LOTS of Mac & Macbook Questions

Hey all,
My parents have just told me that as a birthday/xmas gift they are going to help me buy a laptop
I wanted to know a couple things:
My dad got a macbook free (SO lucky) through his work but it is the most basic 1.83Ghz with 512mb ram Core Duo version. I really wanted the Black Macbook but it is probably going to be out of my price range so I am thinking of the White one with 2.0Ghz/1Gb ram Core 2 Duo. Am I going to notice a really significant performance leap? I am only asking what would seem to be a stupid question because I was playing with a brand new Black Core 2 Duo version at a local retailer and it seemed rather sluggish when compared to the Core Duo my dad has at home. This through me for a bit of a loop so yea could someone throw out their opinion on this?
Secondly, i've had iPods for a while and I see this macbook as being in the same boat as needing protection from regular daily use. I have my eye on one of those Speck hard cases but they are not available in town (yet) so I can't actually see what one would look like. I was curious to know if anyone here has used one and is the Red really red or is it kind of a pink colour (when overtop of a white macbook)?
Also, will this hardcase scratch the macbook? I've had hard plastic cases like this for my ipod and it tended to get scratched up inside of the case...not nearly as bad as it would without it but still some damage non-the-less.
My dad's battery life is about 3hrs give or take a bit on his Core Duo ... will my Core 2 Duo have more life? And if so about how much? (I know I know it depends on usage but can it really hit close to that 6hr mark apple is advertising?)
Finally, I have never owned a laptop, or a mac, before so I am going to be leaving the old PC desktop behind and I wanted to know: I use Microsoft's OneNote for typing notes for class and I enjoy that you can draw quick diagrams (MS Paint style) and drag/drop them anywhere on the page. What I don't enjoy is that once they are in a spot they refuse to move! What is a good program on Mac to take notes and offer drag/drop picture abilities?
Also...can someone tell me any reasons, anything at all that would deter me from Mac? I would love to game but honestly my PC hasn't been able to do it for years so i'm used to it, i've got an Xbox, and my parents (logically enough) don't want to fund a gaming machine they want something I can use productively at school. So gaming isn't a major concern and i'm pretty sure Mac will handle all I need but if someone has had a bad experience do let me know.
And finally, the very last question: I love a number of features on Leopard ... but I hear it is to be released in the Spring. Thats a bit too long for me (I want to use this for next semester) so how much will Leopard cost a student AND is there any other major things/changes to the macbook that I shoudl wait for (something like their switch from Core Duo to Core 2)?
I know thats a lotta questions but now that my parents are seriously going to help me out this can happen in a week so I gotta get my facts straight haha.
Thanks a lot all!
Chris
P.S. I hadn't used my mac account for a while ... and while I was able to reset my password it forced me to change my user name from touchmyrouter to what it is now ... any suggestions on how to get my original back?
Custom Built Windows XP

Let me address your questions one at a time:
1) You'll notice a small but significant performance boost between a 1.83GHz Core Duo and a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo. As for which is the best deal, I'd say the current 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo White, because it comes with a bigger hard drive, more RAM, a dvd-burning superdrive, and a faster processor, all for about $150 more. The DVD-R drive is great for backups, and you need at least 1GB of RAM to get decent performance anyway, so it's money well spent.
2) I don't know much about cases. For travel, I actually am currently using the soft slip-case I bought for my TiBook (Powerbook G4 15"). It's a bit big for the computer, but it works well for travel. I haven't noticed any bad scratching yet, but I haven't moved my laptop around much either.
3) The Core 2 Duo MacBook probably gets about the same battery life as the Core Duo. 3 1/2 hours per charge with Airport on and doing some light to moderate computing is about the best you can get from any laptop with current battery technology.
4) For note-taking, the MacBook comes with OmniOutliner, which is awesome for making outlines. The version that comes bundled allows you to attach documents and graphics within the outline, but I don't think it's very robust. OmniGroup also makes OmniGraffle, which allows you to make flowcharts that are graphics-heavy. I find that it's a little overly complicated at times, but I've also made some amazing stuff with it.
5) I don't know what would deter you from buying a Mac. I've had very few problems over 12 years of ownership of various Macs. They tend to be very reliable, and when things do go wrong, Apple is usually prompt and professional in fixing them.
6) Leopard is probably going to cost students about $69.00, as I seem to recall paying that as a student for every version of the Mac OS starting from 10.0 all the way through 10.4. I doubt Apple will suddenly raise the price for Leopard, though you never know.
Good luck with your new MacBook. It really is an awesome computer, despite all the flack it takes on these boards from a handful of users with defective units.
P.S. I don't know how to get back your old account.

