Using the same HDD with macOS and Windows

I am doing this with TWO External HDs so I can guarantee my advice is correct.

It's possible IF you have (third party) software installed that let's MacOS, Windows, or both READ AND WRITE the other filesystem (the driver's that come with Mac OS are READ-ONLY).

Otherwise you will need separate partitions for each OS. If you are using Time Machine I VERY STRONGLY RECOMMEND you give it a dedicated partition regardless of drivers!


How can I remap the right mouse button to the left mouse button?

What mouse? Apple's Mighty Mouse is configurable as a one-button mouse. For other mice, look at the USB Overdrive mouse driver. It's an amazingly configurable driver for mice, trackpads, joy sticks, game controllers, and other HIDs. I used it with a Kensington multi-button trackball before I had the OEM driver for it. I'd be surprised if you couldn't configure most any mouse as a one-button mouse.


"Name" folder appears in the top of every finder window

I've seen this, can't reproduce it, but it's a glitch in Finder's Arrange By options, and can be fixed by leaving Arrange set to None.


How do you change the number registered for iMessage?

According to Apple, all you need to do is sign out of your device

 Source: https://appleid.apple.com/account/manageCheck your iCloud preferences after signing out and back in.Settings › iCloud › User Account › Contact Information

If you are unable to remove/modify

Depending on your carrier, you may need to remove your sim and reinstall iOS.


Stop Preview from opening every file in its own page

You didn't say what version of OS X you're using and I don't know it Preview in different versions of OS X have different preferences however, in OS X 10.8 anyway, I went into Previews's Preferences (Preview > Preferences... > General) and changed what I assume is the default of Open groups of files in the same window, since I've never changed Previews's Preferences before now, to Open all files in one window, as shown in the image below.

With Open groups of files in the same window selected and when only opening one file at a time the default behavior is to open each file in its own window until it's changed to Open all files in one window.


Error while creating OS X Mavericks bootable USB

Had the same problem. Thought the file "createinstallmedia" was missing, but that wasn't the case.
Then I realised I simply needed to make it executable with the following command:

sudo chmod +x /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia

This will create the executable that DiskMaker X initially couldn't find.
After running the command above you shouldn't have the error anymore.

Hope that helps :)


Tap, and hold the image; then choose "copy," open a new browser window, and paste into the address bar.


Macintosh HD drive listing as Recovery Partition and it is not available to boot

Generally, the first step, in reconstructing messed up the partition tables, is to dump the current contents.

If running High Sierra (macOS 10.13), you would need to boot to internet, internal or USB based macOS Recovery. The following commands would partially dump the contents of the GPT and MBR partition table.

gpt  -r  show  /dev/disk0
fdisk  /dev/disk0

The partition tables can then be repaired by using a variety of tools. A well known third party tool is gdisk.

Since you can only boot to Windows, the gpt and fdisk commands would be unavailable. There are third party Windows equivalents named readgpt.exe and readmbr.exe that can dump the contents of the partition tables. The syntax for executing these commands is shown below.

  Note: These commands have to be run from a "Administrator: Command Prompt" window.

readgpt  -t0
readmbr  -t0

Additionally, the following command will dump the GPT attributes.

readgpt  -a0

There also a Windows version of the gdisk command. Below is the syntax for executing this command from a "Administrator: Command Prompt" window.

gdisk64  \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE0

If you have trouble using the gdisk command, you can post the partition table information in your question and ask for help.


Do I really need to configure each subfolder in my Exchange inbox for push on an iPhone?

The answer appears to be no, and it is a longstanding issue.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1868
https://discussions.apple.com/message/23132172#23132172
https://discussions.apple.com/message/8516130#8516130


After a few days, my Macbook's connection to the PC will go bad, how to solve it?

Just a guess; does you home network use DHCP? I wonder if the address lease is timing out and the Mac isn't looking for the PC via your DNS.

You could try changing the address lease time on your router to never expire (depending on router type), or you might consider giving the PC a fixed address instead of using DHCP.


How to exit Recovery Mode on jailbroken iPhone

Based on the fact that you're stuck at the Apple logo, it actually sounds like you're stuck at boot-up instead of being in recovery mode! It's likely that a tweak you installed caused it to enter what is often called a "boot-loop" when you restarted it.

To exit this, try holding the power and home button for ten seconds like you saw in those guides, but this time as it restarts, hold the volume-up button. This enters the Mobile Substrate's safe-mode (thank you Saurik for your foresight!) and should allow you to access Cydia to remove the troublesome tweak. If your volume-up button doesn't work, use your Apple earbuds and use the volume-up on the headset remote.

EDIT:
After digging through the problem more and trying my suggestion, the asker could not boot into safe-mode. Booting into DFU-mode and restoring via iTunes was the only viable course of action to solve their problem.


Does restoring from an iCloud backup enforce installation of the latest iOS?

No. Erase all content and settings keeps your current iOS. As long as you don't use an iCloud backup from a device with a newer iOS version you will be fine.


Corrupt Photos Libray when migrating to new Photos.app

Since Photos is so new, it may be tricky to find solutions to issues.  However, applying iPhoto type fixes may help.

Before beginning and repair, make sure you have a backup of your entire Photos/iPhoto library.

You can try closing Photos, then open Photos while pressing Command and Option.  This brings up a window for repairing issues.  Select the Repair option to start rebuilding the library.  These instructions can also be found HERE on Apple's website.
Unfortunately, the wonderful app, iPhoto Library Manager doesn't support Photos.app, but they are creating a new app that does, call PowerPhotos!  Hopefully it'll be released soon.  Until then, we must rely on Apples built in repair functions.


start outlook and open calendar using applescript

This script will open Microsoft Outlook, bring it to the front, and set the view to Calendar view.

tell application "Microsoft Outlook"
    activate
    set theWindow to first main window
    set the view of theWindow to calendar view
end tell

Is that what you're looking for?


I do not own this keyboard, so I can only cite others.

In this Topic some users talk about their experience. It seems to depend on the exact version of the keyboard, that you are using.

USB-Version:

  I was able to get the center mouse button scroll to work by installing USB Overdrive. You select "middle button" and change it to "move to scroll"

Bluetooth-Version:

  My Lenovo Compact Bluetooth wireless keyboard (Part Number# 0B47190) paired via bluetooth with both my MacBooks quickly, and the middle button used with the red trackpoint on the keyboard scrolls in every situation I can think of (web browsing, doc editing, evernote, MSOffice, Keynote, Pages, etc.) without any addition setup or extra programs like UsbOverdrive.  It just works.


MacBook Pro won't recognize USB keyboard any more

Success!

After I posted this, I tried a few more keywords in my Googling and found this: How to map Caps Lock as a second Control Key on a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000?

And it turns out that uninstalling the Microsoft drivers (by running the programs in Applications/Utilities called "Intellitype Uninstaller" and "Intellipoint Uninstaller") did the trick.

I don't know why the Microsoft drivers worked fine for years and only broke last night, but my keyboard is now properly recognized as what it is and I didn't even need to adjust the setting in the "Modifier Keys" dialog in the Keyboard System Preferences: it remembered what it should be, and once again shows my keyboard as a "Natural® Ergonomic Keyboard 4000" and not just a generic "Keyboard".


How do I forcibly unpair my Magic Keyboard from my Mac, so that I can pair it with my iPad?

No - the pairing record on the Mac will remain until you remove it from that Mac. It's a sleeping dog situation when the Mac isn't nearby.

You can get a factory wipe of Apple's Bluetooth keyboards using this debug feature in macOS: - https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/15291/5472

Hold shift and option (only) when clicking on the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar of the Mac
Select Factory Reset for each device you wish to reset


How can I edit a long URL in the Safari browser on my iPad 2?

Hold down your finger in the address bar to get the little magnifier to show up, finally drag your finger to the right or left to get to the part of the url that you want to edit.
Update In recent versions of iOS, for devices with force touch, the address bar is selected, you can force touch the keyboard and slide your finger left and right to move the cursor.
ReUpdate Thanks for pointing out @Decade Moon, that in even more recent versions of iOS, you can hold the space key on the keyboard and move your finger left and right to move the cursor.


No it is not possible to disable AirPlay.
However you could add a volume limit with Restrictions. Also with iOS 6 you can have more control over how kids control the iPad with Guided Access. You can limit the iPad to just the current app and lock off parts of the screen.


How to install a bootable ISO onto a single partition of a usb stick?

You can use Unetbootin to copy the Linux ISO to 1.2GB partition(disk4s3).

If I were you though I would first rewrite the partition type as GPT instead of APM by running:

diskutil partitionDisk disk4 GPT fat32 Linux 10% ExFat d2 10% ExFat d3 80%

Then select the Linux partition on disk4 in UNetbootin to be the destination for the ISO copy.


Colouring text in a notification message created by AppleScript

Looking at the AppleScript Language Guide Command Reference for display notification, none of it's Parameters mention any color attributes for the text, and therefore I'd have to say the answer is no.


Is a Boot Camp partition in Parallels Desktop still natively bootable?

Yes. I do it all the time.

The only thing to remember is you have to properly Shut Down the Parallels version before trying to boot the Boot Camp version.

Full instructions - Parallels KB - Can I run my Boot Camp partition with Parallels Desktop?

One thing it notes is that it only works if your Boot Camp is on the same drive as your Mac partition. Mine isn't, it's on another drive entirely, though still internal. I can't remember whether I moved it before or after setting up Parallels; it was initially on the same drive when I first made the Boot Camp.


iPhone seems to be caching passwords or credentials, how to remove them?

Your IT department is right. Your iPhone applications are caching account and password informations, even when the last typed value is plain wrong.

Your IT department wasn't helpful enough.
They should have also told you that your company PC, and most notably applications on it could also be caching account and password information.

All applications requiring an authentication are caching accounts and passwords.

In both cases (iPhone applications, and PC applications) your IT department should know which one is causing your account locking (they have the originating IP address and the server rejecting your account).
They should provide you this key information to avoid you to destroy your own configuration work.

I am sorry, all the attempts you described in your question look like the use of a baseball bat to hunt a mosquito in a porcelain store.

