What technology/protocol is used in iMessage app to show that user at other end is typing?

I know how it's done in a recent version of iMessage/Messages, but can't comment on other applications since there are many ways to do this.

The iMessage protocol allows an out-of-band "last message ID" to be tracked by Apple's servers for each conversation ID. This is separate from the end-to-end communication between parties. The "..." appears when the client application notices that the ID of the last message it has received is NOT the same as the conversation's last message ID according to Apple's servers.

APNS is not used for this unless it's a very recent development.

If, at some later point, the other party/parties stop preparing a new message, the ID held by Apple's servers will revert to the last message sent. Once the client app sees that the ID's match again, the "..." will disappear.

Another point: This will ONLY happen with "blue bubbles", since SMS does not provide a side channel for communication with the central authority (i.e. Apple's servers)


Yes, there is a risk because you're using unsupported software which is never recommended. That's the reason why Apple gave out iOS 6.1.6

One of them is the SSL leak which is fixed in iOS 7.0.6 and iOS 6.1.6

However, you can also install the SSL-fix by Jailbreaking your device (if you did not do this yet). You can use this guide.

Sidenote: If you have an iPhone 4 and not a 4s, as stated in your question I'd use the Jailbreak Fix. iOS 7 killed my iPhone 4. It's too slow.


The reason are two displays (one tv) with "mirror displays" ticked.


How do I increase significant digits in Grapher?

All the numbers settings can be found via Grapher → Preferences → Numbers.

You can set the “Notation” setting to “Engineering” to display numbers as 123,4568e3 (7 significant digits) instead of 1,2346e5 (5 significant digits).

Perhaps the “Number of Decimals” setting is of interest, too.


How to delete synced photos from iPhone without connecting to mac?

Synced Photos deleting must be done through iTunes. To do so just:

In iTunes select the device icon in the Devices List on the left. Click the Photos tab in the resulting window.
Choose Sync photos from, being iPhoto or Aperture on a Mac and Photoshop Album or Photoshop Elements on a Windows PC.
Choose Select Albums and deselect the albums or collections you want to delete.
Click Apply.


try clearing temporary files and prefs (Note: do it within your user library not on system library. I had a bad experience with it before).


Technically, those adapters don't exist.

The USB device should be recognized by the Mac OS not as another Bluetooth device, but as an Audio Device.

I agree with you on this one.  You definitely don't want to have a secondary Bluetooth adapter appearing in macOS.  So to clearly define what you're looking for is a USB audio interface with Bluetooth capability.
We have to make one.  Here's what you need:

USB DAC Audio Interface.  I personally like and use the Behringer UCA202. I have mine attached to my iMac and plugged into a Bose Wave Radio.
Bluetooth Transmitter/Receiver.  I also like and use the TaoTronics Bluetooth Transmitter & Receiver.  I have mine hooked up as a transmitter to an LG TV in the bedroom so I can watch TV using my regular Bluetooth headset (I didn't want one of those proprietary things where I couldn't use the headset of my choice).

Now, all you have to do is connect the USB DAC to the Bluetooth transmitter and then pair your headphones to it and not the Mac's Bluetooth.  (Here's the awesome part) Since it's attached to the Mac as a USB audio device, all you have to do is turn the volume up to the max on the BT transmitter and use the Mac to control the volume on the DAC.  You will maintain full volume control through the Mac.  However, the volume control on the headset will manipulate the volume on the transmitter, not the DAC, so you'll have to keep that in mind.
As far as stereo/mono, this setup will transmit whatever you send over.  For instance, the TV I have mine attached to does stereo and mono output and the BT transmitter handles each with no problem


The way to create nested folder structures is probably AppleScript, not Automator. I don't think Automator can create nested folder structures as easily as AppleScript.

The following AppleScript creates a folder structure of the form

- My first folder
  - A folder within my first folder
    - Another folder within both of those

within the frontmost folder in Finder. Here it is:

try
  tell application "Finder" to set FOLDER0 to (folder of the front window as alias)
end try

tell application "Finder"
  set folder1 to make new folder at FOLDER0 with properties {name:"My first folder"}
  set folder2 to make new folder at folder1 with properties {name:"A folder within my first folder"}
  set folder3 to make new folder at folder2 with properties {name:"Another folder within both of those"}
end tell

I've deliberately tried to keep it basic. All the structure is declared in the second tell block, and hopefully it should be easy to see how to extend it. If you want to test if before attaching it to a service, copy and paste it into AppleScript Editor (in the Utilities folder).

This script is fairly naive, and throws an error if the folders already exist. If that's a case you might be working with, then this question on Stack Overflow explains how to modify a script like this and only create folders that don't already exist.

If you want to create lots of folders with similar names (folder001, folder002, ..., folder999), then this forum thread on Apple Insider may be helpful.

You then want to bind this to a service in Automator (which I see from the question you know how to do). The service should receive folders in Finder, and you use the Run AppleScript action to run the script.

Once you've got that service installed, you can right-click on a folder in the Finder, and there'll be a service which creates this structure for you.

To get the different templates, I can think of two methods.

You could create multiple services ("Create nested folders 1", "Create nested folders 2", …). But that seems rather messy. Again, AppleScript is our friend. We can make a dialog that looks like this appear:

and which option we choose dictates which folder structure gets created. Here's the relevant code:

set choice to choose from list {"template1", "template2", "template3"}

try
  tell application "Finder" to set FOLDER0 to (folder of the front window as alias)
end try

if choice is "template1" then
  -- create some folders
end if

if choice is "template2" then
  -- create some different folders
end if

if choice is "template3" then
  -- create a third set of folders
end if

Replace the lines starting with -- with the folder generating code that we discussed above. The list in the first line gives you a list of choices, and then you create an if block for each choice that generates the appropriate folder structure.

If you use this AppleScript in Automator, then the procedure is exactly the same, except now you get the choice when you run the service in Finder.


Quick typing not possible after key remap

Sounds like your problem may be with keyboard, not software.  But worth a try is the following. Go to system preferences / Keyboard and click on keyboard tab.  see image below.

There is a slider to adjust the delay time between keys. Make that time as short as possible.  This feature is for holding down a key and having it repeat but should work in your case too.


Is it possible to use airdrop on iphone4?

No, you can't use Airdrop with an iPhone 4: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5887

While your iPad mini supports AirDrop, the your iPhone 4 does not - and as far as I'm aware, music can't be transferred via AirDrop.

That said, for $25/year, you can turn on iTunes Match, which will put a copy of your iTunes library in iCloud, allowing you to access your music anywhere. You can also transfer the music by using a Mac.


Quick Look video scrubbing on macOS High Sierra

As of macOS 10.13.2 (17C88) it is working correctly once again.


iOS: Your passcode is required to enable Touch ID

There are certain rules that iOS uses that govern when your iPhone will prompt you for your passcode, and one of these relates to an 8hr period during which Touch ID has not been used. That alone would explain the scenario in your question (i.e. some nights you’re getting 8+ hrs of sleep, and other nights you’re not).

All of the Touch ID rules can be found in Apple’s iOS Security Guide. In summary though, the rules governing when a passcode is required instead of your fingerprint, are as follows:

The passcode has not been used to unlock the device in the last six days
Your fingerprint has not been used to unlock the device in the last eight hours 1
You have just powered up (or rebooted) your device
Your device has not been unlocked for more than 48 hours
You’ve unsuccessfully tried to use your fingerprint on five consecutive attempts
Whenever you add a fingerprint to your Touch ID settings
Your device has received a remote lock command

Regarding that last point, this refers to iCloud’s Lost Mode function. For more info you can read iCloud: Use Lost Mode.

See more details: http://www.macworld.com/article/3072181/ios/new-touch-id-rules-why-you-have-to-enter-your-passcode-when-you-wake-up.html

1 This is most likely the cause in your situation most of the time.


WEP was completely removed in Yosemite:

http://tidbits.com/article/15158

WEP is broken enough that you might just consider using an open Wifi connection (Security: None) but if you want to have a basic level of protection to stop someone from just walking into the equivalent of an open door the best solution would be to get a cheap secondary wifi router and set it up with it's own SSID with WEP, making sure to turn off DHCP on the router and connect it via a LAN rather than the WAN port (Apple Airports can just be put into Bridge Mode). If you're worried about security you could unplug the secondary router when you're not using it or disable it's Wifi.


In the crop settings you should be able to select an automatic crop option or resize the video by grabbing and moving the edge of the video.


Does skipping "device enrollment" make files inaccesible to supervisor?

No, it doesn't mean that files, etc. are inaccessible to administrators as such.

When you have booted macOS from the external drive, and haven't enrolled, you're running the default software supplied by Apple alongside your own custom modifications.

However when you're booting from the built-in drive, you're running on an enrolled installation that potentially contains other configurations and software supplied by your employer.

If that software allows your employer to access external drives, then the file on your external drive are accessible by your employer. It is technically possible, but we cannot know whether or not your employer has installed such software.


USB 3.0 to gigabit ethernet keeps crashing system with 10.10.1/2

It may be worth starting up in Safe Boot mode and then using a utility like Onyx to clear your system caches and see if that helps with your stability issues.

Otherwise can you not transfer wirelessly? It won't be as fast as GB Ethernet but it would still get the job done. Failing that I'd suggest either an Apple Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter, or a USB transfer cable like this (probably much cheaper than the Apple adapter).


Suggest to reset your Preview app by deleting following files in your ~/Library.

Copy the stuff in brackets in to Finders "Go to Folder" window to find the files.

Caches/com.apple.Preview

Containers/com.apple.Preview

(~/Library/Containers)

Preferences/com.apple.Preview.LSSharedFileList.plist

(~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Preview.LSSharedFileList.plist)

Preferences/com.apple.Preview.SandboxedPersistentURLs.LSSharedFileList.plist

(~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Preview.SandboxedPersistentURLs.LSSharedFileList.plist)

Saved Application State/com.apple.Preview.savedState

Launch the application and test.


How to make a modified dmg distributable?

You cannot modify the DMG and have it still pass trough GateKeeper without re-signing it. This is basically the entire reason for having the code signature!

Basically you have three options:

1) Remove the old code signature and re-sign the DMG with your own signature. This requires you to be enrolled in Apple's Developer Program.

