text:
iTunes on iMac plays media on Linux server via SMB. What's with the slow imports, changes and stalls?
I posted this on SuperUser, but it's probably more appropriate here.
I have an unRAID server (If you're unfamiliar with unRAID, you can check it out at lime-technology.com) which is a Linux based server. I'm getting terrible performance with iTunes on my iMac. The music playback is fine. But if I import a song file or change any metadata, it has problems. This isn't new, I've read many, many posts complaining about this and other problems concerning SMB shares and file systems. But I think I may be onto something and would like some advice.
This is what I've found so far. Snow Leopard, OS 10.6.x, has a problem with SMB and/or any file system other than HFS+. HFS+ is the common files system for OS X.
There are hundreds of posts on the web complaining about temporary freezes, slowdowns, sometimes crashes on the Mac using SMB shares and other file systems. I have yet to see Apple acknowledge that there is a problem, but there are a few suggestions out there that seem to have helped people. I'll be trying out some of these this week and post the results here.
From my own observations, specifically with iTunes, I've noticed some strange behavior. Here's my setup. I have an iMac running 10.6.4 (the latest update), the latest iTunes 10. The iTunes app is located on the local internal HD, I have my iTunes library files and all my media on disk 1 of my unRAID server. I'm hard wired to the server via a gigabit router. I have iTunes set to keep the media organized and copy the media files to the server.
When importing a song file into iTunes, the file initially seems to copy at a good rate, the file appears in it's proper place and you can see the size increasing as it copies. Then it stalls for a while, then the name changes to a long hex number for a few seconds and then reverts back to its' normal state. The process can take 30-40 seconds, even with a small song file. I looked at the console and I got the following error message:

11/8/10 12:24:28 AM /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes[2820] Possible unresolved transaction race -103/(Master Music Library/John Lennon/Rock 'N' Roll,(null))

The same thing happens when I make a change in the metadata. It takes a LONG time to update the file.  For example, I added onto the name of an album and for each song it changed I got:

11/8/10 12:37:36 AM /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes[2820] Possible unresolved transaction race -103/(Master Music Library/John Lennon/Signature Box Set 5 - Walls And Bridges,(null))

This happens for each file imported or changed even within iTunes.  It doesn't seem to matter if the source file is on the Mac (for import from, let's say) or the server (for metadata changes, let's say)
I followed the first path in the error message: /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunes[2820].
In the /Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/ folder I find the following files:

iTunes
libgnsdk_musicid.1.7.1.dylib
libgnsdk_sdkmanager.1.7.1.dylib
libgnsdk_submit.1.7.1.dylib

where iTunes is a Unix Executable File.
I did some more research and have found some posts about file systems other than HFS+ having trouble with app packages. I believe that all OS X apps are actually packages, like folders, but appearing as a single file. Other file systems don't seem to know what to do with these. There was some talk of "flattening" these app packages, but I haven't gone forward with that yet because I'm not sure I understand it enough yet.
I've also noticed that in the getinfo box under sharing & permissions I usually get "You can read and write", but with apps I get "You have custom access". This was something i had noticed before and thought it was a problem on the server, but I didn't realize it until now, I'm getting the custom access on every app. So I think that's probably normal.
I'm wondering if I'm having a permissions problem with the iTunes Unix Executable File. Right now the permissions are set as follows:

system: Read & Write
admin: Read & Write
everyone: Read only

Maybe it's trying to write to that file or another one and doesn't have the right permissions since the song file is now on the server and that's causing the stalls? I'm over my head here. Anyone have any ideas?

I have the same problem. iTunes 10.1 for win works very well, on my mac doesn't work!!!

A few places you could consider some testing to find the problem...
Network

What physical (network) hardware connects the unRAID server and the Mac?
How long are any cables?
Are your network cables old/damaged/kinked at all?
Are you using a wireless network?
What's the ping time between the unRAID server and the mac?
Can you run a long term ping between (ideally with large packet sizes) and see how the response time varies and whether there's any packets lost?

It sounds like it might be a case of high latency or packet loss in the file system access causing issues. If so, then an unreliable network might be a simple thing to fix... but we'll need a bit more info from you about your setup to know if this is the issue.
High ping times (more than a couple of milliseconds) will really slow down access to lots of files (which iTunes will be doing when syncing for example). Packet loss will be even worse, as it might mean a stall for well over a second while attempting to access a file.
SMB Software

Are you able to test a similar setup using a Windows or Mac machine instead of the unRAID server (perhaps with reduced total library size)?
Are you able to compile your own version of samba on your Mac (ideally the same version that your unRAID server uses) and mount using that instead of the built-in samba client? (this one I have no idea how to do, but I'm fairly sure would be possible for an experienced UNIX sysadmin/hacker).

By swapping out the unRAID samba server or the built-in OS X SMB client entirely, you may find that it performs equally badly or "just works"... There's every chance that the unRAID server and Mac OS X 10.6.x just don't talk SMB very well together, in which case testing it with a different SMB client/server combination may show improved performance.
It's hard to assign fault if that turns out to be the case, because it could be either the client or server end that are technically not doing the right thing, but it's at least something to test... you might be able to permanently change the server or client SMB software on one machine to solve the problem...
iTunes Software

Can you test this out on an old version of iTunes? (would require rebuilding the library for that version of course)

If you have access to a machine with an older version of iTunes, you could see if it performs any better... perhaps its just that iTunes can't handle the network-induced lag (which may be at its maximum performance based on your network & SMB server-client setup).

Hopefully you have access to some other computer(s) and/or network hardware to do some of these tests, which should shed light on the underlying cause. Even if its a bug at the high level (with iTunes or unRAID or OS X), it may be something you can mitigate by providing a better (faster? more reliable?) network connection between the two computers. In any case, that should give you somewhere to start, and some more information for us to help...

The physical hardware is the imac to an Asus GX-D1081 gigabit switch to the server which has an Asus P5N-MX Moto, Pentium dual core E2180 CPU, 2GB DDR2 RAM, Netgear GA311 Gigabit Ethernet PCI Adapter.  I'm using new CAT6 ethernet cables.  The cable to the server is 50ft.  That's the longest one.  The pings range from approx. 0.05ms to 0.60ms, averaging in the 0.2's & 0.3's, so I don't think that's a problem, is it?  I'll try creating an alternate iTunes media folder on a Windows and see what happens, good idea.  I've heard about compiling my own version of Samba, I'll have to check into that

Concerning iTunes: I first noticed this problem when I upgraded to iTunes 10 from 9.2.1.  It might have been there previously and I just didn't notice it, but I don't think so.  My first action was to roll it back to 9.2.1, but the problem still persisted, so I went back to 10.  Though, I do have an external FW drive with OS 10.4 and an older iTunes, I'll boot that up and see what happens.  Thanks for the very helpful feedback!

Oh, and the unRAID is based on a SLACKWARE Linux system.  I don't know much about it.

Okay, so sounds like network isn't the issue... could be that the iTunes samba client was changed slightly around the same time as you upgraded to iTunes 10? This is a total guess though, but perhaps check what other updates you installed at about the same time?

Drfrog, I gave up trying to make it work.  I'm using the unRAID now, just as a backup and using my old backup as the main media drive.  That's a USB ext. drive and has no problems.  THANKS for the help!

There’s something I don’t understand, if you have iTunes on a Mac (OS X 10.6), what does the fact that iTunes is a Package (like mostly every other Cocoa/Mac Application) has to do with the library problems?
iTunes is stored in /Applications, and as such it requires custom permissions so every user on the computer can have the proper access to it. Basically the “system” is the only one with read/write permission. Other applications may have other permissions, but as long as you have read, there shouldn’t be problems with that.
I’m not 100% sure about issues with iTunes storing a library in a smb share but there could be issues, not because Apple has (or has not) problems with SMB shares (the code is the same for linux/mac or any other samba client), but because samba (and the Microsoft protocol in general) is really not very good. iTunes may be having problems updating the metadata for the files (when it imports them) and that could be causing problems.
You don’t seem to mention what file system is your raid using, because SMB is not a filesystem but a sharing protocol.

I wasn't aware that Cocoa/Mac apps were packages, so that was kind of a tangent.  However, I did read somewhere that other file systems don't know what to do with these packages because they appear to be one file and that can confuse things.  I also didn't understand what the meaning of custom permissions were, so thanks for clearing that up.  I think you're definitely onto something about the metadata problem being the real problem and not the importing.  The file system on the unRAID server is reiserfs.  I don't know much about it except it's a journaled file system.  Great feedback, thanks.

@aber Np :) Yes, most Mac apps are packages, which are Folders that Finder happily hides from the user (you can “right click” and “show package contents”).iTunes library is composed of two things: 1) a Library.xml file and the media files itself. If the media is stored in a non-hfs+ filesystem, iTunes may have troubles updating the metadata it stores on each file when it imports a music track (for example). For the sake of testing you might want to find out how to start iTunes with an empty library and try using it locally to see if the prob. persists. Ask if in doubt.

Martin, from what I've found out, you're right.  I never could get the metadata to update at a decent speed.  So now I'm storing my iTunes & iPhoto on the external drive that I was using as the backup and using the unRAID as the backup.  Probably should have done that in the first place.

@abernardi glad to know you have found your solution. :) Remember to always have a backup anyway, doesn’t matter where. Drives fail, a lot :)

I've a similar setup, running my iTunes Library over a Lacie Network Space (1Tb).
I got the same problem, after upgrading to iTunes 10. Seems like that the new versione makes an heavy use of advanced HFS+ properties.
I solved the issue mounting the drive in AppleTalk mode (AFP). This resolved the slow speed problem, bumping up iTunes and the system.
Be sure to avoid SMB mounting, since iTunes (and possibly other applications) cannot handle correctly resources.
cheers


text:
How can I delete icons from the 6th generation iPod nano?
Is this even possible?  I will never use like 90% of them and I'd like to hide them.

The hacking gods are working on it.

