Is it possible to shorten the time between uploading an ipa to iTunesConnect and it becoming available? The last release time to TestFlight was:

30 seconds build time.
4 minutes uploading a 5mb binary.
19 minutes waiting for iTunesConnect to make it available.

Is there something we can do with xcode to help apple along or is it completely out of our hands? Right now we end up with a reverse pomodoro technique when we're at the tail end of the work. :)

For TestFlight, there's nothing you can do.  However, after the first upload, and Apple's had a chance to do a cursory review, the availability will go much faster.

For submissions to the App Store, there's only 1 way to make this process go (a little bit) faster and that's to request an expedited review.  You would need to justify the quicker review time to Apple, although the rules are fairly lax.  You can do this several times a year but after a few of them Apple might not grant them.

Here's what Apple indicates are the valid reasons for this request:

  Expedited App Review

  If you face extenuating circumstances, you can request the review of
  your app to be expedited. These circumstances include fixing a
  critical bug in your app on the App Store or releasing your app to
  coincide with an event you are directly associated with.

  Urgent Bug Fix
  If you've submitted an update to fix a critical bug in
  your app on the App Store and you are requesting an expedited review,
  be sure to include the steps to reproduce the bug on the current
  version of your app.

  Time-Sensitive Event
  For apps associated with an event, we recommend
  you plan and schedule the release of your app in iTunes Connect.
  However, if your app is still in review and the launch of your event
  is quickly approaching, you can request to have your app review
  expedited. When submitting your request, it's important to include the
  event, date of the event, and your app's association with the event.

  Please Note: Expedited reviews are granted on a limited basis and we
  cannot guarantee that every request will be expedited. Sign in to
  request an expedited review.


How to release storage used for Backup? My mac pro only has 13GB left, with more than 24GB are backups, how can I release these space?

Looks like you have a portable Mac rather than a Mac Pro and Time Machine turned on. What you are seeing here are local snapshots. From https://support.apple.com/kb/PH14329 : To stop saving local snapshots, open Time Machine preferences and slide the switch to Off. Snapshots resume when you turn Time Machine back on.


"Erase and Install" function missing in Snow Leopard When installing Tiger or Leopard, there was an option called "Erase and Install" that would delete the disk before installing the new OS.

In Snow Leopard, this option seems to be missing. Is there any way I can add "Erase and Install" back to Snow Leopard?

With Snow Leopard Erase and Install is now a two step process:

When you start up off the Mac OS X Install DVD from the Tools menu choose "Disk Utility". You will then want to erase the hard drive you want to install on.
Install Mac OS X as you would normally.


OSX 10.8.1 update problem I have a brand new Mac Mini.  It came (last week) with OSX 10.8.1 installed.  Software update is reporting an update for iPhoto to version 9.4.2.  When I try to run the update, it fails with a message saying that I need OSX 10.8.2.  Then when I try to download the OSX 10.8.2 release, I get a message 'OSX Mountain Lion is not compatible with this computer'.

What is happening?!

the update was pulled after problems with the update.


How can I see theme variation images in Keynote? I was emptying the trash and noticed some images in a "recovered files" directory named something like sotryboard-paper-green-flat.tiff with variations for colour, gradients, etc. - These seemed to be variations of the default background and shape-fill images for the Keynote "Storyboard" theme, I had recently been making a Keynote using that theme so I figured it was some temporary files relating to that. "Great!" I thought, "I'll go and check out how to use those variations later."

So now back in Keynote using the Storyboard theme, when I create shapes they have a blue (tiled) fill-image and if I select Choose... it takes me to my own PresentationAssets directory from where I've loaded up images before. I don't know where to look for these built-in textures which are designed to fit with the theme, how do I find and use these images?

The built-in files for Keynote are stored within the package. Go to:

  /Applications/iWork '09/Keynote.app/Contents/Resources

EDIT: The theme files themselves, at least on my machine running iWork '09, boxed version, are stored here:

/Library/Application Support/iWork '09/Frameworks/SFRendering.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Frames

Each theme contains a file with a suffix of sfrframe. Inside that file are the images for each theme.

Also under /Resources is a folder called /Themes. Within it are several theme files, shared images, etc. Each theme has several .kth files, which contain theme files and metadata.


how to thin out adobe CS 5.5 I wan't to get rid of unnecessary files on my SSD HD.
Although I only checked Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat and Photoshop (and something iOs-related) while installing, Adobe has still installed a bunch of other folders/applications.
Which of the following folders can I safely delete?

Adobe
Adobe After Effects CS5.5
Adobe Bridge CS5.1
Adobe Device Central CS5.5
Adobe Extension Manager CS5.5
Adobe Flash Builder 4.5
Adobe Flash CS5.5
Adobe Media Encoder CS5.5
Adobe OnLocation CS5.1

You could follow the instructions on this page at Adobe and uninstall the CS5 packages you don't need.

If you want to get rid of even more useless space, you could try Monolingual, which removes unneeded language resources.


How do I enable PHP on Mountain Lion OS X 10.8? Just upgraded to Mountain Lion, and wanted to make PHP work on the built-in version of Apache.

Edit /private/etc/apache2/httpd.conf
Find the line that says LoadModule php5_module libexec/apache2/libphp5.so and uncomment it by editing out the # at the beginning of the line. (Then save the file, obviously.)
Go to Terminal and type sudo apachectl graceful at the console:


Apple Mail keeps asking for google login since Sierra 10.12.4 Beta Apple Mail asks for Google login on a daily basis. This happens to both my personal and work gmail account. I tried generating app specific password but when i go to preferences -> account information: there is no field for a password.

This has been happening only since I have upgraded to 10.12.4.

I couldn't reproduce the issue easily - not until the next prompt for password shows.

Update

I tried deleting and re adding the accounts. It did not fix the issue. Worse, I could not log back into my account this time the google login prompts. It was stuck at a gray screen after entering the password.

However, updating to the latest public beta just now resolved the issue.

I am not sure what else you've tried so far, so I'll begin from scratch:

Disable two-step verification

In the past, I've found that two-step verification caused issues between OS updates. Use Google's website to disable two-step verification for your accounts. You can reenable it later. If you aren't using two-step verification, continue.

Re-authenticate

Completely remove the affected accounts: System Preferences > Internet Accounts > select account > click minus icon
Add the accounts again. You should see a Google-branded login frame in the window.

If you are able to do this, continue monitoring for the issue. If you've already tried this, please update your answer with what is currently happening and the steps you've taken.


Do the version 4 Boot Camp Windows drivers depend on any older versions being installed beforehand? When Snow Leopard was released in 2009, both its installation DVD included with all sold Mac machines and the retail DVD that could be purchased directly through Apple included version 3 of the Boot Camp Windows drivers. Throughout the version 3.x lifecycle, several updates were released - 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 can still be downloaded from the Apple website and each makes it explicitly clear that it requires the previous version to install - see the following URL for an example (See the "System Requirements" section):

https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1443

So - my question. If you are trying to install Windows 7 on an older Mac model (let's take the MacBook Pro Early 2009 as an example), the latest version of the Boot Camp drivers to support this particular model would appear to be 4.0.4033 (https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1630) - however, what isn't clear from this download page is whether a previous version of the drivers need to be installed - as was the case with Boot Camp version 3.x.

Would anybody be able to clarify: can Boot Camp 4 simply be installed onto a freshly-installed Windows 7, or must an older version of the drivers be installed beforehand?

Boot Camp 4 can simply be installed onto a freshly-installed Windows 7. An older version of the drivers does not need to be installed beforehand. You should install Windows to BIOS boot.

FYI:

If you want to deviate from the official version of Windows that Apple had documented to support, then  you may be able to do so. However, often this requires some special procedure to correctly install. For example, installing a 64 bit version instead of a 32 bit version. Or, installing Windows 10 on a machine that officially only supports Windows 7. Many answers here a Ask Different have been posted on this subject. I would post links, but this depends on what you want to install.


I've recently deleted Boot Camp downloads and storage has disappeared /dev/disk0 (internal, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *121.3 GB   disk0
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
   2:         Microsoft Reserved                         16.8 MB    disk0s2
   3:                 Apple_APFS Container disk1         58.5 GB    disk0s3
   4:                        EFI NO NAME                 104.9 MB   disk0s4

/dev/disk1 (synthesized):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      APFS Container Scheme -                      +58.5 GB    disk1
                                 Physical Store disk0s3
   1:                APFS Volume Mac OS X                18.0 GB    disk1s1
   2:                APFS Volume Preboot                 21.4 MB    disk1s2
   3:                APFS Volume Recovery                518.1 MB   disk1s3
   4:                APFS Volume VM                      1.1 GB     disk1s4

/dev/disk2 (external, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:     FDisk_partition_scheme                        *31.0 GB    disk2
   1:                 DOS_FAT_32 WININSTALL              31.0 GB    disk2s1

Can anyone tell me what happened? and how do I restore it? disk0 is the one missing storage and disk 1 is the one I'm using. I don't know much about computers.
I've downloaded windows software using bootcamp. When I reboot and got into the installation page for windows, it asked me to choose partition to install windows. I accidentally deleted one of the partition, which is now called NO NAME. I quitted the installation and back to OS. In disk utility NO NAME cannot be found. By selecting my current disk, I press "+" multiple time and then press "-" until i was back to a single partition, it shows that i have 165 GB (original amount). But when i press "apply", I cannot partition my current disk.

To remove Boot Camp, one is meant to use Boot Camp Assistant which provides an automated workflow for editing the partitions on your disk back to pre-Windows. You may still be able to use it in this state — try opening Boot Camp Assistant and choose Remove Windows if the option exists.

You can partition manually in Disk Utility. Choose Partition, delete NO NAME and resize the APFS container to the rest of the free space on the disk.


iTunes storing iOS updates for later I'm currently downloading the iOS 7 update (7.01), but I'd like to wait a bit before installing it. After it finishes downloading, will it still stay in iTunes until I'm ready to install, or will it delete the file as soon as I shutdown? I used the 'Just Download' option, not 'Download and Install', so it shouldn't require me to install immediately after it downloads, but can I shut down so I can install later?

