Question: Over the last week or so, I have been getting messages out of the blue that say “You need to restart your computer.” This leaves me no choice but to restart. Upon restart there is an error message that is to be reported to Apple. indicating a Panic state of some sort.
Answer: When this problem occurs, you definitely are seeing a screen that looks like the following screenshot.
If you are seeing this, your problem is what we call a kernel panic.
There generally are two possible situations.
1- A software issue
If you see a kernel panic very rarely, you should not worry. A software crash has occured and the report sent to Apple will help the company to find a fix.
2- A hardware issue
If kernel panics are suddenly happening on a regular basis, this points to a potential hardware problem.
This can be caused by bad random access memory (RAM), for instance. Whether you installed it a few days ago of whether it has been in your computer from the beginning, bad RAM causes computer crashes. Even some memory tests can fail to identify the issue. The only way to be sure is to remove the RAM and use the computer for a while. If crashes stop happening, you know you need to replace the RAM chip.
If RAM does not seem to be the issue, any recently installed hardware may need to be removed, for the same reasons.
If you are unsure about all of this, we strongly suggest that you use the Apple Hardware Test disc that shipped with your Mac to run some tests. Some commercial tools such as TechTool Pro can also run tests.
Question: When Apple released Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, they talked about a 64-bit kernel and being able to use applications under that mode. I want speed. Should I use 64-bit?
Answer: There sure are good reasons to use the 64-bit mode but it is not everyone who can do it.
The first reason would be your use of ramdom-access memory (RAM). If you have more than 4 GB installed in your Mac, this allows your software to access it. The second is speed. 64-bit operations require less steps, therefore less time to execute.
However, things are never quite simple. As we write this, there are two big issues that prevent full use of 64-bit.
The first is simply the hardware. Not every Mac can boot into 64-bit mode. Apple provides a list of computers that support 64-bit with Snow Leopard.
No 64-bit here. Grrrr.
The second is that not every application is fully compatible. For instance, one of the applications that can benefit from this the most is Photoshop. Only version CS5 is 64-bit compatible.
How to switch
If your Mac is compatible but does not start up in 64-bit by default, here are two methods to do it.
The first, as a temporary measure, is to hold down the 6 and 4 keys at startup.
The second is one that sticks permanently. Open the Terminal application which is located in the Applications > Utilities folder.
Then, type this: sudo systemsetup -setkernelbootarchitecture x86_64
You can revert to 32-bit with the following command: sudo systemsetup -setkernelbootarchitecture i386
Question: I bought a new Mac and I am a switcher from the Windows platform. I do not find it friendly to transfer files from the PC to a Mac by connecting both with cables. What should I try?
Answer: There are several solutions but here are two simple ones.
The first is using portable USB drives. Those tiny drives use Flash memory, which is very fast, and nowadays they can hold up 16 or 32 gigabytes of data. Buy one and format it on the PC. Your Mac will recognize the MS-DOS format and read files properly
If you need to transfer a large amount of data, having an external hard drive might be an idea.
If you have Internet access on both computers and the amount of data to transfer is not huge, you can use a Web-based service called Dropbox (www.dropbox.com). Once you signed up, this free service allows you to upload up to 2 GB of data and download it from your new Mac.
This second solution has something that the USB drive does not: it gives you an off-site backup for that data, and you can expand its size by paying for one of their larger data limits.
There are other online services such as Google Docs, but Dropbox is neatly integrated with Mac OS X, putting a folder on your Mac that you sync with their service by simply dragging and dropping files.
Dropbox is an elegant way to transfer files from one computer to the other.
I work with partitions and I see advantages to it.
Question: I wonder if I need to keep all my things organized in one volume or if I should partition my drive. What are the advantages of partitioning? Should I do it?
Answer: I am aware that partitions usually bring a debate, but I am confident enough to give you a resounding YES.
The way your Mac handles files is a bit messy. As data changes through daily use, photos, text files and other things get tangled up with your system files. Despite Mac OS X’s default defragmentation work, this is a problem for disk performance and, inevitably, system performance at large.
