How can I automatically keep track of in-office hours when I connect to my office Wi-Fi?

ControlPlane might be something you can use to accomplish this:

  ControlPlane determines where you are or what you are doing based on a
  number of available evidence sources and then automatically
  reconfigures your Mac based on your preferences.  Evidence sources can
  include your current location, visible WiFi networks, attached USB
  devices, running applications and more.  You can even write your own
  evidence sources using shell scripts!

In a nutshell, you can give ControlPlane an "evidence source",  such as

  WiFi, either networks within range or based on the network you are
  currently connected to

Then perform a set of actions when entering (or leaving) a particular context, such as

  Open any file, including starting Applications
  Run a script, such as AppleScript or shell script

My thinking here is that if ControlPlane knows what your office wifi is called, you can create rules so that when you connect to it you start an application or shell script to start logging your hours. Then, when you disconnect, you stop the application or run another shell script to stop logging your hours.

I realise this might not be the "silver bullet" solution you were looking for, but it might be worth a try. You'll still have to find some kind of timer app/script, but thats probably the easier part of the problem :)


Shut Down or Reboot Your RETINA Mac with a Keyboard Command

Just use the power button in place of eject for any keyboard shortcut that worked with eject (this also applies to older MacBooks, by the way).


It is apparently not possible to subscribe to a feed unless the page is coded to include that feed as an alternative to viewing the page.

In other words, if I visit (just by way of example) Daily Mac Tips, I can click the Bookmark icon at the bottom of the Safari window, then the @ (Shared Links) tab, then Subscriptions at the bottom, then Add Current Site at the bottom. New stories from the RSS feed on this site will now appear in the Shared Links tab in safari. The fact that Safari knows about the RSS feed for this site is a result of the way the site is coded.

However, there is no way to manually add an RSS feed to this list in iOS. So, from a page like you gave as an example, where there are links to various RSS feeds, the above steps don't work. The site is not coded to let Safari know about the RSS feed, because there are a couple dozen to choose from, and none of them are specific to the page you are viewing.

You can long-tap on an RSS feed link and copy it, then paste it into a third-party app of your choice, but there is no way to subscribe to it in Safari unless the site is set up as described above.

(Regarding it opening the Podcasts app by default, Apple has apparently reassigned handling of feed URLs to the Podcasts app, presumably because they don't have an RSS reader and have removed manual subscriptions from Safari.)


Spotlight Doesn't Properly Show Preference Panes

I have disabled everything except Applications, Systems Preferences, Contacts, Events & To Dos and Developer. Usually I search for files and documents via Finder. Now it properly shows preferences panes while searching.

Also you can drag categories in Spotlight preferences to change result priority.


Block web-page containing a specific word in Safari

There is an open source extension for Safari named PeyvandhaBlocker to prevent loading an automatic page redirection based on IP (in the URL) and element type. You can get it and modify allowContentToLoad function in global.html file to take decisions based on URL or context of loaded web pages, and then edit the content.js for the block action you need.


Maps : search directions with intermediate point?

Yes, you can do so in iOS Apple Maps, but you can only add intermediate waypoints in certain ways. Specifically, you must have already started navigation to a destination. At that point, you can add pit stops along the way. Once you've reached a pit stop — an intermediate waypoint — you can then add another. You can keep doing so until you reach the final destination.

Once you've entered the Navigation view, you can either touch/tap the screen (if you're not driving) or use Siri to add intermediate waypoints.

Via the screen: swipe up from the bottom, choose an intermediate waypoint category from the offered list (things like coffee shops, gas stations, etc.), and then tap "GO" on one of the specific locations. The location will be added as an intermediate destination on the way to your original final destination.

Alternatively, you can use Siri to add an intermediate destination. While in the navigation mode, engage Siri with "Hey Siri." Then tell Siri to "add a gas station" (or other type of location). Siri will present you with some options and allow you to choose among them with your voice. Once you've chosen location, tell Siri you want directions and Siri will add it as an intermediate destination on the way to your original final destination.

This link has some good details on the topic: https://ios.gadgethacks.com/how-to/apple-maps-101-add-multiple-destinations-your-directions-0181465/


Can I charge my battery with a higher wattage charger than what came with device

You can definitely charge it with a higher or lower ampage [but not voltage], so a 5W or 10W (watt) charger will charge a iPad, iPhone or iPod. Note that an iPad will change much slower on a 5W.

This doesn't apply to the iPad Pro (12" model requires a 12W charger)

iPhones and most iPods use a 5W charger.
iPad mini and 9.7" iPads use a 10W charger.
iPad Pro 12" use a 12W charger.

This is also true for other products by Apple such as the MacBooks. All MacBooks will charge off an 85W charger with the correct MagSafe connector. 13", 15" and 17" MacBooks will charge with a 45, 60, or 85W chargers, however if you use intense processing on a 15" or 17" connected to a 60W or 45W charger the computer will still lose charge but at a much slower rate than if no changer is attached at all. If you don't believe me try exporting a movie from Final Cut or iMovie while on a charger that has a lower Watt rating then the machine would prefer. It will slowly discharge the machine

While all of the above is true, Apple still insists that you should use the correct charger for your device - however it's completely non-essential.

Make sure you have a look at the Apple website as well because they have a recall for the plug part of your charger. They have found that some of them are quite dangerous and can give you a good zap if you aren't careful.


There are many different reasons After Effects slows down. The link will show you some ways to fix the problem.

Useful Website

It's says to:

"Make sure that you’ve installed the current version of After Effects, including any available updates. To check for and install updates, choose Help > Updates."
"Make sure that you’ve installed the latest versions of drivers and plug-ins, especially video card drivers. To download updates for drivers and plug-ins, go to the provider’s website."

There are many more too.


iTunes Match restarts on step 3 when trying to upload files

I encountered this problem, and it turned out that it was due to my ISP's traffic shaping. Uploading my music was saturating my upload bandwidth, and after about 5 minutes of that, my ISP would cut my connection to Apple's servers for a few minutes, causing step 3 to time out and the whole thing to restart.

I fixed the problem by setting up bandwidth throttling on my router while I was uploading my library. Setting it to about 80% of my maximum bandwidth worked well.


As someone who many years ago suffered from a severe case of RSI I suggest that if you are having a problem that you take every ergonomic keyboard out there and throw them into the nearest lake or river. Ergonomic keyboards look good but tend to fix nothing.

Almost all problems causing pain can be fixed by altering your seating, arm position, keyboard location and typing practice.

Your first step should be to find a good specialist centre that can analyse all of these things and do such steps as wire up your muscles and see which ones are straining when you type and then retrain you. If you need such things as wrist supports or angled keyboards they will tell you so and almost certainly advise on which ones would best suit you. If they don't then they are not the best place for you and find somewhere else.

If you are having problems see a good specialist centre now, do not wait, do not think that anything you do will fix the problem or that it will go away.

I did not take this advice and ended up spending three months unable to touch a keyboard.


How do I insure a Macbook Pro that's over a year old?

AppleCare isn't insurance. You should start with Amazon in your country if available and then check your local / national insurance providers to pick a policy that meets your needs.

If you already have renters or homeowners insurance, a rider might be all you need to cover computer equipment for little hassle of shopping for a policy.


You have to disable icloud streaming photo on settings, otherwise you cannot see the photo menu below others. After disabling it you will be able to see all folders of photo


Mac mini (Mid 2011) randomly reboots, but not while I'm using it

This ended up being a software issue. A clean install of the OS fixed the issue. I could not get the recovery partition to boot, so I had to use another Mac to create a bootable USB installer for macOS (downloaded from the App Store).

Worth noting, I was able to put all my apps and settings back into place via Migration Assistant, BUT only after booting into macOS (not on first boot during setup where it prompts for Migration Assistant - it failed there for some reason).


Can I sign in with one Apple ID for the App Store and a different ID for Apple Music?

The "Mac App Store" accessed through "App Store.app" uses a totally seperate login system from iTunes.app, so you can use different AppleIDs for the two of them.

Within iTunes.app, I use multiple different AppleIDs to purchase iOS apps in different regions, which means I sometimes need to sign out of one AppleID and sign into a different one when switching regions and purchaseing or updating iOS apps. I have not encountered any issues when pushing these apps to my iOS devices or when running them on the iOS devices.

The Apple Music part is trickier.  According to http://www.idownloadblog.com/2015/10/04/apple-music-foreign-japan-account-in-usa/ you cannot easily have multiple regions using multiple iCloud Music Libraries, swithching AppleIDs for this purpose is limited.

As I understand things: if you want to use a different AppleID to buy some iOS apps, this should not be a problem - your current setup will not be impacted. If you want to use a different AppleID to sign into Apple Music then you will loose access to your current AppleID Apple Music stuff until you switch back.


Why do some iPhones have a low battery sound?

The app "Battery Alert!" will allow you to change several battery related sounds (warning, alert, and full). It is currently $.99 USD on the app store.


Merge files & keep bigger file if duplicates?

If you omit the size test

find f1 f2 f3 f4 -type f -exec mv {} f0/ \;

should do the trick.

With a line count (so the file with more lines wins) and assuming that all files are text files it gets a bit more sophisticated:

find f1 f2 f3 f4 -type f -execdir sh -c \
    '[[ ! -e f0/"$1" || $(wc -l < "$1") -gt $(wc -l < f0/"$1") ]] && \
         mv "$1" f0/' _ {} \;

And finally if you want to compare for file size you need to replace both occurrences of wc -l < (including the <) with stat -f '%z'.

PS: For hundred thousands of text files both find approaches will take a while. The second one using stat should be significantly faster than using wc though.


This is a known issue with that era of MacBookPros. You may be eligible for a the MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program: If you are, they will fix it for free even if you are out of warrantee (I had my mid 2012 repaired under this program.)

Apple has determined that a small percentage of MacBook Pro systems may exhibit distorted video, no video, or unexpected system restarts. These MacBook Pro systems were sold between February 2011 and December 2013.

https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/


Disable scroll-induced antialiasing in Preview and other PDF applications

I suspect the blurring of text is caused by a low-memory proxy being used to ensure high FPS during scrolling, especially on Retina machines, probably when using integrated Intel graphics.

