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?

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 12 Ratings

Best in class. Invest in the integrity of your data *before* you lose it. - 2007-01-27
Reviewer Rating:
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

Best Mac Book Ever - 2007-03-21
Reviewer Rating:
It is now twenty years that I have been using Macintoshes and buying books about this computer. While many have been helpful, this one stands out in providing the essential information that is critical to users of any computer. As our world becomes more dependent on these beasts, the old dictum: there are two kinds of people in this world--those who have lost data and those who will -- is even more true. I began backing up to 3.5 inch floppies using retrospect, and then tried a Syquist Drive which worked for years, and then began using inexpensive hard drive storage. But a logical way to strategize, or someone to hold my hand as I made critical decisions about back up, was absent until this book came along. All the Macintosh bibles and missing manuals were nice, but this one is indispensible. There are lots of great reviews of this book, and I wanted to frame this in a broader picture. The maintenance material is essential too.

Dated and useless - 2009-04-14
Reviewer Rating:
I am sure that at one time this was a useful book. Now it is of nearly no use at all. Mac has invented Time Capsule to back up your computer wirelessly every hour onto its own internal hard drive that also gives you wireless internet. Save your money and buy Time Capsule instead.

Real World Mac Maintenance and Backups - 2007-10-07
Reviewer Rating:
Must have if you're expertise level is not advanced. You really need to do yourself a favor and safeguard your data and OS integrity.

Love your Mac? then Buy This Book - 2007-06-26
Reviewer Rating:
In language which those of us without technical degrees can understand, Joe Kissell explains how to keep your Mac AND your valuable data safe and healthy. I'm one who didn't know the difference between an "archive" and a "back up". Well, I do now, thanks to this book. It is a truism that nobody backs up their data until they have lost it at least once. Don't let this be true of you when it's so easy to keep everything safe and your Mac happy.

I'd also like to point out that this book is interesting and even fun to read, unlike many computer books I've seen. Joe Kissell will not put you to sleep, and you just might want to send him a thank you note the first time his advice saves your from hours (or more) of heartache.

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