Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with mac and computer

What to do with a broken iMac G5?

crios — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 09:36:47 -0800

My mom has an iMac G5, 1.8 Ghz w/ superdrive and 2GB of RAM (I think). It's been a problem since they first got it with a logic board replacement and multiple power supply replacements (all free thankfully). Recently it started giving kernel panics on start up with the fans sounding like jet engines. It's a little over 4 years old and even though it's given us hardware problems, it has been a good computer and my mom likes it. What should we do with it now? I've tried all the troubelshooting suggestions (rest PRAM, remove peripherals, startup off of disk, etc...) and nothing is working. She's ready to throw in the towel with this one and get a new one. I'm thinking a mac mini, all we'll need to buy is a monitor.

My question is, what do we do with this iMac. I've tried rebooting off of the install disk and it's still panicking so it seems to be pretty broken. Should we try to sell it on ebay? Does anybody know any organizations in the Chicagoland area that would be interested in it? My other question is, what should we do about the hard drive. Since I can't even start up off of a disk I can't even format the HD. I don't think there is anything really sensitive on it but still I think it's probably a good idea to erase it before giving it away.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

Writer meets arthritis

grumblebee — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:18:40 -0800

Mac voice-recognition software for a writer with arthritis. My father's arthritis is making it more and more difficult for him to type. This is hard for him, because he's been a writer for decades (over 25 books and countless articles). He is considering switching to voice-recognition software.

Here are some things to note:

- He is originally from England but has lived in the US since the 1950s. He is a very clear speaker, but his accent is a mix of British (cockney originally) and American.

- He owns a Mac.

- He is not highly computer literate, but he lives in a university town and could find people to help him set things up if necessary. He probably will have trouble if the voice-recognition software itself is overly complicated to use.

I am looking for any advice and experiences with this. What is the state of the art these days? What's available for the Mac? What is the experience like for people who are heavy users?

Need help setting up AirPort on my Mac

Joseppi — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:52:14 -0800

I'm trying to set up an AirPort on my Mac and I'm having some issues. It's asking for OS X 10.4 and I'm running 10.5 but it still doesn't work. Any clue as to why this is happening? I'm trying to set up an AirPort on my Mac and I'm having some issues. When I try and install the software I get a message that says, "You cannot install AirPort on this volume. The version of Mac OS X on this volume is not supported." It's asking for volume 10.4 and I'm on 10.5. This is beyond frustrating as this is supposed to be such a simple process. Does anyone know what my issue might be?

OS X: How to track down and kill a cron job. Or something.

al_fresco — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:09:39 -0800

OS X Unix filter: Please help me find and delete an obsolete cron job on an iMac running Leopard. I'm doing tech support for a small office. A previous provider setup a cron job or something to create an rsync backup to a MacMini server every day at the same time. The backup configuration has changed, but this one job keeps trying to run. I can't find the script to delete it and am getting a bit frustrated.

I've tried

crontab -e - which shows an empty crontab.

I've looked in StartupItems, looked in /usr/bin/, usr/sbin/ for a compiled script, looked in the logs to see if I could see the source of the job, but it doesn't log to system.log or console.log. I did find the log that was set up for the backup, but it doesn't say the path of the original script. I know it's running because it was set up to also send an email to the office administrator. She gets a failure message daily.

I'm pretty sure it's not a LaunchDaemon, as the job was set up by someone who was using old-style tools, and all of the LaunchDaemons I could find were stock OS X.

Any idea how I can track this thing down and kill it for good?

Thanks!

Best 27" iMac Arm?

fairmettle — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:21:50 -0800

What are the best options for a desk mounted VESA compatible articulating arm for the new 27" iMac? Up until recently, I had an old G5 iMac and although the included stand was an elegant design, I was never very satisfied with the limited range of motion it provided. So now that it has finally come time to purchase a new iMac, I would like to get a well built, stable articulated arm that provides a wide range of viewing positions.

I'm interested in hearing any ideas, experiences, and/or suggestions for a mounting arm that would provide convenient and safe positioning for the weight (20.5 lbs.) and width (27" diagonal) of my new machine.

