About the .Mac Service

Note

A membership to .Mac costs US $99.95 for one year. If you don’t live in the United States, Apple accepts payment in nine other currencies. You can try a limited version of .Mac free for two months.

For the membership fee, you receive the following services:

• Mac.com Mail: provides email service from Apple’s servers with an initial 15 megabytes of storage, featuring a nifty [e-mail] address, and Web mail access from any computer with a supported Web browser. You have the option to purchase additional storage.

• .Mac Web mail: access your Mac.com email account from any Web browser.

• .Mac Address Book: store your contact information on the Web so you can access email addresses whenever you use .Mac Mail via the Web.

• iDisk: file storage space on Apple’s Internet servers, which can be used to share files with anyone you wish, transfer files between computers, or back up your computer’s files. The initial storage space of 100MB can be upgraded to a maximum of 1 gigabyte of space.

• iDisk Utility: allows users of Mac OS X 10.2 to quickly open their iDisk, view or add to their iDisk storage, assign a password and read-write access to their Public folder, or connect to the Public folder of another member. Mac OS X 10.3 users can use the same functionality built in to the new .Mac System Preferences pane.

• iChatAV: an application that provides instant text messaging to other .Mac or AOL members using AIM, and voice or video messaging to .Mac members using iChatAV.

• Backup: a utility that copies the files you choose from your hard disk to a CD, DVD, or your iDisk.

• Virex: a utility that protects your Mac against computer viruses.

• HomePage: simplifies the creation of personal Web sites to publish text, photos from iPhoto, or movies.

• iCards: digital greeting cards for email, with a wide range of photos or messages to choose from. Standard iCards can be sent without a .Mac membership, but Create-your-own iCards, using your own images, requires .Mac membership.

• Slides Publisher: an application that creates a slideshow of photos on your iDisk that can be viewed over the Internet by anyone with Mac OS X 10.2 and above as a slideshow screen saver.

• Member Benefits: a constantly changing assortment of free downloads, discounted software, and special offers.

• iCal application: allows users to publish their calendars to their iDisk so others can view them over the Internet.

• iSync application: allows users to synchronize Address Book contacts, iCal calendars, and Safari bookmarks between Macs.

Requirements to use .Mac

Apple’s stated requirements to use the .Mac service are provided in the following list:

• You must be age 13 or older.

• From a Macintosh computer, you must use Mac OS 9 or Mac OS X.

• From a Windows computer, you must use Microsoft Windows 98, Windows 2000, or Windows XP. You can only access the .Mac Web mail, a Web page created by a .Mac user using HomePage on a Macintosh, or see a .Mac member’s Public Folder in their iDisk.

• Unix or Linux-based computers can access your iDisk or a Public Folder using the Internet file sharing protocol WebDAV.

• Web browsers: Mac OS X Safari recommended or Mac OS 9 or Windows.

• Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 5.0 or later

• Netscape Communicator Version 4.7x; Netscape 6.0 is not supported.

• E-mail applications: Mac OS X Mail, Microsoft Outlook Express, and Netscape Navigator or Communicator are recommended.

Figure 18-2 shows the page where .Mac members can log in to the services.

Figure 18-2: The .Mac log in Web page. (Web page courtesy of Apple Computer, Inc.)

Signing up for a .Mac account

Apple has made signing up for .Mac membership very easy; in fact, we count four different ways to join. Take your pick.

The retail box option

You can buy a .Mac account at any Apple Store, or at certain other retailers. You get a shrink-wrapped cardboard box that contains a CD, a “Getting Started” instruction card with a .Mac activation key sticker, and two Apple logo stickers.

The CD contains the Backup, iDisk, iSync, and Virex utilities and iPhoto, along with some more in depth instructions. This software either comes with Mac OS X 10.3 or can be readily downloaded, usually in more recent versions.

To activate the membership, go to www.mac.com/activate, where you enter your activation key, create a new account or upgrade a trial account, and pick your member name and password. You are also asked to provide your contact information, and you have the option to renew your membership automatically by entering credit card information.

The .Mac retail package is a nice way to give a .Mac membership as a gift, but if you already use Mac OS X 10.2 or above, and have Internet access, you can join .Mac immediately, without having to go to a store.

The online sign-up option

To become a .Mac member by signing up online from any computer with an Internet connection, go to either www.mac.com, or to Apple’s home page at www.apple.com and click the .Mac tab. You will see a Web page detailing the benefits of a .Mac membership. Here you can sign up for the free 60-day trial. To become a member, click Ready to Join?

