Mac OS Big Sur - mouse stutter (not a Bluetooth problem)

I was having the same issue. Problem was being caused by using a secondary monitor that was connected to the USB3.1 slot of my iMac. (Display-to-USB3.1) For me the problem was solved after reconnecting/changing it to a different USB slot. I also can confirm it has nothing to do with the mouse since i was experiencing the same issue with a WacomPenTablet.
So it definitely has something to do with USB ports and Displays.
I Hope this helps.


How to write a script that runs whenever a new file is added to a specific directory?

Very simple using Automator & Folder Actions.

Make a new Folder Action, then set the source to Folder A
select a Finder action from the left column,
drag 'Copy Finder Items' from the centre to the right
set the destination to Folder B.
Give it a name & save.

Every time anything is added to A it will automatically copy to B.


I use "GPS Kit" for this. It lets you record the movement of your iPhone for as long you want, and save them for later viewing. It even lets you broadcast your track so that others can view it as you move, if you want to do that for some reason. You can also cache offline maps, if you do want to be able to see where you are in remote locations. It doesn't need the maps to function though. It tracks your GPS coordinates the entire time, you just can't see where you are without data, but it sounds like that's okay with you.


FaceTime camera has blurred lines during a FaceTime call but not during skype

Try a restart, hold the power button and home button together until you see the Apple logo appear, then release. It's perfectly safe and you won't lose any data, I restart my iDevices all the time.

It that doesn't work, report the bug to Apple and hope the public release of iOS 9.2 fixes your camera. You could update to the beta of iOS 9.2 if you're desperate for the camera to work, but the beta would also cause new, bigger problems.


How do I route YouTube audio to AU Lab using SoundFlower?

Crank the computer's volume all the way up. (This is so that you pass 100% of the sound into AU Lab).
In System Preferences => Sound => Output tab, select Soundflower as output.
In an AU Lab document, select the same Soundflower option as your input. You should then be able to see Youtube's audio levels in AU Lab.

Source.


Can you please attach a screenshot?
You should have this screen in your sharing options (System Preference - Sharing):


Can I get Mission Control to show minimized windows?

If you exposé (three finger swipe down or whatever shortcut you've set up) you can then switch through all of the applications by pressing tab.

Pressing tab on its own will go through each application showing all windows (minimised or not), pressing cmd and tab will show you the swap icon bar (in middle of screen) at the same time as going through the applications.  The arrow keys followed by enter will help you select what window you want.

It's certainly not as elegant as SL used to be, but it's the only thing I've found that kinda/sorta/maybe comes close.


iCloud on Mountain Lion: one account per Mac or one per user?

That apple ID applies only to the user account that is created during the setup process. If you look in System Preferences, you'll notice the following option called "Apple ID", under a test account I created:

Additionally, when logging into the new test account, I was presented with the iCloud login screen which you saw during initial setup of the OS install on your Mac.

If you restored your iMac from a backup, or installed Mountain Lion over Lion,
you will already have access to those accounts without seeing the iCloud setup screen. In that case, open System Preferences, click on Users & Groups, and set up your iCloud account as you wish.

So, one iCloud account per local account. This would appear to be the case on Lion as well.


Per memory in the .bash_profile when I used to dabble in Java you need to add export and ". In the Terminal run the command:

 nano .bash_profile

Then add:

export JAVA_HOME="/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.8.0_191.jdk/Contents/Home"

Then do the reboot of: . .bash_profile after you've saved the bash_profile


How to make fullscreen app's space appear next to the current space?

Clicking the fullscreen icon

while pressing the alt key will put it right next to the current desktop, at least on Mavericks.


Tunnelblick/Viscosity random connection issues even when not connected to VPN

It should not be necessary to "uninstall", "unload", or "quit" Tunnelblick to make your issue go away.

In some situations, where the OpenVPN configuration itself is faulty (and it sounds like yours is), you might need to have Tunnelblick "Reset the primary interface after disconnecting". You can do that by selecting the configuration(s) you wish to modify in Tunnelblick's "VPN Details…" window, then clicking the "Advanced" button and putting a check in the corresponding checkbox.

For further Tunnelblick support, you should use the Tunnelblick Discussion Group at

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/tunnelblick-discuss

Before you post to that group, please read

https://code.google.com/p/tunnelblick/wiki/cBeforeYouPost


MacBook Pro 13" (2009): No startup-chime, no error sounds, internal screen stays black

You might try attaching the second monitor and running Apple Hardware Test upon boot.

To run the hardware test:

Print these instructions for reference
Disconnect all external devices except the keyboard, mouse, display, and speakers. If you have an Ethernet cable or external DVD drive, disconnect it.
Restart your Mac, holding down the D key while the Mac restarts.
After your Mac restarts, you should see the Apple Hardware Test chooser screen. If you don’t, Apple Hardware Test may not be available on your Mac. You may be able to start Apple Hardware Test from the Internet. Reconnect your Mac to the network, then restart your Mac while holding down both the Option and D keys.
When the Apple Hardware Test chooser screen appears, select the language you want to use, then press the Return key or click the right arrow button.
When the Apple Hardware Test main screen appears (after about 45 seconds), follow the onscreen instructions.

If you can't see anything on your secondary display after starting Apple Hardware Test, then it may have started but not recognized your secondary display.  You could press Enter and then T to start the tests, but there's probably no way to see the results.   If this is the case, you're probably better off taking it to the Apple Store.  It sounds like the LCD is faulty.

Here is a list of other startup keyboard shortcuts.

LCDTest

You might try running this LCDTest program to check whether any RBG test patterns show up or change the display output.  If you still don't see any output, and you've checked that the LCD Display shows up under System Preferences => Displays, then you may have a hardware problem with your Display Data Connector, or LCD Display.

LCD Hardware Problem

This is most likely a hardware problem, and taking it in to the Apple Store for support is probably your best bet if it's still under warranty.  You can check if your Macbook's warranty is still active by visiting this page and entering your serial number.

If it's out of warranty, or you really want to try and solve this yourself (this will void your warranty), then dive into the iFixIt Guide for Replacing a MacBook Pro 13" Mid 2009 Display.  iFixIt sells Replacement Parts for your Macbook.


Installation of Yosemite stalled as hdd locked

In Disk Utility click on the drive and click on "Enable Journaling" and it should fix the locked drive.


Reopen PDF in Preview on the same page when modified externally

I always ⌘+W to close the current preview then compile. Preview then reopens at the last position, with modifications. It's not that convenient, but works for me.


IOS 10 warning: Using a hidden network can expose personally identifiable information

Clients that connect to known networks automatically will advertise “hidden” SSIDs in all of their probe requests. This results in your device broadcasting those SSIDs everywhere you go, to anyone who’s listening.
This behavior is dependent on the client’s operating system. For instance, you can configure Windows 7 and later to not connect to hidden networks automatically (only “visible” ones). That prevents such broadcasts from happening, but then you have to connect to hidden networks manually every time.
On the other hand, iOS and macOS always connect to known networks, hidden or not. The fact that iOS 10 warns about this would indicate that Apple has no plans to add the kind of toggle switch that Microsoft added in Windows 7, or to force the user to connect manually. Therefore, iOS and macOS constantly broadcast all the hidden SSIDs they are capable of connecting to.
Microsoft explains this behavior on TechNet:

A non-broadcast network is not undetectable. Non-broadcast networks are advertised in the probe requests sent out by wireless clients and in the responses to the probe requests sent by wireless APs. Unlike broadcast networks, wireless clients running Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Windows Server® 2003 with Service Pack 1 that are configured to connect to non-broadcast networks are constantly disclosing the SSID of those networks, even when those networks are not in range.
Therefore, using non-broadcast networks compromises the privacy of the wireless network configuration of a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003-based wireless client because it is periodically disclosing its set of preferred non-broadcast wireless networks.

Now as to why this is a privacy issue:

Should I point out the irony of broadcasting an SSID in the direct vicinity of the access point trying to hide it? Except instead of only having the AP broadcasting it, every client in range does. Then the AP responds to each of those clients with the SSID anyway.
Instead of limiting SSIDs to the vicinity of their respective APs (like in the case of visible networks), your phone goes and broadcasts those hidden SSIDs to everyone near you, everywhere you go. Worse, SSIDs may include first and/or last names, which I’ve seen people use in network names.
Your set of preferred hidden SSIDs acts as a signature that may uniquely identify you. Let’s say for instance that my neighbor uses the hidden SSID My Secret SSID. Now if I sniff a broadcast beacon containing My Secret SSID at Starbucks, I can infer that a member of his household is nearby, or one of his guests. Based on the other hidden SSIDs among that person’s broadcast beacons, I may be able to determine exactly who I’m dealing with. Conversely, I could walk up to that person, recognize them, then assign a face to their unique set of hidden SSIDs.
Let’s say you carry your phone with you everywhere you go. Someone with a large-enough network of radio receivers could know where you are at any given time, figure out where you work, where you spend your time, whether you’re home, etc.

1 and 2 show how trying to hide an SSID makes the privacy of its network much worse. 3 and 4 show how that extends to your personal privacy as well.
Sound far-fetched? Criminals/advertisers/jealous exes/the government have done worse things. In fact, MAC addresses were once used to track shoppers’ movements through malls. Apple subsequently randomized MAC addresses in probe requests.
Thankfully, no one I know has used a hidden SSID in well over a decade, and I haven’t seen that practice recommended in even longer long.
Bottom line: don’t hide your SSID. It achieves the exact opposite of what you think it does.
Update: Since there seems to be some confusion as to why you can’t connect to a hidden network without broadcasting it to the world, as well as about security vs. privacy, let’s make a fun analogy.
Imagine a driver (the AP) is picking you up from the airport. They don't know you, and you don’t know them. So they hold up a sign that reads, “John Doe.” When you find them, you (the client) go and tell them, “I’m John Doe.” This is what happens when connecting to a broadcast network.
Now, imagine that driver is trying to be super covert, and doesn’t hold up that sign. What happens now is you have to walk around yelling, “Who’s picking up John Doe?” over and over, until finally the driver steps forward and responds, “I'm picking up John Doe.”
In either case, you then exchange credentials, make sure you’re each who you think you’re dealing with. What happens after authentication is just as secure either way. But every step leading up to it compromises your privacy.


