New Mac User

Make External Display the Primary Monitor

Matt — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:27:52 +0000

When you connect the external monitor to an Apple Macbook, the external monitor will display as secondary monitor.

In order to make the external monitor the primary one, go to System Preferences -> Displays.

Select Arrangement. You will see two rectangles – each representing a monitor (internal & external).

You will also notice there is a small white bar at the top of the smaller rectangle. Drag the bar to the bigger rectangle (indicating that you want to make the external monitor the primary one).

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How to “Map” a network drive on a Mac

Matt — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:45:41 +0000

If you frequently access a file server from a Mac it’s pretty helpful to map the network drive to your desktop. There’s two ways to do this, one method is just mapped for one time use and will reset after a reboot, and another method is a more permanent route that allows the mapped network drive to always appear and mount on your desktop after system reboots and user logins.

Map a network drive to Mac OS X

This method maps a network drive that will disappear if the network connection drops or if you reboot your Mac:

From Finder, hit Command+K to bring up the ‘Connect to Server’ window
Enter the path to the network drive you want to map, ie: smb://networkcomputer/networkshare and click ‘Connect’
Enter your login/password and click “OK” to mount the network drive
The drive will now appear on your desktop and in the Finder window sidebar

Map a network drive to Mac OS X that re-mounts after system reboot

This method allows you to reboot your Mac and have the mapped network drive automatically remount and appear on the desktop, this is more persistent than the above method:

From the Finder, hit Command+K
Enter the path to the network drive you want to map, ie: smb://networkcomputer/networkshare and click ‘Connect’
Enter your login credentials and click “OK”
The drive is now mounted, but continue on to map for system reboot persistence
Now enter into System Preferences, from the Apple menu
Click on ‘Accounts’
Click on “Login Items”
Click on the + button to add another login item
Locate the network drive you previously mounted and click “Add”
Exit out of System Preferences

Your network drive will now be mapped and automatically remounted when you reboot your Mac.

Make the mapped network drive visible on the Mac desktop

It’s possible that the mounted drive will not appear on the desktop due to a system setting. If you want the mapped drive icon to be visible on the Desktop, be sure to do the following additional steps:

From the Finder, open Finder Preferences by hitting Command+,
Click the General tab
Select the checkbox next to ‘Connected Servers’
Close Finder Preferences

Selecting the checkbox next to Connected Servers ensures that you’ll see the icon on your Mac Desktop, otherwise it will only be visible in the Finder window sidebars and Open/Save dialogues.

Remount mapped network drive with a click

A great additional step for either method is to create an alias of the mapped network drive. This allows you to reconnect to the share with just a click. Here’s how to do this:

Right-click on the mapped network drive on the Mac OS desktop
Select “Make Alias”

Now you can double-click that alias to reconnect to the network drive instantly.

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Pages.app Template Maker

Matt — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:28:58 +0000

Just the other day I got a question from Anthony about making a Template in Pages.app. Here is his questions “Do you know how to create a template in Pages for paper that has a pre-printed header? The header extends 3″ from the top of the page. I would like to be able to prepare documents that will always have the 3″ space at the top on every page as I am working through the document.”-Anthony

Anthony it is real easy to do. Open a blank document and set it up the way that you want the layout ect… When the current document is set up then open the file menu and click on “Save as Template”

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iCal please stop setting my appointments to all day

Matt — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:50:08 +0000

iCal Enter new meeting in month view

iCal Automatically adjusted the time of my meeting after I put the time in the Description

Lion’s iCal changes default behavior of the new event creation in Month View and creates all day events by default. This is one of the most annoying bugs in Lion. But it is really not a bug. I learned today that if you type the name of your meeting and the start time; it will make the new event, set the time, and default the duration to 1 hour. For example, in month view, double click the date you want the appointment to be on. Then type “Meeting Information at 3p”. (There is no need to use “at” if you don’t want to)

iCal will set the appointment on the date at 3pm lasting to 4pm with the description of “Meeting Information”

If you want to change the default duration of the event that iCal sets you can do so by using a terminal command.

Open terminal and use the following command. Notice the “15″ at the end, edit that to be the time in minutes you want to be the default.

defaults write com.apple.iCal 'Default duration in minutes for new event' 15

So if I want my default meetings to be 1 and 1/2 hours then I need to edit the code to end in 90.

I hope this helps some of you with the new iCal and making it more user friendly.

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New Mac Malware

Matt — Sat, 14 May 2011 14:10:21 +0000

Written By Wayne Jones of the FIVE FORKS BAPTIST COMPUTER USERS GROUP.

The information is a very good read for everyone to just remind us that we ALL need to take care surfing the web.

There is a rehash of something very old going around recently which has lots of Mac users in a tizzy. It is variously called Mac Defender or Mac Protector, or some hacked up variation on those names. IT IS NEITHER A TROJAN NOR A VIRUS. It’s final payload can deliver a trojan, however, if the user follows its instructions. Most people will realize what’s going on and halt the installation. This malware will not damage your system unless you give it permission to do so.