2) Distribute the original, unmodified DMG - and accompany it with your own modifications. This could be done as instructions for the user on what to copy over, or it could be in the form of an automatic script.

3) Remove the signatures completely (both from the DMG and the app). The user then needs to have GateKeeper set to allow opening unsigned applications (i.e. the user will be prompted on the first open).


How to display/alter a jailbroken iOS device's route table?

Use netstat -r to display route table and route to alter it.

You can read netstat and route man page on OSX for more information. I think they are the same BSD route version.


Don't try to register more than 25 accounts in a day is my rule of thumb. Reach out to your Apple sales contact and work with Apple Professional Services or Apple Enterprise Support to create things and make sure you aren't covered with a tool / program to mass enroll or have your user base self-enroll in an efficient manner.

I've had good success getting our needs met across three organizations of differing sizes by reaching out to Apple for this need.


New Smart Folder keyboard shortcut doesn't work

OK found it.  Turns out it was a program I didn't even realize HAD shortcut keys - eNounce MySpeed.  Turned them off since I never use them anyway and now all my shortcuts work correctly again.  What a relief.


Adding page break to tables in Pages 5.5

You can't add a page break within a table. You can provide feedback to Apple regarding this:

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


Is VMware Fusion 5.0.5 compatible with OS X El Capitan?

According to the following VMware kb article: System requirements for VMware Fusion (2005196) VMware Fusion 5.0.x is not compatible with El Capitan as hosting OS.
After upgrading to El Capitan you need at least VMware Fusion 7.x.

Fusion 5.x
Any 64-bit capable Intel Mac (compatible with Core 2 Duo, Xeon, i3, i5, i7 processors or better)
Mac OS X 10.6.7 Mac OS X 10.8 or Mac OS X 10.9, either Client or Server
...
Fusion 6.x
Any 64-bit capable Intel Mac (compatible with Core 2 Duo, Xeon, i3, i5, i7 processors or better)
Mac OS X 10.7, Mac OS X 10.8 or Mac OS X 10.9, either Client or Server
...
Fusion 7.x
Any 64-bit capable Intel Mac (compatible with Core 2 Duo, Xeon, i3, i5, i7 processors or better)
Mac OS X 10.8 or later
...
Fusion 8.x
Any 64-bit capable Intel Mac (compatible with Core 2 Duo, Xeon, i3, i5, i7 processors or better)
Mac OS X 10.9 or later
...


Can someone clarify how many (and what types) of display the new MacBook Pro can use?

I'm going to start off backwards. 4k Display will require some sort of cable, wether DVI, Display port, or Thunderbolt that is from manufacturer to manufacturer and model to model different. According to the tech specs of 4K it is compatible with Display port 1.2.

According to : http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs-retina/

"Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on up to two external displays, both at millions of colors"

This could however simply be that Apple has only tested it on displays with that resolution and once 4k displays are out in the real world people can test it.

So your MBP Retina can support 2 external displays and the use of the the clamshell display at the same time. Those external display can be attached via HDMI and Thunderbolt (adapters) or both via Thunderbolt adapters. But so far the tech specs limit the resolution to 2560x1600. It could also be that the resolution output could be enhanced with a software update (firmware update) at a later time.

Archived Specifications page:

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013) - Technical Specifications
Other MacBook Pro models.


hold the power button and home button at the same time until the white apple logo appears be patient whenever this happens its a minor glitch in the iOS


How can I switch between the two Java versions in Mountain Lion now that Java Preferences is gone?

Open up a terminal use this command:

/usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.6

You can change the 1.6 to any version of java you want to use and the command will output the location of where that version of java resides. (i.e: /System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home)

then you can set the JAVA_HOME like you normally would with the output of the previous command. i.e.:

export JAVA_HOME=/System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home

So to simplify; something like this should work:

export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.6)

remember to check the version with:

java -version

Hope it helps.


Any one know how to remove this shared chrome instance?

This is part of the handoff functionality. Which is indeed linked to an AppleID. You can easily disable handoff in System Preferences.

System Preferences --> General

And then uncheck “Allow Handoff Between This Mac and Your iCloud Devices”.

More info on handoff at the Apple's website Pick up where you left off with Handoff on Mac.


If you have Developer Tools installed, you could try running Pixie.app and configuring that to give you coordinates. It might calculate them differently.


What does an Xserve amber flashing LED indicate?

Extracted from the Xserve User Guide:

  System identifier button and light:
  The yellow system identifier light flashes if a problem is detected. You can also turn it on or off manually by pressing the button, or turn it on remotely using Server Monitor. This indicator is useful for locating a particular unit in a rack with more than one Xserve. A second system identifier button and light are on the back of the Xserve.

So, a yellow light indicates an error. You should check the Server Monitor or the /var/log tab in the Applications/Utilites/Console  application.

Just so you know, this Button/Light thing, are on both sides of the Xserve.


Is this external DVD drive Mac compatible?

The best way to know for sure is to check for yourself. If you have access to an Apple store, you can just bring it in and try it on any of their Macs there. (All Macs have the same standardized OS with the same drivers available)

That being said, the answer is most likely yes. Generic USB devices like this are typically fairly standard, and usually have great plug and play support on Macs.


The second hard drive is mounted as "Machintosh HD 1". You should be able to access the User Library data by navigating to it with the command

cd "/Volumes/Macintosh HD 1/Users/robertsd/Library"

(or what username you are trying to access).


Getting spam on my Apple email from just one company

No - Apple doesn't sell out emails and the simple explanation is that this resource just tried all mail addresses possible at Apple and now knows your mail is valid (or doesn't know it's not valid) and will keep spamming it forever since they don't actually have permission or a lead - they're just being nasty like someone that robo calls all the phone numbers possible whether they're in the phone book or not.


Why "Too many open files" error is occurred while opening a webpage with polipo installed on OS X 10.11.4?

This is a quick fix answer. If you know which configurations caused this problem please post your answer

I didn't find out why this error occurs, but I solve the problem every time this error appears by running this command:

$ brew services restart polipo
Stopping `polipo`... (might take a while)
==> Successfully stopped `polipo` (label: homebrew.mxcl.polipo)
==> Successfully started `polipo` (label: homebrew.mxcl.polipo)

After restarting polipo instance, that error disappears.

NOTE: This command should be executed OUT of a tmux session. In a tmux session it will not work:

$ brew services restart polipo
~/Library/LaunchAgents/homebrew.mxcl.polipo.plist: Operation not permitted
==> Successfully started `polipo` (label: homebrew.mxcl.polipo)

If you are running such a session, detach the session with control+b (or any prefix key combination you set) and then press d. Now run that command.

THE BEST ALTERNATIVE: I used reattach-to-user-namespace to restart polipo service directly from tmux session:

$ brew install reattach-to-user-namespace

then brew services will work.

UPDATE: I found that my local polipo cache size is enough large:

$ du -d0 -h /usr/local/var/cache/polipo
13.8G    /usr/local/var/cache/polipo

There is a "purge" function that is explained here:

  The behavior of the -x flag is controlled by three configuration variables. The variable diskCacheUnlinkTime specifies the time during which an on-disk entry should remain unused before it is eligible for removal; it defaults to 32 days.

So I stopped polipo daemon with brew services:

$ brew services stop polipo
$ polipo -x
$ brew services start polipo

Now the size of local cache is reduced:

$ du -d0 -h /usr/local/var/cache/polipo
2.1G    /usr/local/var/cache/polipo

And it seems that the error is gone.


How does Messages work between my Mac and my iPhone?

I think the source of your confusion is the difference between traditional text messages (SMS) and iMessages (Apple's own protocol).

Messages on the Mac doesn't support SMS. Any message you send or receive on your iPhone as SMS won't show up in Messages on the Mac.

If you send a message as an iMessage, though, then it'll show up on the Mac. Now here's where it gets confusing: even though iMessages are "data" and not "text," they can be sent between phone numbers. If you've got iPhones at both ends, a "text" sent from one to the other will be sent as an iMessage by default. These messages will then appear in Messages on the Mac.


Sharing settings report (security audit)

While I applaud the effort to learn how to collect these scripts, I would say you might just buy a copy of Apple's Remote Desktop tool.

It has pre-built data collection tools that will collect thousands of data points about each system, periodically get updates and you can run reports against the local database of last known configurations or tick a checkbox to refresh all status and then run the report.

Here is how the interface for what you ask looks:

That tool leverages ssh log in, remote apple events and Apple's own remote management hooks to be extremely flexible and running arbitrary shell scripts, custom packages, remote Apple Scripts as well as performing more direct data collection that is embedded into the OS.

The reports and data collected are all easily printed, copied or exported in tab/comma separated files for ease of re-use.


This is most likely not the Browser's fault. I guess you're on some badly implemented (bloated) pages that are packed with tons of JavaScript.

Try disabling JavaScript and compare to the full-featured version.
Also AdBlocking or plugins such as uMatrix (Chrome Add On, FireFox Add On) allow you to selectively disable features (frames, js, media) for certain vendors. Maybe you get an idea what may be going on in modern websites :)
Have a look at your Browser's Development tools. Chrome for example has some very nice features hidden behind the Performance tab. It shows you what happens on your page (rendering, parsing, cpu/gpu usage)

But this is quite a broad field you're about to enter here. Maybe have a read on web performance before you start digging into the tips above.


Unable to mount read-write in OS Catalina 10.15.4 in Single User Mode

Catalina uses a new split-volume system for its file system, where system files are stored on a read-only volume, and user-modifiable parts of the filesystem are stored in a separate "Data" volume that's normally mounted read-write (see this article for more info). But in single-user mode they're both mounted read-only.

If you just need write access to the normally-writable parts of the filesystem, you just have to update the mount point for that volume:

mount -uw /System/Volumes/Data

If you need write access to the normally-read-only volume, things are more complicated. You'll need to:

Restart in Recovery mode and then either make your modifications there and call it a day, or...
Open Terminal (under the Utilities menu in Recovery), run csrutil enable --without fs (see my answer here)
Restart in single-user mode
Run mount -uw / and maybe also mount -uw /System/Volumes/Data
Do your modifications
Finally, restart back to Recovery and run csrutil enable to get the normal system protections back.