1st thing to do:
ask your IT department where are coming your account connection attempts with an incorrect password.
If they are able to provide you a clear answer to this easy question,
then ask them the 2nd one:
ask them with which protocol was this account connection attempted.

This information will enable you to focus on the equipment (either iPhone or PC) and application to fix (either E-mail client of web browser or Wi-Fi access).

Then what you will have to do is:

Erase just the registered password within the culprit application. On the iPhone you might have to erase the account in the case of Mail or Thunderbird application.
Connect with this culprit equipment and make an explicit connection with the culprit application, and make sure you enter your correct password. This will store this one in the application cache,
and will stop the use of the wrong one which was previously stored.

If anything in this draft answer is unclear or isn't directly adressing the original problem,
please feel free to improve the question or my answer.


Non-paranoid - boot from installation CD, use Disk Utility to format the disk(s), perhaps using "secure erase" option (let it run overnight, it's tedious on a disk of any size) install fresh copy of the OS from the CDs, sell the computer.

Reasonably Paranoid - remove disks, sell computer without disks. Disassemble disks.  Be sure to save the very nice refrigerator magnets. Scratch, bend, hammer and otherwise destroy the nice mirrors in there (though simply opening them outside a clean room puts the data past most anyone but the NSA - this is the paranoid option, so overdoing works.)


How do I unlock an old iPad with Activation Lock without knowing the Apple ID password?

Apple has the following information on their page for Activation Lock for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch:

  If you forget your Apple ID or password Your Apple ID is the account
  that you use to sign in to all Apple services. Usually, your Apple ID
  is your email address. If you forget your Apple ID, we can help you
  find it.

  If you forget your password, you can reset it from your device or your
  Apple ID account page.

  If you can't find your Apple ID or reset your password, you'll lose
  access to your account and might be unable to use or reactivate your
  device. To help prevent this, visit your Apple ID account page
  periodically to review and update your account information.

Unfortunately, you are probably out of luck.

Since your iPad was unused and running iOS 9, it's probably pretty old and may not be worth any money in Apple's Trade-in Program as a non-functioning device, but can be recycled free of charge. (Nation-specific recycling programs can be found here). Other people or companies may be willing to purchase non-functioning devices for parts.


Connect MacBook Pro 2015 to iMac 2015 with HDMI?

Target Display Mode needs DisplayPort or Thunderbolt. It cannot use passive HDMI adapters or ones that don’t support active HDMI to DisplayPort.

https://www.amazon.com/DisplayPort-Adapter-FOINNEX-Converter-Compatible/dp/B07G796JF8/
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-HDMI2DP-DisplayPort-Active-Converter/dp/B004I6IYSM/

Warning, that the apple link only lists DisplayPort in for some models of Mac. Be sure you can return anything you buy if you’re not sure it will work or have the seller or manufacturer confirm your specific Mac and use.

Source : Apple KB - Use your iMac as a display with Target Display Mode


Is the Yosemite File Vault password (usually) the same as login password?

OS X will usually attempt to sync the password if you change it, but it's possible to have them different. I have them differently right now, so that my old user password is required at the pre-boot screen, but once OS X is booted, I need to log in again with my new password.

See more info in this answer: How can I have one password for FileValue 2 (pre-boot password) and another for my user login?


Can't find 100gb of movie files on my macbook

If you know the name of one of the movies (files) that you are looking for or if you know what format the movie is in (extension) then you should be able to use Spotlight search

My favorite way to bring it up is hit Command-Space and you will see a search bar in the middle of your screen (Yosemite)

Start typing the name or file extension and if it exists, you will start seeing search results pop up.

Select any of the files and hit Command-I for Get Info and you should see a window like this pop up:

Under the "General" tab, you will see a field labeled "Where".  This is the path to your file where it's located.  In this example, the location is /Applications.

You can now use Finder to "Go to that folder".  Hit Shift-Command-G and type that location into the dialog box.  A Finder window will open, at that location.  Your file(s) will be there.

As for names - well, you will be the one who knows what they are.  As for the extensions, there are many, but some of the most common are .MP4, MPEG, and MOV.  for a complete list, check out Video File Extensions


If you're connected to a switch then it should be filtering the traffic for you, other than broadcast data as you mentioned. If you're using a dumb hub then all traffic would be sent to all ports. In fact, pretty sure WiFi is like a dumb hub- it sends all traffic and all clients are listening.


Apple Wireless Might Mouse keeps disconnecting?

Try completely disconnecting the mouse from your computer, then re-pairing the mouse with the computer. I don't know if that'll help, but it's worth a try.


Can mount afp share via mount_afp but not via Autofs

Please create a folder Share in the User folder and change your auto_master to

/etc/auto_master

#
# Automounter master map
#
+auto_master                        # Use directory service
/Users/User/Share           auto_nas
/net                                -hosts      -nobrowse,hidefromfinder,nosuid
/home                               auto_home   -nobrowse,hidefromfinder
/Network/Servers                    -fstab
/-                                  -static

and

/etc/auto_nas

Shared_Folder -fstype=afp afp://User:Password@ip/Shared_Folder

enter sudo automount -vc in Terminal with the output:

$ sudo automount -vc
automount: /Users/User/Share updated
automount: /net updated
automount: /home updated
automount: no unmounts

Please regard the additional output: automount: /Users/User/Share updated

Both files need a trailing empty line or it won't work and you'll get the following error:
automount[pid]: map /etc/auto_master: line too long (max 4095 chars) or
automount[pid]: map /etc/auto_nas: line too long (max 4095 chars)

(all tested and verified with a 10.9.5 client and 10.7.5 server)


Well! According to https://superuser.com/a/1297419, "ffserver was removed from FFmpeg on 2018-01-06 due to a lack of user and developer interest." So much for that...


Like all data issues, your best bet is to contact the carrier. They have access to your account, the cell tower logs and diagnostics and can resolve service issues most rapidly.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201415

Steps to fix service issues in rural American is generally different then in the city in the United States. As is Europe and Asia and around the world, each region and each carrier has different ways and levels of serviceto troubleshoot and help you.


Will the sound processor in an iPad outperforms MacBook Pro's?

It's a Cirrus Logic audio codec  :

Source :

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/cracking-open/teardown-shows-retina-macbook-pro-is-nearly-impossible-to-upgrade-difficult-to-work-on/696
http://www.techrepublic.com/photos/cracking-open-the-apple-macbook-pro-with-retina-display/6372862?seq=79

So I would say the iPad won't outperform the MacBook Pro.


How to disable Notification for Terminal app?

Whilst it's not ideal, if it's that bad you could disable the app bounce notification completely for all apps:

defaults write com.apple.dock no-bouncing -bool TRUE && killall -HUP Dock

To revert, replace TRUE with FALSE.

You can provide feedback to Apple regarding this at the following page:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html


Mac Lion Prevent restart after a new software install or uninstall

You can install updates without restarting by running sudo softwareupdate -i -a. It might cause some issues though. When I installed the 10.8.3 update without restarting, Safari started crashing on launch until I restarted the Mac.

If an installer or uninstaller forces you to restart, you can often just press command-Q to quit the installer.

I haven't heard of anything like a soft restart. You can quit all applications by running sudo killall loginwindow, but it doesn't have the same effect as restarting or logging out and back in.


How to add podcasts manually to the new Podcasts.app on macOS Catalina

From what I found there is no way to add an audio file into Podcast application: as of macOS Catalina, it supports only subscribing to RSS feeds. The only way built-in way to listen to the separate podcast episode is to find it via application search and add it separately.

However, I found out that you can listen to any audio files including MP3 the same way you did in Podcasts in Books application by adding them there via File -> Add to Library... and then syncing them to iPhone.


Before 10.7, Mac OS X used IPFW, but it is now deprecated for ipfilter (pfctl) from OpenBSD.

The bug that causes sshuttle to have occasional kernel panics is not with sshuttle, but with IPFW on OSX 10.7 and 10.8, so redsocks will have the exact same issue.

Unfortunately, I don't know enough ipfilter to get it working with redsocks, but if I ever figure it out, I'll definitely share it.


How to import from OneNote on Windows to the Mac edition of OneNote?

Synchronising Notes Between OneNote Editions

Upgrade to the latest OneNote on your Windows computer. This edition is compatible with the Mac edition of OneNote.

Once upgraded, you will be able to synchronise your files through Microsoft's cloud services. This will allow you to work on your OneNote files on both Mac or Windows.

The latest OneNote is free on both Mac and Windows.

Mac Alternatives to OneNote

If you do not like OneNote on the Mac, a number of Mac apps exist that import OneNote files. This discussion, can i transfer microsoft onenote to macbook, suggests GrowlyBird.

If you want specific alternative recommendations, ask a new software recommendation question mentioning where the free Mac OneNote does not meet your needs. Others with more exposure to alternatives should then be better able to help.


Can I use Karabiner to disable built in keyboard during start up

No, Karabiner won't help here, because it first has to be started to disable the internal keyboard.

You have not elaborated on why the key is stuck, but maybe you can fix it?
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+To+Fix+Sticky+Keyboard+Keys+on+a+MacBook/37709 shows you how to remove a key cover from the keyboard. There are also videos out there.
Also Apple has a guide you might want to check: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205662


How to get synthesized disk root device from shell?

You can use the apfs verb with diskutil:

diskutil apfs list

This produces a ‘graphical’ output of the APFS hierarchy, matching container partitions to their container contents.


This should be the correct format.

Spaces are not 'allowed', but escaped by a preceding backslash that wouldn't be visible in Finder.

To verify, use the exact path and add a cd  (note the space character that's usually killed by SE-rendering) before it, press enter, and find yourself at the location in Terminal. Alternatively, precede it with open  and see a Finder window open at that location.


Durability of plastic screen on latest Retina Macbook Pro?

From someone who has the 13 inch MBPr, I have some comments about the screen.

Pros:
-incredibly sharp
-Fantastic colors and contrast
-Very bright

Cons:
-The glass- let me explain. Initially I notice that the glass did not seem particularly durable but, decided to get in anyways seeing as I wanted something new and powerful. My suspicion was correct. My screen has a huge scape across the center due to what i can only assume is the keyboard. I also have tons of those small chips/divots/dents (whatever you want to call them) all over the top half of my screen. I am not the person to mistreat their electronics. I always handle them with care and constantly clean and disinfect them. So it was a bit of a surprise to me when all of this damage occurred to the screen. Apple definitely made a mistake with this one. I am yet to go and get it checked out but judging by other reports i have doubts they will be willing to replace it.