The Mac OS X installation option

Signing up for a .Mac account is possible during the initial setup process that follows installation of Mac OS X. If you already have a .Mac account at that time, the Setup Assistant program offers to configure Mac OS X to use your account. If you don’t already have a .Mac account, the Setup Assistant offers to create one on the spot. You can also choose to skip either choice, and not sign up.

The .Mac System Preferences option

If you are already running Mac OS X and did not create a .Mac account during installation, or if you’d like another .Mac account, you can easily create one at any time. To do this, perform the following steps:

1. Start System Preferences by choosing Apple System Preferences or by clicking the System Preferences icon in the Dock.

2. Click the .Mac icon or choose View .Mac.

3. Click the .Mac tab button and then click the Sign Up button. Your Web browser opens and displays the .Mac sign-up page.

Details about signing up

Whichever option you use to join .Mac, you end up at the .Mac sign-up page, shown in Figure 18-3. This page’s format could change slightly, but should look very much like what you see here.

Figure 18-3: The .Mac sign-up page. (Web page courtesy of Apple Computer, Inc.)

You are asked to fill in personal information and select a member name and password. Your member name is what will precede @mac.com in your .Mac email address. For example, if you choose Jdoe as your member name, your email address will be [e-mail].

Your member name cannot be changed after your account is established. The password you select can be changed at any time.

After you fill out and submit the form, you are informed if your account request was accepted. If you failed to provide some required information, you are asked to resubmit the form with the missing information included. Another possible reason for a rejected request is if your selected member name is already in use. If that problem arises, you are asked to try a different member name, and .Mac suggests some variations of the one you originally proposed.

Next, you are asked to pay for your membership with a credit card (unless you already entered the activation key from the retail package). Your account automatically renews each year using your credit card information unless you deselect the Auto-Renew checkbox.

After your account exists, you’re informed that a copy of your sign-up information is sent to your new email account. (See Chapter 6 for a discussion of using Mac OS X Mail to access your .Mac e-mail.) Following that, you are asked whether you want to send announcement iCards (electronic greeting cards) to people informing them of your new email address.

Figure 18-4 shows the .Mac welcome Web page that members see after logging in.

Figure 18-4: Apple’s .Mac welcome page. (Web page courtesy of Apple Computer, Inc.)

Updating or upgrading your .Mac membership

You can update your address, billing information, or password at any time by going to www.mac.com and clicking Account on the .Mac tab. At the same place, you can upgrade your account to include additional iDisk or email storage space, or additional email-only accounts.

You can buy up to 200 megabytes of email storage, 1 gigabyte of iDisk storage, and up to 10 additional 5 megabyte email accounts, whose storage cannot be increased.

The amount you pay to upgrade depends on how much time is left in your yearly membership.

Configuring Mac OS X for your .Mac account using the .Mac System Preference pane

When you get a new .Mac account, you can (and should) configure Mac OS X to use that particular .Mac account. Configuring Mac OS X to use a .Mac account enables you to connect easily to that account’s iDisk in the Finder. Doing so also sets up the Mail application to use the account for e-mail.

To configure Mac OS X for a .Mac account, follow these steps:

1. Start System Preferences. Either choose Apple System Preferences or click the System Preferences icon in the Dock.

2. Click the .Mac icon or choose View .Mac.

3. Click the .Mac button and then enter your .Mac member name and password. Figure 18-5 shows the .Mac panel.

   
   Figure 18-5: Set up your membership at the .Mac panel.

If you enter your .Mac member name and password in the Setup Assistant following the installation of Mac OS X, this information is automatically entered into the .Mac System Preference pane.

Note

If you change your .Mac password, you must enter the new password in the .Mac System Preference pane.

Mac.com email service

Mac Mail Mac.com (also known as Mac.com) is .Mac’s premium email service. The following list provides the service’s key features:

• A Web-based email account which is ISP (Internet Service Provider) independent; you can keep your Mac.com address if you change your ISP.

• Your email address is your .Mac member name followed by @mac.com.

• Use any standard email program to read your mail.

• Send and receive your email from any Mac or Windows machine with an Internet connection via .Mac Mail on the Web.

• 15 megabyte mailbox, expandable up to 200 megabytes.

• Auto-reply to incoming email.

• Message forwarding to an alternate email address.

