Yasu is an Apple OS X maintenance utility developed to do a certain group of tasks quickly with just a few clicks, instead of typing a bunch of complex commands in the Terminal application.
What Yasu Does
Yasu is a Macintosh application which allows users to easily run many of the system level Unix shell scripts that perform maintenance routines as well as clearing many of the cache files used by OS X.
Yasu was developed as a user friendly, simple, first line of attack for a Mac that has started misbehaving. Often, a thorough purge of the system cache files on a Mac will solve odd behavior.
What Yasu Doesn’t Do
Yasu is not a solution for total system maintenance, and is not a replacement for the Unix “cron” or “launchd” daemons. Yasu works great on its own for certain things, but you should use it along with other utilities, such as DiskWarrior, TechTool Pro, or Apple’s Disk Utility, to keep your system in optimal health.
So What’s The Difference?
One of the questions I get asked most is “Why should I use Yasu instead of one of those other utility applications?” There are several utilities to choose from that have the same features as Yasu, and then some.
But that’s just it. Often the “and then some” features are way too much for the average user. Tweaking some obscure Finder setting really doesn’t matter when it comes to keeping your Mac healthy.
I intentionally developed Yasu to only have the options that are most crucial to maintaining your Mac — and all in one window. Options aren’t spread out across a bunch tabs for you to switch back and forth. Everything is right there in one window, ready to run when you say go.
Less really is more in this case.
How To Use Yasu
After choosing the options you want to run and clicking the “OK” button, you’ll be prompted for a password if you’re logged in as an administrator and have chosen options that need it. Enter an administrator user name & password and click “OK” — or hit the “Return” or “Enter” key.
If you’re logged in as a “regular” (non-admin) user, you’ll only be allowed to perform the standard user options. Additionally, no password dialog will appear when you click “OK”.
Note: Yasu can take a long time to run. At times it may seem like the application isn’t doing anything, but it is. It should be left alone to complete the tasks you have chosen. It’s recommended you not run other applications while performing maintenance with Yasu. Also, you should know that if you’ve selected “Restart” or “Shutdown” when finished, your workstation will do exactly that without warning once all tasks have completed.
After you’ve authenticated as an administrator (if the tasks you’ve chosen call for it), Yasu displays a progress panel and begins performing each selected task, letting you know what’s going on each step of the way. Once all tasks are done, Yasu will finish off with whatever option you selected in the finish menu.
And that’s all there is to it! Simple, right?
Try Before You Buy
Apart from a little nag screen that asks you to consider making a “Friend of Yasu” donation for a serial number that makes the nag reminder go away, Yasu is completely unlocked, leaving you free to try out every feature of the app.
I did this so you can evaluate Yasu for as long as you like — before parting with your hard-earned cash. As a paying customer, I want you to be 100% happy with your decision to buy.
Heck… If you’d rather not buy, and don’t mind dealing with the nag screen, you’re free to use the software for as long as you like. It will not expire in any way whatsoever.
Don’t Take My Word For It…
Check out what these awesome people have to say about what Yasu does, and how they use it in regular troubleshooting and maintenance.
- Randy B. Singer – macattorney.com
- Dr. Smoke’s – thexlab.com
- James "MacManX" Huff – macmanx.com
- Mike Vincenti – mikevincenti.com
- Natalia Nowak – mac360.com
Still Using OS X 10.2 – 10.3.9?
If you haven’t upgraded beyond OS X 10.4 yet, you can download a free version of Yasu that works on those earlier systems here.
