4 Things to check before taking your device to Apple

A trip to the Apple store can be time intensive so we’ve made a note of essential points to go over before your journey.

Book an appointment 
Don’t expect to turn up at the store and be seen to. For hardware repairs Apple operate on an appointment-only basis. Therefore you must have a pre-arranged reservation if you need to see the Genius Bar, unless of course you’re planning to purchase new equipment. If you need to make a booking with Apple click here to find your nearest store’s availability.

Backup your data
Don’t chance losing your data. Remember to backup your computer a week before or even a few days ahead of time, don’t leave it to the last minute as data transfers can take hours if you have a lot! If possible it’s advised to take more than one backup, so you’re not solely reliant on it being stored in one place. A physical backup to an external hard drive aswell as a cloud backup is advised.

Check if your equipment is covered under warranty
Simply click here to be redirected to the Apple warranty check website. Then enter your Apple serial number to check whether your device is under warranty.
If you have an iMac or laptop you can find your Apple serial number by clicking on the Apple logo (located at the top left corner of your screen) then press ‘about this Mac’.

Run first aid (hard drive check)

To check the condition of your hard drive you can run a first-aid check on the drive.

(Please note the step-by-step guide below is if you are running the El Capitan operating system):

• Go to the magnifying glass situated in the top right corner of your screen
• Type ‘Disk Utility’
• Select ‘first aid’
• When asked ‘would you like to run firstaid’ click on yes

After the scan has complete it will notify you whether any damage is detected on your drive.