Andy's Un-Official Unsolicited Mac Advice Thread

Ann McRae

Moogle Pepper wrote:

my Mac runs hot when I am running lightroom, itunes, and Firefox. My smcFanControl says that I am at avg. 150 degrees F even with a high fan RPM.

My friend... recently melted her mac, so I am spooked.

hmmm, how do you check the temp?

My iMac has recently started to randomly shut down. It is always really warm on the back when it does.

I haven't sorted out what combo of programs are always associated with this yet.

Advice?

ann

W.W. Webster

WolfOnDigital wrote:

First time I noticed this.
When you go sound prefs and click on output it does not show internal speakers or headphones but only DIGITAL OUT
"This device has no output sources????"

Never seen tha before.


Any thoughts?

Thanks

Have you booted in "Safe Mode'.

DavidTO

Ann McRae wrote:

hmmm, how do you check the temp?

My iMac has recently started to randomly shut down. It is always really warm on the back when it does.

I haven't sorted out what combo of programs are always associated with this yet.

Advice?

ann

Here ya go, Ann.

WolfOnDigital

That file...

DavidTO wrote:

Yah, sounds like hardware failure, but I would first try deleting your prefs.

User/Library/Preferences/com.apple.soundpref.plist

Delete that and restart the machine. Probably won't help, but might!

This file is not found on my laptop anywhere? I can't delete it because it can't be found.

DavidTO

WolfOnDigital wrote:

DavidTO wrote:

Yah, sounds like hardware failure, but I would first try deleting your prefs.

User/Library/Preferences/com.apple.soundpref.plist

Delete that and restart the machine. Probably won't help, but might!

This file is not found on my laptop anywhere? I can't delete it because it can't be found.

How are you looking for it? Did you follow the path I outlined, or use spotlight?

DavidTO

DavidTO wrote:

WolfOnDigital wrote:

How are you looking for it? Did you follow the path I outlined, or use spotlight?

It could also be in your root preferences folder.

Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences/com.apple.soundpref.plist

Two of my computers each have it in different places.

WolfOnDigital

I looked in....

DavidTO wrote:

DavidTO wrote:

It could also be in your root preferences folder.

Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences/com.apple.soundpref.plist

Two of my computers each have it in different places.

the root preferences fold first. Not there.
Where do I look in your first example?
NOT trying to sound dense here...lol

DavidTO

WolfOnDigital wrote:

DavidTO wrote:

the root preferences fold first. Not there.
Where do I look in your first example?
NOT trying to sound dense here...lol

The first is your User Folder, which I don't know the name of. In the Finder, to to your Home Folder (another name for your user folder), and navigate down in the Library there.

WolfOnDigital

Thanks...

DavidTO wrote:

WolfOnDigital wrote:

The first is your User Folder, which I don't know the name of. In the Finder, to to your Home Folder (another name for your user folder), and navigate down in the Library there.

Found the folder names for my name that is why I couldn't find it under user or home because you can rename your home folder. Looked down the library and on. NO sound pref file. ??
Strange

saurora

WolfOnDigital wrote:

Found the folder names for my name that is why I couldn't find it under user or home because you can rename your home folder. Looked down the library and on. NO sound pref file. ??
Strange

Try Finder, user name, library, preferences, sounds, and I think you will find the sound pref file, if you haven't already. I'm a total iMac n00b of less than a month, so this info could be totally wrong here!!!

Richard

Hey Mac people: What's the OS-X equivalent of Keycaps? The Google results I looked at made it sound complicated, and that's not very Apple-like, so I'm guessing there's an easier way. For those who have never used Windows, Keycaps is a little utility that displays foreign and otherwise weird characters that you can copy and paste when you need them.

Thanks.

DavidTO

Richard wrote:

Hey Mac people: What's the OS-X equivalent of Keycaps? The Google results I looked at made it sound complicated, and that's not very Apple-like, so I'm guessing there's an easier way. For those who have never used Windows, Keycaps is a little utility that displays foreign and otherwise weird characters that you can copy and paste when you need them.

Thanks.

It's one of the weirdest things in Macland. I think you're looking for Character Palette:



You get to this this way:

System Preferences>International>Input Menu>Character Palette

It shows up as under a flag in your menu bar (determined by your language preference).

Richard

DavidTO wrote:

It's one of the weirdest things in Macland. I think you're looking for Character Palette:


You get to this this way:

System Preferences>International>Input Menu>Character Palette

It shows up as under a flag in your menu bar (determined by your language preference).

✌ ☂ ☺ ♡

Thanks. I thought so.

DavidTO

Richard wrote:

✌ ☂ ☺ ♡

Thanks. I thought so.

Cool. Is that the same answer you got via Google?

Richard

DavidTO wrote:

Cool. Is that the same answer you got via Google?

The first things I saw involved scripting, so I got impatient.

cabbey

Most applications also expose a simplified version under the edit menu called "special characters". It's a system wide input screen, so you can open it under one application and use it in others just by changing what has focus.

DavidTO

cabbey wrote:

Most applications also expose a simplified version under the edit menu called "special characters". It's a system wide input screen, so you can open it under one application and use it in others just by changing what has focus.

I never knew that! After all these years.....

