iOS MAC address randomization for personal hotspots On my friend's iPhone (not sure which one but presumably a recent version) when she creates a personal hotspot, there's a program running on her computer that scans all WLAN networks around it and it logs the SSID and BSSID (MAC address) for all networks it detects.

The thing is the scanner logs a different MAC address for the hotspot every time she stops and re-starts the personal hotspot. I've read about iOS randomizing MAC address when the phone is scanning for networks.

Does that meant that the MAC address of the iPhone's personal hotspot will also show up different to a third party app running on a different machine, scanning for local WLAN networks every time the iPhone hotspot is stopped and restarted?

Since iOS 8, Apple has implemented MAC address randomization as a security measure against tracking.  It will will generate a random MAC address when

responding to a probe request (another node is scanning)
sending a probe request (the iDevice is scanning)

However, when joined, it will use it’s own real MAC address.

Basically, users can be tracked when the iPhone responds to a management packet that’s broadcast.  The device (not limited to iPhones/iPads) will respond back with a response packet that includes the MAC address of the device.  Companies will log this device when it responds and track your movements.  Apple, randomizes the MAC address so that what that entity logs is mostly useless.  It’s important to note that this isn’t limited to the hotspot function of the iOS device, but to all scanning requests.


iPhone USB disabled because another network is connected due to touchbar I was offline due to an outage with my ISP. I disabled Wi-Fi and connected to my 2016 Macbook Pro running macOS (10.12.4-10.12.5) an iPhone to use its personal hotspot to connect, but when I did, the hotspot did not kick in as it has on past Macs. Instead, in the Network System Preferences, I see this message for iPhone USB:

Attached
iPhone USB is disabled because another network is connected. Uncheck the box below to connect anyway [✓] Disable unless needed

If I uncheck the box, the interface changes to Connected, but I want the device to only be active when needed. The mac seems to be incorrectly detecting that I don't need it when I do.

I tried removing all of the Network devices and restarting the machine, but even after restarting, the problem persisted.

I did some spelunking and found using ifconfig that en8 was to blame. If I sudo ifconfig en8 down, it makes that interface inactive and then the mac enables the iPhone USB device.

The details on the en8 device aren't very helpful:

$ sudo ifconfig -v en8
en8: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500 index 4
    eflags=1000080<TXSTART,ECN_ENABLE>
    ether ac:de:48:00:11:22
    inet6 fe80::aede:48ff:fe00:1122%en8 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x4
    nd6 options=281<PERFORMNUD,INSECURE,DAD>
    media: autoselect
    status: active
    type: Ethernet
    link quality: 100 (good)
    state availability: 0 (true)
    scheduler: QFQ
    qosmarking enabled: no mode: none

The only identifying information there is the mac address, which resolves to a generic "private" space.

Using networksetup -listallnetworkservices gives no hint as to what that device might be and the device doesn't appear in the list from networksetup -listallhardwareports.

I persisted and found en8 listed in System Information:

The device is iBridge, which with a search reveals that iBridge is for the touch bar.

Even with en8 down, the touchbar appears to work, which makes me think the ethernet device is not in use at all.

I suspect this behavior is a bug and will need to be fixed in a future OS update, but I'm hopeful for some prospects.

Is it safe to leave en8 inactive, or what issues might I encounter with that device inactive? Is there another way to configure that interface such that it is still up and functioning as Apple intended, but without signaling to the OS that it's a viable connection to a network when it is not?

One thing that stops working if you take down the en8 interface is the Touch ID, which fails to unlock the laptop or otherwise authorize the user unless the interface is active.


What is "http://init-p01st.push.apple.com"? Ive seen this popup a few times in my internet tracking. So, what is Apple using this url for? What happens if I block it?

It is a server used for push notifications for iOS and OS X. If you block it, you may not receive push notifications.


How to prevent CMD key in Parallels Desktop 9 from switching to Windows 8 start screen? Very annoying: I am running PD in Coherence mode and work in Visual Studio. If I press CMD, the Windows start screen appears.
Is there a way to disable this behavior?

Ha! Found it!

PD Settings -> Shortcuts -> Virtual Machines -> Windows 8

then map CMD to CTRL:


How to set or change the desktop background in configuration profile in Big Sur Is there any way to set the desktop background picture in a configuration profile in Big Sur? This is when using local profile, rather than one set by a server or MDM.

The com.apple.desktop payload supports two keys: locked if set to true will prevent the desktop picture being changed. override-picture-path can be used to set the path to the desktop picture. More information is given in the "Desktop Payload" section of the Configuration Profile Reference.
If you don't want to create a configuration profile by hand you can use a profile editor such as iMazing's Profile Editor.
This payload requires the picture to exist on the device. To my knowledge there is no way of embedding an image within a configuration profile.


How can I rotate my signature in Preview? I have scanned my signature and can insert it just fine, but at the wrong angle!

How can I rotate it (90 deg)?

I've been having the same problem, but I solved it by opening the pdf file in Preview, hitting File > Duplicate, then adding the signature in the newly created file. This corrects the orientation of the file so that Preview can identify lines and you can just click on them with the signature tool (from the Annotate/Edit toolbar) and add your signature.


Looking for a lightweight MP3 player for OS X I'm looking for something, preferably free, to play MP3s in OS X in a way they don't automatically get dumped into iTunes. Any suggestions?

Songbird is not lightweight.

VLC I use for videos.

If you prefer a dedicated app rather than use Quick Look, check Vox, the lightweight music app for Mac OS X.
It's free but you can donate.


Looking for charting recommendations beyond Excel and Numbers Recently both Numbers and Excel failed me in my charting needs. I got the job done in Numbers, but only with brute force by creating 28 charts in what should have been two.

Back in the 90s, when I was using Aldus Persuasion for my presentation needs, I remember there being a dedicated Mac OS charting program called something like Omni Chart (not related, to my knowledge, to The Omni Group) that offered more advanced charts than were at that time unavailable in Excel. Since it looks like I'll be doing more charting in the near future, I'm looking for something similar for OS X.

A major test of any recommended software would be its ability to easily create a chart like the one below, which shows comparison data for two groups who answered seven questions in two ways each (in this case, how important the question was and how well performance rated). The chart was created in Numbers and is actually fourteen charts, one for each column.

Some points to mention:

The above chart is going to be created for dozens of projects in the future, so software price isn't too big an issue. I'm willing to spend money to save time.
I have a programming background. I'm open to something like the one of the Python charting libraries. I'm not restricted to Python, only OS X (self-imposed).

You were not able to get Excel to do this for you?

The only thing I was not able to do was to get the Horizontal labels centered underneath the columns, but you could likely do it by hand if you hid the column labels then manually typed them into the axis label instead.

This is how I got to the picture above.

Highlight A1 to N3 and then select Stacked Columns.

Next you will want to edit the Data Series to this

This shows Series 1 in the Y Values... Just select Series 2 and change it to $A$3..$N$3

You will have two data series and it will initially be stacked, so you will end up with a y-axis of 16 or so. Leave that for now as it is easier to do all of the formatting before you make the final changes to get it to look like this.

Go through and change your color scheme for all of series 1 to Green. You will then have to select the even numbered columns and change their fill to the lighter color individually.

Also on the version of Excel I am using there is a Gap Width slider under the formatting for Series 1 and 2 (Though I only had to set it once. I am not 100% sure if it is the same on other versions, but I set it to 25% and that gave me the spacing that you see between the columns.

Next select no fill for series 2. Then change the label color to a darker color so that you can see it. You will also need to change the position to Inside End so that they move to the top of the column Next change the Border to Solid Line and you can choose the dashed line option. I chose the fill as blue as that is what you had.

Now what you will do is select series two and you will choose Plot Series on Second Axis under Series 2 Format Series. This will drop then down so that instead of starting where Series 1 column ends, the zero-points are made the same for series 1 and series 2. When I did it the scaling was a bit off. So select Vertical (Value) Axis and make the Minimum Bounds to 0.0 and your Maximum Bounds to 10.0 (At least for this data set) adjust accordingly for different data sets under that Formatting option.

Next select the Secondary Vertical (Value) Axis and make sure that you set all of the parameters to the same settings as you did for Vertical (Value) Axis formatting. This will bring the scaling of the two series in line. You then select None for label position so that The Secondary Axis is no longer displayed on the graph.

At this point you are basically done. You can do minor things like deleting the Legend that shows series 1 and series 2 (or you can name them accordingly) and adding gridlines. You could manually go in a move the 7.6 in Question # 1 column 2, so that it is outside of the fill. etc. But you can basically get almost the entire way to where you want to be inside of Excel.

If I left anything out just ask it the comments and I'll respond.

UPDATE

As I am a bit of a perfectionist and was really annoyed by the fact you could see the dashed line around the entire border, I worked out the how to cover that up.

You would think that the data mapped to the Primary Axis would be in front... NOPE! That would make too much sense to a Microsoft developer... Anyway here is what you do.

Select Series2 and Plot Series on Primary Axis. Then Select Series1 and Plot Series on Secondary Axis. Adjust the scaling (AGAIN), and add a solid border of the same color to the fill of Series1 (sorry, but you have to do it for all of the even colored ones individually), and set the size to be the same point size as your dashed border for Series2, and Series1 now covers Series2, like this:

UPDATE 2: Bonus Material

So if you need to expand this for more question, insert columns in between the data. The graph remembers everything except the even numbered column color scheme, so you then only need to go in and change the fill and border color to the lighter green and you have added to the graph... Oh and of course you have to fiddle with your solution on the centering of the Question numbers, but probably not as bad as having to do everything manually in OmniGraffle.


Remove blur effect from lock screen on High Sierra I'm on High Sierra 10.13.5. Following these steps to use my unblurred original wallpaper on the initial login screen of my Mac worked perfectly. Now I would like to do the same thing with the lock screen. While at work I have to lock the screen every time I step away from my desk. But I've never liked that my wallpaper is blurred while on the lock screen. I searched and searched but I couldn't find any instructions for getting rid of the blur effect on the lock screen, only for the login screen, which, as I've said, I've already done successfully.

Does anyone know if it's possible to remove the blur effect from the lock screen wallpaper?