It will happily sit and wait for you to install it at your leisure.  Apple even recently started background downloading this onto people's devices without them even requesting it, so that it is there when they want it.  Suffice to say that some people did not appreciate this, especially as it takes up a lot of space just sitting there, which is the only downside of just downloading.


Using an External HDD as a bootable Windows Disk I want to use my external HDD as a bootable USB drive so I can install Windows 7 via bootcamp but I am having trouble getting bootcamp to just use one partition of the drive.

When I get to the stage in Bootcamp where a bootable drive is created, Bootcamp teLls me it is going to delete all the data on my HDD, this is not what I want, I just want Bootcamp to use one of the partitions on the HDD to create the Bootable disk, but it doesn't give me that option.Does anyone know a know a way to solve this problem?

The partition has to be formatted NTFS. Special set ups like this are better done manually, not with bootcamp.

Format the partition NTFS, then startup with your windoze disk and try to install it to the USB drive.


Salvaging a Flash Drive that won't mount and Disc Utility can't erase, restore or repair I have a Centon Flash Drive that will not mount.  It is not readable on the iMac nor a Windows 7 machine.  The drive cannot be reformatted by the Windows or IMac usual methods that this layman tried.
In another thread about this subject I've read:

Can you get the disk identifier? In Disk Utility, select the drive and choose "Info" – it should read something like disk1 or disk2 or so. (But NOT disk0; that's your internal HD!)
Then open a terminal, and type in
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/diskX

(where diskX is of course the disk identifier you got earlier.)
Type in your admin password, and it should overwrite every block of the disk with 0x00 (i.e. erase it).
Then, you can format your drive.
[Please be cautious when doing this; I'm not responsible for anything if anything goes wrong ;-)]

I have OS X 10.6.8.
Will you tell me if I should try this and if yes, how do I "open a terminal"?

If you don't feel comfortable using Terminal you could try SDFormatter from www.sdcard.org just select SD Formatter for Mac Download and agree to the terms, it is a free app. I have successfully formatted sd cards that wouldn't mount.


No longer able to AirPlay from iTunes to Homepod directly I want to AirPlay music from Mac iTunes to HomePod. However, when I select it on iTunes AirPlay menu, I get "Sign in to Apple Music to play songs on your HomePod" prompt with Cancel/Sign in buttons. If I sign in, nothing happens and I get the same prompt on the next attempt.

How do I get this to work? I do not have Apple Music nor iTunes Match subscription and I don't think I need one for this.

If I choose AirPlay for the whole Mac instead of iTunes, it works. But I would like to AirPlay iTunes only instead.

What makes it even more interesting that my desired setup worked for the first few days after setting up HomePod and then stopped.

Since you're saying this used to work the way you want it to, then perhaps resetting the HomePod back to its default settings will do the trick.

To fully reset it, follow these steps:

Unplug the HomePod
Wait at least five seconds and then plug it back in
Wait at least another five seconds
Press and hold the top of the HomePod with your finger
Keep your finger there even after the spinning light turns red
Continue to keep your finger there even after Siri announces that HomePod is about to reset
Finally you will hear three beeps to indicate that your HomePod has been reset
You can now take your finger off

Once your HomePod is reset you will need to set it up again from scratch.


Prevent Mac Terminal from reverting to default theme I can't find any way to change the Terminal theme and have that theme applied permanently.

I want to change to another darker theme other than the default 'basic' theme, and (most importantly) have it remain as the theme every time I open Terminal.

You need to select which profile you want to be your default in the preferences for the Terminal application. Here is a way you do that:

Open the Terminal.app
Select "Terminal" Menu then "Preferences..."
Select the "Profiles" tab (labelled "Settings" before Yosemite)
Click and highlight a theme listed under Profiles.
Press the "Default" button near the bottom of the window.
Open a new Terminal window, it should now have the theme that you selected as the new default.

Note: Existing terminal windows will not change to the newly selected default theme, you will need to close and re-open terminal windows to get the theme to be applied.


External keyboard inserting characters when typing fast I'm using a Kinesis Freestyle2 Blue keyboard with my 2019 MacBook Pro,  and I'm experiencing some strange behavior. With the fn key activated, the key combination cd, when typed quickly, causes Launchpad to open (which, on my computer, is linked to F12). Other key combinations also cause strange behavior in a similar fashion. With the fn key deactivated, cd doesn't open Launchpad, but when typed in the Terminal it causes the screen to flash and the terminal to emit a bell.

Some other weird behavior: vf => vfg, xs => xs§, mj => mhj, qa => qatab

What's causing this strange behavior?

Get hold of Key Codes (freeware) from the App Store, so you can test what the keyboard is actually outputting.

If it's sending garbage, then you'd probably need to speak to the manufacturer.


Installing Nokia maemo Flasher 3.5 My MacBook Pro runs El Capitan. I am trying to install Nokia's maemo Flasher 3.5, which is an application (or better a command line tool) designed for a 32-bit system (I think it would work on Leopard). If I launch the installer, I end up with a warning (the package is not compatible with my system and may be harmful). Is there a way to get it work?

Metapackage decomposition shows the package was designed specifically for 10.5 and 10.6, no other versions of macOS. Installing the metapackage normally outside of these versions will copy the files to a temporary location but not actually install the software (and also not remove the temporary files, seems like bad design). For more information about the error you received, see Package is incompatible with this version of OS X. If you're sure you still wish to proceed and install this on a recent version of macOS…

The metapackage contains the following packages:

lib.pkg for 10.6, installs a variety of dylibs and other accompanying files
lib-1.pkg for 10.5, similar to lib.pkg
flashergitinstall.pkg for both versions, installs documentation including a readme (included below) and licence documents to /share/doc, and man gz to /share/man.
flasher3-1.pkg for 10.6, installs the binary to /usr/lib
flasher3.pkg for 10.5, similar to flasher3-1.pkg (interesting that the ‘-1’ versions are for opposite versions of macOS to the lib packages)

Excluding flashergitinstall.pkg, the packages only copy files to a temporary location (e.g. /private/tmp/pc-connectivity-bin/10.6/flasher-3.5), then run a ‘postinstall’ to move the files depending on macOS version.

Run the following to install the package:

pkgutil --expand /path/to/flasher-3.5.pkg /path/to/temp
cd /path/to/temp
xattr -rc .
sudo tar xvf ./lib.pkg/Payload -C /usr/lib
sudo tar xvf ./flasher3-1.pkg/Payload -C /usr/lib
sudo chmod +x /usr/lib/flasher-3.5

If you wish to remove the package, delete:

/path/to/temp
/usr/lib/flasher-3.5
the following files from /usr/lib:

For your convenience, here are the text files…

Contents of /share/man/man1/flasher-3.5.1.gz after decompression:

.TH flasher-3.5 1
.SH NAME
flasher-3.5 - Maemo flasher tool
.SH SYNOPSIS
Usage: flasher-3.5 [OPTIONS]
.SH DESCRIPTION
The  flasher  tool is used to flash data to the Maemo device internal 256MB of NAND, which is where the bootloader, kernel, and rootfs (all of which make up the operating system) are stored. Flasher can be used to upgrade the firmware, wipe the Maemo device and start from scratch, flash certain specific components, or change a number of hardware flags.
.SH OPTIONS
 -F, --fiasco=ARG            Location of a FIASCO image
 -k, --kernel=ARG            Location of kernel image
 -n, --initfs=ARG            Location of initfs image
 -r, --rootfs=ARG            Location of root JFFS2 image
     --cmt-2nd=ARG           Location of CMT FIASCO 2nd image
     --cmt-algo=ARG          Location of CMT FIASCO algorithm image
     --cmt-mcusw=ARG         Location of CMT FIASCO MCUSW image
     --cmt-no-verify         Disable verification of CMT programming
 -x, --xloader=ARG           Location of X-Loader image
 -s, --secondary=ARG         Location of NOLO secondary bootloader image
 -2, --2nd=ARG               Location of NOLO cold flasher ("2nd") image
 -u, --unpack[=ARG]          Unpack a FIASCO image
 -f, --flash                 Load and flash all supplied images
 -l, --load                  Only load all supplied images
 -b, --boot[=ARG]            Boot the kernel with optional cmdline
 -R, --reboot                Reboot the board (e.g. after flashing NOLO)
 -i, --read-device-id        Print out the device type
 -S, --serial-port=ARG       Serial port used for cold flashing or "usb"
 -I, --init-port             Only initialize the serial port
 -c, --cold-flash            "Cold flash" the device
 -h, --hw-revision=ARG       Specify product code and HW revision
     --enable-rd-mode        Enable R&D mode on the device
     --disable-rd-mode       Disable R&D mode on the device
     --set-rd-flags[=ARG]    Set R&D mode flags on the device
     --clear-rd-flags[=ARG]  Clear R&D mode flags on the device
     --query-rd-mode         Query the device R&D mode status and flags
     --set-hw-revision[=ARG] Set HW revision override on device
     --flash-only=ARG        Flash only certain components
 -U, --usb-device=ARG        Specify USB device to use (bus:device address)

Valid --flash-only options:
 nolo, kernel, initfs, rootfs

Valid --set-rd-flags and --clear-rd-flags options:
 no-omap-wd
 no-ext-wd
 no-lifeguard-reset
 serial-console
 no-usb-timeout
 sti-console
 no-charging
 force-power-key

.SH EXAMPLE

To flash a image to the Maemo device, open a terminal on your computer, then run:

.B flasher-3.5 -F <FIASCO image> -f -R

Replace  <FIASCO image>  with  the  firmware image you downloaded from Nokia. This will flash a FIASCO image to your Maemo device and reboot device after it’s done (at which point, you can unplug the USB). The procedure is the same for all other image flashing components (like separate kernel, rootfs and eMMC images), see the option list for details. If you wish to do other commands than image flashing, then omit the -R option as rebooting Maemo device may reset given configuration change back to normal.

To flash a kernel image if you have an individual image, open a terminal on your computer, then run:

.B flasher-3.5 -k <kernel zImage> -f -R

If you don't have individual images, but want to flash just a part of the whole FIASCO image you can do so by running:

.B flasher-3.5 -F <FIASCO image> --flash-only=rootfs -R

This will flash just the rootfs from the FIASCO image and reboot the device.