Some examples that I have been looking at are the Ergotron MX and the iLift, and the Innovative 7500.

With the new iMac's large screen size and my particular room set-up, I would like an arm that is long enough to be viewable at my desk for work and from my bed which is right beside it for watching DVD's.

Out of the models I listed above, the 7500 has the greatest range of movement (27" horizontal and 18" vertical - here is a YouTube video showing it). In my research so far, it seems that if you want to find a longer arm you need to go up to the medical/dental type suppliers such as the ICW Elite (with a 42" reach or longer).

Please don't send me into my next iMac purchase unarmed - - any and all thoughts and suggestions would be most appreciated!

Help me connect Mac-at-home to Windows-at-work?

OlivesAndTurkishCoffee — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:40:00 -0800

What could happen to my mac if I connect remotely to my windows computer at work. Is there a viciously secure way of doing this? I need to connect my home mac to my office's windows computer remotely. So far, this has stumped the tech guy so I've been using a small windows netbook and connecting via vpn. But opening files on the company network takes forever and we need a better solution.

He is currently working on a solution that allows me to connect to the small business server using my mac via the windows Remote Desktop Connection Client 1.0.3 for Mac.

This worries me because I don't want windows stuff touching my mac! But my worry is based on mere suspicious distrust of windows rather than any actual knowledge of how these things work.

Those of you who do know about these things: Will using this client application make my mac vulnerable to windows risks; and, if so, is there a better more secure solution? (or a better solution with the netbook?)

Little deaths 4kb at a time

arniec — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:27:59 -0800

Is my data gone? Convoluted data storage question involving two Macs, a Drobo, and some file permission errors... Question on possible recovery options, and questions on how to stop it from happening again. I have recently switched to a mostly Mac household, with one Windows XP machine and one Windows laptop still around.

For data storage I picked up a Drobo and put in 3 1TB disks on it. I have it hooked to a Mac Mini on the network so it can be used for data storage. I have been moving files off my primary machine (a Macbook Pro) to the Drobo when space was needed on my hard drive.

I have gone back to get some of that data and I cannot get to it. I get the error message:

Item "itemName" is used by Mac OS X and cannot be opened.

I have tried opening these files from my Macbook Pro, from the Mac Mini where the Drobo is directly connected, I've tried moving the files to a new location, opening the files, etc. and I keep getting that same message.

I have checked and even reset all the file permissions to ensure my account does have rights but still the file won't open.

Now it appears many of the files are only 4k or 8k making me think that something went wrong. I'm guessing these files are names only taking up the minimum possible space on the disk and that my data is gone...is that right?

But I don't know if something went wrong when moving the data to the Drobo, when just being stored on the Drobo, or something else. Has anyone encountered anything like this at all?

Setting Date and Time on a Mac

anonymous78 — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:01:02 -0800

My Mac refuses to keep the right time. I have to re-set it every day. I'm in Cairo right now, where they changed the clocks early b/c of Ramadan. (The time difference between Cairo and NY is now only six hours as opposed to seven.) Clearly, my computer didn't get the memo b/c every time I re-set the time it just reverts back.

Is there a way to do this manually? I tried locking it but that didn't work.

Web Browser Woes

mahoganyslide — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:39:23 -0800

What is the best Web Browser for an intel Mac in terms of low CPU and RAM usage? I currently have a Macbook Pro (2009 unibody) with 2GB of RAM. Everything runs fine otherwise, but I'm having trouble with the web browser.

I tend to open and close a lot of tabs in the course of a day (research, recreation, school, etc) and do not regularly restart my browser/computer. After a few days, the activity monitor will show that both Firefox and Safari have 40-50% CPU and 500-600MB of RAM usage. This of course slows my computer down considerably. Once I exit the browser and both the CPU and RAM are freed up, my computer starts to behave once again.

Are there other functional browsers out there that do not strain my computer as much? Or should I simply restart my browser/computer at the end of every day and recover all of my tabs?

New midrange desktop computer in Canada?

