Helpful Hints

Shortcut keys

To speed up monotonous tasks on your Mac, try using keyboard shortcuts. Next to most menu items are the keyboard shortcuts for performing that task. Here's a good one: hold down the Command (Apple) key and press Tab to cycle through your open programs. Release the Command key to bring that application to the front.

Viruses

At this point in time there are almost no viruses that affect Mac OS X, so installing anti-virus software often causes more problems than it solves.

Spam

If you're getting dozens of spam emails each day, contact your email provider. Most providers can enable virus & spam filtering on your email account at your request, either for free, or for a small monthly fee.

Laptop battery

Did you know that if you press the small button on your laptops battery, it will give you a light indication of how much charge your battery has left. Helpful for determining whether or not to take your charger with you before you run out the door.

Repair disk permissions

A good, regular maintenance routine to perform is to repair your Macs disk permissions. You can do this in the Disk Utility program, which is located in Applications/Utilities. I recommend doing this once every month or two.

Word, Excel & PowerPoint files

Did you know that Apple's iWork suite can open most types of Word, Excel and PowerPoint files? It can also save to these formats, which can then be sent to, and safely read by, Windows PCs. And it only costs $99, as opposed to $649 for Microsoft Office. You can even download a free 30 trial of iWork from Apple's web site.

Restart

It might seem obvious, but often a restart is just what your Mac needs when it hits a bump in the road. I recommend restarting your Mac at least once a week for optimal performance, more if needed.

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