Update: With the new update from Apple (v1.2), it is now possible to remove icons that you don't use, and to change the size of the icons.  Under Settings->General->Home Screen you can show/hide individual icons.
I don't believe that you can delete the icons.  You can rearrange them.  I moved the ones I'm not interested in to the last screens so they are mostly out of the way.
The User Guide explains how to do this.

Based off experience with the iPhone and iPod touch I am guessing that the default apps are not deletable.  the one app that can be hidden is the Nike running app that is turned on and off in the settings menu.

You can't, you can only remove them from your home screen.
It's simple. Go to Settings < General  < Home Screen and then you'll see a menu with on/off buttons.
"Off" means that the icon won't show on the home screen and "On" means it will. Simply change the icon you don't want on your home screen to "off" and you're done.

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text:
I wish I could get a new Finder window launched if I double-click the Finder icon in the dock. Is this possible?
I wish I could get a new Finder window launched if I double-click the Finder icon in the dock. I'm not sure if this would be possible with an Automator script, or if I would have to try to program some type menubar software or something. Any ideas?
thanks!!

Hyperdock will let you do something similar. It doesn't seem to support double clicking, but I have my system set up so a middle-click on the finder icon opens a new window.
It's also an awesome dock enhancement, and brings the dock much closer to the usability of the windows taskbar (i.e. you can switch to a specific other window without having to use expose or alt-tab).

By the way you can specifically switch to another window without that: Right click an application in the Dock to see a menu of all open windows.

Still a 2-click solution to a one-click problem.

This is not a solution to the question asked. It is, however, pretty cool.

The following AppleScript does what you want:
on run
    tell application "Finder"
        make new Finder window
        activate
    end tell
end run

Open Script Editor in the /Applications/AppleScript folder, and paste the above in to a new script. Save it somewhere as a "File Format: Application" with "Stay Open" not checked.

Then drag that application to your Dock. When you click it, the Finder will be brought to the front and with a new finder window.
The disadvantage is, this takes about 1.5 - 2 seconds to run on my machine. I could probably tweak it by making the script stay open and watch for being brought to the front... You might also get better performance by saving it as a normal script in your "Scripts" folder and putting it in the scripts menu.

All you're trying to do is open a new Finder window, yes?

Why not just right-click on the Finder icon in the Dock and choose "New Finder Window"?

Although an elegant solution, the OP wants to double click, hence the question ;)

Why is your context menu black? :-)

@Martín - that's why I didn't answer at first—but after I saw the upvotes for @Fake's answer (which also didn't use double-click), I thought it was worth mentioning.

@Josh - I thought that gray (or black-ish) was the norm for dock context menus in SL (as seen here, here, here, and here). If I installed something that makes them custom, I have no idea what it is — Secrets, maybe?

@Josh Context menus are black in Snow Leopard.

@Martín Ah ha, that's it. I'm still on plain ol Leopard :-)

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text:
When will Endnote X4 for Mac be compatible with Word for Mac 2011?
In the meantime, how can one manage?

According to their website:

EndNote X4 is not compatible with Word 2011. The compatibility of Word 2011 with EndNote X4 will be addressed in a free update. Please register your software to be informed when EndNote X4 is compatible with Word 2011.

On their message board, this message says:

The schedule has changed since then so I cannot provide a firm ETA, other than we're now targeting the first quarter of 2011.

From the later comments in that thread (and other threads in their forum), there appear to be a lot of unhappy customers.
Your other options appear to be:

Use X4 with MS Word 2008 (and thankfully, you can run 2008 and 2011 apps at the same time)
Use X4 with Pages '09
Use X3 with MS Word 2011
Apply to beta test the Word 2011 version of X4
Don't use Endnote; instead just use Word 2011's built-in tools

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text:
What version of Mac Mini supports Leopard 10.5.8?
Does Leopard 10.5.8 support the first-ever Mac Mini (M9686*/A, M9687*/A, I think)?
Or do I need one of the later ones?
I'm buying my first-ever mac this Christmas.

If you are going to get your first-ever Mac, do your best to get an Intel Mac (Mac Mini or whatever), If you get a Power PC, you may find yourself limited, and it will slowly get worse with time, since Apple no longer uses PowerPC.

Yes Leopard supports all Intel and all PowerPC based machines over a minimum CPU speed and the original Power PC minus are in that ranges. Apple doc
Snow Leopard (10.6) only supports Intel based machines


text:
Iphone 4G Wifi Password Issues
I recently replaced my wireless router from Verizon.  I kept all the settings identical, and all the other wireless devices in my home connect with no problem (a pc, mac, ipad, etc).  However, my iphone is unable to connect.  It correctly identifies the wifi network, and I'm prompted to enter my password.  But even though I've entered the password correctly multiple times, it always returns "password incorrect".

You could try this:
Go to Settings -> common -> reset (at the bottom). On the next screen you can choose which settings you wish to reset. Choose "Network settings".
I assume the stored settings are deleted now, and after a re-connect the connection should work.


text:
I have a 2009 MacBook Air, bought a year ago - will I notice much of a performance improvement if I buy the latest version (Late 2010)?
Does the SSD make that much difference? The processor is not much beefier, what are the other factors I should consider/which have an impact? Anyone made the same upgrade and happy with a significant improvement? Or am I just wanting a new shiny thing?

Yes, the SSD does make a huge difference.

The flash storage makes a huge difference (a fresh system boots in about 15 seconds, apps will start instantly etc.), and the new MBA does not need to throttle the CPU when it gets hot. So you will probably notice a big improvement. See Macworlds benchmark results, for example.


text:
How to install the leopard OS?
I have an apple laptop.But the OS is corrupted.I have a new one to use the apple laptop.But i have an licensed version.
What I need:
How to install the leopard os....
What are the steps am i should follow...

You have tagged the question as Macbook Pro and iMac which OS do you have and what specific Apple Laptop?

since adalarasan hasn't clarified the question at all, I think this should be closed

After backing up your system, insert your shiny OS X DVD into your Mac and restart the computer, holding down C, so that the Mac boots off of the DVD-ROM.
After a few moments, you will be presented with a installation screen and presented with a number of options.

What Apple laptop you have?
You can simple slide your CD and start the instllation program and it will check for compatibility and if your Laptop is compatible it will upgrade it.


text:
Cannot restore or recover ipod Classic 80gb
I have an ipod Classic 80gb.   It is currently stuck on the apple screen.  I am unable to recover or restore the ipod.  It is not recognized by windows as either a ipod or a mass storage device.   When I plug it into my PC nothing happens.
It just sits there with the apple logo on the screen.  None of the buttons respond with the exception of a reset.  (toggle hold switch -> hold center + menu for 6 seconds.)  A reset will cause the screen to go blank for a few seconds.
Nothing else I have found seems to work.
Let me know if you have any ideas

Can you hear the disk spinning?

You can try to diagnose the problem with the diagnostic mode.
To enter the diagnostic mode, press the folowing key when the apple logo appears after a reset :
iPod 1G, 2G et 3G, press the keys for 5 seconds :

"back"
"next"
"select"

iPod 4G, 5G, mini et nano,  press the keys for 5 seconds :

"back"
"select"

In the diagnotic mode, you can navigate in the menus with the back/next keys and launch a bunch of test.

The hard disk has probably failed. If so, your options include:

Buy a new iPod
Buy a replacement hard drive on eBay (etc) and replace it.
Find a used iPod somewhere and swap parts to yours until it works.

If you buy a used iPod wouldn't you just sync that with your library, rather than swapping parts?


text:
I downloaded iTunes 10 but now it won't update my iPod Touch software
I downloaded the newest version of iTunes because it said it couldn't update the iPod Touch to 4.2 without it, but after the download I went to update my iPod Touch and iTunes said it couldn't contact the update server. This happened when I downloaded iTunes 9 and tried to update, but I never fixed it. Any help would be appreciated!

Can you post the exact error message?

Is there a error number associated with this error?
Did you check to see if you have an internet connection?
Did you restart your computer?
Did you wait a while and try back later? Apple could be experiencing a downtime when you tried to access their server.
Do you have a firewall on? Is the port open for iTunes?
It could be any number of things...Let me know if this helps!

Would be helpful in narrowing down the cause:

Win or Mac OS X?
Current version installed? (btw, the latest version is now 4.2.1. A last-minute fix caused the version number to revise)

Things that come to mind off-hand:

iTunes version you downloaded is 10.1? (the latest at this moment)
Firewall? Antivirus?

Worst case: Use the links from this page, or a page like this, to download the image for the new OS manually and perform a backup-and-restore using the image. WARNING: Not for novices!


text:
How Many iTunes Accounts
I have an iPhone 4 with an iTunes account. My husband got his own iPhone 4 today. Is it better to have one or two iTunes accounts, but not have to rebuy apps.

I think that Apple's article on iTunes Home Sharing should cover what you're looking for. My husband and I have separate accounts, and anything we both want, we share.

Does this include apps? How do you use an app he bought on your phone? It should ask for his password, but then does it work with his apps and your apps on your phone?

@jmlumpkin - as I said: "anything we both want, we share." Yes, Home Sharing includes apps. First, I use my iTunes account to see what he has and import those I want. Then when I sync my iDevice, there are no "his apps," just mine. There's no difference between the two (minus some updating quirks).

When I did this with my wifes iPhone, it wanted me to enter my password. I don't mind, just didn't know if she could run apps under her account any more.

@jmlumpkin - your password (i.e., your permission) is needed to set up Home Sharing in the first place; after that, it's not necessary.

