Is there any study on how which services/sensors consume the battery?

Unfortunately there is no simple answer to your question.  Battery life obviously depends on what is running and what your phone is doing when you are using it and when your not using it.

Hopefully this list will help you out:

3G uses more battery life than Edge.  The lower your signal, the more your phone has to work, thus using more battery, in order to keep that signal.  If you have poor signal, phone calls/internet usage will drain slightly faster than on a good signal.

Wifi uses less battery than 3G, but still an ok amount.  Signal issues can cause more usage like in 3g cases.

Wifi and 3G are still used while your phone isn't being used to access Mail if you have Mail Fetching turned on.  A lot of times people who have bad battery life are always fetching their mail every 15 minutes, even if there is no mail to check, it still does this.  I recommend turing that off or switching to a Push Email Account like Gmail or Mobile Me.

Also, Exchange Emails can sometimes get corrupted on your phone and drain battery life like crazy by constantly syncing and checking for mail over and over again.  Removing and re-adding the Exchange email has shown to fix issues with Battery Life in certain cases.

Also, close apps that are not being used anymore in your Multitasking App Tray.  A lot of times having 40 to 50 apps in there can cause a bit more battery drain.  Now this doesn't mean clear it every time you use an App, just every once in a while.

Same thing goes for restarting your iPhone/iDevice.  Every couple of weeks or so powering it off and then powering it on can clear up little things that could have been using slightly more battery life.

Bluetooth 2.1 Devices use a lot of battery.  Bluetooth 2.1, is one of the biggest killers of battery life.  If you do not use Bluetooth, turn it off now.

Bluetooth 4 Devices are considerably better at battery life, since BT 4.0 has a better low powered mode, but the problem is still with 2.1 devices. I can have BT 4.0 device but if it is paired with a 2.1 device, it will consume more battery life.

Accelerometer has never really come up ever as causing battery life issues or for draining more battery life than other things.  I wouldn't really worry about it.  Same thing goes for the compass inside the iPhone and Gyroscope.

GPS does use a good amount of battery, relatively between wifi and 3G standards, especially if you are constantly accessing it.  Still, you usually use this in a car, and if you are driving great distances then I would recommend getting a car charger anyway.  You can get them cheap and they are always useful.

Screen Brightness, the unrealized killer of battery life.  Always make sure your screen is at an optimal brightness, with Auto Brightness (energy saving) settings always on in the screen brightness section of the Preferences App.  This setting helps a lot.  I would also recommend having your brightness at 50 percent. It may seem really dim at first, but your eye will get used to it and it can save a few percentages.

I know its not the most perfect answer and doesn't give you extensive research study related material, but hopefully it will shed some light on the things you wanted to know.  I have a lot of experience with different battery issues and fixes when it comes to iPhones as a former Apple Employee.

I hope it helps you out.


How to stop using iCloud Music Library on Mac and iOS?

I had the same problem. I searched and found a few articles and threads that dealt with similar issues. It looks like the option to turn off iCloud Music Library for both the iPhone and Mac has been hidden in iTunes >> Preferences >> General. Uncheck the box next to "Show Apple Music". After unchecking the box you are given a message about iCloud Music Library. Next, you will want to reset your iCloud Music Library settings in iTunes. Go to Store >> View Account, enter your Apple ID and Password, then click "View Account". Once the Account Information page loads, scroll to the bottom and click the "Reset" button for the option to reset iCloud Music Library. You will be asked to delete all of the music and libraries stored in iCloud Music Library. Check "I Understand", and click "Reset". After you confirm and click "Reset Now", quit iTunes. Links to the full articles:

https://support.apple.com/kb/HT204964
How to prevent iTunes 12.2 from automatically uploading sound tracks to iCloud Music Library?

Now, verify that the settings are correct on your iPhone. Go to Settings >> Music. Under Apple Music, slide OFF "Show Apple Music". Finally, Power off your iPhone for 30 seconds and then power back on. If the music library on your iPhone still contains music from iCloud, tap the Music app, tap Library at the top, tap the red text (will read either: Artists, Albums, Songs, Music Videos, Genres, Composers, or Compilations), then slide ON "Only Offline Music".

Following these steps should provide the results you are trying to obtain. It deletes any music and libraries from iCloud but leaves your original library in tact, allowing you to continue syncing selected playlist, albums, and artists to your iOS devices.


Does leaving LTE on when LTE service is unavailable drain the battery faster?

I know it's not specifically what you're asking, but you can disable LTE in settings.

Settings > Cellular > Enable LTE (switch to off)


Try iTunes to update your iPad Pro to latest iOS 11 first. If iTunes doesn't prompt you there is a new version to update, then you will have to use software which will install iOS 11 onto your iPad Pro.


Make sure you are using an official Apple charger.  Sometimes the cheap chargers are hit-or-miss.  I have a generic lightning cable for an iPhone that I bought at a gas station, and sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.

Sometimes it will notice that it's plugged in, but will not actually charge.  As for my knock-off lightning cable, sometimes it depends on which direction I have it inserted (since they fit both ways).

Just play around with it and come back every once in awhile.  If all else fails, take it to a Genius Bar.


How to remove duplicate files from the Photos app library

If they don't come up in Photos.app, I wouldn't touch what goes inside .photolibrary package. There are just too many questions of Photo library going wild. You anyway won't be saving much space there, if the files are tiny.

What software can find close duplicates from 2TB worth of pictures?


"open" from the command line just hangs using iTerm2

It appears the issue were rather with iTerm2.   I tried the same commands on Terminal and it worked fine.  I do need some of the features of iTerm and am investigating which version(s) actually work. The one I am using (and does not work) is the one on the Download link.  So far I am having better luck with their iTerm 3.0 Alpha version.


That program is MenuMeters, available at http://www.ragingmenace.com/


How can I delete saved commands from Terminal?

It's not a Mac OS feature but a shell feature. Assuming that you are using bash (the default):

the command history is stored in memory and persisted in a file (usually ~/.bash_history)
you can list and edit the history with the history command

With man bash (in the SHELL BUILTIN COMMANDS section) you will find the description of the different options.

You can:

list the history entries

$ history

delete the whole history

$ history -c

delete a given entry

$ history -d offset


How to make iMac lock itself if left for 2 minutes?

If you follow the below 2 steps, you can set your machine to require a password after 2 minutes of inactivity.

Within the Desktop & Screen Saver System Preference, set the screen saver to come on after 2 minutes of inactivity.
Within the Security & Privacy System Preference, set the option to require a password immediately after sleep or screen saver begins.


Got a Java process with about 4 GB memory consumption after just starting up macOS

Yes, Allan's solution in his comment

Issue the command sudo launchctl list | grep 458 This will list the service associated with that process ID. Note that the PID may change, so check activity monitor for the PID number before issuing the command.

worked very well (In this case as the rogue process was run as the current user this worked without "sudo" also).
For me also it is Cassandra which is consuming the memory.


Sometimes Mail.app doesn't automatically apply rules, although all rules are active

What i did was to delete all the rules.
Quit Mail.
Restart mail.
Create and apply rules again.

Alternatively, you can right click on a particular email, and choose apply rules (if there are rules already configured, of course).


Outlook 2016: Add exchange account using script / automatic ( OSX > 10.12 )

After using applescript and procedure mentioned here, I added Outlook account successfully using script.
https://github.com/talkingmoose/Outlook-Exchange-Setup-5


How to create an executable file for an AppleScript?

Write your AppleScript in Script Editor.

Choose File → Save and select Application as File Format.

This gives you an .app which will run your AppleScript when opened.


Why is rename command missing from macOS?

In the default install of macOS, rename man page is available in the section 2. As you can notice from the man page, rename is not a command but a BSD system call.

The Homebrew formula named rename is a Perl script. You should be fine with installing it. In-fact it can give you much more flexibility than plain mv command.

After you have installed rename utility via Homebrew, running man rename will show the man page for the installed utility and not the BSD system call.

  I'm also curious to know if there is a known explanation for why the command does not exist in the first place.

rename is not a standard Unix command.

  And why is there a man page for a command that does not exist?

As mentioned above, the man page present refers to the system call by the same name.


Using Nickname or Contact Photos in Facetime

I would try to create a Favorites list in Facetime.

In your Favorites, you can add or change your contacts' photos.


Where can I find alternative alert sounds for my iPhone 4S?

Your options are:

Purchase tones using iTunes (on Windows and Mac OS X)
Compose your own tone using Garagaband (Mac only) and export to iTunes (on
Windows and Mac OS X) for syncing with your iPhone.
Create your own tone using Ringer (Mac only) available from Mac AppStore.


Bluetooth audio devices stop working after a few minutes

I tried a whole bunch of additional things that are related to sound rather than bluetooth. The issue is now resolved. I don't know which of the steps fixed it but if you have the same issue, doing all of them will likely resolve it:

1. Reload coreaudiod

Enter the following into Terminal:

sudo killall coreaudiod
sudo launchctl unload /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.audio.coreaudiod.plist
sudo launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.audio.coreaudiod.plist

Then restart the laptop (or do step 3 (below) at the same time).

I got errors when doing the above, but perhaps it still helped somehow.

2. Unload the kernel extension

sudo kextunload /System/Library/Extensions/AppleHDA.kext
sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions/AppleHDA.kext

Again, I got errors when doing the above, but perhaps it still helped somehow.

3. Reset the SMC

Shut down the laptop, connect it to power, hold the four buttons cmd-option-shift-power for at least 10 seconds, release, start the laptop again.

--

After performing these steps, everything was back to normal.


Numbers.app - How do I add a series of columns

is there a shortcut to adding 20 new columns?

@ to this list of Numbers shortcuts

  Add or remove rows and columns with content ............... Option-drag the resize button

The shortcut to add 20 new columns is to option-drag the resize button to 20 new columns.


Bind each keyboard layout to keys combination

Hurray! I found a way:

Add layouts in side bar
create an applescript

like this:

on changeKeyboardLayout(layoutName)
tell application "System Events" to tell process "SystemUIServer"
    tell (1st menu bar item of menu bar 1 whose description is "text input") to {click, click (menu 1's menu item layoutName)}
end tell
end changeKeyboardLayout

changeKeyboardLayout("US Extended")

3.Save it in /Library/Scripts

4.Bind it to the keys combination using FastScript


Change the default background colour for text fields added to PDFs in Preview?

