modes

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

This week people wrote in with questions about a Mac continuously booting to Safe Mode, an apparent missing option to ignore ownership on an external volume, where and how to look up Mac model information, and ways to prevent OS X from reopening programs and windows at startup. We welcome alternative approaches and views from readers, so if you have any suggestions then post them in the comments!

Question: Mac continuously booting to Safe Mode MacFixIt reader Andreas asks:

There's a good chance you're thinking, "What kind of inane headline is that?" But bear with me here.

With CES 2012 fever heating up, some companies appear to be getting a little careless with their news. Yesterday, Anymode, a Korea-based cell phone accessories company, sent out a press release announcing new cases, covers, and other goodies for an AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note.

So what's the big deal? Well, Samsung and AT&T never made an official announcement about such a device, so it looked like Anymode had let the cat out of … Read more

Now that we have ushered in 2012, the hot topic for the next couple months will be rumored specs and release dates for Apple's iPad 3.

The latest rumor comes from editor in chief at iLounge, Jeremy Horwitz, who claims that the iPad 3 will get a high-definition, front-facing FaceTime camera.

Horwitz's rumored spec for the front-facing HD camera, relayed on his Twitter account, was actually just one of several assertions made by him. Also included was the fact that the iPad 3's rear-facing camera would be upgraded to either the same 8-megapixel camera that Apple uses … Read more

Remember the Lenovo ThinkPad X1? Last year's uber-high-end semithin and semirugged business laptop has gotten a 2012 refresh with the ThinkPad X1 Hybrid, adding an idea that we definitely haven't seen before: this Intel Core i-series-powered computer has its own separate Qualcomm dual-core processor for viewing media in a battery life-saving mode called IMM, or Instant Media Mode.

The idea's not unlike a hybrid, so to speak, of ideas such as automatically switching discrete graphics and quick-launch OS environments that have gone out of fashion as of late in laptops. Lenovo's IMM claims to bump battery life to 10 hours when in that Qualcomm processor-powered Linux-based OS. A dedicated, separate 16GB SSD acts as storage in this mode.… Read more

Sleep modes on Mac systems are convenient for saving power while preserving your workflow, and can be set up in the Energy Saver system preferences for various power schemes (batteries, power adapters, and UPS units).

The system should stay in sleep unless specifically commanded to wake; however, there are times when the system may randomly wake from sleep. This can be irritating because it wastes power, especially for laptop batteries; however, it can also be concerning for those who might wonder if their systems are being accessed.

Though systems generally wake up because of user input (clicking a mouse or … Read more

There are several reasons to disable browser history recording, ranging from personal to practical.

If you're a Chrome user, you have to toggle into Incognito mode in order to avoid adding to your browsing history. However, forgetting to enter Incognito mode or accidentally browsing with the wrong open window defeats the purpose of having an Incognito mode available. The Ghost Incognito extension for Chrome alleviates this issue by allowing you to create a filter that will automatically place pages in an Incognito window based on domain name.

Step 1: Install the Ghost Incognito extension from the Chrome market.

Step … Read more

Generally it only takes a few seconds for a Mac to wake from or go to sleep, but there may be times when it either takes an exceptionally long time or when it will not wake or sleep at all.

If the system takes a long time to wake from sleep, it may be that it is just waking from a deep sleep mode. The computer's RAM cannot store data without power, so in standard sleep modes, RAM is kept active while the majority of the rest of the system is powered off. This allows for quick sleep and … Read more

If you have enabled iCloud's Find My Mac feature in OS X Lion, then you will notice that the OS X log-in screen now shows a Guest user account, which when clicked will offer the option for rebooting the system into Safari-only mode.

This mode will run the system in a limited environment where it can be used for Web surfing, but not much else. The system will only allow Safari to run in plain vanilla form without any plugins (including Flash) or extras running, and if you quit the browser then the system will restart back to the … Read more

Sleep mode on Mac systems is useful for saving power while allowing you to quickly resume your work, and as a result is commonly used. You can use the Energy Saver system preferences to govern when the system goes to sleep, and you can also press the power button to invoke sleep behaviors. System sleep is governed by the power manager, which contains hardware variables that can either be set in the system preferences or by using tools such as the "pmset" terminal command.

The common sleep features can be accessed in the System preferences, such as setting … Read more