If you have purchased a new Mac recently (iMac, MacBook Pro or Mac mini), you more than likely have Front Row included. Front Row is Apple's new multimedia software that allows you to play DVDs, music, videos and photo slideshows (either local to your Mac or from another Mac) with the use of a simple remote control (shown at right). By default, the included remote control will work on any Mac with an IR (infrared) port. This makes it easy when you lose the one that came with your Mac and have to buy a new one, but can also pose a challenge.

The challenge with this scenario is when you have two or more IR-enabled Macs in close range of each other (either home or office). When you attempt to use your remote for one, it may inadvertently activate Front Row on the other Mac as well. Another scenario is when you have mischievous family members or co-workers who also have a remote... there is temptation to secretly activate Front Row on your Mac while you are doing other things (nah... that would never happen!).

So is the fix for these problems to put a piece of black tape over the IR receiver on the Mac not intended to receive the signal from the remote (reminiscent of how to fix the blinking clock problem on VCRs)? Nope.

To assign a remote to work with a specific Mac, you need to pair your remote with that Mac. For example, if I had a MacBook Pro and a Mac mini, I would designate one remote to be for the Mac mini, and the other to be for the MacBook Pro.

To pair your remote, simply hold it within 3 or 4 inches of your Mac, and while pointing directly to the IR receiver (behind the Apple logo on the iMac, or next to the lid latch on MacBook Pros), press and hold the "Menu" and "Next/Fast Forward" buttons (simultaneously) for 5 seconds. You will receive confirmation that the pairing process was successful because you will see an image of a remote with a chain-link. At this point, only paired remotes will work with your Mac (to add more paired remotes, repeat the steps outlined above). Be sure to label which remote goes with which Mac.

To remove the pairing between the remote and your Mac (and therefore allow any remote to work again), open System Preferences, click on Security, and then click "Unpair" in the Security pane.

On a side note, you may actually want to completely turn off your IR receiver if you don't plan on using Front Row. To disable the IR receiver, go into System Preferences, click on Security, and then select the "Disable remote control infrared receiver" checkbox.