I found this article online, and I hope this helps. I just saw someone who had their lock screen be un-blurred, and I started researching it. So, I saw this and created an account on StackExchange to post this. I hope this helps. I am also new to StackExchange, so if the answer could be changed for the better please let me know so I can change it.

Here is the link

If you’d rather your login screen not be blurred, you can do that too! I recommend first adding a custom image to your desktop so that there is an image in so that there is an image in the /Library/Caches folder.Then, copy that image to your desktop by dragging it there.

We’ll use this image in a little bit. First, open whatever image you’d like to show up behind your login screen with Preview. Select the entire canvas (Command+A), then copy it (Command+C).

Next, head to your desktop and open the file you copied from /Library/Caches. Paste (Command+V) what you just copied.

You will need to move and resize what you’re pasting quite a bit in order to get everything just right. When you’re done, save the image (Command+S). Head back to your desktop, and drag your edited image to the /Library/Caches folder. You will be asked if you’d like to replace the file that’s there; click “Replace.”

You’ve now placed your custom background image. Go ahead and log out of your user account to see how it looks:

It worked! In my case, however, the white maple leaf is making it hard to read the white text used by macOS. To fix this, I found a different version of this image where the leaf is blue.

Much better! This version puts the darker part of the image behind the text, which makes it easier to read everything. You’ll probably have to experiment with this a little yourself, but to avoid problems favor dark images over light ones, and simple images over complex ones.

If you’re a Photoshop guru, you might prefer making an image yourself over messing around with Preview in this way. You can do that, but the image you create needs to meet specific criteria. It must be:

A PNG file
The same exact resolution as your primary display
RGB, sRGB, or Adobe RGB color mode.
8bit colors
Unlocked background layer
Named “com.apple.desktop.admin.png”
In our tests, even doing all these things can still be hit-or-miss, so we suggest using the Preview method. It’s just simpler.


Is it possible to add alternate SCM options in Xcode 3? Is it possible to add additional SCM options in Xcode, specifically Mercurial?  I know it is possible outside with Murky and others but I was hoping for a "inside Xcode" integration.

If this is too SOish say so.

In the latest beta of XCode 4, there's a built-in support for Git, so it's possible to add other SCM.

Maybe Apple will also incorporate Mercurial support as well.

They are several requests - XCode should support Mercurial as well as Git., Xcode 4 should support Mercurial - to put Mercurial support into XCode.

So if you can't find a solution now, I'd suggest you to wait until XCode 4 goes out officially.

By the way, if you need or want a nice Mac OS X client for Mercurial, you should try MacHg.


Two-factor Authentication closed loop. Devices can't approve each other! After recently updating iOS on my iPhone I was asked to approve my iPhone from another Apple device of mine. I believe an approval code was sent that I never received because it was sent to the device I am trying to approve. I saw my phone number appear on the screen, and confirmed it because it is my current number, not realizing where this would lead.

I can't approve my iPhone from my Mac because it's not running El Capitan yet. I have now started a lengthy Time Machine backup and am looking into the steps for a clean install since the Mac has performance issues that a standard update will likely not solve. This had to be done anyway, but it's going to be a process, and I still don't know if my iPhone will trust my Mac since the Mac doesn't have an existing history of 2FA usage.

I can't approve my iPhone from the household iPad because it uses another family member's account for iCloud. I hoped that because I make iTunes purchases on the iPad with my Apple ID that the iPhone would trust it, but it does not. In fact, the opposite has happened - after signing in with a now-suspect Apple ID the iPad is now also waiting for approval and refusing to trust the iPhone.

I cannot log into icloud.com for the same reason, so there's no hope of authenticating from there.

This has become a nightmare spiraling out of control, with my Apple devices all asking to be approved and none of them trusting each other. What can I do to prove that I am me, and get my iCloud and devices functioning again?

If you select your phone number, your phone will receive the text and automatically fill in the code for you. I do not believe that macs are able to receive 2FA codes.


Automating Terminal Commands with AppleScript I have an Arduino-based device (www.picobrew.com) and needs firmware updating.  The company wrote a little app to do it for Windows users, but us OS X users are out in the cold.  Fortunately, we were able to use the Arduino app and some terminal commands to get around not having their app.  Some people, however, are a little afraid to tinker in Terminal.  I found this post, which seems like a good start, but I have two variables, the file name of the firmware file and the name of the Arduino serial port that I'm not quite sure how to get into the script without hardcoding.  Here is the script:

/Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Java/hardware/tools/avr/bin/avrdude -C /Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Java/hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf -c arduino -P /dev/tty.usbmodemFD121 -p atmega1284p -U flash:w:$HOME/Desktop/Zymatic_RC_1_1_9.hex

I can find the name of the serial port with this command:

ls /dev/tty.usb*

But how can I populate the first script with the result of this one?

Additionally, is there a way to prompt for a file location?

Apologies if any of this is super basic.  I have extremely limited Terminal experience and zero AppleScript experience.  Thanks for any help.

These examples accomplish what you want. Note the
" & quoted form of portName & "
portion of the shellString. Was just guessing that's where it goes, but you can figure it out from there.

-- set the porn name to a variable
set portName to do shell script "ls /dev/tty.usb*"

-- set up the shell command, including the variable you insert
set shellString to "/Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Java/hardware/tools/avr/bin/avrdude -C /Applications/Arduino.app/Contents/Java/hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf -c arduino -P /dev/tty." & quoted form of portnName & " -p atmega1284p -U flash:w:$HOME/Desktop/Zymatic_RC_1_1_9.hex"

-- run the shell command
do shell script shellString

-- this command returns an alias to a folder
set aFolder to choose folder "Please choose the correct folder"
-- this command returns an alias to a file, you can restrict file types
set aFile to choose file "Please choose the correct file"
-- you can convert the folder/file alias to a string to get just the portion you need


If I sell my iPad, is erase/reset enough or do I need to sign-out first? I gave my iPad to someone else, I used the erase function and when I turn it on it shows as default, to select language and connect to a wifi, etc.
But the apple article page about this, says to use sign-out first, and then erase.
Will there be a problem if I didn't sign-out first ? In a way that ... could my email/account/name show up on the screen when new user sets it up ?
I deleted the device from my iCloud account too. After I erased it.

If you did a factory reset (Settings > General > Reset < Erase All Content and Settings) it asked you for your AppleID password at that point, right?
That should, while factory resetting, dis-associate your AppleID.  If you're seeing the "Hello" welcome initial start-up screen, you should be good.


Comparison of cases available via Apple's case program I'm trying to decide which case to choose via Apple's case program.

Are there any side by side physical comparisons of the cases available? All I have been able to find is speculative information, gleaned from marketing material.

Feel free to provide your findings if you have one of the cases already.

There's an article like that here

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/backstage/comments/apple-iphone-4-case-program-here-are-the-best-worst-picks/

Their top pick is the Speck PixelSkin HD


How do i upgrade my Ipad to a specific software without a computer? I have an Ipad that has ios 9.3.3 as the software version and i need your help because i want to update only to ios 11 and to update to ios 12, it says i need a computer so I need your help

It is only possible to upgrade to a specific version if your device doesn’t support the latest version or if Apple signs the update, so you can update using iTunes.

All devices that support iOS 11 support iOS 12 so that is not an option.

Apple is no longer signing iOS 11 and hence it isn’t possible to update to it. If you really need iOS 11 you can buy a used/new device online that is running iOS 11, but that is your only option.


Can I move app purchases from one Apple ID to another? Can I move apps purchased with one Apple ID to another Apple ID? I am looking at purchasing a used iOS device and I want to be able to keep all the apps that are on the device (with permission of the original owner of course). How can I do this?

You can't, as Apple doesn't provide this ability.

From Apple's support document:

  You cannot merge two or more Apple IDs into a single one. You can, however, use one Apple ID for iCloud services and another Apple ID for store purchases (including iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Match).

You can keep using all the old apps, but they won't update without the original password for the original Apple ID. In practice, you will eventually tire of the prompts or delete the apps in question. In the short term, you can use them all without needing the other account name or password.


How to create an alias for IP address for JDBC connection? I have the “db” alias in my JDBC connection specified in the Java properties file for MYSQL.  This alias does not currently work on my local computer.

I would like not to change the properties file but instead of this create the alias “db” that will work the same as IP address for JDBC connection.  Is it possible?

I am on OS X Mavericks

Add the alias to the file /etc/hosts with a line like this:

123.123.123.123 db

Where 123.123.123.123 should be substituted with your IP-address and db must match the name given as alias in the JDBC connection.

After editing the file, run the following command in the Terminal:

sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

This will reload the hosts file.


Python Weirdness on Terminal Open When I open Terminal I see the following:

Last login: Wed Feb  8 18:30:05 on ttys029
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/logging/handlers.py", line 75, in emit
    self.doRollover()
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/logging/handlers.py", line 132, in doRollover
    os.rename(self.baseFilename, dfn)
OSError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
Error in atexit._run_exitfuncs:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/atexit.py", line 24, in _run_exitfuncs
    func(*targs, **kargs)
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/logging/__init__.py", line 1472, in shutdown
    h.flush()
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/logging/__init__.py", line 740, in flush
    self.stream.flush()
ValueError: I/O operation on closed file
Error in sys.exitfunc:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/atexit.py", line 24, in _run_exitfuncs
    func(*targs, **kargs)
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/logging/__init__.py", line 1472, in shutdown
    h.flush()
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/logging/__init__.py", line 740, in flush
    self.stream.flush()
ValueError: I/O operation on closed file

Everything seems to work but this is ugly and maybe warns of future trouble.  I've installed Python 2.7 on this machine, then removed it to a virtualenv to restore 2.6 as the system default.

Any thoughts on how I can debug this?

EDIT:

My .profile has a call to virtualenvwrapper.sh -- which, as I look it, is located under .../Versions/2.7 of Python.  So maybe I should look for the problem there?

From comment:

Check your .bashrc or .profile for Python specific code -- if you find something there make sure it is pointing to the correct version, be it .../Versions/Current/..., .../Versions/2.7/..., or whatever.


