Is it possible for search terms to appear in the search bar of an iPad just from going to a "bad" website?

The search bar should only offer suggestions based on your website history, your bookmarks, or searches that you have typed in and hit enter for.

It won't scour the pages you have been to, looking for related terms.


APFS container size is same after resize

Strange! After shrinking and resizing again it's fixed now.

diskutil apfs resizeContainer disk1s6 128g

diskutil apfs resizeContainer disk1s6 0


How to 'unregister' a file type / MIME with launch services

Registering and unregistering apps and document types is done with:

/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister

To get help with the command simply use the h option.:

/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -h

In your case I would try to use the unregister option:

/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -u <path to bundle>

Depending on your app/bundle you may have to prepend a sudo and/or reboot afterwards.

Another step is to completely rebuild the launch services database:

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

and/or installing RCDefault.app and trying to remove the MIME/bundle/whatever - which is possible sometimes.


How do I make the Globe key disappear from the keyboard?

Under Settings > General > Keyboard > International Keyboards you've got a list of all the keyboard layouts available.
To remove the "Globe" key, you need to have only one keyboard enabled.


How to stop apps from opening my browser

For Google Chrome:

Quit Google Chrome.
With Finder selected, hit the Shift-⌘-G and enter the folder address

~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome.
Select the Default folder, and open the Preferences file in a text editor like Text Editor.
Search for the phrase “excluded_schemes,” which houses your list of protocol handler preferences in the text file.
Search for the offending protocol (like “itmss” for iTunes, or “slack” for Slack) and change its state from “true” to “false,” taking care not to remove any punctuation.
Save the file, and re-open Chrome.

For Safari:

I recommend for a tool NoMoreiTunes, a free Safari extension that stops iTunes or the App Store app from launching automatically when you visit a store page online.
To use the NoMoreiTunes extension, simply head over to the extension’s website and download the latest version.
Once downloaded, double-click on the extension file and Safari will detect and install it (you’ll need to verify the installation by telling Safari that you “trust” the extension).
With NoMoreiTunes installed, any time you navigate to an iTunes or App Store page in Safari, you’ll see a notification bar at the top of the window letting you know that the extension prevented the iTunes or App Store apps from launching. If, however, you’d actually like these apps to launch, you can click the button on the right side of the bar.


What happens when MDM vendor certificate expires?

If APNS certificate expires you have to enroll the devices. APNS certificates are valid only for an year.

Here is how you can renew APNS .

https://www.hexnode.com/mobile-device-management/help/renew-apns-certificate/


Does MacBook Pro 13" 2017 and 2018 with Touch Bar have the same bandwidth on all 4 ports?

Check this information I found on an article:

  "The 13-inch MacBook Pro (2017) without Touch bar has 2x full-speed
  Thunderbolt 3 ports / USB-C ports. The 13-inch MacBook Pro (2018) with
  Touch ID has 4x Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C ports and, with the 2018 model,
  all four of those ports are now full bandwidth."

I hope this answers your question.


Why does Time Machine only backup after a reboot?

Things to check:

Software Update (read the description to see if it fixes the issue
for your OS X 10.7 server)
Check if OS X 10.7 Server requires its Time Machine to be formatted
using Case-sensitive, Journaled Mac OS X Extended. Anecdotally,
I've always formatted my Time Machine backup as  Mac OS X
(Journaled) and Time Machines works fine.
Check the Permissions. Check that your OS X 10.7 Server user id has access to the USB partition.


Use hdmi equipped TV/projector as a Mac monitor

New MacBook Pros don't have mini DVI; they have mini DisplayPort. You'll need a mini DisplayPort to HDMI adaptor (third party; Apple don't make one), and it will need to also have an audio connector since mini DisplayPort doesn't include an audio signal.


Your first screenshot shows (I think) that you have configured Computer #1 with a manually entered IP address of 192.168.70.1. It's been a while since I played with this, but I dug into some of the details of Internet Connection Sharing a while ago - see an answer I wrote back in 2014 here: https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/135163/22953.

When Internet Connection Sharing is turned on on Computer #2, that machine will have two IP addresses - one for WiFi and one for Ethernet. Each will be in a different subnet. For example: WiFi gets 192.168.61.x, and Ethernet gets 192.168.2.y.

Computer #1 will need an IP address in the same subnet as the Ethernet interface on Computer #2... so 192.168.2.z.

When I wrote that answer in 2014, it seemed likely that the Ethernet subnet here would be 192.168.2, not 192.168.70. I think if you set Computer #1 to configure "Using DHCP" instead of "Manually", I hope it should be assigned an address like that automatically.


top alternative for GPU usage and networking

netstat : This command shows network status
iostat : This command displays information about CPU usage, and I/O statistics
vm_stat : This command virtual memory statistics

To my knowledge, there is no command to get GPU usage on macOS.


On iTunes for Mac, download all music from iTunes Match

To download all your music from iCloud:

Select all or select the tracks you want to download
Right click on the selected items
Click Download

NOTE: iTunes 12.2 does not have a "Download" option.  When you right-click on the selected items you will need to select "Make Available Offline" to download the items from iCloud


Set tag color of image in Preview with hotkey/keyboard shortcut

From the MacOS Documentation on this feature:

  Tag an open file: Hold the pointer to the right of the document title,
  click the arrow, click in the Tags field, then enter a new tag, or
  choose one from the list.


Applications gone from Dock. How to restore?

Hmm, depending on how precisely you formulated the question there are several possible answers:

The Applications folder is missing from the Dock

Navigate to Computer in Finder (Shift-Command-C)
Open local hard drive (usually called "Macintosh HD" or computername)
Drag the Applications folder to the Dock (near the end where the other folders and the trash are located)
Right-click the folder in the Dock and select show as folder

The Applications folder/link is missing from the Favorites list in any Finder window

Step 1 and 2 as above
Drag the Applications folder to the Favorites list

You are actually missing the Launchpad icon from the Dock

Step 1 and 2 as above
Open the Applications folder
Locate Launchpad and drag it to the Dock (near the beginning this time)


Early 2013 Macbook Pro with 4K: Picture quality?

From Everymac

  This model supports a simultaneous maximum resolution up to 2560x1600 on two external displays via Thunderbolt. Alternately, it can support a single display up to 2560x1600 via Thunderbolt and a single display up to 1920x1200 via HDMI.

2560x1440 native on a 27" screen is just fine for my old eyes - I've got 2 of them here (screens and eyes ;) so 2560x1600 ought to be OK, assuming it scales down nicely.

"Best" picture quality would theoretically be a native resolution of that, not scaled - but that wouldn't be future-proof; so you'd have to make that call.


How does one delete the error messages from XCode's Devices & Simulators window?

These errors don't persist beyond the session. Quit Xcode and relaunch, or unpair and reconnect the device.
If you resolve the error (e.g. unlock the device), the error should disappear, but if the error has appeared multiple times, it may only clear the last error. It's safe to ignore the older errors.


Using Node.js without admin rights - sh: node: command not found

The linked guide doesn't really help for macOS or Linux because of the different file & folder hierarchy compared to Winodws.

I recommend the followwing:

Download either the LTS or the latest version of node.js (both are direct download links!). Node.js download site: Downloads (no direct link).
Extract the node-v(ersion)x.y.z-darwin-x64.tar.gz and rename the resulting folder to node
Create a new folder bin in your home folder
Move the node folder to the bin folder
Add the following line to your .bash_profile:

export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/bin/node/bin"

There is no need to download npm additionally because it's already included in the node archive.

If you want to install a newer version simply download the new node-v(ersion)x.y.z-darwin-x64.tar.gz file, extract it and move its content to ~/bin/node/ replacing the old files and folders.


Why does iTunes ask me to verify an email account that's already verified?

Well, I haven't figured out what was causing the problem, but did find a way to solve it:

Go to the my account page for your Apple ID Account and click "Change Account Information".
Change your email address from the one you want to use to any other address (to be safe, it's probably preferable to use one you can access, but it's not crucial, as long as you can remember it easily, because you're going to change it right back.
Once it confirms that it's changed it, go right back in and change it back to the one you started with.

This will essentially "clear" the previous verification for the address, eliminating the disconnect where itunes wants you to verify, but you can't, because all the other apple clients know that you already have.  You'll get a fresh verification email, and (at least in my case) you'll be back in business.


Stuck Notes with a Midi Controller and GarageBand 10.0.1

Incidentally, this bug stopped happening in Garage Band 10.0.2; I can no longer reproduce it.


iPhone broken screen access with VNC (or anything)

You can use Quicktime on your Mac:

Connect your iPhone to your Mac.
Open Quicktime.
Select File > New Movie Recording.
Next to the record button, there is a downward pointing arrow, click on it and select your iPhone.
Your iPhone screen should show up.

This won't let you control your iPhone but at least you can see the screen.


How do I set a custom avatar for my account profile in Mountain Lion?

I haven't found a way to choose a photo from that popup dialog, but you can add one by dragging an image file onto the picture itself (that dialog may have to be closed for this to work).


How to subscribe to particular IMAP folders in Mac Mail

I had this same issue. I am using Mail version 8.2.

I found this to be a fix for me.

When I create a new account in Mac Mail, it shows the account name under "Inbox."

Under that account name are four folders - Sent, Drafts, Junk, and Trash.

You have to click on one folder at a time to highlight it, then in the top menu, select Mailbox > Use This Mailbox As > and select the correct mailbox (Sent, Drafts, Junk, or Trash).

When I did this, my Sent, Trash, Junk, and Draft folders that were under my email account name, moved under the "Main" Sent, Trash, Junk, and Draft sections. It took a second or two for them to sync to the server and not show a warning sign next to the folder name.

Under Mail > Preferences > Accounts > Advanced, I left the IMAP Path Prefix blank. I did change the Port from 143 to 993, checked the Use SSL box, and set the Authentication to Password. I used these settings because they match what my host provider provided me to use for my Incoming Server settings. I'm not sure this mattered or not.


Terminal Crash on Macbook Air 2011, Mavericks

Your PATH variable got contaminated by some irregular file content: either your git file in /etc/paths.d/, /etc/profile or ~/.MacOSX/environment.plist or all three are corrupted.

Use shiftcmdG in Finder to jump to each of the folders and check the content of them.

