How can I get an iPhone to play songs in order

Is it possible that you have shuffle enabled? The shuffle button in the playlist list is not a toggle, so that wouldn't tell you. Here's how you can find out:

If the shuffle icon is blue, it means your iPhone is playing on shuffle.

Something else you could check is if Shake to Shuffle is enabled:

If it is, you could accidentally activate shuffle without knowing it.

Hope this helps.


Archiving emails locally outside of Apple Mail/Server

You can add both Gmail accounts, wait for complete sync, and then

export each mailbox to your Desktop (or wherever you may want to on
your computer).
import the whole folder containing all the desired mailboxes to your Mail app.

You can then delete the synced accounts contents either on the Mail app or on the Gmail interface.
You'll end with a local backup of your accounts contents and two empty Gmail accounts synced to your Mail app.
You can skip step 2 if you DON'T want to have the contents of your old accounts available on your Mail app at the moment, and import them later on when you see fit. I'm afraid you won't be able to browse the contents of your backup (text or attachments) without first adding the whole mailbox to your Mail app.
You can also remove the old Gmail accounts from your Mail app if they start getting cluttered with spam (although you can teach Gmail what is spam by marking it as such on the Mail app interface or by dragging spam to the "Junk" folder.


Sound output set to headphones and most comes through them, but some sounds (e.g. alert sounds) come from internal speakers

In System Preferences > Sound you can control the sound output from the "Output" tab. This is the same setting you can change from the speaker icon in the menu bar. This sets the audio device to be used for ordinary sound output such as music, games, etc.
However, in System Preferences > Sound you'll also find a tab named "Sound Effects". Here you can set a separate audio device to be used for sound effects such as email alerts, etc.
Note the setting "Play sound effects through:" - usually you will find it set to "Selected sound output device", but if you set it explicitly to the internal audio device, you'll get the experience you're describing.


Having had this exact same problem, I ultimately found that my bash startup sequence (.bashrc or similar) was doing a ulimit -n 1024; and that caused both the soft and the hard limit to get set; the latter of which prevented any attempt at raising it afterwards, giving rise to the "bash: ulimit: open files: cannot modify limit: Operation not permitted" error.

So, removing that command got the soft and hard limits restored to the apparent system defaults of 256 and unlimited respectively. The latter is what will enable you to ulimit -n <whatever> again.

In your case, assuming the cause is similar and your Library/LaunchDaemons/limit.maxfiles.plist is still in place as listed, I expect that ulimit -Sn and ulimit -Hn will report both to be 200000.


How do I restore learned spelling from a backup?

The user dictionary should be located in ~/Library/Spelling (/Users/You/Library/Spelling). Are you unable to restore that folder from your backup?


External hard disk(HHD) showing irregular capacities and partitions

You can restore your drive to its original state by following these steps:
WARNING: THIS WILL REMOVE ALL YOUR DATA FROM THE HARD DRIVE

Open Disk Utility
Click "View" in the menu bar
Click "Show All Devices"
Select your hard drive from the devices list(It will have a name like "2TB Hard Drive")
Click "Erase"


Any new recommended settings for Mail and Gmail (post Mavericks update)?

Here's what I'd do:

NOTE: I tend to rename folders and prefix them with a '#' instead of moving them.  Do whichever you'd prefer.

Delete gmail accounts from mail.app.
Close mail and go to ~/Library/Mail.  Move it somewhere (delete it later if all goes well).
Go to ~/Library/Containers/, and move com.apple.mail.
Go to ~/Library/Preferences/, and move com.apple.mail.*
Run Mail, and set your accounts up.  Go to Mail -> Preferences -> Accounts.

For each gmail account:

Turn off Junk Mail.
Give them a good name so you can tell them apart.
In the SMTP settings, make sure 'use only this server' is checked.
In the SMTP settings -> Edit SMTP server list -> give it a good description, change the port to 587, make sure credentials are filled in and SSL is checked.
Mailbox behaviours - all checked except junk mail.  I set dropdown boxes to never, never, and one month old.
Advanced - IMAP path prefix should be '[Gmail]', IDLE checked.

I tend to also go to Viewing, and set it back to classic layout.  I like enabling the bold unread messages.  Then I'll customize my columns.

Finally, once your email begins to download you'll need to map the sent/drafts/trash folders properly.  Send an email and a 'Sent Messages' folder will be created if it doesn't already exist.  This is the one Mail uses but not the one gmail/iPhone will use.  So click on Sent Mail, and go to the Mailbox menu -> Use this Mailbox for ... -> Sent.
Do the same with Trash and Drafts.

Now if you do have the sent messages folder, I recommend logging in to the gmail web interface at gmail.com, and just move all of those messages to the correct sent folder.  Takes about 2 seconds in gmail.com, but will take forever if you try and do the same thing from mail.app.

Wait for everything to sync up, test sending/receiving from your computer, iPhone, iPad, etc.  Make sure the mappings are working out and everything goes where its supposed to.

If you get sick of mail.app, go and buy MailMate (http://freron.com), which is my new favourite mail client.


I tried around and finally managed to find the error: you need to use even more escape sequences in your PS1 - this should work:

export PS1="\# \[\e[32;1m\]\w > \[\e[0m\]"

note the additional \[ and \] that wrap the colour escape sequences.


Sound from an Apple TV plugged in an LG monitor

The answer is both Yes and No depending on the model. Let me explain.

The model you have linked to at http://www.lg.com/hk_en/monitor/lg-IPS277L is the Hong Kong model and this has a headphone socket. However, if you were buying the model from another country (let's use Australia as an example) it may not have the headphone socket: http://www.lg.com/au/it-monitors/lg-IPS277L-ips-monitor

The model you have linked to is now discontinued, but you can still access the manual downloads etc from: http://www.lg.com/hk_en/support/support-product/lg-IPS277L

If you download the manual it seems to confirm the headphone socket exists, but does not make any real mention of this anywhere. However, the same manual is used for both the LG IPS277L and the LG IPS237L (they are identical, one is basically the 24" model, the other the 27" model).

Now, if you happen to read the review on this page about the LG IPS237L, it is clear that for this particular model you can do exactly what you want to do.

I suspect that as long as you have a Headphone port you will be right.


Is only Sleep Mode good for my MacBook Pro?

I've had my MacBook Pro for 6 years now and I barely turned it off over that period. Always in sleep mode when not in use.

If you don't have an SSD (I don't) and need to carry it somewhere it's always better to turn it off to be extra safe with the hard drive.

Ultimately, it's your computer and your responsibility so you have to choose what's best in your opinion. This goes for anyone reading this post as well.


No. Install OSX, then use Bootcamp Assistant to make and format a new partition and install Windows. Only use BootcampAssistant, do not use DiskUtility or any other tool.
When there is something wrong with the Windows installation later on, you can restart in OSX and correct it with BootcampAssistant.
Let about 15GB minimum free in the OSX partition.


How can I divide a range of cells by another range of cells and then sum them up


Export non-Camera Roll Photo Albums to PC?

You can only transfer photos out of a device that were taken on the device or are otherwise in the Camera Roll. Photos synchronised to a device over iTunes are not able to be synchronised in reverse or otherwise taken from a device.


Why does Drop Box not work after 10.8 upgrade?

To be honest it sounds like it could be a bug in DropBox, and you should contact them to find a solution (and please post the solution here if they give you one).

Why do you have the DropBox folder on the server? Why not have a dropbox folder on the server and a completely separate one on your notebook?

Perhaps it's not what you want, but it seems like that should work perfectly. DropBox usually sends files across to the other machine within a few seconds.


The shortest way: Right-click the file icon in the title bar of the document window. It will display a drop-down menu of the file's location path. When you choose the folder icon that is directly under the file icon, a Finder window will open with the file already selected (highlighted), and you can directly press ⌘⌫ to trash it.


How can I stream audio to multiple computers at the same time?

You can combine AirPlay in iTunes 11 and up with something like AirSever to accomplish this with good results and very little effort. (Note: For more options on how to turn your Mac in to an AirPlay receiver please see: Can I use a Mac Mini as an Airplay audio receiver?)

Install the AirPlay receiver software of your choice on the machine you want to stream audio to.

Start iTunes on the machine you want to stream audio from. In the upper left hand corner of iTunes, right next to the volume slider, you'll see the output device selection icon. It looks like this:

Press it and select the "Multiple" tab at the top of the screen. Select both "Computer" (which is the computer you're running iTunes on) and the name AirServer machine from the list.

Play something in iTunes and should play, simultaneously, on both machines.


Using mobile data while connected to WiFi.

The latest ios9 has a wifi assist feature.  If the phone thinks you're on a lousy wifi connection it will failover to cellular data.   I've turned mine off.

Settings > Cellular > Wi-Fi Assist

See https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205296


Close Google Chrome tab (command + w) closes window

Ok, I just needed to restart the computer. The keyboard mappings are now working as expected.


Thunderbolt to VGA monitor blank in Boot Camp Windows 7

Note that it appears the Thunderbolt may work a bit differently on Windows in Bootcamp than it does on the same computer when running OS X. As noted below on Thunderbolt ports and displays: Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

  Why isn't my device recognized when I plug it directly into the Thunderbolt port when running Windows 7 via BootCamp?

  Windows 7 scans and activates devices connected to the Thunderbolt port only during the startup process. If a device isn't connected when the computer starts up, Windows 7 will not recognize the device. Restart the computer with the device connected to the port. Thunderbolt devices may also need a driver when running on Windows 7.

Additionally after trying the above, you may need to manually activate and configure the 2nd display in Windows 7, it may not automatically configure and turn on with the first connection attempt.

Make Sure you have the Apple Provided BootCamp Drivers installed.
Right click on the Windows 7 Desktop, click on "Screen resolution".
From there you may need to click on "Detect" and further configure the add on displays resolution and so on.

If the above does not work it appears that there may be some driver issues with the graphics card drivers in Bootcamp that may be causing issues with the Thunderbolt a.k.a. the Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter. There are quite a few discussion occuring on Apple's Support forms  and on the internet dealing with this issue. One solution found:

  Finally solved the external display resolution problem.

