MacMedics Frequently Asked Macintosh Service Questions: Snow Leopard Installation

Do I need to to back up before installing Snow Leopard?

In a word YES! Whenever you run a minor or major software update, you DO need to have your data backed up (and be sure to have that back up tested as well!).

Time and time again we have clients come in with a major hard drive problem right after they have tried to upgrade their Mac OS.

Run Time Machine BEFORE you run that installer. If you are not on Leopard or Snow Leopard, run a program like SuperDuper to make a clone of your hard drive before you perform your upgrade. Even if you have a Time Machine back up, I highly suggest you have a fresh clone of your hard drive on standby whenever you’re running a major Apple software upgrade. This way if something goes wrong, you have a bootable copy of all of your data. Nice thing about a clone vs. Time Machine is you can boot off it and TEST it BEFORE you run a major upgrade. This way if something goes wrong you can get right back to work by booting off the clone.

Never run an Apple software update when you’re on deadline or have a major project due. Updates should always be performed when you’re not under the gun.

Should I unplug my external backup when installing Snow Leopard?

Yes. In fact MacMedics recommends that all USB and FireWire devices (except your keyboard and mouse) should be unplugged before you run the Snow Leopard installer. That holds true for any software update or upgrade as well.

See our full Snow Leopard upgrade Blog post with all the things you should consider here.

If you’re a creative professional working for an ad agency, graphic design or photography studio with Apple Macintosh computers in the Philadelphia Metro, South New Jersey, or Wilmington, Delaware areas, we’d love to help you.

We’re MacMedics Philadelphia, and as Apple Authorized Service Providers and Apple Authorized Value Added Resellers, MacMedics Philadelphia has what it takes to solve your Mac IT problems. We’ve been providing Macintosh Solution to Creative Professionals since 1989.

We’re here to provide the very best Macintosh Service and Consulting available, and we don’t require contracts or any other type of future commitments in order to receive very efficient and fast Macintosh service.

MacMedics brings the kind of technical and management capabilities that you would expect from a full-time IT professional — without the expense of a full-time professional. We don’t take sick days and we’re always just a phone call or e-mail away. We also offer remote desktop and telephone technical support.

If you’re not 100% happy with your current Mac Tech or Consultant, 2010 might be a great time to make the switch to MacMedics. Please call MacMedics for your free on-site Environmental Assessment. We would be delighted to give you a free second opinion on your Mac network or server installation. Please see our previous Blog post on topic.

Update 12/16/09 If you read my Blog post below you’ll see my ten reasons for coming to visit MacMedics vs. making a trip to the Apple store. I love the Apple Store and what they do there, but as a local business owner I hope you’ll come see us instead. As the owner of MacMedics I do have my reasons, but don’t just take my word for it. Take a look at the first two Yelp.com reviews for the Apple Store in Annapolis.

Lots of MacMedics clients and Mac friends I’ve been talking to recently have commented on the longevity of MacMedics. If you have not heard, we’re now in our twentieth year of business (pretty cool). It’s nice that I no longer have to explain that Apple is NOT going out of business, why Apple has no market share, why Macs cost so much, why would anyone want a Mac, aren’t PC’s so much better then Macs for business, and why Macs are not just for hobbyists, gamers, and people who wear sandals?

Now, the conversations are much more positive! The most prevailing questions seem to be related to be how on earth can MacMedics’ TWO Maryland based Macintosh sales and service locations continue to proper and expand when we have to compete directly with Apple’s very strong retail store presence in Maryland and Virginia?

The MacMedics Millersville/Baltimore office is in the middle of three local Apple Stores in Baltimore-Annapolis area, (Annapolis, Columbia, and Towson, Maryland) and the MacMedics Lanham/Washington DC office also in thick of Apple Store country (including first Apple Store in Tysons Corner as well as Bethesda (soon to be in it’s own new “store front” location on Bethesda Ave.), Clarendon, Pentagon City, and also Annapolis).

