Every Apple fan is aware that a visit with the company’s support team can put a massive dent in their wallet. A problem with your MacBook somehow costs almost as much as its initial price. So, you have to debate with yourself whether you can afford to spend most of the rent to fix up your device or you can work with a tarnished laptop until you win the lottery.
Instead of praying for a miracle, you should learn simple solutions for common MacBook problems. These won’t be major restorations or replacements, but small fixes that don’t need the assistance of professionals working in the hallowed glowing halls of Apple. That way, you can save yourself time, effort, embarrassment, and of course, money.
Cosmetic Damage
Your MacBook has seen better days. The exterior is covered in scuff marks, scrapes and micro scratches. If you bring it into Apple support, they’ll wonder if you’ve been playing frisbee with it.
You don’t need to pay for pricey replacements. As long as there are no cracks in the screen and there’s no water damage, you can get away with a few ugly blemishes without spending a fortune. If you have lots of scrapes and scratches on the sleek silver surface, you can dab the abrasions with a little bit of white toothpaste and rub them away with a damp microfiber cloth.
If you want to prevent any more cosmetic damage, you should cover it with a high-quality vinyl skin. It provides complete coverage in comparison to a simple carrying case — a case only saves your MacBook from damage when it’s tucked away inside. A skin saves the top, bottom and trackpad of your device 24/7.
If the cosmetic damage can’t be fixed with toothpaste and elbow grease, you can use a skin to give it a fresh look. Coat the scratched silver in a black dragon scale or red carbon fiber skin. You should check this out to see all of the design options out there that fit the specific size of your MacBook and your personal taste.
Apps Don’t Work
You’re trying to open up an app that you just downloaded off of the internet, but every time you click on it, you get a gray pop up message warning you that it can’t be opened. You click the “Okay” button and try again, with the same results.
It doesn’t matter if your app is from a safe and verified source, your MacBook won’t automatically accept it unless you got it from the Apple store. Your system is effectively blocking you from using it. One of the main reasons that the Mac ecosystem doesn’t accept new applications is that it discourages users from going outside the Apple store. Apps that are found in the Apple store need to give the company a cut of the profits from downloads.
The best way to stop blocking downloaded apps is to go to your MacBook’s security settings, click on “Security and Privacy” and then click “General.” Go to the section “Allow apps downloaded from.” It will likely be set on “Mac App Store” or “Mac App Store and identified developers.” Change the option to “Anywhere.”
It’s possible that you can’t click “Anywhere.” Scroll down to the bottom left corner and click on the lock icon to change the settings of the page and un-gray “Anywhere.” Save the settings and then select the option to allow every app to open on your MacBook.
The Wifi Won’t Connect
You’re sitting in a café and trying your best to connect to the WiFi. Everyone around you is online, completing work and loading videos about frolicking kittens.
You can fix your bad internet connection by going into your network’s System Preferences and then going to the Advanced section to see the list of WiFi connections your computer has previously made. Find the network that you’re trying to connect to at the moment, click on it and then remove it from the list. Then, go back to your Wifi icon and log-on with the café’s password.
If this technique doesn’t work, try these other techniques to get a WiFi connection with a problematic MacBook:
- Remove the log in apps
- Check for OS X updates and run them
- Doublecheck that the DNS Server address is right
- Restart the computer
Finally, check to see if it works with other WiFi connections, or if it’s that one location that your MacBook is rejecting. Cover all of your bases before you give up and head to Support.
There are times when you will need to get your computer fixed by a professional. If you knock over your mug and get lukewarm coffee all over your keyboard or if it doesn’t turn on, even after you charge it. Those are all times when you need to accept that you’ll be spending a pretty penny on support.
