Support NeoGAF

[liquid_gears]

Just a request to all the new Mac OS X users (i.e. bought a mac for the first time over the past year or so) to chime in with their current opinion. Are you all properly indoctrinated yet? :loll Loving it? Hating it? Understand where the divisiveness for the whole "Mac v. PC" argument comes from?

Koam? You started the thread.
Marty Chinn? I guess we all know how you stand . Fight the good fight! (Actually, I think you're more or less reasonable - I know it's not your 'main' machine).
Flying_Phoenix?

et al.

I got a 13" MBP a few months ago too after using Windows for my entire life. I love it, it's fantastic. Firstly, the hardware is amazing. Not only is is sleek and sexy, but it's the most solid and well constructed notebook that I've ever used. I've had tons of problems with other notebooks, from broken power sockets, broken hinges, bad screens, overheating etc, but the MBP is in a league of its own. The aluminium unibody design is lightyears ahead of what any other manufacturer is doing (to my knowledge). Little things like how the keyboard is spaced out, how fluid the keys are, the backlight, the Magsafe adapter, how solid the body is, how the screen sits completely flush... I know that it sounds stupid, but it really does make a huge difference to how you use the computer. For the simple reason of build quality and such 'insignificant' little features that I have listed above, I doubt that I'll even contemplate buying a notebook from another manufacturer. Even as I write this, it wouldn't be possible without the backlight

I spend quite a bit of time in the library and as corny as it sounds, I've had friends and complete strangers looking at me more than normal and I'm pretty sure it's because of the big glowing Apple sign and the sexiness of the device. I've even had one random girl ask to use it before for some quick, menial task, who seemed amazed by it, she's now a good friend of mine, all thanks to Apple. :lol

My only complaints for the hardware are more of a criticism of Apple. Now firstly, I consider myself to be fairly tech savvy, but I have no idea what the point of the mini display port is. It's nothing more than a gimped version of HDMI. HDMI is the default standard that everybody uses, understands and wants. I honestly can't think of a single reason why Mini display port is preferred over HDMI, it makes no sense what so ever (from the consumers point of view) and I have no idea why people defend it. Just pay the royalties and continue on, Apple. Fuck this display port shit, nobody wants it. Just use HDMI.

Apple has been slow on the uptake for blu-ray. It's inevitable that it will make its way into the lineup eventually, but Apple is really dragging its heels here.

I'm going to be upgrading my computer every 2 years or less, just to keep things fresh and up to date, so I wish that Apple would give the option for blu-ray soon and ditch mini display (although I know that this isn't going to happen anytime soon).

In terms of software, it's a strange one imo. Things are defiantly 'cleaner' and simpler to use than in Windows, but I don't think that there are any enormous advantages to using OS X or Windows anymore. They're both just operating systems and they have their advantages and disadvantages. Although OS X is defiantly cleaner and simpler, I think that Windows 7 is the better overall OS, although it doesn't really make a difference which OS that you use. Although UNIX is the superior backend, I'm talking about the overall experience here.

I have Windows 7 installed via BootCamp and I use it occasionally for the Office Suite (nothing on Mac comes close) and specialist pieces of software of which there are no alternatives. I enjoy using Windows 7 too, I don't feel as if it's a chore whereas I did with Vista and XP.

I still use OS X for about 90% of the time however, and I love it. It has its annoyances, but no major problems. Here are some quick advantages and disadvantages of both:

Explorer vs Finder - Finder is a piece of shit. Explorer wins here, easily.
Spotlight vs Windows Search - Spotlight wins, hands down.
Time Machine vs Windows Backup - Time Machine is awesome. It's saved my arse a few times.
Windows 'Dock' vs OS X Dock - This is a difficult one. Although the Mac dock is prettier, I think that the bar in Windows 7 is more functional than that in OS X, even combined with Exposé.
Compatibility - Windows, obviously.
Ease of use - Mac, obviously
Security - Mac wins here. It's much more 'set and forget'. It's not as vulnerable to viruses and all sorts of the shit on Windows. It doesn't get bogged down anywhere near as much as Windows.
Networking - It's fantastic on Windows 7 and OS X is lagging behind quite a bit here.

