How can I upgrade from Oracle JDK 8 to OpenJDK 8 using Homebrew and be sure it will be used by default? If I have Oracle Java SE JDK 8 installed on my mac, how can I upgrade to Open JDK 8 and be sure it will be used by default?

Motivation: Android build tools seem to need JDK 8, but according to the following links Oracle JDK 8 will not receive free updates after January 2019 for commercial use, not even security updates:

https://java.com/en/download/release_notice.jsp
https://medium.com/@javachampions/java-is-still-free-c02aef8c9e04
https://github.com/apache/cordova-android/issues/637

Recommended prerequisite: check which versions of Java may already be installed using the following command: /usr/libexec/java_home -V
The following commands worked for me:

brew search openjdk # check if desired adoptopenjdk8 cask may already available
brew search java # (optional)
brew tap AdoptOpenJDK/openjdk # (assuming that the desired adoptopenjdk8 cask is not already available)
brew search openjdk # check that the desired adoptopenjdk8 cask is now available
brew install --cask adoptopenjdk8

Then the following commands confirmed that I was using the desired OpenJDK 8 version by default (with no JAVA_HOME environment variable setting):

java -version
javac -version

And the following commands confirmed that I have both Java SE 8 and OpenJDK 8 installed:

/usr/libexec/java_home -V
ls /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines

Note that which java and which javac show that java and javac are still run from /usr/bin.
Followup step: remove the old Java SE SDK from /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines, as documented in: https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/install/mac_jdk.html#A1096903
AdoptOpenJDK 8 package notes May 2019: adoptopenjdk8 was also added to homebrew/cask-versions, and this led to some issues: https://github.com/AdoptOpenJDK/homebrew-openjdk/issues/106
There is now a proposal to rename adoptopenjdk8 to openjdk8 in homebrew/cask-versions: https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-cask-versions/pull/7375
If this proposal is merged, this answer will likely be updated to recommend installing the renamed cask.
See also (some references):

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/44632292/how-to-install-specific-java-version-using-homebrew - discovered several months after I wrote this answer
https://dzone.com/articles/install-openjdk-versions-on-the-mac - discovered after I wrote this answer, mostly good but shows some formulae that I did not see
How can I install java openjdk 8 on High Sierra
https://discourse.brew.sh/t/how-to-install-openjdk-with-brew/712
https://github.com/AdoptOpenJDK/homebrew-openjdk#other-versions
https://medium.com/notes-for-geeks/java-home-and-java-home-on-macos-f246cab643bd
How to update Java from 8 Update 31 to 8 Update 51 when install fails? - with an old answer with a very helpful link through which I found the page with Oracle JDK uninstall directions
Does Mountain lion download Apple's JDK or the OpenJDK when attempting to load a Java app? - interesting question from July 2012


How to Eject All External Partitions Quickly? I have an external disk with two partitions on it that I keep plugged into my MacBook Pro when I'm at my desk. (One is for Time Machine, the other just for extra storage.) Sometimes I need to grab my laptop quickly and take it somewhere, but I have to change to a space where I can see the partitions on the desktop, lasso them, two-finger click, and select Eject. Is there a faster way under Mavericks, or do I have to set up an AppleScript like this one with a keyboard shortcut?

Note: I'm not looking to eject these only when I put my Mac to sleep (as explored here). Sometimes I'm on a screen-sharing telecon and I have to take my Mac away from my desk for a minute, if you know what I mean :-).

The only caveat to "quickly ejecting" disks with any reliability is that they will not eject if there are files in use which reside on them. That said, you can force eject disks, but that would not be ideal if files are, in fact, in use.

Easiest way to instantly eject all disks is by invoking an Applescript (could also create a shell script, but Applescript is more easily turned into a one-click application solution).

So go to your Applescript Editor, paste in the following:

tell application "Finder" to eject (every disk whose ejectable is true and local volume is true and free space is not equal to 0)

and save the script as an application wherever you choose (do NOT use the /tmp folder as illustrated). Add the resulting application to your Dock, and you have a one-click Quick Eject.

Note: the and free space is not equal to 0 portion is so that the script doesn't eject the contents of your CD/DVD drive. Remove that if you would like any inserted disks ejected as well.


Mac won't boot with new RAM installed I have a Mac mini (Macmini3,1). I was origionally told that, at most, it can only take 4 GB of RAM. When I bought the Mac it had 2 GB so I went to Fry's and got 2x 2 GB sticks.

Here is the info on the memory. Both are the same; I can't remember the manufacturer's name.

Size:   2 GB
Type:   DDR3
Speed:  1067 MHz
Manufacturer:   0x8502
Part Number:    0x505344333247313036363253000000000000
Serial Number:  0x00000000

Today, I got Mactracker from the App Store. It has data on all the Macs that ever existed.

It says that the Macmini3,1 has a maximum capacity for 8 GB of RAM but Apple only supports using up to 4 GB. Before I go out and get the RAM, I'm wondering if any of you have tried putting 8 GB of RAM on a Macmini3,1.

Today I bought this RAM.

I installed the RAM as someone suggested but the Mac wouldn't even boot; what I mean is the power supply wouldn't even turn on. I just saw the white light in the front and that's it. I left it on for 5 minutes and still nothing. I took it apart checked all wires a few times and tried a few times and still wouldn't turn on. I eventually gave up and put the old RAM back in and it worked.

Is it possible that the RAM is bad and I should have it replaced? Or I should use another brand?

I can only suggest that you have a faulty ram. Try installing just one stick of ram to see if it boots.
Have a look at this document. Hope it helps
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4432


How to restore system from SynologyRouter Time Machine? I want to restore my system from a Time Machine backup which is on a SynologyRouter Time Machine network drive.

When I restart in recovery (Cmd-Opt-R) and try to restore from Time Machine backup, no Time Machine volume / drive is shown or found.

I followed the instructions provided in an earlier question, How to restore system from network drive?, and while all commands in the Terminal are being executed fine, when I get to Step 13 of the procedure outlined, the Mac still does not show or find a Time Machine volume.

Are there any alternative procedures available or anything else that may be needed to successfully complete Step 13 of the above mentioned solution?

Please note, I would prefer to not have to first perform a clean install, followed by Migration Assistant.

To restore from a Time Machine backup on SynologyRouter, and probably any other Time Machine network drive, selecting the 'Other Server' option in the 'Select A Restore Source' screen will allow one to enter the proper network drive URL.
What is important, though, to enter the full URL, including the actually shared network folder name, not just the URL for the network server.


Does signing out of my Apple ID delete the apps on macOS? I have some apps that I bought personally that I would like to use on my work laptop.
Can I sign in with my Apple ID and then install these app versions there and then sign out?
I guess I would not receive any updates for them that way?

You would need to give your Apple ID password in order to update them.
You are allowed to install apps on 5 Macs. I suppose a work laptop is OK as long as you are the prime or only user. You may want to check the exact wording of the Apple licence agreement in your country.


Setting a shortcut to "Right Size This Column" in Finder on El Capitan I'm trying to set a keyboard shortcut for "Right Size This Column" in Finder. I've tried setting it under Keyboard > Shortcuts in System Preferences, but this does nothing.

There is no menu item in Finder named "Right Size This Column" so this shortcut does nothing as no matching menu item can be found.


How to show newly added books in iBooks on iPad? I use an iPad mini 4 as an ebook reader to read PDF books. I don't know if it's because of my stupidity or else, I feel iPad is many times harder to use as an e-reader than an android tablet, it has caused me many headaches in doing things as simple as transferring or syncing books. I often have the thought of ditching the iPad and getting an android tablet instead but my thrifty nature always wins.

I have many books on iPad, and I use collections to manage books in the iBooks app. A problem has harassed me for a long time: when I add a new book to iTunes, sync it to iPad, and try to move it to a collection, it is very hard to find the newly added book on iPad. It is buried in a list of hundreds of books. There is no "not in any collection" category. I searched Google many times for a simple solution but without success.

Where do I find newly added books in iBooks app?

I don't know what iOS version you're at but there is a sort by feature in Books.app in iOS 12. Also, most of the collections also allow you to sort. I normally put them in Want to Read for quick access.


Unable to place call from Mac using iPhone I have a Mac and and an iPhone. I want to make phone calls to my saved contacts from the Contacts app on my Mac without picking up my iPhone.
But when I click on the call icon in the Contacts app, Skype launches instead.
Calling via iPhone was working fine previously, but now Skype launches instead. I do not wish to use Skype.
I do not remember changing any settings, and I want the old behavior back to call from my iPhone and not from Skype installed on my Mac.
How can I resolve this issue?

Apparently you installed Skype and it got configured as the default app for making telephone calls (default app your Mac would use to handle tel: links).
You can try to revert to the previous/default behavior by launching FaceTime app on your Mac, going to Preferences and opening the Settings tab. Look for the value selected for Default for calls: at the bottom and make sure FaceTime is selected.


What can be done with no calculator or weather app on iPad? Asking for my six year old. Her iPad has no weather app or calculator, which is apparently making her very unhappy. She can see myself and her mom using both of these apps on our iPhones, but her iPad somehow doesn't have them.

What can I do to calculate and look for weather on an iPad Air with iOS 8.1 on it?

Apple simply haven't made iPad apps for Weather or Calculator. This is intentional and nothing you have done. Apps with similar functionality are numerous on the App Store.

Additionally, the notification center does pull a local forecast, and many extensions can add exactly the weather information you prefer rather than just using Yahoo weather like the iPhone does. There are many regions in the world where local weather apps are superior to the ones on iPhone.


Quarantine alert for Skim I'm on Mountain Lion. Every time I double-click on a pdfd (pdf bundle) document, I get the alert saying that I'm opening Skim for the first time (which is, of course, false).

I've completely disabled the quarantine system. I also tried to reset the LaunchServices database.

How can I fix this?

Solved: I had to trash Skim, rebuild the LaunchServices database, restore Skim and rebuild the database once again.


Bluetooth keyboard not showing battery level and function key not working So my bluetooth keyboard function key hasn't been working for a while, the built in one works fine. I bought a new apple keyboard to try and fix the problem but turns out its my laptop. I also noticed that where the bluetooth settings used to show battery levels for apple products, it no longer does.

All the F1-12 keys work fine but the function key its self doesn't work at all or in combination with other keys.

In the bluetooth settings it says no battery but at the time the keyboard batteries were full.

I have tried basic things like un-pairing and pairing again, also some commands to unload and load bluetooth files.

Thanks.

[]
[]
[]

What is the model and age of your laptop?

