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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 wrote in asking how to stop a song in iTunes completely instead of pausing it, how to tackle log-in items changing at seemingly random intervals, what to do about burned files appearing as aliases on the resulting DVD, and how to get persistent keychain prompts under control. I welcome contributions from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, please post them in the comments!

Question: Stopping a song in iTunes instead of pausing it MacFixIt … Read more

Etsy cracks down on skulls, drugs, lighter fluid for sale

Just when it seemed like Etsy was the perfect place to pick up some human bones, poison, or drug paraphernalia, the online artisan e-commerce site announced it was banning these products and more.

It actually seems a bit laughable that Etsy had to earnestly state that it was forbidding these items, which include all smokeable products, human remains or body parts, hazardous materials, motor vehicles, and drugs -- but it did.

Here's what Etsy policy manager Lauren Engelhardt wrote in a blog post last week:

The Policy Team at Etsy is continually working to ensure that our rules balance … Read more

Sell your old stuff on Quick

Open up Quick and you'll see two paths you can take: Sell or Search & Buy. Selling an item using Quick is totally straightforward. Just hit List an Item and input all of the vital info, like Title, Price, Category, Description, Payment Options, Delivery Options, and Photos. You can snap a few new pics or import existing ones from your Gallery. If you're selling a fairly common item, there's a nice feature that lets you use Quick to search for it (either by keyword or scanned bar code), in order to autopopulate the item fields. Lastly, at … Read more

How to count items in a folder in OS X

In past versions of OS X, Apple offered an obvious item count indicator that showed the number of items in a given folder. This feature was present by default in the Finder, which made it convenient to use for managing folder contents. However, Apple has changed this in Lion so that there is no obvious item count indicator.

This setup was done as part of Apple's more minimal approach to the user interface; it has removed toolbars and scroll bars among other items in order to present as much content on screen as possible. Unfortunately, some convenient aspects have … Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

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

This week people wrote in with questions about log-in items returning after being deleted, installing Lion to another partition within Snow Leopard, missing menu extras for Spaces in Lion, whether or not it's feasible to customize a Mac's wakeup schedule, and how to reset a lost account password. We welcome alternative approaches and views from readers, so if you have any suggestions, then post them in the comments!

Question: Log-in items returning after being deleted MacFixIt reader Thom asks:

I have two programs … Read more

Troubleshooting 'insecure startup items'

Depending on your OS X configuration, you may run across an issue where the system may issue a warning at log-in about insecure startup items. When this happens, the warning will state the folder /Library/StartupItems/ has improper security settings and that items in it were not started.

Startup items are scripts and applications that launch and remain active when the system boots, and is an old method of automatically starting background tasks that should run regardless of what user account is logged in. The Startup Items folder is in the global Library folder at the root of the hard … Read more

Mining is your craft

Crafted lets you play a 2D version of the megapopular game Minecraft, using many of the same sounds and graphics--so much so that we're surprised it's still available in the iTunes App Store.

Mojang's Minecraft has achieved a huge following for its open, sandbox style of gameplay, letting you manipulate every block in the world. Once you've gathered the right materials, you can make picks for mining, axes for chopping down trees, torches so you can see at night, and a whole laundry list of other items.

Crafted offers a similar experience, but all in 2D. … Read more

Inadequate inventory

We've reviewed quite a few inventory management systems, and most of them are complex programs that have numerous features. After all, inventory management is no simple task, and any piece of software that's designed to handle it has to be pretty comprehensive. Unfortunately, Stocks Inventory 2 does not fit the bill. This bare-bones program doesn't even begin to offer the features typical of software in this genre.

The program's interface is plain and not too terribly difficult to figure out, but that's largely a function of the fact that there aren't that many features. … Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers. This week there were questions on using keyboard shortcuts with OS X's application services, log-in items no longer launching automatically, migration recommendations for new Macs, and the longevity of Microsoft's DOCX format. 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: Using keyboard shorcuts with application services MacFixIt reader "lew" asks:

Is there a keyboard shortcut to launch … Read more

How to hide stubborn log-in items in OS X

The OS X log-in items feature is useful for quickly opening the programs, documents, folders, and other items that you regularly use when first logging in to your system. We recently outlined some of the options you can use the log in items list for, and in response some readers have written in with some suggestions and concerns, specifically around the option to hide applications that are launched where some programs do not seem to remain hidden.

When you set up log-in items, you can check the option to hide them, which will keep them running for quick access but … Read more