It's easy to break things down with the two "rules of 5".
Each account (Apple ID to be technical) can be authorized on 5 computers at the same time.
Each device is happy to track purchases from 5 different accounts.
There is no limit on the number of devices that get to sync to any computer that is currently "authorized" so hundreds of devices can feed from that one iTunes library. All purchases from the 5 accounts that are "authorized" get to sync without passwords being entered.
So if you both had an account - your shared computer would count as one authorization for you and one for your spouse. Each of you could take your iPhones to 3 other friend's house and sync apps and music there (since you used 2 "slots" for your accounts). Most people never come close to the 5 limit.
You do need to know each account's password to update the apps on the go - so having twice the accounts means an extra step to update on the road or having to wait for a password or having the apps download at home by your spouse.
There's no way to split things up later - so if you don't mind the extra hassle of two accounts (and remembering to sign in and out on the computer to keep straight which account is buying what from the computer) it's often better to have two store accounts.
I always recommend if you don't share underwear drawers, don't share iTunes accounts. There's nothing wrong with a little individual space - especially when it's easy to share whenever you feel like it.


text:
iphone upgrade - did it back up?
If you tell iTunes to upgrade your iPhone from os4 to os4.versionupdate (example)...
Does iTunes automatically back it up before attempting upgrade?
my phone is currently in recovery mode - and I don't know whether it backed up or not (you rookie!!!)
EDIT I have browsed to the back up folder, i.e.
C:\Users\<MY USERNAME>\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup
There is a folder with todays date: \a6fbdb939e60771c51f18a68a41e8e0e2d230dcc - would this be the backup done before attempting software upgrade?

iTunes creates a backup of your iPhone everytime you sync it, not only when you upgrade it.
If in doubt, sync the iPhone before upgrading.
Here is an Apple Support article about the subject: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1766

ty tho did mention i had already upgraded, will always sync in future

It is not quite clear from the above link does it backup firmware too or only private data? Will a be able to restore iOS 7 from those backup after upgrading to 8.0?

That answer is from 2010. I don’t think you can upgrade to 8 now, unless you have a very old device, and even then I’m not sure the upgrade will be available. Also, I don’t think you will be able to downgrade to 7 even if you had the firmware. Apple verifies the firmware before applying the upgrade and if there is an upgrade to 8 (or any other version) then they most likely won’t be signing iOS 7 for downgrade.

But what is the rule of thumb? Can I restore to an earlier firmware via standard iCloud backup? Or it is impossible?

iTunes definitively creates a backup before upgrading. The folder you see seems to be this backup.


text:
Is it possible to have tabs in Finder?
I often need to open many finder windows at the same time and my desktop becomes cluttered.
Is there any way to get tabs in Finder so one window can host multiple folders?

Update: As shown in File Menu and being consistent with the rest of the macOS shortcuts, command+T will open a new tab. Tabbed Finder was introduced in OS X Mavericks in 2013.
With the native Finder app that comes with OS X is not possible to have tabs.
If you really need them you can use some Finder replacement app, like TotalFinder or PathFinder (both not free).

I wouldn't classify TotalFinder a "replacement", but PathFinder sure seems like a replacement and consequently comes with a slight learning curve. TotalFinder is simple in that it only adds one real big feature; tabs. A recent update has also added cut & paste. The other features are relatively minor and most folks won't touch them.

@Randy6T9 One added feature I like about TotalFinder is "Folders on Top".

TotalFinder "brings tabs to your native Finder". It's commercial software, however. There are some other Finder replacements as well.

Mavericks (MacOS X 10.9) brings us native tabs in the Finder (finally).

A free alternative for OS X 10.6.8 to 10.8.2 is also XtraFinder, which supports Tabs as well.

it was already mentioned but PathFinder is an incredible app.  Plus there is a mac bundle site with it on discount right now.  MacPromo Bundle

IMO, I would wait before buying any program/app, as the new OS from apple, aka: lion, will probably address the finder and its shortcomings.

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authors: Дмитрий Александрович


text:
Do iOS apps crash regularly? Is this normal?
I've been having some trouble with one of the third-party apps on my iPod Touch 4gen, and realized that a lot of apps I use (which isn't many) have been spontaneously exiting, recently.  Safari and Youtube both did this a few times today.
Is this normal?  iOS apps tend to go back to what they were doing, so it's not that big a deal, but perhaps it's indicative of some hardware or software issue.
I'm using iOS 4.2.1.  I don't remember it being quite this bad on 4.1, but that could well just be my imagination.
I looked for crash logs on my computer, but there's been no crash logs created in over a week, even for apps which I know have crashed many times since then.  I don't know what that means, if anything.
Should I be concerned?  Is there anything I can do?  Is there some kind of "is my iPod completely &#@!ed?" diagnostic I should run?  I realize this is kind of a vague question.

It could be a low memory issue. iOS is supposed to manage memory automatically, but I've found that it's not always perfect. Try quitting every single app and restart the device (hold the power button down for several seconds, then slide to power off, then power on again) to see if that fixes it.

I tried this, and the thing I was trying to do in the app I was using, works!  I guess I should reboot my iPod every few days now.  :-)

@Ken Rebooting might be a bit excessive, but I usually go through and quit memory-intensive apps (games, etc) every few days on my iPhone to keep it running smoothly

Memory-intensive apps will be forced to quit by the OS. That they're showing up in the fast-app-switching list doesn't mean anything except that they've been run at some point. Realistically iOS doesn't keep anything besides the first 2-4 apps running. The occasional reboot doesn't hurt, especially if you've upgraded the OS.

@Matthew That's what's supposed to happen, but sometimes it doesn't. I've gotten low memory errors on more than one app and I've noticed a definite improvement when quitting apps to free up their memory.

Interesting, I haven't experienced the same. I wonder if the specific app matters, perhaps an app or two that's especially leaky causes more trouble for you.

I have the same problem on a regular basis. Jailbreak, install SBSettings, and you can manage your own memory, with a task manager and everything. Way easier and faster then rebooting, and SBSettings is very useful outside of app management as well. You can also add the current free memory to the bar at the head of the window so you can tell what the device is doing.

Rebooting sounds less excessive than "jailbreaking".  :-)  And I have no games here, and no idea what app would be most memory-intensive.  Probably Safari, though that dies fairly frequently so you'd think it'd free up memory when it does.

Until recently, iOS apps had no automatic memory management mechanism. Thus, developers had to track memory allocations and release them manually. Most developers were good with this. Apple provides tools to check for various kinds of leaks. This is in contrast to Mac apps, that do have semi-automatic memory management via garbage collection.
Some iOS developers did not perform enough testing, or could not find the cause of the leaks, and the App Store checks only for content, not app malfunctions, although of course, if an app is DOA, it is rejected.
With iOS 5, the situation for iOS developers improved. A new memory management system called Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) was introduced. iOS runtime takes care of memory management in app.
Apple provides a handy tool in Xcode to convert apps to make use of ARC.
So, developers now can improve their apps so that the only crashing that happens is with virtual race cars!

I browsed on internet and found that app crashing is associated process to low memory and that's why to adjust the processing speed, it simply shuts off the process. Then reboot, refresh and blah blah blah....
I found 2 main causes:

Refreshing rate: I think iOS devices use Dynamic Ram which needs refreshing/rebooting. When we switch on the iOS device. iOS loads and we never shut it off so the OS stays in RAM. Considering this with PC. We boot and OS comes to RAM, we start process and then after using it we shut down. It means every process which was in RAM was sent back to permanent memory with OS as well.
We generally do not shut off the iPad and that's why the OS has a permanent sector in RAM, As the RAM is dynamic it needs to be refreshed but we do not do. Hence it's virtual memory becomes too low and hanging occurs.

Single tasking device: one process at a time. So earlier devices do hang and applications crash.

Let me know your comments.


text:
How to automate DropBox startup without logging in
I'd like to have DropBox running under multiple user accounts on a Mac, even after a reboot. The Mac auto logs in as one user, not me. How to best achieve this?

You'll have to configure Dropbox identically for all users, at least to the extent of "start at login", and "save password/login information". But if you configure it for all the system users, it should work identically no matter who logs in.

I realize that auto login might be disabled at some point. Would this method work then?

No. Without a logged user, you cannot coerce Dropbox to work with it's current design. Period.

Why not?  You can do it under Linux.

Mac isn't Linux

Create a script and it in /Library/StartupItems?  You may also be able to simply drop an alias in that folder.

Any advice what might be in that script?

I think it can be a simple script (make sure to chmod +x it), with a one-liner that runs DropBox.  I'm really not sure, but I would try 'open /Applications/Dropbox.app/' or what have you.

This won't work because it will present the login screen for the app if it's not already configured/saved permanently. If, per my answer, you configure/save it for everyone, then it will work (but at that point, it will likely be logging in automatically anyways).


text:
Kingston SV100S2/128G on MacBookPro 6,2 (late 2010) issue

I just upgraded the harddrive with the Kingston SSD (100V series), did restore with Time Machine, immediately noticed the battery doesn't seem to play nice, it charges, but the time estimate is quite off. On a 100% full charge, it shows it can run shy of 3 hours, with the computer doing nothing. Another thing is it seems the battery drain is crazy fast.

Does anyone else have the same/similar issue?
another thing is, I am running Snow Leopard, and Trim support says "no", but it is supported on my drive. is that normal?

OS X doesn’t support the TRIM command (which is usually tied with the OS and an NTFS volume), however, a few benchmarking have apparently reach the conclusion that OS X’s performance with an SSD drive is not affected like it was in Windows (with TRIM Disabled).
In other words, Windows without TRIM suffered massive performance degradation over time. With TRIM, Windows did well.
OS X, on the other hand, having no TRIM support, didn’t suffer the performance degradation in the first place. The interesting article can be found here at bit-tech.net.
TLDR Version (and I quote):

While we know SSD performance is affected by the OS - after all, you need Windows 7 for TRIM support - but for OS X not to suffer from performance degradation when it's using an SSD seeming stunning to the point of being difficult to believe.

