Updated Articles and Resources

By Tom Nelson, About.com Guide

OWC Mercury Accelsior E2 Review - SSD RAID and eSATA in One PCIe Card Created: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The OWC Mercury Accelsior E2 can be the heart of a high-performance storage system for your Mac. In this review, we test performance and compatibility, and come away with a smile on our faces.
Sneak Peek: 2013 Mac Pro Created: Tuesday, June 11, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Apple announced the 2013 Mac Pro with limited information. We take a closer look to find out what's inside.
Tom's Mac Software Picks 2013 Created: Friday, February 01, 2013 Updated: Sunday, June 09, 2013
Tom's Mac Software Picks 2013 lists my weekly selections for the best Mac application recently released or updated. Winning apps can come from any software category as long as the app runs natively...
Best Mac Browser Performance Benchmark 2013 Created: Monday, May 06, 2013 Updated: Saturday, June 01, 2013
Which Mac browser is the fastest performer? We tested 5 of the most popular Mac browsers using 6 benchmarks to test the various aspects of browser performance.
OS X User Accounts - Add Managed Accounts With Parental Controls Created: Sunday, August 03, 2008 Updated: Friday, May 31, 2013
Managed accounts are specialized user accounts that include a parental control feature that allows you (or the Mac administrator) to control which applications can be used and which web sites can b...
OS X User Accounts - Add Administrator Accounts to Your Mac Created: Wednesday, June 04, 2008 Updated: Friday, May 31, 2013
Adding administrator user accounts to your Mac allows you to specify other individuals who can take on the administrator role. Administrators have an elevated set of privileges that allow them to i...
Favorite Holiday Games Created: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 Updated: Friday, May 31, 2013
Although some individuals love to shop, for many of us, holiday shopping is a chore. Take a break from all that stress and play a holiday game or two.
Set Up Parental Controls on Your Mac Created: Sunday, August 03, 2008 Updated: Thursday, May 30, 2013
On the Mac, Parental Controls are Apple's user management system for controlling which system functions and applications are available to a managed user. Parental Controls also offer content filter...
Setting Up Parental Controls With OS X Managed Users (OS X Lion and Later) Created: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 Updated: Wednesday, May 29, 2013
OS X’s Parental Controls allow you to control which apps, web sites, and system resources a user can access. Parental Controls can provide peace of mind when your kids use your Mac.
Mac Browser Faceoff 2011 - Which Is the Best Mac Browser? Created: Monday, August 01, 2011 Updated: Tuesday, May 21, 2013
It's time once again for a Mac browser faceoff, to determine which browser is the best one to use on your Mac. The question of which is the best Mac browser comes up so often that we try to have Ma...
Which Mac Browser Is the Best? Created: Sunday, November 07, 2010 Updated: Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Best Mac Browser - The Contenders: I’m often asked which is the best Mac browser to use. My answer is always the same: It’s the one that you like the best. Many individuals want a more ...
OS X User Account - Add Standard User Accounts to Your Mac Created: Wednesday, June 04, 2008 Updated: Sunday, May 12, 2013
Adding standard user accounts allows you to share your Mac with multiple individuals. It’s easy to add user accounts; all you need is an existing administrative account.
Adding Startup Items to Your Mac Created: Sunday, December 14, 2008 Updated: Sunday, May 12, 2013
Startup items, also known as login items, are applications, documents, or other items you want to automatically open every time you start up or log in to your Mac.
Setting Finder Views for Folders and Sub-Folders Created: Saturday, September 25, 2010 Updated: Sunday, May 12, 2013
Configuring Finder Views - Overview: One area where OS X leaves a bit to be desired is in the setting of folder views. If you want every folder to open in one type of Finder view, you’re all ...
Using iCloud for Data Storage Created: Saturday, May 11, 2013 Updated: Sunday, May 12, 2013
In addition to using iCloud to sync data between your Mac and your mobile device(s), you can also use it as a general cloud-based storage system. All it takes is a little bit of time to set up a fe...
Display Hidden Files in OS X ‘Open’ and ‘Save’ Dialog Boxes Created: Friday, September 18, 2009 Updated: Saturday, May 11, 2013
Have you ever needed to edit or view one of the many invisible files on your Mac? There is now a simple keyboard trick that allows hidden files and folders to display in any ‘Open’ or &...
