Things that Won't Help to speed Up your Mac

Following are the experiences which are not helpful to speed up Mac

• Repairing File Permissions – Many Mac users believe in it , which in fact does next to nothing. Unless you're having problems logging in or using certain system files, this won't help you to speed up your Mac.

• Increase Safari speed by reducing the "page load delay" -- Lead Safari programmer David Hyatt says, "the preference in question is dead and does absolutely nothing in Safari." After al he has created it.

• Updating Prebinding -- Prebinding is updated when apps are launched (and when new ones are installed), there's no need to do it by hand .

• Take advantage of special programs in case macbook running slow. You will not have to do everything manually, that saves your time. The Stellar speed up Mac is a nice option.

Mac Optimization Tips to speed up Mac performance

It happens not only in Mac but also in PC and Linux; that your system, at one point of time, will start behaving in a sluggish manner. In Macs, this behavior cabn be detected by the spinning wait cursor. Usually, a simple hardware up-gradation solves the issue. More often than not, all your Mac probably needs is some maintenance.

Here are some tips to optimize your Mac and keep the system running healthily.

1. Quit Inactive Mac Applications

One of the most prominent causes of slowdown is running an app in the background without knowing.

Apps running in the background use memory even if they’re inactive, depriving the operating system. Hence, forcing it to use the available hard disk space as virtual memory; leading to an excessive amount of pagings and slowdowns. This also puts unnecessary strain on your hard disk, especially so if you’re running low on free space.

So, keep an eye on the Dock for apps that are inactive or not being used. Be frugal with your memory usage and you’ll notice a different in the system’s performance.

2. Disable The Dashboard

If you hardly use widgets, then you should disable the Dashboard in order to prevent the widgets from loading. The less memory you have to spare, the more reason you should do it.

Disabling the Dashboard requires the use to Terminal. Before you get all frightened, relax. It’s not that difficult.

Launch Terminal from Applications > Utilities > Terminal.app. Copy and paste this line of code into Terminal and hit Enter:

defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES

Don’t quit Terminal just yet. The Dock has to be restarted in order for this hack to work. So copy and paste this line of code to restart the Dock then hit Enter:

killall Dock

You can quit Terminal now by pressing Command+Q. With Dashboard disabled, nothing will happen when you press on the dedicated Dashboard button (F4), hit F12 or click on the Dashboard dock icon; preventing the widgets from launching and hogging precious memory.

To re-enable the Dashboard, copy and paste this code into Terminal and hit Enter:

defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean NO

Then, restart the Dock by using the code above.

3. Look Into Preferences

There is a lot you can do within System Preference to make sure that your Mac is running as smoothly as possible. For starters, you could take a look through your list of apps which automatically launch on login. You can find it under Accounts setting then hitting the ‘Login Items’ tab. I’ve listed this tip in a previous article but I can’t emphasize how important it is. Apps that launch when your Mac powers on prolong start-up time and take up memory. Keep this list lean and mean.

4. Let Mac Breathe

Hard disk space isn’t only meant for storing files. I’ve seen some people fill their hard disks to the brim. Mac OS X requires at least 20% of the hard disk drive to be free in order to perform smoothly. It uses this space to swap memory with the RAM (paging), write system files and other temporary files. By leaving OS X very little free space, you are choking the system, metaphorically speaking.

How can you free up used disk space? Run an inventory and remove applications that you hardly ever use. Take iDVD and Garageband for example, it uses up free space in the gigabytes. If you don’t frequently use these apps, remove them — you can always reinstall them from the OS X Install Disc.

Buy an external hard disk and store your large movie files over there instead of occupying the space on the primary (system) hard drive.

You can also use applications like Filelight (direct download link, Snow Leopard compatible), GrandPerspective or OmniDiskSweeper to display your hard disk usage in an easily-digestible graphical interface and find the culprit that’s hogging your valuable disk space.

5. Frequent updatation is suggested

Updating your system may feel troublesome to certain users, especially when it involves restarting. It should be made known that Apple releases updates to fix bugs and potential errors which may harm the system. Occasionally, performance updates are issued to address issues regarding improper hardware operation like this one, for instance, which was developed to fix hard drive stalls on Macs running Leopard and Snow Leopard.

To scan your Mac for available updates, run Software Update from the Apple menu in the menubar.

