Big Files = Big Issues

Here’s a reader tech question from Robbyn:

Writing with a technical question, using my MacBook Pro I’ve been trying to copy a 4.93 GB .mov file to an external hard drive. Every time I try to do this I get an error message that reads: “Sorry, the operation could not be completed because an unexpected error occurred. (Error code 0)” I’ve tried zipping the file, but still have the same problem. I’m also not sure how to split up the file without having to convert it to another format which I’d rather not do since I’m sending it to someone to edit and I’d like to have it in the raw format so as not to lose any quality.

Well Robbyn, it sounds like an issue with the file system type on your external hard drive. Now I know you are wondering what that means so let me give you a quick overview:

Windows likes to format their partitions using one of their file systems, and Macs like to use their own. Unfortunately, they really don’t get along all that well. The only file system type that really works well on both Windows machines and Macs is FAT32. However, FAT32 has a bunch of issues including being pretty poor compared to other the newer formats, and more importantly, not supporting files over 4gb in size.

Unfortunately, you are trying to copy a big file, and big files not supported.. that’s probably the problem right there. Simple solution – check if it is formatted in FAT32 and reformat to HFS+ “non-case sensitive” because you that’s really unnecessary, and “non-journaled” because it tends to be more compatible, albeit slightly less secure in cases of drive failure. This will have some repercussions though, including all files will be deleted during the reformatting process and, as you might have guessed, HFS+ drives are not supported in Windows.

Now the other issue – the drive might be formatted using the NTFS file system, which is the one Microsoft currently employs for most Windows XP machines and all later operating systems.  And the issue with NTFS, it cannot inherently be written to by Macs.  Solution – same as above.  For big files, you need to use HFS+ for make your Mac fully support NTFS using some downloads from the Internet.  I would suggest, unless you need to be able to use your drive on both a Windows and a Mac, use HFS+.

In order to do all of this on a Mac, you can follow the following steps:

1. Open “Applications” in either your Finder, or on the Dock.
2. Find and click on the folder named “Utilities.”
3. In the “Utilities” folder you will find an application called “Disk Utility” – Open it.
4. You should see something like the image below.
5. Click on the drive you need to work on.
6. Change the file format using the “Volume Format” drop down in the center of the screen.

Please ask for clarification if you need any further guidance. Best of luck.

Ice-T “Repairs” a MacBook

Don’t watch this at work…

Thanks to Pete S. for sharing.

Geek Arguments Courtesy of Wired

I’m exhausted beyond the point of original thought – Here’s a funny one yanked from Wired.com (However, I did edit a small typo. They misspelled aficionado).

10. “No real programmer would ever use PHP.” – This won’t work for every geek, of course, but for those it works on, it should work really well.

9. “Comic books are just for kids!” – I’m sure you’ve heard this one before—I know I certainly heard it often enough in high school, and even though it’s even less true now than it was then, I’m sure comic book aficionados still hear it today.

8. “Role-playing games are just for people who can’t deal with real life.” – There are, sadly, still a lot of people who think anyone who plays D&D must live in his parents’ basement and bathe once a month. Such people must be put straight, and immediately!

7. “The Pirates of the Caribbean movies are so realistic!” – I doubt many people actually believe this, but there are an awful lot of misconceptions about pirates out there, so you never know.

6. “Yeah, I got an Xbox 360 so my daughter could play Hello Kitty games. Is it really good for anything else?” – We’ve hit the ones that are hard for me even to type, now…

5. “Mac, Windows, or Linux? Does it really make a difference?” – An argument so old its original form was probably first written down in hieroglyphs, I know, but I don’t know a single geek it wouldn’t work on—myself included.

4. “The Ewoks were the best thing about the original Star Wars trilogy.” / “Greedo shot first!” - I couldn’t decide between the two. If one doesn’t work, I’ll bet the other one would.

3. “Tolkien? Ehhh, I prefer Terry Brooks!” – I almost feel like I should argue with myself just for writing that. I’m going to let the top two stand for themselves.

