Feed
 

The Big Clean Up

Avatar Peter Shepheard
I listened on Tuesday evening at Bournemouth to Euans words of wisdom about upgrading to Lion but....

I would like to give my iMac a really good clean up before getting to work with Carbon Copy Cloner. The thing is I don't really know the best to go about this. I have done some manual work but I have read bits and pieces about programmes such as Onyx and MacKeeper some good some bad. Can anyone please tell me which of clean up programmes are worth running?

I looked into my Console and found masses of log files and I understand that MacKeeper can clean up this type of thing but does it really work safely?

Any experience or advice would be most welcome.

Sorry if this is already elsewhere on the WAMUG site but I could not find it if it's there!

Re: The Big Clean Up

Avatar Euan Williams
Peter, we could really do with some kind of find function on the site, and it has been requested.

So: Housework (a minimalist method):
1. Run Disc Utility (applications > utilities)
a. verify disc (if there is a problem start up with your original DVD and repair disc)
note: a simple restart includes a disc repair procedure which is one resin why a restart can take longer after a freeze.
b. repair permissions (many of the permissions that are repaired are repeat offenders),
and you will see a note that the SUID is faulty and would not be repaired -- don’t worry, this is normal.

2. Restart your Mac (with the shift key held down until the restart is well established.
This is “SafeBoot”, confirmed by the red safe boot warning on your sign-in dialogue.
Sign in.

3. Restart normally, and that’s it, unless you know of any particular problem.

When cloning or doing a system software update disconnect all your excess connections, such as printers, non-essential drives, Bluetooth and WiFi.

Safe boot takes several minutes longer than a normal start, and permits only Apple software to function (including software which in effect operates terminal commands such as Onyx. It carries out actions partly related to the Disc Utility fixes above and also clears some caches where problems may be lurking. All kinds or rumours circulate about the exact nature of what safe boot does in addition, but let’s just say that it’s a very useful general fix.

Onyx is available from > www.titanium.free.fr/download.php?sid=63ac8859d3cd7d04713941c5da3b7ee8 <
(donationware). Note that you must use the appropriate version for your MacOS.

If you are experiencing weird functional problems, it may help to use Onyx to clear font caches. Onyx cannot damage your OSX, but you should read the help files and be cautious.

Your log files are useful for tracing problems (much of them is arcane stuff, but they do offer clues).

I don’t use any other software, although some powerful disc repair software is out there which most people will never need.

Re: The Big Clean Up

Avatar Euan Williams
and if anyone really gets into difficulty they may care to contemplate the various treatments offered to this paralysed lioness..

Re: The Big Clean Up

Avatar Gordon Clyne
I second everything Euan says here, and as for lots of log files, the names of them should tell you what they are logging, and if its an old app you dont use any more just toss it, but they are useful to trace a problem, and they are text files, and tiny, so having loads of them isnt hurting you much at all.
there are several janatorial apps, Mac Janitor is good, as is onyx, but running the apple disc utility and repair/verify permissions a few times will keep you in great shape. also, leae your mac on overnight once in a while... then it gets a chance to clean up itself.

 
Feed