So to sum up the software. Although I prefer Mac OS X for the simpler things, I think that Windows 7 is the better overall experience. For somebody like myself who needs to use specialist pieces of software and the Office Suite, I need Windows. I couldn't work without Windows, whereas I can without OS X. One thing s for sure, Windows 7 has defiantly closed the gap and has arguably pushed its nose in front of OS X.

I don't mean to be shitting on OS X here, I really enjoy using it, I just don't think that it really matters what you use anymore. Mac has the advantage because it can run both Windows and OS X, so there is really no reason for me to consider not buying a Mac as my next computer. The best of both worlds...

I have already recommended a Mac to family and friends, so I've defiantly got the bug. :lol

So safari has been kinda slow for me. Usually whenever I open a new tab the colorful volleyball shows up for about 3 minutes and sometimes longer.

Is google chrome faster?

I used to have this problem.

Reset Safari.

Aso, in preferences set the 'open new tabs with' option to your home page. Try and get away from using the dumb 'Top Sites' feature, that is one of the main culprits for slowing things down imo.

Google Chrome is progressing nicely, it has lots of potential but its not quite good enough to use as a main browser yet.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

I got a 13" MBP a few months ago too after using Windows for my entire life. I love it, it's fantastic. Firstly, the hardware is amazing. Not only is is sleek and sexy, but it's the most solid and well constructed notebook that I've ever used. I've had tons of problems with other notebooks, from broken power sockets, broken hinges, bad screens, overheating etc, but the MBP is in a league of its own. The aluminium unibody design is lightyears ahead of what any other manufacturer is doing (to my knowledge). Little things like how the keyboard is spaced out, how fluid the keys are, the backlight, the Magsafe adapter, how solid the body is, how the screen sits completely flush... I know that it sounds stupid, but it really does make a huge difference to how you use the computer. For the simple reason of build quality and such 'insignificant' little features that I have listed above, I doubt that I'll even contemplate buying a notebook from another manufacturer. Even as I write this, it wouldn't be possible without the backlight

The problem is when you try and explain all of these awesome things to someone and they just dismiss you as being a fanboy.

To most of the Internet, a computer is only the numbers in the tech specs and the price vs performance ratio.

 

[mrkgoo]

I got a 13" MBP a few months ago too after using Windows for my entire life. I love it, it's fantastic. Firstly, the hardware is amazing. Not only is is sleek and sexy, but it's the most solid and well constructed notebook that I've ever used. I've had tons of problems with other notebooks, from broken power sockets, broken hinges, bad screens, overheating etc, but the MBP is in a league of its own. The aluminium unibody design is lightyears ahead of what any other manufacturer is doing (to my knowledge). Little things like how the keyboard is spaced out, how fluid the keys are, the backlight, the Magsafe adapter, how solid the body is, how the screen sits completely flush... I know that it sounds stupid, but it really does make a huge difference to how you use the computer. For the simple reason of build quality and such 'insignificant' little features that I have listed above, I doubt that I'll even contemplate buying a notebook from another manufacturer. Even as I write this, it wouldn't be possible without the backlight

I spend quite a bit of time in the library and as corny as it sounds, I've had friends and complete strangers looking at me more than normal and I'm pretty sure it's because of the big glowing Apple sign and the sexiness of the device. I've even had one random girl ask to use it before for some quick, menial task, who seemed amazed by it, she's now a good friend of mine, all thanks to Apple. :lol

My only complaints for the hardware are more of a criticism of Apple. Now firstly, I consider myself to be fairly tech savvy, but I have no idea what the point of the mini display port is. It's nothing more than a gimped version of HDMI. HDMI is the default standard that everybody uses, understands and wants. I honestly can't think of a single reason why Mini display port is preferred over HDMI, it makes no sense what so ever (from the consumers point of view) and I have no idea why people defend it. Just pay the royalties and continue on, Apple. Fuck this display port shit, nobody wants it. Just use HDMI.

Apple has been slow on the uptake for blu-ray. It's inevitable that it will make its way into the lineup eventually, but Apple is really dragging its heels here.

