This easy-to-use guide covers troubleshooting tips and tricks for Mac hardware and software, written by the well-known Macworld columnist and Macintosh guru Chris Breen. The book contains troubleshooting tips and techniques for both Mac OS 9 and OS X, and additional projects for making a Macintosh more productive-sharing files, making Mac OS X work more like Mac OS 9, and more.

Macs run smoothly most of the time. This book will prepare you for the rare occasions when yours doesn't. Whether you're using an iMac, MacBook, or Macbook Air, our Superguide is filled with solutions for many of the common problems that you might run into. In the United States, when you're in real trouble you have but one number to call: 911. Back in 2000, while we were racking our brains for a title for Macworld's tips and troubleshooting column, we invoked this emergency calling code, preceding it with "Mac" so that its humble author (me) wouldn't be additionally inundated with requests for help with small appliances and domestic disputes. Thus Mac 911became the primary place to go within Macworld's pages for help with all things Apple. We've distilled the Mac troubleshooting knowledge we've acquired over the past 10 years of putting together columns, and created the Mac Troubleshooting Superguide, the latest in Macworld's popular Superguide series. Since the Mac 911 column's birth, we've seen the death (OS 9) and rebirth (OS X) of the Mac OS, the coming and going of countless Mac models, and the explosion of the Internet. We've also witnessed the metamorphosis of Apple the computer company into Apple the media and telecommunications giant, responsible for two of the most game-changing products of the young century, the iPod and iPhone. Yet through all these changes, one constant remains: the desktops and laptops that we increasingly rely on for our work and pleasure sometimes act up in frustrating ways. Fortunately, as exasperating as these hiccups may be, they are often predictable. In this guide, we attempt to present the difficulties you might encounter in the order in which you're likely to encounter them. If, for example, something goes amiss as you're installing the latest greatest version of OS X, you can be assured that you'll find it in the first chapter, Installation. If, later in the day, you press your Mac's power button and nothing good results, you'll find help in the next chapter, which addresses start-up issues, crashes, and freezes. Have a problem with hardware next? Simply page on to Hardware Help. And so on through the System Issues & Fixes, OS X's Applications, the Internet & Networking, and Mac Maintenance chapters. And if, despite all of your diligent efforts, no solution is found, there are directions for what to do next in the Support Tricks chapter. But allow me to also extend a personal invitation to Macworld's Mac 911 forum, where I and other knowledgeable Mac users are eager to lend a helping hand.

Whether you've just purchased your very first Mac or you're a long-time Mac user who wants a comprehensive guide to their OS, let Macworld's Mac Basics Superguide welcome you to the Mac and latest version of OS X, Mountain Lion. We'll help you move files from your old Mac or PC, get acquainted with the desktop, the Dock, Mission Control, and gestures. We'll provide a primer for tweaking your system preferences, changing your desktop wallpaper, setting parental controls, and adding third-party utilities. And we'll introduce you o the many built-in apps OS X has to offer, along with an overview on buying apps from the Mac App Store. When it comes to security, the Mac has some great features, and you needn't be confused: We explain just what Gatekeeper and app sandboxing are, and what they have to offer. And in case you get jammed up, the book has a whole chapter dedicated to basic troubleshooting and when to call in the experts. That's why we make Mac Basics, the Macworld Superguide dedicated to getting started with all things Mac. There are plenty of manuals and guides that explain every single system feature and setup detail; this book is instead designed to actively get you (or your family member) up and running without making you feel like you're studying a textbook. Our 230-page book has you covered from the first time you turn on your Mac. We walk you through the setup process and transferring any old files you might have; and introduce you to the menus, windows, and places you need to know about to get going. From there, we help you customize Multi-Touch gestures, organize your files, and tweak your preferences. We'll get your Mac suited up with third-party apps and accessories. And you can follow our troubleshooting tips and security suggestions to keep your computer safe and sound. You won't find everything they need to know about the Mac in this book. (That's what Macworld.com is for.) But we hope it can provide you with the tools you'll need and make you excited to learn more. If you are debating the upgrade to Mountain Lion, you might instead consider getting our Total Mountain Lion Superguide, which collects all our top-notch Mountain Lion coverage into one easy-to-read ebook. If you're insistent on staying with Lion or Snow Leopard, there's always our best-selling Total Lion Superguide, and our Snow Leopard version of Mac Basics.

The latest book in our popular Superguide series, Macworld's Switching to Mac Superguide , is aimed at new Mac owners who are making their first baby steps into the OS X world. If you or someone in your family is finally making the switch to a Mac from a PC, this indispensable guide can help with the big move. Moving from Windows to OS X means rewiring your muscle memory and learning to do old things in new ways. The basic stuff you do dozens of times a day-opening and closing programs and files, managing windows-are all done differently on a Mac. Switching can feel like you've been transported to a country where the language sounds vaguely familiar, but is definitely not your native tongue. This book will be your guide and interpreter. In Macworld's Switching to Mac Superguide, we give you a quick orientation to your new computing landscape and its principal parts (the Finder, the Dock, the Menu Bar). We explain how to work with files and programs and how to get started with OS X's built-in applications. We also walk you through the process of moving-transferring old files to the new system and customizing, and even show you how to run Windows on your Mac (if you must) or to share files, screens, backup drives, and routers between your new Mac and Windows PCs. Think of us as a friendly new neighbor: eager to welcome you and happy to do whatever we can to help you settle in. If you can't quite leave Windows behind, don't worry. You can run Windows right on your Mac. We'll tell you what tools you need and how to get started. Finally, just in case you hit a few bumps on the road with your Mac, you'll find instructions on how to troubleshoot your Mac like a pro.