• Add a text or photo signature to outgoing emails.

You have two choices to read your .Mac Mail messages. You can configure your email program to receive .Mac Mail messages, or you can use your Web browser to access .Mac Mail on the Web.

Setting up Mac OS X Mail to receive .Mac Mail messages

Mac OS X’s included Mail application must be set up to receive messages from .Mac Mail. Follow this procedure:

1. Follow the instructions above under the heading “Configuring Mac OS X for your .Mac account using the .Mac System Preference pane.”

2. Open the Mail application.

3. Choose Preferences from the Mail menu.

4. Click the Accounts icon.

5. Click the Add Account (plus sign) button.

6. From the Account Type pop-up window, choose .Mac, shown in Figure 18-6.

   
   Figure 18-6: The Mail application’s Accounts sheet at the Account Information panel.

7. Enter your account information into the fields. Your email address is entered automatically from the information in the .Mac System Preference pane.

8. Click OK.

9. Close the Accounts window.

Mac Mail on the Web

You can access you .Mac mail account with any Web browser on any Internet connected computer via its Web interface, shown in Figure 18-7.

Figure 18-7: The .Mac mail on the Web interface. (Web page courtesy of Apple Computer, Inc.)

To use Mac.com Web mail, follow these steps:

1. Go to the .Mac Web page at www.mac.com

2. Click .Mac Mail.

3. Enter your member name and password. If you have forgotten them, they were sent to you in your welcome email.

4. The .Mac Mail Web interface opens (see Figure 18-7).

5. Click the Address Book icon in the toolbar.

6. Enter email addresses into the Address Book. Check the Quick Address checkbox in right column for those you use the most to have them conveniently appear in a 10-item pop-up menu next to address field when you compose a message. You can also sync this online address book with the Mac OS X Address book application using iSync (see the iSync section later in this Chapter for instructions).

7. Click the Compose icon in either the Address Book or the .Mac Mail interface to create a new email.

Setting .Mac Mail preferences

To set preferences for .Mac Mail, click the Preferences icon in the toolbar. Figure 18-8 shows the Preferences interface.

Figure 18-8: The .Mac Mail on the Web Preferences page. (Web page courtesy of Apple Computer, Inc.)

At the top right, a bar shows the email storage you have used compared to how much is available. Click the Buy More button to upgrade your email storage.

In the Composing section, you can choose an image from your hard drive to use as your photo signature, to appear on outgoing emails. The image looks best if you use iPhoto to create a 64 x 64-pixel image. You can also enter text in the Signature field to add to each email you send; many type their name and contact information here, and sometimes a favorite quotation or saying.

In the Viewing section, set your time zone, the number of messages to appear on the page, and set the Show All Headers option.

In the Account section, click the Email Forwarding checkbox to forward your mac.com email to another address; enter the destination address in the field below. This affects all incoming email, whether you read it using a desktop email program or .Mac Mail on the Web. If you are going away and cannot check your email for awhile, check the Auto Reply checkbox and compose your outgoing message in the field below.

Tips for Using .Mac Mail on the Web

The following list provides you with helpful tips on using .Mac mail:

• A .Mac Mail message must be 3 megabytes or smaller to be sent successfully, including any attachments.

• You can create new folders to organize your messages by clicking Show Folders and then clicking the New icon. The folders you create will appear in the Go To pop-up menu; select the folder here to view its contents.

• To move messages to a particular folder, open the message or select its checkbox and then choose the destination folder from the Move To Folder pop-up menu.

• Deleted messages are moved to the Deleted messages folder, where it is saved for 30 days before it is permanently deleted. You can manually empty the folder anytime you wish by choosing Show Folders, clicking the checkbox next to the Deleted Messages folder, and clicking Empty. Permanently delete messages without saving them for 30 days, by clicking Preferences and deselecting the “Moved Deleted Messages To” checkbox.

• You can change the folder where deleted messages are saved. Click Preferences and choose a folder from the “Move Deleted Messages To” pop-up menu.

• Search for a specific message in the current folder using the Search field. Pick Subject, From, To, or CC from the “in” pop-up menu. Click the button with the magnifying glass to start the search.

• To search for a word or phrase in the body of an open message, use your browser’s Find feature.

• To format a message so that the printed version only contains header information and body text, open the message and then click Print Ready. Otherwise, your Web browser will print the .Mac tabs and the .Mac Mail toolbar.

