How To ..
How to ..
Get Better iPhone Battery Life
The achilles heel of the ever smaller form factor of iPhones is the battery. Storage of electricity has lagged behind the rest of mobile technology – we are waiting the big breakthrough that will mean all-week battery life: dream on!
By default everything is turned on when you get a…
Get Rid of Adware With Free Malwarebytes
Although we still don't have viruses on the Mac platform there are other nasties which can be acquired by simply clicking on the wrong website!
Fortunately there is good free anti-malware software called Malwarebytes which locates and cleans your computer.
Run it then install a free antivirus checker called Avast. This page explains how:
http://www.mrmacintosh.com.au/how-to/50-using-applications/103-clam-xav-virus-checker.html…
Rid Yourself of the Online Advertising Plague
It’s getting worse! Pop-up ads, ads scrolling across the screen, ads sliding in from the side – adverts everywhere. The purveyors of internet advertising are getting more adept at getting their wares in front of us despite our attempts to keep them at bay. This you may already have noticed……
Adding and Deleting User Accounts
The first time you started your Mac you would have created a User Accountand registered the computer. Usually it will be in your name or another name you have chosen, but you can have User Accounts for all the other people who will use the computer, kids, partners or friends.…
Finding Information About Your Mac
The Dock: Using It and Configuring It
Down at the bottom of the screen on your Mac is a sort of tray with icons for all the applications you use. It's called the Dock. You can re-arrange the icons by dragging them sideways into a new position and remove them by dragging them off high onto the…
The Finder Preferences
Finder is where you do all your file management and it's background is the Desktop where files generally accumulate until you file them away.
In the Finder menu you will find Preferences, as you do in all Application menus like iCal, the Address Book and iTunes. All these Applications (or programs)…
Checking for Viruses with Avast free Anti-Virus
Avast is a free virus scanner. It will ask you to buy 'extra security' or a VPN but this isn't obligatory and isn't necessary.
Although we still don't have any actual viruses on the Mac there is the occasional nasty out there and you might also have PC viruses in files that…
Changing Your Account Password When You've Forgotten It!
For 10.6 and earlier:
Locate the disks that came with the computer when you bought it. They are usually grey and the one you want will say something like "Mac OS X Install Disk 1" or similar. Pop it in the disk drive and restart the computer by going…
Read more: Changing Your Account Password When You've Forgotten It!
Parental Controls
Right-Clicking Explained
Macs have had a Right-Click option for ages but it's always been hidden and is to this day! If you have a recent iMac with a scrolling mouse or a Magic Mouse or Magic Mouse then Right-Click is available on these and any other 2-button USB mouse that is plugged into your Mac.
To…
Taking a Screen Shot
There are 3 ways to take a Screen Shot, that is taking a picture of all or part of what is visible on screen and they all use the keyboard, Key Commands.
1. Capturing the Entire Screen: hold down the keys Command+Shift and then while holding them hit 3.
A picture of the entire…
Using Onyx to Tune Up Your Mac
Giving your trusty Mac a monthly or bi-monthly tune up is a good idea. If you combine this with a virus check (see http://www.mrmacintosh.com.au/how-to-/48-bits-and-pieces-of-useful-information/91-chercking-for-viruses.html) and perform both procedures together you are giving your Mac a good chance of a long and happy life.
First download and…
Buying a New Mac
When you buy a new Mac computer you are getting the best that personal computing has to offer in your base purchase price, but there are a few extras that aren't included and are pretty well essential in my opinion.
The first thing is Extended Warranty, taking the parts warranty…
Buying a Second Hand Mac
I have a service which is a monthly Second Hand Mail Out where anyone selling pre-loved Macs and related things can list them for free. Subscribe to the monthly Newsletter to receive them both into your Inbox.
When buying a second hand Mac care should be taken as with buying…
iPhones and iCloud
In the 7 years or so since the iPhone was launched it has changed our lives for ever. Can you now imagine going about your everyday life without a smartphone?
Having all your Contacts with you all the time; having your Calendarnot written on bits of paper or a physical…
iTunes and the Apple Store
Assorted Kinds Broadband of Explained
Browsers: Safari, Firefox and the Rest
To surf the World Wide Web we use a 'browser' to 'browse' the pages — a bit of Library jargon surely! All Macs come with a pre-installed copy of Safari, Apple's browser but there are plenty of other contenders. Occasionally a particular website won't load properly in Safari and then…
Downloading and Installing Files
Email Using Apple Mail
As with browsers there are many applications for checking your email, but I will concentrate on the main email client Apple's Mail that comes on all Macs. Mail uses the Contatcs application as it's addrerss book and that syncs with your iPhone, an important consideration.
Any other email clients like Thunderbirdor…
Backing up and Using Time Machine
It Starts But Runs Really Badly...
Do you get the multi-coloured 'spinning wheel of death' regularly? Is the whole thing running slowly? Does it take forever to open webpages or to open any file at all? These are symptoms of an unhappy computer, the cause can be various things.
The first thing to do is some…
It Starts Up But Has a Question Mark Instead of the Desktop!
The question mark means Where is the Operating System? If the computer boots and the hard drive has problems you will get this symbol and it usually but not always means a physical problem with your hard drive. First thing to do is follow the procedure in the previous page It…
Read more: It Starts Up But Has a Question Mark Instead of the Desktop!
It Won't Start Up!
If you press the start button on the computer and nothing happens at all then, Huston, we have a problem!
Check that all the cables are pressed in correctly make sure that you have mains power at the socket you are using by plugging something else into it to test it…
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