Replace MobileMe Services With These Free Alternatives Created: Friday, May 18, 2012 Updated: Saturday, May 11, 2013
You don’t need iCloud to sync your favorite apps; it's also not your only option for cloud-based storage. With this collection of guides, we'll show you how you can replace most of the featur...
Sync Your Mac's Address Book Using Dropbox Created: Sunday, May 13, 2012 Updated: Saturday, May 11, 2013
Using Dropbox, you can easily sync Address Book on multiple Macs to ensure you always have the same contact lists available. You can use this guide with multiple versions of OS X; it does not requi...
Back Up or Move Your Safari Bookmarks to a New Mac Created: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 Updated: Saturday, May 11, 2013
Back Up or Move Your Safari Bookmarks to a New Mac: Safari, Apple's popular web browser, has a lot going for it. It's easy to use, fast and versatile, and it adheres to web standards. It does, howe...
Make the Mouse Pointer on Your Mac Bigger Created: Monday, October 11, 2010 Updated: Thursday, May 02, 2013
Enlarging the Mouse Pointer: With both larger and high-resolution displays becoming the norm, you may have noticed your mouse pointer is getting smaller. On both the newer 27-inch iMacs and the new...
Review: OWC Mercury Elite Pro-AL Dual SATA Drive Enclosure Created: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 Updated: Thursday, May 02, 2013
The OWC Mercury Elite Pro-AL Dual SATA Drive Enclosure is simplicity at its best. Forgoing the electronics needed to create multiple external or internal interfaces results in a highly reliable enc...
OS X Automatic Spelling Correction Created: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 Updated: Wednesday, May 01, 2013
OS X spelling and grammar options, including the auto-correct spelling system, can be enabled and disabled both system-wide and at an application-by-application level. This guide will show you how ...
Set Up Microsoft SkyDrive for Mac Created: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 Updated: Friday, April 26, 2013
Microsoft SkyDrive is a cloud-based storage and syncing service that you can use to keep documents and files up to date, as well as easily share them with multiple computers and mobile devices.
Set Up Google Drive for Mac Created: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 Updated: Friday, April 26, 2013
Google Drive is a cloud-based syncing and storage service from Google. With a Google account and this step-by-step guide, you can get Google Drive installed and working on your Mac.
Build Your Own External Hard Drive Created: Thursday, May 08, 2008 Updated: Monday, April 22, 2013
Building an external hard drive is an easy project that anyone can undertake. All you need is an external enclosure, a hard drive, and about 10 minutes of your time.
External Hard Drives - What's Your Favorite External Hard Drive? Created: Sunday, March 14, 2010 Updated: Monday, April 22, 2013
External hard drives are one of the best ways for Mac users to expand their storage space or create a backup system. We'd like to know what products you're using for your external storage needs, as...
Readers' Choice Awards 2012 - Time to Vote Created: Thursday, February 23, 2012 Updated: Monday, April 22, 2013
It's time to vote in the Mac edition of the Readers' Choice Awards 2012. There are 8 Mac-related categories in this year's awards, and only you can pick the winners.
Readers' Choice Awards Winners 2012 - The Best of the Best in 8 Mac Categories Created: Friday, March 30, 2012 Updated: Monday, April 22, 2013
The Readers' Choice Awards 2012 winners have been decided. This prestigious award is being given to eight winners in Mac-related categories. The voting went non-stop for four weeks, and now it's ti...
Reviving a Hard Drive for Use With Your Mac Created: Wednesday, May 02, 2012 Updated: Monday, April 22, 2013
If you have an extra hard drive that you would like to put back into use with your Mac, but you're not sure if it's up to the task, this guide will take you through the process of testing, repairin...
Create an Emergency OS X Boot Device Using a USB Flash Drive Created: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 Updated: Monday, April 22, 2013
A bootable copy of OS X on a USB flash drive is a great emergency backup tool to have on hand. It allows you to be ready to go almost immediately should anything happen to your existing startup dri...
Troubleshooting Mac Startup Problems - Stuck at the Blue Screen Created: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 Updated: Monday, April 22, 2013
When your Mac gets stuck at the blue screen, chances are you're having a startup drive problem. Luckily, these problems are usually easy to fix. This guide will take you through the process of gett...
2011 Mac mini Review - This Could Be the Best mini Ever Created: Thursday, July 21, 2011 Updated: Tuesday, April 16, 2013
The 2011 Mac mini received performance upgrades involving new Intel Dual-Core i5 or i7 processors. With this upgrade, Apple transitioned its entire product line away from the older Core 2 Duo archi...