2. “Joss Whedon is a hack!”

1. “I don’t see what’s so bad about DRM!”

Nine out of ten of these statements would drive me nuts. Any guesses which one wouldn’t?

Check back tomorrow when I reveal the shocking answer (And post something sensible).

Update

The answer is #8. State the other nine at your own peril!

Mac Update: Snow Leopards, Laptops, and Guitars Oh My

Apple has revealed a number new improvements and adjustments to their products at WWDC, here’s the rundown.

Snow Leopard

I was going to write a summation of Apple’s announcements regarding the new operating system updates, but a great one already exists (and I’m very tired). Check with Gizmodo to learn all of the nifty upgrades Snow Leopard will give you for a mere $29.00 come September 2009. Nothing is Earth-moving, but it’s all good stuff.

Safari 4

The new browser has been spotted in the wild with a new look, and boasting the title of “fastest browser on the web.” That is until Google Chrome leapfrogs them again in a few months – isn’t competition great?

MacBook Family

• Price cuts pretty much across the board
• Non-removable batteries that are assured to last a long time across the board
• ExpressCard slots go the way of FireWire (Except for the 17-inch MacBook Pro) – they are replaced with SD slots
• A lot of boosted specs
• The solid state hard drive model of the MacBook Air dropped $700 making it almost reasonable at $1,799

I’m not sure ExpressCard slots were ready for retirement, and I’m not crazy about the non-removable batteries – this just seems like an unnecessary hassle for users. Otherwise, the refreshed machines look good – Skynet will be pleased.

For a complete rundown of the MacBook changes check with Engadget.

New iPhones

I am by no means an authority on iPhones. So if you care to learn more about the new incarnations of the popular device, you may have a gander here.

Control Your Guitar & Amp with Your iPhone

Apple, Amp manufacturer Line 6, and general musical gadget brand Planet Waves are teaming up to offer an iPhone app that will allow you to control your guitar and amp’s sound. More on this as better details arise.

It’s the User Experience Stupid!

The PC vs. Mac ad war continues to rage.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the first of what has become a series of PC “Laptop Hunters” ads. I’m continuing to stand being my original analysis of the “Lauren” ad. The two subsequent PC Hunters ads weren’t quite the train wreck that Lauren was, but I still found the people in the ads obnoxious and ill-informed; shouting off random computer parts and claiming to be tech savvy doesn’t appeal to me at all.

The biggest problem with these ads is that they completely ignore the user experience. Microsoft doesn’t sell Blu-ray drives, monitors, or graphics cards. They sell software. They sell a user experience, and that experience is lacking but it isn’t unsellable. These ads were pretty damn good:

These two ads are simple and elegant. They address the user experience in a clear and friendly manner. Plus, how can you get have a problem with those little girls? They seem far more intelligent than the tools that appear in the PC Hunters ads. The four year-old came across as more authoritative and likable than Lauren, Giampalolo, Lisa, or Jackson.

In response, Apple is using the same old formula to continue point out the flawed Windows user experience, and why not? These ads have been working wonders. Here are two of the new ones:

Another problem that Microsoft has is that Apple has had an active and preachy community for decades. There wasn’t a completely devoted community of PC users in the same way that there was a Mac community. Tight knit communities form around minority views. Additionally, many of the devoted PC users of the past (like myself) jumped ship to Apple over the past few years.

If Microsoft want’s to plug the holes, the answer isn’t poking holes at Apple; Microsoft doesn’t have the credibility to pull it off. They need to prop up their product and make it as cute, pretty, and above all, as likable as possible. They need to highlight the virtues of their own user experience, even if there aren’t many of them.

It's the user experience stupid!

iTunes DRM & Price Change

Apple announced that iTunes would be going through some changes at Macworld 2009 in early January.

Well folks, those changes have happened. Near as I can tell, iTunes is now DRM free! This is good because it lifts a lot of the crazy restrictions that Apple was placing on legally purchased music – It’s nice when companies stop punishing people who purchase things legally.

