CodeWeavers has released CrossOver Games 8.1.4 (US $40) for Mac and Linux, an update to the software that enables Mac OS X and Linux to run Windows games natively, without Windows. This maintenance update fixes some issues with Left 4 Dead 2, an issue with Guild Wars and certain ATI graphics chipsets, and an issue with World of Warcraft. If you'ved tried CrossOver Games

CodeWeaver also offers a standard version of CrossOver, which is optimized to run Windows business applications. (See also our CrossOver Reports page.)

Dustin Good found that last week's suggestion to fix Snow Leopard problems accessing network attached storage also works accessing an SMB Linux file server. The fix involved adding a line to the device's /etc/smb.conf file. Good reported:

The tip worked for me. Though I was having a problem attaching to a Samba server on an Ubuntu box, the symptoms were identical.

If you've tried this approach

Andrew Rowe, who reported the tip last week, said in his report "Writing files now creates files with proper Windows ACLs instead of just Unix permissions and error code 36 is no longer occurring."

A reader named Chazz reports that the new Parallels Desktop 5 Build 9308 fixes some problems with the Coherence and Crystal modes:

Not sure if it speeds up the launch but it did clear up problems I had with using Coherence/Crystal on my iMac. It runs great now. Plus I am running a very memory resource intensive XP trading program in Crystal that I had to boot up in Boot Camp to run at all. So I think it is doing something with speed and capacity. However I do get a message that says I don't have enough video memory but won't let me add more video memory however I don't notice anything. As a matter of fact I can't change any video settings. But am happy because I can run my trading software without having to close out Snow Leopard.

The new build is also supposed to fix the problem of slow launches that readers have reported. If you've tried Build 9308

Two readers reported success with using a second monitor to get around problems installing Windows 7 on new iMacs with Boot Camp 3. (See problem description here.) They also offered some additional advice. Gary Wayland said:

I too just purchased a new 27" iMac. After having the same problems with the boot up getting the black screen while loading Windows, I followed the thread of hooking up an additional monitor. Using a 27" Apple monitor that's running my Mac mini, the second monitor worked fine. Now your can continue the Windows installation. As soon as you get online the driver will download on the first update from Microsoft......
...Read entire story here

More readers reported success with removing a Windows driver as a workaround for black-screen problems installing Windows 7 on iMacs in Boot Camp. John Murray added some details of his experience that may be helpful:

After you have deleted the driver from the command prompt by typing in DEL C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ATIKMDAG.SYS, I hit return and the command prompt window told me that this driver was not found. Therefore, I knew it was successfully deleted. From there I closed the window and clicked the restart button. Now, at this moment, you have to eject your Windows 7 64x DVD or else......
...Read entire story here

Parallels released Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac Build 9308, a maintenance update for the virtualization software for Mac OS X. The company said that the update fixes the problem of slow launches of the application, which MacWindows readers have been reporting. The update also includes several dozen fixes and improvements with Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X Server guests OS's...
...Read entire story here

Sun released VirtualBox 3.1.2, an update to the free virtualization software for Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, and Solaris. The update fixes bugs for these hosts, including for 3D video on Mac OS X. Sun calls 3.1.2 maintenance, whereas it referred to the previous version 3.1.0 as a major update. (See also Sun's change log page, and our VirtualBox Tips and Reports.) If you've tried VirtualBox 3.1.2

The U.S. Court of Appeals has ordered Microsoft to either remove an XML editor from new copies of Word 2007 by January 11 or stop selling the software in the U.S. The court also upheld an award of $290 million in damages to a Toronto company called i4i LP, which won a patent infringement suit against Microsoft last August. Microsoft lost an appeal in Tuesday's decision.

Microsoft said it will remove the feature in time to meet the deadline, and has been planning for the possibility of the ruling since August. The company has also released a patch for Office 2007 for use by OEMs. Microsoft's OEM Partner Center describes it:

The following patch is required for the United States...After this patch is installed, Word will no longer read the Custom XML elements contained within DOCX, DOCM, or XML files. These files will continue to, but any Custom XML elements will be removed.

Copies of Word 2007 sold before 2007 are not affected by the decision.

Andrew Rowe found a solution to the Snow Leopard problem accessing network attached storage (NAS) via SMB. He added a line to the /etc/smb.conf file to clear the problem up:

Our Snow Leopard upgrade was experiencing was an issue with an SMB connection to a samba-based NAS device (Snap Server 410) joined to a Win2k domain. When the Snow Leopard Macs are bound to Active Directory trying to write files to the NAS device results in the "Error Code -36" message many have seen. A 0-byte file is created...
...Read entire story here

Peter Kloss questioned Monday's suggestion for fixing Snow Leopard file browsing problems with SMB servers. The suggestion was to use a Microsoft patch that disabled SMB 2.0. Kloss doesn't like this approach:

I have serious concerns about the logic and quality of the suggested fix "Microsoft security patch fixes Mac file browsing issue with Vista, Server." The problems with this are:

This is not a 'patch' at all - just a 'switch' for conveniently disabling and enabling SMB 2 to temporarily disable it.

The 'patch' is old from September, and MS issued a proper fix which allows SMB 2 to work properly in October, MS 09-050...
...Read entire story here

A Microsoft security update for Windows 7 and Vista and Windows Server 2008 enables Mac OS X to browse for file shares on those systems, according to a reader. Peter Goddard reports that the security patch turns off SMB 2.0, enabling Mac OS X from Tiger to Snow Leopard to browse. An ArsTechnica article describes the patch in terms of plugging a security hole, but Goddard said it fixed file sharing browser on all his Macs...
...Read entire story here

Michael Bentley used Terminal to edit his Mac's printer.conf file to fix Snow Leopard problems accessing Windows printers. Previously, we reported a suggestion to remove AuthInfoRequired from the printer.conf file. Bentley took a different approach, changing the line "LPD://[IP Address of Windows Box]" to "smb://username:password@[ip address of windows box]/[Printer Share Name]." Bently said:

I ran into this today and was able to fix it with a bit of hacking printer.conf in /etc/cups/. I blogged the fix here.

If you've tried this fix

Two readers report that VMware 3 is running slow on Mac OS X 10.6. Tim Donovan:

VM Fusion 3 on an IMac Intel Core 2 Duo w/8 GB ram (early 2009) runnIng Vista is slower than molasses in January in northern Canada. Mac OS X 10.6.2 is lightning fast.

Eric Adint said, "I have seen really slow performance with VMware 3 on Mac OS X 10.6."

If you've seen this problem

Jim Lockwood is seeing the problem of Windows 7 not loading on iMacs. This is a known bug, and we have reported workarounds (here and here). However, Lockwood is also seeing this in VMware Fusion:

I just got the iMac 27". I have same problem. I'm also can't load Windows 7 under VMware Fusion 3.0.1. (I'm kinda new to the Mac world. I'm an old PC user.)

If you've had problems with iMacs, Windows 7, and VMware Fusion

Thorsten Kling is seeing the problem of long Parallels 5 launch times, but found that it launched quicker after force-quitting.

After a couple minutes of the virtual machine not coming up and nothing happening with Parallels being unresponsive, I force closed it. When restarting Parallels, the virtual machine window came up immediately. And I really do mean immediately, not that it started quickly...
...Read entire story here

Several readers responded to the workaround we reported on Monday for the Snow Leopard problem saving Office files to SMB servers in Active Directory environments. Randy Tamura reports success with the workaround:

I tried the work around of making the owner "NETWORK SERVICE" and it worked for me. I tried both xls and doc files and they both saved to the SMB directory and also to subdirectories of the shared directory. I'm running 10.6.2 on the Mac and WinServer2003...
...Read entire story here

VMware has released VMware Fusion 3.0.1, a free maintenance update of the virtualization software for Mac OS X on Intel Macs. Many of the improvements address version 3.0 performance issues, as well as over 50 bug fixes. These include improved 3D and video performance (up to 80 percent in Snow Leopard, according to the company), through a new WDDM driver and 3D "backend improvements." It also fixes slow performance caused by older VMware Tools and the Virtual Machine Library. Other improvements include...
...Read entire story here

Chuck Tryon sent a report on the new VirtualBox 3.1 release, particularly the Teleportation feature, which enables you to move a virtual machine while it is running:

I was just looking around for some pointers regarding VBox 3.1, which I JUST downloaded and installed today, largely because of the "Teleportation" feature. I've been using it for quite some time on a Linux host, mostly to run a Windows VM, but also for testing things. One BIG consideration to mention is the fact that you need to have...
...Read entire story here

Marcus Jaensson told us about Diffiss, a free Mac OS X DFS client that enables Mac users to access Microsoft's network-based Distributed File System (DFS):

Just wanted to make a tip about an application: Diffiss is a DFS browser for Mac OS X. DFS is, as you all may know, not supported in Mac OS X and if you want support, there are a few third party solutions, but they are a bit pricey.

So Erik Aderstedt at Aderstedt Software made Diffiss, a simple browser that presents the DFS tree on a given server and then mounts the DFS share in the Finder. You can read more about it here and download it for free (but please show your appreciation and donate).

If you've tried Diffiss

The Enterprise Desktop Alliance is conducting its second annual web survey on cross-platform integration, to gauge how Macs are doing in enterprise networks. Last year 75 percent of respondents planned to increase the number of Macs in your organization. The survey asks if organizations actually did increase their Macs in 2009.

Chris Eads reports that a procedure he sent in last week also works to fix the Snow Leopard problem of saving Offices files to SMB servers on Active Directory networks.

I've verified the Office saving issue is resolved with the fix I found for the Adobe suite. I tried saving files out of office 08 to a non-mac-friendly share, and then on of the one's we've changed the NTFS owner to NETWORK SERVICE, and doc, docx, xls, xlsx files save fine. Tested on both 12.1.0 and 12.2.3.

If you've tried this approach

Paul Koch has a problem with iCal and Exchange Server 2007:

I am having trouble configuring iCal so other Exchange users can view my calendar. I am using iCal in Mac OS X 10.6.2. The company is running Exchange Server 2007. My Exchange e-mail works and Exchange calendar invitations work. Going through iCal > Preferences > Accounts > Delegation > Edit, my password is accepted. But then I do not see a list of Exchange users to which I can delegate access, and any new names...
...Read entire story here

Nathaniel Bentzinger is having a problem with the Cisco VPN client not resolving IP addresses. We've previously had reports of this issue with Leopard. Bentzinger is seeing this with Snow Leopard:

We have this issue here with Snow Leopard 10.6 through 10.6.2. Our Cisco 2811 router provides DHCP Address, gateway, DNS IP and search domain (domain.local) and they are properly loaded into the Apple Cisco VPN client but the Mac sends all DNS lookups to the en0 en1 interface's DNS servers. Only adding lines to your /etc/hosts file will resolve the internal servers which defeats the purpose of DNS entirely. We are still using Cisco's VPN client to connect to the office.

If you've seen this problem

Absolute Software has acquired LANrev, LP, maker of LANrev systems asset tracking/management software for Windows, Mac OS X, and iPhone. Absolute Software is rebranding LANrev as Absolute Asset Management, which will be sold as an add-on term license for new and existing Computrace customers and as a standalone enterprise solution. LANrev is one of the member companies of the Enterprise Desktop Alliance, which promotes solutions that integrate Macs into enterprise environments.

Chris Eads described a problem he was having with Macs in an Active Directory domain, where the Macs could not save a file to a server a second time after saving it once. He also sent us the fix. The problem is sounds similar is some ways to the issue problem of saving Office 2008 files to SMB servers on an Active Directory network. Here is Eads' report: After spending a few days on this one, we figured it out...
...Read entire story here

Mark Ahlers offered a workaround to problems migrating a PC into a virtual machine in VMware Fusion 3:

I have has this same issue with the migration issue in Fusion 3. The work around was to connect the PC directly to the Mac via Ethernet and configure static IP Address. At that point the migration worked perfectly.

If you've tried this

Mike Bliss reported a problem and a fix with Windows 7 and Boot Camp 3:

I have a MacBook (2006) running Windows 7, and experienced a number of control panel crashes by navigating a few categories (back and forth) and then get a Windows Explorer error. This is related to two control panel items from Boot Camp 3 (Intel graphics cpl item and the IDT audio cpl). The fix is to remove these two files from the C:\windows\system32 folder - idtcpl.cpl and igfxcpl.cpl. No more control panel crashes!

If you've seen this problem and tried this fix

We have five more reports on the Snow Leopard bug that prevents users from saving Office 2008 files to SMB servers. (AFP servers do not have this problem.) Krister Laag has a theory. Like some other users, Laag sees this only in Active Directory domains:

It appears that only Macs that are bound (and restarted) to the AD gets the problem (I have not tried when the user at logon is authenticated to the AD). When looking at the permissions of a file on the SMB share (from the Mac client), the local users name is in the permissions profile and not the credentials used to log onto the share...
...Read entire story here

Two readers confirmed a fix for a Boot Camp 3 problem with Windows 7 wireless network access. James Lee reports:

I discovered the same problem as Steve Ballard had when installing Win 7 64-bit using Boot Camp 3. I try the solution provided by Steve and my MacBook is now working well: Select Broadcom 802.11n (Broadcom) in the device drivers list.

Andre Naime agreed, "Yep, did exactly how you said."

Ekow Budu-Amoako verified a fix for the problem installing Windows 7 in Boot Camp on iMacs. He used a second monitor:

The workaround for iMac/Win 7 bug using a second display worked perfectly for me. I managed to install Windows 7, and then updated drivers on the second display and my Mac screen turned on my 27-inch iMac.

If you don't have a second monitor hand, try this tip for removing a video driver to fix the problem.

Two readers commented on last week's report on slow launch times for Parallels Desktop 5. Richard Wilson had the same problem:

The Parallels 4 on the install disk worked fine. But since the version 5 update I've had a very similar problem to Ralph from Germany. It takes about 3 minutes to launch for me, though.