Monday, stony Monday — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:41:41 -0800

Buying a new desktop computer for gaming, programming and photography, in Canada. My old (2001) computer isn't cutting it anymore; it only has USB 1.1, so transferring photos to it is a pain, and RAW processing is almost right out. It only has integrated graphics, so modern gaming is right out. It does okay for programming, but even simple IDEs (e.g.: DrScheme) are slow.

I need a new Desktop computer that will, ideally, allow me to run Fallout 3 at moderate detail, allow me to do some RAW processing on my photos, and allow me to run DrScheme relatively fast.

I'm live in Gatineau, right next to Ottawa, in Canada.

My options, as I see them:

1) Get a "name brand" computer, such as this Dell. Pros: I get a lot of computer for little money, and a warranty (no DOA parts, I hope). Problem: the affordable Dells (<1000$) have utterly basic graphic cards; I would have to get a new card or run games in low detail & resolution. I'm not completely sure putting a new card in one of those cheap computers is a good idea (heat, power supply). Other brands: I have a prejudice against Compaq/HP (bad experiences of friends). Are Acers any good?

2) Buy parts online (tigerdirect, ncix, newegg), build something myself from one of the online guides (djb, ars technica, techreport). Pros: I can get all the parts I want. Cons: it seems that I would get slightly less performance for my money; I have to assemble it myself, and may have to deal with some problems (DOA parts, incompabilities), which I'd rather not.

3) Buy a custom computer from a local shop. Pros: as with 2), I get to choose exactly what I want. The shop deals with assembly. Cons: probably more expensive than either 1) or 2). I don't know which local shops are reputable.

4) Go all out and buy a Mac (Fuck everything, we're doing 5 blades). Pros: Hell yeah, a Mac. Cons: the Mini seems to not have the power I need, so that's out. The desktops in my price range have integrated screens; I want something large, to that's going to cost me.

My budget: strictly online (credit card limit): $1400, taxes included, max, for the box. Brick and mortar: add $600 (it has to be worth it). I will be buying a screen, possibly separately.

Laptops are right out. If I'm building, I'm probably looking at the better price/performance ratio possible, which seems to mean AMD or maybe the new "mainstream Intel i5/i7". If you know of a good shop in Ottawa or Gatineau, please tell me!

Mac and eystrain

lsemel — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:21:17 -0800

I've been wanting to switch to a Mac for around a year, but my vision isn't perfect and Macs seem to be designed for designers with 20/20 vision. First I tried a Macbook Pro 15" and everything was too tiny for me (I asked a question about this on this site previously, but couldn't find any good way to enlarge everything, unlike on Windows which is full of options for this). Then I got a Mac desktop and hooked it to my old monitor, which was nice and big (19" 1280x1024) but now the text is big but so fuzzy it immediately gives me a headache and eyestrain looking at it. When I switch to Windows in VMWare this feeling immediately goes away. I am already using DVI, have calibrated the monitor, adjusted the brightness, tried all levels of font smoothing, checked the resolution, toyed with the contrast settings in universal access, and tried every other adjustment I could think of.

So, what's the best super-sharp, high-contrast LCD monitor for a Mac that doesn't make everything look tiny? (Apple's 30" and 23" displays are too high-res for me) Or is there some other solution I've overlooked?

I have around 10 days before I have to return it, and if I don't find a way to use it comfortably, I'll just have to face that the Mac is just not for me and go back to Windows for the foreseeable future.

MBP driven to tears?

uaudio — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:59:51 -0800

I bought a MacBook Pro in June 2007. Since then, its needed a new hard disk drive, right cooling fan, and DVD read/write drive. Is this normal wear and tear? I've had different Mac desktops before for work, but this is my first personal Mac laptop. This is a family PC and it roams around our house. My wife and my son (just educational games, 4yo) also use it and it stays on 24/7. The battery needs replacing as well; we usually just have it plugged in.

Does this usage pattern just destine me to go through components quickly or is this just chance?