Therefore I would suggest doing the following steps in the below sequence, in order to maximize available RAM and VRAM:

close all windows in all apps
quit all apps
disconnect any external monitors
close extra desktops in Mission Control
for machines with NVIDIA GPU, make sure your computer is plugged into the charger, or that Automatic Graphics Switching is turned off in Energy Saver
if on a non-Retina machine, set "Best for display" in the Displays settings
if on a Retina machine, set "Best (Retina)" in the Displays setting
restart the machine or open Terminal and type "sudo purge", the hit enter, then quit Terminal

Note: the purge command takes a minute or two to finish. I've found it can really help to clear up RAM. Restarting does the same thing. Sometimes RAM does not automatically get freed up like it's supposed to without these steps, at least on 10.8.5 and earlier. It may not apply to 10.9 and newer, but it can't hurt to try.

If you would please, both before and after completing the above steps, open Activity Monitor and take note of how much memory, CPU, and disk data per second is being used. Post your before/after figures for Physical Memory and Memory Used in the comments (or Free memory if it shows that). Also let us know if the steps resolved your issue.


You can get the set of buttons, with the "ring" you requested for less than a dollar from UnionRepair, among many other suppliers. I linked the silver ones but they have all the colours. Also note that you will also need to order the 1mm metal contacts in order for the button to properly actuate the switch on the flex.


Solving a problem on a MacBook Pro 5,1 with an OCZ Agility 3 SSD

After a lot of pain and testing the SSD works fine, but not in my Macbook Pro 5,1 (late 2008). After looking for an answer and pointers on the net I found the case of this unanswered post and this user with an Agility 3 120Gb not working either.

I'm returning it.


Why does iOS 9 get bricked when reset to 1970?

In some time zones, setting the date to 1 Jan 1970 will set the internal clock to a number less than zero, as the time is stored in GMT (as the number of seconds since midnight on that date) and then the offset is applied before display. In other time zones, setting the clock will result in a positive time value. Best guess is that this is triggered by having the time value less than zero.

This behaviour can be replicated by creating an NPT server on a network and injecting it to multiples devices. If the time returned to the device is negative, the device will crash.


Start recovery mode with CommandOptionR.
Open Terminal, and run below commands:

diskutil list

Find which /dev/diskX is yours, usually disk0. Once you identify your disk, erase it with diskutil

diskutil eraseDisk JHFS+ MacOS /dev/disk0

After this, I was able to restore using Time Machine and even install Mojave, giving me an option to chose internal transcend drive for install

After erasing disk using Disk Utility, Time Machine nor Mojave install was working. Mojave was showing my internal Transcend drive greyed out, but this worked.


Unable to install Snow Leopard from original disks

Depending on when you bought your iMac, it came pre-installed with either Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.1 (10A2155) or 10.6.2 (10C2234). It is one of these versions that will be on the original discs you refer to and, based on your lack of success with the retail copy, it is also one of these versions your friend must have as well.

Now, the reason your iMac isn't booting from any of these is that it can no longer run any version of Mac OS X before Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.3.

Why?

Well, the key issue here is that your iMac is one of the quad core models. These were options for the 27" model only and both variants (i.e. the i5 and i7 versions) had a firmware update. Because of your music requirements (as expressed to me via Comments), I am 99.9% certain you installed this firmware update (which Apple recommended all users do anyway).

It is this update that is preventing you to boot from your Snow Leopard discs because the firmware update itself requires as a minimum Snow Leopard (10.6.3). The installers you're trying to use are for Snow Leopard 10.6.1 or 10.6.2.

Solution

IMPORTANT: This solution is based on your comment that you have backups of all your files etc. Proceeding with this will reformat your hard drive - so proceed carefully and ensure you have a current backup!

You can use Target Disk Mode to get around your problem. More specifically:

Borrow your friend's MacBook Pro and ensure it and your iMac are both switched off
Connect the two computers together via a FireWire cable
Start your iMac in Target Disk Mode by holding down the T key on your iMac keyboard immediately after starting up. Keep the key down until you see the icon floating around the screen.
Start the MBP
Once booted, your iMac's hard drive will appear on the MBP desktop just like any external hard drive would.
Insert the Snow Leopard retail disk into the MBP and follow the prompts to install Snow Leopard. Ensure you select the iMac hard drive as the install location - DO NOT select the MBP hard drive or you'll have a very unhappy friend!
When the installation is complete, reboot the MBP again and immediately hold down the Option key. When prompted to select a statup disk, select the iMac's drive and hit Enter.
You're now booting the MBP from your iMac hard drive.
Once booted, use the Apple Menu > Software Update option to install updates.
Keep installing updates until you have at least Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.6 (the first version which includes the Mac App Store).
Once you're running Mac OS X 10.6.6, shut down the MBP and switch off your iMac.
Disconnect the FireWire cable from the two Macs.
Reboot your iMac and update/install whatever software you need to get it working as you want.
Copy/migrate across any files etc from your backup.
Crisis averted!

Obviously the above steps will take some time, but let me know if you run into any problems.

As an aside, if you don't have access to a FireWire cable, or your friend doesn't want to lend you their MBP, you could try Kent's suggestion in the comments. In theory his suggestion should also work.


Keyboard shortcut to allow opening unsigned pkg file?

You can do this with Keyboard Maestro using a macro such as this:


How to make terminals open side-by-side?

This behavior won't happen in OS X by default, but a whole bunch of 3rd party window-arranging apps ought to be able to help:

SizeUp http://irradiatedsoftware.com/sizeup/
Divvy http://mizage.com/divvy/
Breeze http://www.autumnapps.com/breeze/
ShiftIt http://code.google.com/p/shiftit/
Mercury Mover http://www.heliumfoot.com/mercurymover/details
Optimal Layout http://most-advantageous.com/optimal-layout/
Cinch http://irradiatedsoftware.com/cinch/


Best way to disable SSLv3 in Chrome for Poodle vulnerability

Here is a patch, which is renaming Google Chrome/Chromium inside startup file and placing a script for calling browser with --ssl-version-min=tls1 parameter. No wrapper needed.


iCloud keeps signing in after I sign out

Rather than fuss with each of the settings within iCloud, you might want to delete the entire account using System Preferences:

Open Mail, Contacts & Calendars and delete all iCloud accounts.
Open iCloud Preference Pane and press Sign Out

The first step won't delete anything that's already stored in the cloud, only items on the local computer. The second step will also only delete local content and erase any of the certificates, keys and other things that tie a computer to iCloud servers. At that point, I would reboot and then check your Mac for other issues (disk utility to check the disk catalog once you boot into Recovery HD) and then decide if things are stable again.

Specifically, you might have corruption in the preference file that stores iCloud log in credentials. You can test this by making a new account on the Mac and then signing in and out of the same iCloud account.

That will isolate the error to either your iCloud account (meaning you contact Apple support to get the account cleared up) or the error is the user account on the Mac (meaning you back up the Mac and set that user up / restore the files that are not corrupted).


Screen Time - How do you allow specific websites for Safari?

You should be able to access Prevent web content in Screen Time. See my summary below or follow a step by step guide here.
iOS can automatically filter website content to limit access to adult content in Safari and apps on your device. You can also add specific websites to an approved or blocked list, or you can limit access to only approved websites.
Follow these steps:

Go to Settings > Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and enter your Screen Time passcode.
Tap Content Restrictions, then tap Web Content.
Choose Unrestricted Access, Limit Adult Websites or Allowed Websites Only.

Depending on the access you allow, you may need to add information, such as the website that you want to restrict.

Source


How to select the Bluetooth device using command line?

This open-source CLI app BluetoothConnector seems like a good solution. I tested and confirmed it's working as recently as macOS 10.15.2.

It's available on GitHub as well as Homebrew:

$ brew install bluetoothconnector
$ BluetoothConnector --connect 00-11-22-33-44-55 --notify
$ BluetoothConnector --disconnect 00-11-22-33-44-55


Can I force my computer to use a specific route to the Internet?

You may use the "service order" functionality of Network pref pane.

Go to System Preferences > Network > Click on the gear bellow the network list > Set Service Order...

There you may choose the order of which the networks will be used.


Finder -- "Open file with..." offers incorrect list of candidate apps

You could try rebuilding the LaunchServices database using this terminal command:

/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user

This may fix the duplicate listings.


How do I remove video noise & grain in iMovie '11?

Unfortunately iMovie doesn't take plugins.

Best bet is external software OR Final Cut Pro 7 has numerous plugins that reduce noise and grain, but they are all very expensive.


On iPhone, Gmail "new email" notifications keep appearing in lock screen?

This sound weird per-se. I use the Gmail app for a long time now on my iPhone 5 and never have I received back-dated notification, especially if I removed it (via the x button) from the Notification screen.

I suppose this could occur if you leave your Gmail message unread in your inbox AND you restart your iPhone or the Gmail app.

Also, go to Settings > Notifications > Show > 1 Recent Item (instead of the default 5 recent Items).


How to create a blank RTF file in AppleScript?

Having read your question, here is an example of how I would code it.

