Keith Martin:
One of the McEdit list members recently asked me if I knew of a print or Web resource for maintaining a Mac, a "how to understand your Mac" thing:

Can you suggest a good book/on-line guide (or back issues of macuser) that gives easy to understand info of "how to look after your Mac" (I used to rely on my firm's IT dept, but now I'm freelance, I'm floundering). I'm OK with most programmes: it's handling the hardware that gives me nightmares. Simple things I don't know about include: does my Mac have enough memory to run X; how often should I back up; if I load X will it affect Y; managing incoming mail and stuff from the web.....

I do actually have something which can help, and it might be of interest to others. I originally put it together for a special Macuser cover CD. (We only occasionally produce cover CDs, so we like to make them worthwhile.) Afterwards, because it was largely HTML already, I amended it a little and posted it on my Website. You'll find it at: http://www.vortex.uk.com/ - click the link for The Ultimate Mac Survival Kit.

Helen Garfinkle:
MacAddict Sept. 2000 issue had an article "17-Point Maintenance Plan" which I found useful.