December 2007 Archive

Hey everyone, I am pleased to announce the first monthly edition of Leopard Tips archive. All the articles you find on our homepage every day have been compressed and edited into PDF format which allows easy reading and printable view. Here it is: (click this link >  LEOPARD TIPS December 2007 Archive

Saving Documents as PDFs

Adobe’s PDF format allows great ways of formatting, communication and ability to send letters and electronic documents. But there really is an easy way to transfer documents using Microsoft Word and TextEdit including other word processors to PDF format. Simply hit Command-P as you would go to Print but click the PDF dropdown menu instead of printing and then click the option, Save as PDF… and a dialog windows opens, enter the name of the document including Author, Keywords and Subject and be sure to save the file in the right place you may then search for the file in Finder or Spotlight, your choice and ta-da you have created a PDF file!

Emailing Web Pages

This isn’t a Leopard Tip but applies for Tiger, too. So, listen up! If you come across a web page in SAFARI that you want to share with a friend, don’t send a link send the entire webpage for easy access. Just press Command-I and a dialog will appear, just enter the recipient’s email address along with your subject and text and click Send. The complete webpage sends in an email format (complete with graphics, fonts, link, e.t.c.) EASY! 

Selecting Items

 key will give you the effect of toggling; It means that you can change the select/deselect status of certain items.

When keystrokes A is pressed, all items will be highlighted. It’s powerful, isn’t it? And one more thing, with this keystrokes, all highlighted items won’t be marked as Read, they will stay in their current condition. It’s all about using  key.

Get Info

Leopard offers a great new Get Info tool which Tiger previously boasts but Leopard adds to it. To view info about a specific photo, file, document or music file just single click on it while on Desktop or Finder and go to File and click Get Info. A window appears something like this depending on the file: 

Trouble running applications?

I was confused and yet troubled to why iPhoto was not responding and co-operating and while tampering with preferences and after a bit of agrivation, called Apple who said to go to Finder/Macintosh HD/Preferences/com.apple.iPhoto.plist and drag that file to the desktop and then try opening iPhoto. Guess what? It worked beautifully and no trouble any more, Thanks to Apple! Try it yourself… 

I hate kernel-panics…

Have any of you ever received any similar error messages like this? This has happened to me numberous times, probably about 4 or 5. From what I hear they are called kernel-panics. Rumors report that this is because of airport issues which may have an interference with Software Updates because Apple connected Software Update with Apple’s online software update downloads page available at http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/ to view some of Apple’s new software update releases. I just learned that this very minute. I was running the current version of Leopard, 10.5.1 and just installed the MacBook Firmware Update and after re-booting a screen shown in the picture above appeared fading any activity on the screen, You need to restart your computer. Hold down the Power button for several seconds or press the Restart button. I experienced black-screen issues forcing my computer an erase of my hard-drive. I currently own and owned a Western Digital 160 GB external hard drive for my MacBook which the latest backup was on 11/11 a week ago. My disapointment was that I had created some extremely important files including new pictures and music. But it was too late, I was into my erase process of the hard drive @ The Apple Store. When I got home I had to take my Mac OS  X Install DVD 1 which traveled with my computer in the factory and do that which was installing Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger which at the time I bought my computer was the latest version which this took about 1 and a half hours. Now I have to download 20 Software Updates (3 h)  and then I have to install Leopard (1 h 10 min.) Once I am running OS X 10.5 I have to download and install all of my software programs again taking a good 2 hours including photo programs, iLife ‘08 the latest photo, movie, music, DVD software bundle, Microsoft Word 2004, The Print Shop 2 and more (4 h) and then the longest part, restoring files (photos, movies, documents, emails and music) (5 h). This was a pretty serious job and re-run causing much trouble for my computer and I. WHEW!    Share your computer troubles with us by visiting Contact Us page, we may even post them on this very website! 

Happy Holidays!

Super Zoom in Leopard

 I was exploring and tampering with my keyboard and found like the coolest amazing trick ever. You need an external mouse with a trackball or what I call a scroll wheel. Hold the Ctrl key down while you scroll up with your trackball to zoom in. You are still able to activate and control clicks and everything in super zoom. You feel like you are inside a new world. Scroll down with the trackball until you are at your normal screen.  Merry XMAS! -Lane 

New icon?

If you just started using Leopard on your Mac, you must be stuck in the mud trying to find System Preferences.    Well, this may give you an OS X hint, Apple changed their System Preferences icon in Leopard to this: 

Increase Text Size on Safari

To increase text size in Safari or in most web browsers just hit Command +. That’s the Apple key and the + key at the same time and keep hitting those two keys until it’s adjusted at your size, to decrease the text size hit Command -. That’s the Apple key and the minus key. 

Spaces Revealed!

Keyboard Shortcut to SpacesTo visit Spaces using your Macintosh running the latest version of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard just hit the F8 key on your Mac. You can edit Spaces Preferences by going into System Preferences and then hit the Expose & Spaces icon and then click the tab button that says Spaces, make sure you check the Enable Spaces box to use Spaces.

Create your own Stack

1. Create a new folder, Click on to your desktop2. File and click New Folder 3. Rename it as your like, click on the New Folder on your Desktop and hit Enter, now type in your new name and click enter when done.4. Drag the folder onto the far right side of your dock past the dock seperator and then you may program your preferences as you like whether it displays as a fan or grid. If there are more than enough files that is able to display as a fan then it will automatically turn into a Grid. 

var sc_project=3264952;var sc_invisible=0;var sc_partition=35;var sc_security=”69e1fdae”;

Web Clips in Dashboard

Add a Web Clip to Dashboard To add a Web Clip to Dashboard go to File and then scroll and click on Open in Dashboardand select the object on the webpage you would like to select, your screen should look like this You can even add  editing options once you are at your Dashboard object, just click the italic I with a circle around it to view options including change the view and sound options. PRETTY COOL, huh? Did you Know? You can even clip YouTube videos and watch them using one-click in Dashboard including other web objects! 

Screenshots Galore!!

To take a screenshot use one of the following choices:

• Command-Shift-3: Take a screenshot of the screen, and save it as a file on the desktop
• Command-Shift-4, then select an area: Take a screenshot of an area and save it as a file on the desktop
• Command-Shift-4, then space, then click a window: Take a screenshot of a window and save it as a file on the desktop
• Command-Control-Shift-3: Take a screenshot of the screen, and save it to the clipboard
• Command-Control-Shift-4, then select an area: Take a screenshot of an area and save it to the clipboard
• Command-Control-Shift-4, then space, then click a window: Take a screenshot of a window and save it to the clipboard

Use Quick Look

To use Quick Look to preview a file in Finder just single-click on the file when you see it surrounded by blue highlights and then hit the space bar to see a preview of that file. To use full-screen preview click this icon:

Finding Wireless Hotspots in Your Area

If you do not have a wireless router, no problem! Visit www.jiwire.com and scroll to the box looking like this:

Find Router Details

If you control-click on the airport icon on the top menu bar you will find that the wireless device connected to the computer shows useful information about your router. If there are multiple networks in your area you can mouse-over one of the devices and then a small yellow appears to the right of it and displays 2 options.

WELCOME!

Welcome to Leopard Tips!! My name is Lane and have a MacBook at home running the new Apple Operating System, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard on it. I find Leopard to be trick at first but then you get the hang of it, please visit this website for posts of how-to’s, useful tricks and tips.Please visit us again @ http://osxhints.wordpress.comSincerely,LANE!