Disk Encryption With FileVault 2

by Tom Nelson Now that Apple has updated OS X Lion to version 10.7.4, you don’t have to worry about using FileVault 2 disk encryption. Apple fixed the bug that allowed login passwords to be stored in security log files that were easily viewable to anyone who had physical access to your Mac. Although this [...]

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Apple Fixes Login Password Exposure Snafu

by Tom Nelson Apple today released OS X 10.7.4, an update to OS X Lion that fixes a security issue that allowed users’ login passwords to be written to a clear text file on the Mac. This boo-boo was the result of a developer debug tool being accidentally left in when the update was originally [...]

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How to Replace iCloud’s Missing Keychain Sync Service

by Tom Nelson With MobileMe going away soon, we are going to look at various ways to replace the services you’ve come to expect. Sure, you can move to iCloud; we highly recommend the service, in fact. But not all MobileMe services made the jump to iCloud. And of course some of you may not [...]

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OS X Lion 10.7.3 Bug Could Expose Login Passwords

by Tom Nelson Someone at Apple forgot to turn off a debugging feature that logs user login information to a clear text document. This debugging information was handy for Apple’s internal developers as they worked with OS X Lion 10.7.3, but once the update was ready to go golden, all of the debugging features should [...]

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Using Disk Utility to Create a RAID Array

by Tom Nelson Recently I received an inquiry about using RAID 0 (striped) or RAID 1 (mirrored) as the startup drive with OS X Lion Server. I’ve used a mirrored array for the startup drive with previous versions of OS X server, and have had mixed results. While the RAID array saved me from losing [...]

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Upgrading a Time Machine Drive

by Tom Nelson It’s going to happen at some point; that huge drive you’re using to store Time Machine backups is going to run out of room. Time Machine will do its best to manage the ever-shrinking free space on the drive by limiting the number of file versions it stores there. For instance, instead [...]

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What Are Your Tips and Tricks for Using OS X Lion?

by Tom Nelson OS X Lion has been available since mid-summer 2011. That means many of you have probably downloaded, installed, and gotten familiar with using Lion. You’ve probably also come up with a few productivity tricks, or found hidden features. We’re putting together a Lion Tips & Tricks list, and your tip could make [...]

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Switching to Mac – Migrating Your PC Data

by Tom Nelson A question that comes across my desk from time to time is, “How do I move my PC stuff to my new Mac?”. This is a question I love to hear, not only because it means more and more people are using Macs, but also because it’s an easy question to answer. [...]

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Apple Giving Away Snow Leopard – But Not to Everyone

by Tom Nelson Apple is bound and determined to get MobileMe users to migrate to iCloud before the June cutoff date, when MobileMe will be turned off. Since iCloud requires OS X Lion, Apple is trying to ease the pain for MobileMe users who are using older versions of OS X by providing them with [...]

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How Much Free Drive Space Do You Need for OS X?

by Tom Nelson One of the frequently asked questions here at About: Macs is just how much drive space is needed for OS X. This is fundamentally different from how much space is needed to install OS X. The install size varies from release to release; according to Apple, OS X Lion needs 8 GB [...]

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