  Just purchased a new Core 2 Duo, MacBook Pro, 15.4'' display with the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT video card. Loaded Windows7 32-bit with BootCamp 3.0 and then upgraded the Windows NVIDIA video driver with the latest NVIDIA driver (version 196.75) from www.laptopvideo2go.com. Side note: Before updating the NVIDIA driver, I also loaded all of the laptop drivers in Windows with the MacBook recovery disk and completed all Windows updates. I then ran into the same resolution disply problem everyone here is having, which is why I ended up here...

  Solution:

  1) Update BootCamp from 3.0 to 3.1 (http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/).

  2) Uninstall NVIDIA 196.75 driver and the accompanying NVIDIA software bundle.

  3) Install NVIDIA 195.81 driver bundle with the modified INF file - downloaded from www.laptopvideo2go.com.

  4) Display works perfectly and tested the solution on 3 difference projectors.

If all else fails I recommend contacting Apple and letting them know of the issue so that they can develop a fix or workaround for it.


How to get Tx-Power of wifi adapter in MacOS?

The Tx- Power is coded in to Firmware and has a maximum allowed by law. (FCC in the US)

Apple did offer the possibility to change the Tx-Power in its older version of Airport utility Ver 5.6

You can download it and try.

The 802.11n (5th Generation) - Airport Extreme card is set to

20 dBm (nominal) Output Power.

The iwconfig does not actually report the output power of the antenna. That is not possible. An antenna can not measure its own output, but a secondary antenna can. The iwconfig power output is a misnomer, it reports the power going in to the circuit that powers the antenna.


How to use MacOS Notes "Note List Search..." to search non-deleted notes only?

It is not currently possible to search only undeleted notes without either emptying the Recently Deleted folder, or without locking all the notes you've deleted.

Recently Deleted folder

Deleted notes are placed in the Recently Deleted folder and, by default they will remain there for 30 days before they are automatically deleted. This applies to both macOS and iOS. So, if you manually delete them from there it will solve the problem, as they don't still exist to be searched.

However, if you don't want empty the Recently Deleted folder, another option is locking your notes.

Locking notes

By locking notes you will prevent them from being searchable. However, while the contents of these notes do not appear in search results, the titles of these notes will.

You can lock any notes so long as they're not already in the Recently Deleted folder. So one option would be to lock your notes prior to deleting them.

To lock notes:

Select the individual note you want to lock (you cannot lock more than one at a time)
Click on the padlock icon in the toolbar
Select the Lock This Note option
Enter your password (Note: If you've never used this feature before you will need to create a password. Once this is set, this will be the password you use to lock/unlock all notes in future.)
You will now see a padlock icon next to the title of your note. Initially it will be unlocked.
You can now lock the selected note by either clicking on the padlock icon in the toolbar or opening the note and clicking on the padlock icon in the notes toolbar.

Once locked, the contents of the note is unsearchable (although the title itself is still searched). This will be the case whether you now delete the note or not.

Below is more general info about searching notes.

Within macOS

In the Notes Help pages there's a page titled Search for notes.

From this page, is the following info:

  You can search for specific text in all your notes, notes in a specific account, or in a single note. Your search finds matching text in the body of notes and in the file names of attachments. Your search also finds matching text in text files (such as Pages documents and PDFs) that you’ve attached to your notes. If you’ve locked a note, only the title text appears in the results.

Also included are these tips:

Search: Enter text in the search field.
Search in a specific account: Click a folder in the account you want
to search, click in the search field, click the magnifying glass ,
then choose Current Account.
Search in all accounts: Click in the search field, click the
magnifying glass , then choose All Accounts.
Find text in a note: Click the body of a note to add an insertion
point, then choose Edit > Find > Find (or press Command-F). Enter text in the search field that appears.

If you're using macOS Sierra, you can also use Siri to search your notes.

Ask Siri something like: “Show me notes from today”, or “Show me notes about vacation plans”.

Source: Notes > Help > Notes Help and select the Search for notes page.

Within iOS

Assuming you're using iOS 10, its Note app introduced some major enhancements.

From the Use Notes on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch page on Apple's website:

  Search for a note or attachment

  Looking for that note you made last week, last month, or even last
  year? You can search for a specific note from the top of the Notes
  list. Scroll to the top of the Notes list to reveal the search field,
  then enter what you’re looking for. You can also search for
  attachments. Tap Attachments Browser icon in the lower-left corner to
  see sketches, photos, links, documents, and other attachments that
  you’ve added to your notes. To go to the note with the attachment,
  touch and hold the thumbnail of the attachment, then tap Show in Note.

And of course, you can use Siri (as I mentioned above) to search notes in iOS.


Change background color of a folder in Finder

You can use a color or photo as the background of a Finder window.

Open the window and choose View > As Icons. Pictures and colored
backgrounds are visible only when items in a window are viewed as
icons.
Choose View > Show View Options.
Under Background, select either Color or Picture.
Option  Description Color:   Click the color box and select a
background color. Picture:   Click Select and choose the picture
you want to use. White:  Return the background to normal.
To have every Finder window on your computer use this color or
picture as its background, click “Use as Defaults.” To reverse your
changes, press the Option key and click “Restore to Defaults.”

Note: The “Use as Defaults” and “Restore to Defaults” buttons do not appear if you’re adjusting icons for the desktop or for the “All My Files” folder.
If a picture is large, you may need to resize the window to see the entire picture.

as found in this article

reference picture:


Is Mavericks still available for download (from Apple or anywhere)?

Mavericks does not currently appear in the Apple App Store. If you had "purchased" it before, it will appear in your Purchases view for download.

Registered Mac developers can also redeem a code to add Mavericks to their purchase view.

I don't think there are any other options from Apple.


Yes, you can change the default screenshot location with the following Terminal command where <path> is the location you want them to be saved:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture location <path>

Then relaunch SystemUIServer for it to take effect:

killall SystemUIServer


How can I make my finder refresh a NAS volume mounted using AFP?

I'm going to throw this out here as a workaround if you can't find a better solution.  Many years ago I had a similar situation and this was an issue with the version of Mac OS X at the time and Network Drives and the lack of a Refresh command in Finder, which it still doesn't have.  My workaround solution then was an AppleScript that I saved as an application and put it in the Finder Toolbar.  You could even use it in an Automator Service in Finder and also assign a keyboard shortcut to it if you want.

What this AppleScript does is creates a hidden file named ".refresh.tmp" and then deletes it, causing the Finder window to refresh/update.

My Refresh Finder AppleScript Code:

tell application "Finder"
    try
        delete (make new file at (front window) with properties {name:".refresh.tmp"})
    end try
end tell

I'm also including some AppleScript code I found on StackOverflow and has been posted on AskDifferent as well although I believe it originated on StackOverflow. Not that any of that really matters other then to give credit to someone other then me for it as I didn't write the code below.  It causes all Finder windows to refresh by toggling the View state between Icons and List views.

I use both, because when I have lots of Finder windows open I prefer to use my original solution on the Finder Toolbar, creating/deleting the hidden file, as it's much quicker and usually at that point my focus is on a single Finder window.  I have the Automator Service set to use a keyboard shortcut and the script I found on StackOverflow. Obviously you're free to choose how to use or not any of what's provided here.

Refresh Finder AppleScript Code found at: Automator Command to Refresh ALL Finder/all Finder Windows

tell application "Finder"
    set theWindows to every Finder window
    repeat with i from 1 to number of items in theWindows
        set this_item to item i of theWindows
        set theView to current view of this_item
        if theView is list view then
            set current view of this_item to icon view
        else
            set current view of this_item to list view

        end if
        set current view of this_item to theView
    end repeat
end tell

Either one of these AppleScripts can be saved as an AppleScript Application and or an Automator Service, the latter of which a keyboard shortcut can be assigned.

Also, as I do not like the generic icon assigned to either, I added a custom .icns file from the Internet, in this case a refresh symbol. (A .png file can be used as well.)

Creating the Refresh Finder AppleScript Application

Open Script Editor (or AppleScript Editor if applicable).
Copy and paste either of the scripts, from above, into the Untitled document window and then press Compile.
Press ⌘S to save and set the File Format: to Application saving it in the Applications folder as Refresh Finder.
Give the Refresh Finder application bundle a custom icon.  I used an icon of a refresh symbol found at IconArchive and used this one in particular clicking the 'Download ICNS' button.  I opened the downloaded "Iconsmind-Outline-Refresh.icns" file in Preview and copied it, pressing ⌘AC and then pasted it into the Get Info sheet of the Refresh Finder.app by first selecting the little icon in the upper left corner of the Refresh Finder Info sheet then pressing ⌘V. (In Applications select the Refresh Finder.app and press: ⌘I)
Now drag and drop the Refresh Finder application bundle from the Applications folder onto the Finder Toolbar where you would like it to be.

It's now ready to be used, click the Refresh Finder icon in the Toolbar and the Finder window(s*) (*depending on which code your selected) will refresh.

Creating the Refresh Finder Automator Service

Open Automator selecting Service.
Set Service receives selected to no input changing in any application to in Finder.
Add a Run AppleScript and then copy and paste the Refresh Finder AppleScript Code above into the Run AppleScript window overwriting the default code.
Save the Service pressing ⌘S naming it as Refresh Finder.
Open System Preferences and navigate to Keyboard  > Keyboard Shortcuts > Services and scroll to the bottom when under General you'll see Refresh Finder and select it.  Now click on add shortcut and press controlcommandR or: ^⌘R

It's now ready to be use as a Service, when Finder has focus, using the keyboard shortcut: ^⌘R

Note: You can also give the Refresh Finder Automator Service a custom icon as well.  The Service is located in ~/Library/Services and apply the icon in the same manner described above in step 4 of Creating the Refresh Finder AppleScript Application.


Where can I get a Thunderbolt hub or splitter?

I think that this question has already been asked:

Does Thunderbolt support chaining multiple monitors to a MacBook Pro?

To sum it up, it is too early for a splitter or hub for a Thunderbolt port. But you can daisy chain.