How do I move all recent photos from iPhone to PC, but keep my favourites on my iPhone?

Assuming you are using iTunes for syncing your phone, take a look at this article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4236?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

It describes how you can sync photos from your PC to your iPhone.   So, if (for example) you keep a folder on your PC called Favorite Photos, and have that folder selected to sync to your phone, it will always copy those photos to your phone, even after you remove all the pictures during an upload.


iCloud Music Library and multi-CD audiobooks: Duplicate error

First what I did was create a backup of the media folder (containing the imported files) under Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Music/ARTIST/ALBUM

Then, I just deleted the entire collection on iTunes (Choosing delete songs instead of remove downloads). This deletes the copy store in iTunes folder, but not the backup I created.

Last, I just refreshed iTunes by going to File > Add to Library > (backup folder), and it copied the files back in, add uploaded them all at once, which solved the problem.


Hard drive boots over USB but not when install internally

Make sure your Mac is off (not just standby) and turn your Mac on like you always do, but hold the Option key at startup until you hear the boot chime. You'll see a bunch of images of HDs in a row, use the arrow keys to select the drive you wish to boot from and then press Enter. Your Mac should now startup using the selected drive this time, but to make it the default drive, go into System Preferences->Startup Disk and then select your drive again. Click Restart to restart your Mac and save the changes.


What happens if you save your Photoshop file to a different directory or hard disk?

What are the file Permissions?
Select your file in the Finder and go to File > Show Info > Permissions

It sounds like your file or folder permission are messed up. Also, Repair Disk Permissions (Applications → Utilities → Disk Utility):


Set up global shortcuts for media keys (next, prev, play/pause)

This solution is a bit of a workaround, but I think that it should work for you.

First, you can write some AppleScripts that will perform the actions Next, Prev., and  Play/Pause. I found some examples here. If you are on macOS Catalina, you will need to replace "iTunes" with "Music", unless you only use Spotify and don't want to check for other open applications.

Next, you can create a Quick Action (also known as a service) in Automator. I found some instructions to do that here.

For each AppleScript (Next, Prev, Play/Pause), you can either save it as an application, and set the service to open that application, or you can have your service run the AppleScript directly by using the Run AppleScript variable in Automator.

When you save each service, give it a name (like next, prev, and play), as that will be what shows up in the shortcuts menu.

Now that you have 3 services, you can go to System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts -> Services. You can now set a keyboard shortcut to run each service, which in turn should run the AppleScript to perform the Media Action you want. The services you just made should be in the General section, which is at the very bottom of the list for me.


If they aren't available on the App Store anymore, your phone can't download them from Apple.

If you backed up your phone to iTunes before, you just have to restore the apps from there.

Open iTunes.
Select your device from the menubar at the top.
Select Apps from the lefthand pane.
Check the boxes of the 2 apps you couldn't recover from the App Store and sync them to your mobile device.


Is filevault compatible with LDAP configurations?

I was never able to get FileVault to work in an Enterprise configuration of OS X.  So, I'll answer this as "not currently possible".  Perhaps some later update of OS X...


hoow can I make and receive calls With USA and Canada by using a PBX account, Acrobits softphone, and Google chat?

I've had good luck with Acrobits Softphone... it's a SIP soft phone for iOS.  Once you have an appropriate VoIP/PBX account that supports SIP clients, you can use google chat to get your calls into the PBX.

It definitely has some noticeable lag, but it is certainly better than nothing.

You can get a free VoIP/PBX account at pbxes.com (I have no affiliation).


How to enable logging for smbd on macOS?

With macOS 10.15, the only diagnostic logging available for smbd is done by grabbing packets.

Apple Support told me the following:

  To enable elevated logging;

sudo log config --mode level:debug
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.smb.server.plist LogLevel -int 1
sudo /usr/libexec/smb-sync-preferences

  To begin packet capture;

sudo tcpdump -Pi BSDname -s 0 -K -w /Library/Logs/smb.pcap

  To end packet capture; Control-C

  Disable elevated Logging:

sudo log config --mode level:default
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.smb.server.plist LogLevel -int 0
sudo /usr/libexec/smb-sync-preferences


Why is Chrome getting so slow when file vault is enabled?

I've solved this problem by moving my Chrome cache outside of my home folder as follows:

Closed chrome. Then in Terminal:

cd Library/Application\ Support
sudo mkdir -p /local/myusername/
sudo chown myusername:_lpoperator /local/myusername/
mv Google /local/myusername/
ln -s /local/myusername/Google

Update: I'm not entirely clear why this speeds things up again, since, as was noted in the comments, File Vault 2 actually does encrypt the entire disk, not just the home folder. But it does seem to work nonetheless.


Black screen with dual monitors (10.9.3)

10.9.4 purports to fix sleep-wake issues.  I know on my rMBP (pre-Haswell) I'd have a similar issue after disconnecting from a Thunderbolt display, and it's been resolved since upgrading.


Can I use an iPhone 4S USB power adapter with an iPhone 5S?


You can use iCloud photos from a PC, Mac, iOS and web application. So it's conceivable you could use that service even though one of your devices is ineligible to participate due to it not running a supported iOS version.

From a supported web browser, your photos in iCloud are at:

https://www.icloud.com/#photos

You can review storage at - https://www.icloud.com/#settings


Is it possible to install Chrome OS on a PowerBook without VM?

Based on reading this page, it appears to be technically possible to build Chrome OS for PowerPC. (They do mention that V8 won't work, but that implies that most everything else does.) Getting it to be the primary OS and boot, however, is the tricky part. I suggest partitioning the hard drive to dual-boot between OS X and Chrome OS (at least initially) so you have a known-good system. You may also have trouble with the drivers.


How do I transfer from my computers icloud to my 6S iphone?

After you have all neccessary data on iCloud, then put your SIM card into your new iPhone and turn it on. Begin setting your iPhone up. You will be prompted to select a Wi-Fi network and language. Then, choose Restore from iCloud backup. Use your Apple ID to sign into your iCloud account. Click Next, and agree to the Terms and Conditions. Choose your most recent backup from the list of options and enter your iCloud password if you are prompted to do so.
https://macback.us/tutorials/how-to-transfer-data-from-iphone-5-5s-to-iphone-6-6s/


How to choose GUID with High Sierra's Disk Utility?

In Disk Utility, near the close/minimize/fullscreen buttons, you can see a "View" mode dropdown menu. Set the view mode to "Show All Devices", then you'll see the "root" drives. Click on a root drive, and then click on the "Erase" button. Now an option to change the "Scheme" from Master Boot Record to GUID appears in the Erase subwindow.


How to install Apple's Game Center app on iPad

The Game Center application has been removed from iOS 10, but you can still manage your Game Center settings from the Settings.app
On your iPad tap Settings > Game Center.


Can I import photos from iPad to iMac that aren't in camera roll?

iExplorer is an app that does the trick. I just tested it, and it works.

So it's quite simple and straightforward. Launch the app, and select you iPad from the sources, there will be a Photos section, and everything should be there.

The same thing happened to me once, but I used Time Machine to backup. It must be terrifying, anyway, hope it helps!


How to save a Preview session with multiple pdf files open?

Go to system preferences -> general, and uncheck "close windows when quitting". Now whichever session you want to preserve, just quit the app with that. When you reopen preview, all those files load too.


Why doesn't OS X Spotlight search inside .json files?

You could try adding JSON to the Spotlight RichText importer.  The process for XHTML is described here, and should be analogous for JSON:

http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-archive/2013Jun/0079.html


Install Mountain Lion now that Mavericks has been released

It seems that you bought Mountain Lion but now it has disappeared.

You can unhide purchases (some get hidden or you hid them, does not matter really) by opening Mac App Store.

Then go to: Store->View My Account->Enter AppleID and Password

There should be a "Manage"-Button for Hidden Purchases

Find OS X Mountain Lion and click "Unhide"

Afterwards Mountain Lion should show up in your Purchases Tab and you can reinstall.


How to convert a HEIF/HEIC image to JPEG in El Capitan?

You can use the command line tool imagemagick to convert HEIC images to JPG.

# install imagemagick
brew install imagemagick

# convert a single image
magick convert foo.HEIC foo.jpg

# bulk convert multiple images
magick mogrify -monitor -format jpg *.HEIC


Have you purchased the iPhoto? If yes, you should see it in App Store > Purchases tab.

EDIT: The problem was: Clicking on "Update" button didn't update application.

Solution: Delete and redownload application.


mount "nolocks" option ignored on Mavericks 10.9.1?

nfsstat -m

It shows the options from mount_nfs


Block access to folder or file in Mac OS X

Not directly - you have to use an app that accesses the file (e.g. a secure note in 1password or a program like gpg or your own app that encrypts/decrypts a file ) or put the file on an encrypted file system (create using Disk Utility or TrueCrypt etc.) See this question for some ways of encrypting.


Disable tracking location by app, and other privacy features

In iOS…

Apps get no permissions when you install them.
Apps on iOS can never use features like Location Services without a run-time OS-level prompt for access.

iOS itself controls all access to such features, for all apps including those built-in to iOS and those downloaded from the App Store. No app can access functionality without you explicitly providing permission when running the app and the app requesting it. All privacy settings on iOS are per-app (with a system-wide off switch too).

iOS expanded the privacy controls in iOS 8 (September 2014) released as a free update to iPhone 4s (2011) and later. iOS privacy controls determine access to Location Services, Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, Photos, Bluetooth, Microphone, Speech Recognition, Camera, Health data, HomeKit, Media (Apple Music), Motion & Fitness.

About privacy and Location Services in iOS 8 and later - Apple

  Apps from the App Store may request access to things such as your location, contacts, calendars or photos. You’ll receive a prompt with an explanation the first time a third-party app wants to use this data, so you can make an informed decision about granting permission. Even if you grant access once, you can always change it later in Settings.

Manage Your Privacy - Apple


What kind of RAM should I use for my iMac?

Getting a performance boost depends on what you actually do with the thing.  Run Activity-Monitor (Applications>Utilities) to see how much of your RAM is used.  Most Mac stuff runs well on 4GB, but if you run memory intense stuff (Parallels-Windows, Video Editing, editing large pictures with photoshop) you should see an improvement.  But even if you don't need the RAM, you should not see a performance penalty (i.e. it may or may not run better, but won't run worse).

