This document conatains Macintosh troubleshooting and maintenance tips.
Macintosh Troubleshooting Keystrokes
| Keystrokes (press simultaneously) |
Result |
| Command . (Command Period) |
Break (Stop the current process) |
| Command Option Escape |
Force an application to quit |
| Command Control PowerOn |
Restart |
| Shift |
[During Boot] Boot with system extensions off |
| Command Option |
[During Boot] Rebuild Desktop |
| Command Option P R |
[During Boot] Clear Parameter RAM ("Zap P-RAM") |
| Command Option Shift Delete |
[During Boot] Boot from external drive |
| Command C |
[During Boot] Boot from CD-ROM (Older Macs) |
| C |
[During Boot] Boot from CD-Rom (Newer Macs) |
Preventive Maintenance
The following recommendations came from an Apple certified
technician teaching a Mac troubleshooting seminar:
Every week:
- Rebuild the desktop
Every 2 weeks:
- Run Disk Doctor (scan for & fix hard drive problems)
- Run Speed Disk (defragment hard drive)
Every 6 months:
- Scan the hard drive for bad blocks
Every year:
- Reinstall the operating system - a "clean install"
Every 3 years:
- Reformat the hard drive - a "low-level format"
These 9 Procedures Solve Many Macintosh Problems
- Check the obvious first - cords, connections, lights.
- Restart - solves system heap & RAM fragmentation problems.
- Rebuild the desktop, Command-Option during restart.
- Start with extensions off, Shift key during restart.
- Give an application more RAM (and run w/o extensions).
- Run "Disk First Aid" from another disk (floppy or CD).
- Run diagnostic software - Norton Utilities, MacTools.
- Reinstall system software (a "clean install").
- Zap the Parameter RAM (often called "P-RAM"), Command-Option-P-R
during restart:
keep holding the keys down for 8 (yes, 8!) restarts.
What Next?
If these procedures do not solve the problem, then document the
problem and submit a technology work request (TWR). The TWR should
refer to a problem on one computer and should list: The room location
and primary user of the computer (to help us locate them both)
as well as the model of the computer and the operating system
(so we can bring the appropriate software tools to fix the problem).
Documention of the problem should remain on or near the
computer and include as much of the following as possible
(and, no, you shouldn't type all this on the TWR):
When does the problem occur?
- How often does the problem occur?
- Does it happen at startup?
- Does it happen after the computer is on a long time?
- Does it only happen when running certain software?
What do the error messages say?
- Are the error messages always the same?
- (Specific messages or screen snapshots are helpful!)
What changes were made to the computer recently?
- Has any software been installed (or deleted)?
- Have any systems settings been altered?
- Have any control panels or extensions been altered?
- Have any new/different users been on the system?
What steps have been taken to solve the problem, thus far?
- Who has looked at the computer?
- What did they think the problem might be?
- What did they do? (What changes did they make?)
- What successes (or failures) occurred?
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