Tip
One: A
General Quick-Fix: Repair Disk Permissions.
Remember
rebuilding the desktop back in Mac OS 9? It was a general quick-fix
for a variety of problems. In truth, it didn't fix as much as some
people thought -- but it rarely did any harm.
In
Mac OS X, we don't have a desktop to rebuild. But repairing disk
permissions is pretty similar. It is recommended that you repair
your disk permissions after installing new programs or once every
month or so of normal usage.
To
repair permissions on your startup disk:
1.
Open the Disk Utility (found in Applications>Utility folder).
2.
Click on the First Aid tab at the top of the Disk Utility window.
3.
Click on your startup drive on the left side of the window.
4.
Click on the Repair Disk Permissions button.
5.
Step out for coffee. (this can take some time to finish)
A
detailed explanation of Mac OS X permission issues is beyond the
scope of this tip. This fix will sometimes solve problems with applications
that won't launch or a system responding sluggishly. We once saw
a Mac's mouse stop working due to permission problems. Repairing
disk permissions is often a good first step in general troubleshooting.
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