Unless your computer is already slowing down to a crawl with the current configuration (when doing memory intense work), adding 2x 2GB should be enough (giving you a total of 8GB).

So, given your configuration, I'd add 2x 2GB to the free slots and keep the memory that is already there in the other slot.


Removed Atom from Applications. How to remove `atom` command from terminal?

where atomwill result in command not found, true, but because the where command is not found; when using bash. A zsh error would have issued "atom not found"

Try which atom to get the result of /usr/local/bin/atom in bash.

That means you just need to rm /usr/local/bin/atom to get rid of that command.

(Atom.app install also apm, so be sure to remove that as well.)


Sounds like you haven't granted Word permission to access your ~/Documents folder. Check in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy tab and see if Microsoft Word is listed in the Files and Folders section with any unchecked items. You can also try adding it to the Full Disk Access area.

If that doesn't work, you might be looking at a more general permissions problem with your Home folder. In that case https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203538 is worth checking out. Good luck!


How to change volume icon on Mac boot picker

Place a 512x512 icns at the root of the partition named .VolumeIcon.icns. Startup Manager should pick this up and use it on that page.


Fonts on my iMac randomly become blurry (badly anti-aliased) until restart

Perhaps you should change your font smoothing strength  and contrast settings. Many other people are having the same problem. Check out this link for information on how to do this


How to prevent Safari saved passwords being seen with Mac password?

If you want to avoid the default behaviour, which is a reasonable setting for a computer that allows multiple accounts, including guest accounts, you can do the following in Keychain Access:

Change the Keychain password
For each really sensitive item you have in there:

Select a relevant item in Keychain Access
Get information on the item with the Get Info menu
Select the Access Control tab
Mark the Ask for Keychain password checkbox

That should allow for the most sensitive passwords (or all of them, if you apply it to all of them) to require your password to be provided every time they are about to be used, and hence won't show in Safari's saved passwords unless that Keychain password is provided.

Another option is creating a new keychain, different from the login keychain, with a different passwords, and move the items from the login keychain. The system can find the needed items in that keychain, and you will need to provide that different password instead.

Of course, another option is using 1password.


Why Apple watch 4 has not enabled ECG feature for the countries other than US?

The ECG function requires approval from the relevant regulators in the region, which takes time to acquire.

  In the US, Apple worked with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a number of years to receive De Novo classification for the ECG app and the irregular heart rhythm notification, making the features available over the counter. The ECG app and irregular rhythm notification are now CE marked and cleared in the European Economic Area.

https://www.apple.com/uk/newsroom/2019/03/ecg-app-and-irregular-rhythm-notification-on-apple-watch-available-today-across-europe-and-hong-kong/

The functionality is available outside the US, namely…

  Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guam, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US and US Virgin Islands


What is the best way to create a slideshow in iphoto across multiple events?

Even easier: Make an Album of the photos you want to use in the Slideshow, and base it on that. This has a couple of advantages:

It simply references the photos in the Events, and uses no ezra disk space, while keeping your Events intact
You can sort the photos manually, into any order you like, which you can't do with Events.

To make a new Album: select a couple of the pics and go Command-n; then drag the rest of the photos to that

Or, shift-command-n to make a new empty album


-bash: command not found appears every time

I wonder if the command you want is ssh , not shh.  Are you trying to connect to another computer? As Doc G points out, your PATH looks fine.


How to determine which apps iTunes will copy from iOS, to stop a deleted app being resurrected?

To answer your specific questions:

No, there is no way to find out which apps iTunes would like to sync over before answering the question. Technically I suppose you could look at your iTunes App Library and your iPad's installed apps, but that is not a very realistic option if you have more than a few apps.
As far as I've been able to tell, yes you must delete this app from all devices (iTunes and iOS devices) when you have app syncing enabled. Otherwise it will continue to copy back and forth as devices are plugged in.
Checking the "Do not ask me again" box will have iTunes always perform whichever option you selected the time you selected the checkbox. To reset any such settings, you can go to iTunes > Preferences > Advanced, and click the button that says "Reset all dialog warnings".

In general, given the problem you are having with app syncing, I recommend that you simply disable app syncing. There is no practical benefit for most users in having the apps saved to your computer. Your computer is incapable of playing the apps and generally your iOS device can remove and re-download the app directly from Apple as needed. I disabled my app syncing for the very same reason.


You can do it using chflags. Try this way:

chflags uchg filename

Once type this command, filename can only be modified by you. Others users (root included) can't change it.

To revert the changes, use:

chflags nouchg filename

See the example below:

✔ jherran@computer: ~/temp $ touch filename
✔ jherran@computer: ~/temp $ chflags uchg filename
✔ jherran@computer: ~/temp $ sudo su
Password:
✔ root@computer: /Users/jherran/temp # rm filename
rm: cannot remove ‘filename’: Operation not permitted
✘-1 root@computer: /Users/jherran/temp # rm -f filename
rm: cannot remove ‘filename’: Operation not permitted
✘-1 root@computer: /Users/jherran/temp #


Do the version 4 Boot Camp Windows drivers depend on any older versions being installed beforehand?

Boot Camp 4 can simply be installed onto a freshly-installed Windows 7. An older version of the drivers does not need to be installed beforehand. You should install Windows to BIOS boot.

FYI:

If you want to deviate from the official version of Windows that Apple had documented to support, then  you may be able to do so. However, often this requires some special procedure to correctly install. For example, installing a 64 bit version instead of a 32 bit version. Or, installing Windows 10 on a machine that officially only supports Windows 7. Many answers here a Ask Different have been posted on this subject. I would post links, but this depends on what you want to install.


Recover certain files from Time machine from previous Mac

The following worked with my Synology NAS:

Browse to the network drive in Finder
Double-click on the sparse bundle file for the computer you want to access.
Click on the "Time Machine Backups" disk image in Finder (added to the left-hand pane by step 2 above).
Open the backups.backupsdb folder inside this disk image.
Continue as per previous comments.


How can I erase the history of passcodes on the iPhone4?

Many times password policies like this are enforced by looking at the most recent N passwords. For example, if a company requires changing your password every month, they may look at the last 12 passwords. I can't say for sure how it is implemented with the iPhone.

A simple trick to get around this is to change your password N times so that the password you want gets knocked off the list and you can use it again. If you don't know what the rule is and how many recent passwords are stored, it may take some trial and error.


Either of these should work:

alias sublime='open -a "Sublime Text 2"'
alias sublime='open -a Sublime\ Text\ 2'


Mail shows an inbox email with a light blue background

In the Menu Bar go to Mail>Preferences>Rules and unselect News from Apple.

You can read more about rules here : https://support.apple.com/guide/mail/use-rules-to-manage-your-inbox-mlhlp1017/mac and about highlighting here : https://support.apple.com/guide/mail/color-code-messages-mlhlp1063/mac


It seems to be impossible to get rid of this account.

What I've done is:

Connect to my iCloud account (with my Apple ID, the same for the App Store and others).
Go to Mail.
In Preferences (top right), choose rules…
Add a rule to redirect all emails received at my @me.com address to my main email.

It can take several minutes to work, but I don't lose anything like that.


Why is Pages autocompleting / autocorrecting entries in my table? Why is this unwanted feature stealing my tab key?

Currently my best solution is to use the right arrow key to dismiss the autocomplete popup and advance to the next cell. However sometimes it requires one press, sometimes two. This is too inconsistent.


Purchased MacBook Pro a day after Yosemite release but got Mavericks instead

Simple!

First you open the Mac App Store.
It should be the blue 'A' icon in your dock.
You can sign in by going to the Quick Links section at the side and click sign in.
Here you enter your Apple ID and password when prompted.

Then go to Updates at the top and OS X Yosemite should show up.
Then you click Free Upgrade and it should download and install.
Once it's finished installing you can open it and go through the procedures in the installer.


Delete CoreStorage Volume even as OS X won't acknowledge there is one?

I ran the command cat /dev/random > /dev/disk2 as user "su" and all partitions are gone now. At first, the available disk space was still only 801GB. After a while it showed up properly in Disk Utility as 3.0TB though and I was able to reformat it. Excellent!

Thanks to Topher Kessler for posting the proper commands in How to fix deep formatting problems with OS X drives!

CoreStorage is great technology. Apple info still leaves a lot to be desired.


How to cancel an iCloud download on macOS X (Sierra)?

You will normally find these is ~/Library/Mobile Documents.
This is the location that syncs your iCloud files with your devices - Macs, iPads, and iPhones.  It’s not a download like what you do when you select a file download link in a browser like Safari.  iCloud is making a “copy” of what you have in the cloud to what you have local on your device.


Permanently mapping a network drive on MacBook Pro?

The answer somewhat depends on how the drive is being mounted in the first place.

For example, my AirPort Extreme has a USB drive attached. The Drive Name is 'CrashPlanExtreme' and the AirPort Extreme is (un-creatively) called "Airport-Extreme.local." so I can mount the drive using this command:

open afp://Airport-Extreme.local./CrashPlanExtreme

However, I think I had better success with this:

open -g -a Finder "afp://Airport-Extreme.local./CrashPlanExtreme"

It would be helpful if you mount the drive manually, then go to Terminal.app and enter this command:

mount | egrep '^/'

then add the output to your question.

Once we determine the correct Terminal command to mount the drive, the rest is simply a matter of writing a script that runs when you log in (easily accomplished using launchd) and when the computer wakes from sleep (easily accomplished using the free and excellent sleepwatcher.)


Yosemite keyboard shortcut for "keep both" "stop" or "replace" when moving files in Finder?

You can enable keyboard control in Preferences

With this, You can switch between buttons with ⇥ TAB and select it with Space. Active button will have blue border.

NOTE: default buttons (all blue) are still clickable with ⏎ RETURN.


Reformat hard drive - why do I have two hard drive options?

'disk1' is a temporary structure & the 'disk' you are currently booted from, generated by the image you downloaded from Apple as part of Internet Recovery.
It will disappear as soon as you boot regularly from your HD.

