do macs really need cleaning?

Is it just inviting trouble to get these 'remedies'?

In a word, "yes".

If is not busted, don't try and fix it with junkware.

If it is busted, come here and/or take it to your local Apple Store.

FWIW in six months or so, pop off the bottom cover to check for excessive dust.

I clean my Mac regularly.....

I wipe down the outside with a lightly moistened (rubbbing alcohol) soft cloth, and I "blow out" the innards with canned air every couple of months.

Apart from that, you don't need to do anything.

Would it void my AppleCare if I took out the bottom of my MacBook Air?

Austin

AustinJGibson wrote:

Would it void my AppleCare if I took out the bottom of my MacBook Air?

Austin

I don't think so.

I had a Late 2009 MBP and I replaced the HD about five months after I got it. The AppleStore told me that was OK as long as I didn't break anything.

There are moisture sensors all around in there, so be careful if you do.

I really new to Macs but I think the "cleaning" refers to softwarei that is unnecessary. REPAIR PERMISSIONS will clear out the rubbish & make it run faster but I'm unsure how to do that. !!!

Unlike an MBP, I'd be careful as Apple does not officially support any upgrades in the MBA; I'd guess that includes opening it. From the hardware warranty:

to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (“AASP”)

Opening could easily be construed as "servicing" it.

I just meant to like clean out dust...

spaler wrote:

I really new to Macs but I think the "cleaning" refers to softwarei that is unnecessary. REPAIR PERMISSIONS will clear out the rubbish & make it run faster but I'm unsure how to do that. !!!

then

Here's a good tip if you see yourself using Disk Utility (or any app for that matter) a lot. In addition to the Dock, you can add apps to the top bar of Finder windows. Just hold the Cmd key and drag the app to the "toolbar". Then, when you want it open, just click the icon.

How to maintain a Mac

1. Make redundant backups, keeping at least one off site at all times. One backup is not enough. Don’t back up your backups; all should be made directly from the original data. Don’t rely completely on any single backup method, such as Time Machine. If you get an indication that a backup has failed, don't ignore it.

2. Keep your software up to date. In the App Store or Software Update preference pane (depending on the OS version), you can configure automatic notifications of updates to OS X and other Mac App Store products. Some third-party applications from other sources have a similar feature, if you don’t mind letting them phone home. Otherwise you have to check yourself on a regular basis.

Keeping up to date is especially important for complex software that modifies the operating system, such as device drivers. Before installing any Apple update, you must check that all such modifications that you use are compatible. Incompatibility with third-party software is by far the most common cause of trouble with system updates.

3. Don't install crapware, such as “themes,” "haxies," “add-ons,” “toolbars,” “enhancers," “optimizers,” “accelerators,” "boosters," “extenders,” “cleaners,” "doctors," "tune-ups," “defragmenters,” “firewalls,” "barriers," “guardians,” “defenders,” “protectors,” most “plugins,” commercial "virus scanners,” "disk tools," or "utilities." With very few exceptions, such stuff is useless or worse than useless. Above all, avoid any software that purports to change the look and feel of the user interface.

It's not much of an exaggeration to say that the whole "utility" software industry for the Mac is a fraud on consumers. The most extreme examples are the "CleanMyMac" and “MacKeeper” scams, but there are many others.

As a rule, the only software you should install is that which directly enables you to do the things you use a computer for, and doesn't change the way other software works.

Safari extensions, and perhaps the equivalent for other web browsers, are a partial exception to the above rule. Most are safe, and they're easy to get rid of if they don't work. Some may cause the browser to crash or otherwise malfunction. Some are malicious. Use with caution, and install only well-known extensions from relatively trustworthy sources, such as the Safari Extensions Gallery.

Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it. Otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve. Do not rely on "utilities" such as "AppCleaner" and the like that purport to remove software.

