Minimizing how often you see "Optimizing System Performance" during software installation

Have you ever wanted to optimize system performance just once, instead of waiting through it for each software update that requires it?

Mac OS X (10.3, 10.4 or later) includes a feature to do exactly that. Following the steps here, you can optimize just once when installing multiple updates that would each trigger optimization if installed separately. This trick is especially helpful when there's a group of software updates that you plan to install on several computers.

You can benefit with either of these ways of installing software in Mac OS X:

• Software Update, located in System Preferences
• Manual installations from a standalone "package file" (.pkg), which may look like this:
  
  

The Installer application handles manual installations, and it opens automatically when you double-click an installation package file. Software Update installs in a different manner and doesn't use the Installer application.

Software Update

Using Software Update preferences, simply install more than one update at a time (when more than one is offered, of course). Software Update in Mac OS X 10.3 automatically optimizes only what is necessary, ensuring the updates are installed as quickly as possible. Previously, you might have had to sit through optimization for each and every update, even if you installed many at once. With Mac OS X Panther, such delays when installing multiple items are but a fond memory.

Standalone package installation files

Simply open more than one installation package file at the same time. The Installer application will queue up the packages and install them in order. This even works with third-party package files that use Installer. After the last package is installed, Installer performs optimization on the computer, but usually just one time. Beats optimizing after each package, doesn't it?

Tip: Even if Installer is already chugging away at some cool software for you (or even uncool software, Installer doesn't care), you can double-click even more package files and Installer will add them to the same queue. Installer still won't optimize until after the very last package is installed, and then just once.

What about other kinds of software installations?

This feature doesn't apply to third-party installer applications that don't use Software Update or the Mac OS X Installer. Typically such installers run only once, are for very large applications, and are on removable media (CDs, DVDs, and so forth). Such installers might entertain you with screenshots of the software in action, or tips about how to get the most out of the product, while installing and optimizing in the background.