MacKeeper

But the real problems with MacKeeper that I can see is that it provides questionable value to most users, can destabilize an otherwise stable Mac, and embeds itself so thoroughly into the operating system that removing it is an uncomfortable and weird process.

iMore’s Peter Cohen wrote a great article about MacKeeper, a highly-suspect disk utility for the Mac that’s been floating around for quite a long time. He makes a great argument for not installing it.

I’ll go one step further than Peter and say that running ANY disk utility is largely placebo, and quite often causes more problems than it solves. I haven’t run a disk utility program since the pre-Mac OS X days and have zero problems.

If you want to feel like you’re doing all you can to keep your Mac running smooth, try this:

  • Let your Mac stay on all night for six days, then shut it down on the seventh before you go to bed. Mac OS X runs maintenance scripts overnight.
  • Run Onyx once a month to empty caches.
  • Limit the amount of apps you install that run in the background. Generally these are apps whos icon lives in your menubar.
  • If something does go wrong or your Mac is running abnormally slow, have an experienced friend take a look at it, or take it to an Apple Authorized repair shop.