text:
What is a combo update and how is it different than the regular update?
What is a combo update and how is it different from a normal update?

Does OS X Combined mean something else?

When Apple releases a minor system version (e.g. 10.8.1 -> 10.8.2), they generally release the update in two forms:

A delta update containing all of the files that changed in the latest update, which therefore can only upgrade from the immediately previous version.

For example, in order to install the 10.8.2 delta update, your system must already be updated to 10.8.1.

A combo update containing all of the changes since the original release of that major version, and therefore can be used on anything from the same major version.

For example, the 10.8.2 combo update can update from either 10.8.0 or 10.8.1; it can even be reinstalled on a system that's already running 10.8.2.
Similarly, the 10.7.5 combo update can be run on anything from 10.7.0 to 10.7.5.
(Note that for the first update to a major version, e.g. 10.8.1 or 10.7.1, there's no real distinction between delta and combo, so Apple only publishes a single update form.)
If you have a Mac that's running the next-to-latest version and want to update it, the delta is technically all you need. But some people (myself included) tend to prefer the combo, for a couple of reasons:

I update a lot of computers, so to save time I carry the latest updates on my tools HD. It's simplest to just carry the combo update and not worry about the deltas as well, since you can use the combo anyplace the delta would be appropriate.

If anything has gone wrong with any of the previous updates, running the combo will generally clean up the problem, while a delta might leave it broken. In fact, sometimes re-running the combo on an already-updated computer will fix problems like this, so it's a useful trick to have in your troubleshooting repertoire. (Mind you, the types of problems this solves are rare; but they tend to be ones that otherwise would've involved hours of troubleshooting and hair-tearing, so it's often worth a try.) (Also, you can't/shouldn't reinstall even a combo update after applying a supplemental or security update that came out after it; that'd be a downgrade, and might cause problems.)

UPDATE: There's a complication I left out, and some other things have changed and gotten messier since I originally wrote this. So I'm issuing a supplemental update.
One major recent change is that, starting with macOS Big Sur (aka macOS 11), Apple isn't releasing OS updates in downloadable format. Updates come via the Software Update mechanism, either in System Preferences or with the softwareupdate command. It automatically figures out what update(s) you need, so this question is a bit moot.
The complication I left out is that in addition to the delta and combo minor-version updates I describe above, there are also even-more-minor OS updates, called "supplemental updates" and "security updates" that don't change the version number, just the build number. For instance, the original release of Catalina 10.15.7 was build 19H2, but then Apple released a supplemental update which brought it up to build 19H15, and then security update 2020-001 brought it up to build 19H114, and then security update 2021-001 was build 19H512, and then... well, I'll get to that.
Note: in the build numbers, the first "19" corresponds to the major version (Catalina v10.15), the "H" corresponds to the minor version (".7"), and everything after that is the more specific sub-minor-version number.
Supplemental and security updates are usually combo-like within the release they apply to. For example, if you have 10.15.7 build 19H2 or 19H15, you can install security update 2021-001 without needing to install the intermediate updates first. But not always -- for some reason, security update 2020-006 for Mojave 10.14.6 required installing security update 2020-005 first (although neither 2020-005 nor 2020-007 required any earlier security updates).
Supplemental updates generally come out right after another update/release, as a quick fix for problems discovered in that update/release. Sometimes, the installers for that release get updated to roll in the supplementary update. For instance, if you download either the Mojave 10.6.4 delta or combo update, you'll get a package that includes the updates in the 10.14.6 supplemental update (actually, there were several 10.14.6 supplemental updates, but let's not talk about that).
The supplemental updates for Catalina 10.15.7 are even weirder. The first one wasn't rolled into either the 10.15.7 delta or combo updates. It was also released in two forms itself, a delta version that could only update from earlier builds of 10.15.7, and a "combo" version that -- if I'm reading its Distribution file right -- can only update from 10.15.6 (or be installed on top of itself), but cannot update from earlier builds of 10.15.7!
And then there's this month, February 2021. On Feb 1, Apple released macOS Big Sur 11.2, and also parallel security updates numbered 2021-001 for Mojave 10.14.6 and Catalina 10.15.7, both in the usual combo-within-version form. Normal so far. But almost immediately after that, on Feb 8, another round of security updates was released. For some reason, the Big Sur update got a new minor version number (11.2.1), for Mojave this was called Security Update 2021-002, and the Catalina update was called "macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update" (not to be confused with the "macOS 10.15.7 Supplemental Update (Delta)" and "macOS 10.15.7 Supplemental Combo Update" that came out earlier).
(The 10.15.7 update may've gotten a different name because, in addition to the security updates, it apparently also contains a fix for a battery charging problem.)
But the naming on this new Catalina 10.15.7 update is even more inconsitent than that. If you look at that download page for it, the title is "Security Update 2021-001 (Catalina)" (identical to the Feb 1 update), but the body text calls it "macOS Catalina 10.15.7 supplemental update". If you download the file, it's named "SecUpd2021-001Catalina.dmg" (again, identical to the earlier update's filename). Mounting it reveals a volume named "macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update" containing an installer package named "SecUpd2021-001Catalina.pkg" (again, identical to the earlier update's filename). Then, when you open the package in the Installer application, it calls itself "macOS Catalina 10.15.7 Supplemental Update".
Aaaaaaaa!
Maybe I'll just call it build 19H524 for the sake of my sanity. At least it's a proper combo-like update-any-earlier-build-of-10.15.7 updater.

Thanks a million. I am new to Mac and I was updating from 10.6.0 to 10.6.8. I was doing it sequentially and have downloaded 10.6.4 until now. Now downloading 10.6.8 Combo :)

In that situation I'd definitely go with the combo. BTW, if you use Software Update (under the Apple menu), it'll automatically pick the appropriate one.

I tried the automatic software update but it gives me some error after downloading the whole update.

Could you link the parent page of all combo updates where they are listed?

Never mind,  found it https://support.apple.com/downloads/macos


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Run iPhone Apps on MacOs Laptop for free
I have a .ipa file in my laptop and also have a Apple Laptop with MacOS. I do not have any iPhone. I want to run the app in my Laptop. Doing a quick Google Search brought me this., which looks like costing $99 for each year. I just want to run the app for free, what should I do?

You can't. You can't even run them using the developer tools. The iOS simulator is just that. It doesn't provide a suitable platform for a true working environment.

By the way, a developer account isn't needed to use the iOS Simulator, or even develop an app. It is just needed for when you want to publish  an app or test it on an actual iOS device. XCode is free and comes with the iOS Simulator.

@cksum Can you give me a link to some free software which will help me run the app?

@bassplayer7 Can you give me a link to some free software which will help me run the app?

There is none. iOS devices use a different architecture than desktop computers.

This Wikipedia article may be helpfulnote what is says about where .ipa's can be installed. Unfortunately, to run them in the iOS simulator, you will need all the original project files. Like @cksum, you can't just run an .ipa file on a Mac.

I think I'll just answer this.

What's the app name? Maybe there is an OSX equivalent that is free?

You cannot run iOS applications on anything other than iOS. And you need a device capable of running iOS (iPhone or iPad).
The reason being is that iOS applications are compiled to run on the ARM-based processor. OS X (and most desktop or notebook operating systems) run on the i386 or x64 architecture.
To run a different arch-type, you'd need an emulator. And all Xcode has is a simulator.

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

sort: votes


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How can I toggle internet sharing from the command line?

Possible Duplicate:
Start/stop internet sharing from a script?

There are applescripts / automator scripts that help to turn on / off internet sharing, but they do not work consistently (plus, using something that simulates clicking is sooooo 20th century).
Are there ways to activate or deactivate internet sharing from the command line? Ideally I'll be running the script in Terminal or via Quicksilver.

Yep, duplicate, which I'd missed. Interesting that the tags between this post and the other are totally different.

Having duplicate questions merged with differing tags and wording of the core question is actually a feature of how we handle closed questions. Your framing of the question will make the answers we already have more likely to be seen by others searching for exactly what you did. Ideally, we'd have several versions of every good question with all but the canonical version closed to avoid answers being duplicated / spread. A decent spread on questions is a good thing.

Also, if and when that question gets edited or yours changes to diverge from the duplicate, we can edit here and re-open if needed.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


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Who first wrote the kernel for Mac OS X based operating systems?
Was it Steve Jobs? I mean not the idea, but who actually made it happen through the physical work itself?
Was it a single individual who wrote the bootstrapping software, kernel, graphics, all other assets, etc.?
I am curious on the coder, not the incentive or ideal, even though I do care on both.
I am also curious on the first ever kernel or boot loading software, not current coders, but the initial and original one(s) of that time who did this.

My initial reaction to this question was to propose to close it, but on second thought it might be interesting to see where it leads us to. The OS X kernel doesn't have a single "father" though so you might try to rephrase the question a bit more broadly. And maybe read the Wikipedia article on OS X to see whether this already answers your question.

It wasn't really Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs helped create OSX which is derived from the original operating system kernal.
OSX is based on the Mach Kernel. "Mach is an operating system kernel developed at Carnegie Mellon University to support operating system research, primarily distributed and parallel computation." Richard Rashid was the lead developer on the Mach project. Avie Tevanian was also one of the original developers on the Mach project.
OSX was then developed from this Mach Kernel by Steve Jobs' company NeXT. This happened during the time that Jobs was away from Apple. So Jobs' (company) developed the first iteration of OSX which was then purchased by Apple. Apple actually purchased NeXT outright, and Jobs went to serve as CEO at Apple.
Mostly from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_X, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mach_kernel

The best Kernel info resource that I know of is http://google.com/search?q=Mac.OS.X.Internals+Amit.Singh


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Blocking iOS Wi-Fi automatic update downloads?
I've got several iPads connected to Verizon mifi devices(MiFi460LE)
iOS has a "feature" that automatically downloads OS updates in the background without user input. (You still need to manually install the updates, but the downloads happen automatically).
The 6.1 update may break the functionality of some in-house applications, and I'd rather not hand users an iPad with a flashing self-destruct button that tells users to "download now!"
Is there a specific port that could be blocked to prevent iOS OTA software updates? If that's not sufficient, would blocking hosts from DNS or another way of preventing these downloads be feasible?