Similar Messages

Did anyone notice a lot of "Un-Answered" questions/problems in this forum?

I am new to this forum, but there seems to be a lot of un-answered questions.
Am I wasting my time looking for answers from Apple here because I am stuck with a Windows machine at my work place? I feel like the last option button at the bottom of this "New Topic" which says, "Discard & Cancel."

Welcome to the discussion list, Tom.
First, Apple doesn't answer her, fellow users do. So, yes you are wasting your time looking for answer from Apple here.
Second, I think if you consider how many Mac users there are in the world and on the discussion groups compared to how many iPod touch users there are in the world, you begin to understand.
-fred

THIS IS HOW TO USE TIMEMACHINE BACKUPS ON A NEW MAC/MACBOOK !

When you get a new Mac/MacBook & DO NOT get the dialog box WITH THE OPTION TO RE-USE BACKUPS,
This is all I had to do ?
Put in the OSX install disk & ERASE the hardrive using Disk Utillty,Then re-install Snow Leopard & after it's installed ,& gone through all the processes ,(DO NOT USE YOUR MAC WHILST DOING THIS),
YOU WILL THEN GET THE BOX WITH THE 3 OPTIONS & THE LAST ONE ON THE END SAYS RE-USE BACKUPS,CLICK ON THAT & IT WILL THEN VERIFY FOR A WHILE IN THE TIMEMACHINES SYSTEM PREFERENCES WINDOW, THEN IT WILL PREPARE FOR A WHILE ,THEN IT WILL ADD YOUR PREVIOUS BACKUPS ONTO YOUR NEW MAC &THEN CONTINUE FROM WHERE YOU LEFT OFF.
I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS WAS NOT POSSIBLE UNLESS YOU SEE THAT DIALOG BOX WITH THE RE-USE BACKUPS PROMPT,SO AFTER A LOT OF TRYING ,I FINALLY MANAGED TO RESOLVE THIS & THIS IS THE ONLY WAY YOU WILL GET THAT PROMPT BACK, I HOPE THIS HELPS MANY PEOPLE OUT,I'VE SPENT A WEEK TRYING TO SORT THIS & FINALLY CAME UP WITH THIS SOLUTION ,JUST REMEMBER TO ERASE THE MACINTOSH HD HARDRIVE BEFORE YOU RE-INSTALL IT AGAINOH HAPPY DAYS. !!

TOOK ME SOME THINKING & TINKERING ABOUT BUT THIS IS HOW YOU GET THAT DIALOG BOX PROMPT BACK IF YOU DON'T SEE OR GET THE PROMPT. I HAD PREVIOUS BACKUPS ON MY TIMECAPSULE & I WANTED THEM IN MY TIMELINE & THIS IS HOW TO GET THE RE-USE BACKUPS BOX/OPTION IF YOU DON'T GET THE PROMPT,I NEW THERE HAD TO BE A WAY !