So did Garfield Southall in the United Kingdom

I too have this problem. It can take up to 10 minutes to launch, before I can select the virtual machine. I have tried the support line but they have only suggested removing and reinstalling Parallels 5, which I've done to no benefit.

If you've seen this problem

Ramsey Umar agress with a previous reader report about moving virtual machines in VMware Fusion 3:

I have had the exact same problem as Chris Heuer. Cannot get Migration Assistant to talk to my PC. Tried everything Chris did and more.

If you've seen this problem

There are bits of Mac OS X in Windows. But there are also bits of Windows in Mac OS X. I went back over ten years to find the origin of some common features that are now in both operating systems and found some surprises. Some stolen ideas are blatant copies of the features of the other side. Some are merely concepts, implemented in a completely different way...
...See the slideshow here

Sun has released VirtualBox 3.1, an update to its free virtualization software for Mac OS X (Intel Macs), Windows, Linux, and Solaris hosts. The new version includes several new features and several dozen bug fixes. A unique new feature is Teleportation, the ability to move a virtual machine over a network from one VirtualBox host to another -- while the virtual machine is running. The two host computers can be different operating systems, such as a Mac and a PC. This is a feature that is unique...
...Read entire story here

Several readers report on their success with a suggested workaround for problem with running Windows 7 on new iMacs in Boot Camp 3. The workaround is to work from a second display. Previously, Robb Rinard almost had the answer, but couldn't get it to work. Gary Tussey got it to work by adding a new step...
...Read entire story here

James Hastings-Trew had success with the procedure for deleting a driver to fix problems with running Windows 7 on Boot Camp 3 on iMacs:

I tried this tip from your Boot Camp 3 Tips page and it worked like a charm. Thank you! Saved me ages of grief.

However, it did not work for Neil Bowen:

I tried doing this and it said that the driver did not show up. A matter a fact, everything I try doesn't seem to work.

If you've tried this, please how it worked.

Steve Ballard reports a problem with Boot Camp 3 where Windows 7 could not access a wireless network. Luckily, he also sent us a fix:

I have the new MacBook (the one that came out on October 20, 2009) and I have Windows 7 installed, but the wireless wouldn't work and I couldn't find a solution anywhere on the web but it appears that a number of people have this problem. But I managed to fix it, what I did was I right clicked the network adapter......
...Read entire story here

Benjamin Delagoutte in Paris has a problem similar to a previously reported issue of display problems with displaying PowerPoint in Windows 7 in Boot Camp 3:

Same issue for me. Running Windows 7 on Boot Camp 3.0 with my MacBook Pro 13" Nvidia 9400M. No matter the projector, I'm only able to select 640x480 resolution. I'm using Mini-DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter from Apple. Very annoying. PowerPoint works fine when booted from Snow Leopard, however.

If you've seen this, please

Kris Van de Vijver in Belgium reports slow performance with Fusion 3 and Windows 7 installed on a Boot Camp partition:

I've always been a happy Fusion 2 users, I used it with a Win Vista Boot Camp partition and with XP vm's. Performance was very fast. Recently I decided to remove my Vista Boot Camp partition and replace it with Windows 7 64-bit. When booting In Windows 7, it works fast and great. I installed all Boot Camp 3.0 drivers and didn't have any problems. After upgrading to Fusion 3, I tried running the Windows 7 Boot Camp partition as a virtual machine but I was shocked by the terrible performance......
...Read entire story here

Apple has released Boot Camp Drivers Update 2.2 for Windows XP and Vista SP 2. The update adds support for the Apple Magic Mouse and wireless keyboard from within Windows. Apple said also fixes problems with the notebook trackpads. We've previously posted reports of the multi-touch trackpad causing Vista and video apps to crash. The update appears to be only for the Boot Camp version that comes with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, since it requires Boot Camp 2.1 (not 2.1 or later) to be installed. Snow Leopard comes with Boot Camp 3.0.

If you've tried this update if it fixes the trackpad problems.

A number of readers agree with a previous post that the Mac OS X 10.6.2 update does not fix the Snow Leopard problem with saving Office 2008 files to SMB servers. (We've previoulsy posted one suggested workaround.) Rocky Spain describes the issue...
...Read entire story here

Although one reader previously reported that the 10.6.2 update fixed his problems with file sharing, Stephen Graham still has the problem. His workaround is to use the command line in Terminal:

I've only ever used OS X on and off over the years so I'm no expert in these things, but I've found the attempting to connect to a Windows/Linux SMB share from the Finder 'Connect to Server' dialog doesn't work. I have tried all of the solutions offered here, but none have worked for me. However, I have found that I can connect if I setup the connection via the command line...
...Read entire story here

Tom Waterhouse in the United Kingdom reports that the Snow Leopard 10.6.2 did not fix a problem with slow access to Windows servers:

Although 10.6.2 fixed Windows server browsing for some, my problem still remains after the update. I've had full access to our Windows servers here since 10.6, however compared to 10.5 performance was very poor. Every now and then the Finder (or any application trying to access the server) will pause, appearing to be waiting to reconnect to the server.

Paul Nast is having the problem with Software Update on Mac OS X 10.6.2 not working with on Active Directory networks:

I am also having the AD/Software Update problem on Snow Leopard 10.6.2. It works when I login with a local OS X administrator account.

If you've seen this problem

Apple released a Server Admin Tools 10.6.2, and update to its suite of tools for managing Mac OS X Server 10.6 remotely from another Mac. The update, which requires 10.6.2 to be installed on both Server and Remote Mac, fixes a number of bugs in Server Admin, Server Preferences, Server Assistant, Workgroup Manager, System Image Utility, and Xgrid Admin.

CodeWeavers has released CrossOver Games 8.1 (US $40) for Mac OS X and for Linux. CrossOver Games is software that enables Macs to run Windows games, without Windows or a Microsoft license. The new version adds support for Left4Dead 2, the sequel to the popular Left4Dead game. CrossOver Games 8.1 also fixes a number of bugs, including a problem in Snow Leopard with registering CrossOver, and some other Snow Leopard tweaks. The new version also fixes bugs with Guild Wars and...
...Read entire story here

Apple is planning to fix bugs with iMacs and Boot Camp 3 and Windows 7 by the end of the year, according to Raymond Cranfill, who said that he heard it from an Apple Support representative. He also said that some previously reported suggestion of deleting a video driver didn't work (though some have reported success). Cranfill's report...
...Read entire story here

Several readers report success with the workaround for the problem of running Windows 7 on iMacs with Boot Camp 3. They all used a suggestion for removing a Windows video driver. John Voss added some detail:

I used information on MacWindows website to get around the problem of a black screen in the final installation of stage of 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium (the problem on your website listed as "Windows 7 won't run on new iMac--vga.sys driver doesn't load"). I used the approach suggested by Tierry Theil.

At the stage where the black screen appeared, restarted and booted directly off the Windows 7 installation disk. Then I used the Repair Computer option to get to a command prompt and deleted the file...
...Read entire story here

David Higgins solved a problem with the new Parallels Desktop 5 and its activation key:

Initial install of Parallels 5 went smoothly, but I was having issues with my Windows install inside Parallels (failure of the Windows disk). So, I decided to 'clean' thing sup and uninstalled Parallels. I then did a reinstall and Parallels 5 Activation key would no longer...
...Read entire story here

Ross Bevan is seeing a problem similar to one we reported two years ago with and upper case character in a virtual machine in Parallels Desktop. It appears to be some sort of keyboard mapping issue:

I have the same issue but for me it is with typing uppercase "B" (I have to sue the same procedure of use the caps lock key to obtain a capital "B"). I tried the suggestion of deactivating Sticky Keys but to no avail; the problem still exists. In fact if I type Shift B in any program, including the Finder, the folder containing the Virtual Machine file opens...
...Read entire story here

Unlike some readers, Mark Kennedy got Windows 7 to run in Boot Camp on a new iMac, but prefers VMware Fusion 3.0:

I installed Windows 7 on Boot Camp on a new iMac. It works fine but there's no driver support so Magic Mouse won't work. I then installed Fusion 3.0, which recognized my BC partition. Unfortunately, Microsoft Office needed new activation codes even running on the same machine, same OS, same partition. It's fast and fully functional for most uses. Can't see the advantage of Boot Camp unless you want to play games and can wait for the drivers this DEC.

Chris Heuer likes the way Windows 7 works in VMware Fusion 3, but is having problems with bringing in Windows XP with the Migration Assistant:

I am wondering if anyone else has gotten this migration assistant to work properly - in the forums I only see people complaining about it not working. I have an old Windows XP PC I was going to replace with a Dell, but it was such a pain to deal with...
...Read entire story here

Brehe Clinton had good results with a tip for getting Windows 7 to run with Boot Camp 3 on an iMac:

Regarding your article 3 suggestions for Win 7 not booting on iMac, I tried tip number 3, and it was exactly what I needed.

If you've tried this

Ken Seattle was running Windows 7 in Boot Camp 3 until he ran PowerPoint--then it broke:

I know the marching orders are that Apple won't support Win 7 with Snow Leopard right out of the box, but I took the plunge and upgraded Snow Leopard and Windows Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Pro. My machine is a 13 in MacBook Pro and everything seems to work well until I went to present a PowerPoint this week! Yikes...
...Read entire story here

Chris Ryan starting having problems with Entourage and Exchange when he upgraded Safari:

It may be coincidental, but on Mac OS X 10.6.2, the Safari 4.0.4 update appears to have broken Exchange support not only in Mail.app and iCal but also in Entourage. I would hold off on this update until this becomes clear. I have our IT department looking into it.

If you've see this issue

Although there were indications that the Snow Leopard 10.6.2 update might fix problems with Office apps saving files to SMB file servers, Antonio Luis Duarte still sees the problem:

We're having same issue. Can't save any Office 2008 file on a volume shared, even with 10.6.2 and the last update of office 12.2.3. We've tried...
...Read entire story here

On Monday, Apple released Mac OS X 10.6.2, an update to Snow Leopard that includes a long list of bug fixes, including several Windows-compatibility issues that readers have been reporting. These include problems with Active Directory, Entourage and Exchange, virtual private networks, and AFP file servers. Apple said the update also fixes a bug that caused data loss with guest accounts.

Apple said that the update includes fixes for the following issues, many of which we've previously reported...
...Read entire story here

Dieter Schüle reported that installing the Snow Leopard 10.6.2 update fixed his problems with browsing and accessing Windows servers:

I would like to tell you my experiences with Mac OS 10.6/10.6.1 and 10.6.2 and network shares from Windows Server 2003/Windows Server 2008/Windows 7.

1. With 10.5, there have not been any issues accessing file shares from Windows Server 2003/2008/Windows 7.
2. With 10.6/10.6.1, connecting to the file shares on Windows Server 2003 and Windows 7 was no longer possible...
   ...Read entire story here

Although Apple said that the Mac OS X 10.6.2 update fixes a problem with mobile accounts in Active Directory, readers are reporting that other Active Directory problems persist. John Thayer still has one problem with Snow Leopard after the update...
...Read entire story here

Group Logic has released MassTransit 6.1, its high-speed, high-volume managed file transfer and workflow server for Windows and Mac OS X clients. The new version adds a number of features, including web portal interface for occasional users of the software and a redesign interface for advanced users. It also adds automated Active Directory-driven account provisioning and management, support for a Linux web client, and other "enterprise infrastructure" features...
...Read entire story here

Readers reported mixed results with a previous suggestion for fixing a problem with iMacs booting from Windows 7 in Boot Camp. It worked for William Sonntag:

A quick email to say this tip for black screen on 27" iMac with Windows 7 worked perfectly for me. Thanks!

The suggestion didn't work for Bill Milligan, who ended up using a virtual machine...
...Read entire story here

Wiley Publishing today began shipping Snow Leopard Server for Dummies by John Rizzo (US $30, or $20 from Amazon) a 432-page book that simplifies the installation, configuration, and management of Apple's new Mac OS X 10.6 Server software. The book describes how to support Mac and Windows clients for file sharing, email, and directory services, and the other of Snow Leopard Server's services, including the new Address Book Server and Podcast Producer. Other topics including incorporating a Mac subnet into a Windows Active Directory domain, managing Mac and Windows clients, and configuring security options.

Wiley has also posted the Snow Leopard Server for Dummies Cheat Sheet, a reference for some of the things you need to know while installing, configuring, and managing your server.

TIP: Dual display drivers can prevent install of Boot Camp 3 drivers

Glen Berry's instant messaging programs stopped working in Boot Camp 2.1, but work in VMware Fusion:

I have a Mac dual booting Windows XP with Boot Camp and Mac OS X10.5.7, occasionally running the XP Partition as a VM with VMware on OS 10.5.7. Seemingly out of the blue, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Chat and Skype all stopped working when I am in the Boot Camp XP environment...
...Read entire story here

Randy Simon had a good upgrade experience with the new Parallels Desktop 5:

Upgraded from Parallels 4. Upgrade is easy and automatic. Takes very little time. Implementing the new features is either automatic or one-click easy. This includes the Mac Look for the Windows apps, the new Crystal interface, the Windows app folder on the doc, etc. All the features on my Magic Mouse now work in Windows applications. No problems whatsoever so far.

If you've tried Parallels 5 or VMware Fusion 3

Sarah Townsend in Hawaii was having problems printing from both Mac OS X and from Parallels Desktop 4. She found some information that helped on the Mac side:

It worked for a while, sort of, using the workaround of turning off the printer between each time I'd switch printing from the Mac to the VM. The Mac side would just sit, saying it's printing, then stopping the print job for no reason. Sometimes if I open the print queue and select that print job and hit Pause Printer then hit Resume, it will jolt it into printing...
...Read entire story here

Marco Novelli in Italy verified the fix for the problem of Entourage Web Services Edition seeing Exchange mail as plain text:

Thanks -- you saved my day with the tip: Set-remotedomain -> ContentType should be set to "MimeHtmlText" not to "MimeText".