In the section below the Account section, under the Check Other POP Mail heading, you can enter the email address, Incoming Mail server, User Name, and Password of an email account you want to view along with your .Mac Mail account. Choose a folder to import the mail into from Import POP to: pop-up menu; the default is INBOX. Click the Leave Messages on Server checkbox to do just that, in order to retain the availability of the messages to email programs that are set to check this account. Click the Get Other Mail button to add another account to be checked.

Tip

AOL’s email program cannot be used to view .Mac Mail messages directly, but you can set your .Mac Mail account to forward email to your AOL account.

.Mac Address Book

The .Mac Address Book exists on the Web for your use when addressing a message in .Mac Mail on the Web. You can add addresses manually, or have iSync synchronize it with the Address Book application on your Macintosh.

Figure 18-9 shows the page that appears the first time you click the Address Book icon in .Mac mail on the Web.

Figure 18-9: The .Mac Address Book Synchronization Learn More page appears the first time you click the Address Book icon in .Mac mail on the Web. (Web page courtesy of Apple Computer, Inc.)

Add addresses manually to the .Mac Address Book by using the following procedure:

1. Go to www.mac.com

2. Click Address Book.

3. Click New.

You can easily add the sender of a message to your .Mac Address Book from .Mac Mail by opening the message and clicking the Add Sender icon.

To insert an address from the .Mac Address Book to a message you are composing:

1. Click the Address Book icon on the composing page.

2. Choose an address field from the Destination pop-up menu of each email address you want to use. The choices are: To, CC, Bcc. That address will be inserted into the field you choose.

3. Click Apply.

Using iDisk

An iDisk is 100 megabytes or more of storage space on Apple’s Internet Servers that can be mounted on your desktop just like another hard drive on your local system.

Apple calls iDisk “Your personal hard disk on the Internet.” You can use iDisk to hide sensitive information you don’t want others to find, because iDisk is password protected. You can use iDisk to transfer files between computers that are not otherwise connected. Your iDisk contains, for your convenience, the latest Macintosh software. And iDisk is an integral part of other .Mac services.

iDisk is tightly integrated into Mac OS X 10.3. The functionality of iDisk Utility, which works with Mac OS X 10.1 or 10.2, has now been integrated into the Mac OS X 10.3 .Mac System Preference pane. You can now even create a local copy of your iDisk and synchronize it with the Internet iDisk automatically.

All you need to use an iDisk in Mac OS X is the Finder that is specially designed to work with iDisks.

Connecting to iDisks with Mac OS X

After configuring Mac OS X for your .Mac account (see above), you can connect to your iDisk with the Finder. You can connect to another iDisk if you know the name and password of the corresponding .Mac account. You can also connect to an iDisk with a Web browser. In addition, you can connect to iDisks by using aliases or Favorites that you have created.

Connecting to your iDisk with the Finder

If you have configured Mac OS X with your .Mac member name and password, you can open your iDisk with the Finder, which mounts its icon on your desktop, and allows you see its contents and copy files to or from it.

To open your iDisk in Mac OS X 10.3:

1. Switch to the Finder.

2. From the Go menu, click and hold on iDisk. The iDisk submenu appears.

3. Choose My iDisk. Note that you have options to open another user’s iDisk or Public Folder in the submenu. See Figure 18-10.

   
   Figure 18-10: Choose My iDisk from the Finder’s Go menu to connect to your iDisk.

After a short time, the iDisk icon appears on the desktop. Its name is your .Mac member name. A window showing its contents should automatically open.

Alternatively, you can click the iDisk button in the sidebar of any Finder window.

Connecting to another member’s iDisk with the Finder

If you want to connect to the iDisk of another .Mac member, they need to provide you with their .Mac Member Name and Password. This is a good way to allow someone you trust to transfer files to you. Follow these steps:

1. Switch to the Finder.

2. From the Go menu, click and hold on iDisk. The iDisk submenu appears.

3. Choose Other User’s iDisk. The Connect to iDisk dialog opens.

4. Enter the Member Name and Password.

5. Click Connect.

After a moment, the iDisk icon will appear on the desktop. Its name is the .Mac member’s name. A window showing its contents should automatically open.

Connecting to another member’s Public Folder with the Finder

Each iDisk contains a Public Folder that can usually be easily accessed by others without entering your .Mac password. All they need to know is your .Mac member name, unless you change your Public Folder’s default settings in the .Mac System Preference pane(described below) to require a password.

