Easy Mac OS X Lion - Kate Binder [58]
Double-click Disk Utility to start it (it’s in the Utilities folder within Applications).
Choose the disk to be repaired in the list.
Click the First Aid tab.
Click Repair Disk.
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Tip: Verify or Repair?
If you’re concerned about modifying a disk in any way at all, you can check its status without making any repairs by using the Verify commands. And it’s always good to have a current backup before you repair the disk.
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Note: What Are Permissions?
Each program, document, and folder in a Mac OS X system has permissions describing who can open and modify it. Incorrect permissions can prevent programs from running or cause them to malfunction.
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Repairing the Startup Disk
Disk Utility can’t repair the startup disk because the program can’t modify the section of the disk that contains Disk Utility. If you have a second hard drive with a Mac OS X system installed, you can start from that drive to run Disk Utility or use Lion’s new recovery partition, as described here.
Choose Apple menu, Restart.
Click Restart; then press while the Mac reboots to start it from its recovery partition.
Click Disk Utility and click Continue.
Choose your hard drive in the list, click the First Aid tab, and click Repair Disk.
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Note: What’s Going On?
The Disk Utility command isn’t anything special. It simply starts up the Disk Utility program that’s installed on the recovery partition, which is the same as the one installed on your hard drive.
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Tip: Permission Please
It’s a good idea to repair disk permissions each time you install new software or update existing software, including Mac OS X.
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Updating Programs with Software Update
Software Update checks with Apple over the Internet to see whether it finds updated versions of your system software and preinstalled programs. Then it can download and install updates for you. You enter an admin name and password when you update your software. Mac OS X assumes only admin users are authorized to change software. Be aware that many system updates will require you to restart your Mac once they’re finished installing.
Start System Preferences and click the Software Update button.
Click the Scheduled Check button and click Check Now.
If updates are found, click Show Details to see a list of available updates.
Check the boxes next to each update you want to install and click Install Items.
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Tip: Behind the Scenes
If you have a broadband Internet connection, check Check for updates and choose an interval. Do this when you want the check to occur—Software Update starts counting the time interval from the time you make this setting.
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Tip: Keeping Track
If you want to know which updates have been installed and when, click the Installed Software tab to see a list. Click the column headers to sort the list by the date, the update’s name, or the version number.
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Software Update shows you its progress as it downloads the updates.
If you’re asked to restart your Mac, click Restart.
To view previously installed updates, click the Installed Software tab of Software Updates.
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Note: Updating a New System
Some updates don’t show up until after other updates are installed. After installing system software from your original disk, run Software Update repeatedly until it doesn’t show any updates.
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Tip: Don’t Go First
If you’re not sure whether to install a system update, take a quick trip to MacFixit (www.macfixit.com) to see whether other users who’ve already updated their Macs have reported any problems with the update.
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Using the Date & Time Preferences
It’s important that your Mac know what time it is. Every file on your hard drive is time-stamped, and the system uses that information to determine which files contain the most current data. Using the Date & Time preferences, you can ensure that the