That's how you are able to format your main 'Macintosh HD' drive, which you cannot do from the drive you are booted from.

You can verify this since the system won’t let you erase disk1 even if you attempt that operation - that’s a snake eating its own tail situation.


macOS High Sierra Calendar notifications appear but have the wrong event time

This issue has been driving me crazy so I called Apple. After a lengthy discussion and sharing my screen with AppleCare, support said they hadn't seen this before. They submitted a ticket to engineering and I'm waiting to hear back. I'll post an update when I do.


Open file/folder in Wine explorer in Finder

From the Mac Forums

  In Finder, push Shift-Command-G and enter the following:

~/.wine/drive_c/

  Navigate from there to find the name of the relevant folder.


you can try to connect you HDD to another mac.
you can create full copy of this disk via dd vith noerror parameter
If you use windows you cat use Ext2Read for access to linux partition.


Attempt to copy a file denied by permissions, but why?

This problem may occur because of wrong ownership. Try to run following command to change ownership for your user:

sudo chown -R $(id -un):$(id -gn) path_to_your_directory

In this example, sudo will give you needed permissions to perform operation, chown is a command to change ownership, -R will make operation recursive against target folder, $(id -un) is your current user name $(id -gn) is your current group name, path_to_your_directory shold be a path to folder you want to fix ownership.


The command:

stty intr ^i

works exactly the same way on MacOS X as on Linux. Please note here ^i
are 2 characters and not a tab.

On the other hand, the command:

stty brkint ^i

replies:

stty: illegal option -- ^i

because brkint is a boolean option to stty and not one with any other following value, and because ^i considered alone is not a valid option to stty.


how can i get mp4 from the internet onto my ipod touch

Right click the link in your browser and save it in a place you can remember. Open finder and locate the mp4. Right click the file and click Open With > iTunes. You can also drag the video into iTunes if it is already open. Then you can sync the video by plugging in your iPod and selected it under "Devices" in iTunes. There is a tab for videos and you can select which videos from iTunes you wish to sync (just like music).

Alternatively, you can visit the link in Safari on your iPod and stream the video, but you would of course need an internet connection.


The main Eclipse application needs to be kept in the same folder as its support files otherwise it won't start. What I have done is to keep Eclipse in its own folder, somewhere out of the way, then right-click on the main Eclipse application and select "Make Alias". This will create a file called Eclipse alias. You can then move the alias to wherever you want it to be, without worrying about the rest of the Eclipse files. You can move this alias to the Applications folder, and then rename it back to Eclipse.


Macbook Pro Fan fullspeed, no temperature and keyboard backlight

SMC Reset

To your minor question: I do not think the absence of the battery should affect the SMC reset. Source: I have successfully done this with an older mac with no battery and corrected fan problems.

Key Observations

Since it is not obvious what your problem is, I will cover some bases starting with some key observations:

You did not mention resetting the NVRAM/PRAM which I also did when fixing my fan issue. Have you also reset the PRAM/NVRAM? That would one of the two immediate troubleshooting steps I would do with something that looks like a firmware issue. (I believe you hold down the key for 3 chimes btw… not sure if it tells you that on the site.)
Since your diagnostics do not appear to be reading your CPU temperature accurately (it should definitely not be 0C (34 degrees F). I would try again with a different diagnostic, and/or repair permissions using diskutil, run with sudo to ensure the program is able to access the requisite files to generate real output.

Troubleshooting

Some possibilities and thoughts to facilitate further troubleshooting:

While in diskutil I would check that your drive is in good health. HDD's only operate for 5-10 years. My 08 pro has a dead drive… it may be working hard to keep it at a low temp so it doesn't lock up? Physical wear on the drive can also generate heat.

I would check out your system diagnostics to see if anything is hogging resources. Assuming your hardware isn't screwed up and it's not firmware, I would check to make sure the kernel isn't panicked or some weird unrecognized process isn't interfering with your system.

I note that without an intermediary battery your computer may not be getting a completely regular power source… what comes out of your wall may be lower or higher voltage than expected. Sometimes that generates heat and causes fans to go insane. Sometimes that can "zap" files. You may wish to reinstall your OS without deleting your files and configurations, to make sure everything is in good order.

You may also wish to get your hands on a battery to see if that makes a difference. These cannot be too expensive nowadays… someone may have one laying around. The fact that yours once exploded also… you may be able to get one from Apple even if you're not covered. They really don't get a lot out of keeping and warehousing old parts (why applecare is a good money maker for them) and like happy campers and I think that battery was recalled no? You may have been entitled to a new one years ago anyway.

You may also have already tried this but checking the logs at /var/log/system.logs (hard to parse) may provide a big picture view of what's going on with the fans even if it's not entirely understandable or easy to get through… sometimes the error messages are verbose and incredibly precise. Hit or miss. It will be FULL of entries that don't matter, but may tell you quite clearly what's going on if you just do a find for like "fan" "heat" "power" "voltage."

Finally (albeit obviously) you may want to make sure you don't have a ton of crud clogging up your fans or blocking. Cleaning a computer directly or with air can easily mess things up… but yeah… this may be necessary. If a sensor cannot get a read on heat or a fan is covered in gunk it may run the fans at full just to get normal cooling in order (first case) or because it's designed to be cautious about the heat issue (second case).


Is it possible to use another video card into iMac 24" 2008?

The 2008 iMac's use MXM Video cards. You could replace it but it's (very) expensive for not much more performances (High end models used a 8800M GTS (branded as a 8800GS).


Unfortunately it seems as thought for now IOS 13.1.3 does not have an option to remove once setup. There seems to be a lot of push back so this may change.

However, in the meantime you can under the bedtime tab in the clock app select the "Bedtime option and disable it, and then go back and ensure that alarms are set and reconfigure if needed.

Ultimately at this time if you have automatic backups turned on and you know when you enabled it you can erase all content and settings which will factory reset your phone and then  restore from that specific backup.


I don't know whether this would be the same for a Google Calendar, but for an Apple 'public' calendar, you can switch off alerts from the Info panel [right click the calendar on the left]


Can I sync the to do list in Microsoft Entourage to an iPod touch?

It should be possible. The to-do list would be considered 'tasks', which falls under the category of Calendar Events.

in Entourage, choose Entourage > Preferences and click Sync Services under General Preferences:

More information: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1670


VNC
Recent versions of Mac OS X include a VNC server built-in, analogous to Microsoft's Remote Desktop Server (included in Windows). This can be accessed via the System Preferences > Sharing > Apple Remote Desktop option.
There are various free VNC clients available for Windows, most notably RealVNC.
While there are other options, VNC benefits from being a very mature graphical remote-access protocol with official support from Apple and good-quality client programs.


How to use a custom text editor (like Emacs.app or MacVim) in Xcode 4?

There is not really a setting with in Xcode 4 to configure external editors as there use to be in Xcode 3.

The workaround is to set up your preferred text editor to open the file types that you want.  And then right click on a source file in Xcodes Project Navigator and select "Open with External Editor..."

This suggestion of using "Open with External Editor..." at first will probably just open in Xcode a standalone window, since by default Xcode will probably be set to the default application for opening programming source files.

Set up your preferred application/s to open source files with.

For example for each kind of source files such as .c .h .m you want to edit in your preferred editor. Open a Finder Window/s that contains each type of file you want to set your preferred editor for.

Right click on a source file
Select "Get Info"
Expand the "Open With:" section and select your preferred text editor to something other than Xcode.
Press the Change All... button.

Now when you select "Open with External Editor..." in Xcode it should open the source file in your preferred external editor.


Is it currently possible to upgrade iPhone 4 from iOS 5 to iOS 6?

iOS 6 is not being signed for iPhone 4 any longer.

You must upgrade to iOS 7, or more specifically, iOS 7.1.


What is the appropriate size for album art to display correctly the iPad's retina display?

This is difficult to answer without any of us having access to an iPad with the retina display.

Therefore, I'll suggest the resolution which Apple provides when you get your covers via the option Get Album Artwork in iTunes. I hope this is fine, as long as you do not use coverflow in full screen mode.

The dimensions are:

max. vertical: 600 pixels
max. horizontal: 600 pixels

If a cover is not square, then one size dimension has less pixels.


Can I have an Encrypted Partition in a 2 Partitions USB Stick?

Yes. It's pretty straight forward, to do so just:

Go to Applications / Utilities / Disk Utilities.
Select the USB device and click Partitions.
Choose the number of partitions you want and resize them as needed.
Choose the format of each partition and click *Apply.
Once mounted on the Finder, Control+Click the Mac OS Extended partition and choose Encrypt.
You'll be prompted  to choose a password. Enter it and click Encrypt Disk.
Wait. Unfortunately, there is no progress bar, so you won't know exactly how long will it take. I just did it with a 4 GB USB drive and it took from 5 to 10 minutes.

And it is done.


Insert references from Endnote into a Keynote presentation

From EndNote's documentation it seems they only support PowerPoint for Windows, not PowerPoint for macOS or Keynote. You could reach out to the developer of Endnote with a feature request.

From the website:

  Presentation support
  * Microsoft PowerPoint® for Windows 2007, 2010*, 2013*, 2016*

  *32-bit and 64-bit

As for Macintosh software supported, they do not list any presentation software.

Macintosh compatibility and system requirements from EndNote's support site.


characters in login screen replaced by question marks

The issue is due to missing fonts. (Where the system picks a poor choice to substitute for the “missing characters”). If you use font management software, be sure to reinstall or re-enable the system fonts.

  1. Run validations with Font Book

  Launch Font Book and press command-A to select all fonts. Then from
  the "File" menu select "Validate Fonts" and wait for the results in
  the font validation window. Keep in mind that even though you may find
  minor problems with your current fonts, its best to follow the saying
  "if it's not broken then don't fix it", and leave well-enough alone
  unless you're experiencing problems.

  2. Clear the font cache

  In OS X, fonts are handled by the Apple Type Server process, which
  stores commonly used fonts in a cache for quick access. If there is
  corruption in this cache then you may experience a variety of
  troubles. To clear the cache, in pre-Leopard versions of OS X go to
  the /Macintosh HD/Library/Caches/ folder and remove the
  "com.apple.ATS" file. After doing this, restart the system.

