Out of the three major web browsers, it seems (to me, anyway) that Firefox gives me most trouble. I find myself having to force quit Firefox more than all my other browsers combined. (I use Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Opera each for different tasks.) It could be that, because I use it primarily for Facebook, that Facebook is loading me up with cookies or other files.

But then again, the culprit might not be Facebook, because it seems to mostly occur when I click on a story that originates from Facebook. However, I am not sure whether that has anything to do with the browser I’m using, or I’m exposing my Mac to the dangers of cookies, adware and other sorts of nefarious stuff.

Firefox debuted in Fall 2002 – perfect timing it turns out, as Microsoft’s Internet Explorer for Mac was checking its parachute. The only other viable option at the time was Apple’s Safari; however, it had the (deservedly accurate) reputation as not being able to handle certain (mostly secure) websites. A third-party option was needed to keep the playing field level, and Firefox quickly became more popular than Safari in the Mac world.

Google certainly wasn’t going to miss out on that action; it debuted its Chrome browser five years later. Suddenly there was another contender in town and for whatever reason, Chrome was able to handle whatever website it threw itself at, something Firefox and Safari have proven unable to do. Plus, Google is making inroads in the educational world, and students of today are using Google Docs (which, of course, requires Google Chrome).

So this brings us (more or less) to today. Google Chrome is the best browser out there, giving users the least amount of trouble and crashes. I still use Firefox, strictly for Facebook (I don’t like to cross pollinate my web browsing; crashing on TeamRock.com stories are probably a sign that I should be clicking links less willy-nilly) and I use Safari for eBay. Opera I use for managing somebody else’s site, and there’s also TorBrowser, something I find unusable.

Further reading: Check out an early blog post I wrote, “How to Untangle Your Browser From the Grips of Facebook.”

One of the most common complaints I hear from clients is “I don’t know what to update!”

If you own a Mac, it’s a pretty simple process (at least in theory). Updates for the Apple OS (operating system) are supplied by Apple. Similarly, updates for other software generally come from the manufacturer of that package. Ergo, an update for Microsoft Office comes from Microsoft, Photoshop from Adobe, Norton updates come from Symantec, etc.

Except for printers, as Apple now handles most of those updates as part of its OS updates through the App Store. Oh, and speaking of The App Store, apps bought through there have their updates supplied by Apple, even though most are third-party apps…

OK, so it’s not quite as easy as it should be. And furthermore, how do you tell which update prompts are legit and which ones are scams? Find out more about updates here.

OK, updates (for the most part) fall under one of the following categories:

• Mac OS
• Apps from The App Store
• Microsoft Office
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Adobe (Flash Player & Reader)
• Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Intuit (Quicken & QuickBooks)
• Norton Utilities
• Other stuff*

*There is CAD and design software, high-end camera and imaging programs as well as other specialized software packages, each of which has its own upgrades. If you’re using any software that falls under that category, you can check with the developer about upgrades.

This is by no means a complete list, but it does cover most of the upgrades that average users would encounter.

How to check for updates:

Mac OS Updates and Apps purchased through The App Store: Pull down on the apple (upper left corner of the screen and select APP STORE

Microsoft Office: Pull down on HELP menu and select CHECK FOR UPDATES (Works with recent versions; versions before 2011 are no longer supported by Microsoft and no new updates are issued)

Adobe Flash Player: Open SYSTEM PREFERENCES (found in APPLICATIONS) and select FLASH PLAYER> UPDATES and click the CHECK NOW button

Adobe Reader: Pull down on HELP menu and select CHECK FOR UPDATES

Firefox: Pull down on the FIREFOX menu and select ABOUT FIREFOX (updates, if required, will be downloaded automatically) – click on RESTART FIREFOX TO UPDATE

Google Chrome: Pull down on the CHROME menu and select ABOUT GOOGLE CHROME – enable SET UP AUTOMATIC UPDATES FOR ALL USERS (a one-time process)

Quicken/QuickBooks:  Pull down on the QUICKEN (or QUICKBOOKS) menu and select CHECK FOR UPDATES

Norton: Pull down on the NORTON icon in menu (located to the left of the menu clock)

Avoid scams: Never click a link from an email or (especially) a web browser pop-up alerting you to upgrade any software. Anything that requires an upgrade can be performed from directly within the application!