I read that signing out of iCloud will stop this from happening; I have not tested it myself though.

Without jailbreaking, or using an MDM (mobile device management) solution, you could just block the Apple site at your router. The site URL is appldnld.apple.com. All of Apple's IPSW files come from that location.

I'm going to ask a new question asking for MDM solutions.

The latest update to the evasi0n jailbreak, evasi0n 1.2, allows you to disable OTA updates.
This is a fairly good tailored version of evasi0n considering the fact that it's the second update it received since it was released if you are hesitating about the down sides of jailbreaking on device performance.
Turning off iCloud might be a disadvantage. If you really want to disable OTA updates; I strongly suggest you to jailbreak.
Here is a tutorial for jailbreaking with evaisi0n.
P.S. If you will download evais0n, ONLY download it from evasi0n.com. Do NOT trust other sources.

Blocking iOS Wi-Fi automatic update downloads?

iOS/iPadOS 13.6 has introduced the ability for users to turn off automatic download of updates. To configure automatic download or installation of iOS/iPadOS updates on your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings app → General → Software Update → Customize Automatic Updates and toggle the switches as desired.
The linked Apple Support document discusses the same:

https://support.apple.com/kb/HT204204

Customize Automatic Updates

With iOS 13.6, or iPadOS, you can choose not to download software updates automatically. Go to Settings > General > Software Update > Customize Automatic Updates, then turn off Download iOS updates.

Apple's documentation says that the automatic downloads only happen when you are both:

Plugged in to power
Connected to Wi-Fi

It's not a long term strategy, but I have had people ensure they put their devices in Airplane mode before plugging in their devices to avoid a spike in downloads on release day for sites with fragile connections to the internet where we don't have more advanced options like blocking / throttling certain traffic as would be ideal for this situation.

Just block the apple software sever...

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


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How to find delay when launching new Terminal (iTerm)
When I press CMD+N in iTerm2 to bring up a new iTerm window, sometimes it takes 10 seconds before I get my prompt. If I immediately repeat the process, the whole thing takes 1 second. To me this implies it is a slow read of a file that is then cached in memory. I put a timing statement in my .bash_profile and that takes about one second, so it is not something I have manually and intentionally done to slow it down.
How should I find out where the time is spent during the shell/terminal initiation?
I tried running sudo fs_usage -f filesys > fsusage.txt and then searching for login and bash and iTerm in the resulting file, but have not been able to determine what might cause the delay there.

Have you tried changing the login command to login -pfq username? (The symlink hack is not needed for iTerm.)

Searching through the fsusage.txt captured above it appears that the HomeBrew bash_completion file is taking several seconds to load...

I had the same problem and I fixed updating the setting in:
Profile/General
The option Command:
Instead Login shell you can pick the option command and write your shell path. In my case zsh: /bin/zsh
You can reveal this doing:
which -a bash
or
which -a zsh in my case

You should also check on the Console.app < system.log section if there's any error log that could lead you to discover the causes of the error.
Also, does Terminal behave the same? Have you tried to wipe iTerm's settings using an app like Appzapper to check if there's any problem with them?


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How created watched folder with Automator to auto import new files into itunes?
I was wondering if someone could help me with this. This what I'd like to do:
File is downloaded into Folder A, it is automatically imported into itunes and then moved to folder B. This happens automatically anytime a new file appears, I don't have to trigger a script, etc..
Can this be done with automator?
I've tried by making a workflow:
Finder Finder Items
Import Files into Itunes (but it won't import movie files, only audio)
If anyone can help or knows of a little app that do this please let me know! Thanks!

You can do it better by placing files to the folder ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Automatically Add to iTunes in Finder (or ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Automatically Add to iTunes.localized in Terminal.app) to be automatically added to iTunes without any third party program

Note that the location depends on locale.  In Danish the folder is $HOME/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Føj automatisk til iTunes

This is nice. Never knew this folder existed. Just a note if you have moved your music library from the default location. The Automatically Add to iTunes needs to be the one inside the relocated Music folder. And not the default.

In Automator, choose the Folder Action Template


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How can I change the metadata of my songs all at once?
I have a bunch of songs for which I'd like to change the metadata (really just want to change capitalization for all of them). I'm not changing a field in all songs to one value, so selecting them all in iTunes won't work. They are AAC files. Is there an easy way to do this? Not having to download a third-party app would be nice, but I doubt it'll be that easy (maybe someone can prove me wrong :)).

You could also run a script like this in AppleScript Editor:
tell application "iTunes"
    repeat with t in selection
        tell t
            set name to my titlecase(name)
            set artist to my titlecase(artist)
            set album to my titlecase(album)
        end tell
    end repeat
end tell

on titlecase(x)
    do shell script "ruby -rubygems -KUe 'require \"titlecase\"
    print ARGV[0].titlecase' -- " & quoted form of x
end titlecase

The titlecase gem can be installed with sudo gem install titlecase.

So I've tried 3 ways to do this…

Writing my own little terminal script that goes through all the folders of the artists/albums/etc and auto capitalizes it (too complicated)
This handy little Automator trick I found online (I'm just gonna add the image tutorial here…

This totally awesome (and the easiest of the three methods) I found online. Goto the following link ::
http://dougscripts.com/itunes/scripts/ss.php?sp=titlecaps

+1 for Doug's script; I use it often when I rip CDs and the tags have bad capitalization.

Capitalising each song title is not possible, but changing the common metadata among all of them works. For example, you can change the Album name and Album art for a number of songs.
There's an apple script that does specifically this (capitalise song name), but I haven't tried it yet: iTunes Capitalizer.


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Can workplace IT settings interfere with iCloud bookmark settings?
If I set new bookmarks when I'm at work, the changes don't propagate to my iOS devices (which are also with me at work) or to my iMac at home. But if I set new bookmarks at home, they do propagate to my other devices, at least most of the time. I've noticed that sometimes new bookmarks set on my iPhone 5 or iPad 3 don't always propagate to my iMac or to my MBA. But my question is, could my workplace's overzealous (security security!) IT have something in place that interferes with iCloud syncing?

From this Apple Support document detailing TCP and UDP ports used by Apple software, iCloud uses these ports:
25   - smtp
80   - http
443  - SSL (HTTPS)
587  - Authenticated smtp
993  - SSL IMAP
5223 - DAV services

My guess is that it would be port 5223 which being blocked by your company.
As for your company's IT being 'overzealous', they are only doing exemplary due diligence protecting their network and server infrastructure, as well as any user (you) who connects, from nasties out there who would cause harm.

Thank you for the response. I question the "due diligence" thing though because I work at a college I've been here since before we had Internet connectivity and before most of our IT guys ever played with a computer. I don't have these problems when I visit other institutions.

"...I don't have these problems when I visit other institutions." Other institutions have either already opened these specific ports in their Internet-facing firewalls, which shows due diligence; or they have no port restrictions whatsoever, which shows a certain laxity in network security. This laxity may be deliberate on a public wireless network which needs to serve thousands; or the result of bad design if an internal wireless network. That's all.


text:
Is it possible to have my iPhone 5 on silent except for one specific person?
I want to have the phone on silent (no vibrate) and have it ring only for one or two specific people. Is there any way to do this?
I know how to turn the phone on silent (the switch on the left side above the volume buttons), but I can't seem to create a "profile" for this (I recall this being possible with Blackberry's).

This is possible using Do Not Disturb:

Open Settings.app
Go to Notifications > Do Not Disturb
Select "Allow Calls From"
You have several options. Either create a group, or have only those few people in your Favorites. The best is probably to create a group as that allows you better flexibility. After you have created the group with only the people that you want to allow to reach you, select it from the list.
Now, to enable silent mode except for those two people turn on Do Not Disturb in Settings.app.

Creating/Editing Groups: This isn't as easy as it appears on iOS. See my question about it. As mentioned in the accepted answer, your best strategy for creating or editing groups is to go to iCloud.com on your computer. Quoting the answer:

"No, there is no way to create or edit contact groups on iOS. I share your frustration! The best workaround is to use iCloud.com (or your primary Mac, if you have it with you)."

But you can add contacts to a particular group, (though it isn't straight-forward):

In Contacts, tap the Groups button in the top left
Tap "Hide All Contacts"
Tap the group that you want to add the contact to (making it the only visible group)
Tap Done in the top right
Tap the Add button (+) in the top right

So, the easiest is to just use a Mac (if you have one) or iCloud.com to create and add people to a group. After this is done, the new group with the people that you want to reach you should appear on iPhone.

There is a feature in the newer versions of iOS that is called "Emergency bypass". You can find it in Contacts > [person] > Edit > Ringtone > Emergency bypass.
Your iPhone will ring regardless of Silent or Do Not Disturb modes on or off.

This seems like the correct answer, thank you. The internet keeps mixing up phone's silent mode with do not disturb, which are two very different things.

For those that do not have DND, assign a memorable individual ring tone to each one in the group so you'll even know who is calling. Then assign a silent sound as the default ring for everyone else.

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


text:
iphone 4S 6.0.1 has poor wifi reception upstairs
I've had an iphone 4S running 6.0.1 for just about a month. I find that it has trouble connecting to wifi when I'm in my room upstairs.  It connects fine downstairs (which is where the combo. router/modem resides.) I tried a Macbook to test the connection in my room and it had a very strong wifi connection.
What can I do?  The wifi seems to work well in other situations, including at work, which is in a hospital, so I'm sure I'm not near a modem/router.