How to banish wifi network from laptop but leave it enabled for iPhone

There are several options that you can give a try on this post

Selectively disable iCloud keychain syncing for WiFi passwords


Do network operations complete if you tap the lock button?

The button on top is not a power button.  It's a lock button which informs the OS to turn off the display to save power and to prevent accidental touch input, but the rest of the device keeps running.  Apps continue to run for a short while after the display and touchscreen is powered off, from a few seconds for most apps, to several minutes, and even longer for a few specific types of apps, such as background music players and VOIP apps under iOS 4 and newer.  Some GPS logging apps can also continue to run in the background as well.

Some newer networking apps request a few minute to complete operations in the background, but not all older apps could or did.  So it depends on the iOS version, the particular app and version of that app.


How can I toggle network services with a script?

Use the -listallnetworkservices option to get all services.

tail -n +2 to delete the first line which contains "An asterisk (*) denotes that a network service is disabled."

sed 's/^*//' to delete the asterix character at beginning of each line

while read thisName to loop

The script:

if get_status() is "Enabled" then
    set val to "off"
else
    set val to "on"
end if
do shell script "networksetup -listallnetworkservices | tail -n +2 | sed 's/^*//' | while read thisName; do networksetup -setnetworkserviceenabled  \"$thisName\" " & val & "; done" with administrator privileges
display dialog "Status: " & (get_status()) with title "Network Toggle" buttons {"OK"} default button 1

on get_status()
    set status to do shell script "networksetup -getnetworkserviceenabled Ethernet"
end get_status

sudo in a do shell script command doesn't work on my system, I use administrator privileges.


How set up a local domain such as local.test?

This answer on the question Lion “hosts” File Bug is relevant here as well.

All additional entries to the HOSTS file must be above the:

fe80::1%lo0

Make sure there is at least one line break after the last entry. Like so:

127.0.0.1 LLL.localhost
127.0.0.1 LLL.localhost
#

Although you probably can't tell, there is another line following the # symbol. One more thing to mention, using Space instead of Tab between 127.0.0.1 and localhost might help too.


While I can't explain the rapid loss in battery life, the best way to determine the battery health would be through the system profiler. There are instructions on how to check the battery cycle count on a Mac here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1519

Along with benchmarks for healthy cycle counts.

For what it's worth, my 15" MacBook Pro needed a replacement battery a few months ago. Although the decline in battery life was a little bit more prolonged.


Having trouble getting Target Display mode to work with Apple's Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter with new MacBook pro?

I have had the same problem with my 13" 2018 MBP to my iMac 27-inch, Late 2012.  Talked to Tech support for weeks at the advanced levels.  They told me they are working on it and look for a firmware update for both the laptop and the iMac.  Bought my MBP when they first came out, it is now September 3, 2018 still no update. Still does not work.  Have not heard of anyone finding a work-around.  I used to use target display mode with my MB-air and was looking forward to using it with the new high-powered laptop (it was NO-GO).


Recognize externel hard drive as internal

It's not so much as recognizing if the drive is internal or not, it's whether it's removable or not.  Whether or not a drive is identified as "removable" is dependent on what the firmware of the external drive has set; it's called the Removable Media Bit or RMB for short. Microsoft has a good write up on this.

The removable media device setting is a flag contained within the SCSI
Inquiry Data response to the SCSI Inquiry command. Bit 7 of byte 1
(indexed from 0) is the Removable Media Bit (RMB). An RMB set to zero
indicates that the device is not a removable media device. An RMB of
one indicates that the device is a removable media device.

But wait; those are SCSI devices, not USB!  Actually, USB devices are seen as SCSI devices.
So, to do this, you have to "flip the bit" in the USB device's (not your Mac's) controller firmware.  Some allow you to do it, some don't.
Flipping the Bit
There are several tools out there for doing this (I only know of the Windows utilities).

Lexar BootIt
BootIce

Important Note:  The procedure is different for different brands of drives and you may brick your external drive as you are writing to the USB controllers firmware.
There are many "Mass Production USB Prep Tools" like Ameco available (that's a search link as I'm not providing any links to this software; use at your own risk) for download.  I don't often source quotes from discussion forums, but this one from Hak5: Collection of Production Tools for USB-devices bears repeating:

WARNING : THIS IS NOT FOR NOOBS . USE AT YOUR OWN RISK & RTFM

Don't take that as being new to IT or computers.  Take it as if you don't know how or have never manipulated individual bits (1s and 0s) and written them to firmware, this is not for you.  I'm not saying you shouldn't try and experiment - I fully encourage you to do so, but you shouldn't do this on a production piece of equipment you paid good money for.
TL;DR
Don't do this. (IMO) It's better to have Windows installed on your genuinely non-removable drive.  You don't need much to have a Windows install (I have a VM with only 40GB allocated to it).  What you can do is migrate the user profile to the external drive (mine is an iSCSI LUN from a Synology NAS).   This will allow you to use minimal space for Bootcamp while allowing you to have as much space as needed for what you need to do with Windows.


Where are the files for System Information?

I don't know the file per-say, but you can use a simple shell script to get the battery cycle count, as seen here.
system_profiler SPPowerDataType | grep "Cycle Count" | awk '{print $3}'


Block Internet access to specific apps on specific Wi-Fi networks

Try TripMode, https://www.tripmode.ch

It is specific-network-aware, so you can activate it when you are on the constrained network, and after that it will remember, and auto-activate itself there.


Why does my magic mouse lose the connection when I lift and place down again on surface?

It must be about the batteries but for what I've experienced so far it's not about energy, but about their length, at a very slight scale.

Since two days I had this problem again - it occured like almost 10 times this morning. So I removed the battery cover, and put a flat piece of folded paper towel upon the batteries, in a way that when I put the cover back again, it is slightly bent, just what it needs to ensure a firm pressure on the batteries, so they won't move at all.

My conclusion is : problem solved.

tl;dr : you can fix Apple's 80$ mouse with 2 sheets of toilet paper


MacBook has problems with external monitor but iMac doesn't

Not all monitors are the same - I bought a monitor from a friend to use for extra screen space space with my 13"MBP (Mid 2009). It was a nice VGA widescreen LCD monitor but no matter what I tried my MacBook Pro could not send any kind of signal to it. All connectors were verified to work perfectly well and the monitor also worked perfectly well when attached to a nearby PC...


Apple ID recovery mail going to wrong email address

If you are talking about iforgot, you must have entered the email address wrong in the page before the one in the screenshot. Please recheck.


Can both Mac OS and Windows (via Bootcamp) agree on a unique dropbox folder location?

You should use an EXFAT partition. You can set a dropbox folder on an unique location, you'll save a lot of space and bandwidth with that.


Keynote '09 can't play slideshow again unless restarted

The only solution I found so far (by experimentation and searching the web) is to set the display mode to mirroring instead of presenting on a separate display. It will then let me play and replay the presentation without the error message or requiring a restart of keynote.

(Mac OS X 10.6.8 and Keynote 5.0).


Is there a way to switch to the selected process in activity monitor?

Not really. The thing is, most of the time, processes in Activity Monitor don't actually have a UI that you can 'switch' to. Using the Google Chrome example, think of those 'Google Chrome Renderer' processes as background tasks, and you just see the result of them in the main 'Google Chrome' process. Activity Manager does not have a way to identify how to tie these 'background tasks' to the parent GUI.

However, for your particular problem, Google Chrome actually provides you with a Task Manager that will help you out:

  In many ways, the task manager is like a hospital monitor: you can use it to track the performance of its internal processes. If the browser seems to be sluggish, open the task manager to find details about each active process and close the one that seems to be using up a lot of resources.

You can use this to identify which tab is using up too many system resources. You can also use the Process ID from the Chrome Task Manager to match the process up in Activity Monitor (Process ID == PID).


Removing the files in ~/Library/Preferences, containing 'finder' in their name seems to have resolved the issue.


Very hard to select text via mouse accurately after upgraded to Yosemite

regardless from the type of mouse you are using, try going into settings/mouse options and feel free to fiddle with the settings here, when I had trackpad tracking issues after the update (couldn't even move the pointer arrow properly), I just went there and changed the cursor sensitivity and that did the trick.

Hope it works for you too!


iPhone Personal Hotspot via USB stopped working after OS X 10.10.4 update

The reason for USB tethering not working is in 99% cases bad iPhone driver - yes, even on OS X. It may sound weird, but going to http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ and re-installing iTunes from the latest iTunes installer will probably solve the issue for you. Sometimes the driver can get corrupted during a system update etc. Give it a shot and report back :)


Not sure what the 'preparing' stage actually does.  I suspect it could have something to do with verifying that the destination doesn't have files/folders that are present in the source (leading to it having to ask you what to do about the conflict).

In either case, if you are comfortable with terminal, you can use rsync which begins copying immediately and gives you feedback right away.

I would use something like:

rsync --partial --progress -av ~/Desktop/MyFolder /Volumes/MyTimeCapsule/

Good luck!


Mac equivalent of PC 'minimise all' then open a single folder?

Bring Finder to the front. Minimize all other apps with altcmdH. Then alt-click on the minus-button of one Finder window to minimize all windows to the dock.

Reopen the destination folder by clicking on the appropriate dock (Finder) window icon located near the trash can and move or copy the file on the desktop (tested with 10.7.5 Lion and 10.10.3 Yosemite).
If you've enabled "Minimize windows into application icon" in System Preferences -> Dock previously, right-click on the Finder icon in the Dock and choose the appropriate folder to open it (tested with 10.10.3 Yosemite).


High Sierra's External Display bug heats Macbook's, damaged my Retina Screen, what can I do?

The “stadium lighting” you show is usually a backlight issue where the voltage or lamps are not to spec.

It’s highly unlikely that a thermal situation would cause that, but I don’t want to say there’s no chance or you’re wrong unless I could examine the whole Mac.

100C on many internal parts is just fine, so your reported ranges don’t seem at all out of line - especially on 2016 and newer MacBook Pro.


How to Invert Color on Mac running Catalina?