So there we have it, five (frequently overlooked) tips to speed up Mac. I hope that this helps solve the dreadful spinning beachball of death syndrome.

How often do you run maintenance on your Mac? Do you have any other tips to keep OS X running lean and mean? Jot them down in the comments, I’d love to hear your ideas.

Slow Mac G4 – How to Speed Up

The most frustrating problem almost all the computer users experience can be slow speeds of Mac. A slow computer can sometimes be very difficult to diagnose because the cause can come from a number of problems on the computer. The Mac G4 is an older Apple computer and is susceptible to slow computing speeds. There are a few steps you can follow to speed up your Mac G4.
Things You'll Need:

• Mac G4
  

1. Update all of the firmware on your Mac G4. Apple releases system updates that will often affect the performance of the computer. Click the "Apple" icon on the top left corner of your Mac G4. Select "Software update" and update any and all software and firmware that has not been updated.
   
2. Free up room on your hard drive. One factor that can affect the speed of your Mac G4 is the amount of physical free drive space. You can back up media files and delete them from your hard drive if you need to free up space.
   
3. Add RAM to your Mac G4. If you are running your G4 with less than 1 GB of RAM, you may experience slow computing speeds. Click the "Apple" icon and select "About this Mac" to see how much RAM you have installed. It will display next to "Memory."
   
4. Run "Disk Utility" to see if there is something wrong with your Mac's hardware. Sometimes, hardware problems can begin with applications responding slowly. Click "Applications" and then "Utilities." Select "Disk Utility" and click the hard drive in the left column. Click "Repair disk permissions."
   
5. Clear the cache on your web browser. One possible cause of slow internet speeds on your Mac G4 can be a full cache of internet data. Click "Preferences" on your browser and select "Clear browsing data" or "Clear browsing history."
   
6. Terminate programs that are running in the background. The Mac operating system does not terminate programs when you click the "X" button in the corner of the application. The window is closed, but the program is still running. To terminate programs, click the "Apple" button and select "Force quit." You will see a list of currently running programs that you can terminate.
   

Or the users can also switch to Mac speed Up utilities to make their Mac response faster.

How can I Speed Up My MacBook – TechyTips

4gb of RAM in your MacBook is quite enough to Speed Up performance and give you a pleasant experience. But here we will discuss some steps to speed up Mac without spending too much on accessories. Follow th following steps.

Step1. Remove files from the desktop
Each time that OS X loads it has to index the contents of the desktop, create thumbnail icons for each file and catalog the contents of each folder there.
Do yourself a favor and move those files to the relevant folders they belong in. This will increase the speed at which your desktop loads and therefore make your MacBook faster.

Step 2. Remove unwanted start up applications
Go into System Preferences and User Accounts. View the list of applications that have been set to start against your user name and remove (untick) any that you don't need any longer.
You can view a list of applications running in the background by using the top command from the Terminal window or by using the Activity Monitor application.

Step 3. Disable the Dashboard
This is my favorite "speed up" fix for the MacBook and it works wonders each time. The OS X dashboard is great if you use it all the time, but each one of those swish little widgets and web clips is taking up memory - and you can't even see them unless you ask for them!
To disable the dashboard, open Terminal and enter the following command:
defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean YES
You can then either reboot the MacBook or enter the following command into the Terminal window:
killall Dock
If you miss your weather widgets and stocks information, you can reverse the command by entering:
defaults write com.apple.dashboard mcx-disabled -boolean NO
And again either reboot or enter:
killall Dock

Step 4. Clear the PRAM (intel MacBooks only) Reboot your computer while holding down the command + option + p + r keys together. Don't stop until you have heard the start up chime three or four times.
This is not a real way of speeding up your MacBook, but it will kill any gremlins that have worked their way into the non-volatile RAM settings. I found that it seemed to allow my MacBook to boot faster.

Step 5. Clear the PMU (MacBook, Pro and Air)
You can use this method to clear non-volatile RAM and settings on the MacBook products. Whilst it will not cause your MacBook to suddenly leap into speed mode, it will get rid of any mis-configurations and setting issues.


Athough these steps are suggested to speed up Mac manually but if you want an automatic solution for the issue then its the best way to go for Stellar Speed Up Mac.