I had some trackpad issues a month or so ago with my own Macbook, and it turned out that the battery was in need of replacement, swelling and pressing the trackpad.  Also, have you tried clearing the NVRAM?  Press the built-in keyboard keys P R option command while rebooting to clear the NVRAM.  Also it might be worthwhile to clear the system caches … hold down the shift key while rebooting to do that.  Then try re-pairing the bluetooth device and see if it is any more successful.


Find a specific word within a specific folder on a cloud drive? I send out monthly wine cases to my clients, and we never send the same wine twice (until the vintage changes).

I need to be able to search through all the existing tasting sheet docs to make sure that I haven't sent, for example, Chateau Haut Brion (if only!) previously.

In pc, I could just go straight to the folder, in this case Wine Club Tasting Sheets, and search that folder and instantly I would find that I did send the specific wine in August 2019 (as an example). I cannot for the life of me see how I do this within Finder/Spotlight or 3rd party app Easy Find.

In the Finder Preferences you can chose to search on your Mac or within the current folder (Finder Preferences > Advanced > When Performing a Search: drop down)
Spotlight searches filenames and file contents.


Is there any way of change current window in OS X? Coming from Windows I am missing some features like changing current window with a combination of keys. I mean, I know that you can switch app with cmd + tab but sometimes you want to go to another browser window or something like that. I know you can use gestures in order to display all current app windows but I would like to do it with a key or something like that.

Thanks

Mission Control handles window selection and visualization. Open that preference pane and look at the Application Windows keyboard shortcut.

Control down arrow (or in the trackpad preferences enable App Exposé - three finger swipe down) to activate the picker.

Enhancement for switching inside a program on OS X

From there you can select a window or arrow key left right to the window you desire.

command + [ or ] will switch to the next / previous window
command + { or } will switch to the next / previous tab within a window

Some applications - terminal is a notable one - define menu items to select the next window in turn. If they do, you can usually override the keyboard shortcut if you don't like the ones they chose by default.

Apple's window manager isn't a perfect fit for the design idiom of windows, but in this case, it's pretty close once you re-train your expectations to having all the windows one tap away.


Deleted symlink to /etc and now missing sudoers I messed up bad, real bad.

I accidentally deleted the symbolic link to my /etc directory. Now I can't create another one because I keep getting an error:

$ sudo ln -s /private/etc /etc
sudo: unable to stat /etc/sudoers: No such file or directory
sudo: no valid sudoers sources found, quitting
sudo: unable to initialize policy plugin

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Output of ls -l /etc:

$ ls -l /etc
ls: /etc: No such file or directory

My /etc was symlinked to /private/etc (sudoers is in there).

Boot to Recovery Mode (cmd-R)
Open Terminal from the menubar Utilities > Terminal
Soft-link /private/etc to /etc on your main Volume:

ln -s private/etc /Volumes/Macintosh\ HD/etc

Replace Macintosh\ HD with the name of your main volume (if your forgot it, just enter df or ls /Volumes/ and check for its name! Don't forget to escape blanks with a backslash.)


Mistakenly removed permissions I have a severe permissions' issue. I hope there are some really clever people out there, who might know how to solve this using the Terminal, expert-level hacking or in some really simple way so I at least can backup my data despite the faulty permissions.

This is the cause of the issue

Being a curious person, in Finder I right-clicked my User and hard-drive unit and removed "staff" as well as changed permissions for "everyone" under permissions. After this my Mac (Macbook Pro, 13 ", early 2013, latest version of Yosemite) hung and every time I try to start it up, it gets stuck loading before the login screen.

This is what I have tried and all have failed

Booting the faulty computer and letting it be to see if it would finish loading.
Rebooting it with cmd+r, entering disk utility, repairing permissions. This outputs

User differs on private/var/db/displaypolicyd; should be 0; user is 244.
Group differs on private/var/db/displaypolicyd; should be 0; user is 244.
Repaired "private/var/db/displaypolicyd"

However, when I reboot the permissions' issue remain and when entering Disk Utility again, I get the same permissions' repair messages.
Rebooting it and creating a new ACL.
Using another Macbook Pro, mounting the faulty one with the help of rebooting it in Target Mode. However, the permissions' issue doesn't permit me to access the drive this way. In Disk Utility, I can select the drive with the faulty permissions, but I can't select the option repair permissions.
Using another Macbook Pro, mounting the faulty one with the help of rebooting it in Target Mode and creating a new image (dmg) of its hard-drive to the functional computer.
Looked at the answers in How Should I Correct the Owners and Permissions in an OS X User Folder?, but they don't help in solving my problem

This I need help with

How can I repair the permissions considering this specific case and what has been tried already?
Or (if there is no easy way out of this) is it possible to make a backup of the drive so I can reinstall everything without loosing data?

To get started, you need at least to re-install the OS. Boot into the recovery system by pressing Cmd-R on system startup and the proceed with installing the OS. This will (unless something goes very wrong) not impact your existing data

After that, you will at least have a system which boots again. What still needs to be done (and which may turn out to be a rather cumbersome process) is to fix permissions for all non-standard applications and their support/library files. Again, just reinstalling these applications might be the easiest way.


How can I get rid of a "MacShiny" icon from my menu bar? Command and drag will not move it.
I've tried looking into library and user accounts but can't find the source. The MacShiny web site only tells how to uninstall the app itself, and says nothing about how to get rid of the icon.

Down load app cleaner free and use it to get rid of this app. If you have already deleted Macshiny you will have to download it again and then use app clean


Hard drive constraints and operating system for 2009 13" macbook I was given a 2009 13" macbook, but it needs a new hard drive and operating system.

What is the most current OS it can handle and how much space does that OS take when freshly installed?

Your MacBook can support anything up to and including High Sierra (the next OS release), but will not have Handoff due to the computer not supporting Bluetooth 4.0.
source

As for the install space, lifewire’s article says that you should have 16GB of space minimum for the install, though 32GB is recommended.


Should I uninstall Mail incompatible plug in which are disabled/inactive after Mountain Lion upgrade? I previously installed Herald for Mail under Lion.

When I rebooted after the installation of Mountain Lion, Mail told me the plug in was incompatible and it is now disabled or inactive.

  Was the mail plug in properly uninstalled and is it just disabled?
  Should I try to uninstall the mail plug in properly?

That always happens when a new version of Mail comes out, the Herald dev needs some time in order to get the plugin compatible.

If you still want to use Herald, just ignore it and watch @heraldapp on Twitter, to be notified when the update is available.

If you don't want Herald anymore, uninstall it by using the uninstaller in the herald.zip download file.


Screen tearing while gaming I'm running an iMac with a 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 with 12 GB of DDR3 on OS X 10.9.5 and am getting tearing with playing CS:GO. I'd like to fix this. How can I disable Vsync in 10.9.5? What does this have to do with Beamsync?

CS:GO respects its own Vsync setting, which works while in fullscreen. You can edit this in the Video options:

Enabling this setting will prevent screen tearing, at the cost of performance. Typically, this is undesirable in a competitive game like CS:GO, but there's nothing stopping you.

Beamsync is Apple's implementation of Vsync, present in the normal desktop environment and, by default, most apps. As of OS X Mavericks, the ability to enable/disable it was accessible through the Graphics Tools for Xcode:

  Download Graphics Tools for Xcode - Late August 2014
  Install or just mount Graphic Tools
  Open Quartz Debug
  Go to Tools -> Show Beam Sync Tools
  Select Disable Beam Synchronization

Note that these changes are not permanent.

At some point however, this appears to have changed: disabling Beam Sync is no longer available through the Graphics Tools. Some tools (1 and 2) claim to disable it, but I haven't verified their integrity, and neither have been updated since 2015.

My recommendation given your use case is to just keep CS:GO in fullscreen and use their implementation of Vsync, toggling as you see fit.


Send webpage from Mac to iOS using Handoff I use Chrome on my desktop and Safari on my iPhone and iPad.

I have Handoff already set up on my devices so that when I am browsing on iOS, I get the dock icon on my Mac and can open the page in Chrome. However, I haven't been able to figure out to do it the other way around. I have a page open on my Mac in Chrome (or even Safari) and I want to open it on my iPhone or iPad. How is this done with Handoff?

See this bug on chromium. Essentially it boils down to security settings that are not available unless the Mac app (Chrome, in this case) is released through the Mac App Store.

Note that due to the way Handoff is implemented in Chrome/Mac, the current tab from Chrome/Mac can be opened in Safari/iOS. When you are in Handoff range and have an open tab in Chrome/Mac, you should see the Safari icon in the lower-left corner on the iOS lock screen. Swipe up on it, enter your PIN or passcode if applicable, and it should open the page in Safari. Alternatively, if the phone is already unlocked, double-tap the Home button to open the Application Switcher, and swipe all the way to the left.

I added a suggestion to the above-referenced bug that they implement an "Open in Chrome" app extension for Chrome/iOS that would allow quickly opening the current Safari/iOS page in Chrome/iOS.


New administrator account has limited access I have an admin account which has a typo in it's account name and I wanted to fix it. So I created a different admin account so that I can rename the account name and home folder name from that account.

But when I logged in from the second admin account, my macbook air (macOS mojave) is exhibiting weird behavior, for example, the dock has lost its animation, taping on trackpad doesn't serve the purpose of click and I do not see Macintosh HD in the finder.

I tried to rename the home folder from the terminal like so:

sudo mv my-old-home my-new-home

But no luck. It says operation not permitted. How can I fix this?

Apple has instructions on their support site on how to rename accounts, see https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201548.

If you can't see your hard drive in the new account, an easy way out of this is using Shift-Cmd-G to go to /Users directly and rename from there.


Why does Finder see volumes which are not under /Volumes? If I navigate as high as possible in Finder (under 10.10.2, but this did not appear only recently), I see this window, with many volumes which are long unmounted, ejected and erased.

But if I tried to look around in the Terminal to potentially delete these, it only found the reasonable ones:

Laszlo-Sandors-MacBook-Pro:Volumes laszlosandor$ ls -la
total 24
drwxrwxrwt@  5 root          admin   170 Dec 28 09:04 .
drwxr-xr-x  47 root          wheel  1666 Dec 26 10:57 ..
-rw-r--r--@  1 laszlosandor  admin  6148 Jul 17 18:33 .DS_Store
lrwxr-xr-x   1 root          admin     1 Dec 26 10:51 Macintosh HD -> /
drwxrwxrwx   0 root          wheel     0 Dec 28 10:51 MobileBackups

Disk Utility only sees Macintosh HD.

What is going on, and what is there to do?

Finder will show all mounted volumes, regardless of where it's mounted from.