If you've tried this

Eric Gatten echoes previous reports and fixes about frequent corruption in Entourage databases:

I have also seen the Entourage problem that John Underhill described on May 18, 2009. The client site is using an Exchange server. With the exception of a couple of clients, all the rest of my clients are not using an Exchange server and they are not experiencing this problem.

I have also had to delete the user's database and/or create a new user. The database sizes range from 1.8GB to 9.4GB. It appears that size does not matter.

Just days after VMware released Fusion 3, Parallels today released Parallels Desktop 5 (US $80, $50 upgrade), a new version of its Mac OS X virtualization software. New features include support for Windows Aero features, Apple track pad gestures in Windows apps, and a new screen mode called Crystal. A Parallels spokesperson also said that Parallels 5 runs faster than VMware Fusion 3, and graphics performance that is seven times faster than Parallels 4. It also now supports 64-bit Snow Leopard hosts and 64-bit Windows 7 guests.

Support of Windows 7 and Vista Aero features, such as Aero Peak and Flip 3D, is enabled with support for DirectX 9.0c/9Ex Shader Model 3 and OpenGL 2.1 Windows WWDM. The company said that Linux guests will also see improved graphics performance due to Open GL 2.1...
...Read entire story here

Thursby Software Systems today released ADmitMac 5.0 and DAVE 8.0, upgrades to Mac OS X networking software for Windows Active Directory and file- and print-sharing compatibility. The new versions now run in Snow Leopard in both 64-bit and 32-bit mode. ADmitMac 5.0 also adds the ability for Windows administrators to manage Macs running ADmitMac using Windows group policies, without requiring anything to be installed on Windows servers or management stations...
...Read entire story here

Marcus Jaensson solved the problem with Entourage Web Services Edition seeing Exchange mail as plain text:

We had this problem and it's a setting on the Exchange Server:

Set-remotedomain -> ContentType should be set to "MimeHtmlText" not to "MimeText".

Micrsoft has some information here. Scroll down to ContentType.

If you've tried this suggestion

An Apple support article states that Apple will support Windows 7 in Boot Camp by the end of the year, presumably fixing many of the problems MacWindows readers have reported. However, Apple also says in the article that it will not support Windows 7 in Boot Camp on several iMac, MacBook Pro, and Mac Pro models released in 2006.

Although MacWindows readers have reported running Windows 7 in Boot Camp with (and without) some minor issues, we have reports of Windows 7 not booting on iMacs, appear the result of a video driver issue. We have a number of reports today on this issue.

Three readers sent in suggestions for video driver problems with booting Windows 7 in Boot Camp 3 on an iMac. One was to run a repair computer option during the boot process. Another saw the problems on a real PC. A third said only 64-bit has the problem, that 32-bit Windows 7 works fine. Terry Thiel sent a precedure for fixing driver issues with Windows 7 in Boot Camp 3 on iMacs...
...Read entire story here

Mustafa Gokhan Uzunbas can't install Boot Camp 3 drivers in Win 7 on his new iMac:

My iMac goes to blue screen and reboots during Boot Camp driver installation. I just got a new iMac 24 inch 3.0 Ghz, 4 Gb RAM. When I want to set up Boot Camp for Windows 7 it crashes and restarts. It crashes during Boot Camp driver installation.

It seems that most of the drivers including ATI graphic cards are all installed, however Coprocessor (in device manager) and Boot Camp itself are not installed properly.

If you've seen this problem

Five more readers report success with adding port 139 to the SMB file sharing logon (smb://share:139) as a workaround to problems with Snow Leopard accessing SMB servers. One reader said it didn't work. Tyler Gingrich reported:

Snow Leopard "139" SMB server access tip port trick worked once but after I unmounted the drive, can't get it mounted again.

It did work for Scott Ficek, however... ...Read entire story here

Kyle reports success with using a numeric password to fix Snow Leopard problems accessing network attached storage (NAS):

In regards to your helpful page I used numeric passwords on my western digital NAS and it worked.

Jürgen Kirkovits discovered that using an umlauted character in an SMB user name gave him a "wrong password" error in Snow Leopard. Removing the character fixed it:

I had a problem with connection to shared directories from my Snow Leopard MacBook to a Windows 7 PC as well. I recently re-installed my HTPC ("updated" from Win 7 RC to final), but chose a different username (Jürgen instead of JK). I started getting a "password incorrect" error when trying to connect to my shares (which worked with Snow Leopard before the new Win 7 installation).

I just then a new account named 'JK' and it works! So I can definitely confirm that Snow Leopard has issues connection to SMB-shares with special characters in the user name. Hope that Apple fixes that soon!

If you've seen this

Yesterday, VMware released VMware Fusion 3 (US $80), a major new version of the virtualization software for Mac OS X. The new version improves CPU and graphics performance for Snow Leopard hosts and Windows 7 guests. It also can automate OS migration from a real PC into a virtual machine, and further integrates Windows applications into the Mac OS X interface.

VMware Fusion 3 is notable as the first product that can run the Windows 7 and Vista Aero 3D graphics features of on a Mac. This includes the Aero theme and Flip 3D and the new Aero Peak feature--the full Windows 7 experience on a Mac. Fusion 3 is also the first Mac virtualization product to support Microsoft's DirectX 9 Shader Model 3 and OpenGL 2.1, making it a better environment in which to run PC games...
...Read entire story here

Yesterday, VMware released updates of its virtualization software for Windows hosts--VMware Workstation 7 (US $189, $99 upgrade) and VMware Player 3 (free). VMware Workstation goes far beyond the capabilities of VMware Fusion, and adds a host of new features aimed at enterprise IT and software developers, and can even run a virtual machine inside a virtual machine. Player 3 adds the ability to create virtual machines. Previous versions of Player can only run virtual machines.

Like the Fusion 3 for Mac, VMware Workstation 7 and Player 3 now support the Aero 3D graphics features Windows Vista and Windows 7 guest OS's. But Workstation 7 also supports the Aero Peak feature in a Windows 7 host OS. Aero Peak displays a preview window of what's going on in the virtual machine when you hover the cursor over the taskbar item for Workstation 7...
...Read entire story here

Today, for the first time, VMware updated its entire desktop virtualization line for Mac and Windows together, and share some of the same technologies. VMware Fusion 3 for Mac OS X, and Workstation 7 and Player 3 for Windows all share some of the same new features. This includes support for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 guests. VMware Fusion 3 and Workstation 7 also support Windows 7/Vista Aero 3D graphics inside of virtual machines. The beefed-up graphics comes in the form of support for DirectX 9 Shader Model 3.0 3D graphics and OpenGL 2.1...
...Read entire story here

Almost exactly 8 years after releasing Windows XP, Microsoft released Windows 7 last Thursday. Windows XP is the operating system on 80 percent of personal computers worldwide, according to Forrester Research. eWeek reports that a survey by the research firm says that most corporations plan to replace Windows XP with Windows 7. Microsoft plans to end support for Windows XP in April of 2014.

Previous MacWindows reports show that betas of Windows 7 ran fairly well on Macs. Windows 7 runs in Boot Camp 3 (which comes with Snow Leopard) as well as in a virtual machine using Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, and Sun VirtualBox. Windows 7 even runs on the old Virtual PC 7 on Power PC Macs. Of course, there are glitches. We'd like to hear about your Windows-7-on-Mac glitches and tips, so please

Wheat Williams reports that Windows 7 users are seeing problems accessing Apple's Time Capsule network attached storage device:

I can't get Windows 7's Backup (built-in Microsoft software) to recognize an Apple Time Capsule as an NAS for backup. Others are having related problems as detailed at the Apple discussion forums.

Apple recently released a firmware upgrade for the Time Capsule and now they've released a whole new rev of the hardware, and of course the final release of Windows 7 came out on Thurday, so maybe things will change if Microsoft and Apple are attentive.

If you've seen this problem

Robb Rinard can't get Windows 7 to boot on a new iMac with Boot Camp 3. He found that the vga.sys isn't loading:

I purchased a brand new 27" iMac today as they unloaded them off the truck at Best Buy. It's the version with the ATI video. I ran Boot Camp 3 and split the 1TB drive into to 460GB partitions and Windows 7 installed cleanly with no problems. When it rebooted and was starting Windows for the first time (finishing the installation), I see the Windows red/green/blue/yellow animated logo for ten seconds, then the screen goes black and it hangs infinitely...
...Read entire story here

N. LaFleur found that installing Realtek drivers in Windows fixed a problem with speakers not working with Boot Camp 3. He warns that the reader who first reported the problem has probably been lead to fake Realtek drivers:

I had the same issue with my MacBook Pro (Late 2007 model which originally shipped with 10.4, but the Apple reps put in 10.5 DVD after launch). Realtek doesn't charge for their drivers. The reader likely searched for "Realtek Drivers" and went to a bogus website (probably a sponsored link on Google)...
...Read entire story here

Mediafour has released MacDrive 8.0.4, an update to the Windows utility that enables Windows to read and write Mac-formatted media. It works within Boot Camp, to enable Windows to read and write to the Mac OS X partition. The update fixes several bugs:

• System crash incompatibility with multiple Antivirus products
• System crash when a VHD file is mounted
• CD/DVD drive not detected on some system configurations
• Administrator installation command-line option for automatic activation
• Minor improvements and revisions

Jason Kuo reports that Entourage Web Services Edition (WSE) can't see private events:

We've got an issue with private events not being viewable with Entourage Web Services Edition (13.0). We have Exchange 2007, and all clients running Entourage 13 and 10.5.8. With Entourage 12.2.1, people are able to see that another user has a private event, labeled "Private Event." This is true for both Leopard (10.5.8) and Snow Leopard (10.6.1). However, with Entourage 13.0 WSE, people cannot see private events...
...Read entire story here

Brad Carter reports success using the form smb://share:139 to overcome file sharing problems in Snow Leopard:

I have a friend that has two Mac mini's and the one with Snow Leopard quit connecting to his PC. I had him append port 139 to his PC's address in the Connect to Server dialog and it connects. Thanks for the tip on your site.

Two readers confirmed the workaround of using smb://share:139 to log into an SMB server from Snow Leopard, to get around file sharing problems. Jordon Cheung said "Just wanted to say a quick thanks for writing up the below tip. It worked like a charm!"

Serge Rose agreed, "I tried workaround and it works great."

If you've tried this

Tom Foth confirmed this workaround for Snow Leopard problems with slow network attached storage access:

SMB access to an Linksys Unslung NSLU2 NAS was incredibly slow with Snow Leopard. I deleted all of the .DS_Store files and the slowness went away.

If you've tried this

Marco Junge from Germany confirmed the Snow Leopard problem of saving Office files to Windows servers:

I have got installed a SBS 2008 and ,what a luck, I only updated one client to test. The following things I did:

• Upgrading to Snow Leopard
• Office 2008 was already installed with service pack 12.2 and 12.2.1

Failures I have seen up to now:

I can't save excel documents in xls but can in xlsx

If I save Word documents on the server they are marked as read only until I shut down everything.

Previously, a reader reported that disabling autosave/autorecover fixed the problem. If you've seen the problem and tried this approach

Wiley Publishing will ship Snow Leopard Server for Dummies by John Rizzo on November 9. Written with an eye towards supporting Macs and Windows PCs, the 432-page book includes descriptions of setting up and using the server, including:

• Set up and configure Mac OS X Server 10.6 and its services
• Administer, secure, and troubleshoot the network
• Support Mac and Windows clients for email, file sharing, server-hosted home directories, and more
• Incorporate a Mac subnet into an Active Directory domain
• Collaborate with wikis, shared contacts and calendars, Podcast Producer, and iChat Server instant messaging
• Virtualize other servers in Snow Leopard Server
• Decide which services to run on a Mac mini, Mac Pro, or Xserve

Marco Novelli in Italy reported a problem with the new Entourage 2008 Web Services Edition:

I recently updated my Entourage 2008 to WSE (Web Services Edition) and my Exchange 2007 Server to SP2. Now most of email that I write are sent as plain text. I've not been able to reproduce 100% the behavior: most of the time the issue appear when replying to email. Even If I select “HTML” from Format menu the mail is sent in plain text.

It seems to me to have done a fast rewind to begin of '90. I'm feeling the issue is located at Entourage level and not at Exchange level, because when I reply to an email I can see Entourage adding the quotation mark '>' in the reply body.

If you've seen this problem

Greg Divers responded to the report Boot Camp 3.0 and Windows 7 problems with Trackpad, illumination:

Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit works fine. Just the keyboard illumination I can't stop. The trackpad work fine.

If you've seen one of these problems

Scott McKay's university runs Windows XP in Boot Camp 2.1 and has some problems with time drift in Active Directory and log on problems. He writes:

On our campus, we have a problem with Mac logins on Boot Camp dual-boot Macs running Windows XP in one partition and OS X 10.5.8 (Leopard) in another and authenticating to an Active Directory server from either. On the Mac side, from time to time, users cannot log in the first time, but can generally log in after three tries...
...Read entire story here

Michael Goodine of Emuculation.com told about new versions of SheepShaver and Basilisk II, emulators for running Classic (Mac OS 9) applications on Intel Macs. He reports:

Thought you might be interested in the new build of SheepShaver that is now available. This one includes a significant number of new features and bug fixes...
...Read entire story here

Apple has acknowledged what it calls a rare bug in Snow Leopard that can delete all user data from a hard drive and reset the user account. Reports on Apple's discussion forum say that the problem occurs when a user logs in as a guest account, logs out, and then logs in again with a regular account. Users find the entire home folder reset to a virgin condition. The data loss does not occur every time this procedure is performed.

CNET quoted an Apple written statement saying "We are aware of the issue, which occurs only in extremely rare cases, and we are working on a fix."