Partitions provide an answer if you use them to separate types of data. How to do it? Most people should be content with a startup partition to host their system and a partition for data. Power users can go further with a more complex organisation system, but they are not the ones I target with this article.
What you gain
The process takes a few hours but there are long-term gains associated with it.
The first is to minimize disk strain for daily use. Your system partition is the one that handles the harder work and it has the space to do it on its own. It doesn’t need to mess with your data anymore.
Secondly, this makes data backups and disk optimization simpler. This makes it more interesting to perform such operations more often, reducing your risk having an outdated backup to recover from a disk crash. Freelancers who need their Mac as a work tool make the biggest gain here.
Finally, there is a structure issue. A common data loss cause is related to file structures that get messed up. Separating your types of data helps keep cleaner structures, reducing your risk.
Please note that partitions do not prevent a disk crash.
How to do it
Before you start, I believe that for the sake of keeping your data safe, you should work with an external disk drive that you normally use as a bootable backup. This is where you normally clone your internal disk with Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper. Read Mac Support Central’s entry about backups for reference if you are not famililar.
Step one: calculate your data use
In the Finder, create folders where you place your photos, videos, text and other files that count as data. These files you will later put in your data partition. Use the Get Info (Command and I on the keyboard) to calculate the sizes of those folders. Make a note about the combined size in gigabytes.
Once data is excluded from them, use Get Info again to calculate the sizes of the following folders: Applications, Developer, Library, opt, System and Users. Make a note about the total combined size.
Step two: create your partitions externally
You first need to partition and erase the external drive to mirror what you will do on your internal disk. Launch Disk Utility, which is located Applications > Utilities folder. Once you have its main screen, click on the disk icon that starts with the size and brand, and this will bring a number of tabs. One of them is the Partition tab. Click on it.
Partitions under Disk Utility
Under Volume Scheme, make sure to select 2 partitions instead of Current. If you use virtualization software to use Windows or Linux, choose 3 partitions.
1- System partition
Select the partition on top and give it a name with Mac OS Extended format. Notice that you can attribute a specific size to it, either by inserting a number manually or resizing. What kind of space should you give it? It goes with use.
This is where you will store system software, your applications, preference files, user folders and so on. This is everything that your system contains Mac OS X and software you typically add. Wit all of this under Snow Leopard, I have around 36 GB of files on it once data files are separated.
If you have something of that type, I strongly suggest that you give this partition some elbow room to install more applications and handle future growth. If you also have around 36 GB, give it around 60 GB or a bit more. Adjust according to your use of space and disk size.
2- Data partition
Click on the second partition below.
This is where you will store photos, video, music, general documents and whatever else. You may want to give this partition the most space to both store ever-expanding data and use it as a scratch disk for applications like Photoshop. Power users may just create a scratch disk partition.
3- Windows/Linux partition (optional)
If you are one of these people who use Windows/Linux on their Mac, you will click on the third partition. Look at the hard drive requirements for your virtual system and give yourself some elbow room on the partition. In the case of a Windows install, make sure to click on the Options button when this partition is selected. This allows you to select the Master Boot Record option you need to be MS-DOS compatible.
Step two: erase!
You have set up partitions. Erase your disk. Don’t freak out while it happens :-)
A few moments later, the new partitions will appear on your desktop.
Step three: time for some cloning
This is where you will create your new disk’s mirror. Launch Carbon Copy Cloner or Super Duper and use it to clone your internal drive on the system partition. Do this while excluding the data file folders that you separated previously. Again, check out our guide about using cloning software if you are not familiar.
Carbon Copy Cloner before cloning
Once you are done cloning, simply drag your data folders from your internal drive to the data partition which you can find on the desktop. This will copy your data to the external disk.
You now have an external disk which is set up with your new partitions, and your files have been copied to it.
Final step: set up the internal drive
Now, you need to start up from your external drive in order to repeat the steps on your internal drive.