I can only use the keyboard shortcut if I go into System Preferences and explicitly unckeck and re-check the box for Invert Colors.  Once I am done with my session I enable screen saver by going to a designated not corner.  When I come back, the keyboard shortcut only produces the system sound for an alert without inverting the colors.  It is again only when I go back into System Preferences and uncheck/re-check Invert Colors will it work again.  This is highly annoying and frustrating as I rely on this for various apps that do not have a dark mode in my normal daily workflow.


Wi-Fi indicator disappearing when iPad connects to Macbook over usb

The settings you show will indeed shut off networking on the iPad when you connect it since the Mac is telling the iPad to get network over the USB cable.

You would disable the iPad USB check box or disable internet sharing altogether so that the iPad doesn’t change network settings next time you plug it in to that specific mac.


Cannot find image saved to cloud from preview

All iCloud documents get saved locally to ~/Library/Mobile Documents and preview has a folder there named com~apple~Preview with a Documents folder.

From Finder use Shift-Command-G to go to the folder

 ~/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~Preview/Documents

You can then copy or move the file elsewhere as needed.


Is there a good docking solution for Macbook so far?

A few months ago my organization made the decision to make docking stations a standard item to be ordered with all Macs.  We've evaluated the Belkin Thunderbolt dock, the Matrox DS1, the Kwikdock, the LandingZone docks and had previously used Henge docks.

The Henge docks proved to be a constant pain for both users and our support team.  The connections in the bottom of the dock frequently came loose, meaning the end user would lose USB connectivity, network connectivity, etc even though from their perspective the Mac appeared to be docked correctly.

The Kwikdock didn't have the build quality we desired.

The Belkin Thunderbolt dock and Matrox DS1 dock are both very similar in that they're a hub that you connect all of your connections to, then connect to your Mac via a thunderbolt cable.  The downsides we found to these two were cost the necessity to order a thunderbolt cable in addition to the dock.  Our end users are also much more accustomed to the traditional docks offered by Dell and other PC manufacturers, were you click it into place and go.  This is the same reason we didn't pre-order a Zendock.

We ended up going with the LandingZone.  It offers the traditional docking style that our users are accustomed to, the build quality seems to be very good, it's much cheaper than the alternatives and can be further reduced in cost by ordering in bulk.  It DOES require a separate driver for network connectivity but it's very lightweight and they seem to be committed to providing updates in a timely fashion.

I've deployed about 25 of the LandingZones so far and aside from two support calls where  it hadn't been locked completely in place I've only heard good things from my end users.  We have yet to receive our 13" Retina MBP docks but we do have a tracking number so I'm confident they'll arrive soon.

Hope that helps!


Why does my Mac Pro have two ethernet ports on the back of the computer?

If you wanted to connect to two different networks you could use this.  So say you had an internal network which you had your own computers all linked to but were not connected to the internet, you could use one port to connect to this network.  Then you could connect the other port to a broadband router/modem and access the internet on your Mac Pro.  It's really more of an interest to businesses than domestic users.
You could also use the second port to connect to Network Attached Storage (NAS) such as a MyBook World or similar.  This would allow you to use the full bandwidth of one port for backups to disk while not affecting the speed on the other network.
Backup interface in case one fails.  You could have each interface connect to different switches on your network in case of a failure on one you still have access to the network on the other.
There's also something called link aggregation which allows you to combine the ports to act as one port with twice the speed.  However, this depends on your other network equipment supporting this mode.


Anyone know when iOS 4.3 is due to come out?

It will be released when Apple feels like it's ready. It's anyones guess at this point. Apple almost never gives out release dates for it's products.

Like IntuitionGQ said, you can always Jailbreak it


HP ScanJet 4070 Photosmart produces just stripes after OS upgrade

From HP forums:

  The ScanJet 4070 software will not be updated to work with Mac OS
  10.9.

  You might be able to successfully connect to the scanner but using the
  HP Scan software results in file saving errors or all gray output.

  You might try a third party solution like VueScan.

  You will need to install the HP Software and 10.8 patch first....

It costs $40 -- $80 depending on your choice.

You can still try and download this driver, but I doubt it will help.


Can i remap a Danish Macbook Pro keyboard to US?

Here's a couple of links that might help:

http://lifehacker.com/5882684/the-best-keyboard-remapper-for-mac-os-x
http://lifehacker.com/5720087/how-to-remap-any-keyboard-shortcut-in-mac-os-x

They work for more than just Danish-English. The first one should be more helpful in your case. Good luck.


Logs and eMail headers from THE Future"?

The -700 is relative to UTC time and used to describe the time zone. UTC-700 is used in many places, probably including where you live.

The messages are shown with their UTC timestamp and the timezone offset. Subtract 7 hours from the time and you'll have the time in your local time zone. This is what computers do behind the scenes.

Also, one word of advice: the iPad console logs are meant for people developing software. If you're not doing that, looking through the logs is generally pointless. If things are working, don't worry about things you see in the logs :-)


1440x900 no longer available on my external display after "MLB for NVIDIA" fix

I'm not sure if this'll help (as the resolution should be available without resorting to third party software), but perhaps try SwitchResX and see if it makes the resolution available?


Why do I have to double click right mouse button to get the pop-up menu

I uninstall Chrome extension "crxMouse Chrome Gestures" and install Smooth Gestures Plus and its plugin SmoothGesturesPlusExtras. Solve my problem but the extension isn't free.


Development environment in Visual Studio using Macbook Pro

No. Visual Studio Code is a glorified text editor
I am not certain, but usually enterprise is for volume licensing, although there may be other features given in enterprise not present in professional.
I think this is personal preference, pros are you don't need to burn a DVD or mount an ISO, and rather than one large file download it is lots of little files, and I believe it is resumable. Cons are you need to be online, and you do not have a backup that you can burn to DVD in case the installer goes down for whatever reason.
The 32 bit version is the only one that exists as far as I know, and it is what I have always used on my MacBook Pro
I have personally used it in VMWare Fusion on windows 7 & 8.1 pro with good stability, and a few people I know report the same with parallels
Yes, this runs very well & I have had no issues using this, I use this as my main setup as my mac is a tad slow with VMWare on 8.1 pro (My preferred windows version)
If you have a mac that runs your favourite windows version well in parallels, then use this method would be my advise. If you have boot camp regardless for games etc, then use that, or use boot camp if you experience large amounts of slowness when running windows in parallels and OS X at the same time.

My experience is from a late 2007 MacBook Pro with 4GB RAM.
Hope this helps answer your question


Macports keeps 3 different versions of LLVM installed

I was forced to uninstall all packages depending on llvm-3.3 and llvm-3.4, and then reinstall them. In my case, all of reinstalled packages had dependencies on llvm-3.5, not on llvm-3.3/3.4, thus there were no problems when I uninstalled both llvm-3.3 and llvm-3.4. I hope it works for you.


That looks like a carrier message, sent by SoftBank.  I will be pushed to your iPhone when somebody sends a message to your SoftBank address.  To turn if off:

  Follow these steps to disable incoming notification for E mail (i): In Home Screen, tap Safari, open Bookmarks and tap My SoftBank and tap @. Enter Login ID and Password (sent via SMS). E mail (i) setting page appears. Tap [3] Newly arriving e-mail notification setting, then tap Off.

See more details here.


About to sell my 2013 rMac. Is 3 pass zero enough?

I believe Apple's position is a standard erase is good enough on SSD. In the article on secure erasing, they recommend enabling FileVault before you ever introduce any sensitive data to the drive so that you can just throw away the encryption key and not need any passes of erase to be secure.

http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201949

That being said, in your situation, I wouldn't do a 3 pass erase on an SSD and I also wouldn't do a simple erase with no passes.

Instead, I'd turn on FileVault 2 (Assuming you have a newer OS) and then boot to recovery mode and repartition the drive. Be sure to not unlock the drive but simply repartition it to an empty HFS+ partition, no passes needed.

That ensures that each writable block is totally encrypted and randomized so that it's impossible to tell what was free space and what was files, let alone do data recovery.

The passes are a marginal hit on the drive's life (they are rated for hundreds to thousands of passes), but one complete wipe might be as much wear as three months of heavy use. What makes the passes worthless is they waste your time and are un-necessary additional wear on a consumable part (the SSD).


How can I keep my iPhone / iPods cooler in a hot vehicle?

Place the electronics that contain a lithium based battery in the shade and keep windows open a crack. If possible, place the vehicle in the shade or use light or reflective colored windshield shades to reduce the heat that stays in the car.

Usually the trunk (or a well insulated bag) will lag the passenger compartment many tens of degrees and warm up several hours slower than something in the main cabin.


How can I create a new contact from Messages & add it to a specific Group in Contacts?

Under the mail options in settings; there is a section for contacts, you will see "default account" change that option to the account you wish to have all your contacts created in.


Your iPhone is in Recovery Mode.

Unplug it from your Mac/PC and exit the recovery mode.

Exit the recovery mode via:

  Hold down the home and power button for about 15 seconds, this shuts
  off the iPhone
  Press the power button to boot the iPhone

Now it should be rebooting. Connect it again with you Mac/PC and fire up iTunes. Everything should work as it meant to be.


How to use Time Machine backup on a different computer?

Yes, you can.  When you set up the new Mac and connect it to your Time Machine backup either through the network or via cable, you can select restore from Time Machine Backup during setup.  If you have already set up your new Mac and want to now restore, use Migration Assistant found in your Applicatons > Utilities folder.

The instructions can be found on Apple Support.  See the link below or search support for Migration Assistant.

From Apple Support:

  Migration Assistant and Setup Assistant

  Setup Assistant opens the
  first time you start up a new Mac. It helps you enter your information
  about your network, and guides you through setting up a user account
  on your computer. Use it to transfer user accounts, settings, and
  documents from another computer to your Mac.

  If you don't use Setup
  Assistant to transfer information when you first set up your new Mac,
  you can do it later using Migration Assistant.

  Migration Assistant in
  OS X Mavericks and Yosemite can transfer information from other
  computers that have OS X Snow Leopard v10.6.8 or later installed. If
  you're migrating from a computer with an earlier version of OS X,
  update your older computer first, or manually copy your data from one
  computer to another. If you're migrating from a Windows-based PC to a
  Mac, you can use the Windows Migration Assistant as part of this
  process.