First of all, Apple sends tons of people to us directly from the Apple Store and from AppleCare telephone support. The folks at Apple know that for many repairs, MacMedics’ labor pricing structure and service parts costs are different (and usually LOWER) than Apple, so for most repairs, MacMedics is less expensive than Apple (and many others as well). When you factor in that all MacMedics “out-of-warranty” Macintosh repairs we perform are covered by our 1-year “no hassle” warranty. This fact makes MacMedics the BEST choice for ALL Apple out of warranty repairs. The Apple Store and other AASP’s only offer a 90-day warranty on Apple service repairs.

When faced with a major repair like a logic board or LCD replacement, our price is hundreds of dollars less than the Apple Store. The Apple Store also does not offer full repair services for their iPod and iPhone family of products. They will exchange certain units in certain circumstances, but not always and generally a “whole unit” exchange is MORE expensive then just having the exact problem fixed by MacMedics.

What about AppleCare and Apple Warranty repairs? Well, as an Apple Authorized Service Provider, MacMedics is the place for that as well. With no lines, no lugging your Mac gear though the mall, and our award-winning in-lab service, it’s pretty clear that we are on our game. At the Apple Store you have to compete with the crowds, and those crowds mean that there’s an equally large amount of Apple hardware in the back room waiting for the Genius team to get to it. We almost always start your repair the same day you bring it to us. As soon as we have a repair plan and cost estimate we’ll call you and give you all of your choices. You never have to worry if we’re push you one way or another when considering to buy a new Mac (or used Mac) or to perform a repair. It’s always your choice, and we’ll advise you like family when it comes to making a decision about replacing an older Mac or one that may not be worth investing any more money in. As an Apple Authorized Value Added Reseller, MacMedics is well suited to help you find a new Mac when you’re ready for one.

We’re also quite proud of the fact that MacMedics almost never uses Apple depot (mail-in) service. We perform any repair we can in-house, and that translates into a faster turn around time for you.

MacMedics’ Millersville headquarters is a hassle-free place to come when you need Macintosh support. We have over 3000 square feet dedicated to ONLY Macintosh, iPod, and iPhone service. That’s larger then most Apple Stores, and far more “service” space then pretty much anywhere else. Don’t forget that our Lanham, MD location is just as well suited to handle your Mac service and sales needs.

Here’s TEN great reasons to come see MacMedics Mac Lab in Millersville or Lanham:

1. No appointment is necessary at MacMedics: Just walk in and our Apple Certified Techs will take great care of you.

2. No lines: We’re always busy, but there’s almost never a wait to speak to a MacMedic Tech.

3. Quick Check In: Tell us what your Mac’s issue or problem is, and we’ll get right on the case! We’ll call you to talk in detail when we have an idea of what’s going on with your unit and what ALL of your options are. MacMedics offers an initial Macintosh Dialogistic for your computer at no charge. If we have to dig deep with part testing or advanced software testing our fee is only $49, and only if you choose NOT to have your machine repaired.

4. No lugging your iMac, Mac Pro, or G5 through the mall: Our front door is less then 10 steps from our parking lot. You can bring your Mac in, or come in and get us, and we’ll carry it in for you.

5. Quick Turn-Around: Our goal for in-lab service it to have it done in less then 72 hours. Many repairs take less time, and if that’s the case then your Mac will be back to you even quicker.

6. Hassle free warranty: Got a Mac that needs out of warranty service? The Apple Store only offers a 90-day service warranty. MacMedics “Hassle Free” warranty is a full 1-year!

7. Need a new Mac? We’ve got them: Come pick out what you want, and we’ll be happy to help with no sales hype! MacMedics is an Apple Authorized Value Added Reseller, so you can get the equipment you need coupled with the very best advice from the experts at MacMedics.

8. Full Service for iPhone & iPods: While the Apple store might do a whole unit replacement or offer a small discount for buying a new unit, MacMedics will fix just the problem your iPhone or iPod has, thus saving you money. All iPhone and iPod repairs MacMedics perform come with a full one-year parts and labor warranty.