How to disable Magic Trackpad while typing?

You could just goto your Bluetooth icon in the menu bar and disconnect it till you wish to start using it again, then goto said menu again and reconnect it.


Should I move my home folder to my HDD to reduce writing to the SSD?

To disable hibernation go to terminal and type

sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 0

If you'd like to reenable later down the line use:

sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 3

As far as moving the home folder, I feel is a bit silly given the price of ssds. If you do want to do it that's fine, but I don't think most people would suggest doing so. Especially given that it's an external drive connected with a cable I would suggest leaving everything on one drive. Less chance of things going wrong, just make sure you have back ups.


Since mobileMe (which handed out the @me.com addresses) was turned off some time ago, all you can now create are @icloud.com emails. If you had an AppleID which predates mobileMe (e.g. a dot Mac account) you would have three aliases:

myname@mac.com
myname@me.com
myname@icloud.com

So the short answer is, no it is not possible to create a new @me.com email address anymore.

More official info on this here: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201771


I had to contact apple support for this solution. The fact that it is not intuitive implies a usability bug. The reason for the prompt is a keychain entry under either login or local items. Basically after removing all entries with the text 'apple' in them I was able to restart and login with no facetime or imessage prompts to login. I hope this helps.


Is there a cheap and easy means to evaluate iPhone chargers and cables?

The only thing I have found that consistently works is a USB-C power meter, such as this one from Satechi:
https://satechi.net/products/usb-c-power-meter?variant=31043692041
I have tested many combinations of chargers, adapters, etc. and this will give the correct information. I found that some combinations of chargers and adapters work differently with for example a MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro - so getting the reading off a MacBook Pro might not reflect what actually happens with an iPad for example. This has happened to me even though the iPad Pro on paper should support that same voltage/ampere - and probably does - but for some reason having an adapter in between the charger and the iPad Pro makes for a different scenario.


How can I get a high-quality screen capture on a mac?

The PNG is losslessly compressed; there's isn't a possible better-quality screenshot.


How do I delete or fix my Keychain after changing my password?

Try running Keychain's Repair Tool by opening Keychain from your /Applications/Utilities folder, then from the menu bar choose Keychain Access, then Keychain First Aid, then enter your password, verify then start it. If there are any problems click Repair then Start. (via Apple Support)

If that doesn't work then try Resetting your Keychain.
Via Apple's Instructions you just need to do these steps:

Open Keychain Access, which is in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder.
From the Keychain Access menu, choose Preferences.
Click General, then click Reset My Default Keychain.
Authenticate with your account login password.
Quit Keychain Access then Restart your computer.


You need a Thunderbolt 3 to HDMI converter.  Your iMac has two Thunderbolt 3 (with the USB-C form factor).  This converter is available from Apple.  Make sure to buy the Thunderbolt3 to HDMI converter, and not Thunderbolt-2 to HDMI, as Thunderbolt3 uses USB-C, and Thunderbolt2 uses miniDisplayPort

My source for the information about your iMac: EveryMac.com - Apple iMac 27-Inch "Core i5" 3.8 (5K, Mid-2017) Specs

You should be able to get 4k output if your television is capable of that resolution (3840x2160).  In other words, you will get no higher than your television's resolution.


No Facebook notifications in Notification Center – How can I fix it?

Go to Notifications pane in the System Preferences. Check if Facebook is allowed or not.


Menu bar icons get hidden by long menu bar items

An app called AccessMenuBarApps allows you to do that by basically providing a keyboard shortcut to an application with no application menu items. It's free, so it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.


I would first change both the iPad and iPhone to never delete messages and let things ride for a week to ensure all your critical messages are handled.

If you don't mind losing some more messages, you can begin now.

Go to settings app on one device and remove that mail account.
That will delete all the messages on that device so you could lose history or messages with this step.
Set up the mail using IMAP host - Apple has an assistant here to verify things before you do this: https://ssl.apple.com/support/mail-settings-lookup/
If Apple's instructions don't work, you will have to contact your mail provider and get them to tell you the sequence to set up IMAP access for your specific mail account.

Repeat the steps above for the second device. If you just want to fix the "not receiving" you could just set all your POP access points to never delete messages until you empty trash and do the deleting on one device only.

Also, if a device other than your iPad and iPhone is deleting messaged via POP - the steps above alone won't guarantee messages don't still go missing.


When I connect VGA adapter my second monitor becomes primary and MacAir monitor turns off

I went back to the same meeting room, connected to the projector, and everything works fine. Somehow it has changed the default screen to the projector. Changed it back, and now I can successfully connect my SyncMaster monitor.


Deleting Active Leaderboards and Achievements

Leaderboards can't be deleted once they are used in a live app, therefore you will need to create a new app if you wish to 'remove' a leaderboard.

  You can’t delete a leaderboard after the leaderboard appears in a live version of the app.

Source: Game Center Configuration Guide for iTunes Connect


Macbook Pro 13" with Retina Display: Black Screen

There is a small possibility that the video cable is mis-seated and simply unplugging it and re-plugging it in might help.  ifixit.com can help you with the take-apart.  It is not difficult, just make sure you ground yourself and disconnect the battery before touching anything.

Has the machine been dropped?
Has anything been spilled on it?
Is the LCD panel physically broken?

To connect a Macbook Pro to an external display you simply need the proper video adapter.  Either Mini-Misplayport to VGA or Mini-DisplayPort to DVI, depending on the monitor.  Most monitors have many options, including both VGA and DVI.

If the laptop and monitor are new enough you can use an HDMI cable.

To further diagnose your girlfriend's broken laptop connect it to an external monitor.  If the lines appear on the external monitor then the issue is the Logic Board.  If it works fine then you have a LVDS cable or LCD Panel issue and will need a new display clamshell.  iResQ.com does cheap display repairs.  No, I don't work for them. :)


how to capture folder as input and pass it to python script as argument

You need to tell it where to put the arguments.

for f in "$@"
do
    "/usr/local/bin/python" -i -o "~/Development/python/slideShow/scripts/slideshow" "$f"
done

…or, if you're only ever going to select one folder, you can simplify it a bit:

"/usr/local/bin/python" -i -o "~/Development/python/slideShow/scripts/slideshow" "$@"


Various ideas:

Have you tried any typo variations on your iCloud password (since you mentioned you thought it was the same)? Another goofy thing about the backup encryption is that there's no second password field to ensure it's typed correctly.
If I remember right, Elcomsoft Phone Breaker's free trial will let you preview two characters from the backup password on Windows in case that will help trigger your memory. I'm not sure if it's compatible with iOS 10.2 and later backup encryption yet though. (I don't work on this program, but I work on other software that reads iPhone backups, and sometimes I suggest this to help people remember their password ;))
Did you setup that iPhone by restoring from a previous encrypted backup? If so, the backup password should be the same password for the backup you set up from.

Otherwise, you're pretty much left to trying to put yourself in the mindset of a few months ago to remember what you would have used for a password. :(


How to zoom in on picture in Apple Keynote

This can be done using the scale animation. If you are using iOS, you can add this by taping the image, tapping the animate button, tapping add action button, and selecting the “scale” animation. To change the duration and scale of the animation, tap the image again, tap animate, tap on the scale animation you just added twice, and a menu should appear, giving you more settings for your animation.


Monitor Words Per Minute on the background?

This is a tricky one to solve and get meaningful data.

Firstly, what defines a "word"?  Usually in a text editing program this would be defined as a series of alphanumeric characters separated by a space or a new line character.  That gets pretty tricky in an OS that uses those 2 keys for other options like QuickView, and enter in save dialogues and the like.

Many apps simply do not input text in a way that would make a words per minute  count useful, for example safari.  Would typing URLs of filling in forms provide any meaningful data, or would it just trash the more useful bits of your statistics etc.

You may be better served looking for a writing app that does this (such as this one for example - others exist) and is able to understand when it is actively being used, and when it is minimised etc, so that you are only capturing the info when you are actually doing something worth of monitoring.

To help in this there is a great tool called QuickCursor that will allow you to switch any text input field to the text editor of your choice.  That way once you have found a program that you like for typing in that offers a WPM count feature, you can then use that program for all your typing by switching to it with a keyboard shortcut from any place where you need to type, including email/web forms etc, and then switching back and taking the contents with you.

Having said all the above, there is an app called TypingStats that will just sit on your menu bar and take systemwide statistics, on the proviso that it only actually guesses at your WPM by counting every 5th keystroke as a "word" and then doing the maths to give you an approximation.


Domain Name System, or DNS,

  translates easily memorized domain names to the numerical IP addresses

For what you are asking all that is necesary is two DNS records specifying the same IP address. You could make your Mac Mini Mavericks server aware of the multiple domain names, using an alias, but it is not an absolute necessity to have the functionality you seek.

The questions that remain are:

Whom or what is handling your domain names, and translating your public address to the IP of your server? Your ISP?
Did you reserve and purchase your desired domain names?

Possibly of some use to you is this tutorial, How to Configure OS X Mavericks Server App 3.X Basic DNS and Server Settings

You'll find a more advanced an in-depth explanation of DNS here


Change Whatsapp-for-Mac notification sound

To the best of my knowledge this is not possible with the current desktop version of WhatsApp.

Some users have tried changing the notification sound on their iPhones in the hope it would also change it on their 'synced' desktop version, but this doesn't work either.

And, as you've stated, showing package contents doesn't seem to reveal any audio files.

However, the desktop version has only been around for about six months, so it's ripe for user feedback. I'd send an email to support@whatsapp.com.

Good luck!


Can I solder more memory into my MacBook Air?

iFixit, who is a proponent of replacing everything in your system, does not provide a guide to replace the RAM (only the entire logic board, on which the RAM is soldered). This alone should tell you that it is something that should not be attempted by users who are not professionals.
One user did ask in their forums if it was possible. Here's one response:

...to replace/upgrade/or modify those chips, we send them to factory. Precision soldering is required, it is not to be done at home (too fine a work for home, unless you have done this same exact work before and done it well everytime).
Even after factory re-work, some boards/assembly simply fail (shorted etc). Definitely not worth the risk unless you have direct access to a mother board assembly factory and someone does it for you over there.

