lion

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers. This week we had questions on how the iTunes Home Sharing feature works, different approaches for upgrading to OS X Lion, how to list open network ports in OS X, and identifying whether or not you installed the Adobe Flash Trojan. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present a few answers here, we welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: How the iTunes home-sharing feature works MacFixIt reader "Kski" asks: … Read more

When troubleshooting your system, or when attempting to mirror settings from one system to another, you may end up browsing through your user library, and specifically through the Preferences folder within it to copy preferences files for your applications. This procedure is fairly straightforward, but when browsing through your preferences folder you may see a few unexpected file types, including ones with strings of characters appended to the ends of them and in Lion a new "lockfile" type.

MacFixIt reader "Chris" wrote in, asking:

Can you please provide an explanation of the new plist.lockfile files … Read more

Yesterday Apple released the first update to OS X Lion, but people who expected the first update to bring about major changes or fixes to problems that developed with the initial release of the OS may have to wait for a future release. The update is a relatively small one, at around 17MB for some people when downloaded through Software Updaate, but around 80MB as a standalone updater. For now the updater is just a minor bugfix that addresses some of the issues people have had with Lion, and enhanced fixes will likely come with the more hyped 10.7.… Read more

Less than a month after releasing Lion, Apple's rolled out its first update.

In a software update that went out this afternoon, the company released OS X 10.7.1, a download that fixes a handful of bugs left by the initial release. The full list includes:

• Address an issue that may cause the system to become unresponsive when playing a video in Safari • Resolve an issue that may cause system audio to stop working when using HDMI or optical audio out • Improve the reliability of Wi-Fi connections • Resolve an issue that prevents transfer of your data, settings, and … Read more

In a recent article, Mac tech site Cult of Mac has said that Apple appears to no longer be supporting USB modems and other analog forms of communication in OS X. Apparently in Lion if you plug in an Apple USB modem, the system will give you an error claiming the hardware is unsupported, and that you cannot use the modem with your computer. While this may be the case with Apple's modem, others seem to be working just fine.

Apple may be eager to phase out modems in favor of more modern options, but so far support for … Read more

In the wake of OS X 10.7 Lion's initial release as a download through the Mac App Store for users running Snow Leopard, Apple has now made the operating system installation available on Apple-branded USB thumbdrives for $69.99 at its online store.

While the Lion OS is available for purchase and download for $29.99 (less than half the price) at the Mac App Store, Apple says it released the thumbdrives today for those who didn't want to (or couldn't) download the roughly 3.5GB file. Those who have already purchased Lion from the Mac … Read more

Apple has released its Mac OS X Lion USB thumb drive.

The drive, which is available now on Apple's Web site, retails for $69. People who buy the drive can simply pop it into their computers and upgrade to Mac OS X Lion without the need for a Web connection.

Apple announced its USB thumb drive last month. The company said it would be the right choice for customers who don't have a broadband connection in the home. But it also signals Apple's future plans.

Apple's new OS X 10.7 has a number of enticing features and seems to run well on many systems; however, after about a month of Lion being out in the wild, there are several prominent issues affecting some Mac users running Lion that seem to all revolve around the management or processing of graphics.

The first issues are with MacBook Pro systems (specifically the 2010 models), where it seems a bug results in kernel panics when performing specific video-processing tasks, be it the movement of a window, or the editing and management of a graphics file. The systems … Read more

Last month Apple offered an update for the Migration Assistant utility for OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, which increased compatibility with transferring data a new Mac that ships with OS X Lion. Today Apple followed suit for OS X 10.5 Leopard by issuing an update for its Migration Assistant tool as well.

The update should be available through Software Update, but can also be downloaded from the Apple Support downloads site. The download is 4.98MB and requires OS X 10.5.8 to install, so if you are planning on migrating to a newly purchased system and … Read more