My Mac Fixes

  Leopard has a different primary firewall than was offered in earlier versions of OS X. On the Firewall tab of the Security prefs pane, you get three choices for how it works: -- Accept all incoming connections -- Allow only essential services -- Set access for specific services and applications If you choose the third option, Leopard asks your permission whenever any network connection is attempted to a new app on your computer. Microsoft Office apps rely on such connections for various purposes. For instance, through Microsoft AutoUpdate, they check for updates. Through Microsoft Database Daemon, they check your local network for other open copies of any Office app that might violate your license agreement. And of course, Entourage collects email and performs a number of other functions over your network. The problem is that Office apps are never treated by Leopard as apps you've already approved. Instead, you're asked again and again about these connections. No doubt, it

You've probably seen the cries of pain on the Mac fix-it sites that arrive with every system update -- blank screens, lock-outs, networks going down, Apple apps failing, hardware not responding. Yet most people seem to experience little or no trouble. Why is that? With something as complex as a system update, some incompatibilities are bound to occur. But some Mac users heighten the chances dramatically by loading their computers with crud. By "crud," I mean small programs that modify the system to produce interface changes or add features. With every one of these you add, you make it all the more likely that the next OS X update will choke on an unexpected modification. And also with each one, you make it harder to locate the problem! How do you spot these programs? Usually, they're the ones that use installers instead of drag-and-drop. An installer often means they're sticking files in places they'd be wiser not to. If they weren't doing that, the

I have an old HP LaserJet 2100. It's a great machine. I've had to replace a couple of rollers, and the automatic feed on the top tray doesn't work anymore -- but still, the thing is reliable, prints clean, stays a lot quieter than modern printers, and doesn't make the lights dim when it's working. I've had the thing for longer than I can remember. In fact, I've had it so long that it comes from the days before USB. It connects via the old circular type of serial port that used to be on Macs. Two or three computers ago, the Mac lost that serial port, and I lost my connection. Luckily, Farallon stepped up to the plate with a neat little gadget called the iPrint. This small device was an adapter between serial on the LaserJet and Ethernet on the Mac. I must have used it for a decade. But then came 2009, and I upgraded from Tiger on a PPC Mac to Leopard on an Intel. Only problem: I couldn't talk to my printer. You may be thinking it was time to pack it in a

  The safest way to apply an OS X update is to download Apple's Combo Update, which includes all updates since that major version appeared. But Leopard Combo Updates have the annoying characteristic of requiring a very long double start-up -- during which the computer may even hang. The whole process can be both time-consuming and nerve-wracking. Luckily, the solution is simple: Don't update from your boot volume. On my Mac, I always have at least three working copies of OS X: 1. My regular boot volume, named "OSX". 2. A "Test" volume for trying out software, updates, and fixes before applying them to my boot volume. As necessary, I update this by copying from my boot volume with SuperDuper. 3. A "Maintenance" volume for performing repairs to the boot volume. I update this one too with SuperDuper -- but it usually lags behind the boot volume by an update or two, so I can be sure it's available to save me from any problems an update might introd