  For OS X 10.5 and later, you cannot easily access the user and global
  font caches, but you can use Apple's "atsutil" terminal command to
  manage the ATS process. Open "Terminal" and enter the following
  commands to clear the user (or global) databases and restart the
  server:

  atsutil databases -removeUser atsutil server -shutdown atsutil server
  -ping

  NOTE: Use "sudo atsutil databases -remove" instead of the first
  command to remove the database for all users.

  3. Avoid older font formats

  If you can, avoid ".dfont" and "Type 1 PostScript" fonts. This
  suggestion may depend on the requirements for various programs, but if
  you have an older font suite that you are thinking about installing,
  it may run into problems with newer programs so you might consider
  getting an updated version of the suite before installing. Granted you
  can always try, but there is the potential that older font formats can
  cause problems so we recommend you stick to the more modern ".ttf" and
  ".ttc" fonts.

  4. Manually clear out duplicates

  Font Book has an option to "Resolve Duplicates" (available in the
  "Edit" menu), but this is limited in functionality and may not remove
  the specific font duplicate which you desire to remove. As such, the
  best approach to managing duplicate fonts is to do it manually
  (tedious, but effective if done correctly). In Font Book, you can use
  the "Show Font info" option (command-I) to see information about a
  selected font, and especially where the font is located on your
  system. Doing this for your duplicate fonts will allow you to select
  which one to remove, either by removing it from its font folder, or by
  right-clicking it and selecting "Disable".

From: https://www.cnet.com/news/font-problems-and-management-in-os-x/


What is the maximum RAM size for MacBook Pro Mid 2012?

The Mid 2012 MacBook Pro can support up to 16GB of RAM by using 2 8GB kits. Both the Retina and non-Retina models (mid 2012) support 16GB of RAM.

Per EveryMac.com, you can have

I have personally used the Kingston KVR16LS/8 modules many times with great results.

Since, you said that you already upgraded your drive to an SSD, I assume you know how to remove the bottom cover to access the memory.


How do I permanently allow a website to access my location?

In your Safari preferences  > Privacy :

Select Prompt for each website one time only


Why are some tracks in my iTunes grayed out?

I finally found a solution to this. If you sort by song you can see a check mark next to most songs but the greyed out ones won't be checked. Just make all songs checked and they work again. Hopefully this helps you and others with a similar problem.


Lion installs a recovery disk by default on your computer, so you can troubleshoot and re-install the OS without having to download it again.

Simply start your computer while pressing Command+R. Your mac should now boot using the recovery disk, where you have several utilities to help you troubleshoot your computer, including the Lion Installer.

You can re-install Lion without erasing any of your files, which should be the way to go, though you also have the option to format your disk using Disk Utility before installing.

For more info, I strongly suggest you visit this link:

http://www.apple.com/macosx/recovery/

If your computer is slow, though, I suggest you check other stuff first. Check what apps are running in the background using the Activity Monitor (found under Applications > Utilities), and get rid/uninstall of any third-party unnecessary apps that might be using too much memory.

You should also have a look at the apps that open at login by going to System Preferences > Users > Login Items. Also check how much Disk Space you have left: If its less than 10-20% of the original I strongly suggest you clean up a bit.

Hope it helps!


Mac Mini locked through Find My iPhone, can't unlock it

When your computer gets locked this way, you need to hold down the option key while booting in order to get access to your computer.  You will select the drive it is on and then enter a password to unlock it.

In the case where that doesn't allow you to fix the issue, you may have an issue with your hard drive. When the folder picture appears in the way it does it can mean that the computer can't find the OS to boot.

This can be because of a few things:

It can't find the drive with the OS to boot

OS got corrupted
Part of the drive where the OS is stored has failed
The Hard Drive went bad or is failing
Worst case: The logic board is failing

You should have him hold down the option key while booting and see if it finds his hard drive, if it does, have him select it and see if it boots.  If that fixes it, great.

I would still have him see a Genius so that they can check his drive to see if it is failing.  If he is under warranty and it is failing, they pop a new drive in for him for free as long as the computer isn't physically damaged.

This has happened to me, the option key thing while booting got me around it until I could get my drive replaced at the Apple Store.

I hope this answer helps you out.


Is it possible to add an HTML Snippet to Numbers on OS X?

Not currently.

Numbers does not have a Safari or WebKit rendering engine to translate HTML, CSS and JavaScript so as to render content marked up for the Web.  This functionality is currently not supported in Microsoft Excel or even Google Sheets either.

See this similar answer related to Google Sheets on WebApps Stack Exchange.  The user there explains:

  Google docs won't actually render HTML, or execute any code pasted
  into it.


Time Machine backup to Synology NAS stuck on 'Waiting to complete first backup'

I've got a setup very similar to yours: a 480GB SSD and 1TB HD; both internal (718GB full backup reported in TM). I've been backing up to a DS213 successfully using AFP, and I'm setting up a DS418play using SMB. The Synology forums have conflicting posts regarding making TM work, including the one you reference. Another suggests TM has problems with DSM's SMB implementation, using SAMBA 4.4 (https://forum.synology.com/enu/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=139097). Nevertheless, I have both working for TM backups: AFP on the DS213 and SMB on DS418.

My working config seems the same as yours. Recommend you try these steps:

But, check your DSM SBM settings:
-> File Services -> SMB -> Advanced Settings

Max: SMB3; Min: SMB2
Transport Encryption: Auto
Enable Opportunistic Locking and SBM2 lease.
Enable SMB durable handles

Are you connected via Gigabit Ethernet vs wifi? Do this at least for first backup.
Reconnect to your NAS TM folder.

Turn TM OFF (stop auto backups)
Unmount the NAS TM drive
Restart Mac
Mount NAS TM drive: CMD-K, enter smb://NameOfNSA/tmFolderName
-- This name/folder should be broadcast via Bonjour from NAS
You should get login window: enter NAS TM user credentials (I
--I use a separate user for TM; Remember pwd in Keychain
Now Select this same "disk" in Time Machine prefs

If TM still won't complete, try..

Start over with NAS TM share

Turn off TM
Unmount drive
Remove the TM backup from DSM Shared Folders
Create a new TM backup using settings above
Restart Mac and setup TM as above

Try pruning down the size of your initial backup.

See if you can get a backup of just you SSD
Under TM Options, exclude your 1TB drive.
After successful backup completes, remove exclusion.
Backup again.

Even if this works, clone another backup of your drives. (TM is full of strange arcanery -- don't put all your eggs in one basket)

Update: I periodically see see an error saying "The networked backup disk does not support the required capabilities." In this case, reset the SMB Cache in DSM's SMB advanced settings. This will allow TM to back up again. For a while.


How can I re install Tiger without the original install or recovery DVDs?

You need to find Tiger DVDs in order to install the OS, friends and eBay (or its moral equivalent in your country) are a good place to start.


Is it possible to replace a whole keyboard on a MacBook?

Replacing an entire keyboard on a MacBook (Air or not) is a hard operation or a delicate operation if you just do the key caps. It is in the realm of possible, but almost never is it practical. The systems are designed to have the top case swapped out and over time, the battery is also becoming part of the top case in some cases as are the keyboard caps. Where they require delicate tools and glue / adhesive skills to replace parts other than the whole top case.

In every case I've seen, there is at least one difference (typically a handful of differences on the 82 or so keys) in the key cap physical size between a US model and a european model. Total replacement of keycaps isn't a viable option.

Apple doesn't sell key caps to end users, so you will want to look up a Service Provider to ask them what they would charge you to sell you the black replacement caps if you ordered a set for the US model of your Mac.

https://locate.apple.com

You'll also ask them how much the scissors underneath would cost (and how long parts take to arrive) in case you break the delicate plastic parts while removing the caps. My guess is you'll get many of the keys replaced easily for not a whole lot of money, but the special keys will be shaped in a way that you can't replace them.

Source: How to identify keyboard localizations

German (G):

US:


Clock icon next to some apps on macOS Mojave

Bug

Apparently, the icons where caused by an innocuous bug.

After restarting the Mac mini, the icons were gone.


Why does my mac lose internet when I connect my iPhone?

Goto Settings -> Networks and check that your connected iPhone is not first on the list.


Change colour of browser address/search bar

The Search Bar highlight colour is controlled by a System Preference.

System Prefs > General > Highlight color

This works for Safari & Chrome - though it also changes your highlight system-wide.


Is there a good Hotmail client for Mac OS X?

Pipe your hotmail through a Gmail account, either by forwarding everything from Hotmail to Gmail or by setting Gmail to download your Hotmail using POP.

Configure your Gmail to send using your Hotmail credentials.

Then access your Gmail in Mail.app via IMAP.


Print adressbook from iOS without computer

'A2Z Contacts' app does that. Free version allows printing 5 addresses, so you can try it out. Full version costs $1.99.


Oh, I kind of found Metal, but question still persists since I'd rather work with something more portable.

UPD: And yes, plaidml appears to have metal backend.


How to connect 2 external monitors to MacBook Pro 2015

With an MacBook Pro Early 2015 you can connect two display using Thunderbolt 2

  2x up to 3840x2160 on external displays via Thunderbolt 2

or one display using Thunderbolt 2 and a second one using HDMI

  1x single display up to 3840x2160 via Thunderbolt 2

  1x single 1080p
  display at up to 60 Hz, 3840x2160 at 30 Hz, or 4096x2160 at 24 Hz via
  HDMI

So in your case you need a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter for a second HDMI display. If you want to use display with a higher resolution you need to get another adapter (DVI, DisplayPort, etc.).


Heres where things get a little tricky.

Dropbox isn't an app tailored to your needs. It wasn't designed to edit PDF's or files, although, it can view them and that functionality can one day exist, but it's intent as a business is to offer customers a place to store their documents that can be accesabile across all their devices. With Apple, and developing for them, you are constrained to your app and it's bundle of resources. So for example, Dropbox. Dropbox is a application stored on the device, that can only write and save files to the applications bundle (think folder for bundle) and no where else on the device, this is for numerous safety precautions implemented by Apple. Makes sense. The drawback, is that the Developers have to make the features available that you want, not Apple. If the Developers want you to be able to edit the PDF then they have to explicitly code for that feature, otherwise they can share with extensions a file/document to another app that already does that. Again, since Dropbox is in the business of storing files that would be their motive to not allow. Things can change, you can always submit a request, but it's not that easy developing things, it takes a lot of work and man-hours.

