Today there are quite a lot of utilities for testing and diagnostics. personal computers. Moreover, not all of them are created only for troubleshooting. Some of existing applications help identify “weak” areas and can even provide a number of useful tips. A utility called TechTool Pro is one of these.

TechTool Pro is a fairly popular utility for testing an Apple computer, which is distinguished by its wide capabilities and pleasant interface. Thanks to this, it can be used by both beginners and advanced users.

One of the main tasks of TechTool Pro is hard testing Mac drive. The utility allows you to scan drives for bad partitions, restore access rights, perform SMART tests, and clone volumes.

However, TechTool Pro's monitoring capabilities hard state disks are not running out. This application also allows you to test other components of your Apple computer. For example, check the operation of coolers, RAM, monitor, etc.

To summarize, we can say that TechTool Pro is powerful application, which can replace a whole arsenal of diagnostic programs. But this utility has one significant drawback— price. Latest version programs will cost $99.99. You can purchase TechTool at.

Any device, regardless of its complexity, requires from time to time preventive examination, in order to quickly track emerging problems, eliminate them in time at their inception stage and prevent their reoccurrence. Despite the fact that Macs (both desktop and mobile) are famous for their reliability, they should also undergo preventative maintenance from time to time. Mac OS X contains many various settings and temporary elements, both at the software and hardware levels, which can affect the operation of the system as a whole and individual applications. We will talk about this in today's article.

We would like to warn you right away that not all of the tips below should be used in any case - some of them are recommended to be used only in case of obvious problems.

IRON PREVENTION

Maintenance of hardware by the user consists of working with the PRAM and PMU settings, data boot volume disk and partition table structure. If you have the proper user skill and experience in assembling and disassembling your Mac, you should regularly clean its insides from dust.

• Checking the primary disk partition

We reboot the computer, but boot not as usual, but from a recovery disk or from any other boot volume (installation DVD, backup copy main section, etc.). During the boot process (if using the installation DVD) or after full load, launch Disk Utility and, having selected the main partition with the system in it, we check the disk to find out if everything is in order with the structure file system disk. The same check can be done by booting into normal mode, but if loaded from another medium, the verification efficiency will be slightly higher.

• Apple Hardware Test

For any Mac, there is also an official tool for testing hardware for errors. It's called Apple Hardware Test and can be found in a variety of places:

• on installation disk with Mac OS X that came with your Mac (if you bought it with Leopard 10.5.4 or older)
• on the software disk that came with the Mac (if Mac OS X 10.5.5-10.6.8 was pre-installed on the Mac)
• on the Recovery partition or even on the Internet (if the Mac was sold with OS X Lion)

Depending on the Mac models, the way you run the test may vary. As a rule, to enter the test you need to hold down the D key when turning it on (not when rebooting!). If Apple Hardware Test is located on the Recovery partition of the disk, then use the Command+D combination.

If the D key doesn't change anything, try inserting the disks your Mac came with into the drive and holding it down when the computer turns on with a DVD in the drive.

If Apple Hardware Test finds any errors, it will be very important to remember (or better yet, write down) their codes. This will be useful to you when communicating with technical support.

If there is no other medium from which to boot, there is no need to bother with Disk Utility I don’t want to either, then you can boot your Mac into safe mode. This mode The good thing is that, among other things, with such a start, several system maintenance procedures will be launched and the disk will be forced to check for errors. In order to boot the original Mac in safe mode, the user just needs to hold down the key while booting. SHIFT , in case of using Hackintosh - boot with the flag -x .

• Resetting PRAM

PRAM is a parametric random access memory device that stores some operating system and device settings to provide Mac OS X with fast access to them. The number and name of settings varies depending on the type of computer, as well as the devices and drives connected to it. But almost always, video and monitor settings are stored there (refresh rate and screen resolution, number of colors and some others), information about the starting disk volume, set speaker volume, data about the last kernel panic.

In some cases, clearing PRAM helps to cope with certain problems that have arisen. To clear PRAM, just hold down the keys when starting the computer COMMAND+OPTION+P+R (you need to have time to press them before the gray screen) and do not let go until the Mac boots up and you hear the Mac OS X welcome sound.