Pull down the Apple menu and select System Preferences. Click on Startup Disk. In the bottom left corner, click on the padlock icon. Enter your administrator password. Then, click on the external volume that can start up your Mac.
Click on the Restart button.
Your Mac will reboot from the external drive.
Open Disk Utility once you are finished booting. Repeat the partition setup on your internal drive.
Finally, launch Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper. Clone your system partition from your external to your internal drive. Do the same with your data partition.
Everything is done!
Well, almost. At this point, I recommend running a tool such as Diskwarrior or TechTool Pro to optimize your volume structures on both partitions. You just finished moving a lot of data and such optimization will make things zippier.
Also, you will have to set up applications such as iTunes to point to the data partition to store their files. Same thing with Photoshop and its scratch disk.
Enjoy!
The Disk Utility sometimes saves your butt from trouble.
Question: Everything was working normally but all of a sudden, I got an endless loop of errors telling me that system files could not be found. I did a shutdown and my Mac has refused to start up no matter what I did, including a Safe Boot. What should I do now?
Answer: It looks like your hard disk drive needs some repairs. The best recommendation we can make is to start up your Mac with the Single User mode.
To do this, hold down the Command and S keys on the keyboard when you press the power button. Keep holding the two keys on the keyboard. You will soon get a command prompt which requires you to type something to go any further.
Type the following: /sbin/fsck -fy
This will perform disk maintenance on your hard drive. Normally, this should fix the problem.
Should it fail, there is another solution. Go get your Mac OS X install DVD. Put it in your CD drive and restart your Mac while keeping the C key pressed on the keyboard. This will force your Mac to start up from the DVD.
From there, launch the Disk Utility and use it to repair your disk.
Where is my toolbar?
Question: For months now I’ve had to ask Safari to “show toolbar” every time I open it or open a new window. This is despite the fact that with my settings, the toolbar should always show up. This is getting on my nerves. How do I fix it?
Answer: This is a common problem for an application. A setting has been set, clearly, and yet the software does not answer to it.
A common fix is to trash a preference file. Before you do that, make sure to quit Safari.
Then, you should look for the “plist” file according to the following pattern, starting from the desktop:
startup disk > user > Library > Preferences > com.apple.safari.plist
Select the com.apple.safari.plist and put it in the Trash. Then, launch Safari again. You are set!
Photo: mutenaranya on Flickr
Question: I have been trying to burn a CD/DVD recently with my Mac and it failed. I got a message such as “connection not stable” or “device failed to calibrate the laser power”. What is going on?
Answer: This may sound stupid at first, but just how old is your burner, whether internal or external? If “several years old” is the answer, the issue is most likely to be dust.
Yes, old fashioned dust. All devices have lenses which pick up anything dirty, which slowly invades them. They also pick up more if you make them read and play dirty discs.
The most obvious clue that dirt is your problem is that your software setup has not changed lately. If you did not mess with your software and that the burner suddenly stopped doing burning jobs, you know you have identified it.
You may just want to pick up a can of compressed air or one of those inexpensive “cleaner CDs” to clean things up.
On the other hand, a software update of your drivers and recording software can also help to eliminate failures.
Question: I create PDF documents on my Mac and I want to embed fonts but some of my fonts refuse to embed. Am I doing anything wrong?
Answer: Unless none of your fonts work with embedding and unless you have damaged files, there is no technical problem. This is something beyond your control.
Some fonts have built-in prevention that ensures they cannot be embedded. For instance, Optima is a font that you cannot put in a PDF and distribute publicly. Your publishing software cannot do anything about it and buying a different version of the font is not likely to work.
This is a decision that font designers take. Some will want to limit your right to spread their work around. Some will rather want to have the largest possible amount of visibility. Their bet is that people will want to buy a neat font after seeing it in your document.
Are there workarounds? Yes, but they have their limitations. For instance, you can save your work as an image and open that image to translate it as a PDF. But that is more likely to give a heavy PDF. Even the best compression will barely be able to reduce the size.
Using the Grab application to take a screenshot might be another idea. With this method, however, you are likely to lose some quality for viewing and printing.