And this sums it up as well: http://www.the-cable-store.com/contents/en-us/d44_lightpeak_hubs.html


Write a function in zshrc that can take a parameter and can handle flags

The reason it does not work with the added flag is that you added the flag within the double quotes, essentially telling zsh that it is part of the command name. The only reason any quotes are needed is that the path to and name of Google Chrome contain whitespaces. Whitespaces are used by zsh (and any other Unix shell) as separator between words. Quoting a string tells zsh that it should be interpreted as a single word, no matter how many whitespaces (or other syntactic elements) are in it.

One way to do this correctly is:

ch () {
    "/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome" --app=http://localhost:${1:-3000}
}

Here only the path to Google Chrome is quoted, while the flag is separate.
The keyword command is not necessary. It would only tell zsh to use an external command instead of a function or alias of the same name, which is most likely not a risk here (The alias or function would have to be named "/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome")
${1:-3000} is substituted with the first parameter ($1) passed to ch. If it is undefined or has a null-value (e.g. "") "3000" will be substituted instead. So running

ch 2500

will open Chrome on http://localhost:2500, but running

ch

will open Chrome on http://localhost:3000.


It was a problem on the motherboard. I had to take it to apple and they changed it.


How to allow Terminal to Find Commands without Export PATH?

Each shell has ‘profile’ files, the contents of which are run when the shell is launched. For bash, this includes ~/.bash_profile. Create this file and add any commands you wish to run in that file, then relaunch your shell.


Using Terminal to truncate filenames in directory

To preserve the filename extension in the expected way, you should instead do this:

for f in *.jpg; do mv "$f" "${f/-*}.jpg"; done

That is, use ${f/-*}.jpg instead of ${f/-*.}.

To deal with the case of multiple files that have the same prefix before the dash, you can do something like this: [Note: For a better version, see the Update I’ve since added after this.]

i=0
for f in *.jpg; do
  if [ "$(ls -l ${f/-*}* | wc -l | xargs)" -gt 1 ]; then
    for g in "${f/-*}"; do
      mv "$f" "$g-$((i++)).jpg"
    done
  else
    if [[ $f == *"-"* ]]; then
      mv "$f" "${f/-*}.jpg"
    fi
  fi
done

That will give you output like this:

1300.jpg
1314-0.jpg
1314-1.jpg
1315-2.jpg
1315-3.jpg

That is, a -N suffix will get added, though with the limitation that this simple example just keeps incrementing the N value across the whole set of files instead of per-prefix.

Also note that you can safely re-run this script multiple times in the same directory and you’ll end up with the same expected filenames in the end (which I think is what you’d want, rather than it monkeying around further with any filenames that are already in the form you want).

Update

Here’s a better version that just appends 1-N suffixes to the renamed files if it finds an existing file with the same basename or same basename+N (in which case it increments by N+1 and retries).

for f in *.jpg; do
  base=${f/-*}
  if [[ -e "${base}.jpg" ]] ; then
    i=1
    while [[ -e "${base}-${i}.jpg" ]]; do
      let i++
    done
    base=$base-$i
  fi
  mv "$f" "${base}.jpg"
done

That gives output like this:

1300.jpg
1314-1.jpg
1314.jpg
1315-1.jpg
1315-2.jpg
1315.jpg


iOS Mail message won't delete on iPhone XR

I found a way to solve the problem without deleting the email account in Settings. As mentioned in a comment to my original post, deleting the email account was undesirable in this case because it is an account accessed entirely via another account (which required significant time to figure out how to set that up).

I was able to solve the problem by using the Safari browser on the iPhone to log into the gmail account where the problematic message was and deleting it via that browser gmail interface. Just to be sure, I also went to the trash there and deleted it forever.

I then quit the iOS Mail app by swiping upward and then upon reopening found the message was finally gone.

It's surprising to me that message was still there in the Safari interface. After all, I had had already deleted ("forever") the same message using the gMail iOS app.

I conclude that both the iOS Mail app and the iOS gMail app, though very convenient, do not provide the transparent control that the browser interface does.


Play music across multiple devices at once

The Airfoil apps from Rogue Amoeba will almost certainly do everything you want, including sending the audio to iOS devices, AppleTVs, Macs and even Bluetooth speakers and Google Chromecast devices, all at the same time and in sync. Airfoil Satellite lets Macs, Windows, and iOS devices act as speakers for the Airfoil and Airplay sources.


Sound produced by spacebar on MBP 15" (mid-2017) non-symmetrical

The keyboard on the 2016 and 2017 mbp is prone to getting sticky, soft and even unresponsive keys. Usually caused by dust or dirt under the key caps.

Try cleaning the keyboard as mentioned in apple's support files: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205662


Apple apps are not free anymore for new iPad Air

Contact iTunes and request help:

https://ssl.apple.com/emea/support/itunes/contact.html

or try this

Sign out from App store
Restart iPad
Go to App store and DO NOT SIGN IN..
Go to app and hopefully you'll see the 'free' button, tap it and sign in when asked.


How do I verify the checksum or hash of a downloaded file on the command line?

When you first calculate the sum of a file, it produces an output consisting of the sum, two spaces, and the name of the file that produced that sum. If you redirect that output to a file, you can later use the "-c" (for "check") option to automatically check every file listed, to see if the sum still matches.

So, create a text file called "checksum.txt" with one line:

d9cd63f187db2daea1371289508c63a7a24c46316f15ac61f030a7d6ea423915  downloaded.pkg

Then run the command:

shasum -a 256 -c checksum.txt

The command will calculate the sha-256 checksum of the file "downloaded.pkg", compare the result with the precomputed value, and tell you if it matched or not.

You might not even have to create the sum file yourself; most of the time, websites that provide checksums will let you download a text file that's already in the proper format.


The item “.VolumeIcon.icns” can’t be replaced because it’s invisible

I have gotten this error when trying to delete or affect an invisible file before. Temporarily turning the file visible usually, in my experience, changes the error to a dialog that asks if you are sure you would like to change the file.
I figure you have probably already come across this command, but for completeness, here is the explanation:

To make invisible files visible, enter this code in terminal:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE && killall Finder

and to make invisible files invisible again:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE && killall Finder

Note that this does close finder, so make sure you don't have any important folders open. I believe that it opens previously opened windows, but the back button doesn't work in my experience.

What's happening

defaults

This is OSX's command to change defaults, apple's low-level preference system.

write

This tells defaults you want to change a preference, or write it

com.apple.finder

This tells defaults that the application's preferences you want to change is Finder, specified by the application's bundle identifier.

AppleShowAllFiles

This specifies which preference you want to change within the application.

TRUE or FALSE

This is the value you want to set the preference to. In this case, it is a boolean, so the values must be TRUE or FALSE. I think you might be able to use YES or NO, but I'm not sure.

&&

This is a terminal operator to run whatever's after this if the previous command is successful

killall

I don't know much about this, but it kills processes or closes applications

Finder

Specifies which process or application to close.


Breaking pdf to various images, compress, and recombine

Converting a PDF which is mainly text into images will almost certainly increase the file size, not decrease it. PDFs are quite efficient at containing text — converting to image negates that as you are then just storing images.

Preview includes a Reduce File Size option for PDFs. Open the PDF with Preview, choose File → Export and select Quartz Filter: Reduce File Size. You can also choose Black & White here which may also reduce the file size.

If you really want to see a convert of your PDF to a PDF of images, you can use ImageMagick.

convert /path/to/in.pdf -resize 100% -compress Group4 /path/to/out.pdf


Is there an app other than Witch that allows windows switching (not app switching) with cmd+tab?

Contexts looks nice, but I've never used it personally.  It seems to be similar in functionality with Witch, but it has a more modern (iOS 7-style) design.

It does have the ability to map itself to Command+Tab.

It costs $9.


Is there any shortcut/easy way to switch this system proxy settings?

This can be done with networksetup.

Get all services:

networksetup -listallnetworkservices

Then with the proper service (e.g Ethernet or the name of your USB 10/100/1000 LAN adapter) enter

sudo networksetup -setsocksfirewallproxy <networkservice> <domain> <port number> <authenticated> <username> <password>

or

sudo networksetup -setwebproxy <networkservice> <domain> <port number> <authenticated> <username> <password>

to configure it (which isn't necessary in your case, because you already entered all necessary values).

e.g.

sudo networksetup -setsocksfirewallproxy Ethernet 127.0.0.1 18080
sudo networksetup -setwebproxy Ethernet 127.0.0.1 18080

To simply toggle it on or off use:

sudo networksetup -setsocksfirewallproxystate networkservice on | off
sudo networksetup -setwebproxystate networkservice on | off

e.g.

sudo networksetup -setsocksfirewallproxystate Ethernet off
sudo networksetup -setwebproxystate Ethernet off

man networksetup will reveal other proxy options (gopher, ftp, etc.)


You are most likely are accessing/have accessed a sketchy site which has opened a malicious site in a different tab.  Sadly, you have not won anything (although a nice cruise to the Bahamas would be nice/$50 Amazon gift card).  Try clearing out all of the tabs in you internet browser.

Also take a look at this page about phishing from Apple.

Additionally take a look at this amazing post over at Apple Support Communities

Note: Browsers within apps can are still susceptible to this.  They use WebKitView (basically Safari inside an app). In this case just close the popup and the webpage within the app. Try not to access the page or section your were accessing in that app.


Create an hardlink across storage device (or alternative solutions)

Basically Unix/command line tools who can't handle file/path names with space characters are broken and need to be fixed.

One way out of this could be (haven't tried it) to

Rename the SSD to MySSD
Run cd /Volumes; sudo ln -s MySSD "My SSD"

Depending on how your media library works re-indexing might still occur though.


Go to System Preferences and select App Store

There you can turn on/off automatic updates.  Also, you can adjust the Password Settings here.


Stop Mail Activity window being always on top in El Capitan?

I had a conversation with Apple Tech Support yesterday regarding this issue, which I also find frustrating.

