A spinning wheel or "beach ball" as its affectionately known occurs when your Mac is thinking. If the spinning wheel occurs commonly it can indicate you do not have enough memory (RAM). Ram allows the computer to quickly manipulate data without the need to read and write off the hard disk, which is a slower part of the machine.

Closing down unused applications or web browsers can help aleivate the problem but you can add more memory to your Mac to help oil its engine and keep it purring like a kitten.

Sometimes however the spinning ball if it happens more and more frequently this can indicate a hard disk failure.

If your machine is making any out of the ordinary noises and you see the spinning ball you should bring it in for the MacMedic's to check it out. We can also advise you if you need more memory.

Another problem that can cause speed issues is if the hard disk is getting close to full. You should always keep around 5-10% of your hard disk space free for a smooth computing experience. As a good rule of thumb you should always have at least two to three times the space available on your hard disk as you do RAM.

The amount of RAM you have can be located in your "Apple Menu" -> "About this Mac" . It will say something along the lines of 512MB or 1GB. If you are using Mac OS X 2GB or higher generally will get the most out of your machine. (1GB = 1024MB).

The amount of hard disk space you have can be located by clicking once on your Hard Disk icon on your dekstop (Normally Macintosh HD) and pressing Command + I (Command is the Apple key). This will give you information regarding the size of your disk and the available space.

MacMedic provides both Memory and Hard disk upgrades that can allow you to keep more documents and photos with you on the road or at home and keep your computer running smoothly.

We also have a range of external hard disks to allow you to back up your precious photos, music, email and documents at reasonable prices.