  Migrate from a Time Machine backup or external drive Use these steps to migrate users, data, or other information from an existing Time

  Machine backup stored on a Time Capsule or external drive.

  If your Time Machine backup is on an external drive, connect the
  drive to your new Mac.
  On your new Mac, open Migration Assistant. You can find it by
  choosing Go > Utilities, or using Spotlight or Launchpad.
  Enter an admin password when prompted, and click OK.
  Select "From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk", then
  click Continue.
  Select the Drive, Time Machine backup, or Time Capsule volume you
      want to migrate from, then click Continue.  The Continue button is unavailable (dimmed) until you select a source.
  If you're migrating from a Time Capsule, enter your Time Capsule
  password when prompted, then click Connect.
  Select the specific Time Machine backup you want to migrate from,
  then click Continue.
  You can customize the type of information that is migrated on the
  next screen. If you want to transfer only a portion of an account,
  deselect anything you don't want migrated. If there is more than one
  user on your original Mac, you can click the triangle next to a
  user's icon and deselect anything you don't want to migrate for
  specific users.
  After you click Continue, the Migration Assistant begins
  transferring files to  Mac. The amount of time that it takes for
  migration to complete depends on the amount of data being copied,
  and the speed of the connection. After migration finishes, the login
  window reappears. Log into the migrated account on your new Mac to
  see your old files.


Call your cellular service provider, they should be able to help you.


FaceTime is not available for iPhones purchased in the United Arab Emirates.

@jaume answered this question here: FaceTime not working on iPhone 6 Plus purchased from Dubai


Is there any way to print directly from my iPad to my wifi-connected printer?


How can I programmatically rotate all the pages in a PDF using native macOS tools?

To my knowledge macOS does not have any one native command line Unix executable that can rotate all pages in a PDF (while keeping text based ones text based). sip can rotate a single page PDF however the resulting PDF is an encapsulated image, not text if it was text base to begin with. Also, not sure if there is a way with just plain AppleScript, other then via UI Scripting the default Preview application, without going to AppleScriptObjC (Cocoa-AppleScript) and or Python, etc.

Using third-party command line utilities is probably the easiest, but you said it has to be done only using what's a default part of macOS. So, I'll offer an AppleScript solution that uses UI Scripting the default Preview application, that can be used in the event there isn't another way with AppleScriptObjC or without third-party utilities, etc.

This solution, as offered (and coded), assumes that Preview is the default application for PDF documents and uses it to rotate all the pages in the PDF document. It is also setup as an Automator workflow. (Although there are other ways to incorporate the AppleScript code shown below.)

First, in Finder, make a copy of the target PDF documents and work with those.

In Automator, create a new workflow document, adding the following actions:

Get Specified Finder Items

Add the copied target PDF document to this action.

Run AppleScript Script

Replace the default code with the code below:

AppleScript code:

on run {input}
    set thisLong to 0.25 -- # The value of 'thisLong' is decimal seconds delay between keystrokes, adjust as necessary.
    set theRotation to "r" -- # Valid values are 'l' or 'r' for Rotate Left or Rotate Right.
    set theViewMenuCheckedList to {}
    set theMenuItemChecked to missing value
    repeat with thisItem in input
        tell application "Finder" to open file thisItem -- # By default, in this use case, the PDF file will open in Preview.
        delay 1 --  # Adjust as necessary. This is the only 'delay' not defined by the value of 'thisLong'.
        tell application "System Events"
            perform action "AXRaise" of window 1 of application process "Preview" -- # Just to make sure 'window 1' is front-most.
            delay thisLong
            --  # Ascertain which of the first six 'View' menu items is checked.
            set theViewMenuCheckedList to (value of attribute "AXMenuItemMarkChar" of menu items 1 thru 6 of menu 1 of menu bar item 5 of menu bar 1 of application process "Preview")
            repeat with i from 1 to 6
                if item i in theViewMenuCheckedList is not missing value then
                    set theMenuItemChecked to i as integer
                    exit repeat
                end if
            end repeat
            --  # Process keystrokes based on which 'View' menu item is checked.
            --  # This is being done so the subsequent keystroke ⌘A 'Select All'
            --  # occurs on the 'Thumbnails', not the body of the document.
            if theMenuItemChecked is not 2 then
                repeat with thisKey in {"2", "1", "2"}
                    keystroke thisKey using {option down, command down}
                    delay thisLong
                end repeat
            else
                repeat with thisKey in {"1", "2"}
                    keystroke thisKey using {option down, command down}
                    delay thisLong
                end repeat
            end if
            repeat with thisKey in {"a", theRotation as text, "s"} -- # {Select All, Rotate Direction, Save}
                keystroke thisKey using {command down}
                delay thisLong
            end repeat
            keystroke theMenuItemChecked as text using {option down, command down} -- # Resets the 'View' menu to the original view.
            delay thisLong
            keystroke "w" using {command down} -- # Close Window.
        end tell
    end repeat
end run

Notes:

As this script uses UI Scripting, when run from Automator (or Script Editor), the running app must be added to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Accessibility in order to run properly. Saved as an application, the saved application would need to be added.
Also with UI Scripting, the value of the delay commands may need to be changed for use on your system (and or additional delay commands added as appropriate, although in the case additional delay commands should not be needed). It should go without saying however test this on a set of a few document first to make sure the value set for thisLong works on your system. On my system this worked as coded.
When using UI Scripting in this manner, once the task has started, one must leave the system alone and let it finish processing the files. Trying to multi-task will only set focus away from the task at hand and cause it to fail.
If you need to rotate more then one time, add additional theRotation as text, to:

  repeat with thisKey in {"a", theRotation as text, "s"} -- # {Select All, Rotate Direction, Save}

Example:

  repeat with thisKey in {"a", theRotation as text, theRotation as text, "s"}


OSX default file permissions when copying/saving files

From the terminal you can use the chmod command to change permissions. In this case the command would be chmod a+r *. This would change all files in a folder. If you want to do this from the Finder, you would have to create a service. You could then select a group of files and change all of them at once. The instructions are given below.

Open the Automator application.
Select "Service" and click "Choose".
Drag the action "Run AppleScript" to where it says "Drag actions or
files here to build your workflow".
Set "Service receives selected text in any application" to
"Service receives selected files or folders in Finder".
Replace the code

on run {input, parameters}

    (* Your script goes here *)

    return input
end run

with

on run {input, parameters}
    try
        repeat with currentfile in input
            try
                do shell script "chmod a+r " & quoted form of POSIX path of currentfile
            end try
        end repeat
    end try
    return input
end run

Save service as "Readable by All".
Quit the Automator application.

The service should have been saved in the ~/Library/Services folder under the name Readable by All.workflow. If not, move it there.

Now when you highlight one or more files using the Finder application, you can right click and select "Readable by All" to change the permissions.


What's the normal value for cached files?

Yes, that is a completely normal value.

The amount of cached files is not supposed to lower itself when you close running programs. There's no good reason for that to happen. The files will still be cached in RAM ready to be delivered to programs quickly when needed. If they are never needed, they will be purged from RAM eventually.


Troubleshooting is a process of elimination and can require some patience.

The first thing I would do is try running Apple Diagnostics to test your hardware.

Run Apple Diagnostics

Follow the steps below to run Apple Diagnostics:

Fully shut down your Mac
Ensure you have no external hardware (e.g. keyboard, mouse, display, printer, portable hard drive, etc) connected
Restart your Mac
Immediately press the D key and keep it down until you see the Diagnostics screen appear
Wait for Diagnostics to finish (this typically only takes a few minutes)
Once complete, one of two things will appear on the screen:

a No issues found message
a brief description of any errors found plus further instructions

If the diagnostics test does find errors, take a note of what they are

Note: If pressing and holding the D key at Step 3 doesn't work, start again at Step 1 and, at Step 4 press and hold both the OptionD keys instead. This will try and run diagnostics from the internet instead, so you will need to allow more time for it to complete.

Regardless, take a note of what happens and let me know how you went. Then we can proceed with further troubleshooting.


How can I import ebooks using Configurator

Due to DRM restrictions, Apple Configurator cannot send eBooks to any iOS device. The only way to do this is to either email the eBooks to the iPads and download them from there or to use iTunes (it won't require an Apple ID to do this).


External drive mounts but doesn't appear in Finder anymore

With the help of Drobo's technical support who pointed me to this MacRumors thread, I've resolved the issue. It turned out that somehow my drive got set to "invisible", which is a filesystem attribute. I don't think this setting is settable via the Finder, so I'm not sure how it got set like that.

To confirm the issue, I had to install Xcode and then install the command line tools, then run this Terminal command:

GetFileInfo /Volumes/Drobo/

where /Volumes/Drobo/ is the path to the volume in question. This command returns all the attributes set for that volume. If the list of attributes includes a V (capital V), it means that the volume is invisible.

To fix it:

SetFile -a v /Volumes/Drobo/

with a lowercase v, to remove the invisible attribute.

After a reboot, everything was back to normal.

Note: depending on the drive and your permissions, it's possible you will need to run these commands with sudo, although I didn't.


MacBook Air not booting, Boot loader not available, Internet recovery not available

I think I had one such MacBook Air. It was permanently resolved by replacing the LCD assembly at AASP as the warranty was active - it did essentially qualify for DOA (wtf? - still do not know the possible answer to that)

Workaround was to get the system in the target mode (T at startup and connect with a Thunderbolt cable to some other Mac) and install the MacOS from a good source.
ASD may help to point the finger to the dead part in need of replacement.


macOS Photos.app - Names Missing on Shared Albums

Please try these steps and report back:

In Photos.app in your Mac go to Photos > Settings > iCloud and uncheck 'iCloud Photo Sharing'.
Wait about a minute for the changes to apply.
Quit Photos.app and restart your Mac.
Open Photos.app and turn on 'iCloud Photo Sharing'.


Quit terminal but store the session for next start

There is a system-wide pref to let apps save their state at quit, similar to that for reboot 'reopen windows when logging back in'.