/etc/paths.d/ should contain a file git with the content /usr/local/git/bin. If you have installed other apps like X11 there may be additional files in paths.d - all containing paths.

The file profile in /etc/ should contain at least

# System-wide .profile for sh(1)

if [ -x /usr/libexec/path_helper ]; then
    eval `/usr/libexec/path_helper -s`
fi

if [ "${BASH-no}" != "no" ]; then
    [ -r /etc/bashrc ] && . /etc/bashrc
fi

The file environment.plist should look like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>PATH</key>
    <string>/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/git/bin</string>
</dict>
</plist>

The PATH string may contain other paths as well. The file may contain other keys - depending on other installs you have made previously.

If you have found irregular content in one of the files simply replace it with the content shown above. You have to be an admin to modify the first two files because they are root:wheel realm. If you use TextEdit or another text editor to modify them, be sure to save them as plain text and without file extension (i.e. .txt). You can ignore a missing ~/.MacOSX/environment.plist because it isn't supported in your environment (system version) anymore, besides you use some hacks.


How to deny the user the ability to upgrade the latest iOS version on iPad?

In a word, no.

It is not possible, either with Apple Configurator, or other MDM solutions, to restrict users from updating iOS when new versions are released.

Being able to update iOS without simultaneously being able to update apps (as can be set up using supervised iDevices in Apple Configurator) can lead to big problems, such as incompatible apps and lost data.


How to prefix an area code when dialing with iPhone?

It may not be a perfect solution, but what I do is store all numbers in my contacts with 1 and the area code. That way it dials appropriately no matter where I am (it doesn't change the billing details - a local call is still a local call, whether it includes the area code or not).

Also, maybe this is a carrier specific thing, but any texts I receive from numbers not in my contacts show up with the full +1(123)456-7890 formatting.


Limit application launching to boot disk only

I'd suspect you can only do this if each 'other' OS was set to never mount, via fstab - see Time Machine restore to new partition, different computer - & then clear the LaunchServices database [individually for each OS] using  Onyx


How do I determine when my Macbook pro was manufactured?

I'm always hesitant to recommend an app to do what a terminal command could do... but I cannot for the life of me find the terminal command to output the date of manufacture of any given Mac.

So...

I recommend the free app coconutBattery for this task.  It's a battery health monitor, and it happens to also show the date of manufacture of the Mac that it's running on.

Installation

brew cask install coconutbattery (if you use Homebrew) or download from the developer's site.


sourcing .bash_profile from .bashrc breaks macvim shell

According to https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11676026/macvim-shell-sh-only-displays-character-codes-escape-sequences the initial ?1034h characters are the colour codes I've set up in my .bashrc.

When calling echo $TERM from macvim the result is dumb. It looks like the terminal is unable to interpret certain escape sequences.

Details on how to adjust the .bashrc to accommodate (taken from  https://stackoverflow.com/a/11676355/783836):

  If you would like to use a color prompt on the command line, but not
  in MacVim you can fix this in ~/.bashrc by setting PS1 differently
  when inside vim (from [here][1])

if [ $VIM ]; then
        export PS1='\h:\w\$ '
fi


Seeking improved fixed-width font rendering in Kindle for Mac reader

Is it any better if you use the Kindle Cloud Reader (read your Kindle books in a web browser)?

https://read.amazon.com/


Changing modifier keys from the command line

Changing preferences and running, defaults -currentHost read -g shows you what changes are being written. I was going to write up a short bash script to automate it, but it looks like I was beaten to the punch:

#!/bin/bash

mappingplist=com.apple.keyboard.modifiermapping

if [ $1 == "emacs" ]; then
    echo "Switching to emacs modifiers"
    defaults -currentHost write -g $mappingplist '(
                {
            HIDKeyboardModifierMappingDst = 4;
            HIDKeyboardModifierMappingSrc = 2; },
                {
            HIDKeyboardModifierMappingDst = 12;
            HIDKeyboardModifierMappingSrc = 10;
        },
                {
            HIDKeyboardModifierMappingDst = 2;
            HIDKeyboardModifierMappingSrc = 4;
        },
                {
            HIDKeyboardModifierMappingDst = 10;
            HIDKeyboardModifierMappingSrc = 12;
        })'

else
    echo "Switching to default modifiers"
    defaults -currentHost delete -g $mappingplist
fi

  The script takes one argument, if the
  argument is emacs, then it swaps
  command and control, if the argument
  is anything else it restores the
  defaults.

  http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=949280


Deleting contacts from "All iPhone" also delets them from "All Exchange"?

All iPhone [or All iCloud if you have that set up] is the 'master list'.
All contacts are in that list.

All other lists are sub-sets of that.
Anything not in any sub-set will only appear in the master list.

If you delete something from the master list you are also deleting it from any & all sub-sets.


How to replace missing root and intermediate certificates in Mac OS X v10.8

One should never delete a Root Certificate.

And you should never delete a Root Certificate that has been Marked as Invalid before its expiration Date has been reached.

There was a reason why it was marked as invalid.

Mostly because the Issuer of the Certificate mark it as invalid (this could have been done because he got hacked or whatever could have compromised his Root Certificate).

Now you/your Browser don't have the Root Certificate so you/your Browser aren't able to validate any Certificate which is trusted by this Root.

So it depends on the Browser and how it handles Certificates of a Root it doesn't know.

If the Browser acts correct he will show you each Certificate based on this Root as invalid but some Browsers (at least in Past) didn't handle this correct and would have shown Certificates without a Root they know as valid.


Can a multi-output device have an input?

Ah, I actually found a workaround. My music software (Reason) allows you to wire up the audio output to any channel on the device. Because I created an aggregate with the input and the two outputs, I could split the audio and wire it to the output channels for both the real sound card (for monitoring) and the virtual one (for capture by OBS). It works, and there's no latency.


How to install GIMP resynthesizer on Mac OS?

There are currently two relatively easy ways to get to this plugin. "Easy" as in "still a pain", just like the other, third and fourth option.

The batteries included approach, as recommended b resynthesizer: download a build from GIMP on OS X. Sadly development seems to have stopped about a year ago. Currently the latest version is 2.8.12 built for Sierra. (Original website no longer active as of May 2019. On Sourceforge the version recommended by Resynthesizer Gimp on OSX Gimp-2.8.18p1-Sierra.dmg 2017-01-08)
The 'some plugins already included approach: download a binary from Partha, Photography and Related Musings. Does not include the resynthesizer plugin itself but has recent builds against which building the plugin itself is a bit easier. Latest builds available. Currently at McGimp 2.10.8 Standard Edition (2019).
Use the help of MacPorts to build everything GIMP from scratch/source including all build-dependencies and then  go to GIMP Resynthesizer Plugin Suite and build that as well from source.
Install the official or any other binary for GIMP as usual on macOS, then install a virtual machine and a Linux in that, with GIMP and the resynthesizer plugin ready-made to play well from a package repository. Use that for the Enhance filters (if you work exclusively in the Virtual Machine you might of yourse skip the macOS part of installing GIMP)

That said, its probably easiest (and a huge hassle) to just install two versions of GIMP, like in the 4th option. A recent one without the plugin but all the latest core features, and either an older GIMP with plugin, or the GIMP on VM route.


Can you stream podcasts from the server to the iPad or iPhone?

Yes - It's as simple as posting a sound file to the web server and iOS devices can stream it easily. It's more about setting the video settings for streaming hinting than a setting on server.

This is a supported function of Lion server since it provides the tools you need to create and self-publish podcasts.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/server/features/all.html#podcasting

As to the https errors, make sure your iPads have a profile that trust the certificate you have loaded into the web server and don't warn you when browsing the general web server using https.

Troubleshooting server is challenging in a Q&A format, but depending on your definition of "streaming" this works once Lion server and the client trust each other for normal podcast downloading.

You might try uploading an episode to the wiki and see if you can rule out the problem for your setup.


The log says it all: The script cannot write to the file /usr/local/var/mysql/xxx.local.err due to insufficient permissions.

I assume the log file belongs to a dedicated mysql user while you are starting the process using your user account.


Why is Homebrew lynx configuration not in my home directory

It's by design. According to the Homebrew homepage:

  Homebrew won’t install files outside its prefix and you can place a Homebrew installation wherever you like.

According to the lynx man page:

  LYNX_CFG            This variable, if set, will override the default
  location and name of  the  global  configuration  file  (normally,
                         lynx.cfg) that was defined by the LYNX_CFG_FILE constant in the userdefs.h file, during installation.

In some linux distribution, the constant LYNX_CFG_FILE in set to ~/.lynxrc (as I remember) but in Homebrew  this constant is left to its default value. You can check it with brew edit lynx. If you want to change the location of the lynx configuration file, you have, as you tell, to set:

export LYNX_CFG=~/.lynxrc


Bidirectional Sync of iPhone/iDevice Photos and Albums to Third Party Clouds

Try Unbound app. It uses dropbox to allow you to organize your photos on your ipad. So you can move, delete and rename photos on your iPad and the changes are synced back to your dropbox.

I tried it and liked it, but I don't use it, because all the managing functions (move, delete, rename) only work, when you are online.


I have replaced my hard drive in mac book pro with SSD drive - Can I use that hard drive to replace the optical drive and have 2 disks?

If you have a unibody (black keyboard) MacBook Pro, then yes, you can totally use the old hard drive to replace the optical drive. In fact, I'm writing this post on a MacBook Pro with that exact set up :)

You'll need a caddy indeed. I'm using an OptiBay, which works fine. You can find cheaper alternatives on eBay, but I'm not sure how well they fit. However non-unibody (silver keyboard) MacBook Pros use PATA for the optical bay, and thus this won't work unfortunately.


Wi-Fi can’t be turned on (MacBook Pro 2011, High Sierra 10.13.4)

Google's answer to "wifi no hardware installed mac"

This OSX Daily article from 2016 suggests that you need to reset your NVRAM and the SMC to solve the problem.


If you can't play music either or listen to voicemails (to check the receiver and the speaker) then you have a hardware or software issue.

If you can play music and listen to voicemails, then you have a software issue or a configuration/setting mismatch with what you want the device to do.

Hardware issue - usually starts with eliminating software issues, but in this case observing the headphone port for damage might be a great quick fix.

