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6. Make doggone sure that the Erase Destination check box is disabled (clear)! The only time to use Erase Destination is when you’re restoring your data onto an empty, formatted drive. And that’s not today. 7. Click Restore. Commercial backup programs If you prefer your backups to be automated on a regular schedule and you’d be happier with all the bells and whistles of a commercial application, you can choose from scads of backup applications on the shelves at your local Software Hut. These applications make it much easier to back up your entire drive in one fell swoop, without dragging or any manual labor. My favorite backup application has always been Dantz Retrospect (www. dantz.com), as shown in Figure 21-4, which sells for the princely sum of $129. The application can back up to tape drives, external hard drives, CDs and DVDs, and even a host FTP server over the Internet. Figure 21-3: Restoring files from an image — good thinking on your part! 331 Chapter 21: Tackling Housekeeping 30_04859X ch21.qxp 7/20/06 10:38 PM Page 331 Maintaining Hard Drive Health Shifty-eyed, sneaky, irritating little problems can bother your hard drive: per- missions errors. Incorrect disk and file permissions can ߜ Make your Mac lock up ߜ Make applications act screwy or refuse to run at all ߜ Cause weird behavior in a Finder window or System Preferences Figure 21-4: Dantz Retrospect, hard at work ensuring my peace of mind. 332 Part VI: The Necessary Evils: Troubleshooting, Upgrading, Maintaining What causes permission errors? Permission errors are usually introduced on your system when a faulty installer makes a mistake copying files to your system. Sometimes, the application itself has a bug that produces errors when it tries to open or close files or use Mac OS X system functions. Fortunately, you don’t have to investigate what causes a permission error. (That’s good because you and I aren’t likely to understand such techno-gibberish, anyway.) You just need to know that Disk Utility fixes the errors. Here’s a little-known fact about Mac OS X: Your startup disk is automatically checked for most errors every time you start (or restart) your laptop. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about hard drive errors “creeping up” over time, like they do under Windows. Each time you start your Mac, it’s like you’re running Disk Utility’s Repair Disk feature automatically. Didn’t I tell you this operating system was the best on planet Earth? 30_04859X ch21.qxp 7/20/06 10:38 PM Page 332 To keep Tiger running at its best, I recommend that you fix permissions errors at least once a week. To do so, follow these steps: 1. Open a Finder window, click Applications, and then click Utilities. 2. Double-click the Disk Utility icon. 3. Click the volume in the left column that you want to check. 4. Click the Repair Disk Permissions button. Disk Utility does the rest, and then displays a message about whatever it has to fix. (When will someone invent a car with a Repair Me button?) Automating Those Mundane Chores One new feature in Tiger — Automator — has generated a lot of excitement. Automator can create applications with a compiled form of AppleScript. That might sound daunting — akin to building your own nuclear submarine single- handedly over a long weekend — but Automator is actually easy to use. Heck, you might find it downright fun! Building Automator applications Automator applications are built by using a drag-and-drop approach. If you’re familiar with how iMovie works, you’ll feel right at home here; the tasks that you arrange in the Automator window run sequentially, just like the video clips that you drag into an iMovie window. You can create a simple Automator application with these steps: 1. Open the Finder menu. 2. Press Ô+N to open a new Finder window. 3. Click the Applications folder in the Finder window sidebar (housed on the left side of the window). 4. Double-click the Automator icon. The Automator window appears, as shown in Figure 21-5. 5. In the Library column, click the Tiger application that you want automated. A list of actions appears that you can perform with that application. 