Are there any significant differences between two Apple products of the same name but different part numbers (particularly FC371LL/A and MC371LL/A)? I was going to buy a refurbished MacBook Pro 15" but when I compared it to a regular one added in the shopping cart for reference, I found that they had different part numbers: FC371LL/A and MC371LL/A. I was not sure if the old model had something wrong, so I haven't ordered. Does anyone know any particular fixes Apple has done to the new MacBook Pro line?

Also, are Apple products of the same name but different part numbers significantly varied?

The refurbished one probably has a different part number because it is refurbished now new.

It won't have anything "wrong" with it, but it is refurbished. Check the specs and compare it to the current production model. Typically they will say "late 2010 model" or something of the sort to indicate if this is different (hardware wise) from the current one.


-5101 error on Internet Recovery I'm trying to install macOS Big Sur on a 2016 15" MacBook Pro using Internet Recovery (Cmd-Opt-R during boot), but I keep getting an -5101F error, with a link to apple.com/support.
I've tried an Ethernet connection and using Internet Sharing to create a WiFi hotspot from another Mac, but that doesn't change anything.
In addition, installing the much older macOS Sierra using Cmd-R also fails with the error The installation information on the recovery server is damaged.
What can I do?

In the past, a similar range of error codes has been network related errors, so if your firewall/router/DNS is filtering Apple network IP (perhaps relating to OCSP shenanigans or just running something like PiHole) you might retry your installation from a very open network. Another thing to try would be a different network connector and reboot your home router / modem network setup to be sure it’s in a clean state.
Mostly, that error is designed to get you to Customer Support however, so starting that chat might be worthwhile if you don’t feel like troubleshooting this without vendor notes on what that error code signifies.

https://support.apple.com/

It’s also seldom popular to just wait a day, since you likely had a reason to recover your mac, but many problems do sort themselves out when it is server side and your process is correct. Without experiments, though, it’s hard to know which situation you face.


Extend wireless network from DSL router with Airport Express This is what I want to do:

  ISP's DSL router (LAN port) <-- ethernet cable --> (WAN port) Airport Express

(I know it's not possible to extend non Apple WiFi points wirelessly, so I need the ethernet cable).

Then I'd like the Express to extend the existing DSL network, using the same SSID, password and security type.

It sounds simple but I've burned most of a day trying every combination I can think of and I cannot get this working!

Can anyone offer step by step instructions on the setup required via the Airport Utility app please? :)

Note that each time I've tried a new combination I've factory reset the router (hold the reset for +5 seconds whilst powering it on) and have done multiple reboots of the DSL router.

Here are set up instructions that should work for you:

Connect your express (LAN port) directly to your Mac ethernet and fire up Airport  Utility (you may want to do a factory reset first).
Discover it (you may have to click on "Other Base stations" and pick LAN).
Select Create New Network, rather than Extend, when configuring.
Select a separate password and enter the same password as the DSL router for the Wireless Password (and something you'll remember for the Base Station password).
Let Airport setup finish.
Edit the settings and under Wireless, enter the identical NAME, Security Type (for example; WPA2-Personal), and Password as your DSL router (the password will already be filled in from above of course).
Under Network, select; Off (Bridge Mode).
Unplug your Airport from the Mac and plug it in to the ethernet
connection to the DSL router and the WAN connection on the Airport.


How do I sync contacts with Gmail on an iPhone 5? I’ve upgraded my device to an iPhone 5; from an iPhone 4. But it seems that Google changed the way it handles free accounts and iOS. Namely they don’t support the Exchange protocol anymore.

To remedy the mail issue, I’m not using the Gmail app as my default mail app. Under Mail, Contacts, Calendars in preferences, I’ve set up Gmail to handle contacts. I’ve turned off contacts under iCloud. Those are the only two accounts I have set up.

Now on my phone, when I go to Phone > Contacts I can enter a new contact but it never shows up in Gmail. I’ve waited (days) and synced with my desktop, but still can't get a contact entered into the iPhone to sync with Gmail.

Am I missing a step? Or do I need to change my settings some how to get this to work?

This Google help document shows the normal setup steps, as well as some troubleshooting steps.

For troubleshooting, ensure that Contacts is turned on, and then click on the account information above the list of mail, contacts, calendar and notes. This will show your Gmail account information.

Click on advanced, and ensure that SSL is enabled.

It may be helpful to create a new contact locally on the device and see if it syncs up to Gmail.


Something taking up 90GB of storage in MacOS Catalina 10.15 Beta After installing MacOS Catalina 10.15 Beta (19A471t) there is something taking up 90GB of my Disk. I tried scanning with Daisy Disk but wasn't able to identify what those files are.

How can I find out this folder?

I cracked the code!

Preface

This seems to have worked fine for me, but there are no guarantees. DO NOT PROCEED WITHOUT A BACKUP OF YOUR DATA. Then again, you know that, you voluntarily installed a beta operating system.

The root of this issue seems to be a failure in deleting APFS snapshots made by Time Machine. Under healthy operation, old snapshots are deleted as necessary whenever new disk space is required. However, this process failed, as we'll see below.

Symptoms

Deleting files doesn't increase free space on the disk.
Daisy Disk reports a large "hidden space". Deleting a file of X bytes would increase the size of this "hidden space" by X bytes.

First try thinning

Firstly, I would try to manually thin out the Time Machine snapshots. This requests Time Machine to automatically clean out enough snapshots to free a desired amount of space, in this case, 100 GB.

$ tmutil thinlocalsnapshots 100g 1

If this succeeded, it should say something like

Thinned local snapshots:
com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-21-141250.local

Listing some number of deleted snapshots. However, I doubt this will help. If the system could get this to work automatically, I don't see why manually invoking it would help. But YMMV, so it's worth a shot.

Manual snapshot deletion

After some number of snapshots were deleted, some space was freed up, but not much. the issue is that deleting any number of snapshots won't matter if even one snapshot exists holding onto the same data. In my case, there were two snapshots remaining that persisted even after thinning:

$ tmutil listlocalsnapshotdates
Snapshot dates for all disks:
2019-06-11-214224
2019-06-21-233121

I tried manually deleting these:

$ sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots 2019-06-21-233121
Deleted local snapshot '2019-06-21-233121'

$ sudo tmutil deletelocalsnapshots 2019-06-11-214224
Deleted local snapshot '2019-06-11-214224'

The response says they were deleted, but they actually weren't:

$ tmutil listlocalsnapshotdates
Snapshot dates for all disks:
2019-06-11-214224
2019-06-21-233121

At this point, I start going the nuclear route: directly using diskutil to delete the APFS snapshots, without Time Machine's blessing to do so. First, I listed the APFS snapshots to see their UUIDs:

$ sudo diskutil apfs listSnapshots /System/Volumes/Data
Snapshots for disk1s1 (2 found)
|
+-- BFD78F4F-99BB-4D5B-AE16-5367DC9C615E
|   Name:        com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-11-214224.local
|   XID:         10440723
|   Purgeable:   Yes
|
+-- 611E5357-8D10-4ABE-95F3-BE98C2DFCA3F
    Name:        com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-21-233121.local
    XID:         10492913
    Purgeable:   Yes
    NOTE:        This snapshot limits the minimum size of APFS Container disk1

Then I tried deleting them manually:

$ sudo diskutil apfs deleteSnapshot disk1s1 -uuid BFD78F4F-99BB-4D5B-AE16-5367DC9C615E
Deleting APFS Snapshot BFD78F4F-99BB-4D5B-AE16-5367DC9C615E "com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-11-214224.local" from APFS Volume disk1s1
Started APFS operation
Error: -69863: Insufficient privileges

Strangely, even though I'm using sudo to run the command as root, I'm told I have insufficient privileges. This might have something to do with the read-onliness of the system volume, or to do with it being the actively booted volume, but I don't know.

Going nuclear

I loaded up into recovery mode, and went to the command line. From there, I did a similar process to try to delete the snapshots. However, this required first unlocking and mounting the relevant volumes.

Running diskutil list, I found that my data and system volumes were assigned the labels disk1s1 and disk2s5, respectively.
I think (I don't remember precisely) unlocked the volumes with:

-bash-3.2# diskutil apfs unlockVolume disk1s1
Password:
-bash-3.2# diskutil apfs unlockVolume disk1s5
Password:

Then I mounted them:

-bash-3.2# diskutil mount disk1s1
-bash-3.2# diskutil mount disk1s5

I listed their snapshots:

-bash-3.2# diskutil apfs listSnapshots disk2s1
Snapshots for disk2s1 (2 found)
|
+-- Name: com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-11-214224.local
|   XID:  10440723
|
+-- Name: com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-21-233121.local
    XID:  10492913
    NOTE: This snapshot sets the minimal allowed size of APFS Container disk2
-bash-3.2# diskutil apfs listSnapshots disk2s5
Snapshot for disk2s5 (2 found)
|
+-- Name: com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-11-214224.local
|   XID:  187251
|
+-- Name: com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-21-233121.local
    XID:  10492911
    NOTE: This snapshot sets the minimal allowed size of APFS Container disk2

I tried deleting the snapshots by their "XID", but that didn't seem to work for all of them, so I instead deleted them by name:

-bash-3.2# diskutil apfs deleteSnapshot disk2s1 -name com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-11-214224.local
Deleting APFS Snapshot XID 10440723 "com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-11-214224.local" from APFS Volume disk2s1
Started APFS operation
Finished APFS operation

-bash-3.2# diskutil apfs deleteSnapshot disk2s1 -name com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-21-233121.local
Deleting APFS Snapshot XID 10492913 "com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-21-233121.local" from APFS Volume disk2s1
Started APFS operation
Finished APFS operation

-bash-3.2# diskutil apfs deleteSnapshot disk2s5 -name com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-11-214224.local
Deleting APFS Snapshot XID 187251 "com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-11-214224.local" from APFS Volume disk2s5
Started APFS operation
Finished APFS operation

-bash-3.2# diskutil apfs deleteSnapshot disk2s5 -name com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-21-233121.local
Deleting APFS Snapshot XID 10492911 "com.apple.TimeMachine.2019-06-21-233121.local" from APFS Volume disk2s5
Started APFS operation
Finished APFS operation

Once this was done, I confirmed that the snapshots were gone:

-bash-3.2# diskutil apfs listSnapshots disk2s1
No snapshots for disk2s1

-bash-3.2# diskutil apfs listSnapshots disk2s5
No snapshots for disk2s5

And I confirmed that the space was in fact freed with diskutil apfs list.
I restarted, and my Mac was back to normal. The space of all of the files I previously deleted is now visible and available.

