Manual Software CheckUp

CheckUpDOCUMENTATION

CheckUp Documentation

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Main concepts of the application

CheckUp allows you to monitor the behavior and health of your Mac in real time. CheckUp can detect a failure of bad components (memory, disks) and detect a list of common issues on Mac OS X with useful tips to fix them. CheckUp is like the dashboard of your car!

CheckUp is working with three essential components. They are installed automatically on your computer during the installation process.

1. A Unix deamon named CheckUpAgent (invisible, always running in the background). It's a process build to survey in real time the health of your Mac.

2. A Unix deamon named CheckUpAlert (invisible, always running in the background). It's a process build to display alerts related to your Notifications settings, on top of all opened applications.3. An application named CheckUp It's a software build to display the information sent by CheckUpAgent with an attractive user interface. Itʼs launched from the Applications folder.

Toolbar

The preferences button of the toolbar allows you to setup the behavior for CheckUp. The oscilloscope graph display the activity of your processor in real time.

The Notification button allow you to setup the alerts of your choice. They will be displayed by the process CheckUpAlert, even if the application CheckUp is not launched (such notifications requires a valid user license).


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Tabs

Each tab at the top of the main window of CheckUp will give access to more information and useful functions.

Profile view

The Profile tab view helps you access your Mac's basic information.

With the C button, you can copy and paste in the clipboard some useful information.

With the 0 button, you can reset the counter of the used bandwidth.

At the bottom of the profile view, CheckUp will display the number of commun issues found on your computer. The importance of any possible issues on your Mac will be displayed by red or orange scale alert icons with details about how to fix them.


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System view

The system tab view allows you to see how many items (drivers, fonts, applications, etc) are installed on your computer. When you select an application or an item that you added earlier on your Mac, you can see a button at the bottom of the window to uninstall it. Itʼs a powerful function that can also uninstall related items.


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If the type of a selected application is Carbon, itʼs mean that the application has not been built with recent Apple technologies. Carbon framework is old and will no longer be supported in the future by Apple.

If the type of a selected application is Cocoa, itʼs mean that the application is built with recent Apple technologies and more optimized for the current operating system and the future.

When you select an application, if the icon 32-Bit is displayed, itʼs mean that the application can run in 32-Bit mode. If the icon 64-Bit is displayed, itʼs mean that the application can run in 64-Bit mode (a 64-Bit application is faster and can manage more memory).

When you select an application, if the icon Universal is displayed, itʼs mean that the application can run native and at full speed on Macs with PowerPC or Intel processors.

With CheckUp, you can also see the list of operating systems compatible with your Mac.

About Operating SystemsAn Operating System is the most important program that runs on a computer. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. It is like a traffic cop, making sure that different programs and users that are running at the same time, do not interfere with each other. Operating systems provide a software platform on top of which other programs, called application programs, can run. The application programs must be written to run on top of a particular operating system. Your choice of operating system, therefore, determines to a great extent the applications you can run.

About Windows on a MacSince 2006 and thanks to BootCamp technology, Mac computers can work with many operatingsystems. Mac OS X is the default system shipped with any Mac. However, you can also install any version of Windows or Linux on to your computer. You can even have multiple operating systems and choose which one to use when you start your computer. To get more information about Apple BootCamp technology, you can visit this website:http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/bootcamp.html


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Processor view

With CheckUp, you can survey the performance of your processor in the same way that you'd check the speedometer on the dashboard of your car. If you find that you often use more than 80% to 90% of processor use, it's time to upgrade to a faster Mac. With CheckUp, you can also survey the temperature of your processor. When the temperature of a processor is too hot, your computer can become unstable. The majority of today's desktop processors should not exceed temperatures of 95C (203F) and most will run between 70-90C.

CheckUp allows you also to display the processors view in a small window that is able to stay on top of all opened applications.


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At the bottom of the window, you will find a button to optimize the global performance of your Mac.

This button allows you to run useful Mac OS X maintenance scripts. These background tasks in part remove system files that are no longer needed. This includes purging older information from log files or deleting certain temporary items. CheckUp will also update the prebinding. This means forcing Mac OS X to go through all of the application files and make sure that they are correctly linked together. This make your applications launch faster and increase the speed of your computer overall. For the best result, you should restart your Mac after using this function.

Since version 2.5, itʼs possible to export the results of processor use. The file will be created at text tabulation format. Itʼs compatible with Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbersor Filemaker Pro.

