Real World Mac Maintenance and Backups

2. Perform Daily Tasks

If you performed all the preliminary steps in Chapter 1, your daily maintenance ritual consists of at most two tasks, and at best, none!

Back Up Changed Files

In the type of backup system I recommend (see Chapter 9 for complete details), your backup software begins by copying all your important files to some sort of external media—preferably a hard drive. What counts as “important” is up to you; it could be everything on your disk, just the contents of your home folder or your Documents folder, or just the files you’re actively working on. But at a minimum, you should make a daily copy of any files you could not re-create in a matter of minutes, such as your saved email, photographs, and any documents you’ve spent hours ...