how to

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How To Find It

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Trying to find something you wrote or something you filed? Several simple solutions are at your side, just see which applies for your particular needs.
          When you click on Finder (the smiling face icon) in your Dock notice that under Devices and Places there’s a triangle next to Search For. Click under Today, Yesterday, or Past Week.
          When the window comes up notice that the tool bar gives 4 choices:(Double click to enlarge.)
First one, left to right: items come up as icons which you can rearrange.

The second choice is List view. Here you can click Date Modified and things arrange from first to last, or last to first date. Click on Name and they come up in alphabetical order, either A to Z or Z to A.
The third view shows Columns and expands to the right side as you open something from one folder to another. Note the two short lines. Double click to expand the width of the open column.

The fourth choice of View opens Cover Flow. Try it out and see what comes up!
Then click on Action and note your options here. Could be useful, yes?
          Go to the Menu Bar at the top of your screen. Under File find Label. There are 7 colors and X which reverts back to no color at all. You could assign a certain color for documents or a folders. Here you invent a system to help find things.

          You can also do Command + space bar to quickly open the Spotlight for Search. A few key words will help you automatically find that document, email, or folder you want.
          To find a word inside a document do Command + F and type in the word. It will be highlighted throughout the document you have open.
          With your Mac you can find things!
Let us know how you’re exploring and discovering new short-cuts and tips. This is how we all help make PMUG an interesting and helpful organization.
Be sure to bookmark the PMUG site, http://www.pmug.us/index.html
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to our news blog which is frequently updated:  http://pmugnews.blogspot.com/

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Finding a PMUG Writer

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You’ve found this blog and are informed and entertained by reading it. You’ve noticed quotes from De Prez Allen Laudenslager and others. In fact, you just read something sent to us from John Carter yesterday. You can find all the other information a particular person has sent. Go to the top of this Home page, fill in the little search box with a name and let the Blogspot do the finding for you. Other contributors include Art Gorski, David Passell, Roger Lakner, De Former Prez Jim Hamm and Bill Williamson.  

If you subscribe to Google Alert you can also be notified when one of your favorite writers has something posted here or elsewhere on the Internet. Go to Google Home Page, under More, and then Even More.  Click on Alerts and sign up for the person or topic of your choice.  You'll get notified by email. Nifty!

Glad To See It Solved

Another happy report of a PMUG member helping solve somebody's problem.  This time it's John Carter to the rescue.  He details the success, "I met with (prospective new member) this morning and we determined what all she needed to do to be able to edit the videos that she took with the Sony camcorder which records movies to a 3"(?) mini-disk.

Simple.
1. Use a PC to copy the VOB files (.vob) from the mini-disks to an external hard drive (or connect an external DVD player directly to the Mac - the player will play the mini-disks and the Mac can see the content like any external drive).
2. Connect the external hard drive to the Mac (if an external DVD player wasn't used).
3. Download and install the mpeg-2 codec ($19.99 + tax) from Apple Store to be able to view the VOB files using MPEG Streamclip.
4. MPEG Streamclip can then export the VOB files to a .dv format (or other appropriate format).
5. Import the converted files into iMovie and edit.

"I tried to use Quicktime Player 7 to view the VOBs, but it stop reading the files when it encountered the first time gap. MPEG Streamclip recognizes the time gaps and allows you to fix them, thereafter playing the entire set of VOBs.

"Quicktime Player 10 (for Snow Leopard only) will not recognize the VOBs even with the mpeg-2 codec installed, so for those Snow Leopard users, keep your Quicktime Player 7 installed."

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Flash Player Problem -- Solved!