I'm going to be upgrading my computer every 2 years or less, just to keep things fresh and up to date, so I wish that Apple would give the option for blu-ray soon and ditch mini display (although I know that this isn't going to happen anytime soon).

In terms of software, it's a strange one imo. Things are defiantly 'cleaner' and simpler to use than in Windows, but I don't think that there are any enormous advantages to using OS X or Windows anymore. They're both just operating systems and they have their advantages and disadvantages. Although OS X is defiantly cleaner and simpler, I think that Windows 7 is the better overall OS, although it doesn't really make a difference which OS that you use. Although UNIX is the superior backend, I'm talking about the overall experience here.

I have Windows 7 installed via BootCamp and I use it occasionally for the Office Suite (nothing on Mac comes close) and specialist pieces of software of which there are no alternatives. I enjoy using Windows 7 too, I don't feel as if it's a chore whereas I did with Vista and XP.

I still use OS X for about 90% of the time however, and I love it. It has its annoyances, but no major problems. Here are some quick advantages and disadvantages of both:

Explorer vs Finder - Finder is a piece of shit. Explorer wins here, easily.
Spotlight vs Windows Search - Spotlight wins, hands down.
Time Machine vs Windows Backup - Time Machine is awesome. It's saved my arse a few times.
Windows 'Dock' vs OS X Dock - This is a difficult one. Although the Mac dock is prettier, I think that the bar in Windows 7 is more functional than that in OS X, even combined with Exposé.
Compatibility - Windows, obviously.
Ease of use - Mac, obviously
Security - Mac wins here. It's much more 'set and forget'. It's not as vulnerable to viruses and all sorts of the shit on Windows. It doesn't get bogged down anywhere near as much as Windows.
Networking - It's fantastic on Windows 7 and OS X is lagging behind quite a bit here.

So to sum up the software. Although I prefer Mac OS X for the simpler things, I think that Windows 7 is the better overall experience. For somebody like myself who needs to use specialist pieces of software and the Office Suite, I need Windows. I couldn't work without Windows, whereas I can without OS X. One thing s for sure, Windows 7 has defiantly closed the gap and has arguably pushed its nose in front of OS X.

I don't mean to be shitting on OS X here, I really enjoy using it, I just don't think that it really matters what you use anymore. Mac has the advantage because it can run both Windows and OS X, so there is really no reason for me to consider not buying a Mac as my next computer. The best of both worlds...

I have already recommended a Mac to family and friends, so I've defiantly got the bug. :lol



I used to have this problem.

Reset Safari.

Aso, in preferences set the 'open new tabs with' option to your home page. Try and get away from using the dumb 'Top Sites' feature, that is one of the main culprits for slowing things down imo.

Google Chrome is progressing nicely, it has lots of potential but its not quite good enough to use as a main browser yet.

Cool impressions, thanks.

Out of curiosity, what makes Finder so crap? I hear this a lot, and it's not like I love it or anything, but what are people doing in Explorer that makes it great, or what are people trying to do in Finder that they find so mindblowingly impossible or annoying?

For the record, I exclusively use column view, and basically only use the finder to, well, find something. I personally use spotlight a lot more. I'm not sure when the last time I even looked in the application folder for running an app.

The Windows 7 'dock' looks very functional, but you have to remember, that the OS X dock has been more or less like how it is for the past few iterations (I got in on 10.3). Try imagining using the dock 5 years ago.

 

[Kad5]

I used to have this problem.

Reset Safari.

Aso, in preferences set the 'open new tabs with' option to your home page. Try and get away from using the dumb 'Top Sites' feature, that is one of the main culprits for slowing things down imo.

Thanks this helped out alot!

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Out of curiosity, what makes Finder so crap? I hear this a lot, and it's not like I love it or anything, but what are people doing in Explorer that makes it great, or what are people trying to do in Finder that they find so mindblowingly impossible or annoying?

I don't get it either. They're both equally inadequate and have almost the same features. No matter what you're going to be opening multiple windows and going through more steps to do something than you think you should.

 

[liquid_gears]

The problem is when you try and explain all of these awesome things to someone and they just dismiss you as being a fanboy.

To most of the Internet, a computer is only the numbers in the tech specs and the price vs performance ratio.

