Upgrading And Troubleshooting Your Mac

ISBN-10: 007219359X

ISBN-13: 9780072193596

The magic of the Mac is back! Mac OS X is a truly revolutionary operating system that has great flexibility and functionality. Author Gene Steinberg shows readers how to tap techniques of IT professionals to make your Mac run at top efficiency. Minimize downtime and optimize your Mac for reliability and speed. Upgrading & Troubleshooting Your Mac: Mac OS X Edition is the definitive OS X resource,focused on upgrading,preventive maintenance,and troubleshooting. Loaded with case histories to illustrate common problems and repair solutions,this book covers a wide range of important issues—from survival advice for laptops to organizing SCSI chains to overcoming Ethernet difficulties. Whether you're new to the OS X platform or computing in general,or if you're migrating from an older Mac,this comprehensive volume will help you operate your new system at peak efficiency. Get Peak Performance from Your Mac! Hook up and deploy your Mac for home or business use—including hardware and peripheralsEfficiently run this sophisticated operating system on almost any supported Mac computerLearn the secrets to successfully installing expansion cards and upgrading CPU and RAMAdd system enhancements and diagnose system-related conflictsUnderstand and manage graphic file formats,fonts,and printersIncorporate proven backup techniques and preventative maintenanceUpgrade with FireWire and Network cards,Graphics and USB adapter cards,SCSI accelerators,and video capture boardsIntegrate and optimize system softwareConfigure your modem connection,Web browser,and email account Library Journal Steinberg exhaustively covers both hardware and software issues, pointing out how the Classic Mac OS differs from OS X. Included is information on setting up a new Mac, upgrading system software, adding and troubleshooting hardware and peripherals, Internet connectivity issues, networking, and more. A useful "QuickStart" troubleshooting appendix provides basic information on topics from computer viruses to video editing, but this content would have been more useful as summaries after the appropriate chapters. For public libraries serving Mac users. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

