Apple has now provided the ability to enable or disable the transparent menu in Leopard with update 10.5.2.
It’s now available as a check box option under the Desktop & Screen Saver Preferences.
Leopard: Make Time Machine Run Backup Now
How to make the Leopard Time Machine run the backup right now.
1. Run Terminal from the Utilities folder.
2. Type /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd.bundle
/Contents/Resources/backupd-helper &
The ampersand at the end runs the backup in the background.
Alternately, you can right-click/control click on the Time Machine icon in the dock and click Back Up Now.
Mac Book Pro: Make External Display Work Without Restarting
I learned a pretty useful trick for my Mac Book Pro. I use it for presentations, and I’ve been restarting it whenever I plug it into a projector. With this tip, I don’t have to.
1. Press the Apple key > Sleep.
2. Plug in and turn on the display.
3. Press the Escape key to wake the computer.
And that’s it. Open System Preferences > Displays to turn Mirroring on or off as needed.
Source: Mac OS X Leopard Pocket Guide
Safari: Set Web Image as Desktop Background
I’m glad that Apple decided to add a feature Internet Explorer for Windows users have had for a long time to Safari 3 for Leopard. You can now right-click/control-click any image and select Use Image as Desktop Picture.
Safari stores the image in a folder at username/Library/Safari.
OS X: Disable “Are you sure you want to do this?” Message When Trashing Items
When my Mac asks me if I’m sure I want to delete everything, it gets annoying after a while. Here’s how to disable the annoying “Are you sure you want to do this?” message whenever you trash items.
1. Click the Apple menu and select Preferences.
2. Click on Advanced at the top.
3. Uncheck the box for Show Warning Before Emptying the Trash.
Now items will just go directly into the trash without the annoying prompt every time.
OS X Leopard: Using the Stacks Feature
Stacking is probably my favorite feature in Mac OS X Leopard. Here’s how to work with this feature to help organize your life on your Mac.
To create a stack, drag a folder of documents to the Dock.
Stacks appear as a Fan or Grid depending on how many items are in the Stack.
You can control this behavior by right-clicking on the stack or holding down your mouse button until the menu appears and choosing View as then choosing Fan or Grid.