Open up Terminal (from Applications -> Utilities) and type 'mount' then hit enter. You'll get output similar to this:

alex@smiley:~|⇒  mount
/dev/disk3s2 on / (hfs, local, journaled)
devfs on /dev (devfs, local, nobrowse)
map -hosts on /net (autofs, nosuid, automounted, nobrowse)
map auto_home on /home (autofs, automounted, nobrowse)
/dev/disk8s2 on /Users (hfs, local, nodev, nosuid, journaled, noowners)

This shows what's mounted, and where. I have a disk mounted under /Users and Finder still shows it at the top level.

This should tell you where those volumes are coming from.

Also, try clicking on one and either cmd-I, or File -> Get Info, to see what Finder thinks it is.


iOS's Spelling Predictive Analysis - for bilingual writers? I love my iPhone 6 :) But I'm fully bilingual in Spanish and in English, and about 50% of my emails are in each language. Here's the problem. While my iPhone is in English, every time I write an email in Spanish, every single word it automatically changes to the closest English word! Argh! And as if this wasn't bad enough, unless I click on the "quoted" option, it just keeps doing it grrrr. This makes writing in the other language very, very tedious - to the point where I can't.

I'm wondering if there's a way to configure iOS or the dictionary or an app or something so that the spelling suggestions can use the dictionaries from both languages together, or something else that achieves that effect?

You have to activate the corresponding keyboards on Settings > General > Keyboards > Keyboards. Then when writing on each language, tap the world icon to the left of the space bar to switch between languages. The spelling check, prediction and dictionaries will be independent. The voice recognition also switches with it.

If you keep the globe pressed, a list will pop up, and you can chose the language directly.

Esto me da una buena excusa para escribir en español (mientras no exista un "Pregunta Diferente").

As you see from the screen-grab, no spelling suggestions are made to my Spanish phrase because I had the Spanish keyboard activated while writing it. However, if I go back and tap on it with the English keyboard activated, it will get red all over.


How to skip system hotkeys when using terminal emacs? I like to run GNU emacs in a Terminal window under Mac OS X 10.6.4.

Unfortunately, whenever I hit a hot key for emacs I often "trip" on an OS X system hot key.

For instance, when I hit ⌃ + space in emacs, I end up opening Spotlight.

Is there a way to "skip" system level hot keys when I use emacs under Terminal.app?

I hate to have to manually deactivate all system hot keys and re-enable them whenever I use emacs.

Found a way here that solved most of my own problem:

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/604808/option-or-command-key-as-meta-key-for-lispbox-on-macintosh


Mojave: How to grant apps permission in Security & Privacy -> Privacy -> Accessibility on the command line I manage a number of macOS laptops.

Trying to automate a deploy of Mojave, I have found that some things aren't very automatable. One thing in particular stands out: the new permission scheme in Mojave for apps to access disk and other resources.

Since my environment is managed, users can't access System Prefs panels that require admin credentials.

However, the Security & Privacy is locked to admins.

I have a device management system in place that can run things with elevated credentials which is why I am looking for an alterative way to do this.

So: Is there any way to automate the addition of apps to this preference pane?

tccutil. But not the official one from Apple.

brew has it.

Regards


New Computer bought will information be deleted? I bought a new computer recently and have not plugged my iphone into it yet. I had my phone synced with my old computer which crashed and cannot retrieve any information off of it including my music. So if I plug my iPhone into my new computer will everything be deleted or since I have iCloud will everything be saved? I want to know this information before I would plug into my new computer.

On your iPhone go to Settings > iCloud > Storage and Backup and turn on iCloud Backup

It will save your configurations and pictures on iCloud. This is the same you do when you sync your iPhone with iTunes. In this way you can restore your data from iCloud.

Once you have done the first backup you can attach the iPhone to your computer without loosing data.


Time machine error-1 How can I solve the problem - The backup disk image “/Volumes/Time Capsule de xx/MacBook Pro xx.sparsebundle” could not be accessed (error -1).

In Time Capsule go to "Disk" then "File Sharing".  Make sure "Share disk over the internet using Bonjour" is not checked. Don't know why but it caused this problem for me.


Lock Screen vs Login Window - affect on running processes It appears to me that BOTH Apple Menu>Lock Screen AND Fast User Switching Menu>Login Window halt user processes at some point. (AirServer eventually stops working for me)

I would like to know if/why/how user processes are affected in these scenarios.  I've read elsewhere that the Login Window halts processes, and the Lock Screen method shouldn't, but I've personally seen the opposite or inconsistent behavior.

With a better understanding, perhaps a native solution can be found - if one exists, I'd like to know!

I have zero interest in a screensaver, but if it can somehow lock the screen while allowing all background user processes to run, I'm listening.

Yes I have Sleep set to NEVER

I'm familiar with headless windows services automatically starting and running with zero user interaction, not even a need for an initial login.

I wish to have similar behavior on my Mac mini serving as Plex and Airplay server.

Unfortunately Plex and AirServer are user processes - so that means I have to log in initially... fine.

I just tested this in my Macbook Air, you can use Shift-Control-Power to lock your screen and it kept the processes running.

If you want to enter lockscreen after this command, you have to setup this option:

and your Energy Saver Settings should look like this:


Connecting an iPad to a printer on another (LAN) network I am wondering if it is possible to issue a command to print a PDF file from my iPad (connected to a WiFi network), to a printer which is connected to a LAN, provided I know the (global) IP address or URL of the printer.

I routinely print research papers, and to do this, I have to issue a command from a Mac or a laptop to print the PDF file. But I'd like to be able to do this from my iPad.

Is this possible? I haven't found any app on the App Store which can do this, but I haven't tried all possible apps of course.

For many years, I have been using Readdle's Printer Pro application for iOS. The app costs a few dollars, but seems to do the trick for me. It also works with all other Readdle apps, such as Scanner Pro, and Documents 5.

Printer Pro - print documents, photos, web pages and email attachments by Readdle
https://appsto.re/ca/hVxCx.i


Iphone 4 not charging after update to iOS6 Why is my iphone 4 unable to charge immediately after updating to iOS 6?  I am using an apple brand cable, I tried it on my computer, and I tried it in multiple wall outlets, no change. The charge is now 0% and I cant do anything, but before I did I powered down and did a restart and it did nothing.   Phone was working perfectly before hand and now I don't know what to do. This less than 24 hrs after updating FYI. I'm really mad!

The phone will charge even when the OS is powered down. Why not plug in your device and power it off (or wait for the battery to die and plug it in) and see.

If it won't charge after an OS update, you can be sure that there is a hardware issue with the charging circuitry. It's possible for a phone to get stuck in a loop where the CPU can take more power than a charger can provide, so the power cycle (or inevitable loss of battery power) could be needed to clear things and let it take a charge.


How to cleanly remove MacPorts I'd like to cleanly remove all changes made by MacPorts as well as MacPorts itself, to try my luck with homebrew. How can I do that?

The MacPort documentation advises to use your Terminal and type:
sudo port -fp uninstall installed

and with this command, all remaining items will be deleted:

sudo rm -rf /opt/local
sudo rm -rf /Applications/DarwinPorts
sudo rm -rf /Applications/MacPorts
sudo rm -rf /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.macports.*
sudo rm -rf /Library/Receipts/DarwinPorts*.pkg
sudo rm -rf /Library/Receipts/MacPorts*.pkg
sudo rm -rf /Library/StartupItems/DarwinPortsStartup
sudo rm -rf /Library/Tcl/darwinports1.0
sudo rm -rf /Library/Tcl/macports1.0
sudo rm -rf ~/.macports

Warning: Don't run a sudo command, especially a rm -rf one, unless you know what it's doing.


Set Show Library Folder via defaults from command line Is there anyway to activate the Show Library Folder option from the command line?

I know that I can unhide it with the command chflags nohidden ~/Library', but for several reasons I would prefer a defaults command.

The way to answer this question in general is to change the setting you're interested in and see what file changed. Then see what changed in the file.

Open your Preferences folder (~/Library/Preferences) and put it in List view, sorted with most recently modified files on top. Open your home folder in a different window, open the Show View Options palette, and toggle Show Library Folder. Did any preference file move to the top in the list view?

Chances are com.apple.finder.plist did. As we'll see, though, this is a false positive. Finder is constantly fiddling with its defaults. But we don't know that yet, so lets assume that this is the plist where the setting is being saved.

In Terminal, enter the commands:

cd ~/Desktop
defaults read com.apple.Finder > before.txt

This will write Finder's current preference settings to a text file. OS X has always cached preferences in RAM, but OS X 10.10 Yosemite has gotten very aggressive about this. There's no guarantee how soon a changed setting will get pushed to com.apple.finder.plist, but no matter. We're not reading the file. By using the defaults command we're going straight to the horse's mouth, and getting the settings as cached in RAM.

Now toggle the view setting, and capture Finder's new preferences in a new file:

defaults read com.apple.Finder > after.txt

To see what changed, enter the Terminal command:

diff before.txt after.txt

Surprise! There's no output, meaning that nothing changed. Finder does not save this setting using the preferences system, so you can't set it using defaults.

This isn't too surprising. Most view settings are stored in a .DS_Store file. Not all of them, so this could have gone either way. Some folders (the "Computer" folder, for example) have their settings stored as preferences rather than in .DS_Store, so there was a chance this setting would be stored there too, but that hope didn't pan out in this case.


Do I have to replace the LCD if the iPad screen is cracked? I have an iPad 2 that my grandson dropped and the screen is now cracked around the edge, none of the cracks extend into the touch area of the screen.  All of the cracks are in the outside edge where the screen is black.  Do I have to repair the LCD or is that something that can be fixed without replacing the LCD?

If the LCD screen is not damaged (no dead pixels) then you probably only need to replace the actual glass front touch panel, or digitizer, and do not need to change the LCD.  This can pick up relatively cheaply ($90, or eBay). You just prise the front panel off, and leaving the LCD in place, replace it with a new one.

Google for this video "How to: Fix a broken front panel on your iPad 2 or iPad 3" on youtube. It give you a good idea of what is involved. Or check out Repair Ipad 2 Glass

To be honest, you are probably better sending it to a third party to get the digitizer replaced.

Good luck.


Does a battery's remaining power drop consistently regardless of remaining charge? how does the remaining battery life when plugging in factor in to the overall amount of usable computer time?

E.g., with a full-charged deep cell battery, a fully-charged laptop, a power inverter, and a laptop charger, suppose I decide I am going to use my laptop until I no longer have any power left in both my deep cell battery and laptop battery. [How] Would the total amount of computer time possible vary across the multitude of combinations of laptop charging vs discharging over time?

