Upgraded to 10.9, but it broke my Windows 8.1 Boot Camp partition!

You could try to fix the MBR Table.

I would recommend by using a Linux LiveCD or the rEFInd CD http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/index.html

Alternatively, rEFInd can be installed on OS X so you also get a Partition Manager Tool. I used this tool once to fix my broken MBR Table.

You can find the install instructions for OS X here: rEFInd Install OS X

I hope this helps.


iCloud lock is properly called Activation Lock and doesn’t have anything to do with any carrier:

Getting rid of icloud on old iphone

The owner of that iCloud can release the device from any web browser they log in to their account.

If the phone is carrier locked - you’ll need to work with your new carrier or the old carrier to resolve that if you want to have cellular data on it.

With that out of the way - you can always use a carrier locked iPhone as an iPod Touch and no data connection. That lock only prevents cellular data and service. You can’t use an Activaytion Locked device since iTunes won’t restore it and Apple won’t sign an download to run the OS on a locked / presumably stolen device.


Stolen MacBook Pro, encrypted with FileVault. Can they still access it because of a poor password?

yes brute force will get your password in no time.


How can I upgrade PHP on a jailbroken iPhone?

If you build the iPhone toolchain in you local environment, you can compile PHP locally and then move it to iOS.

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4001510/compile-php-with-gd-for-iphone-os-4-1

http://george.insideiphone.com/index.php/iphone-toolchain/

http://code.google.com/p/iphone-dev/

http://www.sj99.com/toolchain.html

I've not done this, but I'm curious, and will make an attempt myself over the next few days, and update this answer as I go along.


Hot File Clustering with multiple partitions

According to the very detailed OS X internals book and website by Amit Singh, the optimizations for hot files require only HFS+

Ten Things Apple Did To Make Mac OS X Faster

I seem to recall that only the boot volume was optimized for working sets and hot files, but can't find a good link to any other authoritative document to back up my recollections. We are talking about things written in 2004 and a lot has changed. The good news is that you should be able to find the hfsdebug binary and poke around to your heart's content while analyzing your particular filesystems as you are determining how it is and is not performing. Furthermore, if you partition your boot volume, the hot file "optimization" will be far less helpful than if you just let the entire drive be allocated so that the OS can guess what part of the drive is physically the fastest for access speeds.

Some very astute engineers have opined that 10.6 was the "fastest feeling" OS although I've not seen any good benchmarks comparing 10.6.8 to 10.8.3 or 10.7.5. Snow Leopard clearly doesn't have all the layers of subsystems that Lion and now Mountail Lion have - so from a unix based perspective, you should have great control and understanding of what's going on in the OS most if not all of the time.

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention that you might want to review John Siracusa's awesome reviews of each OS release to read up on the various filesystem performance improvements. Since hot file adaptive clustering was introduced at 10.3, the performance wars have moved on to building smarter storage technologies rather than smarter OS. An especially good article on this aspect would be also from Ars Technica:

How SSDs conquered mobile devices and modern OSes


What is the proper way to save Application Information Before Reformatting My macbook?

You might lose them. According to this thread on Adobe's forums, other users experienced issues with restoring an entire drive from Time Machine. It looks like, from some cursory research, that the plist files or FlexNet folders don't get restored (even if they are present in the backup), and that Adobe's recommendations are to delicense before restoring and then relicense it after restoring.

You will need to locate your original licenses and identify each manufacturer's process for relicensing after a restoration.


After installing Lion my mac became super slow

Activity monitor is your friend in this case. Check CPU/RAM usage and look for apps/services using a lot of resources, also check how your hard disk is doing in terms of throughput.

I've seen machine's hard disks slow down or just fail after an OS upgrade/install. It's a pretty disk intensive operation and can finish off older disks that were on their way out. Consider that as a possibility - perform a backup as soon as possible if you don't already have a recent one.


How do I have different footers for the left and right pages on Apple Pages?

Facing pages/mirrored pages is not possible in Apple Pages v5.x. The last version of Pages that supported facing/mirrored pages is v4.x (iWork '09). If you have access to a copy of Pages v4.x, v5 can save in that format so you can use the file in '09. Otherwise you would need to use an alternative product, such as Microsoft Office, that supports facing pages.


You could remove Shut Down… from the menu entirely. This Ask Different question looks like it has instructions on how to do that. Good luck!


How can I rename the servers names found in Screen Sharing "Open Recent...." menu?

While it seems to be impossible to change Screen Sharing, you could simply create link files and put them in a folder.
The easiest way I could find on how to do this is to type the link in a text file (vnc://user@ip:port), select said text and drag it to the desktop. It will create a file that when clicked will open Screen Sharing.
Thanks to Steve Chambers for the idea.


Ok got it working:

turn off both devices.
connect them with thunderbolt cable
turn on MacBookPro AND keep holding the "T" key on its keyboard. You will see it will go to a disk mode with some thunderbolt icon showing on its screen.
Turn on your iMac AND keep holding the OPTION key on its keyboard. You will see it will show you some hard disks on the display. Pick the one that is for the MacBookPro.
Done! Now Nothing from iMac is running in the background, iMac's peripherals are working for MacBookPro AND EVEN better: you are using CPU Power and RAM of your iMac to run MacBookPro.

NOTE: to turn off, don't just unplug the thunderbolt cable, first shut down the computer, then unplug the cable.


Touch ID doesn't work first thing in the morning?

Probably (maybe? possibly?), your finger looks "dead" first thing in the morning. Touch ID uses both capacitive sensing,  which is activated by the slight electrical charge running through your skin, and radio frequency sensing which does not respond to the dead layer of skin on the outside of your finger -- the part that might be chapped or too dry to be read with much accuracy -- and instead reads only the living tissue underneath. This is why you can't unlock a phone with someone's dead finger.

So, one theory is that your finger, when you're first waking up, isn't in quite the same state as your finger later in the day, on the day when you set up your touch ID.

But, this could all be inaccurate.

How to test?

Idea 1. Try massaging your fingers first thing in the morning before trying to unlock the phone. Maybe getting the blood flowing in your finger will make it look right.

Idea 2. This one would be very interesting. Next time you wake up and your finger isn't working, unlock your iPhone and then use your finger to set up a new Touch ID. Then, the next day, see if your early morning finger can unlock the phone.

Very curious to hear your results :-)


Browser issues - gets redirected to adware

Does this happen on all websites?

Some sites do this. For example, The Pirate Bay or EZTV - when you click to scroll, they will open a new tab to show you ads.


Can I transfer a call from the iPhone to Facetime on the mac?

This is currently not possible (iOS 8, OS X 10.10.3).

A similar question has been asked on the Apple Communities forum, and the consensus there was that it's not possible: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6649250

It's possible that Apple will add this functionality in a later version of their software/OS.


System time changes after sleeping and waking up?

Seems fairly normal, probably just checking back in with Apple servers about the time (time.apple.com) If you'd like to disable it, you can uncheck "Set date and time automatically" under Date and Time in System Preferences.


I found 2 ways of doing that. Depending on your needs and preferences, you choose what you want.
1. The flexible way
Open the Terminal.app
And enter the following command:
sqlite3 ~/Library/Messages/chat.db

Now you are in the database of the Messages app of your mac.
Enter the following commands (but don't include the sqlite> as this one was added to this answer just to show you what you will expect at this point):
sqlite> .mode column
sqlite> .headers on
sqlite> SELECT text, datetime(date, 'unixepoch', '+31 year') AS cDate FROM message WHERE cDate >= "2016-01-12";

Replace this "2016-01-12" with the date you want to filter your messages, but keep the ""!
If you know the exact date of the message you can replace the >= with = like this:
sqlite> SELECT text, datetime(date, 'unixepoch', '+31 year') AS cDate FROM message WHERE cDate = "2016-01-12";

Or if you know a range of dates then you can also do this:
sqlite> SELECT text, datetime(date, 'unixepoch', '+31 year') AS cDate FROM message WHERE cDate >= "2015-12-10" and cDate <= "2016-01-12";

You should get your messages now filtered!
This way you can actually filter your messages in more flexible way. If you play around with the database schema, you may find a good way to filter your messages.
2. The easy way
If you want something more user-friendly then I found out that if you type this command in the Terminal.app:
open ~/Library/Messages/Archive/

Will open a folder in finder that has your messages grouped by date, which will make your life much easier, looking for your message. This has been mentioned by another user as well.
The advantage of this method, is that the messages are opened in a nice User Interface (i.e Messages) which is more readable and user-friendly.


How do I remove extra extension when creating a PDF?

Looks like the "Save as PDF" option in the Print dialog just takes the document title (which is set to the document name by Pages) and adds a .pdf suffix to it. As the new Pages doesn't seem to offer an option to change the title within Pages you might be out of luck here.

Alternatively you could use the "Export to... PDF" menu entry to export to PDF directly.


Use specified quantifier in grep to retrieve satisfied vocabulary

Without seeing the full text of the file, wouldn't:

grep -o '\*\*[a-zA-Z]*\*\*' file

work?


Does the Apple Remote (Aluminium) with IR still have a use?

Background
The Retina MacBook Pro does not have an IR sensor, just like the missing battery indicator. Apple really pushed hard to feature more Bluetooth heavy peripherals from that point. Looking back it seems like the right step forward. The Siri remote (just as an example) is able to transmit more complex data than the older, yet well-built aluminum IR remote ever could. The IR sensor has become obsolete because of features such as AirPlay and other mechanisms that put increasingly growing control into one place (the iOS device).

What can you try?

You may be able to pair the Apple Remote with your Apple TV if you
happen to have one that was released around the same time. This
tutorial should demonstrate how the Aluminum remote can be paired
with an Apple TV (2nd generation).   I have to be honest
in that I don't personally own an Apple TV or the remote for that
matter, yet at work, we have seamlessly paired various different
remotes (from different 2nd or 3rd generation
Apple TVs).
You will however not be able to pair the remote with the iPhone because much like the Mac, the iPhone does not have an IR sensor.
I fail to come up with everyday things that have an IR sensor capable of receiving signals from the Apple Remote but are non-Apple products. Correct me if I am wrong but I don't think that there are any devices worth controlling, let alone capable of receiving the signal. Yep, that's Apple for you.