They have also implemented a new price structure by adding $0.69 and $1.29 price tiers to the existing $0.99 tier. The pricing is up to the record-labels or owners of the tracks.

Needless to say, there aren’t many $0.69 tracks. I couldn’t actually find any during my perusal of the iTunes store. That being said, I honestly didn’t see a ton of $1.29 tracks among the music that I like to listen to. It’s clear that they have only priced popular songs at $1.29.

If you are like me and don’t particularly excited for trendy or modern popular music (because I’m cool like that), you shouldn’t notice much of a difference in the pricing structure.

Another thing that you might notice is that some of the same recordings are priced differently based on the album they are from (See Sweet Home Alabama in the image above). I’m not sure if that will stay the same, but it is the case for the moment.

New VLC!

There is a new latest and greatest version of the free (and awesome) VLC media player is officially available.

It works on PC, Mac, and Linux and can play damn near anything.

You may download it here.

Happy viewing.

MacBook Air Hinge Defect Revisited

Last month I wrote about reports of defective MacBook Air hinges. Here is my followup and advice for other people dealing with the same issue:

The hinge on my MacBook Air has been a little wobbly for a few months. After reading reports of the defect and Apple’s general unwillingness to repair the damage under the factory warranty I became a little perturbed.

I decided that while my MacBook Air  is still under warranty I wanted documentation of the defect in my laptop. I booked an appointment with the Genius Bar and went last week.

I showed the tech my laptop, the wobble, and the slight bowing in the hinge. I also highlighted the pristine condition of my year-old computer to to nullify the “consumer misuse” argument. He took it into the back-room of mystery and emerged a few minutes later to tell me that no one in that store has ever heard of the factory defect but they were willing to admit that there was wobble and bowing in my hinges.

The tech wanted to compare the wobble and bowing in my computer with the floor model. They had nearly identical wobble and bow. He viewed this as evidence that there wasn’t a problem… I saw it as confirmation that there is a design flaw. Regardless of interpretation, all I asked for was written confirmation that I did complain about the problem before my warranty expired – which he gave me.

If the hinge malfunctions I will use it for leverage to make Apple fix it under my warranty.

Mission Accomplished!

If you are having the same problem I recommend that you get some documentation as well. Be friendly and polite, but stand your ground.

Microsoft’s “Lauren” Ad is Shortsighted

This past week the new Microsoft ad, “Lauren Get’s an HP Pavilion” has consistently come up in conversation.

Is the ad telling the truth?

Yes! It absolutely is true. PCs are much cheaper than comparable Macs under almost all circumstances.

The question of truth unfortunately isn’t the important part of the ad. Sadly for Microsoft it is an excruciatingly shortsighted and ill-conceived TV spot. Let’s parse out this ad’s message:

• Apple is the stick with which the industry measures against.
• Apples are expensive.
• You can’t afford an Apple.
• PCs can be powerful.
• PCs are cheap.
• You can afford a PC.

By kicking off the ad with Lauren trying to buy an Apple it states very clearly that a Mac was her first choice. She went to get a PC when she couldn’t afford her first choice.

Flash forward to the Best Buy-ish store.

Lauren shouts out some easily digestible specs that she wants, and the PCs can meet he expectations for well under her budget of $1000… in fact, she bought if for $699.99 – This section of the ad has two BIG problems.

First, Microsoft sells software and a user-experience, not necessarily a good one, but a user-experience nonetheless. They don’t sell hardware. In spite whatever Microsoft believes, the biggest draw of an Apple is the user-experience, not the pretty hardware (there are some very pretty PCs out there). As Lauren points out, they have comparable hardware. The ad never deals with Windows Vista’s inferior user-experience. At least the Mojave Experiment ads did that!

The second problem with this section of the ad is the price-point. Microsoft doesn’t sell PCs but their partners do. The profit margin on a $700 laptop isn’t usually amazing. They set Lauren’s budget at $1000, why not have her spend $950? or $990? The ad lowers the expectation for what consumers will expect to pay. If Lauren could get a “great” computer for $699.99 then that’s what a PC should cost.

