Your data is the most important aspect of your computer, and unfortunately we often don’t realize this until we’re faced with the possibility of having lost exceptionally valuable (if not priceless) work. This can happen as easily as a computer suddenly shutting off on you and no longer booting, or when you attach an external hard drive containing all of your files, only to find it will not mount and cannot be repaired. Continue reading
How to manage inactivated e-mail accounts in OS X
When you start a new job or join a new group, club, service, or other organization, you may be given an e-mail account to use with that service. You then may set this account up in Mail so you can access it quickly from your iOS and Mac OS devices, in addition to any Web client your provider may use. However, if you are terminated or otherwise leave your organization then access to new e-mail may be restricted and you will no longer be able to receive new messages. Continue reading
How to enable screen sharing services remotely in OS X
If you have any Mac that you would like to manage remotely, then you can enable Screen Sharing or Remote Management in the Sharing system preferences. However, if these become disabled or if you keep them disabled by default, then you will not be able to access your system. Nevertheless, if you have Remote Login enabled and can establish an SSH connection, then you can take a few steps to re-enable Screen Sharing. Continue reading
How to manage “No Backup for XX Days” warnings in OS X
While enterprise-level backup options may offer robust solutions for workgroups, Apple’s Time Machine service is a great backup option to use for a single machine since it preserves the OS configuration along with all user data and applications. However, if you have used several Time Machine drives over time, you may find OS X suddenly showing Notification Center warnings that there have been no backups for a given number of days. Continue reading
Using the OS X crash reporter to diagnose a program failure
Whenever a program crashes in OS X, you are presented with a small window that indicates the program quit unexpectedly (Apple’s vernacular for “it crashed”). Whenever this happens, first choose the default option in this window to ignore the issue, and then try relaunching your program. However, if it occurs again then you may find some quick answers in the crash report that can be opened by clicking the “Report” button. Continue reading
How to present and record your iPhone or iPad on your Mac
Every now and then you may wish to display something from your iPhone or iPad on your Mac. This may be during a presentation, or just for kicks, but if you have content on your phone and while you can always use various sharing services to send content to people or even to your Mac for displaying, another very quick approach can be done if you simply have an available lightning cable. Continue reading
How to address ‘Battery Not Charging’ errors for your Mac
When you plug your MacBook’s power adapter in and its light turns amber, your system’s battery should charge; however, there may be times when this does not occur, and upon clicking the Battery menu you will see a notice that says “Battery Not Charging.” Despite this, the system will work fine as long as the power is plugged in, but if you disconnect power then the battery will progressively drain. Continue reading
How to manage file ‘in use’ or ‘locked’ errors in OS X
When a file is opened by a program, a filesystem lock is placed that prevents it from being accessed by another program. However, most programs in OS X will only truly “open” a file as a brief step in order to read its contents into memory. The file is then technically closed so it may be accessed elsewhere. Further interaction with the file will result in another quick “open” followed by the instructed manipulation right before the file is closed again, and computing goes on. Continue reading
Four quick April Fools pranks for your Mac-loving friends
Happy April Fools day! If you have an inkling to participate in sly festivities on this day of pranks, you might consider looking no further than your friend or colleagues’ Macs. While you can post a fake note on a fridge, or lure a buddy to some humorous end, with only quick access to a friend’s Mac or iPhone you can have quite a fun time at his or her expense. Continue reading
Four easy steps to a faster Mac
Keeping your computer running at the speeds it ran at when you bought it may seem like a futile task, and often people just accept the fact that their computers will eventually become laggy and pause. However, your Mac’s hardware is functionally no different than it was when you purchased it. This means unless your Mac is over 5 years old and is missing capability required by the software you run, then it should perform reasonably similar to when you purchased it. Continue reading