Let me know if that was helpful in any way or if you come up with other ideas/products.


2006 iMac5,1 Upgrade from 10.6.8 to a faster OS

According to EveryMac, the maximum OS X for that machine is 10.7.5 Lion, which is fine except that it is not free and the web browsers for it are obsolete. Safari will frequently fail due to invalid certificates. The best browser you can get is Firefox ESR 45.9.0.


why is my iphone 5c opening apps uncontrollably by itself?

An appointment at the Genius Bar can confirm, but it's likely a hardware problem with a component called the digitizer, which translates touches on the screen into input the phone can understand. Sounds like it is malfunctioning.

Can you lower the phone off and on again? Is the problem constant or does it come and go?


App or process to show Youtube videos offline without a computer?

Video Downloader Pro Lite is the app you're looking for.

  To begin a download:

  Browse on the web.
  Select any video on any website,
  Click download.

It works pretty well for me!


How can I prevent my iOS app appstore page description from being indexed by search engines?

No, Apple controls the robots text for that website and publishes this information in the clear and allows search engines to crawl the App Store.

Unless you somehow worked through developer support to change the terms of the license agreement and how Apple runs their web pages, you’re stuck doing a name transfer to a DBA (doing business as entity) or forming a proper corporation to own the app in Apple’s eyes and be published openly as the author of the app(s).


Is there a way to let Mail always mark the messages coming from a domain as spam?

Mail.app has a feature called rules that enables you to automate your mail tasks.

You can define rules in the Mail preferences.


As of December, 2017, brew cask upgrade is a thing.

https://github.com/Homebrew/brew/pull/3396


I am seeking a SCP/SFTP client for iOS devices

I use a combination of two apps to administer local servers without internet access. There might be a good scp/sftp app I don't know - but AirSharing does file serving so well that I just turn it on then ssh into the server. From there, I sftp/curl the files I need back from the iOS file server.

Prompt - a great ssh app by Panic.
Air Sharing Pro - a file server that supports webdav/sftp/curl/http


how can I put a macron over the letter "m" in MS Word?

Type m and then ⌥ Option⇧ Shift A.  You may need to change the font to get it to look good.


Is the Force Touch Trackpad on MacBook Pro supposed to be 'nudged' with a mechanical clicking sound?

The video quality is such that the nudge is not really visible. But yes, the intention is that the trackpad should not physically move in normal circumstances.

The clicking sound on the video however sounds pretty much like it should. The sound is generated by the computer - it is not mechanical.

You could consider taking the computer to a store and comparing the sound with another MacBook Pro.


Unable to boot (kernel panic - reboot cycle) after 10.10.4 upgrade

There is an issue with the backup, corrupted files etc. Instead of restoring the backup use Migration Assistant to copy your user files and (optionally) applications. Once that is restored and you can verify the system is working you can work on reinstalling any system modifications that the Migration Assistant did not copy.

If the system becomes unstable after running Migration Assistant and transferring Apps and user data. Scale back what you copy to just user data.

Yeah reinstalling system mods and apps can be a PITA but it sounds like you may not have a choice as your backup is somehow damaged. Without knowing exactly what is wrong with it you will get your best results by restoring as little as possible from your old backup.


How to fix menus and windows in macOS 10.14.6 that do not show any items?

I was able to fix my issue. It turned out that my fonts were corrupted and I had to open Font Book and Restore Standard Fonts.


what does it mean if my macbook loaded in safe mode?

If you have hold down the shift key during startup it can go to safe mode.
Sometime due to disk issue and new software installation it may go to safe mode.
Try restarting normally and it should be back to normal mode. If you have installed anything new try removing them in safe mode.


Is there a way to know App Reviews from users in real time?

No, this is currently not possible. You can view reviews of your app on the App Store once the submission has been confirmed, but this is not real time. Download/IAP statistics are only updated when Apple updates the reports.


Which phone number is shared by Apple Pay in a dual SIM iPhone?

Neither. Apple Pay uses a billing address and not a mobile phone. Your AppleID can have any phone you want, so either or none would get pre-filled into a form that asks for a phone.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204506
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205630

I would get your Apple ID correct with the number you prefer in case that is part of the messages activation process. You can see that in the settings app under iCloud then Name, Phone Numbers, Email. Also check under messages, under send and receive to select one, both or none of your mobile numbers.


If I get a second iPad will I have access to all my apps?

As long as you log in on both iOS devices with your same login from Apple (or backup and install them with the same login on your Mac/PC with iTunes), you will be able to use the same apps and other data without the need to purchase them again.

You can still manage your apps separately for each device: For instance, iTunes will keep them apart (you get to name each device yourself), and you can install different sets of apps and photos, music and all on the devices. But anything that comes from the App Store is linked to your Apple ID login - and once you've purchase something with your ID, you can install it on all your devices.


"Alignment grid" suddenly showed up on my desktop

As it turns out, the problem is with the monitor (Asus in my case), not OS X. You should be able to reset this - i.e. make the grid disappear - via the monitor's menu 'System Setup'.


Why is an application running so slowly when started with launchctl?

I had the same issue and it was solved by adding the ProcessType tag.

    <key>ProcessType</key>
    <string>Interactive</string>

I had been looking at this issue from all kinds of angles comparing cpu/gpu usage, attributed system resources etc (as you must have as well) and it just wasn't apparent WHAT THE DIFFERENCE was, ie why the performance hit. In the man page it states:

  This optional key describes, at a high level, the intended purpose of the
       job.  The system will apply resource limits based on what kind of job it
       is. If left unspecified, the system will apply light resource limits to
       the job, throttling its CPU usage and I/O bandwidth.

You must have experienced as well that this throttling wasn't extremely apparent when looking at the process' properties.

I got this solution when I emailed the excellent folks of launchd.info about this, hooray for them. Hope this helps you.


Two identical USB microphones at once -- is it possible?

It used to be that two USB audio interfaces/mics would require you to create an aggregate device in order to use them both at the same time with OS X. As this was still the case in early 2014 (see the Macworld article, below), it probably is still the case today.
However, there are differing reports when it comes to identical USB devices.
Back in 2011, an audacity user was testing this specifically and reported:

So, far from being the outlier, Aggregate Device is required any
time you plug in two identical USB sound devices.

But in 2013, Blue Microphones themselves are reported to have said:

Because of the nature of USB devices, you won’t be able to use two of
the same USB microphones at once. Since they have similar digital
thumb prints your computer won’t be able to distinguish the devices as
separate devices. With that being said, you can use two different USB
devices/microphones at once with no problem. As far as being able to
use it within a specific program you would have to find out if it
allows multiple USB connections [...]

So, without further information, your best bet would be to try to create an aggregate device from both mics, and then test with an application which can record multiple channels (which I assume you already have since you want to do this in the first place).
This Macworld article gives details:

Plug both USB microphones into your Mac, venture to the Utilities
folder (/Applications/Utilities) and launch Audio MIDI Setup. In the
bottom left corner of the resulting window click the plus (+) button
and choose Create Aggregate Device from the menu that appears.
To the right you'll see a list of all the audio devices attached to
your Mac, including those two mics. Tick the Use checkboxes for the
two microphones (if any of them have multiple entries, look for the
one that has a 1 in the In column). As you do so, subdevices entries
will appear above the list of audio devices. This tells you which mic
is using input channel 1 and which is using input channel 2. If you
like, click on the name Aggregate Device in the column to the left and
change it to something more intuitive such as “Two Mic Setup.”

If you are able to do that, then the resulting device should be both mics, one on each channel, so they can be recorded separately (or, potentially, recorded as stereo and separated later).
Of course, if only one of the mics appears in Audio MIDI Setup then it's possible you won't be offered the option of selecting them both when creating an aggregate device.
Update:
Sadly, this post suggests it will not be possible but, if you contact Blue, they should be able to 'reprogram' one of your mics so you can get this working as an aggregate device:

Bue Yetis have identical digitial footprints and therefore no matter
how many you plug in, they will be recognized as a single device.   I
contacted Blue and ultimately I was able to send one of my Yetis to
them for reprogramming and now my Mac will recognize it along with
another Yeti in order to create an aggregate device.
Fair warning, this process took over 2 weeks and I had to pay out of pocket
shipping, they paid FedEx ground (signature required) back to me.


Sharing iCloud storage between family members

Update 2017/2018: It appears Apple finally allows sharing iCloud storage between family members (see the newly accepted answer). Glad to hear it!

Original:

The correct answer is No, there is not.  Apple does not let you share iCloud Storage with family members, unfortunately.

Here's a forum link where this has been discussed:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6543858

You can share your account and password, but then the storage is yours and not really sharing with a sub-account. Each individual Apple ID gets their own paid/gifted/free storage quota and any one account can bump up their storage only and it doesn't affect any other AppleID storage capacity - family membership regardless.


Apple review process: Penalty for updating an app before it has been reviewed

To submit a new build of an app for review, the current build must be removed from review. This sets the status to Developer Rejected, which is equivalent to a review rejection. Once you have changed the build, you can submit it for review once again, which will put it at the back of the queue.

  Removing a build removes your app version from Apple’s review queue and changes its status to Developer Rejected. When you resubmit your app, the review process starts over from the beginning.

Source: iTunes Connect Developer Guide - Viewing and Changing Your App’s Status and Availability - Removing a Build from Review


Quicktime Video Panning multiple inputs problem

I don't think Quicktime Player is capable of this, but you could run it through ffmpeg afterward to change the audio to mono.

ffmpeg -i stereo.flac -ac 1 mono.flac

If there's video too then:

ffmpeg -i recording.mp4 -map 0 -c copy -ac 1 mono.mp3

-map 0 copy every channel from the first input (the only input in this case) -c copy copy the same codec used for encoding for speed and to avoid quality loss, -ac 1 set the output to only have one mono channel. (The extensions are interchangeable.)

See:
https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/AudioChannelManipulation


Find images of a specific size and move them to trash from terminal

Here is an example bash script that can achieve the goal natively, no need to install anything.

