Apple has quietly released the iMac Graphic FW Update 3.0, saying only that it “fixes a graphics issue that may cause an iMac to hang under certain conditions.” It’s conceivable that this will play a role in resolving the video-related crashes new iMac owners were experiencing under Mac OS X 10.7.0 Lion, though most of those seem to have disappeared with 10.7.1 (see “Video Viewing in Lion Freezes New iMacs,” 4 August 2011). Apple does indicate that this latest firmware update requires Lion, though the company doesn’t say which iMac models are affected. Frankly, though you can download this from Apple’s Web site, we recommend letting Software Update get it for you, since then the download will appear only if it’s relevant for your iMac. As with all firmware updates, be careful not to power down your Mac during the update. (Free, 482 KB)
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Enabling Auto Spelling Correction in Snow Leopard
In Snow Leopard, the automatic spelling correction in applications is not usually activated by default. To turn it on, make sure the cursor's insertion point is somewhere where text can be entered, and either choose Edit > Spelling and Grammar > Correct Spelling Automatically or, if the Edit menu's submenu doesn't have what you need, Control-click where you're typing and choose Spelling and Grammar > Correct Spelling Automatically from the contextual menu that appears. The latter approach is particularly likely to be necessary in Safari and other WebKit-based applications, like Mailplane.
Submitted by
Doug McLean
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- TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 5 September 2011 (05 Sep 11)
- Video Viewing in Lion Freezes New iMacs (04 Aug 11)
iMac Graphic FW Update 3.0
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