The Public folder of your iDisk is interesting because it enables you to share files with other Internet users — both Mac and PC. Anything you place in this folder is automatically available to users who access it. Only you can change the contents of your Public folder. Conversely, you can see and copy, but can’t change, files in the Public folder of anyone else’s iDisk.

Follow these steps to connect to another member’s Public Folder:

1. Switch to the Finder.

2. From the Go menu, click and hold on iDisk. The iDisk submenu appears.

3. Choose Other User’s Public Folder. The Connect to iDisk Public Folder dialog opens.

4. Enter the Member Name.

5. Click Connect.

After a short delay, the Public Folder icon appears on the desktop. You see an iDisk icon with an additional yellow diamond-shaped sign with a walking figure on it named: membername-Public. A window showing its contents should automatically open.

Connecting to an iDisk with a Web browser

Although the Finder is the most convenient means of connecting to an iDisk, you can also connect by using a Web browser. In the Web browser, go to the .Mac page of the Apple Web site (www.mac.com). Click the iDisk link, sign in with your .Mac member name and password, and then click the Open Your Disk button. Your iDisk appears in the Finder.

Connecting to an iDisk with an alias

While connected to an iDisk, you can create an alias of the iDisk, as described in Chapter 4. After creating an alias of an iDisk, you can connect to the iDisk again by double-clicking its alias. You can also drag the mounted iDisk icon into the Dock, and click it when you would like to open your iDisk. In either case, you have to enter the .Mac member name and password.

Viewing an iDisk

If you double-click an iDisk, it opens and you see a regular Finder window containing several folders, some of which have the same names as the standard folders of your home folder. You also see a document that you can open to read what Apple has to say about iDisks.

You may notice that items appear slowly in an iDisk window. The iDisk performance is limited by the speed of your Internet connection. However, Mac OS X improves subsequent performance of the iDisk by caching a directory of the iDisk contents. Figure 18-11 shows the folders of an iDisk.

Figure 18-11: The folders inside an iDisk. Notice the syncing progress bar at the bottom of the window.

The eight folders that your iDisk contains are:

• Documents: Anything can be stored in this folder. Only you have access to items inside it.

• Pictures: JPEG or GIF files copied here can be used to create custom iCards, or display them on your Web pages via HomePage.

• Movies: QuickTime movies copied here can be displayed on your Web pages via HomePage.

• Public: Files copied here can be shared with others who know your .Mac member name. HomePage can create a file-sharing Web page that permits any and all Internet users to copy items from your Public folder. You can also password protect this folder, assign read only or read and write access to it.

• Sites: HomePage stores your Web pages in this folder. You can also put Web pages you create with other applications in this folder to publish them.

• Music: Can be used to store your music files.

• Backup: (read only) Contains files copied here by the Backup utility. Files can be copied from this folder, but can only be deleted with the Backup utility.

• Software: (read only) Contains Apple’s changing selection of the latest software for downloading. Files cannot be copied to this folder, and its contents are not included in your iDisk capacity.

Copying items to and from an iDisk

You can copy files and folders to and from an iDisk just as you copy files to and from any other disk. For example, you can copy an item by dragging it from one Finder window that shows your home folder to another Finder window that shows a folder on an iDisk. Be prepared for the copying to take a while. Copying to or from an iDisk goes only at the speed of your Internet connection, which is far slower than the speed of your computer’s hard drive or CD-ROM drive.

Opening files

Rather than copying files from an iDisk and then opening the copies from your home folder, you can open files directly from an iDisk. An iDisk is just another disk, and files on it can be opened using the usual methods for opening files from your home folder. Opening a file from an iDisk takes longer than opening the same file from your hard drive because the file contents are transferred at the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, you should avoid opening applications or large documents directly from an iDisk.

Getting software from an iDisk

One folder in every iDisk, the Software folder, doesn’t actually take up any of the 100MB allotted to the iDisk. The Software folder works like an alias, giving you access to a number of applications from Apple and third-party software developers, which you may find useful.

Because the contents of this folder are constantly changing, it is not possible here to enumerate the files in it. Just remember that it is a handy place to look for software — from games to productivity tools. To use an application from the Software folder, copy the application’s disk image or installer file to your Applications folder or your home folder. Then double-click the copied file to install the software.

Caution

Be aware that many of the applications from the Software folder are without any warranty of fitness and can even be preliminary or limited versions of commercial products. Read the accompanying documentation files before installing the application.