The final tip is not fun to hear but it might be the most realistic. Use a different font, which grants embedding rights!
Lightning during thunderstorms can be very damaging for electronics. (Photo: "phatman" on Flickr)
Question: Today, I tried to start up my Mac and it does nothing. When I press on the power button, it makes no noise, the screen or keyboard do not show any light. What is going on?
Answer: Usually, those are the symptoms of a power-related problem.
A dead PRAM battery can be the problem. Hopefully for you since it is inexpensive ($5 to $10) to replace. This very strategic battery helps the computer to “remember” information when shut down, such as the time. It also is involved in the startup process.
If your computer is 3 years old or more, this issue is the first you should tackle. Make sure to note which Mac model you have, open it if you are not afraid of messing with it, and locate the battery. Buy a replacement at the local store or online. If you are afraid of doing that, bring your Mac to a place where an Apple-authorized technician can check it out.
The second possibility is that your power supply may be dead. This happens if there were important fluctuations in voltage on the electricity grid – think of a thunderstorm – and that your computer was not protected by a quality surge protector.
In this case, the safe choice is to bring the computer to a technician for testing and potential power supply replacement. This normally costs around $200 to $300.
A third possibility is a fried logic board/motherboard inside. This is the ugliest of them all. In case of the lower end Macs, replacing the computer is cost-effective. For a high-end Mac Pro, getting a new logic board makes sense if available.
Prevention
If you never had such a power issue, we strongly recommend that you make sure that you are equipped with a surge protector. Good ones protect electronic devices against surges. They will not, however, prevent problems if your house receives a direct lightning strike!
In all cases, unplugging devices during a severe thunderstorm or while leaving for a few days may be the right thing to do. This simple measure can save you hundreds of dollars.
Question: I just installed a new version of Mac OS X, namely Snow Leopard. Since the restart, my Mac has been extremely slow, choppy at best. Why is this happening?
Answer: Do not worry, this is the Spotlight search system which is indexing your hard disk drive. It is rebuilding the entire search database, something that can take 10 minutes or a bit more. Even on Mac Pro.
Symptoms include heavy activity for the hard drive and a relatively high percentage of CPU usage if you open the Activity Monitor. In short, everything is slow on your Mac during this specific period of indexing.
The solution may just be to go away from your Mac for 15 to 20 minutes, while it finishes the Spotlight job.
If this happens every time you start up your Mac, then you have a problem with the index files. You may want to eliminate them to force a full rebuild of the index, once and for all.
Dig in the Terminal application to do this, which is located in the Applications > Utilities folder. Since use of command lines can make a few people nervous, you can copy and paste information from here to be sure of what you are doing. Each time you use a command, press Enter on your keyboard to validate it.
Should you be asked for your administrator password at any point, type it and then press the Enter key.
Removing the index from the drive and forcing a rebuild:
sudo mdutil -E /
Do you find Spotlight useless? You can turn it off:
sudo mdutil -a -i off
Turning it back on:
sudo mdutil -a -i on
Question: I am getting a second iPod and I want to sync it with the content I have bought from the iTunes store. Do I need to have a separate account for this and do I face limits?
Answer: Absolutely not. If you purchased music tracks of videos, you can sync them all with your new iPod from the same account once the content has been paid and downloaded. The files are free from digital management rights.
If you want your playlists to be different on the devices, however, your settings should favor manual management for content.
The way to do this is to connect your iPod to the Mac with your USB cable. In the iTunes application, you will see the device in the left column. Click on the device name or icon once. Then click on the Summary tab. Scroll to the Options area and make sure to check the Manually manage music and videos checkbox. This will allow you to set up different playlists, and perhaps entirely different content, on different devices.
Enjoy!
Question: I love Gmail but I would like to use an application that still works with its Web-based functions. It would allow me to set it as my default email app, which is useful when I click on mailto links on Web pages.