Choose Details in OS X

reenum — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:43:43 -0800

Mac OSX Filter: How can I change the details displayed for files in a directory while in list view? This may be a really easy question, but Google has failed me thus far.

When I used XP and viewed directories as lists, I could go to View and then click on 'Choose Details' to pick which file info I wanted displayed.

I can't seem to figure out how to do this on Mac OSX.

The reason I want to do this is because I listen to a lot of podcasts, and the title in the file info is often more instructive than the filename.

Is there any way to 'Choose Details' on Mac OSX?

Seeking a permanent solution for my Wacom tablet woes.

iamkimiam — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:09:30 -0800

Sometime around the beginning of this year, my Intuos2 Model 0608-U 6"x8" Wacom tablet driver stopped loading upon login and restart. I reinstall it every time I login/restart. All of the tips, tricks, workarounds suggested by both Wacom and Apple do not work. I am running Mac OS 10.5.7. Is there anything left to try? The tablet works after I reinstall. I have tried uninstalling, disk repair, permissions, reinstalling (various versions of the tablet driver) in all possible combinations. Is anybody else having this problem? What has worked for you?

I'm looking for a permanent solution that does not cost $$. I will reinstall indefinitely if I have to, but it is getting tiresome. Thanks!

Powerbook: No Logo

DiscourseMarker — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:41:28 -0800

Powerbook G4 won't boot up. I hear the chime, get a gray screen, but NO apple logo or spinning wheel. This is a circa- late 2003 1.25GHz PB running OS 10.5. something. Yesterday, my husband was trying to open some Word 2008 docs he had saved on this laptop. Word would not open, it just kept bouncing in the dock, and we could not get it to force quit, so he did a forced shut down of the computer. Ever since then I cannot get the computer to boot past the gray screen.

I have tried resetting the PRAM, but it still sticks at the gray screen, same with resetting the PMU and trying a safe boot. It never progresses to the Apple Logo, just stays on the gray screen. When I pressed my ear to the keyboard I heard a few clicks from the HD after trying to start up, but now there's no sound.

Any suggestions?

Old Mac, new life?

bsexton — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:36:15 -0800

A friend gave me a Powermac G3 this afternoon It's not the fastest in the world, but it has OSX installed 10.4.11. What are some cool things I can do with this machine? I had an ibook g4 before a few years ago, but I ran over it :( so I do know a little about Apple computers, other than don't run over it with a car.

I would like to do something cool with it, to make it useful in some way. I was thinking of a media streaming server, but it only has a 6GB hard drive installed at this time. I don't mind installing a new one if I can test it for a usefulness factor first.

My setup is this:
XP/Ubuntu dual boot desktop
Win7 laptop
and new/old MacG3

I thought about installing boxee but that's Intel only. Any other suggestions?

I also have an iphone, xbox360 (streaming media through the xp machine), and a wii if any of that matters.

And of course I would like to this without a huge $$ investment.

I'm also an IT student so I really got it to learn a little more about Apple computers and get a little more familiar w/ OSX.

Which laptop should I purchase?

Four-Eyed Girl — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:20:17 -0800

I need to get a new laptop. I'm considering a Mac or a Lenovo (based on what I've read on AskMe), and I am in need of some advice. My current laptop is a Dell Latitude D410, and after 3 years, I need to replace it. It is overheating every time I use it, the wireless connection is constantly up & down, it's incredibly slow, it doesn't have much memory, and the battery has no life in it.

I primarily use my laptop for Internet browsing, music files, & preparation for my classes (lots of documents, Power Points, and spreadsheets). I need a laptop with the following characteristics:

--long battery life
--dependable wireless connectivity
--speed
--light to medium weight
--longevity

Which computer should I go for, a Lenovo or a Mac? Please be specific about the type of Lenovo or a Mac if possible. The type of operating system is not important to me, and I would like to keep the price below $1500.

Use MacBook power adaptor with a MacBook Air?

alaaarm — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:00:40 -0800

Can I use the power adaptor from a MacBook (the last white plastic one) with a MacBook air? The MacBook adaptor is rated at 15A, while the Air's adaptor is 10A. Will the Air just draw the power it needs, or will it endanger it or the power adaptor to use the higher-rated one?