OS X 10.10, rMBP 15"

First, in answer to the first question: No, a batteries remaining power does not drop consistently regardless of remaining charge.

The simplest answer to the rest of the question is: you want to run the power inverter for as little time as possible. The explanation of this and method to accomplish it follows.

The power inverter uses some power itself, so you'll want to have it run for as little time as possible. This can be accomplished by only charging the battery up to around 60%-70% and turning off the inverter. The full step by step instructions might look like this:
1-turn on the power inverter with everything plugged in or ready to plug into the laptop
2-charge the battery to around 60%-70%
3-turn off the inverter, running the laptop off its battery until it's quite low again
4-repeat until the deep cycle battery and laptop battery are both empty.

Charging the first 60% to 80% of a battery can happen much faster than finishing the last 20% to 40% of the charge. You can easily see this by experimenting with your cell phone or laptop on a near empty charge; just plug it in at about 5%-15% charge and see how much it's charged at 15 minutes 30 minutes and 45 minutes of charging.

Here are some resources which explain some of these principles in action:

Chart showing how much charge is kept in an unused battery after 6 months -- ( http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_store_batteries )

"Ultra-fast charging only applies during the first charge phase. The charge current must be lowered when the 70 percent state-of-charge threshold is reached." -- ( batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/ultra_fast_chargers )

"As you can see from this one, if your inverter regularly operates below 20% of its rated power then your efficiency is down the toilet!" -- ( http://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/two-reasons-you-must-look-at-efficiency-curves-when-choosing-your-solar-inverter/ )


Changing keyboard shortcut for cycling through windows? (Lion) I recently received a MacBook Air (Summer 2011, Lion) from work and I'm in the process of configuring it to work like my personal MBA (same model, Lion).

I was happily setting keyboard shortcuts when I came across a rather interesting problem. On my personal MBA I use the combination ⌘+` to open a Total-Terminal window. This combination is usually used to cycle through windows, in the opposite direction of ⌘+tab.

When I was attempting to set this shortcut in Total-Terminal on my new MBA I got the error:

  The key combination "Command + `" can't be used because it's already used by the menu item "Cycle Through Windows".

I immediately went to Keyboard -> Keyboard Shortcuts to look for the key binding but I couldn't find it (⌘+tab is also bound to "Move focus to next window", changing this shortcut and disabling it does not fix the problem). I kept looking and couldn't find it.

Am I just glossing it over or is it not there? Is there any way for me to remove this keyboard shortcut? System-level shortcuts don't seem to be on the menu.

Many applications like Terminal also have a menu item like Window > Cycle Through Windows. It stays assigned to ⌘` even if you change the shortcut in the Keyboard & Text Input preferences.

You could add a custom shortcut for Cycle Through Windows in the Application Shortcuts preferences, or disable it with defaults write -g NSUserKeyEquivalents -dict-add "Cycle Through Windows" nul.

You could also force TotalTerminal to use ⌘` by editing ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Terminal.plist directly.

<key>ToggleVisor</key>
<dict>
    <key>KeyCode</key>
    <integer>50</integer>
    <key>Modifiers</key>
    <integer>9437184</integer>
</dict>


Second HDD backup for OS X I have a 500 GB Mac and set up Time Machine to do the back up to an external HDD (external hdd 1). All my files are also stored in the external hdd 1.

I would like to have a second external hdd (external hdd 2) backing up the Mac hdd and also the external hdd 1, both via Time Machine. Is that possible? Maybe another option is better?

A backup drive is automatically excluded from a Time Machine backup. In your case the nested backup strategy will not work using Time Machine because External HDD1 will be excluded from being backed up to External HDD2:

Macintosh HD -> External HDD1 (TM1 + Data)
Macintosh HD -> External HDD2 (External HDD1 will be excluded)

You may either split External HDD1 into a Data volume and a backup volume (External HDD1-BV) and then backup Macintosh HD + Data to External HDD1-BV/External HDD2 or you have to use another tool to backup External HDD1 to External HDD2.


Creating a Windows 8 bootable usb on Mac 10.6.8 without BootCamp? I'm running 10.6.8 and when I try to use BootCamp, it tells me I need "at least 10GB of free space", which is interesting since I have 21GB of free space. However, trying to fix this issue has seemed pointless at this rate and I remember there used to be way to create bootable USBs using only Disk Utility during the Vista era. I had tried converting my .iso to .dmg and mounting them and 'burning' them to the flash drive, but nothing has seemed to work. All the tutorials I have found online use BootCamp, which is what I want to stay away from since it does not work for me.

So is there a way to do this? And what is the recommended file type .iso, .img, or .dmg to be used? Should it be mounted or unmounted when I try to 'burn' it?

None of the answers got it right.
This is how you do it — without BootCamp:

Get/download a Windows ISO image file.
Your USB flash drive should have at least 8GB.
Plug it in and format/erase it using Disk Utility (under Applications/Utilities)

CAUTION: Make sure you select the correct drive! Then click erase.
Select MS-DOS (FAT) for the Format.
(If your drive is above 32GB, you might need to select ExFAT instead.)
Select Master Boot Record for the Scheme.
(This is the one used for Windows partitions.)
Click erase.

Open Terminal and run command: diskutil list
From the output, find out the name of the USB drive. It should be something like /dev/diskX. X is the number of the drive. For me, it's /dev/disk2. It might be different on your Mac.
Then type command: diskutil unmountDisk /dev/disk2
It should print something like this: Unmount of all volumes on disk2 was successful.
Then type:
sudo dd if=/path/to/win-iso-file of=/dev/disk2 bs=1m
(This will ask for your Mac password. Enter it and hit return.)

/path/to/win-iso-file is the full path of the ISO image. Just drag/drop it on terminal after if= and it will print the full path.

The process will start but there will be no output for a while. It might take 10 to 45 minutes. Be patient! (You can press Ctrl+T to see the bytes transferred so far.)
Once it's complete, it will output records in/out and bytes transferred.
Type: diskutil eject /dev/disk2
Now, re-plug the USB drive and check its contents. It should have files and folders but especially a setup.exe and an autorun.inf file.

Done.


unable to run ddd on mac I am trying to install ddd debugger on my MAC. It installed fine, however when I try to run it I get the following error:

bash-3.2$ ddd test
Error: No `Ddd' application defaults file
To resolve this problem, you can:

set the XAPPLRESDIR environment variable to the location of the file `Ddd', or
set the DDD_HOME environment variable to the location of `ddd/Ddd', or
install the `Ddd' file in the X application defaults directory, or
recompile DDD with builtin app-defaults file;
see the `--enable-builtin-app-defaults' option for details.

I have X11 installed in my utilities folder. It works coz i use xterm on it quite often.

any ideas how to fix this??
anything I need to add to ./configure or make commands while installing ddd ???

I was able to fix this from some hints from this site.

After installing, you run the configure command again. This will create the Ddd file in the ddd folder. Now you can follow any of the steps that are printed out, I personally used the DDD_HOME variable with the patch to the sourcecode directory of ddd, since Ddd is now in $DDD_HOME/ddd/Ddd.


iTunes unable to change Artwork for Albums With iTunes 12.7.0 and OS 10.13 I cannot change the Album Artwork. Checked permissions and its all Read & Write. The tracks of the Album are my own creation and in AIFF format. I've tried cutting and pasting, dragging of jpegs, and software select - but even though the image appears - when I select OK it reverts to previous image.
I tried deleting the image  - which was deleted, but still cannot paste my own jpeg (small 100k). Frustrated.

try change the image format in .png 'Important: iTunesArtwork icon images should be in png format, but name them without the .png extension.' source: https://developer.apple.com/library/content/qa/qa1686/_index.html

Edit: Ultimately ITunes used the cover of a pdf from iBooks as a generic image, to solve this problem I found this solution that works for me:
"Choose the 'Options' tab in Album Info. The media kind would be 'Mixed'. Change it to 'Music'. Now you can see a pdf as part of the album. If you delete the pdf, you can now set your album artwork."
source: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7127569


Siri's language choice (Settings) - does it affect speech recognition? If I prefer to hear US/Canadian Siri, will she understand my Australian accent?

Sorry Australian-voiced Siri, but you sound too much like the Telstra automated bill payment system voice. And I'm used to hearing the US/Canada Siri so I would rather select that language option in Settings.

Apple's Siri FAQ page says:

"the more you use Siri, the better it will understand you. It does this by learning about your accent and other characteristics of your voice. Siri uses voice recognition algorithms to categorize your voice into one of the dialects or accents it understands"

I am curious about whether it will correctly categorize my voice as being from an entirely different region to the one I have selected or just pick an accent from within the region I have chosen and maybe never achieve the best potential accuracy. It seemed that after I switched to "English (United States)" accuracy went down. I haven't been using it long enough to decide whether it is improving.

In my experience with Siri, the initial language setting of Siri does help a lot to help it discover your accent more quickly, but it's not the only measure it uses. It will base its understanding of your accent off of its own starting point. It's pretty difficult to convince Siri you're not American if you choose American English as its language. It will eventually change, but it takes a lot of time, and might not even be completely accurate.

I speak with a pretty standard British accent. Not northern, not southern, almost Welsh, actually. Siri's accuracy shot up with I switched to a British starting point.

I suspect that over time, Siri will eventually categorise your accent correctly regardless of its own language setting. This is evidenced by the fact that after a few tries, some of contacts' names (ones that a computer would have a hard time pronouncing correctly) are recognised now whereas they weren't originally.

The key is that Siri will attempt to categorise your voice into an accent. It will not necessarily learn your own specific accent, but it will broadly put your accent into a box, with a few exceptions for how you pronounce proper nouns like places, sports teams, people, and even apps.


Cannot sync iPhone contacts with Facebook [iOS 12] The title is self-explanatory. All recent online tutorials (like this one) tell me to go to Settings -> Facebook -> Update All Contacts, but this option simply doesn't show up for me. Actually the whole section "allow these apps to use your account" doesn't show up.

Has anybody encountered similar problems and managed to circumvent them?

Trigger the Facebook app for uploading the contacts. Then iOS asks for permission and you might be able to see the settings. Also check contacts settings in Settings → Privacy → Contacts to see if Facebook ever asked for the contacts or not.


Bluetooth mouse that doesn't require a USB dongle Since my Macbook only has two USB ports, I'd like to get myself a mouse that can pair with the Mac's built-in bluetooth. The obvious choice is the Apple Magic Mouse, but at $70 it's pretty much overkill. I don't need the touch functionality, since the Mac's trackpad already does a great job with that.

