Guide to Fixing Your MacBook

There is absolutely nothing as traumatizing as watching your laptop breakdown during the school year. Unfortunately, this is the story of my life. If that sadly happens to you as well, no worries (easier said than done, I know)! Hopefully this guide to repairing your MacBook helps you in times of need:

[TIP FOR EVERYONE] Backup!

So this is something everyone should do, whether you’re an Apple lover or PC fan: BACKUP THAT COMPUTER! You don’t want to lose your files, music, or photos. MacBook only allows you to backup when your laptop is on, so if your computer is encountering problems with starting up, you might regret that you didn’t preemptively back it up first.

For MacBooks, one way to backup is by Time Machine. First of all, you need a hard drive that is twice as big as your storage. Click the apple symbol on the upper left corner of your screen and click “About This Mac → Storage” to see how big your storage is. For example, my MacBook is 500GB, so I need a 1TB hard drive to backup. You can get it from Best Buy for around $75 or from the Apple Store itself for $100.

However, even if it says your hard drive supports Mac, it might not be compatible for Time Machine. The good news is you can always go to Apple and have them reset the hard drive for free.

After you have a hard drive to backup with, select Time Machine from “System Preferences.” When the Time Machine window opens, you have to select to turn it on. Make sure your hard drive is securely plugged in and select your hard drive from “Select Disk.” Once you do this, you can start backing up. It took me three hours to backup about 250GB of storage. Keep your laptop charging and leave it closed to speed up the backup process.

Laptop broke down. Now what?

Your first stop should be the IT service in Eaton. They will check your laptop and diagnose the problem, but if your problem is serious, it’s very possible that they will ask you to go to the Apple store for faster results.

The closest Apple store from Tufts is at Cambridgeside Galleria mall at Lechmere. Get there by taking the 80 bus from the stop right across from Richardson. The ride takes about 20 to 30 minutes. You can also visit the three-story Apple store near Copley by taking the T on the green line.

Before visiting the Apple store, be sure to MAKE AN APPOINTMENT online. They won’t check your laptop for you without an appointment.

Do you have AppleCare?

AppleCare is Apple’s warranty for purchasing any Apple products. It usually lasts for a year after you buy a product. If you’re under AppleCare, they will be able to fix your laptop and send it back for free. Check whether or not you have it here.

Sending the laptop back

People at the Apple store will run the diagnosis on your laptop first to detect what the problems are and if (fingers crossed) the issues are minor and can be fixed there. Voilà! Problem solved! Unfortunately, it isn’t always that easy. If an Apple Genius cannot actually identify the problem, they might ask to send your laptop back to repair. The repair takes up 3 to 5 business days and around $300 if you don’t have AppleCare. Note that for sending back your laptop, there is a risk of data loss that Apple cannot guarantee to recover (hence the importance of backing up).

At last, your laptop should be fully fixed after being sent back to be repaired. You can also ask Apple for tips to prolong the lifespan of your MacBook, like restarting the computer once in a while.

Hope this guide helps and may the odds be ever in your favor!

*Sparknotes

1. Backup with Time Machine once in a while when your laptop is working.
2. Laptop broke down ($%&*@!!!) Reach out IT service first at Eaton and hit Apple Store at Cambridgeside Galleria or Copley after you made an appointment.
3. Make sure you have AppleCare.

photo sources: apple.com

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