(Emphasis added)
TRIM aside, your battery problem might be mitigated by a few things and there are a few recommendations about how to make it work better under OS X.
The original article is a blog post found here which I suggest you read for more detailed information.
In short:

Modify Sleeping mode so it doesn’t save the content of RAM to drive when closing the lid (if you do this and remove the battery while in sleep, you lose the ram contents and will have to restart your computer).
Hard Drive Sleep: turn it off, SSD has no reason to go to sleep.
Sudden Motion Sensor: You can also disable this, an SSD has no moving mechanical parts that may be affected in case of a sudden impact.
Enable noatime for SSD filesystems. This will make the SSD write less info. (If you’re using FileVault make sure you read the article)
Spotlight: The article suggests disabling it if you don’t use it, but I wouldn’t do that.

On top of all that, I recommend you do a few things:

Check this question and answers on this site about how to identify possible CPU processes that may be hogging your CPU and therefore eating your battery life.
Perform a full battery cycle charge. All the relevant information is in Apple’s Battery Page, which is linked in this question on this site too, with some more interesting links you might want to follow.

To address your question, it shouldn’t happen, as SSDs are usually more energy efficient than mechanical drives. I bet either spotlight or time machine are doing some work and draining your battery life.
Try starting your machine in safe mode (hint: press ⇧ shift after the chime) and monitor your battery life there. Don’t forget to perform the battery tips before doing that.


text:
In Activity Monitor, how can Swap Used be more than Page Outs?
I am trying to understand the relationship between Page Outs and Swap Used as displayed in Activity Monitor.  Currently, Activity Monitor shows:
Page outs:  1.6 MB
Swap used:  8.1 MB
How can there be more swap used than the amount paged out?

Does not directly address your question (only explains why page out can be much higher than swap), but the two numbers are not comparable, Swap is a snapshot (the current amount), Page outs is cumulative (page the same page out five times and it gets counted five times)

How can virtual memory be greater than the total available space? (2011-06-24)

My understanding is this:

Program needs access to some data.  Attempts to do so, and fails, due to lack of RAM.
OS takes control.  There is a page-out operation, where physical RAM is copied to swap.
There is a page-in operation, where the required data is copied to RAM.
OS gives control back to program.
Program tries again, finds its data.

OS's are getting smart about how they choose what and when to to page in/out.  So the operation counts may not be the same, and the swap space may perhaps be in use without there being page outs.
Unless of course I'm backwards on what a page-in/page-out operation is.  In which case your question makes perfect sense.


text:
Command-line voice recognition with Mac OS X
How can I do voice recognition on Mac OS X from the command line? Details:
% When I look in ~/Library/Speech/Speakable Items, I see many files,
 like "Tell me a joke", whose contents are:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist SYSTEM "file://localhost/System/Library/DTDs/PropertyList.dtd">
<plist version="0.9">
<dict>
        <key>BuiltInCommandID</key>
        <integer>105</integer>
        <key>semanticCategory</key>
        <string>globalTellMeAJoke</string>
        <key>alternativeSpokenFeedback</key>
        <string></string>
        <key>suppressSpokenConfirmation</key>
        <string>yes</string>
        <key>alternativeFeedback</key>
        <string></string>
        <key>DefaultCommandName</key>
        <string>Tell me a joke</string>
</dict>
</plist>

% How does OS X know when to invoke this file? When I say something,
 does it look for a matching filename?
% How does OS X know what command to run? I see nothing in that file
 that says what command to run ("Tell me a joke" is not a command-line
 command).
% I know there's some osacompile magic going on, but can't figure out
 what it is.
% How can I get OS X to listen for the string "s" and run the program
 "cmd" in response? I'd prefer to do this purely from the
 command-line, but if I have to open up a graphical program, I will.

You might be interested in reading Apple's documentation on Speakable Items, but the relevant part to your question, "How can I get OS X to listen for the string "s" and run the program "cmd" in response?" is:

You can add an item to the Speakable
  Items folder to make it speakable.
To open something using a spoken
  command, just add it to the Speakable
  Items folder. You can use a command to
  open anything you can open by
  double-clicking, including
  applications, files, and Web sites.
  You can also write scripts and add
  them to the folder.

In regards to "How does OS X know what command to run? I see nothing in that file that says what command to run?", the relevant portion of the file you posted is:
    <key>BuiltInCommandID</key>
    <integer>105</integer>
    <key>DefaultCommandName</key>
    <string>Tell me a joke</string>

This is saying, when the spoken command "Tell me a joke" is received, run the internal command ID#105, which is the "Tell me a joke" command.
In this case you're looking at an internal command to the speech system. But you can add AppleScripts or shell commands to the speakable items folder as well.
This article on Mac OS X Hints may be helpful as well.
EDIT: After some research I am not sure if you can run shell scripts directly from there, but a little AppleScript wrapper would be easy enough to write, and you could even write it so it can be duplicated and renamed, and it would just run the corresponding shell script from /scripts or something.

Wow, so OS X really does listen for the filename! Not fantastic design in my mind, but interesting.

Yup, it sure does. Actually I believe what it does is rescans that folder every 20 seconds, converts all filenames to phonetic representations, and adds those to the list of commands it knows about. Personally, I think it's a great design -- nice and simple for the end user!

My only gripe is that programs should depend on file content, not file name. However, what you said works and I was just making things too hard on myself (no compilation or anything necessary). Apparently, simple things confuse me!


text:
Transferring contact list from Iphone 4 to a Windows 7 PC and vice versa
I would like to transfer the contact list from my iPhone 4 to my Windows 7 PC.  How can I do that?  Which software should I need?
After I transfer all my contacts to the PC, I want it to copy back to another iPhone 4.

How do you sync a second iphone, it automatically asks to set up a new iphone acc?

You can do it with iTunes! You can sync iPhone contacts with Windows address book, Yahoo! contacts, Google contacts or Outlook contacts... And after that you could sync it with another iPhone...
Also, you can use Apple's mobileMe service (which is NOT free). They have a sync tool for Windows (me.com)...


text:
Where did the Trash icon go on iPhone 4 Mail?
In Mail on iPhone 4, with software update 4.2.1, it seems my Trash icon has been replaced with "Move to Folder".  Is there someway to get the Trash icon back, so I can delete messages with one keystroke instead of two?  I use Gmail IMAP.

It sounds like you might have the Archive button switched on. The latest update assumes you would prefer to archive than to trash.
If this is the case, Go to Settings > Mail, Calendar, etc.. > Gmail Mail Account > deactivate Archive button.

This especially would be the case on Gmail - if you set it up using the Gmail icon on mail setup, it automatically sets Archive vs Delete.

I tried this solution but it keeps defaulting back to "archive", I can't seem to reset it to "delete". Any advice?!


text:
iPhone app to point me back to a waypoint (like a computer game)
I'm looking for an app which I can use to find my camper in the desert after going for a walk, or find the b&b i left my bags in after exploring a new city. I'm hoping for something really simple which just points in the right direction and perhaps tells me a distance, like your next target on a computer game. I'm imagining opening a compass and clicking a button to record a place then having a needle pointing north and another arrow point back to the waypoint.
Does this exist?

That's funny because I had the EXACT same idea, and I started developing an app just like that, which doesn't have the bloated features of a full-fledged GPS app like MotionX GPS.

Motion-X GPS Lite is free, and lets you set waypoints and navigate back to them.  Reviewed here.

Tap Menu > Waypoints to save or select a waypoint
Tap Menu > Compass to see the heading

This is no longer free.

Beacon does exactly this and is free.

This no longer exists.


text:
Keep iPhone Screen On (when plugged in)
Is there an app (normal, jailbreak) that will keep my iPhone (3GS, OS 4.x) screen on, indefinitely, when it is plugged in, regardless of what app is running in the foreground?

As per @MisterEd's answer and comment, it is important to know if you'd want an automated form to switch behaviours when plugging in/out or not. Seems like it's implied you do want that. Answers will vary based on that.

An unexplained downvote brought to my attention this old post, so I decided to update it.
I don't have an iPhone any longer, but my iPad screen simply stays on, whenever plugged in or not, if my setting to Auto Lock is set to Never. On iOS 7+ it is that simple.

Now, if you want to automatically change it back (which is a completely different question), once you plug it out, you'll need to jailbreak. But since it's complicated and I haven't tried, I'll just give one pointer that seems to do it: get Tasker (found on lifehacker).
I personally rather just manually switch it on and off, until apple decides to have some kind of NFC. It should be just around the corner, if not with NFC, then with iBeacon.
Old answer (jailbreak only, iOS 4 or less)
First, I just tried on my iphone and even calculator stays active after 1 minute, even if the screen dims out. So maybe your question is really just about keeping the screen on.
Anyway, I can think of two solutions: kirikae with backgrounder might do the trick as a side effect. If not, you can use SBSettings with Autolock toggle to do it manually and temporarily set the auto-lock to never. All of them you should find in Cydia.
edit: as none of the above actually worked, here's some update.
Some custom toggles on SBSettings seem to just not work indeed. It's probably due to getting outdated or conflicting with something else, two common problems we find on cydia apps. BigBoss is kind of similar to SBSettings and also have an Autolock toggle. You could use it along with some multitasking, leave it on the background and use it as needed. It hardly have any conflicting issue.
Unfortunately I can't find many more ideas to this.
Only thing I can assure you is that I just tried SBSettings's Autolock toggle on my iOS 3.1.3 and it works. It also says it's updated to 4, so most likely it's either problem with 4.1 or conflicting with something else you've got installed. And believe me, there are conflicts from the least expected things (look at the comments).

Yes I meant "screen on". I just realized that the OS allows "never" as an autolock option without jailbreak, but the SBSettings will make it easy to just do this when I want, not all the time. I think I'll delete the question, as it is just part of the OS...

@mankoff don't you dare to ever delete relevant questions just because after they're answered they look like it was "obvious"! ;)

OK. As you can see I haven't :). I think it didn't let me? Anyway, AutoLock Toggle (SBSettings) sounded great but doesn't seem to work. Still looking for a solution...

