How would I automate several delayed commands in AppleScript? Let's say I want to automate the following tasks:
Send the letter "a" twice every 2 minutes
Send the letter "b" ever 30 minutes
and send the letter "C" every 1 hour.
If I make a loop with delays in it, then I won't be able to repeatedly send "a" - I can only send it once in the first 2 minute cycle, not every time.  What can I do to put together all these commands?  Do I just have to make several running scripts?

Not sure if you realize it but key stokes sent by System Events goes to the active front most window of the front most application and as such the target must remain front most and you basically cannot use the computer for anything else while the process is happening.
The example AppleScript code, shown below, was tested under macOS Catalina as an AppleScript stay open application, with Language & Region settings in System Preferences set to English (US) — Primary and worked for me without issue1.

1  Assumes necessary and appropriate setting in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy have been set/addressed as needed.

In Script Editor, copy and paste the example AppleScript code into a new document and change "TextEdit" and "Untitled" to the appropriate values for the target application and window you want the key stokes to go to. The existing values were for testing purposes.
When saving, on the Save As: sheet, change File Format: to [Application], and under Options: check the [√] Stay open after run handler checkbox.

Example AppleScript code:
property appName : "TextEdit"
property winName : "Untitled"

global theCounter

on run
    set theCounter to 0
    delay 60
end run

on idle
    my isItTimetoSendKeystroke()
    return 60
end idle

on isItTimetoSendKeystroke()
    set theCounter to theCounter + 1
    if (theCounter mod 2) = 0 then
        my sendKeystroke("a")
        my sendKeystroke("a")
    end if
    if (theCounter mod 30) = 0 then
        my sendKeystroke("b")
    end if
    if (theCounter mod 60) = 0 then
        my sendKeystroke("C")
    end if
end isItTimetoSendKeystroke

to sendKeystroke(thisKey)
    tell application "System Events"
        tell application process appName
            set frontmost to true
            perform action "AXRaise" of window winName
            keystroke thisKey
        end tell
    end tell
end sendKeystroke

on quit
    continue quit
end quit

Notes:
If you are just automating the typing of text into a text box or document, you can delete one of the my sendKeystroke("a") and change the other to my sendKeystroke("aa"), otherwise if simulating a key press for, say a game, then you would probably want it as it's currently coded.
UI Scripting can be kludgy and prone to failure.
Some applications will not respond to keystroke and or key code commands of System Events, as they are designed not to respond this type of event in this manner. Games are the typical type of application that may not respond.
Personally, I do not like this type of UI Scripting and have posted this more just as a proof of concept. It has been my experience that some AppleScript stay open applications can over time consume more memory and eventually crash. They can also cause the fans to spin up and maintain high RPMs. This probably has to do more so with some of the code being run, however, as a general rule I try to accomplish the task in a different way that does not become resource intensive, if possible.
Credit to Tetsujin for his comment to the OP, which was the basis for this answer.

Note: The example AppleScript code is just that and sans any included error handling does not contain any additional error handling as may be appropriate. The onus is upon the user to add any error handling as may be appropriate, needed or wanted. Have a look at the try statement and error statement in the AppleScript Language Guide. See also, Working with Errors. Additionally, the use of the delay command may be necessary between events where appropriate, e.g. delay 0.5, with the value of the delay set appropriately.


Slimming down near 200GB ~/Library After years of moving the same home directory from one version of macOS to the next, ~/Library is becoming a big burden on Time Machine.
~/ > du -s ~/Library/* | sort -nr | head
180487496    /Users/john/Library/Application Support
135081688    /Users/john/Library/Containers
40345344     /Users/john/Library/Developer
26491896     /Users/john/Library/Group Containers
13159040     /Users/john/Library/Caches
3349072      /Users/john/Library/iTunes
1763968      /Users/john/Library/Mobile Documents
1142016      /Users/john/Library/Safari
286608       /Users/john/Library/Messages
233128       /Users/john/Library/Internet Plug-Ins

Can you suggest a good way to slim ~/Library down?

Can you suggest a good way to slim ~/Library down?

This is tough to answer because it's a very simple answer, but a very complex and/or tedious process to achieve what you want to do.
Simple Answer
Just delete the files you're not using.  If you don't need it, get rid of it.
More Complex

After years of moving the same home directory from one version of macOS to the next...