Another user said:

In any case SMT chips as densely laid out as these are can't be desoldered and new ones desoldered by hand. You need very special gear only available at a fab house.

And a third user added:

They use a special fixture to hold the chips in place and heat both sides at the same time. Your chances is less than 20% getting it to work and heating the board without the proper masks could cause the other components to shift killing your system for sure...

Given that you can sell your (presumably functioning) existing machine for a fair amount of money, it seems like it would be much more practical to buy a new machine than take a very high chance of destroying your current one, since then it will be worth next to nothing.


Mounting shares with Login Items at login, Finder windows popup

Here are two very simple solutions made possible by automation tools baked right in Mac OS X, AppleScript and Automator.

AppleScript

You can use AppleScript to make a a very simple app that will mount your shares without opening any new Finder windows.

Open AppleScript Editor and put in this script:

tell application "Finder"
    mount volume "afp://Share.local/folder" as user name "username"
end tell

Adapt it to your need (configure your shares).
Save it as an application.
Add it to your login items in the "Accounts" preference pane.

It may ask your password the first time, but you can save it in Keychain and won't bother you anymore.

Of course, you can mount multiple disk by adding some additional mount volume lines.

Automator

If you prefer a visual interface, you can use Automator as well.

Open Automator and choose "Application".
Add action "Get Specified Servers" (in the "Files & folders" section).
Add your shares in the list.
Add action "Connect to Servers" (in the same section).
Save the application.
Add it to your login items in the "Accounts" preference pane.

Here's a screenshot of the process:


System size is 8 GB after Clean Install of Sierra

The difference in size is similar to the High Sierra Installer, if you deleted the installer after the upgrade that might explain it


Mail.app on Lion with Exchange doesn't get updates

Try the rebuild utility through the app, I had a very similar problem and this resolved it for me. Best of luck.


Disable iPhone timed auto lock when an app is running?

It is not possible to disable Auto-Lock for specific apps through iOS settings. A workaround is to manually disable Auto-Lock in settings, run the app, and then enable it again once you're done.

An app can request iOS to disable Auto-Lock. In this case, you should contact the Citymapper developer for an update to allow this.


How do I know which process is causing my computer to hang?

If you can't launch or switch programs (I find Spotlight is a good way to do this if everything else is hanging, just hit ⌘Space, but it may not work in your case), you could enable SSH access ahead of time, and then use another device to log in and check what's hogging your CPU.

Open Sharing Preferences and enable Remote Login. Then you can connect via SSH from another Mac, PC or iOS device (you'll need PuTTY on Windows, and one of various SSH clients available on iOS). Once you're logged in, type top -o cpu to get an updating display of processes ranked by CPU usage. That should give you a hint as to what's causing the problems.


I would get an edge router and place your AirPort devices in bridge mode.

Ubiquiti makes a nice one - EdgeRouter X
TP Link makes a nice one - TL-R600VPN

AirPort does a lot of things right - it doesn't have enough horsepower to manage more than 256 addresses - so let it do the things it does well like manage Bonjour sleep proxy and get a router to do routing and DNS/DHCP. You get bonus QOS and VPN features on these edge routers that will help you manage access in and out. That many clients will kill your network connection upstream if you don't have visibility and controls.

In my opinion, Apple chose wisely to not enable more clients than its hardware can manage. There's no use case where I can see you being happy with 200+ clients being routed by Apple gear.


sudo chown "Operation not permitted" - how to resolve permissions to allow chown by admin or root users?

Try either or both of these commands:

sudo chflags noschg '/path/to/file.ext'

sudo chflags nouchg '/path/to/file.ext'


Early 2013 MacBook Pro UE Boom Bluetooth Issues

I've had some success by installing XCode, then installing the associated hardware IO tools, which include the bluetooth explorer.  The bluetooth explorer makes available tools..audio options, which lets you tune some settings.

The settings I found useful were to increase the bitpool (which appears directly related to audio quality), and to increase the buffer packets, which appears to make it more tolerant of temporary dropouts.  YMMV.


How can I use Gmail to sync my calendar between Mac OS X and Android?

The approach I took was to sync my phone with the gmail calendar and then sync iCal with google calendar. I don't sync directly between phone and mac.

I can add events on all three now and it will sync between all of them.

edit: I've been asked to post up a screengrab, but it honestly isn't needed. I've seen the guides on setting up CalDav but it's honestly not required, iCal has a really simply method to add an account which makes it extremely simple to do.

Launch iCal
Go to File -> Preferences
Delete any accounts you think you might have set up incorrectly
Add an account with the + button
Leave the account type as Automatic
Enter your google email address
Enter your google password

That is IT! I have a personal and work calendar on google calendar and it brought both in.


How to read ePubs on a first generation iPad

BeyondPrint Reader
iTunes Store link: https://itunes.apple.com/br/app/beyondprint-reader/id464926033?mt=8

Installed and working!


Cases that are cut for specifically the iphone 4s or the CDMA version of the iphone 4 should fit the 4s.

Some iphone 4 cases will fit the original (gsm) version of the iphone and the CDMA version (the cut away around the mute button is large enough to support it in either position, basically). These should also be fine.

I've got an iphone 4 "bumper" from Apple that's been cut for both versions of the iphone 4, and it fits my 4s just fine.


Is home sharing activated for the same account? (If she uses a different apple ID, then the two devices won't bind).

In that case, pair the remote via the apple tv's settings (under general i believe)


My new 2020 MacBook Pro is getting very hot

Using any teleconferencing software (Zoom, Google Meet, Cisco WebEx) puts a heavy load on the CPU and the GPU processing the video stream. My 2019 MBA's fans ramp up and the Mac gets hot when participating in a Zoom with 10 people.
My iMac at home, with a dedicated GPU and a very fast Core i9 CPU, shakes it off and barely breaks a sweat, even in Zoom calls with many more participants.
Which 2020 MBP are you using? The 13" does not have a dedicated GPU, whilst the 16" has an additional AMD Radeon Pro GPU of various flavours, depending on the build.


On Mac OS X, why would a network folder appear dimmed, and not be accessible?

Since I could not find any way to resolve this, I simply made a copy of the folder, then used Cut-and-Paste to move the contents over to the new folder. I then renamed the old folder as 'Old Folder', and renamed the new folder 'Images New Website' (the name of the original folder).


Starting applications, `open` vs mouse click

Apple developer info for 10.14 and AppKit had enough info to find the issue.

What mattered in this case was that the call order is slightly different depending on open Application.app or clicking on it. So do not assume call order for the first calls anymore.

The breaking change was that resetCursorRects (from NSView in AppKit) now can be called before the first redraw. AFAIK this was not the case previously.

See
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appkit/appkit_release_notes_for_macos_10_14?language=objc


You could restore the old backup to your iPhone 6 and sync those contacts with iCloud, then sync contacts on your new iPhone 7 to get those. (As fsb noted above)
Some third party backup reading tools allow you to export contacts. I'm a developer for Decipher Backup Browser - you can use Decipher Backup Browser to export the contacts from the backup as a VCF file, and then email/text/dropbox/etc that to yourself on your new iPhone to import the contacts. (When you open the attachment on the iPhone 7, one of the built-in VCF actions is to import to contacts.)
You could setup a gmail or similar account to sync contacts temporarily -- basically the same idea as syncing contacts with iCloud, but not iCloud if you're opposed to that.
I would not recommend it, but you could restore the backup to the iPhone 6, and then go contact-by-contact pressing Share to send the contact to your new iPhone.
Do you have a Mac? You may be able to restore to the iPhone 6, sync contacts on the 6 with iTunes, and then share multiple contacts to your iPhone from the macOS address book app? https://www.tekrevue.com/tip/share-contacts-mac/ (disclaimer: I didn't try doing this to get the step-by-step. It's just an idea.)


Why does the keypad show strange entries on my iPhone?

If you paste text, it translates the letters into numbers as represented on the keypad.  For example: 1800 BUY NOW becomes 1800289669

If you've copied text instead of just a number, or if you've copied a link behind a number, you might actually be pasting a web address like http://www.apple.com which is changed to 488799927753266 after stripping punctuation.

Go to the Notes app and paste there.  What is actually stored in the clipboard?


MacBook Pro will not boot, begins to load then hangs with white screen

This is a known issue - More about that here:  https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

Luckily there's a free MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program. You can lookup your MacBook serial number if it's covered by warranty.


Auto-launch Microsoft Teams by adding it to my "Login Items"

First, Enable Autostart in the app itself and then add in login items.

In Microsoft Teams > Click on your avatar > Settings > General > tick Auto-start application

This will allow you to Auto Launch the MS team from Login items.


How to change Google Chrome User-Agent string on iPadOS

TL;DR: No, you can't. Unless there're any other browsers that support switching User Agent natively.
It's sad news, since all browsers on iOS/iPadOS share the same technology (WebKit) under the hood as Safari, per requirement by Apple. You can't install existing Chrome extensions to switch UA string either (also not doable on Chrome for Android).
WebKit surely provided abilities to change UA string, but Chrome on iOS sadly didn't expose this feature.


set different ringtone style like nokia?

Using the settings already baked into iOS 6 you have three options of ringtone alerts. It is possible you could get more customization if you jailbroke it.

If you have the silence switch (on the side of the phone) off, then there will be a normal ringtone and vibration.
If you have the silence switch on (with the red showing), then there will be no ringtone, and only vibration.
If you enable Do Not Disturb, then there is no ringtone, and no vibration (see below).

You can enable Do Not Disturb by opening Settings, and switching on Do Not Disturb. You can customize it by going to Settings > Notifications > Do Not Disturb. By default, calls from your Favorites will not be silenced. This will need to be changed to "No One," in order for there to be no calls. Also you will need to switch off Repeated Calls.

Note that you can schedule Do Not Disturb also.

The only thing that isn't possible with iOS 6 (non-jailbroken) is substituting a different ringtone when it is on silent. The silence switch turns it off altogether.

