Mac Fix

Many Mac users never experience a need to fix their computer. Not to say that they don't have problems with their Mac computer, no. But the predominant reliability factor with Mac computers is very high. Still, there may be a Mac fix in your future. If you have Mac OS 9 or earlier, read on to find out how to do self-diagnosis using the tools at hand within your Mac prior to resorting to bring your Mac in for repairs. For Mac OS 10 and later users, there are various problems that can arise at different Mac OS X levels. It is recommended that you do some online research for the operating system version you have of Mac OS X to apply the proper diagnostics and Mac fixes suggested or indicated as tried and true by other users. Pay particular attention to the care and forethought needed when a recommendation suggests you upgrade your version of Mac OS X to a later version.

Mac OX 9 (and earlier) Troubleshooting and Fixes

I Have No Power

Electrical power has spikes and lows throughput the cycle of a delivering current to a powered device. If your Mac has no lit green LED, then your computer needs a service check. If there is a green power LED lit, move to your display's power LED. For a Mac laptop, all should be integrated so that would not apply. If the display's LED is not lit or lit orange or amber, then check the connections between your Mac and the display. If the connections all around seem fine, relocate your computer and display to another power outlet elsewhere in your surroundings to confirm no power. Following that, it is servicing time or online research from another Mac or PC computer to find out possible causes.

My Mac Does Not Start Correctly

This is where a dated system backup comes in handy in lieu of reinstalling your operating system from the original installation disks (presuming you have them). However, your Mac is not likely starting correctly to allow this. The first thing to try to troubleshoot this problem is start your Mac while holding down the Shift key. This stops any extensions from loading. If your Mac boots fine, you have an extensions conflict. Your next course of action is to use the Extensions Manager to resolve the conflict for you.

Another aspect of your Mac not starting correctly is the question mark character displayed on your monitor. This is due to a corrupted disk driver that impacts your System folder. Finding the disk driver causing this can be aided by running the Apple HD SC Setup program utility on your system CD or an external drive. You would need to boot from that drive to run the program's Update function to fix the problem on your main drive. Should your Mac be stubborn to recognize the external boot source you can force it to start from the source media by pressing 'Command-Option-Shift- Delete' when pressing the Power button to turn on your system. Admittedly this requires some dexterity.

Random Crashes from Programs or the Finder

This is due to either a bad System folder corrupted from some SCSI device that you can narrow down be unplugging one device at a one. If that does not work, see the extensions conflict Mac fix stated earlier. You might also delete the preferences folder for the program that is causing the crash but first note any keys or serial numbers. Reinstalling the program might be necessary.