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This Old Mac
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Opening
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Often when we buy a new Mac there is Mac left that, while may not meet you're current needs, still has life left in it.
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I thought we'd cover some obvious and maybe not so obvious things to do with that old Mac
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Sell, gift, or donate
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If you need some cash to fund your new Mac purchase then you may consider reselling your old Machine
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Macs tend to hold their value well. If your Mac is just 3-4 years old you may be surprised at what you might get for it
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Know your specs
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Mac Tracker
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Don't forget your custom hardware upgrades
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Include accessories to increase value, especially if old cases and add one are not compatible with your new system
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Check eBay, Craigslist, and local classifieds to get an idea of the Machines value
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Gift the system to a friend or relative
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Depending on your needs old systems can be surprisingly capable
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Web, email, and text editing
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Software is usually the key
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You don't need to always be running the latest and greatest versions
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OS X Tiger and OS 9 are very capable systems with the right Machine and software
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Consider open source apps
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OpenOffice
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NeoOffice (Native Mac UI for OpenOffice)
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LibreOffice
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MacGIMP
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Older software still works
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Photoshop CS2 or CS3
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iLife '07, '08
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Office 2004
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Donate the system to a local school, church, or other organization
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If you choose this option please make sure the system is new and in very good working condition
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Consider volunteering to help get it up and running and loaded with software to meet their needs.
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Prepare the Mac for resale, gifting, or donating
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If you can find them, include the original disks that came with the machine.
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Until Lion most came with 2 DVDs, 1 for the OS and 1 with Applications
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Secure erase the drive
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Boot from the original disk by inserting the disk and holding the "C" key at startup
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Instead of installing use the Utilities menu and choose 'Disk Utility'
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Select the drive and go to the 'Erase' tab
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Choose Mac OS X Extended (journaled)
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Click the 'Security Options…' button and select 'Zero Out Data' or '7-Pass Erase'
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Click 'OK' and then click 'Erase…' from the main screen to erase the drive
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Install the original OS. Licensing allows you to transfer the original OS that came with the Machine to the new owner.
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If you don't have the orignal disks you need to let a buyer know they will need to purchase an OS X installer. You should also sell the system for less.
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After installing the OS you probably want to use the second disk and restore the Application, like iLife that came with the Machine.
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Tips if you plan to re-use it
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Beef up the hard drive or go external
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OWC
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NewEgg
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Try to max out the RAM
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OWC
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Crucial
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Clean install the OS
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Might not want to run the latest and greatest depending on the application
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Backup Sever or File Server
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If you have a wired or wireless home network you can set up a server
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Connect an external hard drive or Drobo and you have a viable place to do local and network backups
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In OS X it's as simple as going into System Preferences and turning on File Sharing
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System Preferences > Sharing > Check on File Sharing
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You can also set up user account and permissions
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System Preferences > Users & Groups
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In the File Sharing preferences you can add and control user & group permissions and assign and control access to specific folders or volumes
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If you need Windows PCs to have access turn on Windows File Sharing or go under System Preferences > File Sharing > 'Options…' and check on 'Share Files and Folders using SMB (Windows).
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The machine itself doesn't have to be speedy or powerful, but if you can use a wired 100-baseT or gigabit connection it will make network backups speedy
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To workaround a slow connection, 802.11g wifi for example, hardwire the external drive to ech machine via USB or Firewire for the initial backup.
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If you want to set up and automated backup install client software on each Mac
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ChronoSync and ChronoAgent or Retrospect software
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You can also manually archive stuff by directly copying to the mounted drive in the Finder
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Under 'Shared' in the list of sources in the Finder window
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Go > Connect to Server and Browse or enter the address.
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Media Server
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Simple iTunes Media Server
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Run the latest iTunes
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Requires a Mac computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5 or G4 processor and 512MB of RAM
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Copy all you music, movies, tv shows, etc. into the iTunes library on the media server
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You can do this over the network using Home Sharing
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Or copy by hand. I just copy my iTunes Media folder onto an external hard drive and sneaker net it over
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Turn on Home Sharing
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This work best if all your media is purchased and suthorized under a single Apple ID
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In iTunes go to 'Advanced' > 'Home Sharing' and set it to on and enter your iTunes credientials
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Set up Home Sharing on each device and Mac
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Will work for Macs, iOS devices, and Apple TVs
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If you use iTunes and have an older OS, Snow Leopard or Leopard you can use Front Row.
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If your Mac has an IR port (Mini, Macbook, Macbook Pro) you can use the Apple remote or a universal remote
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also consider an old iPhone or iPod touch with the Remote app as a controller
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Bluetooth mouse and keyboard can also be useful
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Connect the Mac to your TV using an appropriate adapter
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DVI to HDMI cable, Mini Display Port to HDMI, Mini DVI to HDMI, even VGA if you have that on your TV
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For Audio you can use a TOS link or analog 1/8" cable
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Check Monoprice for the appropriate cables and adapters
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If you want more fexibility and format support there are options
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These will let you playback a myriad of formats, have built-in support for podcasts and media streaming services, and more
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Plex
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Boxee
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Other helpful software
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Elgato Turbo.264HD
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Handbrake
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Perian
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VLC
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Dedicated email or Internet terminal
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Kitchen, living room, or spare bedroom
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House guest would appreciate a terminal to access web based emails, catch up on Facebook
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Use software like DeepFreeze to wipe personal data between visits
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Kitchen terminal for email and managing recipes.
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Old Macbook, Macbook Pro, or even iBook on the coffee table to surf the web while watching TV
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Monitor web cams for security
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EvoCam
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This would also work if you have your Mac set up as a Media Server
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Reborn as furniture, home accessory, or Art
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There are tons of clever DIY projects online to turn broken Macs into useful objects
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Old B&W Apple Cinima CRTs as coffee table stands
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MacQuariums
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Lights and Wall Clocks
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Works of art. Just sitting on a shelf they are an item of cool design history.
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Other thoughts
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Desicated Windows machine using BootCamp
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Linux system
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Dedicated Web Server
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OS X has Apache, MySQL, and PHP built in
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Yes, the client too. With a little terminal hacking you can get it running
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If you do get heavy into Terminal hacking take a look at:
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Homebrew
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MacPorts
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