If you need access to the individual parts of the FIASCO image, it can be unpacked by running:

.B flasher-3.5 -F <FIASCO image> -u

Which will expand it to your current directory.

To cold flash (needed usually when the bootloader has been changed) run:

.B flasher-3.5 -c -h RX-51:<hwid> -F <FIASCO image> -S usb

The 'hwid' in the command options is a 4-digit code that can be found from the type label of the device to be flashed.

.SH AUTHOR
integration@maemo.org

Contents of /share/doc/flasher-3.5/Readme_Maemo_Flasher-3.5.txt:

Maemo Flasher-3.5 Tool

  Copyright (C) 2009 Nokia Corporation. All rights reserved.

  Nokia and maemo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nokia Corporation.
  Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks or trade
  names of their respective owners.

* DISCLAIMER

  This software is work-in-progress and use of this software requires special
  skills and knowledge. The software and the instructions provided herein or
  with the software may not be complete. Improper use or installation of this
  software may harm the device you are installing it into, or the device you are
  using it with. By accepting the License Agreement deliverd together with this
  software you also agree to use this software at your own risk and accept that
  Nokia assumes no liability and does not provide any warranties, support or
  services related to the software.

* MAEMO FLASHER-3.5 DETAILS

  - Version: 2.5.2 - Final
  - Date: October 23, 2009
  - Hardware supported: Nokia N800, N810 and N810 Wimax with Diablo 4.1.x and
                        N900 with Fremantle 5.x

* SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEMS

  - Linuxes (Debian installation package available for Debian based Linuxes and tar ball for others)
  - Windows XP with SP3 and Vista with SP2
  - Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and 10.6 Snow Leopard

  Notice: Linux and Windows versions of Flasher-3.5 Tool support x86/32-bit host PC architectures.
          Mac OS X versions support x86/32-bit and PPC/32-bit architectures.

* FILES INCLUDED

  - flasher-3.5                  - flasher binary file (flasher-3.5.exe for Windows)
  - libusb                       - USB library (only for Windows and Mac OS X installations)
  - COPYING_LGPL.txt             - license text for libusb (only for Windows and Mac OS X installations)
  - License_Agreement.txt        - license and disclaimer text for flasher binary
  - Help.txt                     - short command line help
  - Readme_Maemo_Flasher-3.5.txt - this file

* DOWNLOADS AND DOCUMENTATION

  - Flasher-3.5 download: http://tablets-dev.nokia.com/maemo-dev-env-downloads.php
  - Flasher-3.5 documentation: see command line help file

  - Sources for libusb library (LGPL v2) installed as part of Flasher-3.5 for
    Windows and Mac OS X:
    * Libusb (Mac): http://pc-connectivity.garage.maemo.org/upstream/libusb-0.1.12.tar.gz
    * Libusb-win32 (Win): http://pc-connectivity.garage.maemo.org/upstream/libusb-win32-src-0.1.12.1.tar.gz

  - Original libusb sources are available from SourceForge.net:
    * Libusb (Mac): http://ufpr.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/libusb
    * Libusb-win32 (Win): http://ufpr.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/libusb-win32

* INSTALLATION

  The Flasher-3.5 tool should be installed from the installation package
  provided for Debian based Linuxes, Windows XP/Vista and Mac OS X. For other
  than Debian based Linux distributions also compressed tar file is provided.

  Installation of Maemo Flasher-3.5 requires administration rights in all
  supported operating systems.

* SHORT DESCRIPTION

  The Maemo Flasher-3.5 Tool is a command line utility that supports N900 device
  with Fremantle 5.x platform releases and N800, N810 and N810 Wimax devices
  with Maemo Diablo 4.1.x platform releases.

  Notice that older Maemo devices (like Nokia 770) and older Maemo platform
  releases may require a specific Flasher Tool.

  Flasher-3.5 Tool is run from a Linux, Windows or Mac host computer as command
  line tool, and it will send data and commands to the connected Maemo device
  over USB.

  Flasher-3.5 Tool can be used to:
    1. flash Maemo device with Diablo or Fremantle FIASCO image
    2. flash Maemo device (N900 only) internal memory card with eMMC image
    3. unpack FIASCO image into separate parts like kernel and rootfs images
    4. flash unpacked kernel or rootfs images to the Maemo device separately
    5. change Mameo device into R&D mode and back to normal mode
    6. set and clear R&D flags for Maemo device when in R&D mode
    7. boot Maemo device with additional kernel startup parameters
    8. and for many other purposes

  All command line parameters supported by Flasher-3.5 Tool together with some
  basic usage examples are documented in Help.txt file available as part of tool
  installation package. Flasher-3.5 Tool binary gives command line help if it is
  run without any parameter or with "--set-rd-flags" or "--clear-rd-flags"
  parameters.

  Before flashing Maemo device with FIASCO image it is recommended to set Maemo
  device first into flashing mode.

  For Nokia N800 and N810 with Diablo image flashing mode can be enabled by
      1. Turn off Maemo device (and do not use charger)
      2. Attach USB cable on your Maemo device and computer
      3. Turn on Maemo device while holding down the Home (N800) or
         Swap (N810) hardware button

  For Nokia N900 with Fremantle image flashing mode can be enabled by
   1. Turn off Maemo device
   2. Press and hold down key 'u'
   3. Connect USB cable between Maemo device and host PC while holding down key 'u'
   4. When USB cable gets connected it powers Maemo device and set's it to flashing mode
   5. When USB icon appears on right upper corner Maemo device is in flashing mode
   6. You can release key 'u'

    You will see USB image in the upper right hand corner of the screen if you did
    this correctly.

  Maemo device will wait for Flasher-3.5 input indefinitely when it is in
  flashing mode. If flashing is tried without setting Maemo device first into
  flashing mode image flashing may fail because Maemo device may not be able to
  change to the flashing mode automatically.

  NOTICE: Make sure that device battery is fully charged before doing any
          sort of flashing operation because flashing will fail if battery
          runs out of power during image flashing operation and device
          may not be able to charge empty battery after failure in flashing.

* TIPS & TROUBLESHOOTING

  If you get a "Permission denied" error then make sure you have execution
  rights to the flasher-3.5 binary executable. You may also need to have
  administrator permissions or run command with sudo in Linux.

  It may help to connect USB cable directly to the computer USB ports, avoiding
  the use of a hub. The USB ports in the back of a computer may also work better
  than using those in the front.

----
Feedback from Flasher-3.5 Tool can be sent to integration@maemo.org


How can I make an automator service always show up? I have an AppleScript that adds the subject of a selected email in Mail to my task manager.

I have put this AppleScript in an Automator service so I can hotkey it.

Only problem is this: Lion insists on only showing the service when I have text selected. Somehow OS X thinks its a text based script even though I specified there is no input.

Is there any way to have the service show up in the services menu independent of the selection I have?

In Automator at the very top of your workflow, there is a dropdown box for which the prompt reads Service receives selected. If you are getting the results you report, the word text likely appears in the dropdown box. Change it to no input and save the service.


iTunes: auto ramping up/down to avoid dead air As a simple solution to avoid dead air, I'd like to overlap each pair of consecutive songs in a playlist by ramping them down/up.

In effect this would be a poor man's DJ solution.

I wouldn't mind if it's entirely non-interactive, just so long as it is suitable for dinner parties, dance events, and the like. Indeed, the DJ software applications on the app store all seem to require an operator. Does an automatic solution exist, one that takes no more input than: 1. playlist, and 2. duration of overlap ?

There is also a trimming function within iTunes that works separately from the crossfade solution proposed by @timothymh. This would work better for your dance scenario. If you right-click a song and select Get Info, you get an info window about the song. Under the Options tab, you can set a start and stop point for each song.

As an example, here I've set this song to start 20 seconds from the beginning.


My Macbook falls asleep everytime that I pick it up? If my MacBook is sitting on the desk and I go and pick it up, it will fall asleep and will not wake up regardless of pressing space bar or pressing the power button. Literally the only way I can get it to work is by shaking the macbook (I then hear a soft single beep) and then I place it back on the desk and then hit the laptop lightly against the desk and it will wake up. What is the problem and is there anyway I could fix it. (I feel like the beeping noise might mean something when it is in sleep mode?)

Anyways my Macbook is a late 2011 Macbook Pro and it is on 10.7.5. Thanks

It sounds like it might need repairs; there could be a loose ribbon cable inside that's disconnecting when you move it.

That said, the whole scenario sounds mysteriously uncommon.


Multiple bluetooth devices connected to an iPhone? I like to run with my The House of Marley Positive Vibration 2 Wireless Headphones, I've been thinking about getting Polar H10 Heart Rate Sensor.

My question is - will these two devices both work at the same time with an iPhone SE (I'd upgrade if necessary)? I'm usually streaming music with Spotify and would love to receive data from HR rate sensor at the same time.

Will the iPhone battery last less with more than one bluetooth device connected?

What if I keep adding bluetooth devices? Is there a limit?

Yes they will work at the same time! Apple recognizes that one is a health device and the other is a listening device so u are able to use both at the and time!! I speak from experience because I sometimes have 3 devices connected at the same time (Headphones, Apple Watch, Health Device)


iTunes uses over 1.5GB of memory I use an old (2007) Mac Mini (10.7.5) to serve iTunes (11.0.2) and recently it has started using a lot of memory. It has never been what you would call efficient in terms of memory allocation, but 1.5+GB seems high even for iTunes. It starts out around 115MB and every so slowly climbs even with nothing using or accessing it.

Anybody else seen this?

And no, purge does not help. :)

The machine has 4GB installed but of course OSX sees 3GB.
The iTunes library is about 300GB.
There are no other active processing going on and the machine is not used as a desktop.
It is not actively importing new content or even playing content at all. Mostly it just sleeps.
When launched, iTunes uses a bit over 100MB according to Activity Monitor.

All it does is run iTunes so various iOS devices can wirelessly sync when they want to. I restarted iTunes yesterday and it used 113MB. This evening I came back and it is using a little over 1,000MB and growing ever so slightly.

