As with a car, your Mac requires regular care to extend its lifespan and avoid problems.
Reset the PRAM
When your Mac begins acting up, it could be an indicator that it needs its PRAM reset.
These special battery-powered memory modules contain basic settings needed before your operating system loads. These are often stable but occasionally corrupted; therefore it is wise to know how to factory reset your mac as an insurance measure.
PRAM stores the default values for many aspects of your Mac’s hardware, such as time zones, display settings, mouse scaling preferences and keyboard preferences. If these default values become corrupted it could cause severe complications with its operation. This is why it is essential for users to know how to factory reset iMac to keep the machine in proper working order. Routine maintenance is of the utmost importance in keeping your computer running smoothly.
Resetting the PRAM on any Mac is relatively straightforward: simply shut down the computer, hold down Command+Option+P+R keys until your Mac restarts and you hear its startup sound, and release them until its startup sound has played back out.
This will clear out any incorrect information stored by PRAM and reset all normal settings – potentially solving many issues on a Mac.
Clean the Hard Drive
Hard drives are incredible pieces of technology: their tiny platters, motors and sensors work seamlessly to store gigabytes of information reliably. But their lifespan is limited; keeping unnecessary files or programs stored can slow them down significantly, diminishing performance as well as taking up room better used for new software applications.
Cleaning a hard drive regularly will extend its useful lifespan while improving performance and providing space for more programs to run on it. You can click the link: https://www.techtarget.com/hard-disk-drive to learn more about your hard drive.
Failing to empty your Mac’s Trash regularly could waste gigabytes of space on your hard drive. To stay on top of it all, set a reminder in your phone or laptop.
One alternative is to utilize the Disk Cleanup tool, which scans your hard drive for files you can safely delete as well as duplicates and junk data that occupy precious storage space. Running this tool regularly or when your disk space starts running low can significantly boost its performance and ensure a better computing experience overall.
Reset the NVRAM
NVRAM (known as PRAM on older Macs) is an area of memory used to store settings related to your control, powered by a small battery so they aren’t lost when the Mac is turned off.
Unfortunately, however, its contents can become corrupted, potentially leading to various problems on its own or when connected with external drives or USB flash drives.
Your Mac might take an eternity to boot up or have an unusual screen resolution; to resolve these problems, resetting the NVRAM can help.
To successfully execute this procedure, precision will be essential as you must hold down the keys for an exact duration. To help avoid making errors during this process, a stopwatch can help keep track of the timing.
Traditionally, you’ll need to press four keys while your Mac reboots, though newer MacBooks offer an easier method that requires only one press instead. Be patient as the NVRAM process can take some time; remember to wait until either your second startup sound or Apple logo disappears before releasing all keys.
Reset the SMC
The SMC (System Management Controller) plays an essential role in Mac computers, including thermal management and power supply management, battery charging, video mode switching, keyboard backlights and indicator lights.
Sometimes this chip becomes corrupt and causes unexpected behavior – however resetting it may help solve many problems easily and swiftly.
Procedure for Resetting SMC depends on your Mac model. In general, to reset it you will need to shut down and hold down Shift, Control, and the Option keys on the left side of the built-in keyboard with the power button for seven seconds before releasing the power button and restarting your Mac.
Apple users on forums have also reported that simply shutting down and waiting a minute can work similarly to resetting the SMC, although this approach may not be as successful. Still, it’s worth giving it a try before visiting an Apple Genius Bar; unfortunately it won’t work on Macs with an integrated T2 Security Chip as its SMC is already integrated into its processor itself.
Update Software
Maintenance tasks of any computer should include keeping its operating system current. You can do this either manually or automatically by going into System Preferences > Software Update and clicking on the icon; this will check for updates and give you an option to install them at your own leisure.
Before initiating an update process, make sure that there is sufficient storage space. Furthermore, any files or programs you do not want to lose should be backed up regularly as updates can sometimes cause file conflicts that cause irreparable data loss.
Once the update has finished, you should be able to log back onto your computer again. If any errors arise during installation, be patient; sometimes restarting may help.