Disk Utility is a OSX exclusive platform built into the os. Disk Utility is used for a number of reasons, all of which are related to maintenance of your storage drives in a mac.
In Disk Utility, one can:
First Aid is one of the first steps in troubleshooting OSX / software problems. First Aid is used mainly for it's repair/verify disk permissions functions.
Permissions in OSX are permissive file settings that control a files Read / Write / Execute settings. It is possible for a files permissions to get reset or incorrectly set, which can lead to software or parts of the operating system not working correctly, depending on what file is not set correctly.
Disk Utility checks a file's permissions only if the file has a receipt in /var/db/receipts. The receipt tells Disk Utility what the permissions should be, and if the set permissions do not match the receipt's, Disk Utility will change the permissions accordingly.
Note: Not all third party software includes a receipt, so Disk Utility may not check ALL software.
1. To access Disk Utility, press the Command Key + Space to open up Spotlight Search.
2. Search "Disk Utility". This search is not case sensitive.
3. Once in Disk Utility, one can view all of the storage devices connected to the mac on the left hand side.
4. Once you locate the drive you want to repair, click the "First Aid" tab for that drive.
5. You can click "Verify Disk Permissions" to check if any permissions need to be adjusted.
6. Once you see there are permissions that need to be fixed, click "Repair Disk Permissions" to start the disk repair.
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