OS X Tutorials
How to Monitor Your Mac's Memory Usage
Last updated: 01/02/2012Imagine driving a vehicle with no gauges on the dashboard. You wouldn't know how fast the car was going, how much fuel it had left, or whether or not the engine was about to overheat. In short, you'd be driving blind - hoping, by chance, that everything would just work out okay.
How to Update Your Mac's Software
Last updated: 12/30/2011Updating Apple's software on your Mac is an important maintenance task that you should perform regularly. Using the latest versions of Mac OS X and Apple's applications can protect your Mac against malicious attacks, improve sluggish system performance, and fix bugs that can cause applications to randomly crash. This tutorial will show you how to automatically and manually update the Apple software on your computer.
Automatically Check for Apple Software Updates
See How Much RAM is Installed in Your Mac
Last updated: 12/30/2011Do you know how much RAM is installed in your Mac? You should. RAM, or random access memory, stores the code and instructions for OS X and any applications open on your Mac. The more RAM you have, the more applications you can have open at once. Knowing how much RAM you have installed in your Mac is an important piece of information that could change how you use your computer.
Here's how to check how much RAM you have installed:
- From the Apple menu, select About This Mac. The window shown below appears.
How to Monitor Your Mac's Firewall Logs
Last updated: 12/27/2011If you're reading this article, you probably know that Mac OS X has a built-in firewall that should be turned on at all times. But how do you know that the firewall working, and how do you find out what's happening behind the scenes? To check, you need to access your Mac's firewall log - a file that contains a record of every event the firewall has processed.
Here's how to monitor your Mac's firewall logs:
- Verify that your Mac's firewall is turned on. For instructions, see How to Configure Your Mac's Firewall.
How to Install Windows 8 Using VMware Fusion
Last updated: 12/27/2011Maybe you've heard the buzz about Windows 8, the new operating system being developed by Microsoft. It's not for sale yet, but if you're feeling adventurous, you can install Windows 8 for free in a virtual machine on your Mac. Using a product called VMware Fusion (free trial, $49.99) is a great way to test Windows 8 in a sandboxed environment.
How to Connect to Hidden Wireless Networks
Last updated: 12/26/2011Need to connect your Mac to a wireless network? You know the drill. Click on the wireless menu bar icon, select an available network, and your Mac automatically connects. But what about connecting to wireless networks that are hidden? The hidden wireless networks won't appear in the list, so you'll need to use a different method to connect to one of those networks.
Here's how to connect your Mac to a hidden wireless network:
- From the wireless menu (on the menu bar), select Join Other Network, as shown below.
Check the Available Hard Drive Space on a Mac
Last updated: 12/21/2011Ever wonder how much free space is available on your Mac's hard disk or partitions? It's easy to check in OS X. Plus, if your Mac is running Mac OS 10.7 or later, the interface shows which types of files are taking up the most space, a feature that could help you track down space-hogging files and applications.
How to Hide and Show Purchases in the Mac App Store
Last updated: 12/21/2011Did you purchase an "embarrassing" application from the Mac App Store? Want to hide the fact that you downloaded it? Thanks to an obscure feature, you can. The Mac App Store lets you hide applications you've purchased so they don't show up in the Purchases list. It's a great way to cover your tracks so other users in your house can't see exactly what you downloaded.
Note: Hiding a purchase in the Mac App Store does not uninstall the application. It just hides the record that you've purchased the application.
How to Hide Purchases in the Mac App Store
How to Reinstall Apps from the Mac App Store
Last updated: 12/21/2011The Mac App Store is a good way to find applications for your Mac - maybe a little too good, in fact. The applications you download from the App Store can start to accumulate, and over time you may need to start deleting them. But feelings change. If you want to reinstall an application that you downloaded from the App Store and then later deleted, this is the tutorial for you.
How to Burn a Data CD or DVD in Mac OS X
Last updated: 12/20/2011Burning a data a CD or DVD is no longer as popular as it once was. Chalk it up to high-speed Internet connections, cloud storage services, USB drives, and other technologies that have made massive data transfer easy and dirt-cheap. Nevertheless, there are still times when you'll need to burn a data CD or DVD with your Mac. The resulting disc can be used on Mac, Windows, and Linux computers.
Here's how to burn a data CD or DVD in Mac OS X:
- Insert a blank CD or DVD into your Mac's drive. The window shown below appears.
