Problems using new Macbook Air
Dec 4, 2016, 3:02 am
#1
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 55,189
Problems using new Macbook Air
I just bought the 13" Macbook Air and transferred all of my files that I had backed up from an external hard drive. That took nearly a day. When I logged in this morning, the MBA asked me if I wanted to back up everything to the cloud and I clicked "no" as I prefer to use my external hard drive. Now it seems like everything from my cloud account which i use for my iphone and iPad are intermingled and that is not what I wanted. Here are 4 problems so far. Please advice.
1. Starting yesterday, when I clicked for the MBA to sleep manually or just close the cover down, when I open the MBA later, I get a dark screen. I have had to reboot. I've had to reboot when I have manually put the MBA on sleep mode or have just closed out the screens I've been on and closed the cover. The keyboard is lit so I know it's not shut off. This can't be good for the MBA to reboot every time I want to use the MBA. How do I fix this so when I lift the cover, the MBA turns on by my swiping my finger on the track pad or touching a key on the keyboard? What is wrong?
2. Safari has my scattered saved bookmarks on the bookmark toolbar instead of the bookmark folders I had set up on my old Macbook Pro like "sports" and "travel" which had bookmark links within those names. I also had bookmarks of specific websites like the Wall Street Journal, Google Maps, Amazon, and Facebook. Now the bookmark toolbar has random favorites on the bookmark toolbar from my iphone and ipad which are DIFFERENT from my old MBP. I don't want my iphone/ipad favorites. I want the toolbar to have the bookmarks I had had with my MBP. What do I do?
3. Chrome has retained my old MBP bookmarks on its bookmark screen but some of them don't have their names but rather an icon of a piece of paper with a fold on the right hand corner. How do I return the names (or symbols) as bookmark labels instead of the folded piece of paper icon on the bookmark toolbar? For example, my Amazon and Facebook bookmarks had their yellow A symbol and blue/white F symbol respectively. Now they are just shown as folded pieces of paper in which I have to move my cursor to identify what these bookmarks are. Please help fix this.
4. Not a Sierra question but how do I connect the MBA to my ethernet cable for wired internet in case I don't want to go wireless? The MBA ports don't work with my current cable. Is there an adaptor I need to get and if so, which one and can you recommend a good and inexpensive one?
Thanks.
1. Starting yesterday, when I clicked for the MBA to sleep manually or just close the cover down, when I open the MBA later, I get a dark screen. I have had to reboot. I've had to reboot when I have manually put the MBA on sleep mode or have just closed out the screens I've been on and closed the cover. The keyboard is lit so I know it's not shut off. This can't be good for the MBA to reboot every time I want to use the MBA. How do I fix this so when I lift the cover, the MBA turns on by my swiping my finger on the track pad or touching a key on the keyboard? What is wrong?
2. Safari has my scattered saved bookmarks on the bookmark toolbar instead of the bookmark folders I had set up on my old Macbook Pro like "sports" and "travel" which had bookmark links within those names. I also had bookmarks of specific websites like the Wall Street Journal, Google Maps, Amazon, and Facebook. Now the bookmark toolbar has random favorites on the bookmark toolbar from my iphone and ipad which are DIFFERENT from my old MBP. I don't want my iphone/ipad favorites. I want the toolbar to have the bookmarks I had had with my MBP. What do I do?
3. Chrome has retained my old MBP bookmarks on its bookmark screen but some of them don't have their names but rather an icon of a piece of paper with a fold on the right hand corner. How do I return the names (or symbols) as bookmark labels instead of the folded piece of paper icon on the bookmark toolbar? For example, my Amazon and Facebook bookmarks had their yellow A symbol and blue/white F symbol respectively. Now they are just shown as folded pieces of paper in which I have to move my cursor to identify what these bookmarks are. Please help fix this.
4. Not a Sierra question but how do I connect the MBA to my ethernet cable for wired internet in case I don't want to go wireless? The MBA ports don't work with my current cable. Is there an adaptor I need to get and if so, which one and can you recommend a good and inexpensive one?
Thanks.
Dec 4, 2016, 6:38 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Baltimore MD
Posts: 3,457
Some of your problems stem from iCloud I think. I'm willing to wager that the safari bookmarks issue is related to safari syncing of bookmarks across iCloud. I'm guessing your old MBP was running an older operating system that did not support iCloud sync.