That fix could come in the form of an update to the OS. AppleInsider reported that Apple has seeded developers with two beta builds of Mac OS X 10.6.2, the next release version of Snow Leopard.

Manuel G-Valdeca had the problem of slow performance of VMware Fusion in Snow Leopard, and fixed the problem:

I've seen on a web page to send you an email whether we find that VMware is extremely slow on a Snow Leopard. Unfortunately it happens to me as well. I did not make a fresh install; I updated the system from Leopard. Finally what I did was to reinstall the OS, and for whatever reason, it now even works better than before. I did not need to format, only reinstall.

If you've tried this

Moriah Seaman has a suggestion for a previously reported problem with speakers not working in Windows in Boot Camp 3:

I've had the same issue, and I think it is an issue with the headphone output jack. When booting up with nothing in the jack, only the external speakers in my MacBook work. However, when I boot to the partition select startup screen (holding option) if I put my speakers/headphones in the headphone jack before selecting and booting the BOOTCAMP partition, the audio works fine through the headphone jack until the device is removed from the jack, then it reverts back to internal speakers and will do nothing upon re-insertion. However, Windows XP (Boot Camp 3) on a MacBook may behave differently than your configuration. Worth a shot I suppose if you haven't tried that yet.

When Colman Prez tries to install Windows Vista with Boot Camp 3, installation fails with "Windows could not configure one or more system components:"

I own a brand new MacBook Pro 13 inch running on Snow Leopard with all the system updates updated and I just purchased Windows Vista Home Premium. So using Boot Camp 3.0 I went through the installation process. I made a 32 GB partition and inserted the DVD and it started. I formatted the partition to NTFS, then pressed install. It looked like it was working but then it got to the end were it said completing installation and a pop up came up and said “Windows could not configure one or more system components.” Press OK restart the computer, and re-install. So I pressed OK and it restarted and the same message came up. So I booted up into Mac OS X and deleted the windows partition and tried the whole thing over again. Then the same thing happened and I repeated it again and it popped up again just when it was about to finish.

If you've seen this problem

Two readers report problems with Ethernet in Windows in Boot Camp 3. One MacWindows reader also affirmed previous reports about problems with Bluetooth:

I'm also not getting Bluetooth. The IR-receiver not working for me in Boot Camp either. Plus, the Ethernet-driver somehow doesn't work.

Mike Bloomfield loses Ethernet connections with Windows Vista:

I am having a problem with the Ethernet connection using Boot Camp 3. I had to re-install the Boot Camp drivers to get connect back using Vista 32bit. Every time I reboot into the Snow Leopard 10.6.1 partition and then go back into Boot Camp, the Ethernet connection in Windows becomes lost and I cannot connect to the network. Wireless works fine, but the physical connection is lost. There seems to be a drive issue with the Ethernet card that needs to be fixed.

If you've seen these problems

Techno-Grafik has released iTaskX 2.6, an update to the project management software for Mac OS X. The new version adds compatibility with Snow Leopard and some new filters for viewing tasks. iTask 2.6 can open native Microsoft Project .mpp files. It can also exchange information with MS Project using MS Project XML and MS Project MPX formats. The information exchanged include calendars, resource information, and more than 60 other task fields.

Apple support article HT3742 provides a fix for Windows Vista clients that can't bind to a PDC hosted by Mac OS X Server. The problem occurs with the Vista client receiving a logon failure error message stating that there is a bad user name or password. The fix is to change the authentication policy on the Windows client from "NTVLM2 responses only" to "Send LM & NTLM - use NTLMv2 session security if negotiated." The article describes how to do this. The problem and fix apply to Mac OS X Server 10.5 and later.

StuffIt Deluxe 2010 automates moving big files over cloud-based network, improves compression of images, WAV audio

Pat Crail fixed his Snow Leopard probem printing to a Windows-connected printer:

I had the same issue others have reported: new MacBook Pro with Snow Leopard (fully updated), but could not print to a shared printer on a Windows machine via the network. I was able to find and add the printer on the Mac, and the printer model was listed in the drivers setup box, but it wouldn't print...Read entire story here

Ken Maynard has three problems with Snow Leopard in Active Directory, where the home directory is on a Windows server. He can't save files from Word 2004, and loses network connections after waking from sleep. He fixed his problem with a network scanner. Maynard's report:

We had Leopard and Office 2004 on iMac in a Windows 2003 domain. User home directory is on a Windows server. We upgraded to Snow Leopard, and now Word 2004 can't open normal.dot, and you can't save a file anywhere whether local disk or Home dir on Windows share...Read entire story here

Philomeno Cappador verified that using an all-numeric password fixes Snow Leopard problems accessing network attached storage (NAS) via SMB:

I have an iOmega NAS and recently upgraded to Snow Leopard and noticed that I could not access any of my password protected shares. I have experienced issues in the past connecting via SMB or CIFS with Leopard (10.5.x), many times my MacBook would just freeze while trying to copy files. I followed the advice to change the NAS share password to all numeric, and it worked...Read entire story here

Brian Wesselhoff has a problem with booked meetings not being displayed in Entourage Web Services Edition:

We have an issue where we use the built-in conference room scheduling in Exchange 2007. We just started migrating some users over to the Entourage 2008 Web Services Edition. When a non-domain admin opens another users' calendar (in this case a room resource), some of the booked meetings are not displayed. However...Read entire story here

Amazon has dropped the price of it's Kindle wireless reading device, to US $259, down from US $299. Amazon also announced a new model, Kindle with U.S. and International Wireless (US $279), which will ship on October 19. Kindle with U.S. and International Wireless can receive books, newspapers, and magazines while a user travels in over 100 countries, including the US, Europe, Australia, India, Japan, and China.

Kindle accesses books using the 3G wireless technology used for iPhone, Blackberry, and other smart phones, but without the monthly bills or annual contracts. Syncing with computers is not needed. The unit holds 1,500 books, and the battery lasts two weeks.

Group Logic and Symantec will market a joint enterprise solution for file system archiving for Macs. The companies plan to bundle Symantec Enterprise Vault with Group Logic's ArchiveConnect. Enterprise Vault is policy-based archiving and storage software that can move less-frequently data to lower-cost storage. It also allows for searching of archived material.

ArchiveConnect provides the Mac OS X Finder with archive management functions in a way that prevents mass recalls of archived files. Ordinarily, the Mac OS X Finder file previewing features Quick Look and Cover Flow trigger large numbers of recalls to servers, using a lot of server resources. ArchiveConnect allows online files to be previewed, but prevent previewing of archived files while browsing. Users can bring archived files back online. ArchiveConnect is a lightweight plugin for the Mac OS X Finder.

Kerio Technologies announced that it's cross-platform groupware server, Kerio MailServer, supports Windows 7 clients for email, calendaring, contacts, and tasks. Kerio also updated Kerio Outlook Connector, and extention of Micrsoft Outlook, for Windows 7. Windows 7 users canalso use Kerio WebMail, a full groupware browser-based client for the server. Kerio also recently released version 6.7.2 of the server to support of Snow Leopard's Exchange-compatible clients. Mac OS X 10.6's Mail and iCal can work as groupware clients with Kerio Mailserver 6.7.2. The server itself (which starts at $499 for ten users) is available to run on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and other operating systems.

VMware has released VMware Fusion 2.0.6, a maintenance update to the virtualization software for Mac OS X. The release is a free upgrade for owners of VMware Fusion versions 1.x and 2.x. The update fixes over 20 bugs, including problems when running on a Mac OS X 10.6.x Snow Leopard host (in 32-bit kernel mode). It also improves the performance of 3D graphics on Macs with NVIDIA graphics hardware.

VMware also said that users upgrading to this version will need to manually update VMware Tools...Read entire story here

Equinux has released VPN Tracker 6, a major new version of the Mac OS X virtual private network client for almost any VPN gateway or router, in cluding. Version 6 adds a number of new features, including support for Windows applications running in virtual machines (such as Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion). VPN Tracker 6 enables Windows programs to share the VPN tunnel with Mac applications...Read entire story here

Tony Williams offered some suggestions for Snow Leopard problems printing to Windows printers:

A couple of things to look at around solving this problem:

• Check to see that /etc/cups/printers.conf doesn't have a line
• "AuthInfoRequired username,password" - if it does remove it and retry.
• Switching from SMB to LPD can help if the print server supports it.

Make sure you have Kerberos working perfectly and are signing on to the Mac with an Active Directory account.

Two readers offered another workaround for problems connecting to SMB file sharing in Snow Leopard. Stefan Karos offered this:

In the Connect to Server dialog, type in smb://share:139 .

Where share is the name of the share on your network. I don't know why port 139 has to be specified but once you connect this way, all samba shares appear and can be navigated in the standard network window....Read entire story here

Jon Harris found that the tip about using numeric passwords worked for network attached storage. The tip originally was reported for file servers. Harris said:

I encountered this same reported problem trying to access SMB shares on my NAS (D-Link DNS-323) having upgraded to Snow Leopard. I'm only on a small home network, so no fancy domains or name servers. I tried the numeric password fix and it solved the problem - although I'm concerned that a numeric password is not as secure as a full alpha numeric one, so would be hoping for Apple to sort this out.

Dmitry Krapivin verified a previously reported problem with Snow Leopard AFP and SMB problems accessing Apple's Time Capsule:

Absolutely the same problem exists for me on my MacBook Air! I cannot use my Time Capsule disk via AFP. And via SMB it mounts, but the connection is very slow.

Apple has posted a support article called "Mac OS X v10.6: Active Directory user may not be able to log in," which offers a workaround to problems that MacWindows have been reporting. Luis Antezana told us about the article:

Here's one more good Apple KnowledgeBase entry from the other day. This helps with AD users who have an AD Home directory specified in the Directory Utility and have accounts set to create a mobile Home directory...
...Read entire story here

A change in the way Snow Leopard does DNS may be the root of some of the problems with logging in to Active Directory. A previous reader report (Snow Leopard AD binding problems linked to DNS bugs) indicated that DNS issues may be behind Active Directory problems. Today, Al Pawlowski defined what the DNS issue is and provides a workaround:

Many of the authentication and DNS problems being posted may be due to something a colleague of mine found. That is: 10.6.x will not resolve a DNS name if the DNS record for the device has too long a TTL setting...
...Read entire story here

Andrew Stuart sent another suggestion to fix the problem of email messages from Exchange Server that are garbled when viewed from an iPhone or iPod Touch. We've previously reported several suggested workarounds. Stuart has another:

I have found a fix that works, I set up my Exchange account in my phone as IMAP instead of Exchange. It works like a charm, but a little tricky to get set up initially. I think the key is changing the outgoing server port to 2525. First it will error when setting up, but if you try without SSL, it'll let you then go to advanced settings and change the server port. IT works fine for now until there's an Entourage fix.

If you've tried this approach

Robbie Thielemans responded to a report about problems connecting to Exchange Server from Snow Leopard Mail:

I have same issues here from the moment I upgraded to Snow Leopard. Whilst connecting to Exchange with Entourage, it constantly loses connection (error, cannot connect to server). Sometimes I need to retry ten times to send the same email. All the settings have remained the same as Leopard. I have no idea what causes this, and professionally this is really not workable.

If you're seeing this problem

Joe Chinn found another way to get around the problem of not being able to install the Parallels Desktop 4.0.3846 update in Snow Leopard. Previously, we reported that readers (and Parallels) recommended using the updater software to download the update, then quiting the updater software, then double-click the downloaded update. Chinn said that didn't work, but going to the Parallels web site to download the full Parallels Desktop package did...
...Read entire story here

Ziga Turk reports three problems with running Windows 7 in Boot Camp 3.0. Most notably, there's a trackpad problem that he says can be dangerous. Turk also reported problems with display and keyboard illumination:

Here's what is quite critical and does not work with on 2009 Unibody 13 inch MacBook Pro and Windows 7 Enterprise RTM (final) version (64 bit)...
...Read entire story here

A number of readers have confirmed previous reports of Snow Leopard not printing to shared printers connected to Windows PCs. The problem occurs with Windows servers and workstations, where printing works with older versions of Mac OS X. Some users see it as an authentication problem. Patrick Marquetecken sees this with Windows XP:

I have Snow Leopard but it seems impossible to print to an SMB printer connected on a Windows XP machine, I can select the printer but the print job disappears...
...Read entire story here

Carlos Martins adds to our collection of reports about Snow Leopard file sharing problems, which he has with access Windows shares and network attached storage via SMB (samba):

I started having some issues when I upgraded to 10.5.8 but usually after a reboot it worked fine again; It was kind of random. When I upgrade to 10.6, all was well but last night I lost my Windows shares. Same as some people, can ping Windows, can even VNC to it or remote desktop but no share...
...Read entire story here

Microsoft recently shipped Office 2009 Business Edition (US $400 or $240 upgrade) to replace the previous standard edition and Special Media Edition. The new bundle includes both the standard Entourage 2008 and Entourage 2008 Web Services Edition (WSE), which Microsoft released last month by itself. Entourage WSE offer greater compatibility with Exchange Server as well as faster communications, but requires Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 Rollup 4 or later--it won't work with earlier versions of Exchange...
...Read entire story here

Research In Motion, maker of Blackberry smart phones, has posted a preview of Blackberry Desktop Software for Mac 1.0, including screen shots. The company said release of the syncing software is "just around the corner." The software will support syncing a Blackberry with multiple computers. The software also enables users to install and remove Blackberry applications from the Mac, as well as backup and restore Blackberry data.

Paragon Software has release NTFS for Mac OS X 7.0.3 (US $40), an update to the software that enables Mac OS X to read and write to NTFS-formatted storage devices, including removable hard drives and a Windows Boot Camp partition. The software enables NTFS volumes to mount in the Finder. The update adds compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

The Enterprise Desktop Alliance hosting an hour-long webinar called Centralized Mac Home Directories on Windows Servers on Tuesday, October 8, 2009 at 10 am pst. The webinar describes how to set up Group Logic's ExtremeZ-IP and Centrify DirectControl to configure DFS based home directories for Mac users in an Active Directory environment.

