This Tech Tip is a cautionary tale. As a general rule, I recommend that you avoid installing apps that claim to tune-up or optimize your Mac. Last week, I worked on two Macs whose performance was negatively impacted by MacKeeper, MacBooster and TuneUpMyMac. A third Mac’s web browsing had been hijacked by Conduit Search. It’s not clear if any of these applications are actually malware, but I consider them all annoy-ware at a minimum. Read More from “Avoid Apps Like MacKeeper, TuneUpMyMac and MacBooster”
Burn DVD of iPhoto Slideshow using iDVD
Here are instructions on how to burn an iPhoto slideshow to a DVD. Specifically, these instructions are for people who have the current versions of iPhoto (9.5.1) and iDVD (7.1.2) and want the slideshow to automatically start playing when the disc is inserted into a DVD player. Read More from “Burn DVD of iPhoto Slideshow using iDVD”
Connecting Bluetooth Devices To Your Mac
Would you like to use a wireless keyboard, mouse, or trackpad with your Mac? Bluetooth is a wireless technology that lets one connect various devices such as keyboards, mice, printers and speakers. The maximum range of Bluetooth is about 30 feet. People like the idea of Bluetooth devices since it reduces cable clutter. However, Bluetooth devices use batteries, so it becomes important to keep these in stock. Also, if you choose to use a bluetooth keyboard or mouse, I recommend that you have a spare old-fashioned wired, USB keyboard or mouse stashed in your closet in case the Bluetooth device ever acts up.
Here are some general instructions for connecting a Bluetooth device to your Mac: Read More from “Connecting Bluetooth Devices To Your Mac”
Forwarding or Deleting Select Text Messages
Have you ever wanted to delete or forward an individual text message from your iPhone or iPad? Here are some simple instructions: Read More from “Forwarding or Deleting Select Text Messages”
Safe Boot Your Mac
Does your Mac get stuck during the startup process? If so, then you might want to try Safe Boot to see if you can get your Mac to startup successfully. Safe Boot is the process of making your Mac start up with a bare minimum of system software. It also forces an inspection of the hard drive. Read More from “Safe Boot Your Mac”
Setting Up An Auto-Reply In iCloud Email
If you use an iCloud email account, here are instructions on how to set up an email auto-reply message. An iCloud email account ends in either mac.com, me.com, or icloud.com. An auto-reply can be helpful if you’re going to be traveling or otherwise not able to reply to email in a timely manner. Read More from “Setting Up An Auto-Reply In iCloud Email”
Viewing Replies in Apple Mail
Do you use Apple’s Mail application? Would you like to quickly locate a reply email message you sent? Imagine you received a message in your Inbox and that you replied to it. After you send the reply, Mail inserts a curved, leftward-pointing arrow, as depicted in the image below. Read More from “Viewing Replies in Apple Mail”
Basic Time Machine Troubleshooting
If you use Time Machine to backup your Mac to an external hard drive, here are some basics that you can check if backups are no longer occurring. Read More from “Basic Time Machine Troubleshooting”
Hide All Applications
Most of us tend to simultaneously keep many applications open. Consequently, we sometimes get lost or overwhelmed by having too many windows open. Would you like to quickly hide all windows so you can see your Desktop? Here are two ways to accomplish this:
A MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Adapter Let’s You Use Your Old Power Adapter
Have you bought a new MacBook Air or Retina-Display MacBook Pro to replace your older MacBook? If so, you might have noticed that the power adapter that came with your new laptop has a thinner connector on it. The thinner connector is called a MagSafe 2 connector. Apple introduced these in 2012 as a replacement for its previous magnetic connector, MagSafe, introduced in 2006. If you’d like to continue to use your older MagSafe power adapter you’ll need to buy the $10 MagSafe to MagSafe 2 adapter from Apple.
[Update November 2016: Apple’s newest laptops, the MacBook Pro with TouchBar, introduced in Oct 2016 and the 12-inch MacBook, introduced in early 2015, both have USB-C connectors on them. Thus Apple’s newest power adapters no longer use MagSafe connectors at all. Instead, they have USB-C connectors.]