New Hard Drive: Mac Face/Question Mark on boot

I installed a new hard drive in my fathers iBook G4 1.33 GHz and installed Leopard. I instantly had problems after the installation was complete and the computer restarted. I got the Mac Face/Question Mark for a second and then it booted to the installation CD.
I used disk utilities to verify and repair the disk and permissions which both finished successfully. I tried to reboot with the same result: Mac Face/Question Mark for a second and then it booted to the installation CD. I decided to erase and reinstall Leopard. Installation complete - Restart - Mac Face/Question Mark. I decided to turn if off for the night.
I powered up in the morning with short-lived success, as I got the Leopard Welcome video. I set up the system and did some software updates, which eventually required a restart. Boom. Mac Face/Question Mark. I decided to hold the option key on my next restart to see if I could select the hard drive installation over the install CD. I was able to do so, and it booted fine to the hard drive. I continued my software updating, installed some more software like iLife '08, Firefox, Open Office, Stuffit Expander, etc. After all my installation and updating, the system operates great, except when I have to start up. I still have the Mac Face/Question Mark.
I have a theory that the hard drive jumper is set incorrectly, but I don't want to waste 45 mins. cracking the thing open to find out. Can anyone confirm? I'm open to all other theories, of course.

No jumper means Cable Select (CS). This would mean that the cable from the motherboard to the drive has a blue connector at the motherboard and a black connector on the end where the drive plugs in. The gray connector in the middle is the Slave position. Master/Slave relationship is determined by where on the cable the device is plugged in.
The CS cables and the setting was not used very often until around 2004 or 2005. Until that time all of the connectors on the cable were the same color and the Master/Slave setting was determined by the jumper on the drive.
It's very possible that you are trying to use a drive that's been setup for the newer systems as Cable Select, when actually you should force the drive to be a Master by installing a jumper on the proper pins.
Are there two deviced on the cable besides the motherboard, and are all of the connectors the same color? Or is the connector that plugs into the motherboard black? Then you are probably not looking at a CS buss.

Is it possible to share networks with another mac (MacBook)?

Is it possible to share networks with another mac (MacBook)?
I want to be able to create a document on my computer and save it on both my MacBook Pro and another MacBook. Also, I want to be able to open documents saved only on the MacBook on my MacBook Pro. Is that possible on the same wirelss?
Thank you!

You would not want to use ad hoc networking if you also need to access the internet. I'm not even sure it is possible.
How are you accessing the internet from these Macs now? If you have a wifi (or wired) network that you both access in your work location, you should be able to use File Sharing across that network, so you shouldn't need the ad hoc network.
Some general observations:
You'll need a plan for how to keep straight which Mac holds the most current version of a file. That should probably be to keep each file in only one place (your Mac, the other Mac, a local file server, a cloud server). Even in our home, with one person doing most of the file accessing, I find a central location works best for this; in my case, that's a desktop system that stays on all the time, but a disk attached to my AirPort Extreme base station, a Time Capsule, or a NAS would serve.
If you make use of the portability of the MacBook[Pro]s to work in different locations, you'll also need a plan that includes that working away from the main work location. If you often work with common files while away from your main work location, a cloud solution may be best even with just two of you. Depending on the size of your files, one of the free cloud solutions may suffice; most offer paid expansion as your needs grow.

Help To Those Who Want To Remove Hidden Users In Mac/Macbooks

The content of removing hidden user is below! Hope it helps! If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to post a reply to your problem! I will be glad to help!
-Gabriel

How To Delete Hidden Users On Mac/Macbook
What You Will Need:
- An Administrator Account
- Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal)
Steps:
- Open Terminal
- Copy this command line into terminal window (without colons) "sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow Hide500Users -bool NO"
- Hit return
- If it prompts you for password, type in your current user's PW and hit return(when you type it will be invisible so make sure you type correctly)
- Close Terminal
- Goto 'Users & Groups' (System Preferences > Users & Groups)
- You should be able to see a new user(the hidden user) under 'Other Users' section
- Click on the lock icon and type in your Administrator Username & Password to unlock it
- Click on the User(the hidden user) and press the minus icon and delete it like a normal account
Done!
If any of you guys need a PDF slides for these solution, do CLICK ME
(Link to Google Drive. Download for later offline viewing.)
If any of you guys encounter any problems, feel free to comment below I will be ready to help you!
-Gabriel

I lot my mac os how do i download the original one.i don;t have the os cd.can some one help me

i lot my mac os.can some one help me get original mac os for my mac book.