Need a crash course in the basics of operating and working with your Snow Leopard Mac? This 126-page guide will help teach you the ins and outs to get you up to speed and computing like a pro. The readers of Macworld are amazingly diverse. Among our audience are some incredibly tech-savvy folks, and we're glad to have them. There are also some people among us who are relatively novice Mac users, who avidly read what we write in order to flex and improve their Mac skills. For the past few years we've offered a book, the Mac Basics Superguide, that's been a hit with both audiences. And I'm happy to announce that we've just updated that book for Snow Leopard. If you're someone who's struggling with the basics of operating a Mac, or someone who's a new user of Mac OS X (perhaps you've made the switch from Windows to Mac) this new 126-page guide will get you up to speed. Written in an easy-to-follow style, the Mac Basics Superguide, Snow Leopard Edition will give you detailed tips and information about using the Finder and the Dock, switching between programs, using Apple's Spotlight search tool, opening and saving your files, and setting up system preferences and user accounts. We've tossed in some basic security and troubleshooting advice to keep your Mac up and running smoothly. And our own Dan Frakes, who pens our Mac Gems blog and magazine column, has assembled a list of 20 great low-cost programs that will enhance your Mac experience. But I said this book was for the Mac experts among us, too. Here's what I mean by that: It's the book you give to the people you know who need a leg up on using their Mac-all of your friends and family members who use you as the be-all, end-all Mac resource. The reality is, a Mac expert can only be in one place at any given time. This book can always be around as a handy reference when there's no flesh-and-blood expert nearby. (I sent my mom a copy of the first edition of this book, and I like to think it's reduced the number of questions she asks of me.) You Mac experts out there might also appreciate the writers who contributed to this book: Christopher Breen, Dan Frakes, Glenn Fleishman, Rob Griffiths, Joe Kissell, Ted Landau, Harry McCracken, and Kirk McElhearn.

Here is your essential companion to Apple’s iPhone! The iPhone Pocket Guide, Third Edition covers all iPhone models including the new iPhone 3G. Unlike other iPhone books, The iPhone Pocket Guide, Third Edition was written based on the final release of iPhone 2.0 software and the iPhone 3G, and the content accurately reflects the design of your iPhone 3G and how you will use it. Author Christopher Breen has been covering the iPod and iPhone from the first day of their releases. This affordably priced Pocket Guide incorporates snappy writing and eye-catching graphics as Breen steers you through how to: Set up and quickly start using your phone/iPod/Internet device. Download applications from the App Store. Make and receive calls and send text messages with your phone. Keep everything in sync between your Windows PC or Mac and your iPhone. E-mail family and friends using your carrier’s wireless network or a Wi-Fi hotspot. Listen to songs and podcasts, and watch movies and TV shows (and YouTube!). Browse the Web using the built-in Safari browser. Figure out where you are with the iPhone’s location services. Fix common problems, and learn what to do if you can’t fix them yourself.

Following the common-sense O'Reilly style, Mac OS X in a Nutshell ruts through the hype and gives readers practical details they can use every day. Everything you need to know about Mac OS X has been systematically documented in this book. Mac OS X in a Nutshell offers a complete overview of Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar), from its Aqua interface right down to its BSD Unix core. This book familiarizes readers with the Finder and the Dock, System Preferences, file management, system and network administration issues, and more. Later chapters include coverage of the Terminal and how to configure a DAMP (Darwin, Apache, MySQL, Pert/PHP/Python) web-publishing system. In Mac OS X in a Nutshell, you'll find : • Detailed information on virtually every command and utility available on Mac OS X Jaguar • The most complete and thorough coverage of Mac OS X's Unix commands you'll find anywhere • Detailed advice and documentation on system configuration, with extensive coverage of the System Preferences and use of the Finder and Dock • An overview of basic system and network administration features, including coverage of NetInfo and Directory Services • Hundreds of tips, tricks, and clever ways to do familiar and not-so-familiar tasks • Instructions on installing the X Window System and how to build and run BSD Unix applications • An overview of Mac OS X's Unix text editors, including vi and Emacs • An overview of CVS, the concurrent version system • Information on shell syntax and variables for Mac OS X's default user shell, tcsh Each command and option in the book's Unix Command Reference has been painstakingly tested and checked against Jaguar-even the manpages that ship with Mac OS X can't compete in accuracy. Mac OS X in a Nutshell is the most comprehensive quick reference on the market and is a must for any serious Mac user.