And it doesn't look simplified, looks to be the same thing!

cabbey

DavidTO wrote:

I never knew that! After all these years.....

And it doesn't look simplified, looks to be the same thing!

Yeah I just realized it feels "simplified" for me because I have it trimmed down to a bunch fewer options normally so as to use less screen real estate. View: code tables, top box shrunk down to only a couple lines, bottom box showing about 6 to 8 lines, font panel compacted.

I use it a lot to find unicode and utf-8 values for things, or to test shoving "random crap" into systems... did you know there are websites that will *take* a "password" of "❷㖪〷⧕⤶⡇◩"? Some others spew massive chunks when you try to do that.

W.W. Webster

I see the proposed international release programme for the breakthrough to the next frontier of information technology has been announced .

However, while it will be a great privilege to lead the world, I'm sure we would happily defer to any other hemisphere that might wish to be at the front of the pack!

DavidTO

This looks cool, it changes your Mac's behavior (which app it launches) based on which camera is connected. P&S in iPhoto, DSLR in LR, for example.

emeraldrose

sharing a link with a mac
Ok so this may sound dumb, but how do you copy the link to share an image from smugmug on a mac (which doesn't have a right/left click mouse)? I click the link and it says copied, but when I com+v to paste it doesn't come up. I mean yes I could just look at the link, and write it down or remember part of it and go back and forth till i've typed it all out, but it take too long, especially when you have more than one you want to do, like linking to a blog. So if anyone has any ideas i'd love to hear them (btw I've tried highlighting the link and then copy paste, but it won't highlight.)

DavidTO

emeraldrose wrote:

Ok so this may sound dumb, but how do you copy the link to share an image from smugmug on a mac (which doesn't have a right/left click mouse)? I click the link and it says copied, but when I com+v to paste it doesn't come up. I mean yes I could just look at the link, and write it down or remember part of it and go back and forth till i've typed it all out, but it take too long, especially when you have more than one you want to do, like linking to a blog. So if anyone has any ideas i'd love to hear them (btw I've tried highlighting the link and then copy paste, but it won't highlight.)

control-click is right click if you've got an ancient non mighty mouse. If you've a mighty mouse, you only need to turn on right click in the prefs.

emeraldrose

DavidTO wrote:

control-click is right click if you've got an ancient non mighty mouse. If you've a mighty mouse, you only need to turn on right click in the prefs.

thanks I'll try both, i'm on a laptop btw, don't know if that makes a difference

DavidTO

emeraldrose wrote:

thanks I'll try both, i'm on a laptop btw, don't know if that makes a difference

None. If you're using the trackpad and your laptop isn't ancient, then two-finger click is right-click. You also have to turn that on in prefs, as well. It's called secondary click.

emeraldrose

DavidTO wrote:

None. If you're using the trackpad and your laptop isn't ancient, then two-finger click is right-click. You also have to turn that on in prefs, as well. It's called secondary click.

thanks guys, i'm not really sure what a mighty mouse is lol my laptop is from 2007 i believe lol, The com click worked well, i don't use trackpad b/c i'm always clicking on things when i don't mean too. working on saving up for a new imac :}

W.W. Webster

Snow Leopard pre-order at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=pe_12665600_txt_1/?ie=UTF8&docId=1000410511

Andy

Original Mac Pro
Soooooo, I got one of the first Mac Pros, back in August 2006.... I know this because my AppleCare is expiring tomorrow, August 9th

That's three years of bliss, happiness and ease of use. Three years of no viruses, no hardware issues, no worms, spyware or malicious software.

Three years of being able to just use my computer, instead of my computer using me

RogersDA

Andy wrote:

Soooooo, I got one of the first Mac Pros, back in August 2006.... I know this because my AppleCare is expiring tomorrow, August 9th

That's three years of bliss, happiness and ease of use. Three years of no viruses, no hardware issues, no worms, spyware or malicious software.

Three years of being able to just use my computer, instead of my computer using me

Yeah thumbclap
Apple just called me to sell me an extended warranty for my Mac Pro (whose existing warranty expires tomorrow. I politely declined. Home owner's policy is cheaper, and the Mac is fully covered (along with all the photo gear).

heatherk9

I'm tired of searching the web so I'm bothering you with a quick, but probably repeated, question. I am moving my photos from the pc to the new mac. Should I put them in the photo folder within iPhoto or create a new folder for them elsewhere? I don't really plan on using iPhoto and I've read that once you put photos in that folder, you shouldn't touch them outside of the application. I've got over 14,000 to move so I'd like to just do it once. (Yes. I keep them on an external drive as well. I don't know why I like to keep them all on the laptop as well. I just do.)

Thank you! Heather

DavidTO

heatherk9 wrote:

I'm tired of searching the web so I'm bothering you with a quick, but probably repeated, question. I am moving my photos from the pc to the new mac. Should I put them in the photo folder within iPhoto or create a new folder for them elsewhere? I don't really plan on using iPhoto and I've read that once you put photos in that folder, you shouldn't touch them outside of the application. I've got over 14,000 to move so I'd like to just do it once. (Yes. I keep them on an external drive as well. I don't know why I like to keep them all on the laptop as well. I just do.)

Thank you! Heather

If you don't plan on using iPhoto, then just put them in your Pictures folder, organized as you will.