If you don't have your install disks you can get the 10.4 gray disks by calling AppleCare. 1-800-APL-CARE (1-800-275-2273) They can send them to you for about $16 per disk plus S & H. Just give them your serial number and they'll know which ones you need.
Or if you don't have any files you want to recover from your hard drive you can get Snow Leopard for $29 if you have at least 1gb of RAM and a working DVD drive. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY You would then erase and reformat your hard drive and install Snow Leopard. You won't need the box set unless you want the latest iLife and iWork. If you only want iPhoto or other single apps you can get them from the App Store in 10.6.6. iPhoto, iMovie and Garage Band for $15 each and Pages, Keynote and Numbers for $20 each.

Macbook questions?

I am new to this forum and thinking of purchasing a Macbook. I have basically decided that between the current array of problems there is a good macbook every once in awhile. My question comes on how to purchase it.
From what I have read if you purchase your macbook online and use the BTO option than this voids any chance of returning your macbook for a replacement or refund. Which honestly doesn't make sense to me but if obviously how apple chooses to do it. My configuration I would like is the 2ghz white with 2gb of ram and an 80-100 gig hard drive and applecare. But with all the problems of the current Macbooks I defanitly want the ability to return my macbook. So my question is if I were to purchase my macbook stock with the regular 2ghz options and then purchased the ram seperate would this void my ability to return the model if a defect is found? I would also like to know the difficulty of replacing the ram. I have never done anything like this before and have read things of any static bracelets and insane safety proceders taken. I am not sure if you can upgrade the hard drive in aftermarket form? The macbook fits what I need perfectly its the the perfect size and offers the best performance of what I am looking for. I would realy hate for it to be spoiled by my inability to return a defective product. Thanks, Josh

Thankyou for your reply. I have decided to not customize my Macbook because that voids my ability to get an exchange, and with the array of problems I need that to be able to return a faulty or defective product. So I think I will probably purchase from the apple store in person so If returns are needed(sure hope not!) than I can just return to the apple store rather than shipping my computer back to apple. This is unless there is a major price difference between ordering from apple online or buying in person. Now I Have few general macbook questions.
1. The macbook is a notebook not a laptop. Understood. But If I occasionally was sitting at the couch and set it on my lap to surf the net (most likely using Firefox or Safari) for no more than an hour would this become widely uncomfortable? I will mostely use it on a flat hard top surface, but I would like to very occasionally place it on my lap for brief periods of time to do small tasks such as surfing the net or word (not the microsoft program but OS's counterpart). Is this possible with the macbook?
2. Graphics. I do not intend to be playing any 3D intensive games or games alone for that matter. But if I were to watch a dvd in the highest screen resolution does the dvd or screen picture lag and get hung up at times? Other than this is the only thing I would do to push the graphics card would be VERY VERY minor video and photo editing? Is the macbook cabable of handing this after being upgraded to 2gig ram?
Once again this forum has prooved EXTREMELY helpfull thank you all for your replys. Josh

.mac mail question:I have an old emac without an intel chip...

.mac mail question:I have an old emac without an intel chip...I have a .mac email account, I would like to be able to have my emails automatically forwarded to a gmail account. I cannot access icloud with this old machine, any ideas? thanks! and aloha!

