Nov 12

So you want Snow Leopard to look different from its default?

The thing is, doing this used to be so easy with the Leopard and I had done mine with the help from the PCWIZ Group of Magnifique. But when the new kitty arrived, the modifications had to be removed as Magnifique can totally crash with the Snow Leopard. Suffice to say, the application is not compatible with it. And so, there was no choice but to set back to default.

magnifique2

For awhile, I have been trying to find a way to customize the SL, and discovered that there actually is a way to do this by porting and tweaking certain files: Download the file 60+MB size with all the instructions needed to do it. Once you have it, it’s as simple as drag & drop . This file will guide you through customizing your menu bar, like I did mine:

Screen shot 2009-11-11 at 8.33.46 PM

Of course, before you do any thing on your computer it is highly recommended that you back up your files. Please don’t forget to read iPARC’s disclaimer.

Here’s hoping the PCWIZ Group continues the devolopement of Magnifique to adapt to the SL, since it’s really a cool application.

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Nov 12

1092thermometerOne of the most common complaints with any laptops I guess, and not just with a Mac, is the heating problem. If you are in this bind, then not to worry, every problem has a solution and I have my recommendation for fixing this.

The first thing to note is that there may be two possible things causing this problem on a Mac laptop:

  • Your aux fan may not be functioning normal anymore.
  • Your Processor or your Video Card is working so much that it spikes up the heat in your hardware.

Solution 1: Bring it your your nearest Apple Center. It’s common sense suggestion but I find that not everyone takes this route right away thinking it is a hassle. Well, it’s not. Most especially if your service center has the best people around. I would suggests bringing your Mac to Senco Phil (Philippine residence only). The assistance they provide is exceptional, first-class service. It’s all worth going to their offices to have your unit checked.

If your unit is still under warranty, then you have it so much better. Parts like the aux fan, by the way,  are covered when you first get your Mac.

Solution 2: Your best option for this kind of problem is  doing the tweaks yourself. Make your aux fan run at higher speed. Most come with a default setting, and that’s not enough.  So, here are two applications I would recommend you use.

Fan Control – The fan control will adjust the fan speed depending on your CPU’s temperature. The original automatic  fan speed control though is kept intact.

Picture 1

smcFanControl – This is great for every Intel Mac and will help it cool down. You set the minimum speed yourself.

Picture 2

I’ve been using these applications for years now and have benefitted a lot from it.

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Nov 11

at-lastI’ve finally tamed the Wild Snow Leopard. I was able to do some more tweaking and changed my SL’s theme back to black!

But I still would not recommend this to people who make use of Photoshop a lot, even if there’s a 10.6.1 update released. Adobe Programs are still unstable in Snow Leopard. So, if you use Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc. it’s still not advisable as random browser crashes due to adobe flash and memory spike still occur. When I’m teaching, I use Leopard, to avoid all of this. When I’m not teaching, I use Snow Leopard. I’m using dual os for now.

Speed is still Snow Leopards premiere feature. 10.6.2 update is in the horizon and it will be around 500MB, a major update.

You may be asking why I’m still using this… it’s because I’m challenging myself to try and fix the bugs to the best that I can.

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