MemTest86 – RAM Test Tool for Windows & Mac. This memory diagnostic tool is available for a variety of OS for PC. PC’s with Mac, Linux and Windows OS can use this tool for checking the memory. This is an open source tool which simply means that this tool is available for free for all users. This tool is very compatible and reliable. OBD Auto Doctor is the advanced OBD-2 software for Windows, Mac and Linux. The software enables you to communicate with your vehicle's On-Board Diagnostic system and turn your computer into a highly capable automotive scanner. OBD Auto Doctor is a must-have tool for everyone interested in getting to know their cars better.
System cleanup in one click
We associate a Mac with quality, capacity, speed, and reliability. But it might happen so that your Mac underperforms and unpredictable issues occur. Before taking it to the nearest Apple service, you can try to identify the problem by yourself. That will save your time and money, and prevent serious system crashes. Identifying whether the issue is a hardware or software one will determine the possible actions and next steps.
When we deal with the hardware problem, the first thing to try is to perform Apple Diagnostics (or Apple Hardware Test). It will help you reveal the process that causes the problem and lowers Mac productivity.
Apple Diagnostics is an easy-to-understand tool that provides detailed results and suggestions with the next steps. Whether you are a techie or not, you'll get everything easily.
What is Apple Diagnostics?
Apple Diagnostics is a built-in test that helps detect what hardware components are causing the problem, and find system failures. The test checks RAM, power controller, logic board, battery, and other wireless modules.
That was the hard part. And the easy part is that you can run Apple Diagnostics in just a few steps. The whole process will take about 2-5 minutes — but ultimately saves hours of your time.
A great feature of Apple test is that after hardware checking, it displays an error code, offers you clear solutions, and the assistance of Apple Support. You can write out the error codes (known as reference codes), and either do the research on/ your own or contact Apple.
When referring to Mac hardware test, you might also hear about Apple Hardware Test (AHT). This is an older brother of Apple Diagnostics (AD), and they have some minor differences. Mainly, the results of AHT aren't conclusive and descriptive. AHT is used in Macs released in 2012 or earlier, while AD is a more advanced analog that works with newer Macs.
Essentially, a Mac hardware test is the great tool to help you understand the problem. And if it doesn't have a fix for it — there are more advanced tools that you can use to troubleshoot Mac issues. More about that in a moment.
How to run Mac diagnostics
Running a hardware test on Mac may seem like a complicated process, but believe us — that's not:
- Disconnect all the peripheral devices (printer, cables, external DVD drive) except the keyboard, mouse, display, and speakers. Make sure your Mac is connected to mains power and the internet.
- Select Apple Menu > Restart
- Press and hold the D key until you see a list of different languages on the screen
- Select a language. Apple Diagnostics starts automatically.
- Wait for about 2-5 minutes until the checking is completed. If any problems are found, you'll see the options of solutions and an error code.
After that, you can either repeat the test, get more information, restart or shut down the Mac. That's it - an easy 5-step process, as promised.
Apple recommends to print out the instructions to keep them close at hand and make sure you don't miss any step. Or, you can take a photo. Right, that's what people do in 2021.
What are the common Apple Diagnostics results
After performing a Mac hardware test, you'll get the list of found issues with detailed descriptions and related reference codes. Each code stands for a particular error and helps you quickly figure out the next steps. Usually, an error description will suggest possible solutions. However, to fix a specific problem, Apple Diagnostics might recommend you to contact Apple or take your Mac to an Apple Authorised Service Provider or AppleRetailStore.
There could be the case the system testing doesn't find any issues.
In this case, you have a few options. Please note that they are mutually exclusive, which means you should choose the best option for you:
- Repeat the process by hitting Run the test again
- To get more information on support and service options, click on Get started:
- The macOS X recovery will start
- Send your serial number and reference codes to Apple by clicking Agree to send
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
- Restart your Mac
- Hit the Shut Down button.
Because well, sometimes a small mistake might hamper it all. Maybe the first time you tried to run Apple Diagnostics, your power adapter wasn't plugged in. Connect it and try again — this will help fix the problem.
What if you can't run diagnostics
You can face the problem when Apple Diagnostics simply doesn't work. Don't worry, it's solvable. There might be a couple of reasons why this happens:
- Some external devices are plugged in. Double-check you've disconnected everything except the keyboard, mouse, display, and speakers.
- A part of the diagnostics system can be damaged. You can solve the problem by restarting the Mac while holding down Option+D. This will start an internet-based hardware test.
- Firmware password might be the problem. Make sure you turn it off while performing hardware testing.
What if diagnostics found no issues
In case Apple Diagnostics identifies no hardware issues — but your Mac is still misbehaving — maybe, software is the problem.
Often, Macs are slowing down, freezing, or behaving strangely due to full storage, malware, leftovers from uninstalled apps, large and old files. The good news is you don't have to guess, or install many applications to fix each problem separately. An all-in-one tool called CleanMyMac X has all the required functions to test your Mac from a to z. It cleans up, protects, and speeds up your Mac.
Best Windows 10 Diagnostic Software
Just one click to optimize your Mac — CleanMyMac X makes it fly like a rocket.
Here's how CleanMyMac X optimization works:
- Go to the Maintenance tab
- Specify what should be done. For example, if you want to speed up your Mac by freeing up some space, check the box next to Free Up Ram”. You can select all the tasks at a time, or choose the particular ones.
- Press Run.
Yay, you launched a rocket!