And they lived happily ever after...


Is it possible to create a default .profile or .bash_profile with default configuration intact on macOS? In Ubuntu, I can get the default .bashrc by copying from the /etc/skel folder:

cp /etc/skel/.bashrc ~/

This is extremely helpful for me as it gives me all the options and configuration already setup and properly commented.

Is there a similar feature for macOS (currently using macOS Sierra)?

On user creation, the home directory contents are copied from a directory /System/Library/User\ Template/<language> (where language is for example English.lproj), so you could copy the original file using:

sudo cp /System/Library/User\ Template/<language>/<file> ~/

The problem is that .bashrc is non-existent in the default profile, so you can just delete it from your home directory to get the initial state.

Though you might check your installation to be 100% sure.


Animating color changes in Keynote How can you animate a color change (i.e as a build) in a Keynote presentation? There is no option for color under the Action tab of the build inspector.

One way to do this would be to have two objects that are exactly the same except for the color, in exactly the same position, then have one build out and one build in at the same time, with the effect set to dissolve. Doesn't work quite right.

You could also have two identical slides except for the color change, then set the transition between the slides to dissolve.


Time Machine couldn’t complete the backup: Two of the disks to back up have the same name. (Catalina) I have erased my backup hard drive and get the following error when I attempt my first backup:

My disks look like this

I'm running 10.15. Any ideas appreciated.

I had the same issue but this because I truly had 2 "Macintosh HD":

I renamed one of the two and the problem was solved:


System Integrity Protection breaks DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH for python scripts I have some custom modules that are generated using SWIG that are installed in a a local path eg:

catkin_ws/devel/lib/python2.7/site-packages

When I try to run a python script that uses one of these modules, I get an import error:

"/usr/local/Cellar/python/2.7.13/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/importlib/__init__.py", line 37, in import_module
    __import__(name)
ImportError: No module named _mag_manip

I've figured out that this is due to the shebang at the top of the python script:

#!/usr/bin/env python

Because /usr/bin/env is protected by System Integrity Protection (SIP), the DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable is not loaded and some modules cannot be found. A fix is to replace the shebang with the hardcoded path of python ie:

#!/usr/local/bin/python

Since my code runs on Linux and Mac OSX, replacing the normal python shebang with a hardcoded path on mac is not a really good solution. Does anybody know what the best solution is here?

Note: This only works in the Z shell (zsh).

Although I would normally say this is a bad idea, I can't see anything wrong with doing this with env, which is a pretty harmless command. Try copying env into /usr/local/bin and replacing /usr/bin/env python in the shebang with just env python (without the absolute path). Assuming you have /usr/local/bin somewhere near the beginning of your PATH variable on OS X, it'll pick up the relocated one, which will no longer be covered under SIP. That shebang will also work on Linux.


Can an app that was removed from the Mac App Store be re-downloaded? I do a clean install whenever I upgrade my OS to a new major release.

I know Coda 1 is no longer in the App Store and isn't supported by Panic anymore but I'd like to keep using it because it works for my needs. I am curious whether Coda 1 can be re-downloaded on the Mac App Store under "Purchases" after I install a clean OS (particuarly Mountain Lion later this month)?

If not, can I copy the App to a USB drive and put it manually in to a cleanly installed OS and will it work?

Yes. Most cases the developer will leave the app on the store, but just remove it from being sellable to new owners.

That allows them to submit bug fixes for existing customers, not force them to upgrade, allow them to re-download things - but not have new buyers buying the wrong version (not the latest).

Of course, the developer or Apple can also remove the app entirely - but this is far less common. What is common is when the developer keeps the same name as far as the store is concerned. In this case, you'll want to have a backup that you control to re-install no matter what Apple or the developer chooses.


Using 'scrat' name in a web app Is there any problem that I may have in the future if I use the name 'scrat' in an web app for App Store? For example 'Scrat Store' or something similar?

Since the name 'scrat' is the name of an Ice Age character and obviously is trademarked.

If it's a trademarked name then you will have a problem.  It might get through the app review process the first and second time but eventually, the trademark owner, in this case, 20th Century Fox, will find out and and ask/tell you to remove it (or go to Apple to have it removed).


How can I determine which paths are required? I am using Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8.

My Mac has several volumes with OS X and each volume has several users.

I wish to minimise the work required to ensure that my paths are adequate both for the installed OS and subsequent non-Apple additions by updating /private/etc/paths.

Is there a way to determine where executables requiring a path reside or should reside?

Is it practical to move items to a directory in the path?

My /private/etc/paths contains:

/usr/bin
/bin
/usr/sbin
/sbin
/usr/local/bin

echo $PATH produces:

/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/X11/bin

However the above are not adequate for some applications.

A search for directories named sbin produces many hits including:

/usr/local/sbin

Should the various share directories be in the path?

Searching for directories containing executables with the following find command produces over 8,000 hits and is clearly not a viable approach.

find / -perm +0111 -type d

When you login to your computer the loginwindow.app creates environment with the PATH variable set to:

/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin

This PATH is available to all applications that you start. When you start the Terminal.app this PATH is inherited by your shell which is started as a login shell. The PATH is then processed by the path_helper application to produce the PATH:

/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/X11/bin

The system is designed for an application package or an administrator to add paths by creating text files with adsolute paths in the directory /private/etc/paths.d. You may find other executables located in

/private/etc
/usr/lib
/usr/libexec
/usr/local # should have the same hierarchy as /usr
/opt
/opt/local # macports package manager
/sw # fink package manager
/System
/Library

Tools may also be found in bundles and frameworks.

/Applications/LibreOffice.app/Contents/MacOS # the path to run open office headless
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/A/Resources # the path to the commandline airport utility

There are no set rules and an administrator could design his/her own prefix to install software.

The goal of an administrator is to set the global path as small as possible then expand the path as needed according to a user's privileges, in their own startup files.


VNC Viewer with clipboard sync I need to connect to Ubuntu Vinegar VNC and Windows UltraVNC.  I can't find one that sync's the clipboard so I can past from my Macbook to the others OS.  It works fine Windows to Ubuntu and vise versa so the VNC servers are fine.

A low cost solution would be preferred as my countries currency is a quarter of the value of the US$.

Jollys Fast VNC

It attempts to keep the clipboards in sync and for the most part it does a very good job of it. Not all objects copied to the clipboard on one machine can be used on another though. For example: copying a file the clipboard just puts a lean file object in the clipboard which has no parallel on the remote machine.

But for text and such it works great.

There's a free trial (that continually renews itself) and you can buy it in the MAS as well for not a lot of money (there's a "home" version for even less).


Manually update carrier settings after dismissing prompt My iPhone with iOS 10 recently popped up a dialogue prompting me to update my carrier settings and I accidentally pressed not now.

Is there a way to re-open that dialogue? A button that should be pressed somewhere? A page that needs to be opened in one of my apps? I have tried opening software update, Carrier settings, Phone settings, etc., but I just can't update my carrier settings.

Going to Settings > General > About should trigger a manual check for carrier settings updates.


DIY replacement of DVD drive with an SSD? I have a late 2011 15" MacBook Pro. It has a 750 GB HDD and I'm about to upgrade the RAM from 2x4 GB to 2 x 8 GB.  I am looking for do-it-yourself resources/guides to either (depending on difficulty):

replace the HDD with a SSD (obviously the easier scenario if not too difficult, or, ...)
a) Remove the internal DVD drive that hardly ever gets used.
b) Install the DVD drive in an enclosure with a USB or Thunderbolt port for use as an external device when needed.
c) fill the empty DVD drive space with an SSD and make use of both the HDD (for data) and the SSD (for OS and software).

Obviously the first question is readily dooable and I'm considering the Samsung 860 EVO 1 or 2 TB if I settle on the first upgrade scenario.

Question 1:
I'm just not sure Samsung 860 EVO will fit?

Question 2:
It is really the second scenario that I need the step by step guide for, if it is possible, not overly difficult and, if any of you folk know of a good DIY resource?

Two sites that are very Mac friendly are the iFixit site and the OWC (Other World Computing) site. OWC sells SSDs and many other Mac upgrades. I suggest you search the site for what you are looking for.

An iFixit example guide how to install a second HDD/SSD (with links where to buy all required parts and tools):

Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2011 Dual Hard Drive


After importing pictures into Aperture how can I find them in Finder? When I import pictures from my camera using Aperture I can find them by using Aperture to browse through its library, but I generally want to access them from Finder.

Where might they be?

If you right-click on the package used as Aperture Library, and select "Show Package Contents," Finder will show you the directories contained in the package; inside "Masters" you will find the pictures.
In my case, they are contained in a subdirectory of "Masters."


After installing High Sierra can't mount external USB drive (TimeMachine), why not? I installed High Sierra and now my iMac (27" 2011) can not see the external USB TimeMachine drive.

The drive shows up in DiskUtil but it's greyed out. I can not mount it. In fact it doesn't respond to any commands, mount, eject, first aid won't run.

I also have a MacBook Pro (High Sierra too), it can't read the drive, same problem.

I tried booting into Recovery mode, I still can't access the drive.

The drive is fine, I can plug it into a Linux machine and I can browse the disc.

How can I fix this?

Thanks
Rich

Ok something is broken in High Sierra disk utils (as of 2018/04/02). It seems unable to mount discs correctly. And I think crashes. I suspect it's something to do with the EFI partition but I'm only guessing.

To fix my problem I had to format the drive and start the backup from scratch. This did fix the problem.

However you can not format the disc from disk tools, it crashes. You have to format it via the terminal.

I followed this short guide.

https://mycyberuniverse.com/web/how-fix-mediakit-reports-not-enough-space-on-device.html

I then ran Time Machine and selected the new disc.

Not quite sure how a bug like this manages to fly under the radar at Apple. Poor show.