About processorsIf someone had to identify the "brains" of the computer, they would most certainly say its the microprocessor (also referred to as the Processor or CPU - Central Processing Unit). The microprocessor is a chip about the size of a postage stamp and it controls how data is sorted in addition to directing the flow of data. The fundamental operation of most processors, regardless of the physical form they take, is to execute a sequence of stored instructions - called a "program".Chips with higher processing speeds and more recent designs offer the greatest performance.


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Memory view

This tab view displays the amount of memory installed on your Mac and the amount used by the Applications that you are currently using.

If 80% or more of your memory is being used, it is time to get your Mac more memory.

You can check the optimal configuration panel to see what you can install in your computer. You can see the type of memory that is compatible in the top part of the window.

Contact a Mac reseller for prices (in most cases, you can install the memory yourself).


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CheckUp is also able to detect bad components. A the bottom of the window, a button to test the memory is available. Bad components are often responsable for the instability of your system. Only the full test is really useful. The test on the available memory is more a demonstration of the feature for people not using CheckUp with a valid user license.

About memoryThe memory is a temporary storage space where the processor does its work, programs run, and information is stored while it's being worked on. You can see below are the most used abbreviations for memory: Kilo: " " " K, KB " " 1,024 bytesMega:" " " M, MB, Meg" 1,048,576 bytes (Million)Giga: " " " G, GB, Giga" 1,073,741,824 bytes (Billion)Tera: " " " T, TB, Tera" 1,099,511,628,000 bytes (Trillion)

The memory works only when the computer is turned on. It is vital because it controls the moment-by-moment processes of the computer. The memory is first used for the operating system and what is left over is used for your software.

About performanceHaving the correct amount of memory in a computer is key for maximum performance. The more memory that your Mac has, the better your Mac will perform. If you purchased a Mac with only 256 MB or 512 MB of memory installed on the logic board, you really do not have enough memory to experience the optimalpower. For recent operating systems, you will need at least 1 GB of memory. However, if your hardware permits, 2 GB or 4 GB is even better. If you install the maximum memory possible, everything on your Mac will be faster : launching applications, switching to other applications, etc.


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Disks view

The Drives tab view allows you to survey the space available on the disks connected to your computer. CheckUp also uses S.M.A.R.T. technology, which is a monitoring system for computer hard drives. In the hopes of anticipating failures, CheckUp detects and reports various indicators of reliability. Even when the application is not launched, CheckUp will notify you if your hard drive has problems! (thanks to the background process CheckUpAgent and CheckUpAlert always running).

The button at the bottom of the window allows you to repair permissions of the disk contenaing the operating system.

Mac OS X incorporates a subsystem based on a UNIX-style operating system which uses file system permissions. Every file and folder on your hard disk has an associated set of permissions that determines who can read, write, or execute it. Sometime, some Mac users have unintentionally modified these privileges and need to reset the system privileges to their correct defaults. When your Mac has problems, using this function can often help to fix them.


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About disksHard drives were invented in the 1950s. The hard drive's function is to store all the files and software that the computer will ever use. Any file or software program that uses memory will most likely come from the disk drive. Below are the most used abbrevations for the amount of space used:

Kilo: " " " K, KB " " 1,024 bytes Mega: " " " M, MB, Meg " " 1,048,576 bytes (Million)Giga: " " " G, GB, Giga " " 1,073,741,824 bytes (Billion) Tera: " " " T, TB, Tera " " 1,099,511,628,000 bytes (Trillion)

A hard drive is fragile - you can easily loose your data. It can suffer two types of failures : Predictable - Things like mechanical wear and aging that are known to happen over time. Unpredictable - Sudden occurrences, such as the failure of an electronic component.


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Network view

CheckUp tab view allows you to monitor the monitor the bandwidth use of your network connections.

The IN graph display the information received on your computer (mostly very active when you download a software or watch a video on the internet).

The OUT graph display the information sent from your computer (for example when you upload a file to a website or when you send emails).

Since version 2.5, itʼs possible to export the results of network use. The files will be created at text tabulation format. Itʼs compatible with Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbersor Filemaker Pro.


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The button at the bottom of the window allows to you display the list of wireless networks (Wifi technology) available in your area. You can monitor the level of the signal and see if a network is protected with a password or not.