#!/bin/bash

targetDir="$HOME/Pictures"

find "$targetDir" -iname '*.jpg' -o -iname '*.png' -o -iname '*.bmp' -o -iname '*.jpeg' 2>/dev/null | \
while read -r filename; do
    hw="$(sips -g pixelHeight -g pixelWidth "$filename" 2>/dev/null)"
    h="$(awk '/pixelHeight/{print $2}'<<<"$hw")"
    w="$(awk '/pixelWidth/{print $2}'<<<"$hw")"
    if [[ $h -eq 270 ]] && [[ $w -eq 360 ]]; then
        echo rm "$filename"
    fi
done

All you need to do is set the targetDir variable to the starting point of where you want the find command to look. The default is the Pictures folder within your Home folder.

Note: In the example script the echo command needs to be removed from in front of rm "$filename" in order for the files to actually be deleted and is there so you can first test the output of the script as to what files will be deleted. You can of course choose to remove it without testing and just go for it, if you're confident that you want to delete any .jpg, .png, .bmp or .jpeg file with dimensions of 270 pixel height by 360 pixel width within the targetDir.

Also note that depending on the total file count of the target file extensions, the running of this script can take some amount of time to complete. On my system it found ~1000 files to delete out of 27500 files in my Pictures folder and took at least 5 to 10 minutes to complete.

That said, I ran this script, as it's written, and the only files other then the test file I created with the target dimensions, all other files found where in one specific location within my iPhoto Library bundle in the Thumbnails folder. So, wouldn't it just be easier to go into the bundle and delete the contents in Finder? That is, if it's really just those Thumbnails you want to get rid of!

If you don't know how to use the script, do the following in Terminal:

touch delete270x360images
open delete270x360images

Copy and paste the script code from above into the opened delete270x360images document, modify as needed/wanted and then save and close.

In Terminal, make it executable:

chmod u+x delete270x360images

Now to use it in Terminal, type the following and then press enter.

./delete270x360images

Wait for it to complete.


When running Windows (or Linux) on a Retina MacBook Pro, what resolution does it report?

Windows
According to AnandTech:

Windows 7 by default starts up at 800 x 600 on the Retina MBP, Windows 8 defaults to 1024 x 768. This behavior isn't specific to this system, the GeForce GT 650M doesn't have native driver support in either OS at this point and these are the defaults for the standard VGA driver in both cases.
Windows 7 won't expose any resolutions higher than 1600 x 1200 without an actual NVIDIA driver, while Windows 8 will let you select the full 2880 x 1800 panel resolution.

This is a report about Windows via bootcamp. I don't know how this differs from Windows being used in a virtual machine. It would probably also depend on the options that the VM software offers.
Linux
When using the NVIDIA drivers on Linux (and on Windows too) you can select the full native panel resolution (2880x1800). You can also select any of a number of scaled resolutions which don't look as sharp. In general, running at native resolution is actually less of a problem for Linux than it is in Windows and OS X because of the way it's designed. There are no blurry fonts on 3rd party apps like on OS X and it is easier to set your DPI so that apps are scaled properly than on Windows (it is set automatically in Linux).


How do I invoke a service using Applescript?

Automator services can be run with the automator command line utility:

do shell script "automator ~/Library/Services/test.workflow -i input -d variable=value"

I couldn't get it to work with the service used by Circus Ponies NoteBook though.


Notability

This appears to be Notability by Ginger Labs:

  Combine handwriting, photos and typing in a single note to bring your projects to life. Use a wide range of note-taking and sketching tools to capture every detail. You can even add and annotate PDFs in Notability. It’s the perfect place to create and organize work, school, and life's information!


I use these two text editors and I think both are pretty good:

Sublime Text: Although it's not "free", it lets you use it for trial indefinitely. It just keeps asking you to buy it every 10-15 time you save a document.
Atom: Which is a text editor developed by GitHub and very similar to Sublime Text, except that it's free. Totally. Since it's new in development, you should expect bugs here and there and updates every few days.

Both apps support "packages" which add functionality and support.

You can also check out Chocolat, but I haven't used it, so I can't provide any in-depth details about it. I've just "heard" that it's a good option.

By the way, you can use TextEdit in "raw" mode. Just open its preferences (cmd + ,) and choose Plain text.) However, it doesn't support syntax highlighting, code completion or file-tree viewer.


I was eventually able to resolve it by following the suggestions from Bluetooth headphones disconnect a few seconds after connecting on macOS, namely:

https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/344552 by Gummibando:

  Try resetting the Bluetooth module.
  Shift-Option click the BT menu bar item > Debug > Reset the Bluetooth
    module.

https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/380827 by Kundan Burnwal:

  Delete /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist
  Clear PRAM according to Apple's instructions by rebooting and holding down Command +Option+P+R for roughly 20 seconds until either the second startup sound plays or Apple logo appears and disappears for a second time.

P.S. I think it is worth noting that the steps for resetting NVRAM and PRAM are the same, and did already try "the former", but that time it coincided with a minor macOS version update, which could have affected the reset procedure in some way.

Upd: unfortunately, pairing back and connecting a Bluetooth device (e.g., headphones) brings the issue back, so this whole workaround is just that — a workaround.


Open the contacts app and tap "groups" in the upper left.  This should list all potential sources of new contacts.  For instance, I only have groups listed under "iCloud" and "Facebook".  If you see a source that you're not expecting you might be able to narrow down where these contacts are coming from.

It might also help to restrict what apps have access to your contacts and perhaps disable some. To check go to settings... privacy... contacts.


Errorr kernel SMC::smcReadKeyAction in Console

The culprit can be a fan controll program you may have previously installed.

To my knowledge there are two possible candidates (FanControl & smcFanControl but there may be more that have the same problem).

You can verify if you have them installed and eliminate if needed.

NOTE: this problem is similar but not equal to this one Kernel SMC::smcReadKeyAction error The other one is for another version of OSX.

Procedure to check & eliminate FanControl

Open terminal and search for FanControl:

$ ps -ef | grep -i fan
0   145     1   0 Gio12am ??         3:58.07 /Library/StartupItems/FanControlDaemon/FanControlDaemon run

This tell you that you really have FanControlDaemon running as pid 145 as PidNumber

To eliminate it :

$ cd /Library/StartupItems/
$ sudo rm -Rf FanControlDaemon/

and then kill the daemon:

$ sudo kill PidNumber

WARNING: if you replicate this procedure replace PidNumber with the PID you get from ps -ef

This eliminate the messages for me.

Procedure to check & eliminate smcFanControl

I also try to run the current version of another fan controll utility called smcFanControl (version is 2.4) and it seem to not work in Maverics (no window) but it produce near the same message in Console:

15/11/13 14:19:35,000 kernel[0]: SMC::smcReadKeyAction ERROR TC0F kSMCBadArgumentError(0x89) fKeyHashTable=0x0xffffff802af9b000

Note that for smcFanControl you got "ERROR TC0F" instead of "ERROR TH0P".

If you have this problem you can try to find and kill the process "smcFanControl" instead.

$ ps -ef | grep -i fan
501 45716   254   0  2:44pm ??         0:00.38 /Users/dave/Downloads/firefox/smcfancontrol_2_4/smcFanControl.app/Contents/MacOS/smcFanControl

If you find it then kill the rogue process as explained before.


Any way to get Bluetooth to work on MacBook 12″ Boot Camp?

Use Boot Camp 6.0, it will let you use Bluetooth on the MacBook 2015.


How to stop two phones that are synced together

You should make an iCloud account to your daughter then link her phone to that new account from Settings -> iCloud.

Then you can manage your iCloud storage from settings -> General -> Use -> iCloud -> Manage Storage and you will find everything fill your iCloud account and you can remove what you don't need to.


There is not really a way to sort a shared album by date taken. I don't think that will be a feature because Apple is trying to make it like Instagram where the posts pop up in the order they were shared and not the date they were taken.


How to recover .cpp files emptied from Trash?

Your data is gone
The way the SSD deletes data is an immediate and permanent thing. This is why your recovery software won't succeed here.  It's so efficient and so secure, Apple removed srm from macOS

Backups : none

Ouch.  Unfortunately, your solution would have been to restore from said backup.
Personally, I save all my documents, scripts (bash and AppleScript) to my Cloud drive (iCloud, OneDrive, etc.)  It's also backed up to a NAS and to Time Machine. With the low cost and availability of USB drives (flash, spinning and SSD) as well as the many options for cloud storage (both on prem and SaaS), a backup strategy should not be something that gets put on the back-burner because it's too complicated.


Is there a music application that integrates with iTunes and shows the waveform of the song?

Have you seen Capo? I have the iPad version, and it does what you want. I assume the desktop version does the same.


"Install Spotify" can't be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software

Catalina requires all apps that are signed with developer IDs to be 'notarized' by Apple.
In the absence of an updated version from the developer, you can try the following:

Right-click and select "Open". This may bring up the same dialog, but with an option to Open the file anyway.
You can get round this by removing the quarantine Extended Attribute on the file:

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /path/to/file

Naturally, this bypasses Apple's security precautions which exist to stop maliciously altered software from running.


Cmd + Tab showing different windows from a single app?

If you don't care about seeing the window thumbnails, ⌘ - ` (the key above the Tab key) switches between open instances of an app.


Three finger drag not working on trackpad

yes same here. I had a senior adviser on the phone and apparently they are aware of it, and working to resolve the issue. Should be fixed in the next update.


For the most part the menu bar has no configuration options in respect to font, size, etc.

You can however manage the icons in the menu bar by holding command while clicking & dragging them.  This allows you to re-arrange the icons or drag them off the menubar to hide them.

As others have suggested, I'd encourage you to submit feedback to Apple regarding any customization changes you'd like to see in future versions of the OS.

Apple Mac OS X Feedback


Convert a live photo to video on iPhone without using an external app?

All I had to do is update my iOS.
From iOS 13 all that is required is to scroll to the live photo, press the icon of a square with an up arrow in it, and scroll down the 'Save as Video'. No need to pay for other apps.