The Enterprise Desktop Alliance is also hosting an event called Integrating Macs in the Enterprise in Palo Alto, CA, on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 from 4:30 - 6:30 pm. At the event, Enterprise Desktop Alliance member companies will describe and demonstrate their products. The companies are Atempo, Centrify, Group Logic, LANrev, Parallels, and Web Help Desk.

Two readers reported that .DS_Store files on SMB volumes play a role in the file sharing. However, while one reader said that eliminating the files fixed his problem with network attached storage (NAS), another report that hiding the files CAUSED the problem of Snow Leopard access to a Linux SMB server...
...Read entire story here

Justin Parmer added another observation about the problem with Snow Leopard's Finder not updating Windows server folders in the Finder:

I just found your site looking for a solution to the same problem posted today by Christian Volk. We are having the same issue with our Windows 2003 server since upgrading to Snow Leopard. One thing we're experiencing not mentioned by Mr. Volk is how inconsistent this behavior has been. We are seeing this most of the time, but sometimes we can delete a folder and it disappears as expected.

Chuck Sumner has a new workaround for Snow Leopard problems with SMB shares. He also said another workaround didn't work:

Changing my samba share password to an all numeric password did solve the problem for me. Editing my /etc/hosts file did not work as far as allowing me to connect to a SMB share via 10.6.1...
...Read entire story here

Flemming Jønsson is seeing the Finder lock up with SMB shares, but only in a Windows domain. He also has a workaround:

At my workplace we have a Windows file server connected to a Windows domain. In 10.5.8 I had no problems connecting to and using this share, but after upgrading to 10.6 and later 10.6.1 I can only connect to the share, not browse the share using Finder. If I try Finder will hang...
...Read entire story here

Apple tech support article TS2967 reports a problem where Macs can't authenticate to SMB shares on a Mac OS X Server. The problem occurs if the Mac OS X Server is bound to Active Directory containing Windows Server 2008 domain controllers AND when the Mac clients are not bound to Active Directory. This occurs with Mac OS X 10.4, 10.5, and 10.6 client and server. Apple offers two fixes...
...Read entire story here

Henrik Boes found some information that links Snow Leopard problems binding to Active Directory to bugs in the 10.6 opearting system. In a follow-up to his two previous reports, he said the DNS info enabled him to bind, though single sign-on still doesn't work:

I was finally able to bind my Mac to AD (Windows 2000 Server). I attribute my prior inability to do so to known DNS bugs with Snow Leopard, described in the following posts at Mac-forums.com and at Apple's Discussions forums...
...Read entire story here

Peter Baird's brand new Mac had a melt down after binding to Active Directory. After much work, he got it running, but could not create a mobile account:

On a brand new MacBook Pro with Snow Leopard out-of-the-box, I could BIND to AD (Windows Server 2003) in our usual way. But Directory Utility then locked up, "spinwheeling" so badly I couldn't force quit or get out of the Finder. I had to hard reset using the power button...
...Read entire story here

Marc Berger can't run Snow Leopard's Software Update on Macs bound to Active Directory:

Just wanted to send you another Snow Leopard issue for Active Directory users to post on your site. It appears that Software Update will run, but when it gets to the place where it installs the updates, it will hang and not run at all...
...Read entire story here

Cameron Seward's Snow Leopard Mac can bind to Active Directory, but has no write access to shares:

I am just putting together a MacBook on our AD and had no troubles with the binding. When I go and log in as domain\username it takes it and logs it in just fine. But the issue comes to be that I have no rights to write anywhere on that account. If I log into a 10.5.8 machine I am able to write to the account just fine. So I know that my policies as working correctly. I am searching for a work around on this but have yet to find one.

If you've seen this

Seth Tanner must force-unbind when he reboots Snow Leopard Server:

I have been successful in binding Snow Leopard to Active Directory. The problem comes when I reboot Snow Leopard Server it no longer talks to Active Directory, I can force unbind and rebind no problem, but it is hugely inconvenient.

If you've seen this

Several readers responded to the problem of slow Snow Leopard SMB connection to Win servers. One reader said typing the path solved the problem, another said it didn't. Don Wershba said that not connecting through the Finder resolved the issue for him:

My fix was to connect directly via the "Connect to Server" (Command-K) and not use an alias of the server. Connecting in that manner resolved all speed issues...
...Read entire story here

Hermann Vorster edited a text configuration file in Snow Leopard to fix a problem logging on to Windows SMB file servers:

I've fixed my problem. As far as I can tell, Snow Leopard is fully capable of discovering the network share, but it is having problems resolving the IP address of the server. So, if you edit /etc/hosts and add the IP address and host name of your server, Snow Leopard knows exactly where to find the server and all is solved. For example: 192.168.1.x hostname...
...Read entire story here

Christian Volk finds that Snow Leopard Macs are not updating Windows server folders in the Finder:

SMB shares out of Windows 2000 Server don't update properly as long as a Snow Leopard machine has attempted to delete a file or folder. Even viewing from the server, the file is "locked" until Snow Leopard logs out of the share, at which point everything updates correctly, such that a deleted file actually disappears. When Snow Leopard logs back in, it sees a correctly updated directory.

If you've seen this problem

Group Logic has released ExtremeZ-IP 6.0.2, an update to the AFP file and print server for Windows-based server. The update addresses a few minor issues for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard accessing the services. The company said that ExtremeZ-IP's implementation of AFP has none of the file sharing problems being reported with Snow Leopard and SMB file sharing.

The ExtremeZ-IP server includes features such as Network Spotlight full content searches and Time Machine backups, as well as filename policies and Microsoft DFS support for Mac clients.

ExtremeZ-IP 6.0.2 is free for customers with active support contracts using version 5.0 or later.

David Doerksen is seeing the problem with saving Office files from Snow Leopard to Windows servers. He updated to Snow Leopard and Office 12.2.1 at the same time, on an Activite Directory network:

Regarding Craig Chambers' report on the above issue, his experience mirrors mine exactly. Mac Mini running Snow Leopard, Office 2008 with updates through 12.2.1. Document-saving to the Windows SBS 2003 Server worked normally before I did the following...
...Read entire story here

Several readers report success for each of the two workarounds reported for problems with SonicWall's NetExtender VPN client in Snow Leopard. Vincent Philion verified the use of the AppZapper utility:

Hi! I did the "zapping" and reinstall and everything worked.

Matthew Pendlebury used the command-line fix in Terminal...
...Read entire story here

Robert Williams reported a new problem with Snow Leopard and the Cisco VPN client for Mac. (Other problems have been solved by installing/reinstalling the latest version.) Williams reports:

Just wanted to let you know about a Snow Leopard issue with the built-in Cisco VPN client. Anyone trying to connect using IPSec over UDP will not be able to do so with the Snow Leopard client. For some reason, Apple decided not to implement that feature, so those of us in that situation must continue to use the standalone Cisco VPN Client...
...Read entire story here

Jeremy Behrens sent us this tip, which can apply to running Windows on a Mac:

You mention that the VPN client will not work in Windows 7. This is true for any 64 bit windows OS including the 64 bit Vista. Fortunately there is an alternative for 64-bit Windows folks at this site.

Jeremy Behrens has looked at our Leopard VPN Reports page and Snow Leopard VPN Reports page, and still has problems with the Cisco VPN client; installing/reinstalling the latest version worked for other readers, but not for Behrens:

I cannot get Cisco VPN Version 4.9.01.0180 to work correctly under either 10.5 or 10.6. Cisco works in my VMware Fusion Windows XP install but not in OS X directly. I don't even get an error. When I click the connect button the program connect icon changes color for a second then nothing. I have tried reinstalling and restarting using the terminal command and nothing.

The VMware web site reports our previous reader report that the Fusion virtualization software is not working in 64-bit Snow Leopard:

VMware Fusion 2.0.5 is NOT compatible with the optional 64-bit kernel of Snow Leopard and Snow Leopard Server.

VMware Fusion 2.0.5 is compatible with Snow Leopard running in 32-bits.

The latest build of Parallels Desktop, version 4.0.3846, is compatible with Snow Leopard running in 64-bits. Sun VirtualBox is also compatible with the 64-bit kernel, as does CodeWeavers CrossOver.

(Thanks to Oliver Block and Mike Drabicky for the link.)

We continue to receive reports of Mac OS X 10.6 not connecting to network attached storage devices. The problems occur with both AFP and SMB sharing. Dennis Ostrovsky can't connect as a guest:

I have an Addonics NASU2 unit which has a 1TB HD plugged into it. In 10.5.8 I had no problems connecting to it as guest, which I have enabled. Now in 10.6.1 (and 10.6) it will not allow me to connect as Guest, claiming that the server does not allow guest access, which it does...
...Read entire story here

We've had reports of slow Snow Leopard connections to network attached storage devices, but Ron Breton is seeing this with a Windows server:

I have an iMac running 10.6 and connected to a server running Windows Home Server (WHS). Everything is hard wired, no wireless. Until 10.6, everything worked nice and fast. Now sub-folders take really long to open, sometimes upwards of 10 seconds.

This is most definitely an issue with Snow Leopard.

If you've seen this problem

Michael Oman-Reagan reports that the workaround for Snow Leopard logging on to Windows servers doesn't fix the Snow Leopard's problems with Active Directory:

We've been experiencing the same problems accessing shares on a Windows server via SMB. We can access them without a problem from 10.5.8, but 10.6 didn't work.

We found that we can manually mount the share with domain\username as the login name, where this was unnecessary in 10.5.8. But this doesn't solve the problem of auto-mounting these shares through the AD plug-in.

Howard McCollum is another reader who can't connect to a Windows printer from Snow Leopard:

I have a new Mac Pro with snow leopard and cannot connect to my Windows XP machine shared printer.

If you've seen this

Several readers wrote with workarounds to the problem of not being able to install the Boot Camp 3 drivers in Windows. (Boot Camp 3 is the version that comes with Snow Leopard.) Both suggestions involve removing older Windows drivers. Randy Syester solved his problem:

I've seen problems updating the Boot Camp drivers. My problem was apps such as LanDesk or Dameware that install drivers for remote control...
...Read entire story here

Brian Johnson can't get his external speakers to work in Boot Camp 3:

I use the Harman-Kardon Soundsticks II on my Mac Pro (2.66GHz, 10.6.1, 9GB Ram) and they work perfectly--from the Mac. On my Boot Camp partition (320GB), I'm using Vista Home Premium, updated last on 09/05/09. This is a 2nd clean install of Vista, which I finished updating as much as possible before adding any programs. My external speakers continue not to work in Vista...
...Read entire story here

Edward Yost can't get Bluetooth to work in Boot Camp 3:

I can't use blue tooth devices with Boot Camp Windows XP SP3. also cant play the game medieval total war gold edition -- probably the drivers for an nvidia geforce 9400. It's a 2 GHz GHz Mac mini, 4 MB RAM.

If you've seen this

About two weeks ago, Parallels released Parallels Desktop 4.0.3846, and update to the virtualization environment for Mac OS X. The update improves running in a Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard host OS in both 32-bit and 64-bit modes. The update also adds official support for running Mac OS X Server and Windows 7 in virtual machines. There are also various bug fixes in the update...
...Read entire story here

Two readers reported problems installing the Parallels Desktop 4.0.3846 update in Snow Leopard. The update fixes some bugs when running on Snow Hosts, among other issues. George Palfi describes the symptoms:

First, I should say that I have used the latest versions of Parallels, Fusion, and Virtual Box on my new install of Snow Leopard and they all seem to work fine. However, an update arrived yesterday for Parallels 4 that I downloaded and tried to install. The installer gets to the stage...
...Read entire story here

Andy Jackson reports running Sun's VirtualBox virtualization software in Snow Leopard 64-bit mode. He even ran a 64-bit guest OS:

I downloaded and installed Sun's VitrualBox while in 64 bit mode! It works. I then downloaded and installed Ubuntu 9.04 64-bit inside of VirtualBox. It works too. It is updating as I type this. I checked VitrualBox under system profiler and it was listed as a 64-bit app. So far I have not encountered a problem while I have been booted into 64-bit mode.

If you've used VirtualBox in Snow Leopard (See also VirtualBox Tips and Reports.)

Andy Jackson reports that the lastest version of VMware Fusion doesn't run in Snow Leopard's 64-bit mode:

I booted my unibody MacBook Pro into 64 bit mode. VMware 2.0.5 won't load, it says it is 32 bit only. Over all I am impressed with 64 bit. VMware was the only app that that I have found that worked in 32 but not 64. The apps that needed Rosetta in 32 bit work just as well in 64 bit with Rosetta. My printers (both networked) still worked. VMware 2.0.5 still works if I boot into standard mode. But won't start when I boot in 64 bit mode.

If you've seen this issue (See also VMware Fusion Tips and Reports.)

Tasso Papaelias reports that "VMware Fusion runs incredibly slow on Snow Leopard. This is with the latest update."

If you've seen this issue

Craig Chambers is having problems saving Office 2008 files to a Windows server:

I've encountered a problem saving Office 2008 documents to a Windows server (SBS2003 SP2, not RC2 in my case) in 10.6. It looks like I am not the only one having this problem. Please see this post I started at Microsoft. After upgrading to 10.6 everything seemed to be fine with my Office installation until I tried to save a document that I had opened from a network share...
...Read entire story here

Apple released the Mac OS X 10.6.1 update, and Snow Leopard Server 10.6.1 update. The 10.6.1 client fixes some problems with Mail, including problems sending mail to certain SMTP servers. However, the bug fix list does not include problems with SMB file sharing, Active Directory problems, and virtual private networking issues, which readers have been reporting.