System Prefs > General - uncheck 'Close windows when quitting an app'

 Picture from El Capitan, but the pref has been there since maybe Mavericks


1GB of RAM is insufficient for OS X 10.7 "Lion."  You'll need 2GB or more.:

OS X Lion - Technical Specifications
General requirements

Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or
Xeon processor
2GB of memory
OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
7GB of available space


I can't install macOS Mojave because this copy of the Install macOS Mojave.app application is damaged

go to the applications, and delete the "install macOS Mojave" file, and then you are able to re-download the file in app store. Just try to download it again. That's all.


Sounds like a problem with the audio format. Open the Audio MIDI Setup application, select your USB device, and try different combinations for audio format (sampling rate, channel/bit-depth).

If your device is locked at a sample rate and/or bit-depth, this should be a workaround. Try creating a Multi-Output Device with your device and the Built-in Output. (note: with the multi-output, you will have to set the volume on each device individually)

Click the + icon at the bottom left and select Create Multi-Output Device.
Under the "use" column, select Built-in Output and your device.
Set the Master Device to Built-in Output. This will allow you to choose different sample rates based on what is allowed for Built-in Output.
Lower the volume on Built-in Output (essentially muting it so sound only goes through your device)
Right-click on your device under the Multi-Output Device and check Resample this subdevice.
In System Preferences > Sound, change the output device to the Multi-Output Device.

Now you can change the sample rate of the multi-output device.


ifconfig from a terminal command line will tell you the internal IP address. Type ifconfig | grep "inet " | grep -v 127.0.0.1 to remove a lot of the unneeded text.
If you want your external IP address, just go to whatismyip.com or to Google and type 'IP Address' to show your public IP.
You can also find your internal IP address by going to System Preferences | Network and viewing your current connection (either AirPort for wireless, or Ethernet for wired, typically). Your status should display the current IP address.


Bug in iTunes Connect preventing TestFlight submit

There might be a problem with iTunes Connect.  I just got an email from Apple about upcoming maintenance:

  On April 22, beginning at 7:00 a.m. (PDT), iTunes Connect and related content delivery services will be unavailable for up to eight hours.  The following services will be affected:
   - App build upload in Xcode
   - Application Loader and altool
   - iTunes Connect
   - iTunes Connect Mobile
   - iTunes Producer
   - Transporter

Maybe wait until after the maintenance is over and try again.


iPhone connects to WiFi but drops Internet connection

This is abnormal behaviour, and therefore probably a bug in either your wireless router or iOS, more likely your router. It seems to assign your iPhone a static IP after some time for no visible reason (although you haven't used a setting to tell your router to do that).

A list of what you should try, try one after another if it still does not work:

Check for firmware updates for your wireless router. That rules out any known issue to the manufacturer, where fixes are already available.
Reset your wireless router to factory defaults, as that rules out any issues with configuration (intended or unintended).
Tell your iPhone to "forget" your wireless network, and connect to it again, supplying the password. That way, you're ruling out any issues with configuration files with your particular network.
Make an encrypted backup of your iPhone using iTunes if you want to be able to rollback any of the following changes.
Reset your iPhone's network settings (In Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings). You'll have to reconnect to all wireless networks again, as it also deletes passwords, but it makes sure that no issues exist in configuration files regarding general network configuration.
Do a factory restore on your iPhone. If it works now, try restoring the backup and check if the issue is still fixed.
If it still does not help, you might consider calling Apple support (although there is not much more they can do).


How do I transfer app data from my old iPad to my new iPad?

I am assuming this process will work out to be the same as the current situation with  iPhones:

Backup your iPad using iTunes.
Plug new iPad into same computer.
Restore new iPad from old iPad backup.

When this is done with an iPhone, the new iPhone will be configured exactly as the old one - save games, email apps, photos, everything is transfered.

What happens is actually that the backup contains all app data + configuration. The rest is basically a list of stuff that should be synced from your computer to the device (e.g. music, photos, apps).


To have TV Out from iPad 2's any application via Apple Composite AV Cable

From what I can discern from question, you are actually looking for Video Mirroring, not Video out.  They are two distinct features, using different API's.

Video Mirroring, i.e. everything that you see on your iPad screen, from home screen to various apps, is only available via Airplay, using an Apple TV, or using Apples Digital AV Adapter(HDMI) or VGA Adapter.

Video Out, which is what it sounds like you are currently using, is available with Apples Composite and Component AV Adaptors, and provides an output link for applications that are specifically outputting a video source, such as the Videos App, or YouTube.  This would be why you can see YouTube Video's in YouTube, but not say when they are embedded in Safari.

You should also know, even Mirroring doesn't work for all Apps as you would expect.  HBO Go for example, actively disables Video Mirroring and only supports Audio, so when you hook the iPad to your TV, all you see is and HBO Go Logo on your TV Screen.  There is currently no official way around these restrictions.


I just had exactly the same problem and tried contacting support. Finally the only thing that let me login was turning off two-step authentication completely.


How do I make the Messages that are sent to me stop going to my Mac?

Open iMessage on your Mac and go into Preferences. Choose Accounts and make your changes there. That should fix the problem with the Mac. You should go to your phone, open Settings and make sure your iMessage is turned on. Your iMessage must have been turned off on your iPhone. I receive messages on my MacBook and phone but can easily turn one off by going to the settings.


Where is the bluetooth antenna located in iPhones?

There are teardown/repair guides at iFixIt, they note where the chips and antennas are located.

For example, in an iPhone 4S teardown, here's a photo of the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chip.
There is a guide on replacing the upper antenna - which is the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth one.
And there is also a step-by-step guide on fixing the wi-fi which provides the detailed photos and description.

It appears that the Bluetooth antenna is located at the top of the 4S. The discussion of the iPhone 6 teardown also states that the Apple fit the antenna on the top.

So, iFixit has a lot of manuals and photos to provide. Also, they've got a great community, so if you have any further questions, you can ask them instead.


Open file from the Dock using a non-default app

In Yosemite, I can open a file with any application in the Dock by dragging the file's icon over the application while holding the command and option keys down.
This only works if the targeted application is indeed able to open the file, of course.

Another option, when the application is not currently in your Dock, is to click the file with the right mouse button and choose an application from the submenu Open with, which is the second item in the context menu. This submenu lists the applications that can open the file you clicked on, with the default one at the top.


How can I find which chipset the Airport wireless card on my MBP uses?

Install AirTool and you can capture packets on one channel or all channels.

Apple’s OEM chipsets are quite capable of packet capture and scanning.


Can iPhone get damaged by magnets in case?

I’m asking cause I know usually magnets aren’t good for electronics

Magnets aren't good for magnetic media but have no effect on the electronics of your device.  In fact, you will find very strong magnets in Apple products like...

the lids of MacBook laptops
the covers of the iPad Accessories like the smart cover
around the edge of the iPad and iPad Pro to secure the Pencil
magnetic mount accessories that secure the iPhone/iPad for viewing/use in the car or other locations (personal note:  I have a family member with these products and they work fine.)

Your question is very similar to the existing question Can magnets harm an iPad? but I wanted to address the issues you were having.

I’m asking because I know usually magnets aren’t good for electronics but especially because it’s now 2 iPhone XR’s that I have that keep doing the same crap: randomly slowing down and or crashing. Especially when trying to take a photo or loading some apps but also sometimes just out of nowhere as I’m chatting in WhatsApp.

Given that you've already taken it in and they said the logic board had a defect; let's assume they swapped it out.  It could be the following:

your digitizer (the screen input) may be failing.  It may be sending random erroneous input to the system.  If it's happening too quickly or too much, it may be overloading the iPad slowing it down or crashing the App.
the accessory may be interfering with the capacitive touch.  The digitizer requires something that conducts a small electrical charge (like your skin) or the fabric on those stylus.  The material used may be lightly conductive and inadvertently sending inputs to the device - try removing the cover/case
software update may need to be installed.
software or iOS may be corrupt (file corruption does happen).  Try doing a full factory reset and a reinstall of the OS.

I'm leaning toward an issue with the digitizer (it or the case) because this symptom says a lot:

when trying to take a photo or loading some apps but also sometimes just out of nowhere as I’m chatting in WhatsApp.

Magnets would corrupt and disrupt things, not open other apps. To get an app to open, you need something to send input to the phone telling it to launch (or switch to it if already open).  Assuming you don't have a preset Shortcut the only thing that would send that type of input is the digitizer.


whats the amount of time that can be lft on a voice mail message

Most mobile (cellular) phone providers only allow a max of 3mins. I know T-mobile, AT&T and Verizon all adhere to this and that's basically 80% of the market in the USA. Pretty much the same for Europe. Landlines with hardware answering machines are all different and can be user set.


Why won't icloud account accept my password from my Mac Mini?

I had to take the following steps to get it to work again:

reboot Mac Mini
sign in using local account.
When I signed in, it said that FaceTime needed a password -- that was my original icloud account.
I then went to Settings and signed into the iCloud account (using my original icloud password).
it requested I set up the sync items (find my mac, etc).

The sign on worked but my appleId sign on now seems to have the same password as my icloud id which I thought was not possible in the past.

So, I guess the point is that if you encounter this error where you can't sign into iCloud you should reboot the device and work through it to see if you can get signed in again.


92 degrees F is not an issue. Snapchat and similar programs that use the camera, GPS, and have higher GPU/CPU requirements will cause the phone to get warmer. If it was 92C then that wouldn't be good, but 92F just means you're using a lot of battery power.


Backing up an iPhone 6 too damaged to be able to be unlocked

Unfortunately, there are not many options available should the screen be shattered. Depending on how valuable the data on your phone is (photos, texts, etc). then you might want to check into having the screen repaired.

An iPhone 6 screen can be repaired Out of Warranty by Apple for $106 + tax at a local Apple store, and there are also Service Providers (authorized) and third-parties which will also fix the screen at similar costs which may be closer to you. I'd recommend you look into that option, as

you will be able to retrieve your data (assuming no further damage than the screen)
You won't have to get a new phone over the issue, since the old one would be fixed

Beyond a physical repair of the device, your options would be limited. I might also suggest reaching out to a local third-party service as they might be willing to hook up a spare screen to your phone for the purpose of unlocking and backing up the data, but not a repair, at a lower cost should the full repair be too expensive. Of course, note that any 3rd-party repairs done by a non-AASP and/or non-Apple would void the warranty, should you have one.