The answers I got simply deepened and widened my frustration. This behavior was a conscious decision on the part of the programmers. The logic went something like this.  The Activity window is a diagnostic therefore if someone wants to view it, they will want to view it in front of other windows anyway. They kindly left us with a Command+0 option to toggle its display on and off.

I let them know that there are various functions that I use as diagnostics and I like to keep them where I can see them at a glance but where they do not interfere with my work. I let them know that I have always had the option to toggle the display on and off and that I also have always had the option to see the window in front of all others, all I had to do is click in it and it immediately came forward.  What they did is to make a decision on my behalf that reduced my options and that is a way of thinking that I don't appreciate.  If they want to give me more options, that is fine but a decision to reduce options is usually a poorly thought out decision.

I am still looking for a solution through the terminal that might allow me to regain my previous functionality.  They were not forthcoming in this area.  They simply said that at this point, we cannot do it. Not a very good answer, certainly not the one I wanted to hear but I suppose having the answer, like it or not, is helpful in a way.  Now I can dismiss the thought that it was an accident and decide how much time I want to invest in working around their poor thinking.


Which iSCSI initiator should I use on Lion?

Sorry but "global san Initiator" is both buggy and a slow.
The read/write figures are low, not to mention when you try to combine multiple LAN links together it is highly unreliable.

The ATTO version is far better, but I just wish Apple would provide a version in the kernel.


How to get around “say” command bug when setting volume?

The best is to put '[[volm 0.35]] ' into the shell (not in the clipboard), like this:

set this_say_Pid to do shell script "say '[[volm 0.35]]\\ '$(LANG=en_US.UTF-8 pbpaste -Prefer txt) > /dev/null 2>&1 & echo $!"

Or, if you want to put "[[volm 0.35]] "  into the clipboard, use the single quotes, like this:

set the clipboard to ("'[[volm 0.35]] '" & (the clipboard))
set this_say_Pid to do shell script "LANG=en_US.UTF-8 pbpaste -Prefer txt | say > /dev/null 2>&1 & echo $!"


Bluetooth peripherals randomly disconnecting under Mavericks

I was able to overcome the problem with this quick fix. So whenever you loose bluetooth connectivity just run the following commands in the terminal

$ sudo kextunload -b com.apple.iokit.BroadcomBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport
$ sudo kextload -b com.apple.iokit.BroadcomBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport

You will regain connectivity.


How to force a sync update between Gmail contacts and iPhone with iOS 9?

[update 2016-09-02] in iOS 9.3.5 you can simply pull down in the Contacts list to force a sync.

If this doesn't appear to work, make sure the problem is with syncing and not with the data iOS "sees" in the Google contacts by testing on a separate contact. For example, I had a problem (while on iOS 10.2) where the phone number wouldn't sync because it was in a wrong field of the Google contact.

In earlier iOS versions there used to be a sync button in the upper-left corner of Contacts app, now it seems to be gone (though some claim it can reappear under certain circumstances). There also used to be a way to force sync by pulling down in the Contacts app -> Groups view, but it doesn't work for me (and others) in iOS 9.1 either. This discussions.apple.com thread is useful to see the evolution of this feature.

Luckily, there's another thread with a collection of weird workarounds to force a sync without toggling contacts sync off/on or restarting the device. The following two ways worked for me to force syncing with Google contacts on iOS 9.1:

Going to Settings -> iCloud (which incidentally triggers Google sync(?!)), then switching to Contacts.
Going to Settings -> Mail, Contacts, Calendars -> Gmail -> Account -> tap in any field (Name, Email or Description) but don't make any changes -> Done, switch to Contacts.


iMessages being delivered to both me and my daughter

Yes, you'd need to get her a different Apple ID for iMessages to be sent separately. You can do this by one of two ways:

Method 1: Create an Apple ID using Gmail, Outlook, etc:

If you want to create an Apple ID, but don't want to have to restore the phone to do it, visit the Apple ID management page. Note: your daughter will need an existing email address to do this. Follow the onscreen instructions to create the new ID using the existing email.

Method 2: Create an Apple ID by restoring the phone:

If you want an email address ending in @icloud.com, then you have to reset the phone by navigating to General > Reset > Reset all Content and Settings and confirming the prompts onscreen. Then, when your phone resets, you will be able to create an Apple ID during the setup process.

Otherwise...

Otherwise iMessage will view as both of you as the same person.

The reason iTunes assigned the phone number to the iPad because, again, it thinks you're the same person because both devices are linked to the same Apple ID.


Can't edit partitions with Disk Utility in OS X 10.10

I actually figured it out myself. All I had to do was turn off FileVault and restart the system. Disk Utility works normally now.


Fixing a Windows partition boot using OS X tools

I'll post this as an answer, even though it didn't fix my problem – this was a lost case in the end. Aftermath: I dd'ed a backup of the Windows partition to my OS X partition:

sudo dd bs=512 if=/dev/disk0 of=windows_backup skip=732993496 count=173955112

Now I had a 80 gig hex dump which I could examine safely. I used a hex editor to search for all kinds of metadata:

"NTFS" (encoded in ASCII) which starts a NTFS volume.
"FILE" (encoded in ASCII) which starts a file entry record in the $MFT or master file table in NTFS.
NTFS system file names (like "MFT", tried with little-endian UTF-16 and ASCII)

... and so on. But without success. I was able to find all kinds of data from the dump, but all the metadata, including the boot record (the first sector of the volume), the $Boot file (the first 15 sectors after the boot record), the $MFT file which keeps record of all the files on the file system, were gone.

The thing that baffles me that I couldn't even find $MFTMirr file, which is the backup file of the metadata files and stored halfway of the volume.

I was able to find a backup of the boot sector from its standard location, the last sector of the volume. However, the data was old, from the era before resizing the volume. The boot sector has stored the offset of the $MFT file metadata file, but inspecting the references was moot, there was nothing of value there.

In the end, I concluded that the volume was totally borked. The moral of the story? Hybrid Master Boot Record is evil. Also, it seems that the program that resized the volume did a subpar job, failing to update some of the metadata.


You may need to add the Wi-Fi service:

Open System Preferences → Network and choose + to add a service.
Choose Interface: Wi-Fi and Create.


Chrome crashes computer when I insert USB Ethernet adapter

It's the realtek drivers which cause the hang which the USB ethernet adaptor tries to use and Chrome seems to get mangled into it.  If you're running the latest Sierra you probably don't actually need these installed.  You can either remove them both through /library/extensions RTL815 or run the scripted uninstaller that comes with the package from
http://www.realtek.com.tw/Downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=14&PFid=55&Level=5&Conn=4&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false


Liquid damaged Macbook -- doesn't power up after submerging logicboard in surgical spirit/rubbing alcohol

From my experience, your Mac is done.

Only in very rare cases some survive a liquid spill, but that depends on many factors like the amount of liquid.

As far as I know cleaning will not bring it back the damage is already done. It was powered-up when it happened and you know what liquid does to electronics.

Pretty sure your keyboard also suffered irreparable damage, since the liquid had to pass true it.

For future consideration I recommend preventive action.

this or similar $10 device can save you $1,000

I have no affiliation with this company.

As a last resort you can try to put in in a Fridge (yes fridge) that should draw out any moisture (Fridge does that).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=18&v=nrXDRvode24


Is it bad when my iMac is constantly on?

No, it's fine. The CPU's heatsink may warp over time (unlikely unless there were QA problems to begin with like some in the first generation MBP) and reduce the transfer of heat, leading to thermal thresholds being reached and the system shutting down.

Some may claim excessive fan wear, leading to failure, but I ran the stock fans in my 2006 MBP at 6,000 rpm for over a year without problems—they are quite resilient and I suspect RPM throttling hurts them the most, not constant spinning.

Other issues some might find distressing would be hard drive wear (again unlikely as heads are often parked if not in use).

Truthfully, the only surefire downside would be the increase in power draw, but other than that, no, no ill effects or failure to hardware will occur.


Google Chrome repeatedly displays monospaced fonts wrong as “Times New Roman”

I have been using Linotypes Font Explorer for quite some time now. There is a free version which is great. I have found less font issues on my Macs since using this app than with Suitcase, Fontbook or Fontcase, particularly with web sites. Once installed you can run a font cleaner which examines all your volumes on your Mac and eliminate sang potential problems


So I discovered that you can fix it by editing the associated plist and remove the offending duplicates.

i.e. sudo vi ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.security.plist


Should I be worried about a case-sensitive data volume?

An example of a typical problem is Adobe's Creative Suite/Cloud software, which famously does not work on case-sensitive volumes.
Other than errors arising from /Path/To/File being different from /path/to/file, there is no inherent danger in using a case-sensitive format.
I'd be more concerned about a 7-year-old hard drive in that Fusion drive!


Can I install an App from the Spain App Store (US Store is my default)?

No, the iTunes account are country bounded. So you can't buy a Spanish app with your US account.

But if you'll be in Spain for a few months, I assume you have a Spanish address? So there is no harm in creating a new account for your few months in Spain.
All you need is an address or a gift card from Spain.


It doesn't work for me either. You can use control-U to delete a complete line, but it also deletes the part on the right side of the caret.

Or if you use KeyRemap4MacBook, add something like this to private.xml:

<item>
  <name>firefoxcmddelete</name>
  <identifier>firefoxcmddelete</identifier>
  <only>FIREFOX</only>
  <autogen>__KeyToKey__ KeyCode::DELETE, VK_COMMAND | ModifierFlag::NONE, KeyCode::CURSOR_LEFT, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L | ModifierFlag::COMMAND_L, KeyCode::DELETE</autogen>
</item>


How to disable Mojave’s desktop tinting (with reduce transparency)?

Set your Desktop background color to pure white:

  System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop > Colors > Custom Color… > Color Palettes > White (double click)

Even in the “Reduce Transparency” mode, Mojave calculates background colors off the desktop wallpaper, so having white there ensures light backgrounds. The contrast with text is much better.

Also, the setting “Increase contrast” in Accessibility > Display gives the best contrast, but it adds black edges to UI elements.