The 10.6.1 Server update fixes a problem "that could cause Server Admin or Server Assistant to report a duplicate serial number" on servers with multiple Ethernet ports. It also "improves reliablity with services that use Grand Centrqal Dispatch" and adds some security patches.

If you've tried Snow Leopard 10.6.1 client or server update

Two readers independently offered the same fix for problems logging on to SMB file sharing with the first release of Snow Leopard. The fix is to use a path in a specific form of a path in the log-in window:

Andrew Cunningham uses it to connect to a Windows domain:

I have found a solution to connecting to Windows domain machines on our network managed by a Win 2000 Domain controller. Under 10.5, using "Cmd-K" connect to a particular machine , say, "TestMachine" on the domain you could just enter a machines "local" username , say, "andrew", and a password to connect. Now you need to enter "TestMachine\andrew" as the username, and it works for me now.

Alex Hicks uses it to connect to an individual PC:

We were having issues connecting our newly upgraded Snow Leopard Macs to one of our PCs. We could ping the PC and could see it on the network. We found a workaround, on the login, entering SHARD_FOLDER_NAME\USERNAME and PASS we were able to access it.

If you've tried this workaround

Two readers shared two very different workarounds to Mac OS X 10.6 problems connecting to network attached storage (NAS). One reader uses a web browser to type a path. Another found that the problem partially resolved after he installed iTunes 9. A third reader forwarded some German-language links for our German speakers.

Matt Whiting fowarded the web-browser workaround, which also fixed the Finder problems... Read entire story here

Chris Carrier believes that a previous report about Office 2004 not working in Snow Leopard may be because Rosetta isn't installed:

I have not had any problems running Office 2004 after installing Snow Leopard. You just need to manually install Rosetta from the Snow Leopard install disk. It did not automatically install in my case. From memory there is a folder called something like "Other Installations" or something similar on the Snow Leopard installation dialogue box. Click the "package" inside it and select the Rosetta option from the list, then all should be well. Might want to reboot after just to be sure.

Phil Ershler has another suggestion

I'm having no problems whatsoever with 10.6 and MS Office 2004. My only suggestion is to make sure that the version of Office 2004 you are trying to run has all of the current patches applied.

If you've seen this issue and tried these suggestions

Readers have reported that they can fix the error 51 problem with the Cisco VPN client by upgrading and/or reinstalling. One reader said:

I was able to use both the Cisco VPN Client 4.9.01.0180 as others have reported, but only after re-installing the client software.

Centrify issued a statement saying that it DirectControl for Mac supports Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard. DirectControl is software that integrates Macs and Linux into Active Directory domains. The company said that DirectControl for Mac works with 32-bit and 64-bit Snow Leopard clients, and all features are functional.

Readers have reported problems binding Snow Leopard with Apple's native solution.

DirectControl for Mac provides auditing, access control and identity management for non-Windows platforms through Active Directory. Smart Card lockdown and group policy support, including support of FileVault on AD home directories, also work with Snow Leopard, according to Centrify.

Pricing for Centrify DirectControl for Mac OS X is $60 per workstation and $350 per server.

Marcus Walker responded to our reports of Snow Leopard not being able to connect to Active Directory:

I've seen the issue as well with all of the systems that we "upgrade" to Snow Leopard. Systems that previously enjoyed binding to the AD and single sign-on, lose that and cannot bind to AD...Read entire story here

CodeWeavers has released CrossOver Games 8.0 (US $40), a new version of it's gaming version of CrossOver, software that runs Windows applications on a Mac, but without the need for Windows. CrossOver Games 8.0 adds support for additional PC games, including Left4Dead, and Tales of Monkey Island (Steam Verion), as well as support for Snow Leopard. The company said that the new version also includes "under-the-hood" changes that result in improved graphics and increased frame rates.

The CrossOver 8.0 updated also includes fixes for specific games that were already supported, including Half-Life 2 ... Read entire story here

More readers are reporting that SMB file sharing no longer works after updating to Snow Leopard. Although we received a number of reports, two readers sent some details trying to connect to servers and to Windows workstations. Greg Masada found that the problem only occurs when there is a Windows domain. Otherwise, file sharing works with Windows 2000 and 2003 ... Read entire story here

Two readers report problems with network attached storage (NAS) devices and Snow Leopard. A number of readers had previously reported problems with Leopard, since the Mac OS X 10.5.7 update. Nick Bensema sees the problem with both SMB and AFP ... Read entire story here

Readers responded to our previous report about Snow Leopard disabling Active Directory single sign-on. Two readers report that the new operating system has problems with mobile accounts.

André Sanchez has the problem and located a workaround:

We're testing Snow Leopard and have found that when we bind to Active Directory using the Apple Directory plugin we are not able to log in if we have the "Create mobile account at login" enabled - all we get is ... Read entire story here

Several readers reported successful fixes for the problem of the SonicWall NetExtender virtual private network (VPN) Mac client not working with Snow Leopard. One fix requires typing some commands in Terminal to edit a file at /usr/sbin/pppd. Another was a simpler fix. Jon Busby, who first reported the problem, was able to fix the problem without editing anything, using a third-party utility:

I did a clean delete of NetExtender via AppZapper then reinstalled the download from work. Seems to have done the trick. The version I am on, that works is, 3.5.620 ... Read entire story here

James Greg is another reader who is unable to install Snow Leopard's Boot Camp 3 drivers:

I get exactly the same problem as described by David Stubblebine, but I am on XP SP3 on a MacBook Pro 17 in 2.5Ghz Core 2 Duo. I got round it by installing each driver individually, however Boot Camp is stuck at 2.1.

If you've seen this problem

Parallels yesterday released Parallels Desktop 4 for Windows and Linux, an update--and rebranding--of the virtualization software after the Mac version of the software. The previous versions were called Parallels Workstation 2.2 for Windows and Linux. The company said that the new version runs operating systems and applications "up to eight times faster than ever before, due to increased support for up to eight virtual CPUs and eight gigabyte of virtual RAM."

Like the Mac version, Parallels Desktop for Windows and Linux can run multiple copies of Window and Linux in virtual machines. Virtual machines from any of the three versions are compatible with the Mac, Windows, and Linux.

If you've used Parallels Desktop for Windows

David Stubblebine reports that he can't install new Apple drivers that come with Book Camp 3.0, which shipped with Snow Leopard.

On my MacBook first generation (2 GHz Core Duo, 2 GB RAM), I have Snow Leopard and Boot Camp running Windows 7 RC. It works fine, but when I try to install the updated drivers from Boot Camp 3.0 I get the message "The installer encountered errors before Boot Camp could be configured." I've tried uninstalling the old drivers, but I still get the same message. I've also tried running it as an administrator in Windows 7, and in Vista compatibility mode.

If you've seen this

Two readers report older versions of cross-platform software not running in Snow Leopard. Ausilia Corso said that Office 2004 no longers runs after upgrading to Snow Leopard:

I just installed Snow Leopard and now can't open Mac Office 2004 not for love or money. Have gone looking for a fix, both from Microsoft and Mac and no one seems to have one. I have uninstalled and installed Mac Office 2004 to no avail. I'm trying to run a business and frustrated.

William Jackson reports that an older version of CrossOver no longer runs after installing Snow Leopard:

Crossover 7.1 won't run under Snow Leopard. Bounces tries to open, but doesn't. The current version of VMware 2.0.5 runs on Snow Leopard with a Windows XP VM. It connected to the Internet without a hitch.

The current version of Crossover, v8.0, does run in Snow Leopard. CrossOver runs certain Windows programs on Mac OS X without the use of Windows.

On Monday, we reported that Snow Leopard does not run older versions of Parallels Desktop, though it does run the current version without problems.

James Spencer reports that he cannot browse some of his SMB shared folders in Snow Leopard, either in the Finder or the command line:

You're asking for reports of 10.5.8 update breaking SMB shares, but I have a similar problem on Snow Leopard where not all of my folders show up in the Finder or in Terminal. In the Finder, if I use go to folder, I can enter the folder I know is there, but it will most of the time knock me back up a directory. In Terminal I also cannot see the folder, however I can cd to it and copy files from it. I get this error while browsing the SAMBA share: smbfs_smb_lookup: smbfs_smb_qpathinfo error = 16

I've rebooted both systems, removed and created a new share. The problem persists.

If you've seen this problem

Henrik Boes reports that upgrade to Snow Leopard disabled Active Directory single sign-on:

My MacBook Pro was running Leopard 10.5.8 and authenticating to an Active Directory domain (Windows 2000 Server). I upgraded to Snow Leopard and have lost all Single sign-on functionality. Looks like (based on what the Win2K Server logs say) that the machine account and the user account I use are trying to sign in as GUEST, which has been disabled in AD. At this point, I'm looking at completely redoing my AD binding and setting up the mobile account again. Not fun.

If you've seen this problem

A software developer reports that Novell AFP Server is incompatible with Snow Leopard. The Condrey Corporation called it a bug in Mac OS X 10.6 that prevents Snow Leopard from mounting AFP volumes hosted on NetWare and Open Enterprise Server 2 SP1. Whether or not it is a bug in the operating system, Condrey does not claim it is a problem with AFP in general. Group Logic's AFP server, ExtremeZ-IP does not have this problem.

If you've seen any problems with Snow Leopard and AFP file sharing

Jon Busby reports that the NetExtender VPN client doesn't work in Snow Leopard:

For me the problem is NetExtender which worked a treat in Leopard for remote file access via Finder. Doesn't work at all in Snow Leopard.

If you've seen this problem

For cross-platform users, Apple's Friday release of Snow Leopard includes some new users features, despite being a touted as an under-the-hood upgrade. Improvements include a better Boot Camp for booting a Mac with Windows, better Exchange Server compatibility, and improved VPN. Mac OS X 10.6 also includes "native support" for Cisco IPsec VPN connections. Snow Leopard Server, also released on Friday, offers a number of new features for Mac clients, though little for Windows clients... Read entire story here

Mac OS X 10.6 won't run versions of Parallels Desktop earlier than 4.0. Snow Leopard prevents Parallels Desktop 3 from opening, and moves version 2.5 into an "Incompatible Software" folder when you install the OS.

If you've used Snow Leopard with the current version of Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, or Sun VirtualBox

Apple reports a problem with Mac OS X Server 10.6 where AFP users cannot authenticate with Kerberos after the server is upgraded. Apple posed a fix that requires restarting the server:

On the AFP server, execute the following command in Terminal using the correct Kerberos REALM_NAME and a user account authorized to make changes in the Kerberos database:__

sudo sso_util configure -r REALM_NAME -a diradmin -p diradmin_password afp__

Note: The sudo command will prompt for the current user's password. Optionally, you can exclude -p diradmin_password if you want to prompt for the diradmin's password as well.

Thursby Software reports that the current version of ADmitMac and DAVE are not compatible with Snow Leopard. The company said that it currently is beta testing ADmitMac 5 and DAVE 8. ADmitMac is software for Mac OS X that integrates Macs into Active Directory. DAVE is an advanced SMB client for Mac OS X. If you're interested in beta testing, drop Thursby a line here.

Group Logic is recommending that ExtremeZ-IP users install the company's latest hot fix 6.0.2.4 on the server in order to server Snow Leopard clients. The company also said that in September it will release an update to ExtremeZ-IP to take care of two minor issues:

1. Mac OS X 10.6 clients get an error when attempting to mount an ExtremeZ-IP volume containing Unicode characters.
2. A file or folder's owner and group can appear as unknown when performing a Get Info in Finder.

ExtremeZ-IP is an AFP file/print server that runs on Windows to serve Mac clients.

Scott Roach reports that a problem that we reported with Leopard and the Cisco VPN Mac client Split DNS feature also occurs with Snow Leopard. He did some testing and reported his findings:

I can confirm that trying to use the Split DNS feature on the Cisco VPN Client (4.9.01.0180) will cause networking issues. The Split DNS feature is implemented on the VPN Device. I have verified that this is part of the problem by running some DNS queries and this is what I found... Read entire story here

Readers have written in with solutions for a problem with the Cisco VPN client for Mac, where the client reports Error 51 and can't connect. Several readers reported that upgarding the client to version 4.9.01 (0180) fixes the problem. Another reader sent a link to a fix that recommends typing this command in Terminal:

sudo /System/Library/StartupItems/CiscoVPN/CiscoVPN restart

We also had a comment that the Cisco Mac client won't work in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard...Read entire story here

Rich Dagel has another suggestion for the problem of slow Mac DHCP assignments through Cisco switches:

Use to have the same issue. Check the portfast. Also, a big one for us was port host command. It would sometimes take up to 60 seconds for a Mac to get an IP address before we used the port host command.

We've previously reported other suggestions for this problem. If you have one

Chris Simons reports that the Mac OS X 10.5.8 update cause a problem with access to an SMB Windows server:

I wanted to let you know about a problem I found with the 10.5.8 update. We connect our Macs to a Windows storage server and create an SMB connection to the server for the drives to allow access. The new update has caused an issue with this. We can see most folders and files but some folders don't show as a folder icon or if they do show and we open it up there are no files there. I have checked the server and the files are there. I have also checked from a Tiger OS based Mac and it works just fine.

If you've seen this problem

Clay Murphy has a theory about the problem with SMB permissions randomly changing with Microsoft Office files, but sees it with Quark files:

I'm a Leopard user on a Windows 2003 Server and experienced this issue as well. Primarily with Quark docs that are saved across a network. We are troubleshooting this currently and it seems to be a switch overload issue. Not confirmed yet.

If you've seen this issue

Kevin Cole has an issue with a scanner in Windows 7 beta in Boot Camp:

I read an earlier post regarding the installation of Win 7 on a Mac. I am running Win 7 via Boot Camp on a Mac Pro and everything is working fine accept my Visioneer Patriot 430 Scanner which connects via USB. The scanner works fine for the first and second scan, but once I get to the third, the "scanning" dialog box opens, but the scan never occurs. I have tried removing the driver, reinstalling per the support instructions offered on Visioneer's website with no success. I am wondering if other users are having problems with USB devices as well? Any suggestions you may have for me would be greatly appreciated.