Creating a bootable Sierra image on Catalina

The 2014 MacBook Pro should be able to download and run the Sierra Installer.

Current Version is: OS X el Capitan 10.11.6 What's Next?

The answer to that question is the process you can / should follow to download the installer and then run the create script.

What specific error message do you get following the process here?

You might need to post a screen shot of exactly what the terminal window shows in case you've got a syntax error we can spot. Also, the diskutil list command showing the USB drive you target might help.


Seriously corroded Macintosh Color Classic

I suspect @Allan is right, and the board is too far gone to salvage. But if you want to gamble on further damage vs. possible resurrection, there at least one thing you can try.
It looks to me like that was area around the the battery that has most of the damage; the battery probably leaked (acid or alkaline, depending on the type) and corroded everything around it. The corrosion is basically irreversible, but you can at least try to remove the acid/alkali. Alcohol won't do a good job of this, it takes a polar solvent like water. The problem is that water can also accelerate the corrosion, so you have to do it carefully. Note: read all of these instructions before starting, and get all the tools ready in advance.
Tools: a sink, a old soft-bristle toothbrush, compressed air (something like this, not the high-pressure stuff you'd find in a machine shop), paper towels, a hair dryer or heat gun, and some uncooked rice for final drying.

Use running water. Turn a tap on low (you don't want it to splash). Hold the board with the damaged corner tilted down, so the water runs toward it and off the board, not toward the undamaged sections. Let the water run on where the battery was, so it runs across the damaged section. Move the board around a bit, so the whole damaged area gets washed.

Use a soft toothbrush to gently scrub the components and traces as the water runs across them. Try to get especially between the tiny wires on the components. Don't push too hard; the wires will be weak, and you don't want to tear anything loose! Rinse the toothbrush out periodically so you aren't grinding crud into the things you're trying to clean. When you're done with this process, throw the toothbrush out; you don't ever want it near your mouth again!

When you're done brushing, rinse that corner of the board for a little bit longer.

Now take the board out from under the water, and use the compressed air. Blow mostly across the board (not straight down), and toward the damaged corner. You need to blow out under the components (and maybe the corroded-looking end of the SIMM socket), and you don't want to blow any of the crud into the clean section of the board. If possible, blow air out through the connectors at the back of the board as well.

Now rinse the board again. Repeat the rinse & blow cycle a couple of times to clean out better under components and inside the connectors.
When you're done washing, you want to dry the board as quickly and completely as possible. The water is both washing crud off, and accelerating corrosion while the board is wet. Once you're done rinsing, the water is hurting more than it helps!

Gently pat-dry it with a paper towel, then use the compressed air to blow-dry it a final time (same tactics as before, to blow water out from under things). Get the entire board this time, in case any water splashed onto the undamaged section. Similarly, get the bottom side of the board in case any water got there.

Now use a hair dryer or heat gun to continue drying the board. You probably want the low setting; you want to dry it, not cook it.

When you get bored with the hair dryer, switch to rice. You want to basically submerge the board in dry rice (see figure 2 here) and leave it there at least overnight. If there's any remaining battery gunk there, it'll hang onto the water longer than you expect, so be patient. When you're done with this, throw out the rice; like the toothbrush, it should be considered contaminated.

Finally, when you're confident it's fully dry, reinstall it any try powering it back up. Without a battery, it may not work right on the first try; IIRC those old Macs get a dead-looking black screen on first boot with a dead battery, but will come up if you turn them off & right back on (assuming everything else is ok).

Do not apply power before you're confident it's all dry. Power will greatly accelerate the damage that water does, so it's better to be patient.


Apple sources their wallpaper from others so it's not free use for any commercial projects. If you plan on making money from their source without modifying it severely, you could be sent a takedown request.

The Galaxy wallpaper in Lion is based off the Robert Gendler Andromeda picture: robgendlerastropics.com. They also got into some hot water for not paying the original artist for one of their iPad wallpapers, which was resolved: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Apple-Uses-Unlicensed-Photo-for-iPad-Wallpaper-134605.shtml


Repurpose Fusion Drive - Booting from USB 3.2 Gen 2 SSD

Is the internal SSD (28GB?) active in this setup?
Your Mac was shipped with an 1 TB SATA HDD and a 32 GB NVMe SSD. So, you have two separate internal drives which were configured as a Fusion drive with macOS installed. You state in your question that you have an 1 TB Fusion drive, so I assume the internal SSD is active as part of the Fusion arrangement. You should be able to verify this by inspecting the output from the command diskutil list.

Can the Fusion drive be formatted and Windows 10 be installed on it using Bootcamp?
Here, I assume you mean using the Boot Camp Assistant to install Windows 10. In this case, the answer is no. You would be trying to install Windows 10 on a USB drive and the Windows 10 installer GUI would not permit this to occur. However, you can use the Boot Camp Assistant to download the Windows Support Software (the drivers), then you could install Windows 10 by using the Windows 10 installer CLI. For example procedures, see this answer.

Can the Fusion drive be 'split' and the internal SSD 'fused' to the external SSD?
You should be able use the internal SSD and external SDD to create a Fusion drive arrangement. You could even install Big Sur into this Fusion drive. I was able to verify this part of my answer by creating this arrangement in a VirtualBox virtual machine. I assume if this is possible in a virtual environment, then the same configuration would work with real hardware.


Archive gmail messages from the notification center on an iphone

Swipe left
Select View
The options Archive and Reply appear

It appears that I did not understand what View meant.  I thought it would open the message, but instead it views the notification.  In retrospect, it seems obvious that they wouldn't use the terms View and Open to mean and do the same thing in the same place.


How do I mount a network drive based on my IP address or wifi network?

set homeip to "Enter Your Home IP Here"
set homedrive to "afp://PlzUpvoteThis.Answer"
set workdrive to "smb://FeelFreeToEdit.This"

set myIP to (do shell script "curl ipinfo.io/ip") // Gets ip

if myIP is homeip then // Checks if your ip matches your home ip
    do shell script "open " & homedrive
else
    do shell script "open " & workdrive
end if


iTunes won't open following moving folder after reinstall

Hold alt (option) while opening iTunes, a window will open allowing you to select your iTunes library.

Make sure you're iTunes is up to date as well.


iCloud container taking excessive disk space

The iCloud files come down from the cloud, so you can't really delete a local copy as it will start downloading again. Instead, let's review the settings that control what data comes down.

Ideally, you can turn off iCloud on the Air and let the OS delete all the content so you have space to work. (Bad things break in odd ways when the boot drive fills).

Open iCloud preferences and under photos turn off either/or/both:

iCloud Photo library
iCloud photo sharing

The first will be your pictures existing only on other devices and Apple servers. The second is all of the shared photos that other people have shared with you and you have shared with other people.  I even know of some people who use iCloud photo sharing to share photos only with themselves because these photos don't count against the free 5 Gb storage limit.

You are correct that the folder you found is for shared photos. If you can't free up other space on the Mac - you can opt out of some sharing of images / movies that are large. I also find the optimize photo size option handy on mobile devices when I don't need the full resolution of photos in my local copy of the Photos library:


How do I have two copies of iTunes using the same library?

Is iTunes Match an option?  I have a a Mac Pro that has my actual iTunes library, but I have full access to it from my iPhone, MBP, AppleTV, etc.

It's not free, but it's a pretty significant service IMHO.  I think it's probably the most elegant solution :)

Ok, so your best bet is probably going to be the external HD.

Make sure iTunes is closed on the iMac.
With your external HD plugged into your iMac, move the entire iTunes folder (~/Music/iTunes) to wherever you want on the external
Start iTunes while holding down the option key.  This will allow you to tell iTunes where to look for the iTunes Library.  Choose the iTunes folder you just moved to the external.
Quit iTunes and eject the external from the iMac
Plug the external into the MBP and start up iTunes, again, holding down the option key to then point the MBP to the Library on the external.

If you want to keep the iTunes library in sync between the two computers, you'll need to have that external plugged in and moving between the two every time.

If you're not terribly concerned with keeping it in sync all the time, you can skip the step above that tells the iMac to look in a new place.  Just leave the iMac alone and point the MBP to the copy on the external.  You could overwrite the external once a month or something.


Does my late 2012 iMac 21" support fusion drives?

From the page you linked -

  The initial production of the base model for the 21.5" iMac didn't come with a slot for the SSD. Later production models included the SSD slot, but there's no way to determine if the 2012 21.5" iMac with a 2.7GHz processor has the SSD slot without opening it up to see if it's available. If you have already opened the iMac up and it does have an SSD slot, this SSD is compatible.

The 2.9 & 3.1 GHz machines should be compatible.


iTunes version in AppStore download of Mountain Lion

I don't know about the versions of OS X currently available from App Store, but my 10.8.0 VM has iTunes 10.6.3 and my 10.9.0 VM has iTunes 11.1. I created the 10.8 VM from an installer that I downloaded from App Store about a year ago.


iPhone won't open Safari - or other - pages

This seems to be a bug in iOS 9. Not much to do but wait for an update.


Mac Vanilla Menu Bar App - How can I move the icon around?

Hold down the command key and move the app around wherever you like!
At least in my case. It may not work for you from your description.


Is it possible to find out mac user account login history

To see your login history on your Mac:

Open Terminal.
Type the word last followed by your username. For example: last udhyantimilsina
A list of login activity for your user account will appear in reverse chronological order.


Deleting photos from my iPhone - and keeping them in iCloud

I’ve experienced something similar and I always suspected that they were the photos on the phone before iCloud Photo Library was enabled. The only way I know to delete them is manually or through a manual sync on my Mac using Image Capture which gives you the option to delete all the photos copied to the Mac. Note that I’m syncing to a folder on the Mac, not to Photos.