--  # The variables for the target file's fully qualified pathname and custom filename needs to be global as they are called from both the handlers and other code.

global theCustomRichTextFilePathname
global customFilename

--  # The createCustomRTFDocument handler contains a custom template for the target RTF document.

on createCustomRTFDocument()
    tell current application
        set customRTFDocumentTemplate to «data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»
        try
            set referenceNumber to open for access theCustomRichTextFilePathname with write permission
            write customRTFDocumentTemplate to referenceNumber
            close access referenceNumber
        on error eStr number eNum
            activate
            display dialog eStr & " number " & eNum buttons {"OK"} default button 1 with title "File I/O Error..." with icon caution
            try
                close access referenceNumber
            end try
            return
        end try
    end tell
end createCustomRTFDocument

--  # The openDocument handler opens and set the bounds of the theCustomRichTextFilePathname document while placing the cursor on the second line.

on openDocument()
    try
        tell application "TextEdit"
            open file theCustomRichTextFilePathname
            activate
            tell application "System Events"
                set displayedName to get displayed name of file theCustomRichTextFilePathname
                if displayedName contains ".rtf" then
                    tell application "TextEdit"
                        set bounds of window (customFilename & ".rtf") to {160, 22, 883, 639}
                    end tell
                    key code 125
                else
                    tell application "TextEdit"
                        set bounds of window customFilename to {160, 22, 883, 639}
                    end tell
                    key code 125
                end if
            end tell
        end tell
    on error eStr number eNum
        activate
        display dialog eStr & " number " & eNum buttons {"OK"} default button 1 with icon caution
        return
    end try
end openDocument

--  # Get the name for the RTF document, ensuring it is not blank.

repeat
    set customFilename to the text returned of (display dialog "Save as:" with title "Do you want to create a new, blank TextEdit RTF document?" default answer "")
    if customFilename is "" then
        beep
        display alert "The filename cannot be empty!" message "Please enter a name to continue..."
    else
        exit repeat
    end if
end repeat

--  # Concatenate the default location (the User's Desktop) with the chosen filename while adding the proper file extension.

set theCustomRichTextFilePathname to ((path to desktop) & customFilename & ".rtf") as string

--  # Check to see if the target file already exists. If it does not exist, create and open it. If it does exist, either open it or overwrite it and open it, based on decision made.

tell application "Finder"
    try
        if exists file theCustomRichTextFilePathname then
            tell current application
                display dialog "The file \"" & POSIX path of theCustomRichTextFilePathname & "\" already exists!" & return & return & "Do you want to overwrite the file?" & return & return & "If yes, the file will be placed in the Trash." buttons {"No", "Yes"} default button 1 with title "File Already Exists..." with icon caution
                if the button returned of result is "No" then
                    --  # The file already exists, chose not to overwrite it, just open the document.
                    my openDocument()
                else
                    --  # The file already exists, chose to overwrite it, then open the document.
                    tell application "Finder"
                        delete the file theCustomRichTextFilePathname
                    end tell
                    my createCustomRTFDocument()
                    my openDocument()
                end if
            end tell
        else
            --  # The file does not already exist. Create and open the document.
            tell current application
                my createCustomRTFDocument()
                my openDocument()
            end tell
        end if
    on error eStr number eNum
        activate
        display dialog eStr & " number " & eNum buttons {"OK"} default button 1 with icon caution
        return
    end try
end tell

How to create the Custom RTF Document Template, customRTFDocumentTemplate, used in the on createCustomRTFDocument() handler:

In TextEdit create a new Rich Text document and set the font and size as desired, then add any default content, in this case a newline. With this done, press ⌘A to select all, then ⌘C to copy this information to the Clipboard.

Now in Script Editor use the following command to get the RTF class data from the Clipboard.

get the clipboard as «class RTF »

What is returned will be used as the Custom RTF Document Template by assigning it to a variable in the actual script, e.g.:

set customRTFDocumentTemplate to «data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»

Note that the above template has the default font, Helvetica, with size set to 18 and one blank line as its content. If you want a different font then Helvetica, set both the font and size before adding content, a blank line in this case, then use the info above to get is as RTF class data from the Clipboard.

Also note that in the on openDocument() handler, the bounds list is set to {160, 22, 883, 639} not {160, 10, 883, 639} as the second item in the bounds list should not be less then the height of the menu bar.


What makes Time Machine necessary if using iCloud?

Time Machine can, in theory, restore the exact state of your Mac at any time. All apps, prefs, settings, documents.
iCloud will restore only your documents. Everything else would need to be re-installed from scratch.
Whether or not you consider that 'necessary' is your call.


How can I make ipad Safari bookmark list wider?

There is no way to make it wider without a jailbreak.  The only thing you can do is to make the text smaller so you can see more of it.  That stinks but it's the only thing available.


Which is original MacBook Pro 15" Charger

The above picture should be the correct one to buy. Do ensure that when purchasing on the internet, you purchase the correct one for your country's port (EU in this case) and that it is genuine. (Delta Electronics is the manufacturer for the charger, yes)

Source (see under Computers that use the 85W MagSafe 2 Adapter)


Where does OS X Lion save data from my iPhone backups?

Information about your iPhone is in ~/Library/MobileDevice

The Backup of your iPhone (photos, documents, settings, etc.) is in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup

Neither of the above are in a form which is easily readable.

To be able to see and/or extract data from the backup you can use an application like iBackup Viewer


Can the fan in an iMac (model 5,1 "Late 2006") be replaced?

I don't know about replacing the fan, but with XRG you can monitor your system's temperatures on screen.  smcFanControl lets you tweak your fan speeds; maybe you can use it to dislodge whatever's in there, before you try opening the box.


Since the problem isn't the charger - try wiping down the magsafe contacts on your Mac with a medical alcohol pad, if they get too dirty it won't charge. I had a similar issue (green light while discharging) and cleaning the contacts improved the connection for a few days till I could replace the charger.


Are you copying the dollar sign into terminal?  The dollar sign in writing, like in the document, is just a sign that it is on a new terminal line.

You can copy and paste these commands into terminal and it should work. I just tried it on my machine

echo 'export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin' >> ~/.bash_profile

or

echo 'export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin' >> ~/.bash_profile

Then you can verify that they have worked by typing in this command

cat ~/.bash_profile

And you should see

export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin

or

export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin

Depending on which one you used.

If you want the changes to also be applied to the currently running shell, you need to run

. ~/.bash_profile

as well.


Cannot delete an old iCloud account from my IPhone

You can remove an iCloud account by restoring the device using iTunes: connect it to iTunes and click Restore.

However, this does not disable the device's Find My iPhone status — if Find My iPhone is enabled on the iCloud account on the device then the device will be under Activation Lock and will require you to enter your Apple ID to use the device.


You will have to open your iPhone, e.g. as described on iFixit. Then you can clean the affected area with a very gentle cleaning solution (but be aware to not use any solutions that may harm your hardware).

And for the next time: Don't place your cell phone near your salad. Balsamic vinegar is an aggresive solution which may severly damage pieces of your iPhone.


Delete songs from iPhone but keep in iPod

Create two separate playlist, one for the iphone and one for the ipod.  Drag in the songs you want for each playlist and then just sync these playlists to the appropriate device.


Move iTunes library from Windows XP computer to Windows 7 computer

iLounge has a great piece of instructions on how to move the iTunes library from one place to the next: http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/moving-your-itunes-library-to-a-new-hard-drive/

The ITL file in your case, probably remains on your C:\ drive.


El Capitan /private/var/folders cache files consuming 30–40 GB

The answer is that yes, you are allowed to delete files from /private/var/folders/. The command

sudo rm -r -P /private/var/folders/tr/*

was able to work and no crashes came of it. Some errors were issued by the command, but no errors came from the system as a whole. I might issue a new post later on when I know more about this to understand what Apple did with El Capitan to make it act this way.

Here's a thread from the Apple website about this; it agrees that deleting tr should be safe. According to the thread, /var/folders is the new location of caches, which you can safely delete if you've closed all running apps.

  UPDATE: Another reason for this behavior can be due to Spotlight indexing, especially on older models of MacBook / MacBook Pro. I recently noticed the problem happening again, and even though I had done everything I could to prevent it from continuing to happen, I was forced to watch my Mac slowly consume more than 100 gigabytes of space to some phantom process occurring in the background.

  Even so, be sure to go into Settings -> Spotlight & uncheck the box for Folders indexing, and if you're like me and have a lot of music (such as over 50 gigabytes), turn off Music indexing, too. Turn off any others you may not want, as well, but Folder indexing seems to be the biggest culprit in both disk space loss and performance slowdown on older MacBook models.

  Upon turning this off, I have not seen any issues. Additionally, the remaining disk space displayed in Finder now provides accurate results.

  This may also apply to iOS devices, since OS X & iOS are currently being developed to match each other's functionality and features. A large portion of the Other data stored on the device may  just be Spotlight indexing not giving a toot about how much disk space it consumes. It won't hurt to try turning some features / options off if you notice issues.


How to move contacts from one group to another?

Add the same accounts to you Mac and make sure you have the "Contact" selection checked for each account.

This will sync all your contacts in the Contacts app for each email account. Open the Contacts app and you will be able to see each individual email account (on the left side) and its associated contacts.

Click on the account you wish to transfer from. Drag-and-drop desired contacts from one email account to the other. This effectively transfers your contacts to the account you want. Deleting and adding to old and new email accounts respectively.

As far as I know, there is no way to do this in iOS.


Perform a destructive video trim in OSX Photos

The only way to reduce the file size of a Video is to change its resolution (quality).

For that you will use the Export command.

Once exported to a lower resolution, the process is not reversible.

Standard definition (480p) is good for standard-definition TV.

If the video will play on a high-definition TV or display, choose one of the high-definition formats: 720p or 1080p.

4K is used for ultra-high-definition TVs and displays.

720 is most common and a good balance between good picture at reasonable file size.


Windows support software could not be saved to the selected drive

Cause

Apple allows Windows Installation, by first copying the entire ISO into a temporary storage area.  Most of the time it works, because there is enough space available.

When we use a larger ISO, like the 32-bit + 64-bit Windows ISO, it requires about 6.5 GB just for the storage, let alone uncompressed files usage.  Apple tried to download Windows support software onto that partition.  This is where the issue happens.  The package requires at least 1 GB, and it would not get it because of the ISO.

Solution

Use the 64-bit ISO (3.5GB) instead of the 32-bit + 64-bit Windows ISO for a x64 MacBook (all current generation ones)
Use the 32-bit ISO (3.5GB) instead of the 32-bit + 64-bit Windows ISO for a x86 MacBook (2011 etc.)


How to install apache24 and php55 from macports?

That's a bug in the php55-apache2handler port: http://trac.macports.org/ticket/41478


iBooks storing books in iFile not with original file names but renamed to 16 length Hex character

Download or open the file Books.plist in the root of books. This will give a list of book names with that  corresponding long string


I got Lysol in my headphone jack. How should I get it out?

I would take a piece of tissue and roll one corner into a tight long piece and slide it into the headphone jack and roll it around. This should clean out the jack. I'd recommend a cotton swab but I think the jack is too small. Maybe use a toothpick with the tissue paper. Be careful not to leave tissue in the headphone jack.


How can I find out which process was stopped by RansomWhere?