If you have a RAID array installed on your Mac, it may happen that after resetting the PRAM, the computer will refuse to boot correctly. In this case, you should try to boot while holding down the key OPTION to the screen for selecting a system to launch, and if this does not help, then restart the Mac by holding down the keys COMMAND+OPTION+SHIFT+DELETE .

• Reset SMC

An SMC module is a computer chip that is usually found on motherboard and is responsible for managing all aspects of the computer's power supply. It controls the speed of rotation hard drive, turning sleep mode on and off, charging, and the effect of connected devices on sleep mode. If you have problems with sleep mode, the inability to turn on the computer when running on battery power, and other power-related problems, then resetting the SMC settings can help solve them. For different Macs, the SMC reset process is slightly different, so to get reset instructions specifically for your Mac, we refer you to the Apple knowledge base, where everything is described in detail. As an example, we give the procedure for resetting the SMC for MacBook Air and Mac Mini.

1. Turn off your MacBook and disconnect all cables from it.
2. Connect the network adapter cable to it.
3. Press and hold the keys CONTROL+SHIFT+OPTION on the left side of the keyboard (that's right), and then press and hold the power button.
4. After 5 seconds, release all buttons and press the power button again.

1. Disconnect all cables from the computer, including the power cord.
2. Wait 10 seconds.
3. Plug in the power cord while holding down the power button on the back of the computer.
4. Release the Power button.
5. Turn on your computer by pressing the power button again.

• Cleaning your Mac from dust

This procedure requires some experience and practice in analyzing and reassembly Maca. Despite the apparent complexity, the operation can significantly help in the fight against insufficient cooling of the computer case and components, because the Mac, like any other electronic equipment, is an excellent dust collector. Of course, not every Mac can be easily disassembled. You can find out how this is done and how difficult it is on the iFixit portal.

However, if you are not confident enough in your abilities, then it is better to clean your Mac from dust in service center.

PREVENTION OF THE SYSTEM

System prevention comes down to checking the status of rights to files and folders, cleaning various caches and removal of other debris.

• Verification and restoration of rights

It may be quite useful to check and, if necessary, restore access rights to files and folders. To do this, boot in normal mode from the main boot partition and start again Disk Utility, in which we perform the above operations.

• Extraordinary launch of the Mac OS X self-cleaning system

Mac OS X is enough smart system and it has a built-in self-cleaning system that independently removes various temporary files and other garbage. Everything would be fine, but there is one problem - the self-cleaning system starts at strictly defined hours, when computers Russian users as luck would have it, they are turned off. About how to solve this problem and independently start the self-cleaning process in detail in one of our articles devoted to working with the Terminal.

• Cleaning extensions and system cache in Mac OS X

At possible problems cleaning system extensions can help with drivers, and cleaning system cache will help the system “breathe” more freely. Behind detailed description cleaning process also refer you to the above-mentioned article on working with the Terminal.

The final finishing touch to prevent the operating system is to restart the computer. Don't be surprised if your Mac takes too long to boot the first time after cleaning - this is normal. Reboot the machine again and it will boot normally.

Alternatively, to prevent the system, you can use various specialized applications, significantly facilitating this process and eliminating operations with Terminal, Disk Utility and other applications that frighten newcomers. We have already talked more than once on the pages of our website about similar programs, for example, about or .

Keep your Mac in order, take care of it regularly and it will repay you with many years of impeccable work;)

It's good when the Mac works like a clock. But this doesn't last forever. Being seasoned Mac users, we carry the same laptop with us for many years in a row, changing it to a new one only in exceptional situations. For example, if problems arise with hardware - overheating and loss of OS stability. To prevent or correct this, it is worth carrying out maintenance.

It’s time for me to write a book about how to most successfully get into seemingly insoluble situations. Quite recently, I wrote about how I found myself in a hopeless situation with a burnt-out cable, which forced me to urgently look for a laptop repair service. The current situation is little better.