@mankoff that's sad news. :( I'll update the answer and try to help. :(

The have moved the Auto-Lock option from General in iOS 10 (and possibly above):
Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock

I use iTunes.  As long as you have a song playing the screen will dim, but it won't go black and it won't lock.  If you don't want to have music playing you can download a track that's just silence, then put it on repeat.
EDIT: I should note that my IOS version is 7.1.0 - can't make any promises about other versions...
EDIT: I should also note that the behavior described above only applies when the phone is on external power, that is, iTunes will not keep the phone unlocked when on battery power.

Why not simply setting Auto Lock to Never?

@cawas Because the Auto Lock setting doesn't differentiate between battery and external power.  In other words, I have to remember to switch Auto Lock back to my preferred on-battery setting of 1 min or risk stuffing my phone in my pocket after forgetting to lock it, and then having a dead battery in a couple hours (or worse, losing my phone and having it lying on the street unlocked).  iTunes, on the other hand, will only keep the phone unlocked on battery power.  If you're good about remembering to manually lock your phone, then Auto Lock might work for you.

Ooooh... You've got a point there! :D

The Gentle Alarm keeps the screen active when it is plugged in, but I guess that is a feature that each app has to implement, not something that you install to keep the screen active for all apps.

I use Kensington's Nightstand every night. Sure beats having a separate alarm clock by the bed. And no, you don't actually have to use (or even own) their charger.


text:
Why doesn't my headset microphone work?
I got a SteelSeries headset for Christmas and I plugged it into my MacBook Pro. The audio output works fine, but I am having issues with the audio input.
I saw this post which talked about some power issues to the microphone on the Mac Mini… I did not quite get what they were discussing, though.
I also found this link which says:

Some microphones require power on the stereo mini jack and may not work on Mac systems. Try to check for Mac compatibility when buying USB microphone sets. Unamplified PC microphones often won't work.

The SteelSeries FAQ says I need a USB sound card to use the microphone with a Mac.
Does this mean I can't use my headset because it needs power from the computer? If yes, is there a workaround?
Does anyone know of any VERY cheap sound cards?
Why doesn't my microphone work?

Which specific Steel Series headset is it? Is it USB? If not, what version of the MacBook Pro do you have (i.e. early/mid/late [year])

i have an early 2009 macbook Pro... not quite sure :S
the headset is: Steel series siberia v2 and it does not use USB

Do you have both a headphones and a microphone jack, or just one?

both... one for the microphone and one for the headset

On new Macbook Pros, there is no microphone input. What you have is a line-level input. Microphones that do not have integrated power and amplification (all cheap computer microphones/handsets) will not work when connected to the line-level input.
The connectors are exactly the same, but on the line input there is stereo input and ground, and on the microphone input there is mono input, voltage reference and ground. The input level is also different, with line level at around 1V and microphone level at 10-100mV.
To resolve the problem, you need to get one of the following:

a USB sound card which has a proper microphone input circuitry,
a powered, amplified microphone that can be used with line-level input, or
a microphone preamplifier.

See also:

http://www.hobby-hour.com/electronics/computer_microphone.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_level

As discussed in the "Are there headset adapters usable for MacBook Pros?" thread, new Macs DO have a normal Mic level input.  However it is combined with the headphone jack (not the "audio in" port).  You can purchase an adapter (such as the "Headset Buddy") that combines the headphone and mic into a single "smart-phone" style plug.
Note that this will only work properly under Mac OS.  So if you intend to use your headset under Windows with BootCamp, you will want a USB adapter, such as the Griffin iMic instead.

Even with a Headset Buddy, only the output works. I still think the headset needs to be powered.

Does not work on MB Pro 2012 with Mac OS 10.14.6

As I wrote in an answer to this question, you can buy third-party USB adapters which should work (emphasis on the should), such as this USB 2.0 Virtual 7.1 Channel Sound Card Adapter.


text:
Macbook Air (Oct 2010) Photoshop & Web development laptop?
I currently have a 2008 MBP and am thinking of getting a new computer. I was wondering if the MBA OCT 2010 edition with max cpu (2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo) and 4gb ram would work well with photoshop and some web development? The tools I use are photoshop, dreamweaver, textmate,coda, and transmit, also my MBP from 2008 is 4gb intel core 2 duo 2.4 ghz. Would the MBA be faster then my 2008 MBP?

A similar question was asked over at Programmers.SE, though it was about iOS development. Some might say that's not the same thing, but Photoshop is a robust application that allows you to install some very heavy-duty plug-ins and it has some of its own as well. The consensus could be gotten from the top two answers (mine, which has the higher vote count, and the other which was accepted):
Mine with 5 votes:

...leaving aside price, I would
  recommend a MacBook Pro for any
  serious development work instead. A
  MacBook Pro is more easily upgradeable
  to suit needs than an Air (if it is
  even upgradeable at all). The Air
  seems more targeted to lighter-weight
  uses.

Accepted with 4 votes:

It's obviously not going to be the
  fastest machine but it's perfectly
  suitable.
I'd say the 13" over the 11" because
  reasonable screen size is a big deal
  for development, and it can go up to
  4Gb RAM rather than 2Gb (absolutely go
  for the 4Gb RAM model on day one and
  if you can afford it the faster
  processor as I suspect upgrading later
  isn't something Apple will be
  pushing).
Yes it's got limitations (basically
  the same as any laptop - essentially
  screen and power are limited next to a
  desktop) but I have the new one and
  it's entirely workable and I know
  others who use them (and used the old
  MacBook Air) day to day with no
  problems.

I, personally, still wouldn't recommend the MBA for any type of development work, web or otherwise. I've yet to do anything developing for iOS that causes me to bog down my machine the way Photoshop can and will.

+1 for "wouldn't recommend the MBA for any type of development work".

My 13" Macbook Air 2/ 4GB & 2.13GHz is faster than my 17" unibody Macbook Pro w/ 8GB. It's absolutely GLORIOUS to do web development on, including light photoshop work (i.e. smaller, lower-resolution files).

@coreyward: yes, and my phone is faster than my first desktop but that's not a reason to recommend it for serious dev work ...

@coreyward: I am deleting your comment because it is inappropriate for this forum. Be nice.

I use a Oct 2010 Air for development work, that includes working in Coda on RoR sites, light Photoshop, XCode iOS development and C++ work in QtCreator. This is frequently with Ubuntu running in VBox at the same time.
It works, it's not going to be so fast your eyes fall out. I've never seen mine get bogged down at all, it stays perfectly solid unless I'm really really pushing it and that's incredibly rare. Plus, you know, 8 hours battery life, I'll take portable and long life over the extra weight and more power.
(As a side note I opened 50 3.5Mb PSDs in about 30 seconds without the system stuttering, so that might have an indication of the relative speed)

As a web developer who uses a Mac Pro and sits next to another dev who uses just a 13" MBA (MC504LL/A (256 GB)), for web development (especially if you're starting and stopping a server often) the Air often "feels" faster than much more powerful machines, though to be fair, on the Mac Pro (with a single 2TB 7200rpm drive), I have 9GB of ram, and tend to leave more things running/open as a result. This is almost entirely the SSD's doing. So putting an SSD in the 13" MBP would be a big help to overcome that.
So from my experience it works well for web development and some Photoshoping, which is more what I do.
I'm looking to replace a 2006 Macbook I still use for freelance work, but Apple really made it a tough by keeping the lower-res screen in the 13" MBP, that's the only thing that's making the Air look more attractive at this point.
Edit: After seeing this video I decided to go with the Air (Thunderbolt) MBA (Oct 2010) + Photoshop video


text:
Why don't I have a camera on my iPod touch?
Why do a couple of my friends have a camera on their iPod touch and I don't?

They also have a better screen, the fabled retina display...

As far as I know, only the 4th gen iPod touch has a camera. Yours is probably older.
As you can see from the specifications published on Apple's site, there are no mention of a camera for the third gen iPod touch, while the fourth gen has detailed information about it.

two cameras, right?

Yes, there is a back camera and a front camera.

Only the 4th generation iPod Touch has cameras, that is the iPod Touch that was introduced back in September. The iPod Touch you have is either a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generation, which means it doesn't have the camera.


text:
Menus overlap/hide Menu Extras. How to access?
If I have a bunch of menu extras (the things on the top right side of the menu bar, such as time, date, battery status, and other OS X icons, plus 3rd party icons from QuickSilver, DropBox, etc.), sometimes they are hidden if the foreground application has a lot of or long-named menu items.
Is there a way that I can access the menu extras that are not displayed because the menu items get priority? I can switch to an app that has fewer menu items, but sometimes the menu extras operate on the foreground app, so this won't always work.

I've searched far and wide for a way to do the same thing. The best I can come up with is an app called AccessMenuBarApps.

This did not only solve the problem for me, it also gave me a bunch of laughs. The gestures and default sound effects are scary. :D It is well worth reading the (short) documentation.

I don't know any way to do this, so I usually switch to finder.
Note that some extras can be dragged on the menubar while holding down command; this might get some extras that you need in an app with long menu lists accessible from there.

Note: See Keyboard icons & terminology if any of this is confusing to you.
This may not be a working answer (see below), but it's too big and format-laden for a comment. I notice there's a default shortcut of ^ F8 (and in many cases, Fn ^ F8) which let's you "Move focus to status menus".
Having said that, in my tests with it, I can't seem to move left of MenuMeters, which means that, for me, Last.fm, Sparrow, Alfred, LittleSnitch, Dropbox, Divvy, and GeekTool's menus cannot be manipulated in this manner. Given that it ends at MenuMeters, I'm curious if that's just a bug. Try Fn ^ F8 or ^ F8 (as necessary), use your left and right arrow keys, and see if this solves your issue?

I know that Last.fm and LittleSnitch ate not MenuExtras, but provided by applications. COuld this be the reason?

That makes sense.


text:
Not seeing help content of Windows apps in Parallels
Configuration: OS X 10.6.x, Parallels-desktop 6, Windows 7
When I press F1 or the help button in any windows app (f.e. MS Office 2010, Delphi 2007/2010), Microsoft Help Viewer or Microsoft Document Viewer try to download content. Accepting this, or canceling, will both result in empty documents, sometimes at least showing an outline of the help file, but no content at all.
How can this be fixed?