Is there any way to make Preview also remember the background colour setting when adding text fields to PDFs?

There is no Preferences… setting in Preview to remember the last used color shown in its Color Well for the Fill Color when using the Tools > Annotate > Text menu item, or its ^⌘T keyboard shortcut , or clicking Text on its Markup Toolbar.
If there is an unpublished setting to change the default behavior, i.e. the Fill Color is automatically reset to none upon the aforementioned actions, I am unaware of it.

Workaround Solution 1
As Preview does remember the last used color shown in its Color Well for the Fill Color on its Markup Toolbar, until using the Tools > Annotate > Text menu item, or its ^⌘T keyboard shortcut, or clicking Text on its Markup Toolbar, this allows for the use of a Service/Quick Action in Automator, using a Run AppleScript action with UI Scripting code, to then be assigned a keyboard shortcut that when pressed will automate the process of setting the last used fill color to a new text field.

1 The colors used in this workaround are from the standard pallet as shown when clicking on Fill Color on the Markup Toolbar, and shown in the image below.

The example AppleScript code, shown below, was tested under macOS High Sierra thru macOS Big Sur, with Language & Region set to English (US) in System Preferences, and worked for me without issue, sans adding Preview in: System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Accessibility
Using Automator I created a Service/Quick Action setting Workflow receives [no input] in [Preview], with a Run AppleScript action, replacing the default code with the example AppleScript code, shown below.
Saved the Automator workflow as Preview - Add Text with last Fill Color, then assigned a keyboard shortcut of ⇧⌘T in System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services for the Automator Service/Quick Action.
Example AppleScript code:
tell application "Preview"
    activate
    if not (exists front window) or ¬
        not (visible of front window) ¬
            then return
end tell
tell application "System Events"
    tell application process "Preview"
        if (exists menu item ¬
            "Show Markup Toolbar" of ¬
            menu "View" of first menu bar) then ¬
            click menu item "Show Markup Toolbar" of ¬
                menu "View" of first menu bar
        tell front window
            tell (toolbars whose ¬
                description is "edit toolbar")
                set lastFillColor to the ¬
                    value of every color well whose ¬
                    help is "Fill Color"
                click (every button ¬
                    whose description is "Text")
                tell (every color well whose ¬
                    help is "Fill Color")
                    click
                    click (every button of ¬
                        UI element 2 of ¬
                        UI element 1 whose ¬
                        description is ¬
                        lastFillColor)
                    if result is missing value then
                        click (every button of ¬
                            UI element 3 of ¬
                            UI element 1 whose ¬
                            description is ¬
                            lastFillColor)
                    end if
                end tell
            end tell
        end tell
    end tell
end tell

Notes
If you'd prefer to use the default keyboard shortcut (⌃⌘T) for the Automator Service/Quick Action, then you can change the default keyboard shortcut used by Preview by adding it to: System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > App Shortcuts
Click the [+] button and set:

Application: [Preview]
Menu Title: Text
Keyboard Shortcut: ⇧⌘T

Then assigned a keyboard shortcut of ⌃⌘T in System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services for the, e.g. Preview - Add Text with last Fill Color Service/Quick Action.

The example AppleScript code shown, as is, worked under macOS High Sierra thru macOS Big Sur without needing to be modified, nonetheless, future releases of macOS may require modifications beyond any localizations done for other settings with Language & Region when set to other than English (US) in System Preferences.

For this Automator Service/Quick Action, as coded, to work properly, in regards to Accessibility settings and Automation settings, one should be prompted to allow certain events and you may see messages such as:

The action “Run AppleScript” encountered an error: “System Events got an error: com.automator.runner.xpc is not allowed assistive access.”
“Preview“ would to control this computer using accessibility features. Grant access to this application in Security & Privacy > Privacy preferences, located in System Preferences.
“Preview“ wants access to control “System Events“. Allowing control will provide access to documents and data in “System Events“, and to perform actions within that app.
Or similar type messages.

This means under:

System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Accessibility

Preview needs to be added and checked.

System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Automation

Preview should show with System Events checked.

    As applicable to the version of macOS this is run under.

All testing was done on an Intel based Mac and I cannot speak to whether or not any of this, as is, will work on an M1 based Mac.

How It Works
In the first tell block, Preview checks that a window exists and is not minimized, otherwise the remaining code would fail, and stops the script if the conditions warrants.
In the second tell block, System Events does the following:

Checks whether or not the Markup Toolbar is showing and if not, shows it.
Reads the current value of the selected color of the Color Well for the Fill Color, assigning it to the lastFillColor variable.
Creates the Text annotation.
Sets the fill color of the Text annotation to the value stored in the lastFillColor variable.

Understanding the code for clicking the Color Palette
Unfortunately UI Scripting is necessary to perform the task required to set the fill color by clicking on the color palette just as if being done manually, however, automating this certainly beats dealing with continued manual repetition.
In the image of the Color Palette below, you will see how its broken-down into three UI elements.   UI element2 and UI element 3 are two distinct sections of the color palette.

As I tend to use the colors from the larger selection (UI element 2), I've coded it to click this section first, and if the target is not there, I click the smaller section (UI element 3).
I'm mentioning this so if you typically choose a color from the smaller section (UI element 3), you'll want to switch the numbers of the two UI elements, switching 2 for 3 and 3 for 2 in the code shown below.
tell (every color well whose ¬
    help is "Fill Color")
    click
    click (every button of ¬
        UI element 2 of ¬
        UI element 1 whose ¬
        description is ¬
        lastFillColor)
    if result is missing value then
        click (every button of ¬
            UI element 3 of ¬
            UI element 1 whose ¬
            description is ¬
            lastFillColor)
    end if
end tell

The example AppleScript code is just that and sans the included error handling does not contain any additional error handling as may be appropriate. The onus is upon the user to add any error handling as may be appropriate, needed or wanted. Have a look at the try statement and error statement in the AppleScript Language Guide. See also, Working with Errors. Additionally, the use of the delay command may be necessary between events where appropriate, e.g. delay 0.5, with the value of the delay set appropriately.


Recover iPad serial number from iCloud backup

Unfortunately there is no way to see this without using third-parts softwares. You can try Reincubate iPhone Backup Extractor. It allows you to import backups from iCloud and see the serial number and other informations.
Here is a preview with an iPhone:


Problems with the key combination "$~1" in my DefaultKeyBinding.dict

It seems as you are using 'SHIFT'  the one is changed to "!"

try

/*
    Key Modifiers
    ^ : Ctrl
    $ : Shift
    ~ : Option (Alt)
    @ : Command (Apple)
    # : Numeric Keypad
*/
{
 "$~!" = ("insertText:", "||");
}


Cannot open more documents if all the others are closed

I think this is an option from the dock. Go to System Preferences -> Dock and uncheck the Option Minimize windows into application icon.

If you not see the Window you have in every Application the Window menu. Choose from there the Option Bring all to Front.


Coming from Windows I've had a tough time adjusting to the way home and end behaves. Luckily the guys at MacroMates had a blog post about this.

http://blog.macromates.com/2005/key-bindings-for-switchers/

Create a file at ~/Library/KeyBindings/DefaultKeyBinding.dict with the following contents:

{
    /* home */
    "\UF729"  = "moveToBeginningOfLine:";
    "$\UF729" = "moveToBeginningOfLineAndModifySelection:";

    /* end */
    "\UF72B"  = "moveToEndOfLine:";
    "$\UF72B" = "moveToEndOfLineAndModifySelection:";
}

I restarted and my keys were behaving as expected!


I had the same problem, as you. My advice is simply copy all the needed personal files (photos, videos, working projects, documents) and format the HDD. Then reinstall the system (clean). Everything should be OK, you can always download deleted apps from App Store, so you don't need to backup them.


How do I prevent Calendar from starting up when I log in to Mavericks?

Right-click on the calendar in the dock, select Options, and de-select Open at Login


Cleaning my Macbook Pro Retina leaves greasy 'streaks' across the screen

Two microfibre cloths, available from any supermarket.
Don't get the 'smooth' ones specially for glass, they can be a bit hard on a plastic screen, get the 'fluffy' ones that make your fingers itch, like picking up tiny velcro.

One cloth completely wetted in lukewarm water [nothing else], then squeezed as dry as you possibly can [trick - fold in 4, then roll & wring. You really want it as dry as possible].
The other cloth totally dry.
If the screen is warm, you may need the first cloth very slightly wetter - but never anywhere near wet enough to dribble if squeezed - you really don't want any water that could run down the screen. The cloths work better when almost dry anyway.
If the screen is cold & also dark, i.e. computer off, you'll also find it much easier to see when it's clean.

Wipe the damp one gently over the screen, multiple times, turning the cloth, pay attention to the edges & corners. The trick is gentle repetition, rather than 'force'.
Then, whilst the screen is still very slightly damp, wipe over again with the dry one, completely drying the surface.

Smears gone forever… well, until next time ;-)

Please don't be tempted to use any type of domestic cleaner or alcohol. You never know what type of screen coating any given screen has & some cleaners can irreparably damage the coating layer of some screens.


How to change the escape style when dropping paths into Terminal

I can confirm that iTerm2 does exactly what you want in regards to enclosing long file names and directories with single quotes instead of escaping the spaces when dragging and dropping.  It does this by default.
There are many additional reasons and benefits to switch to iTerm2 from the default Terminal on macOS.  Far too many to list here.
Update for iTerm 3.4
iTerm 3.4 changed the escaping behavior to use backslash escaping as well. However, there is an advanced experimental feature Escape file names with single quotes instead of backslashes. that reverts the escaping back. The comment even specifies my very use case: This is intended for users of xonsh, which does not accept backslash escaping.


Is it possible that Lost mode for my phone was deactivated by a thief?

They could just have to phone turned off. Although if your phone is logged into itunes, it's POSSIBLE (with forensic software or more knowledge than most iphone thieves) to get your itunes user and password and then of course they could turn it off. However, I think it is an easy thing to determine if someone else is logging in with your credentials, so I'd be willing to bet that they just have the phone turned off.


Split a video with VLC from the command line

Open Terminal and run the following script:

It determines the length of the original file and splits it into 2 min intervals.

