preferences

Default Folder X is a system preference pane that can save you a lot of time finding and flipping through folders, especially when opening and saving files.

The primary interface pops up with every open and save dialog, across all your applications, giving you faster access to multiple folders and commands. You can jump to favorite and recently used folders (even by clicking on open windows), enter Spotlight metatags, and manage files and folders right from the dialog--so you don't need to go to the Finder for simple tasks like renaming and deleting.

Default Folder X also lets you &… Read more

Sometimes when troubleshooting aspects of OS X, we resort to a routine of disabling features and removing configuration files to have them recreated freshly. While this is an approach that is sure to give you fresh configuration files and ensure that settings or configuration options are not contributing to the error at hand, sometimes it is not always necessary to do.

Recently as part of one of the MacFixIt Answers columns I offered a couple of suggestions for fixing Safari bookmarks being duplicated when synced with Apple's iCloud service. One of my suggestions was to remove Safari's bookmarks … Read more

Many times when program settings don't stick properly a common troubleshooting step is to "delete the preferences file," which will remove any custom settings and have the program re-create the preferences file from defaults. This step is so commonly recommended it's almost cliche, but sometimes it's fun to take a look at exactly how preference corruption manifests itself.

Recently MacFixIt reader Fredrick contacted me with a problem that had all the indications of being from preference file corruption:

User accounts in OS X are managed by default through the Accounts system preferences (Users & Groups in Lion), where you can add or remove them, or change properties such as administrator status via a simple interface. However, sometimes if you are trying to delete an account the system may be stubborn and refuse to allow this action, so the account reappears when you next launch the system preferences.

This type of problem generally means the system preferences cannot properly access the system directory, which can happen if corruption or permissions faults occur when you upgrade the operating system software … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week people wrote in with questions on preserving an intact preferences file for restoring if the working one becomes corrupt, using an alternative e-mail account with iCloud, an unrecoverable filesystem error showing in Disk Utility, and why not download PKG installer files directly. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present answers here, we welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

NOTE: The "contact us" box for e-mailing us will hopefully … Read more

Web Sharing in OS X is a great tool for quickly setting up a basic Web server on any Mac, allowing you to host pages for various purposes. This service is started by checking the box next to it in the Sharing system preferences, and when enabled it will by default serve Web pages that are placed in the Sites folder or in the system's /Macintosh HD/Library/WebServer/Documents/ folder (these can be accessed from the system preferences). In some cases, however, people running OS X Lion have reported finding that Web Sharing does not start, and when … Read more

In OS X, the creation of separate user accounts is useful not only for keeping work and private documents separate, but also so users can have their own settings and system customizations that will not interfere with those of other users. User accounts can be added or removed in the Accounts System Preferences (called Users and Groups in Lion), but in some situations, people are finding that they cannot remove some accounts from their systems, and when they try the accounts will show up the next time they open Accounts.

Account access and management problems may happen when you perform … Read more

Cocktail is both useful and fun for inveterate Mac tinkerers and would-be power users (that is, power users who aren't hard-core enough to use the command line).

This multipurpose utility can help you keep your computer happy and healthy, giving you access to scores of tweaks and optimizations pulled together from various utilities, preferences, third-party hacks, and command-line tools. Cocktail can help you with routine maintenance and customization across your disks, system, files, network, and interface. Cocktail is organized around these five areas, with highly customizable options for everything from clearing caches and repairing permissions to changing the appearance … Read more

Autoplay can be a great tool to help your computer react to new media being inserted into a drive. It can automatically open your music player for an audio CD or a file browsing window when you plug in a USB thumbdrive. But what if, at the time, you don't want to listen to the audio CD, or browse the files on your USB drive. Follow these steps to adjust, or even disable outright, your Autoplay settings.

Step 1: Open the Control Panel from the Start menu.

Step 2: Click on the small triangle next to Control Panel in … Read more