According to RansomWhere's own site the data is stored in

/Library/RansomWhere/installedApps.plist - a list of applications already present on the system.
/Library/RansomWhere/approvedBinaries.plist - a list of binaries explicitly approved by the user.
/Library/RansomWhere/whitelist.plist - a list of safe binaries (that often legitimately create encrypted files).
/Library/RansomWhere/graylist.plist - a list of system binaries that are not explicitly trusted.

However, because an app that was terminated is by design not remembered, it will not appear in any list.

  The following list summarizes the 'allow' and 'terminate' actions

  'allow'   Tells RansomWhere? it's ok to let the process continue running. This will be persistently remembered; you'll never be alerted
  about this binary again.
  'terminate'   Tells RansomWhere? to kill the process. As this action is a little more drastic, RansomWhere?, (by design) will not remember
  such actions. Thus if the terminated process is ran again, it will
  cause another alert.

You could check Console to see whether it generated an event at the time - I can't test that as I've never run RansomWhere.


Is there anything like System Restore for Mac OS X?

So far as I know there isn't a nice automated way to provide the benefits of System Restore as it is implemented on Windows. For all its utility for Windows users, though, System Restore can't be used to backup/restore individual files & whatnot at the whim of the user - that requires a separate backup system.

Time Machine on OS X, on the other hand, can provide for the backup/restore of deleted documents, folders, etc, and can be used to restore an entire hard drive in the event of a crashed or munged drive. I've used this function a few times, twice on a very important server, and once on my own machine, with great success.

My Mom's new Lion iMac is setup with an inexpensive external 500 GB USB hard drive and Time Machine is running like clockwork. My Mom knows to check the Time Machine menu every day to make sure it is backing up. She's even started to recover files on her own now, without needing to call Tech Support (me).

Time Machine was also very helpful in migrating her creaky Leopard Mac mini to the new iMac a few months ago. Instead of hooking the old & new Macs together via Ethernet cable, I simply ran a Time Machine backup on the old machine, shut it down, connected the USB drive to the new iMac, and the Migration Assistant app took care of the rest. Her new iMac was up and running in a little more than an hour.

A non-Time Machine solution would be using Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! to back up the Mac to an external hard drive on a regular basis. This would allow for a mass restore of the drive's contents.

Another non-Time Machine solution would be to boot from the System Install DVD (pre-Lion)
or an bootable external HD (Lion & after) and create a restorable disk image. After converting the image to ASR format, Disk Utility can be used to restore the disk image.


It can't be done. If you want to watch media on the iPad in a car, copy the media (music, movie, TV show, photo) to the iPad via iTunes before you leave.


Is it possible to sync messages from Mac to iPhone?

Not currently. You can provide feedback to Apple here:

https://www.apple.com/feedback/messages.html


Use Terminal.app to ssh to multiple hosts

You can write a shell script and put it in ~/.bashrc like this:

function do_some_thing() {
  command="fab -R localhost deploy --set sha=master"
  ssh -t ubuntu@1.2.3.4 -C "$command"
  ssh -t ubuntu@1.2.3.5 -C "$command"
  ssh -t ubuntu@1.2.3.6 -C "$command"
  ssh -t ubuntu@1.2.3.7 -C "$command"
}

However there are various tools you can use for this type of activity, like Chef or Capistrano or various others.


As no-one has picked up on this yet, I'm gonna say "It's a toughie!"

I had my first .mac account in the 90's, a private email address for iTunes since 2001 [which I consider my primary account, as it's still my 'real' email address] & me.com [now also icloud.com] since the iPhone & the App Store started.
I have never found any way to successfully merge these identities.
me.com has all my 'cloud sync' stuff, iTunes has all my apps. I have them both set to the same password so I don't have to think too hard about it… & let it go at that.


OS X firewall blocking torrents outside of VPN

Yes it is possible, you can create a blocking rule using pf, that only allows traffic on the the port your torrent software is using, to/from the virtual interface created by the VPN. Take a look at a cheat sheet for pf for ideas. Or if you prefer a GUI you might check out icefloor.


Is it possible to connect the new DELL 31.5-inch monitor (UP3216Q) at 3840x2160 to the new macbook pro (late 2016)?

Yes, it is possible, as the display supports DisplayPort 1.2 which is sufficient to drive 4K resolution at 60 Hz. Many vendors will sell appropriate adapters, though. I recommend you get a USB-C (or Thunderbolt 3) to DisplayPort adapter, like this one. You could also use Apple's USB-C to HDMI adapter, but that one only supports 30Hz at 4K resolutions.

The Dell has these ports:

DP, mDP, HDMI (MHL), 4 x USB3 with one charging port, 1 x USB3 upstream, Media Card Reader

Apple has a very nice article covering all the implications of USB-C and Thunderbolt including links to what displays they know work at 60 Hz and 4k resolution. You will want to read that carefully as well.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207256


Bash automatically creating () and ()! files

Bash, by itself, will not create files like this. These files are probably created by you accidentally through incorrect typing/pasting of commands.

You can remove the files using rm:

rm '()' '()!'


Three photos libraries, which library can I delete?

You need to be careful here…

The old iPhoto library doesn't take up any actual space on the drive. When it was first translated to the new Photos structure all that actually happened was that hard links were made. These are multiple pointers to the same file. Only when both pointers are removed, eg by deleting the same file from both the old & the new library, is the file itself actually deleted.

There's a further issue though, & I'm not sure how this is dealt with on OSes since High Sierra.
APFS can't use hard links.
I really don't know what this means for the two sets of data previously reliant on hard links. Perhaps they are now 'real' so deleting the old iPhoto library will actually free up space.

In either case, deleting the old iPhoto library should be safe. It has all already been migrated to the new structure.

For the other two, you need to be more circumspect.

Load up each & see what's actually in there. It's quite possible to have multiple valid libraries, each with its own content. At launch, hold the  Opt ⌥  key & you will be presented with a dialog allowing you to choose which library to open.

There's no way I know of to merge the two, should it be desired; the only way I can think of would be to export from one to a new folder, then re-import to the other - then you could delete the now spare library & the intermediate folder.

I'd be very tempted, however, to make sure to have a good backup before you start… just in case.


I can't imagine the Apple Store haven't already done this - but have you/they tried resetting the SMC?

For iMacs, the steps to do this are:

Shut down your computer
Unplug it from the power socket
Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds
Plug it back in and turn it on.

However, assuming they have already tried this, there are other things they can do, such as swapping over the logic board.

Troubleshooting is a process of elimination, and you know that reinstalling macOS doesn't resolve the issue, and neither does replacing the RAM. So, if it was me, the logic board would be next.

Let us know how you go.


To simplify and broaden the search you may use operands like >, <, >=, <= or line up several attribute values with &&.

To solve the above mentioned example you can use two different creation times and an item kind:

mdfind 'kMDItemFSCreationDate < $time.iso(2008-03-15T23:59:59) && kMDItemFSCreationDate > $time.iso(2008-03-10T00:00:00) && kMDItemKind = *image'


Why do httpd and mysqld processes not show up in Activity Monitor?

In Activity Monitor there is a dropdown menu in the top of the window. My Processes was selected. Changing it to All Processes solved the issue.


The simplest answer is to install 32 bit Windows 7 with SP1 and then upgrade to 32 bit Windows 10. I say this because Apple officially supports 32 bit Windows 7 on your model Mac. Although Apple does not officially support Windows 10 for your model Mac, upgrading to 32 bit Windows 10 from 32 bit Windows 7 is should be supported by Microsoft. The Windows Support Software (the drivers) can be found by following the links on the Apple webpage Install Windows 7 on your Mac using Boot Camp. I believe the correct link should lead you to Boot Camp Support Software 4.0.4033. You will probably need the optical drive to be working in order to install Windows 7 by using the Boot Camp Assistant application. If the optical drive is not available, then read the other pertinent options given below.

Window 7 can be purchase rather cheaply. For example, this retailer offers Windows 7 Professional 32/64bit Download for 19.50 USD. You may still be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. See this article for details.

Your Mac has a 64 bit processor with 2 cores (Core 2 Duo). If you want 64 bit Windows, then there potential problems you may need to overcome. Some of these problems and possible solutions are given below.

According to Microsoft, you will need at least 2 GB of memory.
If your Windows 7 media does not include SP1, then you should get a newer ISO file from the Microsoft website Download Windows 7 Disc Images (ISO Files). The download is free, but you will need to enter your Windows 7 product activation key to enable the download.
The current version of Windows 10 can found by clicking on this link. Note: the link is dependent on the browser you are using. In other words, Safari will goto a different website than Microsoft Edge goes to. While the download is free, you may still need to buy a license key to continue using Windows 10.
The Window Support Software may not work with 64 bit Windows. See the question Using Boot Camp Support Software 4.0.4033 to install 64 bit Windows 7, 8 or 10 for installation instructions.
Some 64 bit Windows installation configurations can both BIOS and UEFI boot. However, some early Intel Macs can not handle this type of configuration. If you have this problem, then you will need to remove the UEFI boot files. See the question “Select CD-ROM Boot Type:” error during Windows install for instructions.
The newer versions of macOS automatically install firmware updates. If you are running an older version of macOS (OS X) then you may need to manually install firmware updates. See About EFI and SMC firmware updates for Intel-based Mac computers for more information.
If you do not have a working optical drive, then you can try installing Widnows by using the rather complex method described in the question No bootable device USB 2.0 MacBook Pro mid 2014.
User have reported being able to install Windows by using a flash drive. In my opinion, your Mac is to old, but I will include the following link anyway: Bootcamp - No ISO Option.


How to increase value of tcbhashsize parameter in OS X

sysctl is the tool of choice for this. sysctl net.inet.tcp.tcbhashsize will tell you its value, and sysctl -w net.inet.tcp.tcbhashsize=new_value will set the value. However on my system I got the error sysctl: oid 'net.inet.tcp.tcbhashsize' is read only when I tried to set the value – no idea if it's possible to set this value in some way without compiling and running your own kernel.


How to completely remove Garage Band from macOS?

