lion

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers. This week readers wrote in asking questions about options for installing larger hard drives in MacBook Pro systems, managing larger ASL log files, how to customize Time Machine's scheduling, and managing PowerPC helper applications in OS X 10.7 Lion. 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: Installing larger hard drives in a MacBook Pro MacFixIt reader "Matt&… Read more

OS X Lion has just been released as a Golden Master build to developers, and provided all goes according to plan it should be slated for public release sometime later this month. Unlike with prior releases of OS X, Apple has taken a few different turns with Lion, especially in how it will be distributed to users. In addition, the system requirements for the upgrade are going to be a bit more constrained than in the past, so here is how to best prepare for the upgrade.

The first thing to do is ensure your system will run it. Any … Read more

The next major version of Apple's Mac OS is one big step closer to being released.

Today Apple offered developers the gold master seed of the software. That's typically the same build users get when the software is released.

At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple announced that it would be releasing Lion as a $29.99 update to users in July, though it did not specify a particular date. Today's GM seed suggests that the release will be much earlier in the month, possibly as soon as next week.

With Snow Leopard, Apple's … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers. This week readers wrote in asking questions on optical media no longer working, the OS requirements for installing OS X 10.7 Lion, how to determine SATA controller link speed, and Keynote crashing because of font problems. 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: CDs and DVDs no longer working MacFixIt reader "mikart" asks:

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers. This week readers wrote in asking questions about the options for OS X 10.7 Lion recovery discs, CDs and DVDs automatically ejecting when inserted into the drive, and options for playing Flash media files in Keynote presentations. 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: Information on OS X 10.7 Lion's recovery disk options MacFixIt reader "Paul&… Read more

Apple has released the anticipated version 10.6.8 update to OS X Snow Leopard. The key features of this update are that it gets the Mac App Store ready for the upgrade to OS X 10.7 Lion that is slated for release this summer. The update also improves support and addresses bugs with networking and Apple's Preview application. Additionally, it also adds more support for the removal of the recent MacDefender malware and its variants.

The update specifically addresses the following issues:

Hardly a week goes by without some widely disseminated rumor about an Apple product winding its way around the Internet. Typically it's about future versions of the iPhone or iPad, but with the impending release of Apple's OS X Lion operating system update, there's been a surge in rumors about the MacBook Air laptop, the small form factor Mac Mini, and even the full-size Mac Pro desktop.

As we've always cautioned, these rumors are usually based more on wishful thinking than on hard fact (although in recent years, supplier leaks have become an invaluable resource for … Read more

With rumor and speculation about Apple's removal of Rosetta support from OS X, one of the communities most concerned is the people who have become accustomed to using Quicken 2007 for Mac. Quicken was developed with PowerPC-specific instructions for core components of the software, which has made it a daunting and practically impossible task for Intuit to get running on the Intel architecture. As a result, when Apple drops PowerPC support altogether, Quicken will no longer run. However, there are some new developments that may shed some light on the problem for Quicken 2007 users.

According to The Mac Observer, … Read more

Since the initial releases of OS X, Apple has developed a Server variant of the operating system, which has until now been a rather expensive option. With the end of the Xserve line and options like the Mac Mini server, Apple has made its Server software cheaper and cheaper, to the point where in OS X Lion it will be a $49 upgrade purchase from the Mac App Store. As a result some people may be wondering what OS X Server is all about and how it may benefit them.

MacFixIt reader "John" recently wrote in with such … Read more