The most common problem that impairs system performance is the junk files that clutter your Mac. You might not even know about them. Luckily, CleanMyMac X has a solution for this, too. Resolve various errors with a great feature called System Junk:
- Hit Scan
- Once you see the results, press Review Details
You'll see the list of all items that should be cleaned or fixed. You can review the results and deselect those items you're not ready to let go. CleanMyMac X will omit them while cleaning up your Mac. Once you're ready, hit Clean.
Wow, your Mac feels much better now.
Know the reason behind Mac issues
Running Apple Diagnostics is a bit like a shot in the dark. You’re trying to fix something you have no idea about. In some cases, it will work, but you can achieve better results if you know why the issues occur.
iStat Menus is a utility that sits in the menu bar, with tons of useful real-time insights about your Mac. Check your CPU and GPU usage, memory load, fan speeds, and more in one click. Whenever your Mac is freezing, getting slow, or making loud fan noise, iStat Menus will tell you why it happens.
App Tamer is another utility similar to iStat, but with more focus on idle apps hogging your CPU. See which apps are putting pressure on your Mac and force quit or uninstall them to optimize performance. A nice touch: App Tamer changes its menu icon color when CPU use goes beyond normal.
Conclusion
System performance testing is a handy tool that keeps your Mac healthy, saves your time and money. The primary step is to understand whether the issue is a hardware or software one. While Apple Diagnostics deals with hardware breakdowns, CleanMyMac can fix the software problems.
Doesn't matter if you are a Mac power user or Mac-newbie, these tools will do system testing and optimization for you. To make the most out of your Mac, regularly check its performance with iStat Menus and App Tamer.
Running Apple Diagnostics and optimizing performance with CleanMyMac X, iStat Menus, and App Tamer prolongs the life of your Mac. These three apps are free for 7 days on Setapp, the curated suite of best productivity apps — so you can try them all to make your Mac fly.
DriveDx will protect you from data loss and downtime
With DriveDx you need not worry about losing your important data, music, and photographs.
You can know before your drive is going to fail, because DriveDx tracks more indicators of impending failure than any other product on the market for both SSDs and HDDs.
Early Warning System
You will have more chances to save your critical data before any data loss actually occurs.
Modern SSDs and HDDs support
When evaluating the state of various drives, DriveDx can use different heuristic algorithms depending on the drive model and even its firmware version.
Drive Self-tests
Will help to quickly identify if the drive is faulty.
Automatic Email Reports
User does not need to have physical access to a specific computer all the time, which is especially useful for all kinds of server rooms, data centers, etc.
Arrow PrevArrow NextThis is one of the best investments you can make in your system. I recommend it highly.
DriveDx app warned of pending drive failure before it happened. Nice!!! @binaryfruit
DriveDx just warned of pending drive failure - second time @binaryfruit app has avoided server crash.
Mac Diagnostic Tool
Arrow PrevArrow NextAdvanced Drive Health Diagnostics
Regular diagnostic tools simply check the built-in S.M.A.R.T. status of the drive, which provides the user with little information about the actual state of the physical drive. As opposed to such tools, DriveDx analyzes the current state of the drive using all the drive health indicators that are most likely to point to a potential drive issue (for instance, SSD wear out / write endurance, I/O errors, pending sectors, reallocated bad sectors, etc). See competitive analysis against several popular products hereDrive Failing (Pre-fail) State Detection
Unlike most other tools, DriveDx detects not only “OK/Verified” and “Failed” drive health states, but also the “Failing (Pre-fail)” drive state. Thanks to that, you will detect problems much earlier than when using any other SMART monitoring utilities. This means that you have more chances to save your critical data before any data loss actually occurs. Learn moreReal-time Drive Health Monitoring
DriveDx runs in the background and periodically performs checks to determine the health of your SSD or HDD. When any issue or problem is found, it alerts you immediately. DriveDx acts as an “early warning system” for pending drive problems. As a result, you have more chances to save your critical data before any data loss actually occurs.Apple Diagnostics Software
Early Warning System
DriveDx features a special multi-tier warning system that will inform the user about deviations from the normal state of drive attributes. It constantly monitors each S.M.A.R.T. attribute (and its change dynamics) and starts continuously warning the user as the drive degrades. On the initial stages of drive degradation, the user will receive notifications of the Warning type, then Failing (means that this drive parameter is in a pre-failure state) and only then Failed. Learn moreDrive Self-tests
DriveDx allows you to start and control diagnostic self-tests of SSD / HDD. The primary goal is to quickly identify if the drive is faulty. Usually self-tests consist of a collection of test routines like electrical and/or mechanical performance tests as well as the read performance test of the drive. Depending on self-test type it does read scan of a small area or the entire media. Learn moreModern SSDs and HDDs Support
When evaluating the state of various drives, DriveDx can use different heuristic algorithms depending on the drive model and even its firmware version. One of the key advantages of the software is that the state of HDD and SSD drives is assessed using different algorithms, since many state indicators of HDD drives are not applicable or make no sense for SSD drives.Automatic E-mail Reports
The user can get problem notifications and drive status reports to email. Reporting can be configured on the basis of various criteria. Thanks to this feature, the user does not need to have physical access to a specific computer all the time, which is especially useful for all kinds of server rooms, data centers, etc.A modern, good-looking and user-friendly interface
DriveDx is one of the first drive diagnostic tools created in the true Mac style. All interface elements are clear and intuitive, so it will only take you a few minutes to learn the basics and start using the program. When a problem is identified, you will see a notification on the desktop and the status bar will show the status of your drives. Learn moreDrive Key Metrics Evaluation
DriveDx calculates various ratings of the current status of key drive characteristics (percent values):- SSD lifetime left indicator (in case of an SSD drive)