If you've seen this problem

Parallels today released Parallels Desktop Switch to Mac Edition (US $99). Aimed at Windows users buying their first Mac, the Switch to Mac Edition is a bundle of Parallels Desktop virtualization software, a USB migration cable and software, and interactive tutorials on how to use Mac OS X.

Parallels High Speed USB Transfer Cable connects a Mac and PC and includes flash ROM containing Enhanced Parallels Transporter software. The software launches in Windows when the cable is plugged in. A wizard guides the user through migrating the entire PC environment into Parallels Desktop running on the Mac, and the software does the work. The cable can move the Windows operating system itself, as well as Windows applications, files, and other data.

The ClickTour tutorials focus on teaching the Mac interface to new users. It first present the Mac desktop. When you roll the mouse over a portion, it brings up a definition in what looks like a QuickLook window. The users can then click on anything on the screen to bring up a video tutorial. The tutorials focus on describing the Mac OS X interface items in terms of the Windows equivalents. There are also tutorials on how to use Parallels Desktop. A Quick Reference Guide is also included.

Mediafour has released MacDrive 8.0.1, and update to the software that enables Windows to read, write, and format Mac storage media. The update can now create HFS+ partitions of over 2 TB in size, and increases performance for folders containing large numbers of files on Mac-formatted storage media. MacDrive 8.0.1 also fixes a number of bugs, including problems with Time Machine backups.

On Friday, Microsoft released the Office 2008 for Mac 12.2.1 Update, which fixes bug in the recently released Service Pack 2 for Office 2008. The Service Pack 2 bug prevented Office 2008 applications from opening Open XML files (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) files that were created with Office 2007 for Windows. The bug (and the fix) also applied to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint templates.

Microsoft also released the Open XML File Format Converter 1.1.1 Update, which fixes bug in version 1.1 that was similar that in Office 2008 SP2. Open XML File Format Converter is a free utility for converting .docx, .xmlx, and .pptx files to previous Office versions (.doc, .xml, .ppt). The utility is intended for users of Office 2004, which does not support the Open XML formats.

Graham Norbury tried the Office 2008 12.2.1 update and confirmed that it fixes the bug:

FInally Micrsoft seems to have resolved the problem with the Office 2008 12.2.1 update. With SP2, I discovered that I could open some .pptx files, but many I could not. However, now with 12.2.1, so far I have opened all the files without any problems.

If you've tried the update to Office or the File Format Converter

On Thurdsay, Apple released the Mac OS X 10.5.8 update and the Mac OS X Server 10.5.8 update, which include stability improvements as well as the latest security updates. The client and server updates list improved reliability for AFP file sharing. Apple said that the client update improves compatibility with Managed Client, a feature enables Mac OS X Leopard to control client preferences. Other server improvements include more consistent VPN throughput regardless of load, and better reliability in propagating file system permissions.

If you've used this update on the client or server if it fixed or caused any problems.

Kristi Herzer responded to a report about permissions randomly changing with Microsoft Office files on an SMB file server:

I am a fill-in administrator for a network of Mac G5s running OS Leopard 10.5.7 and have had issues of late with permissions randomly changing to read-only while a coworker is actively working. When changing the permissions back to read-and-write I often have to reboot to have access as the administrator.

The files are not on the local hard drive, but the user in question is directly connected to the drive on which the files reside. I don't know if this makes a difference, and no one else has reported an issue when they connect to the drive and work off of it.

If you've seen this problem

Tod Wildason reports getting an Error 51 with the Cisco VPN Client since upgrading to Mac OS X 10.5.7. We've had several reports of this problem, though Wildason's is the first to mention the error message:

Ever since upgrading to Leopard 10.5.7, I can't use the Cisco VPN Client 4.9.01 (0100) to connect to work. I keep getting the Error 51 message, which indicated that no network subsystem is up and had an IP connection for the VPN client to use. Each time I have a good connection and have tried it over wireless Ethernet, broadband cellular, and wired Ethernet. Seems to be a much more pervasive issues than just a software anomaly requiring a restart.

If you've seen this issue

A reader reports that a clean download of Office 2008 SP2 does not have the bug that prevents it from opening Open XML files (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) created by Office 2007 for Windows. Another reader said that SP2 actually fixed an Entourage sync issue. A third reader uses Numbers. Ben Brown downloaded a preinstalled version... Read entire story here

Two readers suggested that DNS issues may be the cause of problems with the Cisco VPN Client for Mac v.4.9.01 client not connecting and not resolving names. Specifically, Oliver Block suggests a Cisco feature called Split-DNS:

Perhaps the administrator of the VPN device disabled split-DNS. Split-DNS is a feature on Cisco devices that allows Cisco VPN Clients to use the DNS server specified by the VPN device for resolving names in certain domains... Read entire story here

On Friday, Amazon began taking pre-orders for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and Snow Leopard Server, which Apple will ship in September. The single version is $29, a family 5-pack is $49, and a bundle with iLife and iWork is $149. Snow Leopard Server is $500 for unlimited clients. Amazon is also taking pre-orders for the new book, Snow Leopard Server For Dummies by John Rizzo (US $19.79).

Norbert Schönbauer says that his problems with Mac OS X 10.5.7 connecting to SMB had to do with firewall ports:

I experienced similar problems after we had switched to a different software firewall on some Windows XP machines. I could no longer access the files on those PCs with my Mac (iBook with 10.5.7). Then I learned that the Mac used odd ports for the SMB connection. After I opened those ports that were blocked following the firewall log on the Windows XP machine, everything was working fine again. From the perspective of the firewall of the PC the affected ports were: Remote UDP ports (which usually are 137, 138 and 445).

If you seen this

Chris Cronbaugh verified a previously reported fix for Leopard 10.5.7 SMB file sharing problems:

After having problems with file sharing between my MacBook running Mac OS X 10.5.7 and my PC running Windows XP, I came across your website while looking for help from the internet community. I just wanted to let you know that Chris Lewis's procedure for fixing the problem worked for me.

If you tried the procedure

Leigh Wilson send a follow-up on the Boot Camp problem with AutoCAD licenses in Windows:

Stephen Durman is correct about having to remove any external hard drives, in fact, any storage devices, before booting up AutoCAD or Revit. I thought that I had already mentioned this as the culprit. However, the real culprit is the proprietary licensing protections...Read entire story here

Robert Tuck gave up on trying to fix Windows blue screening with Skype in Boot Camp:

I've seen this same issue. We ended up having the user run Fusion instead of Boot Camp. Couldn't get around it. No driver updates out there to help, and Apple doesn't care to support their Windows drivers.

We haven't heard of a workaround. If you have

Leigh Wilson is wondering what is the best way to create a triple-boot Mac with two Boot Camp partitions. There are lots of suggestions on the Web, such as this one at Mac OS X Hints. Wilson wants to use two drives:

I am getting very crowded on my Boot Camp partition and am going to have to rebuild (was using FAT32). I would like to partition three ways this time, one hard drive for Mac and Windows XP and the other hard drive Vista 64 bit. I like to know if others have done this. I have 2 internal hard drives on the Mac Pro and one is completely empty, and I have more ram than I can use. I'm afraid that AutoCAD/ Revit will definitely have difficulty reading the registry properly, but want it over on Vista 64 bit Pro. The 64-bit Vista runs most comparably to Mac. Apple support has suggested an article in which someone has three partitions and using the three operating systems that I mentioned.

what you think is the best way to get multiple Boot Camp partitions on multiple drives.

Last week, Kerio released Kerio WinRoute Firewall 6.7, an update to the security gateway suite for Windows servers. New features include a Mac VPN client that is compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, and a web-based administration interface that enables management from any OS. Previously, the Windows-based console was the only management tool. Also new is the Web Filter module, and extra layer to block malicious web sites, among other things. Winroute Firewall contains a firewall, anti-virus, virtual private network server, bandwidth control, and Internet link load balancer.

Kerio Web Filter analyzes web sites and helps customers develop policies with a database (updated daily) of 53 categories of web sites that could be blocked. These include sites know to be infected with malware and non-productivity sites such as Facebook. Web Filter also can schedule hours to block, so that users can access Facebook and other sites during lunch hours.

Winroute Firewall 6.7 can also can block individual users and peer-to-peer traffic.

Kerio WinRoute Firewall 6.7 starts at US $329 for ten users. The optional Kerio Web Filter module starts at US $150 for ten users. a free 30-day demo includes tech support.

Microsoft is recommending that Office 2008 users who upgraded Service Pack 2 should remove it and roll back to an earlier version. The update, released last week, disables Office for Mac applications' ability to open files in the Open XML format (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) created by Office 2007 for Windows. Microsoft offers these options, amoung others:

Remove Office manually, reinstall Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac from the original installation media, and then upgrade to Office 2008 for Mac 12.1.9 Update. Do not upgrade to Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Service Pack 2 (12.2.0) from Microsoft AutoUpdate ...Read entire story here

Readers rebut advice on Entourage database rebuilds

Reader says Cisco VPN can't resolve name on OS X 10.5.7

Stephen Durman reports having the problem of Windows XP using most of the Macs processing cores in Boot Camp. He tried previously reported workaround, but eventually, Apple replaced the Mac:

We have a MacBook Pro running Windows XP SP3 that does the same thing as Steven Nishida, and we also discovered many months ago that booting to the Mac side, then booting back to Windows fixes the problem. But eventually it will do it again...Read entire story here

Grant Gamble reports that after creating a Word file with an embedded spreadsheet charts in Windows and moving it the Mac, the file size can increase ten-fold after making small edits:

I created a Word file on my MacBook Pro (Aluminum unibody) through Parallels, Windows Word. The file contains charts special pasted from Excel; which means that these graphs can be edited in Word. My problem is that when I move it to my iMac (email/ USB flash drive etc) and open the file in Mac Word; if I edit the in-Word Excel charts, then the file size balloons...Read entire story here

PowerPoint 2008 no longer opens PowerPoint .pptx files after last week's Service Pack 2 update, according to reports by a reader and posts to Microsoft's forum. The problem may also extend to last week's update of the Open XML File Format Converter 1.1. Graham Norbury reports:

Looks like Microsoft has screwed up and PowerPoint can't open pptx files after the update to 12.2. I've got a one-slide simple PowerPoint file (.pptx) that I can no longer open with PowerPoint. I converted it through Keynote. I guess OpenOffice/NeoOffice would be just as good. Looks like there are a few people with the same problem which may exist in the Open XML File Format Converter as well.

If you've seen this problem

Graham Norbury reports problems installing Office 2008 Service Pack 2 when Entourage Web Services Edition Beta is installed. He also forwarded a note from Microsoft about the issue:

I tried the Beta version of Entourage WSE but had too many calendar problems and rolled back to the 'normal' version. This was a huge pain as I had to rebuild my database. I assumed that MS would build the release version of Entourage with WSE so it would upgrade the beta testers. However this is not the case so every beta tester is going to have to roll back to 12.1.5 and then upgrade to the SP2 before they can install the release version with EWS! Here's a note from Microsoft...

...Read entire story here

Two readers recommend against rebuilding an Entourage Database with the Entourage Database Utility. They wrote in response to Reader loses email, calendar when rebuilding Entourage database from last week. Robert Liebsch sent an alternative procedure that doesn't corrupt data:

I have 2 cents to offer regarding Entourage Database corruption: First, never, under any circumstance use the Microsoft Entourage Database Utility with any version of Entourage...Read entire story here

Jeff Sleeper sent a fix for the problem of the Mac OS X 10.5.7 update no longer connecting to SMB shares with the Connect to Server command:

I've experienced this issue and have found that using the Fully Qualified Domain Name for the server can fix the problem. For example: smb://server.domain.com/share

If you've tried this

Group Logic has released ArchiveConnect, a new product that enables Macs to use file archiving and hierarchical storage management (HSM) solutions in the enterprise. ArchiveConnect provides the Mac OS X Finder with archive management functions in a way that prevents mass recalls of archived files. Ordinarily, the Mac OS X Finder file previewing features Quick Look and Cover Flow trigger large numbers of recalls to servers, using a lot of server resources. ArchiveConnect allows online files to be previewed, but prevent previewing of archived files while browsing. Users can bring archived files back online. ArchiveConnect is a lightweight plugin for the Mac OS X Finder.

Stephen Durman said that the problem of losing AutoCAD license in Boot Camp keeps is fixed by unplugging a removable hard drive:

We had the same issue as Leigh Wilson, with losing licensing information on revit and AutoCAD architecture. She relates that she uses external drives but doesn't think this is the problem. In our case it most definitely was the problem. The user had an external drive attached for listening to music. When this was removed, the licensing issues ceased. I hope this helps others.

If you've seen this

Two readers report that the Spanning Tree Protocol used in Cisco and other switches is responsible for slow Mac DHCP assignments. Eric Stein reports:

Turn off spanning tree for the ports connected to Macs or insert dumb switches between the Macs and the dysfunctionally smart Cisco hardware.

John Lockwood in the United Kingdom says this is an old problem...Read entire story here

Microsoft released Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Service Pack 2 (SP2) yesterday, which includes bug fixes, performance boosts, and a new Document Connection utility for better cross-platform collaboration on a SharePoint site or Microsoft Office Live Workspace. The company said that Office 2008 SP2 will be the minimum version of Office required to install Entourage 2008 Web Services Edition, now in beta...Read entire story here

Reader loses email, calander when rebuilding Entourage database

Research In Motion yesterday announced that it will offer BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac in September. The utility will sync calendar appointments, contacts, tasks, iTunes playlists between the company’s BlackBerry smart phones and Macs. The software will also do scheduled backups of BlackBerry data to the Mac, as well as add and remove BlackBerry applications from the Mac. BlackBerry Desktop will also download BlackBerry software and install it on the device.

