Category: How-To

Written Art@Smalldog.com For many of the tech calls fielded here by our capable support staff, re-installing the operating system software becomes a necessary step in troubleshooting an issue. For those who feel uncomfortable in performing this procedure on their own, Apple provides a thorough list of instructions and tips on their Tiger Support Page to…

By Scott@Smalldog.com [Disclaimer: Keeping in mind that I work primarily with the Macintosh Operating System, and I am about to navigate you through the Windows systems from memory, I may make a minor mistake here or there. Please go easy on me.] Though we are an Apple reseller, iPods are an item that are commonly…

by Art Hendrickson From time to time we get inquiries on why the Function Row Keys don’t function as one would expect at first glance. I wanted to clarify what to expect when setting up one’s function keys and point to the Apple Knowledge Base document regarding the use of function keys on portables. Here…

When I travel with a computer, I am very careful about making sure important data is hidden away, and in some cases even encrypted. This is to protect my personal data in case the Powerbook is lost or stolen, or even if someone tried to access my computer over an unprotected public wi/fi network. First,…

Did you know that you can trigger Apple’s built-in dictionary in almost any system window, such as TextEdit, Safari, and Mail? This allows you to quickly get spelling and definitions for tens of thousands of words. If you are reading this blog post in Safari, using OS 10.4, hold down the command-control-d keys, all at…

Working smart is recognizing what you can do and what you can’t do and when to get help. I don’t know if many people know about it (or use it) but Apple has within the Support tab on their website a place where you can access Do-It-Yourself instructions for your computer. Want to install your…

Here are the different types of user accounts that can be created and operated in OS 10.4. Knowledge of the different account types can help keep your computer secure. 1) The User account is the least privileged account. It allows a user to modify settings for their own account but not for others and they…

When I purchased my MacBook in May, I also replaced my old Epson printer with the Epson Stylus CX4800. The printer is great, and I am really happy with my purchase. But, there was some time when I first bought it that I couldn’t use it with my computer. Why? Because the drivers that came…

Having just written about Font Book for this week’s Kibbles edition, I decided to put a little tidbit on our blog. Have you ever wondered why a little black dot shows up next to the name of a font family in your Font Book? It means that you have duplicate copies of that font family…

A couple weeks ago I read a great tip about adding applications to the Finder window, from the blog of Creativetechs.com. Read the tip by clicking here. I now have shortcuts to Fireworks, Dreamweaver, and Preview on the Finder window, and use this handy shortcut every day. I’ve never done any business with the CreativeTechs,…