Also keep in mind that this will not affect alarms. Alarms are quite stubborn and will go off pretty much no matter what.


To answer my own question, currently the only way is to use the baud rate aliasing as described in the technical note.

Since that results in a changed driver, it either needs resigning, or disabling of SIP.


Check conncetion to AFP server through bash

To check if a connection to an AFP server - with the fixed listening port 548 - is established use:

netstat -naf inet | grep [.]548[\ ].*ESTAB*

or with quotes:

netstat -naf inet | grep '[.]548[\ ].*ESTAB*'

with -naf inet: no name resolution, all sockets and restrict to IPv4

and [.]548[\ ].*ESTAB* (grep for an) <IP-address>.548  ESTABLISHED. The [.] is required to exclude ports like 2548 or 10548. [\ ] excludes ports like 5480 or 5481. The .* concatenates everything (tab/spaces) between 548 and ESTAB*.

An example result looks like this:

tcp4       0      0  192.168.1.24.54340       192.168.1.2.548         ESTABLISHED

192.168.1.24 is the client's IP address and 192.168.1.2 the server's IP address then.


Why does OS X now think I have two partitions on my external USB drive (plus random connection issue)?

Q1: any ideas why the drive not showing up … (sometimes it does, other times it didn't)?

If the file system is dirty at time of connection of the disk, then the operating system will run fsck_hfs until (hopefully) repairs seem to succeed. During this period the volume will be not mounted, and the OS presents no alert.

(An alert appears only if, for example, repairs are unsuccessful.)

In your case, as CoreStorage is used to encrypt the logical volume that is used by Time Machine, there's also fsck_cs.

For your ~1 TB file system that includes backups written by Time Machine: if repairs are necessary, fsck_hfs may take an extraordinarily long time.

With Console you can browse

/var/log/fsck_hfs.log


Need offline iOS GPS app for Southeast Asia

Gaia GPS has many map sources that cover SE Asia. I am one of the developers, and you can email support@gaiagps.com if you have any questions.


How to boot into High Sierra from Windows without holding the alt key?

I am pretty sure that you should be able to switch between Windows 10 and macOS through the BootCamp-Utility under Windows. I am running a Mac Pro 5.1 with macOS Catalina(APFS Partition) on my NVMe Drive and Windows 10 on a SATA-SSD and I always switch between Windows and macOS either via 'Startup Disk' under macOS, or use the BootCamp Utility under Windows.

I recommend you looking at this Guide from Crystalidea. There are detailed instructions on installing Windows 10 on a Mac Pro 4.1/5.1 and they also show you how to switch between the operating systems even if you don't have an EFI-compatible GPU. With never versions of macOS (particularly when using APFS) it is recommended to install the iMacPro1,1 bootcamp drivers in addition to the MacPro4.1's/5,1's. Download them via brigadier and after installing you should be able to switch between macOS and Windows.

It is also important to mention that installing Windows 10 via USB(EFI mode) is NOT recommended (X.509 Boot Certificates can corrupt the Mac Pro's firmware). Therefore, installing Windows 10 on an NVME SSD should be avoided. I recommend using a Windows 10 DVD and a SATA SSD or HDD as System Disk.

Instructions for brigadier:

Download the MacPro5.1 bootcamp drivers by using brigadier.exe -m MacPro5,1 in CMD under Windows. (launch cmd from the same folder where brigadier.exe is stored)
Edit Bootcamp.msi via InstEd It! (path is: BootCamp/Drivers/Apple)
Launch modified Bootcamp.msi
Download the iMacPro1,1 bootcamp driver (brigadier.exe -m iMacPro1,1) (iMacPro uses BootCamp 6)
Edit the new BootCamp.msi via InstEd It! (BootCamp 6)
Launch modified BootCamp.msi (BootCamp 6)

A personal recommandation is to modify the BootCamp drivers with InstEd It!.

Modification via InstEd It!

Right-click on the BootCamp.msi (path is: BootCamp/Drivers/Apple) and open it with InstEd It!
Search for LaunchCondition on the left hand side. Right click -> Drop Tables
Click 'Save' and launch the edited BootCamp.msi

You should now be able to install the drivers with the incompatibility error. Do that both for the 4.1/5.1 Mac Pro and iMacPro1,1 bootcamp drivers and you should be good to go.


How do I know my mac turns off because of overheating?

It would not do that until:

First the fans go at full speed for few minutes. You would hear that.

If that does not keep the temperature from climbing, it would cut down the CPU power. You would feel that in computer becoming sluggish (slow).

Normally the above is sufficient to prevent overheating.

If all that has failed it would not just shut down, it will try to shut down correctly.

Look in the Console for kernel[0]: Previous Shutdown Cause: ?

You could look in to Activity Monitor to see what is happening while under stress.

There is also a app called Istat that displays lots of parameters.


How can I create plaintext files with Markdown syntax and convert them to PDF format?

I use Marked to process text files to pdf routinely.

No matter what editor you use, Marked will open and re-save a PDF generated from the plain text input by opening and re-saving the file.

It also saves to HTML or RDF output from markdown.

In reality, any program that renders markdown could print to PDF using OS X core services (File -> Print -> PDF -> Save as PDF), but I much prefer having Marked for it's multitude of handy and flexible processing options and it's ability to live preview markdown files as I edit them in another editor:

Printing: TOC, suppressing link underline colors, better page breaks
Multiple styles of markdown rendering
Support for custom processors, all manner of smart (and dumb) typography
overall clean, fast, robust, elegant software for a very reasonable price


I would use the mixed ram.  When using mixed speeds, your computer will under clock the higher speed cards to match the lower speed cards so they all have the same speed, but since the speeds are so close together (2666 MHz vs. 2400MHz) you wouldn't notice a difference.
An extra 8GB ram is totally worth the 266 MHz speed difference.


Can I stop my Macbook Pro booting into Windows automatically?

Download BootChamp. You get a shortcut that reboots into Windows, but it doesn't change the default OS. Seems to work really well.


How to skip OS X VNC connect password requester?

The questioner already has a .vncloc file, so the simplest answer is to add the username into that file:

Locate the file.  (If you haven't moved it, it'll probably be in ~/Library/Application Support/Screen Sharing/.)
Ensure you have write permission.  (E.g. with the Finder, or chmod +w.)
Open it in your favourite text editor (e.g. vim).
Edit the first line with vnc://<address> to read vnc://<username>@<address>.
Save it.

The file will then connect directly to the remote system, skipping the password dialog entirely.

You can run it by double-clicking on the file in the Finder, dragging the file onto the Dock, or using open from the command line.

(Alternatively, you can include the username in the vnc: address when first creating the file.)


How can I download the file on iCloud Drive manually?

Apple lets you click the file in Finder to download, but I prefer using a utility specifically designed for this.

https://eclecticlight.co/cirrus-bailiff/

Bailiff lets you set up rules and evict files the default settings think should be stored locally as well as request a download / pin files you want to keep whether the code thinks it should be freed up and only exist in the cloud.

Cirrus lets you look at the logs (and there are tons) so you can examine any specific file or container if needed to sort out a pause or error if those are to blame. They should work on beta versions and the developer is very responsive if you have a suggestion or need support in my experience.

I'm very happy with the default behaviors, but I get some people want to dictate and not trust the files come and go or wait for a download based on your internet connectivity and speeds.


Why is Safari asking for local items keychain?

Benign, probably.  This is related to iCloud Keychain.. it will take the 'local' keychain (called "login") and rename it to Local Items.  Then it'll upload the items that it can to iCloud and call that "iCloud".


Make GIF element in Shortcuts crashes shortcut

Looks like description of element “Get frames from image” is inaccurate in stating that it handles burst images. When I get different element which loads only latest burst the shortcut works properly with any setting in GIF conversion element.


Enable guest user and location services with profile manager

Yes. Look for the "Login Window" option in Profile Manager.


How to create iTunes smart playlist of playlists

Hi placed exactly the same question in one of the Apple forums, and I received this helpful reply:

  The playlist selection drop down has been broken in the last few
  builds and doesn't expand properly, however once you have selected it
  the up and down cursor keys should still let you chose a list to refer
  to.


What are some alternatives to Quicksilver?

Alfred is the one that meets pretty much all your needs.

Launching applications, preference panels and apple scripts.
Web search, and search within bookmarks of my favorite browser.
Able to perform actions or operations on files (copy, move, reveal in Finder). paid version only
Custom web searches.
Free.
Plugin infrastructure.
A healthy community of developers actively maintaining the application.
Not too many bugs


Rebuilding Shared Albums after restore from Time Machine

Turns out it was a pretty simple case of turning off Shared Albums in Preferences, quitting and restarting it, then turning on Shared Albums again and they call came flooding back.


Force Mac App Store to Install to Applications Folder

OSX stores details of all downloaded files and applications in a database per user, which you can find here: -

~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.LaunchServices.QuarantineEventsV*

I expect that if you were to find the relevant entry and delete it from the database, it would solve your problem.

You can read more about that here.


How to run an application in a different language?

So... there is two ways: change the main system language for some time or use this freeware, Language Switcher, which helps to launch single applications with a different language. Also you can try this variant - App Language Chooser.


Can't click anything in Mac OS Lion (mouse movement works, no hand cursor for clickables)

It seems that disconnecting and reconnecting the mouse works.

Does anyone think the mouse is defective?


Removing .ds_store from desktop while still having view hidden files on?

There is a thorough discussion on this Superuser question.

Having a transparent icon that is off the desktop (Kevin Suttle), or a read-only desktop (joshfindit) seem to be the best feasible solutions.


PCalc is my top result for a search for ‘pc’ on iOS 14.
If you've only just updated to iOS 14, your device will likely still be indexing. This is probably the same issue as macOS where Spotlight search is very wrong right after an OS upgrade.


Try resetting Finder by running the following Terminal command:

rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist && killall Finder

This will reset all Finder preferences back to default.


