Time Machine in OS X offers a quick way to back up your entire system, but one requirement for this is you need to plug in your backup drive in order to keep the system backed up. For desktop systems this is a matter of simply keeping the drive attached and tucked away behind your iMac, Mac Mini, or Mac Pro; however, if you are a MacBook owner, then you might find yourself periodically misplacing your drive, or not having it with you, and then getting messages that you haven’t backed up in a number of days. There are two easy approaches to help prevent this, especially if you have multiple Macs available. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Network
Apple ditching discoveryd for mDNSResponder in latest OS X 10.10 release
Has your Mac been affected by Wi-Fi dropouts, short battery life, and the inability to maintain connections or discover devices on your network after having installed OS X Yosemite? If so, then the problem is likely going to be addressed in a significant way by Apple in the next update to OS X.
The problem is happening because of the introduction of a new DNS resolving service called “discoveryd” that Continue reading
Fix your Mac’s network name getting (2) appended to it
When you enable services like screen sharing, file sharing, or printer sharing, OS X will broadcast your Mac’s name on the local network so it can be discovered and made available to other systems. However, when you do so you may run into an issue where a number is appended to your Mac’s name. For example, if your iMac is named “My iMac,” you might expect to see just this name appear in the Finder of other Macs on the network; however, with this naming issue you will see “My iMac (2).” Continue reading
How to fix a stubborn application firewall in OS X
When you use programs in OS X that accept incoming connections from the internet or other network resources, if you have the system’s firewall enabled then you may see a warning that requests you either allow or deny network access to the program. By clicking the Always Allow option in this window, OS X should remember your decision for the given program and never ask you again; however, there may be times when this window will repeatedly display for a given program. Continue reading
Five quick fixes for Wi-Fi troubles in OS X
Perhaps one of the more ubiquitous problems that OS X users encounter is a periodic inability to maintain a steady Wi-Fi connection. While for many people Wi-Fi is relatively stable, for others there may be times (sometimes quite frequent), where the connection will drop, give an error, and otherwise refuse to join. There are many reasons why Wi-Fi connections may do this, including everything from electromagnetic interference to faulty configurations, so troubleshooting it may be daunting. However, if you find yourself running into this issue regularly, then there are a few quick fixes that should get you up and running again. Continue reading
Security Tip: Verify open Wi-Fi hotspots before using them
When you connect your Mac to a Wi-Fi hotspot at a cafe, library, or other public location, do you ever double-check to ensure the Wi-Fi hotspot is a legitimate one? Quite often, when you are out and about, it is not uncommon to find a number of open hotspots, that you can easily log on to surf away, and while most of these will be perfectly fine options to use, there is nothing to inform you whether or not the hotspot was set up for nefarious purposes. Continue reading
Sleep and power settings possibly behind Wi-Fi dropouts in Yosemite
Along with its perks and new features, OS X Yosemite has not been without its share of problems, with at least some of these being associated with the inability to keep your Mac connected to Wi-Fi. If this happens, there are some basic fixes from toggling Wi-Fi off and on, to fully resetting your Mac’s network configuration; however, there are times when these might not work, and your Mac will continue to drop its connection. Continue reading
Fix or help stem Wi-Fi connectivity problems in OS X
After upgrading, restoring from backup, or otherwise heavily modifying your Mac’s software setup, you might run into an issue with your system not being able to connect or maintain a connection with your Wi-Fi network. This may have you regularly turning Wi-Fi off and then back on, or selecting your Wi-Fi network to hopefully re-establish a connection, only to have the system show an error and drop the connection again. Continue reading
How to forget Wi-Fi networks in OS X
When using your Mac with Wi-Fi, you have the option for OS X o remember your Wi-Fi network so when you are in the vicinity of this hotspot, you will seamlessly connect to it. While convenient, this can sometimes be a burden, especially if an otherwise preferred hotspot is running slowly or showing other problems.
For example, if you have two hotspots that you use in the vicinity of your work, then you may usually Continue reading
Tackle Web pages not loading in OS X
Arguably Safari, Firefox, Chrome and other Web browsers are perhaps the most commonly used applications on your Mac, so when browsing various sites, you might be frustrated if pages suddenly stop updating with content you know is new, or stop loading at all.
At times these can be server-based issues that you simply have to deal with, but at other times Continue reading