Chapter 9

The Joys of Maintenance

In This Chapter

arrow Deleting applications

arrow Using Apple System Information

arrow Using Activity Monitor and Disk Utility

arrow Updating OS X and your drivers

arrow Backing up your system with Time Machine

arrow Using a disk defragmenter and start-up keys

The title of this chapter really sounds like a contradiction in terms, doesn’t it? The concepts of joy and maintenance are likely mutually exclusive to you — and it’s true that most OS X owners would rather work or play than spend time under the hood, getting all grimy. I understand completely; maintenance is far less sexy than a game like Civilization V or even an exciting productivity application like Pages.

However, if you do want to work or play uninterrupted by lockups and crashes — yes, believe it or not, the Big X can indeed take a dive if it’s not cared for — and you’d like your Mac to perform like an Olympic athlete, ...

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