I believe I have figured it out. I relocated my iPhoto library but had never opened it afterwards in iPhoto. I believe that iTunes has a memory leak in handling when it tries to access the library that no longer exists. Once I opened iPhoto and selected the new library location the memory leak in iTunes stopped.


Mail prompts me for SMTP password the first email I send New Mac user here, running 10.9.2 on an air and am running into an annoying issue with Mail.  I have setup my Live account and POP is working great but at least the first email I try to send, per each time I log on to my machine, I am prompted for my SMTP password.  This is only an annoyance but I would think I could ask it to remember my password.  Is this possibly a setting in keychain which needs adjusted?

Aside from the fact Mail should remember you SMTP password once you enter it for the first time, you can set it by:

Open Mail
Open Mail preferences
Go to accounts
select the mail account whose SMPT password you want to set
In the 'Account information' tab click on the 'Outgoing Mail Server (SMPT) list
From the drop down menu at (5) select 'Edit SMPT server list'
Select the SMPT server in question from the list
Click on the 'Advanced' menu
Set Username and Password (and possibly tick the "use Secure Socket Layer (SSL)' box).

You are now set.


Transfer Apple Mail into Gmail I use Apple Mail and have:

A) nearly 80,000 e-mails

B) 10 different POP and iMAP e-mail accounts

B) over 30 rules

Any tips or resources for getting all my e-mails, accounts and rules transferred into Gmail?

For the pop3 email accounts (if you've left the mail on the server), have you tried going to Settings > Accounts > Check mail from other accounts (using POP3): Add a POP3 mail account you own?

When I migrated my mail a couple of years ago I set up gmail in the apple mail client using iMAP, and manually dragged things into gmail. A combination of that and adding the POP3 accounts took care of my needs, but I wasn't moving 80,000 emails :)

The post linked below looks like it would work, but it'd require some local server administration, not sure if you're up for that.

http://www.benshoemate.com/2007/11/09/how-to-upload-all-your-old-archived-email-to-gmail-from-outlook-lotus-notes-and-unix-pine/

Obviously, if you went this route you'd have to find an alternative to the mail server since that's windows only

I have no research to back it up, but the rules you may have to be a manual process


iOS 10 iMessage app content not showing Yesterday I updated my iPhone 6 to iOS 10.0.1. Several of my apps, like Pedometer++, Swarm, and Yelp, support iMessage, but instead of showing content I can share, they just show an icon. See the Pedometer++ screenshot below. Swarm, Yelp, etc., appear similarly.

The built-in #images and Music iMessage apps work correctly, as do simple sticker packs.

I've tried power-cycling my phone with no effect. I've also tried disabling and re-enabling the apps in "Manage" with no effect. Does anyone know what causes this behavior?

Had the same issue. What resolved it was deleting each offending app completely and then reinstalling it. Hope that helps!


Installing / removing encfs I'm trying to install encfs, for which I need brew. I installed brew, but installing encfs is a pain.

bash-3.2$ brew install osxfuse
Warning: osxfuse-2.6.2 already installed, it's just not linked
bash-3.2$ brew link --overwrite osxfuse
Linking /usr/local/Cellar/osxfuse/2.6.2... Warning: Could not link osxfuse.
Unlinking...
Error: Permission denied - /usr/local/include/osxfuse/fuse/fuse_opt.h
bash-3.2$ ls -l /usr/local/include/osxfuse/fuse/fuse_opt.h
-rw-r--r--  1 root  wheel  7187 17 Dec  2011 /usr/local/include/osxfuse/fuse/fuse_opt.h

How can I get this working? Using sudo is not allowed.

You can fix the "permission denied" problem using this command: sudo chown -R $USER:admin /usr/local

The easiest way to install encfs is using "brew install encfs". This will install all the dependencies (gettext ✔, boost ✔, rlog ✔, osxfuse) automatically.

Follow the instructions on this website to correctly install encfs on Mac.


Activating Titanium Apple Card: iPhone XS/XR vs iPhone X and earlier The process of activating a Titanium Apple Card differ based on model of iPhone.

Specifically, for a 2018 iPhone (iPhone XS/XS Max/XR), one is required to open the Titanium Apple Card packaging, wake the iPhone and hold it near the card. While, for a 2017 or earlier (Apple Card supported) iPhone (iPhone X or earlier), one is required to launch the Wallet app to activate the physical card.

From the Apple Support document, Request and use your titanium Apple Card:

  How to activate your Apple Card

  You need a compatible iPhone with the latest iOS version to activate your titanium Apple Card. When your titanium Apple Card arrives, it's easy to activate.

  Activate on iPhone XS Max, iPhone XS, and iPhone XR

  Watch the video to see how to activate your titanium Apple Card >

  Open the packaging that has your titanium Apple Card inside.
  Wake your iPhone and follow the instructions inside your card holder.
  Tap Activate.

  Activate on iPhone X or earlier

  Watch the video to see how to activate your titanium Apple Card >

  Open Wallet on your iPhone and tap Apple Card.
  Tap Activate Your Card.
  Wake your iPhone and follow the instructions inside your card holder.

  Your card is ready to use as soon as it's activated.

What specifically is the difference in terms of hardware (or software) between 2018 and earlier iPhone models which necessities the difference in activation process?

iPhone XS/XS Max/XR include a new feature that let them scan NFC tags in the background. For iPhone X and earlier, users must first launch an app to enable NFC reader mode.

iPhone Xs and iPhone XR can read NFC tags without having to launch an app

  iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max and iPhone XR include a new feature for NFC that Apple didn’t mention on stage. The new models will be able to scan NFC tags in the background. With current iPhones, users must first launch an app to enable NFC Reader mode.

  iPhone Xs and iPhone XR require no such preamble, the user can simply walk up to a compatible NFC tag, wake the iPhone screen, and scan it …

What's New in Core NFC

  Background reading of NFC tags is a new feature for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.


Seeking an alternative to the big browsers Can anyone recommend any alternative web-browsers to the Big Three of Safari, Google Chrome and Firefox?

I just want to try something new, because I'm not completely happy with the performance of those three. Maybe there's something better out there that I'm not aware of yet. I need your advice.

Opera
is the next biggest after the main lot
Opera also has a mobile version, the idea of Opera is to load all of the HTML and files before it displays anything, so it loads full web pages faster than most
The next important thing about Opera is that it has support from webmasters. If you look at Apple source code on their websites it mentions support for recgonsising opera as a browser, alongside the others
The problem with using other browsers is that some websites may not fully function. So it is safer an easier to go with one of these.


Building a Blender cluster with Xserves I have three 2009-era Xserves that I need to assemble into a compute cluster/render farm for Blender. The Xserves do not have any operating system on them. What OS should I use for best results with Blender? Do I need OS X Server or can I get away with the client version or even Linux?

I've never assembled a cluster, nor do I have any server experience to draw from.

Hardware:

3 Xserves (specifically, the Xserve3,1 model)
5 CPU (20 cores total): 2.26 GHz quad core Intel Xeon 5500 series “Nehalem” processors (two CPUs each on two Xserves)
6 GB RAM on one of the dual CPU servers, 3 GB RAM on the remaining two Xserve
no Fiber Cards or Raid cards to complicate driver selection
no PCI cards
each server has a built-in NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with a mini DisplayPort output and 256 MB of video RAM

If you read the system requirements for Blender, it's pretty wide open. You could run Windows XP or newer, Mac OS X version 10.5 or newer and of course you could run Linux or perhaps even FreeBSD.

So, it's really your call which OS is easiest for you to maintain. For free (or pretty near to free) you could get a used copy of Snow Leopard or Leopard for probably $15 or even call Apple or go to an Apple store with the serial numbers and see what OS was shipped with those Macs. You might have to pay a shipping fee, but they will mail you replacement DVD for the OS.

You certainly don't need server for this software (reading the wiki linked in the question - it's clear the software handles all the clustering needed as long as all the devices are on the same network and can talk).

It depends on how expensive your time and what OS you like best to run and install. Mac is clearly the easiest since all the drivers you need will be vetted and ready to go. Once you have the software installed and running - should you find in discussions with the blender community that another OS handles a specific task better - you could always jump ship to that OS later.

Looking over the Xserve specs, you might not be able to run 10.5 but unless you have a big reason to not upgrade - I'd run the latest client version of Mac OS that will run on that hardware.


How to disable tab preview on mouse hover in Safari for macOS? I have suddently started seeing webpage preview thumbnail in Safari. I have not enabled this option and I wish to turn off this behavior.

How can I turn it off?

The tab preview that you are noticing is a newly introduced feature made available in recently released Safari 14. Safari 14 is going to be made available with the upcoming release of macOS 11 Big Sur and has also been made available via a software update for the users of macOS Catalina 10.15 and macOS Mojave 10.14.
As of this writing, there is no directly accessible option made available under either Safari Preferences or the Menu bar to turn off this feature. However, if you don't find the feature useful, there's a slightly involved workaround that could help you disable it.
Follow the below mentioned steps one by one:

Quit Safari.app.

Launch Terminal.app. You can find it by searching in Spotlight, within Utilities folder under Applications, or within Launchpad.

Copy paste the following line verbatim in Terminal and press the Enter key:
defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeInternalDebugMenu 1
This would add a new menu item called Debug in the Safari menu alongside the Help menu item.

Now launch Safari.app and you'd notice the Debug menu item alongside the existing Help menu.

In the Debug menu, click to uncheck the Tab Features → Show Tab Preview on Hover (requires restart) option.

Now quit Safari.app by using the keyboard shortcut Command + Q.

Go back to Terminal.app and copy paste the following line verbatim and press the Enter key:
defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeInternalDebugMenu 0
Notice that the last parameter to the command is now a 0 instead of 1.

You can close/quit Terminal.app after running the above command.

Now launch Safari.app and voila! the tab preview is gone. Also, you no longer see the Debug menu either (which is hidden by default).


New USB-C charger to be used on an old MagSafe2 Macbook Pro Are there any adaptors so I can use the new MacBook Pro USB-C Charger in my old Magsafe 2 MacBook Pro?

I know one day I am going to buy the new MacBook Pro and my old original charger broke on a trip, so I want to buy the new one as I use two chargers, one lives in my traveling bag and the other stays home.