Found this @ http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/calendar/gtpX0F7kgKI

For what it's worth, I started having a similar issue recently and came across this thread while researching the solution. My wife has an iPhone, I'm Android, and she routinely sends calendar invites to me. We just realized that I've recently stopped getting those invites to my Gmail account, even though she's still adding me the same way she always has. It turns out that since my iCloud account is setup with my Gmail address, iCloud has started to "intercept" those invites from her iPhone. Instead of going to my email account, they're being automatically added to my iCalendar. This can be disabled by:

Logging in at https://www.icloud.com
Go to Calendar -> (Cog) -> Preference -> Advanced
Beside "Invitations" select Email To  (Use this option if your primary calendar is not iCloud).

This may solve your problem if:

Someone with an iDevice is sending your the invite.
You have an iCloud account.


Planning to sell iPad 2 - need to know how to securely erase data

I think you are good to go. If you are concerned about recovering data, it is almost impossible to recover the data after the encryption key has been deleted (that's what Erase all content and settings does). You can check at http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5661 to make sure everything is good.

TL;DR: Good to go. Nothing else needs to be done.


How to get external Apple keyboard to accept modifier key input from Macbook's internal keyboard (and vice-versa)?

KeyRemap4MacBook
I knew I had seen this somewhere…
All you need to do is install KeyRemap4Macbook.
From the "implicit behavior" section:

Share state of modifier keys with all connected keyboards:
When you are using multiple keyboards, modifier keys are shared with all keyboards.
For example, pressing "shift key on keyboard1" and "space key on keyboard2" sends shift-space.

Yes, it works on other Macs too, not just MacBooks.


Why do mail signature is being set back if I do not lock file?

I have used that way for creating an HTML signature in mail:

Create a new signature with a preferred text
Full close mail app
Go to:  Library ▸ Mail ▸ V2 ▸ MailData
Open all files with .mailsignature extension until you find the text that you have writed in the first passage
Copy that file in to your desktop
Unlock it
Put your HTML code
Save and lock again that file
in Library ▸ Mail ▸ V2 ▸ MailData delete the old file .mailsignature
Copy your new .mailsingaturefile with your HTML code

If you don't do that passage mail will replace all .mailsingature files that is no locked or not correspond whit his signature name code.


Text Messages are stored in a Database format, and not as individual files.  It's unlikely that they will ever be "overwritten" in the sense you ask, but may well remain in the database tables either forever, or until such regular purge mechanism clears them out on a schedule.

Depending on your OS version, you may be able to open and inspect the files.  See this question for more details.


How to delete a locked app using superuser privileges?

Read the shell script:
/Library/Application Support/org.pqrs/Karabiner-Elements/uninstall_core.sh

or

https://github.com/pqrs-org/Karabiner-Elements/blob/master/src/scripts/uninstall_core.sh

In summary:

Unload the kernel extensions.
Clear immutable flags nouchg,noschg from the apps.
Remove the files from /Library and /Applications. Remember we used sudo with the script.
Refresh kernel extension cache: kextcache.
https://github.com/pqrs-org/Karabiner-Elements/blob/master/src/scripts/uninstall.sh
Kill all orphan/ background processes if any.
Prompt you to restart the computer.


Prevent external monitors from turning off when Mac is locked

I finally managed to pinpoint the issue: Display Port cable.

One of the monitors were connected with a Display Port to DisplayPort cable. After switching from a Display Port to Mini DisplayPort cable, everything seems to work properly.

One monitor is connected via HDMI (from dock) -> HDMI (monitor 1 input); the other via DisplayPort (from docking station) -> Mini DisplayPort (monitor 2 input).

This also meant that I had to change monitors, because the aforementioned AOC monitors did not have a Mini DisplayPort. I'm now using 2 x Lenovo ThinkVision monitors (model: P27q-10).


Oops! Terminal is opening all applications with texteditor after Open with:/Change All

Okay, I should have waited two minutes before posting. I went back to the original file that didn't have an extension, right click, info, Open With..., then chose terminal (under utilities). That fixed it.


iPad gets amazon pop ups to win prizes answer 3question?

Assuming you're using the latest version of iOS.  Follow these steps to block Safari browser plugins:

Open Settings app.
Scroll down and tap Safari.
On the right-side of the screen, under the General section, turn on Block Pop-ups.

Also, if you use the Amazon app and not the browser, you will not see any pop-ups.


How to restore user account from different boot?

Boot to your Recovery HD or the Yosemite volume. Then open from the menubar Utilities -> Terminal (Recovery HD) or Go To -> Utilities -> Terminal (Yosemite)

Enter cd /Volumes/name_of_your_Mavericks_volume/private/var/db.
List the content of the folder with ls -laO. A file with the name .AppleSetupDone should be listed amongst other files and folders.
Then enter rm .AppleSetupDone booted to Recovery HD (or sudo rm .AppleSetupDone booted to Yosemite) and then exit.

After rebooting to your Mavericks volume you will be asked to configure your OS X. Create a new temporary admin user. Log-in with the temporary admin user and repair your main admin user with Directory Utility.


How can I "Page Down" from the keyboard in an Apple Mail message list?

I wrote some AppleScripts that can Page Up/Down in Mail’s message list, and the scripts can be assigned Control–Page Up/Down as keyboard shortcuts.


Can I "Add to Reading List" from a link context menu in Safari?

Isn't there in the context menu?

Also some links are javascript instead of URL. Such a link might not be added to the reading list.


Can I safely use my MacBook Pro HDD late 2011 with a late 2009?

Yes. According to this document Macs that can run either Mountain Lion or Mavericks are good for Yosemite. The oldest MacBook Pro you can use is therefore Mid/Late 2007. So in any case you should be fine.

OS X Mavericks: System Requirements:

  To install Mavericks, you need one of these Macs:

  iMac (Mid-2007 or later)
  MacBook (13-inch Aluminum, Late 2008), (13-inch, Early 2009 or later)
  MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid-2009 or later),
  MacBook Pro (15-inch or 17-inch, Mid/Late 2007 or later)
  MacBook Air (Late 2008 or later)
  Mac mini (Early 2009 or later)
  Mac Pro (Early 2008 or later)
  Xserve (Early 2009)

  Your Mac also needs:

  OS X Mountain Lion, Lion, or Snow Leopard v10.6.8 already installed
  2 GB or more of memory
  8 GB or more of available space


How to back up iPhone with iOS 11.3 via iTunes on a Mac?

In the iTunes window, click on Summary. Under Backups, click on Back Up Now button.


Mad Catz R.A.T. 3 mouse problems on MacBook Pro

Download the R.A.T.E software from madcatz (under software), that allows you to wire up keys to forward and back, as well as setting the DPI properly.

Note, you have to allow the app in Security & Privacy after install completes

The inverted scrolling wheel is due to OSX treating all mouse as a Magic mouse. Changing the scroll direction to natural in system setting will affect both the touchpad and mouse, which is annoying because the touchpad direction is right.
I recommend Scroll Reverser which applies scroll direction separately.


Adding 'OSX Server Account' from outside

This is a partial answer, but it perhaps contains valuable information to whoever is reading this.

As I was able to add an 'Internet account' from inside the LAN, I decided to set Wireshark to work and try to figure out the port that way. I found out that the initial authentication and selection of services is done via port 443.

After forwarding port 443, I was able to add the internet account from outside the network. This pretty much answers the question, but does not resolve the issue for the full 100% yet, so I figured I'd still keep this open for a bit.

At this point I'm stuck at creating an agenda in the iCal account, however, running into a rather generic error message:

This is a work in progress, and any pointers on that error are appreciated.

EDIT: Further network sniffing let to no more information. Once logged in, the rest of the traffic is conducted over port 8443, which is duly forwarded. However, it still won't work outside the network. The fact that it does not work via VPN as well strikes me as odd, and makes me suspect a different issue than the TCP layer.


Fill rectangle with diagonal lines (stripes) in keynote

After some searching about, it would appear that you cannot do this in Keynote; however, you can import an image (like the one in your question) and then do what you will with it.


Can't open files after upgrading to Mavericks

Maybe you could start by moving ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist (where ~ is you're home folder) to the desktop and restart the Finder by typing sudo killall Finder into terminal. If it works with another user, it may be something in you're Library folder that is causing the problem. I would also check you're startup items under System Preferences:Users:Login Items. Another thing that could help is check you're logs in the Console Application and see if it is reporting anything unusual there.


You may need to go through a firmware update. Apple noted the issue here.


How to upgrade to macOS Server from server running OS X 10.9.5 and OS X Server 3.2.2

I successfully could upgrade server 3.2.2 (osx10.9.5) to macos server 5.2 (sierra) on my mac mini by following steps.

Install Yosemite to your mac.
Purchase Server 5.2 with your Apple ID. You can buy it on the mac 10.11.6 or later.
Open App Store. Select Server 5.2 and Press INSTALL button. The operation leads to install Server 5.0.15 !!!
Launching Server 5.0.15 will proceed the migration process.
And then install Sierra and Server5.2.

More info in my weblog below (in Japanese...)
http://memorandums.hatenablog.com/entry/2016/10/26/220901


Creating a test environment for Mac software

I use VMWare Fusion Professional for software testing. Virtual machines make regression testing and replay of problems wonderfully easy.

I run a copy of VMWare Fusion on my older Mac Pro and it performs well. The professional edition allows for linked virtual machines – linked machines can share common content to save on disk space. Machines can quickly require ~20GB if no content is shared.

Snow Leopard Server

Be aware that Mac OS X 10.6 Server is required for a virtual machine. The standard client edition is not permitted to run within a virtual environment.

OS X 10.7 and later can all be legally run within a virtual environment, so long as the underlying hardware is an Apple computer.

Maximise Resources

You are right to opt for as many resources as possible for your Mac. Running virtual machines can push your Mac. Try not to require needing multiple virtual machines running at once.

Graphical Limits

Graphical applications or those needing OpenGL support are not yet well supported by either VMWare or Parallels. OS X copes but falls back to software rendering; this may not best match your customers' environment.


In the help text of the utility is says...

UNRAR 5.10 beta 4 freeware      Copyright (c) 1993-2014 Alexander Roshal

Usage:     unrar <command> -<switch 1> -<switch N> <archive> <files...>
               <@listfiles...> <path_to_extract>

so you can include the path_to_extract at the end of the command and once inside a loop it's easy. Like this...

cd <path>
for f in `find . -name "*.r*"`; do unrar e -o- $f `dirname $f` && rm $f; done

HTH


How to Transfer a SystemRescueCd ISO to a USB Drive for Use on a Mac with High Sierra Installed?