I'm mostly looking for something that allows me accurate control, isn't too large (so I can toss it in my backpack), and isn't too expensive. And looks nice next to the Aluminum Macbook, or course. :)

The Logitech V470 Cordless Laser Mouse for Bluetooth® may suit your needs.

BTW: I've used Logitech mice for a long time now and can say that they're built very well. They're a pleasure to use. The MX1000 is the greatest mouse ever built in my opinion. I've yet to use a Bluetooth mouse though.


What's the shortcut for plus (adding) and minus (removing) by default In list elements inside System Preferences, I see a "plus" and a "minus" to add or remove elements (see photo below for example of Networking System Preferences).

In Windows these are usually associated with Insert / Delete or AltA / AltD. Is there keyboard shortcuts for these keys? I am trying to add keyboard shortcuts in preference without using a mouse but I have to rely on tab key to achieve this.

Alt 0177 ±
Hold ALT key and type 0177 on keypad

https://fsymbols.com/keyboard/windows/alt-codes/list/


Troubleshooting high load I've got an old MacBook Pro with a Core2Duo CPU that regularly has a load up in the 3s or 4s.

thumper:~ joliver.sa$ sysctl -n hw.ncpu
2
thumper:~ joliver.sa$ uptime
 9:24  up 4 days, 16:31, 3 users, load averages: 3.50 4.09 3.83

Processes: 295 total, 2 running, 14 stuck, 279 sleeping, 1225 threads                                                                                09:24:43
Load Avg: 3.59, 4.06, 3.83  CPU usage: 4.83% user, 6.28% sys, 88.88% idle  SharedLibs: 17M resident, 20M data, 0B linkedit. MemRegions: 48719 total, 3030M resident, 159M private, 655M shared.
PhysMem: 7200M used (1446M wired), 991M unused. VM: 698G vsize, 1071M framework vsize, 0(0) swapins, 0(0) swapouts. Networks: packets: 38837251/53G in, 7236342/639M out.
Disks: 1045731/15G read, 1170955/228G written.

This clearly isn't a CPU issue.  It doesn't appear to be a memory issue.  Disk IO doesn't seem to be an issue.  Some of the "stuck" processes were things I could kill off, but the load has only gotten worse in the last few minutes.  How else can I find out what's lining up waiting for attention?

Here are some troubleshooting steps:

Run ps aux to see which ones are actually running real time.

Next run the iostat to watch the actual CPU loading and see if you can determine if some new processes are running and whether that is increasing or decreasing the IO and CPU load on the system.

For comparison here is the output of the iostat I have.

disk0           disk1           disk2       cpu     load average
    KB/t tps  MB/s     KB/t tps  MB/s     KB/t tps  MB/s  us sy id   1m   5m   15m
   26.55   3  0.08   177.96   0  0.00    65.01   0  0.00   3  2 96  1.16 0.96 0.90

Some Git and Homebrew are know to create the problem so check your versions to latest update.


Broken ipad power button? Or is this some sort of software problem? Pressing the power button on my iPad mini 4 doesn't turn the screen on and off... but a long press on the button will still bring up the "slide to power off" prompt (and if I power off the iPad, pressing the power button will turn it back on ).
If nothing worked at all I would figure it's a hardware problem and look into getting it repaired, but the fact the the "power off" feature works even though the power button doesn't seem to sleep/wake the screen has me puzzled.
What's going on here?

That's not the way it works on my iPad Pro.  Pressing the Power button turns the iPad display off and on. Holding it down for a few seconds brings up the shutdown slider. If you can't turn the display off and on what do you do when screen turns off? Press the Home button? Really only thing you're missing, it sounds, is your ability to turn the screen off when you desire. Or did I miss something? You can turn the screen on with the Home button.
It sounds as if something may be wrong with your button.


Why the system takes up almost all the storage of iPhone I barely installed apps on my iPhone, but it is obviously the system takes up almost all my storage?

iPhone 6: 15.9GB of 16GB used.

I do not know why. How to find the lost space on my phone?

I think it's fine before I started to try the iOS 12 Beta. How can I do it now?

If you are using iOS 12 beta. You should be submitting a bug report to Apple to check this, no? It might be leftover system files from iOS 11 or a way for you to go back and restore iOS. Point is. It is beta. So this question does not belong here.


El Capitan incompatible with Mad Catz Editor I upgraded my Macbook Pro to OSX 10.11 El Capitan but sadly the mapping software for my Mad Catz Mouse (M.M.O.7) does not start anymore.

Crash Report

Process:               editor [33209]
Path:                  /Applications/Mad Catz Editor.app/Contents/MacOS/editor
Identifier:            com.madcatz.MadCatz.editor
Version:               1.0 (1.1.69)
Code Type:             X86-64 (Native)
Parent Process:        ??? [1]
Responsible:           editor [33209]
User ID:               501

Date/Time:             2015-10-07 13:41:42.846 +0200
OS Version:            Mac OS X 10.11 (15A284)
Report Version:        11
Anonymous UUID:        8B5B6605-7448-4DDA-627C-11145BEF80FE

Sleep/Wake UUID:       4D337680-5145-4CF7-B785-93E78B39BE4D

Time Awake Since Boot: 100000 seconds
Time Since Wake:       17000 seconds

System Integrity Protection: enabled

Crashed Thread:        0  Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread

Exception Type:        EXC_CRASH (SIGABRT)
Exception Codes:       0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000
Exception Note:        EXC_CORPSE_NOTIFY

Application Specific Information:
*** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSInvalidArgumentException', reason: '-[MCProfile profile]: unrecognized selector sent to instance 0x10042c350'
abort() called
terminating with uncaught exception of type NSException

Application Specific Backtrace 1:
0   CoreFoundation                      0x00007fff8b3a7bd2 __exceptionPreprocess + 178
1   libobjc.A.dylib                     0x00007fff866ac4fa objc_exception_throw + 48
2   CoreFoundation                      0x00007fff8b4110ed -[NSObject(NSObject) doesNotRecognizeSelector:] + 205
3   CoreFoundation                      0x00007fff8b3183d1 ___forwarding___ + 1009
4   CoreFoundation                      0x00007fff8b317f58 _CF_forwarding_prep_0 + 120
5   MCDeviceLib.dylib                   0x0000000100041587 -[MCProfile checkName] + 119

The result is that I have a lot of hovering problem (hover event does not fire anymore) and shortcuts macros do not work at all.

Does anyone have a workaround ?

I contacted the Mad Catz team via Facebook and Twitter 2 days ago and I still have no answer.

I'm having the same issue, in a chat with Madcatz support they stated to come up with a new driver by end of this year - still a bit to suffer unfortunately.

Installing USB overdrive and controller mate are too much for me to achieve a little bump in functionality.


Unrepairable error in disk structure in Onyx I've run Onyx 3.1.7 and received the following disk structure error:

Error: -69845: File system verify or repair failed
Underlying error: 8: POSIX reports: Exec format error

The disk needs to be repaired.

I've rebooted system in recovery mode and attempted to run the First Aid with use of the Disk Utility, however, after rebooting and running Onyx again I've arrived at the same error. The System is running on el-capitan with 500GB flash storage.

Have you tried booting into single user mode (hold down Cmd-S at startup) then at the prompt executing the command fsck -fy until no errors appear? When you're done, type reboot at the prompt.


What is Wifi-Networking option under system location services in iOS 7? I've noticed an option called Wifi-networking and I can't seem to figure out what it does, exactly.

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

iOS 7: Understanding Location Services

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


AirPort Extreme wired guest access The AirPort Extreme's manual says the following:

  Create a guest network with or without password protection, to provide Internet-only access to wireless devices, such as computers, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV.

But is it possible to have an ethernet port on the AE that connects to this guest network, so it can go to a guest user that is out of the wireless range? (to plug into a wap)

Unfortunately that is not possible, anyone with wired access to the AEBS has full connectivity, and also skips any other access restrictions or authentication for that matter.

However, you could use an AirPort Express for example to create a second guest network. When creating tgat network, you can use the same SSID as the guest network configured on the AirPort Extreme (make sure you also use the same encryption parameters and password) and clients will transparently switch to the one with the best signal reception while moving to different locations.


Can't access internet Suddenly, a couple of days ago, I have started to have major problems accessing internet through my home network, with my MacBook Pro Mid 2012 (non-retina) running Mountain Lion.

I connect to the network just fine, but when can't open web pages or when I try to ping google.com I get:

ping: cannot resolve google.com: Unknown host

or something like:

PING google.com (173.194.32.33): 56 data bytes
Request timeout for icmp_seq 0
64 bytes from 173.194.32.33: icmp_seq=1 ttl=53 time=43.372 ms
Request timeout for icmp_seq 2
Request timeout for icmp_seq 3
Request timeout for icmp_seq 4
64 bytes from 173.194.32.33: icmp_seq=5 ttl=53 time=45.110 ms

--- google.com ping statistics ---
6 packets transmitted, 2 packets received, 66.7% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 43.372/44.241/45.110/0.869 ms

I can't find any pattern to the results.

ALL other devices on the router has no problem access neither the network or internet. Of these are another MacBook Pro, an iPad, several iPhones, Apple TV, and misc.

The network is set up to configure IPv4 with DHCP and IPv6 automatically. (Under General > Network Wi-Fi > Advanced > TCP/IP)

I have tried flushing the DNS with both: (https://gist.github.com/mipmip/1844353)

sudo killall -INFO mDNSResponder
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.mDNSResponder.plist
sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.mDNSResponder.plist

I have tried removing and adding the Wi-Fi interface from General > Network.

And of course I have tried rebooting the modem, router and computer.

What else should I do to get internet working again?

Delete the following 3 files located in ~Library > Preferences > SystemConfiguration :

 com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
 com.apple.network.identification.plist
 NetworkInterfaces.plist

Delete the airport / wifi network interface and re-create.
Reboot and connect to WiFi


How can I downgrade iTunes 11 to 10.7 in Mountain Lion? Is it possible to downgrade from iTunes 11 to 10.7 using Mountain Lion?

I tried to replace it by simply installing the 10.7, but it says that i can't replace a newer version.

12/8/12: I have updated my How To on my blog with a new method to go from iTunes 11 to 10.7 using Pacifist. It does not require any backup, just a copy of Pacifist, the iTunes 10.7.dmg & a little time. Click on the link below.

http://www.emacconsulting.com/apple/itunes/downgrade-itunes-11-to-itunes-10-7/

I've created a How To on my blog showing how to downgrade from iTunes 11 to iTunes 10.7. It also includes a link to download a copy of iTunes 10.7 if you need it.

http://www.emacconsulting.com/apple/itunes/downgrade-itunes-11-to-itunes-10-7/

I'll post it here too.