333 Chapter 21: Tackling Housekeeping 30_04859X ch21.qxp 7/20/06 10:38 PM Page 333 6. Drag the desired action into the Workflow area (right side). If the action that you selected can be modified with any criteria, you can change the settings to your heart’s content. 7. Click Run to test your script. Figure 21-6 illustrates a script that I designed. It automatically down- loads new photos from my digital camera, creates a new iPhoto album with those images, and then displays them and allows me to mark them as Approved or Rejected, with an option to delete them. Pretty slick stuff for ten minutes’ worth of work and testing, wouldn’t you say? (I call it Mark’s Photo Processor . . . which I’m sure will make me a millionaire someday!) 8. If the script runs properly, press Ô+Shift+S to save your application. Automator displays a Save As dialog box. If the script croaks or doesn’t work quite the way you intended, you can remove and rearrange actions to your heart’s content. (To remove an action, click the X button in the upper right of the action block.) You might also consider tweaking the action-specific settings or using the Ask When Run option to make sure that an action gets the right input. 9. Type a name for your new program. 10. Click File Format and then choose Application. 11. Click Save. Figure 21-5: The Automator window qualifies as user- friendly. 334 Part VI: The Necessary Evils: Troubleshooting, Upgrading, Maintaining 30_04859X ch21.qxp 7/20/06 10:38 PM Page 334 You can build an Automator application that uses values that you type (a software developer calls it your input) each time you run it. To set your appli- cation for manual input, select the Ask When Run check box. This allows your application to prompt you with a dialog box requesting the necessary values (such as an iTunes playlist or a specific folder on your hard drive). Running applications at startup If your Automator application should run every time you log in, follow these steps to set it up as a login item: 1. Open System Preferences. 2. Display the Accounts pane. 3. Click the Login Items button. 4. Click the plus button at the bottom of the list. 5. Navigate to the location of your new Automator application. 6. Click Add. Figure 21-6: Hey, I’m a software developer! When do I get my Ferrari? 335 Chapter 21: Tackling Housekeeping 30_04859X ch21.qxp 7/20/06 10:38 PM Page 335 Now your Automator application is really automatic. Watch your signifi- cant other gape in amazement as your MacBook Pro begins to work without your touching the keyboard! Many third-party applications have their own Automator actions after instal- lation. Check the developer’s Web site often to see whether additional Automator applications have been added that you can download. Updating Mac OS X Automatically I prefer my laptop to take care of cleaning up after itself, so updating Tiger should be automatic as well. In Mac OS X Tiger, operating system updates are performed by the Software Update application. Software Update uses the Internet, so you need an Internet connection to shake hands with the Apple server and download any updates. Software Update can be found in two convenient spots: ߜ Apple menu: Click the Apple menu (Ú) and then click Software Update, which displays the Update dialog box and alerts you to anything new that’s available. ߜ System Preferences: Click the Software Update icon to display the Software Update pane. If you take the System Preferences route, you can set Software Update to check for updates automatically: a. Mark the Check for Updates check box to enable it. b. Choose the time period from the Check for Updates pop-up menu. Software Update covers every Apple application, so I usually check once a day just to make sure that I don’t miss anything. If something needs to be updated, the program alerts you, either auto- matically downloading the update(s) or displaying a dialog box letting you know what you can patch (depending on the settings you choose in the System Preferences Software Update pane). You can even check for updates immediately from System Preferences. That, dear reader, is just plain thoughtful design. 