Help me keep my iBook Running Smooth!

[lindmar]

I need some help on my new g4 iBook 12"
2 Questions

1)

A few have recomenned to me running a disk utlity almost daily!!
Diskwarrior, MacJanitor, Onyx...

What are your thoughts on this?
What will keep my ibook running pristine for years to come.

Anyone have any recomendations... I need help in this matter,.
I am not a techy... But will do what it takes to a) avoid code rot,,, b) avoid slow downs c) get very unhappy!!

Help me out!


2) AppleCare

What are your experiences,,
Is it worth buying the extra years?
What will they replace, what wont they replace....
Why should they care about my monitor three years from now when who knows,, g6 ibooks are out
Are any cosmetic issues covered?
How is my display covered?
My Hard Drive?
My Como Drive?

What if somethings happen via my fault..
Is it basicually just incase something yaks in a year or two...

Please help!!!
All responses greatly appreciated in advance!

 

[Fabrix2003]

if ur looking at benchmarkingtry xbench that shows you like a comparison for your book towards a good smooth running one and tells you how to improve ur tasks effecientcy etc.

 

[mactastic]

Having a copy of DiskWarrior handy is a good saftey precaution, but AFAIK there is no need to run it on a daily basis. I usually run it once every month or two and that seems to keep my PB running smoothly.

Apple care is well worth it for the peace of mind if you can afford it. If not, just keep your fingers crossed.

 

[sethwerkheiser]

i like apple care

Since I'm a new Mac user (only since May 23rd of this year) I usually have a lot of questions. Recently my iSync "broke" and I couldn't figure out why. I Google'd the problem but couldn't find a cure - so I called AppleCare. I was on hold for TWO minutes and the AppleCare person led me by the hand and had my problem fixed in about five minutes.

I also had problems with file permissions when setting up two user accounts. Applecare walked me right through that.

Is it worth the $249? For me, having someone to call and ask questions to is worth it. Don't get me wrong, many Mac "problems" can be fixed by Google searching or just posting on here, but I find AppleCare to be an excellent addition to my iBook

 

[jxyama]

run MacJanitor once in a while... there's no strict requirement that they be run daily, weekly, etc. it runs scripted jobs that's built into UNIX. it just happens those scripts were traditionally assigned to run daily, weekly and monthly.

your iBook will not run any better just because you run it daily and it won't run any worse just because you only run it once in a while.

as for applecare, it will not cover user negligence. it's not an insurance. it's a warranty to cover manufacturing defect. cosmetic issues will not be covered - apple will not replace your casing just because you have scratches on it. that's not a manufacturing defect.

i don't think i'm going to get one for mine - almost a year old PB 12". at nearly $300 (with edu. discount), i'll probably use that money toward a newer computer if mine is to croak in the next few years...

however, if you feel that the phone support is good, then it might not be a bad investment to learn the ropes...

 

[sethwerkheiser]

Originally posted by jxyama
however, if you feel that the phone support is good, then it might not be a bad investment to learn the ropes...

Yea, learning the ropes is important

Also, when I first bought our iBook I was faced with the grim task of installing the Airport Card. I mean, I probably COULD HAVE done it, but it was nice to not have to worry about taking apart my new computer the first night I had it. The installed it for me.

Plus, they also downloaded all the latest software updates for me, and let me download some games from OS X Downloads section while sitting at the store.

While I could have done both of these myself, if was just nice to not have to worry about installing hardware and downloading many megs of updates on a DIALUP.

 

[Toppa G's]

AppleCare...

I would also recommend AppleCare if it makes econmic sense to you. I've had to send my iBook in for a new mobo after I dropped it on the ethernet port with the cable plugged in ...they had it returned to me in 2 days and I didn't pay anything for the replacement or shipping...they sent me a box to put it in and all that. I've also called for some other issues and gotten new feet for the bottom of my iBook through there.

 

[Horrortaxi]

I don't know if it matters. I run MacJanitor once in a while, repair permissions at least once a month, and bacup my home folder weekly. I never have problems with my Mac. My wife never runs any utilities, doesn't know what permissions are, never backs up, etc and she never has any problems with her Mac either. Personally, I'd say don't worry too much about utilities.

AppleCare. Unfortunately you only know if it was worth it at the end of 3 years. If you get any work done in years 2 and 3 then it paid for itself. You have a year to decide on it though.

As for what they will/won't replace, read the fine print on the website or on the box. That should tell you almost everything you need to know. There are some details they don't publish like how many dead pixels it takes to replace a display, but for the most part your questions should be answered in the fine print.

Cosmetic issues and things you do to the computer are not covered.