Andy's Un-Official Unsolicited Mac Advice Thread

17677798182153

Comments

  • wxwaxwxwax Registered Users Posts: 15,471 Major grins
    edited November 7, 2007
    Played with Safari again last night. I like the way it scrolls.

    But there doesn't seem to be a way to discretely control pop-ups. If I want to accept PM's, then it looks like I have to accept all pop-ups.

    I don't see a Safari equivalent to the Firefox tool which allows you to specifiy which sites are allowed to pop-up.
    Sid.
    Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
    http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited November 7, 2007
    gus wrote:
    Sorry i should have made myself clearer. Its the video that opens on the page automatically when the page is opened that i cant see. I get it no worrys on my PC.

    With leopard i get the following msg.

    you need 10.2, 10.3.9 is best with either media player 9 or flipmac WMV 2.0.2 or newer.


    Try this first, it's free. If that doesn't work, try this, which is free and also upgradable to pay versions with more features you probably don't need.
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited November 7, 2007
    wxwax wrote:
    Played with Safari again last night. I like the way it scrolls.

    But there doesn't seem to be a way to discretely control pop-ups. If I want too accept PM's, then it looks like I have to accept all pop-ups.

    I don't see a Safari equivalent to the Firefox tool which allows you to specifiy which sites are allowed to pop-up.


    This can be done with Pith Helmet, which I mentioned above. Since you're not on Leopard yet, you could try it. But yes, it's not a feature built-in to Safari. With PH, you can set your ad blocking prefs on a per site basis.
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • bwgbwg Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,119 SmugMug Employee
    edited November 7, 2007
    DavidTO wrote:
    Try this first, it's free. If that doesn't work, try this, which is free and also upgradable to pay versions with more features you probably don't need.
    there's also miro/getmiro.com (used to be democracy player).

    vry nice.
    Pedal faster
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    Seeing as how the other, wanna-be thread has a no fan-boys rule, I thought I'd pop in here to let you all know that Leopard Spanks Vista. Apparently it's no contest. mwink.gif
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • bwgbwg Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,119 SmugMug Employee
    edited November 8, 2007
    DavidTO wrote:
    Seeing as how the other, wanna-be thread has a no fan-boys rule, I thought I'd pop in here to let you all know that Leopard Spanks Vista. Apparently it's no contest. mwink.gif
    good quote
    TheArticle wrote:
    In numerous small ways, Apple has improved its OS, while Microsoft has, in a plethora of ways, changed Windows -- not always for the better.
    Pedal faster
  • gusgus Registered Users Posts: 16,209 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    DavidTO wrote:
    Seeing as how the other, wanna-be thread has a no fan-boys rule, I thought I'd pop in here to let you all know that Leopard Spanks Vista. Apparently it's no contest. mwink.gif

    Mate that leopard spanks vista site has 100% frozen my mac...whats up ? is it a joke site or something ? My mouse moves but it will not do anything at all.

    I have turned it off & re-started but it is still on that page ne_nau.gif How do i fix this ? Whilst im sure you may well think im joking but im not.

    Im running leopard btw. Oh the irony.
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    gus wrote:
    Mate that leopard spanks vista site has 100% frozen my mac...whats up ? is it a joke site or something ? My mouse moves but it will not do anything at all.

    I have turned it off & re-started but it is still on that page ne_nau.gif How do i fix this ? Whilst im sure you may well think im joking but im not.

    Im running leopard btw. Oh the irony.


    That is ironic, and it's an indication that something is wrong. :D Understatement, eh? mwink.gif

    That site loads fine for me. I'm not sure what to tell you. Maybe someone else can chime in with a good idea. I'll think on it. It seems like you're having a Safari issue in general, to me.

    You've restarted the Mac? Or restarted Safari?
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • gusgus Registered Users Posts: 16,209 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    DavidTO wrote:
    That is ironic, and it's an indication that something is wrong. :D Understatement, eh? mwink.gif

    That site loads fine for me. I'm not sure what to tell you. Maybe someone else can chime in with a good idea. I'll think on it. It seems like you're having a Safari issue in general, to me.

    You've restarted the Mac? Or restarted Safari?
    I just switched the comp off at its on/off button (twice) Whilst my mouse moves freely it will not do anything thus i cant force shut-down etc. Man i told you i can break anything !