Software issues, back up the device and test after restoring it and verifying the settings.


I would suggest running opensnoop while running the system_profiler command.

I just did that, and with the full detail level as you have it there are over 25,000 files that are being read by system_profiler. It looks like it is reading plist files to get the output as well as reproducing various system logs.

If you stop md or restore from TimeMachine the output will change.


How can I iterate through a folder and move/copy every Nth item

The quickest way is to use bash and awk syntax in your Terminal.app

for file in `find /SOURCE/DIR -type f | awk 'NR %10 == 0'`; do echo mv $file /DEST/DIR ; done

for statement introduces the bash loop, to iterate through a set of data where file is the variable.

find parses the /SOURCE/DIR for that which is specified.

| acts as a pipe, passing stout from find back to stdin

awk interprets stdin and prints only lines meeting the conditions specified by 'NR %10 == 0’

NR is an awk built-in variable that specifies the record/line number to be evaluated.
% is a numerical operator telling awk that the following character(s) must be treated as such.
== is relational operator for must be equal to..
0 is the binary expression for TRUE

So, that’s all fancy for  "find every 10th file that exists in this directory and output it;

do introduces the action to perform on the output.
echo is used to double check the command, the results of which will be printed to stout. If all looks well, remove it and perform the action (mv, cp)
mv is a built in bash command to take one file and move(or rename it).
cp is another built in bash command to mv one file from one dir. to another while preserving the original. You can directly substitute cp for mv if you wish to preserve the contents of the original directory.
$file references the file variable that has now been defined.

So, that’s all fancy for tell me what happens when I…(echo) “move (or, copy) all the files specified by the previous parameters to this other directory;”

done

That’s all fancy for telling bash to terminate the loop since you’re done :)


macbook mid 2010 white 13.3" running high sierra has half chance to boot

What you don't say is how the system behaved before you installed/reinstalled High Sierra. That would be vital information along with what was on it before.

That said there could be a lot of things going on.

Damaged/corrupted OS install
Damaged/corrupted HDD
Other hardware problem including failing RAM or other failing component

What you are going to need to do if you want further help is to fill in the blanks by editing your original post (don't add a comment edit the original) so we can better be able to assist you.


MacBook Pro running Linux - only 3.6 GB RAM available

Some of the memory is used by the hardware -- for example, most MacBook Pros have 256MB of main memory used by the graphics adaptor. OS X knows about this and can account for it, but Linux doesn't. Your Linux installation has access to all of the available memory.


Skype with bluetooth headset on MacBook Pro

In Skype's Audio/Video preferences you need to see the microphone and speaker source to the BlueTooth headset in order for Skype to use them. So CMD-` to open Skype preferences, click the 'Audio/Video' tab icon and then check your settings.

In my own Skype install you can see I have to set it to use my Plantronics .520 headset if I want to use that for input or output:


Kernel_task boosts CPU to 300%-500% (Yosemitte MBP 2011 without a battery)

One troubleshooting step is to see which files are being modified while kernel_task is consuming 500% CPU. In Terminal:

  sudo fs_usage -f filesys

You will see a lot of files fly by. Just scroll up to get an idea of what files are being written or read.


How do I use spell check in OSX with several languages?

Go to system preferences/keyboard/text/spelling and click on the window and go to the Setup item.  Then check the boxes for only the two languages you want and set it to Automatic.  Also set the dictionary to Automatic in Edit > Spelling and Grammar > Show Spelling and Grammar.

I suspect this works better for separate sentences or paragraphs in different languages than for different languages in one sentence.


Why don't I see a Messages icon in iCloud.com?

The iCloud.com web interface doesn't provide a Messages web app. In other words, iMessage can only be accessed from the app on your iOS device or Mac. From Apple's Messages in iCloud support page:

You can use Messages in iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, and Mac. For your privacy, Messages in iCloud is end-to-end encrypted, which means you can't view or access Messages online via browser.

Moreover, iCloud only provides recovery options for deleted contacts, calendars, reminders, web bookmarks and reading list, and files, per Apple's support document on restoring deleted iCloud content. It is, therefore, not possible to recover deleted iMessages from iCloud in this manner.
If you have a backup of your phone with the messages in question (either to iCloud or your computer), you could restore your phone to that backup to recover the messages. Be aware, however, that restoring to a backup will reset your entire phone to its state at the time when the backup was made. If you have a local backup of your phone (i.e., one made through iTunes or Finder), there exists third-party software for Mac that may allow you to extract contents (e.g., messages) of the backup without restoring it; it is worth vetting such tools carefully, however, and I'm not familiar enough with the available options to provide a recommendation here.


ERROR! MySQL server PID file could not be found!

Starting and stopping the MySQL server via Preferences Pane/launchd and on the other hand via sudo /usr/local/mysql/support-files/mysql.server start/stop are not really compatible.

After choosing "Launchd Support" in the MySQL installer the launch daemon com.oracle.oss.mysql.mysqld will be created and the MySQL preferences pane uses the launchd mechanism to start and stop mysql. If you enable "Automatically Start MySQL Server on startup", mysqld is enabled automatically after starting your Mac.

The pid file's name created by the launch daemon is not compatible with the one created and expected by the mysql-server script.

The launch daemon's pid file name created while running is mysql.local.pid, the script expects a name based on your Mac's hostname, .local or computer name though.

So either use the MySQL pref pane/launchctl or the script to start and stop mysqld.

To some extent you can make both methods compatible by modifying the file com.oracle.oss.mysql.mysqld though:

After stopping mysql replace the array

<array>
    <string>/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysqld</string>
    <string>--user=_mysql</string>
    <string>--basedir=/usr/local/mysql</string>
    <string>--datadir=/usr/local/mysql/data</string>
    <string>--plugin-dir=/usr/local/mysql/lib/plugin</string>
    <string>--log-error=/usr/local/mysql/data/mysql.local.err</string>
    <string>--pid-file=/usr/local/mysql/data/mysql.local.pid</string>
</array>

by

<array>
    <string>/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysqld</string>
    <string>--user=_mysql</string>
    <string>--basedir=/usr/local/mysql</string>
    <string>--datadir=/usr/local/mysql/data</string>
    <string>--plugin-dir=/usr/local/mysql/lib/plugin</string>
    <string>--log-error=/usr/local/mysql/data/$name.err</string>
    <string>--pid-file=/usr/local/mysql/data/$name.pid</string>
</array>

with $name: either HostName (e.g. host.example.com), LocalHostName (e.g. host.local) or ComputerName (e.g. host). Probably the best is to use a hostname. You may get a hostname with hostname with scutil --get HostName or set it with sudo scutil --set HostName your_hostname.

You can also get the actually used mysql-server script pid's name - after stopping the launch daemon and starting mysqld with mysql-server start-  by checking mysql's data directory with sudo ls /usr/local/mysql/data. Use the name found there to adjust the plist's pid name.

You may have to convert the launch daemon file to xml to edit it. The app TextWrangler opens it as xml file immediately.

Reload the plist with launchctl afterwards.

Now should be able to start and stop with the MySQL pref pane and the mysql.server script.

If you have enabled "Automatically Start MySQL Server on Startup", you can't stop the server – even after modifying the plist – with the script because launchd overrides any stop command after a few seconds and launches mysqld again.


The free vs. inactive memory ratio on a Mac with 16 GB RAM has me concerned

Free memory has nothing in it. Inactive memory caches recently used information just in case the system might use it again. This is especially beneficial for file storage.

The system only needs a tiny amount of free memory so the program asks for memory to be allocated it doesn't have to page some other active memory out to disk and cause that program to stall momentarily while the virtual memory system is doing housekeeping. The overhead for the system to release inactive memory is almost immeasurably short so worrying about a large amount of that memory is generally not worth your brainpower to even think about it.

In summary:

Inactive memory: this is always good, it makes the system fast.
Free memory: any more than 200 MB is a waste, so the system will keep adding files and/or code to inactive memory until free memory hits a low-water benchmark based on a few factors.

What you describe seems perfectly normal for a system that has been recently booted and doesn't seem to me to be anything of concern. VMware fusion or Parallels clearly has need to access a lot of files when running Windows 7 and they are likely to be the reason for your large amount of inactive memory.

If, however, you wish to diagnose what is using memory, the sysdiagnose program will run several memory allocation utilities and saves the results to a directory.


If I buy an iPhone 5s, will I still be able to go on the appstore and download apps?

Yes, the App Store is certainly supported on the iPhone 5S.

Note that the iPhone 5S does not supported the just released iOS 13 release. This means that apps that require iOS 13 or later won't be installable on the iPhone 5S. For the moment, only very few apps require iOS 13.

If an app does require iOS 13, and is not available for download, usually the publisher will let older versions of the app that does not require iOS 13 to be available for download on those older devices.

The app you mention (Scrivener) only requires iOS 9 - so it's not going to be a problem for you to download and run this app on the iPhone 5S. In the future it might be that you cannot update to the latest version of the app, if they release a version that requires iOS 13 though.


How do I set permissions on a directory so that all files created there will be read/write/execute for everyone?

Right click the directory or Command + I after clicking on it, there will pop up a window like this.

Clink on the padlock in lower right corner and type your password. Now you can change permissions for this directory. If you want everyone to be able to read and write, click on the privilege provided to Everyone and there will appear a dropdown menu from which you can choose what permission to provide.

I hope that helped.


There should also be logs in /usr/local/mysql/data. You'll have to "sudo su" from a Terminal session in order to see that directory. Check for any errors being reported in a filed named like this: "Your-computer-name.local.err"

Report back whatever you see that doesn't make sense.

You can also check out the startup script to make sure there are no errors. Find that here: /Library/StartupItems/MySQLCOM/MYSQLCOM


Is it possible to have multiple filevault2-activated partitions on one disk?

It looks like probably not, based on a few search results :(

http://macs.about.com/od/LionTipsNtricks/ss/Filevault-2-Using-Disk-Encryption-With-Os-X-Lion.htm says:

  FileVault 2 [...] only encrypts the startup drive. If you have
  additional drives or partitions, including a Windows partition created
  with Boot Camp, they will remain unencrypted.

