Avoiding Deep Sleep on the MacBook Pro
From Chris
Hi Charles,
I recently bought myself a Core 2 Duo 15" MacBook Pro. I'm
very happy with it, and it's been a great computer to me so far
(hasn't gotten really hot at all, really comfortable). I had a
question about it you may be able to answer.
Is there any way to make it so that it doesn't go into deep
sleep when I close the lid? I sometimes like to just close the lid
and let it play music in that state. There are also some moments
where I don't need to move the computer very far, so I need to
close the lid for just a second.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Chris
Hi Chris,
I have no experience with that myself, but you can
find some info on that topic at these sites:
You should also be aware that the machine doesn't
cool as efficiently with the lid closed, so keep an eye out for
signs of excessive heat buildup.
Charles
'Other Red' May Be a Scam
From Monk
Please check this story (and the associated comments -
especially the associated comments) out in regards to
Other Red. Hard to make a
decision, but the shady history plus riding the coattails of the
other campaign makes one leery.
Monk
Hi Monk,
Did you intend to include a Web address reference
with this note?
I think I know the article you're referring
to.
Personally, in my journalistic contacts with Jack
Campbell over the past half decade or so, I found him reliable, and
I do like his products.
If you haven't already, checking out these sites
may help you make an evaluation.
Best,
Charles
Editor's note: If Bono were as interested in attacking HIV/AIDS
in Africa as he seems to be, it makes no sense that Product (Red)
would exclude anyone, let alone be exclusive to "worldwide iconic
brands". A garish red iPod, American Express card, or Motorola RAZR
- in my opinion, the whole of Product (Red) seems to be about
bringing attention to HIV/AIDS in Africa and getting free publicity
from major brands.
I can't speak to the quality of MacMice products (never having
used them) or the validity of Other Red as a legitimate charity,
but at the very least Other Red products cost no more than non-red
versions - and at best, 10% of their retail price goes to help AIDS
orphans in Kenya. dk
Mixing RAM Speeds Can Reduce Performance
From Otto Schlosser
Hi, Charles.
Read your column mentioning the
question of mixing RAM speeds. I had an interesting experience
with this last week. I have a Sawtooth G4 (upgraded to 1 GHz)
with 1.25 GB of PC100 RAM. I checked the individual specs of the
installed DIMMs and noted that three of the four were listed at
2-2-2 latency, while the fourth was listed at 3-2-2. The system
worked fine, so I never worried about it. Last week, I took that
DIMM out to upgrade another machine, reducing the total in the G4
to 1 GB. It's running slightly but noticeably faster
now. Perhaps the latency is worth considering after all.
ojs
Hi Otto,
I think it is definitely worth considering, and
one has to weigh the economic advantages of mixing cheap or
scrounged mixed-bag RAM with a possible performance slowdown.
Charles
Other Disk Utility Programs
From Rudy Fiorillo
Dear Mr. Moore,
I have read your article re DiskWarrior 3 (DiskWarrior 3: The One Disk Utility Every Mac
User Should Have). I currently own a copy of it - and I agree
it is great. You mention that if there is only one utility program
to have, it should be DiskWarrior. My question is what would you
recommend as a second or third utility program. I'm a bit paranoid
- sometimes one disk program can do things the other one can't etc.
- suggestions?
Thanks. R.
Hi Rudy,
I'm a bit of a "belt and suspenders" fella myself.
;-)
For regular system maintenance, I use OnyX,
which is capable and free and has a nice interface. What's not to
like? However, there are a vast selection of contenders in this
category.
For a much broader spectrum of disk diagnostic,
management, and repair capabilities than DiskWarrior offers, the
tool in my arsenal is Drive
Genius. You can read my review,
Charles Moore Reviews Drive Genius 1.1.5 Disk/System Diagnostic,
Repair, and Management Tools Suite, at Applelinks.
Charles
Lombard Cooling Question
From Travis Patocka
Mr. Moore,
I am sorry to bother you, but you guys are the authority on all
things Mac. I just have one quick question or two and have not been
able to get an answer from anyone. I recently purchased a Lombard 333 MHz, and everything
appears to be working except for possibly one item.
Is the exhaust/cooling fan supposed to be on as soon as the
laptop is powered on? Will it only come on when the laptop reaches
a certain temperature? I haven't been able to use the laptop to the
point where it comes on, so I am a bit concerned. To be honest, the
laptop hasn't gotten warm from extended use.
Maybe you could ask around amongst your colleagues, as I don't
want to do any unnecessary damage to my Lombard.
Thanks for your time and keep up the good work!
- Travis
Hi Travis,
I think perhaps you've been misled by all the
chatter about fans in G4 PowerBooks and Macintel notebooks.