I don't use chrome so can't help you there.
I find that my MacBook requires a little more interaction when waking these days. Multiple keyboard presses, multiple trackpad clicks and/or power button interaction. Not sure if you've ben persistent with your clicking but if that problem persists i would take it to the Apple Store.
Welcome to the dongle world! For Ethernet you need an adapter. I think the MBA supports the thunderbolt to Ethernet adapater. If not then USB to Ethernet. I've had my MBP for 4 years and never needed Ethernet though.
Fdw
I don't use chrome so can't help you there.
I find that my MacBook requires a little more interaction when waking these days. Multiple keyboard presses, multiple trackpad clicks and/or power button interaction. Not sure if you've ben persistent with your clicking but if that problem persists i would take it to the Apple Store.
Welcome to the dongle world! For Ethernet you need an adapter. I think the MBA supports the thunderbolt to Ethernet adapater. If not then USB to Ethernet. I've had my MBP for 4 years and never needed Ethernet though.
Fdw
Dec 4, 2016, 7:04 pm
#3
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 55,189
Some of your problems stem from iCloud I think. I'm willing to wager that the safari bookmarks issue is related to safari syncing of bookmarks across iCloud. I'm guessing your old MBP was running an older operating system that did not support iCloud sync.
I don't use chrome so can't help you there.
I find that my MacBook requires a little more interaction when waking these days. Multiple keyboard presses, multiple trackpad clicks and/or power button interaction. Not sure if you've ben persistent with your clicking but if that problem persists i would take it to the Apple Store.
Welcome to the dongle world! For Ethernet you need an adapter. I think the MBA supports the thunderbolt to Ethernet adapater. If not then USB to Ethernet. I've had my MBP for 4 years and never needed Ethernet though.
Fdw
I don't use chrome so can't help you there.
I find that my MacBook requires a little more interaction when waking these days. Multiple keyboard presses, multiple trackpad clicks and/or power button interaction. Not sure if you've ben persistent with your clicking but if that problem persists i would take it to the Apple Store.
Welcome to the dongle world! For Ethernet you need an adapter. I think the MBA supports the thunderbolt to Ethernet adapater. If not then USB to Ethernet. I've had my MBP for 4 years and never needed Ethernet though.
Fdw
I tried tapping keys and the trackpad but the MBA doesn't wake up.
I have an appointment at the Genius Bar tomorrow. I hope they will resolve these issues.
Dec 5, 2016, 3:47 pm
#5
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 55,189
Stimpy, do you recommend a specific ethernet/Thunderbolt adapter?
I went to the Genius Bar and the gentleman did a series of tests to find out if there are a problem with waking up from sleep mode. He couldn't find any problem. In fact, the MBA turned on immediately when he lifted the cover so he said if it happens again, to check and see if the apple is lit on the back of the cover and then come back for another appointment.
He also restored my Safari bookmarks. He apologized there was a problem and said that transferring data from Snow Leopard to Sierra was not a problem.
I went to the Genius Bar and the gentleman did a series of tests to find out if there are a problem with waking up from sleep mode. He couldn't find any problem. In fact, the MBA turned on immediately when he lifted the cover so he said if it happens again, to check and see if the apple is lit on the back of the cover and then come back for another appointment.
He also restored my Safari bookmarks. He apologized there was a problem and said that transferring data from Snow Leopard to Sierra was not a problem.
Dec 5, 2016, 3:49 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
I only know of the single specific Apple product. You can find it hanging on the wall of adapters at any Apple store. Or buy it online. Personally I order one with each Mac Air I buy.
For example, here is a link to buy from Staples. http://www.staples.com/Apple-Thunder...product_164135
For example, here is a link to buy from Staples. http://www.staples.com/Apple-Thunder...product_164135
Dec 6, 2016, 2:00 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: CPT,AMS
Posts: 4,412
I am also have the Apple Thunderbolt 2 to Ethernet as well as the Apple USB to Ethernet (at work I use my MBP with 2 external HDMI screens, so I do not have available Thunderbolt ports), they both works just fine
At home I recently bought an Asus router that supports 802.11ac, so I don't bother with a network cable any more.
At home I recently bought an Asus router that supports 802.11ac, so I don't bother with a network cable any more.