This thread, however, is a bit encouraging: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5644065

On page 2, someone links to https://github.com/jridgewell/unlock which might be useful. That is, you might be able to set up a pre-login step to unlock additional volumes.


Strain relief of MagSafe cord and safety

Frayed jacketing represents a potential fire hazard if the wires themselves become exposed and overheat, short, and/or arc. Provided only the jacketing is frayed, you could use electrical tape to provide protection to the internal wires or you could add a sleeve or heat shrink tubing.

A safe answer is to order a replacement from Apple in order to protect yourself, your device, and your property.


Startup disk has no more space available for application memory?

I've seen that message in programs like Photoshop that have their own virtual memory systems rather than just assuming the OS can handle RAM and memory allocation.

A reboot should clear things up. (safe mode boot might be nice if you want to run a full disk repair pass and then reboot normally)


That flashing icon appears because of 2 cause/reasons

If there is some loose connection between physical drive and motherboard
If file system of OS is damaged

And according to your question i think your problem is of second type. I think you can probably try to zappram(reset RAM) when your system boots press Command+Option+P+R keys, you will then hear the Mac reboot sound(chime) again.

Now press option key wait for some time till system reads DVD contents. Now click on reload or refresh icon if you are lucky than you'll be able to see boot from DVD option


The other answer seems to be correct about the file system being HFSX*, but on being case-insensitive (other answer since edited to correct), I found that not to be the case in the book Mac OS X and iOS Internals. On page 23 it says:

In iOS, being the case sensitive HFSX by default, case is not only
preserved, but allows for multiple files to have the same name, albeit
with a different case. Naturally, case sensitivity means typos produce
a totally different command or file reference, often a wrong one.
[emphasis above is mine]

Since that didn't agree with the other answer, I sought confirmation.  I loaded a sample iOS project I was working on and changed the name of the database to only differ by case.  After running the app on my iPad mini (iOS 6.1) to re-create the database, I went into iTunes and looked at the files under File Sharing for the application.  Here's what I saw:

So, it would appear Mac OS X and iOS Internals is correct: case is preserved and allows for multiple files to have the same name.
Interestingly, when I selected both files in iTunes' File Sharing and clicked "Save to..." my desktop, I did not get any warning.  iTunes apparently "saved" both files to my desktop, but only the initial-uppercase version survived (presumably overwriting the initial-lowercase version of the file.)

* 2017 Update to Apple File System (APFS):
As of iOS 10.3, released on March 27, 2017, iOS now uses the new Apple File System (APFS), said to be "optimized for flash and solid-state drive storage, with a primary focus on encryption."
APFS was announced at WWDC 2016 and there is a WWDC video titled Introducing Apple File System, and an Apple File System Guide for developers. The features section of the guide may be of specific interest.


What are your favorite menulets (or Menu Extras as Apple calls them)?

Caffeine

Caffeine is a tiny program that puts an icon in the right side of your menu bar. Click it to prevent your Mac from automatically going to sleep, dimming the screen or starting screen savers. Click it again to go back. Right-click (or ⌘-click) the icon to show the menu.


RAM module compatibility between two similar MacBook's


How to check if MacBook battery is genuine?

You can't be sure unless you buy it from a Premium Reseller or an Official Apple Store. The difference in price makes me think that this is one of the many fake ones around.

My golden rule on this:
If it looks to good to be true, it most likely is.


How do you erase pictures from the Photo Stream album on an iPhone running iOS 5?

EDIT

As of March 7th 2012 you can now delete individual photos from Photo Stream if you are running iOS 5.1 or iPhoto 9.2.2

Believe it or not, it seems you can't delete individual photos from iOS5 Photo Stream.   It seems you'll need to wait for them to scroll off as Photo Stream just holds your most recent 1000 pics.  Deleting a picture from Camera Roll has no effect on the photos on Photo Stream.

According to this page:

  iCloud manages your Photo Stream efficiently so you don't run out of storage space on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. If you have Photo Stream enabled on your iOS device, every single photo you take appears in a special Photo Stream album that holds your last 1000 photos. You can't edit or delete photos from your Photo Stream. If you want to touch up a photo or keep a favorite shot permanently, simply save it to your Camera Roll. iCloud stores new photos for 30 days, so you have plenty of time to connect your iOS device to Wi-Fi and make sure you always have your most recent shots handy.

So unless you delete it before it's uploaded to the cloud, you need to follow the procedures below.  You need to reset your Photo Stream from iCloud.com or turn off Photo Stream within iOS5 on your device.

Turn off Photo Stream in iOS5:

Settings > iCloud > Photo Stream
Switch off and then back on to clear Photo Stream on this device
Repeat for each iOS5 device

Reset Photo Stream on iCloud.com

Sign into iCloud.com
Click on your name in the upper-right corner
Click on 'Advanced'
Click 'Reset Photo Stream' to remove all Photo Stream pictures from iCloud


Basic autocompletion is built into macOS.  For example, you can type bjbk@ to get bjbk@example.com or similar.

Go to System Preferences... (From  Menu or your Dock or Spotlight)
Go to Keyboard
Select Text tab
Click the + button
Add text to replace, followed by the text you wish to replace it with.  The shortcuts work in most applications. (Tested MS Office and others on my system. OS X 10.10.x; Office 2011 v14.5.x)

Alternative to built in text replace:
aText (not free but very inexpensive) on the App Store is a great 3rd party alternative too.  Great for code completion or adding dates, times, etc.  (I am on no way affiliated with the developer, just a user.)
UPDATE:
Developer's note on the App Store version.

About Mac App Store version.
aText Mac App Store version can no longer fully work on OS X 10.11 El Capitan and later because of new App Sandboxing restrictions. This is not fixable.
If you purchased aText on Mac App Store, please switch to non-MAS (non sandboxed) version for free.


You can find the default version by looking in the manual:

man clang

It states:

  The default C++ language standard is gnu++14.

This is basically the same as C++14, but with some GNU specific extensions.

The way to change the default setting when used "standalone" (i.e. without an Xcode project, Makefile or similar) is actually to make a shell alias. There's no clang configuration file where you can change the default - you'll need to recompile the compiler to change it.


This depends on shell configuration and the exact terminal involved; most things support XTerm Control Sequences though terminals can be configured to deny the use of those escape sequences. What Linux systems often have is shell configuration (usually under /etc/profile.d) that automatically runs the escape sequence to set the title to the hostname. This can also be done manually:

printf "\033]2;this is a test\007"

which should set the title

if not, you'll need to configure the terminal to allow that escape sequence, which will be under the preferences or in a configuration file somewhere, depending.

This can be done automatically from a shell configuration file by generating the appropriate escape sequence with the hostname (or whatever other data you might want):

printf "\033]2;%s\007" $(hostname)


Do location-aware apps work on the iPod touch?

Yes. The "location services" work the same way on all iOS devices, while the specifics of how that data is obtained are hidden from the application.

This Apple support article might be helpful to you:

iPhone and iPod touch: Understanding Location Services


I figured this out finally. It had to do with the hardware switch on the side of the iPad was set to rotation mode.

When I changed back this hardware switch to function as the mute switch then I could un-muted my iPad and all apps started to function normally. Then I could change back the hardware switch to become the rotation lock-unlock switch.


How to download Xcode header files for Mac OS Catalina?

After installing Xcode 11.5 on my Catalina Mac, I found many of the standard /usr/include C headers in: /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX.sdk/usr/include/


Audio player for transcribing and taking notes of meeting recordings

I finally ended up using VLC player which provides (non-global) shortcuts for the required functions (e.g., ␣ for play/pause, ⌘+⌃+← for a very short backward skip).

I then used BetterTouchTools to allow invoking these shortcuts globally by adding new keyboard shortcuts that use the action send shortcut to specific app to forward the custom-defined global shortcuts to VLC.


Keyboard shorcut to switch focus between displays on Mavericks

I have always used the ⌘ + TAB keyboard shortcut to switch focus between applications.  It should not matter if an application is on a different screen for this shortcut to work.


Remove all the apps that your son installed from the App Store (in other words, every app on the phone that’s not a part of iOS) , and then install the apps that you want using your own App Store account.


Efficiently organize 100s of externally stored ebooks within iBooks for iPad without doing it manually in collections?

Managing ebooks with iTunes is a horrific experience for the user.  If you are willing to adjust your expectations, Calibre does a good job, but it lacks polish.  You may find it doesn't work the way you expect, but with some patience you may find it does what you want (and more!)


The Broadcom chip that controls the Wi-Fi connection has been known to be faulty in the iPhone 4s. I'd take it into a repair shop, as the fix requires the solder to be melted under the chip with a heat gun and it is very easy to mess it up.

You can see the details of the repair on this iFixit guide.


How to cut a file from my USB drive and paste it elsewhere in Finder on Mac OS X 10.6.8?

Use CmdC to copy, then OptCmdV to paste in a new location and delete from the original location.


Deleting the ._* files from a mounted volume kinda screwed some things up

The symptoms you describe are the signs of a corupted filesystem, which is the
usual fate of frequently used USB key.

Make a backup of your USB key,
and run an fsck or Disk Utility on your file-system.

I even advise you to completely check it with:

• full backup,

• full secure erase with one pass of 0 (to be sure to write on all blocks),

• make a new FS,

• recover from backup.

Your find doesn't cause any trouble, since -exec argument isn't evaluated by a shell, you dont have to protect it against evaluation.


osx - launchagent vs cronjob vs calendar alarm

Prefer launchd
For non-graphical scripts, launchd is Apple's preferred approach.
cron is available but no longer recommended by Apple. This is for energy efficiency reasons as cron checks every minute for due tasks.
In comparison to cron, launchd's time based trigger is limited but this allows launchd to reliably calculate an absolute date and time of future events. Knowing these dates, launchd can remain idle until they arrive.
Calendar.app's alarm is useful for graphical scripts, such as AppleScript and Automator. For this to work, your Mac must be logged in and awake.
Graphical versus non-graphical scripts
Graphical scripts are those that interact with running Mac applications. These applications are assumed to have windows and a user interface. This means they require a graphical user session to work – and thus a user must be logged in for the application to be launched and kept running.
Graphical scripts include AppleScript and Automator.
Non-graphical scripts are those that limit their actions to command line tools and processes. They do not require a user to be logged in. The computer only needs to be awake for the script to complete its task.
Non-graphical scripts include shell scripts and command line tools.
Waking or powering on for a script
None of the built-in tools will power on or wake your Mac to perform your script. You will need a third party tool, such as Power Manager for this. I am affiliated with Power Manager, so feel free to get in touch with any questions.


