New Ebook: Mac Administration Basics →

June 24, 2014

If you’re responsible for the configuration of tens, if not hundreds, of brand-new Macs then you’ll probably know how time consuming it can be to get them all set up. The process of setting up a user account, installing any required software and applying all of the available updates on each and every Mac before handing them to users can be both laborious and horribly inefficient.

Mac Administration Basics brings together six of our previously published guides for easy reference, incredibly useful when wanting to deploy, troubleshoot or configure Macs at home or in the workplace.

Members of The Instructional can download this for free by using their unique coupon code during checkout.

Contents

A Closer Look at System Information
Reset a User Account's Password with an Apple ID
High-Speed Data Transfers with Thunderbolt
Build & Deploy OS X Images with AutoDMG
How to Re-Run the OS X Setup Assistant
Encrypt an External Disk or USB Stick with a Password

Encrypt an External Disk or USB Stick with a Password

June 23, 2014

Whether you're using an external hard drive for backup purposes or to provide additional storage for your Mac, it's important to make sure that whatever information it contains is as secure as possible. By default, an external hard drive can be accessed on any other Mac without hinderance, so even if you have FileVault 2 enabled on your Mac but you're backing up to an unencrypted hard drive, it's rather redundant.

OS X can encrypt volumes located on external hard drives and USB sticks in just a few clicks, making it impossible to view the contents of a volume on *any* Mac unless the correct password is provided.

Quick Tip: Easily Change OS X's Audio Sources via the Menu Bar

June 20, 2014

Switching audio input and output sources in OS X is made quick and easy thanks to a keyboard shortcut and contextual menu.

Highly Recommended: StackSocial's Name Your Own Price Mac App Bundle →

June 18, 2014

StackSocial is running a fantastic Mac app bundle for the next few weeks that features a great selection of Mac apps:

While some of these apps are likely to just gather dust in your Applications folder, this bundle is worth it just for Fantastical and Pathfinder alone. Android users will find SyncMate Expert especially useful.

You can pay any amount you wish to get three of the available apps, though paying more than the average price nets you all ten. What makes this bundle extra special is that 10% of the price you pay goes to charity.

I've bought various app bundles over the years thinking that I'll only ever use one or two of the apps but, more often than not, I end up finding a use for them. And if you don't, you could always give the licenses away to a friend or family.

Configure an AirPort Express as an Ethernet AirPlay Receiver

June 17, 2014

The AirPort Express is Apple’s pocket-sized 802.11n wireless router that features AirPlay connectivity via its 3.5mm Analog / Digital audio jack. You can connect it to an existing Hi-Fi or set of speakers and stream audio from any Apple device on your network without having to buy a whole new sound system. Many people (myself included) have taken to using a few of these devices solely as AirPlay receivers that have their wireless functions disabled and connect to an existing network over Ethernet - effectively they’re dumb AirPlay receivers.

Unfortunately, the terribly counterintuitive AirPort Utility app doesn’t make this obvious and, if you bought one with the sole purpose of adding AirPlay functionality to a Hi-Fi via Ethernet, it gives the impression that it isn’t possible as it must do something related to Wi-Fi. This isn’t the case and by delving into the AirPort Utility app we can configure an AirPort Express to suit our needs.

PSA: A Year of Backblaze Cloud Backup is Just $25 for a Limited Time →

June 3, 2014

Backblaze is a great cloud backup service for both Mac and PC and is available for just $25 through StackSocial for a year's subscription, a saving of 50%.

It's completely unlimited with no storage or bandwidth restrictions. As a regular user of the service, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

If you're yet to decide on an offsite backup solution, Backblaze should be at the top of your list.

Screencast: Backing up to Multiple Drives with Time Machine

June 3, 2014

Using multiple backup destinations allows you to use one as your default Time Machine backup disk and others on a less frequent basis. It's a feature that can offers redundancy in the unlikely event something were to happen to both your Mac and its main backup destination.

For example, you could use both a Time Capsule and an external hard drive simultaneously, keeping the hard drive at the office and bringing it home once a week to update. That way, if something were to happen to both your Mac and Time Capsule, you'd still have some form of backup to restore from.

"Back up Your Mac With Time Machine" Is Now Free on the iBooks Store →

May 24, 2014

If you're a Mac user wanting to know how to protect your Mac, my ebook Back Up Your Mac With Time Machine, it's now free on the iBooks Store for a limited time.

Backing Up Your Mac With Time Machine breaks down each feature of Time Machine, the built-in backup utility of Mac OS X, from setting it up with an external hard drive or Time Capsule to restoring files and even your Mac.

You’ll find easy to follow instructions and screenshots as well as over an hour of specially recorded screencasts and interactive elements to aid you even further.

High-Speed Data Transfers between Macs with Thunderbolt

May 19, 2014

Back when FireWire was standard on the Mac, it supported a number of features that made it possible to directly connect Macs to one another and transfer data at high speeds: Target Disk Mode and IP over FireWire.

Although FireWire has all but disappeared, Thunderbolt can offer the same functionality for modern Macs with Thunderbolt Target Disk Mode andThunderbolt Networking.

Offsite: Unhide the Users Folder in OS X 10.9.3 →

May 16, 2014

The latest update for OS X Mavericks, 10.9.3, hides the /Users folder for some users. It's still unclear if this was intentional or a side-effect of the update, but Chris Breen over at Macworld explains how to revese the change and unhide the folder if you've been affected.