I have found iPhone to have less signal reception strength then a Macbook. Perhaps you could get a signal booster.

perhaps it is a software problem, this is the case with my iphone 4s. upgarde>>>

WiFi networks require two-way communication.  Even though your router may have enough strength to send a signal to that room, whatever wireless client device you want to use in that room also has to have enough strength to send a signal back to the router.
Evidently, the Macbook you tested in the room had enough strength to send a decent signal back to the router.  Yet, the iPhone did not.  Signal effectiveness is a combination of a number of variables, two being antenna configuration, and power.  Your iPhone's WiFi antenna and/or power are inferior to the computer's.
What you could do is either move the wireless router closer to (or into) the room, or else set up another access point to extend your network's wireless reach.
To get a new access point talking to your existing network's router, you'll need to consider using wireless-to-wireless repeating, power line network adapters, or an Ethernet cable – Ethernet being the best option, if you can somehow run a cable from point A to point B.


text:
Use OpenSSL in Automator Application?
I want to make an application that's in the same directory as a file: message.txt.enc
If you open the app you should be prompted with a password dialogue. this should be used to decrypt the file AND delete the .enc file
openssl enc -d -aes-256-cbc -salt -in message.txt.enc -out message.txt -pass stdin

doesn't do the job
Please help, Thank you!

Please give more details: What does your automator program look like, which part of it troubles you, etc

Let me know if this isn't a duplicate of the question that already has a nice answer on how to encrypt and decrypt...


text:
iChat showing contacts from people I've emailed once
In my iChat (now Messages?) buddy list I have a lot of buddies that are not buddies but people I've emailed once. It used to not do this. Is there a way to go back to that previous list?

Are you syncing contacts with Google or Yahoo as well as iCloud?

I have two accounts. The first is my personal Google and the second is Google through our work. I think it's called Google Apps or Google email for business, if that makes sense?

It does, well, the thing is, Google adds every person you reply to, to your contacts once you reply to them. So then your account brings them back to your contacts, buddies, etc. It's a PITA.


text:
Apps that were open when I restart still open on startup even though I disabled that?
I'm on an iMac mid-2010 with OS X Mountain Lion.
I disabled the feature that reopens windows the next time I startup my computer after a restart, but for some reason the windows that I had open when I shut down still open on startup.
How do I stop this from happening for good?

What did you do to disable the feature that reopens windows? There are two different features: one that reopens windows when you restart a program and the other that reopens programs when you restart your computer.

I'm talking about the one that appears when you click on the Apple icon and select "Restart...". I unchecked the box there.


text:
How can I disable the firewall on OS X after forgetting how I set it?
I have enabled an option on my mac to ask for permission every time I open an network application, But I can't seem to find out how to turn it off.
Where would I disable the below dialog?

Would you like to disable the firewall entirely, or just whitelist that one app?

As the dialog explains, you can turn off the firewall in the Security preferences pane (or Security & Privacy, on newer versions of OS X).


text:
Duplicate launchpad icons where can I find the apps ?
I have this strange behavior on Mac OS X Mountain Lion when I installed OpenSceneGraph. Please How to fix it ? I have duplicate icons on the launchpad. I 've tried the following solution : How Do I Remove Duplicate Apps From Launchpad? I recreate the launchpad database but nothing !
How can I check where those apps are installed ?

When I was having duplicates on my Launchpad, I used Launchpad-Control to remove them. It says it has serious issues on Mountain Lion, but I used it without any problems at all.


text:
iPad boot loop only when powered - brief flash loop when connected to USB - jailbreak gone awry?
Received an iPad from a customer in an unknown state. Report was "does not power on". Device is out of warranty. It's the 1st generation iPad with a 3G chip.
Symptoms:

when connected to power only, device turns on and shows apple logo, then shuts down, this proceeds in a loop that lasts about 4 seconds
when connected to an Apple machine's USB port, a faint flash can be observed on the device screen every 7 seconds or so but the apple logo is never seen, device does not respond to any key presses
when connected to power only, holding the power button will put device into recovery mode, but it shuts off when disconnected, so it can't actually be restored

If this rings a bell with anyone, please let me know what you think the issue is. My guess is that the battery is dead, but am not sure why it would not behave the same when connected to a computer USB port or the charger.I have tried multiple computers, cables and ports.
Is it possible a jailbreak gone awry would leave a device in this condition, and if so, what , if anything, can be done? I do have various Apple machines and OSs available, and PCs as well.

The reason on a PC is if the device isn't recognized and initialized then the BUS won't be put on full power for the unknown device.  Can you work through a powered hub to get it into the restore state and have that hub connected? If connected to nothing have you held power+home to get it in the restore state too?

not sure if this is the case on apple devices as well - some devices require power in order to initiate, so it wouldn't make sense for the bus to withhold power as bus powered devices would never respond in that case...I plugged it in through an apple monitor (tried LCD and thunderbolt), which should deliver power by default as they have power independently of the computer. I will try a powered hub and report.

Jailbreaking only affects the operating system level of an iPad; it can't damage a device more than can be fixed by putting it into DFU mode and restoring it with iTunes.
In other words, it sounds like this device has a hardware problem of some kind.

It sounds like either the iPad itself is faulty, or as you suspect a jailbreak has gone wrong.
Because it's a 3G iPad, when jailbreaking there's more chance of a brick (because of the sensitive baseband).
Try entering DFU mode (Device Firmware Upgrade mode) and restoring that way.
If the device fails to restore this way, then it appears that the device has been permanently bricked or that the device is faulty -- either way, that's unlikely.

the ipad has no battery to fully turn on, but it wants to, so when the battery is only like 1% it attempts to restart but it dies only while showing logo. You should try holding down at the same time home and turn off button each time you see logo, multiple times like 40 times, to accumulate enough power. Then let it turn on. when you see home screen with 2% turn off the ipad asap. then charge as usual

Q. When connected to power only, device turns on and shows apple logo, then shuts down, this proceeds in a loop that lasts about 4 seconds
when connected to an Apple machine's USB port, a faint flash can be observed on the device screen every 7 seconds or so but the apple logo is never seen, device does not respond to any key presses
when connected to power only, holding the power button will put device into recovery mode, but it shuts off when disconnected, so it can't actually be restored.
Answer
i) Open iTunes on your computer
ii) Connect the iPad to your iTunes via USB
ii) On The iPad.. Hold the Home and power button for 10 seconds, then release the power button and continue to hold the home button until you see the following message in iTunes, that tells you that it has detected your iPad, but it needs to be restored. Follow the guide by iTunes, and you will eventually end up with your iPad reset to factory settings, and working.

I had same problem.  Screen blinking while on Mac and flashing logo with wall charger.  I could get it into dfu mode with wall charger and to iTunes connect screen but it would turn off while transferring cables. Connected to mac, I held down home and power button for 20 seconds and then let off power and held home for 15-20 seconds then it would recognize iPad and get to restore in iTunes.  Got 1602 and 2005 error tho.  May work better for you.


text:
How to use different mailboxes (sent folder) in Outlook for Mac
I am a network administrator and have come across a problem regarding MS Outlook for MAC. The user has their own account already added to their outlook. They have requested that a group mailbox could be added. I set it up in exchange gave the appropriate permissions, then added the mailbox in the user's outlook. It worked fine, they can send with the alias that was created. The only problem is, when they send from the alias (Lets call it design@domain.com) It shows up in their personal (user@domain.com) sent items folder. Is there a way to change it so that it shows up in the design@domain.com's sent items folder?

Which version of Exchange are you using?

On the client-side, no.
On the server-side, there are updates to Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2010 that address this.
If there is some reason that you can't update your Exchange server, then you could get around this on the client-side with a bit of work.  If the senders BCC the design@domain.com address when sending mail from that account, you could have a server-side rule on design@domain.com which automatically moves mail that is BCCed to design@domain.com to the Sent Items folder.  This isn't by any means a perfect solution, but it might work until you can update your Exchange server.

I'm not able to update the server at the moment but I will try your second solution. Thanks very much.


text:
Disable Little Snitch in guest account?
It's annoying as hell to let others use your computer on a guest account with Little Snitch installed, all the consecutive popups one after another...it's really ridiculous.
Also in the event my Macbook is stolen, a user logs into guest, all the dialogs will clearly let him know to disable connections.  So little luck there using "Find my Mac."
Anyway to just disable this or set a rule to allow everything?  Of course any rules created in LS within the guest account do not save after logout.

Good use case, since Little Snitch runs at boot, you'd need a login script to kill it and would have ti live with / deal with respawning the software or just reboot after logging out the guest. Do you use fast user switching and expect LS to run on one account and leave the other alone or will the main user log out before guest logs in

Although if the point of using Little Snitch is to stop programs contacting unknown sites doesn't allowing the guest account defeat this object?

I'm not interested in fast user switching.  I just want it on in the main account and off in the guest.  Or, I would like to set rules in guest that are different than those in the main.

Perhaps I could save the Guest rules to a shared folder and they would always engage?

Login to the Guest Account.
Disable Little Snitch Network Filter
Open Library > Preferences,  copy at.obdev.LittleSnitch... to a shared folder
Logout and Login to Main Account
Open Terminal and run sudo su
Open Library/username/Library/Preferences and overwrite file with copied file.
Logout and Login to Guest Account.  LS is Disabled.

Boom, just like that.

Is there any way you could expand on your answer please? I tried following the steps but I can't find the file mentioned in step 3 where it's suggested that I should be seeing it...

You may have to Option-Click on the Go To menu in Finder to access the Library folder in Mountain Lion.