You can change this by changing the $interval variable, which is in seconds.

You will also need to change the $filename variable to whatever file you want to split.

#!/bin/bash
filename=test.mkv
duration=`ffprobe -show_format $filename | sed -n '/duration/s/.*=//p'`
duration=${duration/.*}
interval=120
start=0
n=$start
stop=$interval
while [ $duration -ge 0 ]; do
    /Applications/VLC.app/Contents/MacOS/VLC -Idummy $filename --start-time $start --stop-time $stop --sout=#file{dst=$n-out-$filename} vlc://quit
    let start=stop
    let stop=stop+interval
    let duration=duration-interval
    echo "Number of seconds left to process: $duration"
    let n=n+1
done


You can change the preview settings in Finder for each of the various kinds of documents via the View > Show Preview Options menu.

Just un-tick the "Show Quick Actions" option for text files (see top of window) to get rid of the Quick Actions toolbar in the preview area.


When Do Not Disturb is set on iPhone, what will fire off and what will not?

Source.
Mastering DND

Do Not Disturb effectively silences almost all notifications while you aren’t actively using your phone. You can set it so your phone won’t ring or buzz when you receive phone calls, new text messages, new email, or new invitations from annoying “friends” who want to challenge you to a game of Candy Crush or whatever.
Certain notifications get through no matter what, such as timers and alarms set through the Clock app. You may still receive various government alerts too, such as emergency alerts and AMBER alerts.

Continue to the source article for more detailed info on customizing DND to get the most from the feature.


Recover accidentally deleted files from iCloud

You could simply login to iCloud.com to recover that file. Under iCloud Settings (by clicking your name in the top-right corner) you will find a section named Advanced. Simply click Restore Files under Advanced to open the Recently Deleted File browser.


Are macOS Spotlight privacy settings shared between parallel installs?

Adding a volume to Spotlight’s Privacy tab adds a ‘no index’ file to the root of the volume. This file will then exist for the other OS to read and be applied.

It’s not possible for one OS to index a volume and another not since the index is stored in a hidden Spotlight folder in the root of the volume, not unique to an OS.


Running sudo when user has blank password?

sudo on macOS requires the account to have a password:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202035
Therefore it is not possible to just press ENTER to continue at the prompt, like you would expect from some other systems.
This behaviour is enforced through a configuration of the PAM subsystem. You can change the settings for that in /etc/pam.d, where you have a sudo file that setups the authentication requirements for the sudo command.
WARNING: Changing the contents of the files in /etc/pam.d incorrectly can deny you from logging to your system at all. Only make changes if you know what you're doing, you have a backup - and you feel confident in booting in Recovery mode to undo your changes if it should fail.


How do I delete empty rows in excel but not empty cells in rows with information in them?

If you only want to delete rows that are completely empty, the easiest way I've found is to use a filter.  Highlight all of the columns that you want to include and then click the filter button.  Uncheck "select all", and then scroll to the very bottom and click to check the box for blanks.  This will show only your blank rows.  Highlight all and right-click a row and select delete.  This deleted all your blank rows.  Now turn off the filter and viola, no blank rows!


How can I browse offline my already visited websites?

Safari has a reading list function to save articles for later reading while offline. Have you investigated that option for some of the easier pages that are static and amenable to reading offline.

Xcode has an option to cache various reference libraries for offline viewing and I personally much prefer that interface over a web browser due to search ability and performance. That clearly isn't a good general solution for other developer documentation, though.


How can I make screenshots be true pixels?

This is to be expected, as your Retina MBP has an actual pixel resolution of 3840x2400.

You can downscale your screenshots manually, or use an app like RetinaCapture, which takes a full-sized and a downscaled screenshot at the same time.


If you have "audible bell" enabled in your Terminal Settings under Advanced, BEL control characters will sound the default alert sound.

To try this, issue the echo command followed by control+v control+g.  If you type it right, it will look like this:

$ echo ^G

and when you press return, the alert will sound.

(control+v is a shell escape for the immediately-following control character.)

The afplay command can also be used to play a specific sound file:

$ afplay /System/Library/Sounds/Funk.aiff


After OS X El Capitan, version 10.11.2, my screenshots disappear

If the location has been changed, then typing this in Terminal
defaults read com.apple.screencapture location
will show you where it's currently set to.

If you haven't changed it, i.e. it's still set to the default Desktop & has never been redirected, it will error with
The domain/default pair of (/Users/[user]/Library/Preferences/com.apple.screencapture, location) does not exist

If it doesn't exist & still doesn't save to Desktop, then try resetting it to there with
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Desktop


Just changing caps lock to key code 63 with PCKeyboardHack works for me. Have you tried setting caps lock no action from System Preferences?

You could also try to use PCKeyboardHack to for example change caps lock to F19 and then use a private.xml like this with KeyRemap4MacBook:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<root>
  <item>
    <name>test</name>
    <identifier>test</identifier>
    <autogen>__KeyToKey__ KeyCode::F19, KeyCode::FN</autogen>
  </item>
</root>


Restoring Saved Webpages on Home Screen from Backup

For a restore to work, the data must be backed up in the first place.

I managed to restore my information from a backup that was made a few months back, but one of the most important things that wasn't restored were a large number of Safari webpages saved to the home screen

The critical piece here is,  was all that work you did backed up at any point?  If the last backup was made "a few months back," you won't be able to restore anything since because it simply doesn't exist. From what you describe, it wasn't backed up.
Unfortunately, nobody is going to be able to assist as you've found with your latest interaction with Apple.  You will have to re-create it from memory.


iCloud Tabs no longer a feature in Safari 13?

I noticed this problem a while ago, but didn't dig into it until now. I am using iOS 13.3 and trying to get tabs from 10.13.6.

The Apple support page clarifies what should work and what will not work:

  iCloud Tabs works between devices running iOS 13 or iPadOS and macOS
  Mojave 10.14.4 or later, or between devices running iOS 12 or earlier
  and macOS Mojave 10.14.3 or earlier.

Apple's What's new in the updates for macOS Mojave page does not mention changes that would make things incompatible, but here is a much more detailed break down of the 10.14.4 update.

So:

Catalina & iOS 13 - iCloud Tabs should work

Mojave 10.14.4 & iOS 13 - iCloud Tabs should work

Any version of macOS less than Mojave 10.14.4 won't work without iOS 13 for iCloud Tabs.

If you're running iOS 12, then don't go above Mojave 10.14.3 or you will not have iCloud Tabs anymore.


I had the same problem.
A hard reset of my iPad (press and hold both the home button and the power button until the device turns off, then wait while it reboots) solved the issue.


How can I force a Photo Stream sync on the iPhone?

Fastest solution (iPhone restart NOT needed!): I've found that if I open Photos on my iDevice after taking a photo, and then (after the spinning icon goes away) open Photos* on my Mac, the photo appears in my photo stream.

Notes:

This is way easier and faster than rebooting or resetting Wi-Fi.

It's also faster and more likely to work than just killing Photos Agent and restarting Photos.

(Further evidence showing WHY this works: When I open Photos on my iDevice, I see the spinning icon on my iDevice - IFF  I've just taken a photo.  If I access my photo stream on my Mac‡ without having opened Photos, the new photo is not there.)

*(or iPhoto if you haven't switched to Photos)

‡(such as by clicking Photo Stream under Media in the standard File..Open dialog box in recent versions of MacOS)

Note: Photo Stream only syncs the last 30 days of your photos.

2020 UPDATE: Recently, Photos was changed; when you open it you may need to take an additional step to cause the upload - but if so, you’ll see a prompt about it.


Getting admin privileges on a mac with almost no access

There are three avenues:

get the firmware password or bypass that
socially engineer the person or team that locked you out (try convincing them you have a decent need and can be trusted before you consider trying to blatantly deceive them)
hope the os or third party software is unpatched and there is a known privilege escalation vulnerability you can exploit. (Assuming you can’t get the NSA or similar to help you)

In short, there is no easy way since you’re up against Apple engineering and trying to defeat the security of the system.

Bypassing firmware: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203409


I believe that you should try to adapt to a different workflow:

You could press ⌘+` to cycle all the windows of the same application.
Note: this is not the apostrophe key, it's the backtick key.
Non-shifted tilde ~ left of z on a UK keyboard, left of 1 on US.
Try App Exposé:

Trackpad
System Preferences → Trackpad → More Gestures → App Exposé to configure your preferred gesture.
Keyboard
Press F10

I understand this is not a precise answer to your question, but I believe that switching from Win/Linux to Mac OS, involves some adaptation.


The AppStore is temporarily unavailable. Please try again

There is a major (worldwide and lasting more than an hour) disruption with all the App Stores showing as down on Apple's status page. For future reference, it was clear there were issues with the store for more than an hour before the status page showed that outage.

The good news is that the history is backdated showing when the issues started and also that some of the outages have been resolved already.

Support links are at:

https://www.apple.com/support/systemstatus/
https://developer.apple.com/system-status/


I think what is going on here is both expected behavior and an exercise in learning a little terminology.

It is normal for a Mac to see a third party created RAID array as a single disk (which I am assuming it does) In both the Finder and Disk Utility? Why? Because the LaCie utility is designed to create RAID arrays that are completely transparent (or if you prefer invisible) to the operating system.

The converse is also correct, if you create a RAID array with Apple Disk Utility the LaCie utility will just see it as a single disk.

I work with Windows/ESX servers at work and RAID is created in the firmware of the RAID controller, before the operating system even loads. So both Windows and ESX see the RAID slices as individual disks even though the RAID array knows that there are 6 physical drives set up in a RAID-5 array.

There may be reasons to use the LaCie software over Apple's Disk Utility (or vice-versa) but I am not aware of the relative merits of each utility.

BUT You can be assured that what you are seeing (if I understand correctly) is entirely normal and expected behavior.


Can’t Install Mac OS X Leopard/Snow Leopard on 2007 iMac

OK, I just found out that the installer recognizes my processor speed as 800MHz for some reason. To fix it, the hardware check must be bypassed, same as would be done on a PowerPC model.


In Lion's new Mail.app, is it possible to change the font size of the mailbox list?

This thread says System Preferences -> General controls it.


How accurate are iOS apps that measure heart rate?