Detect Apple Remote Desktop (ARD) client at server?

to block: you could have your switches filter ports.  though, you might also block vnc if you do 5900.

or to detect, i'd say use something like bonjour browser utility to find services, or nmap to find active ports.

3283    TCP/UDP     Net Assistant   -   net-assistant   Apple Remote Desktop 2.0 or later (Reporting feature)

5900    TCP     Virtual Network Computing (VNC)
(Unregistered Use)  -   vnc-server  Apple Remote Desktop 2.0 or later (Observe/Control feature)
Screen Sharing (Mac OS X 10.5 or later)


Until today, there's no way to do this. Here's my findings:

Siri doesn't perform search directly on baidu.com, it uses Siri's hideout [guzzoni.apple.com] to relay the request over (properly configured) TLS.

Other than asking for Apple's mercy, I think it's more probable to trade Chinese iPhone with one from another country.

BTW, the packets themselves are pretty fun to look at.


Yes like previous comments suggest all carrier settings are generally toggled on or off from the carriers systems and not locally in iOS. Try searching Cydia for something specific for your carrier, however your best bet is to talk with them.

Source: work for a telco


I had the problem of my iPhone 6s randomly restarting. It might not be the same problem you're having, but it will give you something to check.

For me, the restarting problem occurred several times in the months leading up to the phone dying. Well, let me be more specific: about a month after experiencing the random restarting problem, I began to notice the phone wasn't holding a charge. So I called Apple support and they had me check Settings-->Battery-->Battery Health.

In that section it showed I had "Maximum Capacity 87%" but then below that in the "Peak Performance Capability" section it had a message indicating there had been a problem (I can't remember, but the message was something like performance monitoring had been turned off because the battery couldn't supply enough power).

After that I took the phone in to an Apple service center to get the battery replaced, but was told that it wasn't that easy: there was a problem with the power supply which meant a hefty repair. That's when I changed phones.

So, I'd check the above settings, keep an eye on your battery performance, and perhaps call Apple if things go downhill.


Is it possible to restore a macbook pro to an earlier date without an external hard drive backup?

Time Machine doesn't require an external drive but it does require a dedicated partition. Without more info about your system its hard to be more specific. If you have an internal drive with little or nothing on it you can partition that drive and use one of the partitions for Time Machine, given its big enough. Setting partitions will erase the drive.

Why are you avoiding an external drive? I use an external drive for my time machine and it works fine. If its due to the time involved there are workarounds for that.


My iPhone only shows the Wi-Fi symbol even when I'm using data?

I just noticed the same thing. I see the 5 bars then my carrier then where I would normally see LTE, 3G etc I see the wifi symbol. When wifi is turned off that symbol grays out. It used to go away.
I can no longer tell if I am on LTE or a lesser signal.


Hackers have found that Airdrop can be enabled on any Mac running OS X Lion, and will work over ethernet as well. It can be enabled with a shell command.(source: osxdaily)

Copy and paste the command into the terminal of all macs that are supposed to communicate with other hacked macs.
This will enable AirDrop over both Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet connections:

defaults write com.apple.NetworkBrowser BrowseAllInterfaces 1; killall Finder;

To disable this feature use:

defaults write com.apple.NetworkBrowser BrowseAllInterfaces 0; killall Finder;

Note

This does not enable the feature on your Airport card. The AirDrop feature is originally not there because the Airport card does not support it (simultaneous wifi and ad hoc networking). This hack enables AirDrop to run over whatever other network connection you have. Therefore, in order for two Macs to communciate this way both must apply the hack.


Does a modern MacBook's green "camera light" always turn on when the camera is activated?

There must have been a group of designers and engineers who created the camera and camera light system – they would surely know and have told others.

John Gruber received an email from one such former Apple engineer:

https://daringfireball.net/2019/02/on_covering_webcams

  Security researchers at Johns Hopkins released a paper in 2013 revealing that the indicator lights on Macs released prior to 2008 could be circumvented by software. I linked to this in 2016, wondering if the same exploit was possible on more recent Macs. Here’s an answer I received from a former engineer at Apple who was intimately familiar with the software drivers for Mac webcams:

    The original cameras had the problem that the JHU researchers detailed in the article that your linked to. Problem was that the firmware was downloaded on every boot and there was no security/encryption mechanism for verifying it. The part used was fairly common and the firmware was just in RAM (hence the loading after a cold boot), as oppose to flashed.

    All cameras after that one were different: The hardware team tied the LED to a hardware signal from the sensor: If the (I believe) vertical sync was active, the LED would light up. There is NO firmware control to disable/enable the LED. The actual firmware is indeed flashable, but the part is not a generic part and there are mechanisms in place to verify the image being flashed. […]

    So, no, I don’t believe that malware could be installed to enable the camera without lighting the LED. My concern would be a situation where a frame is captured so the LED is lit only for a very brief period of time.

  The still photo problem — where the light only turns on for the instant the image is being captured — is interesting. But I would wager real money that the camera indicator light cannot be circumvented by software on any Mac released this decade.

emphasis mine


How do I change my display settings if I can't see my screen?

Try to to go /Library/Preferences/ and search for com.apple.windowserver.plist. It's the file that gets updated when you modify the display in System Preferences (I just tried).

According to this Apple KB, it's safe to delete it. So move it on your desktop and try to reboot.


How do I use a Saved Search as a Desktop Background Folder?

This isn't possible. Smart folders are saved as .savedSearch and aren't real folders, so you can't add them to lists requiring folders.


Use an external disk shared to Mac via Windows for Time Machine

Actually you are missing only one thing, TimeMachine will ONLY write to an HFS+ formatted disk so you need to backup to a sparseimage disk image file.

Create the sparseimage disk image with Disk Utility, be sure to select the image type as Sparse Image and the format as HFS+. Make it as big as the partition you are putting it on less a bit. The created disk image will only be a couple hundred MB.

If you are on Mojave even if you select HFS+ as the disk image it may be created as an APFS format. So you will need to mount the image, select it in Disk Utility and reformat it as HFS+.

Now you need to go into terminal and tell TimeMachine about the new backup volume that you have mounted from the SMB share:

sudo tmutil setdestination "/Volumes/TimeMachineBackups/"

Where "TimeMachineBackups" is the name of your mounted Time Machine disk image.

Now just set that volume to mount at startup under System Preferences > Users > Startup Items and you should be good to go.

I recently did this at work and it works great.


How do I run Octave from a different directory?

Edit your .bashrc (or .bash_profile, .login, etc.) on a Mac, and add the line

alias octave='/Applications/Octave.app/Contents/Resources/bin/octave'


Deploying default Wifi settings and Passwords

I believe PackageMaker includes some first-run scripts, does it not? The easiest way is probably to make use of the networksetup command line tool in a script set to run on the first launch of an image.

To add a WPA network:

networksetup -addpreferredwirelessnetworkatindex AirPort mynetworkSSID 0 WPA superSecretPassword

The encryption type can be one of:

OPEN — open hotspot, no passphrase necessary of course.
WPA
WPAE (WPA Enterprise)
WPA2
WPA2E (WPA2 Enterprise)
WEP
8021XWEP (802.1X WEP)


Do external web cams work with MacBook Pro?

Yes, most external webcams will work fine with a MacBook Pro with a built-in camera.  Just check the box for the camera before you purchase to ensure it's compatible.  Some webcams may come with bundled software which only works on Windows which is why you should check before you buy in case the software features are important to you.


bepbmhgboaologfdajaanbcjmnhjmhfn.crx suspicious file in chrome (MAC)

I do not know about the fancy name?

But .crx is Chrome Extension type.

So check for Chrome extensions you have installed.

According to Google Chromium it is a part of the Google Voice:

https://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=357738


Did I get a lemon, or does the ipod touch g4 come with a crappy usb cable?

I believe that all current generation Apple devices some with the same sync cable. From my experience (almost everyone I know is an apple fan) some people wear through them pretty quickly (usually girls who wind them up and put them in hand bags etc) and some last forever (such as mine which just sits on the desk and only gets used every few days. its the original cable that came with my first iPhone a few years back and still works fine).


How to convert JSON to AppleScript properties

The easiest way is to use JSON Helper app available on the AppStore. Then you simply do something like this:

tell application "JSON Helper"
    set json to fetch JSON from "http://ip-api.com/json/8.8.8.8?fields=country,city,isp,org,as,mobile,proxy,message"
    set countryName to |country| of json
end tell

Result: "United States"


.app files have always been Applications for macOS. In reality, as you have seen, they are just a directory. If you right click and click "Show Package Contents" you will open the directory as a normal folder.

Most of the time the extension is hidden. This can be changed in File > Get Info >  Hide Extension.

I would suggest changing the extensions. If you prefer to keep the .app extensions you can change the a to a different Unicode character (that looks similar to an a). This will prevent it from being detected as an Application.


Can I get notifications for specific emails sent to my Gmail account on iOS?

Either set up your Gmail account using Mail or try the Google's official Gmail client. Both use iOS's built in notification system. SMS and iMessage are entirely different protocols and do not support IMAP or POP3 (the protocols used for Mail).

As for parsing the notifications for only certain emails, I'm not sure that's at all possible if you'd still like to receive notifications for other emails too.


Iphone 8 App Store Not Working No Fixes Have Helped

I had the same issue with my new iPhone 8 Plus. I came from an iPhone 7 and never had that issue, although it seems relates to the Apple ID.

What i did to temporaly work around it was to shut down the phone and turn it on again. Now i was able to download and update apps again.

Also you can try to reset your keychain.

Settings > [Your name]  > iCloud > Keychain

Also, try updating to iOS 11.0.3
At the time i had the issue i was with iOS 11.0.1


The first thing to do is to eject your CD/DVD and then power down the Mac and then disconnect any drives and accessories other than your keyboard and monitor.

Then boot the Mac and as soon as you hear the fans start or the chime - hold only the option key down.

This should boot to a grey screen that lists any bootable OS that are connected.

At this point, see if you can see a Mac partition to boot to. Worst case, if you only see windows, try installing the DVD/CD and boot to disk utility. Don't erase things, just use it to see the partition scheme and report back what it shows. A cell phone picture of the window would be a good start to see what damage if any has been done.