Modem slowing down and stopping?

Astro Zombie — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:54:02 -0800

Modem question. I currently am connected to the Internet via Qwest using DSL, using two Mac computers (one using the modem's wireless signal, one plugged in with an ethernet cord). Over the past few years, our connection has been slowing down and breaking regularly, which can be fixed by turning the modem off and back on, but now it slows down and stops about every few minutes. The modem is almost five years old and Qwest tells me it's probably breaking down.

My question is bipartite: Firstly, does this sound like it is likely the problem? Secondly, if so, what modem do you recommend we purchase. I would want to get a new one tomorrow, so I am not looking to order one from Qwest and have to wait for it to be delivered.

Thanks!

Advice on buying a secondhand Mac

monster max — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:02:34 -0800

Looking for a second-hand Mac desktop - what would you advise? New to Macs (much to my sister's disgust) and looking for one as a second computer. It won't be used for much more than surfing the web and word processing - in theory - but in reality if it did other fun or cool things (GarageBand?) then I suspect they would end up being used...

A desktop will give me much more bang for my buck, yes?

There's two things to balance here - (1) wanting it to be as cheap as possible and (2) wanting it to do as much as possible.

So where's the sweet spot, in your opinion? What should I be looking for and how much should I expect to pay? (I'm in the UK.) If my budget was say £300, would I get something worthwhile? £400?... Would it have to be more?

Bonus points for a set-up that will play nicely with my existing (and presumably Windows-centric) wireless router (Linksys WRT54GS) and printer (Epson C66).

Thanks Applephiles!

How to make the Mac play nice with my Sansa?

reenum — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:44:49 -0800

How to sync Macbook with a non-iPod MP3 player? I have a Sansa e250, and I love it. I also love my new Mac. However, I've been having a small issue with syncing music onto the Sansa.

On my old Windows machine, I used to have a Sansa folder on my hard drive and then would just sync both folders each week using a program called Allway Sync, which removed listened to MP3's and added on the new stuff I'd downloaded that week.

With the Mac, I can't find a similar program, possibly due to the dominance of iTunes.

So, Hive Mind, is there a program or method I can use to get this functionality on my Mac?

Upgrading a neglected Mac computer.

wiretap — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:02:11 -0800

Upgrading Mac OS X 10.2 to at least 10.3 on a dual boot machine. I bought a dual boot mac (os 9.2 and os x 10.2) in the earlier part of this decade, and never bothered to do any upgrades as the years went on.

Now I'm finding reasons to restart my previous graphic design career but 10.2 is so out of date that I'm having trouble using some websites (netflix streaming requires at least 10.3) or playing games (WoW requires at least 10.3), or even upgrading to the latest version of Firefox (!!?).

I have little experience with upgrading computers, so I have a couple questions about upgrading:

1. How do I upgrade JUST the 10.2 "section" (sorry, I don't know the technical term) of my mac? I'm imagining that I'll plop a 10.3 disc in and it'll install over both OS's.

2. Will 10.3 still work with 9.2 (classic mode)? I'd like to keep 9.2 due to some ancient software that works only in 9.2.

Also, could I upgrade to an OS higher than 10.3 or would I need at least 10.3 to move to 10.4 to move to 10.5 etc?

Does Not Compute

misha — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:17:42 -0800

Please help me find the best laptops for our teens! Specifics inside. We have decided to get new computers for our teens--the younger is entering high school and needs it for school, while the older is really into animation and we want to encourage that interest.

I was originally looking at the Mac mini. We decided on laptops because we like portability and assume they will as well, they want webcams AND their high school prefers the Windows setup to Mac.

I'd still be up for Macs, because I feel they are more secure against viruses and the like, if we could get below $1000 each. The basic white 13" Macbooks at the Apple store are $999 and we're hoping to get under that price. I know we can run Windows programs on them with the right software.

Here's what we want:

Memory--lots of it. Can't get too much of this. Would rather have more than the 4GB the Macbook starts with.

