Category Archives: Mac

Spring 2024 Computer Recommendations

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At least once a year I like to give my opinion on what type of a computer someone should be looking for if they’re in the market to purchase a new machine. Many times, there are so many computers on the marketplace that it’s hard to make a decision based upon the functionality you’ll need to use. Basically I break these into two categories, a minimum performance machine and a high-performance machine. If you are a high-performance user, you already know that. If you’re not sure, a minimum performance device is probably where you need to be working.

Often times in the big box stores you find machines that have some of the specifications but not all of them. Big box machines are typically built, particularly on the PC side, with a price in mind. Often times, the machine has specifications that don’t meet current use specs. This also shows up on many Internet sites. Be sure to look into the specifications you’re selecting for the machine that you’re looking to purchase.

In my opinion, brands do matter.  Seeing many machines with problems, I can say that Macintosh computers are generally the most trouble free and will maintain good performance for a longer period.

But some people need Windows for specific applications.  When it comes to Windows computers, my experience says that I would look for these brands (in order):

  1. Dell
  2. HP
  3. Lenovo

All three of these vendors maintain good support websites and make updating hardware drivers easier.  That doesn’t mean much when the machine is new but as it ages, it means everything.

Windows Systems

Laptop, Minimum Performance

Memory: 16 GB
Processor: Intel Core i5 (with at least 4 cores)
Storage: 256 GB SSD minimum
Graphics: Integrated graphics
Networking: wireless
Operating System: Windows 11

Laptop, Higher Performance

Memory: 32-64 GB
Processor: Intel Core i7 or i9
Storage: 512 GB SSD minimum
Graphics: Integrated graphics or dedicated if available
Networking: wireless
Operating System: Windows 11

Foe Macintosh Systems, a MacBook Air is the correct machine for entry to mid stream users today.  For more professional uses and MacBook Pro is great.  If you want a desktop the new M3 iMac is great and either the Mac mini or Mac Studio on the higher end make great sense.  Avoid the Mac Pro desktop.  It’s price vs performance is low for nearly all users.

Macintosh Systems

Laptop, Minimum Performance

Memory: 8 GB
Processor: Apple M2 or M3
Storage: 256 GB SSD minimum
Graphics: Integrated graphics
Networking: wireless
Operating System: MacOS 14

Laptop, Higher Performance

Memory: 16-32 GB
Processor: Intel Core M2 Pro, M2 Max, or M3 series
Storage: 512 GB SSD minimum
Graphics: Integrated graphics or dedicated if available
Networking: wireless
Operating System: MacOS 14

10 MacOS lesser known features 

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I thought I did this year by giving you my top 10 list of lesser known MacOS features. These features are all in the latest release of MacOS.  Enjoy.

1. **Quick Look for Files:** Press the spacebar on a file to use Quick Look, allowing you to preview its contents without opening an application.

2. **Batch Renaming Files:** Select multiple files and right-click to choose “Rename X items” for batch renaming.

3. **Markup in Preview:** Open an image or PDF in Preview, click the toolbox icon, and use the Markup tools for annotations and edits.

4. **Hot Corners:** Set up hot corners in System Preferences to trigger actions when you move the cursor to a corner of your screen.

5. **Time Machine Local Snapshots:** If your Time Machine backup drive isn’t connected, your Mac may create local snapshots for backups.

6. **Built-in Dictionary:** Hover over a word and press Command + Control + D to get a quick definition using the built-in dictionary.

7. **Preview Fonts in Finder:** In Finder, select a font file and press the spacebar to preview the font before opening it.

8. **Audio Equalizer:** Adjust audio settings using the built-in equalizer. Go to System Preferences > Sound > Sound Effects and choose an equalizer preset.

9. **Multiple Desktops:** Use Mission Control (F3 or swipe up with three fingers) to create and manage multiple desktops for better organization.

10. **Screen Recording with QuickTime:** Open QuickTime, go to File > New Screen Recording to capture your screen or create tutorials.

Posted in Mac

Computer Recommendations 2023

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A couple times a year I like to give my opinion on what type of a computer someone should be looking for if they’re in the market to purchase a new machine. Many times, there are so many computers on the marketplace that it’s hard to make a decision based upon the functionality you’ll need to use. Basically I break these into two categories, a minimum performance machine and a high-performance machine. If you are a high-performance user, you already know that. If you’re not sure, a minimum performance device is probably where you need to be working.

Often times in the big box stores you find machines that have some of the specifications but not all of them. Big box machines are typically built, particularly on the PC side, with a price in mind. Often times, the machine has specifications that don’t meet current use specs. This also shows up on many Internet sites. Be sure to look into the specifications you’re selecting for the machine that you’re looking to purchase.