Macintosh Text Expansion Options
Do you type the same information into email messages or Word documents? If so, you would benefit from using a text expander. Text expanders let you create abbreviations then whenever the abbreviation is typed it inserts a word, phrase, sentence or paragraph that you designated. For example, you could create the abbreviation ‘addr. When you type ‘addr the abbreviation vanishes and your street address appears. Apple includes a basic version in OS X and iOS. If you need more features you can use a third party text expander. Read More from “Macintosh Text Expansion Options”
Use The Find Command in Emails, Web Pages and Documents
Throughout the day I often use the Find command. I encourage you to incorporate it into your daily habits. I use it most frequently within documents to find a particular word or phrase. Here are some examples of how I use the Find command. Read More from “Use The Find Command in Emails, Web Pages and Documents”
How To Backup Your iPhone or iPad
Backing up your iPhone or iPad is important because it permits you to recover all of your applications, personal data including photos stored on the device. It also allows you to recover text messages and call history on the iPhone. Apple provides two ways to backup your iPhone or iPad and I typically recommend using both methods. Read More from “How To Backup Your iPhone or iPad”
Organize Your Computer Accessories
Do you carry your laptop and assorted accessories in your bag? If you’re like me, you carry a power cord, earphones, a USB flash drive, a few cables and adapters, etc. I grew tired of sorting through a pile of accessories trying to find what I needed. I ended up buying a small Cocoon Grid-It which fits into the outer pocket of my laptop’s carrying case. It holds onto my assorted accessories so I can quickly find what I need. Read More from “Organize Your Computer Accessories”
Set Up Signatures in Apple Mail
Apple Mail lets you assign one or more signatures to each of your email accounts. This flexibility is great, but the user interface to make this happen is not intuitive. It’s easy to do, but it’s much easier to be shown how to do it the first time. Here are instructions for creating signatures in Mail and linking these signatures to an email account. Read More from “Set Up Signatures in Apple Mail”
Use DuckDuckGo Instead of Google
DuckDuckGo is a search engine that is much less well-known than Google, but you should check it out. As the title of this article indicates, DuckDuckGo is a privacy-friendly alternative to Google. Read More from “Use DuckDuckGo Instead of Google”
The Internet and The Web Are Not The Same
As many of you may have heard or read, the World Wide Web, more commonly call the Web, turned 25 in March 2014. While conversing with friends and clients I became aware of a common misconception — that the Internet and the Web are the same thing. They are not the same thing. They are not synonyms. Read More from “The Internet and The Web Are Not The Same”
Extra iPhone and iPad Backups Waste Hard Drive Space
Your Mac may be storing extra iPhone and iPad backups. If so, they are wasting hard drive storage space. Here are instructions on how you can easily view a list of all iPad and iPhone backups and remove the extras. Read More from “Extra iPhone and iPad Backups Waste Hard Drive Space”
Nest Earphone Case Prevents Tangled iPhone Earphones
Are you tired of untangling knotted up earphones? If so, check out Digital Innovations’ Nest earbud case. The Nest is an innovative and affordable way to store your earphones (aka earbuds) in a tidy manner. A few months ago, I bought a Nest for $10 and love it. I’ll attempt to describe the Nest in words, but you’ll get a better understanding by watching this 20 second video. The Nest is made of flexible rubber. You flip back the outer lip of the case, then tuck the earbuds into the core of the spool. Next, wrap the earbud cord around the outside of the spool and then snap the outer lip closed. You end up with a neat package that can be slipped into your bag. To extract your earbuds, you simply grab the earbuds and pull them straight up. The cord unwraps from the spool and you’re ready to use your earbuds. I’ve seen a lot of cord wrap devices, but this one is really clever. Check it out.
Wix.com as an iWeb Replacement
When Apple ended the MobileMe website hosting feature and stopped updating iWeb in June of 2012, I knew I needed to find new options for hosting and updating my website. Initially, I simply moved the files from MobileMe to Bluehost, but that didn’t help me if I needed to make changes to the site. Read More from “Wix.com as an iWeb Replacement”