PAST MEETINGS

December 1, 2014 - Hammondsport Mac Users Group

ATTENDING : Tom B, Bob S, John M, Dotti E, Al J, Carl H and Larry T.

TOPIC : TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR MAC

SOME ISSUES SHARED BY MAC USERS AT THE MEETING

My internet connection drops off repeatedly and my iMac seems slow with lots of spinning beach balls of death.

SOLUTION - - - read article 'Why is my Mac running so slow?' Also maybe try different DNS Numbers - try using free public DNS numbers which meet all the standards - these can be changed in System Prefs>Network> Wifi or Ethernet tabs > advanced - read how and why at MacHighway.com

Do I need anti-virus software on my Mac?

SOLUTION - - - here is the most refreshing answer we have found (from Gary at MacMost.com)

I hate the constant pop-up ads when I browse the internet or try to read an article on-line.

SOLUTION - - - Try installing the free Adblock for Safari and Adblock Plus for Firefox - these browser extensions let you zap pop-up ads so they will not come back.

I am getting more confused by all the syncing going on between my iPad, iPhone, Mac and iCloud.

SOLUTION - - - watch How to Use iCloud - also read about Continuity Activation Tool which enables Handoff on Older Macs at MacRumors

Something called MacKeeper keeps telling me I have thousands of malware problems on my Mac.

SOLUTION - - - avoid MacKeeper - discussion on Apple forum - read how to uninstall MacKeeper - read updated article about issues created by MacKeeper such as slow mac.

Apple TV remote keeps activating my Mac's iTunes app and plays music without any input from me.

SOLUTION - - - disable your Mac's infrared receiver - read how

How can I edit my website's html files and then upload them to my website host ?

SOLUTION - - - use free TextWrangler to make editing changes to html files; then use Cyberduck (free FTP application) to upload the edited files to your websites (see John's site )

I cannot locate my Contacts in Yahoo Mail since they revised the format.

SOLUTION - - - the Contacts icon is located on the left just below the words 'Yahoo Mail'

Is there an easy way to copy all the e-mail addresses in my Address Book on my Mac to my Yahoo Mail or Gmail account?

SOLUTION - - - yes - open your Address Book, select a Group, go to File>Export vCard - then import the vCard into your Yahoo or Gmail contacts - see how-to steps

Is there a way to use my older printer with the latest OSX Yosemite?

SOLUTION - - - check on the manufacturer's website support page for possible updated drivers for Mac OS 10.10 - another solution might be to plug the older USB printer into an Apple Airport Base Station to share wirelssly with household computers; (Tom uses an ancient 2001 HP Deskjet 940c Printer plugged into the USB port of an Airport Exreme Base Station (model A1034) and it works fine wirelessly with a 2010 MBPro running Yosemite (use gutenprint v5.2.9 driver for 10.6.8 to 10.10 Yosemite)

SOME GOOD WEBSITES FOR TROUBLESHOOTING

Mac Basics 101 - find any topic on this Apple site

PC to Mac - The Basics - help for the person who has recently switched from PC to Mac

MacMost Videos - great resource of short videos (5-6 min each) by Gary Rosenzweig - some examples:

- - - 15 Useful Pages at Apple.com You Might Not Know About

- - - Translate.Google.com - translate phrases into different languages (similar to Babelfish)

- - - Private Browsing - why?

- - - Mission Control - how it helps on a crowded desktop

- - - Capturing the Screen - also use Grab utility

STARTUP KEY COMBOS - alternate ways to boot up your Intel-based Mac for various purposes (including CD, DVD, Apple Hardware Test, Zapping P-RAM, Verbose mode, Safe Boot, Single-User mode, Target Disk Mode and Recovery)

COOL FREE APPS

Todos - view and access all your apps in a single small window

TextWrangler - free HTML editor

Cyberduck - free FTP (File Transfer Protocol) app

Hammondsport Mac Users Group - Hammondsport, NY 14840 - www.hportmug.com