If you are trying to transfer a windows bootcamp partition from one mac to another, I suggest using the WinClone Utility. It lets you make a disk image of the bootcamp partition, then you can restore it on another machine.


Seems fishy enough to investigate. It's either some custom software like java applet or other software that isn't the normal CodeSigned or app store installation.

It's in the wrong location for apps to be typically
Uses generic sounding names
You're clearly not aware what it is or why it's there.

If you have Time Machine - you can do two things. Make a backup and then delete the file. Next, you can look in spotlight on the TimeMachine to see when it showed up and perhaps correlate it to other app installs. It could be a side app that does metrics or app updates - but I'd probably get rid of it or see what other files it has open or monitor where its talking with a tool like LittleSnitch. Malware Bytes anti malware is also very good and reputable product to scan for known adware, malware, scamware, etc...


Can I use the new Lion OS X license on two machines, or do I have to buy one for each?

Like everything else you purchase in the Mac App Store, you can install Lion on all of your Macs after buying it once. There is no activation process or DRM.

Here's the relevant excerpt from Lion's license agreement (emphasis mine):

  If you obtained a license for the Apple Software from the Mac App
  Store, then subject to the terms and conditions of this License and as
  permitted by the Mac App Store Usage Rules set forth in the App Store
  Terms and Conditions (http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/ww/) ("Usage
  Rules"), you are granted a limited, non-transferable, non-exclusive
  license:

  (i) to download, install, use and run for personal, non-commercial
  use, one (1) copy of the Apple Software directly on each Apple-branded
  computer running Mac OS X Snow Leopard or Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server
  ("Mac Computer") that you own or control;


Airport Disk - How can I access it over the Internet without iCloud or Back to my Mac?

Did you specify volume name in the afp url?

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4538


How to use OSX built in VNC client to connect to localhost with port forwarding


How can I burn a CD with folders containing MP3's to listen to in a car?

You should use iTunes to burn the MP3 CDs. If I remember correctly, MP3 CDs are very slightly more complicated than just a folder on MP3s on a CD. iTunes does an excellent job. I've also had luck with LiquidCD.


iOS 13 - Mail auto-fetch will not disable

After several weeks of testing - this doesn't work. All it does is prevent the badges, not the actual unwanted mail fetch

What appears to fix this is to turn off Notifications for Mail
Settings > Notifications > Mail > Allow Notifications.
This does mean that you never see Badges if/when any mail at all is received, so you do have to actually launch Mail to see if it worked… which then loads manually, of course.


I think that feature is only for sharing discs that are in the drive, not for sharing the drive and it's burning capabilities itself. The manual says:

  If you have installed the DVD or CD Sharing Setup software, you can share DVD or CD discs in your computer’s optical drive with other computers on your Ethernet or wireless network. If another computer on your network doesn’t have an optical drive, you can set up your computer to allow the other computer to use the disc in your computer’s optical drive.

Instead of what you're doing now, try saving from iDVD as a disk image. You can then use Disk Utility on the other mac to burn that disk image to a DVD-R.


How to extract the text of a PDF document with Automator, and save it in a directory

This seems to be a bug with Automator, as I can reproduce the same problem.

The workaround is to have Automator move the file to your desired destination after the text is extracted. Just add the Move Finder Items action (sorry, I'm not sure of the exact french translation) after the Extract action, and set it to your desired directory.


Just visited the Apple Store for the exact same issue with the same images.

They saw the images and told that the trackpad is dead and I should contact the online shop that I bought the Macbook from.


Try to do something like

pkgutil --file-info /usr/include/eigen3/your.file

That will return where the file comes from...

For instance (I do not have eigen3 in /usr/include):

$ pkgutil --file-info /usr/include/cups/ppd.h
volume: /
path: /usr/include/cups/ppd.h
pkgid: com.apple.pkg.DevSDKLeo

Let me add, Macports would not install anything in /usr/include (unless there is a bug OR You told it do so by doing a custom install).  I do not use Homebrew so I cannot comment on where it keeps the files it installs.

In any case, I have Lion, XCode 4.3.2 with the Command Line tools installed, and do not have eigen3 in /usr/include


If the device is dead, it's not going to be able to sync anything, even if you could otherwise switch it on remotely.

You can switch on photo sync from System Prefs > iCloud for cloud storage, or use iTunes or import using Photos or Image Capture... but all these methods require the device to still be capable of doing that.


How to backup my iPhone 4S contacts to a CD?

You can export your contacts from the Contacts app, it will save them as a Address Book Backup file (.abbu). Once you do that, you can drop the file into a burn cd folder and burn the CD.

File < Export < Contacts Archive
Save as a file that you can easily identify. (Contacts-date.abbu)

This of course only works if you sync your iPhone's contacts to your Address
Book app.


Can I hide the new messages notification in the Mail icon for only one of my email accounts?

No - there's no control for that on iOS 4.3 or less. If you disable that account it will temporarily turn it off on counts but the content stays loaded on the device.

I will second the suggestion to set up a separate folder to store the majority of the unread messages and use server side filtering or a manual process to get rid of the distracting/offending messages.

My phone and sanity are both better once I bit the bullet and set up a rule that says if it's unread over a week it goes into my triage later folder. I can still search for messages using spotlight, they are all where I can find them but my phone is faster and the badge is more meaningful without that pile of messages.

I'm not quite to inbox zero, but this was a good first step for me to getting there.


I'd simply ignore it. Energy Impact is just an arbitrary number showing how much energy an app is consuming (each instant and on average).

Activity Monitor is simply telling you that the app which uses the most energy is Safari.

To make sure that Safari is not eating up on CPU, you can check the CPU usage over time, for example using a tool like 'uptime' from the command line (simply launch the Terminal an type uptime), this will tell you the uptime of the system and the load average over the past 1, 5 and 15 minutes, this number should be close to (or less than) 1 on Yosemite. A load average constantly above 2 (or more) could indicate some process sucking up on CPU, which can found using Activity Monitor.


How to reload autofs on Lion without restarting?


How to force OS X Notes application to lose formatting when I paste text from clipboard?

You can use OptionShift⌘-V to paste and match the current style. This removes all previous formatting, links, etc.

If you would like to make this the default action when pressing ⌘V, open System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Keyboard Shortcuts, and select Application Shortcuts from the list on the left. Then, hit + to make a new shortcut, select Notes.app from the dropdown list, enter Paste and Match Style exactly in the Menu Title box, then hit ⌘V with your cursor in the Keyboard Shortcut box. After hitting Add, you can flip back to Notes.app and click on the Edit menu to see that the shortcut has been reassigned.


"Your computer restarted because of a problem" when installing macOS Big Sur in external SSD?

Apparently the Big Sur installer has issues with certain external drives.
I tried installing Big Sur on external flash drives (SanDisk and Samsung), neither a fresh install, nor an update from Catalina worked (resulted in endless reboot loops or kernel panics).
I ended up installing 11.2.3 on an external HDD (from LaCie).
Although I also got a kernel panic on the 2nd reboot that occurs during the install, it rebooted and went on to finish the installation without further issues.
I then used CarbonCopyCloner to clone the HDD onto the flash drive and was successfully able to boot and use the system.
(You might be able to perform the clone with disk utility as well.)


Can I connect 2 external monitors to my 12" Retina MacBook (early-2015)?

This MacBook can simultaneously support the internal display as well as up to 3840x2160 at 30 Hz or up to 4096x2160 at 24Hz on one external display.

In other words, connecting two external Thunderbolt Displays is not officially supported by Apple. The two displays are the internal display and an external display.

If you're still interested in connecting one external display, since this MacBook has a single USB-C port and no traditional video port, you'll need an adapter to connect the display. Apple provides support for both HDMI and VGA via the following respective adapters:

the Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter for HDMI monitors, and also allows you to connect a standard USB device and a USB-C charging cable.
the Apple USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter for VGA monitors. Like the HDMI adapter, this also allows you to connect a standard USB device and a USB-C charging cable.

Once you have the appropriate adapter, it's just a case of connecting the cable between it and your monitor.

Of course, you may choose to purchase 3rd party adapters instead of the Apple branded ones.


Microsoft fonts (Consolas, Calibri, Candara, etc) not displaying in Safari since Lion upgrade

This is a known bug that has been reported widely.

First, if you are using a third-party font management program (commonly used by graphic designers with large libraries of fonts) such as FontExplorer or Suitcase Fusion, disable that utility. Contact the publisher of that font utility for information about an update or workaround to deal with Lion and/or Safari 5.1 incompatibility problems.

Second, try clearing your font caches. One way to do this is to boot in Safe Mode. Start up and as soon as you hear the startup chime, hold down the Shift key until the operating system starts to load (after the grey Apple logo, when the rotating 12-point clock symbol appears). It will take longer than usual to start up because the Mac will be doing some diagnostic and maintenance work, including deleting your old font caches so the system can build a new one. Once startup is complete, and you are back to the Desktop and Finder, you should restart, because some functions won't work while the Mac is running in Safe Mode.

Alternately you can use a utility like Onyx or Cocktail to clear your font caches.


Reboot your phone.
I discovered a solution for this one accidentally, after I encountered this bug a couple of days ago. I turned my phone off for a time, and then back on again - when it was turned back on, the list of messages was fully restored. I think that this might be because only the listing of messages was made inaccessible, and the messages themselves weren't deleted - I noticed that when I was texted by someone who I'd received messages from in the past, the message history was properly displayed once I opened the text conversation with them.
It's possible that the simplicity of fixing this issue is why Apple hasn't patched the bug in the 5+ years it's been known about.


Issue with "date" command in MacOS Mojave

Figured it out.

You have to escape the % in cron, so should read like this:

* * * * * cp -n LastSession.plist  /XYZ/LastSession.plist.$(date +\%F).txt


Do fans stop spinning when MacBook Pro's are in sleep mode?

Fan function is regulated by temperature sensors.

As long the temperature is to high the fan keeps working regardless if you are in sleep mode or not. Since you turned off the heat source that action is usually very short.

