Justin, a new MacMedics client who came to us from the Apple Store wrote the following about us on Google on 8/5/11.

The employees at Mac Medics were so helpful and polite. When me and my girlfriend went to the Apple Store they belittled her, talked down to her, and made her feel even worse about the problems she was already having with her MacBook. Mac Medics took the time to explain what the problems might be, how they may be resolved, and the different levels of pricing that may result from the work. I would recommend for any Mac owner to use the services that Mac Medics provides. I know that in the future if I have any problems or when I need to replace my old MacBook, I will be returning to Mac Medics.

This review is from Shannon L. from Silver Spring, MD, who posted this on Yelp

I agree with the previous reviewer; skip the Apple store lines and come straight to MacMedics. The fan started whirring loudly in my two year old Macbook Air. I first made an Apple Store appointment, but emailed MacMedics for a quote on the cost of repair. They replied promptly. I realized I bought Apple Care, brought it in, was helped without a wait, and had it back and fresh and fixed in 27 hours. Brilliant!

I’m utterly tickled I didn’t have to go to the mall for this, wait for a genius bar appointment, or deal with any hassle. Awesome service, thanks!

This review is from Kevin P from Greenbelt, Maryland. I included this here since the review above mentions the “previous reviewer”.

Macintosh support in Prince George’s County. Took my 2006-era MacBook Pro here after it died. They convinced me it wasn’t worth repairing. Instead, I ordered a replacement model. They added memory to my specifications and copied over the data from my old hard drive, something I couldn’t have done on my own, while charging only the base $99 for labor. We had a bit of a misunderstanding over the cost of the memory, which I’m dinging them a point for, but it was resolved to my satisfaction. I’m looking forward to dealing with them on all my future Macintosh issues rather than driving to Annapolis or Columbia. (I wish I’d known about them a lot sooner as it would have saved me a lot of mileage!)

You can read our Top 12 Reasons why MacMedics is a better choice than the Apple Store for Apple Authorized Service (both Warranty/AppleCare OR out-of-warranty service) in one of our most popular Blog posts at http://www.noappointments.com.

Were you happy with the service at MacMedics Lanham or Millersville? If so would help us spread the word about our good Apple service? Thanks in advance!

MacMedics DC Google.com http://is.gd/v2Hmf7
MacMedics DC Yelp.com http://is.gd/rhGZyL

MacMedics Baltimore Yelp.com: http://bit.ly/3dcMIM
MacMedics Baltimore Google.com: http://bit.ly/amOmj

Tweet

This is a review that was posted by our client, Ty Ford on Google on 7/28/11. You can read the review on Google here.

Mac Medics RULES! Back in the day, you could call Apple and ask a question (or more) and get a nice person to answer that question. It used to be that way at XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX in Baltimore, but the last time I called (a few years back) and asked for a little help figuring out a kink in my wireless network, they were ready to send out a person and charge me a $250.00 minimum. So when I started the G5 up this morning and all the folder icons were gone, (files were there, just no folder icons) I searched the web, found no solution. Ran Disk Utility and Disk Warrior. They found things, fixed them, but didn’t solve the problem. I finally called Mac Medics, whom I had dealt with before. Matthew suggested doing an archive and install. I had never done one, even after all these years. In five sentences he gave me what I needed to know to safely get on with my repairs. It took a little time to get some of my apps reinstalled, but I was back on the road. And he didn’t charge me a dime. THANK YOU MAC MEDICS.

Were you happy with the service at MacMedics Lanham or Millersville? If so would help us spread the word about our good Apple service? Thanks in advance!

MacMedics DC Google.com http://is.gd/v2Hmf7
MacMedics DC Yelp.com http://is.gd/rhGZyL

MacMedics Baltimore Yelp.com: http://bit.ly/3dcMIM
MacMedics Baltimore Google.com: http://bit.ly/amOmj

Tweet

If your hard drive fails under your Apple Warranty or AppleCare, and you need Data Recovery services, MacMedics can help!

For $199 we’ll do our best to recover your Mac’s data (no matter the size of your hard drive), and we’ll return it to the replacement Apple hard drive once the Data Recovery is complete. In most cases, your data will be right back where you left it before your hard drive failed.