“It” is a series of popups which falsely informs the user they have been infected with some number of viruses. It is generally found on sites provided by search engines (such as Google). Upon loading the site, the popups will trigger. If ignored, they will often generate more popups of pornographic site links. This class of malware is called “scareware” for obvious reasons, and has been around for years for all platforms. This particular one is a little more sophisticated because it checks to learn what platform the user in on, and generates popups based on either Windows, Linux, or Mac depending on the user’s hardware. It is low risk and not harmful in and of itself. On Macs, if you see these popups – you have not been infected – yet.

For Macs, it can’t install anything, so it tries to get the user to do so. That’s what trojans do. That’s called social engineering – in this case it tries to convince you to provide your credit card information to purchase “protection.” Yeah, right. A ZIP file will be downloaded which then opens a standard-looking Mac installer. To rid yourself of this pest, you simply need to close the installer windows, eject any disk images left on your desktop, find the downloaded files using Spotlight (upper right corner – type in “Defender” and locate the files, then trash them and securely empty the trash).

If you follow the instructions, you will indeed install a trojan horse which will compromise your credit card info, send your personal data to who-knows-where, and probably grab your contacts and attempt to infect them. It will not, however, install a virus or worm on your system.

You can head off lots of the problems by using the security features built in to Mac OS X. In the default browser, Safari, go to Preferences/General. At the bottom there is a box for opening safe files upon download. Safe files are those generally considered as low risk in Mac OS X. Uncheck the box. In the future, you will need to locate files you’ve downloaded and open them manually, but you have minimized the kind of risk described above. The default location for downloads is the “Downloads” folder, so that’s where most files will be. Some will download to the Desktop. Other popular browsers have similar features.

I’m addressing this primarily to new Mac users because many are unaccustomed to security threats of any sort, and need to be educated on how to handle this type of thing. This same class of malware affects Windows users, also, and most will know how to handle it. AV softwares for both Windows and Macs have been updated in recent days to handle this threat.

And, by the way, it is generally considered a high-risk practice to randomly search for images or videos on search engine sites such as Google. In addition to the risk of malware and porn, the user is often presented with original or pirated media content which is illegal to use (except for personal viewing) without permission or license.

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NOVUS More Space LiftTec Arm Review

Matt — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:21:32 +0000

For about a year I have been doing some freelance work for a local company specia

lizing in custom workspaces. Recently, they became the U.S distributor of a line of products made by a German company, NOVUS. The MoreSpace line of products are highly durable workspace accessories designed to maximize efficiency (They look pretty cool too).

The line of products range from pencil holders to flexible multi-monitor lift arms. I was asked to take home a higher end single monitor arm named, LiftTec Arm III (15-35lbs). Seeing as I am geek about office products, I jumped at the chance. I was excited to see how the arm would change my modest sized IKEA desk into a more efficient and usable surface to do work.

My Home Office
I have a modest sized home office. We (my family) use our workspace to do freelance, pay bills, homework, shop and my youngest son loves to watch Mickey Mouse via iTunes. We have a desktop but I use a laptop to do my work so having plenty of desk space is a must. In my original setup (like most people) my monitor rested on its default stand, and took up quite a lot of valuable space causing lots of clutter.

Installation
About 35min, Although I feel sure this depends on your current monitor and how difficult it is to remove it’s current stand. The LiftTec Arm comes with a standard mounting face and screws to attach to the back of your montior. The base of the Arm comes with several different mounts to attach to your desk. I found installation very easy, even though the instructions were lacking in explanation. I really like how the mount is designed to not damage your desk and channels the wires neatly.

Review
After installing the LiftTec I was able to reacquire the space my old monitor stole, storing the keyboard and mouse when not in use. This has made it much better to use other computers on my desk and for my daughter to do her homework.

The Arm has several tension joints, which allow it to move like a real human arm. I am able to adjust the monitor instantly to the best viewing position, whether showing a friend my screen, positioning the monitor out toward the office couch or lifting the monitor up so my 19 month old son cannot try to “grab” Mickey Mouse.

Despite its high functionality, the LiftTec Arm looks at home in our office and adds refinement to our setup.

I would highly recommend this product to anyone needing more space on there desk, or who needs a more dynamic and ergonomic desk. While pricing makes this a more likely candidate for your office at work, NOVUS offers numerous Arms and other accessories at varying price points.

http://morespaceusa.com

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Quick Tip: Speed up entering a url in Mobile Safari.

Matt — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:16:28 +0000

In Mobile Safari for the iOS devices, such as your iPhone or iPad, you can enter a new url without tapping the x that clears the url field.

For Example:

If you already have say apple.com open on you iphone and you want to go to newmacuser.com. All you have to do is tap the url bar and start typing. Mobile Safari is smart enough to know that you want a new url and clears the old one for you.