Somewhat like you car fan, that continues to spin even if you turn off the engine if the temperature is to high.


Data recovery after interrupted partitioning

You will need to create an installable USB drive which you can boot from, follow these steps carefully to achieve that:

Download the Mac OS (Yosemite) from the App Store
Format a USB in Disk Utility and name it Untitled (very Important) You should format your USB to Mac OS X Extended (Journaled)
Launch Terminal and execute this command:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app —nointeraction


Use a network Time Machine drive locally

You can try mounting that volume and then use the tmutil command to tell Time Machine where do you want backups to go to. Just make sure that nobody else is using the sparsebundle from the network

Stepwise:

Mount the .sparsebundle disk image
Open Terminal
In the Terminal command line, type:

sudo tmutil setdestination /Volumes/{mounted-disk-image}

Be sure to replace {mounted-disk-image} above to the drive's mount point name.
Open the Time Machine menu and force-start a backup.

Watch the contents of the Backups.backupdb folder in the disk image as Time Machine runs and ensure that it is creating your new backup set.

Note that you'll need Lion for this. Enter the command man tmutil in the Terminal for more information.


What is this Google Chrome icon appearing in the dock?

Yes, the icon you see on the right is Handoff from another computer that you are signed into and are near. That computer has a window open in a web browser. (I'm assuming you have Chrome as your default browser)
You can ignore it if you want, or select it to "hand off" what you are doing on the other computer to this current one.
To answer your questions;

The icon that you see there usually shows what device is "handing off" from. In this case, it's a desktop, not a mobile device.
Unless someone is using your computer without you knowing, it's probably not a security issue. This only is shared between computers that are signed in with the same iCloud account.
Someone can Airdrop something to you, but you have to agree to it. Airdropping from a computer that are are signed into with your iCloud account to another computer, also signed in with the same iCloud account, can just transfer files without asking. No third party can just send, or push, something to you without you agreeing to it.

I hope this helps!


What orthodox file manager for OS X could I use?

muCommander (free)

muCommander has classic orthodox file manager keybindings. Sadly MC is not very mac'ish and lacks multiple tabs.


If you type put and add a space after that command, you can then drag a file into the terminal window, it will paste the full path to the filename and add the extension from the filesystem.

Press enter and the transfer from the Mac to the server should start...


I upgraded to Windows 10 before Microsoft notified me to do so. I did not have a Product Key. I was able to boot the computer, but I had many problems. Windows 10 did activate. This allowed me to erase Windows and do a clean install. This resulted in an installation where the earlier problems did not reappear.

When I installed previous versions of Windows, I did not allow updates until I had installed the Boot Camp Support Software (BCSS). Windows 10 started downloading updates early, before I was able to install the BCSS. Some updates were drivers that failed to properly install.

I easiest way to fix this problem was to deny the computer access to the internet until I could install the BCSS. If you wait for the Windows installation to complete, you will have to create a local (offline) account. Once the BCSS is installed, you can connect to the internet and switch to a Microsoft (online) account. The window where you would make the switch is shown below.

The other option is to switch to audit mode during the Windows installation. This will allow the BCSS to be installed before you create your account. You and then enable access to the internet and complete the Windows install by directly creating a Microsoft account.

The BCSS for your Mac can be found at Boot Camp Support Software 4.0.4033. These drivers are for a 32 bit version of Windows 7. I assume you are running the 32 bit version of Window 7 and desire to upgrade to the 32 version of Windows 10. If not, let me know. You may be able to upgrade to a 64 bit version of Windows 10 for free.

If you do a clean install, you will probably need to run the BCSS in Compatibility mode. Right click on the icon next to the "setup" application and select properties. Next, click on the Compatibility tab. Mark the check box for "Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows 7". Finally, click the "OK" button.

Also, note that if you have Windows 10 Pro or better, you can disable automatic downloading and installing of updates. You can also review and selectively disable (hide) updates.


Is there a way to undo the "Show all available episodes" option for a podcast in iTunes?

There isn't a simple "undo" that will achieve this, so it looks like you will be looking for the least hassle workaround to acheive the same result. There are always ways of fudging it, some are more hassle than they are worth, others work pretty well and are quick but have drawbacks:

You are aware of the ability to manually delete, but this is a multiple step process that could take a long time for established podcasts with many episodes.

You could delete the podcast, and then redownload the ones you are interested in, which will also revert the extra episodes visibility, but this will take extra time to redownload, and you might have to make a list of the ones you want etc.

So, still a workaround but the one that produces the results with the minimum of steps:  Delete the podcast from your lists, it will ask you if you want to remove the files, or keep them in your itunes media folder.  Select keep, then go to (Windows example, this may be different on your Mac)  File > Add Folder to Library > Navigate to your iTunes/Media/Podcasts folder, and select it.  This will rescan the contents of the podcasts folder, and re-add anything into your library that exists as a file, but is not already in your library (Don't worry, you won't get duplicates) - this will restore your podcast including all your downloaded episodes, and remove the list of other available ones.

On the assumption that you have the option for iTunes to organise your folders for you, the podcast should already have it's own folder structure inside the general podcasts directory, thus ensuring you only scan the folders you need to increase speed etc.

Note that any ratings, and watched flags etc will be reset by this method.

Alternatively you could always try to ignore the list, and create a smart playlist where Album = Podcast name, and Plays = 0 to show downloaded and unplayed episodes (or any other criteria, the smart folder will not search through the undownload extra episodes that are visible and so the results will be filtered from your downloaded episodes only).


Can anyone recommend a hw/sw combination to allow me to preview a Component input with audio on a Mac?

I would highly recommend the Elgato line of capture hardware as they are reasonably priced, well supported, come with the software you need and have been in the business for quite some time.

Even for some prosumer applications, Elgato hardware is good enough for the job as some input sources are not going to be improved by spending $2000 on hardware that can do impressive amounts of A/D conversion and fancy time sync olympics.

You could go cheaper on the hardware (especially if you only need composite instead of component input), but my experience is if you know exactly what you're doing - you already can judge what cheap thing you can press into service and what is a waste of your time. I'd buy from a retailer that has a nice return policy or can make sure you buy the appropriate package.

http://www.adorama.com/EG1040.html


WebP support on macOS — is it indended to actually work?

Now it's possible with this Quick Look plugin:

WebPQuickLook


Copy and Store notes on iCloud and device

Once on iCloud, any other device with access to iCloud can store these files locally.

For OS X, go to System Preferences, sign in, and check notes.

For Windows, download iCloud for Windows: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204283

For an iPhone, sign into your iCloud account, then in settings, be sure that Notes is checked.

This should keep you in sync, and each device will store the notes locally as well.


I think the most secure way is to use diskutil zerodisk and then follow up with either command. Both of those commands remove the reference to logical structure on the disk but a good file recovery tool would still be able to recover most material on the unstructured volume by matching file templates to successive sets of bits. You want to write over everything with 0s or garbage before you dereference the volume.

UPDATE: It was negligent of me not to mention that diskutil secureErase also exists and it combines the two commands with options for multiple passes of zeroing the disk.


How do I give accessibility permission to my AppleScript and System Events in Mavericks?

Your problem is independent of the accessibility permission.

Replace your click line with something like click window 1 and it will ask you to allow or deny access to the accessibility features.

There is a problem with click at and I don't know what it is.

Edit : My conclusion after some tests : click at is broken.
The release note of AppleScript updated with the release of Mavericks does not state some kind of removal of this feature. Some that might be a bug.

I submitted a bug report to Apple.

Edit : The issue has been fixed on Yosemite, click at works well again !


Not officially possible, yet—the Inkscape developers will have to remove the XQuartz dependency by switching to the native Gtk and Glib libraries for OS X, just like the GIMP team did a few years ago.

This work has been in progress for a couple of years on a separate Inkscape branch, but there is no official release yet. However, you can download the latest DMG here (currently based on Inkscape 0.91) both for GTK2 and GTK3 (experimental), at your own risk—expect bugs and crashes.


Direct Connect lists a couple of applications that support DirectConnect protocol. Amongst those are at least 3 native mac clients:

MLDonkey
ShakesPeer
Jucy

None of those, maybe with the exception of MLDonkey, seems to be very actively maintained though.


Error when sending POSIX file as attachment with iMessage

You are running into AppleScript sandboxing. The Messages application does not have access to open that file.  The trick is to turn the paths to POSIX files outside of the tell blocks. This will let the entitlement engine pass the entitlement into the tell block so the application can open it.

This code works:

tell application "System Events"
    set paths to POSIX path of disk items of folder "~/Desktop/my-folder"
end tell

set imgs to {}
repeat with f in paths
    set imgs to imgs & (POSIX file f)
end repeat

tell application "Messages"
    set targetServiceId to id of 1st service whose service type = iMessage
    set theBuddy to buddy "redacted" of service id targetServiceId
    repeat with img in imgs
        send img to theBuddy
    end repeat
end tell


How to delete or rename files from inside the open dialog on OS X?

Why not do all this in Finder? Check this animation for a useful way to locate your file in Finder, directly from any Document window and Open/Save dialog:

I use this dozens of times every day.


After getting a Mac, how to install Lion again on another partition?

I usually just use a disk cloning app like Carbon Copy Cloner to duplicate my existing Lion install to the other partition. Then you can boot into your new partition and install the Xcode beta.

This method is nice because it moves all of your documents and settings along with the OS so you don't have to use Migration Assistant after installing on the new partition. It's also convenient if you don't have the original Lion installer.


Reminders application does not open in Mountain Lion

I had the same issue.  Try going to system preferences iCloud.  Turn off reminders off, press delete reminders from mac, then turn reminders back on and hit merge reminders from iCloud.  This solved my issue.

Prior to this a did a system restore on the OS and it didn't do a thing still couldn't open reminders.


"slash trick" Accessing arbitrary paths in open dialogs in Sierra

Pressing Command-Shift-G in a standard open (or save) dialog will open a "Go to the folder" dialog that accepts unix-style paths (and does tab-completion). If you want to open a hidden file, pressing Command-Shift-Period in the open/save dialog will show hidden items.