Airdrop Alternative for Windows/Mac/Linux? I am looking for something that does the same thing as Airdrop that would work on Windows/Mac/Linux. Because of hardware it would most likely have to be LAN-based, but I am perfectly fine with that. Anyone know of such a program? Thanks :)

Have a look at Transfer on Lan - it's not as full of hardware encrypted, peer to peer mesh network goodness as AirDrop, but it's the closest stand in for AirDrop that I've seen in a cross-platform client.

http://code.google.com/p/transfer-on-lan/

It uses a normal network as opposed to building up a secure temporary network, but other than needing java, it's pretty easy to implement.


Can you change the time when iCloud Backup takes place? I have free data from midnight until 6AM and want backups to be done during this time to iCloud.

You can't change the time, but leaving an iPhone plugged in overnight will cause the iCloud Backup to start between 2:00 am and 4:00 am. iCloud Backup does not happen overnight if not connected to a Wi-Fi network, so free cellular data is a moot point.


Why is my 'launchd' task not responding to changes in watched files? I have a launchd task that is not triggering when a file changes, and can't figure out why it's failing.

When I load the .plist below with

launchctl load /Users/Rax/Library/LaunchAgents/com.crashplan.status.plist

the specified script is executed (once) and runs as expected (I can also run it successfully directly from the command line). But when the file on the watch path (/Library/Logs/CrashPlan/history.log.0) changes, nothing happens.

What could be missing that prevents the this task from responding to the file change?

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>com.crashplan.status</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/Users/Rax/Library/Automation/Shell/crashplan_status</string>
    </array>
    <key>WatchPaths</key>
    <array>
        <string>/Library/Logs/CrashPlan/history.log.0</string>
    </array>
</dict>
</plist>

FWIW I tried it here and it seems to be working for me. Any time I manually appended something to /Library/Logs/CrashPlan/history.log.0 the script did get triggered.

As such, this isn't really an answer, but it’s more a series of tips for debugging launchd:

A few tips for diagnosing launchd:

1) Use the stdout and stderr paths and see if anything gets logged to them. You can do that by adding these lines to your com.crashplan.status.plist file.

<key>StandardErrorPath</key>
<string>/tmp/com.crashplan.status.stderr.log</string>
<key>StandardOutPath</key>
<string>/tmp/com.crashplan.status.stdout.log</string>

(If multiple people use the same Mac, you might want to use a different path than /tmp/ but if it’s only you then it is as good of a place as any.)

2) With #1 you might also want to adjust your script (/Users/Rax/Library/Automation/Shell/crashplan_status) to include debugging info such as when it started and when it finished. That can be as simple as something like this added near the top of the script:

echo "$0: started at `date`"

and something like this near the end

echo "$0: finished at `date`"

3) With #2 you might also want to use something like terminal-notifier to show you when your script is being called, at least until you get past the debugging stage.

4) If none of that helps, you should check the exit status of whatever commands that you are calling in crashplan_status and see if those are exiting properly. For example, let's say that you were running echo in your crashplan_status

5) Is your environment in launchd different from your shell in some way? This is best verified by adding this line near the top of your launchd script:

/usr/bin/printenv | /usr/bin/open -ef

which will cause the printenv to be sent to the stdout and the results opened in TextEdit.

The most common 'environment' problem that I run into is not having the $PATH set properly for launchd. It’s usually set in your shell init files such as .bashrc and inherited by any shell scripts you run from Terminal, but won't be for launchd.

You can see the path that launchd is using by:

launchctl getenv PATH

If you want to set it, you can set it by

launchctl setenv PATH

for example, for my system it would be:

launchctl setenv /Users/luomat/Dropbox/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/bin

If you don't want to have to remember to set that every time you start your computer, you can add it to /etc/launchd.conf by adding a line this:

setenv PATH /Users/luomat/Dropbox/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/bin

obviously change that to match your system. Also, don't be surprised if /etc/launchd.conf doesn't exist on your system. You may have to create it. To do that, I recommend a simple:

sudo pico -w /etc/launchd.conf

and when you are done editing, press control + X and follow the prompts to save the changes.


iTunes import settings for files on computer I'm switching to iTunes for music management to make my life easier (mac, iPad, iPhone, ATV owner) and because I keep my library in the cloud via iTunes Match.

I've noticed that .mp3 files won't upload to Match, but files converted to .aac via iTunes work just fine. I don't mind converting everything to Apple's format, but importing files, converting to aac (by clicking 'create aac version'), then deleting duplicates is painful.

Is it possible to have my files convert to .aac while it's being copied to the iTunes Media folder?

Still not sure about the batch importing, but I did find some UX confusion in iTunes 11 that led to my posting this question. There's two different columns in the song view: "iCloud Status" and "iCloud Download". Just seeing the iCloud icon in a column by itself led me to believe it'd be filled in as the songs were uploaded. Not true, check "iCloud Status" as well.


Creating a wifi hotspot on OSX with a connected USB wifi adapter instead of airport (OSX Lion) I am using a USB wifi adapter on my Lion imac.  I am trying to use that connection to create a working wifi hot spot with the imac's internal airport.

I tried following these instructions:
http://maketecheasier.com/create-wifi-hotspot-using-mac-os-x/2009/10/20

It didn't work, though. It feels like i need to do one more step to get the connection bridged between the usb adapter and the airport.

Thanks,
zeem

I think this will only work on wifi adaptors that support bridged mode wireless. Not all of them do. The internal Airport does which is why it can be turned into a hotspot.

I think you'll be able to go this way

Share your connection from : [usb wifi adaptor]
To Computers using : [airport]

Setting up all security features as per normal.


iTunes, even when not playing, keeping my computer from sleeping automatically I'm using the default Energy Save preferences on a MBPro running Mavericks. If iTunes is running, my computer will not go to sleep automatically even if iTunes is not playing (e.g., if I stop it by pressing Command-.). I've tried all of the following without success:

Resetting the NVRAM as recommended here
Resetting the SMC as recommended here
sudo pmset touch
sudo mv /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.PowerManagement.plist ~kuzzooroo/Desktop
sudo mv /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration ~kuzzooroo/Desktop/
Reinstalling iTunes
Running Disk Utility's Repair Disk Permissions feature

Here's some pmset output from while iTunes is running:

$ pmset -g | grep " sleep"
 sleep                1 (sleep prevented by coreaudiod)
$ pmset -g assertions | tail
   ExternalMedia                  0
   PreventUserIdleSystemSleep     1
   NetworkClientActive            0
Listed by owning process:
   pid 198(coreaudiod): [0x0000000100000159] 00:04:37 NoIdleSleepAssertion named: "com.apple.audio.'AppleHDAEngineOutput:1B,0,1,1:0'.noidlesleep"
   pid 74(hidd): [0x0000000a00000167] 00:04:23 UserIsActive named: "com.apple.iohideventsystem.queue.tickle"
    Timeout will fire in 110 secs Action=TimeoutActionRelease
Kernel Assertions: 0xc=USB,BT-HID
   id=501  level=255 0x4=USB mod=5/19/14, 21:55 description=XHC1 owner=AppleUSBXHCI
   id=502  level=255 0x8=BT-HID mod=12/31/69, 19:00 description=com.apple.driver.IOBluetoothHIDDriver owner=BNBTrackpadDevice

And here's what I see after quitting iTunes:

$ pmset -g | grep " sleep"
 sleep                1
$ pmset -g assertions | tail
   PreventSystemSleep             0
   ExternalMedia                  0
   PreventUserIdleSystemSleep     0
   NetworkClientActive            0
Listed by owning process:
   pid 74(hidd): [0x0000000a00000167] 00:06:25 UserIsActive named: "com.apple.iohideventsystem.queue.tickle"
    Timeout will fire in 104 secs Action=TimeoutActionRelease
Kernel Assertions: 0xc=USB,BT-HID
   id=501  level=255 0x4=USB mod=5/19/14, 21:55 description=XHC1 owner=AppleUSBXHCI
   id=502  level=255 0x8=BT-HID mod=12/31/69, 19:00 description=com.apple.driver.IOBluetoothHIDDriver owner=BNBTrackpadDevice

I usually have iTunes running and would prefer that the computer sleep even if I forget to quit iTunes (and forget to put the computer to sleep manually).

What is the next thing I should try? Thanks!

I called Apple and interestingly the stuff they advised me to do was nothing I'd found anywhere online. They said the issues with coreaudiod are generally caused by iTunes extensions. They had me open up Activity Monitor and advised me to kill a process called AccuBeatMix, and that made the issue go away. I've got an e-mail out to the maker of AccuBeatMix to see if there's a workaround and will post here if there is. Until then I've just got it uninstalled (moved it out of /Library/iTunes/iTunes Plug-ins).


Typing an Em dash in macOS Catalina The ability to type a long dash has disappeared from Catalina. Using the ⌘ + - key no longer works unlike previous versions. Now I just get a beep, and no EM dash.

This is across several apps including native macOS ones, and 3rd party like Adobe's.

How do I type a long "Em" dash in Catalina?

The Em Dash keyboard shortcut is now: Shift Option -


AppleScript "Kill" Command Error I am attempting to run an AppleScript every 24 hours to close a running application and restart it. I have used the following code successfully with other Apps:

 repeat

 delay 84600

 set app_name to "APPLICATION NAME"

 set the_pid to (do shell script "ps ax | grep " &amp; (quoted form of app_name) &amp; " | grep -v grep | awk '{print $1}'")

 if the_pid is not "" then do shell script ("kill -9 " &amp; the_pid)

 delay 30

 tell application app_name to activate

 end repeat

However, when I run this script I get the error that Kill: argument must be process or job id.

When I check the value of the_pid, it returns with the correct PID, however, it returns more than one PID. For example, it return 5430 and 5960, one which corresponds to the application and the other to CrashReporter. Hence, I believe that kill command fails due to more than one PID being present in the the_pid variable.

Does anyone know how to get around/fix this? How to make kill accept the the_pid variable when it contains more than one PID? Is it a matter of formating?

I know I can always use killall and pass the name of the application but there is no technical reason why this should not work.

You can do what you are trying to do using the killall command and referring directly to the application's name.

repeat
 delay 84600
 set app_name to "APPLICATION NAME"
 do shell script "killall " & app_name
 delay 30
 tell application app_name to activate
end repeat


iPhone still has 90% battery but telling me it has degraded and should be serviced My iPhone is not brand new (it's an X), but certainly not old enough to present any problems.