Using your iDisk with Mac OS 9

Even if you normally use Mac OS X, you may occasionally need to use your iDisk on a Mac OS 9 computer. With Mac OS 9, you can connect to your iDisk by using the Chooser or the Network Browser.

• In the Chooser, click the AppleShare icon and then click the Server IP Address button. Next enter idisk.mac.com as the server address. Then enter the .Mac member name and password.

• In the Network Browser, choose Connect to iDisk from the Shortcuts pop-up menu or choose Connect To Server from the Shortcuts pop-up menu and enter idisk.mac.com as the server address. Then enter the .Mac member name and password.

Using your iDisk with Microsoft Windows

If you’re not near a Mac and need a file from your iDisk, you can open your iDisk on a computer with Microsoft Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 98, or Windows 2000.

• In Windows XP, open My Network Places and under Network Tasks, click Add a network place. The Add Network Place Wizard leads you through the process of creating a shortcut to a Web Folder. As the location of the Web Folder, enter http://idisk.Mac.com/itoolsname where itoolsname is your .Mac member name.

• In Windows ME or Windows 98, double-click the My Computer icon, double-click the Web Folders icon, and double-click Add Web Folder. As the location to add, enter http://idisk.Mac.com/itoolsname where itoolsname is your .Mac member name.

• In Windows 2000, open My Computer, choose Map Network Drive from the Tools menu, and click Web folder or FTP site. As the location to add, enter http://idisk.Mac.com/itoolsname where itoolsname is your .Mac member name.

Disconnecting an iDisk

When you finish using an iDisk, you can disconnect it by dragging its icon to the Trash. When you drag an iDisk in Mac OS X, the Trash icon changes to look like an Eject symbol (a triangle with a line below it) and its name changes to Disconnect. Disconnecting an iDisk removes it from the Finder.

You can leave an iDisk connected as long as you like. Connection time is unlimited in Mac OS X. (In Mac OS 9, connection time is limited to one hour, or 30 minutes of inactivity.)

iDisk .Mac System Preference settings

The .Mac System Preference pane contains two buttons: one for .Mac (covered earlier this Chapter) and one for iDisk. The iDisk settings are adapted and expanded from the iDisk Utility used with Mac OS X 10.2. Figure 18-12 shows the iDisk panel.

Figure 18-12: The .Mac System Preference pane’s iDisk panel.

In the iDisk panel, you can:

• Check the amount of iDisk space you are using with the bar display. Also present are readouts of the space currently used, and the iDisk capacity.

• Purchase additional iDisk space by clicking the Buy More button.

• Create a local copy of your iDisk, and set it to be Synchronized automatically or manually. (The default setting is off.)

• Configure your Public Folder to allow others Read only or Read & Write access. (The default setting is Read only.) Figure 18-13 shows the icon for an iDisk Public Folder.

  
  Figure 18-13: The icons for a mounted iDisk Public Folder and a local iDisk.

• Configure your Public Folder to use a password you set to protect your Public Folder.

Making a local copy of your iDisk

Mac OS X 10.3 has a new feature that makes it possible to have your iDisk permanently visible and accessible on your desktop, even when you are not connected to the Internet. You make this possible by creating a local copy of your iDisk on your hard drive, and automatically synchronizing it with the remote iDisk when you are connected.

To create a local copy of your iDisk, open the .Mac System Preference pane to the iDisk panel and click the Create a local copy of your iDisk checkbox. Then close the System Preferences window; the process of copying immediately begins, and the window in Figure 18-14 appears.

Figure 18-14: This window appears as you are creating a local copy of your iDisk.

Working with this Instant iDisk has a few key advantages. Now you can make changes to your iDisk anytime, even from a PowerBook as you travel. The changes you make happen faster because your Internet connection speed is no longer a factor. The changes can be synced with the remote iDisk whenever you next connect to the Internet.

After the copying process begins, you cannot cancel it. The length of time it takes to make the local copy depends on your Internet connection speed.

When the process of copying is complete, the iDisk icon appears on your desktop, in the left sidebar of a Finder window, and in a Save dialog represent the iDisk on your computer. When the icon represented the online iDisk, it bore your .Mac Member name; now the local copy is just called iDisk. This is the way to tell the difference between them on a computer you did not configure.