(BTW, the Command-Shift-G shortcut also works in the Finder, and is equivalent to choosing Go menu > Go to Folder. Unfortunately, Command-Shift-Period doesn't work in Finder, only in open/save dialogs.)


How can I “Delete All” from Inbox mail folder?

This was the only way at the time in iOS 8 - for newer iOS [possibly 13 onwards but unconfirmed], see iPhone/iPad Mail - rapid mass delete

If it is not already showing, from your Mailboxes view, select Edit & check the All Trash option. This will then be added to the bottom of your Mailboxes list.  Needed later.

From All Inboxes, or your chosen Inbox, select Edit, then Mark, Mark all as read [seems to make a difference, toggle unread/read just so it gets the idea].

Then Edit, check the first item, which enables the Mark, Move & Trash options.

Hold Move & keeping it held, uncheck the item you just checked.

Release Move.

The Move options screen should appear.
Select Trash.

Wait until all items have been moved [the graphics seems to do it immediately, but experimentation has shown it can take a while to actually move, if there are a lot.

Return to Mailboxes, select All Trash.

Edit, Delete All, done.

Caveat... It seems that if you open any individual Mailbox after doing this, they are all returned. I think you may need to wait for the Settings > Mail... > [mail account] > Advanced > Deleted Messages, Remove... period to expire, before it becomes permanent.


AppleScript : add to plist instead of replacing

I figured out that I need to add " at end with properties" and make the key's name different, in my case I'm adding the time in the key's name

tell application "System Events"
    tell property list items of property list file Secondplistfile_path
        make new property list item at end with properties {kind:string, name:"OverTime stoped at " & hoursInNumber & ":" & minutesInNumber, value:myGoodNumbers}
    end tell
end tell


Store iTunes library on network drive, keep local cache of some media for offline use, and let iTunes organize media on network drive

I'm using Supersync on multiple macs that's based on my qnap nas that keeps track of everything -- from "cloud/not on this machine" "on thismsachine:notonserver" etc.

It also handles dupes, missing tracks, various library issues -- and even better fixes them easily.

I'm not shilling for them -- I have some problems with its quirks -- but with 4 machines, 15 years of iTunes and now a ton of other media that would dwarf my drive it does the trick.

Hope this helps...


Using quotes in SublimeText build system command

Apologies, I got it. The solution is simple and I must have missed it:

"cmd": ["osascript", "-e", "tell application \"Preview\" to activate"]


iMac runs from external SSD. How do I use Time Machine to back up the external SSD to the internal HDD?

If the internal hard drive is empty, then you just need to select it in Time Machine settings as the target. There should be no other setup necessary.

If it is not empty, and you cannot empty it, you should partition it first. However, if it is the wrong format, Time Machine will need to wipe it. It needs to be MacOS Extended (Journaled) for Time Machine to use it. I strongly recommend only using it for Time Machine if you don't need the data on it. You can use Disk Utility to wipe it (select the drive and click Erase, set it up with MacOS Extended (Journaled)).


Should a weak iPhone battery output less than 3.7V?

The answer is yes it could be week.
What you measuring is the Voltage without LOAD.

In that state even an almost completely empty battery will output the Voltage it was designed for.

You need to bridge it with a resistor (load) and then measure voltage.

Your multimeter does that (LOAD) but only very small kind, like micro amps by bridging the outputs with a resistor of 1 Meg or more so it draws very small current

Try using a LED or if you have resistors of lets say 100 Ohm, use that as load (bridge).


Can't open doc file in Libreoffice: this file is from an unidentified developer

Select the file in the Finder.
Press CMD-I to open the info window.
Find the "Open with" part, and click the triangle to open it if it's not open already.
Click the dropdown menu, and choose "other", even if the preferred app is in the list.
Then find the right app, and check "always open with".
Then click the "change all" button.

Now it should work.


Does charging my early 2015 MacBook Pro all the time damage the battery?

Apple recommends not leaving it plugged in all the time. This can damage the battery over time, as lithium-ion batteries need to be frequently discharged.

If you are going to use an external monitor, why not buy a desktop computer? MacBooks are made to be portable and have their batteries used.


It’s called an asynchronous progress indicator and serves to tell you that Finder is still loading the contents of the window, enumerating files and folders (and calculating sizes if you have that option turned on). This would suggest that the external drive you have opened is still being read from and not all the files/folders are shown yet in the window.


Best option for connecting MacBook Pro with USB-C to monitor with DisplayPort and HDMI?

I would go for USB-C to DisplayPort directly. That would be one relatively inexpensive ($20 to $40 US prices) cable to do the job. Since your display won't charge the MacBook and do video over a single USB-C cable and you have several ports (display side and Mac side) - a dedicated cable would be my choice.

I like the USB-C to HDMI adapter you mentioned for my MacBook since there is only one port and charging plus USB is needed, but on the MacBook Pro you have several ports and can use one per display without too much hassle. It will work for you, though - just not my first choice.

Apple even recommends against using the adapter you mention for bridging between a Mini DisplayPort device and thunderbolt 3.
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204154

  Note that although it uses a Mini DisplayPort connector, the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter doesn't support connections to Mini DisplayPort displays.

If you only want two external displays, both 13 inch models of MacBook Pro are suitable. You'll need the 15 inch models to support 4 displays. That might be a non-issue if you only have one Dell display to connect.


Does macOS treat input from voice dictation the same as it would from a keyboard?

The short answer to your question is it's complicated...

Depending on how the application was developed it might use any number of different APIs from Swift, Cocoa, Carbon.

If your application uses Apple's standard user interface elements like text fields, then it likely has a way to put the text directly into the field, however Apple has probably added functionality to support other software by simulating keypresses.

How well this is supported depends on the application developer.

As an example an application like Citrix likely doesn't use any standard UI elements because it's got no text box to type into, instead it shows an image of a computer and records where you click on that image, sending that to the other computer, similarly it has to record your key presses, but evidently it's not doing that very well.

Microsoft Word is likely a very old code base that has grown from the days of Carbon which may explain why it's not working as expected, and I don't know what gVIM but I think you mean MacVim but as it's a port from another project it may not have been tested for this properly / it's not on their list of priorities.

For what it's worth I have had similar issues using software like TextExpander and Dash which auto complete sentences in Terminal, and using Apple's own remote desktop software like Citrix, so I think this is to be expected.


I had this same issue; there doesn't seem to be any documentation on how to actually run the software. Just type "autopsy" into the terminal.


Leaving group chat in Telegram Messenger on iOS

On my iPhone iOS v9.3.5 the method requires sliding left the desired chat:

Then you will have the delete option ("Eliminar", my device is in spanish, sorry) :


Share MacBook Ethernet connection with Nintendo Switch via USB

Is the Nintendo Switch already connected to the MacBook?  How?
Do you have more than one USB to Ethernet adapter?  If you don't then you will likely need more.
The Nintendo Switch is not a general purpose computer and so has very limited support for devices plugged in by USB.  It will support many USB to Ethernet adapters, so the easiest way to get a network between the two is to use USB to Ethernet adapters on both the MacBook and Nintendo Switch and connect them by an Ethernet cable.  An Ethernet crossover cable might be necessary but most Ethernet adapters can use the more common straight through cables in cases like this too.
This means your MacBook will have two USB to Ethernet adapters, one to where you get your internet, and the other connected to the Nintendo.  You will have to set internet sharing to share from one to the other.
It might be cheaper and easier to use some kind of Ethernet switch, hub, or access point instead.  Without knowing the situation you are in this might not be possible.


My 4S won't see my wife's new 5S as iMessage-capable -- how to fix?

I'd try to Reset Network Settings, as detailed here: Not receiving Text Messages after upgrade to iOS 7 -- this seems to cure a wide range of ills for Messages.


MacBook Pro MagSafe Charger - Kinks/Rings

This happened to my previous chargers, but not quite this bad.

The reason is wrapping the wire too tight around the charger and moving the little hook back and forth.

It can't really be fixed and the cable will break and tear. You can try going to the Apple store for a replacement, but without extended warranty I failed.

Until it break/cracks there's no real danger, after it breaks there's a mild chance of shock. I've fixed mine with Sugru, any silicone putty would work. I've seen quite some people use gaffer tape and the like. There's also specialised shrink sleeve products to fix it.

After the plastic breaks and no fixes are applied, the inner cable might start to fray and eventually also fail.


Filemaker server BUG: backup schedules DISAPPEAR after restart of host machine. Workarounds?

I think I found a solution for this problem. Check your settings in the "Security & Privacy" Control-Panel. If your settings are on "Anywhere" by "Allow Applications Downloaded from" put it back to "Mac App Store and idetified developers" recreate your schedules in FMS and do a restart again. My schedules then kept in place. But be carefully. Do not reimport any exported FMS schedules. They will disapear again. Only way I could reuse some exported schedules was when I imported them while the settings where on "Anywhere" and then set the settings back to "Mac App Store and...". If I did it like this they kept in place. Hope this helps you.

Update: Some further test's where bringing some further strange behavior. While I was investigate this issue I created a home directory for the fmsadmin user but cleared it out afterwards because I was thinking this is not the solution for the Issue. But after a reboot the schedules dissapeared again. I recreated then a home directory for the fmsadmin unser (did this in Workgroup Manager for 10.8 which is to seperatedly installed from Apple) and then the schedules I newly created kept in place. So you probably have to play through some different setups to get back in business.

Regards

Fix


Applescript refer a link to a file in current finder window

This seems to work for me,

I'm setting the patch with the variable P and set a to POSIX file p

Then I create a dialog with the default location of the variable A

set p to "/Users/usernmaHere/Desktop/Time"
set a to POSIX file p

set config_file to choose file with prompt "Locate your .plist config file and click OK" of type "plist" default location a

I added file limitation with " type "plist"


How would I find out if an application installed the wavtap.kext as part of its package?

So, it turns out that WavTap.kext was installed as a part of the Spotydl package, an application that I had uninstalled nearly immediately and erased most traces of. Removing the WavTap.kext and the Spotydl .plist and .bom appears to have resolved some of the coreaudio errors, though, a reboot will be required to see if the component errors are still present and it seems unlikely that this issue was the cause of those.