My battery is at a healthy 90% after a couple almost a couple years of use (bought in Jan 2018 if I'm not wrong).

And not long ago it was even more (like 93%).

But now when I go to battery, it tells me it needs service and that is has "significantly degraded". I've seen this is somewhat common with batteries that are under 80%.

Should I replace mine? I've contacted apple and they told me to schedule sometime in a store.

Yes - there are three reasons I’ve seen the service battery be issued:

The voltage will drop too soon even though there is full charge capacity enough to be above 80% “beginning to lose capacity” line.
The Full Charge Capacity isn’t enough to get normal life out of the battery.
Charging anomalies - the battery needs to behave when charging as well as when discharging.

It’s most common to have the first two, but all three can spark a “check engine” light on the battery sensors and Apple’s diagnostic tools will have much more detailed telemetry and analysis once you get that service done. That runs without opening the device so you may or may not need a battery or other parts repaired.

Once you’ve had a scan and gotten a quote, I recommend you delay the replacement as long as you can if it’s safe to charge. Better to get all the life you can out of the existing chemicals and battery if you can still make a convenient appointment later. Be sure to get it serviced before any long trip or if you can’t get the use you require of course, but arbitrarily replacing at 80% would take a couple years off my batteries since the original iPhone. I rarely replace at that point as I generally have good service close at hand.


Macbook Air 13" Mid 2017 Power 2 External Displays With Macbook Air with lid closed Can the Macbook Air 13" Mid 2017 power 2 external displays at 2560 if the lid is closed?

This is what it says on the Apple website,

Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840-by-2160 resolution at 60Hz on an external display, both at millions of colors.

So this means it's possible to have the Macbook Air running it's own display with an external display.

If now the lid is closed, can a second external display be supported? Not mirroring but dual display.

This answer assumes you're asking about the model still currently available, as the MacBook Air hasn't been upgraded since early 2015 (9 March 2015 to be exact), although there was a very minor spec update in June due to a 12.5% increase in the processor's speed. This, however, has no impact on the integrated GPU being used and even Apple's website does not list this as a "new" model.

Originally this model was only rated by Apple as supporting a single external display of up to 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. However, it was found to actually support Ultra HD (i.e. 4K) resolutions of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels and Apple officially revised their specs.

Most resources (including everymac.com) imply that the MBA only supports a single external display. However, this is not strictly the case, so long as you're using Thunderbolt displays.

According to Apple:

  These Thunderbolt-capable Mac computers can support up to two connected Apple Thunderbolt Displays:

  MacBook Pro (2011 and later)
  MacBook Air (Mid 2012) and later
  iMac (2011 and later)
  Mac mini (2011 and later)

Source: About Thunderbolt ports and displays

So, you can use two Thunderbolt displays with a MacBook Air, but you will need to daisy chain them. Note this applies to all models of MBA from Mid-2012 and later. In some cases users have had to do this by, for example, connecting a Thunderbolt display directly to the MBA and then connecting another powered Thunderbolt device (e.g. a Thunderbolt drive) to the display, and then connecting your second Thunderbolt display to the Thunderbolt drive.

Other options

I have seen setups in which users have connected one Thunderbolt display directly to the MBA's Thunderbolt port and a second DVI display via a USB-DVI adapter. Some seem to work quite well, others not so much. If your intention is to just do some word-processing and browsing, this'd be fine, but if you wanted to use the display for more intensive tasks, I would not go this route.


Can you type a tilde on the key under Esc on a European ISO keyboard set to US? I am forced to use MacBook Pro 2018. I am located in a German-speaking country, so the autodetected (or pre-installed?) keyboard layout was German.

I work as an English-speaking programmer, so I need e.g. the tilde ~. I have added the US keyboard layout. But for some reason, on a Mac, that is next to Shift. The button on the laptop's keyboard, where ~ normally is, on Mac it writes §.

How can I set a US keyboard on a Mac with this layout that can be found in Linux?

Source

Having tilde next to the left shift is normal for Apple ISO (European) English keyboards.  If you want to put it somewhere else, you will have to use an app like Karabiner or Ukelele to customize the layout.

If using an external keyboard is acceptable, you could try to get an ANSI (US) keyboard (with no key between z and shift) someplace.  It will have the tilde below ESC.

Do not use the layout called "US International PC", since it treats tilde as a dead key for making accented characters, and requires extra steps to create an ASCII tilde.

Here is a custom US layout that should put tilde under escape.


Why can't I access all commands in recovery mode? When I'm trying to run terminal commands in recovery mode on my MacBook Pro, most commands just won't work even if I'm root (the last character of the default(PS1) prompt is a '#').
So why is this and can I fix it?

The recovery partition is a bare-bones version of macOS which can be used as for various things, such as installing macOS again or disable SIP (system integrity protection). To keep the recovery partition small, Apple decided to not include all CLI tools that are available in macOS.

For security reasons, not every user is able to access all files. The root user should be able to access all files and run all programs. It's a permission issue. However, he's not able to run programs that don't even exist on the recovery partition, so changing the user to root won't help you.

If you do want to use those programs, you shouldn't be using the recovery partition anyways but boot a standard macOS partition.


Spilled stuff on my iPod, USB cable port doesn't work Today I spilled some yogurt I was drinking. My iPod Touch was right there besides the glass, so almost all the screen was covered. I quickly cleaned it with a wet towel, but some yogurt got into the USB cable port. I left the iPod standing vertically for a while, hoping that the yogurt would just fall off.

The iPod still works fine. The problem is that when I connect it to the computer, nothing happens. When I look into the port, there seems to be some white stuff, but I don't know if that was there before.

Should I take the iPod to a Mac store, or should I attempt to clean it myself? If the latter, how should I do that?

I can get pictures if it helps.

If it's still under warranty, absolutely take it into an Apple Store (not an authorized Apple repair shop) and talk to one of the Geniuses. Tell them the story, and above all be completely honest with them.

I've had my iPhone 4 replaced for a faulty home button, but couldn't reproduce the symptoms. My friend, the same deal (we really did try with his, but just couldn't reproduce the issue). My other friend dropped her iPhone 4 from a truck, smashed the glass. They happily gave her a new one, no hassle. My brother, same exact deal (although he did not drop it from a truck, but rather it fell from his pocket).

Some Geniuses tell you they charge $299 for a replacement, but will often waive that fee the first time. Other's will smile and make your day.

I encourage everyone I know to put Apple's legendary customer service to the test.

Now if it's not under warranty, cleaning it before it sits on there too long and likely corrodes the connectors is an excellent idea. You want to grab a q-tip (cotton swab) and some isopropyl alcohol (try to grab 99.9% pure if you can). Do not use anything else, it will harm the connectors. And again, I strongly suggest you do this soon.


iPhone 6 stuck in recovery mode and need to download iOS 11 beta 1 I tried to downgrade from iOS 11 beta four to 10.3.3 and my iPhone 6 is stuck in recovery mode. I read I need to restore to an earlier beta to unstick the phone but can't find good links (I am not a registered developer with Apple). How can I download the .ipsw?

If you need to switch out of recovery mode, use ReiBoot (www.tenorshare.com/products/reiboot.html). FOr .ipsw just find any .ipsw file adequate for you iPhone though. You need to look the number of your iPhone, for instance, my iPhone is iPhone 5s, hence it is iPhone 6,2. Then Use option button when you click on restore in iTunes and it should load that .ipsw image, so THAT operating system. Again, if you get stuck in recovery mode, use ReiBoot. It saved me countless hours of retrying and restarting my iPhone.


Wi-Fi network created but not allowing connection to the Internet I am able to create the Wi-Fi signal through my MacBook Pro, though it doesn't connect to internet when I use it in other devices.

I am using OS X Yosemite and I tried to use the Wi-Fi created from my Mac in my Lenovo tablet and Samsung smartphone.

I called Apple service and they say they cannot help for I am not using Apple tablet and Apple smartphone.

The first thing to try is to enable Internet Sharing from System Preferences -> Sharing.

Now choose the right source and destination, connect your device to WiFi shared network and try to navigate.


MacBook Pro stuck on Apple logo, Disk Utility first aid and fsck ok My laptop (mid-2012) won't boot past the Apple logo. Safe boot won't work either.

Disk utility in recovery mode and fsck in single-user mode both say the hard disk is fine. Verbose mode report has several lines of disk1s1 I/O error, however.

This machine apparently does not have the diagnostic tools on it, as booting while holding down the 'D' key takes me to Internet recovery. I tried that to see if the online diagnostics would run but it gets stuck on the spinning globe screen after I enter my wifi password.

I'm thinking this could be the hard disk, the hard disk cable, or the main board. How do I tell for sure so I don't spend money unnecessarily?

Your thinking is correct.  It’s likely the hard drive, however it could also be SATA cable. Given that it’s inexpensive, it makes sense to charge it out with the replacement drive.

However, to know for certain, connect your drive to a USB to SATA adapter, if the drive works properly, then you have proof positive it’s the cable.

Doing diagnostics on a drive with an “unknown” working Component could give you erroneous results.


How can I convert iTunes playlists from MS Win into OS X? I'm migrating a Win box into an OS X and I have around 40 playlists in iTunes. Exporting the playlists revealed some kind of dB table which I would like to process so I can replace the object MS path by the OS X path.

Any suggestion?

Thanks!

I found it was possible to export the playlists in XML format, which made life easier.
After importing the playlists in OS X, 70% were correct, and the other playlists required some manual intervention. The problem was caused by the name of the songs which existed under several album folders. I have a lot of songs named "track01", "track02", etc...


The icons do not update in the Finder or Get Info Tab I recently changed my text editor default from 'Text Wrangler' to 'Sublime Text' but even then all the default icons for the files types such as .js and .php still show TextWrangler default icon. When I open the files, It opens in Sublime Text correctly.

What can I do to fix all these default icons?

This is for OS X Mavericks.

  /System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user

Running the above command on Terminal will rebuild the LaunchServices DB, and restarting the Mac works.

Credits for this answer by Mateusz


How can I change the cellular DNS server on iOS? Is there a way to set a global DNS server that will be used for all connections (both Wi-Fi + cellular data)? If there isn't a uniform manner to specify DNS, can I just change the DNS used by the cellular connection?