Very interesting question! I wasn't even aware that these kind of apps exist. In order to answer your question, I decided to put one of them to the test against a chest strap heart rate monitor. (I was using a Garmin brand chest monitor similar to this one.) I was using both heart rate monitors at the same time when I performed my tests and compared their values.

I tried out Instant Heart Rate Monitor, and it turns out that it is remarkably accurate... when it worked.

The main problem was that it only worked about 1 in 30 times. Every other time it would say it could either not detect a finger, or it started detecting the pulse, but then never finished the process.

When it did work, though, the results were surprisingly similar to my other heart rate monitor. After performing 5 (non-scientific) tests, it was off by an average of only 1.26%. Had it worked more consistently, I would have tried it out more than 5 times.

A few notes:

While it is beeping and gathering info, the heart rate it shows is usually way off from your actual heart rate. Sometimes it's almost exactly half your real heart rate.
The final heart rate it outputs is usually very close to your actual heart rate.

Therefore, you should only trust the last heart rate value it outputs (i.e. the average).


Is it possible to use an iMac in Target Display mode with a 2016 MacBook Pro with USB-C?

My 13" 2016 MacBook Pro drives my late 2009 27" iMac's display using a third-party USB-C to Mini DisplayPort adaptor.


Is there an alternative to downloading Lion from the net?

Sorry but I don't know of any other way to reinstall your lost data.

If you do want to download before installing, borrow someone else's Mac to

Download Lion from the Mac App Store. The installer should show up in your Applications folder.
Right-click on the installer and hit "Show Package Contents". Navigate to Contents > SharedSupport and look for a file called "InstallESD.dmg".
Open up Disk Utility and drag the DMG file into the left-hand sidebar. If you're burning it to a DVD, insert your DVD, select the disk image in the sidebar, and hit the "Burn" button. Skip down to the last step to use it.
If you want to burn Lion to a USB flash drive:

plug it in and click on it in the left-hand sidebar in Disk Utility.
Go to the Partition tab and select "1 Partition" from the dropdown menu. Choose "Mac OS Extended (Journaled) on the left.
Hit the Options button under the partition table and choose "GUID Partition Table". You'll need this to make the drive bootable on a Mac. Hit the Apply button when you're done to format your drive (note: it will erase everything on the drive).
Click on the "Restore" tab, choose the InstallESD.dmg file as the source and your flash drive as the destination. Hit the Apply button and it will create your bootable USB drive.

Connect your MBAir DVD drive and boot into OS X and hold the option key when you hear the startup chime. You can boot into your DVD or flash drive from there.


To my knowledge it is turned off by default. However, all it allows is for applications run in the Terminal to see the position of your mouse cursor. This could be useful for things like games where you use your mouse. So in most cases, it simply does not matter.

To turn off Mouse Reporting, just press Cmd-R again.

However, if you really want to reset your Terminal preferences:

First quit the Terminal, then open the Finder.
Press Cmd-Shift-G and type ~/Library into the bar that appears
Press go.
Find the Preferences folder, then find the file called com.apple.Terminal.plist.
Drag it into the trash, then empty the trash.

Your terminal should be back to factory settings.


Lock vertical resize of the dock in Mac OS X

I think I found a way to lock the change of icons' size in dock:

defaults write com.apple.Dock size-immutable -bool yes


Force restart it either by holding down the power button or using command+control+power button.


Software for employe-like tracking, particular with Email.app?

Timing can help track how much time is spend on different applications (including Mail) and can give quite a breakdown on what a user is doing at that exact moment.

I can't answer to the emails sent, but I imagine it would be far easier to compile such a report using the mail server rather than each individual user's Mail app.


OS X El Capitan won't work and is not recognized on UniBeast

The officially supported way to create a USB OS X Installer, for OS X Mavericks and later, is to use createinstallmedia from within the downloaded installer application bundle.

Have a look at: Create a bootable installer for OS X

The following is from the link above:

  Use the 'createinstallmedia' command in Terminal

  Download the OS X installer from the Mac App Store. Quit the installer if it opens automatically after downloading. The installer
  will be in your Applications folder.
  Mount your USB flash drive or other volume. You could also use a secondary internal partition.
  Open the Terminal app, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
  Use the createinstallmedia command in Terminal to create the bootable installer. Examples of this command are in the next section.
  For detailed usage instructions, make sure that the appropriate
  Install OS X app is in your Applications folder, then enter one of the
  following paths in Terminal:

  Path for El Capitan:

/Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia

  Examples

  This is the basic syntax of the command. Replace volumepath with
  the path to your USB flash drive or other volume, and replace
  installerpath with the path to the Install OS X app.

createinstallmedia --volume volumepath --applicationpath installerpath

  The following examples assume that the OS X installer is in your
  Applications folder and the name of your USB flash drive or other
  volume is MyVolume:

  Example for El Capitan:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app

Note: You can substitute Mavericks or Yosemite for El\ Capitan in the above command examples.


Send emails automatically to a list of contacts with specific attachment

You may want to play with standard MacOS X tool - Automator.
Not a big expert myself :), but I know it helps in exactly this type of tasks.
Here are couple of useful basic tutorials on Automator:

http://www.macosxautomation.com/automator/learn.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z56PBanBSx4


Python 3.3.3 on Macbook pro, can't open IDLE at all

See this important note on the official Python website about Tcl/Tk and IDLE on Mac OS X. You should install a third-party version of Tcl/Tkl to solve your problem.

  Python's integrated development environment, IDLE, and the tkinter GUI
  toolkit it uses, depend on the Tk GUI toolkit which is not part of
  Python itself. For best results, it is important that the proper
  release of Tcl/Tk is installed on your machine.

  [...]

  If you are using Python from a python.org 64-bit/32-bit Python
  installer for Mac OS X 10.6 and later, you should only use IDLE or
  tkinter with an updated third-party Tcl/Tk 8.5, like ActiveTcl 8.5
  installed.

  If you are using OS X 10.9 Mavericks and a Python from a python.org
  64-bit/32-bit installer, application windows may not update properly
  due to a Tk problem. Install the latest ActiveTcl 8.5.15.0 if
  possible. (Also, a critical OS X 10.9 problem that could cause Python
  to crash when used interactively has been fixed in the current 3.3.3,
  2.7.6, and pre-release 3.4.0 64-bit/32-bit installers.)


Log software usage time on Mac OS 9 (Oct. 1999)

What I would do is install Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, on a PowerPC PowerMac and then install OS 9 into the Classic Environment, and have your user run their application there. You can still find new and full retail versions of Leopard with the licensing intact, and online support is still available.

Then, I'd use your bash script (with a possibly needed slight modification to track use of the entire Classic Environment rather than the specific application). ;-)


Why are the terminal color brighter than the ones I set?

Try changing the color profile to the profile used by your display before specifying the values:


The Thunderbolt 2 ports on Macs support mini-DisplayPort natively, so you can absolutely use an mDP-DVI/VGA adapter.


My iMessages will not send to my friends, but I can send and receive (my friends included) to everyone else

Your girlfriend's Account preferences have all her messages going to her iPad.

On her phone, she should go to Settings -> Messages -> Send and Receive and make sure that all the addresses under "You can be reached by " are checked.


Start reading movie before file is fully copied

The free and open-source VLC media player is able to do this.

If the video file is an .avi, a dialog saying "The AVI file is broken. Seeking will not work correctly. Do you want to try to fix it?" may pop up. Simply click "Don't repair" and the video will start playing.


Why does iCloud have a different timezone for my calendar events than my devices do?

Each of your devices has a timezone setting, which you probably already set correctly.

What you probably didn't know is that iCloud.com has its own timezone setting. To access it, login to icloud.com, then click on your name in the upper right corner. Once set, you should see everything ok.

The “time zone support” setting you disabled has to do with creating events associated with a timezone, and is usually better left off.

NOTE: Once you change this you will have to logout and then login again for the changes to take effect.


RAM is hardware within your iPad that is soldered in place. It can not be upgraded.

The amount of RAM depends on your model of iPad. Newer iPads generally have more RAM.

How much RAM do the different models of iPad have?

RAM is part of the system on a chip and not replaceable separately even if you disassemble iPad.

  Apple A7 APL0698 SoC
  Within the A7 package we find SK Hynix H9CKNNN8KTARKR 1 GB LPDDR3 DRAM

iFixit iPad Mini 3 Wi-Fi Teardown - Step 6


photo transfer from ipad 2 to windows xp laptop

In old days to share with others (before the synchronization age) you used places like photo share, photo boot, dropbox, google drive and so on.

You would upload your photos to one of those places then access from Windows XP and download them.


Change shortcut key for "Highlight URL" function in Chrome

The menu was actually called Open Location.

I then used App Shortcuts in Keyboard Preferences to set it to Control+L.


Which short command to only output the IPv4 routing table?

$ netstat -nr -f inet
Routing tables

Internet:
Destination        Gateway            Flags        Refs      Use   Netif Expire
default            192.168.1.254      UGSc           10        0     en4
default            10.0.2.1           UGScI           0        0    ppp0
10                 ppp0               USc             0        0    ppp0


How can I make the face recognition process continue?

According to this blog post Photos.app should be closed, as photoanalysisd is suspended while the application is open.
The explanation given in the Photos application is definitely too vague. Still, I have the same issue of not experiencing the progress that I would have expected (4.900 / 12.000 in seven days).


What is the difference between iTerm2 and Terminal?

There are several features listed on their features page.

Some of the features I like are:

Split pane view
Hotkey window for instant terminal anywhere
Search will highlight all found words (like in Chrome and Safari)
Mouseless copy
Instant replay (can "rewind" your session in case you forgot to note/copy something)
Paste history
Growl support for notification when a process completes


As far as I know there is no option to "watch" a folder. You manually add all music in a folder regularly, Music will not duplicate what it already had imported.
The function should work properly, it will just take very long for large libraries as the music app is fairly slow when importing.


I can't comment on how Lion's FileVault 2 affects battery life, but I've had it running (Full Disk Encryption) on an older (2007) MacMini with 3GB of RAM for a few months, and it is a great solution for keeping a computer that might get stolen secure.

Beyond the initial encryption, which took a few hours, I really haven't noticed any performance difference. Given that this is an older machine, any negligible difference I might have missed would be even smaller on a newer machine like yours.

