Transfer Files via Firewire

Question: “I’m looking for an easy way to transfer files between two Macs and I don’t want to mess with all that network voodoo. What can I do?”



Answer: “Boot one of the Macs (preferably the lesser model) as a firewire target disk. All you have to do is connect the two Macs via a firewire cable, boot the master (preferably the higher model), then boot the other and hold down the ‘t’ key until you see a blue screen with a yellow firewire symbol. This Mac will now appear as a normal firewire hard disk on the master’s desktop. Unfortunately, if the two Macs don’t have firewire, then you’ll have to ‘mess with all that network voodoo’.”







(Thanks go out to medicalmac.com for the image.)



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Stability In Camino Nightly Builds

Today marks the start of a new weekly feature on MacMerc, Trouble Shooting Tuesday. If you have a question that you’d like answered, please submit it to macmanx@macmerc.com



Question: I’ve noticed that all 0.7 Camino Nightly Builds have been severely less stable than the original 0.7 release. Why is this? I thought the builds were supposed to improve.



Answer: Actually, the builds are improving. The reason for the current nightly builds instability is due to the fact that the Camino team is working on merging the Camino code with the Mozilla 1.4 code (Chimera was based on Moz 1.0.1). They are constantly making changes to the Moz 1.4 code to help it fit Camino better. Picture yourself building the most stable house ever built. The frame is solid, the structure is beautiful, but at the same time, you’re repairing it’s foundation. At any time, that entire house could collapse, but if you build the foundation right, the house will last forever. The Mozilla code is what makes Camino a browser, without it, it’s just a nifty GUI with a few features. So, you should expect a few problems while the code is being implemented.

(Humor) My Computer Won’t Turn On

Any troubleshooting questions out there? Any at all? If you have some, please submit them to macmanx@macmerc.com


Well, how about a little tech-support question humor? Let’s see if I can remember it.

Well, there was phone tech support member working for a company (Microsoft?), we’ll just call him “Tech”. He received a call from and elderly woman who’s computer wouldn’t turn on. In the end, it got him fired. Below is what I remember from the transcript.

TECH: What seems to be the problem?

CALLER: My computer won’t turn on.

TECH: Have you tried the power button?

CALLER: Of course.

TECH: Is the power connected?

CALLER: Yes.

*the TECH then went through several PC-related things and neither worked.*

TECH: Do you have the original box to send this back?

CALLER: It’s in the attic.

TECH: Can you get it and make sure it’s the right one?

CALLER: It’s a bit hard to see the box.

TECH: How come?

CALLER: The lights aren’t on.

TECH: Turn them on.

CALLER: I can’t, the power went out 30 minutes ago.

*The TECH then went into numerous profanities that got him fired. Such is the frustration of all techs.*

Remember, if you have a question that you’d like answered, please submit it to macmanx@macmerc.com