AcknowledgmentsxixIntroductionxxiChapter 1Solving Mac Hookup Problems1Initial Installation: The First Day2What to Do If Your New Mac Doesn't Work12Chapter 2How to Cope with System Software Hassles15How to Handle System Crashes16What Those Error Messages Really Mean17Is It the Hardware or Software?19The Right Way to Do a Classic System Upgrade21How to Merge Classic System Folders30The Right Way to Do a Mac OS X System Upgrade38Chapter 3The Mac Upgrade Guide: Peripheral Cards45Adding Expansion Cards46What If It Won't Boot?51Using Processor Upgrade Cards: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly51Chapter 4The Mac Upgrade Guide: Dealing with RAM Upgrade Pitfalls59Yes, It's All Right for You to Add a RAM Upgrade60How to Avoid RAM Upgrade Damage60Checking RAM Compatibility62Adding RAM Upgrades to Regular Desktop Macs66Adding RAM Upgrades to the iMac69Adding RAM Upgrades to iBooks and PowerBooks71How to Know If RAM Is Properly Installed73Interpreting the Signs That Something Went Wrong74Chapter 5Troubleshooting Macs on the Road83The Care and Feeding of Laptops84PowerBook/iBook Trials and Tribulations90Protecting Your Laptop Against Theft96The Apple Laptop Travel Guide100Chapter 6The Weird World of Fonts107TrueType vs. PostScript Fonts: What's the Difference?108Mac OS X Is Bursting with Font Folders114Finding Damaged Fonts119Coping with Font Conflicts121Font Organization Tips and Tricks128Chapter 7Dealing with Graphic File Headaches135A Quick Review of Graphic File Formats136How to View PC Graphics on a Mac139Preparing Mac Graphics to Work in the Windows World144Chapter 8Making Your Printer Sing147Installing a Personal Printer148Installing a Network Printer150USB vs. Network Printers: Is There a Difference?152PostScript: What Is It? Why Do I Need It?153Which Printer Driver Do I Use?157What's a PPD File and What Do I Need It For?158Solving Common Printing Problems164How to Fix Paper Jams and Feed Problems175Chapter 9Troubleshooting Mice, Joysticks, and Keyboards177Choose Your Own Input Device178ADB Input Device Cautions182Installing Input Devices182How to Handle the USB Connection189Chapter 10The Monitor Is the Window of the Computer World193Display Selection Hints194Installing a New Monitor197Making the Picture Look Right on a CRT Monitor198Using ColorSync to Calibrate Your Display209Hints and Tips about Multiple Displays216What's Wrong with My Picture?218Chapter 11Help with Mixed Mac/Windows Offices227Making Macs and PCs Communicate Peacefully228Troubleshooting Mixed Network Problems238How to Handle a Windows Emulator on a Mac243In Defense of Your Mac249Chapter 12Do You Have a Computer Virus?255Are Computer Viruses a Danger to Mac Users?256The Real Dangers of Cross-Platform Viruses258How to Know If It's a Virus or a Software Problem260Choosing and Installing Virus Protection Software265Chapter 13Keeping Your Hard Drive Healthy and Happy273A Brief Primer on Cataloging a Disk Drive274What Can Go Wrong with a Drive and How to Fix It287How to Cope with Drive Directory Problems294What to Do If Hard Drive Diagnostic Programs Fail302Chapter 14Foolproof Backup Techniques Explained307Why Backups Are Necessary308Backups: How, What, and When311How to Restore Your Files326What If the Backup Goes Bad?327Chapter 15Storage Device Technologies: Dealing with SCSI Chain Hassles333How to Organize the SCSI Chain334A Handy Guide to SCSI Voodoo336Internal vs. External: What's the Difference?339Adding a SCSI Accelerator Card347A Quick Guide to Solving SCSI Chain Problems349The End of SCSI?352Chapter 16Making Your New Scanner Work Better359The Right Way to Install a Scanner360Checking SCSI Settings and Hardware Locking Switches362What If the Scanner Freezes?363How to Do That First Scan with Confidence367Chapter 17Overcoming the Network Hassle375File Sharing Basics376Fixing AppleTalk Network Troubles383Getting Started with Ethernet388Networking via TCP/IP395How to Protect Your Files on a Network397Chapter 18Adding System Utilities and Overcoming System Conflicts401The Classic Appearance Control Panel and Mac OS X402Desktop Makeovers and Mac OS X404Desktop Decoration Programs: Good or Bad?405Use Classic System Enhancements with Few Problems408How to Check for System Conflicts411How to Handle Mac OS X System Problems418Where to Learn About Software Updates425Chapter 19How to Make Video Capture Hardware Work429Are You Ready to Capture Video?430Selecting and Installing the Right Video System432Where Do I Store It?438How to Handle Video Capture Problems440Chapter 20Making the Modem Connection447Making 56K Work448The Right Way to Hook Up a Modem449Why It Won't Connect458How to Test Your Modem's Real Connection Potential462What's a Modem String and How Do I Use It?464Chapter 21Dealing with Internet Access Problems467Solving Internet Connection Problems468How to Speed Downloads and Uploads480Getting Top Performance from Your Internet Connection480Chapter 22Making Your Web Browser Browse489What to Do When You Cannot Access a Site490Making Your Browser Run Faster493Tips on Speeding Up a Web Browser Cache493How to Make Online Graphics Look Sharper507Chapter 23Making Email Work for You511When Email Doesn't Reach Its Destination512How to Handle Email Attachments514Is There a Danger from Email Viruses?515How to Avoid Email Problems517AppendixQuickStart Upgrade and Troubleshooting Guide539Installing a New Mac540Reinstalling System Software540Adding Peripheral Cards541Adding RAM541Advice for Road Warriors542Mac OS X Font Management542Graphics Files542Printing Under Mac OS X543Using Input Devices543Installing a New Monitor544Living in the Windows World544Computer Viruses and Mac OS X545Hard Drive Diagnostic Tips545Don't Forget Backups546Take Care with SCSI Chains546Take Care Setting Up a Scanner546Network in Confidence547Add System Enhancements with Care547Make Video Editing Work Better548Make Your Modem Connect Faster548Broadband Access Concerns548Improving Web Access549Make Email Work Better549Glossary551Index581

\ Library JournalSteinberg exhaustively covers both hardware and software issues, pointing out how the Classic Mac OS differs from OS X. Included is information on setting up a new Mac, upgrading system software, adding and troubleshooting hardware and peripherals, Internet connectivity issues, networking, and more. A useful "QuickStart" troubleshooting appendix provides basic information on topics from computer viruses to video editing, but this content would have been more useful as summaries after the appropriate chapters. For public libraries serving Mac users. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.\ \