I came to Moscow for a few days on a working visit just in time for spring presentation Apple Watch. That evening the work process was in full swing, and posts poured in one after another. Finishing work on the next news, I noticed: the laptop began to behave strangely. It had been unusually hot for several days and the coolers were loudly humming. And now the system froze every now and then, although nothing resource-intensive was happening.

In the morning, everything got really bad: after a short run on the Internet, the computer suddenly turned off. To the touch - simply fiery. Nikita and I were going to check out iCases on Taganka the next day, and, in addition to the planned things, we decided to take my Mac for diagnostics at the same time. There's nothing to lose.

A master named Igor took my working tool and took it to the holy of holies of any repair service. While Nikita was picking up gadgets for the next batch of reviews, I also decided to look inside my own laptop.

The first thing the master asked was how long ago I carried out prevention. To be honest, I was taken aback and answered negatively. For some reason I was sure that the problem with the laptop was purely software. After all, I never dropped it, never flooded it, and generally tried to treat it with care. Igor smiled indulgently and began to unscrew the screws.

First, he cleaned the MacBook's air vent. If anything, it is located between the rotating display mechanism and the main part of the body. It was thoroughly packed: probably because I like to take the laptop to bed, I often leave it on the bed and under the “sheep’s” blanket.

Secondly, the technician removed dust from the cooler - the fan next to the Mac processor. The fact is that clogged ventilation grids lead to overheating of the laptop and malfunctions in its operation. Which is exactly what I encountered.

The entire cleaning procedure took about half an hour. He managed to blow out the grilles, clean the dust from the fan, change thermal paste and remove the “traces” of the ginger cat living at my house. And then, most of the time we talked, discussing the presentation that took place the day before.

Make sure that the air inlet and outlet grilles are open.

Feel free to give your laptop for cleaning, especially if you like to eat on it;)

If your Mac is more than two years old, install software to check the processor temperature.

A selection of programs for checking Mac temperature:

1.Temperature Gauge

2. Magican Paster

3. SensorX

If the temperature at rest and minimal load rises above 40-45 degrees, the laptop must be urgently taken to service - save.

Taking care of yourself should come from taking care of your gadgets. Replacing thermal paste, cleaning coolers and air vents not only reduces the temperature of your knees, but also extends laptop life. Don't learn from my mistakes. Avoid them.

Where to carry

IN iCases.ru We are ready to carry out the same procedure for your MacBook - for only 2490 rubles. If you say that you came on a recommendation website, they will do it for you nice 10% discount! It’s already inexpensive, but the benefits are tangible.

Comment iCases.ru

Dear readers, we would like to thank you for your such interest in our article! Judging by the reviews, every day we will have more and more clients! Why? It's simple!

None of you in the comments, dear “experts,” guessed right. The brand's thermal paste was used in the review Mx-2 from a Swiss manufacturer Arctic Cooling, packaged in a 20 ml syringe. and net weight 65g. Thanks to this, an accurate dosage is ensured - 0.05 ml/cm2 (the syringe is equipped with a scale, it is convenient to control). In the photo under discussion, no more than 0.15 g was applied to the mirror surface of the chip with an area of ​​1.5 cm2 (1.5 x 1 cm). heat-conducting paste - since it Intel processor Core i5. With a viscosity of 85 Pa*s, this is approximately equal to ketchup: it gives strong spreading over the mirror plane of the chip.

After grinding the heat sink to the crystal and under the pressing action of the heat sink and radiator fastening mechanisms, the paste is squeezed out beyond the edge of the crystal (not prohibited, since this type paste is a dielectric). The layer between them remains about 1/60 mm. The rim of the extruded paste serves additional heat conductor between the copper heat sink and the distribution part of the processor. The rim around the crystal also prevents the paste from drying out on the crystal (if anyone didn’t know, it dries from the edge to the center).

So the more thermal paste the better, unless of course it is expired and thickened! We remove the old thermal paste with an alcohol-soaked cotton swab, and a careful scraping with tweezers from the crystal was done for the sake of a review photograph in order to show you the dried thermal paste from the factory. The laptop is only 4 years old! (This is Air 11” 2011 i5/4gb)

And for the future – guys, don’t be a little lazy at first explore the topic deeper;) 


We are happy to welcome you to our service centers! Judging by those specialists who were very smart in the comments, we will have a lot of work. The services where they work should be ashamed that they have such employees!