@user43855's steps work correctly (except for step 6 which is missing a crucial bit), but they also assume the user is very familiar with what is being done. I have expanded to include step-by-step details for disabling Little Snitch automatically in the Guest account.
This process creates a Little Snitch preferences file where Little Snitch is disabled, and then copies that file to the User Template folder that is copied every time the Guest account is recreated. (Note the User Template folder is also used for the creation of new accounts, so if you want Little Snitch on in a new account, you will have to enable it after the account is created.)

Login to the Guest account.
Disable Little Snitch Network Filter in Little Snitch's settings.
Open Finder, and press ⌘+Shift+G.
In the box labeled "Go to the folder", enter ~/Library/Preferences and press Enter.
Find the file named at.obdev.LittleSnitch.plist and right-click on it. Chooose Copy "at.obdev.LittleSnitch.plist".
Again press ⌘+Shift+G and this time in "Go to the folder" enter /Users/Shared/.
Right-click and choose Paste Item.
Log out of the Guest account, and log in to your main account.
Open Terminal and type sudo su and press Enter.
When prompted, enter your password and press Enter.
Type cd "/System/Library/User Template/English.lproj/Library/Preferences" and press Enter.
Type cp /Users/Shared/at.obdev.LittleSnitch.plist ./ and press Enter.
The next time you log in to the Guest Account, Little Snitch will be disabled.

Any new accounts created on the Mac when this process is complete will also have Little Snitch disabled. The User Template is used to create new accounts.

@pknz good call, I edited to note that.

I just tried following this tutorial and I can't find the at.obdev.LittleSnitch.plist file. There are at.obdev.LittleSnitchConfiguration.plist and two others but no sign of the file you mention. I wonder if this because I upgraded to Yosemite. Would you know a solution for this?

Use at.obdev.LittleSnitchConfiguration.plist. They likely changed the name of the file since this was last updated.


text:
Stop Mail from keeping sent drafts?
I use iCloud and I like Mail to save my drafts on the server.
But I have no desire to keep them as drafts after they are sent.  But Mail keeps the drafts and I have to manually delete them.
I don't to disable the saving of drafts on the server, this isn't a solution.

Are you referring to the drafts that end up stored when the network drops a connection from time to time (and the system errs on the side of not deleting a draft you may need)? Those do accumulate over time but shouldn't be one for each and every sent message (you can count both boxes or measure the next 10 messages you send to test this out)

Hmm, I have been working on an unreliable connection lately.  I will experiment more, thank you bmimke.


text:
Is it possible to program an OS X screen lock?
I want the ability to lock my Macbook at my command. I don't want a screensaver or sleep lock. Don't you get tired of repeatedly typing in your password in all day? I don't want to wait for my computer to lock itself in 10 minutes or 1 minute when the screensaver or sleep begins. I don't want to save and close all my apps and documents and logout.
So just let me lock my computer, simple request. Hit a hotkey? Close the lid?
I walk out my door, I lock my door. I get out of my car, I lock my car. Why can't I just lock my computer?
I've been told you can't reconfigure this type of setting in OS X, is this true?

Preferences -> Desktop & Screen Saver -> Screen Saver -> Hot Corners

Since this got migrated in, would you review some of our questions to indicate if they answer your question? http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/64/is-there-a-quick-way-to-lock-my-mac?rq=1 http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/82360/how-to-instantly-lock-your-mac-os-x-screen-using-keyboard-in-mountain-lion http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/18365/is-there-a-similarly-fast-alternative-to-crtl-shift-eject-for-new-macbook-th

thanks bmike, my searches didn't turn those up, I suppose I will be more thorough in the future.  Great posts, thank you!

On a Macbook, pressing ctrl+shift+Eject will lock the screen instantly.  These keyboard shortcuts are configurable from System Preferences.

Control-shift-power just powers off the screen on my MacBook Pro - so you'll need additional settings like a password lock screen that requires a password immediately for this to be a good instant lock.

thanks, but so far these solutions are dependent on screensaver/sleep locks, which I don't care for.  I want to circumvent the incessant entering of my password for every 5 minutes I'm away.  Just want to lock and unlock on my own terms.

How about disabling the screen saver lock, and setting your security preferences to require an unlock when the system comes out of sleep?


text:
Remove app from Location Services?
I've used App Cleaner which clears preference and associated files, but I can't clear it from Location Services permissions list in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy.
Any idea how to remove it?

When you click on Location Services in the Privacy tab does the program show up in the list? Is the lock icon in the lower left corner of the window unlocked, allowing you to make changes?

The program does show in the list, it is not removable however, locked or unlocked.

No solution? What a shame : (

Could you add a screenshot of Location Services in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy?

It took me a while to narrow down the file that contains the list of apps shown in that system pref pane, but I finally found.  The list of apps is stored in /var/db/locationd/clients.plist. Once I found that juicy bit of info a quick Google search revealed this related posting on superuser.com: Remove Applications from Location Services in Security & Privacy on Mac OS X 10.8. That post is more of an answer than a question. It contains detailed step-by-step instructions on how to remove the no longer installed app from the list.

Came here looking for the same answer. I tried checking the box next to the item and once it was checked it disappeared from the list, so yrmv...

This solved my problem in macOS Catalina 10.15.6

And also for Catalina 10.15.7, after a lot of failed right clicking and Option-clicking. This is the correct answer.

When you uncheck these options will automatically disappear (2021 MacBook air on m1).

As it’s currently written, your answer is unclear. Please [edit] to add additional details that will help others understand how this addresses the question asked. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.


text:
Setting a specific dnsentry
I have a server running at port 4433 on my localhost machine. I'd like to refer to the service as http://mytest.com:4433 from the browser or any script that I write. How could I set the DNS on OSX to do this? Thanks!

You could add a new line in your hosts file (see man hosts(5)). The easiest that I know of would be to open a Terminal and use nano to edit the file. You could type this in your terminal:
sudo nano /etc/hosts

(replace nano by vi if you are more familiar with the latter). Then go at the end of the file and add something like this:
127.0.0.1    mytest.com

Save the file (key combination for nano is (it's a o upper case): Ctrl + O).
The file hosts is read by mDNSResponder which is the local DNS cache on OS X (incl. Snow Leopard). So your browser will be redirected to the IP you set in the file.


text:
Does synchronizing google contacts with apple address book send my data to Apple?
I am using OS X 10.6.8 and I have a question regarding the address book synchronization.
Does synchronizing google contacts with apple address book send my data to Apple?
In other words, does the address book application directly sync the contacts with google or does this process goes through Apple servers and/or cloud? I am having a doubt because when I started the sync on my MacBook, the MobileMe icon appeared at the right of the menu bar. MobileMe seems to be related to cloud stuff so, is the contact book application directly interacting with google or not?

It does not route through Apple. It syncs directly between Google and your computer. The sync icon you're seeing in the menu bar is probably Sync Services (or iSync), not MobileMe. It's simply a visual indication that it is syncing.
The only case where Apple would potentially see any of this data would be in the event of an application crash, and only if it was in the crash report and only if you allowed it to be sent.

Here is what I had (the screenshot is not mine): http://carlosedp.com/images/2011-05-25-keeping-your-mac-contacts-in-sync/iSync_menubar.png

I know it's confusing, given the menu that drops down, but yes that is your Sync Services. I think it integrates that because .Mac/MobileMe were the most common service that people used with Sync Services at the time. In Mountain Lion I don't believe this even exists any longer.


text:
Accidentally locked out of Mac
I removed the staff group and closed my finder window (yes I am a fool for doing this). After closing the window, I effectively lost access to everything on my "Macintosh HD". I re-booted and was happy to see my login screen, but after I login all I have is a grey screen and cursor.

I rebooted holding Comand+R
I chose "disc utility" and then "unlocked" Macintosh HD
I opened Terminal and typed "password"
I did not reset my password, but clicked "repair permissions and ACL's"
I quit terminal (using Command+Q) and did the same for "reset password utility"
I rebooted and got back to the login screen, but have the same problem

I have a retina Macbook Pro (10.8.2); recovery is 10.8.1. I can access and see my files when I click "open from the recovery mode option", and I know my password, I just need to know how I can reset permissions. Re-formatting is an options, but I don't have any extra hard drives with me, and my main drive is nearly full, so I can't move things around.

You'll probably need to recreate the group staff via the command line.
It should be in /etc/group.
You can check if it exists:
cat /etc/group | grep -i staff

I have staff as the following:
staff:*:20:root

You can create the group again and add root to that group, put it in the sameGroupID etc although I'm not sure if that will do the trick. I never had to do this before so I would recommend before you do anything to connect your Mac via FireWire to another Mac.
Restart your laptop while holding T so it acts like a FireWire drive (no files in use by the system) so you can copy the complete disk...
Easy way to clone would be something like Carbon Copy Cloner.
Other possibility is using the asr command in the Terminal.
The recreation of groups and adding users etc. can be done via the command dscl
There is someone else who had this kind of issue so you could also have a look here:
https://superuser.com/questions/477572/mac-osx-repair-staff-group


text:
Internet connection in Germany for iPad 2nd gen
I have to say first, I am clueless about it all, including the jargon. I have just spent phone time with ATT, and I have learned I will not be able to tether (that means create a hot spot from my iPhone 3GS, right?). I have the lowest data plan now, but am willing to change to the highest limit for the trip. but, apparently that won't make a difference in the ability to tether.
I have to be able to tether with my iPad. I can't even understand if I will be able to use my cell at all, muchless live stream or upload. I just don't know enough about any of this stuff. A numbered list of exactly what to do as well as some definitions would be so helpful. Tech jargon related to this subject will not make sense to me, keep in mind. I'm not stupid, I just haven't been exposed to it all.

This may not be a question appropriate for this forum but without understanding technical aspects you won't be able to understand the answer.  The question that you should be asking from AT&T is: Does your AT&T iPad support European 3G frequencies?  The answer you're more then likely to receive is no.