Show me offline help ... results in a file not found error message (German).

Help in Notepad works as expected, it's only products installed after Windows that show this behavior. And I do have access to the web, I can call any website from within firefox and retrieve any document from the company network.

Installation of version 6.0.11992, the newest release of parallels desktop, fixed the problem. Installing a new release also reinstalled the parallels desktop tool and relinked the shared folders.
It took about 5 days for the release to be visible for the parallels updater after it was available. But once it was, all worked like a charm.
My problem took place over Christmas, and I was helped wonderfully through these days. I want to thank the people of Parallels support team. (I have to blame myself for spending my time with this problem instead of taking time to worship the king.)
What the problem was never really became clear. But thanks for your help.

@Ralph glad you fixed it :) My Help works fine under Paralells 5 tho, including Visual Studio and SQL Management Tools, so it was definitely something strange.

This sounds like a Windows Problem that is completely unrelated to Parallels or Mac.
For reference try opening the Notepad and press F1. The Windows 7 Help should appear.
Here’s mine: (in spanish)

It’s running under Parallels 5, but it gives you an idea.

¡Muchas gracias! It worked with Windows apps (installed with Windows like notepad, paint and such) all along. Only apps I had to install separately like MS Office or Delphi did not work.

Is it possible that you have some firewall kinda apps that block internet connections? (eg.: LittleSnitch)
Or is your parallels configured to connect to a non existent network that Windows thinks to be connected to the internet?
Btw, a screenshot would be helpful
Update:
Ok, that screenshot explains:
You have configured Parallels to use Firefox on the Mac as the "Default Browser" for the Windows VM also.
When you click help, the help details should open in the "Help Center" window, but is opening in the FF on the Mac, because Parallels "thinks" that this is a request to IE and redirects to FF on the Mac. (the Help Center uses IE internally, or is built on an IE base, I think)
Try to remove the setting in parallels configuration for this VM and give a try.
(I don't have access to a Mac till evening, so unable to give the exact name of the setting. But it should not be difficult to find)

I never had FF on the Mac even installed. This is FF within Parallels Windows 7 VM with a Mac look & feel. FF is still my default browser in the VM now that help works. But thanks for your help.


text:
How can I mount SFTP/SSH in Finder on OS X Snow Leopard?
My Question is seemingly simple. I need to mount an SSH/SFTP volume and make it visible in finder to be able to use it as if it were a local volume (think SMB share). I have tried everything I could find (MacFUSE + sshfs (whatever version), Macfusion (couldn't install),...).
Is there anyway to do this seemingly simple thing? It feels like I'm missing something here. Also, I'm not looking for an SFTP client for download/upload. My personal machine is an Ubuntu box, and that's easily doable on that.

The best solution I've found today (2017) is to use Homebrew and Cask to install osxfuse and sshfs. Note that Homebrew core deprecated all FUSE-related formulae in 2020 so you need to install sshfs from a tap:
brew install --cask macfuse
brew install gromgit/fuse/sshfs-mac

And then:
sshfs username@hostname:/remote/directory/path /local/mount/point -ovolname=NAME

It works! :-)

I don't see files mounted this way in finder for some reason

I guess you would have to mount the disk under /Volumes, no?

Be careful when using this tool to mount in Volumes.  I messed up and specified /Volumes (itself) as the mount point and it killed the folder.  I know...dumb, but...it happened.  That made Finder unhappy.  Disk repair fixed it but it was a scary 20 minutes.

I get: No available Casks for sshfs

@JensTimmerman, sshfs moved from a brew cask to a brew tap, updated the answer, see above

If you are using ssh keys remember that path to key must be absolute path: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/22393502/how-do-i-specify-the-key-file-for-sshfs

This is perfect. It worked for me straight away using the commands as described and the performance is just so much better than using a samba mount.

@ccpizza What is $1?

It would ask me for the password and then print remote host has disconnected.

You should do something with that Cask link...

I used MacPorts to install it, but same basic principle applies: sudo port install  sshfs - it will automatically bring in osxfuse and any needed dependencies.

Well, MacFusion was going to be my answer but since you've tried that I'll recommend my second favourite app when it comes to mounting shares: Panic's Transmit. It's new, very awesome, feature lets you mount any share that it can connect to in the UI as a "disk" in your Finder that you can drag files to. SFTP, SSH, S3...very cool.

My #1 issue with MacFusion is that it doesn't support key-based authentication, so I can't use it with the server I usually use.  Transmit handles that nicely (but isn't free).

Transmit Disk has been removed as of Transmit 5.6.0 https://library.panic.com/transmit/transmit-disk/

According to https://help.panic.com/transmit/transmit5/transmit-disk/, there is slight hope it might come back at some point later

I use Cyberduck for this task. It's a cross-platform (but native on mac) app that is full of features and it's free to use. You can support the developers by donating or buying it directly from the Mac App Store.
The developer also has an application named Mountainduck which let you mount the path you want to a folder and access it through Finder app.

As of March 2013, the current free software solution is macFUSE plus a package for SSHFS (a download link on Fuse for OS X webpage).
Macfusion is a GUI for easy mounting/unmounting remote shares but it needs to be patched to work with SSHFS/Fuse for OS X.

Correct link is https://osxfuse.github.io/

Best ones that you can use are Transmit, like has been said before, or Expandrive, which is probably more like what you're looking for, as finder integration is its main feature.

Install VSCode
Extensions - Install Remote - SSH (from Microsoft)
Bottom left >< icon. Open remote window
Map your remote drive e.g./home/joe
Browse the directories in Explorer view
Drag and drop to upload, right click and download as needed

Another solution is WebDrive (35$+). I successfully used the Windows version of the same product, so I expect the same from the OS X version. Too bad, that they require you to buy separate licenses for Windows and OS X.

If you already have FUSE for OS X installed (e.g. you got it directly from SourceForge), then @eskatos solution can reduced to just installing sshfs instead of the whole cask which includes FUSE.  You can do this by using:
brew install homebrew/fuse/sshfs

You might want to check if you have the latest version of FUSE for OS X through your System Preferences while you're at it.

Given I cannot comment, I'll add to this answer that if you want to unmount the recently mounted sshfs disk, you need to execute:
umount <MOUNTPOINT>

The sshfs man page states that you should do fusermount -u <MOUNTPOINT> but that command doesn't exist in macOS

Try diskutil unmount  MountPoint|DiskIdentifier|DeviceNode

Just in case you are having problems unmounting the disk, you can unmount it simply writing
umount ~/mounted/folder

hope it saves some headache to someone else

Welcome to Ask Different.  Could you edit this to elaborate how it addresses the question on how to mount? Be sure you complete the [tour] as well, it helps get the best reception when you participate.

ExpanDrive is a commercial version with an outrageous $50 price tag, but is very clean and slick.
It also mounts Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Amazon S3, OwnCloud folders, plus a bunch more and supports ssh keys and sftp.

I wouldn't recommend ExpanDrive any more - my copy simply won't connect to anything at all (either basic SSH or Dropbox/Google etc. - repeated oauth errors for the latter) and didn't get anywhere with support.

You can download CloudMounter from the Mac App Store.
This app, permit virtual mount units like, GoogleDrive, DropBox, S3, SFTP, FTP, etc.

Does it work on Snow Leopard?

I use Filezilla, its free, connect as sftp.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
Unlocking iPhone 3G
I hope this doesn't go against the rules of the site. I have an iPhone 3G for which I did a restore without knowing it was unlocked as it originally came from the US (I'm in Mexico) I'd like to fix it since it isn't mine but I've tried redsn0w and blackra1n without luck =( could anyone please help me out? I feel really awful for rendering useless the iPhone of my friend...and I can't seem to fix it..it was firmware 3.1.3 it said it was upgrading but then it restored so I'm guessing the firmware didn't changed.

I agree - PwnageTool tends to be the best, most complete and safest form of jailbreaking because it modifies the iPhone's firmware on your computer and then transfers it to the phone during a restore through iTunes, as opposed to accepting a new iOS upgrade from Apple and then re-jailbreaking it on the device. Another benefit of PwnageTool is that it doesn't upgrade your iPhone's baseband, which means that once you're unlocked, as long as you only upgrade using PwnageTool, you'll stay unlockable.
iClarified has excellent tutorials for unlocking and jailbreaking iPhones and a wizard to help you decide which tutorial to use.

What you have to watch out for with iPhones is the baseband firmware -- there need to be both a jailbreak (allows unsigned applications like Cydia to run) and an unlock for your baseband firmware. At 3.1.3 you should be ok.

Jailbreak. Use whatever method works for you. I'd reccomend using the latest PwnageTool from the official Dev Team links
Search in Cydia for an unlock and install the appropriate one.
???
PROFIT!


text:
What do I use to jailbreak an iPhone 3G?
I just bought a used iPhone 3G and I want to jailbreak it.
What tool do I use?

You may try Spirit
http://www.spiritjb.com/
I support "any iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch on firmware 3.1.2, 3.1.3, or 3.2 (not 3.2.1)".


text:
Is there way to save google maps for offline iphone without jailbreak
I've iPhone 3Gs and want to download Google maps to use them offline with GPS.
So is there a good app do that for me ?
Note: i don't want to jailbreak my iPhone.

No, nor will you find one (in the official App Store). Storing the image tiles breaches Google's data licence. There are a bunch of apps that use OpenStreetMap, which has a more liberal licence.

As Stephen noted, it's against the licensing terms. Last time I looked they allowed for some small images like they have next to directions, but other than that you're out of luck (and they definitely don't respond to GPS).

NO.
You can't download stuff like that for offline without a jailbreak.

You can, actually. http://modmyi.com/cydia/package.php?id=10733

I know it's not very helpful but some Android phones do have this capability.
http://www.htc.com/www/product/desirehd/overview.html for example.