9. Same day service for iPods & iPhones: In most cases if you drop off your iPod or iPhone in the morning, we’ll have it done later that same day!

10. Advanced, complex, or difficult repairs are performed at MacMedics every day: If you’ve been quoted an exorbitant amount of money to have your Mac fixed at the Apple Store, MacMedics can help! Liquid damage, fried logic boards, SuperDrive replacements, broken LCDs or MacBook Pro glass, and severe Macintosh case damage are all offered at MacMedics and often for hundreds of dollars less then Apple (or anywhere else!).

New Bonus Reason: The Apple Store Can’t Upgrade Your Hard Drive. MacMedics Can! See our new blog post from 1/30/10 to get all of the details here. A common issue we help clients with here at MacMedics is “upgrading” or “retiring” a failed (or perfectly good) hard drive. What many people don’t know is that we can “upgrade” your computer to a larger size hard drive, even if your hard drive has failed under Apple warranty.

Update 5/26/09 Need another reason? We are pleased to announce that Apple has selected MacMedics for a quarterly Commitment To Excellence service award for the second time. Only 179 Apple Service locations were honored with this award putting MacMedics in the top 5% of all Apple Authorized Service Providers in the United States and Canada. Get the scoop here.

Before Mac Repair: MacBook Air with warped LCD and screen back (and cool fake desktop picture).

Before Mac Repair: With MacBook Air display assembly detached from computer.

After Mac Repair: After damaged Apple MacBook Air was successfully repaired. The display assembly was the only service part we needed in order to complete the repair.

Well, the unusual Macintosh repair and services cases never seem to stop. Just after we rescued 2.2 MBs off a 20 year old Mac IIci, and thought we’d be back to normal repairs and consulting, this fascinating case showed up in the lab today. We’re pretty sure that out of all of the cases that came to our Millersville repair center today this one takes the cake.

So this nice fellow with a really sore chest brought this crumpled MacBook Air by MacMedics today (he’s okay by the way!). This MacBook Air was involved in a pretty serious car accident. The client who brought it to us was in the passenger seat with the MacBook Air on his lap, when he was suddenly in a serious car accident.

The bent screen housing and the warped LCD where caused when the open MacBook Air on his lap was “piledriven” right into his chest by the deploying air bag. (I never thought I would be writing this to an insurance company).

Needless to say, this MacBook Air is super smashed! Best of all is the amazing black and white “desktop picture” of a majestic mountain that was left behind as memento of the accident.

We’ve just started our work on the unit, but despite being slammed into it’s users chest the unit seem to still work.

BTW: If your MacBook Air just has a broken LCD, MacMedics can help! Just drop it off or mail it in using this form.

We’ll keep our Blog readers posted on what we find out about this “smashed” MacBook Air. Enjoy the video!

Update 7/15/09: The display assembly was the only service part we needed in order to complete the repair. The MacBook Air was fine other wise and passes ALL Apple service diagnostics. There was no other case damage to the unit, other than the “taco” shaped LCD.

Thanks to the following for the mentions:

http://www.fscklog.com

http://cultofmac.com

http://www.apfeltalk.de

http://forkbombr.net

When you love what you do and do what you love, in MacMedics’ case fixing Macintosh computers, you’re bound to win some raving fans. Hard drive replacements, upgrades, and retirements are a very common repair we do at least a few of them every day (See our special web page at http://www.HardDrivesDie.com for more info on retiring your hard drive). When a client’s computer is out of service for ANY reason, our Apple certified technicians are all over it until the unit is successfully repaired and tested and back on our client’s desk.

A client from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine checked their laptop into the MacMedics Mac Clinic we jumped right on it. Also, because of our long history and connection to Johns Hopkins, MacMedics offers all Johns Hopkins students, faculty, and staff a 10% discount on all Macintosh service (parts and labor). If you’re from JHU, just flash your ID badge or show your business card to claim your discount.