Bottom line: You have to employ an “a la carte” approach to keep the software and operating system on your computer up to date – there is no “one process updates all” option available. In most instances, you do not need to apply an update the minute it’s available (although Flash Player is starting to claim it’s “out of date” when it’s only one revision old!), but it’s a good idea to check your software once in a while.

Once again, a client tempted fate: His hard drive died without warning and he was unsure when his most recent backup occurred. Luckily for him, he had an Apple Time Capsule and the backup ran shortly before the big crash. (We also had a little trouble remembering the password to the Time Capsule unit, but were able to get through that challenge.)

So once again, a user’s data was saved because he did the right thing. But once in awhile, there is no backup, which means the recovery process is tedious, expensive, or not possible. I don’t like being a nag or a noodge, and using the expression “broken record” is a term that’s no longer relevant (despite the recent resurgence of vinyl albums), but it’s imperative that you MAINTAIN A REGULAR BACKUP OF YOUR DATA!!

One of the great things the engineers at Apple did was to integrate the backup into the operating system, which makes it simple and as painless as possible. It’s a “set & forget” process; as long as your computer is on and the the backup source is attached, then your computer will back up on its own. But there are certain things you have to consider when planning your backup scenario.

The most common (and least expensive) option is simply connecting an external hard drive (commonly a USB model) to your Mac and configuring the Time Machine settings in your System Preferences. This is a fail-proof method, as long as you keep your external hard drive attached to the computer (at least once in a while). For desktop models, you simply set the drive up behind the computer and then forget about it.

But for laptops, manually connecting the external drive to your computer and allowing it to complete the backup process is another step that you have to remember. Also, if you’re in an office or household with multiple laptops like so many of us are, it’s a matter of buying an external drive for each computer (a 1TB external drive is around $60), or share a single drive among the users.

However, that defeats the purpose of “set & forget” (not to mention the possibility of filling up the drive quickly), so Apple has come up with the next level; its AirPort Time Capsule, a combo wireless router/backup device. Currently available in 2TB and 3TB versions, it can be configured to back up any number of devices connected to it.

While the Time Capsule may seem like the idea solution, it does have a couple of drawbacks. For one, it may not be feasible in an environment that is networked with devices other than Apple branded ones. (There certainly are many non-Apple network backup devices available on the market; they have various degrees of ease of configuration.) Also, similar to a local drive, if there is a fire or theft, your data is gone along with your computer, not an enviable position to be caught in.

That leads us to cloud backup. There are scores of cloud backup services out there; the trick is to to find the one that best suits your needs. Some are expensive; some don’t back up large data files such as photo libraries and email databases. Some offer the option of recovered files to be shipped out on an external hard drive; some are all of the above or none of the above. Any data backed up on the cloud takes time to recover (particularly large files), so you have to factor that into your decision making process.

Bottom line: You should employ a two-tier backup strategy, both local and a cloud backup. You should also consider making a copy of your valuable data (photos, important documents) and storing it off site, in a safe deposit box, for example. Every six months or so, you should swap that copy out with a current copy. That way you’re protected in a worst case scenario. (Unless you go to the bank, and the safe deposit boxes have been relocated without your knowledge, something that happened to me years ago!)

As we all know, having to remember a password is a pain in the neck. Keeping track of them is hard enough, and that doesn’t even count the various requirements (minimum number of characters, the inclusion of caps, numbers and other variables) that all your different websites dictate. Trying to keep things simple is near impossible; the best you can hope for is manageable.

For some strange reason, the one that gives people the most trouble is the Apple ID password. Perhaps it’s because it has multiple names – Apple ID password, iCloud password, App Store password and iTunes Store password, among others. In addition, it has a number of requirements – must be eight (or more) characters long, have one number and one cap. Oh yeah, and if you changed it within the past year, you can’t have a password you had used previously. All which adds the stress of keeping organized.

First of all, it’s best to get familiar with things. Your Apple ID handles the following tasks (among others):

• Allows you to sync your contacts, calendars, notes and (Apple-based) email accounts.

• Lets you purchase from Apple’s iTunes Store, App Store and iBooks Store.

• Enables photo sharing between your Apple devices.

• Required for upgrades to your Mac to the newest OS and other updates (security fixes, etc.)

To add to the confusion, your current email address can be used as your Apple ID. So, to put that into perspective, if your email address is user@gmail.com, your Apple ID could also be user@gmail.com.

