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After performing an upgrade or other major system modification, sometimes people experience odd mouse input behavior on their OS X systems. In some cases the system may show a sudden change in speed and acceleration properties of the mouse, and at other times the mouse may appear more or less sensitive to clicks, where single clicks may result in double clicks, or where double clicks may not register.

Unfortunately these behaviors are rare and different enough that there is no single cause and direct solution available for affected users. However, in most situations a configuration error with specific software or … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week readers wrote in with questions about enabling FTP access to OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, systems not loading after files were manually deleted, right-click behaviors in OS X, the inability to downgrade after installing OS X 10.8, and where to look up the printers that Apple supports in OS X. We welcome views from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, post them in the comments!

Question: FTP server on OS X 10.8 MacFixIt … Read more

Lots of tools claim to be useful for your PC. Whether an application cleans out junk files, duplicates, or other nasties, a lot of the time it wants to take a spot in your right-click menu. Supposedly, this is for "your convenience," but most of us know what's convenient and what's just more bloat for Windows.

CCleaner released a recent update that added a feature that allows you to clean out random application shortcuts from the right-click menu. This is useful for those apps that either didn't give you a choice in the matter, or … Read more

One of the more widespread malware attacks that has affected Macs, Windows-based PC systems, and even network hardware such as routers is the DNSChanger Trojan, which has also been known as "RSPlug," "Puper," and "Jahlav."

This Trojan was first discovered in 2007, and was able to infect millions of PC systems worldwide. It remained active until 2011 when an FBI sting called Operation Ghost Click resulted in the arrest of an Estonian crime ring and seizure of the rogue DNS network used to maintain the attack.

The DNSChanger malware worked by setting up a … Read more

We are most definitely in favor of anything that saves us time and keystrokes when using the computer, but we usually find that software meant to increase our efficiency ends up being more trouble than it's worth. We're pleased to report, however, that that is not the case with Click.to. This clever utility simplifies the process of copying and pasting text by displaying a menu of possible destination applications every time you copy.

Getting started with Click.to was fairly easy. During setup the program asked us to identify the applications and Web sites that we use … Read more

The Internet, as a tool, has been largely beneficial for people and businesses, but it has also exposed us to new security threats like never before. If you happen to be a Google Chrome user, then Mixesoft's Click & Clean is specially made to make your Internet surfing experience a little bit safer.

While it is possible to manually clean out traces of online activity with currently available programs, Click & Clean is an extension that is designed to automate this process, saving the user a little bit of that very precious commodity, time. The tool is available for … Read more

Last year's DNSChanger malware scam was an effort by a small crime ring of Estonian nationals to steal personal information. The scam worked by distributing malware that when installed would change the user's DNS settings to point to the crime ring's rogue DNS network. Since the DNS system is essentially the Internet's phone book, this allowed the crime ring to route seemingly valid Web site URLs to malicious servers.

Using this malware, the crime ring was able to get personal information and use it to steal millions of dollars before the FBI's Operation Ghost Click sting … Read more

The Wall Street Journal reported today that Google and other ad companies have been using special code to sidestep privacy settings in Apple's Safari browser and track Web users on desktop computers and the iPhone.

The Journal also said that on one of Google's sites--in language that has since been removed--the Internet giant had said Safari users could rely on the browser's privacy settings to avoid tracking by Google. (Editors' note: See Google's response below.)

The privacy-skirting code, which the Journal said Google disabled after being contacted by the paper, appears to have been used to … Read more

One of the more widespread malware efforts over the past few years was the DNSChanger scam, which installed a Trojan horse that would change the DNS server settings on affected computers to divert traffic to rogue servers.

The DNS system is essentially the Internet's phone book that allows your computer to resolve a URL to the IP address of the server that hosts its contents. By changing a computer so that it uses a rogue DNS server, the DNSChanger malware was thus able to redirect valid URLs (such as those for banking institutions) to malicious Web sites in order … Read more