336 Part VI: The Necessary Evils: Troubleshooting, Upgrading, Maintaining 30_04859X ch21.qxp 7/20/06 10:38 PM Page 336 Part VII The Part of Tens 31_04859x pt07.qxp 7/20/06 10:39 PM Page 337 In this part . . . A h, what book in the For Dummies series is truly com- plete without the Part of Tens? Here you’ll find lots of this author’s raw opinion: my best tips for Mac laptop road warriors, as well as my infamous “Top Ten Things to Avoid Like the Plague.” 31_04859x pt07.qxp 7/20/06 10:39 PM Page 338 Chapter 22 Top Ten Laptop Rules to Follow In This Chapter ᮣ Protect your laptop while you’re in transit ᮣ Pack that Mac with RAM ᮣ Track your Mac with a hidden beacon ᮣ Encrypt your Mac’s Home folder ᮣ Engrave or tag your laptop ᮣ Save energy by disabling wireless hardware ᮣ Use a surge protector ᮣ Control your power setting ᮣ Use external input devices with your laptop ᮣ Back up your laptop A h, the sedentary life of a desktop Mac — it sits there, like a bump on a log, comfortable and immobile. As long as you have a stable surface and an uninterrupted power supply, your iMac, Mac Mini, or Power Mac is a happy puppy. But you, good reader, are mobile! Whether you’re on campus or attending a convention, your Mac laptop is rarely running in the same spot, so it’s sus- ceptible to all sorts of road warrior pitfalls. In this chapter, I remind you of ten of the most important rules that every laptop owner should follow to pre- vent chaos and carnage while traveling. Keep Your Laptop in a Bag Sure, using a laptop case or bag sounds like common sense — but Mac lap- tops are so doggone sexy that you’d be surprised how many people carry them around without any protection at all. These Mac owners hear phrases 32_04859X ch22.qxp 7/20/06 10:37 PM Page 339 like “rugged titanium” and “Sudden Motion Sensor hard drive protection” and figure that their laptop can tackle a construction site, a college campus, or a hotel room with impunity. Part of that is indeed true. Mac laptops are some of the toughest laptops ever made, but they’re not immune to bumps, scratches, and the (I hope) rare fall. But if you carry your Mac from place to place without any protection, it’ll soon look like a boxer after a bad fight. If you’re like me, you’re proud that your computers remain in pristine condi- tion, so use a laptop bag or case that offers ample padding and a convenient shoulder strap or carry handle. (My laptop bag even converts to a backpack, and it includes plenty of extra space for power supplies, discs, and all the assorted hoo-hah that you know you need to carry with you.) Spend an extra $30 on a laptop bag, and your $1000 computer can weather the worst the world will dish out. Some folks think that a laptop bag draws too much attention. If you’re a member of this group, consider a well-padded laptop sleeve that will allow you to carry your Mac in your backpack or briefcase. Remember, though, that the padding is the important thing — without that extra cushion, you might as well just toss your unprotected laptop in with the rest of your books and must-have equipment. Maximize Your RAM Like any other computer running Windows or Mac OS X, your laptop will ben- efit from all the system RAM you can squeeze into it. (Chapter 20 describes how to add memory and the benefits of extra RAM.) However, additional memory is even more effective with a laptop, because your Mac laptop’s internal hard drive runs more slowly than the corresponding internal hard drive in a full-size desktop Mac. Therefore, the virtual memory functionality built into Tiger (which I also describe in Chapter 20) will be even slower for your laptop, resulting in mediocre performance during memory-intensive tasks such as video and image editing. With a full complement of RAM, your laptop’s performance will rival the per- formance of a desktop computer with the same processor — and you’ll be using it on the go! 340 Part VII: The Part of Tens 32_04859X ch22.qxp 7/20/06 10:37 PM Page 340 [...]... search methods in, 106 107 sidebar, 65, 72 Spotlight feature, 101 106 toggling toolbar on and off, 72 window, 55 Index finding creating Smart Folders for results, 107 digital cameras supported in iPhoto, 176 Find display for, 107 Finder Search box for, 106 Internet sites with Sherlock, 107 – 110 photos using keywords, 181 songs and artists in iTunes, 164–165 Spotlight feature for, 101 106 System Preferences... filtering items by date or source, 105 grouping results, 105 overview, 101 103 privacy settings, 106 searching with, 103 104 System Preferences, 105 106 Spring Cleaning (Allume Systems), 326 stand for laptop, 19, 30 standard user accounts, 251, 255 starting See launching; opening StealthSignal’s XTool Computer Tracker, 341 stock information, finding, 109 – 110 stopping See quitting or closing streaming music... 