I used to be one of those guys, so I understand both points. People just have to give it a try and be more open minded. 90% of people (including myself) have over-powered machines, so the days of comparing the latest graphics card model numbers and other equally stupid shit is long gone. The only people that should be allowed to do this are gamers and other people who genuinely use the full power of their computer. For the rest of us, functionality beats technical superiority any day.

The trouble is in explaining the premium price of Apple products, the unibody, magsafe adapter, backlight, keyboard, sexiness etc don't sound like 'big' features on paper, but they really do make a huge difference to how you use the computer. Most people say that they don't really care about these features, but they really appreciate them once they have used them.

Cool impressions, thanks.

Out of curiosity, what makes Finder so crap? I hear this a lot, and it's not like I love it or anything, but what are people doing in Explorer that makes it great, or what are people trying to do in Finder that they find so mindblowingly impossible or annoying?

For the record, I exclusively use column view, and basically only use the finder to, well, find something. I personally use spotlight a lot more. I'm not sure when the last time I even looked in the application folder for running an app.

The Windows 7 'dock' looks very functional, but you have to remember, that the OS X dock has been more or less like how it is for the past few iterations (I got in on 10.3). Try imagining using the dock 5 years ago.

I'm still coming to terms with using spotlight more than the file manager, but I'm getting there.

With Finder, other computers on my network sometimes decide to appear automatically, and other times they don't. On Windows everything on my network appears automatically and drives can be 'mapped' so that they are always available. In Finder, I have to manually connect to some machines, which is a chore. (I realise that this probably isn't Finders fault, but it just makes me hate it even more). The lack of a 'right click -> 'New Document' option drives me crazy. In explorer, windows can be resized from any point, not just in the bottom corner. The 'size' column in Finder is often broken. It's difficult to arrange files in the way that I want to. I can't delete individual items out of the trash. I can't permanently delete individual items from Finder.

File Managers are outdated anyway, I'm slowly learning to use Spotlight more and more, instead of Finder. A few of my problems are probably just a lack of experience, but I just despise using it.

 

[Weapxn]

Should I have a Virus Scanner installed? If so, any recommendations?

 

[The_Inquisitor]

Should I have a Virus Scanner installed? If so, any recommendations?

Not really but I have one installed anyways for emergencies. You should go with the mac port of clamav.

 

[mrkgoo]

I used to be one of those guys, so I understand both points. People just have to give it a try and be more open minded. 90% of people (including myself) have over-powered machines, so the days of comparing the latest graphics card model numbers and other equally stupid shit is long gone. The only people that should be allowed to do this are gamers and other people who genuinely use the full power of their computer. For the rest of us, functionality beats technical superiority any day.

The trouble is in explaining the premium price of Apple products, the unibody, magsafe adapter, backlight, keyboard, sexiness etc don't sound like 'big' features on paper, but they really do make a huge difference to how you use the computer. Most people say that they don't really care about these features, but they really appreciate them once they have used them.



I'm still coming to terms with using spotlight more than the file manager, but I'm getting there.

With Finder, other computers on my network sometimes decide to appear automatically, and other times they don't. On Windows everything on my network appears automatically and drives can be 'mapped' so that they are always available. In Finder, I have to manually connect to some machines, which is a chore. (I realise that this probably isn't Finders fault, but it just makes me hate it even more). The lack of a 'right click -> 'New Document' option drives me crazy. In explorer, windows can be resized from any point, not just in the bottom corner. The 'size' column in Finder is often broken. It's difficult to arrange files in the way that I want to. I can't delete individual items out of the trash. I can't permanently delete individual items from Finder.

File Managers are outdated anyway, I'm slowly learning to use Spotlight more and more, instead of Finder. A few of my problems are probably just a lack of experience, but I just despise using it.

Ah I see what you mean.

I've grown out of file management. iTunes handles my media, iPhoto handles my photos. I trow documents in a folder heirarchy, but that's about it.

The only things I really use finder for are really just putting files in a particular place. I don't need to arrange things specifically in a folder. I don't do much networking, so I guess idont run into many problems.

I actually find finder adequate for basic stuff which is all I need it for. I exclusively use column view. Icon view seems so archaic to me now.

