Mac essentials

If the Mac is new, you are unlikely to need 1Password – it’s pretty much all built into OS X now…

Thanks for the tips everyone.

Will check them out over the weekend.

it’s pretty much all built into OS X now

That all depends if you really want to put wall your apples in one basket, so to speak (excuse the pun)

I don’t know what your iTunes problems are.
When I moved to mac, I followed this
http://www.macworld.com/article/1146958/move_itunes_windows_mac.html
Also this looks useful
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

Magic mouse

Looks good, works bad. The perfect mouse if you only have two fingers.

Magic mouse
Looks good, works bad. The perfect mouse if you only have two fingers.

I have all my digits and it works brilliantly, but my fingers are quite long and thin.

Don’t feed it coffee

Good advice, and i might add they don’t do too well with a bottle of Merlot across the keypad either, i don’t know about Whites but i suspect they may have the same effect.

Bloody macbooks, you think they’d be able to handle a drink or two.

Chose to run an iMac to avoid billy gates software, so personally don’t use office but open office, which in the main is completely compatible as long as you don’t want to do complicated things with macros.

I’ve been using alfred for a few weeks now to open apps, files and do basic sys commands.

What else can I use it for? Is the power pack good vfm? What could i use it for?

Its one of those apps I didn’t realise I needed…

I don’t know what your iTunes problems are.

Where to start:

1) It’s fat and resource hungry
2) No native FLAC support
3) “Oh, it’s just a windows thing, it’s much better on the mac” – No, it’s not.
4) An ability to lose music from its library for no apparent reason
5) An equal ability to generate duplicates
6) An ability to completely corrupt the library on your iPhone

4) An ability to lose music from its library for no apparent reason

THIS!!!
I now have asterisks against 6400 songs, and no matter how many times I show iTunes where the music is, it still won’t find it.

@wrecker – is it a format issue on the underlying music file ?

@wrecker

itunes no longer supports wav files – well, it plays them but won’t import them. Total PITA.

All MP3 stored on an external drive/NAS (as the MBPs don’t have big hard drives). Took me hours to transfer them all, and they all worked previously. Now has an asterisk against all the songs and “cannot locate” message comes up. Happened loads of times on the old PC. Thought a mac would be better.

Can I add to the I don’t like iTunes part. Use to like the simplicity of the original iTunes but really hate the constant updates and dislike the current version of iTunes.

@wrecker – would suggest you try and reformat some of them as an experiment. I’ve converted all of my mp3’s, rightly or wrongly I see it as quite a dated format, could be someday it’s unsupported.

OK, so I have used Ripit to rip a dvd.

Handbrake to convert the file to MP4.

How do I get in to iTunes?

Drag and drop has not worked or the add to library option.

could be someday it’s unsupported by stupid proprietary software, but I’d expect no issues with the wealth of other media players out there.

FTFY

worked it out.

They are in iTunes.

Just under home movies not movies.

Sweet!!

Here is a good guide if you have an old Airport Express you want to include in a Mavericks based network.

http://coreyjmahler.com/2013/10/24/airport-utility-5-6-1-on-os-x-10-9-mavericks/

Downloaded this today and followed the instructions. Works a treat.

Thanks for that. Was going to bin mine!

You are very welcome.

You will be able to set it up and it will work as part of your network.

You will not be able to edit it with the Airport Utilities App although it will be visible. You will have to go back to this fix to change any settings in the future.

I have an airport express, and really don’t know what it’s capable of. It’s currently plugged into a stereo for music streaming but I seem to have to use a wifi meaning that I can’t connect to internetz when I’m streaming.
Can anyone recommend a guide for numpties please?

@Wrecker, I assume the HiFi is in a different room to the Mac?

@Wrecker – sounds like you’ve got it set up to provide a new wifi network, rather than extending an existing wifi one….? If so, head into Airport Utility and set it to extend your ‘internet’ wifi, then you should be able to send Airtunes to it whilst using just the one network.

@wrecker – I think you’ve set it up wrong (possibly as per @mattstreet above). You should be able to stream to AirPort Express as well as browse that there internet on your computer. The Airport should be setup to receive the house wifi, i.e. just with wifi network name and password, then your computer just sees it as another device, basically it’s like being able to print wirelessly and browse the web

@Wrecker, I assume the HiFi is in a different room to the Mac?

Umm. It was set up when I had a PC in an upstairs room(which is now a nersery). The MBP can go anywhere.

@Wrecker – sounds like you’ve got it set up to provide a new wifi network, rather than extending an existing wifi one….? If so, head into Airport Utility and set it to extend your ‘internet’ wifi, then you should be able to send Airtunes to it whilst using just the one network.

Airport utility won’t find it. I think I need to plug it in?
Great information though, thanks very much.

Plex is worth adding, to house your library of err.. non iTunes movie files that you can’t be bothered to convert. Streams to a Roku nicely too – the Sky Now box for 9.99 is a Roku, but I don’t know if they’ve crippled it to stop you adding a Plex channel – could be a cheap way to add streaming to your house.

@wrecker – if you are bold you should do a reset (instructions on apple website, use a paper clip etc), start again from scratch with Airport Utility. “Plug it in” I believe there is no way to connect AirPort Express with a wire to your computer, it’s all done via wireless. BTW I assume you have plugged the Airport into the mains 8)