I would recommend
Offline+Maps
https://itunes.apple.com/app/offline+maps/id502648393
or
City maps 2 Go
https://itunes.apple.com/app/city-maps-2go/id327783342


text:
Can I create an iTunes account without a credit card?
I am trying to create a iTunes account for my younger cousin, but he does not have a credit card (he's too young). Tried Google, seems outdated on this issue.

You should be able to create one with an iTunes gift card.

@Daniel Beck: I invite you to post that as an answer.

@Axidos Don't know for sure, unfortunately. This question is also region specific, available/required payment methods are different for each country tnatharik, Please specify your country

Country: Singapore

I seem to have found a method. First i open itunes, app store and click a free app, it will prompt me to sign in or create new acc. When i create new acc i can choose Nil as a payment option. Thanks for the other methods too.

You must first go to iTunes store in iTunes then choose App Store, then select 1 free app (this is the most important steps) and try to get that app. When you try to download this free app iTunes ask you to enter your account so you must press Create New Account and fill the forms but in the Provide a Payment Method steps because you try to download free apps you see below form instead of normal form:

You must choose None for your Credit Card.

Note for newbies like me: iTunes>App Store is not the same as App Store on your desktop. If you try with the free app "Mavericks", you will get the same screen but WITHOUT the None button. From iTunes try for instance the free app Wikipedia for iPhone (even if you don't have any iPhone).

Assuming you cannot use the tremendously easier method of a gift card, which Daniel Beck mentioned:
iTunes supports PayPal, so use a PayPal account.
Whether you use/create your own account, your cousin's account or a dud account is up to you. The billing method can be changed later.

As others have said, you can create an account by first trying to purchase a free app. This is also documented at Apple's own Knowledge Base:
Create an iTunes App Store account without a credit card
(I found the link above in this question: How to activate new iPad without disclosing credit card number? )

You can also create an account with an iTunes gift card. This has the added benefit of being able to purchase things after you set it up. If you ever want more money in your account balance, simply buy another "gift" card and redeem it to your account!


text:
iPhone application to edit text files
I need to edit some local text files on my iPhone but so far, all the apps I have downloaded do not navigate the OS3 file tree for me to open, edit and save them.
I need to do this on my iPhone as I can no longer access it via ssh or with the iPhone cable. One of the files I want to edit is an ssh config file which is what is not allowing ssh connections.
Any suggestions of applications or other simple methods that I could use?

Load up Dropbox with your text files and download their iPhone app.

Based on your question, I added the [jailbreak] tag. If that's incorrect, please remove it (or let me know if I need to).

You can do this with iFile.
This application will let you browse the local file system.
Locate your config file, then open it using the built-in Text Viewer
(it also has viewers/players for other file formats such as PDF or MP3).
Despite the name the Text Viewer will actually let you edit and save the file.

the link is broken

Sorry, I have no idea why the link doesn't work. You will have to click the link, then use the menu to navigate to Applications > iFile

Try this https://apps.apple.com/it/app/pretext/id1347707000 that won’t require jailbreak


text:
Save .mov file with applescript
I've installed the Perian addon for Quicktime so it can open .flv files, and then I can save them as .m4v or .mov.  I'm trying to make an Applescript to convert from .flv to .m4v automatically by using this tutorial and butchering their example applescript file, which normally converts ChemDraw files (.cdx, .cml, .mol) to .tiff, so that it instead uses Quicktime to save the .flv files as .m4v.  When I try to use it, though, I get an error "QuickTime Player got an error: document 1 doesn't understand the save message".  My save message is currently:

save first document in target_path as ".m4v"

which looks like the QuickTime dictionary's instructions:

save specifier : The document(s) or window(s) to save.
[as saveable file format] : The file format to use.

I've also tried "m4v", without the period, and still get the error.
Is my Save direction wrong, or is it probably an error from trying to use Quicktime instead of the original ChemDraw?  I tried to change references to .cdx, .cml, .mol, .tiff, and ChemDraw to .flv, .m4v, and QuickTime respectively, but maybe it's more complicated than that?
I would, in fact, appreciate any example showing how to save an application file (ex: a TextEdit .rtf or .txt), as I can't seem to get any kind of file to save using applescript.

Sorry, still too low to post comment. Are we talking QuickTime Player X or QuickTime Player 7? (very different .sdefs)
Also, can you post the script content leading up tosave first document in target_path as ".m4v"? (tell blocks can be important, as well as knowing what value type target_path is, etc.)

I've only had to script Quicktime once, and that script is long gone, but I do remember that you actually the export command is really what you want if you want to convert formats. From the Dictionary

export v : Export a movie to another
  file; export document : the movie to
  export; in file : the destination file;
  using settings preset text : the name
  of the export settings preset to use

I remember opening a sample file, creating a preset, exporting the file, then using the name of the preset in the final script. But the key was to actually manually create and use the preset first.
There are a lot of places to get started with Applescript, but Quicktime is definitely not one of them, and hacking that tutorial isn't going to work without a lot of unnecessary effort. I recommend you further search for Applescript example specific to Quicktime as the API is a bit wonky and really weak in the current version (10.x, I believe), to be honest. I do know that Apple has a complete Quicktime Applescript example code collection buried on their site, but the link is no longer in my notes. Macscripter.net might offer up some practical examples as well.

If you're using QuickTime Pro 7, I believe it can only save natively in .mov. You do have the option to export to other formats, but saving is a different function, and is always .mov regardless of the codec used within.
See if you can save as .mov with your script. If you can, then you know that you need to change your code to use an export function. If you can't, then it's some other problem.


text:
Can I set up an Apple TV to receive content from a Synology NAS?
I have a Synology DS210j NAS. My music and movies are served from the NAS by its built-in iTunes server. The content is then available on my MacBook in iTunes / Sharing Library.
I am looking for a way to set up an audio system in my apartment that doesn't need my MacBook. The content would come from the NAS (served by the iTunes server).
I'd like to buy a 2nd generation AppleTV to receive the content and then use iPhone's Remote app to control it. I also thought about extending this setup with AirPlay speakers (probably with an Airport Express) which would allow me to control the music separately in every room.
Would such a setup work? Can an AppleTV receive content from the NAS/iTunes server? If not, what are the alternatives?

Watch Erica Sadun's AirFlick project. It can do what you want from a host running Mac OS X, so one would expect a GUI-less version to appear soon that could be ported to your NAS.

As far as I'm aware a stock AppleTV will only talk to the iTunes store or a Mac/PC running iTunes. Third party daapd servers such as the one that Synology embed in their NAS line won't work without hacking the AppleTV. Currently the hacks for the black AppleTV are just getting started but Firecore have mentioned being able to play almost any media file from almost any NAS in a upcoming update. See:
http://firecore.com/atvflash-black

Access Media Anywhere
  Stream media
  from most NAS devices. Includes
  support for AFP, SMB and NFS
  protocols.

I have successfully used my Synology NAS directly with my two AppleTVs.  There are two different options that I've had success with.

iTunes Home Sharing
Synology AirPlay support and told it to use the audio renderer that is the AppleTV.

Note, you have to be using at least DSM 3.2.  Also, I've seen a few problems where it didn't like to play Apple Lossless files via home sharing.

the apple TV works only with airplay (old airtunes) protocol, which is proprietary and does not allow to do streaming from any other 3rd party devices which includes synology nas severs (and other devices).


text:
What is the difference between a "sparse disk image" and a "sparse bundle disk image"?
What are the differences between sparse and sparse bundle disk images?

From the DropDMG manual:

Sparse
  bundle disk images appear as a single
  file but are actually stored as a
  folder with many files inside. This
  makes it more efficient to back them
  up using Time Machine or other backup
  utilities, as only the changed parts
  need to be copied. Additionally,
  sparse bundle disk images work well
  with the Compact Image… command.
  Compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 and
  later.
Sparse
  disk images are stored as a single
  file. This can make backups
  inefficient for large disk images,
  because the entire file must be copied
  each time. The Compact Image… command
  generally does not reclaim as much
  disk space as with sparse bundle disk
  images. Compatible with Mac OS X 10.3
  and later.

Thanks! This is really helpful. I'll use an encrypted sparsebundle to back up to Dropbox. I'm happy that this can be done so efficiently.

Sparse bundle disk image is an optimized form of the sparse disk image. It optimizes intentionally to reduce network load upon backup of changes to the filesystem at the expense of time and space. Specifically it uses a hashing function to store bits of data across a large directory structure which allows changes to be isolated in smaller band files. When copying the disk image elsewhere, rsync like tools will only need to copy the bands that change which makes incremental copies or backups far faster than moving the entire sparse image.
Local storage of the bundle img is less efficient in terms of space used, CPU time needed to process IO to the disk image is increased and when files are deleted, the reclamation of space is delayed and not as complete when compared to a sparse disk image.
Unless you are backing up the bands incrementally online (as Time Machine does to Time Capsule) it's usually better to go with the sparse disk image over a sparse bundle. Some software will look inside a sparse image and only copy the changed blocks, but the bundle allows simpler tools to be more efficient moving changes around.

I don't agree with your answer (it might be out of date) because I think sparsebundles are just as efficient as sparse images, and possibly more so. Do you have a reference that they use more space? I don't see why they would. In fact, a test I just did shows them to be the same size and faster than both sparseimages and normal DMGs


text:
How to make an expanding compressed encrypted disk image?
I'd like the following setup:

A DMG file sits on my HD, taking up only the space of the contents, or perhaps only the space of the contents compressed.
If I double-click on it, I need to give a password for it to open
Once opened, I can drag files in and out, as long as I don't fill it up. The theoretical maximum should be the 4.6 or 8.3 GB DVD option from Disk Utility
Once I've added (or removed) files from it, I can eject / unmount it
When unmounted, it returns to the size of the contents and is again password protected.

Is this possible with disk images (DMGs)? What is the best way to set this up?

you can also use truecrypt.

