Ask TUAW: tracking your iTunes purchases, quitting processes, doing a clean OSX install and more

Hello, I am newbie here, This is a nice website Welcome to my website:
http://www.ipodconverter.com
Thank you very much.

Hello, In a multiple-computer network, where you use the same login on multiple computers, then you use the currentHost option to say that you only want to change the preference on that computer. http://www.divx-converter.net In general, you shouldn't need to specify it.

The string "defaults -currentHost write com.apple.screensaver askForPassword -int 0" in the first question on this page, unchecks the option for asking a password completely (in my OSX v10.5.6). So after after ending the screensaver as well as after awakening from system sleep, no password is asked.
What can be wrong? I assume that the option should stay active?
Thanks

running osx 10.5.6 on macbook 13"
So this has been bothering me for awhile now.. in any other mac app, command+shift+/ shortcut will get you to the help menu and let you search and access any menu item of that app. But in firefox, same shortcut will open up a new help window. Is there anyway to get around this behavior and get firefox to go to the help menu instead?

To have a better screen lock, you can run keychain access, in preferences click "Show Status in Menu Bar" and then close it. You now have a padlock in your menu bar that you can click and then choose "Lock Screen". It's an extra step in terms of just locking on wake vs screensaver, but it's simple and easy to use.

Another question: how can I make a certain file-type in OSX open in a certain program? ie. I want MP3 files to open in VLC and not in iTunes or something.

For next time:

I have a mac mini at work and a macbook that I use both at home, at work and everywhere else. I have one folder where I keep all my written work (reports etc) on my mac mini that I would like sync'd to my macbook.

This should be simple to solve but the problems comes in that the work is quite sensitive and absolutely cannot be stored on a third party server, so that rules out dropbox etc. I can sync when the macbook is on the work network and I have looked at cronosync but for the application and 1 agent it's $50, a bit steep for syncing one folder!

Transmit 3 looked good until I realized it only did unidirectional syncing.

Less that 3% of people at work use and mac and as such IT offer no support and much tutting when they remember they are talking to a mac user.

Both macs are running leopard 10.5.6 with an intel processor.

Any help would be amazing

Thanks for addressing my iTunes/Purchase History questions this week!

Unfortunately, I already understand how to view my purchase history but my issue is that it only reports individual purchases rather than a total sum of all purchases or, better yet, a specific date range.

Sure, it may come off as lazy but adding up such numbers as 1.07 + 2.15 +1.07 + 11.90 + 6.48 + 8.66 + 3.24, etc. etc. becomes rather tedious.

While it doesn't seem to be possible, I'd ultimately like to know how to get a total of all purchases/dates rather than manually adding what is literally hundreds if not thousands of transactions.

Again, thanks for the help with my question, happy to see it show up in Ask TUAW!

I have a Western Digtal 500GB external hd. Both firewire and USB.

I partitioned the drive into two partitions. But now when I connect the hd, only one partition shows up. I tried both the USB and Firewire and it's the same.

When I connect the hd to a windows computer, sometimes both partitions show up and sometimes only the one.

What's going on and how can I fix this problem? I'm so frustrated that I'm about to buy a new hd!

I have a 15" Aluminum Powerbook G4. (Still works great~)

And please be gentle, I'm very computer illiterate.

Open Directory Utility.app (/Applications/Utilities/). Click the lock in the lower left corner and enter you admin User Name and Password. Click on the Edit Menu and choose Enable Root User. Enter a password and don't forget it. Log out of your User Account. In the log in window click on Other... and use root and the password you just created. Navigate to your Home Folder that you would like to rename and rename it. Now go to the Accounts Preference Pane in System Preferences and create a new User (with admin privileges) with a Short Name matching the Home Folder you just renamed. When you create the account it'll tell you there's already a folder by that name and would you like to use it. Choose to use it. Log out of root. Log in to your new account. Open Directory Utility.app and click on the Edit Menu and choose Disable Root. Make sure everything is good and then open System Preferences and delete your old User Account which is actual just a new account because the system makes a new Home Folder when it can't find one. Your data (Desktop, Documents, Music, Photos, etc.) are in the new user account with the new short name.