How to move files to pendrive (NTFS/FAT)?

FAT32 is generally a good choice as just about everything supports it. You may run into a problem with FAT32 though. It's maximum file size is 4GB, which might be an issue with some movie files, and the maximum volume size is 32GB.

If those limitations are acceptable that would be my recommendation.


How to prevent/reduce DVD-R burning errors

Try burning the DVD at the lowest data rate possible - the higher the burn speed, the more likely you might get burn errors.

I normally burn at 4x and have never had a problem. Though if your drive is having a problem, a lower rate will help (eg 1x)


How do I use iMessage when my number is disconnected?

Go to the deregister page at:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203042

You can also change the send as "caller ID" portion for sending new messages in the Settings App -> Messages -> Send & Receive -> Start new conversations from:

You might have some old conversations that end since you are now using your email for iMessage so send a new message to your friends if they won't know to try your email instead of your SMS going forward.


What hooks exist into Notification Center / twitter so that I can tweet programmatically?

Apps can hook into the sharing options with the new NSSharingService API. It sounds like custom LaunchBar actions can be made with any UNIX executable file, so you could probably write a small command line tool (or you may need to build an actual app — you'll have to test it out) which activates this API (using NSSharingServiceNamePostOnTwitter), and that should display the tweet dialog.

Update: to initiate a tweet from AppleScript, you can do the following:

tell application "System Events"
    tell process "Notification Center"
        -- activate notification center
        if (count of UI elements) is 1 then click first menu bar's first menu bar item
        -- click the tweet button
        click button 1 of UI element 1 of row 2 of table 1 of scroll area 1 of window "Window"
    end tell
end tell

Furthermore, you can toggle the "Show Alerts and Banners" / do not disturb mode:

tell application "System Events"
    tell process "Notification Center"
        key down option
        click first menu bar's first menu bar item
        key up option
    end tell
end tell

(This is all very specific to the current window layout of Notification Center and is likely to break with future OS X updates — but there will probably be easy fixes.)


SDXC Card or USB 3 pen drive - which one should I buy, and which one is better

Look for Read/Write speeds to enable you to make a decision as to what best suits your needs. This question is asking for people's opinions which is a bit tricky


A valid US postal address (could be your current hotel) is needed, and then you need to select NONE at the credit card - because you just buy some US iTunes gift cards, and load them into your new US Apple ID account, from where you'll pay for the apps you download.

And you can still use this US Apple ID when you are back in Australia - for app updates and new purchase from the App Store.


Path to user directory when username is unknown

The standard path to /Users/[current user] is tilde ~

So the path to /Users/{$USERNAME}/CloudSync/Projects/Hello World/ for any user is

~/CloudSync/Projects/Hello World/


Connecting Raspberry to Apple Time Capsule

I successful connected a raspberry with installed

Linux raspberrypi 4.4.50+ #970 Mon Feb 20 19:12:50 GMT 2017 armv6l GNU/Linux

To Apple Time Capsule.

We need to speak with CIFS, that is a dialect of SMB, so you have be sure that

samba                            SMB/CIFS file, print, and login server for Unix
samba-common                     common files used by both the Samba server and client
samba-common-bin                 Samba common files used by both the server and the client
samba-dsdb-modules               Samba Directory Services Database
samba-libs:armhf                 Samba core libraries
samba-vfs-modules                Samba Virtual FileSystem plugins

are installed on Raspberry. Use this command to install any missing:

sudo apt-get install samba samba-common samba-common-bin samba-dsdb-modules  samba-vfs-modules samba-libs:armhf

Open Utility AirPort and find the IP Addresses of the Time Capsule, in my case I see 10.0.1.1 and 192.168.1.4, I suppose that you connected the raspberry to the Time Capsule device, so the address your Raspberry sees is the IP LAN, in my case is 10.0.1.1.

Now let's check which share are exposed and we can connect to. Issue this command and remember to replace 10.0.1.1 with your IP Address and "bigfoot" with the username for your Time Capsule

smbclient -U bigfoot -L 10.0.1.1
Enter bigfoot's password:

When did it, I got this error:

Server does not support EXTENDED_SECURITY  but 'client use spnego = yes and 'client ntlmv2 auth = yes'

session setup failed: NT_STATUS_ACCESS_DENIED

You can solve this problem changing the file /etc/samba/smb.conf, you have to add

client use spnego = no

into the [global] section in top of the /etc/samba/smb.conf file.
Try again the command smbclient to list the shares:

smbclient -U bigfoot -L 10.0.1.1
Enter bigfoot's password:

Domain=[WORKGROUP] OS=[Apple Base Station] Server=[CIFS 4.32]

    Sharename       Type      Comment
    ---------       ----      -------
    IPC$            IPC
    TimeCapsuleHD   Disk
    750             Disk

Domain=[WORKGROUP] OS=[Apple Base Station] Server=[CIFS 4.32]

    Server               Comment
    ---------            -------

    Workgroup            Master
    ---------            -------

Bingo! Here are the shared exposed, in my case I want to connect to the external drive connected to the Time Capsule's USB port, so my share name is 750.

The command from Raspberry will be:

sudo mkdir /mnt/AppleTimeCapsule
sudo  mount -t cifs  //10.0.1.1/750 /mnt/AppleTimeCapsule -o username=bigfoot,password=addhereyoursecretpassword,rw,uid=1000,iocharset=utf8,sec=ntlm


In Keychain Access (available from /Applications/Utilities/), select a keychain, choose a category and observe the number of items shown in the status bar.

You can't obtain any statistics about your keychain on iOS.


iPhone 3GS how to enable or subscribe for free Find My iPhone

The service is only free to users of the iPhone 4, and if I recall correctly users of the iPad.

  It’s a feature that’s part of MobileMe, but now it’s also free on every iPhone 4 with iOS 4.2.*

From the Apple Website, bold mine

To use this functionality on any other device requires a full MobileMe subscription. It is automatically active once you have the full subscription, along with a nice array of other nice features.

The Find My iPhone feature is available when you create a MobileMe account on your device, with a toggle option to switch it on or off.

I have been using the paid subscription for almost 4 years and have been extremely happy with it due to the amount of different devices I own.


Use iphone to connect to Wi-Fi and share connection to USB

No, that is not possible, at least not without jailbreaking or a dedicated app. I do not really know, if apps are allowed to create an network interface over USB.


Home share between iPhone and Macbook not working

Home Sharing does not work in that direction, meaning you can only share music stored on your Mac but not music stored on an iOS device.

The only way to view your iPhone music library on a computer is to connect it with iTunes and view it. This can be done in either of two ways:

Plug the iPhone into your MacBook with a dock connector USB cable. Open iTunes and find the appropriate item in the sidebar under Devices.
Plug in the iPhone and set up iTunes Wi-Fi Sync: Select the iPhone in iTunes, and under Options you should see something that says "Sync with this iPhone over Wi-Fi." Tick that option and apply settings. Once it's finished, unplug the iPhone (without ejecting it first) and you should see it remain in the iTunes sidebar. This will let you access its music wirelessly.

The above photo says "iPod", but it's the same steps for iPhone.


Disabling suggestion icons in iOS 11 dock?

That is a new feature in iOS 11. Your iPad is learning about your usage habits and recommending that app due to the time of day. There is currently no way to turn off this feature.


Symlinked services in ~/Library/Services not working in Lion

I would hard link a file to make sure it's disabled by design.

You could then decide to go that path or come up with automation to deploy changes to production - something simple like make or rsync or complicated like Puppet.


Macports cccc terminates when run - how to solve

Because I don't know your story, there's possible issues which can be found over Google:

You've installed MacPorts then upgraded your OS
You've installed MacPorts then upgraded XCode where produced ABI by compiler has been changed (such as migration from gcc to clang)
You've built some libraries from ports with one compiler, other part with different one (e.g. some library has been built with clang and later you've switched to gcc).

In these cases the best you can do is reinstalling your MacPorts from scratch without mixing compilers.


How can I determine where mouse input is coming from? Is there a way to log click events? No other mice are connected

This might be a case of defective trackpad. I had a very similar problem where the trackpad registered constant mouse click. You can quickly test that by connecting an external mouse, then go System Preferences > Accessibility > Mouse & Trackpad > Checkmark "Ignore built-in trackpad...".

If the problem is with the built-in trackpad, the odd behaviour will stop at this point as long as external mouse is connected.


Why USB stick formatted with exFAT on Windows is not mounting on Mac OS High Sierra?

Each partition on a drive is assigned a type. The type indicates what the partition will contain. Usually, but not always, this is a file system. The mapping from a partition type to a file system is not always one-to-one. For example, both the ExFAT and NTFS files systems map to the same partition type. Therefore, Windows generally does not look at the partition type, but rather looks at the content of the partition to determine the file system.

In your question, the output from the diskutil command shows the ExFAT formatted partition to be Apple_HFS. What should have appeared is Microsoft Basic Data. Therefore, the partition table has partition type error. Microsoft Windows will not care, but Apple macOS does.

Although, you do not show this in your question, the GUID for this type of partition is 48465300-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC. The correct value should be EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7. You could goto back to your machine running Windows, open a Administrator Command Prompt Window and enter the following commands. This will correct the error in the partition table.

Below I assume the USB stick (flash drive) is disk number 1. If not, then make the appropriate substitution. The detail partition command should show the incorrect partition type value of 48465300-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC.

diskpart
list disk
select disk 1
select partition 2
detail partition
help set
set id=EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7
exit

  Note: If you are clever, you can cut-and-paste from the output of the help set command to enter the set id=EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7 command. If not, then type carefully.

Issues Regarding Using Windows Partitioning Tools on a Mac Computer.

Below has been referred to as THE GOLDEN RULE.

  Never use the Windows diskpart or diskmgmt.msc commands to change the partitioning on a Mac computer.

Note: The diskmgmt.msc command displays the "Disk Management" window. An example is shown below.