This is exactly what a dmg does.
To create one use Disk Utility and hit the New Image icon. Then choose the size, encryption and choose the image format as one of the sparse images. Even if you choose a large size it will only take up space according to what you save in it.

The OP specifically asks for compression, but I can't see any indication that sparse images are compressed.

Although Disk utility uses .sparseimage as the extension for sparse disk images, you can rename it to .dmg as it's exactly that. (worth mentioning? hope so)

Note the OP does not specifically ask for compression but just it would be nice to have

You can not write to a disk image where the format is compressed

… files in and out …

The compressed formats do not allow addition, edition or removal.
You can use existing files to create an image with a compressed format. Write once.
If you create a new blank disk image that is compressed — with or without encryption — it will be relatively useless:

Compressed — write once. The one write occurs when you create the image — not afterwards. The resulting volume is read only:

You can use Disk Utility to convert a compressed image to a format that allows writing. At http://www.wuala.com/%23%23Apple-support/members/grahamperrin/2011/08/04/a/?mode=gallery I posted a five-minute movie showing two conversions.

Good answer with important context on why what was asked for (expandable compression) is not possible directly (but providing the convert as a two-step workaround). Thx!


text:
Ports in the TimeCapsule

In a few days I'm going to buy my first Mac (an iMac) as well as a Time Capsule. Looking at the specs of that product, I've seen that it has a WAN port and 3 Ethernet Ports.
I suppose that the WAN port is to connect the TimeCapsule with the Internet. At home, I get Internet trough a Ethernet wire (it's not an ADSL connection).
My question is: will I be able to connect the Ethernet wire into the WAN port in order to share my Internet connection wirelessly over the house?

Thank you so much!!

Yes, that is the port you'll use. If you use one of the other ports, Internet access will sometimes work but the device will think it won't.
Use the WAN port for your apartment's inbound Internet (whether an Ethernet cable or from an ADSL or cable modem), and the other three ports for outbound to your local machines that aren't on wireless.

As you say, the Ethernet wire plugged in the WAN Port will work ok. I hope that! Thank you so much!


text:
Hierarchical Smart playlists vs Smart playlists
What does the "..." button in the iTunes "Edit Smart Playlist" dialog do? And how is specifying a condition using that any different than a condition specified otherwise (by clicking the "+" button).
The only link I could find on that is iPod nano: Hierarchical Smart Playlists do not update on device and that doesn't clarify anything.

The "..." allows to nest criteria for smart playlists.
Say you would like a smart playlist that contains all tracks from Bob Dylan or the Beatles with a score of 3 stars or better.
Without hierarchical rules you only have the options of getting the tracks that match all or any of your rules.
With hiearchical rules you can have the condition all on one level and any on another level.
It seems that nested rules exist since iTunes 9; see also a screenshot.
Here is my example:

Match all rules

Rating is greater than 3 stars
any of the following

Artist contains Bob Dylan
Artist contains Beatles

Thats just great! I wanted to get back some hard disk space and tried Merlin Mann's tricks (http://www.43folders.com/2006/11/10/smart-playlists-for-packrats) but wanted a greater flexibility in doing it. Hierarchical rules provided just that.


text:
How to stop "password reset" emails from Apple?
Every day or two, I get another "how to reset your AppleID password" from Apple.  They assure me my account is secure.
I've never gotten more than one of these from any other individual service, ever.  It's getting pretty annoying with the Apple ones, though.
Short of deleting my Apple account altogether, is there any way to stop this?

I get these all the time, and it's not even Apple's fault.
If—like me—you:

Use a me.com or mac.com email address as your Apple ID
Have a common username (such as steve, @ either mac.com or me.com)

Then every Joe or Jane who comes along thinks that they have joe@mac or jane@me, can't sign in, and tells Apple to reset the password. Apple does what it should do and sends you an email telling you how to reset your password. Again. And again. And again.
If you're in the same situation, there's nothing that can be done about it (short of giving up that nice mac.com address).

Whatever the mail client you are using, you should be able to do a rule which will put this messages in a folder where you won't see them anymore or even delete them if you're sure your rule is strict enough not to also catch other messages.

@Ludo - I don't like to auto-trash anything, but otherwise, this is pretty much what I'm doing now (and why it doesn't bother me too much).

I had a very common username on Twitter and got these "password reset" emails from them almost every day. At first I thought someone was trying to hack in, but eventually I realized it was most likely stupid people who thought it was their account.

Relevant: http://xkcd.com/1279/

If you're getting these, it might mean someone is trying to hack into your Apple account. And they don't know your password. Though they would be stupid to keep pressing the Reset link unless they're also trying to hack into your email account to get the email too. I don't assume the emails come with an IP of the computer sending the request? Maybe you could contact Apple and see if someone on an outside IP is trying to access your stuff.

You can stop getting these emails by switching your account to two-step authentication now that iCloud and Apple ID support that. Do keep in mind, that if you receive that email, someone (or some bot / computer script) is telling Apple to begin the reset procedure for your account and if they happen to have compromised any step in the email chain between you and Apple - they can take control of your account.
You'll no longer have security questions to ask and Apple will never allow the password to be reset via emails from iForgot.apple.com. You'll instead get a SMS code (or iMessage) to a trusted iOS device or use your recovery key and current password to reset the password going forward.

Apple ID: Frequently asked questions about two-step verification for Apple ID  - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5570

Check that the home page/remembered pages in one of your browsers is not the password reset URL. Is there a particular time every day that you get them?

I got three then the next one said you've changed your password...I think my account was hacked. Another today so whoever it was us still trying!  Don't ignore the emails


text:
What control / access does the exchange team have over my iphone when using the exchange connector?
I work at a small company (80 employees), when we deployed MS Exchange anyone who connected their iphones using the exchange connector lost the icon to the camera on the home screen. The engineers made some changes and the camera icon returned. What other access / control does the exchange team have over our phones? Can they view email (personal and exchange?), photos, web history etc?

From a quick glance at http://www.apple.com/iphone/business/integration/ -- Exchange can set password policies, network access (including VPN), restrictions on use of YouTube and iTunes, prohibit app installs and use of the camera.
More information at: http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Enterprise_Deployment_Guide.pdf
I don't see anything about viewing web history, etc. -- but if you are on a company WiFi they could theoretically see what websites you are viewing.

They can reset your iPhone remotely. That's for certain. I had to go through that process when I left my old employer and had my personal iPhone connected to work via the Exchange Connector. You'll be able to restore it from a recent backup.


text:
Connect to Mac Mini and browse files - works on one Mac but not the other
Edit: Case closed! I reinstalled my OS and now it's working.
I've got one Mac Book, one Mac Book Pro and one Mac Mini (the latest version). The Mac Book can easily connect to and browse files and folders using Finder on my Mac Mini via my wifi network but not the Mac Book Pro and I think I've set everything up right - enabling file sharing on the Mac Mini and also screen sharing. Both file sharing and screen sharing works from my Mac Book using the main admin account on my Mac Mini.
When connecting from my Mac Book Pro I'm able to connect through Finder and see the shared folders on my Mac Mini but when double clicking a folder (for example the folder called "Richard") I get this error message:
The operation cannot be completed because the original item for "Richard" cannot be found.
The error message is actually in Swedish, since that's my language, but I'm pretty sure it's translated exactly like this on a default Snow Leopard installation.
Also, a weird thing is that when I first set up my Mac Mini I was actually able to access it and browse files from my Mac Book Pro as well, but just for a week or so and then this error message started showing up. Don't know if I might have changed any settings but I don't think so.
Does anyone have a clue what this problem is due to and how I might be able to solve it? I would love it if I could at least get some hints on how to address the problem - what to look for in the system preferences etc. And please let me know if I'm not giving you enough details!

Richard, if that's the solution, please add it as an answer and then accept it.

Not to nitpick, but that was part of my comments on the answer I wrote.

The error sounds like it's unable to resolve the alias to the original source. What I would do is remove the shared folder(s) from the Preferences on the Mac Mini, and recreate a preference for a specific folder (ie. Public), with further testing. If the issue were to persist, I'd create another User and test from there.

Thanks David, but I've tried both and tried it again now - still the same error message. Is there a way to like reset all preferences in Snow Leopard? Do I need to reinstall then?

If you have an Apple Store around, it might be worth giving them a hands-on with it. There are a variety of other solutions, from resetting your ACL's to adjusting the network name (ie. Richards-Mac-Mini.local) that might fix it. Reinstalling the OS from the Snow Leopard CD will default to an Archive & Install option, which will attempt to preserve the User data while rebuilding the OS. I'd opt for that before considering a complete erase.


text:
Can I force password protection of specific apps on the iPad?
I am unable to find out how to force the iPad ask for my password when I want to use certain applications (e.g. e-mail)
I want to be able to share the iPad but I don't want anyone to have access to my e-mail account. The only way I can see to do this is to create and delete the account every time I use it, but this is an extreme hassle. Ideally it should simply ask for my password whenever I want to access my e-mail. How can I do this?

I don't think it's possible. It's just not a multi-user device.

That's not a general feature of iOS. You can lock the entire device, but not certain applications.
The iPad mail app does not have this as a specific feature either - when adding an account you must store the password so it can check for new mail in the background.
There are some third party apps for iPad that require a password to access them but I'm not aware of an email app with this feature. But it might be worth a search.


text:
Recording video to MacBook Pro
I have an RCA feed with video. I'd like to capture this video to my Mac. I am looking for a mobile solution, something that does not require a wall plug, although battery power is OK. What methods exist to capture video on a laptop?
Here is a solution (mini portable VCR) that does not use a computer, but if I can get it into my Mac for around that price, it would be preferred.

The Elgato Video Capture takes video from a standard 3-plug RCA feed and records it to your Mac or PC in H.264 (they provide the recording software). It is USB-powered. $99 list, $79 Amazon.

Any idea how to handle having only a single RCA, not three?

Two plugs are for audio. Just leave those off, and I'm sure you'll get just video (the yellow one).