To all our readers 10% discount! With love, Igor!

P.S.: More details about the characteristics:

Please rate it.

Fair, not overpriced and not underestimated. There should be prices on the Service website. Necessarily! without asterisks, clear and detailed, where technically possible - as accurate and concise as possible.

If spare parts are available, up to 85% of complex repairs can be completed in 1-2 days. Modular repairs require much less time. The website shows the approximate duration of any repair.

Warranty and responsibility

A guarantee must be given for any repairs. Everything is described on the website and in the documents. The guarantee is self-confidence and respect for you. A 3-6 month warranty is good and sufficient. It is needed to check quality and hidden defects that cannot be detected immediately. You see honest and realistic terms (not 3 years), you can be sure that they will help you.

Half the success in Apple repair is the quality and reliability of spare parts, so a good service works with suppliers directly, there are always several reliable channels and its own warehouse with proven spare parts current models so that you don't have to waste extra time.

Free diagnostics

This is very important and has already become a rule good manners for the service center. Diagnosis is the most difficult and an important part repair, but you do not have to pay a penny for it, even if you do not repair the device as a result of it.

Service repairs and delivery

Good service values ​​your time, so he offers free shipping. And for the same reason, repairs are carried out only in the workshop of a service center: they can be done correctly and according to technology only in a prepared place.

Convenient schedule

If the Service works for you, and not for itself, then it is always open! absolutely. The schedule should be convenient to fit in before and after work. Good service works on weekends and holidays. We are waiting for you and working on your devices every day: 9:00 - 21:00

The reputation of professionals consists of several points

Company age and experience

Reliable and experienced service has been known for a long time.
If a company has been on the market for many years and has managed to establish itself as an expert, people turn to it, write about it, and recommend it. We know what we are talking about, since 98% of incoming devices in the service center are restored.
Other service centers trust us and refer complex cases to us.

How many masters in areas

If there are always several engineers waiting for you for each type of equipment, you can be sure:
1. there will be no queue (or it will be minimal) - your device will be taken care of right away.
2. you give your Macbook for repair to an expert in the field of Mac repairs. He knows all the secrets of these devices

Technical literacy

If you ask a question, a specialist should answer it as accurately as possible.
So that you can imagine what exactly you need.
They will try to solve the problem. In most cases, from the description you can understand what happened and how to fix the problem.

The easiest way to avoid the help of service centers when searching for hardware problems (not all of them can boast of a good reputation) is to use the built-in Mac diagnostic methods. In this material we will tell you how to launch and use " " And " Apple Diagnostics».

In contact with

With help regular funds diagnostics can effectively detect hardware faults (problems with hard drive, solid state drive, RAM, GPU, motherboard and other nooks and crannies of hardware). How to do this?

On which Macs which utility?

Regardless of (MacBook, iMac, Mac mini or Mac Pro) and the year of its manufacture, operating system includes a utility for hardware self-diagnosis. On computers manufactured before June 2013, it is called “ Functional test of Apple hardware"(Apple Hardware Test - AHT), and after - " Apple Diagnostics».

Before running any of the utilities, be sure to disconnect all peripheral devices (including optical drives, if such antiquity still exists) except for the keyboard, mouse, display and Ethernet adapter. Some versions of OS X Lion and later may require Ethernet or Wi-Fi to run the Internet version of AHT. It is no different from its offline counterpart.

To use AHT, be sure to connect your MacBook to a power source.

List of keyboard shortcuts

If you don’t have a mouse, the following shortcuts will come in handy:

• Option (⌥) + D: run diagnostics via the Internet;
• Command (⌘) + G: start operation;
• Command (⌘) + L: display a list of languages;
• Command (⌘) + R: run the test again;
• S: shutdown;

How to Run Diagnostics on Mac (Apple Hardware Functional Test or Apple Diagnostics)

Note: " Functional test of Apple hardware" And " Apple Diagnostics" work in the same way. The only caveat is to launch " Apple Diagnostics“An active Internet connection is required, and the interface will be much nicer.