There are some exceptions, but in 95% of our Data Recovery cases, $199 covers the full recovery. If you’re Mac is out of warranty we do charge for getting your Mac back in shape in conjunction with the repair of the unit. In most cases that fee is $150 plus the cost of whatever size hard drive you choose. Questions? Just call us, and we’ll walk your thru the needed steps.

Baltimore 1-866-MAC-MEDICS
Washington DC 1-888-4-DC-MACS

In a hurry? Not a problem! Take advantage of our Hard Drive upgrade service while you are having your Data Recovery or just your Hard Drive replaced under warranty without any Data Recovery. This way you don’t have your computer being held hostage while we work on your Data Recovery, plus you get a larger, faster (in most cases), and a more robust hard drive with a full 1-year warranty from MacMedics. Plus, all of our hard drives carry a three-year manufacturer warranty!

Just have us remove your old hard drive, we’ll upgrade your drive, install an OS, and send you off with your computer to use while we work on the Data Recovery. This is great if you need your Mac right away or if you’re heading out of town.

Once the recovery is complete (successful of not) we’ll send your old drive back to Apple, and get your replacement drive for you. That drive is yours to keep and you can sell it, save it as a spare, or give it away. In the end you just pay for the bare hard drive and the Data Recovery (if needed) and Apple covers the labor.

Here is a MacBook Pro that was thrown down a hallway. Thankfully MacMedics was able to save the data. Other than the data, the machine is a total loss. The SuperDrive is bent, the case is heavily damaged, the glass is broken and the LCD is also cracked.

While we were able to save the data, this is an extra expense for our client. A better solution would be to have your data fully backed up. If you need help setting up the “Golden Triangle” of backups, talk to your local MacMedics office. We have backup solutions starting at $89 for 320 GBs.

Sign Up for Our Newsletter:

Your Macintosh Service Advantage: MacMedics Is Exclusively Apple!

As the Apple Macintosh family of computers and other Apple devices like the iPod, iPad, and iPhone become increasingly more popular, more and more computer repair places are offering “Mac Repairs” as a “Side Business”.

It’s tempting for PC centric computer shops to try and grab a new revenue stream by cashing in on the increased number of Macs in the marketplace. Do you really want a PC guy/gal at a PC shop or at a big box store, who is not trained, certified, or authorized in Apple service guessing their way though your Apple repair? We didn’t think so.

We’ve seen some amazing cases of Apple service gone horribly wrong at both big box stores and at independent shops. In fact, we’ve had situations where a computer repair place has tried to fix a Mac, botched or misdiagnosed the repair, only to bring it into MacMedics for us to bail them out of a tough Mac repair situation.

When you’re looking for an Apple Authorized Service Provider for your broken Macintosh or Mac data recovery case, you really should seek out an experienced and professional Macintosh service organization with ALL of the Apple Credentials and Authorizations, such as MacMedics.

MacMedics is a very well established (since 1989) Apple Authorized Service Provider, Apple Authorized Value Added Reseller, as well as Certified Members of The Apple Consultants Network. We have an impressive 22-year history of exclusive dedication to the Macintosh computer platform. We were offering a third party alternative to stuffy Apple Dealer service way before the Apple Store, and way before anyone else in the State of Maryland. In fact, MacMedics was offering on-site Macintosh service in the late Eighties during a time where such a service was considered “in-shop” and “on the bench” everywhere else.

Our Apple service part inventory is quite likely the largest collection of Apple service parts in the Mid-Atlantic region. Since MacMedics bought out macUpgrades of Bethesda, Maryland we acquired all of their Apple Authorized service parts. That’s like having a DOUBLE 20-year accumulation of Apple factory service parts and other supplies! Not only do we have hundreds and hundreds of genuine Apple service parts in stock, we also have tons of vintage and obsolete Apple service parts so we can repair any Macintosh computer ever made. We also have our own Macintosh computer museum so if there is a special service situation where we need to access data from 20 years ago, or make something work in order accomplish a special task, we can do that too!

