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'Boot OSX' folders appearing in OS X

Sometimes people who have just reinstalled OS X on their systems or migrated to a new boot device may find a folder entitled "Boot OSX" appearing on their desktops. The folder cannot be removed, and only seems to disappear when the system is restarted. In a nutshell, these folders appear because of a glitch that recognizes a residual boot helper partition that is used on non-standard filesystem setups.

On nonstandard filesystems such as RAID disks (including those used in an Apple Software RAID setup through Disk Utility), the system will create the main storage partitions, but in addition … Read more

Inner space

Links from Friday's episode of Loaded:

Facebook suffered a brief outage yesterday but came back up with new photo features

Apple announces that the Mac Store with apps for Macs will launch on January 6

Yahoo layoffs will apparently result in the shutting down of several Yahoo services

The European Union is deepening its investigation into anti-competitive practices by Google

New Google Maps for Mobile on Android comes with 3D and allows for offline directions

An update to Hotmail lets you surf certain Web sites right inside your e-mail

An official PlayStation app is coming soon for Android and … Read more

Out of thin Air

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Apple announces a new lineup of MacBook Airs, updated iLife, and FaceTime for Macs.

The Boxee Box is set to launch on November 10.

Verizon is going to start selling the Samsung Galaxy Tab on November 11.

Google Docs now supports drag and drop into documents.

Facebook photos now support drag-and-drop ordering.

Facebook helps you stop stalking your ex by blocking you from their profile.

Netflix may offer a streaming-only subscription in the U.S.

Sex.com sells for $13 million.

Macs get more like iPads

A few months ago, we wondered how iOS could make its way into OS X. Apple was clearly thinking the same thing, because the summer 2011 release of OS X Lion looks like it's going to make Macs very iPad-like indeed.

First and foremost, an App Store will be hitting the Mac "within 90 days" according to today's Apple keynote, with software updates and much of the same look and feel as what exists on the iPad. It looks as if the Mac App Store will focus on Mac-specific apps, but it can't require too … Read more

Free apps install spyware on Macs

Mac users downloading free screensavers and a video converter app from several popular download sites also got spyware that installs a back door, collects data, and sends encrypted information to remote servers, security company Intego said on Tuesday.

The high-risk spyware, dubbed OSX/OpinionSpy, was being installed along with nearly 30 screensavers developed by a company called 7art and an app called MishInc FLV to MP3, according to a list compiled by Intego.

They were found on Softpedia, MacUpdate, and CNET-owned VersionTracker, according to a post on Intego's Mac Security Blog.

VersionTracker had removed all of the items on … Read more

Thunderbird helps you spread your words

Despite perceptions to the contrary, the desktop-based e-mail client is not dead. Mozilla Thunderbird 3.0 is a serious reaction to the prevalence of Web mail, so whether you're looking for a strong desktop client, an Outlook replacement, or a powerful tool for managing archives and Web mail offline, Thunderbird can scale to your needs.

Outlook users will notice the speed and responsiveness of the program, which loads fast, even when weighed down by multiple folders and RSS feeds, and the basic feature set remains intact: good junk mail filters, HTML support, multiple identities, and robust Web mail, POP, … Read more

Seven essential free software apps for a new PC

Many of you are getting new PCs these days, either as a gift, or just because there's a shiny new operating system out there. But once you get it fired up and the operating system installed, it's time to populate it with good software. Don't just take all the dreck off your old machine people. Use this as an opportunity to start fresh. Let me give you the seven essential pieces of software for your new PC.

First, there's security. You need an antivirus app, and it's not something you need to pay for. CNET'… Read more

Getting Blu-ray on a new 27-inch iMac

Apple's new iMac all-in-one desktops impressed us, especially the massive 27-inch model we reviewed this week. But we're left wondering what happened to the rumored Blu-ray drive option. Playing HD optical disc content on that big 2,560x1,440 screen seems like a no-brainer, so we set out to see if we could successfully hook up an external Blu-ray drive.

First we connected a USB-powered external BD-ROM drive from HP to the new 27-inch iMac. The iMac's OSX 10.61 operating system allowed us to explore the file structure of the Blu-ray disc, but there's no … Read more

Change default screenshot format

Mike in Michigan wrote in complaining that while he loves the easy way to take screenshots in OS X, he didn't like that they saved as PNGs. Not that he has anything against PNGs, mind you, but most of the sites he visits let him embed JPEGs only. Well Mike, we can help.

Command-Shift-3 is the command that takes a screenshot in OS X (or Command-Shift-4, if you just want part of the screen). It saves the image as a PNG. In Mac OS X 10.4 and later, you can change the default screenshot format at the command … Read more