Should i format my MacBook?

Hello once again.

I've already got my new RAM . But to be honest, i still kind of don't feel to much diference, although i need to open more big apps at the same time. When i say big, i mean that "eat" a lot of ram.

Anyway, my big question is: I have backups from TimeMachine. After a format... should i used them? My afraid is having the same troubles that i have now. Or TimeMachine only restore you're data and old configures? Or does it bring all the other stuff to? xD

Ichi said:

Hello once again.

I've already got my new RAM . But to be honest, i still kind of don't feel to much diference, although i need to open more big apps at the same time. When i say big, i mean that "eat" a lot of ram.

Click to expand...

Too many folks think that upgrading their computers ram is automatically going to speed it up...when it really depends on what you're doing with your computer.

I looked at your old threads...and it looks like your MacBook had 2 gig of ram...and you were thinking of upgrading to 4gig. In that thread it really didn't sound like you were doing anything that tremendously challenging on your computer requiring 4 gig of ram. So this is probably why the ram upgrade doesn't make your computer "feel" much different.

I have 2 gig of ram in my MacBook Pro...and for the things that I do...2 gig does just fine.

You mentioned "opening more big apps at the same time". If this is the case...then 4 gig of ram will definitely help. Reinstall your original 2 gig of ram...then open all those "big apps" at the same time...and you may see a big difference (slowdown).

- Nick

i know that, and i do use a lot of big apps. I need for my University. Adobe Ilustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Flash, DreamWeaver, all from CS4. Premiere, etc.
Also, netbeans, jdownloader, i know all that. I wasn't expecting a huge diferrence... but i want it more ... compact. Don't know how to explain. Anyway, can you answer my question about TimeMachine?

Ichi said:

i know that, and i do use a lot of big apps.

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If you know this...then why did you say this in your original post..."I've already got my new RAM . But to be honest, i still kind of don't feel to much diference...

If you know this...then why even make that statement? I'm just trying to help.

In your original post you mentioned "having the same troubles that i have now".

What troubles are you having?

- Nick

Well, i just said that cuz, i did open the apps all the time... and i didn't feel a much of a difference. Although it's psychological, lol. Well, i recently had, for at least, 3 times, the mistake where my macbook from nowhere freezes and kind of gives a fatal error, that i have to turn off in the shutdown button. It kind of make me unsafe. And i realized that it happend when i do have to much open stuff at the same time.

Ichi said:

Well, i recently had, for at least, 3 times, the mistake where my macbook from nowhere freezes and kind of gives a fatal error, that i have to turn off in the shutdown button. It kind of make me unsafe. And i realized that it happend when i do have to much open stuff at the same time.

Click to expand...

Did this happen before and after the ram upgrade...or only after the ram upgrade?

- Nick

lol, only before, at least until now....not having any trouble. But i just put the RAM at 3 hours ago, i guess... Still, i would like to know if i format my macbook... shoulde i use the backup from TimeMachine? Or that will make my computer exactly the same as before?

Oy!! using time machine will restore your system to a point that is before you restored the system....hence the name time machine, you are going back in time usually to your last time machine back up. it is not a fresh install of the operating system.

I see, so basically, if i want a "fresh" restart, i shouldn't use TimeMachine after i format, right? For example: Let's imagine that i have my permissions all messed up in my hdd... If i do a backup from TimeMachine after i format i would get all that permissions messed up again, right?

I'm saying permissions, but i could be talking about fragmentation and similar processes of HDD. I don't know if i'm making myself clear.

Ichi said:

I see, so basically, if i want a "fresh" restart, i shouldn't use TimeMachine after i format, right? For example: Let's imagine that i have my permissions all messed up in my hdd... If i do a backup from TimeMachine after i format i would get all that permissions messed up again, right?

I'm saying permissions, but i could be talking about fragmentation and similar processes of HDD. I don't know if i'm making myself clear.

Click to expand...

I think that the issue here is we (or at least I) don't have a clear idea of what sort of problems your MacBook is having.

A fresh install of the OS may or may not fix the problem. Go ahead & do a fresh OS install...since if a fresh OS install doesn't fix the problem...we can cross that off the list of things to try.

- Nick

this is getting a little confusing..... a fresh install makes the computer act like it came out of the box.

G4 ibookboy said:

this is getting a little confusing..... a fresh install makes the computer act like it came out of the box.

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Not necessarily. A fresh install of the OS simply replaces the OS currently on the computer...and it also depends on what OS install disk is used.

If (for example) a computer originally shipped with a version of 10.4 (MacBook)...and if an OS 10.6 disk is used to do the fresh OS install...then 10.6 will be installed...which is not like it just came out of the box (since this computer originally shipped with 10.4).

And since a fresh OS install does not touch the already installed applications...such as games, Microsoft apps. Adobe apps....again this would not be like it just came out of the box.

- Nick

Lol, Ok. I'll try to explain one more time (probably i'm not making myself to clear, and i apologize for that).

I don't have exactly any problems with my Mac, except that fatal error that happen at least 3 times.. I just want my Mac faster, fresher, quickly at shutting down and turning up. like it was before.

ie: When you don't format a pc, even a Mac, your HDD will get slower, cuz you probably never desfragmented it before or you are a guy that change permissions, or do some mistakes in some stupid installation of an app.

I want it like before. The reason i bought RAM was only to be able to have more big ram-consumers software running at the same time. Now, i want to be able to enjoy this opportunity to have a more optimize Mac. That's all, lol.

Now, the only thing that i'm asking for is: If i decide to format my HDD and use the backups from TimeMachine will my HDD get slower just like before?

well you could try running oynx, but if its working good, why change it you may just be looking for problems

Ichi said:

ie: When you don't format a pc, even a Mac, your HDD will get slower, cuz you probably never desfragmented it before or you are a guy that change permissions, or do some mistakes in some stupid installation of an app.