So when it comes to the most basic Mac repairs, or services like hard drive replacements/upgrade and memory upgrades (ours come with a lifetime warranty by the way), or the most advanced services like Macintosh data recovery or liquid spill rescue, you can count on MacMedics to be there to provide an accurate diagnosis and the correct and appropriate repair for your Macintosh computer.

Macintosh Service is our claim to fame, but we’re also quite well known for Apple Authorized sales as well. MacMedics is an Apple Authorized Value Added Reseller, and as such we have the Authorizations from Apple to not only sell the full Macintosh Computer line, but also to resell the iPad, iPod, and Apple TV.

If you have a unit that is beyond repair, or just one that you put to the side a few years ago, we’ll accept it as a trade in on a new hardware purchase or as credit towards a repair or data recovery. Even if the hardware you have is very old, or extremely damaged, we’ll still accept it for e-waste recycling. So, drop off your broken PC, Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPod, cell phone, or other small electronics like hard drives, small printers, or other reasonably sized electronics, cable, power supplies and adapters for free recycling.

With our two fully staffed Apple Authorized Sales and Service locations serving the Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington DC area as well as the entire Washington DC and Baltimore region, we’re a great place to drop a sick Mac off for repair. Our office in Millersville is 1/10 of a mile off I-97 and our office in Lanham is 1 mile outside of I-495/I-95 and 1/2 mile off of RT 50. No appointments are ever necessary!

If you live in Annapolis and commute to Baltimore or Washington DC or vice versa, then you drive right past one of our offices on every trip you make on I-97 or RT-50. Stop in to see us with your sick or broken Mac, or swing by to pick up a cable, power adapter, iPod, iPad, or anything else Apple related!

Sign Up for Our Newsletter:

Update 5/31/11 18:43: Early Twitter reports indicate that OS X security update designed to target MacDefender missed finding MacGuard. Be aware that there could still be malware on your Mac if you were infected prior to the new update. Also, it is now being reported by zdnet.com, that MacDefender/MacGuard is now spreading via Facebook.

Security Update 2011-003 is now available and addresses the
following:

File Quarantine

Available for: Mac OS X v10.6.7, Mac OS X Server v10.6.7

Impact: Definition added

Description: The OSX.MacDefender.A definition has been added to the
malware check within File Quarantine. Information on File Quarantine
is available in this Knowledge Base article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3662

File Quarantine

Available for: Mac OS X v10.6.7, Mac OS X Server v10.6.7

Impact: Automatically update the known malware definitions

Description: The system will check daily for updates to the File
Quarantine malware definition list. An opt-out capability is provided
via the “Automatically update safe downloads list” checkbox in
Security Preferences. Additional information is available in this
Knowledge Base article: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4651

Malware removal

Available for: Mac OS X v10.6.7, Mac OS X Server v10.6.7

Impact: Remove the MacDefender malware if detected

Description: The installation process for this update will search
for and remove known variants of the MacDefender malware. If a known
variant was detected and removed, the user will be notified via an
alert after the update is installed. Additional information is
available in this Knowledge Base article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4651

Update 9/27/11: Thanks Microsoft! Botnet that hosted MacDefender scareware/malware shut down thanks to Microsoft. http://t.co/LNpIXZWx

Sign Up for Our Newsletter:

Update 5/31/11:While our competitors look to cash in on MacDefender/MacGuard malware scare by charging between $49 and $99 to remove the malware, MacMedics continues to offer FREE removal of the malware in either Millersville or Lanham offices! You do NOT have to be an existing MacMedics client to take advantage of this free service, just stop by and we’ll remove it for you. Can’t make it in to see us? We can arrange to access your machine remotely and remove it that way. Or, If you’re a WISP member, the remote service is included in your service plan, or you can join and we’ll take care of it for you. See http://www.macmedics.com/wisp for more info.

Update 5/25/11: Apple has posted a Knowledge Base article on how to remove this malware: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4650

MacMedics Offers Free Removal Of MacDefender Malware In Baltimore & Washington DC Offices.

Stop by MacMedics Baltimore or MacMedics Washington for a free removal of MacDefender, MacProtector, and MacSecurity malware.

