Former Member Writes Us

An email from a former PMUG member now living in Florida arrived today. Susan Smith writes from Englewood, Florida:  "I was a member of PMUG from around the years 2000 to 2004 or somewhere in between."  (She was the treasurer for a couple of years.)

Susan continues, "If you don't remember me, I was the one with all the little girls (who, by the way, are now 13, 13 and 15 years old!)  I miss Prescott, desperately, but like the rain here in Englewood, Florida.  Will return one day, and when I do, I will re-up my membership to PMUG!  I will be sure to check out your web site now and then (very nice!)  Take care, 'hi' to all."   If you want to reply email Susan.

Finding a Bargain

Today both De Prez Allen Laudenslager and David Passell sent us links to the same discount software for "10 Top Mac Apps." David found the same bargain at MacUpdate. Allen comments that one app in this software group is Parallels 5 that was demonstrated at this month's meeting. David remarks, "If something seems to be too good to be true, it usually is."   So, see what you think.

Migrating From Windows to Mac

If you or a friend are going to migrate from PC to a Mac here's what you want to know.  John Carter is our guide, "The easiest way to migrate from a Windows platform to the Mac is to use Parallels. This is accomplished simply by installing and launching the Parallels Transport Agent on the Windows machine, and then installing Parallels on the Mac and launching the Parallels Transport application on the Mac and selecting the method of transfer (USB, network, or external drive). When the two programs start talking to each other, Parallels will create a Windows partition on the Mac and transfer everything (all applications and all data files) from the Windows machine to the Mac. The install disk for Windows may be required.

"The entire transfer can take up to four hours or more depending on how much has to be transferred and what mode of transfer you use (USB, network, or external drive).

"If you do not own Parallels, purchase the Parallels Switch To Mac edition, which includes the USB transport cable, for $99.99 from Parallels."  John is reassuring, "The migration process is quite simple and easy to follow, but if you feel uneasy about doing the migration yourself, then email John Carter.

Re: Ways to Find It

John Carter to the rescue! He points out some important factors in "Ways to Find It," which was posted earlier today. (Scroll down to find this earlier posting.)
          "Please be careful when using Search to find images (especially when using the 'All images' button under 'Search For' in the left panel of Finder). The Search For  > All images will show results for all images in the iPhoto Library as well as images contained within application resources, which could number in the thousands. The result is a bit confusing as you might think there are images on your system that you did not put there or that there are duplicate images. You do NOT want to touch those images.
          "To identify the path where the image is located, look carefully at the bottom of the Finder. The path will look something like this:

"Or, it might look like this:

"In the latter case, you need to hover over each path element to see what it is.
"So please pay attention to the path and ignore anything that is part of iPhoto Library or an application."

Ways to Find It

(If you missed PMUG meeting on 3-20 this is one of the handouts)

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 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 for View. First is by Icons.

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!

VirtualBox vs Parallels

At the last regular meeting John Carter said that running Windows in VirtualBox does not access thumbdrives. Here he goes into more detail: "It is true in only one aspect. Plugging in a thumbdrive won't show up in My Computer as an available device. Two things have to be done to access any device plugged into a USB port.

"First step. Go into the VirtualBox Settings for the Windows OS and click on the Shared Folders tab. Click on the plus sign on the far left to add a new shared folder. In the Add Share pop-up, click on the down arrow for the Folder Path: field, then click on Other... . In the browser window that pops up, select the drive associated with the USB port you want to access. Give it any name you want in the Folder Name: field. Optionally, make the shared folder permanent (this is useful if you are using an external hard drive that is always plugged in). Click OK.

"Second step. Start Windows. Open My Computer. In the menu bar, click on Tools. Click on Map Network Drive... . Select a drive letter. Click on the Browse... button. In the pop-up window, click on the plus sign for 'VirtualBox Shared Folders.' Click on the folder that corresponds to the drive you want to access. If the OK button doesn't highlight right away, double click on the folder name to open the folder and wait for the folder to show the contents. At this point, you may have to double click on any subfolder to get the machine to respond (make a connection). Click back on the name of the drive you want to access. The OK button should now be active. Click on OK.

"You are now connected to the device plugged in to that USB port.

"You do not have to go through all this if you are using Parallels. With Parallels, when you plug in a device in a USB port you get a prompt that asks whether you want to access that device with the Mac or with Windows. Always choose to use with the Mac. Parallels will make it available to the Windows OS."

Fraud, Scams, Phishing, Spoofing

An email purporting to be from CableOne, asking David Passell to provide his address, password, and other ID wasn't going to fool David.  He emailed this alert to us, a reminder to be vigilant.  A look at CableOne site emphasized that warning.  Do not open a .ZIP file unless you know what it is and who it came from.  Additional resources on their site include links with info about Citibank - fraud, eBay, Monster.com, Nigerian Bank, etc.

Little-Known Feature of Mail

Exploring features of Mail, David Passell passes along some information.  He tells us that he's found, "the ability to copy text (e.g. from Jumpcut), previous emails, images into a single email to be sent. It doesn't have to be an email; you can also use the Notes feature which doesn't ask you for all the header information. The first line you type into the note is the subject."  He volunteers to show and tell some specifics for a PMUG meeting or a SIG.  He comments, "This is even handier than a Screen Movie."