1) Open Terminal and run:

 sudo rm -rf /Applications/iTunes.app

This will delete the iTunes 11 application.

2) If your Music Library is in its default place, also in the terminal:

  open ~/Music/iTunes

3) Using Time Machine restore the following files:

Album Artwork   <– Folder
iTunes Library
iTunes Library Extras.itdb
iTunes Library Genius.itdb
iTunes Library.xml
iTunes Library.itl
iTunes Music Library.xml
Previous iTunes Libraries  <– Folder

No need to replace your iTunes Music Folder. You may not need to replace all these files but it can’t hurt.

4) Back in the terminal:

open /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks

Use Time Machine again to restore the following files:

AirTrafficHost.framework
CoreFP.framework
DeviceLink.framework
iTunesAccess.framework
MobileDevice.framework

5) Download iTunes 10.7

http://appldnld.apple.com/iTunes10/041-7195.20120912.d3uzQ/iTunes10.7.dmg

6) Install iTunes 10.7.

I rebooted for good measure, but it’s probably not necessary.

You may be prompted the first time you start up iTunes 10.7 for your password. Enter it. You should now be able to do all the things you need, including syncing your iDevices, without the nasty iTunes -42408 error many people have been getting before this method.

Enjoy iTunes 10.7!


Exclude some SSIDs from iCloud syncing or no iCloud sync on some SSID I am looking for a solution (I am not sure that's possible) to prevent our gear (iPhones and Ipads) to iCloud sync over some SSIDs.

I fly for a living and we use EFBs (Electronic Flight Bags) based on iPad.

When we fly we need to be able to get emails (so connected to an SSID) but I would like to prevent iPads and iPhones to do iCloud syncs over the aircraft internet which costs a lot and slow the satellite internet down.

Could be done automatically by excluding the sync over one SSID (the aircraft's) so we are syncing anywhere else? I know this is possible by going to settings and turning of iCloud syncing but if this could be done the way I would like that would be great.

Thank you !!!

With a non-jailbroken iOS this is not possible for Wi-Fi connections.

For jailbroken devices there are some firewalls available to block apps even on Wi-Fi.


SSD with PCIe 3.0 compatible with MBA which uses PCIe 2.0? Have 13", 2017 Macbook Air currently with Mojave OS. Is an SSD with "Ultra-Fast PCIe NVMe Gen3x4 Interface" (for example recommended SSD from Tom's Hardware) likely to be compatible with a Macbook Air if I use a physical adapter designed to handle the Apple proprietary blade configuration to the M.2 blade standard "conversion" (e.g. Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card? I'm wondering whether the PCIe 3.0 protocol on the board is going to be backward compatible with the PCIe 2.0 that the MBA uses.

I found a similar question, but I thought the answer was specific to that questioner's situation, since the suggestion to use a USB access to format an M.2/PCIe board would require an extra enclosure. I'm pretty sure the more general answer would be to construct  a bootable USB stick and format the board once it's in the computer (and that's not really my question, since I found lots of instructions on how to do that.)

Note: thought PCIe would be a reasonable tag but my low rep on this forum prevent creating a tag.)

Yes, it is likely to be compatible - however there are (ofcourse) no guarantees.

According to the manufacturer of the adapter, they have tested that specific SSD with the adapter - so that sounds reasonable.

I would consider using this specific adapter from the same company:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07FYY3H5F/ref=dp_cerb_3

It is listed as supporting your SSD. In addition ifixit.com (well known and respected site) lists this particular adapter as tested with your model of MacBook Air - though with a Samsung Evo 960 SSD.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Air+13-Inch+Early+2017+SSD+-NVMe+Replacement/121102


How to change temperature in Today's Summary part from F to C in Notification Center I'm using Mac OS (El Capitan) and in Notification center, Today's Summary part it shows weather information. I want to change from F to C here. My weather widget is already in C and working fine.

Open System Preferences
Click Language & Region
Select Advanced
Change Measurement units to Metric

Add-on note: You may have to do this a couple of times or cycle through the options to make it stick.


Stream iPhone camera video to a Mac Is there an app that would let me stream the iPhone/iPad camera to my Mac? I need high quality so it can be recorded.

Athome Camera can do this, however it is mainly marketed as a home monitoring application (camera surveillance).


How do I set up DynDNS on my MacBook? I want to create a host name that points to my MacBook dynamically, so I can have a chance to take back the control if it was stolen. I opened ssh and vnc, but I have no idea how to find my machine. Maybe DynDNS is a solution?

Go to www.dyndns.com and register.  Then install the dynamic updater on your Mac and follow the installation instructions.  This will then connect to www.dyndns.com and update your DNS information whenever your Mac is connected to the internet.  You could then use SSH or other means to log onto your Mac from an iPhone or other computer/Mac by connecting to the URL (e.g. - mymacbook.dyndns.com) you select upon registering on dyndns.com.

There are another couple of steps.  You need to get your broadband router to forward traffic coming in on specific ports to your Mac.  You should be able to find a how-to on www.portforward.com for your router model. You also need to setup a static IP for your Mac which is best done on your router.  Your routers documentation should tell you how to do this.


Copy files of specific type from parent to child folder I can successfully copy the file from the folder "objects" (the directory I'm in) to it's subfolder "access" with this code in Terminal.

find . -name *.pdf -exec cp {} ./access \;

But the code is also looking into the "access folder" for files to copy and I get this message

cp: ./access/cuid12368.pdf and ./access/cuid12368.pdf are identical (not copied).

Is there a way to not have it look into the "access" folder for files to copy?

The find command is not necessary for this operation. Use:

cp *.pdf access/.

This copies all PDF files to the access subfolder and is much prettier and simpler than the equivalent find command.


When I try to open System Preferences from the dock it opens directly into the iCloud pane I would like to open directly to the System Preferences pane, but instead it diverts to the iCloud pane. I have tried deleting the Users>Library>Preferences>.com.apple.desktop.plist file, but this doesn't exist--instead I only see .com.apple.dock.plist. Will this do just as well to delete?

Does System Preferences have a badge (red 1) on it? This might indicate that iCloud is prompting you to turn on two-factor authentication. If that is the case, go to System Preferences > iCloud > and where it says “Two-factor authentication” click Continue to the right of it and then select your preferences.

For screenshots of this process and more discussion of it, see Apple Discussions – “System Preferences Dock Icon has red circle with 1”.

I would recommend doing research into two-factor authentication or two-step verification before turning it on. It is a high level of security that comes with greater responsibility for you to go through the steps to validate trusted devices – all of which use iCloud and need manual steps.


transfering itunes library win-> mac - is it possible? I'm about to order one of the new macbook airs and wanted to know if it is possible to transfer my itunes library from my old windows machine to the mac. I know you can do win->win and mac->mac, but can you do win-> mac? If so, how?

With the music I'm not too concerned with play-counts and ratings, I just want the music, album and cover-art.
With the apps, I know I could share them with a "new" itunes library but would have to purchase them again if I need to update. Is there a way to circumvent that and make my new itunes library my "main" one?

Short answer: just copy the iTunes folder from the Windows machine to the mac.  It works fine, I did it myself last year with no problems.

Longer answer with more details at http://www.macworld.com/article/146958/2010/03/move_itunes_windows_mac.html


Is it possible to disable the interlocutor's video in BlueJeans for iOS? I use BlueJeans for videoconference on iOS 11. When in a videoconference, is it possible to disable the interlocutor's video?

The motivation is to reduce the network usage.

You can swipe up, which will activate the "low bandwidth" mode:

Swipe down to go back to the normal mode.


MBP display, keyboard backlight and camera issue I have a mid 2009 MBP which was heating up way to fast because of the fan; then I bought a new one and changed it. I also applied a new thermal grease. Plugged all the cables, tightened all the screws, reset SMC, reset NVRAM and turned on.

The heat is gone and its running perfectly now, but:

the display started showing some "blurry ghosts" at the bottom of the screen which won't show if I take a screenshot, so I took a photo that you can see below.

the keyboard backlight isn't turning on. I tried to unplug and plug the cable over and over again, but nothing happened.
the camera isn't working at all. All I see is a black screen.

Is there anything I can do to fix any of these issues?

You most likely caused damage to your MacBook Pro's screen, video cable, and or keyboard cable.

I did a bit of research and found a very similar condition to the picture you provided (see below) it’s called “stage lighting effect”.  This was posted on the iFixit forum.  The resolution to this problem was a warranty replacement.   Being that your MacBook Pro is 6 to 7 years old, this will be an out-of-pocket repair.

You may be able to repair it by replacing the backlight led, but at this point, it's purely speculative.  My suggestion is to replace the screen rather than risk further damage by attempting to replace the backlight.


Is there some way to "de-register" Quicktime for MP4 files? I have done this:

(then click Open) about 4 times now. And yet the last time I clicked on an MP4 file it opened up in Quicktime. It's like OSX is ignoring what I told it to do. When I look at the file with Get Info it says it is an MPEG-4 movie. The default option under "Open With" is Quicktime.

This is aggravating. How do I convince OSX that I really meant it when I checked "Always Open With"?

High Sierra 10.13.4

Find one mp4 file. Right click, Get Info or  Cmd ⌘   I

If not already set, select VLC in Open With, then click Change all...

There's also the old faithful, RCDefaultApp which reports have said no longer works in High Sierra, but I just tested & it appears to.


Solving an "wireless tools not found" error from airmon-ng tool I am trying to use airmon-ng on Lion, but getting this error msg.

$ sudo !!
sudo airmon-ng
Wireless tools not found

I installed aircrack with ports. I heard it is possible to use it with lion, but cannot find a solution for the "Wireless tools not found" problem.

Also, used KisMac as an alternative, but it seems to hang after fetching some packets (~50000).

Unfortunately, airmon-ng is not working on OS X, you will probably have to use a virtual PC with a linux OS + USB WiFi dongle. From FAQ:

Is Mac OS X supported?

The aircrack-ng suite has limited Mac OS X support. Currently it only supports the following tools: aircrack-ng, packetforge-ng, ivstools and makeivs. Any program which requires opening a wireless interface is not supported.


executing shell script requiring input from the user using the Automator Using the automator is possible to execute a shell script that requires input from the user (a password) ?
The shell script should be executed in the currently selected folder.
I wrote a "Run Shell Script" action like in the following figure:

About the shell actions:

cd $1
~/scripts/pgpsign

First I change to the current selected folder and then I execute my script, that as far as I understand is failing since it requires processing an input before proceeding.

