Ask TUAW: Connecting to a System 7 Mac, video management software, Apple's Up-to-Date program and more
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly Mac troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about Apple Up-to-Date program, non-black LCD monitors, video management software, connecting to an old PowerMac 7200 to salvage files, and more.
As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.
Felipe asks
How do I sync videos BACK to the iPhone photo album (camera roll) app? Or is the only way to sync videos back to the iPhone is trough the iPod app ?
Unfortunately, the only way to sync videos back to the iPhone is through iTunes, and when you do they will appear in the iPod app as you suggest.
Matt asks
I'm in the market for an LCD monitor (1920x1080) for an old PC. The PC is hidden out of site and all of my furniture (desk and bookshelves) are white, so a black monitor will look terribly out of place. Apart from the 30" Apple Cinema Display, what are my options for non-black monitors that will accept DVI's full resolution?
Well I can say that you don't want the 30" Apple Cinema Display as the native resolution for that display is 2560 x 1600. If it's for a computer you probably actually want a 1920 x 1200 display (the 1080 height is the 1080p HDTV standard), though can use a 1080p display with a Mac (you just use a DVI to HDMI adapter if the display lacks a DVI port).
Unfortunately, white LCD monitors seem to be rather out of style at the moment, so you're more likely to find a white LCD TV than a straight computer monitor. Furthermore, you can also expect to pay a lot more for a white bezel. Your best bet is probably to do some searches at Google Products. In your position I think I'd try to live with a black or silver bezel if possible.
josh asks
What do you recommend for video management software? I'm looking for something along the lines of iPhoto, but for videos. I've got lots of short videos I've shot at events or on vacations, and would love a way to organize, store, and play them.... What's the best video management software on the Mac?
I'd suggest you have a look at yFlicks (€16.95 ≈ $24) from Many Tricks which we took a look at a couple of years ago. It offers a lot of iApp like organization features including tags and smart groups. It's built on top of QuickTime so you may need to make sure you've got all the relevant codecs installed with something like Perian.
Ted asks
Question about Apple's Up-to-Date program: I just ordered the 10.6 update for my older mini; my sister just bought a new MacBook Pro without 10.6. Can I (of course I can, but should I?) use my copy of 10.6 to upgrade her MacBook so she doesn't have to order the upgrade kit? The terms of the program says she's entitled to the upgrade.
Technically there is no limitation; the Snow Leopard disc will install on your sister's MacBook Pro. Legally, however, I do not think you are entitled to install Snow Leopard without paying the small upgrade fee. If you look on the Apple Up-to-Date site you see it reads: "Covers product plus shipping and handing fee. U.S. customers add appropriate sales tax" implying (to me at least) that there is a free for the product itself and not just the shipping and handling. Of course, it goes without saying that I am not a lawyer and that's just my personal read on the matter.
Genya asks
I'm finally getting a lovely new MacBook Pro. I'd like to start fresh, so I don't want to use the Migration Assistant to copy everything over. The one thing that I would like to keep intact, however, is my iTunes library so that I can continue to sync my 1st-gen iPod touch with its backups still in place. Is there a way to transfer just the library and associated data across? Additionally, what, specifically, does the Migration Assistant allow me to transfer and can I stop it from transferring certain things?
Congrats on the new MacBook Pro! Anyway, if all you want to copy over is your music you can simply copy the ~/Music/iTunes folder over to your new Mac (I'd suggest putting the old Mac into target FireWire mode if possible). However, the iPod touch backup is actually located at ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/. Be sure to check out this Support Doc with much more information on iPod touch / iPhone backups.
That said, the Migration Assistant does offer a remarkable level of customization about what it copies over. As you can see from the screenshot below you can select only to copy over the Music from a given account.
nogreenworld asks
I have an old PowerMac 7200/120MHz (PC compatible), running(?) OS 7.something. i haven't used it in forever. I have a bunch of old files and whatnot stored on that powermac and wanted to pull off some stuff, for nostalgia if nothing else (old clarisworks documents, pictures, etc). Assuming it even boots up, can i do that? and how? ethernet hookup to the MBP? will that mount/be recognizable in today's world. it's like a time capsule (of the analog variety, not the apple product), and i can't resist peeking inside.
Wow, this is a interesting one so I thought I'd make some suggestions but also put it out there for the readers to offer thoughts as well. My first thought was that if the Power Mac doesn't boot the best thing to do would be to rip the hard drive out and connect it to a USB reader. However, when I checked out the official Tech Specs from Apple I saw that the hard drive is a SCSI unit. So that would mean tracking down a relatively rare USB to SCSI adapter.
If the Mac does boot, you should be able to do as you suggest and connect it to your MacBook Pro via ethernet (the easiest way would be to connect both to the same router). Then check out this tutorial to browse the MacBook Pro from the OS 7 Power Mac, allowing you to drag and drop files from the Power Mac into the MacBook Pro. Keep in mind you might need to update the software on the Power Mac using some of the utilities on that same System 7 Today site. Good luck!