I owned my WallStreet for nearly three years
before the fan ever came on, and I don't think it has come on since
I replaced the processor about three years ago.
The fan in my 700 MHz G3 iBook stayed resolutely
silent until I installed OS X 10.4 when it was about
two-and-a-half years old - and then only in the hottest days of the
summer.
Same deal with my 500 MHz Pismo. No fan activity until
the 550 MHz G4 upgrade was installed, and the fan went silent again
after I replaced the processor heatsink with Daystar's copper
one.
With G3 PowerBooks, lack of fan activity is
perfectly normal under most circumstances. The fan, as you surmise,
is thermostatically activated when a certain temperature threshold
is reached. Not to worry. If it doesn't feel hot, it isn't in any
danger.
Charles
Netscape 7 and Mac OS 9
From Matt Hill
It might be a little late to mention, but Netscape
7.0 does run on OS 9. I have been a Mac user since 1991
and have never upgraded to OS X. I feel that OS X is fine
for those new to the Mac and those that have been around for a
couple of years, but in my case, it's just too different. The
change from 68k to PPC wasn't bad - almost anything that worked on
68k worked on PPC. But with the switch to OS X, it was pretty
much, "let's start over, say good-bye to all your old software and
hardware." That's why for Internet use I switched to Windows. I can
still use all my Mac stuff the for getting things done, the same
way I have for years. And I can use Windows for the Internet, which
is painfully slow on older Macs.
Windows is a little less restrictive on what OS it runs. I was
able to install Windows 98SE on a brand new computer. Just try
installing System 7.6 on a brand new Mac. It's kind of funny that
most new programs will run on Win98, while almost nothing new will
run on OS 9. Sometimes I wish Apple was a little less forward
thinking.
Matt
Hi Matt,
Yes, I use Netscape 7 as my browser of choice in
OS 9.x. But Windows for the Internet?! You must be a glutton for
punishment what with all the malware. ;-)
There are still things I like about OS 9,
especially its speed on older machines, but the compromises it
demands, especially on the Internet, make me no longer regard it as
a serious contender for a production system.
As for software backwards compatibility, very few
classic applications are not supported by Classic Mode in
OS X. Even the ancient copy of Microsoft Word 5.1 I bought way
back in 1993 runs fine in Classic Mode under OS X 10.4.8.
Charles
Final Vinyl for Ripping LPs
Responding to Reflections on the
iPod Revolution on Its 5th Birthday, John Helms writes:
Hi Charles,
I have used the Griffin iMic with its free utility "Final Vinyl"
for ripping LPs. It doesn't have that many features, but it does
what it is supposed to do. It might be worth a try.
John
Good suggestion John. I have an iMic.
Charles
WallStreet and CardBus USB
From Mat Schulte in response to PowerBook WallStreet CardBus
Question:
Hi Charles!
I thought I'd add my two cents for the benefit of the reader
inquiring about USB PC card use with the WallStreet.
I use a USB 2.0 card (I believe I got it from Other World Computing) on mine (288
MHz, 10.3.9 via XPostFacto) and it works great, except:
- when running OS 9, the option "allow processor cycling" must
not be checked in the Energy Saver control panel or the
computer will freeze as soon as said processor cycling kicks
in
- if a USB hard drive or flash card is mounted when the
WallStreet goes to sleep, I get the "drive not put away properly"
warning when you wake it back up, implying potential data loss. I
have also had the occasional freeze from this scenario (OS X
or OS 9).
- some USB keyboards (for example, the ones from old CRT iMacs)
will also cause the system to freeze if left plugged into the card
when the WallStreet goes to sleep (OS X or OS 9).
Other than those issues, the USB card was probably the best
possible upgrade for the old PowerBook in terms of value for the
money.
Cheers,
Mat Schulte
Hi Mat,
Thanks for the tips
We have a Macally USB
card in our WallStreet, which these days is used mostly for
mouse compatibility, but it works fine with digital cameras, any
keyboard I've ever tried with it, and so forth.
Charles
Finding the Green Email Client
From G. Bruce Thompson
Charles
Do you have an archived copy of this app? If so, could you send
it to me?
Thanks!
Bruce
Hi Bruce,
If I do, it's somewhere in a pile of floppies or
Zip disks that I haven't looked at for years. I'll post this to the
Mailbag in hope that someone in readerlland may know of a download
site.
In the meantime, you might find some of the email
clients listed in
Moore's Omnibus Guide To Mac Email Clients - 2006 Edition on
Applelinks
Charles
From G. Bruce Thompson
Charles
Thanks! I currently use GyazMail 1.3
It's much better than GNUMail 1.2. Now
if I could just get him to add "remove attachments" from the mail
box, it would be great.
Let me know if anyone has Green!
Thanks!
Bruce
Go to Charles Moore's Mailbag index.