This where the problem stems from - simply copying the home folder from one Mac to the next or even between upgrades means that all of the support files, including from programs you no longer use or even have, are taking up space.
This is why I don't suggest copying over the entire home folder, but rather only the user data like your documents, pictures, etc. from the home folder when migrating to a new computer (or even when upgrading).  I personally always like to start with a clean slate so-to-speak and I spend some time migrating only what is necessary.
Some Tips...
Technically speaking, you could delete all of it and most will get recreated with only the latest data as you use the Apps.  That, however, will cause you to lose preferences.   This is why I like to backup all of my preference files before embarking on an upgrade or migration.

Backup Your Preferences for Your Important Apps. Using Firefox as an example, find out where the preference files are located and back those up individually.  Then, when you move to your new system, simply copy them back to the default location.

Selectively Migrate. Also, don't migrate everything all at once.  Instead, keep your original Time Machine backup for about 1 month or so after you've created your new account on you new machine and as you install or use programs for the first time, copy the settings from the Time Machine backup as you need them.  This way, you're only migrating what you actually use, not migrating files from the App you stopped using years ago.

Make use of the cloud for data.  I prefer OneDrive over iCloud for syncing my data (mostly because it's cross platform compatibility), but more importantly, it has it's own folder within my $HOME directory, not a folder buried deep within $HOME/Library/Application Support.  I symlink Documents, Pictures, etc. to the OneDrive directory so from a Finder perspective everything looks standard, but everything I have is actually synced to the cloud.  If I move to a new machine, once I sync OneDrive, everything (current) is pulled down from the cloud; no migration necessary.

Keep separate copies of shell customization, scripts, ssh keys, etc. on a different volume.  Over the years, I'm sure you have made a number of tweaks to your shell profile including environment variables, your prompt or even custom functions. Keep these seperate so that when you migrate/move you can easily copy them over.   You can use a (removable) flash disk or a network share, or even a folder in the cloud.  (backed up, of course).  Doing it this way also makes it very easy to share with others or use it on another platform (I do this a lot with my FreeBSD boxes).

Pictures, Music, etc. These files will take up tons of space.  What I do here is get a USB disk (I'm using flash now because it's so inexpensive) to individually back up those files.  Instead of including it on my regular Time Machine backup, I have a separate job for backing up Pictures and Music onto physical media.  Technically, I personally backup to a NAS that backs up to the flash disks, but a NAS isn't required.  A simple USB hub (USB3 and powered is ideal) with some flash sticks that you don't remove makes an excellent backup location.

These strategies have worked well for me over the years.  However, in your pradicament, I would suggest to just "bite the bullet" and start with a clean user profile and manually migrate as you need it. It will take some time, but you don't need to do it all at once - do it as needed.  Then. when you get ready for your next upgrade/migration, it will be much easier and much faster.


Pros and cons of wiping a new Mac? Coming from the PC world, most made-to-order manufacturers (e.g., Dell, HP, Acer, etc.) all have annoying little addons which I consider spyware/bloatware--things like toolbars with ads. When buying such PC laptops, I would always reformat their hard drives and then install just Windows (and drivers), ensuring a blank slate without any bloat.

I don't believe Apple includes such spyware/bloatware. Nevertheless, when purchasing a new machine direct from Apple, are there are any advantages or disadvantages to wiping the existing drive and performing a fresh install of OS X?

There isn't any advantage to wiping and reinstalling OS X on a new Mac direct from Apple.  You'll end up with the exact same drive contents.  I can't think of any difference between an Apple-imaged Mac and a self-imaged Mac.


Macbook hangs when when unplugging external Monitor I have a Retina Macbook and macOS Sierra but the symptoms are the same as described in this post almost 10 years ago: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/822656?tstart=0

I am using external display and keep MacBook closed. However when I unplug the display and later open the lid it either thinks that it is still connected or just hangs up.

One would think there were some advancements in 10 years, but apparently nothing changed. Is there anything I can do?

I use Macbook Retina Mid 2013 with different displays and adapters, normally I have 1 or 2 different displays plugged in using two Display Ports depending on whwere I am working at the moment.

UPDATE Now I have a Macbook Pro 15" 2016 with Touchbar and dedicated video card and it's even worse. So I guess it's just a fact of life let's see if High Sierra changes anything.

It appears a SMC reset will fix your issue. I just answered another question pertaining to display issues. I've included the same information directly from Apple as I did with the last question.

