVRAM/PRAM (Non-Volatile Random-Access Memory or Parameter Random-Access Memory) is related to the screen, volume, startup disk, and any kernel panics that may have caused your computer to shut down.
   2. Resetting the NVRAM/PRAM will help clear some of the strangeness that arises from the above issues.
7. Reset the SMC: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
   1. The SMC (System Management Controller) is a component responsible for power management (battery, charging, sleep/wake, etc.) as well as managing the operating system and the computer's hardware (fans, ports, LEDs, CPU).
   2. By reseting the SMC, we are reverting these things to a base level, restoring them back to what the computer originally came with.