How to trouble shoot your problem
I am going to list 2 steps that will help just about anyone with their hardware/software problems. I cannot explain how to resolve every issue but this will point you in the right direction.
What?s needed:
First, get a bootable external HDD. Firewire is best but USB will work on Intel systems. If you don?t have an external drive GET ONE.
Here is a post on how to create a bootable drive:
http://db.tidbits.com/article/08405
We are going to have a problem X with our 1 year old MBP
As with any math equation you will first want to get it down the its simplest form, this is the same with computers. This means remove all extra hardware attached to it (printer, scanner, blah blah)
With problem X the first thing you are going to do is try to find some pattern to it. Does it happen right after bootup, after it has heated up, after a lighting storm, after you spilled water on it, when ever you open program ABC, when ever you save the one file, or what ever you find. There is always a pattern to the problem.
Step 1:
Create a new user. Log into this new user and see if the pattern you have discovered is still present in the new user. If it is move on to step 2, if the problem has gone away then you know it has to do with your user.
If its just the user then an archive install will do nothing, you need to figure out what is wrong with the user.
Step 2:
If problem X is still present in the new user we will now boot from the external HDD.
Once booted from the external drive you will try to repeat the pattern you found earlier to see if the problem is fixed or not.
If problem X is no longer present you now know with 100% confidence that problem X is software and an archive or erase/format install will fix the problem.
If problem X is still present while booted from external HDD, then I am sad to say its most likely Hardware. You will have to have xyz part replaced.
Hope this helps you out
What?s needed:
First, get a bootable external HDD. Firewire is best but USB will work on Intel systems. If you don?t have an external drive GET ONE.
Here is a post on how to create a bootable drive:
http://db.tidbits.com/article/08405
We are going to have a problem X with our 1 year old MBP
As with any math equation you will first want to get it down the its simplest form, this is the same with computers. This means remove all extra hardware attached to it (printer, scanner, blah blah)
With problem X the first thing you are going to do is try to find some pattern to it. Does it happen right after bootup, after it has heated up, after a lighting storm, after you spilled water on it, when ever you open program ABC, when ever you save the one file, or what ever you find. There is always a pattern to the problem.
Step 1:
Create a new user. Log into this new user and see if the pattern you have discovered is still present in the new user. If it is move on to step 2, if the problem has gone away then you know it has to do with your user.
If its just the user then an archive install will do nothing, you need to figure out what is wrong with the user.
Step 2:
If problem X is still present in the new user we will now boot from the external HDD.
Once booted from the external drive you will try to repeat the pattern you found earlier to see if the problem is fixed or not.
If problem X is no longer present you now know with 100% confidence that problem X is software and an archive or erase/format install will fix the problem.
If problem X is still present while booted from external HDD, then I am sad to say its most likely Hardware. You will have to have xyz part replaced.
Hope this helps you out