    The mouse will highlight the expand/reduce/close buttons (red/yellow/green buttons on the top left) as i move it over them...it simply wont do anything with them.

    What keys will force a re-boot ?
  • gusgus Registered Users Posts: 16,209 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    Im cool. I used ctrl W to shut the screens down & still the mouse did nothing thus i went & changed the batterys in the mouse & im back working again. i will try the site again to see if it will break this time.

    edit...check the site again. All is well. How long do the batterys in the wireless mouse last for ? They were the suppliers batterys thus i understand they were most likely crap but they were energisers.
  • colourboxcolourbox Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    Before shutting off the computer, always try Command-Tab to get to another application first, or try using the dock to switch away. Rarely does the entire OS lock up completely. It is usually just one app that is hung.

    If one app is hung, you can force-quit just that one (Command-Option-Esc).

    If you must do a hard shut down, do it the same way as on many PCs: Hold the power button down several seconds until it goes off.
  • gusgus Registered Users Posts: 16,209 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    colourbox wrote:
    If you must do a hard shut down, do it the same way as on many PCs: Hold the power button down several seconds until it goes off.
    Tks mate...i was wondering about that as both times i shut it off for a few mins & when i restarted , it came back to that page immediately (2 seconds) telling me it wasnt really shut down at all.

    The new mouse batterys appear to have fixed it.
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    gus wrote:
    Im cool. I used ctrl W to shut the screens down & still the mouse did nothing thus i went & changed the batterys in the mouse & im back working again. i will try the site again to see if it will break this time.

    edit...check the site again. All is well. How long do the batterys in the wireless mouse last for ? They were the suppliers batterys thus i understand they were most likely crap but they were energisers.


    Batteries should last months and months, I would think. I know the keyboard said 9 months normal use, I didn't read about the mouse batt life.

    Command-W just closes the window. If the application is hung, that will do nothing to help it, most likely. You want to command-q (quit) or, if that doesn't work, command-option-escape, which will allow you to force-quit an application.

    [EDIT: AppleJack is apparently not yet compatible with Leopard. I was steering you wrong.]

    One thing I would recommend is downloading and installing AppleJack. It's the idiot's best friend to repairing any problems your Mac may be having. I'm not saying that you need it now, but it's a great thing to have in your back pocket. It's not a normal application. Once installed you do the following to run it:

    1) restart, and after the chime hold down command-s until you see text appear, at which time you let go.

    2) once it's started up, type "applejack auto restart", and get a cup of coffee while it runs. When it's done, it will restart your computer.

    That's it. It runs 5 different things that will clear up 99% of your problems you may develop on your Mac.

    The other great idiot's non-troubleshooting technique is a restart. If you're having trouble, system's running slow, restart. This should be a pretty rare occurrence. I restart my laptop every couple of months, and usually just because a software update requires it.
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    Gus, this closing a window vs. quitting an application is one of the big differences between Mac and Windows, and is a hard habit for new switchers to master. They close the window thinking that they've closed the application, but it's still open. You'll get the hang of it.
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • gusgus Registered Users Posts: 16,209 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    DavidTO wrote:
    You'll get the hang of it.
    I will..i'll persist as this screen is just too good. When i was hung up i went back to my PC & CRT...man what a difference there is between the 2.
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    gus wrote:
    I will..i'll persist as this screen is just too good. When i was hung up i went back to my PC & CRT...man what a difference there is between the 2.


    If you're into reading, this may help.
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • wxwaxwxwax Registered Users Posts: 15,471 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    DavidTO wrote:
    If you're into reading, this may help.
    Now I can't wait to zip something. Usually it's just the opposite.

    :D
    Sid.
    Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
    http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited November 8, 2007
    I made a post about a new Mac-only editing software, Naked Light, discuss it here.
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • gusgus Registered Users Posts: 16,209 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2007
    Ive lost my card reader. It was one of those cheap little 8 card readers that just plugged into my PC's USB.

    Whats the best for the Mac as i need a new one ? Compact Flash BTW.
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2007
    gus wrote:
    Ive lost my card reader. It was one of those cheap little 8 card readers that just plugged into my PC's USB.

    Whats the best for the Mac as i need a new one ? Compact Flash BTW.


