My G4 (OS 10.4.11) is going to sleep while I'm working on it and will do so every 15 seconds.  Hitting the space bar wakes it up, but then it just goes back down again.  If I turn it off for a while, it lets me work for maybe 10 - 20 minutes but then repeats the above process.  

Does it need to go see a mac-doctor and if so, any recommendations on where in the Ann Arbor I should take it?  I don't know what to do without my computer!

 

Hi RL, 

If I were to guess, I would say that one of the circuits added to the system board to protect it against overheating is going bad. In most cases, this is a simple circuit that consists of a thermistor to monitor heat on specific components (CPU, GPU, the bridges, controllers, RAM, etc...).

The first thing I would do is to reset the PRAM. It should be as simple as holding down the 'P', 'R', Command, and Option keys (all at one time) during the system startup. Continue holding the keys down until you hear the
startup chime at least three times.
If this does not correct the issue, try changing out the system battery (this has been known to cause some 'odd' things and its a quick, inexpensive fix). Besides, if this is a G4, it is probably due anyway.

If this doesn't correct it, it may well be time to take it in to see a Mac doctor. Be warned... If this is what I think it is, you will need to replace the motherboard. Technicians these days do NOT replay system board components (and for good reason). You may want to get a quote first and then make up your mind if it is cheaper to just buy a new machine.

In the past, I have used CompUSA (KIA) and / or the Learning Center. The problems were covered by warranty so I could not vouch for their pricing.

Hope that helped.

Les
 

My Epson RX580 is a non-postscript printer. I get a message that because it is non-script, it will not include certain things. Is this good or bad?

Hi LB,

If you are using a non-postscript printer you might experience these problems:
- The edges of characters or text may look jagged and fuzzy on your printouts.
- Line art prints may look grayish with horizontal banding (a block of color that has stripes of color running through it).
- Large blocks of colors printed may having some banding also.
- Sometimes the printed colors look dull or muddy.

Your Epson printer has been know to do all of the above.

Non-postscript printers usually don't contain PostScript which is a programming or page description language. It is a way of describing what a page should look like.

If you just type business letters, draw simple graphs, or print photographs for your own personal use on your computer you may not need the power of PostScript.

Regards,
JoAnn

Hi, I just bought a Apple TV and was wondering if I can add my own DVD on this? If so, can you tell me how I can do this? I was told I could and I could use QuickTime or iMovie but I can not get them to work.

CB

Hello CB,

This is a tricky question. The rules governing whether you can make 'backup' or duplicate copies of your DVD's (strictly for your own viewing) are kind of a gray area.

The short and simple answer is yes, you can 'rip' a DVD and encode it in a format that is viewable on your Apple TV. I am not positive, but I do NOT think Quicktime or iMovie are capable of doing this on their own. There are a number of encryption and copy protection issues (RCE or Region Coding, CSS Encryption, and Macrovision protection) you need to overcome before you can encode it for the Apple TV and I do not think Apple would open themselves up to the kind of legal issues that would accompany these features.

Fortunately, there is a pretty handy, open-source (a.k.a. Free) tool available on the internet that will accomplish this task. Check out (http://handbrake.fr ) for an application called Handbrake. Handbrake will allow you to 'rip' the main feature (sans the menus, extra features, etc...) from the DVD and export it to an MP4 file with the appropriate codecs (H.264 Video and AAC Audio). They provide ample documentation with the application or on their website. Once you have done this, you can then use Quicktime to export the movie to Apple TV (File: Export - and then set the Export option to Movie to Apple TV).

Please note... Ripping an entire DVD and then encoding/exporting it for use with the Apple TV will probably take a fair amount of time (depending on the system used to do the work). Be prepared for a lot of sitting around and waiting for things to happen.

Let me know if you need further assistance and I can whip up a step by step tutorial for you over the weekend.

Les (a.k.a. "The Guru wannabe")

I can transfer pictures by clicking and dragging, but once moved I don't know how to move them around on the page. Is it best to do all the changes in iPhoto first?

JW

Hi JW,

From what you state in your message, I'm not sure if you are referring to the manipulation of the image itself (things such as size cropping, or any adjustments to the image itself), which would be best done in iPhoto by first making a copy of the image (to protect the original), then manipulating the copy for your document. This can be done by highlighting the image in iPhoto, then pressing the Apple (Command) Key and the "D" key together (duplicate) OR, control-click (or right click with the Apple Mighty Mouse) and select "Duplicate Image" from the contextual menu. iPhoto will then "import" the duplicate image, and when it finishes, your copy of the image will be highlighted, and will have the image name of the original image plus the word "copy."

If you are having trouble positioning an image in Microsoft Word for Mac, it may not be very easy to do what you may be attempting. If the document you are working on must be shared with others who will work with it in Word, then Word may be the best bet to do your work.

Unfortunately, Word does not allow much positioning finesse with images. If you can bring the document(s) and image(s) to the next MacTechnics meeting, I can help you with my laptop - of course if you have a laptop, bring it.

If the document does not need to be edited after you're done, there is a better program than Word to incorporate images with text. That would be Pages, a part of Apple's iWork suite. The current version, iWork-08 is available at the Apple Store for $79.00 retail. iWork is the old AppleWorks suite on OS-X level "steroids" and is more flexible and powerful than the Microsoft equivalent (at least until the upcoming release of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac in a few weeks).

The absolute best thing about all three iWork applications (Pages [Word], Numbers [Excel], and Keynote [PowerPoint]) is that you can import any equivalent Microsoft Office file (Windows or Mac) and work with the file, and then Export it back to the Microsoft equivalent, or to an Adobe Acrobat PDF document, or as a web page. All three applications in iWork allow you to add pictures, movies, or sound files (songs, etc) to any document. If you would like to learn about iWork, check with the Apple Store in Briarwood Mall (Ann Arbor, of course) for times they hold iWork Seminars - go to www.apple.com/seminars and enter Ann Arbor or Briarwood, and look for the times it is offered. If that is not enough, and you want further tutorial work within iWork, please see me or any of the other "geeks" at the next MacTechnics meeting.

Peace,
John V. Fauver