Few questions for a new mac owner.

[RavenSword]

so, I love my new iMac, but have some questions.

1. is there anyway to change it so time machine dosent do a backup every hour? its actually annoying how frequently it does it. id rather it do it once a day or something.

2. if I want to rip my blurry and dvd collection to my computer, what software will I need. I heard of a program called makemkv, is that good?

3. if I ever have issues with my mac, is there a way to diagnose hardware or software issues?

4. any recommendations for must have programs?

5. do i need to download some kind of antivirus? do I even need to worry about viruses or malware?

6. any advice on safe downloading of programs on the internet? how do i know if the site is the developers real site or a fake one? for example, I downloaded a package install form macworld.uk on a program they recommended called timemachineeditor, but is there download links safe?

thanks.

 

[anon(9602380)]

1. No, not directly. I use a third party app for my Time Machine called iScheduleTimeMachine that is available in the App Store. Works wells and allows you to setup any schedule you desire. Mine is set for once a week. You could also go with something like Carbon Copy Cloner which will allow you to clone your drives completely. Then you can actually use your external drive as a boot drive should your internal drive ever fail. Also allows scheduling of backups.

2. Makemkv is okay, but I personally use Handbrake. It is free and does a great job of ripping DVD's. I have used Handbrake to rip my whole collection of over 1100 DVD's without issues. I also use iFlicks 2 which is available in the App Store, but will cost you.

3. Apple has a Hardware Test you can use but it can miss things. Here is a guide by Apple on how to use it. As for software, I generally will deal directly with the developer if I have issues. Most developers will give you a simple solution to most problems that could arise with software.

4. 1Password, password manager app & Carbon Copy Cloner, for doing backups without having to use Time Machine. Both worth every penny and then some.

5. Here is where some people will disagree with me, but I understand. My answer to you is no. If you are careful, it is easy to stay away from bad sites. Besides malware is easily removed if you ever download it. Malwarebytes is a great program for doing just that. I have been using Mac's for over 20 years and have never had any issues with malware. But again I must repeat about being careful when downloading from sites. I also never use torrents for downloads.

6. I never download from an untrusted site. I do my research on the program I need and then look into where to purchase it. I always purchase directly from the developer or the App Store. This has kept me safe.

 

[RavenSword]

1. No, not directly. I use a third party app for my Time Machine called iScheduleTimeMachine that is available in the App Store. Works wells and allows you to setup any schedule you desire. Mine is set for once a week. You could also go with something like Carbon Copy Cloner which will allow you to clone your drives completely. Then you can actually use your external drive as a boot drive should your internal drive ever fail. Also allows scheduling of backups.

2. Makemkv is okay, but I personally use Handbrake. It is free and does a great job of ripping DVD's. I have used Handbrake to rip my whole collection of over 1100 DVD's without issues. I also use iFlicks 2 which is available in the App Store, but will cost you.

3. Apple has a Hardware Test you can use but it can miss things. Here is a guide by Apple on how to use it. As for software, I generally will deal directly with the developer if I have issues. Most developers will give you a simple solution to most problems that could arise with software.

4. 1Password, password manager app & Carbon Copy Cloner, for doing backups without having to use Time Machine. Both worth every penny and then some.

5. Here is where some people will disagree with me, but I understand. My answer to you is no. If you are careful, it is easy to stay away from bad sites. Besides malware is easily removed if you ever download it. Malwarebytes is a great program for doing just that. I have been using Mac's for over 20 years and have never had any issues with malware. But again I must repeat about being careful when downloading from sites. I also never use torrents for downloads.

6. I never download from an untrusted site. I do my research on the program I need and then look into where to purchase it. I always purchase directly from the developer or the App Store. This has kept me safe.

for time machine I found a program call timemachineeditor. seems to be popular. but maybe ill check out that program you have.

I should note I only downloaded the package from macworld. I went to what I assume is the developers site to actually download and install the program because I was worried about installing from the macworld download.

 

[RavenSword]

1. No, not directly. I use a third party app for my Time Machine called iScheduleTimeMachine that is available in the App Store. Works wells and allows you to setup any schedule you desire. Mine is set for once a week. You could also go with something like Carbon Copy Cloner which will allow you to clone your drives completely. Then you can actually use your external drive as a boot drive should your internal drive ever fail. Also allows scheduling of backups.

2. Makemkv is okay, but I personally use Handbrake. It is free and does a great job of ripping DVD's. I have used Handbrake to rip my whole collection of over 1100 DVD's without issues. I also use iFlicks 2 which is available in the App Store, but will cost you.

3. Apple has a Hardware Test you can use but it can miss things. Here is a guide by Apple on how to use it. As for software, I generally will deal directly with the developer if I have issues. Most developers will give you a simple solution to most problems that could arise with software.

4. 1Password, password manager app & Carbon Copy Cloner, for doing backups without having to use Time Machine. Both worth every penny and then some.

5. Here is where some people will disagree with me, but I understand. My answer to you is no. If you are careful, it is easy to stay away from bad sites. Besides malware is easily removed if you ever download it. Malwarebytes is a great program for doing just that. I have been using Mac's for over 20 years and have never had any issues with malware. But again I must repeat about being careful when downloading from sites. I also never use torrents for downloads.