What does "sudo nvram boot-args="debug=0x10"" do to my Mac?

sudo nvram boot-args="debug=0x144"

This is a combination of kernel debugging features that will show you extra information about the kernel's processes, which can be exceptionally useful if a system is experiencing kernel panics. Another option is to use debug=0x14e, which will display even more logging options. The primary use for this is that it enables old-style kernel panics that show scrolled text on the screen about why the system panicked, instead of displaying the gray backdrop and the message to merely restart your system. Alternative debug options are the following, though these will likely only be useful to kernel programmers:

0x01 - Stop at boot time and wait for the debugger to attach
0x02 - Send kernel debugging output to the console
0x04 - Drop into debugger on a nonmaskable interrupt
0x08 - Send kernel debugging information to a serial port
0x10 - Make ddb the default debugger
0x20 - Output diagnostics information to the system log
0x40 - Allow the debugger to ARP and route
0x80 - Support old versions of gdb on newer systems
0x100 - Disable the graphical panic dialog screen

Source: Boot argument options in OS X
ddb is just a debugger. It's absolutely safe to enable those kinds of modes to collect information once you experienced system issues.


Invitees not getting email notification of the meeting (event)

Try this:

Change your notification settings

Open the Google Calendar app Google Calendar app icon.
In the top left, touch Menu > Settings.
Choose one of your calendars, like Events.
To change or remove a notification, touch it or touch Add another notification.


What sources of funds can be used for peer-to-peer Apple Pay?

Apple Pay Cash is being introduced in the US first, with iOS 11.2 and watchOS 4.2 betas.  Both parties in a peer-to-peer transaction must have a suitable version of the software and have signed up for Apple Pay Cash.

Cash can be sent from a linked credit card (which incurs a 3% fee) or debit card.

Received cash is stored in an Apple Pay Cash card in Wallet.  It can be used for purchases or sent to a bank account.


Choose a reputable manufacturer: As data shows, HGST (formerly Hitachi, now owned by Western Digital) makes the most reliable hard-drives on the market today. Stay away from Seagate drives (see comments).
Choose the right size drive: Regardless of the method, it's highly recommended to purchase an external drive that is atleast twice the capacity of the internal drive it’s backing up.
Use Time Machine: There is no better local backup method for OS X. Alternatives exist in the form of archives (cloning your drive to another), but this is not a true, continuous backup.

Sidenote: Networked backups using Apple’s Time Capsule is a reliable, wireless, way that is equally viable and definitely more convenient. The obvious con of this solution is the price-tag.

Assuming your internal drive is no bigger than 500GB, here is the drive I would recommend: HGST Touro 1 TB 5400-RPM USB 3.0 External Hard Drive.

Updates:

I own four HGST Touro drives. All have operated extremely well with no mechanical issues or problems to date. This is only my personal experience - which is all the more reason why it’s important to note that the Touro is the top-rated external hard drive on Amazon according to average customer reviews.
@bmike brought up an important point. The Backblaze study on HDD failure rates used enterprise grade drives of 3.5’’ form factor. The consumer grade 2.5’’ external HDD’s, those relevant to the original question, were not the subject of these tests. See the comments below.


How to (re)enable YouTube videos on Safari with Flash plugin 10.2?

I had this problem while running ClickToFlash 1.6b9 (the original general browser plug-in, not the Safari 5.x extension). Even with ClickToFlash  disabled via the checkbox in ClickToFlash's preferences, it still happened. I ended up dragging the ClickToFlash plug-in out of /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/ and restarting Safari, and it went away.


Select text-replacement without adding a space?

I don’t know how to do this with Lion’s text replacements, but you might want to consider TextExpander, which performs a similar task. You don’t need to add a trailing space to open a snippet, which is what you’re looking for, right? e.g. my email address in TextExpander is set off with the shortcut ;g, no space required.

[Duped from comments per dan8394’s request]


I'm not aware of any iPad specific apps for South African turn-by-turn navigation.

But, ALK Technologies, Ltd has iPad software for North America and Europe, and iPhone apps for South Africa - so I think your best bet would be to write to them or facebook them and ask when the South African version is coming out. If you're on safari and fleeing from lions and elephants I don't know if the iPhone version will be big enough to see clearly!

NB: Apple.StackExchange.Com takes no responsibility for Lion or Elephant related accidents.


After a while...

I found the solution. I had the D2XX.kext from FTDI being loaded. It claims all the /dev/tty.*, so I needed to disable it. Now everything is working again.


Sorry, the short answer is "No".

The longer answer is "No, you cannot do this, sorry".

And last, but not least, the official answer is sadly no.

Here's the relevant text from the FAQ linked above.

I have multiple Apple IDs. Is there a way for me to merge them into a single Apple ID?

Apple IDs cannot be merged. You should use your preferred Apple ID from now on, but you can still access your purchased items such as music, movies, or software using your other Apple IDs.


How can I edit translated video on a Mac?

I use SubMerge to load and sync subtitles to movies. I generally look for subtitles in SRT format. You can usually edit the subtitles texts inserting (or removing), pauses or blanks. A difficult part is that it's not uncommon for subtitles to slowly get out of sync with the film as the latter progresses. Adding - or removing text is really handy to restore synchronization. It is a bit of a laborious process though :)

Once I have the stuff in sync, then I too use Handbrake to change formats if necessary. Hope this helps.


Access applications and their folders from terminal

If the current directory is ~/, cd Applications goes to ~/Applications/ (which doesn't exist by default, but I guess you have an empty folder there). Try adding a slash to the start: cd /Applications/.


It's the exact same FW800 / 9 pin connector as most recent macs. The unibody frame has the port set a slight bit deeper on the unibody macs than was common on the non-unibody macs.

Here is the diagram from the MacBook Pro 13 inch (Mid 2010) and the only difference in the newer MacBook Pro is the substitution of an identically sized Thunderbolt port instead of the DisplayPort socket.


How does Mac OS keep track of moved files?

Most Apps don't use the Bookmarks (mentioned by Matthieu) for this purpose, because Bookmarks are meant to locate a file after the app has been quit in between), but rather either keep the file open while the app runs, or reference the file using its File ID (aka CNID or objID), or simply by using a NSURL object that keeps track of the file.

The secret to this working is that HFS(+) volumes assign each file and folder a unique number (the CNID), and so even if the file is renamed or moved, it can be looked up by that number again. Bookmarks also make use of this number by storing it for this purpose.

This also means that if you place your file on a file system that does not support file IDs, e.g. on a SMB network volume or a FAT formatted disk, renaming and moving of such files may NOT be detected by those apps, because there's no alternative tracking mechanism in this case.

See also Apple's Technical QA1113: The /.vol/ dir and volFS.

APFS, Apple's new volume format, does support File IDs as well, BTW.


What services/apps can cause my iPod to be remotely wiped?

The remote wipe is part of Apple's own code - so any program that wants access to that API has to work with Apple to ensure it follows Apple's policies of not surprising end users.

This feature is well documented in the enterprise documentation as well as part of MobileMe Find My iPhone terms of service.

The things that currently will wipe an iOS4 device: (the first two depend on physical posession of the device - the second two require some sort of data connection to the Apple (or Exchange) servers.

Restore the device over USB (in recovery mode if a passcode prevents normal restore)
Turn on the failed passcode erase trigger and enter the code wrongly until the erase threshold is passed
Turn on Find My Phone and activate an erase through another device using Apple's push data servers.
Turn on Exchange remote wipe and activate it through the Exchange server's push data service.

I don't know of any apps that have hacked this interface. Ones in the App store would likely get caught before they shipped. Ones in cydia or jailbreak community might be more prevalent, but I'm not familiar enough to say if there are any in the wild so I'll leave that for someone else to answer here via an edit or in another answer.


Can I have multiple monitors on my MacBook Pro (Early 2011)?

If you want a cheaper alternative to running two Thunderbolt Displays, you can add a second monitor (in addition to one off the mini-Displayport) try a USB Displaylink adapter, like this one from OWC (there are other brands, any one using the Displaylink technology should work).

The performance won't be as good, but as long as you're not doing anything involving lots of 3D, it should be acceptable.


Keyboard Shortcut To Switch Between Opened Windows

Cmd+` will allow you to switch between the open windows of the current application. Very useful.


Get cpu usage per core on the command line

I've installed htop for this purpose. In order to install on OS X (10.8.4), I used homebrew, which installed the htop package (brew install htop).

Despite the fact that this is via the command line, it is still a graphical output within the terminal.


In mail.app, get list of recipients for just one of the many email accounts.

Here is a 2 step process to do that.

Part I

First create a Smart Folder in Mail.

There you will sort all emails specific to a selected account.

You can skip the above part and sort by account then select the messages from a single account.

Part II

Now use (Copy) one of those Apple Scripts (Thank you Matthieu Riegler) in to your AppleScript Editor.app

tell application "Mail"
    set theSenderList to {}
    set theMessages to the selected messages of message viewer 0
    repeat with aMessage in theMessages
        set end of theSenderList to (extract address from sender of aMessage)
    end repeat
    set AppleScript's text item delimiters to " "
    set the clipboard to (theSenderList as string)
    set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ""
    beep
end tell

Now back to the Mail Smart folder, and select as many emails as you want there (or all).

Back to Apple script, click run and it will extract the addresses of the selected emails to your clipboard. Once done....

Open new Notes or other empty text document and click Paste to get the addressees collected.


How to remove iCloud alias from iMessage

Ok – think I've sorted it. I had to remove the email address from the Manage your Apple ID: https://appleid.apple.com/signin

The email alias had become an Alternate Email address. Deleting it there removed it from iMessages after signing out and then back in.


Settings -> Mail Contacts Calendars - > Calender -> Defaultcalendar


Your command replaces the entire path variable with your path, thereby removing folders such as /bin. You need to add your path to the existing path, not replace it:

export PATH=/users/ophir/android-sdks/tools:$PATH

Alternatively, so that you don't replace the tools found in folders that are in your existing path, you can add your new folder to the end of the path variable:

export PATH=$PATH:/users/ophir/android-sdks/tools


The badge is notifying you of a Calendar notification. There are two cases which causes a badge:

You've been invited to an event.
An event on one of your shared calendars has been modified.

To clear the badge, open Calendar and click Notifications  on the toolbar, then take action on the notification by selecting Accept/Decline/Maybe on an invitation or OK for a change notification.

Also see What's this button on Calendar.app? regarding the Notifications button on the toolbar.


