If you have not yet done so, today is the day to use Sherlock to index your hard drive(s). The procedure is easy and automatic, and will give you instant access to all your files by content.
When you won’t be needing to use your computer for several hours, or overnight, here is what to do:
1. In your Apple Menu, scroll down to Sherlock to launch it.
2. Click on the “Find By Content” tab at the top of the open Sherlock window.
3. Click once on “Index Volumes …” in the lower left corner.
4. In the new window that appears, click once on the drives (or “volumes”) you want to index. For most of you, this will be your named hard disk, such as “Macintosh HD.”
5. Click on “Create Index …” in the lower right corner.
6. Read the message, “Creating an index will take some time,” and click the “Create” button in the lower right corner.
7. Observe the new “Indexing Progress” bar in the upper left corner of your screen to make sure the index is proceeding, then come back several hours later to the completed index
8. Once the index is ready, you can locate anything and everything on the disk from Sherlock’s “Find By Content” window.
9. Update the index on a monthly basis.
10. If you have any questions regarding Sherlock’s index, select Help -> Mac OS Help at the top of your Finder window, type in “index,” click the “Search” button, then click on “Creating or updating an index” for additional information.
Try it. You’ll like it, and you’ll use it!
Welcome to the Academy
Last month I had the privilege to conduct the Beginners Group meeting at TMUG, my local users group, . Earlier that day I had studied the pertinent chapters in the “iMac Basics” tutorial CD from Mac Academy .
The Mac Academy training CDs are expensive, but offer good value for money for group or multiple individual sessions. I was impressed with the style and content of the trainer. His conversational banter blends perfectly with the live-action screen shots being discussed.
An extensive range of subjects is covered by Mac Academy. If you learn best from seeing something done in front of you, visit their web site for additional information. I’ll try to obtain review copies, but please let me know if you have personal experience with any of the titles.
Long Live APCC
My dad recently gave me a gift of a Back-UPS Office 280 “Full Time Surge Protection” device. For years I had been using cheapo surge protectors from office supply stores, but never again.
For under $100, American Power Conversion sells this model and others to protect your equipment from power surges and spikes. When you consider the expense in $$$ of your equipment, plus the much greater cost in time and brainpower to replace your valuable data, this protection is a bargain.
Model 280 comes with a battery. In case of a sudden loss of electrical power, I’ll have enough battery time to save and shut down safely. The unit has six grounded outlets plus phone LINE + OUT jacks for modem protection.
When I plugged everything in, nothing happened. Free phone tech support walked me through basic troubleshooting, but my unit was dead. The rep sent me a brand new unit, no charge, no questions asked, with return authorization for the original clunker. Now THAT is customer service!
Do as I say, and as I do: get one of these protectors right away.
Clip those URLs
Do you need to keep track of web site addresses? I sure do. A fast and easy way is to create an empty new folder on your desktop (in the Finder, select: File Menu -> New) and call it “URLs” or something similar. Then each time you need to remember a new address, highlight it from within the email message or web site header, and drag it to your desktop. Move the new clipping file into your new folder, and it is there for future retrieval and usage.
Because the full URL may be abbreviated in the clipping name, for complete details click once on the item, then select: File Menu -> Get Info -> General Information, for the whole works.
Start Using IE5
Two issues ago I stated I’m waiting a while before using Internet Explorer 5. Correction: I am using it now for all my browsing, and I am very impressed. If you are a hard core Netscaper, that’s fine and dandy, but Explorer is a better browser. Your comments?
The free installer is a model of speed and efficiency. Microsoft got it right first time this time. All my previous preferences and settings were automatically imported from IE 4.5, making the transition an easy one.
Thanks to David Weeks and Geoff Duncan for encouraging me to try Explorer 5. David tells me version 5.5 is on the horizon. Let’s hope “bravo” applies to this free upgrade.
Switch That App
I have mixed feelings regarding Apple’s new Application Switcher feature. It’s a way of using a simple palette to access and change active applications. I don’t use the palette, but I am addicted to typing Command-Tab to switch between active apps. If you are still mousing to the upper right corner of your screen to change between applications, get into the habit of cycling quickly via Command-Tab.
Which reminds me: try using Commend-F to “find” items by name when you are on any given web page. If you didn’t previously use this capability, it may come in handy.
What a Merchant
Do you remember the problem I was having with my wife’s “new” PowerBook 1400 memory chips a few issues back? I posted my situation on our local TMUG online bulletin board, and was advised to ask the Chip Merchant to replace the faulty modules. I called their toll free number and was told to “send ‘em in,” which I will do soon and (hopefully) report the problem is solved. Lesson: good companies stand behind their products, but only if we request first-rate customer service. What other vendors do you recommend from your personal experiences?
The $3,000 iMac?
Does anybody recall the controversial fictitious “$3,000 iMac” from a previous Nemo Memo? I’ve been thinking about upgrading my wish list to include a G4 plus an enormous Apple Cinema Display, which means buckets of money, right?
I was brought down to earth when I realized that either a new iMac or a PowerBook would serve my modest purposes perfectly well, with much greater portability. Do I really need that monster monitor? Nope. I’m still saving, and the options keep getting better, faster, and cheaper.
Advice: if you need new equipment today, buy it today. If you can wait a bit, save as much money as possible and buy as much as you can afford.
Eudora on AOL?
My new FreeWWWeb account is still working, with Eudora as the email client. As an experiment I tried to send and retrieve FreeWWWeb email while logged into my dialup AOL account, and Eudora handled it effortlessly. I had thought the America Online firewall prevented other email clients from working via the AOL connection, but I was wrong. Is this old news, or a recent change? I’ll do a little investigating, and keep you informed. If you know more than I do, please fill me in. For information on free Internet access, go to http://www.freewwweb.com.
Santa Fe MUG
What can I say? My visit to the Santa Fe, New Mexico, Mac Users Group was fabulous. I’m a bit pressed for time, so I’ll report soon on my trip to Santa Fe. Stay tuned.
When in Seattle
Have you heard about the Experience Music Project? It’s adjacent to the Space Needle in the Seattle Center. I was in Seattle for a wedding last weekend, and spent all my spare time wandering through the most amazing new architecture in the world, IMO. Regardless of what you think of Jimi Hendrix, Bo Diddley, or their esteemed colleagues, the building alone puts the EMP on the map. For additional info, try their graphics-heavy site, at http://www.emplive.com.
See you next month, friends. Have a cool summer.
Nemo
John Nemerovski
nemo@mymac.com
Websites mentioned:
http://www.tucsonmug.org
http://www.freewwweb.com
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