This ad also degrades the value of a PC. Apple is now officially the gold-standard… Microsoft said so in its own ad. Microsoft has made Apple the BMW of computer makers (if they weren’t considered that already there is no debate now). PCs are the computer you buy when times are rough… like now. But in the future, the economy won’t be in the dumps (hopefully sooner than later). Then people will have money again. When they replace the cheap POS of a PC they bought during the recession, they are going to want to replace it with something better. Something top of the line… and now we all know that PCs are the cheap computer.

Bad move Microsoft.

Reminder: Backup Your Computer

A friend of mine just lost all of her data during a freak hardware malfunction. 

Just because your computer is working today doesn’t mean that it will tomorrow (that goes for Mac users too). If it breaks you will be so relieved to have backups of your data.

Computers are replaceable. Your work and photos are not.

Please practice safe computing.

Perspective On Digital Reality – Windows

If you think that Microsoft is going to die sometime soon, just remember that they have some crazy market-share - “In February, 88.4% of users who connected to the Web sites monitored by Net Applications Inc. did so from systems powered by Windows… (Keizer).“

So, if you aren’t using a Mac but you feel like everyone else on Earth is… you really aren’t alone.

Not going away anytime soon.

MacBook Air Hinge Defect & Rotten Apple Warranty

Engadget is reporting about a defect in the hinges of many MacBook Airs. 

Basically, what happens is that over time and normal, non-abusive use the hinges on many MacBook Airs will loosen until one day the hinge catches and cracks. 

That's the dream.

It seems that Apple doesn’t like fixing these hinges unless you pay a meager $800.00, even when the computer is still on warranty. They call it “accidental” damage. 

I will tell you this, I have never dropped or mishandled my MacBook Air and the hinges have been a little wobbly for the last few months. If they cracks I will politely make the good folks at Apple completely miserable if they do not fix them. The MacBook Air is a premium product and I expect them to stand behind it. 

If an Apple Genius* tells you that you need to pay $800.00 to fix the hinges on your MacBook Air tell them, “No thank you, I think I will go out and buy a netbook for half that.” There is no plane of existence where that price is anything short of insulting.

Not everything Apple makes is perfect and they need to do right by their customers. 

* Irony warms my soul and makes smile.

Elton John’s Fabulous iPod

Do you have a burning desire to “one up” everyone with an iPod? I know I don’t.

If you are the kind of person who wants to get a Motorola Aura, this might appeal to you. 

Elton has released a line of Swarovski crystal encrusted iPods… and yes, they are fabulous.

I should also point out that there are no bad intentions here (even if I can’t help but make fun of this item). Proceeds from the sale of these iPods go to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. 

If you want one for whatever reason, you can get one here. They are available in nine different colors. 

Back That Mac Up

If you’re here, that means you’re serious about backing up your Mac. Trust me, that’s a good thing. Remember, we’re thinking about our backup fundamentals of redundancy, frequency, and spread.

Throughout this article, I want you to think to yourself: “what is my data worth to me?” In my case, My Mac holds pretty much everything important to me in my life:

• My photos – including every digital photo I’ve ever taken. Ever.
• My music – including every terrible Enrique Iglesisas song I downloaded off iTunes (Because you just can’t have too much “Don’t Turn Off The Lights”).
• My writings – including that 7th-grade English report on Captain America that everyone made fun of me for. Who’s laughing at my detailed analysis of Cap’s Adamantium/Vibranium alloy shield now? That’s right, none of you.