Answer: There are solutions for that. One elegant application is called Mailplane, if you are ready to pay US$24.95. Mailplane supports the browser functions of Gmail but it also offers menu items for things such as labels. It does multiple accounts and stores passwords in the Keychain.
It is integrated with Mac OS X technologies such as the Address Book and Grab snapshots. More importantly, it will send Growl notifications when you receive new messages. More about Growl here.
Once you have Mailplane installed, you need to launch the Mail app, pull down the Mail menu and select Preferences. Under General, you will find the Default Email Reader menu. This is where you select Mailplane. You can quit Mail. From now on, mailto links will lead to Mailplane.
Photoshop is great but it may be overkill for most people.
Question: I am looking for a program for my Mac to edit photos, clone, add backgrounds to make my own photo books, etc. Need just a bit more than what iPhoto gives me. I am just an amateur photographer and don’t want to spend for the full version of Photoshop. Any suggestions for me?
Answer: This is clearly a fascinating topic. While Photoshop remains the best photo editing software in the business, there are decent alternatives for those who do not need all its power. Here are suggestions made by group members during this discussion.
One very powerful solution is called GIMP. This free, open-source program brings a lot of options. As for Photoshop, you may never really use all its power. It also allows you to download free extensions to add features. I personally had to use it in work conditions for some time, while waiting for Photoshop to be licensed and installed, and I was pleased that GIMP allowed me to do everything I needed it to.
Another respected photo editor is GraphicConverter. This shareware “veteran” costs US$34.95 as an online download. It offers extensive support for file formats, great batch renaming and conversion, as well as a great slide show feature. It does decent picture manipulation.
To make sure that a Photoshop product is available to consumers, Adobe also has its own solution called Photoshop Elements. This simpler photo editor might do the trick for you for U$99.99.
A very large difference between Elements and the regular edition is that Elements is more focused on digital photography while the full version has every option for print. Despite the much lower price, Elements packs a surprising punch.
Apple’s very own Aperture software also is an interesting option at US$199. This is a different kind of solution since it targets mostly organization and retouching. It may be your choice if you tend to take a lot of pictures and just want to make adjustments. For instance, if you go on a trip and take a lot of snaps but messed up your white balance, it will work nicely for editing.
As you would expect, it brings the usual elegance of Apple software to package your content into multimedia slideshows and print books.
I am sure that readers also have their own suggestions. Make them in the comments!
Question: I am setting up an AirPort or other device to use a WiFi access to the Internet. What encryption method should I choose ?
Answer: Our recommendation is to select WPA2. WEP is a rather vulnerable pre-shared key method that can be cracked more easily than others. WPA is better but in theory vulnerable. WPA2 is more robust with more advanced encryption, being considered fully secure.
Do you need to change to WPA2? It is rather simple to do. Launch the Airport Utility application. It is located in the Utilities folder, within the Applications folder on your startup volume.
Once the application is open, make sure to click on the Manual Setup button in the lower left corner. Then, click on the AirPort icon on top of the window. After that, you will see four tabs underneat. Click on the Wireless tab.
Besides the Wireless Security item, pull down the menu and select either WPA2 Personal. Add your wireless password and click on the Update button. This will make the AirPort station restart with the new configuration.
iPod Touch iPhone reset
My iPod Touch (or iPhone) gets backed up by iTunes every time I sync it. Now, I would like to restore it from my last backup to get some of my data back. How do I do this?
One trick is to reset your iPod Touch/iPhone.
On the home screen, open the Settings application. Press on the General item. Scroll to the bottom of that screen and press on Reset.
You will then have the option to “Erase All Content and Settings“.
Then, the next time you plug your iPod Touch or iPhone in the computer, iTunes will ask you if you want to restore it or start anew.
Question: I want a reliable backup method. What should I do?
Answer: Many people in our group believe that the very best way to make a backup is to clone your hard drive on an external hard drive. The replica of your disk allows you to restore it quickly after a crash, or to use it as a replacement startup drive if you need to get working quickly despite a crash.
Once you have an external drive set up and plugged in, either in a USB or FireWire port, you have many interesting options. When you get your external disk, you may want to split it up in two volumes. One for cloning, and one for Time Machine backups.
