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Filed under: OS, Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting Roundup: Mac OS X 10.5.7 Update

While Jason D. O'Grady considers anything more than ordinatrix inflagrante to be success when he's installing a new operating system, he and others are still reporting on the various and sundry issues that have cropped up since Tuesday's 10.5.7 update:

  • I can't find my brain: Some users are reporting that their Buffalo (among other) external disks aren't mounting after installing the update. Solution: Nothing concrete, though many people are suggesting installing the combo update you can download from Apple's site, rather than using Software Update. You can participate in Apple's Support Discussion on the topic if you share this problem. [via MacNN.]

  • Blue screen of death: No joke: since the update restarts your computer up to three times, some users are getting hung up on the first blue screen that appears after the gray Apple logo screen. Solution: Wait until disk activity stops, then shut down the computer hard by holding down the power button. [via PowerPage.]

  • I was blind, but now I see: The update is causing some video cards to output non-native display resolutions. Instead of outputting 1920 x 1200, instead Mac OS X will try and output 1920 x 1080 (which works fine for HDMI, but not many widescreen displays). Solution: An oldie-but-goodie: Zap the PRAM by holding down command + option + P + R at startup until the computer restarts a few times, then letting go. [also via PowerPage.]

  • Cold fusion: VMWare is suggesting people hold off on updating if their configuration includes an ATI graphics card and they use Fusion to run 3D Windows apps. (2D apps are just fine.) Slow and poor rendering and general crashiness are symptoms of the problem. Solution: None yet. Apple and ATI are working on an update. [via MacNN.]

Got problems of your own? Let us know by leaving a comment.

Filed under: Macworld, Accessories, Audio

Macworld 2009: Blue Microphones

Good audio starts with a good microphone, and plenty of Mac podcasters depend on the effective and economical offerings from Blue. There are devices to fit most needs and most budgets in the Blue Microphones product line, and the company is beginning its string of three consecutive trade show appearances (Macworld, CES and NAMM in three weeks -- that's a lot of microphones) by showing off three new products. The Icicle XLR to USB converter is great for users with investments in legacy XLR gear who want a simple way to direct that audio to their computers; it's shipping now for $60 street price. (Update: we in no way meant to imply XLR is being phased out or is outdated by using the term "legacy" -- of course, it is standard in professional audio gear).

The Mikey iPod microphone adds audio capture to most iPod models (not the iPhone or touch, unfortunately) with a swivel head and multiple gain settings to allow for recording over a variety of distances. Mikey retails for $80.

Lastly, the EyeBall takes the popular Blue Snowflake mini-microphone and adds in a retractable, "Super HD" webcam that pops out of the side of the microphone when needed. The EyeBall is available for a street price of $100, a $30 premium over the conventional Snowflake model.

You can see more details of all three products in the gallery below and the video in the 2nd half of the post.

Continue readingMacworld 2009: Blue Microphones

Tip of the Day

Holding the Command key (aka the Apple key) and pressing Tab will cycle through your open applications. It's easier to Cmd-Tab if you are Copy (Cmd-C) and Pasting (Cmd-V) to and from various applications.


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