So to answer your questions :

1 ) Yes - a copy is sent to the application you elect because, as stated before, an app can only directly effect the resources in it's bundle (app folder) on the device and no where else so Dropbox has no choice, it's an Apple regulated process.

2) The new file is stored in the other applications bundle

3) iCloud works similarly but not really. Since iCloud is developed by Apple they obviously have more freedom to do what they want. When you store a document in the cloud it stays there and you can manipulate it in the cloud, or download it to the device and manipulate there as well and re-upload it. Other apps can do this too, but they must code for it themselves, it's not just handed to them. Apps can take months to build and are a lot of work because of all these work-arounds, so don't take them for granted. I'm surprised stuff sells for just .99 cents when they have been in development for 12 months.

Your only alternative is to find an app that allows editing PDF's, and has a share extension for Dropbox, for now, submit a feature request to Dropbox in the mean time to let them know that it's a feature users want and will use and just wait.

EDIT I normally don't like to link to apps or other software but since it's within the realm of the question defined I will post a link to software similar to the goal you are trying to achieve, but as objective and unbiased as I can; I share no relationship with either app :

iAnnotate

PDF Expert5

Edits PDFs from Dropbox, so does numerous other third party apps, you will just have to find whats best suited for you.


What type of hash are a Mac's password stored in?


What happens if I interrupt a back-up from my laptop to my external hard disk?

If it's a Time Machine backup, no, you don't lose your progress if the backup is interrupted. The backup will continue from where it left off. The partial backup is kept in an .inProgress file.


Happy birthday Josh. My first thought is that your battery may have defaulted your system clock so you could try reboot, then make sure your clock retrieves the real time from Apple servers, make sure you set the correct timezone, then reenter your birthday on the calendar. Let us know how this turns out.


Can I globally change the cmd-Q shortcut to require holding for two seconds, like the option in Chrome?

Here's a partial solution for starters:

Preventing accidental quitting in Safari (or any specific application)

Simply set up an unusual keyboard shortcut for the "Quit Safari" menu item in Keyboard preferences.

This will disable the standard ⌘Q shortcut, so accidentally hitting it doesn't make a difference — and you have to think before you quit!

(Unfortunately, I haven't found an easy way to do this for every application, without entering each one manually.)


OSX/MacOS Search priority for app when opening custom extension

You can choose which application must handle a file type. And change the default application.

You can do it once:

Right mouse click on file
Open with...
It opens the file in the chosen application once.

Or you can decide which application must open all files for a particular file type.

Right mouse click on file
Get Info
Section 'Open with'
Choose the application you want to use for all files from this file type.
Press the 'Change All...' button


How to stop auto-replacement of hyphens with horizontal rule?

In the Edit menu, go to Substitutions, and uncheck Smart Dashes.


Shell command to count pages in a PDF (other than pdftk)?

You should be able to use mdls to view the metadata attributes for a PDF:

mdls -n kMDItemNumberOfPages "$i" | cut -c24-


You’ll need to step through the process manually using Disk Utility.

First connect the card and then don’t enter anything. Next open Disk Utility and then see if the entire disk is encrypted and how many volumes exist. You can also get this data from the command line:

diskutil list

Or the information tab in Disk Utility and perhaps the menu item to show all partitions. It’s possible you erased everything but it’s also possible that you just renamed the volume inside the encryption. It’s hard to guess without specifics and some back/forth between you and someone that knows disk partitioning.


eclipse RCP juno 64 bit crashes on Mac OS X

The problem was from extracting downloaded tar file. I used pathfinder for untar it, but something might be wrong. I used tar xvf and now everything works fine.


How can I increase spotify lock screen controls duration after pause?

I do not know of a way of increasing the time that the controls remain on the screen for. However, there is a quicker way to be able to resume playing, You can swipe up from the bottom of the lock screen, and get access to the play / pause controller. You do not need to authenticate to do this.

Hope this helps.


Mac app to show hard drive consumption/usage?

Disk Inventory X is a great tool for this. While its not a pie chart, it is a visual graph of your usage, as well as relative sizes to other files. Colors are also used to group like files together. I have used this a few times to find what was using up extra disk space.

Its free too.


The iPhone 5's front glass is part of the LCD screen, not as in the iPhone 4 where you could only change the back glass (I am almost sure that the front glass in iPhone 4/4S was also separate from the screen).

Therefore, must change the whole screen.


What can cause an application to be available for sale elsewhere and not in the USA?

You will want to review the regional settings for that SKU by logging into iTunes Connect.

This is documented at Apple's iTunes Connect Developer Guide

Scroll down to the part where it describes the following:

  Setting Territory Rights, Pricing and Availability

  On this page, you:

  Set the date when you want your app to go live on the App Store
  Schedule price tier changes for the future (by setting a price tier effective date and a price tier end date)
  (iOS only) Offer a discount to educational institutions buying in bulk
  Select the territories where you would like to make your app available (do nothing to have your app available worldwide)

  If you need assistance as you’re filling out the page, select the
  appropriate Help button (?) next to the field or refer to Table 7-2
  for the property descriptions. You can modify these settings at any
  time, including after the app is available on the App Store.

Also, before calling for help, be sure you didn't remove it from sale by setting a future availability date for that SKU:

  Important: Your app’s availability date ultimately determines if your app is live on the App Store or not. If your availability date is
  set to a date in the future, even if your app is Ready for Sale, it
  will not be live in the App Store until your availability date
  approaches.

I would assume there's a problem with your account in the case where you can't fix this immediately or the help doesn't work. In that instance, contact Apple directly at Developer Support for iTunes Connect


Mac Photos stuck on "Restoring... 0%" after Time Machine restore

I solved this with the following steps:

Restart in Safe Mode (Shift key held down).
Attached an external drive containing a clone I’d made the same day as the Time Machine backup.  I don’t remember if this clone was made with Super Duper or Carbon Copy Cloner, as I have both.
Copied the Photos Library from the external drive to the internal drive.  I made this copy with the ditto command in the Terminal.
Disconnected the external drive
Launched Photos, and verified the photos (in low-resolution) were present.
In Photos, set that just-copied Photos Library to be Primary.
Reboot normally
Waited about five minutes for all startup routines to complete
Launched Photos and enabled iCloud Photos
Verified I could access high-resolution versions of the photos (confirming iCloud connectivity).
Waited overnight for photos newer than the clone date to appear, which they did.


What are these accessories that came with my 1st gen iPod touch?

A dock adapter and a display stand.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/09/13/ipod_touch_unpacking_tour_and_first_look_photos.html


BootCamp Partition Error!! Help. Deleted EFI Partition

I have been able to salvage at least the OS X partition by accessing the Mac remotely via TeamViewer and restoring the old CoreStorage Logical Volume Group.

Here are the steps to recover the OS X volume:

Boot to Internet Recovery Mode
Attach a 16 GB thumb drive
Install a full system to the thumb drive. In Internet Recovery Mode the original system the Mac was delivered with is installed: Mountain Lion
After booting from the thumb drive and configuring an admin account the system was updated to El Capitan.
wxHexEditor (a raw disk editor) and TeamViewer (remote access) were installed.

After checking the disk with disktutil list, diskutil cs listand sudo gpt -r show disk0 the following picture emerged:

the disk had a MBR instead of a pMBR
a CoreStorage Volume was configured but the Physical Volume was corrupted - no Logical Volume Family and Logical were available.
No volume - neither OS X nor NTFS or recovery volume was working

To restore a GUID partition table the MBR had to be overwritten with

sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/disk0 bs=512 count=1

and a new GUID partition table had to be created:

sudo gpt destroy disk0
sudo gpt create -f disk0

added a new EFI partition:

sudo gpt -i 1 40 -s 409600 -t C12A7328-F81F-11D2-BA4B-00A0C93EC93B disk0

and copied the EFI of the thumb drive to disk0s1:

sudo dd if=/dev/disk1s1 of=/dev/disk0s1 bs=4m

Now I tried to determine if the main OS X partition was CoreStorage or non-CoreStorage with wxHexEditor:

In normal HFSJ volumes block 409640 and 409641 of the disk (=block one and two of the OS X partition) usually contain zeros and block 409642 the string "HFSJ" in the first 16 bytes. The first block of a CoreStorage contains some non-zeros - the next two blocks are equal to non-CoreStorage partitions.

Block 409640 had some non-zeros, so I assumed it was "corestoraged".

The end of a CoreStorage Volume Group can be determined by characteristic strings in plist-like invisible objects in the "administrative area" of the CoreStorage Volume Group.

The string "physicalVolumes" has four occurrences near the end of an LVG. The last occurrence is in the 8185th last block of the LVG. By searching for the strings with wxHexEditor the last block was determined.

With the example above that's 511246241792/512 + 8184 = block 998536000. The block number has to be divisable by eight for 512-disks.
With the last block of the LVG the second partition can be added with:

sudo gpt -i 2 409640 -s 998536000 -t 53746F72-6167-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC disk0

The broken volume reappeared. The disk was then verified and repaired as well as the volumes. It took several attempts to repair all errors of the volume. I didn't try to recover the Windows 7 partition.

The main volume was fully bootable. All data was backed up and the drive was re-partitioned. A new system was installed and the backup data was transferred with the Migration Assistant.


The prompt is the interactive mode of scutil which usually is invoked by the single command scutil without options. To quit the interactive mode enter quit at the prompt.

In your case you are simply using the wrong dash: probably the en-dash (UTF-8: U+2013 - e2 80 93) and a normal dash and your whole command is interpreted as scutil only.

Instead of sudo scutil –-set HostName doriath use sudo scutil --set HostName doriath!


