Apple stuff - Mac, iPad, iphone

[crewmeal]

MacKeeper

Apologies if this has been asked before, but couldn't find any mention.

Does anyone have any experience of this freeware?

Is it any good?

I downloaded it yesterday and for me it works well. It found 28gb of duplicates and freed up the hard disk accordingly.

I also use 'CleanMyMac' which is also very good. There again it's personal choice.

[On the beach]

crewmeal,

Thanks for that. Will check out "CleanMyMac".

OTB

[Skylark58]

Mac DVD drive

Have a problem with the DVD superdrive on a MacBook Pro; It plays CD and DVDs which are recorded, recognises blank DVDs but if I put in a blank CD, it fails to recognise it and spits it out. I am assuming the drive is on the way out. Anyone had this?

[Mike-Bracknell]

I've seen this on other drives on PCs as well. It's usually to do with the writer and/or the media rather than the reading drive. Try switching media (Verbatim are good, supermarket own brand are bad), and try writing from a desktop drive if possible - I found sometimes laptop writers had poor writing performance.

[hellsbrink]

Seems to be a common issue, but here's one "solution" if you want to risk it.

http://eatmyrandom.b log spot.com/2010/06/macbook-pro-superdrive-wont-read-any.html (you know what to do with the website address)

Oh, the thread on the Apple support forum.

Apple - Support - Discussions - Drive won't read any dvd-ejects it ...

[Booglebox]

I had a similar but intermittent problem on a 2006 Macbook - it was because of frequent travel the metal slot that holds the mouth of the drive open had bent and was trapping the disc slightly. I carefully bent it back. On Unibody-era MBPs this shouldn't be a problem though.

[BusyB]

iSight Camera

Can anyone advise how to deselect this when using Skype. My broadband connection is so slow it can't give audio and video so I need to lose the camera. At the moment a bit of black tape does the job but would appreciate a more sophisticated method.

[Algy]

Why not just deselect video in Skype?

[BusyB]

It doesn't offer me that in Skype preferences under audio/video. Where do I deselect it?
Version 5.1.0.914

[Algy]

I just downloaded that version, and the way it works is that you have the option of selecting make a video call or make an audio call - the camera icon or the phone icon. But I think you can also select and deselect video during the call. Oddly, I don't find that having video on or off actually makes much difference to a poor quality line, but perhaps it does at the extremes.

[BusyB]

On my macbook selecting audio call still leaves the camera working. No facility to deselect video during call available. Skype help line says its not their problem, its a Mac problem. Can't find any Mac facility to deselect camera. ?????

[Algy]

OK, sorry, no more ideas.

[Booglebox]

Cover the lens with blu tack?

[Senior Pilot]

Have you tried Preferences/Calls/deselect "Start Video automatically at the beginning of a call"?

[BusyB]

Thanks for the thought SP but its already deselected. Black tape seems to be the only current solution

[Senior Pilot]

Checking on a number of sites gives the same answer that I gave you, so maybe your Skype installation is faulty: have you uninstalled and reinstalled Skype?

Apple Support on iSight may help, otherwise you may even be looking at deeper resets.

[Daria]

It doesn't offer me that in Skype preferences under audio/video. Where do I deselect it?
Version 5.1.0.914

Uh- oh, I just recently downloaded this version, and am NOT going to like it if the video is on by default. I'll have to try it out, to see what happens.

Actually, I'm not very fond of this version; wish I hadn't downloaded it. There are two many annoying, unneeded features, in my opinion.

[flyingsolo]

Can't empty trash

Hi!

I am a new mac user and have a mac book air. Whenever I try to empty the trash, it gives the following message

“.Trash” can’t be opened right now because it’s being used by another task, such as moving or copying an item or emptying the Trash. Try again when the current task is complete.

How do I empty out the trash. Could not find anything on the net, maybe I am searching the wrong sites.

Thanks in advance.

FS

[Senior Pilot]

Use the Command key as you Empty: stuff here about it.

[PPRuNe Towers]

The Mac OS can generate individual .pdf files left, right centre and apparently from every available orifice. Back in the early days of OSX they even described the screen display as a cousin of pdf.

Any top tips on finding a cheap and effective way of parceling up individual .pdf's as grouped .pdf documents?

Rob