SSH no longer listens on custom port after update to 10.12.4

I found the answer here and it appears to also apply for upgrading to Sierra from a pre-el capitan version of OS X.

To summarize:

sudo cp /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ssh.plist /Library/LaunchDaemons/ssh2.plist

Edit /Library/LaunchDaemons/ssh2.plist and change the lines that read:

<key>Label</key>
<string>com.openssh.sshd</string>

to:

<key>Label</key>
<string>com.openssh.sshd2</string>

And change the lines that read:

<key>SockServiceName</key>
<string>ssh</string>

by replacing "ssh" with whatever port you want to use.

Then start the new port with:

sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/ssh2.plist

As noted in the article, this doesn't eliminate ssh running on port 22.  In my case that was okay - the main reason for running on the new port was to match the port ssh was visible at outside the firewall.


Internet browsing problems when the Mac is bound to a Microsoft server with Active Directory

Sounds like your proxy server requires NTLM authentication (this is a way in Windows where the logged in Windows session is used to transparently authenticate to the proxy). Authoxy supports this on OS X.


MacBook Pro mid 2009 reports "Service Battery" but works ok

The message that you are getting is because your battery is beginning to fail.  I can't tell you exactly when, but more than likely, when you need it most, it will no longer hold a charge.

It's actually quite easy to service the battery.  There are 10 phillips screws on the bottom.  Just remove those (pay attention to where they came out), then you will have access to the battery, memory, and hard drive.

I answered a very similar question on a 2009 MBP battery replacment.

Have a look What's the easiest/cheapest way to replace my battery? 2009 MBP for further details.


OS 10.9.3 Seagate External Drive Won't Mount

I don't know exactly what build changed the mount behavior of OS X, but there are times when you will connect the disk and the OS will no longer mount it until the system has finished the file system check (fsck). There is no visual notification that an extended check is being made, so you have to rely on Disk Utility or the Activity Monitor and actively look to see if a check is in progress.

Connect your missing drive again and then, open activity monitor and select the CPU tab if needed. Then search for fsck - if you see a process with that name (or similar fsck_hfs, etc...) then the system has decided to check the contents before it knows to let you have read-only access to the drive or read-write access.

If that's not the case, then you may have some odd corruption that requires a repair of the drive structure (in your case select the main "Blorp" and not the indented "Blorp" in the left pane of the Disk Utility window. The dimming of the repair button is indicative of a process already running to check/repair that volume.

Most cases, this is a check that could take some time, but often is done within 5 minutes or less and not something that happens every mount but after another problem was detected or logged to that drive such as an unclean ejection or force eject.


My macbookair tried to drink my coffee and now, everything is upside-down

For the fan, you need to differentiate between a fan problem or temperature problem. You need to see if the laptop is over heating when running the fan at full speed. Use something like TG Pro.

For trackpad and keyboard, you need to be able to see input live, so that you can tell if the trackpad/keyboard is in fact dead or working randomly. BetterTouchTool gives a live view of the trackpad. Karabiner does the similar thing for keyboard.


Duplex Scanning in OSX with non-duplex scanner with document feeder

There is also a free alternative with PDFSAM, that perfectly work on Sierra 10.12.4.

You can separately scan first odd pages (beginning with the first page) and then even pages (beginning from the last page). After that you can mix all together with the alternate mix option taking care of reverse the even page, as the following image:


How not to download all emails when setting up a new Mail account?

Are you using POP or IMAP? If you use IMAP, you can say in the Mail-settings to omit the attachments. This will only download the email headers and bodies, without heavily attachments. Maybe this can fit your needs?


If they have different media types:

Order by Media Type
Select all files with the original media type
Delete them

If they have the same media type:

Create a playlist with the selected files
Create another playlist with both type of files
Create a smart playlist with two conditions:

playlist is "playlist from step 2"
playlist is not "playlist from step 1"

Delete content of smart playlist


Is it possible to install and boot Windows on a Thunderbolt drive?

I’ve not tried MBR1… but: you can indeed boot Windows 7 and Windows 8 (64-bit versions) in EFI mode off of a Thunderbolt-connected disk.  I have a handful of the Buffalo Ministation Thunderbolt2 drives with the original, slow 5400 rpm hard drives replaced with various SSDs, and they work wonderfully3.  You can boot off of them by pressing Option during the chime at bootup, and they show as an orange-colored "EFI Disk" in the selection options.

Now, the trick is getting Windows installed on the disk in EFI mode, because when you stated that "the EFI version of Windows doesn't seem to be compatible with Apple's EFI implementation," I assume that means (like me), you tried, and it just refused to install.  Well, to my knowledge, that's correct — however, the only part that isn't 'compatible' is the install process — whatever Windows tries to do to the EFI partition just before it goes to reboot doesn't work out right.

&nbsp

Solution to the rescue: install VMware Fusion on your Mac (even the trial will do) and use Vijay Pandurangan’s blog post to help you mount your external Thunderbolt drive directly to a new VM.  Pay special attention to the comment at the bottom of the post:  Hajo makes it much, much easier.

Partition the drive as GPT with OS X, and/or install an extra copy of OS X on the Thunderbolt disk first (if you wish) and leave free space for Windows.  If you’re not planning to have a spare copy of OS X to boot from this drive, leave all the space blank (don’t partition beyond the EFI partition OS X will initialize with GPT).

Set the VM to boot with EFI, and install Windows 7 or Windows 8 (has to be a 64-bit flavor to support EFI) directly to the disk.  Now, once Windows has gone through its setup process, and it counts down for a restart, shut the VM down.  That’s right - you're done with Fusion4,5, and you can go straight to booting from your new drive.  Seriously.  Press Option on boot, and you will indeed see "EFI Boot" as an option, you can choose it, and Windows on Thunderbolt you will have.

I don't expect you would have any issue booting from any other standard Thunderbolt drive either, especially if it is an AHCI SATA drive like the Buffalo.

&nbsp

While I’m fairly confident that you could get plain-old MBR-based Boot Camp to work, why would you?  EFI is the future, and once you go through the process, you can boot your Thunderbolt Windows disk from just about any new Mac5.

  1 I haven't had the need for it, yet.  There isn't an OS, or utility I've needed to run on my Macs that doesn't have EFI support, and I have an aversion to looking back and strongly feel MBR is looking back — like 1983 called, and wants its 10MB MFM hard drive back, back.

  2 The original disk worked fine too, but gaaah! so sloooww.

  3 Brian Klug wrote a really excellent review on this particular drive on AnandTech, and that's what convinced me to buy it.  It's a beautiful piece of equipment, with fit-and-finish like Apple, comes with both a Thunderbolt and USB 3 connector and cables! to match.  Yes, the included drive is slow as all get out, but you can replace it with just about any 2.5" HDD or SSD of your choosing.  Just make sure you have a hair dryer.

  4 Unless, you're not.  I use both interchangeably.  You can boot directly into Windows 8 on hardware, and you can boot into it from Fusion using this configuration when the need strikes you, like you're working on something, don’t want to reboot, but need to open a .PST file in Outlook 2013… for instance.

  5 Windows licensing issues notwithstanding; you’re going to have to buy a copy of Windows for every machine you want to boot it on for long-term use in order to not get black backgrounds and "this copy is not genuine" type errors.


The hosts(5) manual page provides some insight into how /etc/hosts is used.

The file is used by mDNSResponder and, given your question, I suspect you want to see edits to /etc/hosts reflected in your DNS look-ups.

After each edit of /etc/hosts reset the mDNSResponder cache using this Apple technical note, OS X: How to reset the DNS cache:

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache

The note explains when you might need to do this:

  When you might want to do this

  OS X keeps a local cache of resolved DNS queries for a time defined by
  the DNS server, but sometimes it may be necessary to reset the cache
  immediately and re-query a DNS server. For example, you might do this
  after an entry on the server is changed or a new entry is added.


What is the "boost_interprocess" folder in iCloud "Documents"?

QuarkXPress creates a "boost_interprocess" folder

I've just found the answer. This folder can be created for several process, but in this case it's QuarkXPress, as outlined in this QuarkXPress support post.


How to quickly scroll to top of long list in iOS?

Tap the Status Bar at the top of the screen.

  In Safari, Mail, Contacts, and many other apps, tap the status bar at
  the top of the screen — which displays the network information, time,
  and battery level — to scroll quickly to the top.

  Source: http://www.apple.com/iphone/tips/


How to log in with the native YouTube app?

I had the same problem. Since I have signed up for 2-step verification I must use not my YouTube psw, but a application-specific password.

You can generate an application-specific password on your Authorizing applications and sites page using a desktop.

http://support.google.com/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=no&answer=184968

Remember to use your email address, not you username.

Worked for me. :)


This looks like it will work. It's not free, but I haven't seen anything else that works. It uses a VNC client for the "other" computer, but it says any VNC client should work so you don't have to buy theirs. You only have to buy the Mac program. There are plenty of free VNC clients for Windows. There's a free trial so you can download it and see if it works.

https://www.screenrecycler.com/ScreenRecycler.html


How to force a screen resolution on my MacBook Pro?

If you connect it to a display that offers 1280 x 720 as a resolution, then it should give you that as an option. You need to test it with the display that you will be using at the conference, which is always a good idea.


How can I share an album publicly (i.e. with non-icloud users) on iCloud

Share it with the person - then once the album is created, in Photos, there will be an icon with a head in a circle. This is the settings pane for the shared photo album.

Full Procedure:

Create Shared iCloud Album
Select new Shared Album from left side pane in Photos
Click head in a circle icon to get an option to turn on the Public Website.
Check that box and it gives you the URL.

Sample:

Not obvious, but it works.


Does Mac OS X load average reporting (via top) include processes waiting on IO?

On OS X, the kernel task accumulates IO wait time and the process accumulates CPU time managing the IO call setup and results but not the actual IO wait.

Put another way, in top or Activity Monitor, IO waiting is time when the CPU is idle. The system/kernel would take any core storage / filevault processing time needed to accomplish the IO but for the general case with a normal drive there isn't CPU overhead on IO past the normal virtual memory overhead.


How to proceed getting a Smart ID card reader for old and new MacBooks Air?