FWIW, I tried unsuccessfully to set up AT&T international data roaming that supported tethering.  According to AT&T it wasn't possible, although I suspect there might be an unofficial way of getting it to work.  In any case, you'll want to review the AT&T international options page

Forget AT&T in Germany!
Go to any local store (in Germany) and buy Prepaid Internet service SIM card. For that your device has to be UNLOCKED. That means the AT&T is not longer the sole provider (ask them). If you do not understand the Unlocking stuf, just ask.


text:
Can't download Mountain Lion from app store on a Mac already running Mountain Lion?
I am trying to download and/or acquire an operating system installer for my newly purchased Mac. My objective is to put this onto some form of removable media (USB ideally) such that in the event that my tinkering renders the Mac unusable, I can fix it.
My initial understanding was that I needed to purchase OS X from the app store. I am trying to purchase OS X 10.8.2. I am running 10.8.2. Yet the app store responds with "sorry, this is not compatible with your Mac" !!

So that's out. So, question time:

Is this the right way to achieve what I want, bearing in mind I explicitly want removable media with a full installer?
If so, how do I convince the app store that it is being silly?
I hear rumblings that the installer can be fished out of the recovery partition? Be this true? If so, where on this volume is it (I can mount it, and I looked around, but I don't see anything that looks like an installer).

I'm not familiar with the Lion Diskmaker Simon recommends, but what I found w/ the USB recovery drive that Matt recommends is that you have to be connected to the internet to do an install---as I discovered once while trying to do it offline while on vacation. If you can find someone that has purchased the ML upgrade, they can re-download the DMG installer, from which you can build an offline-friendly installer DVD/USB.

Also, in case you weren't aware, your mac should have a recovery system that is independent of your hard drive, so if you're upgrading hard drives, and have internet, you can rebuild your drive. Cmd-R should start this, as noted by this list of shortcuts: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1533 (I assume this is why the macs no longer ship with install dvds/usbs---although I think you can purchase a installer usb from mac)

I would head over to http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1433 and follow the instructions for making a USB Recovery drive.
Also note if you hose your machine you can boot with Command-R to enter into recovery mode.  Even if you hose your recovery partition, if you have an active Wifi connection, Apple will pull down the OS from the cloud.

I think this sounds like what I should be doing, so I'm going to accept your answer. Thanks for the advice :)

An alternative method to the one described by Matt is to use Lion Diskmaker. Despite its name Lion Disk Maker is an application programmed with AppleScript that you can use with Mac OS X 10.6, 10.7 and OS X 10.8 to burn a DVD or build a bootable drive from Mac OS X Lion or OS X Mountain Lion Installation program.

If you have a newly-purchased Mac, it probably runs a version of OS X Mountain Lion that came out after 10.8.2 was already released. What this means is your Mac actually requires a version of Mountain Lion that is newer than what is available on the Mac App Store. The one on the App Store does not have all the requisite drivers bundled in to talk to all of your hardware.
In the future, once 10.8.3 is released, you will be able to successfully download that from the App Store, and use a tool like Lion DiskMaker to make a bootable copy.


text:
Registered Apple Developer Agreement when under 18
When I registered to be an Apple Developer, I inadvertently did so without realizing the requirement to be 18 years of age (I was 17 and 6 months away from being 18 at the time). I did not take out any sort of paid membership at the time, however.
I am now 20, will this cause me any problems now or is it nothing I need to worry about?

I'm no lawyer, but you're of legal age now, and that's what matters. I think Apple's legal department has much bigger things to worry about!

You of legal age now, and meet the current age requirement of the agreement with Apple, so there's nothing to worry about.


text:
Missing backups from Time Machine
A have a MacBook running Mountain Lion that backups up to a Linux machine over afp (netatalk) using Time Machine.
In Time Machine preferences I can see that the Oldest backup was on 5th March 2012 (a year). If I go to 'Enter Time Machine' I can old go far back as 4th of March 2013 (a week). Using the 'tmutil' command I can see 43 backups from 2012 until an hour ago.
There has never been a problem with space on the Linux machine and there has been little change to settings or software on either computer for over a week.
Is there a way I recover from these missing backups? How can I prevent this occurrence from happening again? I do not need anything from this backup at the moment but I still want the ability to do so.
[EDIT] So one of the comments below got me thinking. There are two interfaces on this computer. One is set statically with a hostname and IP address, the other is by DHCP and takes the default Mac OSX hostname.

What does ls /path/to/your/backup/Backups.backupdb/COMPUTERNAME show?

On the Linux server the backups occupy 212GB. Although the directory structure that you list is different.

When I "enter time machine," at first I can access only the most recent backups.  But then if I just wait, more of them become accessible.

I've waited for a while and nothing happens. This used to work perfectly fine.

This won't solve your problem but it might help point you in the right direction: try looking up the BackupLoupe software. This provides a useful interface to Time Machine. Also, if the past week is showing up quickly, it could be that this is from local time machine backups (MobileBackup), but the remote ones are possibly much slower.

When did you first notice this? Has this been an issue that you have been aware of since 2012 or just recently?

@Siriss More recently - say two months at most

I suspect based on the comments, that Mike Meyers has a point, in that you are only seeing  MobileBackups, and that tmutil is simply showing you pointers (or logs) to the Time Machine backups on the linux server. For some reason the actually backup on the drive is not readable by Time Machine. I suggest dumping the network drive to an external, OS Extended Journaled hard drive and see if you can point Time Machine to that.


text:
Messages Video Chat
In Messages Preferences, under Audio/Video it reports my MacBook Air (running OS X Lion) does not support video chat, even though the green FaceTime camera lights up and Skype supports this fine on the same computer

How can I fix this?
I have added more Information, using messages "Connection Doctor Capabilities" it say no camera, and my build in FaceTime HD is grayed out (but the green light goes on) and the audio is working! It also says my connection is slow (that is true), but is that the reason the camera does not go on ? I am in Spain, Costa del Sol, and thats all the WiFi I can get from my location.
Sorry for my English but thats the best I can do.

Why was this question closed? Although it isn't in perfect English, isn't it immediately obvious what the question is (esp. with the screenshot): Messages reports that my mac does not support video chat, even though there are no problems with the builtin FaceTime camera

I think the edit is substantial enough to revive this. I'll also make a stab at answering it as I have a hunch as to the problem. However, I am a but mystified how you have gotten messages running on Lion since messages requires Mountain Lion and the beta of Messages that ran on Lion has expired. Am I missing something or could you explicitly confirm the version of Messages and the version of OS X you are running?

OSX 10.8.2  Messages Version 7.0.1 (3315)

It's possible you have another program that has made a lock against the camera which is preventing Messages from seeing the message. For example, if I start Skype and the camera LED is green, I get the same error from time to time.
If you check to be sure Skype and any other programs don't launch at boot, you might reboot your Mac and try messages first. Also, after the reboot, check for any system updates in case there's an oddball issue with drivers that could be corrected. It's been a long, long time since I've seen cameras not work, but making sure your version of Lion is patched to the latest version can't hurt.

your Skype suggestion is a good one. So I killed it and restarted without it, unfortunately did not solve the problem but let me check if you are on the right track. I have some more information (a screent shot) of the "Connection Doctor Capabilities" from messages. It says no camera ? I can not post the screen shot here, but let my try with edit the original post :)

That's a great edit. When you mention that english is not native, it helps us all recalibrate our expectations. I've been blessed with fast networks, but it appears you have a such a slow connection to whatever servers Apple tests that the software is preventing video and not some other bug. It might be by design to force you on a network that can carry the minimal acceptable video stream on iMessage/iChat.

I suggest you rephrase your question a bit, so it is more clear.
From what I understand you want to video chat with someone through Messages? Messages isn't meant for video chatting: that is what FaceTime is there for. When you press the video chat icon in Messages, all it is really supposed to do is open FaceTime and start a new video-chat there.
I suggest you try opening FaceTime directly, and start your video chat from there.
UPDATE: Though does support video chat, especially for third party and legacy protocols + Bonjour. When answering before I didn't consider any of these protocols, as this would be one of the main factors to point out in the question, but it nonetheless wasn't. Given the lack of "I am using Google Talk / Jabber / Bonjour / etc.", and the little information given, I guessed on the default protocol: iMessage, which doesn't support video chat. Apple has relayed that to the FaceTime protocol.
I suggest once more that you make edits to your question. The more specific you can get about your problem, the better we can help you solve it.

Well, the message should be "No FaceTime installed/Detected, not This computer does not support Video chat.

If it is as you say that Messages is not for Video chat, why is there a Audio/Video setting in the Messages?

Why are you closing a perfectly legit question?

This computer does not support video chats!! The video chat does not work with Messages (see above screen capture).
the camera is detected and working (green led comes on when i open Audio/Video Preferences), but Messages thinks the machine does not support video chats.
any ideas?

@kevin9794 Since when did Messages not support video chat? Better tell Apple! http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12020

I didn't close this question. I in fact answered it in the hopes of reviving it.

About the video support, when answering I didn't consider third-party protocols, as this would be one of the main factors to point out in the question, but it nonetheless wasn't. Given the lack of "I am using Google Talk / Jabber / etc.", I guessed on the default protocol: iMessage, which doesn't support video chat. Apple has relayed that to the FaceTime protocol.

@kevin9794 FYI- FaceTime is working (I can see my ugly face), Skype is working, Google Voice (Google Talk Plugin v3.15.2.12038 Google Talk Plugin Video Accelerator v0.1.44.24) is working (I mean the video is working on all those)!


text:
iPhone 4S won't power off
I powered off my iPhone (sample instructions). I see the progress wheel for a few seconds after holding down the power button and sliding the 'slide to power off' and then I see the silver Apple logo as if it powered on immediately.
Is this a reset and not a power off? Did this before going to sleep and woke up with a dead battery.
I've struggled with low battery life and did the full replacment of operating system. If I have to go through that again, I'll get a new phone.
Version: 6.1.2

This sure sounds like a hardware problem, but before seeking support from AppleCare, you might look over the computer that performed the restore and see what the log file has for the restore event. If you can edit in more details on how you went about replacing the OS and what computer you might have with iTunes installed, you might be able to fix this yourself.