Don't agree to any prompts to reformat any drives for now. Also, consider paying for AppleCare to walk you through this reinstall or visiting a local genius bar. Sometimes having a thorough back and forth dialog is far better than posting updates to the internet which can take days or weeks to cover what 15 minutes of troubleshooting from a trained pro can accomplish.

The best case for you is that the system forgot that it has a Mac partition ready to boot and you can re-"bless" that partition and be back in business in 10 minutes. Worst case, you'll end up doing an erase/install per the guide here from Apple:

http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT3910

On second thought, that isn't the worst case. Worst case is you have a hardware error and have to triage and fix that before you can follow the steps that normal work to reinstall the OS of your choice. From the details, you certainly have backup media and possibly a data backup so even getting another computer to load your data is an option. You might be able to find a very inexpensive Mac Mini or such to keep running the OS of your choice if you don't want or need to move up to newer hardware.


How do I print webpages to PDF on Big Sur?

Use ⌘P on the webpage and select save to PDF. This should work for chrome and safari as well.


On OSX, trashed files are located on the same device as where they where before.

The Trash bin on OSX shows the trashed files of every storage device that is connected to the Mac.

So you have to trash your files while your drive is connected.


What's peculiar about F21-F24 keys on MacOS?

If this post at the Hammerspoon GitHub site is right:

then macOS does not handle F21~F24 (0x70~0x73) at all.
And it makes sense for Karabiner to not deliver any of these keys to the OS because of that.


Can I use the music from Clips in iMovie?

The only way I see possible is the following:

Choose the music you want in Clips.
Record a clip that’s at least as long as the music you want (you could always hold then swipe up on the record button and come back 5 minutes later if you’re not sure how long the music clip is).
Select the clip you just recorded and tap “Mute.”
Tap the Share button and tap “Copy to iMovie.” (Yes, we’ll eventually get it to iMovie on macOS).
In iMovie for iOS, trim the clip to the desired length.
Tap “Done” then tap the share button, then tap “Save Video.”
Once the video has exported, go to Photos on your iOS device and select the clip you just exported. Tap the share button, then air drop it to your Mac. You could also use the photos app on your Mac to import the clip if you wish.
On your Mac, open iMovie and drag in the clip.
Click, then Two-finger-click the clip, then click, “Detach Audio.”
Drag the audio to be attached to a different clip.
Click, then Two-finger-click the video clip, then hit “delete” on your keyboard. Now you can drag the audio wherever you want to use it in your Project.

Let me know if any of that doesn’t make sense. I tested it using iPad mini 4 on iOS 11 and MacBook Pro with high sierra before posting so I know it works.


One potential cause of this problem is hardware-related.

If you have a color inkjet printer and the blue ink is empty, this could cause the problem you describe. If it happened that you ran out of blue ink at the same time you upgraded, it might appear to be linked to the OS upgrade, but in fact would not be.


Can I deploy my Django site to OS X Server?

wrt the issues above:

Yes you can. Very effectively. Just be aware that your Django sites won't integrate into Server App's GUI unless you restrict yourself to python 2.7; Apache mod_wsgi; no virtualenvs.
Not if you wish to proxy to a wsgi server like Gunicorn, because when you save the Website's panel, OS X Server will sanitise some of your essential Apache directives and you will lose control over how your Django static files, for example, are served. OS X Server has a particular execution and configuration model in mind and it does a good job of managing websites that accord with that model - but at the cost of flexibility. I know that people successully deploy Django using Apache's mod_wsgi, but that comes with severe limitations.
As in 2. The proxies section of the plist for your web app in OS X Server's ../apache2/webapp directory is all-or-nothing. e.g. You can't Include a ProxyPass /static/ ! in the right place for it to have effect.
Not with Apache mod_wsgi.
No. OS X Server 3.2.1 uses Apache 2.2. Proxies via UDS was not included in Apache until later. (Perhaps you could have Apache proxy to Nginx (via a TCP port) and, in turn, proxying to Gunicorn via each Django site's own UDS ... if you thought there was a compelling reason.)
Yes.

The approach I took:

Put your application's Apache .conf file in OS X Server's ../apache2/other directory where it will be left alone by the Server app.
Forget about trying to use the Server GUI and 'binding' web apps to sites through its Advanced settings window. A nice idea but ...
Use virtualenv(wrapper) to set up the different python and package versions for a more future-proof approach ... OS X Server 4 on Yosemite coming up!

Example code:
.conf for Django virtual server
This is adapted directly from the file that OS X Server generates from its GUI with these main differences:

ProxyPreserveHost is off by default.

ProxyPass /static/ ! prevents the Alias directive from being ignored. I found that, when including this directive using the Apple-recommended web app .plist includeFiles section, the Included lines were in the wrong place to have the desired effect.

sed your SITENAME and PORT:
<VirtualHost *:80>
        ServerName SITENAME
        ServerAdmin mail@you.com
        DocumentRoot "/usr/local/python_projects/SITENAME"
        ErrorLog /var/log/apache2/error_log
        <IfModule mod_ssl.c>
                SSLEngine Off
                SSLCipherSuite "ALL:!aNULL:!ADH:!eNULL:!LOW:!EXP:RC4+RSA:+HIGH:+MEDIUM"
                SSLProtocol -ALL +SSLv3 +TLSv1
                SSLProxyEngine On
                SSLProxyProtocol -ALL +SSLv3 +TLSv1
        </IfModule>
        <Directory "/usr/local/python_projects/SITENAME">
                Options All -Indexes -ExecCGI -Includes +MultiViews
                AllowOverride None
                <IfModule mod_dav.c>
                        DAV Off
                </IfModule>
        </Directory>
        ProxyPass         /static/ !
        Alias             /static/ /usr/local/python_projects/SITENAME/static/
        ProxyPass         /         http://localhost:PORT/
        ProxyPassReverse  /         http://localhost:PORT/
        ProxyPreserveHost On
</VirtualHost>

LaunchDaemon plist for Gunicorn wsgi server
sed your SITENAME; REVERSED_SITENAME and PORT:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC -//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN
http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd >
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
     <key>Label</key>
     <string>REVERSED_SITENAME</string>
     <key>ProgramArguments</key>
     <array>
          <string>/usr/local/virtualenvs/SITENAME/bin/gunicorn</string>
          <string>--bind=127.0.0.1:PORT</string>
          <string>--workers=2</string>
          <string>superlists.wsgi:application</string>
     </array>
     <key>RunAtLoad</key><true/>
     <key>WorkingDirectory</key><string>/usr/local/python_projects/SITENAME/source</string>
<!--      <key>StandardErrorPath</key><string>/var/log/gunicorn/REVERSED_SITENAME.error.log</string> -->
     <key>KeepAlive</key><true/>
</dict>
</plist>

Snippet from the OS X Server's .bash_exports
Shows virtualenv paths specified by the virtualenvwrapper environment variables
export WORKON_HOME=/usr/local/virtualenvs
export PROJECT_HOME=/usr/local/python_projects
export VIRTUALENVWRAPPER_PYTHON=/usr/local/bin/python3
export VIRTUALENVWRAPPER_VIRTUALENV=/usr/local/bin/virtualenv
source /usr/local/bin/virtualenvwrapper.sh

Snippet from the Fabric automation file fabfile.py
Shows:

The target paths - the directories where your configuration files will end up;

The commands to activate the Django site in the final steps in deployment

# copy (and overwrite if necssary) configuration files to the LaunchDaemons and apache2/sitesdirectories

sudo('cp -f %s /Library/LaunchDaemons/%s.plist' % (gunicorn_config_file, reversed_site_name))
sudo('cp -f %s /Library/Server/Web/Config/apache2/other/%s.conf' % (apache2_config_file, site_name))

# Get the gunicorn wsgi server running on its unique TCP port

sudo('launchctl unload -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/%s.plist' % (reversed_site_name,), warn_only=True)
sudo('launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/%s.plist' % (reversed_site_name,))

# Give us some assurance that the gunicorn port is open

sudo('lsof -i TCP:%s' % (port,))

# Get Apache to include the new website; talk to gunicorn; and make it available to he world!

sudo('apache2ctl graceful')


How can I disable a specific USB port in my MacBook?

There isn't a switch in OS X to go and disable some of the USB connections. If you could give up USB entirely, I suppose you could get at things at the kernel extension level, but in terms of a graphical interface, there isn't anything like network preference panes where you could pick amongst the devices and disable one but not another.

See https://github.com/RehabMan/OS-X-USB-Inject-All for a decent discussion on some of the recent changes to USB and kext. It's quite technical, but also well documented case how to modify things at a low level. The details of your situation may depend heavily on exactly what hardware and software version that runs.


Yosemite won't boot any more after attempting to enable FileVault and TRIM

Yosemite apparently uses a new security feature called kext signing. This will prevent the old method of TRIM enabling. See the Trim Enabler FAQ, The question Recovering from stop sign on boot screen might help you:

  Recovering from stop sign on boot screen

  For those who are stuck on the grey boot screen, here’s how you get
  back into OS X:

  Step 1: Boot recovery mode by holding Cmd+R during boot

  Step 2: Is your volume encrypted (FileVault)? If so, first open Disk Utility from the menu bar and unlock/mount your drive. [see here for the procedure]

  Step 3: Open the Terminal from the menu bar

  Step 4: Run this command: nvram boot-args

  Does it say kext-dev-mode=1? if so, you can skip to Step 6. If it
  says error getting variable, continue with these steps:

  Step 5: Run this command: nvram boot-args=kext-dev-mode=1

  Step 6: Reboot back in to Recovery Mode again

  Step 7: Run these commands, replacing Your Disk Name with the name of your Mac disk
  (partition). You can type ls /Volumes to get a list of volumes. Note
  the quotes around the disk path and that there should be no / before
  System.

  cd "/Volumes/Your Disk Name"

  touch System/Library/Extensions

  kextcache -u "/Volumes/Your Disk name"

  Step 8: Wait until it finishes (can take as long as 5-10 minutes,
  don’t abort it) and reboot. You should now be back in OS X with Trim enabled.