4. Don't install bad, conflicting, or unnecessary fonts. Whenever you install new fonts, use the validation feature of the built-in Font Book application to make sure the fonts aren't defective and don't conflict with each other or with others that you already have. See the built-in help and this support article for instructions. Deactivate or remove fonts that you don't really need to speed up application launching.

5. Avoid malware. Malware is malicious software that circulates on the Internet. This kind of attack on OS X was once so rare that it was hardly a concern, but malware is now increasingly common, and increasingly dangerous.

There is some built-in protection against downloading malware, but you can’t rely on it—the attackers are always at least one day ahead of the defense. You can’t rely on third-party protection either. What you can rely on is common-sense awareness—not paranoia, which only makes you more vulnerable.

Never install software from an untrustworthy or unknown source. If in doubt, do some research. Any website that prompts you to install a “codec” or “plugin” that comes from the same site, or an unknown site, is untrustworthy. Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must come directly from the developer's website. No intermediary is acceptable, and don’t trust links unless you know how to parse them. Any file that is automatically downloaded from the web, without your having requested it, should go straight into the Trash. A web page that tells you that your computer has a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with it, is a scam.

In OS X 10.7.5 or later, downloaded applications and Installer packages that have not been digitally signed by a developer registered with Apple are blocked from loading by default. The block can be overridden, but think carefully before you do so.

Because of recurring security issues in Java, it’s best to disable it in your web browsers, if it’s installed. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This action is mandatory if you’re running any version of OS X older than 10.6.8 with the latest Java update. Note: Java has nothing to do with JavaScript, despite the similar names. Don't install Java unless you're sure you need it. Most people don't.

6. Don't fill up your boot volume. A common mistake is adding more and more large files to your home folder until you start to get warnings that you're out of space, which may be followed in short order by a boot failure. This is more prone to happen on the newer Macs that come with an internal SSD instead of the traditional hard drive. The drive can be very nearly full before you become aware of the problem.

While it's not true that you should or must keep any particular percentage of space free, you should monitor your storage use and make sure you're not in immediate danger of using it up. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of free space on the startup volume for normal operation.

If storage space is running low, use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeperto explore the volume and find out what's taking up the most space. Move seldom-used large files to secondary storage.

7. Relax, don’t do it. Besides the above, no routine maintenance is necessary or beneficial for the vast majority of users; specifically not “cleaning caches,” “zapping the PRAM,” "resetting the SMC," “rebuilding the directory,” "defragmenting the drive," “running periodic scripts,” “dumping logs,” "deleting temp files," “scanning for viruses,” "purging memory," "checking for bad blocks," "testing the hardware," or “repairing permissions.” Such measures are either completely pointless or are useful only for solving problems, not for prevention.

To use a Mac effectively, you have to free yourself from the Windows mindset that every computer needs regular downtime maintenance such as "defragging" and "registry cleaning." Those concepts do not apply to the Mac platform. A computing device is not something you should have to think about very much. It should be an almost transparent medium through which you communicate, work, and play. If you want a machine that is always whining for your attention like a neurotic dog, use a PC.

The very height of futility is running an expensive third-party application called “Disk Warrior” when nothing is wrong, or even when something is wrong and you have backups, which you must have. Disk Warrior is a data-salvage tool, not a maintenance tool, and you will never need it if your backups are adequate. Don’t waste money on it or anything like it.

AustinJGibson wrote:

I just meant to like clean out dust...

Yes, I know, but if you accidentally hit/move some of the very delicate parts and they should suffer any damage, Apple may use the paragraph I quoted as a reason for not paying.

spaler wrote:

REPAIR PERMISSIONS will clear out the rubbish & make it run faster

Repair Permissions will do no such thing. RP does very little, and it is not the universal panacea for all Mac problems. All it does it compare a list of file attributes held in /Library/Receipts with the actual file attributes, and attempts to restore them to those values.

1. It only works on SOME Apple system components. It does nothing for user files or third-party software.

2. It doesn't always make the changes that it reports.

3. It produces warnings that can safely be ignored.

It does no need to be run regularly, nor before and after installing stuff.