There is no adapter that goes from USB-C to Magsafe 2.  Though there is a project to create turn a USB-C into a MagSafe adapter

Tech accessories usually don't go backwards and it's usually because the old accessories don't have the capability to communicate properly with the new devices (i.e. voltage negotiation with USB-C charging).

Unfortunately, you will have to get an older charger to support that MacBook Pro.


Does "Masters" folder in Photos package contain everything? Theres a folder called /Masters in the Mac Photos App, when you "Show Package Contents". I was wondering if this contained all Photos and Video including Hidden content.

One recommended way I've seen to Merge two Photos Libraries is to take master from one and drag it into the Photos app. I just want to make sure this is correct before I delete the "merged" Photos Library.

Yes it does, however Photos will have to regenerate all the thumbnails etc.

If you are trying to merge to photos libraries why not open the library you want to merge select all Command+A and then file Export

Then drag them into the new library, this way there is no risk of corrupting anything.


Hide some applications from other users I need to make use of a beta version of Xcode and so I created a second account on my machine, account B. I wish to install the beta Xcode onto account B such that account A is not able to see this application, e.g. through the open with menu, or the launchpad. Is this possible? It seems like applications are visible from all accounts whether in the Applications folder of the original user or not.

Yes, apps in /Applications are shared with all users. The standard location for apps that you only want a certain user to see is ~/Applications. You may need to create this folder if it doesn't exist—it will automatically get an icon.


Inkscape like tool in Mac with latex rendering capabilities I'm looking for some Inkscape "like" application for MacOS where you can insert latex text/symbols and modify your figures to some extent. Inkscape with Xquartz is not working out for me.

Inkscape is probably the best free option. I don't know of paid drawing tools that have LaTeX built in. LaTeXiT is great for generating LaTeX formatted math formulas.


Java won't work in Chrome/Safari/Firefox, but does in Terminal I've updated to Oracle's 1.7 64-bit beta, and this is what my Java Preferences window looks like (you will note that the webapp checkbox is checked and I've restarted my machine since checking it):

I've tried unchecking SE 6 32-bit, 64-bit, and both, as well as disabling SE 7. Doesn't do anything. I've rebooted after installing. No dice. I've checked Software Update. Nope.
java -version reports:

java -version java version "1.7.0_05" Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment
(build 1.7.0_05-b06) Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build
23.1-b03, mixed mode)

This test page in Safari returns a blank, Chrome asks for Java plugin, and Firefox says "Java is broken":
http://www.java.com/en/download/testjava.jsp
which java says /usr/bin/java
Any idea what the problem is? This is endlessly frustrating given how mindlessly simple it is to install Java in both Windows and most Linux builds.
Have tried reverting to SE 6 by uninstalling SE 7. Here's the infuriating reality I am dealing with:

My solution was to purchase and install Mountain Lion. It works now. Really wish I knew what the actual problem was though...


Connect to Windows VM from Mac? How do you connect from a Mac to a virtual machine running Windows? This VM is hosted remotely, e.g., on a public cloud or even a private vSphere environment.

Use Microsoft Remote Desktop

Whether you are using it on a private VM environment or on a public cloud, you can use Microsoft's native Remote Desktop (RDP) app to access the Windows VM.

You just need to make sure that port 3389 (default) is open, available, and forwarded to the VM in question.


How to Gift iTunes Songs from United States to friend in Vietnam I have a friend in Vietnam. I tried to gift her an iTunes song, paid for it. She got the email but could not access the song.
How can I send her iTunes music when she is residing in Vietnam? Any suggestions?

There is a Vietnamese iTunes Store that your friend (or you) can use directly. The only way for you to gift her a song is under one of the following scenarios:

You set up an Apple ID on the Vietnamese store and use that ID to gift her the song
Your friend sets up an Apple ID on the US store and you gift her the song to that ID

Both of the above are possible, but only you and she can decide whether it's worth the effort (while it's not hard to do, it's not exactly convenient). There is also the possibility that what you wanted to gift her is not available on the Vietnamese store.

My recommendation would be to contact Apple directly, probably best via this form, and explain what you wanted to do and ask them for advice about it. It may take them a couple of days to respond, but they will usually come up with a resolution (whether it is a credit on your account or some way of your friend being able to access it).


Can I transfer photos from iPhone 4 to a MacBook via Bluetooth? Is there any way to transfer photos from the iPhone 4 camera roll to a MacBook over Bluetooth?

I know you asked if it was possible over Bluetooth and although my research didn't turn up anything for non-jailbroken phones, here is a WiFi solution which you could use on an Ad-hoc network that would work effectively the same way.

Non Jailbroken

WiFi: WiFi Photo Transfer (App Store)
iPhone to iPhone: Bluetooth Photo Share (App Store)

Jailbroken

iBlueNova (Cydia)


How can I find which chipset the Airport wireless card on my MBP uses? I'm trying to figure out whether my wireless chipset is capable of entering monitoring mode for passive network scanning or packet injection. How can I view the specific chipset information about the wireless card in my macbook pro?

Install AirTool and you can capture packets on one channel or all channels.

Apple’s OEM chipsets are quite capable of packet capture and scanning.


Homebrew warning: "No developer tools installed" even though Xcode is installed After installing Homebrew the "brew doctor" command returns:

Warning: No developer tools installed.
You should install the Command Line Tools.
Run `xcode-select --install` to install them.

…and I do have Xcode installed.

Anyway, after running xcode-select --install the Xcode installer appears, then I click "install" and the installer closes.

Is this normal? …and do I have to install Git from Homebrew, or can I use the one that comes with Xcode?

Yes, it is perfectly normal for homebrew to prompt you to install Xcode. That happened to me right after I installed Mavericks.

As for your question about git, it depends a lot on your usage. Default git (and almost every other tools) are not of the latest version. If you're OK with that, then of course you can just use the default one.


"Winclone has been discontinued". Now what? I just replaced my old 320Gb HHD on my MBP with a 240Gb SSD and I did not wanted to transfer the hole drive as it would not fit, as I have more than 60Gb of music and 110Gb of Photos and HD Videos.

So I started "blank" and, might say, did a good job :o)

but I really want to have my Bootcamp partition on my SSD instead hooking up the HHD all the time, and was searching for a tool...

Carbon Copy Cloner sounded great but:

then searching the forums I got Winclone and that was exactly what I wanted, but ... again

website is no longer available
Goggle cache page reported: "Winclone has been discontinued"

What are my options now?

Good news is that CNET Downloads still have the file on their own server so, we can easily get it form there

Winclone 2.2 on CNET Downloads

and after that the beauty come to us!

Unfortunately, WinClone will not work under OSX Lion...


Newly installed programs always appear with external drives in Finder Why do newly-installed programs always appear with external drives in Finder on my MacBook?

For example, I just installed Zotero and no problem opening it but I see it listed under my external USB in finder with the little eject icon on the side. I’m afraid if I push eject I’ll delete the program and lose my work.

Why do the newly-installed programs appear there?

When you download an application, it often comes inside a "Disk image" (a .dmg file). This is a virtual volume, which appears just like other disks on your Desktop, once you've launched it.

You have to copy the application from there into your /Applications folder. (Disk images often contain an alias to your Applications folder, so you can easily drop the app onto the folder.
Or, if the image contains an installer app or package, you have to run the installer app.

Once you have done this, you can eject the disk image and trash the .dmg file. If you haven't copied the app or installed it, then you need to make sure this is done first.


Syncing iphones with Android phone We run a small business, and the managers would like to have the calendars on their phones synced with each other so that they know what is going on with the other.  Most of them are using iphone and one is using an android phone.  Is there a calendar app that we can use.  Any information is appreciated.

You have several options:

Your first option is to use a "third-party" app that works for both iPhone and Android. For example:

http://synkmonkey.me/
http://www.cozi.com/mobile-access.htm (I personally know someone that, IIRC, uses this)

Your other option is to use a shared calendar in a service such as Gmail. I personally think this solution is better. You have two options: either setup an arbitrary email account that all the managers use to sync their calendar to, such as [your-company-calendar]@gmail.com, or, you create a calendar, and if all the managers have their own Gmail accounts, make them all owners of it. This allows you to use the default, built in, calendar app on both Android and iOS devices.

To set this up (I am generalizing the steps that work with both setups):

Log in to Google and create a calendar.
If everyone has their own Gmail accounts, share it with all the managers and make everyone an owner. If not, there is no need to share the calendar.
On iPhone (I'm assuming Android would be somewhat similar) create a new email account and log on to the new centralized Gmail account - if this is the route you want to take. After logging in to the account on each device, leave calendars on, but disable email.
If you aren't doing a centralized Gmail account, make sure everyone is signed into the Gmail accounts, on their phones, that you have used to make them owners of the calendars.

This should allow them to look up, and create events from the default calendar app on the devices.


How can I install Aperture on a Mac Mini? A friend of mine just purchased a new Mac Mini, and ordered Aperture at the same time.

It shipped on a DVD, and of course the Mini does not have a DVD drive.  She currently has a laptop running Windows, but when she inserts the DVD into the Windows laptop, the drive appears empty.

Is there any way to install the program on her Mac short of buying an external DVD player?  Will her license code allow her to download Aperture from the app store without another purchase?

Several options:

Remote Disk (using another drive over the network)
MacBook Air SuperDrive
other USB external drives
Pay again and download over the App Store.

The cheapest, possibly fastest is the first option:

MacBook Air, Mac mini: How to use Remote Disc to share DVDs or CDs from a Mac or Windows-based computer

The license code is non-transferable from physical media to the App Store, but perhaps you could sell your old version to someone that didn't like the store restrictions to subsidize or cover the cost?


How to manually renew Apple Developer program with different credit card? I want to manually renew my Apple Developer program with a different credit card then what's on file.

https://developer.apple.com/support/renewal/

  You can renew starting 30 days before the expiration date of your
  existing membership or any time after it expires. Your expiration date
  is available in your account on the developer website. To renew, sign
  in to your account with the Apple ID you used to enroll, and click the
  "Renew Membership” button. If your membership is still active when you
  renew, your new membership will activate as soon as your current
  membership expires and you will receive two (2) new TSIs.

