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SMC

Before boot.efi: the Mac’s initial self-test routines

What happens in your Mac when you press the Power button? Before it loads the EFI firmware, it goes through self-testing, and initialising key chips.

August 8, 2018 Macs, Technology

Why are my Mac’s fans running at full blast?

By default, your Mac’s cooling fans run at full blast. Only the control system slows them down when it is safe to do so. How to diagnose and fix its problems.

July 18, 2018 Macs, Technology

Firmware, the SMC, NVRAM and T2 chip: reset and maintain

All about firmware, the SMC, NVRAM, and the new T2 chips which come in some models of Mac. When and how to reset, and more.

July 17, 2018 Macs, Technology

Pick your Panacea: how to select a generic fix

When should you reset your SMC and NVRAM, repair permissions, install a Combo update, or re-install the whole of macOS?

March 9, 2018 Macs, Technology

What’s really in the High Sierra 10.13.1 update

Effectively a Combo updater with the Supplemental Update, many apps are updated in a total payload of around 4.5 GB. And there’s the new emoji too.

November 3, 2017 Macs, Technology

What the High Sierra Supplemental Update actually updates

As usual, Apple’s release notes for the Supplemental Update to High Sierra, released on 5 October 2017, fall […]

October 5, 2017 Macs, Technology

Firmware, the SMC, and NVRAM: reset and maintain

How to update your firmware, reset the SMC, and reset the NVRAM (or zap the PRAM), and what they do. Updated for High Sierra.

September 15, 2017 Macs, Technology

Startup and shutdown key combinations for macOS Sierra

Safe mode, or Recovery? Which type of Recovery? How to engage all those useful modes at startup, and when shutting down.

August 29, 2017 Macs, Technology

Sleep, Wake, and Startup: Hardware and ACPI

Shutdown cause codes, wake reasons, ACPI, and sleep states – diagnosing problems from hardware events.

August 8, 2017 Macs, Technology

The mysteries of sleep: what’s making my hard drive sleep?

Can your Mac control sleep of its display, disks and system independently of one another? Many can’t.

May 17, 2017 Macs, Technology

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