As always, NO APPOINTMENTS are ever necessary to stop by and visit. Most Macintosh service we perform in our lab is set up as a drop-off service. In this case we can remove this malware from your Macintosh computer while you wait. For FREE.

On the grand scale of things concerning malware and virus threats against the Macintosh platform, this threat is pretty small. However, if you don’t understand how to remove this malware safely, we’ll take care of getting it off your Mac free of charge. You do not need to be an exiting MacMedics client to have this service performed, just stop by.

If you are trying to learn how to remove MacDefender malware then please see our previous post on how to remove MacDefender from your Mac AND from your Time Machine backup system.

We also welcome former clients of Apple Specialist, macUpgrades of Bethesda, Maryland to MacMedics. See our special webpage for more information on our purchase of that long time Macintosh focused service and sales organization here.

Update 9/27/11: Thanks Microsoft! Botnet that hosted MacDefender scareware/malware shut down thanks to Microsoft. http://t.co/LNpIXZWx

Time Machine is an excellent way to back up your files! It's only cool and powerful if you actually turn it on and USE it!

Friday the 13th would be an excellent time to ensure that your Mac’s valuable hard drive data is fully backed up. We’ve been over this before, but here in the MacMedics Lab we see this just about everyday. We HATE to see folks in here who have lost pictures, school papers, financial and business documents, and music when a back up system can be had for as little as $99! In fact, we often have to perform data recovery for folks that bought a back up hard drive, but never even took it out of the box to set it up. We’ll complete a data recovery for someone, and when we get to the part where we need to have the “Backup Talk” we find out they had a back up drive, but just never used it.

We’re starting to see a few of the unita from the 2010 holiday season start to show up for failed hard drives. Someone will get a new Mac as a present for Christmas or Hanukkah and since Apple is so well known for excellent quality, new Mac owners will delay their backup plans. We also hear about this happening because of the lack malware and virus issues on the Macintosh as well. Since these issues hardly ever impact the Macintosh platform, people are less likely to plan ahead for problems.

You need to make your back up system automatic, or use a program like Time Machine. That’s the first step. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY can keep up with a “manual” drag-n-drop back up! To boot, quite a bit of the data loss we see here at MacMedics happens when someone copies over important data during a drag-n-drop Finder copy. Sometime, folks think they have the data copied, but something goes wrong and they just end up with an alias, then they go and delete the original data, because they think they just copied it.

The second step is to regularly test that back up to ensure your files are there and you’re able to grab them anytime you need them. There’s no such thing as a “Set-It-And-Forget-It” back up system. Even with Apple’s Time Machine, you should keep a close eye on it to ensure it IS backing you up and that the hard drive that Time Machine is using is healthy!

If you need help getting your back up set up, our advice is free, and we have external portable and desktop hard drives in stock!

If you have data you care about it needs to be backed up! Just because your computer is new or you just replaced the hard drive offers you very little protection. Hard drives can die at any time, and in fact there’s an increased risk of that occurring in the first 30 to 60 days of a hard drives’ life.

See our website http://www.HardDrivesDie.com for more info on “retiring” older drives and ensuring you have a safe back up.

Also, an Off-Site back up is a nice way to double your chances for data recovery. Plus, if something terrible happens like a theft, fire, or flood, your data is still safe. See this post for more info on that.

Also, as an added tip: Don’t have iPhoto delete your pictures off your camera. Leave them in two places, in iPhoto AND on your camera until you have them BACKED UP. You ALWAYS want to have your valuable data in TWO PLACES at all times. You can manually delete them off your camera once you have them backed up on your computer.

Dear Mac Users,

You cannot achieve the desired cosmetic effect by trying to dye your White MacBook to turn it into a Black MacBook.

Sincerely,

Your Mac Friends at MacMedics

Kidding.

Apparently this White MacBook had black ink spilled on it, thus permanently dying the top case sort of a smoky black.

We were able to replace the top case and send it back home clean the same day.

By the way, if you do want a Black MacBook, we do have used White & Black MacBooks for sale with a 1-year MacMedics warranty.