I signed into my account but I cannot locate the "Renew Membership" button. What page in my developer account is this on?

Login to the Apple Developer site: developer.apple.com.

Apple uses your account's default Apple Store credit card.

On the left-side menu select Membership.

Scroll to the bottom of the page to Auto-renew membership section.  This is where the Auto-renew Membership checkbox is located.

On the right-side of this row there's a link named Edit default debit/credit card.

A new browser window will, probably, pop up and require you to log into your account again.  Alternatively, you can just go to the page to change your account's credit card.  I go thru the developer site to ensure this is updated correctly (because I'm paranoid).

Scroll down to Payment & Shipping section.  Edit your card there.


Configure Launchpad OSX Lion How to configure launchpad on OSX Lion?
Like

Hide some application
Group application into folder
Sort application alphabetical

Lion’s LaunchPad acts much like iOS’ Springboard (the iDevice home screen launcher), which means that

you can create folders by dragging one Launchpad app icon onto another – add more items by dragging them onto the newly created folder. Folders can be renamed by clicking their title when opened. They cannot be nested.
you can only sort items by dragging them around.
hiding apps is not a feature (there is a closing cross on App Store installed apps when you press Option, but this uninstalls the app – it does not hide it from Launchpad). Use Launchpad-Control (freeware) to achieve that.


Would signing out of iCloud delete my locally stored photos? I am trying to sign into my iCloud on my iPhone 6 and even with the correct password it is not letting me through but keeps asking with a prompt. I have local photos that I do not want deleted and need to pull off the device. If I were to sign out of my iCloud account will it delete the photos that are stored locally?

iCloud always asks you if it deletes local copies and it only deletes copies it knows are stored online, so you should be safe to remove an account.

If you're worried, make an iCloud and iTunes back up just in case, but signing out only is intended to clear things that came down from the cloud and even then it offers you the option of keeping local copies of data in many classes of data (contacts is the one I see often).


IOS device kid changed screen time passcode and claims he did not , help me catch him My son has a iphone xs.   we set a screen time passcode becasue he kept turning off his phone location.  and then next when i loooked at the phone, the same restrictions were showing locked. i changed the "share my location" to "always" or "allow."  It's now changed to "never" or is greyed out.. and my son appears to have found out the screen time passcode and changed it.  I can no longer login into the screentime passcode that i set. i wrote down. its now at so many attempts i have to wait over an hour before i try again the alert says. i have 87 attempts. it was changed.

I found an app that would locate the last password set and this app cannot even find it.  the phone location is still sharring on my phone but the location option on his phone is set to never share.

I also noticed there was in the text messaging section 3 ... that i have never seen. they told me that when there phone updated, this came with it.

The shortcut app on the phone i noticed allows for an option to script and things like that.  is this a standard new update of the app or was this something put onn the phone?

Either way, i have acess to the phone but i cant do anything and i dont no what passcode was set in place.

How can I regain control over this device?

First thing. Offer your son a non-threatening chance to help fix the passcode. Why fight someone when you can convince them you will win and gain their acceptance and cooperation after they break the rules?

That being said, just wipe the device if you’re out of patience. Connect to iTunes on windows, Mac. Erase the device and start over.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204306

As long as you are clear where the boundaries lie and if the device is for your conveneNiece or their convenience you can plan to lock it down again or get more skill at countering your son that may have more time to learn how to foil your boundaries.


There is no item in `Login Items`, but why I boot my Mac, there still has a few software launch automatically? There is no item in Login Items, but why I boot  my Mac, there still has a few software launch automatically?

There are a group of special files that manage the opening and running of programs at launch and in the background. These files are known as Launch Agents and Daemons. Often times, third party software makes system  modifications that installs these files as a part of the software package. The software doesn't always appear in the "Login Items" list. Additionally, the "login items" list doesn't actually disable automatic launching of programs but just gives you the option to hide it.

Without knowing the specific software, the best way to solve your issue is to look within the software's preferences. Often times, there is an option available to disable "Automatically open at Login," or something similar.

If you cannot find an option within the program, then look to the developers website for possible instructions. Or, simply googling the issue - "how to disable [name of software] from automatic launching" will provide you with a solution.

Alternatively, you can manually disable launch agents and daemons by changing the keys within them, but I don't recommend doing this. As I said, most software provides you with the option.

There are a few programs that scan your system and show you which launch items are actually enabled and running. Etrecheck is a great example that I recommend downloading and running.


how to configure shared iPad for Apple Business Manager? I was checking for a Shared iPad for Apple Business Manager.
I know Shared iPad working very cool for Apple School Manager.

I was Checking Apple Business Manager but there is not much information on this.

I need to share iPad means like in Apple School Manager one iPad is shared with multiple Students the same Like that I need in Apple Business Manager

I am giving the answer to my question because I get the answer from discussions.apple.com which I also asked on discussions.apple.com
there I got the answer.

So the answer is till now it's not possible. it's only available for Apple School Manager


In a WhatsApp videochat on my iPhone (XR, iOS 12.4), how can I switch between front and back cameras? When videochatting with WhatsApp (v2.19) on an iPhone (XR, iOS 12.4), the front camera is used because when you look at the screen you want the other person to be able to see your face. But using the back camera would allow you to show the other person your surroundings while viewing on the screen exactly what they are seeing, in other words using the screen as a viewfinder.

How can I switch between using the front and back cameras during such a videochat?

There's a camera flip button in the bottom, beside the end call button. See the snapshot in the video in FAQ https://faq.whatsapp.com/en/iphone/26000028/?category=5245237


How do I determine if my Macbook pro has switchable audio input? Some audio ports on Apple computers are switchable from stereo output to stereo input, but not all of them are.

How do I determine if my Macbook Pro supports audio input through the audio jack?

You can list specifically which audio devices your system is using in Terminal:

system_profiler SPAudioDataType

Another way you can determine if you have the combination audio port is when you're viewing System Preferences > Sound you will have an output option that shows up on the input tab.


exFAT-formatted external drive loses folders I have an exFAT-formatted 3TB USB drive connected to an iMac running 10.10.3.  The system lost power and when it came back up, the drive wouldn't mount.  I tried Repair Disk in Disk Utility, and it didn't complete successfully -- I didn't note the error message but it was essentially "recover any files you can from backups and reformat".

I connected the drive to a Windows machine, which saw some files, at least, but complained that the disk needed to be repaired.  I let the disk repair tool run and it said it completed successfully.  I hooked it back up to the Mac, and while almost everything is fine, there are a few subfolders missing.  Critically, I think a few folders whose contents may have been being accessed during the power failure are just totally gone.

The disk passes Verify in Disk Utility as well as Windows verification tools.  I ran recuva on the Windows box and while it turned up a large number of recoverable files, they were all files I had deleted ages ago on the Mac. There were even more unrecoverable files, but they were also from the distant past.  None of the files in the folders that were accessed during the power cut were listed at all.

Now, I have backups of much of the data, and a lot of it was rips of DVDs we still have on the shelf, so if I can't fix this I'm only losing a few of my evenings babysitting Handbrake.  But I'd really like to make sure this never happens again while e.g. viewing our family photos.  Is this a known issue?  Is there anything I can do to recover the missing folders?

exFAT is not optimal for your situation probably, but unfortunately there isn't really a no-brainer solution for using an external drive frequently with both OS X and Windows, reading/writing large files, and with really low risk of data loss.

exFAT is not a journalled file system, so there is higher probability of data loss than with NTFS or HFS+. exFAT uses a single file allocation table and a single free space map, so there is a higher likelihood of file system corruption due to that (such as if a removable device is disconnected during a write). exFAT does do checksumming that allows it to detect some problems and repair to a consistent state, but that doesn't actually prevent loss of actual data. If it is plugged in and used frequently, that raises the risk that it will be transferring data if a disconnection or power failure happens, which isn't good.

You'd probably be better off going with NTFS - native on Windows and use something like Paragon NTFS in OS X.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExFAT
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/06/review-is-microsofts-new-data-sharing-system-a-cross-platform-savior/
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4154638

For recovering the missing data and folders (data and with proper directory structure) - there is a good chance they are damaged so it won't be simple if possible. You might be best off babysitting Handbrake some more as you say and recreating the data you need. I might have suggested seeking professional data recovery help, but it sounds like this isn't something critical to you and probably not worth paying for. For example an engineer at a company like ours would have many recovery tools at their disposal and would either try many or know which ones would have the best ability given the situation after some investigating of the damage. Plus they're also experienced. I have seen them recover data from damaged file systems including good file names and directory structure when some software tools are unable to help, because there are actually enough parts of the file table remaining to work from if the tool can do it.

You could try more software recovery tools, particularly ones that recover specific file types, but it will cost money, and at some point it's just cheaper to go with a data recovery company... and for you, to recreate the data.


How can I see where a program writes to my disk? If I want to uninstall a program and remove all trace of data it stored on my computer,
is there a tool to see where a program has written data? I expect it isn't going to be possible after the fact, but perhaps there is something that can run when a program is first launched to monitor all the locations to which it writes?

I think I'm looking for something that does for local storage what Little Snitch does for the internet.

If I get it right, you want to monitor all file-system operations of your app when you launch it and when it's running ?
Rather than finding each and every byte that this program has ever written to your hard-drive.

For the first case I have two recommendations:

fseventer

Instruments.app from /Developer/Applications/ (you need Xcode for that)

Choosing "File Activity" from the templates

Supplement from 2011-12-22

And for the command-line, copied from here

sudo opensnoop -p PID

Shows you all of the files that are being accessed on your system by a particular process (by passing its PID)


iPhone 3GS switches off randomly after update to 5.0.1 I bought a used iPhone 3GS and the owner claims it worked fine with iOS 4.3.5.
When I came home, I reset all content and settings on iPhone.

Did I know that doing the reset would force me to upgrade to iOS 5.0.1!

Now that I have upgraded to iOS 5.0.1, the phone began to switch off randomly.
I can't recognize the pattern—it happens in different apps, with different intervals. The screen just goes blank, with a reflection of what was on it for a couple of seconds.