Originally, Mac computers could only BIOS boot Windows. In order for this to occur, a hybrid MBR/GPT partitioning method was employed.  The Golden Rule was created because of this hybrid arrangement. Essentially, the diskpart and diskmgmt.msc commands would ignore the GUID partition table (GPT) and only update the MBR partition table. This could (and often did) lead to corruption of the partitions stored on a drive.

Eventually, Apple adopted the newer EFI boot method for Windows. When this method is employed, the hybrid MBR/GPT partitioning scheme is not used. Instead a a pure GPT scheme is employed. One would think this would negate The Golden Rule, but for a different reason, this rule lived on. This reason has to do with bugs introduced by the installation of Apple's Windows Support Software.

Windows Support Software, among may other things, allows Windows read-only access to certain Mac formatted partitions, such as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)". Since the Windows software can now read these partitions, the software believes the partitions are Microsoft type partitions. When running Windows partitioning software, this can cause many possible side-effects. One is the replacement of the correct GUID partition type with Microsoft's partition type GUID of EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7. So it seemed, The Golden Rule still applied.

Recently, cases have been found where The Golden Rule can be broken. In other words, there are cases where the diskpart command can be used to edit a drive partition table when a pure GPT scheme is employed.

One such case is when the Windows Recovery Environment is used. This environment can be entered by holding down the shift key while selecting to restart Windows. When you navigate to a Command Prompt window, you can access the diskpart command. This command, when entered here, is unaffected by the Apple's Windows Support Software. Basically, the Windows Recovery Environment loads the Winre.wim image file, which was unaltered when the Windows Support Software was installed. This image file contains a copy of the diskpart command which can be executed safely.


Is it safe to stick an Apple Watch charger to a piece of metal when not in use?

The short answer is you are safe as long as the ambient temperature and charge hardware don't overheat.

The empirical evidence is you can measure the temperature of the wall adapter and the charging puck to approximate the amount of current that's flowing through the inductive charger at any point in time.

I like to use a fancy infrared thermometer for things like this, but you can use your fingers to know that the charger is within specifications by comparing the temperature change when you take a charging watch off the charger and then let the charger sit against your chosen piece of metal.

Apple's official safety information are at:

https://help.apple.com/watch/ or http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/apple_watch_user_guide.pdf
https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1712/en_US/Apple_Watch_Info.pdf


backing up to iCloud, and restoring from computer

So much confusion over iCloud, so little help from Apple.

iCloud was introduced as an sync service between all your Macs and iDevices. Yes, one can buy storage beyond the free 5GB ... but I'd look closely at the specifics of backing and and restore, and also give it a trial run. Too many posts on lost data and the like on Apple Discussions to think Apple's got the cloud down pat, not yet.

Backing up to your Mac, however, is solid, you've probably got more than enough free space (check that out.) In many cases, I just zip a copy of the relevant folder and drop it into ~/Users/Shared.

BUT, you really want a second location for irreplaceable things like photos. This could be on a portable USB drive, which could also serve as a clone--nothing like having a copy of your whole computer on a start-up disk. I recommend spending also a few bucks a month on off-site backups to A3, using Arq, by Haystack Software, for automatic timed backups of files that change. The restore function is easy and impeccable.


Can I add song to an Apple Music playlist, without adding them to 'My Music'?

Apple has added this ability in the most recent versions of their apps:

Add a song to a playlist in Apple Music without adding it to your library

What’s New in iTunes 12.3.3


Yes, you should continue to update your apps. Just because iOS 8 compatibility has been added to an app doesn't diminish the compatibility with earlier versions of iOS.

If an app has been updated to support iOS 8 and has removed support for iOS 7, you will not be given the option to update in the first place, however this is rare.


Migration Assistant does truly copy all your user data from the old computer to the new - that includes Parallels virtual machines and your settings.

Migration Assistant does not copy over the actual operating system, as you already have that on the new computer (i.e. there would be no point in copying it over). Similarly Apple supplied standard programs (such as Safari) are not copied over - but you would already have those on the new computer. Settings, bookmarks, passwords, etc. for Safari are copied over.

In essence if you just want to copy over all your data and settings and continue working your new computer - Migration Assistant will work for you. However, if you want to downgrade your new computer to an old operating system and old versions of Safari or similar - then Migration Assistant alone cannot do that for you.

I have personally used Migration Assistant for 15+ years when moving from old to new computers, etc. - never had any problem with anything missing.

You can read Apple's guide on using Migration Assistant here:

https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT204350


New folders are created in root instead of currently selected folder

You can't.  Finder creates new folders in the folder currently being displayed, not the folder you've highlighted.  First you have to display the folder you want the new one in - double click it, then create the new one.


How to download the Command Line Tools for Xcode without the Downloads for Developers webpage?

The command line tools aren't offered via Xcode 5.0.1, but I was able to install them via this terminal command.

xcode-select --install

It will prompt you that it needs the command line tools and will offer to install them.  Worked like a charm for me.


It's under the app's discretion whether to alert the user with vibration when silent mode is enabled. You can contact the app developer's through the link on the App Store page.

For notifications from apps like Fallout Shelter, I like the fact that the notification doesn't cause a vibration as its there when I next check the lock screen and I regard those notifications as less important (I don't need to be interrupted for those kinds of notifications) although I agree there should be an option to enable/disable this by the user. This would have to be something implemented within the specific app.


Photoshop shortcuts only work sporadically

One of my peeves about InDesign is that the document navigation shortcut keys (e.g. alt+spacebar) are tool/context dependent instead of globally available. Perhaps you are experiencing the same issue here. Also, some Photoshop activity requires you to commit or cancel the change (such as using the transform gadgets). While in this state, certain actions are not possible.


Is there ANY way to edit, or at least view a MobileMe gallery on iPad?

MobileMe Gallery App is now an universal app.


Setting Account Picture/JPEGPhoto with dscl in terminal

dscl

It seems that the most promising method is to modify the JPEGPhoto attribute for the user. The problem is, while the JPEG image can be converted very simply to a hex string, the value is too long to just pass at the command-line. This attribute seems to be what the GUI writes to when you drag in an image. Recovering the image from this variable when set is as simple as:

dscl . read /Users/username JPEGPhoto | xxd -r -p > ./username.jpg

The second common way mentioned on the forums is to:

dscl . delete /Users/username JPEGPhoto
dscl . delete /Users/username Picture
dscl . delete /Users/username Picture "/Library/User Pictures/username.jpg"

This only changes the 'login' icon and not the icon seen in the User detail page in System Preferences.

Using sysadminctl

When creating or managing users prefer sysadminctl over the list of dscl commands that are commonly mentioned in forums. sysadminctl sets the user up correctly with a SECURE TOKEN which is important if you want to use FileVault the user should be able to unlock the disk at boot. It also offers the ability to set the user image when created. Unfortunately it doesn't offer the ability to change user images.

Using dsimport

What does work for changing the user image is dsimport.

The script usage is:

./change_userpic.sh USERNAME /path/to/image/jpg

GIST

#!/bin/bash

declare -xr AWK_CMD="/usr/bin/awk"
declare -xr SW_VERS_CMD="/usr/bin/sw_vers"
declare -xr DSIMPORT_CMD="/usr/bin/dsimport"
declare -xr ID_CMD="/usr/bin/id"

USERNAME="$1"; export USERNAME
USERPIC="$2"; export USERPIC

OSVERSION=$(${SW_VERS_CMD} -productVersion | ${AWK_CMD} -F"." '{print $2;exit}'); export OSVERSION
# Add the LDAP picture to the user record if dsimport is avaiable 10.6+
if [ -f "${USERPIC}" ] ; then
    # On 10.6 and higher this works
    if [ "${OSVERSION}" -ge "6" ] ; then
        declare -x MAPPINGS='0x0A 0x5C 0x3A 0x2C'
        declare -x ATTRS='dsRecTypeStandard:Users 2 dsAttrTypeStandard:RecordName externalbinary:dsAttrTypeStandard:JPEGPhoto'
        declare -x PICIMPORT="/Library/Caches/${USERNAME}.picture.dsimport"
        printf "%s %s \n%s:%s" "${MAPPINGS}" "${ATTRS}" "${USERNAME}" "${USERPIC}" >"${PICIMPORT}"
        # Check to see if the username is correct and import picture
        if ${ID_CMD} "${USERNAME}" &>/dev/null ; then
            # No credentials passed as we are running as root
            ${DSIMPORT_CMD} "${PICIMPORT}" /Local/Default M &&
                echo "Successfully imported users picture."
        fi
    fi
fi


You may be worrying more than you need to be.  Apps can only use multitasking for certain functions:

Playing audio
Tracking your location
VOIP
Local notifications and alerts
Complete a lengthy operation

In all cases, rather than the app remaining running, the system keeps it suspended and awakens it at appropriate times, such as when it needs to fetch more audio.  If the app uses too much CPU while it's in the background, it gets terminated.  If the foreground app needs more memory, then the background apps will get terminated as necessary.

The apps in the multitasking menu aren't necessarily consuming any resources or battery life, it's more like a "most recently used" list.  Apps will still be listed there whether or not they are actually running.  You can help prove this to yourself by turning the phone off and on; the recent list will still be populated even though obviously all the apps are terminated.


Is it possible to use the Rōv scanner that ships with Delicious Library for general purpose scanning?

Bmike

From memory, Delicious Library includes the software component required to communicate with serial io devices such as USB and Bluetooth scanners like the Microvision ROV

Thee may be other ways to interface but the recommended solution from the scanner manufacturer is a piece of software, SerialMagic or SerialMagic Pro from a company called Serial IO

http://serialio.com/products/SerialMagic/index.php

Currently retailing at 50 USD


How to Pin Most Used Files and Folders on Dock

In the Finder, you should be able to click and drag folders into the Dock. Another option is, within Finder, any folders in the sidebar under "Favorites" (where you usually see Documents, Pictures, etc.), you can right-click and select "Add to Dock." This will add it to your Dock in the lower right portion near Downloads and Applications.

Additionally, if you want to create a "general use" folder comprised of documents/files from several folders, you can do the following:

Create an empty folder.
In the Finder, locate the document you want access to.
Right click the document and select "Make Alias."
Drag and drop the Alias to the empty folder.
Add the folder to the dock.

The Alias should provide a dynamic link to the original file.