In my opinion, brands do matter.  Seeing many machines with problems, I can say that Macintosh computers are generally the most trouble free and will maintain good performance for a longer period.  

But some people need Windows for specific applications.  When it comes to Windows computers, my experience says that I would look for these brands (in order):  

  1. Dell
  2. HP
  3. Lenovo

All three of these vendors maintain good support websites and make updating hardware drivers easier.  That doesn’t mean much when the machine is new but as it ages, it means everything.

Creating a menu of Text items to Insert with Shortcuts on a Mac

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Start by Opening the Shortcuts application stored in the Applications folder

With the shortcuts application open, click on the + in the upper right corner of the window to create a new shortcut

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This process requires the adding of two steps to the shortcut. The first is a TEXT step to store the text you want to insert from the menu. The second step Copies the text to the clipboard.

Start by double clicking the Text step in the steps menu.

Now enter the text you want to insert such as your name and address.

Now add the Copy to Clipboard step to the Shortcut in the same way. This step requires no additional input.

Now in the File menu at the top of the screen select rename and type a descriptive name to describe the

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shortcut function. I used Name and Address.

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Finally Click the small circle with an i in it to show the Shortcut Details.

In this list click on the Show in Menu Bar option.

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Using the Shortcut menu.

In the menu bar of the Mac you will see a Shortcut Icon listing the shortcuts you made. Click the menu and select the item you want paste into your document.

Now click your cursor where you want the text inserted and Press Paste

Command-V

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Microsoft Publisher File… On a Mac….

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Many years ago, I created a bunch of documents in Microsoft publisher. It was a wonderful desktop publishing program, and it came with the full version of Microsoft office on the PC. Until now, I have kind of thought those documents were orphaned and would not be usable on my Mac. But in doing some research, I ran across the program that can open Microsoft publisher files and allow you to continue editing those files and make changes to them. 

LibreOffice, a free product that is sustained by the donations is the only software I’ve been able to find that allows Microsoft publisher documents to be opened. It does not allow you to receive those files as publisher documents, but you can save them in their LibreOffice file format.  I was pleasantly surprised of the fidelity of the transfer from publisher. It opens the publisher file directly, and let you make edits using the tools that are native to LibreOffice.  Fields that were originally created as text, are still editable text. Photos that were imported into publisher are still movable scalable photos. Lines drawn in publisher, across as lines and are editable just as they would be in publisher.

So if you’re looking for a way to move publisher documents from the PC to the Mac, LibreOffice is the one to choose. It is free to download and try and is available in intel and Apple Silicon versions.

Scanning without a Scanner on the Mac

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Do you ever have a need to be able to get a quick scan of a document to import into a email or other document that you’re working with on your Mac? Apple provides a very easy way to get a scan without a scanner, that is if you have an iPhone. On the Mac, you have the ability to be able to import a picture directly from your phone. And the process is pretty easy. 

In most applications, or even just directly from the desktop, if you right click your mouse button to button mouse, or use two fingers to click on your trackpad, you’re presented with a menu of items that you can select from. One of those items is import from an iPhone or iPad.  

All you have to do to get this menu to come up is right click and then select the import function. When you do that, it drops out a list of all iOS devices but you may have connected to your account. In this case, I want to scan a document from my iPhone 12 Pro. Once I select scan documents under the iPhone 12 Pro, I’m presented with this dialogue on the computer.

When that box comes up, I now move over to my iPhone, and when I pick it up I noticed that it is in camera mode. It tells me to position the document so that it’s shown in its entirety, then press the button.  When I press the button, the camera goes off and I am given the opportunity to scan an additional page, review the scan, and then save it.  Once I hit the save button on the phone, the scan is delivered to the desktop on my Mac.  

The process even works with just takin a photo rather than just as a scan.   Photos are delivered in a jpg format and scans and delivered in pdf format.  

So even if you don’t have a scanner, the iPhone can fill in and quickly get you the document you need.

The First thing you need to do with your New Laptop

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Protect your Battery

I certainly should have made this post along time ago. One of the things I tell people when I set up a new laptop for them is that it’s very important for them to “season” the battery so that the battery understands the full capacity and can recharge to that capacity.

The typical estimated life of a Lithium-Ion battery is about three to 5 years or 300 to 500 charge cycles, whichever occurs first. One charge cycle is a period of use from fully charged, to fully discharged, and fully recharged again. But long before the Battery begins to fail, the capacity of the battery becomes reduced.

Rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries have a limited life and will gradually lose their capacity to hold a charge. This loss of capacity (aging) is irreversible. As the battery loses capacity, the length of time it will power the product (run time) decreases.  There are some things you can do to a new laptop battery to ensure the battery works to its full capacity.  

Here are the simple steps to ensure you get the most out of that new laptop battery.