On a fresh install of Sierra 10.12.2, the GarageBand files are:

/Applications/GarageBand

/Library/Application Support/GarageBand

/Library/Audio/Apple Loops/Apple/Apple Loops for GarageBand

/Library/Receipts/com.apple.pkg.GarageBand_AppStore.bom

/Library/Receipts/com.apple.pkg.GarageBand_AppStore.plist

/System/Library/Receipts/com.apple.pkg.MAContent10_AssetPack_0325_AppleLoopsGarageBand1.bom

/System/Library/Receipts/com.apple.pkg.MAContent10_AssetPack_0325_AppleLoopsGarageBand1.plist

~/Library/Application Scripts/com.apple.STMExtension.GarageBand

~/Library/Containers/com.apple.STMExtension.GarageBand

Delete those and you should be GarageBand free.

Notes:

You might want consider also removing /Library/Audio/Apple Loops/Apple and /Library/Application Support/Logic (those loops aren't GarageBand-specific — Logic Pro uses them, for example).
If you're comfortable with the command line, you can delete this list programmatically. I recommend using the tool trash. First copy the above list and save it in a new file. Then run

xargs trash <pathtothefile

For example if you save the list on your Desktop as garageband-files-to-delete.txt, you'd run

xargs trash <~/desktop/garageband-files-to-delete.txt

(this may require sudo. you could also use rm -rf instead of trash, but that's dangerous).


I eventually found Apple's instructions for how to reset the Mac OS X printing system. Once I did that, the usual automatic download worked.


It appears that if you go into Settings > General > Accessibility and enable Assistive Touch, a new transparent button appears on your iPhone. This button can be accessed all the time. It is overlayed over anything appearing on your phone. If you tap it, and then tap Device, one of the options is Lock Screen.

Instead of having the icon always be visible, you can go to the Triple-click Home setting under the Accessibility page and choose AssistiveTouch. This way you can easily show or hide the button with a triple-click of the home button!


Possible to Hide Mac Partition When in Windows?

I'm not a windows guy, so the steps are probably different but this SuperUser question asks how to disable a partition under Windows XP. The steps may be similar under Windows 7:

  You could remove the drive letter
  assignment for the specific
  partition(s):

  Go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer
  Management
  Expand Computer Management (Local) > Storage > Disk Management
  Right click the specific partition you like to hide and select "Change
  Drive Letter and Paths"
  Select the drive letter shown, click "Remove" and click "OK"


Is there any app to copy Ctrl+C any text from Desktop (Windows) and paste Ctrl+V in iphone at anywhere?

Have you tried Pastefire? It is a little more constrained than any box, but it works.


First thing - think twice before trying to brute force guess passwords. If this is due to a developer program requirement, and especially if you continue to pay for that - start with developer support.

It's OK that you forgot the passwords and ask what method you can take to validate it's really you regaining control of the account.

https://developer.apple.com/support/

If you're locked out, you might need to make careful notes of what you click at:

https://iforgot.apple.com/password/verify/appleid

Be very clear what step you can't get past and be patient with the people helping. They are there to prevent someone wishing to take over your developer account so you might need to write a certified letter, get something notarized, take several weeks to get them to help.

When you're ready to admit you can't get in - phone support might be your last avenue to get someone to point you to any alternate unlock methods or deliver the news that Apple will not help you break into the account. If that’s the ultimate situation you would have to walk away from it since you can't verify you produced the answers they asked back when you initially secured the account.

https://developer.apple.com/contact/phone/


How do I find the Apple startup chime/sounds on my computer?

The sounds are stored in firmware, and not as a file.

Some more info regarding startup sounds here:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202768


To get the most out of your MacBook Pro's battery, follow the Notebook Battery advice from Apple: unplug and use your battery until empty about once a month, then charge back up to full.

If you need help following Apple's advice, use Battery Guardian; it is free and will remind you when to deplete your battery.


Automator: Safari: Display Webpages, but no entry area?

You need something to give the action an input. The Display Webpages action doesn't request for user input by default, since it could use the value of a variable, etc as the URL.

Use an action such as Ask For Text before the Display Webpages action. Note that the Ask For Text action doesn't parse URLs, so you'll need the http://.


Is it possible to take multiple tabs out of Safari into a new window?

No, you cannot do that in one go with Safari like you can in Chrome. You have to first drag out one tab to make a new window, and then manually drag each following tab to that new window.


Trying to upgrade to macOS sierra from OS X 10.8.5

Just so everyone knows, I was finally able to download Sierra on a different network. It might've been something related to my ISP.


Video controls in Chrome shake when I'm watching YouTube videos in Flash

Update Google Chrome to the latest version and try disabling the experimental HTML5 player for YouTube.


I accidentally used "touch .." , is there a way to safely delete this document?

Do not delete it! In unixish filesystems (including macOS), .. is a link to the parent directory. So if you were in the directory /Users/Serax/Desktop and you ran touch .., that's equivalent to touch /Users/Serax, which just marks your home directory as being modified.
Similarly, when you're in /Users/Serax/Desktop, trying to delete .. is equivalent to trying to delete your home directory. If you succeeded, you'd lose all your files. You do not want to do this.
Running that touch command will not have damaged anything, so there's nothing that needs to be fixed, deleted, or cleaned up. Just go about your business.
BTW, do you have a good backup? If not, I'd strongly recommend you make one. Because accidents happen, and sometimes you delete your entire home directory by mistake.


.VolumeIcon.icns is an invisible file which holds the display icon for each attached disk.
If you delete it - not worth it as it's only about 1MB anyway - it will simply be re-created.

As a general rule - if it's invisible… leave it alone.
BTW, Mac doesn't have a 'file explorer' it has Finder.


How to confirm that a file has copied to a new disk without any errors?

or a piece of software that would do the copying for me and confirm that all the bits are exactly the same.

This is what rsync does. It can copy one file, entire trees of files, just about anything really. And it does it with a reliable algorithm. At the end of an rsync you can be confident the sink got exactly what you sent it from the source.

There's a GUI for rsync called arRsync that can make working with it a little friendlier, though it doesn't work for rsync-over-ssh calls.

The other advantage to rsync is it can do resume-on-interrupt copying. Particularly nice if you're copying lots of files or even big files over networks that are less than reliable.

If you're copying a local drive and a network that are both available to the same Mac you can do:

rsync -avz /Volumes/LocallyAttachedDrive/path/to/big-movie.mov /Volumes/RemoteShare/path/

And you're all done.

If it's a directory (which bundles like .app are) you can do a complete, recursive copy with:

rsync -avz /Volumes/LocallyAttachedDrive/path/to/my-bundle.app /Volumes/RemoteShare/path/

If you don't have Finder/Bonjour-level access to the sink you can do rsync-over-ssh:

rsync -avz /Volumes/LocallyAttachedDrive/path/to/my-bundle.app remoteuser@remotehost:/Volumes/RemoteShare/path/

A shared key can be generated so you don't have to enter a password if you like.

Edit: you can use rsync to verify if two trees are the same with the --dry-run/-n option. If I have the source tree /Volumes/dir and I've copied it to /Volumes/ConnectedDrive/dir I can compare them with:

rsync -acvn /Volumes/dir /Volumes/ConnectedDrive/

The output will tell me if any files need to be copied to the sink in order to make the sink equal the source.

For example, if I sync'ed two trees:

> rsync -avz ./8779 ./a/
building file list ... done
8779/
8779/.DS_Store
8779/logs/
8779/logs/MasterLog.txt
8779/logs/StartLog.txt

sent 893980 bytes  received 98 bytes  596052.00 bytes/sec
total size is 10034671  speedup is 11.22

Comparing them for equality should yield no operations required:

> rsync -acvn ./8779 ./a/
building file list ... done

sent 213 bytes  received 20 bytes  155.33 bytes/sec
total size is 10034671  speedup is 43067.26

If sink was slightly different we'd see output like this:

> echo foo >> a/8779/logs/MasterLog.txt

> rsync -acvn ./8779 ./a/
building file list ... done
8779/logs/MasterLog.txt

sent 219 bytes  received 26 bytes  490.00 bytes/sec
total size is 10034671  speedup is 40957.84

Now we know the MasterLog.txt file isn't the same.


How to jailbreak 2nd gen iPod Touch without losing data?

I've used redsn0w on iPod touch 2nd Gen. You will not lose any data.


Just changed a password, not in my keychain?

There is a better way. Let me grab my small soapbox.

It's always so hard to manage multiple password stores across multiple browsers, multiple devices and multiple OS.

In my experience, turn off all offers to save passwords and use one repository. If you're all in Apple iCloud - the keychain is OK for many / most. When that fails you or you're a power user, get 1Password.

If you need to have windows and other OS - get 1Password. It is paid software but your time is also valuable and I see it as an insurance policy against bad passwords and password reuse.

https://1password.com

I can't imagine not having a system to remember all the fake security question answers, all the other details about account setup and most of all, not having a system to automate entry of unique passwords for each and every service so one breach doesn't spread to my entire digital life.

off the soapbox, now


Trouble Mounting NTFS drive on OS X 10.9

You don't.  OS X does not have reliable r/w support for NTFS.

Purchase one of the reliable solutions, such as Paragon, or Tuxera.


How can I make a screenshot (printscreen) on my Macbook Pro using Windows 7?

If you are using Bootcamp, Apple has provided documentation of key mappings:

  print screen = fn + ⇧ shift + F11


OSX El Capitan - cannot make bootable usb stick with boot camp

If you find no option to select your external USB drive as an ISO target - are instead directed to install on your repartitioned hard drive immediately - open the info.plist and add your model identifier to the following:

<key>ExternalInstallOnlyModels</key>
<array>
    <string>MacBook8,1</string>
    <string>MacBook9,1</string>
    <string>MacBookAir7,1</string>
    <string>MacBookPro11,5</string>
</array>


Will turning off Photo Stream make my Camera Roll not back up to iCloud?

Turning off Photo Stream has no impact on iCloud Backup. The contents of your Camera Roll will remain in iCloud and will continue to be backed up providing you do not disable either Camera Roll backup or iCloud Backup.


iPhone dropped from the top on my Desktop

The inside of an iPhone is all solid state and can tolerate being dropped. That said, you should thoroughly test the hardware on your phone to see if anything broke. This includes the screen, case, the touchscreen (make sure that touch and multitouch still works everywhere), the headphone jack, all the buttons, the camera and flash, and the dock connector. A bump could have misaligned or disconnected any of the above hardware.


