Mac Routine Maintenance...?

[rs2sensen]

On my Windows computer, I've gotten used to running some regular maintenance. Defragging, Scanning the registry, scanning for viruses, cleaning the HD up, checking the HD for errors, scanning for updates, downloading a billion security patches every day only to find out that one screwed up my PC so I have to download another patch, etc... So, I have a few questions as a new Mac user:

1. What maintenance should I be doing on my powerbook?
2. How often should I do it?
3. How do I do it?

 

[witeshark]

cron tasks 1. Close all apps. 2. Open Terminal (/Applications/Utilities).
2. Type: sudo sh /etc/daily
Note: Typing "daily" runs tasks normally scheduled for a daily interval. Type "monthly" or "weekly" in place of "daily" to runs tasks scheduled for those intervals.
3. Press Return.
4. Enter your Admin password when prompted, then press Return.
5. Quit Terminal when the task is complete. weekly tasks usually require a longer time to run than monthly or daily.
repair permissions. After every software update, and about every 2 weeks: close all apps and log totally off. Log on, go in Finder, Applications. Utilities, Disk Utility. After the message -getting disk information- select volume (below the hard drive name -upper left corner). Just highlight it. Now look to the lower two things are there near the middle, verify permissions, repair permissions. Click repair permissions

 

[trpnmonkey41]

Repair Permissions (Before and after you install programs, system updates, patches, or when things don't seem to be just right)
Applications/Disk Utiltiy
Select your Drive and click Repair Permissions

If you leave your machine on overnight it will automatically run crons which keeps your systems logs up-to-date and other various items stored in the netinfo manager

 

[Macman]

if you are not sure about using the terminal, you can use a maintenance app like cocktail or macjanitor to run cron scripts, repair permissions, etc. or system optimizer is good, optimize, prebinding, cache cleaning(careful with that one), repair permissions, run crons, and other optimization features.

 

[rs2sensen]

thanks for the help. I decided just to do the simple way out and download some software to do it for me. I installed MacJanitor and another program which somebody mentioned on the board called Yasu. they seem like they do the stuff that you all mentioned. Thanks!

 

[thermidor]

Doing a search on MacForums for "routine maintenance" is a good start