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Ask TUAW: MacBook Pro sleep problems, multiple Firefoxes, Christmas music and more

Mat Lu
Updated ·5 min read

In this edition of Ask TUAW we'll tackle MacBook Pro problems, running multiple versions of a program, hiding Christmas music in iTunes, making audiobooks, and more.

As always your suggestions are most welcome, and questions for next week should be left in the comments. And now, to the questions!

Shawn asks:

I have a 15" 2.2 ghz macbook pro and was wondering if it might be defective. The problem is a wake-from-sleep issue. When I close the lid (that's usually how I put it to sleep), and open the computer, the screen responds fine. For periods greater than 20 or so minutes however, the screen is blank, and the system is unresponsive. This forces me to restart the computer, or wait about 5 minutes, after which the screen turns on but the mouse is a bit buggy.

I would first suggest resetting the System Management Controller, as that is the chip in the MacBook Pro which controls power management. If that doesn't do it, you may need to take it in to an Apple Store.


Patrick asks:

okay, so since the latest and greatest software update, my MBP's internal keyboard and trackpad stop working after i put my computer to sleep. now if it sleeps, i have to either hard boot or plug in a usb mouse to shut down. help please!!!!

Have you installed the MacBook Pro Software Update 1.1? This was supposed to fix this problem. If that doesn't work I've seen it suggested that repairing permissions may help. You might even try the tip above about the System Management Controller, but if all else fails I'd take it in to an Apple Store.


JonB asks:

I'm currently enjoying using the new firefox 3 beta with the new beta mac theme (Proto). However, one of my favourite firefox extensions, firebug, hasn't been updated to work with the firefox 3 beta. Is there any way to run Firefox 2 alongside the Firefox 3 beta, so I can still use firebug when I need it?

The problem with trying to run both at the same time is that they will attempt to read and write to the same preference files, etc. However, I think you can probably get around this using rooSwitch ($14.95) which will create a separate profile for each one. That way you can keep them separate. You will not be able to run them at the same time, but you should be able to easily switch back and forth.


Jeff asks:

Now that Christmas is over, what should I do with my Christmas music? I don't want my christmas music showing up in my iTunes Music folder when its not Christmas, but I also don't want to have to re-rip it next year. What should I do with it all?

Several readers have suggested various solutions. One thing you could do is create a separate iTunes library to keep the Christmas music in. You can do this simply by holding down the option key while launching iTunes.

Personally, I think a better option would be just to create a Smart Playlist without the Christmas music in it, then use that Smart Playlist as the foundation for other playlists, etc. if what you want is to avoid having the Christmas music come up in Party Shuffle or other randomized playback. To do this, just select all of the Christmas music and assign it the genre of "Christmas." Then create a new Smart Playlist as follows:


Name it something like "All except Christmas" and then use it as the basis of whatever it is you want to do (Party Shuffle, etc.).


Elliot asks:

What is the best way to turn ripped cd as an 'Audiobook' in iTunes? I have seen one or two tutorials that require the mp3s to be converted into AAC and then to rename every .m4a to a .m4b and re-add folder to library, but this seems a little long winded. I know it could be automated but I was wondering if there are any other slicker solutions already available?

I haven't used it myself but I believe Audiobook Maker does pretty much what you want. It will basically automate the process you've described. It's open-source and a free download.


Johnny asks:

While I'm on the road with my MacBook, I want to access files that are on my Mac Mini at home. How do I do this? I've done searches online for "Mac OS file sharing," but nothing I've tried has worked. The way I envision it, I would use the Finder menubar, select Go -> Connect to Server... and then enter the IP address of my MacMini. By the way, I have a NetGear WGR614 v4, and I imagine that whatever you suggest involves some sort of port-forwarding. I think I've managed to get Personal Web Sharing enabled, but all I see is an Apache web server thing.

Far and away the the easiest thing to do (if you're running 10.5 on both machines) would be to use one of Leopard's new features: Back to my Mac, which will automate this if you've got a .Mac account, or iChat screen sharing if you don't. Of course, the latter option would require you to have iChat running on the mini all the time, and in either case you could never allow it to go to sleep. Here's a nice tutorial that explains what you need to do. Perhaps the best way to actually transfer the files is just to use iChat itself.

Turning on File Sharing is a prerequisite for Back to my Mac, but it may be quite slow because the AFP protocol was apparently designed more for local networks. You can turn on File Sharing in the Sharing Preference Pane. Since you'll need to track your dynamic IP if Back to my Mac isn't doing it for you, you'll also probably need to use a dynamic update service like DynDNS. You'll also need to open port 548 on your router. Frankly, you're probably better off with either Back to my Mac or the iChat method.