Hello,
But you can setup iCloud email on you old Mac!
Do not delete the old account yet. sign up for an iCloud account if you haven't.
I understand .mac mail will still come through. Do not delete the old account yet.
You cannot use .mac or MobileMe as type of Account, you have to choose IMAP when setting up, otherwise Mail is hard coded to change imap.mail.me.com to mail.me.com & smtp.mail.me.com to smtp.me.com, no matter what you try to enter.
iCloud Mail setup, do not choose .mac or MobileMe as type, but choose IMAP...
On second step where it asks "Description", it has to be a unique name, but you can still use your email address.
IMAP (Incoming Mail Server) information:
• Server name: imap.mail.me.com
• SSL Required: Yes
• Port: 993
• Username: [email protected] (use your @me.com address from your iCloud account)
• Password: Your iCloud password
SMTP (outgoing mail server) information:
• Server name: smtp.mail.me.com
• SSL Required: Yes
• Port: 587
• SMTP Authentication Required: Yes
• Username: [email protected] (use your @me.com address from your iCloud account)
• Password: Your iCloud password
Also, you must upgrade your password to meet the new criteria: 8 characters, including upper and lower case and numbers. If you have an older password that does not meet these criteria, when you try to setup mail on your mac, using all of the IMAP criteria listed above, it will still give a server error message. Go to http://appleid.apple.com then follow directions to change your password, then go back to setting up your mail using the IMAP instructions above.
Thanks to dpepper...
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3867171?tstart=0

I see lots of people asking questions about the "white screen" app store update failure. I see no answers from Apple about this...What is the problem, and what is the solution?

I see lots of people asking questions about the "white screen" app store update failure. I see no answers from Apple about this...What is the problem, and what is the solution?

It's a problem that Apple is having with their App updating system. The best solution is to be patient, and wait for Apple to solve their systemic problem.

MacBook and "Find my Mac" app Question???

I recently had my MacBook stolen. I have called the police. I want to try and detect where my stolen MacBook is. Are there anyways in which the thief can hide the MacBook from the "Find my Mac" app other than staying offline? Also, I have two user accounts on my MacBook (User 1 and User 2). Will the app "Find my Mac" still work even though the person is logged onto user 2? I have done nothing to the user 2 account. It's just a basic account for the family to use when they want to try out my MacBook. I believe there was no password on the user 2 account. Please shed some light on this issue. I want my MacBook back!!!

Hello Ipanamick,
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
For more information, take a look at:
OS X Mavericks: About Find My Mac
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14345?viewlocale=en_US
As long as your lost Mac is connected to a Wi-Fi network and not asleep, you can locate it on a map. You can play a sound on it, lock it, or erase it completely if it’s connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
Have a nice day,
Mario

Switching to Mac: MBPr Questions!

Hey all,
So I've been a Windows user my whole life, but I've finally decided to switch to Mac after witnessing the beauty and grace of the 13" mac book pro retina that my friend just bought. It's astonishing. Plus, there's no better time to switch than when you have a 3 year old HP laptop and are in university.
Since switching to Apple is bloody expensive (nearly double the budget of what I usually spend on laptops), I want to carefully calculate my decision.
I know that the most recent MBP to be released was in October 2013, and it updated to Intel Haswell processors. BUT I also happen to know that Intel Broadwell processors are coming out within the next couple of months, and are said to be around 30% more efficient. Do any of you know if Apple has the tendency to regularly update their MBPs?
The reason I ask is because if there won't be an update to the MBP until October 2014, then I might as well invest in one now, but if there is a chance that a newer model will be released in the coming months, I'll definitely hold out until then!
Also, another couple of questions:
Without tweaking the MBP (by adding extra ram, processing power, etc...), how well will it run software like Ableton Live, as well as various games such as call of duty?
Thanks a bunch everyone,
Hopefully I'll also be part of the Mac family soon!

There will always be some kind of upgrade to the macbook pros every year. You shouldn't stress about trying to keep up with technology I have a 13" retina late 2013 and am very happy with it.
I did do some research and found out that Apple will not release the Broadwell processors until late 2014.
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/broadwell-to-launch-2h-2014,24765.html
A $300 PS3 can run Call of Duty so of course a $1,000 +Mac will run it just fine. Ableton Live will run great.
If you are going to have lots of apps open, then the 4GB ram on the base model of the 13 inch might not be enough and I would recommend upgrading to 8GB ram or get the mid model 13 inch as it has more storage anyway.
I do not recommend getting the 15 inch as it would cost you over $2,000!

