macs

Time Machine corruption bug may prevent backups

A bug apparently exists in Apple's Time Machine backup routines in Mountain Lion that can prevent recent backups from being used for a full restore.

By default, Time Machine mirrors the entire boot drive of an OS X system, and should update on an hourly basis to keep the backups current with changes to your system. By combining hard links to old backups along with new backup data, it quickly creates a full representation of your system by copying only changed files to the backup.

In this sense, in its default configuration each backup represented in Time Machine should … Read more

New proof-of-concept malware demonstrates virus for OS X

Security researchers have found a proof-of-concept attack that appears to be the first true viral malware approach for compromising OS X.

The malware is called "Clampzok.A" and is a cross-platform malware package that alters the binary files on an affected system so when executed, the binary will infect neighboring binary files.

The malware is written in assembly code, and was originally released in 2006 for Windows and Linux systems, but was recently updated to affect 32-bit Mach-O binary files in OS X machines.

Unlike Trojan horses, spyware, and adware that hide in one location on the system … Read more

Apple WWDC predictions: Deutsche Bank chimes in

The overhaul of iOS will be the marquee attraction at Apple's upcoming WWDC, according to Deutsche Bank.

In a note to investors Monday, Deutsche Bank Equity Research's Chris Whitmore said the focus will be on iOS 7 and Mac OS upgrades.

The note has a lot to say about the expected iOS 7 announcement.

We believe iOS is due for a material upgrade in order to freshen and reinvigorate the 'cool' factor around Apple's products. The general look and feel of iOS is 6 years old and is in need of an update and some spark. It … Read more

Troubleshooting Auto Save and Resume in OS X

Starting with OS X 10.7 Lion, Apple introduced Auto Save and Resume features that make it so the system will continually save your ongoing work, along with each program's current set of opened windows. This feature allows the system to maintain your workflow in the event of a power failure or crash, or even if you simply quit your program without saving.

To see this feature in action, open TextEdit, Pages, Safari, or another program that is built to work with these services, and create a new document without saving it. Make modifications to it and then choose &… Read more

Apple's new Mac Pro said to ditch expansions, arrive this fall

As Apple's developers conference approaches, the rumors are coming hot and heavy. The latest? More scuttlebutt on the Mac Pro, Apple's one and only desktop tower, which the company has promised to overhaul and rerelease this year.

New tidbits come from longtime video producer Lou Borella, the creator of the Facebook group "We Want a New Macpro," who on Monday posted details on the changes from "a source or two that has some credibility."

The gist:

• It will be heavily reliant on Thunderbolt • There will be no internal expandability • It will have support for … Read more

New MacBook Pro and MacBook Air may debut at WWDC

With Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) starting June 10, speculation is swirling as to what might be introduced beyond significant, Jony Ive-inspired updates to the company's mobile and desktop operating systems.

According to one of more accurate analysts tracking Apple, Mingchi Kuo of KGI Securities, a slimmer MacBook Pro based on Intel's new Haswell processors and a MacBook Air with improved microphones are expected to debut at WWDC.

In a recent report, Kuo wrote:

We expect the new MacBook, featuring an upgrade to Intel's (US) Haswell processor, will be in the spotlight for Apple at the … Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

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

This week, readers asked about using drives attached to a Time Capsule as separate shared backup destinations for Time Machine, how to deal with managing photos both in the Finder and in iPhoto, and managing a completely black MacBook screen.

I welcome contributions from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, please post them in the comments!

Question: Using multiple shares on a Time Capsule for Time Machine backups MacFixIt reader Gregg asks:

I was wondering if I … Read more

How to keep your Mac running in tip-top shape

When you use your new Mac for the first time, the fresh OS installation and new configuration will have the responsiveness and speed that's intended by Apple. For the most part, this should continue throughout the life of the system. However, as with any system, there are times when you may experience slowdowns.

These can happen either from running low on resources like RAM or hard drive space, from software incompatibilities, or even from errors with your system.

While you can tackle these problems if they arise, there are several things you can do to keep your system running … Read more

Mac tip: Copy and paste plain text with Get Plain Text

Rich text formatting, be gone!

Two questions: Do you use a Mac? Do you find yourself copying and pasting text throughout the workday? If you answered "yes" to both questions, I would recommend spending $2.99 in the Mac App Store on Get Plain Text.

Once installed and running, Get Plain Text places an icon in your Mac's menu bar. Click on it and from the drop-down menu, choose "Automatically clear formatting." Now when you copy and paste text, you'll grab only the text and none of its formatting. You can easily turn this … Read more