Sometimes it reboots on its own, and sometimes it just switches off and sometimes it says the battery is too low to switch back on. But I know this isn't true! Funny enough, in a couple of minutes it would go from claimed low percentage back to 76%.

The only pattern I observe is it always switches off when I'm walking on a street, and works fine in the room. But it may be a coincidence.

Could the battery fail because of the cold or movement?
Is this likely to be a software issue?

I tried jailbreaking and installing iOS 4.2, and the issue persisted so I concluded it's a hardware problem. After four months, I finally got the battery replaced, and the service guys told me there was a problem with the old battery's circuit.

The new battery works just fine.


Xcode gives .DS_Store conflict error Me and my partner are using Xcode's built-in git to edit code together.
When I tried to pull a change, I am having .DS_Store files conflict.

We are both working on the storyboard and adding images to the project.
Could it be because of the images we are adding?

The .DS_Store changes when you alter the directory's view options: align, sort order, view mode... You don't need version control on it. To ignore the changes add .DS_Store in the .gitignore or the global one in ~/.config/git/ignore.


Find Mac's "age" in Yosemite I upgraded a Mac to OS X Yosemite and would like to find the age (when it's been released). In previous OS it was given here:

but I can't find it in Yosemite there

...anyone?

It should be right under the the OS X Yosemite.  Checked 3 different models and all showed in the same place.


Is a paid Apple Developer account required for notarizing macOS apps? In macOS Catalina Apple has started requiring macOS apps to be notarized, otherwise users will be told "macOS cannot verify this app is free from malware" and prompted to move the app to the trash. The current workaround for this is that users have to right-click on the app and press "Open," which is then followed by another warning about "exposing your computer to malware".

To avoid users having to worry about this, is it possible to notarize my app without a paid developer account, so users aren't prompted with the scary "malware" warning?

Yes. Only paid-up developers can notarize their apps, or have certified apps.

I asked a similar question on Stack Overflow. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/60736568/xcode-create-app-that-passes-macos-quarantine-without-payment


Cannot reinstall OSX Mac mini 6,1 I've been trying to install Ubuntu server on my Mac mini 6,1 with no success.
However now I'm stuck and can't even reinstall OSX from a USB key. I've created it on my MBPr, and tested it there : it works fine.

Now when I try to boot from it in the Mac mini, I get a grey crossed-circle and the Mac mini shuts down.

Does anybody knows a way to fix that ?
Thanks

You can hold down the keys [cmd] + [r] while the mini is shut down and then push the power button. This should lead you to the recovery via the Mac App Store.

Take a look at:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US


Removing songs from iCloud I would like to explicitly remove songs that I uploaded using iTunes Match, from the cloud. How is this done? And if I do remove the song, will it be automatically removed from all my devices?

According to this support article from Apple, you have to delete it from your iTunes library and then it will prompt you to delete it from iCloud/iTunes Match as well. I don't know yet if there's a way to delete it from iCloud while keeping it in your iTunes library.

It does appear, if you follow these instructions, that it does automatically disappear from any iOS device set up with the same iTunes Match account.


When to backup before jailbreaking? How recent does the backup has to be when you're about to jailbreak an iPod Touch?

Jailbreaking at least the older generations of iPod Touches shouldn't erase the contents.

However, there's always the risk that something goes wrong in the process and you might have to restore the device - either from a previous backup or to set up as a new device with no existing data. There's no explicit requirement to take a backup before jailbreaking, the jailbreaking doesn't need one per se.

Generally, I'd say it's up to you how fresh you want your data to be. If you are willing to lose the data the device has accumulated after the latest backup, it doesn't matter how old the backup is.

I recommend taking a backup right before jailbreaking.


How can I select paragraphs easier in iOS 7? Selecting text has become very clunky in iOS 7, whereas it was very smooth in previous operating systems. In particular, in iOS 6, three taps of some text would select the whole paragraph. This appears to have stopped working in iOS 7.

Is there a way to select a whole paragraph by tapping the screen in iOS 7?

The short answer is no, you can't triple tap to select a paragraph. Here's what I do, however, to select larger chunks of text.

Double-tap and hold your finger puts iOS 7 into "drag to select" mode.

Double-tap and hold your finger on the first word of the paragraph
Drag down to select


How can I browse the directories of an external drive even when it is not attached? I am new to this. Is there any script that analyzes and creates an XML files the entire file structure of any external hard drive that  is connected to the computer,including all the fill names in all the folders.And i want to store the xml document to the computer even after removing the hard drive. Can anyone help me by giving an idea or a tutorial or link which will me?

Thank you

Based on the clarifications in the comments, you can do the following:

Create an index file

find /Volumes/YOUR-EXTERNAL-DRIVE -print > ~/YOUR-EXTERNAL-DRIVE-index.txt

This will list all files/folders on the external drive and store the result in your home folder.

Search for a file

grep THE-NAME-YOU-ARE-LOOKING-FOR ~/YOUR-EXTERNAL-DRIVE-index.txt

Partial names will work as well (and the external drive must not be attached for the search).


Mount RAM Disk at boot with a specific path? I'd love to mount a RAM Disk in OSX Lion on boot.  I know how to write the launchd stuff to do it when I want, but is it possible to mount a RAM Disk onto a certain path, so that it would be cleared on boot?

With regards to your question, there doesn't seem to be a way to mount it at a specific point, hover to mount it at boot, have you looked at the Make RAM Disk application?

  Make RAM Disk is an application that provides an easy way to create, format, and mount a RAM disk in one shot.

If you add the application to your Login Items it will automatically create the RAM disk at each boot.

PS: Tested this on OSX Lion without any issues.

For completeness sake the following is from the Readme File:

  How do I use it?
  Just run it. By default, it creates a 64-MiB RAM disk named “RAM Disk”.

  Can I have it create a RAM disk on startup/login?
  Yes. Add it to your Login Items in the Accounts pane of System Preferences.

  How do I get rid of the RAM disk?
  Click on the Eject (⏏) button next to its name in the Finder's sidebar. Alternatively, use Disk Utility (in /Applications/Utilities) to eject it.

  I want to create a bigger or smaller RAM disk or to create it with a different name. How do I do that?
  Hold down the Option key while launching Make RAM Disk; it will present a window wherein you can change the size or name of the volume. If the “Save settings for next time” checkbox is checked, the settings you enter here will be saved (obviously); if not, they are forgotten just before quitting.

  Remember: the Option key for the Options window.

  Can I change the options without actually creating a RAM disk?
  Yes. As long as the box is checked, the options will be saved, whether you create a RAM disk or not.


How to Locate an App Running in the Background My Mac is a work computer that used to have LANDesk installed. My admin ran a script that uninstalled it. However, when my machine starts I still get prompted to allow apps from LANDesk (vulscand, cba, proxyhost) to accept network connections. Neither my Admin nor I can figure out where these apps are hiding.

When I run sudo find ~ -iname "LANDesk" or sudo find ~ -iname "vulscand" in terminal both return no results. I also do not see it listed in the OS X Activity Monitor app.

How can I find where "vulscand" is located on my system?

Maybe it's a LaunchAgent? See here to stop. See here to remove.

If you want to find the actual file try EasyFind. It'll find things that Spotlight does not, especially non-user oriented files.


Scroll Lock Button on MacBook I cannot use my touchpad to scroll on my macbook. The arrow keys work but the touchpad will not. Is there a scroll lock button on the macbook?

Try shift + fn + f12 for scroll lock on/off.


How much disk space do the "command line developer tools" take up? When I run git --version in the Terminal, I get prompted to install the "command line developer tools":

What exactly do I get from these "command line developer tools", and how much disk space will the installation use up? I don't want to drag along a whole bunch of useless programs just because I want to use a single command.
(Assume that I do not want to use Homebrew, for whatever reason. The question is asking about the disk space used up by an installation of Apple's "command line developer tools").

The installer says it requires 2.72 Gb of space. It installs a variety of Unix tools for compiling software, and other advanced usage (such as git) on the command line, including 'many other useful commands that are usually found in default linux installations' (osxdaily.com). It also includes the SDK frameworks and header files for macOS APIs. And python3.
Separating out what it is exactly that you need and what you don't is not really feasible, and may cause errors. Presumably, you're doing some kind of scripting/programming, for which other tools in the CLDT might be useful.


How to remove outdated casks from Homebrew? I am using homebrew-cask to keep my ecosystem of applications up-to-date. It is great when maintaining several computers at home, travel or on the go.

However, when some packages are getting updated (such as Google Chrome), I end up having different concurrent versions installed (and which are seen by the OS):

  $ ls /opt/homebrew-cask/Caskroom/google-chrome/
  latest  stable-channel

This happens when upgrading a cask:

$ ls -l /opt/homebrew-cask/Caskroom/tunnelblick
total 0
drwxr-xr-x 5 foo staff 238 Mar 11 07:42 3.3.0
drwxr-xr-x 5 foo staff 238 May 13 13:53 3.3.2
[13:00:40] foo at bar in ~
$ brew cask install --force tunnelblick
==> Caveats
For security reasons, Tunnelblick must be installed to /Applications and will request to be moved at launch.

==> Downloading https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/tunnelblick/All%20files/Tunnelblick_3.3.4.dmg
######################################################################## 100.0%
==> It seems there is already an App at '/Applications/Tunnelblick.app'; not linking.
  tunnelblick installed to '/opt/homebrew-cask/Caskroom/tunnelblick/3.3.4' (236 files, 20M)

$ ls -l /opt/homebrew-cask/Caskroom/tunnelblick
total 0
drwxr-xr-x 5 foo staff 238 Mar 11 07:42 3.3.0
drwxr-xr-x 5 foo staff 238 May 13 13:53 3.3.2
drwxr-xr-x 5 foo staff 238 Jun 26 13:01 3.3.4
[13:01:26] foo at bar in ~

How do I only keep the most recent?