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     This just in from John Carter: If anyone finds that they are unable to view the videos at http://tv.adobe.com, you're not alone. That problem has been discovered recently by several Mac users.
Viewing a Flash Player video at other sites, even other Adobe sites, is, for the most part, okay (with some notable exceptions).
     If anyone out there can see the videos at tv.adobe.com, please DON'T UPDATE ANYTHING! Notify John Carter immediately and give him an opportunity to figure out why your machine works and others don't.
     And now.....the rest of the story.  Problem solved!
     John found the problem with his Mac that prevented him from seeing the videos at http://tv.video.com. It turned out to be a file in ~/Library/Preferences. Troubleshooting this problem took the better part of a whole day.
     The problem was first isolated by logging in as another user. The problem was not there with the other user. So this meant that the problem had to be associated with one or more files in ~/Library/Preferences of his own login environment. It turned out to be a file associated with Macromedia. By removing the folder ~/Library/Preferences/Macromedia and logging out and back in, the problem went away.
     When a file or folder is removed from ~/Library/Preferences, the application that used one or more of the files removed will recreate the files with default preferences information.
      Thanks, John for your persistence in working the problem through and sharing with the rest of us.  (It is sort of over my head.)

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Google Remembers You

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     Following up on PMUG blog posting of 10-24-09, “Do You Value Your Privacy?” here’s more.
     Read this article from Google on how to clear your address bar history, your toolbar history, and your search box history.
     This entry details how to delete your web history. You can also choose to stop your web history from being recorded in the future.
     Also, remember you can go to Safari and click to Clear History.
     Did you follow up on the suggestions from 10-24? You can delete Web History, Clear History, and delete Cookies.

Getting Mac Help

Need technical help with your Mac? John Carter to the rescue!  Here's his report.
"There are a number of ways to get help right in the comfort of your home. The three methods described here are Skype, Crossloop, and GoToAssist®Express.

Skype has a screen sharing mode. This allows others to see your screen, but they have no direct access to your Mac. Skype is free, but requires that you establish a Skype account. Skype screen sharing works with both Mac and Windows. With Skype, the two users are connected in audio/visual mode with just the one application. Using screen sharing with Skype incurs a noticeable and somewhat uncomfortable video time lag between users.

Crossloop is an application for both technical support people and end users (hire an expert or connect with a friend). Crossloop allows both screen sharing and access to your Mac. This application must be installed on each computer that is to use this feature, and there is a free version (comes with ads). This also requires both users to have an account with Crossloop. Crossloop works with Intel Mac (not PPC) and Windows. With Crossloop, the users must use a phone for audio connection. Connecting with a friend or expert is by invitation only. When the session is ended, the connection is lost. Using Crossloop incurs a noticeable and somewhat uncomfortable video time lag between users.

GoToAssist®Express is an application for tech support people for servicing clients. GoToAssist®Express allows both screen sharing and access to your Mac as a "guest" with the tech support person as the "host". This method installs a very small application on your Mac (the "guest") at the time of the session and the application may be removed when the session is over. This method does not require an account for the "guest", but the "host" (the tech support person) has to install an application on their Mac (Intel or PPC) or Windows machine. Using GoToAssist®Express incurs a reasonable monthly or daily fee to the "host" or technical support person. Usage by the "guest" is free and by invitation only from a "host", and this means that you, the guest, must first request technical support from a tech who has GoToAssist®Express. GoToAssist®Express works with both Mac and Windows. With GoToAssist®Express, the host and guest must use a phone for audio connection. There is minimal video time lag between users.

The video "time lag" experience can best be explained this way. When the "host" moves the mouse cursor across the "guest" screen, the guest mouse cursor will lag the host mouse cursor. If the time lag is long (resulting in jerky motions of the guest mouse cursor), the experience is not very pleasing to the host user. The amount of time lag experienced is also dependent on the connection speed of each user.

John tells us that his personal experience is that GoToAssist®Express works flawlessly and in near real time (minimal video time lag) and has the least impact on the client. John noticed that when using Crossloop, "Chicken of the VNC" was also launched on his Mac (that application creates a secure connection between two computers). GoToAssist®Express is John's preference for providing online technical support.