Pico Projectors Coming for Mac, Too?

De Prez Allen Laudenslager brings to our attention an article at Fastcompany.com which describes a patent that Apple has applied for pico projectors built into various devices. He explains, "Pico projectors are the latest in projecting what's on your computer for general viewing, That is what we do with our presentations at the meetings and during SIG classes.

"While the main thrust seems to be toward iPhone and iPad, the patents do include the MacBooks and that would be really cool for us. It means that I could prepare my presentation and then present it without connecting to a separate projector, just point my MacBook at the wall and go!

"The article also includes some ideas about the ways it might apply to Apple TV. How about a 'big screen' TV with no screen?"

A Helpful App for Helping Others

Now, we hear from John Carter,  "I keep finding applications that allow me to 'see' a client's computer screen and assist them with their problems. The latest one that I have tried out (and Jackie is right now using it to assist one of her clients) is CrossLoop. It is a program you have to download and install on your computer. Creating a login is optional. You can either share your screen with another user or view their screen. It is all free.

"CrossLoop is different from Skype screen sharing in that you can optionally control the mouse of the accessed computer and take over control of that computer, if they so allow it. It is also different in that you have to use a phone line to talk to the other user while using this application. So for those people who don't use Skype, this is by far the best alternative to screen sharing.

"Jackie and I really like this app. It's simple. It's clean. It works! And it's FREE!"

"CrossLoop is VNC without the admin panel and all the hassles that go with trying to make VNC work between two computers. CrossLoop works in the most simple fashion possible. I got CrossLoop working between my Mac and the Windows XP OS on my Mac under Parallels with no feedback loop issues and absolutely no hassles in getting it to work.

"If you haven't tried CrossLoop as a replacement for VNC, you don't know what you're missing."

Strategy & Need for Backup

Here's that reminder we need. De Prez Allen Laudenslager explores the serious need for backing up, and explains his strategy. "This article at Daring Fireball is just about the best description of backup strategy and the critical need to stay of top of the latest software and techniques.

"While most of us don't make our living from what's on our computers, as John Gruber does, what's on our hard drives is critical to each of us. My personal back up strategy is a monthly back up with Super Duper that clones my hard drive including the OS, all applications and all files. I also run Super Duper every time I add an application.

"As things change I run Time Machine. If I write something I'm worried about, I just run a special back up, but I run Time Machine at least once a week.

"His point about multiple external drives may be over kill for most of us but with a 750 gig external drive at $125 (Costco) and Super Duper for $40 (direct on line) it's cheap insurance. I saw 100 gig drives for under 50 bucks at both Best Buy and Costco, and that will back up most of our computers unless you're really loading up on pictures or music."

(Your eyes might thank you if you use Command and + to bring up Daring Fireballs small white print to a larger size.  You might also try Control and Option and Command keys in unison with the number 8 key to toggle to black print.)

Copy & Paste Program

          Can a simple copy and paste operation be improved and made easier? David Passell thinks so.  He recommends a small, free program called Jumpcut.  As he describes it, "It can be useful when gathering subjects from a number of different sources, (e.g. googling a lot of related subjects).  Unlike Clipboard it will save selections through a shutdown and restart.  Experiment with it and see how you like it."
          Curiosity picking up here?  Take a look at the program in action on this YouTube video. And, here's the place to download Jumpcut.

David sends us a few precautions:
1. If you have a lot of extra items in the menu bar the scissors may not show up. Increase the screen resolution or remove the items. Or, better, just use its CTRL-OPT-V hot key to display the list transparently over a target document.
2. It will not cut/paste images. You will just see a blank space in the dropdown under the scissors.
3. You can only select one item at a time to paste.
4. The most recent item is at the top of the list.
5. The menu bar of an application in use (such as Word or Pages) may obscure the scissors icon. You will need to return to finder. Just click outside the application's window, then select the item to paste, then return to the application. Better still use the CTRL-OPT-V hot key to select the items you want to paste. It even provides reference numbers. The lowest is the last saved (Use the "sticky bezel" preference so it stays put.)
6. You can quit (only through the menu dropdown which also lets you set preferences ) if you want to cut and paste images or screen shots, then restart Jumpcut to continue with saving text items. For that reason you should put it in the dock. You will not see it anywhere else except the applications folder.
          David's word of encouragement, "This should interest a lot of members. Experiment with it and see how you like it."

Find Spyware, etc.

This just in from David Passell, "Look what the regularly scheduled MacScan found this morning after yesterday's Google Chrome testing. Coincidence? Maybe not since the file path leads to Firefox/Profiles. Needless to say I will isolate (remove) it. (I'll look at that file first)." See http://macscan.securemac.com/ for Free trial.
And this from Apple, "will find, isolate, and remove spyware, keystroke loggers, and trojan horses as well as detect whether remote administration applications have been installed on a computer." Free download of MacScan 2.7 here. (Double click to enlarge screen shot.)