6. I never download from an untrusted site. I do my research on the program I need and then look into where to purchase it. I always purchase directly from the developer or the App Store. This has kept me safe.

also, does handbrake do blurays?

 

[anon(9602380)]

also, does handbrake do blurays?

No it does not. I use Roxio Toast Titanium with the Bluray plugin for that. It is an expensive program though. May be a sale on it as they just introduced version 15. You will also need a bluray burner.

for time machine I found a program call timemachineeditor. seems to be popular. but maybe ill check out that program you have. I should note I only downloaded the package from macworld. I went to what I assume is the developers site to actually download and install the program because I was worried about installing from the macworld download.

Whatever works for you. There are many programs out there that all do similar things. Just one may have a feature that is must have for you that is not included in others. All of mine are recommendations as I has used them and they are very reliable. But may not work for you.

 

[RavenSword]

No it does not. I use Roxio Toast Titanium with the Bluray plugin for that. It is an expensive program though. May be a sale on it as they just introduced version 15. You will also need a bluray burner.



Whatever works for you. There are many programs out there that all do similar things. Just one may have a feature that is must have for you that is not included in others. All of mine are recommendations as I has used them and they are very reliable. But may not work for you.

my only worry about the program you suggested is that reviews seem pretty poor. but maybe those people are just complainers.

 

[RavenSword]

No it does not. I use Roxio Toast Titanium with the Bluray plugin for that. It is an expensive program though. May be a sale on it as they just introduced version 15. You will also need a bluray burner.



Whatever works for you. There are many programs out there that all do similar things. Just one may have a feature that is must have for you that is not included in others. All of mine are recommendations as I has used them and they are very reliable. But may not work for you.

it stinks that there isn't really any good bluray rip programs on mac and that drives are 100 dollars plus. i might just get a cheap dvd drive and rip my dads instead of blur ays. most blurays come with DVDs anyway

 

[anon(9602380)]

my only worry about the program you suggested is that reviews seem pretty poor. but maybe those people are just complainers.

I have been using Roxio Toast for several years without issue. It comes with some decent additional software as well. I have seen bad reviews for many programs. When Adobe went subscription there was a lot of screaming and bad reviews. To this day people still complain, but Adobe's software is still the best on the market.

it stinks that there isn't really any good bluray rip programs on mac and that drives are 100 dollars plus. i might just get a cheap dvd drive and rip my dads instead of blur ays. most blurays come with DVDs anyway

Great idea. I always use the DVD when I can, unless I have a code to download it. Many cheap DVD drives out there. Just watch how cheap you go.

 

[RavenSword]

I have been using Roxio Toast for several years without issue. It comes with some decent additional software as well. I have seen bad reviews for many programs. When Adobe went subscription there was a lot of screaming and bad reviews. To this day people still complain, but Adobe's software is still the best on the market.



Great idea. I always use the DVD when I can, unless I have a code to download it. Many cheap DVD drives out there. Just watch how cheap you go.

I got one in mind from samsung that wire cutter recommended. only 18 bucks too on amazon.

 

[RavenSword]

so i downloaded both malwarebytes and bit defender and done scans with both. no malware detected.

 

[anon(9602380)]

so i downloaded both malwarebytes and bit defender and done scans with both. no malware detected.

You should be fine as long as you use common sense. In 20+ years of using Macs I have never had a malware or adware on any of my devices. Knock on wood.

 

[RavenSword]

You should be fine as long as you use common sense. In 20+ years of using Macs I have never had a malware or adware on any of my devices. Knock on wood.

I assume though those two programs would have found something if it was there, right?

 

[anon(9602380)]

I assume though those two programs would have found something if it was there, right?

Sure would.

 

[robertk328]

Curious... What's annoying about time machine doing what it's supposed to do? If you only backup once a day, what happens to the changes you made to files/documents since your last backup? It's not hurting anything.

 

[RavenSword]

Curious... What's annoying about time machine doing what it's supposed to do? If you only backup once a day, what happens to the changes you made to files/documents since your last backup? It's not hurting anything.

My annoyance is what if I accidentally shut down my computer while its backing up?

 

[robertk328]

My annoyance is what if I accidentally shut down my computer while its backing up?

It will handle it Also you don't need to shut it down. Just let it sleep. I shut mine down maybe 2-3x a year when we go on vacation but that's it.

 

[RavenSword]

It will handle it Also you don't need to shut it down. Just let it sleep. I shut mine down maybe 2-3x a year when we go on vacation but that's it.

Hmm, that's an idea

 

[robertk328]

Hmm, that's an idea

My MacBook Pro, I just close the lid. The computer will sleep. On my 2011 Mac Mini, I just walk away, it does the rest.
I'm not the only one, I would bet you will find most Mac users don't shut down. It also uses very little power, and will completely sleep until you wake it up with the keyboard or mouse.

 

[RavenSword]

My MacBook Pro, I just close the lid. The computer will sleep. On my 2011 Mac Mini, I just walk away, it does the rest.
I'm not the only one, I would bet you will find most Mac users don't shut down. It also uses very little power, and will completely sleep until you wake it up with the keyboard or mouse.

And leaving it in sleep doesn't cause wear or anything on the computer?

 

[RavenSword]

I also notice sometimes if I'm downloading something large and I leave the computer it'll go into sleep mode after a certain time, pausing the download. Is here a way to change how long it takes until it sleeps or stays on screensaver?