On windows, I used to go right click -> new text to write a note, but now I just stick TextEdit intothe dock an click that.

I think in mac osx you can customize the right click with services, sk maybe you can do something about that.

 

[Boards of Canada]

Should I have a Virus Scanner installed? If so, any recommendations?

Only real reason to have one installed is if you receive executables for Windows and you share them with other Windows users.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

I used to be one of those guys, so I understand both points. People just have to give it a try and be more open minded. 90% of people (including myself) have over-powered machines, so the days of comparing the latest graphics card model numbers and other equally stupid shit is long gone. The only people that should be allowed to do this are gamers and other people who genuinely use the full power of their computer. For the rest of us, functionality beats technical superiority any day.

The trouble is in explaining the premium price of Apple products, the unibody, magsafe adapter, backlight, keyboard, sexiness etc don't sound like 'big' features on paper, but they really do make a huge difference to how you use the computer. Most people say that they don't really care about these features, but they really appreciate them once they have used them.



I'm still coming to terms with using spotlight more than the file manager, but I'm getting there.

With Finder, other computers on my network sometimes decide to appear automatically, and other times they don't. On Windows everything on my network appears automatically and drives can be 'mapped' so that they are always available. In Finder, I have to manually connect to some machines, which is a chore. (I realise that this probably isn't Finders fault, but it just makes me hate it even more). The lack of a 'right click -> 'New Document' option drives me crazy. In explorer, windows can be resized from any point, not just in the bottom corner. The 'size' column in Finder is often broken. It's difficult to arrange files in the way that I want to. I can't delete individual items out of the trash. I can't permanently delete individual items from Finder.

File Managers are outdated anyway, I'm slowly learning to use Spotlight more and more, instead of Finder. A few of my problems are probably just a lack of experience, but I just despise using it.

If that's the case then why not just use search on windows? I agree the formatting is nicer if you search from the start menu but other than that it winds up equating to the same thing. Same amount of keystrokes too. Actually you can search both ways in one stroke.

 

[koam]

I'm a mac fanboy again now? :lol What's the audio cable you're talking about? Is it something to convert toslink or something?

To get digital sound + hdmi video you need this + an hdmi cable:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10428&cs_id=1042802&p_id=5969&seq=1&format=2

Or this:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10428&cs_id=1042802&p_id=6331&seq=1&format=2

 

[MemoryofMaggot]

I've been wanting to customize my mac for a while, and basically want my dock to look like above. I've gotten Candybar (purchased, actually), and I BELIEVE i have the right icon set. (Blob Noir?) But when I import the icon collection and tell CB to "Use these icons", nothing gets changed, which forces me to change each icon manually.

Fine. I try to do that, and as it turns out, I have icons on my desktop that aren't even in the actual icon set. (Google Chrome, Pro Tools, Limewire, Adium, etc.)

Can anyone help me out with getting all of the new icons to replace the old ones? Or point me to another Icon set similar to Noir Blob?

thanks

 

[The_Inquisitor]

Hey Mac GAF. If you noticed your HDD is somehow quite full but dont know why I suggest downloading OmniDiscSweep. I literally just cleared 25 GB's off of old files I didn't need. I uninstalled WoW a few years ago, but didnt realize blizzard puts 6.5 gb's worth of files in the shared folder. That's now gone.

 

[btkadams]

hey guys, i'm having problems with my macbook slate.


but seriously, my macbook pro has been having issues. lately, i boot it up and it never reaches the apple logo, it just stalls forever. so then i have to hold the power button and turn it off. then i boot it again and it works. what could be causing this? this happens everyday.

 

[liquid_gears]

OK, a couple of questions:

How do I change the language to British English? This one is annoying and there is no option for it. Also, if I do change the default language, I assume that applications such as Office would recognise and use it.

The input source is selected to British, but there is only one language option for 'English'. Is the Language linked to the dictionary, because there is only the Oxford American English Dictionary available, no British version, so is there anyway to change this too?

I just want a British English language option and a British dictionary available.