A CAC (Common Access Card) or Smartcard reader is just a USB device that reads an authentication device in much the same way a USB SD or CompactFlash card reader reads those media.  The age and/or model of your Mac is irrelevant.

What’s important is the OS.  Most card readers are compatible with macOS, But Catalina introduces some changes; specifically the change from the legacy TokenD to the new TokenCryptoKit framework.  More information can be found in the Apple Support document Prepare for smart card changes in macOS Catalina.  Basically, you may need to configure Catalina to use the older framework if the software you’re using hasn’t updated.  Your IT support staff will have to address this for you as they will be the ones who know if this is the case.

As far as what Smartcard reader to get, there are lots on the market, but I prefer to purchase from known brands; the IOGear GSR202 looks to be a good, reliable product.


Why does my MacBook sometimes ring the startup chime four more times after the initial chime?

Does it happen in quick succession to where you could say the the unit chimes 5 times at start up? Or does the system reboot between each chime?

If they happen in quick success I would suspect a RAM Module issue. If it is so that the system reboots each time I would lean more towards an issue with the MLB's boot ROM. Late 2006 MBP parts are getting scarce since a Apple computer can only be serviced for 5 years from DOP. Hopefully that will give you a bit of information.

Another (distant) possibility is that the OS is corrupted after trying to do a software update. That one is a bit tricker to find but best tip is to run a complete backup of the unit, re-install the OS from the DVDs that shipped with the unit and the reapply all available updates (making sure the unit is attached to power the entire time).


What is the best way to copy 1000 pics from my PC to my ipad3?

This TC Geeks article describes several ways to access files on your iPad, using FTP or Bluetooth.  You'll need an FTP server- or server-capable app on the PC side; there are many.  The article is old - check current prices.  The first iPad app described is currently (9/1/12) available at a hefty discount, f/ex.


No, you do not need and should not get a new battery. 94% after a year is pretty good. Apple’s recommendation is a replacement if the battery gets below 80% of maximum capacity. The cost increase after the 31st isn’t so much that it’s worth replacing so early.

For context, my iPhone 6s, which I received the day it was released, is at 75% maximum capacity after pretty heavy usage for over 3 years, so you don’t have anything to worry about for a while. (I’m hopefully going to get the battery before the end of the year.)


Disable Ctrl-H, Ctrl-P, and other Mac keyboard shortcuts

OS X uses Emacs-like keybindings in most text editing windows.  Normally you would change them to another text editing function but I don't know about functions like next tab or open a file.  Those would be mapped in the System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts window from a key to a menu in the IntelliJ app.

But, if it can accept the Emacs keybindings for other functions, try customizing it yourself.  Edit the ~/Library/KeyBindings/DefaultKeyBinding.dict file (creating the KeyBindings folder and the dict file if they don't exist) with something like this.

{
    "~d" = "deleteWordForward:";
    "^w" = "deleteWordBackward:";

Save/exit then quit/restart the IntelliJ app (you don't need a reboot) and see if Option-d deletes the next word and Control-w deletes previous word.  If it works, research the Emacs bindings for next tab and open file.

Good luck!


"More info" button missing in "About this Mac"

There's a System Report... button in the Overview tab.


Is it true that iPhone 4S has battery issues?

I charge my iPhone 4S overnight each night, but I could probably get through multiple days if I was careful.

Currently, I'm not careful about battery life. I listen to podcasts on the train to work, make calls, surf the Internet on 3G and WiFi, and listen to streaming radio on WiFi pretty much all day at work. With all that, I get ~16 hours of battery life, which is much better than either my old 4th gen iPod touch or my Palm Prē.

Batteries can vary by model; the people who wrote the articles you mention probably just got crappy batteries. They should take their iPhones in to an Apple Store and Apple'll probably replace them, as the batteries are clearly defective.


Hide 'On my iPhone' calendar when syncing with MobileMe

Yes, I think you can change this settings in iCal, as your mobile me settings are in there.  I did this, and my iPhone only shows my Mobile me calendars.

If you use gmail, I would also reccomend BusySync. It syncs anything you add to you iCal, and then iCal and mobile me syncs.  Its pure awesomeness in my opinion.

Also, if you have devleoper tools enabled, you can edit the plist mobileme sync-time interval to 1 min, instead of 15.  You can access the mobile me plist file in home/library/preferences/byhost/ - the specific file name is like: com.apple.mobilemesync.. or something like that.  Im at work, and use a linux system, so if someone else knows, please confirm, otherwise i will update this when i get home.


How to control manual double-side printing on Mac OS X Lion?

You can go to Print & Scan in the system preferences and select Options & Supplies for your printer. In there, you should see an option for Duplex Unit (if your printer supports it). If that is checked, you can use the automatic double-side printing (by checking the Two-sided box next to Copies). If not, or if that option is unavailable, you can't.

In case you can't select that option, here's how you can manually print double-sided pages.

Manual double-side printing

You can control manual double-side printing (i.e., you physically turn the sheets over) using the Paper Handling setting in the print dialog.

If you select Paper Handling, you'll find a Pages to Print option that lets you print either only the odd pages or only the even pages (default is both). To print double side manually, select Odd Only first and when it finishes printing, flip the pages over and select Even Only

Instead of flipping each page over to its blank side before printing the even pages, you have a more convenient option of flipping the entire block of pages, so that the last sheet is on top (useful when you have a lot of pages to be printed). With this, you can then choose Reverse in Page Order to print the even numbered pages backwards. (Note: be careful that if you have an odd-number of pages in total, you might have to leave the last one out before printing the even ones.)


Is it okay to install OS X on an external drive, and then install that drive as an internal drive?

I've done this several times and never had a problem. Just make certain your external drive uses the correct partition scheme (GUID for Intel Macs) and format.

I once forgot to change the partition scheme and, as a result, couldn't run firmware updates until I reformatted the drive.


Merging Time Machine Backups to a Single External Drive?

You mean you have two disks for TimeMachine backups?
If yes: when they have started on the same date, they are fully the same, so you can just format one and use it for something else.
If one started later than the other, I would take the newer one to reformat.
assuming both are ending at the same time: now.


get first characters of expansion parameter of find command

Assuming that all your files are in the same directory and the filenames are reasonable sane, something like

 find . -maxdepth 1 -type f -name '*png' |
     while read line; do
         echo mv "$line" "path/${line:2:3}.jpg/"
     done

Run the command first as written (including the echo) to check whether the result makes sense. Then remove the echo and rerun.


ffmpeg upgrade fails due to nettle no longer compatible with highSierra

As other answers have noted, Homebrew no longer supports High Sierra.
While I suspect you will eventually want to switch to MacPorts, you could also download a static build of ffmpeg from https://evermeet.cx/ffmpeg/ and drop it in /usr/local/bin. These self-contained "static" binaries include all of the library code they need to run.


The lack of Split View is noted in Bare Bone's Text Wrangler FAQ. It's a limitation in El Capitan and Sierra that affects both Text Wrangler and BBEdit.


Why is Time Machine using 180 GB of my 250 GB for backups?

Since OS X 10.7 (Lion), Time Machine (if enabled) keeps local snapshots on portable Macs. This gives you Time Machine-like access to recent backups, in case you need to restore a deleted or modified file (however you still need a proper external backup to protect against disk failure). This is what the Backups item is measuring.

This feature isn't enabled by default on desktop Macs (are you sure you have a Mac Pro, and not a MacBook Pro? One is a laptop, the other is a desktop), but can be enabled by running sudo tmutil enablelocal in Terminal, and disabled by running sudo tmutil disablelocal (you will be prompted for your password in both cases).

As noted in Apple's KB article on the subject, once free space on your disk falls below 20%, it will start trimming older local snapshots, and it will speed up this process if it falls below 10%. So if you do nothing, you should see your drive space return to approximately 50 GB free. You can continue to store new things on your hard drive without fear of running low on space, as Time Machine will just slowly trim away snapshots as you add new data.


Can I access an account that was created as a "Network Account"?

You can use Back to My Mac and access it there. There is a support question on Apple's website that explains how to set it up on both Macs. I should tell you that the requirements are as follows:

Your Macs need to be running at least 10.7 or higher (you said your iMac is running 10.8.5, so your iMac should be good; don't know about your other computer though),
an iCloud account,
and both Macs need to be connected to a router that supports router that supports either Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) or NAT Port Mapping Protocol (NAT-PMP) with either of those features enabled (you can check your manual of the routers to know how, but most modern routers should have either one or both turned on).

I forgot to mention that you should also check off the "Screen Sharing" and "File Sharing" boxes from System Preferences > Sharing.

Be sure that when you have enabled Back to My Mac in the iCloud settings in System Preferences, it should not have a yellow warning sign. If it does, click on it and follow the instructions there.

When both Macs have been set up, go to the Mac that you want to use to access the other and go to Finder. You should see the name of the computer there. Click on it.

You should see a bar with two icons: "Share Screen…" and "Connect As…". Click on "Connect As…". You should now see a box with a username field and password field. Type in the account that you wish to access and click "Connect." You should be able to access the files from there.


iPhone 4S in reboot loop after using Hacktivate tool

EDIT 2 was indeed the answer.  I do not know why the phone had to be connected to a computer without iTunes before iTunes would recognize it in DFU mode, but that's what appeared to be the case.


Any other major difference between iPhone and iPod Touch except telephone function?

The differences aside from design, size, glass back cover and weight is that the iPod touch has:

No cellular data
No GPS, cell tower, or other non-WiFi Location data
The iPod touch is not available with a 16Gb HD, only 8, 32, or 64.
No Digital Compass
Display is not fingerprint resistant
Video is 720p on iPod and 1080p on iPhone
Still photos are .6 megapixels in the iPod and 8 megapixels on iPhone
No image stabilisation in video mode
No Siri
256Mb RAM compared with 512Mb
£330 more in your pocket.
previous generation CPU (A4 vs A5)
less support (1 free support phone call vs 3)
no LED flash for camera
no vibration function
USB power adapter not included
headphones have no remote/mic

This compares the most upto date iPod Touch (4th gen) with the most upto date iPhone (4S) at time of writing

12-17 were added after Ken suggested more. +1 to Ken for spotting the additional differences.