I was curious about this myself at the time and found this AnandTech article, which boils it down to a negligible CPU load, and a slight hit to your hard drive's throughput. They were using an SDD though, so the results may not exactly correspond with a spinning disk.

So if you're reading and writing to the disk a lot, you might notice a slight decrease in battery life as reads and writes will take a bit longer, but I doubt it'd be anything too drastic.


How to edit the Finder context menu when no file or folder is clicked

You asked, "How do I do it when a blank area is right-clicked?", well sans the content of the default context menu, I believe something has to be selected to be acted upon otherwise you'll always just get the default context menu. That said though, you could create an Automator Service that receives no input in Finder and assign it a keyboard shortcut. Then using AppleScript, you would code it to do what you want based on the target property of the front window of Finder.

The following two example AppleScript code segments can be used in a Run AppleScript action in an Automator Service to which a keyboard shortcut can be assigned or as an AppleScript Application created in Script Editor and the app dragged and dropped onto the Toolbar in Finder.

This example copies to the clipboard the POSIX path of the current folder of the front Finder window:

try
    tell application "Finder"
        set the clipboard to text items 1 thru -2 of POSIX path of (target of front window as string) as string
    end tell
end try

This example opens Terminal to the current folder of the front Finder window:

try
    tell application "Finder"
        set theTargetPath to text items 1 thru -2 of POSIX path of (target of front window as string) as string
    end tell
    tell application "Terminal"
        do script "pushd " & theTargetPath & "; clear"
        activate
    end tell
end try

That said though, the only other thing I can think of would be to use Xcode and create a Service or App Extension to do what you're asking, if it's even doable.

Note: The example AppleScript code is just that and, sans the try statement as an error handler, does not include any other error handling as may be appropriate/needed/wanted, the onus is upon the user to add any appropriate error handling for any example code presented.


Can a self-signed certificate use an IP address for an entry in Subject Alternative Name?

Yes, according to the standard (RFC 5280 page 37) you can use an IP address in the SAN (SubjectAltName) field!
The standard defines a number of possibilities for specifying the SAN, including iPAddress, dNSName, and various others.
The most obvious option is to use iPAddress, where the IP address is stored as an octet string. You can also write the IP address in the dNSName field, which is a common string (IA5String to be precise).
In practice, you want to do both at the same time as software support varies. For example it seems that especially Microsoft software (like the Internet Explorer and Edge browsers) look at the dNSName and interprets IP addresses there, whereas browsers like Safari and Chrome look at the iPAddress field.


What's the best way to edit the look and feel of the dashboard

There's not really an official way to theme widgets, or at least not an Apple-endorsed method for theming.

Editing the widgets is fine though, although be prepared that the system widgets in /Library/Widgets may get replaced on OS X updates, so keep backups and be prepared that things may change (they may rename the resource files, etc). Alternatively, copy the widgets out of that folder into your ~/Library/Widgets so that they are preserved on OS X updates.


What is the `installd` process, and why is it eating my CPU?

This is a daemon which is part of PackageKit framework and it's usually running as a background process for the "Software Update" GUI application.
For example, if you open the Software Update application and check for updates, take a look at the Activity Monitor--you'll see the "installd" process doing a bunch of work.

The reason it pegs your CPU is because it must compile the current list of software installed on your computer, and compare with the current version list received from Apple's servers.

You can set the frequency of Software Update checks in System Preferences and Software Update.

The default settings are both to "Check for updates" and "Download updates automatically".
You may adjust either setting, but I would not recommend turning it off altogether.

There's nothing wicked about this process - it's just set to download updates.

You can solve your CPU problem by lowering the priority of the process or by just killing the process in Activity Monitor.

Technical information:

The location in Lion OSX is in:
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/PackageKit.framework/Resources/installd

(if you have locate configured correctly, run: locate installd to find the right location).


Why can't I download iOS 7 on my iPhone 3Gs?

You cannot download it because iOS 7 is not supported on any iPhone model prior to the iPhone 4. The latest version of iOS that will run on the 3Gs is iOS 6.1.6 -- which you have.

Here's a fantastic compatibility chart for iOS 7:

Source: http://cdn.theapplelounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/iOS-7-Comparison-Chart-definitivo-1.jpg

Note the complete absence of the iPhone 3G and 3GS models.


In the Notes app (iOS 12.4), how to remove "All on my iPhone", "Notes", and "Recently Deleted" folders

As long as there are notes in Recently Deleted, the folder will be there.

There's nothing much you can do about system folders. I tend to ignore them unless required. Or not make a folder at all. This keeps everything simplified(relatively).


Exporting a Video in Quicktime in OS X Lion Shows only Audio

Make sure that the "Audio only" option is not selected in the Export window.


Is there a good way to control VLC media player on my MacBook from an iOS 5 iPhone?

Something like VLC Amigo (free) or VLC remote for iPhone would probably work!


Is netatalk on Linux unreliable for hosting Time Machine volumes?

My experience is netatalk is fine until the volume is full and Time Machine starts removing old backups selectively. The deletion process (which involves unlinking a whole load of hard links) seems to be the point at which netatalk falls over and you get the dreaded 'verification' message.

From what I can tell, people who say "it works fine" generally haven't got to the point where their disk is full.

However even external hard drives connected to a AirportExtreme are not immune to this error message. The only completely reliable backup systems I have used are the internal hard drive in an AirportExtreme, and a USB hard drive connected locally.


Does the MacBook Air have no RAM because it uses flash?

Every model of the Macbook Air has RAM. Every computer has some amount of RAM.

What led you to believe it didn't have RAM?


OS X Keychain keeps prompting me for my SSH passphrase even though I save it (OS X 10.6.8)

Answer copied from https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/26252/17690

Make sure you have a corresponding id_rsa.pub or id_dsa.pub in your ~/.ssh directory.

When I had an id_rsa but not a corresponding id_rsa.pub, Mac OS X kept popping up the dialog and remember passowrd in my keychain did nothing.

cd ~/.ssh
ssh-keygen -y -f id_rsa > id_rsa.pub

generated the appropriate public key file for me.

If you already had your public file there (rename it to another name) and generate the public key again using the above command, you'll notice that the generated and the old one are not equal. Somehow the older versions of Mac OS X generated a public key that Lion does not like anymore, generating it again fixes that.

For the curious, the key is exactly the same, the part that changes is that there is no "comments" section after the key on the file any longer.


Disk utility shows unattached external HDD

I seems found a work around to avoid reboot. After eject the Time Machine volume in the normal way, I open disk utility and eject the physical drive there, and wait untill the disk LED indicator shows that it is in sleeping mode (slow blinking) and then disconnect the drive. Now the physical drive is gone in disk utility, and I can close/sleep the MacBookPro. Next time when connect the drive, it will show up normally.

I wonder if this is because OS X sierra didn't handle the ejection process for encrypted drive properly.


Why won't my iPhone 4 play through my bose sound dock anymore?

This is a software issue that Apple have not sorted out. I have an iPhone 4S and was prompted to update software on my phone. Since updating I have lost several important functions including the ability to dock the phone in my Bose speakers. Despite Apple support's advice to reinstall the phone, these issues remain.


How to replace Mac OS X utilities with GNU core utilities?

This adds symlinks for GNU utilities with g prefix to /usr/local/bin/:

brew install coreutils findutils gnu-tar gnu-sed gawk gnutls gnu-indent gnu-getopt grep

See brew search gnu for other packages. If you want to use the commands without a g prefix add for example /usr/local/opt/coreutils/libexec/gnubin before other directories on your PATH.

$ brew info coreutils
coreutils: stable 8.21
http://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils
Depends on: xz
/usr/local/Cellar/coreutils/8.20 (208 files, 9.4M)
/usr/local/Cellar/coreutils/8.21 (210 files, 9.6M) *
https://github.com/mxcl/homebrew/commits/master/Library/Formula/coreutils.rb
==> Caveats
All commands have been installed with the prefix 'g'.

If you really need to use these commands with their normal names, you
can add a "gnubin" directory to your PATH from your bashrc like:

    PATH="/usr/local/opt/coreutils/libexec/gnubin:$PATH"

Additionally, you can access their man pages with normal names if you add
the "gnuman" directory to your MANPATH from your bashrc as well:

    MANPATH="/usr/local/opt/coreutils/libexec/gnuman:$MANPATH"


Keep list of websites in Notification Center

No, there is no way I am aware of of simply adding arbitrary links that do not expire once viewed.  You could create reminders or calendar links or any other sort of repeated notification which contain the URLs, but this is a most inelegant solution.

If quick access to the SE site is what you need, then you could put a link in your bookmarks menu or bar, or you could even place the sites in your reading list which means it's always in the top section after clicking bookmarks (assuming you don't use reading list for it's intended purposes.

If you want to open a URL without opening Safari first, the best option may be to go to the SE homepage, click the share icon and click add to Home Screen, and then either drop this into your bottom four home screen dock slots, or if you have more than one URL that you wish to use, then shove them all in a folder and put the folder in your dock.


Change name of program associated with file "kind"

It depends on the default application you are using to open PDF documents. To change it, right-click the file, click Get Info, click Expand on a section called "Open with", and there change the default app to Preview. After that, click the button "Change All...", and then click Continue. Keep in mind that this will change the default app used to open PDF documents.


Create an Apple ID for yourself and use that for FaceTime on your iPad. It works best if you have a separate Apple ID for yourself in other ways as well.


App compatibility for first gen iPod touch

You can use iOSSearch, a free tool to find apps in the iTunes store which are compatible with iOS 3.1.3. This is a non-commercial page I made.

Note: the app store has recently been updated to allow downloads of last compatible versions but it appears that this only provides apps which are compatible with iOS 4.


What is the double exclamation mark mean beside clip in mail.app

It means the email was marked as very important or urgent by the original sender.


After a quick search I found this information:

  If you're in Windows, you can switch to the Mac OS X partition using the Boot Camp icon in the System Tray. Click the gray diamond-shaped icon, and click "Restart in Mac OS" from the pop-up menu. Then, confirm your choice to reboot to Mac OS X.