Secondly, how is Windows 7 running on peoples MBP (to those who have it installed) on Boot Camp? I get the BSOD (literally) every 10 minutes. I expect it to run hotter and have less battery life, but something isn't right here. I've researched the problem and it appears that the Apple_HFS driver is causing the problem, but even when I rename (effectively disabling) this driver, I have the same issue with the constant BSOD. I had Windows 7 installed before the Boot Camp 3.1 driver came out and I have since updated (the problem persists). Is it worth a fresh install?

Also, for simple tasks, would it be worth using Parallels/VMware? Does anybody use this and of so, what are your impressions?

Thanks

 

[mrkgoo]

OK, a couple of questions:

How do I change the language to British English? This one is annoying and there is no option for it. Also, if I do change the default language, I assume that applications such as Office would recognise and use it.

The input source is selected to British, but there is only one language option for 'English'. Is the Language linked to the dictionary, because there is only the Oxford American English Dictionary available, no British version, so is there anyway to change this too?

I just want a British English language option and a British dictionary available.

Secondly, how is Windows 7 running on peoples MBP (to those who have it installed) on Boot Camp? I get the BSOD (literally) every 10 minutes. I expect it to run hotter and have less battery life, but something isn't right here. I've researched the problem and it appears that the Apple_HFS driver is causing the problem, but even when I rename (effectively disabling) this driver, I have the same issue with the constant BSOD. I had Windows 7 installed before the Boot Camp 3.1 driver came out and I have since updated (the problem persists). Is it worth a fresh install?

Also, for simple tasks, would it be worth using Parallels/VMware? Does anybody use this and of so, what are your impressions?

Thanks

There's only the American English dictionary built in, I think. And officen operates independently - it has its own dictionary an spell check.

 

[Jet Grind Radio!]

hey guys, i'm having problems with my macbook slate.


but seriously, my macbook pro has been having issues. lately, i boot it up and it never reaches the apple logo, it just stalls forever. so then i have to hold the power button and turn it off. then i boot it again and it works. what could be causing this? this happens everyday.

Are you noticing anything funny happening when OSX is running? Like it taking a long time to load programs? Maybe try to repair the disc, with Disc Utility.

 

[Particle Physicist]

hey guys, i'm having problems with my macbook slate.


but seriously, my macbook pro has been having issues. lately, i boot it up and it never reaches the apple logo, it just stalls forever. so then i have to hold the power button and turn it off. then i boot it again and it works. what could be causing this? this happens everyday.

My girlfriend was having strange issues like that. I did a repair disk (You have to boot from the OS X disk in order to do this), and then I used Onyx, and ran the various Maintenance options (Permissions, Scripts, Rebuilds). That seemed to do the trick. Fixed everything up like new.

 

[mrkgoo]

My girlfriend was having strange issues like that. I did a repair disk (You have to boot from the OS X disk in order to do this), and then I used Onyx, and ran the various Maintenance options (Permissions, Scripts, Rebuilds). That seemed to do the trick. Fixed everything up like new.

If you do this and you use Time Machine, don't forget to restart. Time Machine has a bug that if you do a repair disk (not permissions), that it then says it's backing up, but doesn't.

 

[btkadams]

Are you noticing anything funny happening when OSX is running? Like it taking a long time to load programs? Maybe try to repair the disc, with Disc Utility.

My girlfriend was having strange issues like that. I did a repair disk (You have to boot from the OS X disk in order to do this), and then I used Onyx, and ran the various Maintenance options (Permissions, Scripts, Rebuilds). That seemed to do the trick. Fixed everything up like new.

uh oh... did a verify disk in disk utility.

"Invalid volume file count
(it should be 647235 instead of 647242)
Invalid directory count
(it should be 167959 instead of 167952)
The volume Macintosh HD was found corrupt and needs to be repaired."

I'm clearing off an external right now to put a fresh back up on it. can i do the repair thing without fear of bricking the drive? or should i back up before i do the repair.

 

[Particle Physicist]

I'm not sure, but I would backup just in case. Better safe than sorry. I seriously doubt you will brick the drive though.

 

[btkadams]

I'm not sure, but I would backup just in case. Better safe than sorry. I seriously doubt you will brick the drive though.

what causes this problem? is it not an incoming hard drive failure? is this just indexing thats a little messed but can be fixed?

i always kinda assumed that having to "repair a disk" means that the drive is pretty much done.

not trying to sound rude btw, i honestly have no idea.

