====== Fixing Non-Specific Mac Problems ======

Most Mac problems will be specific to one application or one specific action such as printing. If you run across a Mac where the user just complains of application crashes or freezes that are non-specific it can be harder to diagnose and repair.

My first line of attack is a great little utility called ”Yasu” available from its author Jim Mitchell. Yasu (short for Yet Another System Utility) is a simple front end for a number of maintenance and repair scripts built in to the OS with the added ability to clear various caches that might be causing problems. There are a number of similar utilities, I like Yasu as it doesn’t add too many bells and whistles.

When you run Yasu you get a single dialog with a number of check boxes in four sections. I select everything in the first and second sections. Notice that at the bottom of the dialog it tells you in red “Authentication required to run”. This indicates that some of the scripts that will be run require administrator privileges and when you click on “OK” a dialog will pop up asking you to enter an administrator's name and password.

This utility is also useful as a first line of attack with font or Safari problems, just click on the options for the font caches or browser as required.

If you run Yasu and the problems still persist then you may have a hard disk problem.

===== Using 'Disk Utility' to Fix Drive Problems =====

Minor errors on the hard drive can cause all sorts of problems in the OS. To diagnose and (hopefully) repair these we need an OS Install disk. Insert the CD/DVD and restart the computer holding down the 'C' key. This will boot the Mac off the DVD rather than the hard drive and allow it to be repaired. The software will assume that you want to install the OS, but we can run the required software in a moment. First we have to confirm that we want to use English. When the next dialog comes up you can go to the “Utilities” menu and choose “Disk Utility”

Disk Utility will open to its main window.. Click on the “Macintosh HD” line in the sidebar, assuming that you have left the name of your drive alone. Now we don't need to verify or repair disk permissions since we did that already with Yasu. So immediately click on 'Verify Disk' to check if we have a hard disk problem. After a short delay you will see some status lines start appearing in the main window. There are three possible outcomes;


  - The volume verifies as OK, in which case you will have to look elsewhere for the problem;
  - The volume verifies as damaged, in which case a “Repair Disk” should be the next step; or
  - The volume verification fails to finish.

===== Fixing A Damaged Drive =====

If the drive verifies as “damaged” then it is probable that Disk Utility can repair it. Click on “Repair Disk” and you will see the repair process display similar status lines as “Verify Disk” with the addition of extra status lines showing the repair when a problem is found. If this completes OK then you are finished and can restart the Mac.

If this fails, or the original “Verify Disk” failed to complete, then you have more serious drive problems. There are other utilities such as “Disk Warrior” that may fix the problems but I prefer to consider that the drive formatting is 'dead' and immediately progress to more radical solutions. This will take some time so set in for a long haul; grab a book or magazine and your iPod.

The first step is to make sure we can recover any user data. Copy the entire “User” folder from the drive to an external and check the top level of the drive for other user data. Since I am incredibly paranoid when it comes to user data (and users have been known to scatter it everywhere across a drive) I also use Disk Utility to image the drive onto my external. Now, with your heart in your hands, reformat the drive and re-install your standard image onto the Mac, copy back the user data and consider the job complete.

A final note, I always keep the user data and drive image for a couple of weeks in case the Mac's drive dies completely or there was some user data that did not make it back. 

===== Testing Mac Hardware =====

Mac hardware does not often have problems but it you suspect that the hardware is a problem you can run the Apple Hardware Test (AHT). This can be found on the 'Mac OS X Install Disc' for the Mac in question. Just reboot the Mac with the disk in the drive and hold down the 'D' key as the computer starts up.

If you can't find the required install disk then any newer install disk should work fine as AHT is backward compatible.

Running AHT is just a pass/fail test. If the hardware fails it’s back to your Reseller for a fix, otherwise you can (probably) rule out hardware problems.

===== None of that worked =====

If none of that worked and  the user is still reporting problems then I feel the only thing to do is to rebuild the OS. Do that using the instructions above for a damaged drive.