The quick fixes applicable to troubleshooting the OS are divided into three increasingly invasive strategies, which are discussed in the following sections.
The following troubleshooting steps have little or no impact on the computer and Mac OS X, and may fix transient issues:
Restart/shut down
Check Top Support Questions if problem seems familiar (available to Apple Authorized Service Providers)
Repair volume with Disk Utility
Disconnect all external devices
Run Software Update to check for any uninstalled updates
Relaunch Finder
When you begin troubleshooting, these are some innocuous things you might do to assess the problem:
Perform a Safe Boot by pressing Shift immediately on startup until the words "Safe Boot" appear
Run System Profiler
Check with other users to see if they see the same problem (a possible network problem)
Suppress automatic login during startup by pressing Shift when the progress bar appears until the Login window appears
Perform a Safe Login (suppress startup items from launching) by pressing Shift after logging in until the Finder menu appears
Review logs in Console
Start from Mac OS X Install DVD
Start in single-user mode by pressing Command-S during startup
Start in another operating system
Try the same task in another application environment (X11 application versus native Mac OS X application, for example)
Turn off Screen Saver and Energy Saver during installation
Connect to another device or volume (network)
Connect to PPP test server (modem)
The following fixes have a moderate impact on the computer or the end-user operating environment. They are somewhat more time-consuming, so you should use caution and document your work:
Fix permissions with Disk Utility
Adjust user settings in System Preferences
Move, rename, or delete preference file
Delete cache files from ~/Library/Caches and /Library/Caches files ending in a UID
Log in as a test user
Log in as an administrator
Check the settings in the Firewall pane of Sharing preferences
In Network preferences, choose Show > Network Port Configurations
Check the settings in Startup Disk preferences
Choose Apple > Force Quit if an application is not responding
Update the printer driver (for printing problems)
Update firmware
Change ports (such as Ethernet, USB) in Network preferences
Use known good peripherals (such as monitor, disk drive, and printer)
The following fixes have a more drastic impact on the system:
Perform Upgrade installation of Mac OS X
Perform Archive and Install installation of Mac OS X
Perform Erase and Install installation of Mac OS X
Reinstall suspect application
Reset PRAM by pressing Command-Option-P-R at startup until you hear the startup chime twice
Reset Power Manager (See Knowledge Base for reset instructions for your computer)
Remove nonApple memory from your computer