Archives for Category : Updates

The fine folks at Telestream have updated the free version of Flip4Mac to version 2.2.1. You can download it here:

• Flip4Mac WMV Download Center

(the page mentioned a trial download however the actual download should be WM Components 2.2.1.11.dmg which contains the free playback components.)

This plug-in is the Microsoft sanctioned (and supported) replacement for the old (and buggy) Windows Media Player for the Mac. Installing it allows you to watch most non-DRM (Digital Rights Managed) Windows videos you might bump into on your travels through the Net.

Note that the free version permits playback only, you’ll have to upgrade to one of the paid versions if you want to create WMV format videos or transcode them into other formats using QuickTime Player (in which case you’ll probably also need to get QuickTime Pro for $30.) If playback is all you need then you do not need to pay!

Those looking for support for additional non-Windows video and audio formats should check out:

• Perian - “The swiss-army knife for QuickTime™”

a free, open source QuickTime plug-in that provides support for many other formats.

The latest update to Mac OS X “Leopard”, version 10.5.4, is now available via Software Update in the Apple menu or by direct download. Main areas of change include: Airport, iCal, Safari, Spaces and Exposé. Details are available here:

• About the Mac OS X 10.5.4 update

It is available via Software Update in the Apple menu at the left end of the menu bar, or you can download the Combo Updater that also includes all previous Leopard updates and which have, in the past, proven to be somewhat more reliable in terms of avoiding potential problems. It’s probably also not a bad idea to launch Disk Utility (in the Utilities folder in Applications) and run both Verify Disk and Repair Permissions on your boot disk before applying the update.

• Mac OS X 10.5.4 Combo Update

I’ve just successfully applied the combo updater on two machines: a G5 tower and a MacBook Pro. Report your experiences in the comments section for this post.

NOTE: If you use an Apple Airport Extreme, Express or Time Capsule base station be sure to launch Airport Utility in the Utilities folder after performing this update so it can upgrade the base station firmware.

Apple has just released Mac OS X 10.5.2, the latest update to “Leopard”, and it’s a huge one. Literally hundreds of fixes and improvements:

• About the Mac OS X 10.5.2 Update

It is available via Software Update n the Apple menu or, for potentially fewer problems, download and run the (300MB) combo updater from here:

• Download: Mac OS X 10.5.2 Combo Update

Before doing either it’s probably a good idea to launch the Disk Utility application from the Utilities folder of the Applications folder, highlight your hard drive in the list on the left, then run both Verify Disk and Repair Disk Permissions to ensure your startup disk has no problems.

After updating to 10.5.2 you should also download and install:

• Leopard Graphics Update 1.0

As it is “recommended for all users and improves the stability and compatibility of your Mac”. It requires 10.5.2 so it must be installed after you update.

In addition to the bug fixes some of you will be happy to hear that Apple has provided options to restore the 10.4 behavior for folders in the Dock AND now provides a checkbox to turn off the menu bar transparency also introduced in 10.5.0.

Now available via Software Update in the Apple menu or via direct download from Apple’s download site, Security Update 2007-009 is a very significant update for Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5 covering many aspects of the OS including Mail, AddressBook, printing and much more.

• About Security Update 2007-009
• Security Update 2007-009 (10.4.11 Universal)
• Security Update 2007-009 (10.4.11 PPC)
• Security Update 2007-009 (10.5.1)

Apple has just released the somewhat overdue Mac OS X 10.4.11 update as well as a somewhat unexpected 10.5.1 update. Both are available via Software Update in the Apple menu or you can download them from Apple’s Mac OS X Downloads Page. A combo-updater containing all previous updates is available for 10.4.11 (not required for 10.5.1 since there are no previous Leopard updates.)

There are also software updates for iPhoto and some of Apple’s pro apps.

• About the Mac OS X 10.5.1 Update
• About the Mac OS X 10.4.11 Update

Cautious types might want to wait a day or two and monitor MacFixit.com for possible problems before applying the updates. Or you can be like me and just charge right in, unleash the dogs of Software Update and hope for the best.