How to Use the Apple Service Diagnostic Disk (3 Steps)

Shut down your Mac.
Restart your computer with the Apple Service Diagnostic disc: shut down your computer, insert the disc into your computer's drive, then restart your computer and hold the 'Option' key as it boots up.
Wait for your screen to display the Apple Diagnostic Screen, then select the type of diagnostic test you would like to run. Press 'Enter' and your computer will reboot and run the test. This usually takes a few minutes.
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How to Unlock an Apple Mac Book Password

Locate the Mac OS X install disc your computer came with. If you don't have it, you may be able to get another one from Apple by calling (800) SOS-APPL. (You will most likely have to buy another one.) Insert the disc into the optical drive.
Restart the computer while holding down the 'C' key. A 'Utilities' or 'Installer' menu will appear, depending on which version of OS X you are running. Select 'Reset Password.'
Select 'Macintosh HD' from the available volumes. On the drop-down menu, select the name of the original administrator account. Do not select 'System Administrator.'
Choose a new password and enter it in the two fields. Click 'Save.'
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How to Keep a Mac From Overheating (4 Steps)

Download Apple's firmware fix to adjust your Mac's fan. Navigate to Apple's Firmware Update 1.3 Web page. Click on 'Download' on the right side of the page. Open your 'Downloads' file, and click on 'SMC Update.pkg.' Click 'Continue,' then 'Agree.' Click 'Install.' Restart your MacBook Pro.
Place your laptop on solid surfaces. If you use your laptop while it's sitting on soft surface, such as a pillow or blanket, the vents on the back of the MacBook may be blocked. This will cause the Mac to overheat.
Store your laptop in a cool, climate-controlled environment. Never leave your Mac in a hot car or in direct sunlight. When the electronic components get too hot, they won't perform correctly when you turn on your computer. This can cause the fan to malfunction.
Purchase a laptop cooler. If you spend hours at a time on your computer, a laptop cooler can help keep your Mac from overheating. Most laptop coolers are metal platforms that elevate your laptop off your work surface. They have incorporated fans that provide extra airflow to keep your laptop cool. Some require an electrical outlet to power the fans, while others plug into a USB port on your laptop.
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How to Reformat a MacBook

Backup all data on your MacBook before continuing. Formatting a hard drive erases all information and you need the backup to reinstall the applications and files you had installed on your MacBook.
Insert the Mac OS X CD into the CD/DVD drive. Restart the computer by clicking the 'Apple' emblem on the top right of the screen and select 'Restart.'
Press and hold the 'C' key on the keyboard immediately after the startup sound. The installer screen will appear. Select 'Installer,' 'Open' then 'Disk Utilities.'
Select the hard drive you want to reformat and click the 'Erase' tab. Select the volume format from the 'Volume Format' pop-up menu.
Click 'Options' and check the check box for 'Zero all data.' Click 'OK' then 'Erase.' The erase process will take several hours.
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How to Fix a Mac OS Crash

Press 'Command-Option-Esc' at the same time. The Force Quit Applications window opens, displaying all of the open applications, with 'Not Responding' beside the application that caused the Mac to freeze. If this window does not open, press 'Command-Option-Shift-Esc' for three seconds to force quit the unresponsive program. Then open the Force Quit Applications window.
Click any application that says 'Not Responding' and click 'Force Quit.'
Restart your computer if you have not shut it down in more than 24 hours. This will clear memory being held by any troublesome applications.
Click the 'Finder' in the Dock to open a new Finder window. Click 'Applications,' then the 'Utilities' folder. Double-click 'Activity Monitor.' This will show you what resources are being used by processes and applications.
Click the '%CPU' tab to sort this column. Processes and applications are now sorted in descending order. Processes using most of the Mac's CPU (Central Processing Unit) will be shown first.
Click the 'Real Memory' tab to see which processes and applications are using the most memory. Do the same for 'Virtual Memory.' Real memory is stored on the memory chips, while virtual memory is stored on the hard drive.
Close any application that is using an unusual amount of memory or percentage of the CPU. What is unusual for memory usage will depend on the programs you run, but anything over 700MB should be examined. Any process using more than 20 percent of the CPU for more than a second or two should be considered unusual.
Relaunch the application that caused the Mac to crash.
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How to Boot a GParted CD on a Mac

Insert the GParted Live CD into the disc drive.
Restart the computer.
Press and hold the 'C' key until the Mac boots from the disc.
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How to Stop the Spinning Wheel on Apple

Use the keystroke sequence 'Command+Option+Escape' if the spinning wheel does not resolve itself after 30 seconds. The resulting list of programs currently running will indicate which one is not responding. Select the offending program with your cursor and click the 'Force Quit' button at the bottom of the list.
Restart the computer while holding down the 'Command+S' keys if you experience persistent spinning wheels. Keep pressing until you see the gray screen with the Apple logo, then release. The screen will now be black and display lines of data. At the end of the text will be an old-fashioned computer prompt. This is 'single-user 'mode and allows you to fix problems in the underlying software. Type the command 'fsck -y,' including the space, and press 'Enter.' This will fix minor file errors and often cure the beach ball problem.
Open the Disk Utility program in the Utilities folder on your hard drive. Select the main drive in the window presented and click the button 'Repair Permissions.' This will fix aberrant behavior in some programs that have had their read/write status corrupted for some unknown reason.
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How to Restart a Frozen Mac