In Terminal, type:

for app in $(brew cask list); do cver="$(brew cask info "${app}" | head -n 1 | cut -d " " -f 2)"; ivers=$(ls -1 "/opt/homebrew-cask/Caskroom/${app}/.metadata/" | tr '\n' ' ' | sed -e 's/ $//'); aivers=(${ivers}); nvers=$(echo ${#aivers[@]}); echo "[*] Found ${app} in cask list. Latest available version is ${cver}. You have installed version(s): ${overs}"; if [[ ${nvers} -eq 1 ]]; then echo "${ivers}" | grep -q "^${cver}$" && { echo "[*] Latest version already installed :) Skipping changes ..."; continue; }; fi; echo "[+] Fixing from ${ivers} to ${cver} ..."; brew cask uninstall "${app}" --force; brew cask install "${app}"; done

Hint: Copy and paste the above command line into Terminal.


Failed to mount partition of Mac OS Extended (HFS+) As a matter of fact, my 1 TB External hard disk has three partition: "MAC OS", "NTFS" and "FAT32". All of the partitions worked very well in the past.

However, I just discovered that my Mac OS Extended (HFS+) formatted "MAC OS" partition could not be mounted, although the other two partitions were seemingly fine. I tried to repair the partition with Disk Utility but it failed. I have no idea why this had happened to my hard disk, since I have not done anything disruptive to my hard disk and my MAC OS partition.

I have only done two things before I discovered that my MAC OS partition was no longer working:

I installed the Apple Security Update 2015-002 when my hard disk was plugged into my Macbook air.
I tried to move some files from my "NTFS" partition to another external hard disk. But it failed because of unknown reason.

This is what I got when I did the "diskutill info" on Terminal:

This is what I got when I tried to repair my partition:

How do I solve the problem and recover my "MAC OS" partition and get my data back?

Got it back when giving even the hfs+ partition a drive letter in Windows drive-management, did a chkdsk there.
(It was an external usb-drive 3Tb)


How can I make iPod 30-Pin cables last longer? I am still using an iPod that has a 30-pin connector.
I find the cables only last for 2-3 years before they start to fray and stop working.

I am buying a new cable and would like to know if there any tips to make it last longer.

I've never had any problems with any other type of cable. Some of my micro USB cables get used way more and are nearly 10 years old. It only seems to be the iPod cables that fray.

The answer to the question comes down to how the cables are treated over their life time.  This applies to pretty much all cables regardless of the manufacturer or type (USB, network, charging/power, etc.).  It's also important to note that Apple used a higher quality, more flexible cable (it feels softer and thusly, more premium in the hand).  The downside, it's not as durable the cheaper, more "plastic-y" cables.
Coil your cables
The cable will have a natural "loop" to it and if you coil it following that loop you will preserve it for years to come.

Follow the natural loop and coil your cables so that there's no strain on the adapter ends

Do not bunch them up in a tightly wound loop and don't "fold" them over.

Most importantly, never knot your cable into itself - it's not rope.

The photos above are of my actual genuine Apple 30 pin cable that must be pushing at least 10 years of age.  The top photo is the exact way that I store my cables even when traveling.
For reference, this is the exact same way I coil my cable on my Microsoft Surface Pro tablet that I keep in my briefcase.

Use strain relief where possible

Tie-wrap your cables in a bunch to prevent excessive strain being applied to the connector ends

Use cable management gadgets to prevent the cables from going over sharp edges

Use "service loops" judicially when routing cables behind a desk or furniture.  Loosely coiling the wire and loosely wrapping them with Velcro or plastic will allow for movement without binding on the connectors.

I've followed these practices for the better part of 20+ years (obviously not with just Apple cables) and can honestly say that I have a significantly greater likelihood of replacing a cable because I lost it versus it becoming damaged.


What happens to existing free users if an App gets moved from free to paid? Hey I have a free app in iTunesconnect that's being downloaded about 100 times a week. Mostly no user responses, no support requests or anything so I thought (I know this is selfish) I can make some free money by making the app worth $.99 so maybe some "accidental" buyers are too lazy to refund it.

Now the thing is: I still want users who downloaded the app for free continue using the app for free - is that possible as the transaction is already on their iCloud account? Or will they be asked to buy the app as soon as they try to install it on a new device?

The user buys an app for the price it is sold at that point. Future changes to the price have no effect on them. It is on their Apple ID that they own the app and they will be able to download the app for free as long as it's available (no matter the price).


iTunes 12.5.1.21 interface with iPod Classic (2009) software 2.0.4 Star vs Heart Rating I cannot get the Star Rating System to work through iTunes as it displays on my iPod.

I can get the iTunes to display the Star ratings for music on my Macbook Pro. It was easy enough to go into Preferences > General > [Check Box] Star Ratings.

I don't use the Heart system on the iPod itself. It's always Star (which I prefer, as I employ a gradient rating for the music).

How can I get iTunes to display the Star rating system for the music on my iPod and not just what is stored locally?

In your preferred playlist chose to display it as a list (song view) and right click on one of the top columns (artist, album, year, etc.) and select 'rating' from the menu.

It may be only visible if you scroll the list view to the right. You can reorder the columns by holding and dragging with the mouse.

Does this work for you?


How to restart Bluetooth service from command line On Linux, if one wishes to restart the Bluetooth service, they simply launch a terminal and issue the following command:

sudo /etc/init.d/bluetooth restart

What is the equivalent on Mac OS X?  I would like to restart my Bluetooth without having to restart the entire computer.

I am using Yosemite.

Update:  Of the various command line options provided by Testing below the only one that seemed to work was the last, which is this:

sudo kextunload -b com.apple.iokit.BroadcomBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport
sudo kextload -b com.apple.iokit.BroadcomBluetoothHostControllerUSBTransport

Update 2: The above command no longer works and I wonder if it ever did.  The first time I tried it it might have been something else that restarted my bluetooth services.  The only thing that will work for me is a restart of the entire machine every morning.

On High Sierra, none of the command line options worked for me.  I was able to plug in a wired USB mouse and use the Shift + Option with Debug/Rest solution.

I tried the blueutil solution on my High Sierra, and it worked like a charm.  I regularly have Bluetooth on my 2015 MBPR with an Apple Magic Mouse hose up, and have to restart. Yeah, I could open the lid and use the track pad, but it's on the other side of the wall from my desk space.

You can install blueutil using Homebrew:

brew install blueutil

Or you can compile and install it by hand using:

cd ~/tmp/
git clone https://github.com/toy/blueutil.git
cd blueutil
make
make test
cp blueutil ~/bin/

Now run:

blueutil -p 0 && sleep 1 && blueutil -p 1


iTunes randomly thinking my iPhone/iPad is "new" One of the extremely irritating things that (the Windows version of) iTunes does is that from time to time when I connect my previously-set-up iPhone or iPad, it thinks that it is a "new" device. Thus when I connect, it takes me to the "Set Up Your iPhone" screen and insists that I either "Set up as a new iPhone" or "Restore from a backup", despite the fact that neither is it a new device nor do I wish to restore from any backup and the thing I want to do is just "do nothing" and carry on as before...

Am I the only person in the universe to have this problem, and if not, is there a way to fix it?

Completely restore the iPhone using DFU mode.

See the instructions posted on this website and then do a complete restore of your iPhone and set it up as new.

If the problem persists, it might be that your iTunes would need to be reinstalled. Don't forget to unlink your library to your computer before uninstalling iTunes and keep a copy of your data.

Consolidate your library PRIOR to backing it up, removing iTunes, etc., etc.


Adobe Photoshop error message about display driver with my MacBook Pro I have just installed Adobe Photoshop CC 2015.  When it came up, after lots of time and annoying spinning colored disk, I got the message "Photoshop has encountered a problem with the display driver, and has temporarily disabled enhancements which use the graphics hardware.  Check the manufacturer's website for the latest software."  I bought my computer January 2, 2011.  After reading here about display problems, I don't know where I fit in.  Since I am using Photoshop for a class, I don't think I want enhancements disabled.  Can anyone tell me which way to turn?  Is my 2011 MacBook Pro, running Yosemite 10.10.5, now considered "old"?

Make sure you're using the latest version of Adobe Photoshop CC 2015.

http://blogs.adobe.com/crawlspace/2011/03/keeping-photoshop-up-to-date.html

Your MacBook should be working just fine, my late 2009 iMac still runs like a champ.


When I send iMessages to my wife they go to either her Mac or iPhone but not both On my devices I see two separate conversations. One goes to her phone and one goes to her Mac. I can't see which is which but she has only one phone number and one iCloud account. What is causing this and how to fix?

On her iPhone and iPad both, she will need to go to the Settings App > Messages > Send & Receive. Then make sure to select her phone number on her iPad, and her associated iCloud emails on her phone. For the least amount of confusion, the selections should match.

You can configure FaceTime the same way.


Boot Camp - Can't download the software because of a network problem I have spent 20 hours trying to install Windows 8.1 pro 64 bit on my MacBook Pro Retina MGXC2B/A

I created a ISO image of my Windows dvd, put it on my desktop.

Inside Boot Camp it asks for the Iso Image, I set this to read the ISO file on my desktop

Inside the Task Status window, I see the text "formatting selected drive...", which then changes to "Copying Windows files..."

When the loading % bar in this window reaches around 50%, a window pops up stating.

Can't download the software because of a network problem

I have tried this 10 times now, its the same error over and over, there is nothing wrong with my internet connection or networking, what is the issue?

I ran into this issue just now and fixed it. My computer used to be managed by my company and the catalogURL was changed to a company owned update server.

I fixed it by resetting it:

sudo defaults delete /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate CatalogURL


Create iOS 13 Light/Dark wallpaper Does anybody know what kind of file are the wallpapers that came with iOS 13 that change with light / dark mode? I’d like to make one myself.

I have a good feeling that the Dark/Light themed wallpapers work similarly to how Dark/Light themed images work with WebKit.

As of macOS Mojave, website developers can make their webpages change based on the system theme (light or dark). Websites that support dark mode will have at least 2 images, a dark-themed image and a light-themed image. When a user changes their theme from light to dark (or vise versa), the webpage will transition from one image to the other accordingly.

For their light/dark wallpapers, Apple may have created two similar images and given them the exclusive ability to transition when the Dark Mode setting changes; but I cannot be 100% certain. If this is the case, they probably just use a standard image file format but made it so only they can make transitioning wallpapers.