Can I tell Photos I never want to use it with iCloud?

I'm going to take a step back and redefine the problem:

You have an iPhoto library with active shared albums.
You have a Photos library that you don't want to use iCloud with.

This is not difficult, but you need to work with the system, not go against the grain, which is what you're asking. Even if you found a command-line "solution", it would not be guaranteed to work in the future and would likely be undone with the next Photos update.

Here's what you do:

On the Mac that doesn't support Photos, you leave iPhoto. You leave your iPhoto Library intact and use as normal.

On all other Macs, use only Photos. Create a new Photos library (hold Option as you launch Photos and click "Create New") and designate that library to be the Photos System Library. This means that all Shared Albums, PhotoStream, etc. will be synced to this library, and this library only. See https://support.apple.com/kb/PH21363?locale=en_US for more information.

Other Photos libraries, which are not the Photos System Library, will show you the following when you look at Photos > Preferences > iCloud:

Now you can update your Shared Albums from any of your Macs, the one with only iPhoto or the one with Photos.

On the Mac with Photos, the only change is holding Option when you launch Photos to choose which library to use each session.

This will accomplish what you want without needing to 'hack' the system.

==== earlier answer mostly trying to understand the problem better ===

iPhoto and Photos are iCloud enabled, but only one library can be the primary iCloud-connected library. As iPhoto is deprecated, Apple is trying to nudge you along to only use Photos and get rid of iPhoto.

Photos is the replacement for iPhoto. They were never intended to both be used. In fact, in some cases, Apple would invalidate the iPhoto application to force users to only use Photos.

Since both iPhoto and Photos use things like PhotoStream and other services through iCloud, I imagine that the two programs are getting confused and they can't behave properly. Frankly, I'm surprised you're not experiencing sync'ing or other problems since you are using both.

The first time Photos appeared, it went through the process of migrating your old iPhoto library to a new Photos library, but it left the old one intact. This allows the user to double-check that the migration was successful before deleting the iPhoto library, to free up space if not for minimizing risk of confusion ("why are my photos appearing there and not here?")

So, if I may ask, are the photos in both your iPhoto Library and your Photos library more or less the same, or do you have two distinct libraries?

If the former, then I think you should move to Photos and ditch iPhoto completely, as it's no longer supported and will likely only cause further problems/confusion.

If the latter, then I suggest that you upgrade that new, distinct iPhoto Library to a Photos library for the same reason as above and use the Option-key modifier while starting Photos to choose which library you want to use each time you launch Photos. And ditch iPhoto.

The short version is that as iPhoto is deprecated, unsupported software, the longer you continue to use it, the more likely you will have problems.


Start/stop internet sharing from a script?

To start Internet Sharing from the CLI:

sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.InternetSharing.plist

To stop, change the load to unload.

Note that if you have the pref pane open when you run this you will not see the change take effect immediately (the UI won't update), but it does work.


Is it normal for the Finder to be slow when many files are in a folder?

Bulk file & folder moves/copies using the Finder are more easily accomplished at the command line in Terminal. A benefit is that the process executes faster.

The mv and cp commands are what you need. Use wildcard file selection on the source side of the command, and create target paths from dragging the associated Finder icons into the Terminal window. Take a look at the myriad options available at man mv and man cp.


You don't need to use Recovery/Single User mode for this.

If you don't have a new admin account yet, create one in System Preferences->Users & Groups
Log out of the current account (the one you want to switch from admin to standard)
Log in with another admin account
Open System Preferences->Users & Groups, select the old account and untick "User can administer the computer"


Why does Chrome need access to Bluetooth?

Modern Web APIs allow web sites to run code that communicates with your Bluetooth devices using the Web Bluetooth API - after you have given permission in each specific instance.
This particular prompt gives Chrome access to Bluetooth, which is necessary for Chrome to be able to offer that functionality to web sites.
You can find some technical examples of Bluetooth usage made possible by the Web Bluetooth API here:
Web Bluetooth Samples
In regards to actual use, it could be useful for controlling almost any kind of Bluetooth-enabled device. Imagine for example a new smart home device that you could setup by visiting a web site - instead of having to install an app or similar. Other examples could be RFID scanners, receipt printers, busy-lights, and so on.
Here's a GitHub repository with code examples for various fun demos:
Web Bluetooth Demos
For example, it includes controlling racing cars, a toy plane, a receipt printer and an LED pixel display.


It's called Handoff & is part of Continuity, enabling seamless working between all your devices.

As far as its underlying structure, Continuity uses Bluetooth, WiFi & internet connectivity, all linked via your iCloud account.
Handoff itself requires Bluetooth, so works at short distance only.

  Turn Handoff on or off

  Note: If you don’t see a Handoff option on your device, it doesn’t
  work with Handoff.

  On your Mac: Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, click General, then select “Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices”
  (below “Recent items”). To turn it off, deselect the option.
  On iPad, iPhone or iPod touch: Go to Settings > General > Handoff, then tap to turn on Handoff. To turn it off, tap the option.
  On Apple Watch: Open the Watch app on iPhone, go to My Watch > General, then tap to turn on Enable Handoff. To turn it off, tap the
  option.


Ideal iMac For programming (and some photoshop)

Basically every iMac shipping today has plenty of power to handle your developing and photo-editing needs. When it comes to lifespan, there is virtually little to no difference. Finally, unless you're working with intense 3D graphics, you should be absolutely fine with the base model.


How do I change the locked screen wallpaper on iPhone 4S?

Yeah you sure can! Find the picture in the Photos app, press the menu button in the bottom left corner and press Use as Wallpaper.


Dashboard background changes itself in Mavericks

Delete your desktop preference file

rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.desktop.plist

…then log out and back in, then set your desktop wallpaper normally.


Successor for 360Controller to support wired XBox One Controller?

I created a modified .plist-file for the games which worked like a charm.
The file needs to be put in
Steam/steamapps/common/$Game/$Game.app/Contents/Resources/InputDevices/Digital/

With the following content.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>CGPDeviceCategory</key>
    <string>GamePad</string>
    <key>CGPDeviceType</key>
    <string>Standard</string>
    <key>CGPDeviceImageType</key>
    <string>Xbox</string>
    <key>CGPDisplayNameOvr</key>
    <string>Xbox One Controller</string>
    <key>VendorID</key>
    <integer>1118</integer>
    <key>ProductID</key>
    <integer>765</integer>
    <key>LeftAxisX</key>
    <string>1:48</string>
    <key>LeftAxisX-Min</key>
    <string>0</string>
    <key>LeftAxisX-Max</key>
    <string>65535</string>
    <key>LeftAxisY</key>
    <string>1:49</string>
    <key>LeftAxisY-Min</key>
    <string>0</string>
    <key>LeftAxisY-Max</key>
    <string>65535</string>
    <key>LeftTrigger</key>
    <string>2:197</string>
    <key>LeftTrigger-Min</key>
    <string>0</string>
    <key>LeftTrigger-Max</key>
    <string>1023</string>
    <key>RightAxisX</key>
    <string>1:50</string>
    <key>RightAxisX-Min</key>
    <string>0</string>
    <key>RightAxisX-Max</key>
    <string>65535</string>
    <key>RightAxisY</key>
    <string>1:53</string>
    <key>RightAxisY-Min</key>
    <string>0</string>
    <key>RightAxisY-Max</key>
    <string>65535</string>
    <key>RightTrigger</key>
    <string>2:196</string>
    <key>RightTrigger-Min</key>
    <string>0</string>
    <key>RightTrigger-Max</key>
    <string>1023</string>
    <key>Hatswitch</key>
    <string>1:57</string>
    <key>HSValueRest</key>
    <integer>0</integer>
    <key>HSValueUp</key>
    <integer>1</integer>
    <key>HSValueUpRight</key>
    <integer>2</integer>
    <key>HSValueRight</key>
    <integer>3</integer>
    <key>HSValueDownRight</key>
    <integer>4</integer>
    <key>HSValueDown</key>
    <integer>5</integer>
    <key>HSValueDownLeft</key>
    <integer>6</integer>
    <key>HSValueLeft</key>
    <integer>7</integer>
    <key>HSValueUpLeft</key>
    <integer>8</integer>
    <key>ButtonDevice</key>
    <string>1:133</string>
    <key>ButtonA</key>
    <string>9:1</string>
    <key>ButtonB</key>
    <string>9:2</string>
    <key>ButtonX</key>
    <string>9:4</string>
    <key>ButtonY</key>
    <string>9:5</string>
    <key>LeftShoulder</key>
    <string>9:7</string>
    <key>RightShoulder</key>
    <string>9:8</string>
    <key>ButtonBack</key>
    <string>12:548</string>
    <key>ButtonStart</key>
    <string>9:12</string>
    <key>LeftThumb</key>
    <string>9:14</string>
    <key>RightThumb</key>
    <string>9:15</string>
</dict>
</plist>


How to optimize imported photos from digital camera?

Usually cameras provide settings that will allow you to shoot photos of smaller resolution, so if I wouldn't want images of that resolution, I would first look to change the shooting settings.

However when I want to batch resize images in mac, here is some of my techniques:

With an Automator Workflow
 I have created an automator workflow of the following 2 steps:

Ask for Finder Items: with Allow Multiple Selection.
Scale Images: where I specify the desired dimension.

Then I click to run it, it asks me for the Finder Items, I select the images I want to resize and voila.

Note that the above 2 automator steps are destructive, meaning that your images cannot be reverted back to their original size. It's generally recommended to add an extra step in your workflow to copy the files before resizing them.

Using Photos Export
Another option using Photos, is to use the export feature and create your desired export settings to rescale your images. Then you can import them back.

Image Optimization
Finally there is another tool I use it when I want to optimize jpeg files for the web: It is the imageOptim. It won't resize the images, rather than it will try to compress them even more, in order to save in weight.


Better to run sooner than later.  Disk Utility is written by Apple.  Why are you worried. You should have a full backup of your system.