Cloning with Carbon Copy Cloner
Carbon Copy Cloner is a respected piece of software. The small application will make a fully bootable clone of your hard drive. Its advantage over simple file backups is that if your disk fails, you can restore it in no time on a new drive, and start up your Mac from the clone.
After downloading it and copying it in your Applications > Utilities folder, launch the application. Select your Source Disk, which is your startup volume. Select your Target Disk, which is the external volume to make your clone. Choose the Backup everything option to make a bootable clone. Then, click on the Clone button.
Carbon Copy Cloner is free from Bombich Software, but making a donation to its creator is a way to encourage its continuous development.
Cloning with SuperDuper
SuperDuper is comparable to Carbon Copy Cloner. It will make a bootable clone of your drive.
After downloading it and copying it to the Applications folder, launch it. Besides the Copy option, select your startup volume. Then, on the right, select your external volume besides the “to” word. Besides “using”, select Backup – all files.
As for Carbon Copy Cloner, this will create a clone that you can restore quickly.
Super Duper is free from Shirt Pocket, and you can pay to unlock features such as scheduling and “smart updates”.
Time Machine backups
The Time Machine technology that Apple ships with Mac OS X since the first Leopard version is different. With its hourly backup, it is more of a file synchronizer than anything else so you might want to use it as a complement. It will keep an hourly backup for the last 24 hours, daily backups for the last month and weekly backups for previous months.
Time Machine addresses the “oops, I just deleted an important file” problem. Its incremental backups allow you to go back in time to restore a file or folder. And it works automatically, every hour, if you leave it turned on.
Just pull down the Apple menu and select System Preferences. Then, click on the Time Machine panel in the System area. Flip the switch to On.
The final word
Are we recommending doing a whole lot of backup? Perhaps. But once you have a hard drive failure or accidentally erase important files, you will give yourself a high-five for the preventive measures.
Question: I was wondering if there is a utility that will show what key the Mac sees when I press a key on the windows keyboard.
Answer: The easiest solution to this is the Keyboard Viewer, which is included in Mac OS X.
Go to Apple Menu –> System Preferences -> Language and Text
Click on the Input Sources tab, then check the very first item called Keyboard and Character Viewer.
This should give you a menu item over towards the right with a flag icon for your chosen language in the menu bar. Clicking on that, one of the dropdown choices is Show Keyboard Viewer.
This will allow you to see everything you do on your keyboard. You will see your typing, and what key combinations can produce for characters.
Question: I have two Macs with AirPort wireless cards and Bluetooth. How do I set up a network between them to share files?
Answer: You should be able to do this with the AirPort card or with the Bluetooth card that is in each computer, without a separate Wi-Fi base station.
First, turn on File Sharing in each Mac. You will find this under the Apple Menu > System Preferences > Sharing.
File Sharing on Wi-Fi will make swapping files easier than using USB keys.
After a bit of a wait, open Finder windows on both Macs. In the sidebar of the windows, the shared disks should show up under Shared. When that happens, click it once on the shared drive and connect.
Don’t see a Shared area? Go to the Finder, select the Finder menu and select Preferences. Then, make sure to check Bonjour computers in the available options.
If you use AirPort only, check the Network panel in System Preferences. The look of the Network panel has changed depending on which version of Mac OS X you are using.
The list of services (pane on left) in Network panel show each service that can potentially be used to connect to another computer. These items show name or service (Ethernet, FireWire, AirPort, VPN, etc.) and a colored bullet for status of the service (red, yellow, green). This list also represents a “pecking order” of services with the service that the Mac tries first being the first one in the order. You can change this pecking order in Snow Leopard and Leopard by using the gear icon and the Set Service Order command.
You would want AirPort to be listed first which in recent OS X versions should happen automatically if, for example, Ethernet is turned off and AirPort is the only connect possibility then AirPort will slid up in the pecking order.
Remember that when you connect, the Public folder in the logged in user account is for public files swapped over a network. This is a security feature.