Need speakers for my Macbook: questions I've not seen an answer for

Earlier this year I reluctantly upgraded from my old Luxo Jr. style iMac with the nice 17" screen and the really good sound to a 2008 black Macbook. While I needed the OS update, the smaller screen and miserable sound are a giant step backwards, and need a cure. I think I've found a monitor I can love (Samsung 2223SW) but the speaker issue has me boggled. I've now read so much I'm thoroughly confused.
Does my old iMac sound so good solely due to the speakers, or is there something in the iMac itself contributing to the sound?
Am I stuck with miserable tinny sound due to some limitation of the Macbook, or is there hope?
The goal: good sound and no wires on my desktop (I'm fed up with looking like an electronics store run amok, and so far have banished the modem and external drive to the basement courtesy of an Airport Extreme)
In an ideal world I'd find a pair of wireless speakers (either wifi or bluetooth) that sound as good as my old iMac speakers. I've searched with no luck... are there any?
The next best thing seems to be using an Airport Express (I realize I cannot use my existing Extreme for speakers) but I'm not sure I'm clear on how that would work. I'd have to have it plugged in the room I want to use the speakers in, and then plug the speakers into the Express? I'm still stuck with wires but at least they're not snaking across the desktop that way.
The Macbook would send the sound to the Express and in turn through the speakers? Is that how it works?
And I have to use Airfoil if I want to have all my sound - not just iTunes - channeled that way?
Does it matter if my iTunes library is on an external hard drive and not on the internal Macbook drive?
Anything else I need to know? I don't have a traditional stereo for the Express to stream to (which I see mentioned a lot), is that a problem? I just need speakers. I also don't need to stream to multiple rooms or Macs... just cure the sound on the Macbook.
Could the old iMac speakers be plugged into the Express?
Or do I need to get new ones such as the Creative Inspire T12 that are in the Apple Store? I've noticed those and some others say they come with a power supply... does that mean they need electricity (bleah... more wires!) ? I guess that would beat batteries, but I'm used to speakers that plug into whatever they're hooked to and nothing else , so the reference to "power supply" may be confusing me. Do you really have to plug in speakers to an outlet?
A lot of questions, I know! I've read the "Good To Know About Speakers" page in the Apple Store, searched threads here and Googled, and only seemed to wind up with more questions. :P

Thanks Doc.... that does clear a few things up. I can't find wi-fi speakers to check prices though. My search returns seem to be mostly links to pages where people are asking where to find them (lol!), those crazy-price Phillipe Somebodyorother designer speakers, or some called Oyster from Avega that seem to be vaporware
I did find wireless speakers on Amazon, but they're not what I think of as wi-fi (using the Macbook's already-installed Airport) since you have to plug a transmitter into the computer (which makes it Yet Another Device To Be Unplugged when moving a laptop around).
It's beginning to sound like the Express + speakers is the best route, since that at least gets the wires off the desktop and not directly attached to the Macbook. I'm not sure what the plug on the iMac speakers is called. It would be nice if they worked since they don't require being plugged into the wall.