This indicates a hardware problem with your phone. Contact AppleCare, or make a Genius Bar reservation at your local Apple Store

I did some more research and powered it down will plugged in.
Tried restarting the phone and then powering down, but that didn't help.
Seems like the only way I can power this phone off is to plug it into a charger.

maybe a different battery won't have the fault. perhaps you can try swapping battery with somebody or at a shop where they have them to try. perhaps you can hand them $10  or perhaps they'll do it free of charge. just try the battery from one of their show devices and see if it works.


text:
"Shared" section of the sidebar very long to appear in OS X 10.8.2
After being very satisfied with my MacBook Pro running OS X 10.6.8, I advised a non-technical-skilled relative to buy one, which she did. The MacBook Pro came with OS X 10.8.2 but there is a problem. The "Shared" section of the sidebar is very long to appear, sometime more than 5 minutes.
Considering this "Shared" section appears as soon as I am logged on my MacBook, I guess the recently bought MacBook Pro (2.5 GHz Intel Core i5) could do, at least, as good as mine (2.4 GHz Intel Core i5) which was bought 2 years earlier.
Does anyone know if there is a way to fix this?

What do you mean by "very long to appear"? Do you not see the word "Shared" at first? Does it take a long time for shared computers to populate? Is this person on the same network as you?

@bispymusic I mean minutes: 5, 10, ... I did not measured it precisely. On my MacBook, it is neither minutes, nor secondes because it appears as soon as I see the sidebar in a freshly opened finder window in my freshly turned on MacBook.

@bispymusic So no, at first, I don't see neither the "Shared" section nor the computers on the network. It takes minutes for the computers to populate.
The person seems to be in the same network because, after few minutes, the computers on the networks finally appear. However, in her MacBook in System Preferences > Network > Advanced > WINS tab > Workgroup field, I see "WORKGROUP" selected and it always come back even after I delete it. While, on my MacBook, nothing is selected in this field.

This has nothing to do with the machine speed, most likely with the network settings and how many machines are on the network. Try to delete the workgroup entry and then lock the System Preferences (padlock on the bottom left side). Also, when you say "The person seems to be in the same network... " do you refer to the same network as you, i.e. are both your and her machines on the same network? Finally, do you use Sharing? If not, why not disable it.

@lupincho deleting the workgroup entry and then locking the padlock does not help. Yes, I referred to the same network as me. If by Sharing you mean file sharing, then yes, the person uses it. I performed a test by disabling it just to verify and... that does not change anything!


text:
WiFi reception booster for MacBook air
I live temporary in Spain.
I have MacBook Air with OSX 10.8.
I have access to public WiFi but signal is week, and I do not want to hang over the balcony all the time :), or crack my neighbors (strong) wifi (WPA protected).
Is there a booster for WiFi signal reception, like a repeater (inverted router) or something like it.
I was thinking of a device that would connect to a wifi and then boost the same signal so I can use it inside my apartment.
My budget is limited, so i appreciate a low cost maximum effect solutions.
Any advice ?

The easiest way is to use a wifi repeater.  Many routers can be put into repeater mode.  Put the repeater on your porch.
Initially you have to attach the router to your laptop with an ethernet cable to configure it.  Directions vary between manufacturers, but in a nutshell, you want it to listen on whatever channel is the available one, then rebroadcast that on an un0ccupied channel at least 3 channel numbers away.  So if the current access point was on channel 2, you would want it to rebroadcast on 5 or above.
Google wi-fi repeater.  Try amazon.  Should be under 50 bucks.
A second solution that will work better, but is less convenient, is to put a wifi router on the porch, and put it in bridge mode, then connect to it with an ethernet cable.  This will give you full speed (repeaters cut your speed in half) and is less likely to cause/be subject to interference from other wifi points.

I was in a hurry and ordered a Netgear WN3000RP-100GRS Universal Range Extender WiFi Repeater before I saw your reply. My WiFi connection is really bad. I hope the Netgear will work. Thanks for the reply. As for the 1/2 speed, no problem compared to when one does not have a connection at all.


text:
On startup Calendar shows only one calendar
The following problem has appeared a few days ago. I believe I have not changed any settings.
Whenever I open up Calendar under OS 10.8.2 on my MacBook Air it shows just one of the calendars I sync with Google. This one has a tick mark in the calendars list shown under the menu "Window":

When I click on "Window > Calendars" (or "Cmd-0"), all calendars appear:

But when I shut down and open Calendar, only the one calendar shows up again.
I don't know where I can set this to always display all calendars, as it was until a few days ago. None of the calendars are ticked under "Preferences > Account > Delegation", and ticking them changes nothing:

I'm on a German system, so menu items are maybe named differently in English than I translated them. I added some images to make my meaning more clear.

Adding some screenshots might help in understanding your problem (and also cover any translation issues). Can you upload them to a sharing site and add the links either as a comment or into your question?

Close Calendar app. Go to Finder. Press cmd+G to navigate to a folder. Type in ~/Library/Preferences. Locate a file called com.apple.iCal.plist. Move it to Trash.
Now try to relaunch Calendar. Hopefully you should now be able to select the calendars you want to see and have them still be selected once you quit and reopen Calendar.

This worked. But let's just assume I actually wanted the behavior described above, how would I set Calendar to behave that way?

Wanted it to always default to a specific calendar? I don't believe there is a way to do this. Calendar.app is designed to remember your last view settings and display them when you relaunch the app.


text:
Always show mobile version in safari OS X
I do not know where to public my question and in fact i hope that it is the right place :)
I really like mobile version of one web site, but at the same time i hate full version of it. Is it possible to make redirect in safari on my OS X? Possible do you know some extensions, tips and etc.
I checked ip adresses of that two version and they are the same. So i cannot just edit the hosts file.. Hope you know a solution. Thank you.

There is no toggle on the website? Some website check the user-agent (if you know what this is?) to display the full site or mobile version. Others don't, so there is no option to force mobile site that way.

There is no toggle on website. That web site check the user-agent and if in safari to choose iPad user-agent it will show mobile version, but it is not possible to save my choice.

You have to enable the Develop menu of Safari, then you can choose your user agent.

Yes, it is working but it does not save that settings..

There's a simpler way than clicking your way through pull down menus. I'm a big fan of key commands, so if you go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts pane, go to the App Shortcuts side menu item, pick Safari from a list of apps and then add a new short cut.
Use this specific text: Safari iOS 7 — iPad and then set up a key command to bring up the iOS version of the website. My preference is to use command-options-shift-i to bring up the iOS version of the site and then if I want to toggle back I have another set up to trigger the menu text Safari 8.0.
I find this particularly helpful for view sites that want to force you to use flash video (which I abhor and have disabled in the browser with plugins) to load HTML5 video. This is also good if you want to download video for later viewing when you may not have adequate internet access. It also lets you automatically cherry-pick the highest available resolution by default when you download.
Hopefully this helps.


text:
iCloud says Password is Wrong Even Though I Know It's Right
iCloud says that my password is wrong - even though I know it's right.
Here's whats happened: Yesterday, I reset my iCloud password. Got the reset email, changed password. Tried to log in to the account, didn't accept it. I thought that maybe my finger had slipped typing in the password (twice). I called support, got the reset email.
Now, here's the really, really weird thing: I wanted to make sure I got the password right - so I typed my password into TextEdit, copied it into the reset fields and reset the password. After reseting it, I immediately went to icloud.com and tried to log in using the copied password from TextEdit. The passwords are the same. iCloud won't let me in.

Is your password really really long or does it contain any special characters?

@NathanGreenstein It's about 12 chars long. Contains one special character and a number, capita and lowercase letters.

Have you quit your browser, dumping cache and cookies, and Restarted your machine before going to iCloud.com? I would also check your keychain entry.

When you copied from TextEdit, you probably inadvertently copied a empty space with it (usually before the password). check for that.

@Borderline Nope - Even if I did, it would still have been the same for each paste - No?

Sorry, I did not understand you are using paste and not typing the password even after the account was set up.

And you can not see the password you are pasting (typing) so you do not know what is in the password field.

The following is bit elaborate (but even me can do it)

Having the same issue. I pasted the password both from KeePass and from notepad. I know the password was right because I only set it last week, and it was accepted when I re-typed it into the phone. I finally got past it by manually typing it, not pasting it.

I got it figured out. Kind of.
After two (!) support calls to Apple, two password reset emails, and a bunch of copy and pastes later, I can get in.
I still don't know what caused it, but I suspect there was a bad network configuration of some sort on my end.

It's not a network issue on your end, it is 100% a bug. I'm a network engineer.

Not a solution just a verification.
Since you can not see the password, that you pasted or typed I sugest to verify what is in the password field.
For that
Open iCloud in Chrome
In the log in paste your password- But DO NOT try to log in.
Now to make it visible do following:
Right click on the password field and select "Inspect Element"
That will open a new window that looks like this

Move the cursor on the password field:
there will be a highlighted line in the bottom window as you can see:

Right click on the highlighted line and select
Edit Attribute
Now it will highlight the word "type", now you write "show" instead "type"
Magic, now it will show what is in you password field.

I am sure there is better and faster way to do this, but I am a dummy.

I'm sure this is the best way to - really quite simple (I'm an iOS dev anyway). I'm talking to Support over the phone currently. They seem quite interested.

Why type=>show, not password=>text?