 

[mrkgoo]

what causes this problem? is it not an incoming hard drive failure? is this just indexing thats a little messed but can be fixed?

i always kinda assumed that having to "repair a disk" means that the drive is pretty much done.

not trying to sound rude btw, i honestly have no idea.

Make sure to restart after doing a verify disk. For some reason verify disk makes time machine think it's doing backups when it's not.

Then again, a restart could mess with your HD.

Oh noes.

 

[btkadams]

Make sure to restart after doing a verify disk. For some reason verify disk makes time machine think it's doing backups when it's not.

Then again, a restart could mess with your HD.

Oh noes.

i dont use time machine, im just gonna use ccc to make a backup, but thanks for the advice! others who use time machine should be aware of that problem, that sounds messed.

 

[mrkgoo]

i dont use time machine, im just gonna use ccc to make a backup, but thanks for the advice! others who use time machine should be aware of that problem, that sounds messed.

Cool. Just didn't want you potentially messing things up.

 

[Jal]

OK, a couple of questions:

How do I change the language to British English? This one is annoying and there is no option for it. Also, if I do change the default language, I assume that applications such as Office would recognise and use it.

The input source is selected to British, but there is only one language option for 'English'. Is the Language linked to the dictionary, because there is only the Oxford American English Dictionary available, no British version, so is there anyway to change this too?

I just want a British English language option and a British dictionary available.

Go into Language and text in sys pref, edit list, tick British English, make sure you drag it to the top of the list. Im not sure you can change the dictionary.

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

OK, a couple of questions:

How do I change the language to British English? This one is annoying and there is no option for it.

Look under preferences -> international. You can switch back & forth between multiple languages by clicking on the flag at the top of the screen once you've set them. (Making simpler keyboard shortcuts for this is my #1 Mac OS wish).

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

The only way to get hdmi out and digital audio out on a macbook is through a special cable that costs $38 or $49 on monoprice depending on which model you get.

Uhh...

Erm...

Out of curiosity, what makes Finder so crap? I hear this a lot, and it's not like I love it or anything, but what are people doing in Explorer that makes it great, or what are people trying to do in Finder that they find so mindblowingly impossible or annoying?

It's not bad. It's just that it's not as crafted, polished, or intuitive as most other things in OS X (IMO). There should be an easier way to do many things in it. I could list but I'm not sure if you're all that interested.

 

[btkadams]

success! i have myself a bootable clone and the repair disc feature worked.

BUT it still is doing the thing where i have to boot up twice.. incoming drive failure?

 

[NJ Shlice]

How can I change where it says "administrator." I don't like that, I'd like it to say something else.

 

[Mecha_Infantry]

Is your real name administrator?

 

[btkadams]

How can I change where it says "administrator." I don't like that, I'd like it to say something else.

http://i50.tinypic.com/fylvv8.png[IMG][/QUOTE]
mine says my first name. is your main username not your name?

 

[NJ Shlice]

Is your real name administrator?

Nope

Bought the computer off someone else.

 

[abq]

How can I change where it says "administrator." I don't like that, I'd like it to say something else.

http://i50.tinypic.com/fylvv8.png

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1428

 

[xrich]

just picked up a WD black for my MBP. wats the preferred method of copying my harddrive content over? easiest, fastest way of basically copying my HD onto my new one?

not sure if i should use time machine or look up what CCC does

 

[btkadams]

just picked up a WD black for my MBP. wats the preferred method of copying my harddrive content over? easiest, fastest way of basically copying my HD onto my new one?

not sure if i should use time machine or look up what CCC does

use Carbon Copy Cloner.

 

[xrich]

use Carbon Copy Cloner.

any complications with the fact that i have a bootcamp partition and am upgrading harddrive size? i want bootcamp to still be on it as well

 

[Massa]

Nope

Bought the computer off someone else.

I'd recommend doing a fresh install in that case.