Ideally, I am looking for an answer for vanilla iOS; however, I'd welcome any solution, including one that requires a jailbreak.

I'll cover the no-jailbreak scenario and leave editing or another answer for someone that knows how to change this by modifying iOS.

Without a jailbreak, no. The cellular data is governed by APN settings. You can change these with the iPhone configuration utility and some learning.

The Wi-Fi settings are easy to override using the device itself, but it's not global but instead an override on a per-network name basis. Go to the network settings for a specific Wi-Fi. Under the detailed screen (tap the blue > sign once you are connected) and swipe up to expose the DHCP / BootP / Static IP address part of the screen. You can tap to edit DNS and append, delete or substitute your choice of DNS settings from that screen.

When I need to run a custom DNS, I often use VPN to get to a router with known settings and this works over Wi-Fi and cellular data since all traffic goes to the VPN where I can control the DNS. This requires time and a server (Amazon web service free tier is ideal for low cost hosting).


Automator: Applescript to execute keystrokes for each nested folder in Finder Help!!

I have put in many hours trying to solve this and feel it is time to get some help :)

I am trying to write an Applescript in Automator that will execute certain keystrokes in Finder for the parent folder and each sub-folder.
So far I can only get the keystrokes to be applied to the parent folder that is selected during the execution of the script; the sub-folders remain as they were without having had the keystrokes applied.

The keystrokes are specific to Finder and make the folder arranged by "Kind" and sorted by "Name".

Here is my code:

activate application "Finder"

tell application "Finder"
    set theFolders to every folder of (choose folder) as alias list
end tell

tell application "System Events"
    repeat with eachFolder in theFolders
        keystroke "2" using {control down, command down}
        keystroke "1" using {control down, option down, command down}
    end repeat
end tell

The code makes sense to me in my limited knowledge of Applescript, but obviously it is not working correctly.

Any advice?

If I understood what you want, i.e. select a folder and then it and every sub-folder within it, including sub-folders of subfolders etc., gets these setting applied.

In order to pass the keystrokes to the target folders each needs to be the active window in Finder first, then System Events can send the keystrokes.

So, I'd write the code as in the example below.

tell application "Finder"
    activate
    set parentFolder to (choose folder) as alias
    set theFolders to every folder of entire contents of parentFolder as alias list
    set theFolders to {parentFolder} & theFolders    -- # Adds the chosen folder to the list of folders to be acted upon.
    repeat with eachFolder in theFolders
        open eachFolder
        delay 0.5
        activate eachFolder    -- # This is done to ensure the target folder's window has focus before being acted upon.
        tell application "System Events"
            keystroke "2" using {control down, command down}    -- # Sets: View > Arrange By > Kind
            keystroke "1" using {control down, option down, command down}    -- # Sets: View > Sort By > Name
        end tell
        close eachFolder
    end repeat
end tell

If you're wanting to act only on the top level sub-folders within the parent folder, then in place of:

set theFolders to every folder of entire contents of parentFolder as alias list

Use the following:

set theFolders to every folder of parentFolder as alias list

Note that the delay 0.5 may not be absolutely necessary however I added it because without it, the series of opening and closing folder's windows can go by so fast it's disconcerting and slowing it down a bit eases that. Although it may also be necessary, depending on how fast/slow the processing takes place, to ensure each folder's window in the repeat loop is actually available and has focus in order to receive the keystrokes. In either case, the value of delay may/can be changed as necessary/wanted to allow the tasks to properly occur and in a visual manner that appears more natural then a barrage of opening/closing windows leaving one to wonder, what just happened.


Synology LDAP and OSX Network Homes Is there anyone out there using a Synology DiskStation running Directory Server (their LDAP implementation) to provide authentication AND network homes for OSX?  I've tried setting it up and have hit a roadblock with getting the OSX clients to automount the NFS export where the home folders reside on Synology.  I would love to know if anyone out there is doing this and how they configured the clients to automount the homes.

Have you tried mounting the volumes and then adding them to their LogIn items?
I have my iTunes library on my Synology and use that to get the volume mounted every time I restart (which is only for system updates that need restarting.)


Mouse not Working, need to operate Mouse through Keyboard I have been working on my computer and my Mouse has stopped working. Its optical light is still on, but the cursor is not moving.

But i have no time fix mouse.
I am in real emergency to operate the mouse. In my college times, i have heard of 'Moving and dragging mouse cursor with Keyboard keys'. But i dont know how to do that.

Anyone having knowledge about how to operate mouse cursor with Keyboard keys.
Help would be appreciated.

You need to enable Mouse Keys under the Mouse & Keyboard section in the Accessibility pane in System Preferences.

This allows you to move the mouse using the keyboard number pad (hold the Option key + number pad key)


Globally Disable Microphone in Big Sur? After upgrading to Big Sur from Catalina, I remarked my fan was running continuously. Opening Activity Monitor I remarked that "com.apple.SpeechRecognitionCore.speechrecognitiond" was chewing through CPU at 37.3%.
Looking a likely candidate, and just being a bit anal about having a microphone in an always-on state, I wanted to knock that nonsense on the head.
There was a microphone graphic on my screen which presented the option to "Sleep" which when clicked then presented the option to toggle the mic to "Wake Up". Clicking this did nothing: Speech Recognition nonetheless kept the fan humming and chomping through CPU cycles.

After toggling every application's access to the microphone to deny access, "com.apple.SpeechRecognitionCore.speechrecognitiond" was still happily chomping through CPU.
Where is a setting to toggle the microphone off at OS level in Big Sur?!?!?!

This drove me bananas. Should be straightforward, but it isn't.
Googling returned lots of results for disabling the microphone on an application-specific basis in Big Sur, but absolutely oogatz on a global toggle to kill the microphone on a GLOBAL basis to both stop Speech Recognition from chewing up my CPU as well as shut down an open mic.
I next visited "System Preferences" > "Sound" which seemed a logical place to tweak such a toggle. Nope.
It's actually buried in "System Preferences" > "Accessibility". No, I'm not joking; that's where it lives. Untick "Enable Voice Control" and if you go back to Activity Monitor, you'll see you get your CPU back and the microphone should be down.

Another thing that really irks me is that Apple is supposed to telling you when something is accessing the microphone or camera, but you don't get a warning when Apple itself is triggering the microphone. ANYTHING that accesses the microphone or camera SHOULD trigger a warning light IMHO.


How to downgrade Safari from 8.0.6 to 8.0.4? I am investigating a website bug that seems to only occur in Safari 8.0.4 (Yosemite 10.10.2), but I am on 8.0.6 (Yosemite 10.10.3) already.

Is there any way to downgrade Safari to the patchlevel I require that does not include restoring an old backup from Time Machine or reinstalling the OS?

For testing environments I recommend using Parallels or VMware. You could do an install of Yosemite and then only install the updates needed.

I usually create multiple virtual machines by creating a base VM, then copying it, doing a round of updates, then copy that one, then doing another round on the next copy, then repeat that process until I have all of the software versions I am looking for.

Keep in mind that some of the software you may want to use will require a separate license for each virtual machine.


Why does Apple name the new product iPhone 'se', what is 'se' The latest release of iPhone is 'se', with the appearance of iPhone 5s and features from iPhone 6s.
So why does they call this new iPhone is 'se'?

For being that the phone Is going to look like the 5s, but have hardware similar to the 6s, it would be safe to say that it means "special edition" since Apple is going out of the naming convention(s).


Connect MacBook Pro to Dell Monitor Hello I am trying to connect my late 2013 MacBook Pro with mini DisplayPort/ Thunderbolt to Dell 3007WFP 30" monitor. It is connecting fine, but the resolution is very poor. What is the best DVI adaptor; I'm looking at Apple, Kanex iAdapt, or Monoprice. What would be the best option to get 2560x1600 resolution?

I have this exact same monitor that acquired about a 18 months ago (or so).  That particular monitor requires a Dual Link DVI connection and most mDP to DVI aren't Dual Link.
The one product that I found that worked really well was Kanex iAdapt Mini DisplayPort / Thunderbolt to DVI Adapter + USB
I tested this on an iMac 27 (Catalina), a 2009 MacBook Pro (El Capitan), and a Surface Pro 3 (Windows 10).  All were able to display full resolution with no problem.  I'm now using it on a Dell workstation running FreeBSD 12.1-RELEASE and I've had zero issues with the adapter.


Different speeds on the same Airport Extreme I have a 200 MBs Internet plan connected to my Airport Extreme. Using two different iPads I get 200 MBs in one and in the other 5 feet away 1.2 MBs. The same happened with two MacBooks.

Do you know why this can happen?

What is the exact model of that slower iPad?
Is the speed, when measured, always slower on that other iPad?

The same questions go for MacBooks.

As if one some of them are older models with Wi-Fi chips that do not support that bandwidth. Are you in a position to test this with on MacBooks using the ethernet cable?


Icons not showing properly in Yosemite's Safari favourites bar In this picture you can see that Safari recognises the correct icon for the bookmarks:

However when I look at them as part of the drop down menu in the address bar a lot of the icons are missing:

Is there a way to make the address bar refresh and load the proper icons or do I have to manually add the icons. And if so, how do I do it.

I use the address bar non-stop and it would be nice if it could do what it is supposed to do and look a bit more attractive.

These are two different icons:

the ones in the sidebar are Favicons icons
the one in the favourites are Apple specific (only shown by Safari) and called Web Clips (or Apple Touch Icons)

They are both downloaded from the site but can be different.

For example IMDB specifies

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/G/01/imdb/images/favicon-2165806970.CB379387995.ico as Favicon and

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/G/01/imdb/images/mobile/apple-touch-icon-web-76x76-53536248.CB361295462.png as Web Clip

From the comments: you can add a clip following these instructions:

  To create a webclip, go to the site you want and tap the box-and-arrow icon used to create bookmarks. In the menu that pops up, tap the Add to Home Screen option. Edit the name of the webclip and tap Add. You'll then be taken to your home screen and shown the webclip. Tap it to go to that site.


Which OnyX setting resets my Chrome extensions? I use OnyX to clear out caches and delete superfluous files to try to make my Mac run faster. I usually just run "Automation" with the default boxes checked.