I have the same problem.  I tried to enter iCloud with the same Apple ID and password that I use to (successfully) log into the App store.   Then I reset it.   Actually there's a bug on the site that asks for your birthdate, but leaves off the year, so no matter what you put in, it's always wrong.  I was finally able to reset the password.   I tried logging in with the new password, but it wouldn't let me.  I went to the App store and used the new password to successfully log in again.


text:
Disable scrolling in iCal and iTunes when apps aren't selected
Sometimes I'll have iCal or iTunes open alongside another app, and I'll accidentally scroll up or down while the mouse is hovering over iCal or iTunes and it will actually scroll even though neither of the apps are selected.
How do I disable scrolling on iCal and iTunes when the app isn't selected?
Note: I'm on a 2011 MBP w/ Lion

Many people love this single feature about OS X and you want to disable it?

@duci9y See answer http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/75628/is-there-any-way-to-get-rid-of-the-gray-area-in-ical


text:
How can I disable automatic scanning for WiFi networks?
The objective is to strengthen the WiFi reception (at the moment without additional hardware).
I live in an area with a 100+ radio signals.

Majority is useless (to low signal) but still scanned and displayed. The one I get connection is so low it keeps lossing it if I sneeze.
Also I observed that my WiFi keeps scanning (looking for a Network) even tho I am connected.
Can I disable the continuos looking for a network? hoping to gain some signal strength on the one I am connected.
Additional information:
I have a MacBook Air with OSX 10.8.3, so no plugs for external antena that I know off. I live in Spain, and the routers are not meine nor accessible to me. Getting my private internet (ISP) is not a option.

You had two questions in here. This site works better when there is only one question per question. That way, it's easier for other people to find solutions if they have the same problem. I've edited out your second question, but feel free to ask it separately.

Did you consider not clicking on the wifi icon and not running a utility that initiates a scan? The software doesn't run a scan unless you ask it to.

WOW, thats a good one, so it does not continues scanning in background!

It turns out it keeps scanning even if I do not look at it, nasty little sucker.

AFAIK there is no way to disable wireless network scanning. You can only disable the alerts about new wifi networks being found.
More significantly, because of the way wi-fi works, the transmission rate is going to be very very low due to all the stations interfering with each other.
But reading into your question at a deeper level, "How can I get decent wifi"

Google "pringle can antenna" You will find a raft of recipes for high gain directional wifi antennas.  This can be used to select a given station out of the crowd.
This, by itself leaves you leashed to an ethernet cable to the external antenna, which you really don't want to move.
So you connect the pringles cantenna to your own wifi router, set it to broadcast on a seperate channel (ideally >3 channels away from the one the cantenna is listening to)

Finally, you may find that the easier way to get anything done is to use a wired conection.

After it was edited, this answer makes sense.

How about setting up a wireless bridge and an new 802.11a ap?
Purchase a l-com 2.4Gz bridge and 5Gz Ap. All can be purchased here:
http://www.l-com.com/wireless-network-l-com-outdoor-cpe-wireless-access-points
Connect the two and use the 5Gz AP and your air to connect. The 2.4Gz bridge can accept a directional antenna to boot your target signal.

Great suggestion, can not get it in Spain :(

With my "millons" of wifi signals I think a directional antena is a must have, so I can focus on one signal. PS, I gave you cudos for your answer anyway.

The way to stop the computer from searching for networks is to open network preferences, go to advanced and a small window comes up. Type in the name of YOUR preferred network, and delete all others and click apply.
The computer will stop looking for new networks.
Good Luck!

that does Not work. The scanning continues.


text:
/usr/bin/nice and Handbrake
This is really two questions... If a process is run with nice (/usr/bin/nice in the default OS X Mountain Lion installation) will it run processes in equivalent time compared to that process being run without nice? Does the answer change if the system is heavily loaded vs. almost no other user processes?
What I am hoping is that I can keep Handbrake translating my large collection of videos to H.264/Universal preset for Apple TV, while incurring little to no performance penalty to my other tasks such as Xcode. So can Handbrake be started (can any GUI program be started) with nice?
If it matters (don't think it does) the machine is a MacBookPro6,1, 2.66GHz i7 with 8GB RAM. RAM is often fully used according to iStat Menus but that's the maximum for this machine.

I wonder if it would suffice  to just assign Xcode a higher process priority and let the OS figure out the rest.

Yes, you can run a GUI app with nice. For example, to run TextEdit with a niceness of 10:
nice /Applications/TextEdit.app/Contents/MacOS/TextEdit

It really depends on whether handbrake is using more CPU or more RAM. Xcode is a RAM hog, and nice won't help there, but if it's CPU, you're good.


text:
Mac: VRAM with multiple Monitors
It seems that when multiple monitors are attached to a MacBook Pro (Retina), OSX splits up the VRAM for the monitors. Even when a screen is captured by e.g. a game, performance degrades very steep. The only thing that helps is to put the MBP in clamshell mode and remove one of the 2 attached displays to get back to reasonable performance.
The thing I don't understand is, why does the OS not allocate all resources to the captured display by default when it's captured? What's the reasoning behind this?

The rule is if a monitor is attached, GPU needs to push content to it, therefore taking out memory space.
The good thing is, that space is quite small when a game is in fullscreen since it's just a big black canvas being pushed.
The bad news is, performance isn't degraded because of the VRAM, it's rendering units.
Each GPUs is made up of different units specialized in performing different tasks. There's one kind of units that are specialized in rendering outputs.
That said, even if the retina display is blank, it still consumes a great deal of rendering unit's resources. That is what I think make the game slow.
It's like the difference between my recently purchased GTX 660 TI and 670. They are as good as each other in terms of calculation performance (texel rate, effects), but it has slower RAM and less rendering units. That makes it perform much worse in high resolution.

I don't quite understand what "the rule is" means. The OS should make the rules. Why do I have to allocate rendering units for an unused display in the first place?

It is not in theory, unused. It is showing a blank content. If you look at how OS X handle fullscreen OpenGL application here, https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/graphicsimaging/Conceptual/OpenGL-MacProgGuide/opengl_fullscreen/opengl_cgl.html

It is creating a window that sits in top of any other. Which in theory again, that fullscreen application, games or not, is just like any other application window. Therefore, other displays will stay on for there's no reason to be off.

But that really depend on how the game is written, or the application.

Yes, I know that it shows black content. But WHY does it do that instead of disabling it? It makes no sense performance wise.

In general, that doesn't hurt performance that much. It's good when you wanna do simulation with OpenGL and data statistics together on two displays. That's the ideal situation. Also, it takes time to disconnect and connect the display if it is programmed to do so, it goes into a blue screen and comes back up.


text:
Producing a standard tilde while using OS X (U.S. International - PC) keyboard layout
The tilde, ~, generated by the U.S. International - PC layout and the tilde, ~, produced by the U.S. layout are allegedly different characters.
How can I produce the U.S. tilde while using the International keyboard?

Both symbols in your question are U+007E TILDE; they’re identical.

@MathiasBynens While the question currently displays the same tilde character, I think it is clear what the poster intends:  When you don't type a space after it, the US International PC tilde key generates ˜, U+02DC.

To produce the standard tilde (U+007E) with US International PC you just type tilde and then space.  It will be exactly the same as what you get by typing tilde with the US layout.

Press alt+N and then space for the standard tilde.

This is the correct answer. And it has the least points.

Take a look at KeyRemap4Macbook if you want to permanently remap, it's got a tonne of options.
Another way to do this, if you're using Lion or above is adding to the PressAndHold IOS-esque feature.
Ukelele can allegedly do this, or take a look over here: Mountain Lion - Umlauts with english keyboard layout

Did you actually try PressAndHold?  As far as I can see it does NOT help you produce a tilde with the US International PC layout.  Also it seems kind of crazy to remap the keyboard for this, when you can just type a space

I was referring to adding to PressAndHold as per the linked answers, tilde isn't in the defaults. I have clarified the wording above. You're right it does seem like overkill to remap the Keyboard or parts of if it but in my experience and workflow it's a one-time maintenance free effective solution. I'm answering with the ways I know how to do this and it's up to the reader how they want to solve it using the options available.


text:
Firewall settings with "imagent"
Among others that I recognize, I have the "imagent" been allowed to pass true my firewall (allow incoming connection).
What/who is it, and do I must have it or can I just block it.
I do not remember allowing it in the first place anyway, but that could be due to my age :)

IMAgent is a process that listens for FaceTime/iMessage invitations. It will be active even if FaceTime isn't running. You don't have to block it, but if you don't use FaceTime you can open the application, open preferences, and turn off FaceTime. That should quit the IMAgent process.

Holly shit!!!  You should have warned me. So, I opened the FaceTime as advised by you, and there was that ugly person staring back at me doing exactly what I was doing!

imagent is part of iMessage/Messages/Facetime (see e.g. here) and needs to accept incoming connections for the same reasons as Skype and GoogleTalk do.

OK, since I do NOT use the "iMessage/Messages/Facetime" I can kill it then.

The top-voted answer should be changed since IMAgent can be used for non-FaceTime messaging purposes. For example, it will connect to your Jabber account if you added one in Messages.

It's part of the iMessage system. It's needed when sending messages / pictures.

if it's using too much cpu, feel free to kill. It will be re-launched automatically (and Fans will stop spinning..)

authors: Владимир Racer


text:
Where VIM keep its recordings?
I was trying to use VIM and it kept blinking "recording" all the time. Now I know that it means VIM was recording what I was typing. Where does it keep these recordings? I would like to delete these.

The "recording" label usually appears when you press 'q' key to record a macro. It is not recording what you are typing, it is recording a command sequence to be re-used for later use.
See: http://vim.wikia.com/wiki/Macros

Is there anyway I can clean this command sequence?

To start recording you press 'q' and a letter, to stop press 'q' again. Macros are NOT saved in between sessions so VIM will forget about it once you quit.
If you wish to expressly save a macro then read on http://vim.wikia.com/wiki/Macros#Saving_a_macro

Oh... I got it. Thks!!