Eltima Software has released SyncMate Expert 2.0 (US $40), software that syncs date between Macs and Windows Mobile devices via WiFi or USB. The new version adds Bluetooth syncing with Nokia S40 phones, as well as syncing with other Macs and Google accounts. SncyMate Expert 2.0 can sync contacts, calendars, folders, Apple Mail and Entourage notes, iTunes music and video, iPhoto photos, and bookmarks. Eltima also offers a free version of SyncMate will a smaller features list.

Tomas Nemec has a problem with the Cisco VPN Mac client:

Hi, I cannot connect to my office network via a Cisco VPN Client 4.9.01 (0100) running on Mac OS X 10.5.7 (Intel) The only feasible way for me is to connect using Cisco VPN Client running inside my Virtual Windows machine.

If you've seen this issue (More on Cisco VPN at Leopard VPN Tips and Reports.)

Aaron Reynolds can no longer use the Finder's Connect to Server dialog to connect to SMB file shares:

We cannot access Windows Active Directory shares from Mac OS 10.5.7, we have been using "smb://servername" since 10.2, now with 10.5.7 no luck, just sits there saying "connecting" forever. Some say to log out of MobileMe and it fixed there problem (on the official Apple forums) but we don't use MobileMe and still have the problem.

If you've seen this We recently posted some workarounds for 10.5.7 SMB problems.

Elizabeth Hinkle-Turner reports having the problem with Entourage email not getting deleted:

I have the same problem. I delete items in Entourage and yet they are still there in Outlook.

The only suggestion we've received so far is this: "Use the Edit>Purge Deleted Items command for emails that don't delete normally."

If you know of a workaround

Two readers sent in suggestions for fixing or working around Leopard 10.5.7 SMB file sharing problems with Windows. A third reader reports the problem and the issue with network attached storage.

Michael Millar uses Cisco Network Magic, a file transfer utility:

I run a small satellite office for my law firm. As a satellite office, we are lucky if we get one or two visits a year from the firm's IT guys. So, we make do on our own. We have three Win XP machines and my MacBook Pro running Mac OS X 10.5.7. We use one of the Win XP machines as our "server" and local file sharing. I experienced a lot of flaky problems connecting my Mac to the Windows machines including occasionally losing write privileges to the server...

...Read entire story here

Jens Lodholm found some documentation that may fix problems with Macs with slow DHCP connections through Cisco switches:

In response to Roger's slow DHCP assignments on Cisco switches, here's a link with advice on altering settings on the Cisco gear. Scan for "Reduce Startup Delay."

If you've tried this

Derman Enterprises released Sync'Em 1.32, and update to the sync hub for Macs that's designed to multi-sync Microsoft Exchange Server, Google and Apple contact and calendar information. Version 1.32 adds a Meeting Agent to check Exchange for meeting invites and responses and respond directly via Exchange. This enables users to send invitations from iCal directly to Exchange. The company said that all the normal Exchange-based features will be updated on the Exchange server, including attendee tracking and Free/Busy calendar. Sync'Em 1.32 also fixes a few bugs, works around various iCal/Exchange/Google-server issues, and enhances some error messages and user interface elements.

Paragon Software has released a beta (prerelease) of HFS+ for Windows, new software for that Windows to use Mac-formatted partitions. The drivers enables Windows to read Mac-formatted (HFS+) volumes. The Beta version does not support writing to HFS+ volumes.

Mediafour has released MacDrive 8 (US $50, upgrade US $20), a new version of the software that enables Windows to recognize Mac-formatted storage media, including external hard drives, DVDs, and iPods. The new version adds support for Windows 7 and for Time Machine backup files sets. MacDrive 8 nows also supports drives bigger than 2 terabytes in size.

Windows running in Boot Camp can see the Mac partition when MacDrive is installed. A new feature in Boot Camp is support for Windows 7 Libraries. MacDrive 8 will automatically add content from the Mac partition to the Windows 7 libraries.

MacDrive 8 now enables Windows to browse the backed up files on Time Machine backup sets, and copy those files to Windows. MacDrive 8 also improves creating Mac-formatted CDs, DVDs, and dual layer DVDs in Windows.

Chris Phelps says that Carbonite makes Parallels Desktop run poorly:

I installed Carbonite 1.0 for the Macintosh a couple of months ago and have found that Parallels 4.0.3844 runs exceptionally slowly and crashes frequently. Pausing Carbonite or lowering its priority does nothing to alleviate the issue. Disabling Carbonite permits Parallels to function normally.If you've seen this issue (See also Parallels Desktop Tips and Reports..

... Read entire story here

Eugene Stakhov is seeing the problem with iPhone messages sent to Exchange showing up as gibberish:

Just joining the chorus, that I'm experiencing the exact same problem here. I haven't tried the workarounds you've listed, and probably won't, as I can use my company's Outlook Web Access to get detailed info on emails I've sent from my iPhone (one of the Microsoft workarounds from KnowledgeBase ). But it definitely is frustrating!

If you've seen this issue

Emaculation.com has posted a new build of SheepShaver, the open software that enables Intel Macs to run classic Mac OS (OS 9 and earlier). Michael Goodine describes the update:

This one offers a fix for the "cannot map RAM" error that has been bugging a lot of users for a while. That particular bug has made the emulator unusable for some people. The build also incorporates all of the updates from the other builds we've posted. It's now possible to raise the amount of RAM in the emulated machine past the old limits...

... Read entire story here

Several more reports having SMB file sharing problems with Leopard 10.5.7. One reader reports that the Workgroup name keeps disappearing. Another reader says the problem is two-way.

Barbara Snyder sees it from the newest 10.5.8, in the Finder and Connect to Server:

I am switching from WIndows to Mac, (10.5.8 on a MacBook Pro) so all is new to me, although I'm a longtime geek and thus a fast learner. When I first turned on the Mac, I could access my desktop PC in Finder immediately and I was thrilled! Now I can't connect to any of the shared folders. When I try, I get an error "The operation cannot be completed because the original item for <foldername> cannot be found."... I also can't connect from the Finder via Go to server command....

... Read entire story here

John Grubb responded to last week's report of a problem with Mac OS X connections to Cisco hardware:

Yes. Mac OS X seems to continually degrade on its connection to Cisco switches and routers. I suspect the configd file is part of the culprit, but have no proof.

If you've seen this

Donald Clark is seeing user permissions change with PowerPoint and Excel files. He's using ACLs in Open Directory, and calls to Apple and Microsoft haven't helped:

I have been having problems with 10.5.5, 10.5.6, and 10.5.7. There is one easily reproducible problem: A PowerPoint file made on a Mac (10.5.7) with Office 2008 (both fully patched) and saved to the share point as a .ppt file will always open on a PC as Read Only. The only way around the issue is for the PC user to manually change the permissions using the Security Tab in the file preferences or for another Mac to access the file and save a change prior to the PC trying to access it...

... Read entire story here

Mark/Space has released The Missing Sync for Palm Pre, for Mac, Release 1.0 (US $40). The software selectively syncs the new smartphone with Mac applications, including Microsoft Entourage, Address Book, iCal, iTunes, iPhoto, and others. Missing Sync for Palm Pre can sync contacts and calendars automatically and wirelessly: the software can recognize when it is near a Mac and start a sync.

Contacts from Address Book can be viewed together on the Palm Pre in a single list that links them with contacts from Google and Facebook accounts. Calendars from iCal can be viewed or layered together in a single view with other calendars or individually.

The Missing Sync for Palm Pre also can transfer and sync music, playlists, podcasts, ringtones, photos, video, and Office and PDF files with a USB cable. The Missing Sync converts and transfers digital video optimized for the best viewing experience on Pre. It can transfer and sync selected photo albums and music playlists and podcasts with iPhoto and iTunes. A built-in ringtone editor enables users to customize and create ringtones from music.

Mark/Space has announced that that it will release Windows XP and Vista versions of The Missing Sync for Palm Pre.

Two readers have sent in advice for running classic Mac OS (7.5.2-through-9.0.4) on Intel Macs. They are using SheepShaver, a free PowerPC emulator. Both readers are using an unofficial, preconfigured bundle called COI Chubby Bunny, which includes an old Mac ROM image, which is required. The Chubby Bunny bundle is from January of this year, however, and doesn't include the lastest SheepShaver build. (There is also a Windows version of SheepShaver, for running classic Mac OS on Windows.) Philip Belmont recommends not changing the preferences... Read entire story here

Chris Guest shared his experience with the recently released Sun VirtualBox 3.0 virtualization software:

I have installed VirtualBox 3.0 on a Mac Mini 2.26Ghz, 320GB hard drive. I installed Windows XP Pro, Office 2007 Enterprise, and Norton Internet Security. I allocated 2Gb RAM to VirtualBox, with 20Gb virtual hard drive.

In comparison with my wife's Toshiba Satellite Pro A200 (Core2Duo 1.6Ghz) laptop (also running XP Pro), VirtuaBox feels 'snappier' than the Toshiba...

Read entire story here

Fred Horvat reported that a Microsoft update for Internet Explorer 8 has enabled it to run in the now discontinued Virtual PC for PowerPC Macs:

Here's an update to my last E-mail on 05-03-09 in regards to IE8 not working under VPC 7.0.3 with XP or Vista. Since then the latest IE8 patches seemed to have fixed the issue. Craig MacKenna on Microsoft's VPC for Mac newsgroup microsoft.public.mac.virtualpc stated that during the installation when the question of "do I want to include updates" you must answer "YES" to this for IE8 to work in VPC. He tried it both ways and if answered "NO" it will not work.

I tried this on XP Pro and Vista Ultimate and it does indeed work as described.

If you tried this

Marcus Sjoholm is another reader with a problem with Windows in Boot Camp and a Matrox DualHead2go, an external device for running multiple monitors:

I am trying to run a Matrox DualHead2go (VGA) on a Mac Mini with Boot Camp in Windows XP SP3. The installation worked fine, it detects both screens BUT I can only get it to run in stretched mode or clone mode. But since the screens are not placed beside each other (one of the screens will only show photos and film) I need it to run in Extended mode. I do not get Windows to realize that it has two screens, so I never get the "Extend my Windows.”

If you've seen this issue

SMB file sharing issues have been widely reported with Leopard since Mac OS X 10.5.0. A couple of readers now report problems with 10.5.7. Polly Yen has the problem in both directions:

10.5.7 samba is not working. I have this issue, where I cannot connect from the Mac to my shard folder on my PC. I can ping the IP, I can remote log in, but I cannot connect to the shared folder. Also, from the PC (Vista ultimate) I cannot find the MacBook Pro.

Rogers Saxon tried an old suggestion from early Leopard builds:

I have the latest Mac 10.5.7 update. I tried turning off IPv6. The fix, I'm sorry to say, only lasted about 5 minutes. I can no longer reach the other computers in my network (PC's, one with Vista and one with XP). The IPv6 trick doesn't work anymore.

If you're having file sharing problems with Mac OS X 10.5.7

David F. reports another case of the Leopard 10.5.7 problems with network attached storage. He also has a permissions problem:

My NAS = Buffalo LinkStation 1GB. Yes, I experience a similar problem with the NAS not showing up at boot up or else going AWOL while running. I also have AFP running on the NAS in addition to SMB.

Moreover, I have an extra gremlin with file permissions selectively going fubar: some of my folders (perhaps created by psuedo running MTR) are not accessible - even by sudo - and they resist every attempt to have their permissions changed! (by super getinfo; file examiner; batchomd; etc). I don't think these two phenomena are related.

One never knows what is related to what. If you do,

Roger reports a problem with slow DHCP assignments:

I have a problem since we installed Cisco 1 Gb switches at work that it takes 30-40 seconds to get an IP address from the DHCP on the network. We're using a Juniper device. Until I get a good address I can not access anything on the network or Internet, once this has been resolved then everything worked fine. The OS X machines on the network are using 10.3.9 and 10.4.11. The OS 9 machines do not have this problem.

If you've seen this issue

Syncables has released Syncables Desktop Premium 5.1 (US $50), software that can sync data between Mac, Windows, and Linux computers, as well as share data and stream music and video between computers. Syncables Desktop Premium can sync files, bookmarks (Internet Explorer and Firefox), music, and photos. It can also sync email message between Outlook and Windows Mail on Windows and Thunderbird on Mac OS X. Syncing options include two-way syncing and one-way migration of data.

Syncables can also stream music and video from one computer to be viewed on another over a local network. Users can also view files located on another computer. Cross-platform file sharing comes with password protection.

For Internet sharing, Syncables can upload and playback content to Facebook, YouTube and SmugMug from within the application.

Syncables Desktop Premium is the version that supports Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux. Syncables Desktop (US $30) supports any one of these operating systems. A free trial version is also available.

Simon Blanco verified a previously report fix for problems installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3):

Thanks a lot your excellent report titled TIP: Workaround for Boot Camp insufficient drive space issue (or, How to install XP SP3 in Boot Camp). It just let me install fine the SP3. Yours is the only solution in the whole web that really works.

DataViz has release Documents To Go for iPhone (US $5) on the Apple App Store. The software enables iPhone users to create and edit and Microsoft Word files (.doc and .docx). DataViz also offers a version with support for Exchange email attachments (US $10), which enables users to send, receive and edit attachments on their iPhones. Excel, PowerPoint, PDF and other attachment types can be viewed as well as attached to new e-mails sent from within Documents To Go. The software also comes with software for two-way synchronizing with Windows and Mac OS X.

Documents to Go for iPhone supports cut/copy/paste, text selection, predictive text entry, bulleted and numbered lists, bold, italics, underline, embedded pictures, tables, word count, password-protected files and the ability to edit in landscape view. All original file formatting is retained once a file has been edited and forwarded on.