Repairing Permissions

[rklar]

I've been doing scheduled backups (nightly) of various drives (some boot, some non-boot) for several months with SuperDuper. Everything has gone swimmingly.

Heretofore, I've always left the "repair permissions" checkbox unchecked. But now I'm wondering: Should I check that box? "Repairing" sounds like a good thing, no? What are the advantages of repairing permissions? Are there any disadvantages (extra time doesn't matter, 'cause I'll be in sleepyland; extra wear on the hard disk would not be great, if that's a concern; what)?

Thanks.

[dnanian]

There's usually no need to repair permissions, rklar.

[rklar]

So just keep it unchecked? No harm, no foul? Cool.

[t3rockhall]

Originally Posted by dnanian

There's usually no need to repair permissions, rklar.

Ah, the "usually" hedge. Most Mac gurus will tell you to repair permissions after you install new software or system updates. Repairing permissions under Leopard on my 1.8 G5 iMac can take a considerable time, though -- a half hour or more on my 80 gig HD. I don't know how long it takes on an Intel machine with a larger drive.


I'd do it once a month or so, or after I install something new, or even if I thought something wasn't acting right. It just makes ME feel better that I've done it.

[dnanian]

The only time I repair permissions is if I notice a permissions problem.