Install macOS High Sierra as VirtualBox guest (on macOS High Sierra)?

Your final HighSierra.iso is missing the complete InstallESD content (AKA the real High Sierra installer). You just copy a probably defunct and thus non-bootable base macOS system to the image.

I use the following shell script to create a working macOS installer iso file. Basically it's the same method as Apple's recommended way to create a bootable macOS installer thumb drive. The destination is a sparse dmg though.

#!/bin/bash

hdiutil create -o /tmp/HighSierra -size 5600m -layout SPUD -fs HFS+J -type SPARSE
hdiutil attach /tmp/HighSierra.sparseimage -noverify -mountpoint /Volumes/install_build
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/install_build
hdiutil detach /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra/
hdiutil convert /tmp/HighSierra.sparseimage -format UDTO -o /tmp/HighSierra.iso
mv /tmp/HighSierra.iso.cdr ~/Desktop/HighSierra.iso
rm /tmp/HighSierra.sparseimage

The script assumes the default location of the High Sierra installer in /Applications.

If you don't want to create a script, copy & paste & execute the commands in the script line by line in Terminal.

Before booting apply some mods to the VM:

VBoxManage modifyvm "name_of_vm" --cpuidset 00000001 000306a9 00020800 80000201 178bfbff

Remove the Floppy in System > Mainboard > Boot devices
enable USB3 in Ports > USB
set video memory in Display > Screen > Video Memory 128 MB
Set RAM and number of CPUs in System > Motherboard: 4GB; Processors: 2 CPUs


Icons Within Apple Apps Disappearing in Mavericks

Not entirely sure what the cause is, but this fixes it for me:

Boot into safe mode by holding shift on boot.
Login to your account.
Restart normally.

There appears to be some sort of caching error and this mechanism also is susceptible to the same fault on older OS as well.

From an Apple Support Communities thread, it seems that it can be fixed for some people by deleting the Dock's Application Support files.

rm ~/Library/Application\ Support/Dock/*.db && killall -HUP Finder Dock


Is there an equivalent to ⌘ + D in the new save dialogs?

⌘+⌫

Pressing Command-Delete (or perhaps more commonly known as backspace) also does the same trick.

That's all there is to it!


These files starting with a dot are meant to be hidden in *nix.

To see them in terminal add the -a flag to the ls command:

ls -a

To see them in the Finder you will want to set a hidden preference (this is global change tho, you'll see all your hidden files everywhere):

defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE

and then restart the finder:

killall Finder

To reverse and hide them again:

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

Source

Update to add:

Lately I've only been able to get this to work when the string com.apple.finder is lower case!  I think this happened starting in 10.9, but not certain.

So you'll want:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE;


This may not help you at all, but there a program called  Dockless that allows you to hide an application from the Dock. Unfortunately, I think it hides the menu bar too. Depending the exact situation, this may or may not work for you. Hope it helps though!


I think that's not possible. When you accept an invitation you can choose one of your calendars (which can have different colors) to add the appointment. If you don't choose a calendar it will go to your default calendar.

So the only work around I can think of, is to create the same calendars that your boss has, and then select the appropriate one when you receive an invitation.


TSplicedFont failed creating descriptor for El Capitan

I've seen this before. From memory it was an issue for a lot of people when trying to install El Capitan from an external USB drive, rather than from the internal boot drive. For some users it would resolve itself by leaving it for a few hours, but obviously you've already tried that.

There's a couple of workarounds I've seen, briefly summarised below:

Download/install the Google Noto fonts - This was a simple fix for many users. Basically you download the Google Noto fonts and then manually install them onto the USB drive at the following location: \System\Library\Fonts. I don't recall now, but you may need to actually create the Fonts folder in that location. Anyway, once installed, try installing again. (Note: you may need to
Install to an external drive first - This one takes a lot longer to do. Basically you install El Capitan onto an external drive first and then create an exact clone of it onto your internal drive. You can use software such as Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! to do this.

Another option, although you don't specify which model of MacBook Air you bought, is to try booting up with the shiftoptioncommandR keys held down. This combination should reinstall the macOS version that shipped with your Mac, or the version closest to it that is still available. If that version is El Capitan, then you're set. If it's an earlier OS, then boot into that and run the installer while you're booted in.


Why do I need a credit card when I am downloading a free app from the app store on a iPad mini?

I don't know of any way to set up an existing Apple ID for use with the App Store without supplying a credit card (or other payment source) (unless it's an iCloud account, I think -- it's not completely consistent). Don't ask me why this is, it makes no sense to me. There are a couple of ways to set up a paymentless account though:

Create a new Apple ID account as part of the purchase of a free app (see Apple Support article HT2534). You'll need to sign out of your current Apple ID, then start purchasing a free app, and tap Create New Apple ID when asked what ID to use.
This means that your App Store "purchases" will be under a different Apple ID than whatever you have set up under your current ID, but since they're free apps anyway, that's not too big a deal. If you want to purchase non-free apps later, you can always add a credit card (or iTunes gift card or whatever) to your old Apple ID and do those purchases under it, but it may be a bit alloying to have to maintain multiple identities. Note that the new Apple ID will have to be linked to a verified email address (other than the one your current ID is linked to).

Add a credit card to your current Apple ID, "buy" a free app, then change the account's payment type to "none" (see Apple Support article HT1918). Since you never actually buy anything, the card never gets charged. I haven't really experimented with this option, but AIUI you can continue to purchase free apps under the account even after the credit card is removed.


Almost all files are locked in my Time Machine backups?

Go to Disk Utility, select the partition of your drive with the Time Machine icon, and click Repair Disk to verify and fix any problems with permissions settings (see below image).

You may also want to repeat the process with Macintosh HD to be safe.

update Is this option checked for you? If not, it should be unchecked and Saved (from OSX Daily)


Lion: Task switcher icons are badly discolored

Yes, I'm seeing the same problem on occasion. For me it happens mostly often when I connect an external display - the switcher looks as though it's underneath a semi-transparent black overlay. Restarting Dock.app (which runs the application switcher, as far as I know) doesn't help, but rebooting the laptop with the external display still attached does.

I've reported the issue to Apple (using their bug reporter) and have been informed that it's a known issue. Hopefully there will be a fix soon.


Recover files from a "working" external hard drive

Your files are corrupted.

If you can use macOS or Windows to open these files, you’ve reduced the points of failure that would have caused it.  You’re down to the USB enclosure or the drive itself.

Recovery software won’t work because it looks for “orphaned” blocks of data. When you have a file, nothing is orphaned.  The software has no idea that the contents are a jumbled mess, it just knows the file is complete.

For now, test out your drive.  Write files to it.  Then disconnect it, reconnect it and try to read those files back.  If it fails, your enclosure and/or drive is failing.


How to tell if Optical Image Stabilization is actually working on my iPhone 6 Plus

The optical image stabilization on the iPhone 6 Plus has to do with a tiny motor changing the lenses while the sensor is fixed to the body of the phone.

It only engages for still photos and due to the size of the motors and limited space inside the device, it will be almost impossible to hear the sound of it in operation.

The real test will be if your phone isn't capturing sharp still images that are well lit and have some contrast lines for the focus pixels to establish what the proper focus should be. I suppose you would need to mount an iPhone 6 and 6 Plus on the same physical mount and take the same picture (burst mode) or using something to trigger both shutters at the same time.

Also, you might try taking pictures from a moving car out the side window and see if you can detect any difference in the EXIF metadata between pictures taken while moving versus pictures taken when still. Apple encodes all sorts of details and I would start by looking at the Focus Mode field to see if OIS is indicated there.

That said, optical image stabilization on professional canon and nikon lenses costing $4000 and up isn't magic and just gets you one or two stops of exposure for a given shutter speed. The effects are not huge so you are gaining a slight boost in the amount of light that can be gathered and the shutter is allowed to stay "open" for longer than if the OIS were not helping to keep the image centered on the CCD.


I've once got water in a Dell (work)laptop and it started to get lighter and lighter the further water got. This is because the screen is built with multiple layers and you got water between them.

I would definately recommend you to shut down the device and put it in rice.


Settings > Siri & Search > Voice Feedback

Your choices are :-

Always On
Control with Ring Switch
Hands-Free Only

So really to prevent her answering, you'd need the 2nd option & the ring switch off.
The info in the pref itself says this will only work if you don't use Hey Siri - you will have to use the double-click to wake her.

The alternative is to turn the ringer right down, Siri volume is tied to that. I haven't tested how that will affect an alarm though. It might be somewhat self-defeating.


Problem setting up Outlook 2011/2016 with Google-apps email

You need to add your password in the corresponding field for this options to appear.

Use your email address (complete with the @domain.tld) in the "User name" text field.

Check "Override default port", and "Use SSL to connect" on both servers.
On IMAP use port 993
On SMTP use port 465

Click "Add account".

Select your newly created account and click on More options... under "Outgoing server"

Select "Use Incoming Server Info" for authentication.

If the same settings are working on other clients, it may be the that there is no TLS setting on Outlook. Sometimes it requires a little fiddling to find the right security protocol / port combination, but the above worked for me on my university issued email, which is hosted with Google Apps.

Also, triple check your email address, as the error shown implies an authentication problem and I've banged my head on the keyboard trying to figure out what was wrong many many times, only to discover a typo was the culprit.

This are the recommended settings for any IMAP client from Google, which differ from what you described (on the servers).

  Incoming Mail (IMAP) Server - Requires SSL

  imap.gmail.com
  Port: 993
  Requires SSL:Yes

  Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Server - Requires TLS

  smtp.gmail.com
  Port: 465 or 587
  Requires SSL: Yes
  Requires authentication: Yes
  Use same settings as incoming mail server

  Full Name or Display Name: [your name]
  Account Name or User Name: your full Gmail address (username@gmail.com). Google Apps users, please enter
  username@your_domain.com
  Email address: your full Gmail address (username@gmail.com) Google Apps users, please enter username@your_domain.com
  Password: your Gmail password

  If your client does not support SMTP authentication, you won't be able
  to send mail through your client using your Gmail address.

  Also, if you're having trouble sending mail but you've confirmed that
  encryption is active for SMTP in your mail client, try to configure
  your SMTP server on a different port: 465 or 587.

