You don't need "cleaner" or "maintenance" apps to keep your Mac running well, and some of these apps can do more harm than good. Some remove files/folders or unused languages or architectures, which does nothing more than free up some drive space, with the risk of deleting something important in the process.
That's very simple to do without a 3rd party app.
You can rebuild LaunchServices without a 3rd party app. Simply enter the following command into Terminal:
Some people repair, or recommend repairing permissions for situations where it isn't appropriate. Repairing permissions only addresses very specific issues. It is not a "cure all" or a general performance enhancer, and doesn't need to be done on a regular basis. It also doesn't address permissions problems with your files or 3rd party apps.
There are times when repairing permissions is appropriate. To do so, here are the instructions:
That's much quicker and simpler to do within the browser, rather than launching a 3rd party app for that.
Deleting cache files can negatively impact your system performance. Read the link on maintenance myths that I posted.
You don't need any 3rd party antivirus app to keep your Mac malware-free. Macs are not immune to malware, but no true viruses exist in the wild that can run on Mac OS X, and there never have been any since it was released over 10 years ago. You cannot infect your Mac simply by visiting a website, unzipping a file, opening an email attachment or joining a network. The only malware in the wild that can affect Mac OS X is a handful of trojans, which cannot infect your Mac unless you actively install them, and they can be easily avoided with some basic education, common sense and care in what software you install. Also, Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Lion have anti-malware protection built in, further reducing the need for 3rd party antivirus apps.Thanks! everyone for all your advice, I'll go with OnyX and use it only when necessary. With Macs generally taking care of themselves am i right in saying there is no need for any anti virus applications if i fear i may hit some dodgy website whilst navigating over the internet
Click the ? icon in the lower right corner to read more about the firewall settings. In the window that pops up, click "Setting firewall access for services and applications" to learn more about apps.There doesn't seem to be an enable or disable tab, only
1 Allow incoming connections
2 Allow only essential services
3 Set access for specific services and applications
I'm assuming it's either,
Allow incoming connections
Block incoming connections
which one do i select
I already answered that in my last post.
What are you talking about? Where are you getting that idea?
Yes, that feature was introduced in Snow Leopard. You don't need to worry about that.
You don't need it. As it says in that section:
As long as you don't install something that just randomly pops up, you can't be affected by it. Follow the 7 tips I posted in post #8 and you don't have to worry about malware.