    Machts nichts.
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • gusgus Registered Users Posts: 16,209 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2007
    DavidTO wrote:
    Machts nichts.
    Andy just sorted it for me. So the USB card reader will need to read FAT32 rather than 16 ..as my cards are 4 GIG, correct ?
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2007
    gus wrote:
    Andy just sorted it for me. So the USB card reader will need to read FAT32 rather than 16 ..as my cards are 4 GIG, correct ?


    Huh. My cards max out at 2GB, and I've never thought once about what kind of reader I get, other than do I like the way it looks and is it USB 2.0. ne_nau.gif
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • wxwaxwxwax Registered Users Posts: 15,471 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2007
    Gus, I've loaded and edited from 12GB and 16GB CF cards on my mac with the same card reader i have on my WInders. No difference.

    What is different is Firewire. I'd say Firewire is 40%-50% faster than USB. If you can get a Firewire card reader, I'd recommend it.
    Sid.
    Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
    http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2007
    wxwax wrote:
    Gus, I've loaded and edited from 12GB and 16GB CF cards on my mac with the same card reader i have on my WInders. No difference.

    What is different is Firewire. I'd say Firewire is 40%-50% faster than USB. If you can get a Firewire card reader, I'd recommend it.


    True. They also tend to be more expensive, and less portable. I like the small ones, as they're great for travelling.
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • gusgus Registered Users Posts: 16,209 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2007
    DavidTO wrote:
    True. They also tend to be more expensive, and less portable. I like the small ones, as they're great for travelling.
    Tks sid/to. I just bought a small pen/flash drive type one on ebay that the CF card fits into & then into the USB slot. I like small.
  • wxwaxwxwax Registered Users Posts: 15,471 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2007
    DavidTO wrote:
    True. They also tend to be more expensive, and less portable. I like the small ones, as they're great for travelling.
    headscratch.gif

    Huh?
    Sid.
    Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
    http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2007
    wxwax wrote:


    Been a long while since I looked. :D
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • MooreDrivenMooreDriven Registered Users Posts: 260 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2007
    New Macbook User w/Questions
    I purchased a Macbook (Windows convert) on Friday and have a few questions.

    1. I am considering upgrading the RAM to either 2 or 4 gig. I use Lightroom as my primary photo application, but plan to purchase Dxo in the near future as well. Typically, more RAM is better. I'm interested to hear about your experiences while running your applications.

    2. Can you recommend any 3rd party applications (photo related and any others)?

    Thanks for the info in advance.

    Dale
  • DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
    edited November 11, 2007
    I purchased a Macbook (Windows convert) on Friday and have a few questions.

    1. I am considering upgrading the RAM to either 2 or 4 gig. I use Lightroom as my primary photo application, but plan to purchase Dxo in the near future as well. Typically, more RAM is better. I'm interested to hear about your experiences while running your applications.

    2. Can you recommend any 3rd party applications (photo related and any others)?

    Thanks for the info in advance.

    Dale


    Hey, Dale.

    I merged your post into this thread, we're trying to keep all the Mac posts in one place, since if we don't, the Windows users get all nervous and anxious. :D

    1) Yes, more RAM. The 4GB kit at crucial is $200--why not? ear.gif

    2) DxO has a lot to offer. thumb.gif I would add PS to LR first, though. There are a ton of non-photo related 3rd party apps recommended in this thread. As for photo apps, LR/PS/DxO should do you well for a bit, I'd say. thumb.gif
    Moderator Emeritus
    Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
  • MooreDrivenMooreDriven Registered Users Posts: 260 Major grins
    edited November 12, 2007
    Thanks DavidTO!

    The post regarding 3rd party apps I was looking for was one that you posted a few weeks ago. I found in this thread!clap.gif I will search around and see what else I can find.

    One app I used a lot in Windows world was Roboform. It's a single source for encrypting your passwords and personal information to automate logins and form filling. Very useful. I found one similar for the Mac, 1Password. While it has the same basic functionality, it's not quite as user friendly as Roboform.

    So far the Macbook has been a surprise. When considering my purchase, I was set to buy the MBP. Then they introduced an update to the MB. The rep at the Apple store said he uses LR on an older MB, and said it runs a little slow, but fine for his needs. I've found it to be very acceptable thus far. We'll see what happens when I have LR, Firefox, and other apps running at the same time. If it's too slow, I'll buy a MBP when they are updated next year.

    Dale
Sign In or Register to comment.