Mac 101: Troubleshooting Your Device

Emerging in 1984, Apple’s Macintosh computer, affectionately known as "The Mac," has taken an ever-growing position in the global market, with their market share increasing nearly 26% since 2010. The need for Mac computers is growing in the workplace, thus increasing the demand for IT support.  This is an adaptive change to the working world as Microsoft Windows dominated the market for nearly 25 years.

Over time, Apple has listened to its users and molded its operating systems to be the pinnacle of ease and friendliness for users. Though it is intended to make workflow efficient and provide maximum uptime, there are often things out of your control that may cause your system to go down.

Keep reading for a crash course on how to know when you need IT support for your device.

There are few questions you may want to ask yourself before calling your IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) for support. This will save time and make it much easier for support to determine the gravity of your issue.

Step 1: Backup

Make sure important files and information are securely backed up. In the event of a device malfunction, you want to make sure you have a Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) solution in place to protect your data. 

Step 2: Reboot

You always want to reboot your computer if you suspect that something is wrong. Many times all a system needs is to reboot and refresh. We have a habit of running our devices endlessly and that can cause your device to malfunction. If you think it is a hardware issue, go ahead and reboot your computer. If you think it is a network issue go through the same processes but ask around the office to see if anyone else is experiencing connectivity issues as well.

Step 3: Run a Hardware Test

When your computer is in the process of rebooting hold down cmd-D. This will run an Apple hardware test on your machine. Using the disk management tool built inside all Macs, this tool will allow you to run the option to repair your disk permissions and the option to verify your disk. This will scan your hard drive for errors, then the next command will allow you to repair your disk. Locate the disk-management in the top right of your screen where the spotlight search is indicated by a magnifying glass. From there, type in "disk management" and click enter to access the utility. This will address the issues with speed and other operating systems errors.

Step 4: Call for Help

In the event that your device will not reboot, or the last 3 steps don’t fix your issue, your best bet is to put your device in safe mode. To put your device in safe mode you should press down cmd + S. Once in safe mode you can call your MSP's support team and explain the steps that you have taken to address this issue. Isolation is the key to resolving a device issue.

In some industries, working on Mac devices can enhance productivity and employee satisfaction.  For more information about maximizing the use of these devices in the workplace, contact The TNS Group today.

Categories: Managed Service Provider, MSP Blogs