Below the complete code of the script (in Scala)

#!/bin/sh
exec scala "$0" "$@"
!#

import sys.process._

object PGPSign {
  def main(args: Array[String]) {
    print("Please type passphrase : ")
    val passPhrase = readLine()
    signFilesInDirectory(new java.io.File("."), passPhrase.toString)
  }

  def signFilesInDirectory(dir: java.io.File, passPhrase: String) {
    if(!dir.exists())
      throw new java.io.FileNotFoundException
    if(!dir.isDirectory())
      throw new RuntimeException("Expecting directory")
    println("Signing files in directory: " + dir.getAbsolutePath())
    for{file <- dir.listFiles
        if !file.isDirectory //ignoring directories
        val fileName = file.getName()
        if !fileName.startsWith(".") //ignoring hidden files
        if !fileName.endsWith(".asc") //ignoring signature files
    } {
      println("- Signing file " + file)
       ("gpg -ab --yes --batch --passphrase " + passPhrase + " " + fileName).!!
    }
  }
}

I'm not really familiar with the Scala language at all, but it looks like the script is only built to take user input for the password, not arguments or stdin, which is what's required for Automator to pass it data.

The shell that Automator runs scripts in is non-interactive, so your script can't directly prompt the user for a password. If you can rework your script to take a password via stdin, you could use an AppleScript wrapper to get a password dialog, if that's what you're hoping for.

If you rework your pgpsign script to take a password from stdin, you can use an Applescript action (with some shell scripting embedded) to display a password dialog and get the results you desire.

Replace your Run Shell Script action in your current workflow with a Run AppleScript action, with the following code:

on run {input, parameters}
    set thePath to quoted form of POSIX path of first item of input as string
    tell application "System Events"
        display dialog "Password:" default answer "" with hidden answer
    end tell
    set pass to text returned of result
    do shell script "cd " & thePath & "; echo " & quoted form of pass & " | perl -ne 'chomp and print' | ~/scripts/pgpsign"
end run

It's not the most straightforward, so I'll run through line by line what it's doing.

on run {input, parameters}
    set thePath to quoted form of POSIX path of first item of input as string

This gets the input from the service (the folder you selected) and turns it into a string that the shell script can make use of.

tell application "System Events"
    display dialog "Password:" default answer "" with hidden answer
end tell
set pass to text returned of result

This pops up a password dialog and stores the result to the pass variable. Ordinarily in AppleScript you don't need the System Events tell portion, but because of some quirks with Automator, it's required here.

do shell script "cd " & thePath & "; echo " & quoted form of pass & " | perl -ne 'chomp and print' | ~/scripts/pgpsign"

This ties it all together and sends the required parameters to your script. First we change to the selected directory (to answer your question in the comments, as your script is written, it is necessary to first cd to the directory you want). Then echo is used to send the password to stdin, and it's piped through the perl portion to strip the trailing newline (which is an annoying characteristic of AppleScript and would otherwise cause a valid password to fail), then piped to your script.

Sorry for giving you a lot to digest, but if you want to use Automator for this, it's probably the easiest way, unless you want to hardcode your password (which is obviously inadvisable for security reasons).


Why does the time differ by 4 hours on certain apps? In Yosemite I have my timezone explicitly set to GMT-5:00, and in the tool bar the clock shows the correct time. Several apps, including Mail, also show the correct time.

However, I've noticed that some apps show the time as if it were 4 hours ahead. Slack for example, as well as Facebook's web-based chat.

I have no idea as to what could be causing this. Any help would be great!

Since you have system time set up correctly, then I guess the problem is within the apps you named. Most probably, they setup their internal time based on location of the proxy you might be using and which is located somewhere in a TZ 4 hours ahead.


How can I force focus or fix a blurry and 'washed out' Apple Thunderbolt Display camera? The built-in camera of my Apply Thunderbolt Display (MC914LL/B 27") is always blurry. Items up close look better, but are still blurry. In fact, everything looks bright and washed out like a bad Instagram filter, like the beach after waking up from a sandy nap, or after walking out of the eye doctor with those dilating eye drops...

It is blurry for all apps.
It is blurry with my MacBook Pro lid open or closed.
It is blurry before and after plugging in my Thunderbolt cable.
The screen and camera lens are clean.

The built-in camera on my MacBook Pro, connected to this Thunderbolt Display, is crystal clear.

I have the latest display firmware, 1.2, and the latest MacBook Pro updates.

Any ideas on how to fix this / force it to focus on a specific distance?

Best,
Adam

Screenshots:

Just fixed mine, my camera is inside the TB Display, I took the camera out and since it is fixed focus I turned the objective lens  1 quart and connected again. It was fixed!

Instructions to tear down the monitor are at  Ifixit
https://es.ifixit.com/Teardown/Apple+Thunderbolt+Display+Teardown/6525


Is there a way to entirely remove the Messages app from an iOS 12 device? I'm trying to set up an iPad for a child and don't want any Messages app at all. Apple seems to want to keep it there. Any way to completely remove it?

iOS 12 does not seem to allow Messages to be turned off. But this method should prevent messages from working.

Settings > Content & Privacy Restrictions

And set Account Changes to Don't Allow and password protect that setting by turning Content & Privacy Restrictions on at the top of that screen. She will not be able to add an account (EG iCloud/AppleID) that would allow iMessage to get messages.

Note that a clever and determined child will often find workarounds to anything and could easily find a web-based messaging service available via Safari.


Sync iCal with Gmail instead of iCloud I would like to edit my calendar either on iCal (running on my MacBook) or on Google calendar (running on my Samsung Galaxy), and see the calendar updated on the other device.

I gathered that it is not possible to use iCloud for this objective. One must use Gmail. (Feel free to contradict.)

Leaving alone the sync between iCloud and iCal is not good either. I'd like to cancel syncing with iCloud to debug syncing between iCal and Gmail/google calendar. (Right now System Preferences under Mail, Contact & Calendars shows both iCloud and Gmail, and yet I do not see the calendar on Gmail -- or on the Android phone.)

If I cancel the sync with iCloud, most of my history disappears. Thus my question is:

How do I move the calendar entries that I currently have with iCloud to Gmail?

I gathered that it is not possible to use iCloud for this objective. One must use Gmail. (Feel free to contradict.)

Sure, I'll try and contradict!

It's my understanding that SmoothSync for Cloud Calendar does this.

  How do I move the calendar entries that I currently have with iCloud to Gmail?

I found a nice step-by-step summary at the amusingly named burlapmonkey.com. I'll summarize:

Login to your iCloud calendar at icloud.com.
Publicly share the calendar you want to export.
Select the updated URL that begins with webcal:// followed by a cryptic address and copy it.
Open a new browser tab/window, paste the webcal address without loading it (don't press enter).
Change webcal in the address to http. Load the page.
Your browser should now be initiating a download of an .ics file which you can later import into a google calendar.
Don't forget to stop publicly sharing the calendar.


Naming conventions for naming files that would start with a dot usually How should i name music artists beginning with a dot (such as .38 special https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0330a83d-f61e-4989-adb3-afce3943c3ba ) so that they are not hidden from Finder because of the dot.

I realize that just removing the dot does the trick, but I'm looking to see if there is a for sensible naming convention for this.

You could try some Unicode 'dot equivalent' like
· [Unicode U+0087 UTF-8 C2 B7] or
․ [Unicode U+2024 UTF-8 E2 80 A4] or
⠠ [U+2820 UTF-8 E2 A0 A0]

Try the Character Viewer in System Prefs > Keyboard > Keyboard. Type 'dot' & see what may work


Show sent emails in my inbox on iPad Is there a way to make my sent emails show up in my inbox on the iPad, similar to how it is shown in the gmail web view?  I can do this in the Mac app by creating a smart mailbox that includes both inbox and sent messages. Is there something I can set up, either on the iPad or in gmail, that would let me do this?

You could always simply view the "Gmail/All Mail" folder.

Inside Mail on your iPad, go to Mailboxes-> Gmail (under accounts) -> All Mail.

You'll see messages you've sent as well.  If Gmail is your only mail account, simply stay in the All Mail folder all the time.


Ios 6.1 to ios 7 even if there is already 7.1.1 Is it posible to update to ios 7 from ios 6.1 for ipad 4 even if there is update for ios 7.1.1

No - it is Apple philosophy to disallow older updates. If you update, then you must (!) update to the newest system.

Same for downgrades - you are not allowed to downgrade to a older system if you dislike the updated version.

Buy the way: why do you want to upgrade to 7.0 and not 7.1.1?


Can a Mac's airport card run 802.11 N, G, B or A only? Occasionally it's nice to hard code a wired connection network port to not auto negotiate and force things to be 100 half duplex even though a higher speed is configured and negotiable on the switch.

Can I similarly force airport software and thus the hardware to only run one flavor of 802.11? Can I use the airport command to prefer a higher / lower channel rather than join by signal strength? Might alternative drivers be available or some developer testing tool to exert this level of control over the WiFi chipsets in Macs.

I want to force this on the mac end for cases where I can't control the base stations or want to test a specific channel of a simultaneous dual band router that is live with other traffic.

mac:bin mike$ airport --scan
                            SSID BSSID             RSSI CHANNEL HT CC SECURITY (auth/unicast/group)
                     na ala hele 00:26:36:9c:32:23 -59  2       Y  US WPA(PSK/TKIP/TKIP) WPA2(PSK/AES,TKIP/TKIP)
                     na ala hele 00:26:bb:79:23:1f -59  2       Y  US WPA(PSK/TKIP/TKIP) WPA2(PSK/AES,TKIP/TKIP)
                fast na ala hele 00:26:bb:79:23:20 -74  149,+1  Y  US WPA(PSK/TKIP/TKIP) WPA2(PSK/AES,TKIP/TKIP)
mac:bin mike$ airport --getinfo
     agrCtlRSSI: -75
     agrExtRSSI: 0
    agrCtlNoise: -86
    agrExtNoise: 0
          state: running
        op mode: station
     lastTxRate: 81
        maxRate: 300
lastAssocStatus: 0
    802.11 auth: open
      link auth: wpa2-psk
          BSSID: 00:26:bb:79:23:20
           SSID: fast na ala hele
            MCS: 4
        channel: 149,1
mac:bin mike$ ls -l /usr/local/bin/airport
lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  wheel  89 Sep 13 11:40 /usr/local/bin/airport -> /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport

Maybe this help, you can access to the airport command utility with

sudo ln -s /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport /usr/sbin/airport

Then, type

sudo airport en1 prefs JoinMode=Strongest JoinModeFallback=KeepLooking

JoinMode = Ranked and JoinModeFallback = Prompt are the defaults, if you want to switch back


Photos on Catalina will only export recent images Macbook Air, new in the last six weeks, with an existing library brought in via the Migration Assistant. Photos added to the library directly to the new machine export properly. Photos older than the new machine, however, won't export at all. We usually get an Unknown Error (-1) or Unknown Error (-4) for these photos.

iCloud is not used/enabled. We have tried the "Repair Library" process, and it makes no difference.