Clean That Drive

Reminding us again,  David Passell offers this tip today.  "If you are having trouble reading CDs on your Super Drive (particularly on the Mini) get out that cleaning disk. I recently tried to read a CD with old programs on it, and the drive was either ejecting it or mounting it as a recordable .fbpf disk After I put in the cleaning disk everything worked fine. I find I have to do that every two months or so. I made a previous entry on this over a year ago."

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Help for Switchers

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A detailed article with help for those switching over to Mac is referred to us by Jim Hamm.  He calls it an "excellent summary on what to do to make the switch as easy as possible."  The blog writer, David Alison, switched two years ago.  Review his tips, then scroll down and see what other interesting information he gives.  The entry about batteries is a good reminder.

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Suggested Remedies for DVD Problem

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Three of our PMUG members have responded to the earlier post today, "Transfer Video to DVD."

Bill Williamson asks, "Have you tried MPEG Streamclip? It's freeware and converts almost anything to anything and can be downloaded from the web."

John Carter offers, "I can certainly help with this. I am a volunteer with the Prescott Library and I do Mac mentoring there. I have had similar problems with my video camera. I believe that converting the video files can be done with Final Cut Express, and there are plenty of other applications that can do the job as well, and some of them are Windows based - I have a few of those applications. Email = John Carter

David Passell explains his remedy, "Hello Arti: Welcome to Prescott, and I hope you will be able to become a member of the Prescott Macintosh User's Group. I see two ways in which you can get your video content into the Mac.

1.  Get an external DVD drive with a drawer rather than a slot. You may be able to find a used one. It should accept the mini-DVD. It must have a USB or Firewire port and be compatible with Mac. The .vob, .ifb, and .bup are files commonly found in all DVDs for home and commercial use.

You shouldn't need a ripper for your non-commercial recordings from the Handy Cam. Rippers are a quasi-legal way to duplicate commercial DVD movies with copy protection schemes. (As an aside, you may have noticed that a DVD player cannot play a movie properly through the input connections of a VHS or another DVD recorder.)

With a drive that doesn't "choke" on the mini-DVD  you should be able to read it with the Apple DVD Viewer or the more versatile VLC viewer. You can use the Apple Disk Utility to burn a direct copy or create a disk image from which you can burn full size DVDs.   I have  done acceptable DVDs by just copying a .vob file to a blank DVD. You have to experiment. It is unlikely that any of the mini-DVD files are larger than the 4.7GB capacity of the full size DVD. You don't want to put .mpeg or .avi on the DVDs you give to the veterans, if they are to be played on standard DVD players. You want the same DVD format as you would find on a DVD Movie (less the copy protection).

2. The second method is klunky and slow: If the Handy Cam has the usual video and sound "RCA" output jacks (so you can cable them to the external line inputs of a TV or VCR), then you can obtain a device which accepts these outputs and digitizes them to a form that you can view on your computer with the Quick Time Player. The "Elgato" is one such device. If you have QuickTime player 7 (Snow Leopard) or QuickTime player pro ($29.95) you can  Select File > new movie recording. You then will have to play back your recording from the Handy Cam to create the file you can duplicate to another DVD. I have one ADVC110 (which I don't think is any longer made) through which I have copied full length VHS tapes and TV programs. I still partly live in the stone age:).

3.  I believe that SONY makes a recorder that is designed to make DVDs from the output of their cameras.

David concludes, Hope this is helpful, I am sure there are members of PMUG including myself who can provide hands-on assistance."

More on Flash

Following up on the short presentation by Art Gorski this morning, David Passell discovered more.  He writes, "In the meeting this morning somebody asked if the 'clicktoflash' demonstrated for Safari had an equivalent in Firefox. Here is the information. (Double click to enlarge the screen shot.)