See this article. Pick diskutilty. Run disk first aid.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314

I read were many people do not recommend running CleanMyMacX.  Could be why you are experiencing problems with your machine. I recommend you stop running CleanMyMacX.  Read manufacture's site on how to uninstall. See:
https://macpaw.com/support/cleanmymac-3/knowledgebase/how-to-uninstall-cleanmymac-3

Simple put,  Apple attempts to provide all the malware detection and removal you need in Mac OS X.

"Effective defenses against malware and other threats" by John Galt
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-8841

"Avoid phishing emails, fake 'virus' alerts, phony support calls, and other scams"
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204759

"MalwareBytes Anti-Malware for Mac Removes adware and malware Revives your Mac."  MalwareBytes has a more restrictive filter for adware than Apple. MalwareBytes has come to be accepted as the only malware detector you should consider.  For those pestered by browser attacks consider MalwareBytes.
https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/mac/

etrecheck
Run etrecheck.   The first five runs are free. Provided a report on your machines hardware and software.  Great for diagnosing your system.  Click on the download link at the bottom of the screen.
http://etrecheck.com/

Apple on Security:
https://www.apple.com/business/resources/docs/macOS_Security_Overview.pdf

phishing
"fake" panic warnings
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-8771
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204759


Certain .MOV video file will not play audio in VLC for iOS (iPad)

I was able to convert the .MOV file to a .MP4 file with Handbrake and audio is working now.


Can SATA negotiated link speed be set lower in software?

So, having verified the drive is, in fact running at SATA-III speeds, it looks like this post describes doing what you need. Be aware it requires a DOS environment to run, so you'll likely want FreeDOS with the .iso loaded already.

I haven't used this, so I am unable to verify results. Attempt at your own risk.


Yes, there is a difference. In fact, I suspect there are several.

One of the most obvious is that when you delete a file in your Home directory, the cp command won’t know to delete it from the other drives.

Also, cp isn’t smart enough to know if a file has changed or not, so it’s going to copy all of your files each time you run it, which is going to be a huge waste of time for the majority of your data.

Then there are permissions, and special files, and so forth.

So, in short, don’t use cp for this.

rsync would be a much better choice than cp … but, having said that, I should add that I firmly believe there are only 2 kinds of people in the world:

people who have accidentally deleted data with rsync, and
people who have never used rsync.

Which is to say, be careful with rsync, especially when using it to delete files. Start with a small set of files/folders which are either duplicated/backed up somewhere safe or unimportant, and don’t forget to use --dry-run before you run a new rsync command.

Personally, I think CCC or SuperDuper are well worth the money (in fact, I own them both), and would much rather use them than any other method of making a backup.


How do I share my Internet connection wirelessly while using it on my MacBook Pro?

I've used  Idea Netsetter Dongle and shared my internet over the Wifi.

First connect to the Internet with Idea Netsetter 3G
Open System Preferences > Sharing

Select the Network which you want to share ( In your case it's Ethernet Adaptor )
Select the network(s) which you want to share the internet to (In your case Wifi)

Don't forget to switch you're Wifi On

Now if you look at the Wifi Icon on your Menu Bar , You'll notice something different.

Now take any other device ( iPhone , Android Phone , iPad ) and connect to your WiFi Network.

Hope this is what you were looking for !


How to stop an iPhone 3G from using cell data, ever?

In my country (Australia) we are able to ask the mobile provider to disable data on our accounts to ensure we cannot use any at all, and thus cannot be charged for it unwillingly. It might be worth calling up the provider and asking if they can disable the data service.


Is there a way to power down an AirPort Time Capsule gracefully?

According to Apple (from the Time Capsule manual)

Using Your AirPort Time Capsule Safely

The only way to shut off power completely to your AirPort Time
Capsule is to disconnect it from the power source.

If you want to go above and beyond, you can be sure that all users all logged off, and not performing a backup through the Airport Utility, but this is not necessary...


What is the best version of iOS to use on an iPhone 3G?

iOS is always being optimized, and Apple's OS's are known for running faster than previous versions, even on older hardware. iOS 4.0 was bad on the 3G, but 4.1 is much better.

As a rule of thumb, you're always best running the latest version of iOS, unless you're a jailbreaker and/or unlocker, in which case you should run the latest exploitable version of iOS and the baseband.


How to activate a used iPhone bound to another account (already removed from iCloud)?

You mention that you removed the phone from your Find my iPhone in iCloud, but then it can't be activated with anyone's Apple ID. Only the Apple ID that is shown on the page is the one that can be used to activate it. Once it is activated, you can use any Apple ID to register the iPhone and log in to iCloud.

In the screenshot above, only the Apple ID matching e•••••@gmail.com can be used to 'unlock' the phone. Make sure that this is the Apple ID that the device was removed from in Find my iPhone.

Once you have removed the phone from the relevant Find my iPhone account, try rebooting the phone. This should force the device to re-check Apple's servers for the Find my iPhone status of the device. If this fails, simply use the Apple ID that you removed the device from to activate it, then you can set it up normally.


Which is faster for syncing iPhone 4 with iTunes -- USB or WIFI?

USB 2.0 is faster, but Wi-Fi is better.

In practice, Wi-Fi will be superior to USB for syncing and backup since you don't have to worry about plugging it in. It can start as soon as you enter the network, throttle itself based on CPU/iOS activity. You can even start on WiFi and connect your iOS 5 device to USB and syncing will continue at faster speeds if WiFi proves to be slow for a particular sync session.

My experience is the devices can do their thing and sync in the background without me waiting for them and I'm almost always the slowest peg in the process. :-)

However, USB 2.0 speed is faster than 802.11n both in theory and in practice. See this chart from a very nice Apple Insider article on relative speeds relating to Time Capsule performance. The one area where USB (or any other wired connection whether it's USB 2.0, 3.0, FireWire or Thunderbolt) is better than Wi-Fi is latency. If your sync session is largely lots of little checks and no appreciable time is spent waiting for large files to transfer, then the wired connection could be much faster if your sessions are shorter than 15 to 30 seconds in length. Here's another nice article explaining how even a slow USB 2.0 connection can be fast enough for some demanding data transfers: http://www.apogeedigital.com/knowledgebase/quartet/why-doesnt-quartet-use-usb-3-0/

AppleInsider: Exploring Time Capsule: theoretical speed vs practical throughput


You can change the number stored in

~/Library/Media/PhotoData/MISC/DCIM_APPLE.plist

The integer value is stored under the key DCIMLastFileNumber.

This property list is accessible from a backup, so you can backup your iPhone with iTunes, modify the backup, and then restore from backup. If your device is jailbroken, you can edit the file directly on the device.


BuildError(): error building a user of type

The problem seems to correlate to enabling FileVault for the whole disk. I did that for my MBP since I use it for work and in the case it gets lost, I need the content to be protected.

When you boot from a disk completely encrypted by FileVault, the OS cannot boot until the password to decrypt the disk content is entered.

To do this, OS X starts a minimal LoginManager where you enter your user name and user password. The entered user password is used to decrypt the FileVault Key and FileVault can now decrypt the contents of the disk and the real boot sequence starts.

Usually this LoginManager offers a flag to select the language for its GUI and the Keyboard Layout. As it seems, Apple made an error by not providing the needed resources on the unencrypted partition for setting up the LoginManger. This results (in my humble opinion) in the following error messages at boot time (only to see for a very short time):

**** ERROR _CreateMenuWithWithIdentifier no image for file: 1_flag_menu_item.png
**** ERROR _CreateMenuWithWithIdentifier no image for file: 92_flag_other_menu_item.png
**** ERROR UIFlagPickerRestoreState No state found for flagpicker
**** ERROR AchiveViewCreateWithOptions ArchiveCopyPNGImage failed for file:  preferences_good_samaritan_message_ribbon.png
**** ERROR AchiveViewCreateWithOptions ArchiveCopyPNGImage failed for file:  loginui_bootprogressbar.png

When you logoff a user and get back again to the LoginManager AFTER the system has booted, you will see the flag, the language menu, and the power off menu, which you don't see directly after switching on the computer.


Your mac may be overheating, try switching the charging ports.


Is that what you want  ?

>>> import sys
>>> sys.executable
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/Resources/Python.app/Contents/MacOS/Python


How to set two-sided printing as default in Mountain Lion Preview?

In the print dialog you should save a new preset. Below you can find the steps to do so.

Open the Print dialog. It will look something like this:

Check the Two-Sided box.

Go to the Presets drop down list and click Save As...

Type a name for the preset in the dialog and choose if you want this preset available for all your installed printers or just this one.

Now choose that preset in the dropdown list. The next time you will print something the preset will be automatically active, so it will print two-sided as default.


Connect to SMB trought hostname instead IP

You'll need to have / run a DNS server or modify your local hosts file to have the names resolve properly. Or you'll need a service to do this for you - Apple's Find My Mac service through iCloud is but one option there.

If you go the host file or DNS option, from terminal, use the host command to see what is resolving:

host hostname.synology.me

You might be able to get bonjour to work as well. This is more complicated - since the host tool and some others don't handle bonjour well.

List the SMB mounts that bonjour has found on the local network:

dns-sd -B _smb

You need to use control + C to cancel the browse command. Take the names at the end of the listing and put them in quotes if they have spaces or other punctuation in the names. Get the local name for the service:

dns-sd -L "Epson Stylus NX430" _smb

That will show you the bonjour name and what local host name and port to communicate to the SMB server in question. Here's the output of the above command since it's a bit dense to read the first few times you try this "trick".

mac:~ me$ dns-sd -L "Epson Stylus NX430" _smb
Lookup Epson Stylus NX430._smb._tcp.local
DATE: ---Sat 14 Nov 2015---
 9:39:36.912  ...STARTING...
 9:39:37.471  Epson\032Stylus\032NX430._smb._tcp.local. can be reached at Epson.local.:445 (interface 4)

So, in the above example. The host name is Epson.local which you would substitute for smb://hostname.synology.me as smb://Epson.local


Recover files from one volume to another on the same Drobo?

Drobo Support told me to NOT recover from one unmounted volume to another, but did not clarify why. It seems odd that there would be a potential of overwriting the first damaged volume, so I don't understand what's going on here.