BUT (sticking with the above example) – if you’re using your Gmail address to log into anything Gmail related, then you would use your Gmail password. If you’re using your Gmail address as your Apple ID, then you would use your Apple ID password. NOTE – these passwords are probably different! And if your Amazon account also uses that Gmail address, there’s a (potential) third password in the mix!

So, that’s just one example of the confusion that can ensue. This is exactly the point where most people lose the plot. Whatever method you use to document your passwords, confirm that you have differentiated between your email password and your Apple ID password (and Amazon, and others).

Another wrinkle: Your computer admin password is (most likely) a DIFFERENT password to remember. This is used when installing software, and (sometimes) logging in when starting up and when the screen saver kicks in. It is usually a shorter and easier to remember password. BUT – in the past year or so, Apple has given users the option to use their Apple ID as the admin password for their Macs. Just more confusion…

But, if you’re forced to reset your Apple ID, go to www.icloud.com and click the “Forgot Apple ID or password” link. That will give you a choice of retrieving your Apple ID or resetting the password. You will have the option of receiving an email or answer the security questions. Go for the email; for some reasons, the question option rarely works.

Neither method is working for you? Then throw in the towel and call Apple. They’re pretty good when things deteriorate to this point. Oh, and once you change your Apple ID password, you have to remember to change it on all your devices `that use it (Macs, iPhones, iPads, iPods, Apple Watch). A real chore, but if I have to deal with this stuff all day long, you can cope with it for a few minutes.

Although you probably never even think about it, you’re constantly filling up your computer’s hard drive every time you add work files, photos, music, movies and when you back up your iPhone or iPad. Weeks and months of slowly adding data to it will eventually fill it up. But you’re saying “I have plenty of disk space! No harm, no foul, right?” WRONG!

Filling your hard drive to capacity can have a catastrophic effect on your life, mostly because it can compromise your computer files. But what exactly are the issues of pushing your storage to the limit on your internal drive?

• Danger of crashing: A full drive can die at any second, creating a problem far larger than the inability to import photos from your iPhone. Ask anybody whose hard drive has crashed; the 50% who didn’t get their data fully recovered are the best people to ask.

• Overall sluggishness: It can slow some applications down or render them inoperable. With too much stuff crammed onto your internal drive, everything will slow down from a little to a lot. And some applications, which depend on having some free space (Photoshop, for example), will not be able to function at peak efficiency without a large enough block of unused space on your drive.

• Diminished functionality: It reveals itself in subtle ways, but things that previously performed well will suddenly stop working. One example – Spotlight search will become disabled. Spotlight is the function that allows you to search your computer for files. It also works within certain applications (mail programs, for example) and will not be able to search for messages.

What can you do to confirm there is ample room on your startup disk?

For one, a good rule of thumb is to maintain at least 10% of your hard drive as free space. (More if possible.) I know that megabytes, gigabytes and terabytes confuse people (too close to the metric system for most of our tastes). But since most people are visual, open Disk Utility (found in Macintosh HD>Applications>Utilities) and highlight your startup disk in the left-hand column. The bar graph will give you a visual representation of how full your hard drive is.

But where do you find files you can safely remove from your hard drive that won’t trash your valuable data or cause an issue with the system or application functionality?

Start by emptying the trash. That could possibly be all you need to do; if not then go into your Downloads folder (Users>user name> Downloads) and see if there are files (or installers) in there you can trash.

Another idea: Check your Documents folder (Users>user name> Documents) for any files or folders you can offload onto an external drive.

Other ideas for freeing up space on your hard drive:

• Uninstalling unused applications (Old versions of Adobe Creative Suite, for example)
• Removing your iPhoto Library (Only if you’ve upgraded to Photos!)
• Trashing rebuilt Entourage or Outlook Databases
• Look for any duplicate folders
• Remove your backed up iPhone or iPad data (this will eventually repopulate, but it’s a quick and dirty way to free up space in a hurry) by trashing the folder named MobileSync, which is found in Users>user name> Library>Application Support

Note: Your user Library folder is hidden by default. To access it, in Finder pull down the GO menu while holding down the Option Key and selecting LIBRARY.

Important safety tip: Know what you’re getting into before deleting any of these items – and back up your Mac BEFORE doing any of this!