Posts by Tag

Tag: mac troubleshooting

Looking for websites to help with Macintosh problems?

Posted by Janice Canero-Conklin

Here is a list of websites to help resolve Macintosh related problems:

Not too "techy" sites:

http://www.macosxhints.com/
http://www.apple.com/support/
http://macfixit.com
http://forum.onmac.net/ (Windows XP on Intel Macs)

This site is good for purchasing hardware based parts and it has really good "how-to" videos and a troubleshooting section.

http://www.ifixit.com

This is not an endorsement for the above sites, so "user beware"...

Posted: November 5, 2007 8:32 am | 0 comments
Tags: Apple, Mac Help, Mac Troubleshooting, Macintosh

Mac OS X - General Troubleshooting Steps

Posted by Janice Canero-Conklin

Click the link below to go to Apple Knowledgebase article # 25392

for troubleshooting information and steps to follow to help diagnose Mac computer problems.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25392

Posted: November 5, 2007 3:08 pm | 0 comments
Tags: Mac Leopard OS, Mac OS X, Mac Troubleshooting

Apple Portables: Wait for pulsing sleep indicator light before moving system

Posted by Janice Canero-Conklin

Apple Portables: Wait for pulsing sleep indicator light before moving system
When putting your Apple portable computer into sleep mode, be sure to wait a few seconds until the sleep indicator light starts pulsing before moving your Apple portable computer. The pulsing light indicates that the computer is fully asleep and the hard disk has stopped spinning.

Important: Moving your computer while the disk is spinning can damage the hard disk, causing loss of data or the inability to startup from the hard disk.

From Apple knowledgebase article # 306830

Posted: November 5, 2007 3:55 pm | 1 comment
Tags: Apple Hardware, Laptop sleep, Mac Leopard OS, Mac Troubleshooting

Disappearing Widgets in Mac OS

Posted by Janice Canero-Conklin

Have you changed any settings in the Parental Controls System Preference?

If your Widgets have disappeared, check this link below:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307022

Posted: November 19, 2007 8:48 am | 1 comment
Tags: Mac Leopard OS, Mac OS X, Mac Troubleshooting, Widgets

CreativeTechs Tech Tips

Posted by Janice Canero-Conklin

CreativeTechs publishes weekly TechTips via email. I have found some of there "TechTips" to be very useful.
Especially for Adobe applications.

Click below to see the latest TechTip, "Don't crop use Photoshops Trim feature"
http://www.creativetechs.com/iq/dont_crop_use_photoshops_trim_feature.ht...

Click lik below for more information or to sign up for weekly emails.
http://creativetechs.com/tips/

Posted: December 3, 2007 12:15 pm | 0 comments
Tags: Adobe, Mac OS X, Mac Troubleshooting, Macintosh, Tech Tips

Time Machine Restore Not Visible

Posted by Janice Canero-Conklin

Mac OS X 10.5: Time Machine backups are not visible

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306928

Issue or symptom
In the Mac OS X 10.5 Time Machine "time travel" window, past backups may not appear if your computer name includes certain characters.

Products affected
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
Time Machine
Solution
Check your computer name in Sharing preferences. Make sure the computer name only includes ASCII characters from following set and is not blank (no matter which Mac OS X language version you are using):

0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Posted: February 13, 2008 7:48 am | 0 comments
Tags: Mac Help, Mac OS X, Mac Troubleshooting, Time Machine

Time Machine Backup Will Not Restore When Upgrading to New Mac

Posted by Janice Canero-Conklin

Mac OS X 10.5: Time Machine backups are not visible

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306928

Upgrading to a new Mac?
If you are upgrading from one Leopard-based Mac to a new Leopard-based Mac, and you wish to use Time Machine backups from the previous Mac, make sure the computer name of the new Mac (in Sharing preferences) is the same as your previous Mac's computer name was when its Time Machine backups were made. Afterwards, if the previous Mac is still on your network, give it a different computer name.

Posted: February 13, 2008 7:50 am | 0 comments
Tags: Mac Help, Mac Leopard OS, Mac OS X, Mac Troubleshooting, Time Machine

Mac OS X Performance tip

Posted by Janice Canero-Conklin

Performance tip: Keep the Desktop clutter-free

From MacFixIt website:

Mac OS X's Desktop is the de facto location for downloaded files, and for many users, in-progress works that will either be organized later or deleted altogether. The desktop can also be gluttonous, however, becoming a catch-all for files that linger indefinitely.

Unfortunately -- aside from the effect of disarray it creates -- keeping dozens or hundreds of files on the Desktop can significantly degrade performance. Not necessarily because the system is sluggish with regard to rendering the icons on the desktop and storing them in memory persistently (which may be true in some cases), but more likely because keeping an excessive number of items on the Desktop can cause the windowserver process to generate reams of logfiles, which obviously draws resources away from other system tasks.

As such, keeping as few items as possible on the Desktop prove a surprisingly effective performance boon. Even creating a single fold ... more »

Posted: February 26, 2008 9:46 am | 0 comments
Tags: Mac OS X, Mac Troubleshooting