 

[btkadams]

any complications with the fact that i have a bootcamp partition and am upgrading harddrive size? i want bootcamp to still be on it as well

i dont have a bootcamp partition so i can't help you there. but i used ccc to switch from my 200gb internal to a 500gb so size upgrades are totally appropriate.

 

[alterno69]

So i installed bootcamp, how do i go from Mac os to windows, and what button do i press to chose what os to boot before it booting Mac os by default?

 

[Jasoco]

I'd recommend doing a fresh install in that case.

This. The first thing I do out of habit whenever I get a used computer, after looking around for any files or programs I might want to keep, is reformat and reinstall the latest OS it can take.

 

[Flo_Evans]

So i installed bootcamp, how do i go from Mac os to windows, and what button do i press to chose what os to boot before it booting Mac os by default?

hold down option when its booting up.

 

[btkadams]

what versions of windows is the latest boot camp compatible with?

 

[alterno69]

I installed windows 7 and the performance is not what i expected, any drivers i should look for?

 

[nightez]

Lots of people are going to suggest lots of great programs, but there's one I've never actually seen mentioned here before, and the Aqua interface haters will LOVE this:

I just found this puppy this weekend: http://magnifiqueapp.com/

What is it? Well, it's a theming app. And before Liu Kang comes in here screaming about how awful most custom themes are (and they are), I will point you to a little theme within this app called iTunesque. Apply that, restart your Finder, and voila:



No more ugly Aqua interface! There may have been other hacks or ways to do this, but this is a system wide change, and I have yet to run into an application where the skin doesn't get borked. And it uninstalls with one click, so if you need to go back, it's no problem.

All it changes are the scroll bars?

 

[The_Inquisitor]

I installed windows 7 and the performance is not what i expected, any drivers i should look for?

Did you install the ones off the disc and then update to the latest version of bootcamp?

Otherwise head to ati/nvidia's website and update your graphics driver. If you are using a mobility version and have ati like me you can use mobility modder to trick the catalyst drive into installing.

 

[nightez]

For those looking for a Media Player that can play anything you throw at it (Quicktime doesn't). You should have a look at Mplayer OSX Extended. It super fast too, its the only program that can play HD video on an outdated G4 computer. The Mac version of VLC could be discontinued in the future. Mplayer is the only way forward.

Quicktime also has to process WMV files before it can play them. This plays them immediately.

http://mplayerosx.sttz.ch/

 

[Jasoco]

Disagree. I am a huge fan of Movist. It plays anything VLC plays and anything QuickTime plays and allows you to choose which codec to play it with. (Hint, QuickTime is slow. No surprise.)

VLC may die, but Movist rocks. It floats my boat.

 

[hirokazu]

1. My Time Machine on this iMac (Late 2006) stopped backing up automatically several months ago. I can get it to back up fine if I manually click Back up now, otherwise when the next scheduled backup time comes and passes, it does nothing except change the next scheduled backup time to some time later. The Time Machine drive is connected to the AirPort Extreme. There is a MacBook (Early 2006) configured to back up to the same drive which does it with no problem. WHY?

2. iMac (Late 2009), I switched on Internet Sharing from Ethernet to AirPort yesterday and it worked fine. Today, there was no arrow on the Airport menubar icon, it wasn't sharing, but otherwise it was normal. If I try to switch on Internet Sharing to AirPort, the arrow never shows up, Console log says the AirPort thing exited with code 1, and will be restarted by launchd in 10 seconds, so something seems to have crashed. This message is logged to Console indefinitely every 10 seconds, so it continues to crash as soon as it's respawned. I also cannot create an ad-hoc Computer-to-Computer network on this computer, same problem. AirPort debug log seems to show it fails to assign BSSID to a channel in order to become the AirPort server for others to connect to.

Search of the Internet shows a lot of people had this problem with Snow Leopard, some were fixed when updating to 10.6.2 or AirPort Client Update 2009-002. The computer came preinstalled with 10.6.2 and the AirPort update was downloaded and installed last week when setting up the computer out of the box. Tried all manner of possible fixes apart from downright reinstalling the whole OS since it was set up in a work environment, nothing works. WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?

As far as I know, this is a nasty bug that Apple hasn't been able to fix since Snow Leopard came out. Fucking ridiculous.