Quick Start
If you need an immediate solution to an urgent problem, free to skip right to Solve Common Problems and see if your symptom is listed there. You may also try the steps in Troubleshoot Novel Problems, following the cross-references to earlier parts of the book where certain procedures are described in detail. Otherwise, time permitting, I recommend reading this ebook in order, because earlier sections provide useful background information for later sections.
Prepare for trouble:
Even if your Mac is healthy now, take steps to keep it that way. Read Prevent Problems.
When your Mac starts acting up, you’ll be glad to already have a toolkit with which you can diagnose and fix it. Learn what you need to have on hand in Prepare for an Emergency.
Most of the steps you’ll go through when a problem occurs rely on several common procedures. Learn how to do these tasks before problems arise so that fixing them will be easier. See Learn Troubleshooting Basics.
Solve problems:
If your Mac misbehaves, the problem may be something that many other people have experienced (and that’s easily repaired). Start with Solve Common Problems. Or jump directly to one of these problems—just a few examples from among the 21 issues covered in that chapter:
Not all problems are common. If you encounter something not covered in the previous section, learn how to solve it—or find someone who can—in Troubleshoot Novel Problems.