Upgrading and Troubleshooting Your Mac

by Gene Steinberg

Overview

The magic of the Mac is back! Mac OS X is a truly revolutionary operating system that has great flexibility and functionality. Author Gene Steinberg shows readers how to tap techniques of IT professionals to make your Mac run at top efficiency.

Minimize downtime and optimize your Mac for reliability and speed. Upgrading & Troubleshooting Your Mac: Mac OS X Edition is the definitive OS X resource,focused on upgrading,preventive maintenance,and troubleshooting. Loaded with case histories to illustrate common problems and repair solutions,this book covers a wide range of important issues—from survival advice for laptops to organizing SCSI chains to overcoming Ethernet difficulties. Whether you're new to the OS X platform or computing in general,or if you're migrating from an older Mac,this comprehensive volume will help you operate your new system at peak efficiency.

Get Peak Performance from Your Mac!

• Hook up and deploy your Mac for home or business use—including hardware and peripherals
• Efficiently run this sophisticated operating system on almost any supported Mac computer
• Learn the secrets to successfully installing expansion cards and upgrading CPU and RAM
• Add system enhancements and diagnose system-related conflicts
• Understand and manage graphic file formats,fonts,and printers
• Incorporate proven backup techniques and preventative maintenance
• Upgrade with FireWire and Network cards,Graphics and USB adapter cards,SCSI accelerators,and video capture boards
• Integrate and optimize system software
• Configure your modem connection,Web browser,and email account

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780072193596
Publisher:	McGraw-Hill Companies, The
Publication date:	01/01/2001
Series:	Consumer Series
Edition description:	Mac OS X ed.
Pages:	640
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.29(d)