About networkA network consists of two or more computers that are linked in order to share resources, exchange files, or allow electronic communications. The computers on a network may be linked through cables, telephone lines or radio waves. A Local Area Network (LAN) is a network that is confined to a relatively small area. It is generally limited to a geographic area such as a writing lab, school, or building. Rarely are LAN computers more than a mile apart. For most LANs, cables are used to connect the network interface in each computer. Wide Area Networks (WANs) connect larger geographic areas, such as Florida, the United States, or the world. Using a WAN, schools in Florida can communicate with places like Tokyo in a matter of minutes. Below are some abbreviations for the speed :

- BIT: abreviated to a small b (Kbps), unit of measurement representing a 1 or a 0- BYTE: abbreviated to a capital B (KBps), another unit of measurement in a computer, 8 bits are in a single byte. - Kbps: kilobits per second, or 1000 bits per second- Mbps: Megabits per second or 1,000,000 bits per second

The small b in Kbps lets us know the unit of measurement is bits. A capital B would let us know the measurement is in Bytes.


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Processes view

The processes tab view gives you the possibility to monitor the health of processes running on your computer. CheckUp allows you to determine if a specific background process or application is impacting your Mac's performance. For each process, you can see the amount of memory used and the level of processor use.

When the level of processor use is often very high (in the processor tabview), it's means that a process is using all the power of your computer. It's here where you can find which one. Sometimes a process will also use too much memory. It can be a proof that an application have a bad design or problems (this is called memory leak by developers). A memory leak of an application will saturate the available memory of your computer and impact the performance.

Killing a process A process is a name for any running program that has its own memory space.Processes in Mac OS X include application programs and background applications(a background process in Mac OS X is called a "daemon").When a process is terminated intentionally, that is called "killing" the process. When a process stops working, it has "died".

If a process is running but not responding, you may need to "kill it". If clicking the "Quit" button doesn't work, try the "Force Quit" button.


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The button at the bottom of the window allows you to quit in few seconds all applications actually opened.

If you use the ForceQuit option, be aware that your opened documents will not be saved, so don't forget to save them before to use it.

About processesA process is a name for any running program that has its own memory space. Processes in Mac OS X include system software, application programs and background applications. Mac OS X (like any UNIX OS) always has a number of these processes running in order to take care of your computer. Normally, you wouldn't even notice them. Both applications you launch and background processes (which are in themselves small applications) are all regarded as processes. Process names you recognize are probably software or freeware you have launched. Process names you do not recognize are likely background processes (also called Unix deamon). Every process has a process identification number (PID) that is assigned according to order in which it was run. The first process that runs has a PID of 1. The second has a PID of 2, and so on. If a process dies or is killed, that PID is not reused. If the computer is restarted, the process count begins again at 1.


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Documents view

The document tab view allows you to view some statistics about the documents on your computer. You can see how many files do you have per type of document and also the used space. But more important, you can see which application is able to open a type of file.

At the bottom of the window, you can choose to compute the statistics for your documents folder (option by default), for your user folder, for a disk of your choice or for all disks.

After choosing a target, you have to click on the button "Start indexing" to update the stats. The process can take a lot of time if you have huge disks with many documents. Just be patient....


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With CheckUp, can also find duplicates files.

Hard disk space may be cheap, but don't use that as an excuse for cluttering your Mac. You may not realize how many duplicate files you have after downloaded many files from the Internet or duplicate files scattered over your home or corporate network. Duplicate files are usually waste and unnecessary, so keeping them is merely a waste of valuable hard disk space. Your hard drives may be full of documents, MP3, photos, and video and many of them are redundant.

About documentsA computer file or document is a block of arbitrary information, or resource for storing information, which is available to a computer program and is usually based on some kind of durable storage. A file is durable in the sense that it remains available for programs to use after the current program has finished. Computer files can be considered as the modern counterpart of paper documents which traditionally were kept in offices' and libraries' files, which are the source of the term.

Browsing hidden Files/FoldersMac OS X volumes contain quite a few files and directories (aka folders) that are invisibleto the Finder (and many other interfaces). For the most part, they're hidden for good reason. You generally don't need to worry about them, and in fact, probably shouldn't mess with them unless you know what you're doing.


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More about Notifications

Even when it is not launched, CheckUp is able to monitor, in real time, the behavior of your computer. The background process named CheckUpAlert will keep statistics on your computer.

If a problem is detected, an overlay window will appear above all applications and inform you about the problem. If the icon is grey, the problem is not serious. If the icon is orange, the problem is serious. If the icon is red, the problem is very serious and needs to be fixed as soon as possible.

List of commun Mac issues detected at launch

- Health status of your hard drives (using SMART technology)- Numbers of items in the trash - Number of items on the desktop - Space available on the TimeMachine disk- Space available on the System Disk- Space available on the connected disks- Memory level installed - Memory saturation - Mac OS X version- Uptime - Architecture- Input Managers - Virtual Disks


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