Mac Maintenance
The following are some basic steps in order to keep your Apple Macintosh computer tuned and running problem-free. If you encounter a problem with your Macintosh computer that you cannot fix, feel free to call the IT Help Desk at 617.824x8080 and we'll do our best to help you out! Maintenance steps are also available for Windows machines.
For OS 9:
http://rx.emerson.edu
Office 2001
Office v. X
Office 2004
Run Software Update:
The first step for any computer is to update the operating system. For Macintosh computers, Apple has made the process easy. Please follow the instructions based on your Operating system:For OS 9:
- Click on the Apple Icon on the upper-left corner of the screen.
- Move your mouse to "Control Panels" and then "Software Update"
- Click on "Software Update"
- Click on the "Software Update" button.
- Follow the rest of the instructions. You will probably need to reboot your computer after installing the updates.
- Repeat these steps until no updates appear.
- Click on the Apple icon on the upper-left corner of the screen.
- Click on "System Preferences"
- Click on the "Software Update" icon.
- Click on the "Check for Updates" button
- Follow the rest of the instructions. You will need to reboot your computer after installing the updates.
- Repeat these steps until no updates appear.
- Click on the Apple icon on the upper-left corner of the screen.
- Click on "Software Update"
- Follow the rest of the instructions. You will need to reboot your computer after installing the updates.
- Repeat these steps until no updates appear.
Install Norton Anti-Virus
If you live or work on-campus with your computer and have a valid ECnet account, you can install a free copy of Norton Anti-Virus Corporate Edition. If the computer you are using right now is connected to the Emerson College Network (ECmobile included), visit the RX site to install Norton. Please uninstall any old anti-virus software before installing Norton. Multiple anti-virus programs often conflict and can damage your system. You may need to restart your computer after the installation is complete.http://rx.emerson.edu
Repair Disk Permissions
Sometimes, in OS X, some important file ownership and permissions get changed by installers or applications. When ownership and permissions get changed, occasionally programs quit unexpectedly, preferences don't get stored, programs won't launch, etc. This is where Repair Disk Permissions utility comes in. In OS 9, this is similar to "Rebuilding the Desktop". Follow these instructions to Repair Permissions:- In the Applications folder, find the Utilities folder
- Click on Disk Utility
- On the sidebar, choose the hard drive volume that you would like to repair
- Once selected, you can click the "Repair Disk Permissions" button in the "First Aid" tab
Zap the P-RAM
Parameter RAM (P-RAM) contains settings for the ports, mouse scaling, AppleTalk status, speaker volume, amongst other control panels. This information is stored even when the computer is off. Occasionally the P-RAM can get corrupted and cause system crashes. Resetting, or "zapping" the P-RAM to the default settings can sometimes resolve these issues.- Start (or Restart) the computer.
- Before the screen lights up, hold down the Option(Alt)+Command(Apple)+P+R keys simultaneously.
- Hold these keys down until the computer chimes twice.
- Release the keys and allow the computer to restart normally.
Run Office Update
If you use applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint on your computer, then you should update with these updaters. Please chouse the appropriate version of Office you have, then download and install these updates in order.Office 2001
Office v. X
Office 2004