When you back in OS X you can change the startup disk via sys. pref. > startup disk


Stored password in Safari Versus Firefox

Safari stores its passwords in the OSX Keychain.  Open /Applications/Utilities/Keychain Access.app, select the "Login" keychain (this should be default) and select "Passwords" under "Category".  Doubleclick an entry and check "Show password"; you'll be asked for your login keychain password (this is usually the same as your account password).

(For a while I was using an add-on for Firefox that used the Keychain, but it was highly broken.)


How to fix bootcamp boot after removing hybrid MBR

Moved bootloader (EFI folder) to EFI partition and everything started to work properly


how do I get everything back to normal (partition issue)

Try using cmd + R during startup and booting to the Recovery HD.

Booting to Recovery HD.

Open up DiskUtility from the menu and you should be able to access the drives and re-partition them and restore the OS again.


How can I have my shell always start in a certain directory that is not my home directory

First of all, if you are not using iTerm2 already, I suggest you download this free software as a replacement for Terminal.app.

Among many other extra features, in iTerm Preferences, you can configure the default working directory for new shells. You'll find these settings in Profiles - General.

The advantage here is that you can set different behaviors for opening a new window vs opening a new tab or even creating a new split pane. I personally like staying in the current working directory when adding a split pane, for example.

You could do it in your startup script as well (though I find the iTerm solution cleaner, or at least more flexible), but then I advise you to use ~/.bash_profile instead.

~/.bashrc is not automatically sourced when opening a new shell window, and ~/.bash_login is only sourced if no ~/.bash_profile is present.


I would suggest an SMC reset. You can find the instructions on how to do so here: SMC Reset (Apple.com)

Tell me if it works.


Have: Single partition firewire HD w/ 10.5.8 (my StartUp Disk), 2 bootable USB drives (1st= 10.6.7, 2nd= 10.8.2). Want: upgrade firewire HD to 10.8.2

You risk loosing your data in any upgrade.  You need to backup your important data. If your data isn't backed up, you do not have your data.

I recall you need to upgrade to 10.6 so you can do an online install of 10.8.  With an upgrade, the installation manager will not erase your data.  I have not tried this.

Robert


Can OS X be remotely accessed using the GUI but securely to hide what is displayed locally?

Yes - there are several ways around this.

The free, but less elegant solution is to make a second account on the Mac you wish to keep private. Set the machine to boot to that user and use Fast User switching to switch to your account.

Then when you log in - it will ask if you want to share the dummy account's screen or make a second virtual (and not drawn on the monitor) screen.

Alternatively, buy Apple Remote Desktop and use the "curtain mode" where it obscures the screen to hide what the remote operator is doing.


App Shortcuts missing in Keyboard preferences

Drag the divider bar to the right to show the categories.


How can I average numbers using Soulver?

Soulver doesn't let you do this with an operation, but there are a few ways to do it. First of all, there's the old fashioned way:

Add your numbers up (in parentheses) and then divide by the number of numbers.

There's also a more automated but less convenient way. Soulver can calculate the average of the results (blue column) that are currently in your document:

But, if you want to use that average later, you'll have to do a bit more.

Select Average, then click on Copy Selected Statistic.

Add a new line to your Soulver document: avg = and then paste in the average. You now have an average that you can rever to via avg:


Upgrade from 10.9.5 to 10.10.* without App Store

Get someone to download the installer from the App Store - just download it, don't install.

Apple documents how to create a bootable installer - https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372 using any USB drive or even an SD card should your Mac have that slot.

Plug that device in to your Mac.
Remember to hold down the option key when your Mac starts up.
Select the device.

One last thing, make sure you check your backup before installing. Time Machine is best. The upgrade isn't designed to have problems, but you never know.


How to access wireless channel 13 and above from a US Mac Book Pro?

There's a rather easy solution. Right click your clock, select "Open date & time preferences". Click "Time Zone" and select "Tokyo - Japan". Then either reboot or go to sleep mode. After you power up you should see all of the channels.

Update (digging deeper):

The reason this happens is that the mac reads all wifi signals and takes country code from the strongest one, setting it as global. If it's transmitting a country code which has a blocked 13/14 channel, these channels will be blocked globally.

So what you could do is check the country code on your wifi router and bring your laptop as close to it as possible.

To see which country code is transmitted by the nearby routers and blocked / unblocked channels, go to the "About this mac -> System report -> Network -> Wi-Fi". There should be a list of channels enabled for the current session under the "Interfaces -> en1 -> Supported Channels". There should also be a list of networks under the "Current Network Information".

Check if there's any network with the wrong country code and should you know its owner, ask him to set the proper one. If your router does transmit a proper country code, just bring your laptop as close to it as possible and reboot / got to sleep and wake up. This should refresh the list of available channels for the session.


Remove all files in folder apart from one using OS X Terminal

I would go about it like this:

find . ! -name <filename> -delete

for this to work with folders, you have to replace the delete with an exec rm -r

find . ! -name <filename> -exec rm -rv {} \;

This breaks down to

find = find

. = in current working directory, you can replace . with a path, like ~/Documents/

! = not

-name = name

<filename> = file

-exec = execute

rm -rv = verbose remove

{} = results of the find

\; = close the execution

Find all files and folders in your working folder, that do not have the name filename and then execute the remove command on the results.

You should do a dry run without the delete option, first:

find . ! -name <filename>

This command gives you a list of all files and folders in your working directory that are not named <filename>. Adding -delete or -exec rm -rv {} \;, will delete this files and folder (the exec version).

You could also use

rm -v [^filename]

for folders add -r

rm -rv [^filename]

Somehow I feel more comfortable using the find option. Mainly because you can do a dry run. Either way I would start with a dummy folder and try both options.


Application will not let me quit it. What should I do?

So many options!

(My favorite) Option-right click (or control-option-click) on the offending application's icon in the dock, and click "Force Quit". If it doesn't respond immediately, try one or two more times.
Open Activity Monitor, make sure it says "All Processes" at the top. If it doesn't, select "All Processes" from the View menu (or the pop-up menu in the toolbar on older versions of OS X). Click the Force Quit button at the top left.
Open up terminal, and run sudo killall <appname>. This is usually the application name, minus the .app part. When it asks you for your password (after reading you the riot act if this is your first time sudoing), type your password and hit enter. The cursor will stay still when you type your password; you will not see characters or • dots.
More direct option -- use Activity Monitor to determine the PID (process ID) of the offending application or process, and then run sudo kill -s KILL <pid> in Terminal.

BE CAREFUL when using sudo.


Prevent administrator from resetting password of another administrator

The simple answer is no.

Best practices on multi-user Macs dictate Standard accounts for all users, with a separate administrator account setup for maintenance work (software installs and/or updates, etc.) The philosophy is that with great power comes great responsibility, and an innocent mistake can cause havoc.

Daily use of Macs (and PCs for that matter) do not require the elevated privileges granted to a administrator account. At home, for example, I've created two admin accounts: one for emergencies, and my own account. Three other accounts: for my spouse and 2 kids, are Standard. When my kids are old enough to have their own Macs, they'll have only standard accounts, too, with a separate admin account for maintenance & whatnot. When they make enough money to purchase their own Mac, then they can decide how secure to make them.


Lion Mail: Drag to Select vs. Drag to Move

Selecting happens when you start dragging in the empty part of a line and have a major vertical movement. You can prevent message moving from happening by immediately starting to drag across after clicking.

Moving happens when you start in the text part of a line. Moving is also easier invoked when your major movement is in the horizontal axis. If you click and hold on a spot for a moment and then start dragging message moving will be invoked.


Cannot switch FaceTime call to iPhone after initiating it on my Mac

The continuity is only for cellular calls, which are routed through the iPhone, but doesn’t work with facetime calls.

FaceTime would have to just be configured on both devices and you pick up directly without needing a hand-off from one ringing to cause the other to ring.


In trying what I think you are wanting to do.
I had to enter my real email address and password to activate the service.

(Remember your real apple ID youname@mac.com/*yourname@me.com* is your user name and an alias email address is NOT)

Once I did this. My apple id is used for the first email address.
I can then add another email address below it.

the second one was one of my alias emails to my apple email.

Logging out of this service will remove both addresses.


Can I install apps on iPhone/iPad from iTunes without syncing?

You can try the install with iPhone Configuration Utility:

http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/featuredarticles/FA_iPhone_Configuration_Utility/Introduction/Introduction.html

http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/featuredarticles/FA_Wireless_Enterprise_App_Distribution/FA_Wireless_Enterprise_App_Distribution.pdf


Mis-Typed iCloud Email Address. Want to create new iCloud email address

There are two different ways around this problem.

The first to self help. If you haven't verify the email address that you probably can go back in and change it. Unless you just created this Apple ID hours ago  and can walk away from it and just create a second one that is correct, Apple asks for many other pieces of information such as birthday security questions to factor in front Acacian that would allow you to change the one piece of information that's wrong.

The second is to engage Apple customer support. The Apple support webpage will channel you to iCloud account support staff and it will typically be a web form where you can place your correct contact information and explained the mistake you made. They might be able to assist you with things that you can't do for yourself. Additionally, they speak many languages and can often educate you about your options better than a catchall procedure on the Internet can.


Yes

Simply take the original installation disc that came with the Mac and re-install OSX, afterwards just do a system update to bring it up to the latest version.

When OSX is installed over an existing installation, all settings and applications are preserved, and this should resolve all issue with the OS.

However, as @Kyle pointed out in the comments, the files moved are only header files used for compiling, and should not be affecting the working OS, and since the actual OS files are not available via the Finder, highly unlikely that she copied actual system files, unless she used Terminal.

If the applications still don't work after doing this, then those specific applications needs to be re-installed individually. The above procedure will work for all applications supplied by Apple as part of the OS.


"Bad CPU type in executable" when running pdftk

As it says on https://www.pdflabs.com/tools/pdftk-server/, PDFtk Server is for "Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), 10.7 (Lion) and 10.8 (Mountain Lion)". The package only contains a 32bit binary which won't run on Catalina or Big Sur.
You may be able to install directly from source (see further down on the same page), or you reach out to the developers and ask for an update.


If that account is logged through fast user switching, log it out first. If that isn't the case, well, there could be many potential solutions but one that has worked in many of the cases I've seen is to create a 3rd account, an administrator, and try to delete the standard user using this 3rd account.


How can I "mark as spam" in Sparrow for iOS?

