Apple : Tutorial: How to use your iPad as a secondary screen for your Mac |
| Tutorial: How to use your iPad as a secondary screen for your Mac Posted: 05 Jun 2011 04:00 AM PDT  Did you know that your iOS device can become the perfect complement for your Mac desktop or notebook? Here we'll show you how. For starters, your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, can be used as an additional screen. You won't get the same performance as you would with a physically connected monitor, but why not park your iTunes window on the iPad screen so that you've always got it accessible? Or if you're researching online and making notes, use your main display for Safari and pop your word processor on the iPad to jot things down. You can also use the iPad or iPhone as a controller for your Mac. First though, why not take advantage of all that storage? Out of the box, you can't use your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch as plug-andplay external storage in the way you could with older iPods. But with a Mac app called Phone Disk, your iOS device will mount on your desktop when you connect it with a USB lead. Go to the Phone Disk website and click the Download link to try it out. Note that the full, single-user version costs £13. Work through the installer and restart when it's done, and double-click the Phone Disk app in your Applications folder (for ease of use, go to System Preferences > Accounts > Login Items and add it to the list so that it loads automatically). Now, every time you connect your iOS device to your Mac, it'll appear on your desktop, where you can drag files to it, like you would with a USB flash drive. A word of warning: keep off the stuff that's already there, and drag your device to the Trash before unplugging it. How to use your iPhone or iPad as a second screen 01. Get the Air Display app
There are various iPad apps for using the device as a second screen, but our favourite is Air Display (£5.99). Buy yourself a copy. While it's downloading, move back to your Mac and open up a web browser window - you'll need an accompanying bit of software on your Mac. 02. Download Mac software
Visit Avatron. Choose the edition of the software for your version of OS X and click it. Once it's downloaded, the installer file should appear on your screen. Double-click it and work through the steps to load the drivers. You'll need to restart when it's finished. 03. Connect the two
With your Mac restarted, make sure it's on the same Wi-Fi network as your iPad. On the iPad, open Air Display. Back on the Mac, you'll see a new icon in the menu bar. Click it and select Open Air Display Preferences… Check it's set to On and click the Device drop-down. 04. Et voila
Click your iPad in the menu and you'll see both screens briefly go blue, before your desktop background appears on your iPad screen. Now think about where you're going to put your iPad in relation to your Mac. Put it in position and click Show All on your Mac screen. 05. Arrange the screens
In the System Preferences window that appears, click Displays. You'll see a window open on each screen - note that you can colour-calibrate your iPad's screen here, should you wish. On the Mac, click Arrangement. The iPad is the one without a white bar - drag to position. 06. Enjoy the space
Now drag your windows onto the iPad to use it as a second screen. Why not pop your iTunes or Mail windows there? Using Air Display, you can play Flash video on your iPad! Tap to move the mouse, or use two fingers to scroll. Note: sound will play through your Mac. How to control your Mac from your device
As well as providing you with extra Mac storage and an additional display, your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch can be used as a controller for your Mac. On the iOS App Store, grab yourself a copy of Mobile Mouse Pro. There are separate versions for iPhone (£1.19) and iPad (£1.79). You'll need the server software on your Mac too. Install it and make sure all your kit is connected to the same wireless network. Ensure the Mac app is running by looking for its icon in the menu bar - it should load automatically when you start up. The Mobile Mouse system should work without you needing to go near any settings, but if you do need to fiddle with any, or want to password-protect your setup to stop pranksters messing with your Mac, select Server Settings in the Mobile Mouse menu. On your portable device, open the app, tap the Settings cogs in the top corner and it'll look for nearby Macs - you should see yours listed (you can also alter the way the controller behaves in the Options tab). Once connected, your device becomes a multi-touch trackpad and keyboard with which you can control your Mac. The iPad version even incorporates your Mac's Dock. |
| Tutorial: How to fix Mac startup problems Posted: 05 Jun 2011 12:00 AM PDT  If your Mac won't switch on, what can you do? If you have an iMac, Mac mini or Mac Pro, try another lead, a different power outlet or the lead with a different device and swap the fuse. Also, check if it's your external screen that's not on as opposed to the Mac - If none of this helps, try resetting the System Management Controller. If this fails, the power supply in your Mac could have failed. Apple may replace it under warranty or AppleCare. If you have a notebook, check the battery's charged or plugged in. If the light on the connector is not coming on, plug the adapter into a different socket. If the adapter's working, resetting the SMC may help. Still no joy? The power adapter could have failed. If you have AppleCare, take it back to Apple - if that doesn't help, something may be wrong inside your Mac. That's one for Apple to look at. "My Mac switches on but beeps at me or won't start up" A beeping Mac suggests a RAM issue - have you recently upgraded? Are the chips slotted in correctly? Remove and reseat them. Unplug all but mouse and keyboard and restart. If your Mac boots normally, the external kit or its software may be at fault. Plug them in one at a time to identify the culprit. When you have, uninstall its driver software, then reinstall it. If you're still having trouble, hold down Shift as you switch on your Mac to perform a Safe boot. No luck? Turn off your Mac, hold Command+Option+P+R and switch on again. Release the keys when you hear the startup chime the second time.
Alternatively pop in the OS X install DVD, restart holding C and open Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. Run the disk and permissions repairs, repeatedly, until you get the all-clear. If it still won't boot, restart with your Applications Install disc in the drive and hold down D. Run the Apple Hardware Test. If it finds problems and the component is removable, remove it and see if this helps. If the hardware seems fine, reinstall Mac OS X, but before you do, back up files in Target Disk mode. Boot from the OS X DVD. A last resort is to boot from the OS X DVD, use Disk Utility to wipe your drive and install OS X on the clean disk. "I've forgotten my Mac account password. How can I log in?"
The main administrator can change passwords in System Preferences > Accounts. If you are the main administrator, try the Forgot Password button on the login pane. In FileVault this button is labelled Reset Password. If none of this helps, restart with the OS X DVD, holding down C. In the Installer's Utilities menu, choose Reset Password. If your Home folder was encrypted with FileVault, and you don't have the password, your Home folder's contents will be gone. Quick tip To back up your files in Target Disk mode, hold down T as you switch on your Mac until the FireWire icon appears on your screen. Then plug a FireWire cable between your Mac and another - yours will appear on its desktop as a removable drive. You can then copy your files off it and back them up. How to control your Mac Hold down these buttons at startup for the following functions. Mouse/trackpad button: Eject CD/DVD Some of these won't work if you've enabled a firmware password. If you want to boot from another drive, hold Option at startup. Type the password and press Return. To remove the password, boot from the OS X DVD choosing Firmware Password Utility from Utilities. |
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