341 USB printers, 84, 140–142 Intego’s Virus Barrier X, 310 Intel CPU, 16, 97 Internet connection checking, 309– 310 Ethernet networking for, 20–21 firewall for, 284–285 iChat AV requirements, 146 modem cables for, 20 needed for Mac service, 128 needed for Sherlock, 108 for ordering photo books, 188 sharing, 100 , 268, 270–271, 281–282 software for, 22–23 streaming radio requirements, 161 Internet resources... connector, 16 Option key, 68 OS X See Mac OS X outlets, needs for, 18 •P• pairing for security (Bluetooth), 292 parental controls for user accounts, 258–259 passwords for FileVault encryption, 264 hints for, 253 importance of remembering, 264 for Mac service, 129 for networks, 272 for user account login, 260, 262 for user accounts, 253 PDF format, saving documents to, 86 permissions, repairing, 305–306,... connection, 100 , 268, 270–271, 281–282 movies (iMovie HD), 207–208 Personal File Sharing, 282 podcasts, 161, 229, 234–235, 244–245 preferences for, 98 100 publishing photo books (iPhoto), 185–188 songs (GarageBand), 244–245 Sherlock application described, 23, 107 dictionary lookups using, 13 Internet channel, 108 109 Movies channel, 109 Stocks channel, 109 – 110 viewing channel descriptions, 107 shortcut... do-it-yourself kits for, 277 firewall for, 284–285 for Internet connection sharing, 100 , 268, 270–271, 281–282 Internet service using, 20–21 joining a network, 275–276, 278–279 laptop hardware for, 276 Index non-Apple hardware support, 272, 276 opening connections in Finder, 59 Personal File Sharing, 282 port for, 15 preferences for sharing, 98 100 for printer sharing, 283 printing over a network, 85, 283 for serving... aspect ratio for iDVD video, 217 audio See also specific applications built-in speakers and microphone for, 14 connections for, 14, 16 editing in iMovie HD, 199 file formats supported by iTunes, 156–157 iChat using, 146 importing into iMovie HD, 198–199 sound effects for movies, 199 special keys for, 67 Audio Mute key, 67 auto login, 261, 262, 303 Automator applications, 333–336 352 MacBook For Dummies. .. creating, 107 SnapBack page (Safari), 121 sneakernet, 267 software See applications; specific software Software Update feature, 59, 308, 336 sorting photos in iPhoto viewer, 181–182 songs in iTunes, 165 363 364 MacBook For Dummies sound See audio Spotlight feature clicking on found items, 104 displaying information on items, 105 displaying the search box, 101 filtering items by date or source, 105 grouping... 115–116, 123 Boot Camp utility, 24, 47 boot disk, repair not possible for, 306 Bove, Tony (iPod & iTunes For Dummies) , 162 branding your MacBook, 342 brightness adjustment for photos, 185 Brightness key, 67 •C• cables checking, 309 for Internet connection sharing, 270 MacBook connections for, 20–21 networking, 277 set to have on hand, 25–26 for USB printers, 84, 140 wired versus wireless networks and, 269... settings for, 292–293 closed wireless networks for, 275 deleting unneeded user accounts for, 256 FileVault encryption, 263–265, 341–342 firewall for, 284–285 iDisk, 134–135 phishing scams, 346 for photocasting, 189 Safari connections, 125–126 Spotlight privacy settings, 106 System Preferences, 98 100 wired versus wireless networks and, 269 wireless connections and, 349 selecting highlight color for, 95 . 30_04859X ch21.qxp 7/20/06 10: 38 PM Page 336 Part VII The Part of Tens 31_04859x pt07.qxp 7/20/06 10: 39 PM Page 337 In this part . . . A h, what book in the For Dummies series is truly com- plete. you can set Software Update to check for updates automatically: a. Mark the Check for Updates check box to enable it. b. Choose the time period from the Check for Updates pop-up menu. Software Update. When Run option to make sure that an action gets the right input. 9. Type a name for your new program. 10. Click File Format and then choose Application. 11. Click Save. Figure 21-5: The Automator window qualifies