Fortunately I was able to find an external hard drive that I could recover the most critical files to using Data Rescue 3. (New purchase for $100).

Moral of the story: Buy a UPS for your Drobo. That may have prevented this problem.


Inkscape works great on Mac OS:
http://www.inkscape.org/

I have used is for years to produce icons and logos in SVG and then export to PNG for the web.

I've never had the need but the features list does list "Live watching and editing the document tree in the XML editor".  I believe that's what you meant by "text editor".  I hope that Inkscape works well for you.


Apple iOS 8.0.2 cannot open jpeg files. Only opens winmail.dat

This is a symptom of Outlook sending incorrect formats to Internet-based e-mail addresses. It's been a problem for many years. Have your IT staff look into the problem here:

https://support.microsoft.com/kb/958012

If you're the only one who is receiving these wonky mails, it could be that your entry in Contacts is forcing the supposedly not an RTF problem to be exactly an RTF problem. It can be checked in Outlook:

Open that specific contact by double clicking the item in the Contacts folder.
Hover on the email address of the contact and an Address Card pop-up will become visible.
On the right side of the contact card you’ll see a menu button. Click on it and from the list choose; Outlook Properties.
Make sure that the “Internet format” is set to “Let Outlook decide the best sending format”.

Let us know how you get on with it. It can be a pesky problem to sort out.


Can I configure Accessbility settings using Terminal instead of Preferences Panel

Try this:

$ defaults write com.apple.universalaccess mouseDriver 1

Also you can always access Spotlight by typing Command+Spacebar (unless you've changed the default keyboard shortcut for that).  From there if you type trackpad you should be able to get to your trackpad preferences.


Currently apple offers no way of merging accounts. They are rumored to be working on a solution.

In any case you will have to retrieve your Apple ID.
There are 2 ways to do that. You tried the email. the second being the security question:

The last resort would be contacting apple and trying to get them to change the e-mail address of your account (if you have a credit card attached to your account they might be able to authenticate you using this).


You can use the built-in iMovie app to do this.

Create a new project, add your video files, and drag them to the timeline in order. Export your project as an M4V (Share-> Export Movie).

If you're completely new to iMovie, some good introductory tutorials can be found on YouTube.


Is there any way to make the ipad's front camera view angle wider?

No, there is no software setting to make the front camera wider than it already is. If it is fully zoomed out in the app, then it can't go any further.


How do I force iPhoto to download new photos in my Photo Stream?

I have found a better way. One that doesn't involve resync'ing the entire stream.

Quit iPhoto
Open up Activity Monitor
In the search field enter: photostreamagent
Select all the PhotoStreamAgent processes listed
Click the Quit Process button
In the confirmation dialog that pops up click the Quit button
Confirm that all the PhotoStreamAgent processes are no longer alive by waiting for the Activity Monitor window to show no processes with that name
Re-start iPhoto

When you restart iPhoto it will re-start the PhotoStreamAgent process for your iPhoto session and kick off a new Photo Stream sync. You'll get your lastest pictures updated and you won't have to sit through a full re-sync of all your Photo Stream.

Update for Yosemite where the process name has changed to iCloud Photos. This is the what you want to kill:

Update for Yosemite 10.10.4 where the process name has changed to Photos Agent. This what you want to kill:

You can also do this, quickly, from the command line like so:

sudo pkill cloudphotosd
sudo killall cloudphotosd


OS X Yosemite shares browser tabs between two different Macs, although iCloud-Safari is turned off

If you really mean by  automatically opens in task bar as a Browser icon displays a the little icon on top of it in the Dock (Handoff app icon in Dock ), and when you click it it opens the same page you are viewing on the other Mac.

then this is nothing to do with iCloud.

This a feature called Hand off. Have a read here

  When your Mac computers and iOS devices are within Bluetooth range of
  each other (about 33 feet or 10 meters), they can automatically “hand
  off” what you’re doing from one device to another. For example, you
  can start writing an email in Mail on your iPhone, then instantly pick
  up where you left off in Mail on your Mac.

  Handoff works with several apps that come
  with OS X Yosemite and iOS 8: Calendar, Contacts, Mail, Maps,
  Messages, Notes, Phone (iOS only), Reminders, and Safari. It also
  works with Keynote v6.5, Numbers v3.5, and Pages v5.5 for Mac, and
  Keynote, Numbers, and Pages v2.5 for iOS. Third-party apps may also
  work with Handoff.


After installing Phyton3.6 , Terminal won't see it. Why?

The software is called python not phyton. For Python 3, run python3.


How to stop an app from running completely on OS X?

It is probably a launchctl process that is restarting.

To see all loaded launch agents, in Terminal:

launchctl list

To remove one:

sudo launchctl remove label_of_program_to_remove

where, label_of_program_to_remove is found in the preceding list.  Note that you have to run the sudo command from an administrator account; or, su to an administrator account first.


How can I view recently added songs in iTunes grouped by Album like the Songs view does?

If I understand your question correctly, in the 'music' section, sort by date added, select the six albums worth of songs and create a New Playlist from Selection (Cmd-Shft-N, or right-click on selection). From that playlist, you should have the view you want.


Using Late 2015 13" MacBook Pro as a 2nd monitor for Late 2015 27" iMac

Using Late 2015 13“ MacBook Pro as a 2nd monitor for Late 2015 27” iMac

You cannot use a MacBook as an external display for an iMac.

  Is there way to use the Sidecar and Airplay software to set up this?

No.


Not getting white boot screen background on white iPad/iPhone (iOS 7)?

The color-specifc boot screens are only available on the iPhone 5 and later.

On these devices, the boot screen will match the colour of the front panel e.g. a white iPhone 5 will display a white screen with a black Apple logo.


Is it possible to have my dock visible on all monitors in El Capitan?

After extensive search, I have not found any solution specifically for the native macOS Dock.

However, not wanting to put up with this nuisance, I configured the third party Contexts app to always be visible and show only icons when not hovered.

I'm more than happy with this solution. The only drawback is that you cannot configure the context sidebar to be in the bottom of the display, like the dock.

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with this app in any way.


Can I make Apple Mail use "m" as the "mark unread" hotkey?

You can do the following:

Go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts
click App Shortcuts and add a new shortcut using the "+" button
Select Mail from the list of your applications
As Menu Title, you have to put the exact name of the menu command you want to add. In your case, it should be "As unread"
Choose the shortcut you want
Just Add the modification

After these steps, just restart Mail and it's done. You can check on the menu bar to see that the shortcut has been modified.


In iTerm2 map the left Command key to the left Control key & map Command+Tab

While not answering the question I have discovered the following work around in the meantime for my most commonly used terminal "control+" inputs:

Ctrl+C - clear terminal line
Ctrl+R - reverse search

Set the remap modifiers in iTerm to default:

Set the keybindings for Command+R, etc. to "Send Hex codes:" and enter the hex codes from http://ascii-table.com/control-chars.php as follows:

And viola it works for Command+R = Ctrl+R as required....to do the entire alphabet would require mapping multiple hex codes


How to make keyboard shortcuts work for the Clipmenu application?

Invoke clip menu first (shift+ctrl+V by default) then use cmd+number to paste that particular item.


My SMB shares won't mount under Catalina! What's wrong?

It turns out that the version of Samba (3.0) running on the server only does SMB1, whereas Catalina requires at least SMB2 (which didn't come in until Samba 3.5).

Caught between a rock and a hard place.

Given that the Samba box (1) is now only being used, at least on any sort of regular basis, by me, making it gross overkill, (2) is literally doing nothing but serving SMB1 and consuming power, and (3) is a 15-year-old Dell 400SC, I'm probably going to replace it outright. Possibly with a thumb drive.


disable COMMAND+TAB app switcher in 10.15

According to Apple: "[...] you cannot define keyboard shortcuts for general purpose tasks such as opening an app or switching between apps."
https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-global-keyboard-shortcuts-mchlp2262/mac
But maybe you can share your specific needs so we may find a solution.


Why would my Mac be slow after inactivity and then get to full speed after 20-30 minutes of use?

The clearest way I can see to see whether data is being paged in or out of RAM is the command line program top. Open a Terminal and run top.

Within the first few lines of output look for  "swapins" and "swapouts". The values at the end tell you how many pages have been swapped in and out of memory. The values in the brackets are the delta for that update (top updates once a second by default).

If your Macbook is swapping Eclipse or your VMs back into RAM when you wake it or come back to it after leaving it for a while, then the swains number should be changing significantly each second.


The configuration totally depends on the email server details. If your admin has emailed you these settings trust that they will be complete. The settings you have in the screenshot above would be meant for an office computer residing inside the company office.

The problem why you cannot connect to the email server would be because the IP addresses are internal (10.0.0.x). This means that you need to be connected to the company network to access the email server with these details. This leaves you with a few different solutions:

On an iPad this would mean that you would need to be connected to the company wifi whilst attempting to fetch your email. You would need to sit inside your office and connect.
Ask your admin for VPN access, and through your iPad iOS settings enable the VPN access. This creates a virtual tunnel over the internet wherever you are directly to the company internal network, making the iPad believe that it is accessing the company network directly. You can then use the email settings as per your screenshot to connect.
Ask your admin for the public IP addresses to the email server and use them for your email seetings instead. (example: 212.120.243.xxx)

Hope you find the solution you need. Good luck!


My texts are not showing up delivered. Does this mean I could have been blocked?

No,

When a a user blocks a number on an iPhone and someone else with an iPhone sends a message, it appears delivered.  There is no way for someone to know they were indeed blocked.

Maybe the phone is off.

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/mobile-phone/have-i-been-blocked-in-ios-7-who-blocked-me-ios-8-iphone-ios-9-3476005/


`dd`command: ISO to USB Changes Partition Table to APM

You're overwriting the disk device, not a partition on it, so yes, some chunk of the data from the ISO is going to overwrite the partition table on your USB device.

You don't provide enough details to determine anything else.


How can I pause the download on Mac App Store and then resume it later?

Open Launchpad and you will see your downloading app. Simply click on the app icon to pause the download, and click it again to resume.


Is there a way to change the order of previous recipients in Apple mail?

You can type Doe instead of John in the address fields (To, Cc, Bcc, Reply-To) when composing an email message.