Six quick fixes you should never skip

You can count on it: the time will come when something goes wrong with your Mac--something you don't know how to fix yourself. That's when you'll likely consider a trip to your local Apple Store. There, at the Genius Bar, you'll find Apple-trained experts ready to help for free with whatever ails your Mac.

But that doesn't mean you should run to the Genius Bar at the slightest hint of trouble. The Genius Bar is the metaphorical equivalent of an ER: it works best when you save it for real emergencies, not for the computer equivalent of a skinned knee. And given a choice, wouldn't you rather fix a problem yourself than hassle with driving to an Apple Store--assuming there's even one within driving distance of where you live?

One thing every good genius knows is that sometimes what looks like a complete computer meltdown actually has a simple fix. Here are a few tried-and-true remedies you shouldn't forget in the rush to try more-complicated troubleshooting techniques.

1. Restart
Yup, simply choose Restart from the Apple menu. It's amazing how often this can eradicate whatever was bothering your Mac. Always try it first.

You may be able to save time by instead quitting all the applications that you don't need to keep open. If the problem you're experiencing comes from your Mac's having too little free memory, this might be sufficient to get the gears turning again. Web browsers in particular can eat up a lot of memory.

2. Unplug and replug
Restarting your Mac can be a cure for a wide range of symptoms. The same principle applies to any other Mac hardware: a good first troubleshooting step is to unplug the misbehaving component and then plug it back in. This is typically the equivalent of a restart for that device. For example, for any USB or FireWire device (such as a Web cam or an EyeTV), disconnect and reconnect it from its USB or FireWire port. If that doesn't fix things, and the device is connected to AC power, disconnect and reconnect its power source. As you are doing this, you can check in with System Profiler (/Applications/Utilities). If you don't see the device listed, it means the Mac is currently unaware that the device is connected. After each unplug and replug, select Refresh (Command-R) from System Profiler's View menu to see whether the device returns. It usually will.

3. Repair your disk

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