It’s always a nice reaffirmation to get some positive feedback for your repair work, so we had a pleasant note waiting for us in today’s e-mail. Here’s what our client had to say about his recent experience with our in-lab service team:

My 2008 MacBook Pro came with a 120Gb hard drive. Needless to say that, if you are into digital photography, you have to upgrade quite fast to a bigger capacity hard drive. MacMedics’ service is simply unbeatable. They are fast, friendly, reliable, and affordable. I turned in my Macbook in the afternoon, I got it back the day after, with a brand new hard drive and a fresh copy of Mac OS X installed. I particularly appreciated MacMedics’ frequent email updates, that kept me informed of every step in the process. Moreover, my impression was that I was treated with the same professionalism and competence as a big business account would have been. This fact only makes a big difference. Best of all? A substantial discount for Johns Hopkins employees. You can’t go wrong with MacMedics!

Sebastien Morisot, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University 
School of Medicine

We’ve blogged about computer repair shops that don’t focus exclusively on fixing Macs or places that don’t employ Apple Authorized technicians. There are lots of computer techs working at lots of shops that DO fix PCs, but Macs are not PCs and just because you know how to fix a Dell, that does not automatically qualify you to fix any computer, especially a Mac.

You may recall our post about our client who had his computer destroyed at a “Big Box” retailer, when he wanted to get his iBook fixed faster then we could do it. He just sent us this testimonial detailing what happened.

“In October 2008, my hard drive died in my iBook G4. I went to Mac Medics after reading up on them and finding them to be the most reliable Mac repair shop in the area. I brought my iBook in to the shop for repairs but it was going to take longer than I wanted to wait because I was in a rush to get back to work. Against my better judgment, I opted to take my iBook to the country’s largest electronics and media retailer instead. To make a long story short, they destroyed my laptop and refused to accept responsibility for it. I went back to Mac Medics to get a diagnostic (which they did for free!) and was told it would make more sense to buy a new laptop than to fix the old one due to the damage that was done. So at their advice, I took the retailer to small claims court armed with an arsenal of evidence provided to me by Mac Medics to help substantiate my case. Several months later, the retailer decided to settle out court rather than face a losing court case. What makes this experience that started off as horrible one into one that I look back and be positive about is that Dana and his Mac Medics staff assisted me in my case when they had no legal obligations to do. To help me out when I was in a particularly bad spot without asking anything in return is something that speaks volumes about this company. I can say one thing, if more companies had one shred of the integrity that Mac Medics possesses, the Better Business Bureau would have to close shop. Thanks again Dana and Mac Medics crew, you will definitely be highly recommended!”

Isma’il Rashada
Rashada Design
www.rashadadesign.com

MacMedics is proud to be a Sustaining Partner of AIGA DC. This is a year long sponsorship that enables the Washington DC chapter of the AIGA stay true to their mission: to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool, and vital cultural force. We’re proud of our involvement with the AIGA and we enjoy helping their members with Macintosh support in the Washington DC Metropolitan area.

1. 15” MacBook Pro $2000
2. Nikon D200 $2500 (not needed for Mac service, but comes with me wherever I go)
3. Two MacMedics 2.5” utility drives $300
4. Various computer tools $125
5. Fluke volt meter $220
6. Various USB & FireWire cables $35
7. iPhone charger $20
8. Two extra sets of iPod ear buds $30
9. Extra Kershaw folding knife $45
10. Precision screwdriver set $30
11. 2.5″ & 3.5″ PATA & SATA hard drive adapters $200
12. Small folding umbrella $10
13. Box of Tic-Tacs $1
14. The North Face Surge laptop backpack (to carry it all in) $130

(Just a partial list of what’s in my repair kit)

Having your Macintosh repair kit with you at all times – Priceless!

At the Stefan G. Bucher Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington event on Thursday (MacMedics was a sponsor), we were in the right place at the right time to make a nice Macintosh save. Stefan G. Bucher the presenter at the event forgot his DVI to VGA video adapter for his MacBook Pro. He came over to our table to say hello, and asked if we had an adaptor he could borrow. He said, “Without it, it was going to be an extremely short presentation”.

