Troubleshooting

One of the newer features in OS X is the Launchpad interface, which offers an iOS-like approach to application management in which programs are organized in a full-screen grid. While this interface should show the applications you have installed, sometimes you may find it missing a few that you need.

Unfortunately Apple does not offer any options for configuring Launchpad to add programs. If you hold the Option key when Launchpad is open, then, as with iOS, the programs will wiggle and allow you to collect them into folders or delete those you purchased from the Mac App Store; however, … Read more

Without regular use, you'll find that sooner or later you will need to run your printer through a cleaning routine to get rid of smears, stripes, or other artifacts that can sometimes greatly affect the quality of your print jobs. Most printers contain some sort of head-cleaning routine that can help you do this, and while invoking these options can often be done via onboard printer controls, the ability to do so in OS X has been somewhat diminished.

While in the past some printer manufacturers issued drivers and utilities that contained controls for running cleaning routines, many now … Read more

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

This week, readers wrote in with questions on how to best manage software updates for many computers on a network, the options for using the right-click in OS X, and concerns about the feasibility of corrupting a system through apparently normal use. I welcome views from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, please post them in the comments!

Question: Managing software updates for many computers on a network MacFixIt reader Beth asks:

Regardless of whether you purchase it new, refurbished, or used, your Mac is likely a sizable investment that you might wish to keep running for as long as possible, not only because of the cost factor but also because of the time and effort it would take to migrate your data and workflow to a new system (even though Apple has made the latter quite easy if you have proper backups).

There are many ways your Mac can get damaged, become outdated, or otherwise experience greater wear and tear from use that can shorten its lifespan. In most cases these … Read more

An apparent issue in the versions of OS X that are preinstalled on Macs shipping from the factory is causing headaches for some users, where they may run into problems if they try to reinstall OS X or restore from a backup.

As described by MacNN and MacTrast, the issue appears to happen because of a permissions problem that results in a compatibility error when the Mountain Lion installer is downloaded and run on an affected computer. Instead of installing as it should, users see a warning that states the current system is not compatible with Mountain Lion, with the … Read more

When Apple updates its XProtect anti-malware system in OS X with new definitions, it often means a new or updated threat has been found for OS X.

Earlier this morning, Apple issued an update to XProtect, which now includes a new definition for a malware package called "OSX.eicar.com.i," that comes from Eicar.com. This update suggests the new definitions are for a novel malware package, but this is not so with this latest update.

"Eicar" stands for the European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research, which is a group that investigates malware and security … Read more

When you save items to a folder in the Finder, OS X will save this location in a "Recent Places" listing that is available the next time you save another document. This allows you to quickly access the folders you are currently using for your workflow, so you can better manage your projects without needing to manually set up temporary favorite folders or collect all of your documents in a generic location like the Desktop.

The recent items list will show the past five most recently accessed folders. While it has its conveniences there may be times when … Read more

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

This week, readers wrote in with questions on the possibility of false positive results from Apple's Hardware Test suite, how to locate lost files in iTunes libraries, and how to script a Mac to enter repeated keyboard button presses. I welcome views from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, please post them in the comments!

Question: False positives with Apple's Hardware Test suite MacFixIt reader Javier asks:

Apple's Preview program in OS X is a very convenient tool for quickly editing image and PDF files. It supports a number of options for annotating images and adjusting colors, cropping, and otherwise editing them, it can also be used to quickly convert an image to another format.

Preview supports reading most common image format types, and likewise allows you to export them to these same types, so even if Preview is not set to be your default program for handling images, you can still use it to quickly make an image conversion.

To do this, right-click the image … Read more