Ask Jacob

There is the chance that it is a Software related issue. If you boot up off the Mac OS Install DVD, you can reinstall the OS via an Archive and Install. Then run Software update to get your MacBook to the most recent version. Also make sure that your MacBook does not need a Firmware or SMC update.

If after that, you still have trouble, it may bee that the Bluetooth module needs to be replaced. If that is the case, any Apple Authorized service center can do that for you as part of the Apple warranty on your product. Use Apple’s Service Location Tool to find your nearest provider.

- Jacob

The good news is that you can move the mail file over fairly easily. There is are two folders and a file you need to copy from your home folder. The home folder is in your hard drive in the “Users” folder and then in a folder with your unique user name. The home folder is indicated with a ” ~ ” symbol and I will use the symbol in describing the files locations.

First copy the preference file: ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist
Then grab the main mail folder ~/Library/Mail/
And lastly the Mail Downloads folder ~/Library/Mail Downloads/

On the fresh system copy these back to your new Users account, in there respective places. Then when you launch the new mail app it will look just like the old one.

- Jacob

There are a few ways to do this but here are the two ways I would recommend. The standard “Apple” method is that you would want to use the MobileMe service to do this. You can sync calendars Address Books and even BookMarks. It was designed with the idea of keeping your Home and Work Macs in sync but will work in a small office too. It is integrated into the OS so you really just have to enter the account info into the System Preferences and enable the services you want to keep synchronized on that computer. There is a annual cost for this service and although there are many more features than what I have mentioned, you may not find the value in the service.

So next look at the Gmail solution. With a free Gmail account you can sync your Apple Address Book with a single account from many computers. In Leopard, go to the Address Book preferences and click on the General tab. Then mark the checkbox for “Synchronize with Google.” Click the [Google] button and enter your email address and account password. Set up all you computer with the same info and soon they all will be in sync.

- Jacob

I am happy you asked before trying it. Mini sized CDs or DVDs should never be used in any slot-loading drive. This is true for Apple computers and car stereos. Really they are a terrible idea and should have never been produced. Currently only tray-based drives will accept them, and the tray has to have a special indent to keep the small disc centered.

This idea came out of the initial high cost of creating a full sized CD. Now that cost is pennies so making it smaller does not reduce the cost appreciably. The best way to get data off those disc, is to find a tray loading drive and transfer the data to a USB thumb drive or full sized CD-R.

Many service techs has had to extract those little discs from a drive, at great expense.

- Jacob

In general Apple laptops can not get replacement processors or even upgrade processors. In a portable PC or Mac, the processor is often soldered to the logic board.

Early PowerBooks used daughter cards for the RAM and Processor, consequently that made them upgradable, but the G4 Powerbooks never used that design. The good news is that you processor may be slower than you like but it is not physically failing, at least not by what you describe. You can have a total of 2 GB of RAM in that computer so I would recommend that you buy another 1GB stick and remove the 256 MB stick. Also replacing your hard drive with a faster unit could be a good way to boost speed. You can get a 2.5″ 7200 RPM drive for your laptop and greatly increase your file access speeds. Also if you have not done so in a while, backup your data and erase your hard drive. Then install a clean version of OS X and pull your data back over.

Starting fresh can provide a amazing boost to your overall system performance.

- Jacob

It is possible for the USB system to not allow devices to connect but still fail to register a problem on the AHT logic-board test. Here are two things to try.

– First turn off your Power Mac G5 and then hold the Power button down until you hear a long tone. Then let go and wait for the computer to reboot and test the USB.

– If that fails to fix the USB operation, then you should insert the OS X install DVD and set it as the startup device. Power down the computer and remove all extra PCI cards from the machine. With only a USB mouse connected, start it up and see if the USB ports now allow the mouse to function. Try all the ports, including the front port. If the mouse works from the Install DVD, then it could be a software issue and an Archive and Install of the Mac OS should work to repair the damaged system files.

- Jacob

Intuit has developed a new version of Quicken for the Mac called “Quicken® Mac 2007“, but that was less than the full Quicken® application. They plan to release a full version of Quicken® in February 2010.

It also does look like the new Mac version will import Windows data into the new software, although this is no true for Quicken® Mac 2007. The Quicken Online product is an option for you.

This has always been my complaint with Intuit, they have historically treated their Mac division as if it were an unrelated company. Features and versions do not match up between operating systems, leaving users confused. It is unfortunate, but let’s hope the new application lives up to the billing.

- Jacob

The easiest way to do this would be to first drag the “.eml” attachment to your desktop. Then Right Click or [Control] Click on the attachment and select “Get Info.” Next expand the “Open with:” section and select the Mail.app application as the assigned program for that file type. Click on the [Change All...] button and click on [Continue]. Close the Info window and from now on you can just double click on any “.eml” attachment and it will open in Mail.app.

- Jacob

Time Machine is great but it does have its limits. You can only backup your boot drive via Time Machine so setting that external drive to protect your main 640 GB boot drive is the right setup. Then using the Apple software RAID 1 (Mirroring) on those two 1TB drives is a smart choice. It is not as fast as having a hardware RAID 5 configuration but it is very reliable. Many of the small servers I setup have been protected by a software RAID 1. I have lost drives but never any data.

The one advantage Time Machine has over RAID 1 is that it will protect you from unintentionally deleting important files, allowing you to go back and retrieve those files. RAID 1 will not let you recover from that kind of mistake. It just protects you from drive failure. So be carful when deleting or overwriting data on the RAID 1 volume.

Other than that it sounds like a solid plan.

- Jacob

Well you have many input device options with a Mac. Most USB keyboards will work with a Mac, in fact I have yet to find one that does not. So you should buy they keyboard that works well for you. If the Dell functions perfectly, I would recommend getting two of those. I am not kidding about getting two. Over the years I have seen how fast a good keyboard design is replaced. If you find something that works, just as you want it to, get its replacement now. Otherwise you will send your evenings trolling eBay looking for a exact replacement after the first one dies.

If you do not want to hassle with running Parallels, consider MacSpeech. It is built on the Dragon NaturallySpeaking speech recognition engine.

I have yet to see a good mouse solution that is voice activated. Also, most mice or joysticks are difficult to use during hand tremors. Luckily the Mac OS comes with a feature in the Universal Access settings that could help. Under the Mouse & Trackpad tab is the ability to turn on the “Mouse Keys” feature. This turns the numeric ten-key into a mouse controller. There are sensitivity and speed settings that you can set to your specific needs. It works fairly well and gives you more precise movement than what you get from a standard input device.

- Jacob

Really it is true, I know many video professionals who use a MacBook Pro to edit HD video. This is particularly true now that they support 8 GB RAM in the 17″ MacBook Pro models. Where you may feel the difference is in large rendering and capture. In those instances having more cores and faster drives available will be a benefit. Most video pros will own a Mac Pro if they just have one system but the second system is often a MacBook Pro for mobile work and assembly of the footage.

- Jacob