Just to get a final look at a generic configuration:

Note that it does not work, as the credentials and domain are fake (yellow dot to the left of the account). Also, the "Override default port" under "Incoming server" is deselected, as 993 is the default port for SSL, so you can safely ignore my recommendation on that matter and just click the SSL checkbox


How to keep the text selection in Terminal.app when typing

So, I decided to give iTerm2 a spin after I hadn't looked at it in quite a few years. I have to admit that (with a little tweaking) it's actually a lot better than Terminal.app in many major and minor aspects. I have yet to find something that Terminal.app does better. So I guess that I'll just stick with iTerm2.


I restored ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.plist and ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.extra.plist from Time Machine and killalled Dock and now it works. I suspect the first file is the only relevant one since it contains an entry for the directory.


Is it possible to remotely switch on Find My Mac?

Unfortunately you cannot do this. Apple provides steps to Set up Find My iPhone on all of your devices, all of which require physical access to the device.

Since the notification email you received should have included an IP address, you could always try remoting into your MacBook Pro using Back To My Mac, Apple Remote Desktop, or some alternate method; and enabling Find My Mac that way.

However let’s face it: your chance of success here is extremely slim, and requires that you have allowed some kind of remote access to your MacBook prior to having it stolen.

Since the thief now has access to your iCloud account, your next step should be to head to id.apple.com and change your password immediately—before they do it for you.


I've encountered that before, particularly at times when Apple's update servers are under heavy load, as they are now (due to the new OS X release and accompanying software updates). As far as I can tell, it's typically a problem with the indicator itself, rather than updates being missing. I wouldn't worry too much about it, chances are it will fix itself in a few days.


Using applescript with Calendar in El Capitan

Code does not work as is. I have tested this and it works.

tell application "Apple Configurator 2"
activate
delay 30
tell application "System Events"
    keystroke "a" using {command down}
    delay 5
    click menu item "1 - Erase" of menu 1 of menu item "Apply" of menu 1 of menu bar item "Actions" of menu bar 1
    delay 5
    click button "Apply" of sheet 1 of window "All Devices"
end tell
end tell


Macintosh HD can't be opened because the original file can't be found

What happens when you click on the Macintosh HD icon on the Desktop?

Try dragging the Macintosh HD icon out from the sidebar, then drag the Macintosh HD icon from the Desktop into the sidebar to recreate it.


How can I tell if my MacBook's iSight has a hardware problem?

If System Profilier isn't showing it up under USB then the iSight has been physically damaged beyond repair (not accepting power) or has been somehow disconnected from the Bus. System Profiler always displays connected devices, even if they're corrupted or non-functioning.

Take your Mac to the Apple Store and they will tell you what it will take to fix it. The most likely scenario is that it will be a free repair, and they'll clean up your computer while they're at it :)

If you can't get to an Apple Store call 1-800-MY-APPLE and ask them about your options.


Can you power on a MacBook with a wireless keyboard?

No, you cannot power on a laptop (or desktop, for that matter) from a wireless keyboard (or a wired USB keyboard).

You can, however, wake the computer from sleep with a wireless keyboard.


Can I run Lion in a virtual machine under Mavericks?

A virtual install of OS X Lion runs without issue on Mavericks.

All the popular VM software understand Lion as an OS and should let you install it. I don't see you having any problems with this setup as long as your hardware is Mac.


Why do PDF forms/annotations filled in using Preview.app appear blank to Windows/Adobe users?

NB this seems to be fixed in the most recent versions of OS X, so workaround perhaps no longer required...

Workaround

Probably the simplest / safest option is to 'flatten' the PDF before sending it, by printing it to a new PDF.

After completing your form in Preview, go to the Print menu (cmd+P) and use the PDF drop-down in the bottom-left, selecting to Save as PDF... to generate a new, 'flattened' PDF.

Flattened simply means that all annotations (including data in the form) become indistinguishable from the actual content of the PDF, as if they were part of it all along. This means you can't edit them anymore (in the new, printed PDF), which can be desirable, but also means they'll show up properly in Adobe.

The Problem

The actual cause of the problem is detailed here from Adobe, and that blog post also includes a script for Acrobat users to recover the data from a form filled in using Preview.app (it turns out Preview puts the data in the form, but doesn't specify how it should 'appear', so Acrobat shows it as blank/invisible).

I'll leave it up to the reader to decide whether this is a bug in Adobe's software (for not showing form data without a specified "appearance") or a bug in Apple's software (for not including the "appearance" information).

If you've been affected by this bug, please consider notifying one/both of these companies of the issue:

Apple's bug report or feedback sites.
Adobe's feature request/bug report or bug base sites.


Using the keyboard to bring up the File, Edit, View... menus

You can do this easily; by default, under System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard, an option involving the "f" function keys may be unchecked. If this is the case, check it, and then click the "Keyboard Shortcuts" tab. Go to "Keyboard & Text Input" and find the command for "move focus to the menu bar". Use this command (I believe it's control+F2 or control+F8 by default). Then, use the F key for file, the E key for edit, etc. (or use arrow keys) and hit enter (or down) to show the menu.


Bootcamp and wireless usb keyboard: How to boot with Mac os

Boot into windows and use the Bootcanp control panel to set the next boot to be Mac OS X.

From http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5639 :

  Startup questions
  How do I choose which operating system will start up my Mac?
  After running Boot Camp Assistant and installing
  Microsoft Windows and Boot Camp drivers, press and hold the Option
  (Alt) key while you start up your Mac to switch between Microsoft
  Windows and OS X.

  Use the Startup Disk Control Panel in Windows or OS X Startup Disk
  System Preferences to set the default operating system to use each
  time the computer starts up.

Or you can get any old USB keyboard and hold the option key.


Will I loose iPad application data when I switch Apple ID?

I believe this depends on they way the App is set up. If an app backs up its data on iCloud then it will not be able to retrieve it as each Apple ID has separate iCloud storage space. On the other hand if the app uses its own server for syncing (and you use the same login details) I would imagine it will restore data appropriately.
However purchases made with one Apple ID are not available to another Apple ID. I am not sure if Apple offer transferring purchases but I guess you could contact them to see it they could do so for you.

1) I don't think changing Apple ID will cause any data loss. I switch between two and never had any issues (I would however check with Apple)
2) Yes, but you might have to download them first if not already on the iPad.
3) This could happen as the apps will have to be updated and since iOS5 most apps have heavily changed both visually and the way they work with say iCloud.
4) As stated in (1) I don't believe you should loose any data but you can only have one Apple ID active at a time.

Make sure you take a full backup on your computer before making any big updates like moving to iOS7 from iOS5.


iPhone / iPad: Reply to Email with embedded image -- Image gets replaced with image.png

This is default behaviour. If you reply, the sender already had the image thus it's not needed to send it over and over again.
If you forward it, you're (most likely) sending it to a different person who did never see the content before, which makes it relevant to add the image.
You cannot change this, except if you find any 3rd party plugin.

If you really want to reply the image, just forward the mail and add the emailaddress of the sender back in the "To" field.


How do I make 1 empty partition out of an external USB disk?

This will erase all data that currently exists on the USB drive:

Remove your USB drive.
Open Disk Utility.
In the menu bar, click [View] > [Show All Devices].
Insert your USB drive. You should see the drive appear in the sidebar in Disk Utility as an item whose name is the manufacturer name and model name/number of the drive. Click this item to select it.
Click [Erase] in the top bar.
Enter a name of your choosing.
For the format, choose "MS-DOS (FAT)".
For the scheme, choose "GUID Partition Table". This is required since your drive exceeds 2TiB in size.
Click [Security Options...], move the slider to "Fastest", then click "OK".
Click [Erase].

macOS will enforce the creation of a 200MiB EFI System Partition on GPT-formatted drives. If you want to claim this space, you can either:

format the drive using another tool of another OS (e.g. Windows Disk Management, GParted for Linux); or
use the gpt command (or an equivalent like gdisk) to manually create a single partition which spans the whole drive, which you will then need to format with a filesystem, e.g. create a FAT32 filesystem using newfs_msdos. If you want to create an EXT filesystem, the mkfs.ext? commands (e.g. mkfs.ext4) can be obtained via Homebrew by running brew install e2fsprogs.


Will a 32 bit intel app run on Mountain Lion?

For a generic 32bit Application the answer is yes, confirmed yourself with Google Chrome. it should run just fine.

Now for Utility programs, and programs that interact directly with OS X specific features, the answer will likely be no, those programs will need updates to run at their best.

Applications interacting with hardware, will also likely need updates or tweeks to their drivers in order to work.

Other than that you should not have to worry about running 32bit programs on Mountain Lion. I would try checking the developer's websites for Mountain lion compatibility to be sure on your expensive mission critical apps before upgrading full time to Mountain Lion.


What is Wifi-Networking option under system location services in iOS 7?

Crowd-sourced Wi-Fi and cellular Location Services
If Location Services is on, your device will periodically send the geo-tagged locations of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers in an anonymous and encrypted form to Apple to augment Apple's crowd-sourced database of Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower locations. In addition, if you're traveling (for example, in a car) and Location Services is on, a GPS-enabled iOS device will also periodically send GPS locations and travel speed information in an anonymous and encrypted form to Apple to be used for building up Apple's crowd-sourced road traffic database. The crowd-sourced location data gathered by Apple doesn't personally identify you.

iOS 7: Understanding Location Services

See also How to Protect Private Info Stored on Your iPhone.


How to use Applescript to turn off Apple TV in iTunes?

This Applescript does the job very well!

tell application "iTunes" to get name of AirPlay devices
tell application "iTunes" to set selected of AirPlay device "Apple TV salon PT" to false


Is there an iMessage client for Windows?

As of May 2016 the only official iMessage clients are for iOS and OS X. Unfortunately you're out of luck using it on Windows.

It's very unlikely that any iMessage clients for non-Apple platforms will be released in the future. It's a major selling point for Apple's platforms, and therefore not in Apple's interest to make a Windows (or Android, Linux, etc.) version. Additionally, it has some fairly complex encryption and security protocols, which likely make it very difficult if not impossible for an unofficial client to be developed.


Where can I find this old app: Biorhythms by Andrew Regan

You can download it right from MacUpdate, can't you?