In this unique guide, Macintosh expert Joe Kissell shows how to keep your Mac running smoothly with a set of daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly tasks, plus advice on preparing for Mac OS X updates. You'll also learn how to monitor your Mac to detect problems early and find out where to turn if trouble does raise its ugly head. Then Joe turns to the most important aspect of maintenance: regular backups that protect all your important data in the event of catastrophe. To that end, Joe provides an at-a-glance comparison of different backup strategies, explains the pros and cons of each type of backup media, and helps you pick the best backup program for your needs. You'll find time-tested recommendations that help you set up, test, and maintain your backups, complete with instructions on how to restore after a crash. Important lessons you'll learn along the way include the utility of having both a duplicate and an archive, the necessity of testing backups, and the importance of offsite backups.