However, after I do this, I find my Chrome extensions are reset. I have to log back in to Readability, Pocket, etc.

Which OnyX checkbox do I uncheck to prevent this happening?

This is the Web Browser Cache and History.  In the automated section, this setting clears for ALL web browsers and their cache.  Deselect the setting.  You can always delete your history and other browser specific caches manually thereafter.


Can you hide/disable the internal SDD blade in an iMac (originally Fusion)? The 128GB SSD internal to my mid 2015 iMac's original fusion drive setup died, and can not be acted upon by Disk Utility (can't mount, repair, etc). The original setup has already been split into two separate drives, so all files are on the larger internal. Unfortunately, the dead drive appears to periodically cause random reboots, with an error saying I shut down my computer because of a problem. How can I stop the computer from seeing this drive entirely?

Other information:
• I looked at a similar question here, but I can not reformat the drive as free space as recommended. Simply setting hard drives to sleep when possible did not work
• I don't believe I can use fstabs because I can't get a UUID from diskutil. Although, I have seen usage of the LABEL identifier in the fstabs file. Could this help?
• I'm currently running Catalina, but I might be open to others.

I'd suggest this a hardware problem: you'd be best served by finding a local independent Apple repair company, and asking them to replace the SSD with a new/secondhand Apple unit.

They'd be experienced at taking it apart and would charge a reasonable price. An Apple Store might say it's too old, or charge a lot.

The same modules are used across Apple's hardware of a similar age, so you should be able to get a larger size -- 512; 1Tb. (Don't Fuse with the HDD!)

If your OS is on the HDD, that's massively limiting the performance of your iMac.


macOS High Sierra (10.13) Upgrade Fails With Endless Kernel Panic Loop Preface: I am now able to reboot from an external live backup I had of my previous macOS Sierra (10.12) install. So I am recovering from that and am not completely “panicked” about this… But this is baffling and annoying so sharing to help others if possible.

Subject says it all and here is what happened: I have Mac mini (Late 2012; 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5) with 16GB of memory. Internal disk is a plain hard disk drive; not an SSD. I downloaded macOS High Sierra (10.13) from the app store. Once it downloaded, I double-clicked the installer and let it do what it usually does as I have done in the past while doing major OS updates.

I ran some errands and took a nap—this stuff takes time—and then when I check my system I see a message along the lines of “macOS cannot be installed on this system.” Strange. I reboot and I get the black startup screen with the Apple logo, but then after a moment or so the typical command line messages that come up with a kernel panic pop up. Then the OS goes the multi language “Your machine has crashed, press space to restart.” Okay, I do that… And then it does the same thing again: Kernel panic-like messages over the standard Apple screen saying no OS found and then the “press space” message.

This is baffling to me. I have no modded my system. This is a stock Mac mini with upgraded RAM. My external disks are just basic external USB 3.0 drives. Utterly nothing strange here. Why would this install fail this badly?

FWIW, when I just rebooted into the macOS Sierra (10.12) external disk this is all I see on my main hard drive:

macOS Install Data
private
Recovered Items
Users

FWIW, I have a MacBook Air (2013) running macOS 10.12 (Sierra) that is all SSD and has 4GB of RAM and you know what? Copied the installer over from my Mac Mini (2012), ran the installer, waited and everything is fine. Upgraded that machine without issue.

Sorry for the lack of specificity, but I finally was able to get macOS High Sierra (10.13) installed on my Mac mini (Late 2012; 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5) with 16GB of memory and an internal disk that is a plain hard disk drive; not an SSD.

I reset the System Management Controller (SMC).
I reset the NVRAM.
I disconnected all USB peripherals—including a simple/small unpowered USB hub—except for a direct connection between keyboard and mouse and the system.
I then ran Onyx and cleaned all caches—“System” and “User”—before launching the “Install macOS High Sierra” installer.

Crossed my fingers, let it do what it had to do and lo and behold… Everything went as expected!

The only hint of something I noticed before doing this—that might help someone—is I had a bootable USB backup of my main system disk attached during the last failed attempt to upgrade and—this is important—it didn’t seem like I had an explicitly selected startup disk set. The system seemed to just always default to my internal hard disk drive, but never explicitly had that set. I made sure to set that after I reset the SMC and NVRAM. Like I said, not 100% sure that is the cause but it is something to keep in mind.


Can I use iCloud with my devices on Windows XP? We have two XP machines (in different cities) that up to now they have been the the hosts for syncing and backing up an iPad and iPhone via iTunes via USB.  We want to make use of iCloud, at least for backing up the iPhone and iPad.  As you know iCloud / it's control panel isn't supported on XP (without a hack to the installer).
I've got some questions about how the syncing and iCloud backup process will work in my situation.

1) Is it correct that we can enable iCloud on the iPhone and iPad (via iTunes on XP or directly on the iPhone and iPad) without the iCloud control panel being installed on XP?

2) If we use iCloud on the iPhone/iPad - and can't enable iCloud on XP - how will apps and media be synced to the XP iTunes?  Manually?

3) In the case of XP iTunes without iCloud and iPhone/iPad enabled apps, media, photos and data, is it correct that we would still benefit from iCloud automatic syncing of apps, media and data to/between the iPhone/iPad without risk of losing any media on the XP iTunes (as long as we manually sync XP iTunes with the App/iTunes Store)?

No. iCloud requires Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7.
Data will have to be synced manually, yes.
Yes, manually syncing iTunes will not interfere with iCloud. All devices connected to iCloud will sync automatically and update their contents in the cloud after they have been manually synced.


Set a coloured text and send it to the clipboard This is probably very easy, but all the solutions I found were directed to specific applications.

At my work, we use an online system within the browser and I find myself every day setting the color of my messages using the mouse, which is very annoying. I just need to enter something like:

[green] The file was approved. [/green] <-- this is just for illustration purposes since this question field doesn't have colors. These tags have no effect on the system.

or

[red] The file was denied. [/red].

Since the system is online, I can't use direct commands to set the color the text like we would do using TextEdit or any other real editor. So I wonder if there is a way to set the color of the text via Applescript (Automator Service) and send it to the clipboard because I know the browser will paste the formatted text with the right color.

Any other workaround will be appreciated.

As I do not have access to the web app you are using, I really cannot test if this will work for you.

The example AppleScript code, shown further below, with limited testing works for me as coded under macOS High Sierra.

Overview: Gets the selected text in Google Chrome and places it on the clipboard in the chosen color as HTML data, and pastes it back over the selected text.1

It uses an Automator Service, set to Service receives selected text in Google Chrome, with [] Output replaces selected text left unchecked, to which a keyboard shortcut was assigned in System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services as: ⌃⌘C

The Automator Service uses a Run AppleScript action with the default code replaced entirely with the example AppleScript code.

Usage: After selecting text in Google Chrome then pressing ⌃⌘C a choose from list dialog box is shown where you can select which color to make the selected text on the clipboard. You do not need to use the mouse, just keystrokes, e.g. G-Enter for green, O-Enter for orange and R-Enter for red, or Esc to cancel the action.

At this point, if all works right, the selected text will have been replaced with the colored text from the clipboard.1 (You will have to give it a second to let the service complete.)

Yes, it's a few keystrokes, but once comfortable with it I believe it will become second nature and be faster then having to reach for the mouse, etc.

The usual caveats may apply for the use of this in: System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Accessibility

1Also note that the text box containing the selected text must allow pasting back the same HTML class data type and structure that was placed on the clipboard as given in the comments to the OP as answers to the questions I asked, otherwise this will not work as coded.

Example AppleScript code:

--  # Green HTML Color: #27ae60     '23323761653630'
--  # Orange HTML Color: #e67e22;       '23653637653232'
--  # Red HTML Color: #d35400       '23643335343030'
--  # sed command 'placeholder'     '706C616365686F6C646572'

property myBrowser : "Google Chrome"

property greenHTML : «data HTML3C6D65746120636861727365743D277574662D38273E3C7370616E207374796C653D22636F6C6F723A233030666630303B223E706C616365686F6C6465723C2F7370616E3E0A»
property orangeHTML : «data HTML3C6D65746120636861727365743D277574662D38273E3C7370616E207374796C653D22636F6C6F723A236536376532323B223E706C616365686F6C6465723C2F7370616E3E0A»
property redHTML : «data HTML3C6D65746120636861727365743D277574662D38273E3C7370616E207374796C653D22636F6C6F723A236433353430303B223E706C616365686F6C6465723C2F7370616E3E0A»

property tmpHTMLdata : "/private/tmp/tmpHTMLdata"

on run {input, parameters}
    activate me
    set selectedText to item 1 of input as text

    set chosenColor to (choose from list ¬
        {"Green", "Orange", "Red"} with title ¬
        "Color Chooser" with prompt ¬
        "Which color to make the selected text?") as text

    if (chosenColor as text) is "false" then
        return
    else if chosenColor is "Green" then
        my writeToFile(greenHTML, tmpHTMLdata, true)
    else if chosenColor is "Orange" then
        my writeToFile(orangeHTML, tmpHTMLdata, true)
    else if chosenColor is "Red" then
        my writeToFile(redHTML, tmpHTMLdata, true)
    end if

    do shell script "sed -i '' -e 's|placeholder|" & selectedText & "|' " & quoted form of tmpHTMLdata
    set the clipboard to (read tmpHTMLdata as «class HTML»)
    delay 0.25
    tell application myBrowser to activate
    delay 0.25
    tell application "System Events" to keystroke "v" using command down
end run

on writeToFile(theData, theFile, overwriteExistingContent)
    try
        set theOpenedFile to open for access POSIX file theFile with write permission
        if overwriteExistingContent is true then set eof of theOpenedFile to 0
        write theData to theOpenedFile starting at eof
        close access theOpenedFile
    on error eStr number eNum
        try
            close access file theFile
        end try
        display dialog eStr & " number " & eNum ¬
            buttons {"OK"} default button 1 ¬
            with title "File I/O Error..." with icon stop
        return
    end try
end writeToFile

Note: The example AppleScript code is just that and other than any included error handling does not contain any additional error handling as may be appropriate. The onus is upon the user to add any error handling as may be appropriate, needed or wanted. Have a look at the try statement and error statement in the AppleScript Language Guide. See also, Working with Errors.