Real World Mac Maintenance and Backups (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: pod software, backup server, bootable duplicate, Software Update, Disk Utility, System Preferences (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Are you making reliable backups and performing regular maintenance on your Mac? Too few Mac users take the time to do so, and they regret it when something goes wrong. That's where Macintosh expert Joe Kissell can help. You'll learn how to keep your Mac running smoothly with a set of daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly tasks, plus get advice on preparing for Mac OS X updates. You'll also find out how to monitor your Mac to detect problems early and where to turn if trouble raises its ugly head.

But the most important aspect of maintenance is a rock-solid backup strategy that protects all your important data in the event of catastrophe. To that end, Joe provides an at-a-glance comparison of different strategies, explains the pros and cons of each type of media, and helps you pick the best backup program for your needs. You'll find time-tested recommendations that help you set up, test, and maintain your backups, complete with instructions on how to restore after a crash. Important lessons you'll learn along the way include the utility of having both a duplicate and an archive, the necessity of testing backups, and the importance of offsite backups.

In this book you'll find the answers to questions like these:

• When is my Mac likely to have trouble?
• How can I find out which unnecessary files are taking up space on my disk?
• Should I defragment my hard disk and repair permissions regularly?
• What is the best backup software and hardware?
• How can I make sure I can restore from my backups?

About the Author

After spending 10 years in the Macintosh software industry, Joe Kissell has written numerous books about the Mac, including 10 of the most popular Take Control ebooks. He's also now a TidBITS senior editor and a frequent contributor to Macworld.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press (October 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321492188
• ISBN-13: 978-0321492180
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #811,032 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have book for anyone that wants to protect their Mac, November 19, 2006

By	D. Greenbaum "DoctorDave™ www.clickhere... (Lawrence, KS) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Since I have used OS X from day, I was very anxious to analyze this book and see how it compares to my actual experience. While I don't agree with everything the author wrote, the advice is solid, well explained, and very reliable. Every Mac should ship with this book.

Unlike other books written for the IT crowd, this "Real World" book omits the boring details about why you should do certain tasks, and gives readers specific instructions on what to do daily, weekly, and yearly basis. You can open up the book and immediately start keeping your Mac in tip top shape.

There were certain aspects of the advice I, and many other Mac professionals, would disagree with. The advice isn't incorrect, just not Universal (pun intended!). There is not one solution that fits all situations. Kissell acknowledges other opinions on these subjects. He actually quotes a variety of experts who disagree with his advice. In this industry, it's pretty rare for a expert to admit there are other perfectly valid, and polar opposite, opinions. I really appreciated Kissell's lack of ego. Again, this is "Real World" and in the real world two doctors can both be excellent and, yet have very different opinions.

For example, some experts believe repairing permissions is absolutely critical while Kissell indicates this procedure has no redeeming value. His panel of experts gave different opinions allowing the reader to dras their own conclusion. (Personally, I recommend repairing permissions before any Apple update and any time you have problems), This book is his opinion and suggestions on proper maintenance. Unless you have a logical and justified reason not to follow his outstanding advice, treat his advice as gospel and follow it to the letter.

In spite of the great maintenance advice Kissel gives, his advice on backups is second to none and should be required reading for anyone who has anything of value on their Mac. Why can't Apple explain it this easy (oh, that's right, they want you to upgrade to Leopard with built-in rudimentary backups)? He is going to save readers thousands of dollars in emergency data recovery costs. I suspect Kissel will be getting cookies baked for him, invitations to weddings, and wedding proposals himself. With Kissel's help, data loss can be eliminated in our generation! Seriously though, Kisssel realizes that people won't do everything he suggests, and he acknowledges that fact and creates good/better/best type scenarios for backups. People get intimidated by backups, and just ignore it--the same reason people don't go to the dentist. In the last chapter of the book, Kissel take the most popular backup program out there, Retrospect, and takes you step by step through proper backup and restoration. Even the least technical among us can easily follow his advice and not wake up in the middle of the night in fear of data loss.

This book is one of the best organized I have seen. This is not a technical reference to be used only when you have a question, but a practical how-to guide with all the information you need at your fingertips. Not only does Kissel refer to shareware programs with eact download to download them in context of the chapters, but Appendix B summarizes all the programs mentioned in the book, the program features, and where to get them. Wow--why don't more books do that. The last page of the book summarizes everything you need to do to maintain your Mac. Most Mac users should rip out that page and keep it near their computer--taunting them to actually do the things they learned in the book.

This book is probably going to win some major awards and should be given as a gift to any Mac user who cares about their data. Every small business should follow his advice to the letter. Too often, people think because Macs are so realiable, they won't fail. While they tend to have less problems than Windows computers, Macs need Maintenance and Backups too!

Pros; Hands down the BEST book on backups and specifically Retrospect. Great maintenance advice given in a straightforward easy to follow manner.

Cons: This book will put lots of technicians out of business. He'll also kill the entire data recovery business, as well as a good share of therapists who counsel people after data loss. Good for consumers, bad for professionals like myself J. Just kidding....maybe.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best in class. Invest in the integrity of your data *before* you lose it., January 27, 2007

By	a reader (Santa Fe, NM United States) - See all my reviews

Microsoft conditioned me to feel insecure about my data. Because of this I had always planned on following the often heard but rarely heeded advice to do regular backups of my data. But what this really requires is a coherent backup *system* not just a backup product. Similarly, I'd always planned to set up a regular maintenance routine for my Mac, a systematic approach not just the occasional use of a maintenance product.

Problem: almost all info and reviews of backup and maintenance products in the Mac press write from a product-centered point of view focused on product features rather than a user-centric point of view focused on how to set up a backup and maintenance system to fit your needs and then how to choose products to fit into your system accordingly.

Solution: Joe Kissell's book. Kissell's book is a very smart approach to developing automated backup and maintenance systems for your Mac that largely run in the background to protect your data and your hard drive automatically. He starts not with product features to look for, but with a thorough assessment of your specific needs that drives your search for specific product features to meet those needs. After guiding you through your needs, including things I had not thought of or considered, he then has a smart comparative review of current backup software to best match your needs with the products that have the features you need. It's systematic; the only systematic approach I've ever found to this complex subject.

My only gripe is that you can tell it was written in Microsoft Word because the typography is terrible. But the substance, the content, is best in class. This is the best source of information on backups and maintenance for the Mac platform bar none. It's the only resource you need. All you need to do is read his book, set up your system, implement it, and stick to the weekly schedule. The whole thing can be done in one day or over a weekend. Do it before you lose important data that would take you far longer than a weekend to replace or reconstruct.

I've integrated Joe's recommendations for a backup system and a maintenance system into an easy weekly backup & maintenance routine that keeps my Mac in top shape with redundant backups just in case. For once I have peace of mind regarding my data. Thanks Joe.

Jeff Nailen
BioFit Solutions

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid advice for critical (and hard) behavior, November 1, 2006

By	Glenn I. Fleishman "unsolicited pundit" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been using backup software since 1991, sometimes handling over 100 computers on a single backup set, and maintaining my Mac since 1985 (OS X since version 10.1) -- and I still learned quite a lot from this book (in its original form as two separate ebooks). This is a critical addition to one's Mac library, because it provides both a reference on how to keep a Mac working and solve problems that crop up, while also giving step-by-step advice on making backups that can save your bacon when data is inevitably lost.