I’m not sure what’s supposed to happen but I was trying to force my iPhone to only have optimized copies, so I turned off iCloud Photo Library, deleted the photos that remained, and then turned iCloud Photo Library back on. Photos proceeded to delete all the photos I’d manually deleted from my iPhone from iCloud Photo Library. That was unexpected but not a huge crisis because I restored them from “Recently Deleted”. However, I did learn not to assume I understood iCloud Photo Library well enough to think I could bend it to my will.

After those experiences, if I wanted to take a device completely out of iCloud Photo Library, I’d erase it and rebuild it form scratch rather than a backup. Painful but the only way to be sure.


Have a look at your syslog with:

tail -f /var/log/system.log

You should see your login item process starting with a linked timestamp.
Console.app is more user-friendly if you don't like the terminal.

Other option, disable all your login items and then enable them one-by-one and you will see who is the bottleneck.


iPhone 4 restart when the lock button is broken

Plugging a phone into a computer or power source via the usb cable will power it on, even if it is off – your phone is in need of repair or replacement.

I've seen the apple logo appearing for a few seconds and then phone dying several times with dead phones. I've fixed countless phones, but I don't have a concrete answer for this problem other than it being related to the motherboard in your phone and the solution is a replacement (replacement part more than value of the phone)


2017 MBP screen flashes green or yellow when waking from sleep

What version of macOS are you using? High Sierra + Metal did cause some issues. There is a Reddit thread about it: https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/73nc9h/after_high_sierra_weird_colors_when_waking_up/

It is a software problem. Double check to see if the OS is updated.

Definitely visit the store if this persists.


How do I remove an app folder is OSX when all else fails?

I jumped a gun posting here and got the answer elsewhere.  Here is the solution:
Because uninstall has already failed, the problem may be that the "system immutable flag" is set for /Applications/CrashPlan.app or its contents. In Terminal, try

ls -ldO /Applications/CrashPlan.app

and

ls -ldO /Applications/CrashPlan.app/Contents

The ls command may show something like this:

drwxrwxr-x@  3 root  102  schg   13 Jul 14 20:36 CrashPlan.app

If you see the schg flag, run these commands:

sudo chflags -R noschg /Applications/CrashPlan.app
sudo rm -fR /Applications/CrashPlan.app


Does Apple Watch Auto Unlock need network access and Two-factor authentication?

Does Apple Watch auto unlock need network and two-factor authentication?

To use Apple Watch Auto Unlock feature, you need to have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on both your Apple Watch and Mac. It is similar to AirDrop, the radios must be turned on for the feature to work.

Also, your account must have Two-factor authentication turned on. Having Two-factor authentication enabled provides an extra layer of protection and doesn't compromise your Apple ID in any way.

  My password is very secure and I don't want to enable this feature.

It doesn't matter howsoever strong password you use, once someone else gets hold of it (which could happen accidentally), they have complete access to your Apple ID account. Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by having the user to obtain and enter an additional, randomly generated code.

Two-factor authentication is more advanced than two-setp verification. Apple highly recommends protecting your account with Two-factor authentication, so much so that if you use it at-least for a couple weeks, you couldn't turn it off.

For more details refer to the linked Apple Support articles:

How to unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch
System requirements for Continuity on Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple Watch
Availability of two-factor authentication for Apple ID
Switch from two-step verification to two-factor authentication


Trying to mount mhddfs / osxfuse via fstab

Here is a way to mount osxfuse / mhddfs via LaunchDaemon

Prerequisites:
– existing /mnt/DrivePoolA
– some Volumes (in the example below Test01-Test03 mounted at /Volumes)
– OSXFuse 2.7.3
– mhddfs via macports

Create a file com.oxsfuse.mhddfs.plist in /Library/LaunchDaemons/

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>com.oxsfuse.mhddfs</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>sh</string>
        <string>/usr/local/mhddfs-start.sh</string>
    </array>
    <key>RunAtLoad</key>
    <true/>
</dict>
</plist>

Enter in Terminal:

 sudo chown root:wheel /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.oxsfuse.mhddfs.plist
 sudo chmod 644 /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.oxsfuse.mhddfs.plist

Create a file mhddfs-start.sh in /usr/local/

#!/bin/bash

kextload /Library/Filesystems/osxfusefs.fs/Support/osxfusefs.kext
sysctl -w osxfuse.tunables.allow_other=1
/opt/local/bin/mhddfs /Volumes/Test01,/Volumes/Test02,/Volumes/Test03 /mnt/DrivePoolA -o allow_other,loglevel=0,logfile=/tmp/mhddfs1.log,volname=DrivePoolA
sleep 5
/opt/local/bin/mhddfs /Volumes/Test01,/Volumes/Test02,/Volumes/Test03 /mnt/DrivePoolA -o allow_other,loglevel=0,logfile=/tmp/mhddfs2.log,volname=DrivePoolA

Enter in Terminal:

 sudo chown root:wheel /usr/local/mhddfs-start.sh

You may store the shell script somewhere else but be sure to adapt <string>/usr/local/mhddfs-start.sh</string> in the file com.oxsfuse.mhddfs.plist.

After some extended testing in a Parallels VM (Mavericks with OSXFuse 2.7.3 and macport's mhddfs) i got it mounted reliably. And yes, executing mhddfs two times is intended!

You may omit the loglevel=0,logfile=/tmp/mhddfs1/2.log,-part in the shell script - it was just for testing purposes.

Please do some tests with the volumes before using it in a productive environment.


Why does the enter/return key rename a file/folder, instead of opening it?

"enter" or "return" is, at least in my mind and experience with others, the universal "okay" key. When a dialog pops up, you can smack the enter key for the default action.

In the Finder, the default action is file management. The Finder is not a launcher. You have a bunch of files you want to rename, or move, or whatever. What percentage of files do you actually open regularly from the Finder? Why should the default action in the Finder be "Open"?

You can learn to use the navigation standard of OS X instead of ENTER/RETURN. The navigation standard is:

⌘ + ↑ - goes to Parent Folder
⌘ + ↓ - goes to Child Folder.

Over time I have found these key operations better than Windows navigation where you have to switch between ENTER and Alt+Up.


open new terminal tab in the same directory with the active tab

You may use iTerm2 and just select in preferences to "reuse previous tab's directory"


SSD totally bricked after installing in different laptop

This is more than likely a hardware problem with the SSD. Specifically, the SATA input/or SSD controller, based on the following:

The problem occurred after swapping the drive out from one machine into another.
You have connected the SSD to three different SATA cables (two internal, one external). None have recognized it. This rules out a bad SATA cable.
The drive is not recognized in any form of recovery. This rules out a corrupted filesystem.
The drive does not even mount when connected externally. This rules out a corrupted partition scheme and is a common symptom of physical failure.

All of the above point to physical failure of the drive.

First, I’d clean the SATA input on the drive using 99% isopropyl alcohol (not 91!%), then test again using the mentioned enclosure.

If it still isn’t mounting, at all, check the drive’s warranty and contact the manufacturer for a replacement, if applicable. Best of luck.


Boot Camp Issue with Mac Pro 3,1 and ATI Radeon RX580 graphics card

Most users have solved this problem by running Apple Software Update to get a newer version of Boot Camp. For users where this update is unavailable or unusable, there is a solution involving using the rEFInd Boot Manager. When properly installed and configured, rEFInd can allow Boot Camp to indirectly boot from Windows to a macOS residing in a APFS container.
The idea is simple enough: From Windows, you use Boot Camp to choose rEFInd. When the Mac boots rEFInd, the Mac will be instruct by rEFInd to silently boot Catalina.
For this to work, you will need use the following steps to install and configure rEFInd.

Create a small Mac OS Extended (Journaled) partition.
Download rEFInd. This is a free product.
Install rEFInd to the small Mac OS Extended (Journaled) partition. Basically, use the --ownhfs option when invoking refind-install.
Edit the refind.conf file to silently boot Catalina.

You should be able to install rEFInd without disabling SIP.


I ended up reporting it as deeeeeeekun suggested. Some of the suggested workaround in the comments were also suggested to me. This is the solution they gave that worked:

1) cd getconf DARWIN_USER_CACHE_DIR

2) attach com.apple.dock.iconcache to radar

3) rm com.apple.dock.iconcache; killall Dock

I'll update the answer when they give me the reason why the redbox happened.


Answering my own question.

There's a property in my ReactJS app's manifest.json that is read by my home screen shortcut:

"start_url": "./index.html"

Removing this property solves the issue and the home screen shortcut now has the correct (unaltered) URL of http://www.host.com/key-foo.


It's hard to say from the crash reports, the good news is that the issue may be related to software - a misbehaving third party kernel module may cause a kernel panic.

From you crash reports I see the following 3rd party module:

com.avira.kext.FileAccessControl

Try updating or removing avira, and see if that helps.


Is Java for OSX 2013-005 from apple a JDK6, or just a JRE?

It is the JDK as noted in the path /System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk it installs into , and also seeing what files are installed there.

As far as I understand the removal does not change Java but removes plugins from browsers

However I would use the later JDK for Java 7 from Oracle as there are some improvements in the environment and language as per Oracle's release notes


You would need to change *.aif sounds in:

 /System/Library/Components/CoreAudio.component/Contents/SharedSupport/SystemSounds/finder

There are:
empty trash.aif and move to trash.aif (self explanatory). I recomend to make backup of those files before swap.


Delete a purchased file from ITunes Download Queue without downloading file

In iTunes Downloads folder (open Terminal, type: open ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes\ Media/Downloads/), delete list.plist file to remove the queued downloads.
Then restart iTunes.

You may also want to delete other files in there too since they are certainly not needed.

(From my answer, https://discussions.apple.com/message/24479839#24479839)


Is there a free alternative to copilot that doesn't require the helpee to do anything ever

Simplest and cheapest would be to setup iChat on both computers and use Ask to Share screen feature from context menu.

Usually it will work from the start. Sometimes you need to configure router, here is a list of ports used by Apple services. Enabling uPNP or NAT-PMP on the router will usually work. In any case you need fast enough connection for it to work (at least 300kbps recommended still it's better to have faster one but what is more important is quality of the connection).


Why css files are opening in safari by default in MacBook?