To attempt to save work in any applications other than the one you have running, you can force-quit the current application. Press these keys at the same time: Command-Option-Escape. Your unsaved work in the current application will be lost.
If you can, save work in all other programs.
Restart the computer by pressing the Power key or choosing Shut Down from the Special menu.
If that doesn't work, to shut down or restart the entire computer, press these keys: Command-Option-Shift-Power. All unsaved work will be lost.
To force the computer to restart, press these keys: Command-Control-Power.
If nothing else works, unplug the computer or turn off its power strip.
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How to Bypass MacBook Passwords

Determine how many administrator and user accounts are on the MacBook. If the computer is booted up, select 'System Preferences' from under the apple in the upper left corner of the screen and click on 'Accounts.' Note that you really only need to bypass the administrator password, as standard user accounts are all controlled by the administrator. If you are unable to boot the computer due to a password, proceed to Step 2.
Insert a Mac OS X installation disc into your MacBook's drive. Select 'Restart' from under the apple in the upper left corner of the screen. When the computer begins the boot process (as soon as the screen becomes active), hold down the 'C' key until you see the spinning wheel on the screen.
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Click on the arrow in the lower right corner of the window to proceed. (Note that the startup process takes longer when you're booting off an installation disc.) When the menus appear at the top of the screen, select 'Reset Password' from under the 'Utilities' menu.
Select the account whose passwords you want to bypass. If there are multiple user accounts, you will have to change them one by one and repeat the process for each account. Write down the passwords and remember that they're case sensitive, so check your Caps Lock key. You can also opt to leave the password field blank, meaning you don't enter anything in the field when it appears.
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Quit the Password Utility and then quit the installer. You will be prompted to make one of three choices here, so select 'Restart' at this point. As soon as the MacBook reboots, hold down the track-pad button (or mouse button) to force the computer to eject the disc upon startup.
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Open the Keychain utility (found in Applications>Utilities) to determine if there are any other passwords that you need to know and/or change. By knowing the administrator password, you can access every password stored in the Keychain. To learn the passwords of these items, simply click on the item in the list of the Keychain. You will be prompted to enter the administrator password (as created in Step 4) and clicking on 'Allow.'
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How to Hard Reset a Mac Mini Computer (9 Steps)

Locate the power button, installed on the left side of the rear panel.
Depress the power button until the computer powers down.
Press the power button again to restart the computer.
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How to Reset the Power on a Macbook

Click the Apple button at the top, left corner of the screen.
Click “Restart.”
Wait for the computer to fully reset before attempting to open any programs.
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How Do I Use MacBook Camera as a Spy Camera? (13 Steps)

Go to a viewing software website, for example, LogMeIn (see Resources). Register for the website by entering a name and password into an online account information page.
Download the Mac server software from the website. Double-click on the software once it has downloaded to install it on the Mac’s hard drive. Restart the Mac.
Click on the icon of the Mac server software that is at the upper right of the screen. Select “Server Preferences” from the drop-down menu.
Click on the “Shared Folder” tab at the top of the window that appears. Double-click on the Mac’s hard drive to open its window. Double-click on the “Users” folder to open its window. Drag the icon of the house from inside the window into the Mac server software’s window. Click the “Close” button at the bottom of the Mac server window to close it.
Launch the “iChat AV” program that comes with the MacBook’s OS X operating system by double-clicking its icon inside of the “Applications” folder.
Click on the “Camera” button on the “iChat AV” program’s main screen. Click on the yellow button at the upper left corner of the program’s main screen to make it disappear from the desktop.
Place a strip of masking tape over the lit green LED that is at the top edge of the MacBook’s LCD screen. Aim the MacBook’s LCD screen in the direction of the area that you want to be able to see.
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How to Restore a Power Mac G4

Back up any important files already on your G4's hard drive. A factory restore completely wipes the system of all files you've created so, if possible, make sure you have another copy of all your files, images, music, etc.
Connect your G4 to its charger. Restoring the computer is a delicate process that erases and reinstalls the most basic and important files of your system. If the computer runs out of battery before the restoration is complete, files may be damaged or left uninstalled. The result of this varies from having to restart the process completely to permanent dysfunction of your computer. Play it safe. Make sure you have plenty of battery left and the computer is plugged into the wall.
Locate your Mac OS X Install CD/DVD. If you have lost the original disc or never received one (a common problem when purchasing used computers), there are a few options to consider. The first is to ask around; if you have friends or family with a Mac computer they may still have their CD. It would be usable on your computer. If this option fails, look online for a download of the installation CD. Some sites offer installation CDs for all kinds of computers, including the G4.
Insert the install disc into your computer's disk drive. Once visible, click the 'Install Mac OS X' button. Follow the on-screen prompts to set up your computer preferences and begin installation.
Select a destination disc for the installation. This is typically the 'Macintosh HD' icon. Next, click 'Options,' and follow the rest of the on-screen prompts/instructions. After this, the software is installed. The computer should reset itself or can be manually reset by holding down the power button twice.
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How to Reinstall OS X on a New Internal Hard Drive on a MacBook

Place the Mac OS X Install DVD into the computer’s disc drive and restart. The computer will launch into the Mac OS X Installer from the DVD.
Select “Continue” at the main screen. Select your language and the license agreement.
Select your computer’s new hard drive as the destination for the installation.
Select “Install.” Follow any on-screen prompts.
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