Hard drives can be the source of many problems for Mac users, from minor glitches to bad sectors. Repairing a hard drive can be as easy as using Disk Utility's built-in First Aid tool.
Disk Utility is just one of the applications we will use to revive your hard drive.
But what about when the same problems keep coming back? Or maybe you have an old drive that you're thinking about using again, but you're not sure how trustworthy it is.
Those are just a few of the reasons you'll find our guide to reviving a hard drive to be just what the doctor ordered.
Last week, we covered the release of Google Drive, a cloud storage service you can use with the Mac. We also mentioned one of its competitors, Microsoft's SkyDrive. While we talked about how to set up and use these two cloud storage services, it was brought to my attention that we didn't provide instructions for using Dropbox, one of the most popular storage and syncing systems available for the Mac.
Dropbox
That oversight wasn't meant to cast Dropbox in a bad light; as a matter of fact, we've been using Dropbox for quite a while. So to put things right, we've added instructions for Setting up Dropbox for Mac. We will also add a head-to-head review of these three services in the near future.
Apple is in the process of sending out reminders to the Apple development community that the upcoming release of OS X Mountain Lion will include Apple's Gatekeeper security system. Gatekeeper is designed to check any app you load onto your Mac to ensure it has come from a reliable source, i.e., a Mac developer who has signed up for an Apple Developer ID.
Courtesy of Apple
The Apple Developer ID is used to digitally sign an app; it ensures users that no changes have been made to the app since the developer released it.
Gatekeeper offers several options. You can configure it to only install apps you download from the Mac App Store, to install apps from any Apple developer who has an Apple Developer ID, whether or not you downloaded the app from the Mac App Store, or to install any app, regardless of where it came from or whether or not it has an Apple Developer ID.
The last choice eliminates the checking process, and allows you to install any app, from any source, a risky procedure at best.
Developers who are discovered to have produced and distributed any type of malware will have their developer IDs added to a blacklist, which Mountain Lion will check at least once a day. An app whose digital signature matches up to the blacklist will not be allowed to install, or to run if it's already present on a system.
Would Gatekeeper have prevented the recent outbreak of the Flashback Trojan? It's difficult to say. At a minimum, it would have presented another hurdle for the malware developer to jump, but only for individuals who don't turn the Gatekeeper security system off.
Looking for a fabulous deal on an Apple or related product? Well, so am I! Every Sunday, I scan the Apple refurbished store to see which Apple products are currently available, and which ones represent good bargains. I try to look only at current versions of Macs, but once in a while there will be a great deal on a last-generation product that may be too good to pass up.
Screenshot courtesy of Coyote Moon, Inc.
The refurb store has a good selection of current generation 17-inch MacBook Pros in both glossy and anti-glare screen configurations, with only a small price differential between them. There are also a few 15-inch models with the anti-glare option, but the price difference is much higher.
Apple Refurbished Store
Quantities are limited, so if any of these tickle your fancy, be fast on the trigger to make a purchase.
MacBook Air
11.6-inch MacBook Air 1.6 GHz Dual-Core i5 with Intel HD Graphics 3000: $849.00
13.3-inch MacBook Air 1.7 GHz Dual-Core i5 with Intel HD Graphics 3000: $1,099.00
MacBook Pro
13.3-inch MacBook Pro (Review) 2.4 GHz Intel Dual-Core i5 with Intel HD Graphics 3000: $1,019.00
15-inch MacBook Pro (Review) 2.2 GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 with AMD Radeon HD 6490M graphics: $1,359.00
15-inch MacBook Pro (Review) 2.2 GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 with AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics: $1,529.00
15-inch MacBook Pro (Review) 2.2 GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 with AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics and anti-glare (matte) screen: $1,659.00
17-inch MacBook Pro (Review) 2.42 GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 with AMD Radeon HD 6750M and standard glossy screen: $1,949.00.00
17-inch MacBook Pro (Review) 2.2 GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 with AMD Radeon HD 6750M and anti-glare (matte) screen: $1,999.00
iMac
21.5-inch iMac (Review) 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 with ATI Radeon HD 6750 graphics: $999.00
27-inch iMac (Review) 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5 with ATI Radeon HD 6770 graphics: $1,419.00
Mac mini
Mac mini (Review) 2.3 GHz Dual-Core i5 with Thunderbolt port and Intel HD Graphics 3000: $519.00
Mac mini (Review) 2.0 GHz Quad-Core i7 with Lion Server, dual 500 GB drives, Thunderbolt port and Intel HD Graphics 3000: $849.00
Mac Pro
Mac Pro (Review) 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon with ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics: $2,119.00
Displays
27-inch LED Cinema Display 2560x1440 resolution: $849.00
27-inch LED Thunderbolt Display 2560x1440 resolution: $849.00
Mac Accessories
2011 AirPort Extreme Base Station, Dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi with printer and hard drive sharing: $139.00
iPads
32 GB Wi-Fi iPad 2 (Review): $449.00
64 GB Wi-Fi iPad 2 (Review): $549.00
16 GB Wi-Fi + 3G iPad 2 (Review): $479.00
32 GB Wi-Fi + 3G iPad 2 (Review): $579.00
64 GB Wi-Fi + 3G iPad 2 (Review): $679.00
Want to find out more about Apple refurbished Macs? Take a look at the process my wife and I experienced when we took the Apple refurbished store for a spin.