I don't know why it's happening, but the usual way to correct would be:

Select a CSS file
Press Cmd-I, or right-click and select "Get Info"
In the Information popup, locate the "Open With" dropdown, and select the application you want to open CSS files with.
To affect all CSS files, instead of just this one, click the "Change All..." button immediately below the "Open With" dropdown.

If that doesn't work, it can indicate a problem with the Launch Services Database, or some other corruption of a system cache or database which is probably fixable. But try that first.


The shift click slider controls the volume for Alerts. You can check for yourself in the Sound preference pane.


Any way to display the duplicated songs in iTunes 11?

Apple have put the "Show duplicates" function back to iTunes 11. Go to View menu in iTunes and select "Show duplicate items"

A word of caution though, iTunes shows many false duplicates for me, anything with the same track name appears to be shown as duplicate. I much prefer the way Tune Sweeper deals with duplicates, there's no false duplicates and you can choose to keep the highest quality track.


MacBook Air internal keyboard and trackpad freezing

You pretty much covered all the troubleshooting bases.  Have you tried to wipe/reinstall OSX?

Next step would be to bring it back to the Apple store for diagnostics or further repair.  This is not normal.


Retina Mac shows gray screen when waking up

This is a workaround to save my work, then reboot.

Assumption: remote ssh is enabled and accessible on the Retina MacBook

Steps (note: "it" is the Retina MacBook):

Connect it to power, switch it on, and make sure it is connected to your LAN
Login over ssh to it through a terminal from another machine (I used a MacBook Air, but could be any machine that has an ssh client)
Enable screen sharing as described at Enabling OS X Screen Sharing from the Command Line
Remote connect through VNC to it
Save all your work
Shut it down
Start it
Login
Install DeepSleep (or a free DeepSleep)
Force a Deep Sleep
Wake

It woke fine, so I hope this was a one-time issue.


How can I convert a DMG to ISO on Mac OS X (preferably for free)?

You can use hdiutil to convert from .dmg to .iso directly:

$ hdiutil makehybrid -iso -joliet -o [filename].iso [filename].dmg

Renaming .cdr to .iso is bad advice! An .iso has a slightly different format that allows PC users to play the DVD as well. A renamed file will work on macOS, but NOT on a PC.

If you have a .cdr and want to convert it to an .iso, execute:

$ hdiutil makehybrid -iso -joliet -o [filename].iso [filename].cdr


The profile used for shells on iOS is /private/etc/profile, however it is recommended to add your own profile file to /etc/profile.d/ which is sourced by the shell when /private/etc/profile is run, using the following script:

for i in /etc/profile.d/*.sh ; do
    if [ -r "$i" ]; then
        . $i
    fi
done

I don't know if adding ~/.bash_profile yourself will cause it to be automatically sourced.


Does the new "Siri Page," on iOS 9, work with the iPhone 4s?

Sorry, that feature is only present on iPhone 5 and later.


Dock restarting continuously after High Sierra update

I'd start by trying to reset the Dock first and then manually quitting and relaunching it. Note you will need to re-add any non-default icons (i.e. apps) that you've added to the Dock - so you may want to take a screenshot of your Dock as a reminder of what you had there. (Or start afresh and only add things as you actually use them).

Reset the Dock

To reset the Dock, follow these steps:

Go to Finder
Press and hold the option key down
Now go to the Go menu
Select the Library option to open the User's Library folder. You can let go of the option key now.
Go to the Preferences folder (i.e. within the Library folder)
Find and move the com.apple.dock.plist file to the Trash

Quit and relaunch the Dock

To quit and relaunch the Dock, follow these steps:

Open Terminal (usually located in Applications > Utilities)
Enter this command killall -KILL Dock
Press enter

Once you've done the above I'd restart your computer to see if the problem has been resolved. If it hasn't, then I'd try rebooting into Safe Mode to see if the problem is still present.

Boot into Safe Mode

Follow these steps to boot your Mac into Safe Mode:

Fully shut down your Mac
Restart your Mac
Immediately press the Shift key and keep it down
Let go of the Shift key when you see the login window (NOTE: If you have FileVault enabled you may need to log in twice).
Take a note of what happens (i.e. is the Dock still misbehaving?)
Exit Safe Mode by restarting your Mac as normal
Test again to see what the Dock does

Let me know how you go.

[EDIT]

Since you've established that you don't have the problem in Safe Mode, but still do after logging in normally again, then it's time to investigate login items, fonts, and kernel extensions

Investigating login items, fonts, and kernel extensions

Let's start with Login Items:

Startup normally
Go to System Preferences > Users & Groups
Select the Login Items tab
Take a note of your Login Items
Now remove all of them by highlighting them and clicking on the - button below
Restart your computer

Now your Mac will boot up without those login items loading. Test this and see if the problem persists:

If the problem goes away you know one (or more) of the Login items were causing the problem. You can then add them back in one by one until you've identified the culprit. Problem solved.
If the problem does persist, it's either a problem with fonts you've installed yourself or with a 3rd party kernel extension. A little more info below:

Fonts:- You can remove any of the fonts you've installed yourself to see if this makes a difference.

Kernel Extensions:- You can open Terminal (found within your Utilites folder) and enter the following command:

kextstat | grep -v com.apple

The above command will list 3rd party kernel extensions (you may need to stretch the Terminal window so it's easier to read). Look for anything you don't remember installing, or something that belongs to software you've removed, or just anything that looks out of place. Remember though, this is a list of 3rd party kernel extensions and therefore any of them could be causing the problem.


Use the Arrange toolbar button/menu.

here is the tooltip:

option+click on it to change the sort order:


Application Firewall is not enabling pfctl

A workaround which worked for me:

System Preferences -> Security & Privacy -> Firewall -> Firewall options -> Check "Enable stealth mode"
Reboot
Check if pfctl is enabled now, in a Terminal:

sudo pfctl -s info | egrep -i --color=auto 'enabled|disabled'


iPhone 5S battery percentage incorrect after replacement

It's hard to know exactly what's going on, but I'd check this app to make sure it reports good health: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/battery-life-check-devices-runtimes/id1080930585?mt=8.
If everything is good there, then I'd perform a hard reset, which you can do by holding the power and home buttons until the phone restarts and shows the Apple logo.


AirPods don't work when connected to external monitor - sometimes

After weeks of poking at this, I've managed to figure it out.

This actually had nothing to do with the AirPods or the external monitor, rather the problem was that Google Hangouts has its own settings to choose which devices are being used for input/output that overrides the system settings. So, while I was frantically trying to change which device was supplying in/out in the system preferences, Hangouts was happily sitting on the devices it had chosen, ignoring those changes.

Once I realized what was going on, changing the setting manually in Hangouts from my other wireless headphones to the AirPods proves effective every time.


How to increase the middleclick area of the Magic Mouse?

Unless you're completely devoted to Better Touch Tool, another option (and one that I've been using myself for the past couple of years) is MagicPrefs. It gives you the same functionality as Better Touch Tool, as well as allowing you to set the area on the mouse that responds to the touch gestures.


Preview in full screen mode has scrollbars

In  > System Preferences > General, set "Show scroll bars" to "When scrolling" (or, if you're not using a mouse, "Automatically based on mouse or trackpad"). The scroll bars will be hidden unless you scroll the document.


How can I set a preferred contact method in Messages

As of 10.8.2 the only way to do that is to keep that particular conversation open all the time.

Another workaround is to copy the preferred google talk info to another contact name with just that. "Jane googletalk" so you know which is which.

On a conceptual level i don't think they will fix it. It's the same with multiple phone numbers... you have to select which one each time you call... you can't have a preferred number, UNLESS you Favorite that number.

Alas there there is no favorite option in messages for mac.


Air Play-ing music from a sleeping iPhone

If you can avoid bumping the sleep/wake button, you should have hours of playing time using AirPlay. Once the screen is dimmed due to a time-out, you can press sleep/wake to show the current track, just avoid pressing it to force an immediate sleep/screen dim. Let the timer do the work to ensure music playback.

I have Auto-Lock set at 5 minutes (with no passcode lock) and often set down my iPhone on the counter or place it in my pocket while I walk around the house, playing music until a low battery warning pauses playback. If you have to, shorten this setting during the party to avoid uncomfortable musical silences.


Terminal command to determine the last time a MacBook Pro was unplugged from AC Power?

You might be able to use ioreg to determine the cycle count of the battery. A low cycle count indicates that the battery has not been discharged and charged very much.

ioreg -l | grep Capacity

"Cycle Count" shows how many times the battery has been cycled. You can read more about battery cycle counts here.

Another idea is to use pmset to log the state of the system's power. You could, in theory, have that dump to a file to investigate after some time has passed.

Take a look at the man page for pmset.

pmset -g pslog will log the state of system's power. As the device is unplugged or plugged you'll see the log update. This could show how frequently a notebook is unplugged and charged. If it remains plugged in for long spans of time, or is often drawing from 'AC Power' then you'd know if it's mobile or not.


Have to upgrade to Mountain Lion. Want to wipe my drive, but can I then restore apps and data from LEOPARD backup on Time Machine?

It is possible to do a clean install and then restore your applications and data if:

Your MacBook supports Mountain Lion (check this http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5444)
You can somehow manage to buy the OS X installer on the Mac App Store (Mac OS X Leopard can't access the Mac App Store, you need at least Mac OS X 10.6.6).

Once you have downloaded the OS X installer create a bootable USB drive or DVD (for example, see here).

Note that Apple doesn't support updating from 10.5.8 (Leopard) to 10.8 (Mountain Lion) (http://www.apple.com/support/osx/getstarted/):

  If you’re running OS X Leopard and would like to upgrade to OS X
  Mountain Lion, first you’ll need to upgrade to OS X Snow Leopard. You
  can purchase OS X Snow Leopard for $19.99 online via the
  Apple Online Store.

so the Migration Assistant may have some trouble restoring your applications and data from your Time Machine backup, or even reject doing it. In that case will have to copy your applications and data manually.

If anything goes wrong you can restore Leopard from your Time Machine backup booting from the Leopard DVD (I did that once with my old PowerBook and worked like a charm). If you don't have the media, I'd recommend that you create an image of your current harddisk (for example, see this or this).