AppleJack is a user friendly troubleshooting assistant for Mac OS X. With AppleJack you can troubleshoot a computer even if you can't load the GUI, or don't have a startup CD handy. AppleJack runs in Single User Mode and is menu-based for ease of use.

Using AppleJack, you can repair your disk, repair permissions, validate the system's preference files, and get rid of possibly corrupted cache files. In most cases, these operations can help get your machine back on track. The important thing is that you don't need another startup disk with you. All you need to do is restart in Single User Mode (SUM), by holding down the command and s keys at startup, and then typing applejack, or applejack auto (which will run through all the tasks automatically), or applejack auto restart (which will also restart the computer automatically at the end of the process).

You can download AppleJack here: http://applejack.sourceforge.net/

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Labels: mac, software

Before announcing the new iPhone 3.0 S at WWDC last Monday, Apple's SVP of Marketing, Phil Schiller, presented some big news about the increasing number of Mac users.

"We’ve TRIPLED the number of users," he said to big applause. "It's astounding."

In the 5 years after Apple launched Mac OS X, the number of Mac users has grown steadily to 25 million. But between 2007 and 2009, the number of Mac users tripled and now surpasses 75 million.

According to statistics compiled by Net Applications, Mac OS X is the second most popular general-purpose operating system in use, after Microsoft Windows, with a 9.6% market share. It is also the most successful UNIX-based operating system ever released.

So what happened in 2007 that could have caused the spike in new Mac users? If you guessed the iPhone, then give yourself a pat on the back. Apple first announced the iPhone in January 2007.


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Labels: gadgets, iphone, mac, mobile, tech news

Is the monitor on your Macintosh computer inverted? Are you seeing black where it should be white? Does everything look negative? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you accidentally enabled a Macintosh feature for people with impaired vision.

We've heard of people doing all sorts of crazy things to fix this problem like swapping video cards, buying new LCD monitors, attempting a monitor calibration or even replacing RAM. But there's a much simpler way to fix this inverted screen problem. Chances are, all you need to do is change a few settings in your Mac OS X System Preferences panel. There are some extreme cases where a little more fiddling is required, but we have solutions for those as well.

So don't worry. Your video card isn't broken. Now let's fix your inverted monitor problem.

Tutorial: How to Fix an Inverted Macintosh Monitor



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Labels: gadgets, mac, tutorial

Like using Exposé but hate hot corners and function keys? Why not unleash the hidden Exposé Blob built into Mac OS X? You can even make your blob look like Eric Cartman or Meatwad from ATHF.

When Apple introduced Exposé in OS X 10.3 Panther, many people felt it was the best new feature in the entire operating system. In case you have no idea what Expose is, basically it's a component in the Macintosh operating system that allows you to instantly access any open window or document with a single keystroke. Dragging your mouse into a hot corner or pressing a function key instantly tiles and scales all of your open windows and documents so you can see everything you are working on in a single glance.

Yes, it is a great feature, but activating Exposé is sometimes kind of awkward. Personally I tend to accidentally hit the wrong function key and usually turn on my screen saver several times with a mistaken hot corner before activating finally activating Expose.

The programmers at Apple probably felt the same way. Hidden deep within the Mac OS is a secret, yet fully functional, graphical interface for Exposé. Most people like to call it a "blob." The Blob is really just a shaded blue sphere. The Blob is moveable, clickable and a nice addition or mascot for your Macintosh OS X Desktop. You can even customize the Blob to be any image you want. For example, I've customized my Blob to be Eric Cartman from Comedy Centrals' South Park.





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Labels: mac, tutorial

A Menu Extra in the Mac OS X, is a small icon that appears on the right side of the Menu Bar. For example, check out the image of the Eject icon to the right of this text that's circled in red.

Mac OS X Menu Bar Extras often...

• provide a quick and easy way to access common features (chat, sync)
• display information (time, email)
• control system functions (volume, eject a DVD/CD)

Here's a tutorial and video demonstration that shows you how to add/delete and rearrange OS X Menu Bar Extras.

Tutorial: How to Add Icons to Your OS X Menu Bar


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Labels: mac, tutorial

Oops! Did you forget your OS X user account password? Make sure the CAPS LOCK key isn't on. 9 out of 10 times that's usually the problem.

But sometimes you might pick a password and then forget accidentally it. Don't worry. It happens. Just follow the directions below to reset your Mac OS X user account password.

Tutorial: How to Reset Your Mac OS X User Password

Labels: mac, tutorial

If you are new to the Mac OS and just purchased a laptop, then you might have noticed the lack of a "Delete Forward" button. Sure, you can hit the delete key on your MacBook or MacBook Pro and delete characters behind the cursor, but did you know that you can use that same delete key to delete characters in front of the cursor?



To Delete Forward, just press the "Function" key + "Delete."


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Labels: mac, tutorial

It's not a huge surprise, but Apple's gone ahead and posted a note confirming that OS X Leopard will not support Classic, even on PowerPC machines. Of course, Intel Macs have never been able to run Classic anyway, so only like Hypercard user groups and the three printshops still running QuarkXPress 4 and will be affected by this...



But this does mark the end of the road for the venerable and oft maligned OS? The Mac Classic OS ushered in the mainstream GUI era with the 128K Mac in 1984 and remained the default boot on all new Macs until OS X 10.1.2 was released 18 years later in 2002. Steve Jobs even staged a melodramatic mock funeral for OS 9 at the 2002 WWDC. Still, the old warhorse managed to hang around for another 5 years, and we're a little sad to finally see it go.

I hope someone makes a stable Leopard emulator for Mac Classic soon. I still like to play a lot of those old System 7 games like Star Trek 25th Anniversary.

[Source: engadget]

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Labels: mac

Want to upgrade the RAM in your Mac Mini? You can definitely save a few bucks by buying a stripped down Mac Mini and upgrading the RAM yourself. But before you can install that extra RAM, you'll need to take a walk down to your local hardware store and grab a couple putty knifes. Thanks to the Mac Mini, the putty knife is now becoming part of the standard set of essential computer hardware tools.

Traditionally, Apple computers have easily come apart with a few screws and levers. In fact, some Apple machines, like the PowerMac G5, almost come apart entirely without tools. However, brute force, patience and a putty knife are required to crack open the Mac Mini.


Many people speculate that Apple made opening the Mac Mini difficult on purpose. Apple would prefer that you let an authorized Apple service provider handle all hardware upgrades and part replacements with their consumer level products.

So grab a putty knife and don't be alarmed if your Mac Mini starts to snap, crackle and pop like a bowl of Rice Crispies. This is the sound of the plastic clips and metal rim coming loose.

Tutorial: Mac Mini RAM Upgrade Tutorial



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