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10.6.5 Snow Leopard Update Breaks Letterbox Mail.app Plugin – Quick Fix

Matt — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 03:46:25 +0000

For you Letterbox – Mail.app plugin lovers out there here is a quick fix to get you back it working in 10.6.5 Snow Leopard. First off you will need the new “SupportedPluginCompatibilityUUIDs”.

857A142A-AB81-4D99-BECC-D1B55A86D94E
BDD81F4D-6881-4A8D-94A7-E67410089EEB

Then you will need a program to edit info.plist files. If you have developer tools installed you will use Property List Editor if not you will need a program that will edit an .xml file like my favorite Texwrangler.

PRIOR TO THE FOLLOWING PLEASE CLOSE MAIL.APP

Next you have to find and edit the info.plist for letterbox. Yours may be a little bit different but by default the file we need is in You User Folder -> Library -> Mail-> Bundles. If you have opened mail and got the disabled warning message your folder will have “(Disabled)” added to it. For now Leave this alone. Open the folder and you will see a list of the mail plugins you have .

Right click on the Letterbox.mailbundle and select “Show Package Contents” a new Finder window will open and you will see a contents folder, open this and you will see the info.plist file we need to edit. Open it in Textwrangler.app and scrool to the bottom of the file. There you will see the area we need to edit.

Look for (or use the find command) the line SupportedPluginCompatibilityUUIDs.

Once you find this you need to add the 2 strings from above to it. or just copy the next 2 lines and paste it in the file just under the other tags as you see in my screen grab from above, make sure it is before the tag.

857A142A-AB81-4D99-BECC-D1B55A86D94E
BDD81F4D-6881-4A8D-94A7-E67410089EEB

Now we need to deal with the “(Disabled)” part of the folder. This is easy just go to the finder and open back to the Mail folder from above and edit the folder name and delete the “(Disabled)” part. If you have other mail plugins you can edit the info.plist file the same way,If you choose not to edit them they will disable again on the next launch of Mail.app. If you have this all done then when you open mail you will be back in business with mail.app and the letterbox plugin.

**** UPDATE***** (11/12/2010 @ 11:07 am est)
I have had 3 people contact me with issues after they edit the info.plist file. I have asked them all to send me a copy of the info.plist file on their machine and all have had either old versions or a very different items in the file. I have asked all of them to re-download the plugin from the original source. (Letterbox Plugin @ Harnly.net)Then prior to opening Mail.app do the edit as above. So Far that has worked for anyone who has had an issue.

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Use the Find command in Safari with out typing the CMD+F First

Matt — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 00:16:28 +0000

I am a firm believer in using Safari on my mac. When I had my windows computer I used Firefox and there is one thing I really miss. The feature is hard to describe in text but here is my best attempt. In Firefox when you are on a webpage and you are looking for a word or sentence you just start typing and the “”Find” bar comes up and you can see the results as you type in more info. By default in Safari you have to type the keyboard shortcut “Command+F” or go to the “Edit” menu and scroll down to the find item and then you get the Find bar at the top of the screen. It seems by the time I do all that I could have found the item myself.

The fix for this is a safari plug-in, Glims. Now Gilms does much more than the Type-ahead support we are talking about here. In fact the list is so long that I am just going to link to the page and let Mac Hang Out give you the run down. To enable what I call the “Find as you type” feature you need to download and install Glims from Machangout.com(Download Link). After you run the installer I suggest you restart Safari then go to the Preferences menu under the Safari menu. Select the Glims item at the end of the row. You may have to expand the Preferences window to the the Glims menus. The setting we are looking for is on the General tab under the area “Browser Window.” Now turn on the “Auto select browser search banner(type-ahead support).” Now when you want to search a page for something just start typing your term.

*Disclaimer – if the page you are on has fill in areas selected this will not work. You will just start typing in the forms.

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View Hidden Files in The Finder

Matt — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 19:02:43 +0000

As many of you know i run a Computer Support business, Two days ago I had to mount a Windows XP drive to the system and get the “My Documents” Folder and the Outlook .pst files backed up for a client. When I mounted the drive to my mac I remembered that the Outlook.pst files are often in a hidden folder called local settings. It took a little digging but to get Finder to show the Hidden files I had to run a little Terminal command.

Here is the Step by step to get the Hidden files to view in the Finder.

Open the Terminal

Type in the following or just copy and paste it in (leave off the ” marks)”defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE” then hit return.

Then Relaunch the Finder by going to the Apple Logo menu and click Force Quit… then select Finder and Relaunch

When you are ready to Stop seeing the Hidden files Open Terminal back up, type in the following or just copy and paste it in (leave off the ” marks)”defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE” then hit return. Relaunch the Finder and they will be gone.

I also found out you can do this with a Preference Pane item called secrets you can find out a lot more about it at http://code.google.com/p/blacktree-secrets/.

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