chrismet

Q: Do macbook pro users have to do a disk clean up or defrag?

Do we need to use system tools like a PC would- if so what???

Posted on Sep 19, 2012 6:25 PM

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Q: Do macbook pro users have to do a disk clean up or defrag?

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  • by steve359,

    steve359 steve359 Sep 19, 2012 6:32 PM in response to chrismet
    Level 6 (14,032 points)
    Sep 19, 2012 6:32 PM in response to chrismet

    OSX defrags itself during regular operation.  Some systems that have been running and changing files often for 4 years can encounter an issue ... people try to create a BootCamp partition after 4 years but the space cannot me "moved" at the end of the disk partition.  If you simply clone the partition (copies contents, not the "location" of the files) and re-clone-back, it will be clustered again at the beginning.

     

    But most system users will never see this issue unless (A) files become "fixed" after years and (B) people BootCamp.

  • by ds store,

    ds store ds store Sep 19, 2012 6:40 PM in response to chrismet
    Level 7 (30,395 points)
    Sep 19, 2012 6:40 PM in response to chrismet

    chrismet wrote:

     

    Do we need to use system tools like a PC would- if so what???

     

    No, 99% of most users don't need to do anything to maintain a Mac.

     

    However some do, if the Mac has a hard drive and it's slow, some steps can be taken to speed it up.

     

    How to properly defrag a Mac's hard drive

     

     

    If you want to clean the Mac of hidden stuff, like caches etc. then CCleaner for Mac and OnyX for OS X will do the trick, followed by a Security Erase (Zero) of Free Space using Disk Utility. (if a hard drive)

     

    How do I securely delete data from the machine?

  • by ~Bee,

    ~Bee ~Bee Sep 19, 2012 7:56 PM in response to chrismet
    Level 7 (31,792 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 19, 2012 7:56 PM in response to chrismet

    chrismet --

     

    I've been using Macs for 20 years, and have not ever downloaded ONYX, or any defrag app.  It's simply unnecessary, IMHO.

  • by John Galt,

    John Galt John Galt Sep 19, 2012 8:11 PM in response to chrismet
    Level 8 (49,522 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 19, 2012 8:11 PM in response to chrismet

    OS X has never required disk defragmentation: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1375

     

    I've been using Macs for 27 years, have never defragmented or used OnyX either. For that matter, I have never used any optimizers, "cleaners", "accelerators", "scanners" or any commercial anti-virus junk.

     

    Other than a router, I have no firewall, and I have never had any malware problems.

     

    I keep my systems updated with Software Update or the App Store, and I use Time Machine in case a hard disk fails (none ever have though).

     

    What I don't do is click on unknown links in an email, download torrents, or volunteer my account name and password unless I know what is requesting it and why.