Clean my Mac - Delete universal binary files to speed up my Mac

A universal binary is, in Apple parlance, an executable file or application bundle that runs natively on either PowerPC or x86 (Intel)-based Macintosh computers; it is an implementation of the concept more generally known as a fat binary.

With the release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard and the move to 64-bit architecture, Universal can also mean an application that runs natively on i386 (32-bit Intel) and x86_64 systems.

The universal binary format was introduced at the 2005 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference as a means to ease the transition from the existing PowerPC architecture to systems based on Intel processors, which began shipping in 2006. Universal binaries typically include both PowerPC and x86 versions of a compiled application. The operating system detects a universal binary by its header, and executes the appropriate section for the architecture in use. This allows the application to run natively on any supported architecture, with no negative performance impact beyond an increase in the storage space taken up by the larger binary.

If a user has installed a software which is capable to run at both Power PC and Intel platforms , it retails universal binary files. If you are are Intel user then the binary files for PowerPC are simply useless files for you. These files simply eat hard drive space and make the system slow.

So, its always suggested to delete these unused binary files. There come so many mac utilities to delete universal binary files. Stellar Speed Up Mac is one such application to delete unused data from mac hard drive . This Mac software performas 5 tasks:

• Delete Language Files
• Delete Large Files
• Delete Cache & Temporary Files
• Delete Universal Binary Files
• Delete duplicate files

Stellar Speed Up mac is also applicable to remove unused Mac applications. Below are given some screenshots of this easy to use Mac application. 

Duplicate File Cleaner can make my Mac faster

Its very irritating to have your hard disks filled with unwanted files. This can delay the system's performance by reducing the free space on hard drive . This problem can be removed by simply finding and removing the duplicate files. This task cannot be accomplished manually because it takes too much of time and effort.

A third party tool delete duplicate files can save both effort and time of Mac users.. Although there are plenty of programs available for this task but the one which I have found most user friendly is Stellar speed up Mac.

The speed up Mac comes with multi-functionalities. Along with duplicate files it also removes cache, temporary files, large files and language files. This program is applicable both at bootable volume and non bootable volume as well.
Usually the duplicate files are consist of files that were downloaded multiple times, thousands of photos etc. Another issue is when a user updates programs or moves old files to a new computer. This often results in big files that you don't need anymore.

A good duplicate file checker will use a byte-to-byte method. It will compare byte size, bit rate, author, date, and more to help the mac user inspect the offending files, and either back the files up, or delete them. Same method is followed by Speed Up Mac also. It checks not only the name of files but also the content. Its lists all the files on you mac hard drive which have duplicate content.

How to Maintain Mac hard drive life - A discussion

The Mac OS hides all the typical applications so, many of the Mac users are unaware of the internal functionalities of Mac. This feature also keeps the system secure and healthy. Although its a positive point from security point of view but also hits badly the user's ability to monitor and maintain Mac performance. Here we will discuss some procedures that can help safeguard your computer from data loss.


Be SMART and Monitor Mac hard drives
SMART stands for Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology and allows you to diagnose your hard drive and alert you about the failure. If you want to run the tool, launch Disk Utility (Applications: Utilities) and click on the top level indicator for your drive in the left-hand column. In the bottom of the window, you should see something like "SMART Status: Verified". If you do not see "SMART status" at all, your Mac does not support the technology. If you see "SMART status" but do not see "Verified", your drive may be at risk of imminent failure. In this case, your best bet is to backup your data and replace the drive. This simple, but often overlooked procedure may save you from losing your data. One other thing worth noting is that although there is a myriad of 3rd party applications that can run these diagnostics automatically, be advised that using such utilities in the event of a hardware failure can cause extensive damage to the drive.

Clean up Mac Drive
Its always in favor of Mac users to delete the unused data weekly or after a fortnight . The unused data on Mac drive simple kills the usable space and delays the system's performance. If a user wants to uninstall any mac application (which is never/ rarely been used), then Stellar Speed Up Mac is the best option. This mac application is delete data form both bootable volume and non bootable volumes. 

UNIX Maintenance Scripts
Mac OS uses automatic maintenance routines called maintenance scripts to clean up system log files and other temporary files. The three scripts are designed to run daily, weekly and monthly. The problem is that these scripts are set by default to run late at night when most Macs are either off or sleeping. If the computer is off or in sleep mode during this time, the scripts will not run and the log files will grow in size, clogging up the startup disk and slowing down performance.