Three steps to take if your Mac is Failing

Have you had your screen go black never to turn on again? Or have you ended up chained to the nearest power point, because the battery on your laptop is so bad that you need it permanently plugged in? These are all signs that your Mac is failing, but your situation might not be as hopeless as you think.

There are plenty of things you can do to try to save your Mac before you give up and sell it for parts. Here are the three steps you should take if you find yourself contemplating that very scenario.

1.Head to the forums

Forums can provide you with a wealth of information these days. A lot of people will use them for advice; you’ll find discussions on everything from money-saving tips to vacation travel guides, but there are a few that deal specifically with Mac problems, such as this one which is run by Apple itself. When there’s a problem with your Mac, you may know instinctively whether it’s a software or hardware issue, but if not, why not start a thread on a forum, or search for a similar question that’s already been asked.

A quick search of your “computer symptoms” should come back with some results, but it costs nothing to sign up, post a problem, and see if the geeks of the Mac world can help you. You never know, a problem which seems complex could have a very simple solution.

2.Hit the phones

A lot of people find forums very difficult to use though; for one thing, you may not have a smartphone with you at the time, and how are you supposed to search online for the problem when you can’t get onto the internet? On the other hand, a lot of people prefer talking to someone and describing the problem, as some computer issues can sound very strange when you put them down in words.

Instead, why don’t you hit the phones? Apple understand that a lot of computers have issues that can be fixed via a simple set of instructions, rather than someone going all the way to a store, which is why they run a service where they direct you over the phone first, and this can be found on their website support page.

3.Call in at a shop

Finally, the last step in this journey ends with you heading into a store. This is particularly the best option if there is any cosmetic damage to your laptop or iPad that you feel is causing a wider issue.

The instinct might be to go straight to an Apple shop, but if you’re worried about the cost, and your research has found that it’s a simple repair job, then look at a site like fixapplenow.com instead. They have great prices, fast turnaround times, and deal with everything from diagnostic issues to broken screens.

Do you think we’ve missed anything out? If that’s the case, don’t be shy – leave us a comment in the section below.