I can’t be sure what you’ve got on your computer, but chances are it’s just as important to you as my stuff is to me. And believe me, if something were to happen to your stuff it’s impossible to underestimate just how much you’ll miss that fanfic of you getting Bat-grapple freaky with the Dark Knight. My stuff’s important. Your stuff’s important. What you have to remember is:

You need somewhere else to put your important stuff

Your stuff is currently on the hard drive inside of your computer, which is great. But if something happens to your computer, or even just your hard drive (they have been known to die on their own from time to time), you’re toast. What you want to do is secure an alternate location to stash your stuff. And that means…

You need to get yourself an external hard drive

No kidding. You really do. How big is up to you, but I would recommend getting one at least twice the size of your current hard drive. Right now external hard drives are running about $100 to $200 for the kind you’ll likely need. Pick a size that works, read some reviews, and get your hands on some external storage goodness. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to:

Grab a good piece of software for backin stuff up

I’m going to start with the easiest. If you’re running Mac OS X 10.4 (Panther) or later, then you need to get SuperDuper. It’s free. It makes an entire bootable clone of your hard drive. You can set it to run overnight and have your backup done by morning. Why are you not downloading it right now?

If you’re willing to throw some cash down, I’d recommend buying SuperDuper for $28. When you buy/register the free version, you get access to superfun features like scheduling, so you can set your backups to run periodically.

Registering SuperDuper also gets you access to the program’s SmartUpdate feature, which is a fantastic way to backup. With the free version, every time you backup with the program it just makes a clone of your hard drive, file for file. That process can take hours, which is why you usually want to run it overnight. With the registered version of SuperDuper, you can set your backups to run more intelligently. The very first time you back up, the program makes a complete clone of your drive. But every subsequent time you back up, SuperDuper just compares all the files on your source drive to those on your backup drive, and copies/deletes only the ones necessary to make your backup drive identical to your source.

The upshot? Your first backup will take a few hours, but all backups after that tend to take about 20 minutes. A huge timesaver, and great incentive to backup more frequently.

That about does it for this post, but stay tuned. In my next post, I’m going to cover the backup features built in to Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard), the current feature of the Mac operating system. We’re also going to talk about online backup solutions, so stick around!

Baby Got Back(up)

I’d like to write about something very close to my heart (it’s not babies): the art of backing up your stuff.

Some of the particular programs we’ll reference later are platform specific, but the principles here ought to apply to anyone with a computer. If you’re a non-Mac user, hang tight and hopefully Jason will be able to answer your specific backup needs in a future post.

Let’s get right down to it.

You need to backup your stuff

Which brings me to my second point.

You don’t think you need to backup your stuff, but you do

A good backup, like fire insurance, is something you hope you never ever have to use. Also, like fire insurance, a good backup keeps you sane, safe, and protected when something terrible happens. Which brings me to point three.

You may not think you have much worth protecting, but you do

I spent a fair amount of high school screwing around with Linux on my computer. I can’t count the number of times I formatted my hard drive or the number of precious songs I was into in high school that I now no longer have (may your cowboy twang Rest in Peace, “Don’t Tell Me” by Madonna). So, let’s put first things first.

How do we think about backing up our stuff?

All there really is to backing up is simply making additional copies of your important data and putting them in other places. At the core of it, that’s it. You want to have more than one copy of your data, you want those copies to be in safe places, and you want to be able to access them in the event of an emergency. So, while there are tons of fancy-pants tools and and programs to help you back up your data, they’re all doing essentially the same thing: helping you make copies of your data.

Some important things to remember when thinking about backup

I’m not an industry expert, but I have picked up a few things along the way that you can think of as guiding principles when it comes to backing up.

• Redundancy – If you can, have more than one backup system: back up to multiple drives (we’ll talk about this later) and keep multiple copies.
• Frequency – The more often you back up the more you’ll love yourself, because your data will be more recent in the event of an emergency.
• Spread – This one is really redundancy with a geopgraphic twist. You want to have backups in more than one physical location. Say, for example, that your former romantic partner decides that Kyle Rayner is the worst Green Lantern even though you think he’s the best Green Lantern (he is) and gets Effigy to set fire to your apartment. If both your computer and your backups were in that apartment, you’re still toast no matter how diligently you backed up.

Come on back tomorrow for my first Mac backup guide. If your computer dies between now and then and you lose all of your data. I’m sorry.