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How do I keep my mac performance always optimal? Questions!

D

Digm

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 21, 2007
20
0
Just got my first mac (MacBook, 2.16 GHz, 2GB Ram, 160 GB HD, AppleCare). The thing runs like a speed demon (obviously) but I want to keep it running as fast as possible, all the time. On a PC, I can just defrag the HD when I need to, but I'm installing and uninstalling programs on the Mac, generally getting used to it and probably clogging it up in some manner.

What are some tips to keep this thing running like brand new? Thanks
 
Your Mac would run like a champ for a long time. There is no need to make anything to keep it running smoothly.

The only software I recommend for this is Onyx. It can help you repairing permissions, running maintenance scripts, etc. Nothing really necessary, but it can come in handy sometimes.
 
Roco said:
Your Mac would run like a champ for a long time. There is no need to make anything to keep it running smoothly.

The only software I recommend for this is Onyx. It can help you repairing permissions, running maintenance scripts, etc. Nothing really necessary, but it can come in handy sometimes.
Click to expand...

To clarify: you don't need to do any fixin' if it ain't broke. Some of the old advice from PCs holds true, of course - maintain a backup, make sure you have a bootable utility disk on hand just in case, and so forth.

But it isn't a car. You don't need to change the oil ever so often, no need to rotate the tires. Just fill 'er up with gas and go.
 
There's a few ways to look at this and answer it.

First:

Yes, there are third-party diagnostic and repair apps out there, and it would probably be a good thing to have one (or more) of them on-hand should you need one. You can check out Apple's Apple - Downloads - Mac OS X - System/Disk Utilities page, or go to a local Apple Store or CompUSA to see what other commercial utilities they have (such as, for instance, Alsoft's DiskWarrior.)


Second:

Ever since Apple switched to Mac OS X, maintenance has become very minimal. This is both from the perspective of someone who has used and supported the Windows platform and the perspective of a long-term Mac user who remembers all-too-well the maintenance we had to do under Mac OS Classic.


Third:

Mac OS X actually does various bits of diagnostic and repair work in the background, saving you the user the trouble of much of the manual intervention you're used to. Take, for instance, Mac OS Extended under Mac OS X -- it auto-defrags files in the background when you open something.


I honestly think you'll find that, other than common-sense things as have previously been mentioned, you can stop beating yourself up over having to do the level of maintenance you're used to.
 
Does Onyx or Diskwarrior defrag? I wasn't sure if that "Optimize" setting meant defraging, or something else.

Glad to see there's a free tool that does something :)
 
dude!

i just got the same exact machine, same specks. did you get white or black?

it is a speed demon, and i couldn't be happier. i'm just avoiding any non-universal binaries.
 
Don't fill up your hard drive. Keep a good amount of free space (several gigs) at all times.
 
Wolfpup said:
Does Onyx or Diskwarrior defrag? I wasn't sure if that "Optimize" setting meant defraging, or something else.
Click to expand...

I think someone mentioned this upthread, but OS X automatically defrags files in the background unless they are quite large. So you really don't need to do any manual defragging unless you're doing hard core video editing or other regular manipulation of 100 Mb+ files.
 
Onyx, Tinkertools, Diskwarrior, Backing up regularly (I use Super Duper!), keeping hard drive space free (5-10 Gigs), clean it, speak softly and encourage it, handle it with care, and maintain a certain amount of aloofness because you use a Mac. :D
 
ive read bad stuff about onyx - that it stuffs everything around too much and OSX eventually slows it down.
 
Restart the Mac about once a week, or whenever you feel like it's slowing down. This deletes your virtual memory swap files, which build up with use and don't go away on their own. Most of the other stuff is optional, or in some cases, worse than unnecessary. I do like the idea of keeping Disk Warrior on hand in case of a hard drive emergency. No need to run it unless you need to, though.
 
Wolfpup said:
Does Onyx or Diskwarrior defrag? I wasn't sure if that "Optimize" setting meant defraging, or something else.

Glad to see there's a free tool that does something :)
Click to expand...

-Wolfpup

"Defrag", as you know, puts all of the bits of a single file into a contiguous, or close-to-contiguous line on the drive.

"Optimize" does exactly what "Defrag" does, plus puts all of the files, System, App, and user in likely-to-be-read order. thus speeding up reading functions even more than a simple Defrag does.

