Chapter C. The Where d It Go? Dictionary (Mac Version)

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B.10. Where to Get Troubleshooting Help

If the basic steps described in this chapter haven't helped, the universe is crawling with additional help sources.

B.10.1. Help Online

These Web sites contain nothing but troubleshooting discussions, tools, and help:

  • MacFixIt (www.macfixit.com). The world's one-stop resource for Mac troubleshooting advice.

  • Mac newsgroups (such as comp.sys.mac ). A newsgroup is an Internet bulletin board, which you can access using a program like Microsoft Entourage or Unison (www.panic.com). If you're polite and concise , you can post questions to the multitudes here and get more replies to them than you'll know what to do with.

    TROUBLESHOOTING MOMENT
    The Reinstall

    When some component is missing, your troubleshooting steps have failed, and Mac OS X continues to act up, consider reinstalling Mac OS X.

    That's not a big deal at all. It involves inserting the Mac OS X DVD, restarting the Mac, pressing the C key as the computer starts up, and proceeding with the installer as described in Appendix A.

    The good news is that the standard Mac OS X installation (as opposed to the radical "Erase and Install" option) doesn't touch your files, folders, or settings . It simply patches whatever holes have opened up in the Unix undercarriage of your operating system ”which, every now and then, does you a world of good.

    And what if you've updated your DVD's copy of Tiger with little updates ”Mac OS X 10.4.1, 10.4.2, and so on?

    In that case, you'll have to do a clean install (that is, an "Archive & Install" as described in Appendix A). It gives you a brand-new Mac OS X System folder, neatly retiring the previous one (and, in fact, renaming it Previous System Folder).

    Yes, your new, virginal System folder isn't the latest version of Mac OS X. But that's OK ”it's now safe to install all of the updaters you've run since your Mac OS X DVD was pressed. (If you were smart enough to save these updaters as described on Section 9.21.1, you won't even have to download them from the Web again.)

    In no time (all right, in 35 minutes), you'll be right back where you were, this time without the glitches.


  • Apple's help site (www.apple.com/support). Apple's help Web site includes downloadable manuals, software updates, frequently asked questions, and many other resources.

    It also has a Search box, which may look mild-mannered but is actually the mother of all troubleshooting resources: the Knowledge Base. This is the collection of 50,000 individual technical articles, organized in a searchable database, that the Apple technicians themselves consult when you call for help. You can search it either by typing in keywords or by using pop-up menus of question categories.

B.10.2. Help by Telephone

Finally, consider contacting whoever sold you the component that's making your life miserable: the printer company, scanner company, software company, or whatever.

If it's a Mac OS problem, you can call Apple at 800-275-2273 (that's 800-APL-CARE). For the first 90 days following your purchase of Mac OS X (which, as far as Apple knows , is the date of your first call), the technicians will answer your questions for free.

After that, unless you've paid for AppleCare for your Mac (a three-year extended warranty program), Apple will charge you to answer your questions. Fortunately, if the problem turns out to be Apple's fault, they won't charge you.

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Mac OS X. The Missing Manual
Mac OS X Snow Leopard: The Missing Manual (Missing Manuals)
ISBN: 0596153287
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 506
Authors: David Pogue

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