After you have a local copy of your iDisk, you never see the online copy again. Apple wants you to consider the local and remote iDisks as a single entity. Also be aware after you create a local copy of your iDisk, it is apparently permanent. Dragging its icon to the Trash has no effect, and no mechanism in the Mac OS X 10.3 user interface deletes it.

iDisk synchronization

After you have created a local copy of your iDisk, any changes you make to it are automatically synchronized with the remote iDisk at set intervals when you are connected to the Internet. If you log out, restart, or shut down your Mac during the syncing process, it continues after you log in again.

You can check when your iDisk was last synchronized in a Finder window. Click on the iDisk icon in the sidebar, and information at the bottom of the window shows the date and time of last synchronization. If your iDisk is in the process of syncing, a progress bar appears. Figure 18-15 shows the window that appears when your local iDisk is synchronized with your remote iDisk.

Figure 18-15: When your local iDisk is fully synchronized with your remote iDisk, this window appears.

You can also manually synchronize your iDisk at any time, for instance before you log out or shut down the computer, to ensure that any changes you made were duplicated.

To manually synchronize your iDisk:

1. In a Finder window, select the iDisk icon in the sidebar.

2. Click the Sync button (rotating arrows) to the right of the iDisk icon.

You can turn off automatic synchronization if you are on a low-bandwidth network and need the processor power for other tasks.

To turn off automatic synchronization:

1. In a Finder window, select the iDisk icon in the sidebar.

2. Click the Action button (with the gear icon) and choose Automatic Syncing to remove the checkmark.

Repeat this procedure to make the checkmark appear and turn Automatic Syncing back on. Apple recommends that Automatic Syncing be left on as much as possible to ensure that the local and remote iDisks contain the same files.

A synchronization conflict can occur when you make different changes to the same file on your iDisk from more than one computer. You are asked which version of the file you want to save. To replace the file on the remote iDisk with the version on the local iDisk of the Mac you are using, select This Computer, and click Keep Selected. To keep the version on the remote iDisk, select .Mac and click Keep Selected. You can save both versions of the file to your iDisk by clicking Keep Both.

You can compare the files on the local and remote iDisks in order to decide which choice to make, by opening each version of the file. In the Finder’s Go menu, choose iDisk, and My iDisk in the submenu. Double-click the file to open it.

iDisk Tips

• Check the amount of storage available in your iDisk on a regular basis. If you exceed your iDisk storage quota, you will receive a warning message in your Mac.com email account. If you do not promptly delete enough files to be within your quota, iDisk automatically deletes the excess files! Or, you might want to buy more storage space at this point.

• You may experience alarm if you are not prompted to enter a password when opening your iDisk. Not to worry; this is actually normal. The password information is automatically pulled from the .Mac System Preference iDisk panel, and is stored in the keychain, so you don’t need to enter it. If you are concerned that others can fiddle with your iDisk while you are away from your computer, log out, or set the screen saver to prompt for a password when waking.

• If you are trying to open the .Mac System Preference pane to the iDisk panel, a message can appear that says “There’s a problem connecting to the iDisk server at this time. Please try again later.” However, you iDisk seems fine. If you get this message, check to see if the date and time settings are correct in System Preferences. These settings can change by themselves under certain circumstances, and this can interfere with the iDisk’s communications with System Preferences.

• If you cannot delete a folder you have created in one of the iDisk folders, or the Backup folder cannot be seen, it may be because you have connected to the iDisk via the AppleTalk Filing Protocol (AFP). This is the protocol used when you choose Connect to Server from the Finder’s Go menu, and enter afp://idisk.mac.com. All other way to connect to an iDisk from Mac OS X 10.3 use the WebDAV protocol. The Backup utility uses the WebDAV protocol to transfer files to and from an iDisk, as does the Finder, and you must connect using WebDAV to delete folders or see the Backup folder. Note that Mac OS 9 uses AFP with iDisk.

• You may experience trouble connecting to an iDisk from Mac OS 9. If so, use the Extensions Manager control panel to check that the following required extensions are enabled: AppleShare, Shared Library Manager, Shared Library Manager PPC. If your computer is behind a firewall or a proxy server, they must be set up to allow outbound connections on TCP port 548, and ICMP echo must be enabled. Tell the network administrator this techno-speak, and he or she may be able to help you, and may look at you with new respect.

• If you connect to an iDisk from a Windows or Unix computer, or from the Mac OS X Terminal application, you may see two .HSicon files on your iDisk that you do not recognize. Don’t delete them! They provide the iDisk icon images for Mac OS 9 users.