"I downloaded it and it works. I notice that you can't unselect once you click on a hidden flash; you have to exit the site then re-enter. Other than that it works fine. Below is the information from my Google. Note that the Flashtracer mentioned is for older versions of Firefox (I have 3.5.7), and I didn't bother with it. A couple of other useful add-ons I installed earlier allow me to have multi-line bookmarks and tabs like Opera. Another thing: I would suggest only installing Add-ons with URLs that contain ...mozilla.org... You'll notice that there will be a warning that says only install add-ons from people you trust."

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Free Download to Clean Up Programs

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"Many of you may have heard me complain that my Macbook locks up if I leave it running with the case open and don't do anything with it for as little as 3 minutes." De Prez Allen Laudenslager continues, " I downloaded OnyX and ran the clean up programs. Seems to have fixed the problem! Since it cleans up more than one thing in each category I can't tell exactly what was wrong or what fixed it.

"Do I really care? NO! I just like that it now works right.  OnyX is free and downloads from the Apple site." Need details?  Allen suggests you contact Roger Lakner.  And he thanks Roger, for the help.

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Looking for iPhoto Solution

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After some questions we've received on problems with iPhoto John Carter sends this advice, "This could be an indication that the hard drive in the computer is starting to fail, or that you are running out of space on your internal hard drive.

"First, check to see how much space is left on the hard drive. If you have at less than 1GB of free space, I would be concerned. A small amount of available space on the internal hard drive clearly indicates that you need an external hard drive and need to move folders from the internal hard drive to the external hard drive to give the Mac room to work in.

"Check the internal hard drive available space by right-clicking on the 'Macintosh HD' in the 'Devices' section of the Finder, then clicking on 'Get Info.'

The popup should look something like this.

"If you are losing other files on the computer and not just photos in the iPhoto library, a failing hard drive is most reasonable.

"To help in isolating the problem, you could add a second, external hard drive anyway and move your iPhoto library to that hard drive. This is not a straightforward operation, so it is best done by someone who knows what they are doing. By moving the iPhoto library to a new external hard drive, if the problem persists then you will know it has something to do with either the Mac, the iPhoto application, or the way you are accessing or manipulating the photos.

"Having an external hard drive for your iPhoto library could actually speed things up when accessing iPhoto since your iPhoto library is quite large. The technical explanation for this is complicated. I have found that there is an initial time lag when accessing my external hard drives, but only when they have 'gone to sleep,' which is normal. If the external hard drives are active, then everything works fast. I use an external hard drive for all my videos and many of my photos.

"You could also have someone sit with you while you work with iPhoto to see if they can catch what might be causing the problem, but that could take hours to wait for the problem to show up, and this is why I think moving the iPhoto library to an external hard drive would be a better way to approach the problem."

Dealing With Mac Slowdowns

"Unfortunately, mysterious computer slowdowns can be difficult to diagnose," so states an article sent to us by Jim Hamm.  The writer goes on to explain ten suggestions of areas to check, urging readers to first make sure Mac is backed up properly before proceeding.  He goes into specifics and gives useful links.  Slow Mac or not, this would be information to check out for your own future reference.

Now De Prez Allen Laudenslager writes to say, "I've been having a problem with my MacBook locking up if left with the screen open and unused for more than a few minutes since I installed a new hard drive last May. I upgraded to Snow Leopard (Christmas present) but that didn't solve the problem.

"After following the instructions in Jim's post and running OnyX the problem seems to have been fixed!"

My Top Ten Suggestions for a Better Year Ahead

 1. Take care of what matters to you.
 2. Be thankful for what you’ve got.
 3. Watch for improvements you can adopt and adapt.
 4. Spend time on what brings a twinkle to your eyes.
 5. Encourage someone.
 6. Keep an eye out for trends.
 7. Don’t get snowed under with demands.
 8. Prepare for changes.
 9. Organize something: your desk, closet, kitchen, car.
10. Add Honesty to the journalistic ABCs, Accuracy, Brevity, Clarity
(Someone Else has already given the 10 Commandments; mine are Suggestions)
For Don and myself, Elaine, we add #11, Pray for wisdom for those in leadership.
Did I forget anything important, here?