Graphics-- Is the NVIDIA Ge Force 9400M the best choice for animation and gaming? Could we do better?

Preferably under $999 each!

Here's what they want:

High-speed--both love to chat on Google and have complained about speeds with the ancient models we have now (an old desktop and a G3 iBook).

Webcam--yes, we know all about internet safety, thanks!

Incredible sound--the oldest is really into music and his friends are in a band, so he wants the best audio he can get, even if this means peripheral speakers. Would love recommendations for these as well!

Software

If we got a Mac, we'd need to be able to run Windows programs on it as well--what software would we need, and how much is that going to cost?

We do not qualify (damn it) for educational discounts from Apple for the free iPod Touch promotion, as kids have to be accepted into college OR a parent needs to be a full-time teacher.

Thanks so much for your help!

What do I need to look at when buying a new laptop?

reenum — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:28:05 -0800

I'm in the market for a new laptop. Should I get a PC or Mac? What specs are important for me to look at when making a decision? My Toshiba Satellite A65 seems to be on its last legs, so I think I'm getting a new laptop.

In researching, I've become confused as to which specs really matter when looking at a computer.

Here's what I would use it for:
- E-mail, IM, and Web
- Watching DVDs
- BitTorrent
- Word processing and spreadsheets
- Tracking my finances
- Some music creation (mostly breakbeats)

I've seen some places say that I need as much RAM as possible, others stress the importance of a large hard drive, yet others say I need the fastest processor.

Also, any recommendations as to brands that are more reliable than others?

Please help!

Macbook wireless signal appearing and disappearing at random, wtf is going on?

Happy Dave — Sat, 09 May 2009 02:16:40 -0800

Mac, wireless, bizarre behaviour. I share a wireless connection with other people, and every two or three days the connection on my Macbook does this very odd thing. Okay, so this is a bit of an odd one, with some strange wrinkles that may or may not matter. Here's the deal:

- I live in a small, close-knit community in South London. One of the guys here used to work for a local council as a flash developer, so his flat is wired for corporate grade broadband. Being the all-around great guy he is, he's daisy-chained a load of wireless routers together through the shared loft space of the building we live in, and for the princely sum of £20 a year, I get 8Mb (or better sometimes) broadband. I know, right?

- The router that I use, No 3, has had it's fair share of problems. It kept crashing or disappearing from our router lists (there are a good half dozen routers, some belonging to the communal system, some to individual flats). The guy who runs the system replaced this router with a new one, and gave us a USB stick with the new WPA key on it.

- I entered this WPA key on my Macbook, my wife's iBook G4 and my xBox 360. Both the iBook and the 360 now connect fine, rock solid connection with no problems.

- Here's where it gets weird. Everything worked fine on my Macbook for a few days, then one day I closed it to go and do something else. When I came back, I was still apparently connected, but couldn't get any pages to open. Then I noticed the wireless signal would appear, full bars, for 3 or 4 seconds, then disappear (no bars or one bar then no bars) for 5 or 6 seconds, then reappear. Pinging google.com or any other site through Terminal got a 'no internet connection' message.

- Here's where it get weirder. I've tried a bunch of things to fix this intermittent and incredibly irritating problem:
* Removing Router3 from my list in the Network Preference pane, then re-adding it
* Deleting my 'login' keychain to remove the WPA key, then re-adding it
* Trashing the preference file for Internet Connection

Sometimes, after doing all of these things and restarting, I'll get a strong connection back (usually 4 bars). Sometimes, it won't work. And sometimes, it seems not to work, but I close the laptop in annoyance and, when I come back to it the next morning, it's working fine.

This is driving me up the wall. I can't restart the router because I don't have physical or wireless access to it, and the fact that all the other internet-connected things in my house are working fine with it points to that not being the problem. I think I maybe have a corrupt or unneccessary keychain file somewhere that is pointing to the old WPA key for the previous router (there's a WPA key for Router3 in the 'System' keychain that I can't delete or otherwise remove).

What on earth is going on here?