Click to expand...

From what I have read, any Mac running OS X 10.2 or later does not ever need to be defragmented because of how the file system is designed to work. (If I am wrong I apologize, but I have seen it many times so I'm fairly sure that's accurate) They are not a Windows OS, not designed the same way, and not susceptible to the same maintenance problems of Windows. They also don't have a registry like Windows. So things don't necessarily get cluttered up from botched installs/uninstalls, though it is possible in some cases.

Reformatting and reinstalling might restore a little "zip" right after it's done. But naturally if you fill your computer up with files and programs, it's going to add more things to the file system, and there's always a chance if you're getting too full or something, that it could reduce performance a little.

Macs don't have any virus', they don't require the same sort of maintenance that Windows does (ie. defragmenting) so it's really not an easy answer without knowing what is in your Time Machine backup, or how full your drive will be. If you fill the computer, it's going to get slower over time. Not from fragmentation in the case of a Mac. But think of it like this. The reason computers feel "zippier" when they are empty after a fresh install, is because there is nothing for them to dig through. Say you add 10,000 files. It now has to dig through them. They do it so fast, it's not really noticeable. But every file you add, adds to that. Eventually when you get 85%, 95%, etc. full, it gets slower.

I'm not an expert, and naturally I have no idea how full or empty your drive is. All I am trying to say is, I know for sure, from reading on both this forum and others, defragmenting is not only not necessary, but not recommended for Macs. So if you're thinking of reformating, don't do it based soley on that Windows mindset alone Spend that energy instead, as pigoo said, investigating more likely causes of your problem. People here will help you

Ichi said:

I don't have exactly any problems with my Mac, except that fatal error that happen at least 3 times.. I just want my Mac faster, fresher, quickly at shutting down and turning up. like it was before.

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Of course you're having problems with your Mac...you got this "fatal error" problem right. Well that's a problem with your Mac! Whether it's a hardware or a software problem...it's still a problem with your Mac.

In any case:

- What do you mean by a fatal error?
- When does this happen?
- Does it happen with specific applications?
- Does it happen when you launch a specific app....or during the use of a specific app.?
- Can you duplicate the problem...or does it happen randomly?

Ichi said:

ie: When you don't format a pc, even a Mac, your HDD will get slower, cuz you probably never desfragmented ...

Click to expand...

Not correct. Mac's DO NOT suffer from hard disk fragmentation. The Mac OS does periodic maintenance on it's own (when you don't realize it) to control disk fragmentation.

Ichi said:

I want it like before. The reason i bought RAM was only to be able to have more big ram-consumers software running at the same time.

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If this is the case...then stop mentioning the ram upgrade...you're only confusing the issue by continuing to mention it.

Ichi said:

Now, the only thing that i'm asking for is: If i decide to format my HDD and use the backups from TimeMachine will my HDD get slower just like before?

Click to expand...

Two thoughts here:

1. This is a confusing statement. you said, "...will my HDD get slower just like before?" Well if it was slow before...then why would you want to use your Time Machine backup???

2. I think that you need to stop focusing on this Time Machine backup. You need to figure out what the actual cause of the problem is...otherwise it may just return.

The bottom line is you keep complaining about your Mac being slow...and having fatal error's. This could be due to some sort of:

- software conflict
- bad or incompatible ram
- or your hard drive could be going bad

- Nick

well you could try running oynx, but if its working good, why change it you may just be looking for problems

Click to expand...

Thank you. I didn't knew about that app, and although i had similar ones i must say this seems the best.

@ClockworkWorld: I've already had that though in my head, and i know that for Mac, since it's a different OS you have to think from another prespective.

Although i must say i didn't know that the OS does monitor the HDD. And that is good to know.

You'll probably right, as pigoo3. Formatting is not the right solution. Thanks for the advice

@pigoo3:

- What do you mean by a fatal error?

Click to expand...

- I'm literally talking about this: "Fatal Error"

- When does this happen?
- Does it happen with specific applications?
- Does it happen when you launch a specific app....or during the use of a specific app.?
- Can you duplicate the problem...or does it happen randomly?

Click to expand...

- The first time it happen i believe i was using too much processor power. The other times was the same. Always when i have too much stuff open. (It only happen 3 times, i think). That's the reason i bought the ram.

-The first time it happen it was 2 in a row. And i was using Maya, for 3D animation. I really believe that it happen because of this software

- During the use of an app(s);

- I can't.... it happen randomly.

P.S.: Since i have the new RAM nothing of this has happened again.

Ichi said:

P.S.: Since i have the new RAM nothing of this has happened again.

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If you don't have the problem anymore (since you installed the new ram)...WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU START THIS THREAD!!!

- Nick

Lolol, I hadn't the ram yet... and... my question in my first post of this Thread was clear: SHOULD I FORMAT MY MAC?! X'DDD

Ichi said:

Hello once again.

I've already got my new RAM . But to be honest, i still kind of don't feel to much diference, although i need to open more big apps at the same time. When i say big, i mean that "eat" a lot of ram.

Anyway, my big question is: I have backups from TimeMachine. After a format... should i used them? My afraid is having the same troubles that i have now. Or TimeMachine only restore you're data and old configures? Or does it bring all the other stuff to? xD

Click to expand...

Above is your original post in this thread. It says, "I've already got my new RAM."

So what do you mean...you "Hadn't the ram yet".

As to the question..."Should you reformat your Mac?"...I see no reason to. You don't have any problems.

Good luck...I'm done!!!

- Nick