Automator :: Remove 6 digit date from filename; append current date

This should do as you requested:

#!/bin/bash

today=$(date +%y%m%d)

for f in "$@"; do

    filebasename=${f##*/}
    filename=${filebasename%.*}
    path=${f%/*}
    ext=${f##*.}

    if [[ "$filename" =~ ^.*_[0-9]{6}$ ]]; then

        filename="$(sed -E -e 's/_[0-9]{6}$//'<<<"$filename")"

        newfilename="$filename"_"$today"
        mv "$f" "$path"/"$newfilename"."$ext"

    else

        newfilename="$filename"_"$today"
        mv "$f" "$path"/"$newfilename"."$ext"

    fi

done

Note that when used within a Run Shell Script action in an Automator workflow, you may need to add the full path to sed in the code provided, e.g.: /usr/bin/sed


I got purple border on my Photos app window

Enabling and disabling NSConstraintBasedLayoutVisualizeMutuallyExclusiveConstraints is safe. This feature allows developers to debug their application's layout problems.

Autolayout and Constraints

Constraint based layout is a mechanism Apple recommends developers use to craft their user interfaces. The mechanism is often called Autolayout in developer documentation.

Autolayout is tough to get right. It is possible to have constraints that conflict. Apple have added numerous features to help flag these conflicts and to help developer's fix them.

The NSConstraintBasedLayoutVisualizeMutuallyExclusiveConstraints flag is one such tool to aid developers.

Not Intended for Users

I presume you did not enable NSConstraintBasedLayoutVisualizeMutuallyExclusiveConstraints yourself. Preassuming this, it suggests Photos.app's engineers have an autolayout bug or that some other process has enabled this flag on Photos.app.

Either way, the purple interface was rightly concerning as a user. No user should ever see, or need, this debugging tool. Somewhere a mistake was made or a bug exists within OS X.

Safe to Disable

The suggested solution in the discussion thread deletes any value associated with NSConstraintBasedLayoutVisualizeMutuallyExclusiveConstraints. This is safe:

 defaults delete com.apple.Photos NSConstraintBasedLayoutVisualizeMutuallyExclusiveConstraints


This is because of a bug, shift + command + , is equal to the command that checks grammar/misspelled words (command + ;).
To fix it, follow this link to a guide, but as Application, select Notes, and as Menu Title, type Zoom Out, and in the Keyboard Shortcut field, do any key combination you like, log out of your user account, log in again, and you’re done...


You may open a second instance of an application by entering in Terminal.app:

open -n /Path/To/Application.app

Some apps (e.g. iTunes.app) don't open an additional instance.


How to know from which number a missed call came, if the caller has multiple numbers?

Seems like a bug introduced in IOS 9
To me this seems like a bug introduced in IOS 9 that should get fixed automatically in future.
For outgoing calls, it continues to highlight in blue the specific number among multiple numbers in the contact on pressing ⓘ in the recent contact list.
For missed calls, it has stopped highlighting in blue but it still continues to show the label (like iPhone, mobile etc. ) for the missed call number on the main screen having all recent calls.


What is a Secure Token and how do I get an admin users that has one

Just migrated to a new 2018 MacBook Pro, and somehow my original account (an admin user) was created without a secure token during the migration. I even tried creating a new admin user, logging into that user and trying to run sysadminctl -secureTokenOn justin -password - but getting:

2018-07-30 14:17:56.552 sysadminctl[886:18232] Operation is not permitted without secure token unlock.

So then I tried the following providing adminUser and adminPassword flags as my original user justin:

sysadminctl -secureTokenOn justin -password - -adminUser justin -adminPassword -
Enter password for justin :
Enter password for Justin K :
2018-07-30 14:31:05.262 sysadminctl[998:49031] setSecureTokenAuthorizationEnabled error Error Domain=com.apple.OpenDirectory Code=5101 "Authentication server refused operation because the current credentials are not authorized for the requested operation." UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Authentication server refused operation because the current credentials are not authorized for the requested operation., NSLocalizedFailureReason=Authentication server refused operation because the current credentials are not authorized for the requested operation.}

Essentially it seems since non of my users have a secure token, there is no way to grant a secure token. The only downfall is the following:

When I cold start the machine I have to enter a disk decryption password, which results in entering my password twice (once for disk decryption and once for the user account).

When I try to turn off FileVault by clicking the button nothing happens. The same behavior when clicking the warning button "Some users are not able to unlock the disk [Enable Users...]" nothing happens.


System Preferences - 'Allow the apps below to control your computer'. What is the extent of 'control'?

As you saw in your research, the accessibility api allows one app to control other apps on your computer, in much the same way you do with your mouse and keyboard. These apps can resize windows, click buttons, type words, copy and paste, etc.
If you want an app to be able to do any of these things for you, you will need to grant access to the accessibility api (ie, "allow it to control your computer"). If you'd rather it not have that ability, or if there's no reason for it to have that ability, deny access.
Zoom is an example of an app that I do not allow to use the accessibility API. It asks, but I don't know why, because there's no reason Zoom should ever need to click or type in my place.


Does the iPad mini warranty cover the charger?

Short Answer
Apple warrants all hardware for one year in general. Depending on where you purchased the hardware, your warranty coverage and service options may vary. If an Apple Store is convenient, make a genius bar appointment and bring your iPad, cable and charger in case the cause isn't just the adapter. If not, you can find warranty service options online: https://locate.apple.com
Explanation(Proof)
From Apple's Legal Support Page:

This Warranty does not apply: (a) to consumable parts, such as
batteries or protective coatings that are designed to diminish over
time, unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials or
workmanship; (b) to cosmetic damage, including but not limited to
scratches, dents and broken plastic on ports; (c) to damage caused by
use with another product; (d) to damage caused by accident, abuse,
misuse, liquid contact, fire, earthquake or other external cause; (e)
to damage caused by operating the Apple Product outside Apple’s
published guidelines; (f) to damage caused by service (including
upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a
representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider
(“AASP”); (g) to an Apple Product that has been modified to alter
functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple;
(h) to defects caused by normal wear and tear or otherwise due to the
normal aging of the Apple Product, or (i) if any serial number has
been removed or defaced from the Apple Product.

As you probably read, the quote above never mentions Apple branded accessories.

Apple Inc. of One Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California, U.S.A. 95014
(“Apple”) warrants the Apple-branded iPhone, iPad or iPod hardware
product and accessories contained in the original packaging (“Apple
Product”) against defects in materials and workmanship when used
normally in accordance with Apple's published guidelines for a period
of ONE (1) YEAR from the date of original retail purchase by the
end-user purchaser ("Warranty Period"). Apple’s published guidelines
include but are not limited to information contained in technical
specifications, user manuals and service communications.

Links
Legal Warranty


How do I upload my iPhone pictures/videos to my Windows Vista PC?

I just do it by connecting the iPhone, then opening the folder..

attach device, open it in explorer
open "Internal Storage" on device
open "DCIM" folder
open "800AAAAAA" (?) folder
drag and drop pictures and files from device to somewhere else on my computer


Logging camera access on OS X Yosemite and up

I'm not certain how you would do it natively, but by pure coincidence I discovered this today, from Obdev, the makers of Little Snitch.

  Micro Snitch

  Ever wondered if an application records audio through your Mac’s built-in microphone without your knowledge? Or if the camera captures video for no good reason?

  With Micro Snitch there’s no doubt anymore. This ultra-light menu bar application operates inconspicuously in the background. It monitors and reports any microphone and camera activity to help you figure out if someone’s spying on you.

  Logging

  Never miss any microphone or camera activity, even in your absence. Every status change is logged to a file, so you can review it later to find suspicious activities.

€3.99 direct, or also on Mac App Store showing at $3.99 US or £2.99 UK

No affiliation, & I haven't tried it myself; I'm just a satisfied user of Little Snitch.


Secure access to data while retaining convenience and performance

An encrypted disk image is useful to prevent anyone getting access to it unless you authorize it (by entering the password). Once you've authorized access to it, it's just another volume (disk) that's visible to the Mac and its users, just like any other file on your boot volume.

If you talk about other users, I assume you mean giving them access through network file sharing?

Now, you might have noticed that if someone connects to your Mac using file sharing, he has to enter your Mac's user name and password, right? Unless you allow Guest access, in which case anyone can connect as Guest. But Guests can only access certain shared (public) folders.

Now, you might also have noticed that you can create new users on your Mac, using the System Preferences, Users & Groups. If you create a new local user, he gets his own private folder area under /Users/. And now, if someone logs into your Mac, he can use either that new user name or yours. Eitehr will only give him access to that specific user's folders.

With that knowledge, you can now create a special user that only certain people may have access to. Tell them that user's name and password. Copy the to-be-protected files into that user's Documents folder. You can then also use Finder's "Get Info" on those files/folders to choose who has access to them, i.e. that the owner (that specific new user) can read, but not write. That way, no one can mess with the files, they're read-only. Make sure you apply these ownerships to all enclosed folders, using the gear icon in the Get Info window. Then test this and make sure that a remotely logged-in user can indeed only read but not modify those files.

Hope that helps.


Mount network share (AFP/SMB) for multiple users (fast user switching)

Setup your NAS to export a NFS-share. Refer to the Synology knowledgebase how to do this or use the following how-to to set it up, fine tune and secure your set-up.

You may do it manually in the command line also:
Let's assume your media folder is /Shares/Media. Create or edit a file named exports in /etc. The example below restricts the access to computers with an IP address in the range 192.168.0.1 - 192.168.0.254. You may have to restart your NAS or at least nfsd (nfs-daemon).

Linux/NAS file /etc/exports:

/Shares/Media 192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0(rw)

if you use a Mac Server use this line:

/Shares/Media -network 192.168.0.0 -mask 255.255.255.0

Edit /etc/auto_master on your Mac and add the line:

/-                                  auto_media

file /etc/auto_master:

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

and create a new file auto_media in /etc on your Mac

file /etc/auto_media:

/Media         IP-NAS:/Shares/Media

Please don't forget: all files mentioned above need a trailing empty line
enter sudo automount -vc in Terminal on your Mac with the output:

$ sudo automount -vc
automount: /Media updated
automount: /net updated
automount: /home updated
automount: no unmounts

/Media will now always be visible in the root folder of your Mac and accessible for both of you as long as the NAS is up & running. No Apple Script to mount it nor a Connect to Server needed.

(Set up and tested on a Server 10.7 (no Synology NAS, because i don't own one, but it shouldn't make a difference) and Client 10.9)