Further notes: The File system OS X uses (HFS+ "Hierarchical File System Plus") has something called "Journaling" enables by default, this keeps files from fragmenting in the first place (it can't stop everything, of course, but does an excellent job anyway), so defragging isn't really something you have to worry about. However, as you use the machine, upgrade apps that require more space, increase File size, the need to Optimize still remains. So Diskwarrior, or my poison-of-choice TechTool Pro, is always good to have handy.

I optimize about twice a year - and I use these things LOTS.
 
patrick0brien said:
-Wolfpup

"Defrag", as you know, puts all of the bits of a single file into a contiguous, or close-to-contiguous line on the drive.

"Optimize" does exactly what "Defrag" does, plus puts all of the files, System, App, and user in likely-to-be-read order. thus speeding up reading functions even more than a simple Defrag does.
Click to expand...

So does OnyX's "Optimize" do that too? Or is it doing something else. It is free after all :D
 
Wolfpup said:
So does OnyX's "Optimize" do that too? Or is it doing something else. It is free after all :D
Click to expand...

-Wolfpup

Y'know what? I didn't even know Onyx ever said anything like that (looking at own version out of curiosity - whoop! new version!). But I doubt it is the "Disk Optimization" of which I spake.

The price you pay for Disk Optimization is that you need to boot from another Disk to do it as the system files are rearranged as a part of the operation to (see above)

Think of it as trying to perform brain surgery on yourself - as you are rooting around in there, you'd eventually trip a neuron that'll glerg what you are trying to do, thus you'd stop, and commence drooling. This is bad.
 
So does OnyX's "Optimize" do that too? Or is it doing something else.
Click to expand...
Something else. OnyX's "Optimize" is not related to reorganizing files and folders on your drive. It means that all sorts of cache files are deleted. Ironically, most of those cache files help your Mac run better. After they are deleted, your Mac rebuilds them. Addressing the original issue, you can defrag but still have files scattered all over the place making the creation of your Windows partition impossible. Optimizing (in the non-OnyX meaning) will make a nice neat blank space.

Nominated for post of the day!:
Think of it as trying to perform brain surgery on yourself - as you are rooting around in there, you'd eventually trip a neuron that'll glerg what you are trying to do, thus you'd stop, and commence drooling. This is bad.
Click to expand...
 
amc382 said:
dude!

i just got the same exact machine, same specks. did you get white or black?

it is a speed demon, and i couldn't be happier. i'm just avoiding any non-universal binaries.
Click to expand...

Hey, I did too! I got the black one. Friggin fast computer!
 
IJ Reilly said:
Restart the Mac about once a week...
Click to expand...

sorry, dont want to start a new thread question, but:
from what you're saying i can assume that you keep your mac running at all times???
is it adviseable to do so? if so, why, and how could i find out what is the energy consumption of my mac running at all times (except from when it is alseep at night and when i'm out)??
 
penter said:
is it adviseable to do so? if so, why, and how could i find out what is the energy consumption of my mac running at all times (except from when it is alseep at night and when i'm out)??
Click to expand...

The good thing about not restarting is that all the apps that you have open in the background would open instantly when wanted. It is much better to have the machine on (sleeping) all the time than being turning it on and off constantly.
I sometimes go about 3 weeks without a single restart.
 
patrick0brien said:
-Wolfpup

Y'know what? I didn't even know Onyx ever said anything like that (looking at own version out of curiosity - whoop! new version!). But I doubt it is the "Disk Optimization" of which I spake.

The price you pay for Disk Optimization is that you need to boot from another Disk to do it as the system files are rearranged as a part of the operation to (see above)

Think of it as trying to perform brain surgery on yourself - as you are rooting around in there, you'd eventually trip a neuron that'll glerg what you are trying to do, thus you'd stop, and commence drooling. This is bad.
Click to expand...

I've never understood why Mac OS can't do that (classic or OS X). Windows has always been able to defrag most of the disc (aside from a few tiny portions), and XP's built-in defragmentation program optimizes file placement as well (to speed program loading).

dogbone said:
Apple started all this by setting their cron scripts or whatever they are, to run when the computer is usually off. I believe that the behaviour now is to run when they can.
Click to expand...

That's good to know they finally changed that. I think under 10.2 it still wasn't automatic.
 
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