Have you ever wanted to report a bug or request a feature for an application made by Apple, Adobe or Microsoft? Each company offers you the opportunity to do just that. Use the following web page addresses to submit your bug reports or feature request. Read More from “How Can I Send Feedback to Apple, Adobe or Microsoft?”
If You Add Movies to Your PowerPoint 2011 Presentation Then Save It In .PPTX Format
I recently discovered a bug in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac. If you insert a movie file into a PowerPoint presentation and you’re using the older .ppt file format, the link to the movie breaks when you close the file. I’ve confirmed that this problem occurs with .wmv and .mov movie files, and I assume it occurs with any other type of movie file. I’ve had a couple of clients encounter this bug. I reported this problem to Microsoft, but it hasn’t been fixed as of the time of this writing. There is an easy solution to this problem. Use PowerPoint 2011’s native .pptx file format instead of the older .ppt file format. Read More from “If You Add Movies to Your PowerPoint 2011 Presentation Then Save It In .PPTX Format”
How To Restore a File from Your CrashPlan Backup
Here are instructions on how to restore one or more files from your CrashPlan online backup archive. The instructions work for both CrashPlan and CrashPlan Pro. In my opinion, an untested backup system is next to useless. Only by testing it do you know for sure that your backup system is working properly. By testing it, you also learn how to restore a file, which will enable you to be a bit more calm in the event of an actual disaster. Read More from “How To Restore a File from Your CrashPlan Backup”
Zamzar Let’s You Save a Copy of YouTube Videos and More
Zamzar, an online file conversion service, is an easy way to save a copy of a YouTube video on your Mac. To do this you enter the YouTube video’s address at Zamzar’s web site and it will convert the YouTube video into a file type which you choose, then send you an email containing a link to download the converted file. Read More from “Zamzar Let’s You Save a Copy of YouTube Videos and More”
How to Recycle or Destroy Hard Drives in Seattle
You have choices when you want to re-use, recycle or destroy a hard drive. Let’s look at a few common scenarios. Read More from “How to Recycle or Destroy Hard Drives in Seattle”
Data Recovery Options for Mac Users
Do you need to recover files that were deleted from a Mac’s hard drive? Here’s a quick overview of three options. Read More from “Data Recovery Options for Mac Users”
Clean Up Your Mac Hard Drive Using OmniDiskSweeper
Do you want to clean up your Mac hard drive? Is your hard drive nearly full and you don’t know why? OmniDiskSweeper (free) can help with both of these situations. OmniDiskSweeper will scan all files and folders on your Mac and list them by size, starting with the folders taking up the most space. This helps you to focus your clean-up efforts on the folders that are taking up the most room on your Mac’s hard drive. Read More from “Clean Up Your Mac Hard Drive Using OmniDiskSweeper”
How to Open Winmail.dat Attachments on a Mac or iOS Device
Did you receive an email attachment named winmail.dat or winmail? Here’s a brief explanation of what this file is and instructions for opening it.
Winmail.dat files are sent by people using Microsoft Outlook as their email application. Under certain circumstances Outlook will encode attached files, like Word or PDF files, in this winmail.dat format. Read More from “How to Open Winmail.dat Attachments on a Mac or iOS Device”
Preventive Maintenance for your Mac
Do you want to know how to perform some routine preventive maintenance on your Mac? Here’s my recommendation of helpful preventive maintenance tasks as well as instructions on how to perform these tasks. You do not need to have advanced knowledge to perform these tasks. Read More from “Preventive Maintenance for your Mac”
How Can I Easily Share Files with Colleagues?
Are you looking for an easy way to share files with your colleagues who use a mix of Macs and PCs? There are many online file sharing and storage systems, but I use and recommend Dropbox. I’ve tried a handful of systems including SugarSync, Windows LiveMesh, Box and GoogleDocs. While I use several of these services on an on-going basis, I think Dropbox is the most versatile and has the best mix of features that I use and care about. Read More from “How Can I Easily Share Files with Colleagues?”
How to Recycle Toner or Ink Cartridges in Seattle
If your printer’s toner or ink cartridge is completely empty, it can be put in the trash according to the City of Seattle’s web site. Otherwise, you should recycle it using any of the following methods. Read More from “How to Recycle Toner or Ink Cartridges in Seattle”
How to Recycle Compact Fluorescent Lamps in Seattle
Have you wondered how to properly dispose of compact fluorescent lamps? Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL or sometimes just CF) are energy efficient light bulbs that contain very small amounts of mercury, so they need to be properly handled and thus can’t be put directly in your trash. Read More from “How to Recycle Compact Fluorescent Lamps in Seattle”
How to Recycle Computers, Printers, Monitors and Other Electronics in Seattle
This is the first in a series of articles about how to easily recycle your Macintosh computer, monitor, printer, ink and toner cartridges, batteries, cell phones and other electronics commonly used in small businesses or around the home. I live in Seattle so I focus on Seattle and King County, but many of these resources are available in the greater Puget Sound area. Read More from “How to Recycle Computers, Printers, Monitors and Other Electronics in Seattle”
How To Edit And Annotate PDFs Using Preview
Did you know that Apple’s Preview lets you easily annotate and merge PDFs as well as delete and re-order pages within a PDF? Preview is a free application which comes bundled with Mac OS X. Apple has been quietly updating over the years and it has become quite capable and user-friendly. Just a few years ago one would have needed to buy the relatively expensive Adobe Acrobat Standard or Professional PDF Editor to do many of these tasks. Read More from “How To Edit And Annotate PDFs Using Preview”
How to Change the Default Application Used to Open a File
Have you wanted to change your Mac’s behavior so Apple’s Preview is used, rather than Adobe Reader to open all .pdf files? You can control which application is used to open any given file type such as .xls, .doc, .jpg, .tiff, or .awk files. Read More from “How to Change the Default Application Used to Open a File”
How to Remove Duplicate Songs from iTunes
Have you ended up with duplicate songs in iTunes that you want to remove? iTunes has a built-in “Display Duplicate” feature which can be helpful, but I prefer to use the slightly hidden “Display Exact Duplicates” feature instead. Here are instructions: Read More from “How to Remove Duplicate Songs from iTunes”
How to Copy a DVD using Mac OS X’s Disk Utility
Here are instructions on how to copy a DVD.
Important Note: Using Disk Utility will NOT work for all DVDs. Most commercial DVDs intentionally have copy-protection mechanisms in place to prevent disk duplication. This method should work fine for DVDs you made using iDVD, for example. Read More from “How to Copy a DVD using Mac OS X’s Disk Utility”
How To Set Up and Monitor Time Machine
This Tech Tip covers provides you with instructions on how to set up and monitor Time Machine. Monitoring your backup system is important. A backup system that isn’t working is useless so please monitor it and test it. Restore a file or two as a test to know that your data can be retrieved. Read More from “How To Set Up and Monitor Time Machine”
Victorinox Swiss Army Computer Briefcase is Durable and Includes Great Warranty
I love my Victorinox Swiss Army computer briefcase. It is very durable and comes with a great warranty. I tend to carry about 20 pounds of gear, including my laptop, in my briefcase on a daily basis. Consequently, when I went shopping for a briefcase, I knew that I’d need one that was well made and durable. Read More from “Victorinox Swiss Army Computer Briefcase is Durable and Includes Great Warranty”
How to Reclaim Storage Space on a Time Capsule
Is your Time Capsule full? Would you like to free up some room for either newer backups of your data or to add another computer in your home? If so, here are some instructions on this process. Read More from “How to Reclaim Storage Space on a Time Capsule”