Have you tried resetting the SMC (System Management Controller)?

With charger plugged in, hold Shift-Control-Option on the left side of the keyboard, then press the Power.

  The LED on MagSafe power adapters might change states or temporarily turn off when you reset the SMC.

  Indicators that your SMC might need to be reset

  The computer fans run at high speed, though the computer is not experiencing heavy usage and is properly ventilated.
  The keyboard backlight behaves incorrectly on Mac computers that have this feature.
  The status indicator light (SIL) behaves incorrectly on Mac computers that have this feature.
  Battery indicator lights, if present, behave incorrectly on Mac notebooks that have a non-removable battery.
  The display backlight doesn't respond correctly to ambient light changes on Mac computers that have this feature.
  The computer doesn't respond to the power button when pressed.
  A Mac notebook computer doesn't respond properly when you close or open the lid.
  The computer sleeps or shuts down unexpectedly.
  The battery doesn't charge properly.
  The MagSafe power adapter LED doesn't indicate the correct activity.
  The computer is performing unusually slowly, though it isn't experiencing abnormally high CPU utilization.
  Application icons may bounce in the Dock for an extended amount of time when opened.
  Applications may not function correctly, or they may stop responding after being opened.
  A computer that supports target display mode does not switch into or out of target display mode as expected, or it switches into or out of target display mode at unexpected times.
  The illumination around the I/O ports on a Mac Pro (Late 2013) does not activate when you move the computer.

Source: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201295


In general order of most scans, which websites have scans of Apple 2 documentation and magazines? I've done some searching and found various websites.
For example, http://www.apple-iigs.info/ has a lot of scans.
After listening to the Open Apple podcast, I think it would be helpful to have a definitive place (ie here) with a list of websites with Apple 2 scans.

Here's a list - feel free to edit this answer.

http://www.apple-iigs.info/ - huge amount of magazine, software and documentation
http://apple2scans.net/ - mostly technical manuals
http://www.whatisthe2gs.apple2.org.za/ - box scan of Apple IIGS software
http://www.macgui.com/kb/cat/4 - big range of pdf scans - game manuals, technical, etc
http://members.iinet.net.au/~kalandi/apple/aug.html - Sydney Apple User Group newsletter
http://juiced.gs/samples/ - some free issues
http://apple2history.org/downloads/ - Apple II and AppleSoft red and blue book
http://mirrors.apple2.org.za/Apple%20II%20Documentation%20Project/ - Manuals for computers, peripherals and software


How do I reset/change my security questions on my iPod Touch? On my iPod Touch, my mom changed the password to Apple/iTunes and I have a new iTunes gift card but I have to answer security questions and my mom and I both don't know them. How can I do this?

Apple's support article explains how to use a rescue email to reset the questions should you enter them and then forget them.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5312

It has a link at the bottom where you can contact Apple's support if you can't get them reset yourself.


Erasing a bunch of contacts at once? My friend got an iPhone from her uncle and started using it without wiping out all the data. Now she wants to delete all the existing contacts on the phone (over 500) but doesn't want to reset the entire phone. Is there any easy way to delete multiple contacts at once?

Right now she has to go into each one, press edit, and then press delete. The contacts are not synced to any service, they are only located on the phone itself.

You can use the Cleanup: remove all contacts app from the appstore to do this. The app costs $0.99

If you want a Mac only solution, you can backup the contacts in your mac's Address Book, connect your phone to your mac and set it to sync only your address book in iTunes. Once it's done syncing (it should now be a clean slate), you can change the sync settings to whatever you wish and then restore your existing contacts from the backup.


How do I configure DNS now that OS X Server doesn't support it? I was using OS X Server to run DNS for my local network.  As many know, the Mojave version of Server dropped a lot of the services that were there, one of which was DNS.  Unfortunately I didn't read the fine print when I upgraded my server to Mojave and was later surprised when I couldn't find the DNS settings in Server any longer.

The thing is that DNS is still running.  I can still hit my servers within my local network by name same as I was in High Sierra.  The problem is I have no way to make changes or even pull the settings so I can migrate to another DNS server.

Is there a way from the CLI to grab the settings from the old DNS server instance?  Then how do I shut that one down so I can try to migrate to another version?

Locating configs with lsof

You could use lsof to try and find out what files the running DNS server is currently using and perhaps find out where the existing files are located.