  The commands are not working!

  The commands will work if they are entered correctly. However, if you are not familiar with the Terminal, it can be hard to follow the steps above. If can’t get the Terminal commands to work, or want an easier option, you can also use the Recovery Mode to reinstall OS X. Reinstalling OS X will only reinstall the system files, leaving your files and preferences untouched.

Please check the original source for updates!

EDIT:
See my answer here: Since the release of 10.10.4, Apple now provides a new tool called trimforce, allowing users to activate TRIM also on unsupported disks. No more dangerous experiments with third party software necessary.
/EDIT


Cannot resize Macintosh HD using (supposedly) available free space

This worked for me:

On the left is a list of drives your Macbook or iMac can see.  Select the drive from this left menu that has the partitions you want to combine.

In the top of the window will be five tabs/buttons.  Choose the middle one called “partition”.

Select the partition from the big block on the left that you want to remove.  With the partition selected hit the small “-” at the bottom left corner to delete the partition.  This small “-” is near the “+”.  This will bring up a message, okay that and it will delete the extra partition and leave empty space.

Now we need to fill that empty space with your main partition.  Still on this partition screen, you will see your main partition block has three small lines in the bottom corner.  Like the corner of a piece of paper when you are turning a page.  Click on here and you can drag the box size.

Drag the box size until it fills the space completely.  Hit apply and it will then make a big block, single partition


More than 100 GB disappeared on MacBook Pro 250GB SSD

Maybe, the Spotlight is not indexing correctly any more.

Open the System Preferences > Spotlight/Privacy and drag the Macintosh HD icon to the window. Click OK. Choose the icon and and click the - sign to remove it, so that the reindexing routine starts. Test when completed.


Summary

Shutdown your device and completely take the plug out of the socket, to kill its power supply;
Disconnect the power supply of your LG UltraFine monitor as well, by pulling the plug out of socket;
Reconnect(/Power on) everything after ~15 seconds;
The controls should come back to life.

Fully unplugging resets a few things in the UltraFine monitor as well as in the iMac.

Detailed
I spoke with Apple Support and the representative tried to help me solve this problem, but to no avail.
The only thing that session managed to get done was have my iMac restarted in Safe Mode. It did not solve the problem, but in the process my UltraFine's display's orientation changed. (I use it in portrait; It got reset to landscape.)
Since it changed something, try that first.

Next, while moving my desk I had to disconnect my UltraFine and iMac. When I plugged them back to another place, I started the iMac first without the display connected to it. Then I plugged in the power cord of UltraFine. And then I plugged the display's cable to iMac.
I understood that disconnecting an iMac off its power supply for ~15 seconds is how you reset its SMC. I think when I disconnected my machine to move it, I accidentally reset the SMC and that fixed the problem.


There are no official API to search the iOS App Store. Also, starting with iTunes 12.7, Apple has removed the ability to browse, search for and download iOS apps on a Mac/PC.

The only currently official way for public users to download and install apps is directly an iOS device via the App Store. This is done as a step towards optimizing the installed app bundle size depending on device type and capabilities.

There is a official iTunes Search API (with very limited support for apps) which you go through and see if meets some of your needs:

iTunes Affiliate Resources


When you download a picture from a web browser by pressing and holding then clicking download what folder does it get downloaded into?

The saved photos will show up in the Photos app on your device.


Built-in MacBook screen recognized as a separate display

Whalro! Unfortunately, I can’t supply any kexts. Most Macs made in 2011 or before aren’t fully compatible with the patcher. My 2011 iMac has all of the same issues. I still haven’t came across any fixes yet. By the way, have you tried using the patch updater? I hope I was helpful! Cheers!


What happens to a Developer Account when I disable 2-Factor Authentication

You should consider keeping the 2FA enabled on your Apple ID. It is not required to disable the 2FA on your Apple ID if you do not have any Apple device linked to your account.

In the absence of any trusted device(s) (Macs or iOS/iPadOS devices), you can add a trusted mobile number to your Apple ID account, and can receive 2FA codes via SMS.


in Ipod touch 4 (ios version 5.0.1), Is there a way to view volume as numbers and not as a slider?


How can I terminate the running sudo command that always reopens?

What you have is a bad set of shell startup files, so the first thing to do is regain control of your Mac.

Do not log out or reboot (just in case the damage will prevent a new log in - unlikely, but why risk it - especially if you don't have a good backup)
Open System Preferences
Make a new Admin account and enable fast user switching
Save whatever work in other apps you cannot afford to lose
Use the menu bar to log in as the new admin account

At that point, you'll know if that new user has full shell access or if you somehow messed up the files that set up all user shell processes.

You can go about removing MacPorts from the new user as well as be sure you have a good backup before you go in to clear the files that are messing up your current user's shell login process. Since your port install isn't functioning - try to run the port uninstall, but proceed with the manual rm command to actually remove the items in /opt and elsewhere that were installed.

http://guide.macports.org/chunked/installing.macports.uninstalling.html

At that point, you can also try cleaning up files elsewhere - here are the files MacPorts should have changed on you, so you may have to delete all of these and/or recover them from a clean instal or a backup from before when MacPorts touched them:

  Depending on your shell and which configuration files already exist, the installer may use .profile, .bash_login, .bash_profile, .tcshrc, or .cshrc.

The cleaning for you might also involve:

cd /Users
sudo -s
cd broken
tar -cvf ./bash_broken.tar .bash*
rm -i .bash*

That will make a backup tar file of all your broken bash startup files (.bash_history, .bahsrc, etc…) Be careful with the sudo - if you rm the wrong file, there is no trashcan or undo. The -i flag will have rm ask you if you want to delete each file. You want to remove pretty much all of them except maybe the history file (so you can look back at what you did in the past if needed).

Once you've removed the files, log out of the new user and back into the old user and see about whether that fixed your terminal problems.


Is lowering my ODD fan speed dangerous after installing and SSD?

So, just to be clear, you replaced the optical drive in your iMac with an SSD and I am assuming a drive caddy.

In the process, you removed the optical drive temperature sensor:

When this sensor is absent, the fans will spin up to full speed.  This is the "fail safe."  So, you are using a software utility to control the fan and essentially override the systems ability to regulate temperature.

I would try to find a way to put that sensor on your drive to better control the fan speeds as the chips themselves would heat up under heavy use. Kapton tape should work just fine.

Damage?  I don't know because I never removed this sensor and I am unwilling to experiment.


Time Capsule/Time Machine volume slow to process with tmutil

I don’t think anything is wrong. The hard link directory nature of a time machine backup is extraordinarily iops constrained and coupled with the limited power of the disk controller in AirPort, you’re far better off copying off the files you want to keep and then erasing the volume.

Each backup has a directory entry for each and every file present on the source so each backup interval deletion is actually a ton of work (whereby a ton is defined as 250,000 directory entries with ACL, permissions, date metadata, etc...)

Your network measures are spot on, and I worry your TimeCapsule drive could be failing if a simple ls is lagging so badly.


Is there a way to set Sound Balance permanently for MacBook?

I once had the same problem and resolved it.

Issue the following commands.

$ mv /Library/Preferences/com.apple.soundpref.plist /Library/Preferences/com.apple.soundpref.plist.backup

$ mv /Library/Preferences/Audio/com.apple.audio.DeviceSettings.plist /Library/Preferences/Audio/com.apple.audio.DeviceSettings.plist.backup

$ mv /Library/Preferences/Audio/com.apple.audio.SystemSettings.plist /Library/Preferences/Audio/com.apple.audio.SystemSettings.plist.backup

Then select whatever preference of sound settings you want and restart the MacBook.


Accidentally moved framework file to trash and now finder continuously fails

Since this is a duplicate of the linked questions - be sure to edit your post to explain how you can’t follow the several steps in the answers below to bring back the files. This is covered in several of the canonical questions on this site:

Where is the list of canonical questions stored for Ask Different?

We strongly discourage any breaking of EULA / sharing of files and a strict reading of Apple’s license is you can’t redisctibute or derive new works from the OS they distribute. Since we’re not lawyers, we don’t try to pick apart where in the world or why an EULA may not apply due to local courts and local laws and just avoid this sort of thing entirely since we can’t really answer legal questions well here.

Accidentally deleted a system framework, macOS screwed!
How can I get back a system file after deleting it from my Mac?


Alt-keys (option-keys) in emacs emulation (jetBrains PyCharm)

You need a replacement layout to allow M- key bindings. This forum post offers a downloadable keylayout file that can be copied to /Library/Keyboard\ Layouts/. I also made a dvorak-shaped map here.


Internet download manager alternative for OS X?

Not free but my favorite is Speed Download. I went through a few free ones and ending up buying this on a MUPromo special and it was worth every cent.

It supports resume, password protected sites, and can even FTP if you need it too. It also allows you to share files with other users on the network.

I have to admit, though, since moving to the Mac, my failure rates on downloads without a manager has drastically dropped if you're on a decent internet connection.


How to record video stream with VLC on OSX?

I would avoid VLC if you want to record streams off the Internet.  After many months of trying to figure it out, it came down to an issue with with their codec not working propertly via command line.
However, because of this problem, I found a better solution (it works with audio and video):
FFmpeg
It's a command line tool and is the source of the libraries that other app developers use (like Handbrake).  It's available as a source or binary - whichever you are more comfortable with (I personally recommend the binary).
The command to record a stream is is actually very simple:
ffmpeg INPUT [options] OUTPUT [options]

For example, if I wanted to record a streaming video for the next hour and place it on my Desktop:
ffmpeg http://foo.bar/stream -t 3600 ~/Desktop/foo_bar_stream_mp4

For more info, see the full documentation.


View Apple Music play history (playlists) from radio stations like Beats 1?

