How Not to Need Data Recovery on Your Mac

As with everything relating to Mac computers, the ratio of available information on data protection for Macs versus that for Windows computers is skewed greatly towards the latter. Today’s article seeks to redress the balance slightly, by giving Mac owners some dedicated tips to protect documents and files and avoid the need for data recovery measures.

Just like the bias towards Windows on the information front, so there are fewer computer repair shops to choose from if you’re seeking data recovery for a Mac in New Jersey, or elsewhere. You may also find that the cost for Mac data recovery in New Jersey is slightly higher. That should be all the more reason then, to protect your personal documents and data files from loss. Here are some strategies to provide your Mac data with a little extra protection.

Don’t Be a DIY Software Reviewer

Much as you may love to try out new freeware and shareware applications, some of these may not be good for your computer or the documents you keep on it. Many free applications are badly coded and can cause file corruption, one of the major reasons people call on data recovery experts. Furthermore, some applications are deliberately loaded with malicious code, waiting for innocent Mac owners to take the bait and download them. If you enjoy downloading and trying out free applications, try to stick to those available on reputable, Mac oriented sites such as MacUpdate.

Fire up Your Time Machine

One reason why people end up seeking Mac data recovery in New Jersey is a lack of backup strategy. You should, however tired you are of hearing it, deploy a backup strategy for your Mac data. Apple even makes it easy for you with a backup solution built into your operating system. Time Machine is Apple’s own comprehensive and innovative backup utility.

Time Machine creates snapshots of your Mac’s data. The very first time you use it, Time Machine copies all the data on your computer to a destination, such as an external drive. Subsequent backups just copy anything that’s newly added or has been changed since the previous backup. The benefit of this “snapshot” process is that older versions of your files are retained. When you want to retrieve any backed up documents, you can choose which historical versions you want.

For a sound backup strategy, you should ideally use a second backup solution, in addition to Time Machine. Choose from one of the third party backup and recovery utilities available for the OS X operating system. Whatever combination of data backup solutions you employ, you should set up a schedule, so your utilities automatically run regular backups. By doing this, you won’t have to remember to run your backups. The utilities will automate the process for you.

Eject Your External Drives

If you use an external drive for storing your electronic documents, whether it’s a FireWire drive or a flash drive, always use the safe eject process before removing the drive. Similarly, if your external drive runs on mains electricity, eject it before you switch it off. Just yanking a drive out of its port can easily lead to corruption of the files it contains. If this happens, the only way you will be able to make those files readable again will be with flash drive recovery techniques.

Use an Uninterruptable Power Supply for Your Mac

If your Mac is a laptop, then you have the benefit of a battery on board. If there is a mains power supply failure, the battery will take over to avoid the loss of any unsaved documents you may be working on. Of course you should regularly save your documents anyhow. If you have a desktop Mac, using an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) will save you from losing any work that’s unsaved when the power goes out.

A UPS is basically a battery backup which immediately takes over when the mains power fails. You plug the UPS into your mains outlet, then your computer and accessories plug into the UPS. One of these devices is well worth the investment. Not only does it ensure your computer will keep running if the power goes out, but a good one also acts as a surge protector as well.

Power surges and power outages can both result in file damage or loss, so the price of a UPS Is a small one to pay versus the cost of data recovery. Power surges can even damage your computer hardware, so a UPS with surge protection built in can save you from the cost of computer repair.

A Hard Restart Doesn’t Fix Problems

If your Mac misbehaves, it could be a harmless glitch, or it could be a sign of something which will get progressively worse. Various computer hardware and software problems can lead to data corruption. While performing a hard restart may stop the offending behavior, it won’t cure any underlying problem. Therefore you should always try to troubleshoot and find the root cause of the problem. If you aren’t comfortable with troubleshooting your Mac, take it to a computer repair shop which specializes in Mac computers.

Safari Safely

Currently, malware is less of an issue for Macs, than it is for PCs, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be wary. There are a couple of things you can do to plug the slight security holes in your Safari browser.

1) In your Safari general preferences window, uncheck the box which says “Open ‘safe’ files after downloading”.

2) In your Safari security preferences window, uncheck the boxes which say “Enable plug-ins” and “Enable Java”.

Java and Plug-ins tend to be the weakest areas of security in OS X. So having these both disabled by default is one way to plug up the holes, so to speak.

New Jersey Mac Data Recovery

By following the simple do’s and don’ts detailed above, you will go a long way to protecting the data on your Mac from accidental deletion, corruption or loss. If worst should come to worst though and you do need a New Jersey Mac data recovery specialist, Dave’s Computers can help. For professional and affordable data recovery, give Dave’s team a call on 908-428-9558.

by David Molnar

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