$ lsof -p $(pgrep -f <name of DNS server>)

NOTE: I believe the configuration files are typically located here ,/Library/Server/, so you may want to look through there for them.

You may also want to look at the following resources regarding this from Apple:

BIND

DNS on Mojave server

  DNS is no longer included in Server.app so you will have to do it
  either on a Mac running an older version of macOS and hence older
  version of Server.app or do it via the command line.

  If you manually install BIND then at least the config files will be
  the same as previously used in Server.app although in a different
  location

Based on this it sounds like you may be able to simply take your existing configs, if you can find them, and use them directly with BIND.

Service Migration Guide

Also take a look at this guide put out by Apple titled: macOS Server
Service Migration Guide v1.2.

References

Setting up a local DNS server on OSX
Configuring Your Own DNS Server on Mac OS X


Enable SMB sharing from command line On OS X 10.8, using terminal commands, I'd like to enable SMB sharing as if I had ticked the following checkbox under System Preferences - Sharing - File Sharing - Options:

I've tried the following command:

sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.smbd.plist

But despite the smb daemon seeming to be up and running, the checkbox is still unchecked, as if something is missing.

The same command works, as an example, for screen sharing (com.apple.screensharing.plist) and even for AFP (com.apple.AppleFileServer.plist), only SMB seem to suffer from this problem.

I've found the solution. Two commands are needed in sequence:

sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.smbd.plist
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.smb.server.plist EnabledServices -array disk


iPhone productivity app that tracks hours worked with an efficiency parameter I'm looking for an iPhone app that tracks "effective" hours worked over time.
Say I feel half efficient. Then two hours 'effort' amounts to 1 hour of 'actual' work done. If I'm at say 33% efficiency, for example, then when 3 hours go by, I know I've done about an hour's worth of real work.
And perhaps it plots time worked on a line graph over the long term. So I know how many hours I've worked today, or the past week, or in January.
The efficiency aspect is key, and it's the main feature I'm looking for. Does an app like this exist?

When I get grilled to account for every move I make I just look at my emails and history and the time frame from there. I don't know if the computer can determine what is the difference though. There might be setting as if you were a parent ant wanting to know what exactly you kids are doing that can help with that. You could make 2 accounts on the computer and use one for work and one for other.


How does PopCorn Time iOS installer work? I am all against piracy and I know that PopCorn Time as a service is illegal but what I am curious about is that they have managed to come out with an app for iOS that lets you install even on non jailbroken devices.

How does that work out?

Popcorn Time For iOS Released, No Jailbreak Required

In Xcode 7 (beta), Apple has released free iOS provisioning profiles for all: https://developer.apple.com/library/prerelease/ios/documentation/DeveloperTools/Conceptual/WhatsNewXcode/Articles/xcode_7_0.html

Which means you can now install arbitrary iOS applications through a computer onto an iOS device without having to purchase a license from Apple, without having it to be approved by Apple, and without needing specific provisioning profiles installed on the device.

I'm guessing they're just using this to their advantage.


Looking for an iPhone SSH app Is there any FREE real SSH apps for iOS 5. There should not be any jailbreaking.

I wanted something like these:

iPhone SSH clients reviewed: iSSH, pTerm, and TouchTerm
Three SSH terminal apps for iPhone

I want to use an online shell.

Prompt for iOS

Prompt allows you to remotely SSH into another machine. Without jailbreaking, there is no way to use Terminal to access your file system. However, I've found that if you do jailbreak your phone and want to use Prompt as a Terminal, you can set it to SSH to server 127.0.0.1 and authenticate with the standard iPhone root credentials.

Remoter: Remote Desktop (VNC) for iOS

This app does basically the same thing just a little differently. By default it allows a VNC connection for screen sharing, but it has different add ons that you can purchase that allow SSH, Telnet, and RDP.


Install VMWare Workstation on Mac Boot Camp Can I install VMWare Workstation in a Mac's Boot Camp partition that has Windows 7 installed in it? Is there any technical restrictions? Will there be a problem if I load the Boot Camp partition in VMWare Fusion, after VMWare Workstation is installed?
Tks

When in Boot Camp, you are running Windows 'on the metal', as in really no difference than Windows on any other PC, except on Mac hardware with some Apple drivers for that hardware (like fan control, iSight, etc).

With that in mind, there would be no issue with installing VMWare Workstation in Windows while in Boot Camp.