The recordings are stored in the named buffers. You can place the buffer contents into a file as text, save the file, and reload the text into a buffer in another session. You can use the same technique to clean up the recorded macro. Insert the buffer as text, edit the text, re-save the text into the same buffer.


text:
Permissions error when downloading or quick-looking attachments in mail.app after symlinking Mail Downloads directory
Awhile back, I symlinked my ~/Library/Mail Downloads directory to ~/Downloads so that my email attachments would be downloaded to the same location that all my other applications download files to.
When I upgraded to Mountain Lion, I noticed that the Mail Downloads folder had been restored.  So I deleted it and recreated the symlink the same way I did for previous versions of OS X.
Now, every time I try to download or quick-look an attachment in mail.app, I see the following error (might not be exact; translating from Spanish):

Mail was unable to save the attachment "..." to disk.  Make sure that the downloads folder has write permissions.

Some of the fixes I have tried:

Making ~/Downloads world-writable.
Removing the symlink and re-creating the directory.

Making that directory world-writable.

Repairing permissions via Disk Utility.
Changing the location of the Downloads Folder preference for Mail.app to ~/Downloads.

How do I restore the functionality of my Mail Downloads folder (preferably so that it is symlinked to my home Downloads folder)?

Silly question: have you tried changing the "Downloads folder" preference in Mail.app?

lol That is a good point; I forgot about that.  Unfortunately, changing the preference to my home downloads folder does not solve the issue (although perhaps it helps pinpoint the problem).  I will update my question.

Assuming Mountain Lion...

Quit Mail

Delete the ~/Library/Mail Downloads folder.

Delete the ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail folder.

Restart Mail

Rebuild Mailboxes

Set your Downloads folder in Mails preferences to ~/Downloads.

Better?

Maybe just try to set the downloads folder directly in preferences before deleting com.apple.mail.

Sweet.  That did it.  Thanks so much for your help!


text:
Safari 5.1.8 in Snow Leopard 10.6.8 will not display HTML pages correctly
Some sort of user-profile level corruption is causing Safari 5.1.8 in Snow Leopard to display any web pages as just plain text, formatted mostly in a single column, with only small thumbnails of graphics or no graphics at all, while the same web pages on the same computer look perfectly fine in FireFox and Chrome.
The corruption is only in my friend's main administrator user profile. When I create a new user profile for testing purposes, Safari works fine and displays pages correctly.
I have tried resetting Safari, in all categories, flushing all the caches and rebuilding permissions.
I have also "blown out" and deleted the user account, saving the home folder, and created a new user account with the same name, migrating the old home folder back to the new user account. Nothing helps.
Any suggestions as to how I might find and repair the corruption in the user profile that seems to be causing this?

I have solved my own problem.
Enough snooping around for .plist files got the job done. I identified all the .plist files with "Safari" and "com.apple.Safari" in the name in ~/Library/ and /Library/, and moved them to the Trash. Then I found a couple of invisible files in /Library/ with "Safari" in them and likewise moved them to the Trash. Then I rebooted. Safari now works correctly.
I wish I had thought of that first. I have wasted hours on this problem.

did all of these files end with .plist? including the "couple of invisible files?"

I had the same issue, what solved it for me is changing the DNS settings in System Preferences -> Network -> Wi-Fi -> Advanced -> DNS.
I removed the two DNS addresses 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220.
They were replaced automatically by my ISP's settings and now all sites display correctly.


text:
"Profiles" for any Mac application?
Is there a tool that lets me have a set of profiles, similar to Firefox, for any Mac application? So I can have two instances of an application, but each has its own settings...

Check out SwitchUp.

http://www.irradiatedsoftware.com/switchup/

It used to be called rooSwitch and it was awesome for managing app prefs and data files. Now it's better and more awesome.


text:
How many fans does a 2.26 GHz 15" 2009 MacBook Pro 5,5 have?
I have a 15" MacBook Pro 2.26 GHz purchased in late 2009, model "MacBookPro5,5".
The FanControl PrefPane reports
Right Fan: -1 RPM

Does this model only have one fan, or does it have two?

Two fans, unless it's a trick question and you consider them blowers :-)
See http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2009+Right+Fan/1710/1

Hm. That link is for "2.66 GHz" and faster. I have 2.26 GHz. Does that make a difference? This page appears to only show 1 fan: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Unibody+2.53+GHz+Mid+2009+Fan/1536/1


text:
Requirement when submitting app to Apple
When I try to set up the app in Apple iTunes Connect to submit my app, I was asked to provide the support url.
Can I use my blog website for this?

I have seen many apps do this and there is no documented requirement as to what the support URL contains.
Table 10-2 of the iTunes Connect Developer Guide (Editing and Updating App Information) contains the reference to need to provide a support URL and there isn't any mention of requirements.
Clearly, the reviewer may visit your site during the review process and perhaps have a software monitor it periodically.
I've not known them to send a request for support during the review process, but I'd hate to fail review due to this item.
My advice is to be absolutely clear and indicate where on your blog the support avenue lies. I'd also set up third party monitoring of that URL in case it goes down during review and once your app is live on the app store.


text:
Why don't my Time Machine backups get corrupted?
I have a theoretical question about Time Machine. I've used TM for several years (since Leopard), and have never once had a problem.
Here's my question: When I restart my machine, why doesn't the backup become half-done or a file half-written? Neither my 27-inch iMac nor the G5 it replaced ever said 'hey - I kind of need to finish this first'.

Imagine there's a checklist, file 1, file 2, etc.
You pull the plug in the middle of file 2 being saved.
On restart of Time Machine, it sees file 1 (check) but file 2 wasn't completed, so it sees where it left off and finishes.
What's similarly remarkable is I can pull the plug on a downloading video, a 2GB single file, and on restart, it (the torrent client) knows where to pick up where it left off.


text:
iPad and iTunes syncing
When my wife travels to the south later this year, will she able to play her iTunes music on her iPad2 at her dad's home? Will she simply need to log into his home network to do so?
Basically, we have the music which he doesn't, and we're trying to determine how to best share our music at his home. (Note: my wife's iPad is synced with our iMac, and the music is a combination of iTunes purchases and our own CDs that have been ripped to the iMac). Her dad will be in California next week; can he simply log into my network (iTunes account) and access my music? Or is the issue the fact that he and I have separate iTunes accounts?

I'm having trouble understanding what you are trying to do. Are you trying to stream music on your wife's iPad to their iTunes so you can play it from their speakers, or are you trying to give them (permanently) your music? I added the [tag:home-sharing] tag, but perhaps it should be [tag:transfer] tag or something? Would you be willing to clarify your question some? Perhaps it would be better if you removed the last two question as they seem a little confusing in light of the first ones

Thanks for the response. Let me clarify. My wife can stream the music on her iPad2 to our home theatre via Apple TV. We have one iTunes acct for our purchases, etc..When she goes to visit family in Ga. is there a way she can stream the same music via her dad's home theatre/Apple TV set up. I'm assuming there's an issue related to our iTunes acct vs her dad's iTunes acct.

I'll add this to the transfer tag as well


text:
Where can I get Python VTE bindings for the Mac OS X?
I'm trying to comiple Guake top-down terminal (guake.org) in Mac OS X. I've met a bunch of dependency issues while ./configure phase, but now I'm completely stuck with the following dependency issue:
checking for the python-vte package... no
configure: error: cannot import Python module "vte".
    Please check if you have python-vte installed. The error was:
    No module named vte

I've installed python, pygtk and vte via Homebrew but can't find anything related to python-vte, pip doesn't give me any suitable candidates. I've spent a lot of time while have been googling how to resolve this dependency and didn't find any references of python VTE bindings sources but saw many prebuilt packages for other OSes (http://packages.debian.org/ru/sid/python-vte).
Did anybody meet this issue before or just knows how to resolve it?
Thanks.
PS: Sorry for my intermediate English..

Macport has it. You may install MacPort and do a
sudo port install vte

NB: Installing vte trough MacPort install a new python in /opt/local/ and vte gets installed in /opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site-packages/gtk-2.0

However - don't mix macports and homebrew, choose one or the other.

You can do this via homebrew easily enough with:
brew install vte


text:
How can I check if an iphone is sim unlocked already?
For the iPhone 4S and 5, is it possible to easily check if they are sim unlocked ? If so how ?
I've already seen this question but sounds a bit more complicated than I hoped. What's the simplest solution ?

That was the simplest solution.

There's two ways: Physically check by inserting a sim card, or contact AppleCare and ask them.


text:
Were the 2009 MBP's affected by the NVIDIA problem?
I am considering purchasing a mid 2009 Macbook Pro - 13", 2.53 GHz.
However, someone advised me to beware of the NVIDIA graphics card problem they had in 'that time frame'. As I understand, the video would go out or flicker and in general make the machine hard to use.
After much google, it seems that the problem happened during the 2008 time frame - see here and here and here.
I can't seem to find a single case where a 2009 MBP failed due to the graphics card. Since I'm thinking about purchasing, I would like some confirmation that, indeed, 2009 13" Macbook Pros were NOT affected by the NVIDIA graphics problem.

The 2009 models do not have the affected chipset.
Apple publishes all repair extension and other "recall" type news at this page:

http://www.apple.com/support/exchange_repair/

You can use a tool like the Wayback Machine from the Internet Archive to look at the contents of that page back to at least 2007 if you are curious if there was a program earlier and it's no longer on the main site.

Yes, I have a mid 2009 15" macbook pro and this is hard to type b/c my screen is full of horizontal flickering.  The problem has persisted for weeks now, and at the genius bar I was informed that this model is now an "antique", & that repairs (new logic board, since the graphics card is integrated) can no longer be done.