If you want full access to the other computer, you need to connect using the Admin user account name and password for that computer. It thinks your are the “owner” and gives full access. You can also create a “Registered user” account for a guest to use and give that account more access privileges than a basic limited “guest” account would have.
If these methods don’t work, try the Finder’s Go menu and the Connect to Server command.
In the connection text box, type in the IP address for the other computer (don’t use the Browse button) but use this format:
afp://192.168.1.19 (just an example).
The “afp” is for Apple File Protocol. If you were file sharing with a Windows computer, you would type in “smb” instead of the afp.
You can find your Mac’s IP address in the Network panel.
Photo: Courtesy of Maury McCown on Flickr
Question: I am going to buy a new Mac at the Apple Store online. I want more than the default amount of RAM. Should I add it directly to my order at Apple? I am afraid of voiding my warranty by buying it separately and installing myself.
Answer: The first thing you have to know is that Apple, in its policies, considers RAM among “user serviceable parts”. This means that you can add and remove such compatible parts without voiding your warranty.
All you have to do is to find RAM that works properly with your Mac and install it yourself. Keep in mind that this usually is much cheaper than adding extra RAM directly at the Apple Store online.
For instance, when we wrote this article, Apple asked for US$250 to add 5 GB of RAM when ordering a Mac Pro tower. In comparison, you could get 6 GB for US$200 at the Ramjet online store.
Here are three known online sources to buy extra RAM:
Question: My computer slowed down because of file fragmentation. I want to do routine maintenance on my hard drive to defragment, optimize and erase free space. How do I proceed?
Answer: The way a Mac’s hard drive works has its own complexity and there are plenty of ways to maintain it. One thing is for sure: several months of moving files around, updating your operating system and other software will fragment files and slow the computer down.
Here are suggested solutions.
Step one: back it up!
It is only safe to make sure that you have a proper backup of your disk drive in case of power failure during the optimization process. This is best done on an external FireWire or USB drive.
There are two ways to do this. With Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6) there is Time Machine which will make backups automatically for you once it is turned on.
Another software solution, for all Mac OS X machines, is Carbon Copy Cloner. This gem copies your files, including their permissions, to make your external disk a bootable drive to use instantly should your internal disk fail. CCC is free but donations to his creator encourage its development.
Carbon Copy Cloner makes it easy to create a bootable clone of your disk on an external drive.
Now that you have a backup, it is safe to get to work.
Step two: use iDefrag of TechTool Pro
iDefrag, at only US$29.95, is a very nifty piece of software that can either do simple defragmentation or full optimization. It is compatible with Time Machine backup volumes and monitors disk temperature to avoid overheating.
For simple defragmentation with the Quick mode, just launch the application and run the routine. Try not to use your Mac much while doing this, to make sure that the process works as well as possible.
Should you want a full optimization, which is more comprehensive, boot your Mac with another volume than the one you want to optimize. Then, run the optimization of your choice.
iDefrag has some advanced features, which we recommend using only if you have advanced knowledge of disk structures.
iDefrag its a versatile application focused on defragmentation and optimization.
Another useful tool is TechTool Pro. This US$98 software suite is not just made of optimization tools but it definitely does a fine job at it.
After booting from an external volume, run its File Optimization and Volume Optimization tools one after another. This will rearrange files and consolidate free space to make your drive tidy. There is a separate tool to securely wipe erased data if you wish to use them.
TechTool Pro does more than plain defragmentation, and its tools are tried and true to the task.
Ultimately, you can clone a drive, erase it and restore your backup to eliminate fragmentation quickly. But this method does not bring optimization and its improved performance to your hard drive.
Step three: be patient!
It is not recommended to do optimization routines too often, unless your use of the hard drive is very intense. Your hard drive works a whole lot during an optimization process, moving most of your files around. Therefore, you have to wait until your disk has a good percentage of fragmentation until running the routines again.
Therefore, if the utility you use tells you that your disk is 5% fragmented, you can afford to wait.