From the messages list, swipe left on the message to mark as spam, tap on the label icon, and select Spam.


Is it possible to enroll Apple Developer program without ID verification?

In general, it seems to be a good idea that Apple is asking for your ID when you're trying to enroll with a different name than your own (I guess this is what you meant by a different name - unless you have two names somehow).

I have never heard of Apple asking for an ID, and then just somehow agreeing to go without ID for no apparent reason. But you could ask Apple to be allowed to enroll without showing an ID - they are afterall the only ones that can determine if you can enroll without it.

If you have problems with the ID, you might consider creating a limited liability company and applying for the developer program with that. However, it is usually not possible to create such a company without identifying yourself.


Usually you can't downgrade OS X below the version the hardware originally got delivered with, mainly because drivers for newer hardware etc. are not available in the older versions. The late 2015 iMacs come with architectural and graphics changes compared to previous models, so older OS X versions may have problems here.

If you are looking for specific behavior etc. only available Yosemite, you could install it in a VM though.


Can I still download OS X Mavericks for Free?

Yes, it is still possible to download Mavericks: http://www.techspot.com/downloads/6268-mac-os-x-mavericks.html

That is a upgrade from Mavericks 10.9.4 to 10.9.5 (not a full version of Mavericks which is a 5.3 Gig file.)

But maybe the software not working on Yosemite may neither works on Mavericks.


Problem with Messages which has stopped syncing between Macbook pro and iPhone

More information would help answer this question. For example, Are you finding that messages on one platform are not updating at all? For example, the iPhone? If so, I would suggest trying steps such as these:

1) Settings --> Messages --> iMessage (cycle it off and then back on)
2) Log out and back in with your AppleID
3) Turn the phone off and back on.

If the problem is on the MBP, then I would similarly start with Messages-->Preferences and then sign out and back into the iMessage service.

If those steps don't help, please characterize the symptoms in more detail.


Single keypress types repeated characters (MacBook Pro 2016 & 2017)

Finally, if anyone had or has the same issue, Apple is replacing the keyboard free of charge / refunding the past repair :
https://www.apple.com/support/keyboard-service-program-for-macbook-and-macbook-pro/

UPDATE. There is a small program, called Unshaky written on Swift. It fixed this issue for me.  It lets you configure a timeout for each key to suppress duplicate keypresses. For instance, if the 'e' key is giving you trouble, you can configure the timeout for a longer duration and adjust for the best results. There is also a statistics panel that shows how many times a key was suppressed by the software, as well as a detailed breakdown for each key.


How to enable scrolling with the mouse wheel in Google Chrome?

You must install a Google Chrome extension called AutoScroll. Make sure to refresh the pages you are currently on after the installation is complete.


Messages brings macOS to its knees with soagent and callservicesd

As the issue is related to the spell checking feature I would suggest you to reset text replacement.

You can erase (or save, if learnt spelling matters for you) all files in:

~/Library/Spelling

Do not forget to kill the spell process (something like AppleSpell) but remember to quit Message.app before doing so.

Also try to delete all the entries (if you ever added one) by hitting minus sign in Settings.app > Keyboard > Text Replacement

Note that your problem seems to be closely related to this one (as pointed out in some answers). To sum up the solutions discussed:

Navigate to ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.soagent/Data/Library/Preferences and delete (Drag to Trash) the com.apple.soagent.plist and then Restart the computer.
The second solution was pointed out by Everett.


Is there a cell/mobile friendly site for Apple feedback?

Apple recommends using their Feedback Assistant native app, but this requires installing a beta profile (on iOS, built into MacOS).
If you want a web form, and are willing to sign into your Apple ID, you can use the Feedback Assistant web app.


How can my son access my iTunes account from his windows 8 'sign on' on my computer?

Apple provides an answer to this question.

In short:

Quit iTunes
Go to \Users*username*\Music\iTunes (where username is your
Move the iTunes Media (might be iTunes Music) folder to a public folder, e.g. \Users\Public\Public Music
Now, on each Windows account:

Launch iTunes
In the Edit menu, select Preferences
Click the Advanced icon**
Click the Change button
Navigate to \Users\Public\Public Music (or whatever public folder you moved your music to)
Click OK

You should be all set. If you’re not, that might be because iTunes for Windows apparently doesn’t automatically move your music to its iTunes Media folder. In the account which holds the music:

Launch iTunes
In the File menu, select Library > Organize > Consolidate Library. Your music will be copied into the iTunes Media folder. You may want to do a bit of cleanup to avoid data duplication.


How can I reduce the hard disk space occupied by "Other"?

Here is an article explaining what the "Other" category of files is, from Apple support. Basically, the Other folder is anything that cannot be recognized as Audio, Video, Photos, Apps, and Backups. If you want to free up some space in here, you need to navigate to your home folder, and move any files to the Trash that you don't need. Then, empty the trash. If there are still files taking up a lot of space that you really need, you can compress them. (Create a folder, place the files in the folder, and click "Compress ." You can also transfer some files to an external drive.

Also, here is an iGeeksBlog article giving some more tips on how to remove things from the Other folder.


iPhone 12 mini: Screen too dark in sunlight

Ok. Had been too hot. Let it cool down solved the issue.


BetterTouchTool 3 finger swipes stopped working

If you are using Yosemite 10.10.2 beta, according to the developer it's due to a bug in OS X.
Here is the tweet from the developer:

https://twitter.com/boastr_net/status/538498628500082689

You can also find a temporary fix there.


Found the answer in this blog post Hide The Menu Bar On Your Secondary Monitor With Mavericks. Uncheck the option "separate Spaces" on Mission Control:


Go to Preferences → Tabs and enable When a new tab or window opens, make it active.

Enabling this option switches the shift modifier to disabling this functionality rather than enabling it.


What is the purpose or historical significance of /usr/64, if any, on OS X?

/usr/64 never existed in OS X, go ahead and remove it.

There was, however, a directory called "lib64" (or /usr/local/lib64), which offset /usr/lib. This was found on some Linux operating systems back some years ago, when the transition from 32bit to 64bit was still in its infancy. It may still be used today as a remnant of that era. Microsoft Windows also had a similar structure, separating 32bit from 64bit.

OS X has never used such a separation of libraries or even executables.


My SSD seems slow, could it be the link speed?

I would make sure that TRIM is enabled. Without TRIM, SSDs will run slower. I use Trim Enabler to turn on TRIM on my Samsung SSDs.

https://www.cindori.org/software/trimenabler/

Nowadays it can enable TRIM without disabling kext signing.

https://www.cindori.org/safely-enable-trim-on-yosemite-and-el-capitan/


Can not open Mail app since I updated the last version of Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

The correct version of Mail.app for OS X 10.8.2 (in my case build 12C60) would be 6.2, so your version is too old. Try software update, if that doesn't show anything reinstall the OS X 10.8.2 Combo Update manually. Run software update again after (re)installing this.


Actually, Wikipedia provided solutions for this, Wikipedia:Media help (audio and video)

  It is highly recommended that you use a program which is capable of playing both Vorbis audio and Theora video since these two different media formats are often in the same digital container format, Ogg.


Finding hidden apps on home screen iPhone XR

On iOS 14 you can find apps in the App Library if you remove the icon from Home Screen. You can also find these with Siri and Spotlight.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211345

For older iOS versions you need to reinstall the app from the source (usually the App Store).


Can I use memory taken from a Macbook Pro in a Mac Pro?

No, not directly.

The Mac Pro uses full-sized desktop DIMM modules, whereas the Macbook pro uses laptop-sized SO-DIMM modules. These cannot be directly swapped without a passive adapter, which I honestly wouldn't think makes much sense to bother with given how inexpensive 2 GB of RAM is these days for a Mac Pro.


How do I force Spotlight to index new folders?

From Apple Support: How to rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac

  Choose Apple menu () > System Preferences, then click Spotlight.
  Click the Privacy tab.
  Drag the folder or disk that you want to index again to the list of locations that Spotlight is prevented from searching. Or click the Add (+) button and select the folder or disk to add.
  To add an item to the Privacy tab, you must have ownership permissions for that item. To learn about permissions, choose Help from the Finder menu bar, then search for “permissions.”
  From the same list of locations, select the folder or disk that you just added. Then click the Remove (–) button to remove it from the list.
  Quit System Preferences. Spotlight will reindex the contents of the folder or disk.

Note: Apple Support Document Update: Published Date: Nov 14, 2016 See edit history of this answer to see a previous version of this information.

Note: Dropbox specific information as an addendum to the Apple Support directions.

The above directions are the written ones from Apple Support however with an object like Dropbox on the Sidebar in Finder do not drag and drop it from there, instead either add it to the Privacy tab using the plus ("+") button or drag and drop it from your Home folder.  Then remove it using the minus ("-") button.

If Dropbox was removed from the Sidebar in it can be dragged back from one's Home folder.


Why is my instant hotspot on Yosemite / iOS 8 inconsistent?

It appears this issue still exists on the latest version of OS X (El Capitan, 10.11). I was able to find this in my system logs:

10/9/15 5:25:03.213 PM   sharingd[679]   17:25:03.212 : Tethering: Request failed (id = 5D648B94-FFEB-44B2-BC8D-E116CA674465, duplicates = NO, error = Error Domain=com.apple.identityservices.error Code=23 "Timed out" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Timed out, NSUnderlyingError=0x7f9cfaece050 {Error Domain=com.apple.ids.idssenderrordomain Code=12 "(null)"}})

It would appear that there is some sort of connection issue with Apple's authorization servers (which it needs to validate the iCloud credentials). However, I received this at a time my iPhone had no connectivity issues (full cellular service).

Filed a radar (23058238) with Apple. I'll update this answer when/if I hear anything.


Personal sorting system in the finder's windows

You could make a custom sort order using Spotlight Comments. Show the Comments column in your Finder window (View > Show View Options), then enter Spotlight Comments into your files (File > Get Info) so that they sort in the order you want. You could also use these comments for Spotlight searches and smart folders.

You can use Automator to add the same comment to a whole batch of files by creating an Automator Service (for contextual menu) or Application (for drag & drop) and using the "Set Spotlight Comments for Finder Items" action. Make sure to change "Service receives selected" to files or folders. To have Automator ask you what text to use for the comment, show the Options for the "Set Spotlight Comments" action and check Show this action when the workflow runs.