1 . Turn on or restart your Mac if it's turned on.

2 . While turning on, press and hold the " D» until the language selection screen appears.

3 . Select a language (if a mouse is not connected to the computer, then select a language using the arrows and enter with the “Enter” key).

4 . Mac diagnostics will begin.

After the test is completed, the results will be displayed.

To exit the ANT utility, click the " Reboot" or " Switch off"at the bottom of the window.

What do the results say?

If problems with the hardware are detected during the test, then get ready to see an error and some explanatory details.

You can decipher AHT errors on the Apple technical forum, and in general I recommend that you go there first when looking for solutions to problems with Apple gadgets. True, you will need knowledge of English, at least with a dictionary.

Codes Apple errors Diagnostics and their decoding can be found below:

ADP000- No problems were found on the computer;

CNW001, CNW003, CNW004, CNW005, CNW006- There are problems with the Wi-Fi module on the computer;

CNW007, CNW008- Not detected Wi-Fi networks. Available networks There is no Wi-Fi, or Wi-Fi module faulty;

NDC001, NDC003, NDC004, NDC005, NDC006- The camera is faulty;

NDD001- There is a problem with the USB module. Disable everything external devices, except for the keyboard, mouse and Ethernet adapter. Run the scan again. If this code appears again, contact your service center;

NDK001, NDK003, NDK004- There is a problem with the keyboard;

NDL001- There is a problem with the Bluetooth module;

NDR001, NDR003, NDR004- There is a problem with the trackpad;

NDT001, NDT002, NDT003, NDT004, NDT005, NDT006- There may be a problem with the Thunderbolt module. Disconnect external Thunderbolt devices and run the scan again. If this code appears a second time, contact your service center;

NNN001- Failed to detect serial number. The computer requires service, contact service;

PFM001, PFM002, PFM003, PFM004, PFM005, PFM006, PFM007- There is a problem with the system management controller (SMC);

PFR001- There may be a problem with the computer firmware;

PPF001, PPF003, PPF004- There may be a problem with the fan;

PPM001- There is probably a problem with the memory module;

PPM002, PPM003, PPM004, PPM005, PPM006, PPM007, PPM008, PPM009, PPM010, PPM011, PPM012, PPM013, PPM014, PPM015- There may be a problem with the built-in memory;

PPP001, PPP002, PPP003- There is probably a problem with the MagSafe power adapter. Try unplugging the power adapter from your Mac and the outlet, then plugging it in again. Run the scan again. If this code appears a second time, contact your service center;

PPP007- There may be a problem with the power adapter or it is not connected. To test the power adapter, reconnect it to your computer and wall outlet. Run the scan again. If this code appears a second time, contact your service center;

PPR001- There is probably a problem with the processor;

PPT001- The battery could not be detected;

PPT002, PPT003- The battery will need to be replaced soon. It is operational, but its capacity has decreased.

PPT004, PPT006- The battery requires maintenance. The battery is faulty, although this may not affect its performance or capacity;

PPT005- The battery is not installed correctly. Shut down and turn off your computer;

PPT007- The battery on your Mac needs to be replaced. The battery is in good condition, but its capacity has decreased significantly. Until you replace the battery, you can continue to use it without harming your computer.

VDC001, VDC003, VDC004, VDC005, VDC006, VDC007- A problem has probably been detected with the SD card reader;

VDH002, VDH004- There is probably a problem with the storage device;

VDH005- Cannot start macOS recovery;

VFD001, VFD002, VFD003, VFD004, VFD005, VFD007- There is probably a problem with the display;

VFD006- There is probably a problem with the GPU;

VFF001- There is probably a problem with the audio hardware component.

In any case, if it was not possible to avoid repairs at the service center, we strongly recommend that you contact only certified specialists who specialize exclusively in Apple technology. It won't be cheap, but buy new gadget much more expensive. It’s better to completely forget about the basement workshops “at Uncle Vasya’s”. Repairing Apple devices requires a very meticulous approach and advanced skills.