Lucky for him, we came fully prepared to take on any Mac problem, and because we’re so nuts about being fully equipped at all times, we were able to save the show by reaching into our repair kit.

It’s not the first time we’ve amazed someone with what we happen to have with us. At Interact 2008, a fellow exhibitor saw that we were Mac folks, and asked if we happened to have an iPhone USB cable he could use to charge up his phone. I always carry 2 or 3, so I gave one to him to keep. He was amazed. I scored a travel coffee mug out of the deal, so not a bad trade.

If you’ve got a sticky Mac problem that you need help with, call us and we’ll come prepared to help! In addition to a fully equipped Macintosh repair kit, we’ve always got a full compliment of Macintosh replacement parts and cables.

When you’re looking for the most efficient Macintosh service in the Baltimore and Washington, DC Metro areas, think MacMedics Baltimore and MacMedics Washington. The crew at MacMedics are ready to help find the best Macintosh service solution for you. MacMedics performs all Apple Macintosh laptop and desktop repairs in-house. When you have an Apple in-warranty (under AppleCare or Apple 1-year warranty) or an out of warranty Apple repair, MacMedics can find the quickest service solution for your repair. MacMedics is known for their service speed, as they’ve been awarded a “Best of Baltimore” award from Baltimore Magazine for “Quickest Computer Repair”. MacMedics is an Apple Authorized Service Provider and an Apple Authorized Reseller, so they have the resources to provide qualified Mac service and sales. If you’re thinking about replacing an older Macintosh system in the Washington, DC and Baltimore, Maryland areas, MacMedics is able to help. They stock the most popular Macintosh systems, and they will transfer your data from your old Mac to your new Mac free of charge. Best of all, their award-winning Macintosh service is available in their Millersville, Maryland and Lanham, Maryland service centers without an appointment. Just drop off your gear and in most cases they will begin their work on it the same day. Complex Macintosh repairs such as iBook, PowerBook, MacBook, and MacBook Pro LCD screen replacements and laptop hard drive upgrades (as large as 500 GB) and replacements are a specialty. MacMedics also can recover lost data off your sick Mac. With data recovery prices starting at just $99, MacMedics offers some excellent alternatives to “send away” data recovery. Custom built back up drives of any size are always in-stock at MacMedics. When you’re in a hurry to get your Mac back quick, MacMedics has the resources and manpower to quickly repair your Mac and get you back to work as quickly as possible. When as fast as possible is NOT fast enough, MacMedics also offers MacBook rentals for a flat rate of $50 for the duration of your repair.

Here’s some of the most recent feedback comments our clients have given to Apple regarding our Apple warranty service.

• Considering the time of year (right at holiday season) I thought Mac Medics were VERY fast to respond and repair my IMAC. They were very informative and very professional throughout the ordeal.

• I wish there was a MacMedics closer than 58 miles away!

If you have a Mac problem, you’d like us to look at, we’d be delighted to check it out for you. We offer some distinct advantages over visiting the Apple Store. As both Apple Authorized Resellers and Apple Authorized Service Providers we can take great care of you and your Mac by helping you get the service and sales you need. MacMedics can also honor your AppleCare warranty or your Apple factory 1-year warranty.

1. No appointment is needed when you bring your computer in. Just drop it off anytime.

2. MacMedics is fast! We try to have any needed parts on order the same day you check in. We also have many commonly needed Apple service parts in stock.

3. We’re absolutely fanatical about ensuring your unit is correctly repaired and properly reassembled. See our MacMedics blog post regarding service obtained elsewhere.

4. In warranty or out, we can help! We’ve been fixing Macs for 20 years, so if you have a Mac that’s out of warranty, we can still fix it using Apple factory parts and offer you a 1-year MacMedics warranty on the repair. Out of warranty repairs completed by the Apple Store are only under a 90-day warranty.

5. Not located near an Apple Authorized Service Provider? You can ship us your unit yourself, or get in touch with us on details on how we can pick it up from you.