How to change default maps to Google Maps for WhatsApp location sharing on iPhone 7?

Hold down the location and copy it to your clipboard and paste it on hangouts app chat and click on that it will redirect it to google maps if the original sender sent the location via google maps


For the full Windows functionality for switching windows look at Optimal Layout or Witch which both make AltTab switch to all windows.


Transfer contacts between iPhone 4 and old feature phone

It's impossible to transfer files via bluetooth between iPhone and other smart phones.You will need to transfer the contacts from your old Samsung SGH-G600 into your computer first, and then sync it to your iPhone 4. I don't know what operating system your computer is running, but normally you can do as the following steps:

Open iTunes
Use USB cable to connect your Samsung to computer, copy the contacts to your iTunes library.
Then plug in your iPhone 4 to computer using the included USB cable, select the content you wanna sync in iTunes under Devices on the left-hand side.
Click Apply, in the lower-right corner of the screen, to sync.

You can find some useful information from apple's support:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1386


Can I ghost/image my jailbroken AppleTV?

You cannot do this because even if you backed up your ATV2, Apple recently (or a while ago)  implemented a feature which disables users to downgrade their iPhone/iPad/ATV2 firmware.  The best bet would be to wait until there is a reliable build of XBMC for the 4.4.4 update.  Hope this helps!


Mail.app rules - how to write the following requirement

Please be aware that mail only applies rules to new messages. So deleting old messages may not work as expected, since the rule is checked once when the message is new the "date received" test fails. From the doc:

  Rules are automatically applied to incoming messages, but you can
  apply a new or modified rule to selected messages you’ve already
  received.

You may apply rules to selected messages by:

  Select the messages and then choose Message > Apply Rules.

You may be able to write an applescript to automate the last step.


Restoring iPhone backup from iTunes taking too long

First of all, you need to make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes (Currently v12.4.2) installed on your mac so that it supports the latest version of iOS.
Secondly, you can't restore an iPhone with a later version of iOS (iOS 9.3.2) to an iPhone with an older version (for instance, iOS 8.x). So make sure you've updated your new iPhone 6 to the latest version of iOS which is currently 9.3.3, then try it again.

I recommend you read this link and also this one so you'll get more information.

I hope I could help you. Good Luck.


It is unlikely this is due to a virus, as there are far more obvious explanations.

Whatever type of mouse, you should first attempt to clean it when movements skip. Dirt might be interfering the laser or other sensors. You can use a slightly damp cloth for cleaning it. A mild detergent could help for greasy dirt accumulations.

If you are using a laser mouse, it might have difficulties tracking movement due to the type of surface you are using it on. This is especially common on glass or other homogeneous surfaces with very little texture. Using a mousepad should improve your experience in those cases.

If all else fails, maybe your mouse is up for replacement.


How do I prevent access to a folder on a non-boot drive

You can't unless you are willing to accept some serious limitations.

The operating system will enforce ACL and normal posix permissions, but that presumes no-one will have an administrator account and no-one will access that external drive with any other OS than the one you have set up with the permissions.

If you're OK with this light level of security, just use Finder and the Get Info pane (or the inspector) to set no access to folder F for anyone but your user.

Here is the basic (dry) article on how permissions work, then a more wordy tutorial on ACL that let you say no one can read a folder and lastly a reminder how easy it is for someone else to change those permissions by using an admin account on the OS you set up (or if they connect it to another computer that they control)

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/8342.html
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/mac/introduction-to-os-x-access-control-lists-acls/1048
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH3708


It seems perfectly normal. If you have deleted files from another OS, if you want to get back to stability, boot to recovery HD and repair the OS X partition. Then boot to OS X and download the latest combo updater and reboot.

I'd add the Mac partition to spotlight's privacy tab and close system prefs. Then I'd remove it from the privacy tab and let it sit for about 30 minutes and then run the combo updater.

As long as you have a backup of your files, worst case is you'll end up with a corrupt OS X side and have to wipe and reinstall. If you want to download the latest OS X installer during the 30 minute wait above, it's nice to have it on a USB thumb drive just in case. Probably you won't need it as the spotlight system cleans and takes care of itself fairly well. The only times I've seen it have huge files is when the system gets modified externally as you describe.

Here is some data to back up my opinion that 900M isn't abnormal:

MacPro:~ bmike$ sudo du -sm /Volumes/*/.Spotlight*
2952    /Volumes/Backups/.Spotlight-V100
496     /Volumes/Data/.Spotlight-V100
1082    /Volumes/NTM/.Spotlight-V100
183     /Volumes/fast/.Spotlight-V100
MacBookPro:~ bmike$ sudo du -sm /Volumes/*/.Spotlight*
1419    /Volumes/Macintosh HD/.Spotlight-V100
4273    /Volumes/PassportAir/.Spotlight-V100
4567    /Volumes/Retina/.Spotlight-V100


Why would an app constantly monitor /etc/passwd?

Adobe Desktop Service wasn’t looking at your /etc/passwd. Apple’s system library was.

Apple’s system library wanted to know your username so it can find your home directory. It then decided the best way to figure out your username was to look it up in /etc/passwd. Adobe Desktop Service just wanted to know the path to your home directory, and (correctly) used the CoreFoundation framework for that. That’s why the call appears under Adobe’s process.

Details

In your screenshot, the Caller entry says something like _fsi_get_user. This is the symbol of a private subroutine in one of macOS’s system libraries, libsystem_info.dylib, located in /usr/lib/system.

The public source code of the _fsi_get_user function reveals the following logic:

if (geteuid() == 0)
{
  // […]
}
else
{
  f = fopen(_PATH_PASSWD, "r");
  _fsi_get_validation(si, VALIDATION_PASSWD, _PATH_PASSWD, f, &va, &vb);
  fmt = 1;
}

Looking at the decompiled code in libsystem_info.dylib (for example, using Hopper Disassembler) confirms that _PATH_PASSWD is indeed the file name /etc/passwd. (The source code further down in file_module.c also explains why there’s a call to fstat immediately after the fopen: the implementation of _fsi_get_validation does that to figure out the last modification time of your /etc/passwd.)

In other words: Adobe wasn’t looking at your passwd file; Apple’s system library was.

Connecting the dots

There are many possible call stacks that may connect Adobe Desktop Service’s code to the _fsi_get_user function. A bit of static analysis suggests the most plausible candidate would be NSHomeDirectory, a utility class in Foundation.framework.

Looking at Adobe Desktop Service’s binary reveals that it indeed calls [NSHomeDirectory UTF8String]:

*100032ac4   call   imp___stubs__NSHomeDirectory
*100032ac9   mov    rsi, qword [0x10008a178]  ; "UTF8String"
*100032ad0   mov    rdi, rax
*100032ad3   call   qword [_objc_msgSend_100088350]

Apple’s implementation of NSHomeDirectory will then lead us to /etc/passwd fairly quickly. My educated guess on the most likely chain of function calls would be:

Adobe Desktop Service → [NSHomeDirectory UTF8String] (in Foundation.framework) → NSHomeDirectoryForUser → CFCopyHomeDirectoryURLForUser (in CoreFoundation.framework) → _CFCopyHomeDirURLForUser → getpwuid (in libsystem_info.dylib, re-exported via libSystem.B.dylib) → si_user_byuid (this is where Apple decides at runtime which source it’s going to use. For example, if your user ID is between 1 and 499, your /etc/passwd will be consulted instead of Directory Services.) → file_user_byuid → _fsi_get_user.

To be extra sure, I further analyzed the binary Adobe Desktop Service and as expected, it contains no single reference to /etc/passwd. (I haven’t checked whether or not Adobe Desktop Service does other shady things, though.)

The whole analysis would have been a little easier if you had actually clicked on one of the entries before you created the screenshot. Your app would then have shown the relevant stack trace in the bottom right corner (it’s the lines where it says Stack Trace). But hey, I had a lot of fun figuring it out, and I’ve learned a lot that way!

Verification

To confirm that my analysis is correct, you may want to click on one of the /etc/passwd entries in your Instruments app and find the terms NSHomeDirectory and file_user_byuid somewhere in the stack trace.


Can I still upgrade my iPhone 3G to iOS 4.x?

The final iOS rev for iPhone 3G is 4.2.1, and you could always save a backup before upgrading and restor to the 3.X version if 4.2.1 was too much of a hog.

Hope this helps!

Edit: This thread says its not even worth it. 4.2.1 is crippling to the device.


Resolution 2880 x 1800 not available in Windows 8 (VMware Fusion 5)

Per VMware's Retina KB article, you can enable 1:1 pixel mapping for a Fusion 5 VM by going to Settings → Display and checking Use full resolution for Retina display.

If after that you don't see the 2880x1800 resolution, you need to make some manual tweaks, following this KB article:

Open the .vmx file in a text editor.
Add the line svga.autodetect = "FALSE"
Add (or update if it already exists) svga.vramSize = 20774912
Add (or update if they already exist) svga.maxWidth = 2880 and svga.maxHeight = 1800
Save the file and open your Windows VM.
In the Windows registry (Start → Run → regedit) search for the vmx_svga key. Per the article, "The correct key has several sub-keys, but it is the main key that should be edited."
Create a new string value (REG_SZ) named Resolution.x, where x is one higher than the highest number listed.
Enter 2880x1800 as the new value.
Restart Windows.
Open the Display Control Panel to change to your new resolution


Can I speed up Disk Utility First Aid by running “fsck_hfs” with the “-c” option?

There are some sources saying you should set the cache size to maybe 1/2 of your installed memory.
This source says, that fsck_hfs is running a lot faster if you assign it 2200m cache (in this example for a 1TB drive):
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20110829063745320
I'm now going to experiment with that setting because my external 6TB time machine backup disk has fsck_hfs running since about 18 hours.


How to upload photos/files to iCloud like with Dropbox's application?

I'm sorry, you can't manually upload files to iCloud from your iPhone. Since iOS 8 Apple introduced iCloud Drive, which makes it possible to upload any file with a Mac (on Yosemite).

You can only access those files on an iPhone when you're, for example, in the Dropbox app.


The correct code is

*3001#12345#*

(note the asterisks at the beginning and end).