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	xix
	Introduction	xxi
Chapter 1	Solving Mac Hookup Problems	1
	Initial Installation: The First Day	2
	What to Do If Your New Mac Doesn't Work	12
Chapter 2	How to Cope with System Software Hassles	15
	How to Handle System Crashes	16
	What Those Error Messages Really Mean	17
	Is It the Hardware or Software?	19
	The Right Way to Do a Classic System Upgrade	21
	How to Merge Classic System Folders	30
	The Right Way to Do a Mac OS X System Upgrade	38
Chapter 3	The Mac Upgrade Guide: Peripheral Cards	45
	Adding Expansion Cards	46
	What If It Won't Boot?	51
	Using Processor Upgrade Cards: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly	51
Chapter 4	The Mac Upgrade Guide: Dealing with RAM Upgrade Pitfalls	59
	Yes, It's All Right for You to Add a RAM Upgrade	60
	How to Avoid RAM Upgrade Damage	60
	Checking RAM Compatibility	62
	Adding RAM Upgrades to Regular Desktop Macs	66
	Adding RAM Upgrades to the iMac	69
	Adding RAM Upgrades to iBooks and PowerBooks	71
	How to Know If RAM Is Properly Installed	73
	Interpreting the Signs That Something Went Wrong	74
Chapter 5	Troubleshooting Macs on the Road	83
	The Care and Feeding of Laptops	84
	PowerBook/iBook Trials and Tribulations	90
	Protecting Your Laptop Against Theft	96
	The Apple Laptop Travel Guide	100
Chapter 6	The Weird World of Fonts	107
	TrueType vs. PostScript Fonts: What's the Difference?	108
	Mac OS X Is Bursting with Font Folders	114
	Finding Damaged Fonts	119
	Coping with Font Conflicts	121
	Font Organization Tips and Tricks	128
Chapter 7	Dealing with Graphic File Headaches	135
	A Quick Review of Graphic File Formats	136
	How to View PC Graphics on a Mac	139
	Preparing Mac Graphics to Work in the Windows World	144
Chapter 8	Making Your Printer Sing	147
	Installing a Personal Printer	148
	Installing a Network Printer	150
	USB vs. Network Printers: Is There a Difference?	152
	PostScript: What Is It? Why Do I Need It?	153
	Which Printer Driver Do I Use?	157
	What's a PPD File and What Do I Need It For?	158
	Solving Common Printing Problems	164
	How to Fix Paper Jams and Feed Problems	175
Chapter 9	Troubleshooting Mice, Joysticks, and Keyboards	177
	Choose Your Own Input Device	178
	ADB Input Device Cautions	182
	Installing Input Devices	182
	How to Handle the USB Connection	189
Chapter 10	The Monitor Is the Window of the Computer World	193
	Display Selection Hints	194
	Installing a New Monitor	197
	Making the Picture Look Right on a CRT Monitor	198
	Using ColorSync to Calibrate Your Display	209
	Hints and Tips about Multiple Displays	216
	What's Wrong with My Picture?	218
Chapter 11	Help with Mixed Mac/Windows Offices	227
	Making Macs and PCs Communicate Peacefully	228
	Troubleshooting Mixed Network Problems	238
	How to Handle a Windows Emulator on a Mac	243
	In Defense of Your Mac	249
Chapter 12	Do You Have a Computer Virus?	255
	Are Computer Viruses a Danger to Mac Users?	256
	The Real Dangers of Cross-Platform Viruses	258
	How to Know If It's a Virus or a Software Problem	260
	Choosing and Installing Virus Protection Software	265
Chapter 13	Keeping Your Hard Drive Healthy and Happy	273
	A Brief Primer on Cataloging a Disk Drive	274
	What Can Go Wrong with a Drive and How to Fix It	287
	How to Cope with Drive Directory Problems	294
	What to Do If Hard Drive Diagnostic Programs Fail	302
Chapter 14	Foolproof Backup Techniques Explained	307
	Why Backups Are Necessary	308
	Backups: How, What, and When	311
	How to Restore Your Files	326
	What If the Backup Goes Bad?	327
Chapter 15	Storage Device Technologies: Dealing with SCSI Chain Hassles	333
	How to Organize the SCSI Chain	334
	A Handy Guide to SCSI Voodoo	336
	Internal vs. External: What's the Difference?	339
	Adding a SCSI Accelerator Card	347
	A Quick Guide to Solving SCSI Chain Problems	349
	The End of SCSI?	352
Chapter 16	Making Your New Scanner Work Better	359
	The Right Way to Install a Scanner	360
	Checking SCSI Settings and Hardware Locking Switches	362
	What If the Scanner Freezes?	363
	How to Do That First Scan with Confidence	367
Chapter 17	Overcoming the Network Hassle	375
	File Sharing Basics	376
	Fixing AppleTalk Network Troubles	383
	Getting Started with Ethernet	388
	Networking via TCP/IP	395
	How to Protect Your Files on a Network	397
Chapter 18	Adding System Utilities and Overcoming System Conflicts	401
	The Classic Appearance Control Panel and Mac OS X	402
	Desktop Makeovers and Mac OS X	404
	Desktop Decoration Programs: Good or Bad?	405
	Use Classic System Enhancements with Few Problems	408
	How to Check for System Conflicts	411
	How to Handle Mac OS X System Problems	418
	Where to Learn About Software Updates	425
Chapter 19	How to Make Video Capture Hardware Work	429
	Are You Ready to Capture Video?	430
	Selecting and Installing the Right Video System	432
	Where Do I Store It?	438
	How to Handle Video Capture Problems	440
Chapter 20	Making the Modem Connection	447
	Making 56K Work	448
	The Right Way to Hook Up a Modem	449
	Why It Won't Connect	458
	How to Test Your Modem's Real Connection Potential	462
	What's a Modem String and How Do I Use It?	464
Chapter 21	Dealing with Internet Access Problems	467
	Solving Internet Connection Problems	468
	How to Speed Downloads and Uploads	480
	Getting Top Performance from Your Internet Connection	480
Chapter 22	Making Your Web Browser Browse	489
	What to Do When You Cannot Access a Site	490
	Making Your Browser Run Faster	493
	Tips on Speeding Up a Web Browser Cache	493
	How to Make Online Graphics Look Sharper	507
Chapter 23	Making Email Work for You	511
	When Email Doesn't Reach Its Destination	512
	How to Handle Email Attachments	514
	Is There a Danger from Email Viruses?	515
	How to Avoid Email Problems	517
Appendix	QuickStart Upgrade and Troubleshooting Guide	539
	Installing a New Mac	540
	Reinstalling System Software	540
	Adding Peripheral Cards	541
	Adding RAM	541
	Advice for Road Warriors	542
	Mac OS X Font Management	542
	Graphics Files	542
	Printing Under Mac OS X	543
	Using Input Devices	543
	Installing a New Monitor	544
	Living in the Windows World	544
	Computer Viruses and Mac OS X	545
	Hard Drive Diagnostic Tips	545
	Don't Forget Backups	546
	Take Care with SCSI Chains	546
	Take Care Setting Up a Scanner	546
	Network in Confidence	547
	Add System Enhancements with Care	547
	Make Video Editing Work Better	548
	Make Your Modem Connect Faster	548
	Broadband Access Concerns	548
	Improving Web Access	549
	Make Email Work Better	549
	Glossary	551
	Index	581

Editorial Reviews

Steinberg exhaustively covers both hardware and software issues, pointing out how the Classic Mac OS differs from OS X. Included is information on setting up a new Mac, upgrading system software, adding and troubleshooting hardware and peripherals, Internet connectivity issues, networking, and more. A useful "QuickStart" troubleshooting appendix provides basic information on topics from computer viruses to video editing, but this content would have been more useful as summaries after the appropriate chapters. For public libraries serving Mac users. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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