1
Connect your laptop’s power cord and allow it to fully charge.

2
Unplug the laptop once it is charged .

3
Use the computer until you receive a warning that the battery is nearly empty. Save any open documents to prevent data loss.

4
Continue to use the laptop until the battery is completely drained .

5
Reconnect the laptop’s power cord and allow it to recharge to full capacity. You may use the machine while it is recharging, but do not unplug it until it is finished.

Once you do that, you can now recharge and use the battery on your laptop as you normally would.  But, to avoid premature reduction in your battery capacity, be sure to use it on battery at least once in a while.

Maximum Battery life is achieved if you charge the laptop fully, then use it on battery until it tells you it needs to be charged.  While we cant use our devices in that way all the time, letting the laptop fully discharge, at least some of the time, is always the best way to avoid early battery problems.

Touch ID for my MacBook Pro 2019 Doesn’t work after Update

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Q:  Since I have updated to Big Sur I have not been able to use my Touch ID for my MacBook Pro purchased in 2019, I have tried to shut down and reboot again several times to no avail, the preference will not take the addition of my Touch ID. Any suggestions.

A: This is likely a corruption in the settings for the System Management Controller or SMC.  Performing a SMC reset will likely fix the problem.

For 2019 MacBook Pros with the T2 chip here is the procedure:

1. Choose Apple menu > Shut Down and wait for your Mac to shut down.
2. Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds.
3. Release the power button, then wait a few seconds.
4. Press the power button again to turn on your Mac.

If that doesn’t resolve the issue, follow these steps:

1. Choose Apple menu > Shut Down and wait for your Mac to shut down.
2. Press and hold the right Shift key, the left Option key, and the left Control key for 7 seconds. Your Mac might turn on and show the Apple logo on its display. Keep holding those keys while you also press and hold the power button for another 7 seconds. If your Mac turned on when you first pressed the keys, it turns off at this point.
3. Release all three keys and the power button, then wait a few seconds.
4. Press the power button again to turn on your Mac.

You may need to then remove the stored fingerprint and set it up again.   If you have a different Mac and need to reset the SMC, check out Apple’s Support Note on the subject.

What to do when your Mac is Frozen….

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You know that frustrating, annoying, sometimes panicked feeling you get when your Mac isn’t doing what you expect? If an application freezes or your computer is generally misbehaving, here are a few things to try to get it working again.

Use Force Quit when an application is unresponsive. Choose Force Quit from the Apple menu.

Click the name of the deviant application (it probably has not responding next to its name). You typically won’t have to reboot.

Restart. If Force Quit doesn’t work or does not respond, try rebooting the computer. If a frozen Mac prevents you from clicking the Restart command on the Apple menu, hold down the power button for several until the screen goes black, then press the power button. If all else fails,  and the machine is a desktop, pull the plug, but remember that powering down without logging out should be used only as a last resort.

The power button is usually obvious on desktop machines but where is the power button on new MacBooks?

Look for the unmarked black square (Touch ID/power button) above the delete key
On older MacBooks you’ll see the power icon on the top right key

On the left: power button/Touch ID on 2016 and later MacBook Pro models. On the right: 2018 MacBook Air power button/Touch ID

On the left: power button/Touch ID on 2016 and later MacBook Pro models. On the right: 2018 MacBook Air power button/Touch ID

 

 

Scan Your Computer Using Malwarebytes

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Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a tool that allows you to scan your computer to find and remove malware like viruses and spyware.

To start your first scan, click [Scan] after it opens.

The scan may take several minutes.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start scanning. When the scan finishes, a screen will show any malware that was detected, if any was detected.

What Do I Do if MalwareBytes Finds Threats on my Computer?
If malware has been found on your computer, you may remove it by following the prompts within MalwareBytes once the scan is finished to view the report and to quarantine the threats. To manage them quarantined threats after a scan has already been completed, click [Detection History] on the main page. Once the scan has been complete and the threats have been quarantined, the system may require you to reboot the computer. When the computer restarts, do another scan to verify that there are no continuing threats.

Update Malwarebytes
To update Malwarebytes once it has already been installed, do the following:

Launch Malwarebytes.
On the launch page, click the gear icon in the top-right corner to view the settings. Click the [About] button on the far right corner. The currently installed version of MalwareBytes will appear on the left. Click the [Check for Updates] button to check for updates. If no update is found, you currently have the latest version installed. If you are prompted to install an update, install the update and do another scan on your computer.
After Malwarebytes has been updated, scan your computer.

Scan Your Computer
To scan your computer with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware after your initial scan, do the following:

Launch Malwarebytes.
Make sure Malwarebytes is up to date (see above).
Click the [Scan] button.
Let the scan progress. If threats are found, follow the prompts to quarantine the threats.

You now have successfully scanned your computer using MalwareBytes.