Suggested by Apple support as a workaround: drag photos directly from the Photos window to a Finder folder.


Prepending section/subsection numbers to headings in Pages I would like to make a document where each paragraph of text with a "section" paragraph style is prepended with a level-one number (e.g. 1, 2, 3, etc.) and each paragraph of text with a "subsection" paragraph style is prepended with a level-two number (e.g. 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, etc.). Here is the layout I am looking for:

1 Introduction

1.1 First note
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

1.2 Second note
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

2. Body

2.1 First argument
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

The main reason I'd like this is so that the numbers update automatically if I add in a section or subsection.

This is possible using "styles" in Microsoft Word (home tab to the right). Is something like this also possible using the paragraph styles from Pages?

In your Format sidebar, you have a section titled Bullets and Lists. You can add numbers to your headings just like what you want.


How to restore deleted Downloads folder I accidentally deleted my Downloads folder as well as the sidebar item for it in the process of trying to fix it. How do I get them back?

Your download folder may be backed up on iCloud. If not you may have to resort to special recovery options. You can edit your sidebar by going to preferences for the finder. Single click on the desktop so Finder shows in the menu bar. Under Finder is preferences. Opening that and going to tab for sidebar allows you to set what is shown in the sidebar.  But if download folder is truly deleted this won't help much.


Switching the Wi-Fi network from terminal does not succeed (DHCP fails) I am trying to switch Wi-Fi network via the command line:

networksetup -setairportnetwork en0 corpnet01
networksetup -setairportnetwork en0 Home

where "Office" and "Home" are DHCP enabled networks. When I switch from  corpnet01 to Home, everything works fine. But the other way it doesn't.

When I do it via the UI all works OK:

but when I do it in the terminal, DHCP does not manage to get an IP address:

and networksetup says:

UM00160:~ taapega4$ networksetup -getinfo Wi-Fi
DHCP Configuration
IP address: 169.254.110.61
Subnet mask: 255.255.0.0
Router: (null)
Client ID:
IPv6: Automatic
IPv6 IP address: none
IPv6 Router: none
Wi-Fi ID: 8c:85:90:4f:41:77

What else is the UI doing that I am not doing by using the following command?

networksetup -setairportnetwork en0 corpnet01

I know that we require a certificate installed in the keychain to connect to corpnet01.

If you look at the usage for -setairportnetwork it implies that you have to include the password as an argument as well:

$ networksetup | grep setairportnetwork
Usage: networksetup -setairportnetwork <device name> <network> [password]

WiFi passwords are typically stored in Keychain so it's likely the case that the networking widget is pulling the password from Keychain and passing it as part of this operation behind the scenes.

How to find a Wi-Fi password on Mac

Example

Here I've looked in Keychain prior to get a rough idea of the item I'm attempting to retrieve via the CLI.

So we're looking for an item that contains "802.1X Password" for the "Kind". So we can use the security CLI tool to retrieve this like so:

$ security find-generic-password -D "802.1X Password" -g
keychain: "/Users/joeuser/Library/Keychains/login.keychain-db"
version: 512
class: "genp"
attributes:
    0x00000007 <blob>="SomeSSID Secure"
    0x00000008 <blob>=<NULL>
    "acct"<blob>="joeuser"
    "cdat"<timedate>=0x32303139303330343132323630355A00  "20190304122605Z\000"
    "crtr"<uint32>=<NULL>
    "cusi"<sint32>=<NULL>
    "desc"<blob>="802.1X Password"
    "gena"<blob>=<NULL>
    "icmt"<blob>=<NULL>
    "invi"<sint32>=<NULL>
    "mdat"<timedate>=0x32303139303330343132323630355A00  "20190304122605Z\000"
    "nega"<sint32>=<NULL>
    "prot"<blob>=<NULL>
    "scrp"<sint32>=<NULL>
    "svce"<blob>="com.apple.network.eap.user.item.wlan.ssid.SomeSSID Secure"
    "type"<uint32>=<NULL>
password: "securitypasswordssid123"

NOTE: When you run this command, you'll still be prompted for passwords to allow security CLI to access the Keychain. You can either do this 1 time, or allow it indefinitely.

The dialog will look like this:

References

How to find a Wi-Fi password on Mac
How to Find Wi-Fi Network Passwords from Command Line on Mac
802.1X Management on the command line


Can I install iOS 10 on iPhone 4S? There are some videos telling how to install iOS 10 on iPhone 4s, for example How to get iOS 10 on iPhone 4/4s/5/5c/5s/6 and above. Though they contain the term iPhone 4s in the title, I am not sure whether it works, because that video doesn't clearly show installing iOS 10 on 4S device.

The software update in iPhone 4S doesn't show the iOS 10 update, but is there a way to install it?

Officially Apple does not support iOS 10 on any iPhone model prior to the iPhone 5. In addition, the iPhone 4s hardware is just not capable of utilising many of the features of iOS 10.

This is not to say it wouldn't theoretically be possible to do so using non-standard means of installation, but the difficulties in doing so far outweigh any benefits of doing so.

Also, iOS 9.3.5 (13G36) is the last version of iOS that is officially supported on the iPhone 4s and many users complain that the phone struggles with this version of iOS. In fact, there was even a class action lawsuit against Apple claiming that iOS 9 should not have been installable on the iPhone 4s because the hardware struggles with it. One can only imagine how much more the hardware would struggle with iOS 10.

[EDIT - A final note]

In my opinion the risk of an attempted installation of iOS 10 on an iPhone 4s is too great. While it works for some, it doesn't work for most - and for a small percentage it even makes the phone totally unusable (with reports of the phone no longer switching on or, if it does, messaging no longer working and/or it's incapable of being charged afterwards).

Unfortunately, it isn't clear (at least to me) why it works for some and not others, and why it totally bricks the phone in some cases (although I suspect it may have something to do with what version of iPhone 4s is being used).


Is it possible to create a compressed file protected by password that can be opened on Mac & PC? Is it possible, on a Mac, to create a password-protected zip file, that can be decompressed on a PC and on Mac without problems? Is there a free way to do it if possible?

The terminal command

zip -ejr [(path to) archive_name.zip] [path to folder to be zipped]

should do the trick. You will be prompted to enter and verify a password.

The encrypted file can be unzipped from the Finder, you'll be prompted for the password. The file should also be useable on Windows, 'nix OS's, and every other file system that supports zip:

  zip  is  a compression and file packaging utility for Unix, VMS, MSDOS,
         OS/2, Windows 9x/NT/XP, Minix, Atari, Macintosh, Amiga, and Acorn  RISC
         OS.   It  is analogous to a combination of the Unix commands tar(1) and
         compress(1) and is compatible with PKZIP (Phil  Katz's  ZIP  for  MSDOS
         systems).

source: zip man page

If you want a GUI solution, it shouldn't be too difficult to create an Automator workflow to automate this process.


Does Time Machine need a "clean drive", or can I use an old hard disk I want to use Time Machine on my Mountain Lion. I have 1TB external HDD I use for storing various stuff.

The thing is I selected the drive for Time Machine to work on but nowhere it is mentioned that it will either format the disk or Time Machine will create a separate folder leaving other stuff on the disk untouched. I am bit skeptical that it might erase my disk. I dont want that to happen.

What will happen if I let Time Machine take backups on that disk? Will it erase everything? Can I use that for time machine without erasing the stuff on it?

Time Machine creates a separate folder ('Backups.backupdb') at the root of the external drive in which it stores its backups, leaving all your original data intact.

Time Machine does require your external drive to be formatted as HFS+, by the way. If that is the case, you should have no problems.


No longer update apps or use safari I recently migrated my macbook 12" to a macbook pro (touchbar). I used the migration assistant to transfer a backup from the old mac to the new one. At first all was successful apart from a slight issue with the incompatible OS version between the two machines. (I had to update before migrating)

I am running Sierra(10.12.5 (16F73)) on the new machine. I am now facing a number of issues with the machine, I would guess its a permission thing. I think but cannot be certain that vmware fusion has something to do with the issue because it was the last program I tried to install from the old backup before seeing issues. (I had to kill the installation)

safari opens and appears to load a page, but just sits there - no matter what the url is. Chrome and Firefox work perfectly well and other programs do not have an issue getting an internet connection.
mac store updates do not work, when I click update on an app, I see: "We could not complete your update. Unknown error"

I noticed that the owner of my application (located at /Library/*) is as follows:

drwxr-xr-x@   3 root          wheel    102 30 Jun  2016 Safari.app

Should root own these applications?
How can I debug this issue with safari and the app store updates?
Any thoughts what could cause behaviour like this?

So far, I have tried, neither worked:

Repairing disk permissions using the 'first aid' tool in disk utility.
Reinstall OS (restart, cmd+r, Reinstall OS)

Thanks

Thank you @IconDaemon - you comment solved it.

Step 1: Follow this link and run the terminal command.

Step 2: Restart the Mac in safe mode.


Can you virtualize PowerPC versions of Mac OS X on Intel Macs? Ignoring licensing/legal issues, is there any virtualisation software that will virtualise an older, PowerPC-only version of Mac OS X (e.g. Panther 10.3.9) on an Intel Mac?

If I understand correctly (and I very possibly don’t), such software would have to emulate a PowerPC processor, so it doesn’t seem likely.

Are there emulators or virtualization that can run apps or even enough of the OS to be useful to run PowerPC apps?

The PowerPC and Intel Macs are totally different architectures, so you are correct, you could only really emulate a PowerPC install on an intel machine, versus virtualize Windows/Mac OS/Linux on a intel machine.

There are some PowerPC emulators, but the one I know of for OS X would be PearPC. I have used PearPC a very long time ago, and don't know how well these work on newer machines.

Up until Lion however, at least PowerPC software was emulated using Rosetta. This was dropped in Lion though.

If you really do need a PowerPC machine, for dedicated work, I would personally buy a used older machine from ebay, which would be rather inexpensive depending on what kind of power you need.

Note: Removed iEmulator because its made more for emulating windows or linux on a intel OR PPC mac.