{"id":34587,"date":"2022-10-12T09:03:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-12T13:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/?p=9305"},"modified":"2022-10-03T17:48:19","modified_gmt":"2022-10-03T21:48:19","slug":"follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/follow-these-steps-before-bringing-your-mac-in-for-repair\/","title":{"rendered":"Follow These Steps before Bringing Your Mac in for Repair"},"content":{"rendered":"

It has finally happened. Keys on your MacBook Pro aren\u2019t responding, there\u2019s a crack on the screen, or the battery no longer holds enough of a charge to make it useful. A repair is in your future, which entails bringing your Mac in for repair. Before bringing your Mac in for repair, here are some steps that we\u2014and Apple\u2014highly recommend that you follow first.<\/p>\n

Back Up Your Mac<\/h3>\n

The one thing you must do is make a backup of your data, or preferably two. Some repairs require replacing the internal storage and sometimes required repair diagnostics must erase internal storage. Since you\u2019re already backing up (right?!?), this should mostly be a matter of updating your backups.<\/p>\n

We recommend both using Time Machine and making a duplicate using an app like SuperDuper<\/a> or Carbon Copy Cloner<\/a>. That second backup protects you against the first failing when you try to restore\u2014it\u2019s uncommon but not unknown. (A third backup to an online service like Backblaze is also a good idea, but it won\u2019t help in this scenario unless something happens to both your other backups.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

If your Mac laptop boots but can\u2019t be used due to a broken keyboard or trackpad, remember that you can attach an external keyboard and mouse. Also, if a broken screen prevents you from using it, try using Target Disk Mode<\/a> to make your backup to another Mac.<\/p>\n

Enable Guest Access<\/h3>\n

For some problems, the repair technician may need to verify that your Mac functions normally after the repair\u2014imagine trying to verify that each of the keys on the keyboard work. If you don’t want to give us your admin password you can create a guest user.<\/p>\n

Head to System Preferences > Users & Groups. Click the lock icon at the lower left of the preference pane to unlock the pane. Click Guest User in the sidebar and then select \u201cAllow guests to log in to this computer.\u201d Also, click Login Options and make sure Automatic Login is turned off (it\u2019s locked off when FileVault is enabled, which we strongly recommend) and Display Login Window As is set to List of Users.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Turn Off Find My Mac<\/h3>\n

We can\u2019t repair a Mac that has Find My Mac enabled, due to Activation Lock, it is also useful for proving that you own the Mac and know the necessary Apple ID password.<\/p>\n

Please turn it off. \u00a0Open System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud and deselect the checkbox next to Find My Mac. Make sure to turn it back on when you get your Mac back.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Turn Off Your Firmware Password<\/h3>\n

Few people have enabled a firmware password, and Macs with Apple silicon don\u2019t support them, but if you have an older Intel-based Mac with a firmware password enabled, you\u2019ll need to turn it off<\/a> before the Mac can be repaired.<\/p>\n

To do this, start up in macOS Recovery, choose Utilities > Startup Security Utility or Firmware Password Utility, click Turn Off Firmware Password, and enter the firmware password when prompted. Quit the utility and then restart the Mac.<\/p>\n

Deauthorize Your Computer for iTunes Store Purchases<\/h3>\n

You don\u2019t have to deauthorize your Mac before sending it in for repair, but it could save some headaches later on. Certain types of repairs might change the identity of the Mac in such a way that it\u2019s no longer authorized but takes up one of your five authorizations. Authorizing another Mac could require that you first deauthorize all your computers, which you can do only once per year. Luckily, deauthorizing a Mac is easy to do.<\/p>\n

In either the Music app or the TV app, choose Account > Authorizations > Deauthorize This Computer. Sign in with your Apple ID, and click Deauthorize when prompted. The same submenu lets you authorize the Mac again when you get it back.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For Extra, Extra Security<\/h3>\n

Those whose Macs contain truly sensitive data (you know, patient records, corporate trade secrets, space laser access codes, etc.) may wish to take additional steps to ensure that there\u2019s no way that data could be compromised. The first step is to turn on FileVault, which encrypts the entire contents of the Mac\u2019s internal storage. This is quick and easy on Macs with T2 chips<\/a> or Apple silicon, where it piggybacks on the fact that internal storage is already encrypted. On older Macs, encrypting a large drive can take many hours.<\/p>\n

In an ideal world, of course, you would have turned on FileVault as soon as you started using the Mac. If that\u2019s not the case, turn it on now\u2014we\u2019ll wait. That may be sufficient if your data is sensitive but not life-changingly sensitive. If you\u2019re storing the equivalent to the keys to Fort Knox, take the next step, which is to erase the Mac after making your backups. The best way to do this varies:<\/p>\n