If anyone is aware of a simple uninstaller which parses the InstallHistory.plist, please, let me know about it. Thanks


How can I play the sound from the audio in through my speakers?

If you don't have Garageband installed you can also use Quicktime.

Open Quicktime
Go to File -> New Audio Recording. You will see the following screen:

Click on the little triangle on the right and choose Built-in Input: Line in as shown in the screenshot.
Slide the volume under the record button up until you have the desired loudness.


What is fastest operating system for my Macbook Pro 13" mid 2010?

You have to weigh the balance between increased functionality/usability/security of the new OS with the performance of the old.

You have to ask yourself the question "is the performance increase/decrease worth the added functionality?"

Better yet, "Am I going to notice the difference?"

Your CPU and GPU are not going to change so running comparative benchmarks against them with varying OS's tells you little.  If squeezing out every nanosecond of response is key to what you are doing, then this is entirely a moot thread; you should buy a new machine.

It seems that you are running into compatibility issues because your OS is now too old.  Upgrading to one that is pushing 4 years old now may not be the wisest move - especially if what you are doing centers around the web where the tech changes almost on a daily basis.

Here's my suggestion (and I have personally done this for a friend and they couldn't be happier) based on the fact you have a pretty good machine in your possession.

First, upgrade your RAM.  I'm suspecting you are seeing some performance slowdown if you are running out of memory.  Open up Activity Monitor and leave it open as you go about your day.  If memory utilization is close to or at the top of its limit, chances are you are sending the overflow memory requests to the hard disk (swap).  That'll slow you down for sure.

Officially, your Mac can to go to 8GB of RAM.  Unofficially, it can go to 16GB.  Get as much as you can afford.  More RAM means more space for your OS and applications to work in and less time being "swapped" to the hard disk.

Next, upgrade your drive to an SSD.  I can't begin to tell you how much a difference this makes not to mention battery life and less heat.  You are going to want to do a nice clean install, not an upgrade here.

Finally (and this one is optional), don't throw away that old hard drive.  There are kits available that can turn your DVD drive bay into a second hard drive adapter.  You can have two HDDs in your MBP.  You can even opt for two SSD's and mirror them (RAID 1) for redundancy or stripe them (RAID 0) for increased performance.

One more thing....

If the "eye candy" and the animations are not important to you, those can be turned off, thus freeing up system resources to be used for other things.

Bottom line is this...for a relatively tiny amount of money (and some surfing on ebay or amazon) you can extend the life of your computer a few more years with much more recent OS.


What would I lose if I needed to reinstall from a Time Machine backup?

Things which they were not restored and they were crucial, was:

MySQL Databases
VMWare Fusion virtual machines

The default backup exclusion list, can be found in:

/System/Library/CoreServices/backupd.bundle/Contents/Resources/StdExclusions.plist

Do not forget to check your excluding folders on the prefs as well ;)


The developer has most likely removed the app from sale from UK/all the App Stores.

You can check with the developer about the availability status by finding their contact information on the app's website. If you do not know the website address, try doing a Google search and see if you can locate it.

If the app is still available on App Store other than UK, you can install it by creating a different Apple ID and set the country as the one where the app is available. (This should be pretty easy to do if the app is free, as you won't have to setup payment).

Update: As mentioned in your response, if you are unable to locate the website via Google search, the most likely explanation is that the app is now defunct.


Two iPhones, buth synced but with different contacts

Only way I can think is to set up as 2 [or more] groups - so the contacts are there but not in your 'current' list.

That's how I logically separate my business from personal contacts.

Uncheck the groups you don't want to see on each phone


Suddenly cannot mount Sandisk External SSD Extreme - APFS error 49218

There is an app called Mountain that I use to mount stubborn drives. It has worked well for me. The app is not free but has a free trial. You can get it from this link.


Installing ghostscript on MacPorts failed

You either didn't install the Xcode Command Line Tools (use xcode-select --install to do that), or didn't accept the Xcode License agreement (that can be achieved using sudo xcodebuild -license).

Once you've completed both of these checks, configure should correctly pick up the working compiler.

MacPorts 2.3 will contain checks to detect and warn you about these problems.


Network Time Machine backups, OS X vs. OS X Server

Yes. OS X Server specifically includes the Time Machine Server software that makes it easier for Time Machine backups from machines on your network to reach, wakeup and perform their Time Machine backups to the server using native Time Machine data transfer protocols.

  OS X Server can act as a designated Time Machine backup location for all the Mac computers on your network. Centralizing your backup storage helps protect valuable data and free up disk space on individual drives. And it eliminates the need for separate backup drives altogether. OS X Server also takes advantage of Time Machine to back up your server data — including shared files, calendars, mail, wikis, and more — to another hard drive, so you can easily restore to an earlier configuration. And you can view the backup status for each Mac on your network, as well as which computers and users are backing up to your server, when they last backed up, and the total size of each backup.

It is the only officially supported way for performing Mac-to-Mac Time Machine backups by Apple.


How can I change sound depth and frequency characteristics in GarageBand?

You cannot change depth and frequency of the recorded samples, even when changing the input settings in the Audio MIDI Setup.app (this is the way to change playback and recording settings for sound devices).

The default values for Garage Band are 44kHz, 16 bit, stereo. They are kept in AIFF format. You can explore them by right-clicking your garage band project and choosing Show package contents. The recorded files are kept in the Media folder.

Edit (added Logic 9):
In Logic 9 you can change the sampling rate (frequency) from the Project Settings window, Audio tab. Explained in the Logic 9 Manual - Setting the Sample rate. To change the bit depth you should go to Preferences -> Audio and check/uncheck 24 bit recording (It's checked by default). It's covered in the Logic 9 Manual - Setting the project bit depth.


Where is battery data stored on macbooks?

That info is stored on the battery itself.  With the exception of current capacity which is calculated, everything else is stored on the battery’s control chip.

Usually, on the same PCB as the battery protection circuit there’s a control chip that balances the voltage, measures capacity etc.  It’s on this chip that things like the serial number, cycle count, etc, are stored.  This is why when changing out a battery this info is “reset” without having to do anything on your Mac.

As for utilities like Coconut Battery, they’re good, but you can get the same info for free with built in commands.


Can a 2018 Mac mini support dual 4k monitors at 60 Hz?

Yes, the 2018 Mac Mini can support dual 4k monitors at 60 Hz connected the way you indicate. I have this setup myself. There are no caveats.

Note: You do not need an "adapter" as such. You just need ordinary, passive cables from Thunderbolt 3 to DisplayPort.


How do I remove a certificate from Certificate Trust Settings if the profile doesn't exist?

I'm on iOS 13.3. I tested this using non-orphaned certificates in hopes of isolating the issue to see what is the minimum option you can use to remove these certificates.

Works:

Assuming you have the profile (i.e. non-orphaned): Settings > Profile > (Profile) > Remove
Nuclear option (deleting everything on your phone): Settings > General > Reset > Erase all content and settings

Doesn't work:

Settings > General > Reset > Reset network settings
Settings > General > Reset > Reset all settings


I tried to enroll my company to Apple Enterprise program, but get message "Cannot enroll in Apple Developer program"

Yes, you can't specify the DUNS number during enrollment. This is part of the 'due diligence' that Apple has to do themselves, in order to verify that you are really representing a company, instead of 'impersonating' one. They might also get in touch with the person you mentioned to have 'legal authority' for this company.

Basically, with the Enterprise Development Program, you're setting up a legal contract between your company and Apple, and the rules for that are more strict than if you just sign up as an individual.


AppleID Two-factor Authentification with Email address

Keep in mind SMS is a fallback from trusted device push notifications. You don’t even need an SMS message unless you can not / do not choose to have trusted devices with you that use network based Apple push notification services (APNS).

Go all in on trusted devices if you can - avoid SMS entirely.
Choose a dual sim phone if you can so you can layer both lines when you travel or add a short term number.
Many carriers allow SMS to forward to a watch or iPad or computer so that the delivery is network based like the Apple trusted device notification path.
Add your new number as a trusted phone number when you need that extra flexibility.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204915

You don’t have to remove your primary or depend on SMS only would be my recommendation unless/until Apple adds new methods of verifying it’s you when you want to sign in to a service from abroad.


My keychain passwords gone after upgraded to High Sierra

I found the solution: I managed to restore my Password Entries permanently. It again involves tinkering with the Terminal, steps are as follows:

open the Keychain Access App
create new Keychain
save new Keychain as default keychain; quit Keychain Access.
// Hint: As soon as a keychain is not the default keychain anymore, you can change its Password again via Keychain Access (no more grayed-out menu commands there)
Continue inside Terminal:

bash$ security set-keychain-password login_renamed_1.keychain-db
// this is setting a new password for the old (corrupted) keychain-db.
// Important: you must know the old password for being able to do so.
// In the next step I am replacing the default keychain-db with 'login_renamed_1.keychain-db'
Old Password:
New Password:
Retype New Password:
bash$ sudo mv login.keychain-db login.keychain-db-out
// renaming the current keychain-db to "*-out"
bash$ mv login_renamed_1.keychain-db login.keychain-db
// renaming the old keychain-db to the name of the default keychain

Restart Keychain Access. The lost 'Secure Notes' are temporarily restored to the Default Keychain, but only until the next login.
Choose Default Keychain, in the Sidebar choose 'Secure Notes' (I hope this is correct, as my macOS runs with german language).
Select all Secure Notes of Standard Keychain and move them via drag and drop to 'Secure Notes' of the new Keychain you created in Step 2.
now to the tedious part: in the now opening Dialogue Window you have to type the Password of the Standard Keychain – For every single entry (which was 133 times in my case). Tip: you may copy the PW and paste it in the Dialogue field instead of re-typing it.
Quit Keychain Access, restart Computer
Upon the next login all Password Entries are restored – Eureka!

Now I can safely copy all my PW Entries to another app which is more useful to the task, e. g. 1Password,
which is very secure and has a GUI, but you'll have to pay $ 3.99 p. month. I will give the Unix Program 'pass' a try, which is command line and requires some knowledge about git and github, but is very configurable and free.
In the end I'd like to say: “Thaaaank you, Apple.” It costed me only my nerves and ~5 hours work to clean up after you.
But it was still worth it, I’m happy :)