HDD, Streamlining FCS and general Mac Pro questions

Hello Everyone. I just got a Mac Pro and am setting it up.
I've got the 2.8 Quad Core, 1TB HDD and 3 Gigs of Ram, 5770 ATI
I work a lot with FCS, Maya and Adobe Products.
I didn't get the top of the line tower as I was hoping with the money I saved I can buy some add-ons. I want to get some RAM, a 2nd monitor and more hard drive space.
I work mainly with FCS doing editing. My video is mainly HD video in a 422 codec. I do a lot of compressing to H.264 as well as motion graphics and 3D. I also do a lot of transcoding as the raw footage I get is usually in a h.264 codec and comes from the Cannon 7D, T2i or the Sony EX1 and some Panasonics.
I can either by a 2TB internal 7200rpm WD or I've been looking at the SSDs. The SSD's look really tempting but are expensive compared to the HDDs. Would it be that much of a performance boost for my software if I use SSDs? I was thinking about buying a 40GB SSD and housing all my scratch files for FCS on it.
Currently (Until I get my tower set up) I've use a Macbook Pro. All of the FCS software is installed on the hdd.... all of the templates and extras I have are installed on an external GDrive. All the scratch files are stored on it as well.
If I remember right as a FCS user we are not supposed to run FCS from the same HDD which the scratch files are on, correct? Should I install a 2nd drive to save all my scratch files to and work with the media from there? I have some external HDD's but I think I would like the speed of a internal drive better.
If I buy a SSD should that be my boot up disc drive or should that be the drive which houses the media?
As a last question. What is a good way to back up my Mac Pro HDD? I have a 1TB external G Drive (FW800) a 500GB G Drive min (FW800) and an internal 1TB WD (SATA)?
Any help and suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!
-Fraky

Forget SSD drives in a tower - waste of money.
Fill your bays with 3 1TB or 2TB drives. Why did you put your templates on a drive other than the system? The only time I'd consider that was if I was running a laptop with very limited space. One a tower, it makes no sense. Reinstall the FCS suite and locate all the extras on the same drive as the application.
Use the G-raid as a backup system drive or use one of the tower's 4 as a clone of the system. You should always have a working backup in case the main system goes south during an update or by adding incompatible software.
Use one of the other drives in the tower for the scratch and the remaining drive(s) to store projects.
The money you save by not purchasing SSD drives should be spent on RAM. While the current FCP is 32 bit and therefor can not use more than 4 GB (2.5GB for the program and 1.5GB for the frameworks), the extra RAM will allow you run multiple apps simultaneously without starving the programs.
This question - or some variation is asked regularly. Do a search and you should find all sorts of configurations explained.
x

Connecting to the internet + one more Macbook question

I've just noticed that I haven't updated my profile, but I am no longer using an eMac. That machine just died on me, so I've purchased my first Macbook. I've also moved into a new apartment, and cannot get connecting using the apartment's existing ethernet connection.
My girlfriend has a cable modem and uses an ethernet cable to connect her PC. Our compters are on the same table, so we share the ethernet cable. But when I plug it ino my Macbook, no dice. Can't reach the internet. Any clues? I don't know a lot about internet connections, but I have my network settings set for a DHCP connection, and I'm told that it's all set correctly and should work. Maybe my girlfriend's connection only allows for one computer in the apartment?
One more question: I don't like the color scheme on this new Macbook as much as I did my old eMac. On this one, the whites (for instance, the background of this page) seem "too white." So much so that it hurts my eyes. When I turn the brightness down, it makes the blues and grays look dull. But when I turn the brightness back up, the whites are blinding. Has anyone else noticed this?
eMac 40GB 1.25 GHz G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

If your Sky router is anything like my Netgear, the problem is the way you have to enter the WEP password on a Mac. IIRC, there are a couple of options for the password format, and you need to choose the right one. I think they were Hex and ASCII. My password has to be entered as 26 characters of Hex - that's how the passkey is displayed in the router when you enter the password there for the first time.
On a Windows machine, I just key that password in full. On my Macs, I have to tell it that I'm using Hex, not ASCII - there's a drop down box with all the various options somewhere that allows you to select the encryption type and the key format.
For some reason, OS X isn't clever enough to work out whether you are entering Hex or ASCII.
If you get really stuck, you can always disable WEP on the router - log in using a wired connection (usually you type 192.168.0.1 into Safari) and set wireless security to none. Check that your macbook can now connect wirelessly, then re-enable security, making a note of the new passkey.
Might be worth doing this anyway, and choosing a more secure setting.

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