Hej m8, check this instruction: http://www.imore.com/how-use-next-apples-new-music-app#history


You can't overlap a window over the Dock. The Dock, even when hidden, will consume space on the side it is set on. A workaround is to move the window down such that the bottom of the window is where you desire (you may need to hold alt to disable sticky window edges), then pull up the top of the window. If you wish an app to consume the entire screen, you will need to use Full Screen.


In case someone is interested in an answer that doesn't require you to install anything but does require you to touch code just a little... Here you go....

How to toggle dark mode with Applescript:

tell application "System Events"
    tell appearance preferences
        set dark mode to not dark mode
    end tell
end tell

How to turn ON dark mode with Applescript:

tell application "System Events"
    tell appearance preferences
        set dark mode to true
    end tell
end tell

How to turn OFF dark mode with Applescript:

tell application "System Events"
    tell appearance preferences
        set dark mode to false
    end tell
end tell

There are pretty robust applications out there that can run scripts or actions at a specific time, but these applications are mostly fairly extensive and expensive. I did want to mention one because it allows you to do more than just toggle the dark mode: Keyboard Maestro - It's sort of like Automator, but better. Don't let the outdated look fool you.

I would use  launchd, because it doesn't require you to install anything. It does require you to touch a little bit of code, but nothing major.

How to trigger Applescript at a specific time with Launchd property list file (plist):

You need to make a new .plist file in ~/Library/LaunchAgents (~ represents your user folder)

If you want to make it run for all users, put it in /Library/LaunchAgents (Macintosh HD).
This .plist is just a text file that you can edit in any text editor and save as text with the extensions .plist.
You likely have existing files in those folders that you can duplicate to create your own. If you open an existing .plist file with TextEdit.app, you won't accidentally save it as a .rtf file or something.

Copy & paste this in the .plist file:

<?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>Label</key>
    <string>com.time.trigger.darkmode</string>
    <key>Program</key>
    <string>/usr/bin/osascript</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
      <string>osascript</string>
      <string>/Users/joonaspaakko/Desktop/toggle-darkmode.scpt</string>
    </array>
    <key>StartCalendarInterval</key>
    <array>
      <dict>
        <key>Hour</key>
        <integer>21</integer>
        <key>Minute</key>
        <integer>20</integer>
      </dict>
    </array>
  </dict>
</plist>

The line below <string>osascript</string> points to the Applescript .scpt file that should be triggered. You will change this in step 3 after creating a script file.
The array below <key>StartCalendarInterval</key> that says Hour and Minute is where you set the time. Current set time is H 21 M 20 = 9:20pm

These steps are maybe a little backwards since I already have the script location set in the .plist but let's create the .scpt file next.

Run Script Editor application /Applications/Utilities/Script Editor.app.

Paste in whichever Applescript you wish to use (At the top of the answer in case you forgot)
You can test run the Applescripts in this application by pressing the play button.
Save as Script file. If you're just using the script yourself, save it somewhere under your home directory. If you're setting this up for all accounts you'll need to store it in a location everyone can access, such as /Library/Scripts.
Return to your .plist file from step 2, and change the line below <string>osascript</string> to point at your new Applescript (.scpt file).

When both files are created, an important step is to log out (or restart) because these launch agents start running in the background on launch.

If you want to stop it from running, you can move the .plist from the folder or just delete it.


Weird Permissions/ Sandboxing issue: installer.app is not entitled for system.install.apple

In the end, it was a fault being caused by mis-matched RAM. Solved.


Does anyone know a decent app to monitor bandwidth usage, ideally from the terminal?

I decided to go with ntop following installation guidelines from here.


How to make applescript type items into url bar

This works with following AppleScript lines:

tell application "Safari"
open location "https://google.ch"
activate
end tell


I agree with IconDaemon's comment, so don't think there's much help you're going to find here.

However, one thing you could try is resetting your System Management Controller (SMC). Now, before doing this I should add that while resetting the SMC is usually a totally safe thing to do, you may get unwanted results in the case of liquid damage. So, if you have the option of using your MBP with an external display and keyboard, you may want to just opt for that.

Another thing you should do is ensure you have a good backup of your data. Not just because you should have a backup anyway, but also because of the liquid damage. Your MBP is at a much higher risk now of just one day not working anymore.

If you'd like to try the SMC reset, follow these steps for doing so on your model of MBP:

Shut down your Mac
Keep the MagSafe adapter (power cable) plugged in.
Press at the same time shiftoptioncontrol (on the left side of the built-in keyboard) and the power button
Let go
Turn your computer back on with the power button.

I'm assuming, of course, that the left shiftoption and control keys still work.


Bafflingly, this was the answer:

https://www.idownloadblog.com/2017/11/15/how-to-fix-predictive-emoji-not-working-iphone-ipad/

Apparently, the algorithm for recommendation for emoji replacement is per-app, which makes sense in that you speak differently in email than you do on twitter, but apparently, if you've never spun a random string of emojis together in a new app, the keyboard has to learn it from 0.

So to fix this problem is: open your regular keyboard in the app of interest and type some words, then open your emoji keyboard and type a ton of random emojis (not even necessarily the one you want!). After you do, the recommendations will recognize that you mix English and Emoji and recommend them together, even from your English keyboard.  They will appear on the right hand side recommendation just where they do in iMessage.

(The link used Angola, not Serbia.)


Using the Numbers app, how to make 2 plus +0.25 become 2.25?

You can use the Search/Find functionality (Cmd-F) in Numbers to replace the + with "nothing". Don't worry about + in formulas, they won't get replaced. Summing the the rows should work ok afterwards.


Why does a .DS_Store file keep appearing on the desktop?

Type this in Terminal (/Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app):

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE
killall Finder

The first command sets the hidden files visibility to hidden; the second one forces Finder to restart. This is needed for the first command to take effect.

You can also log out/reboot instead of killing the Finder, but the first command is needed to change a hidden preference (one that the Finder can’t change using the normal Finder view options or preferences).


App Slicing Thinning: Pre determine actual true size & space taken by App install or update on iOS Device?

I can see multiple reasons for that happening:

A) Compression

Apps are downloaded in compressed form from the app store. It is similar to a Zip-file. When the app is installed on the phone, it is uncompressed by the app installer software on the phone.

B) Differential updates

If you already have the app installed, and are merely downloading an update for the app - you could be downloading a differential instead of the full app. For newer iOS versions, the App Store will calculate the difference between what you already have and the new version of the app, enabling you to download less. However it will still take up the full amount of space on the disk after the upgrade has taken place.

C) App downloads after first use

When you use an app for the first time, many apps will download extra data that is stored with the app on your phone. This could account for differences in app size as listed by the App Store, compared to the amount of space the app takes on your phone in practice.


Pink screen is typically VRAM / GPU and much less often a cable or screen issue. If you can’t afford a flat rate repair ($300 in the US typically) that will fix everything wrong with your portable - you’ll want to do an erase install to be 100% sure it’s hardware and not software.

Get a backup of course since with hangs and crashes - Time Machine with hourly backups will save a large amount (as well as covering recent changes) of data loss when this instability eventually makes the system unbootable or you lose the file system.

Also, don’t overlook that with crashes and hangs and various hardware symptoms, you may have several issues going on making it hard to know which one to attack first. This means getting it to Apple or an authorized technician with better tests than AHT a good use of your time.


Your photos have always been there and look at the picture the old iPhone app folder'll be there.

Try clicking the right mouse button and choose open with iPhoto and find your entire library.


Have to enter password twice after losing battery power? El Capitan

That first screen sounds like the FileVault password prompt, which appears before the user login prompt when a FileVault-enabled computer is initially powered on.


Just to clarify :-) Simply reinstalling an O/S (upgrading too) does not delete any personal files, it over writes only system files to a freshly installed state.

remember that the FIRST thing you do after re-installing is running software update and getting all the patches.

The SECOND would be booting from the recovery partition and repairing permissions and the disk with Disk Utility (in that order)


How do I restore a Time Machine backup after repartitioning the original drive?

If you restore via time machine (using Migration Assistant or Setup), then it will start backing up to the TM drive like before you restored. Not sure what you mean by if there should be a partitioned disk, as all disks have to be partitioned before you can use it.


How to prevent one app from saving/restoring any Saved State

There is a specific command to prevent any app from saving state, rather than just locking the state folder…

defaults write com.apple.Preview NSQuitAlwaysKeepsWindows -bool false

If you don't want a permanent switch, just to prevent it on one single occasion, then deleting/moving the Saved State folder in ~/Library/Saved Application State/ would be the simplest.


Push window to beginning, not to the end of stack when I press fullscreen

In System Preferences > Mission Control, if you check the box for "Automatically rearrange spaces based on most recent use," then switching a window to fullscreen mode will place it to the right of the desktop space instead of at the end.


macOS Sierra, Security, and Tex Live Utility

They have released a fixed version.  You can update to the newest Tex Live Utility from the command line tlmgr update --self


How do I skip a music video on the Apple TV (4th gen)?

This is not supported on ATV4, although I thought it was on earlier versions.  I even tried a programmable remote (a Harmony), which offers more buttons/commands than the Apple remote, but none of them seem to offer a Skip/Next function during music videos.


Change Snow Leopard Terminal window dependant on SSH Server

This blog post provides a script to solve this problem.

#!/bin/bash
#
# ssh into a machine and automatically set the background
# color of Mac OS X Terminal depending on the hostname.
#
# Installation:
# 1. Save this script to /some/bin/ssh-host-color
# 2. chmod 755 /some/bin/ssh-host-color
# 3. alias ssh=/some/bin/ssh-host-color
# 4. Configure your host colors below.

set_term_bgcolor() {
   local R=$1
   local G=$2
   local B=$3
   /usr/bin/osascript <<EOF
tell application "Terminal"
   tell window 0
      set the background color to {$(($R*65535/255)), $(($G*65535/255)), $(($B*65535/255))}
   end tell
end tell
EOF
}

# Host-specific background colors.
if [[ "$@" =~ production1.com ]]; then
   set_term_bgcolor 127 0 0
elif [[ "$@" =~ production2.com ]]; then
   set_term_bgcolor 0 127 0
fi

ssh $@

# Default background color.
set_term_bgcolor 34 79 188