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iSight : Macintosh System Stability

As mentioned in the Title box - there are pages that were written a little while ago by EZ Jim, a poster on the Apple Discussions, who contributes to iSight and iChat Discussions. The words the following pages are EZ Jim's

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Macintosh System Stability

I use Macintosh Computers.


Just FYI, here is how I keep my Macintosh G5 reliable and stable:


  1. I use of a 1,000 va UPS (uninterruptible power supply, sometimes called battery back-up) that makes certain my power is never interrupted, especially during an update or boot-up. (The FP G4 iMac I had before my current machine was supported with an UPS, too, and it was just as stable.)

  2. When I get an Apple Software Update... notice, I do the following:
    • - quit Software Update
    • - do permissions repair
    • - manually install the Combo version of OS Updates
    • - restart if required
    • - Repair Permissions again
    • - use Software Update... for non-OS updates
    • - and finish with a final Permissions Repair.

  3. I use few 3rd party apps, haxies, patches, or "add-on"s. Whenever possible, I use Apple hardware and software to minimize conflicts and maximize reliability.

  4. I make it a practice to erase every drive on every new (to me) computer and install the OS and apps myself prior to putting it into service. I have been told this is obsessive, but I have spent far too many troubleshooting hours tracking a problem back to the fact that the software loaded on a brand new computer was faulty when I got it.

  5. I use these great suggestions from Gulliver, "Mac OS X 10.3/10.4: System maintenance" for keeping my OS maintained. (it works for Leopard as well)

  6. I never install any Norton software on an OS X Mac. If you have installed Norton, you can get the uninstaller here: Uninstalling all Symantec Macintosh programs using the NortonUninstall removal utility.

  7. I am careful not to manually move or delete files outside my Home Directory unless I KNOW it is appropriate to do so, for example, when a README file gives instructions on how to "uninstall" by throwing certain files away. (Manually moving or deleting files is generally a BAD idea in OS X unless you KNOW what you are doing.)

My G5 Mac works GREAT -- all the time!

Written By EZ Jim


Made on Mac
Made on a Mac®

© 2005, 2006 EZ Jim
Updated September 2006


© 2005 Ralph Johns: Edited 24/9/2005, 5/5/2006
Updated September 2006. Moved to Gargoyles Mar 2007


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