As for what happens when you launch the Boot Camp partition in VMWare Fusion, I have not tested that, and not entirely sure how it will work. I think that it will launch, and possibly even work (except for being rather slow, because you would start virtualizing while virtualizing). The only limitation I can think of is that if the hypvervisor has a way of knowing it is currently already using a VM, and therefore not able to virtualize again.

One advantage of using Fusion on the Mac though would be that they can use the same .vmdk files. Therefore, you theoretically could put the disk images on a shared disk (for example on the Boot Camp Partition itself, since the Mac can easily read it), and then launch the vmdk no matter which host you were using (Mac or Windows).


SMS messaging not available on iPad - how to enable? I am unable to text to anyone other then other iOS users...  I want to enable "allow SMS messaging when iMessage is unavailable" but it is not an option - how do I set this up?

You need an SMS-capable device, like an iPhone or iPad with a SIM & text messaging plan.

See Use Messages with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

If you have a capable device & service plan, make sure SMS is switched on in Settings > Messages


How to install TermKit on Mac? https://github.com/unconed/TermKit

command:

git clone https://github.com/unconed/TermKit.git --recursive

Prompt:

fatal: https://github.com/LearnBoost/Socket.IO.git/info/refs not found: did you run git update-server-info on the server?

command:

node nodekit.js

Prompt:

node.js:134
throw e; // process.nextTick error, or 'error' event on first tick
^
Error: Cannot find module 'socket.io-node'
at Function._resolveFilename (module.js:320:11)
....

Sorry I can't post comment but this post is for the previous answer!

Cloning Stisti's fork does work with no error as mentioned in the question but Termkit doesn's seem to work.

Termkit.app just opens up with a blank dark window

And node.js reports something like this:

info  - socket.io started
debug - client authorized
info  - handshake authorized
info  - handshaken 77af5778e12f2ea2aff9e2b10a26f087
debug - setting request GET /socket.io/1/websocket/77af5778e12f2ea2aff9e2b10a26f087
debug - publishing that 77af5778e12f2ea2aff9e2b10a26f087 connected
debug - initializing client store for 77af5778e12f2ea2aff9e2b10a26f087
debug - set heartbeat interval for client 77af5778e12f2ea2aff9e2b10a26f087
debug - subscribing 77af5778e12f2ea2aff9e2b10a26f087
debug - websocket writing 1::
debug - websocket writing 4:::{"termkit":"1","timestamp":1310821016919}
debug - websocket received data packet 3:::[object Object]
debug - got packet
debug - websocket received data packet 3:::[object Object]
debug - got packet
debug - emitting heartbeat for client 77af5778e12f2ea2aff9e2b10a26f087
debug - websocket writing 2::
debug - set heartbeat timeout for client 77af5778e12f2ea2aff9e2b10a26f087
debug - websocket received data packet 2::
debug - got heartbeat packet
debug - cleared heartbeat timeout for client 77af5778e12f2ea2aff9e2b10a26f087
debug - set heartbeat interval for client 77af5778e12f2ea2aff9e2b10a26f087


Editing the /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.pfctl.plist file I need to vim the file found at /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.pfctl.plist but the permissions will not allow it. Even when I run sudo vim /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.pfctl.plist and enter my password, VIM throws me a warning and says that I'm editing a readonly file. Any ideas how to do this?

I'm running OS X 10.11 El Capitain.

Some paths and applications in El Capitan are protected by System Integrity Protection. Even root can't modify the files. You first have to disable SIP before editing or modifying them.

Reboot your Mac to Recovery Mode by restarting your computer and holding down CommandR until the Apple logo appears on your screen.
Click Utilities -> Terminal.
In the Terminal window, enter in csrutil disable and press Enter.
Restart your Mac
Modify the file(s)
Reboot your Mac to Recovery Mode by restarting your computer and holding down CommandR until the Apple logo appears on your screen.
Click Utilities -> Terminal.
In the Terminal window, enter in csrutil enable and press Enter.
Restart your Mac


Cydia - Add sources through command line I am able to SSH into my iPhone and update the file /var/mobile/Library/Caches/com.saurik.Cydia/sources.list with the number of repos, but the file gets reverted as soon as I try to update the repos through the Cydia app.

Is there a way to download/update the Cydia sources through command link. I am basically looking to add multiple sources easily into Cydia.

Flame is the tweak you looking for.

Batch Add: Add multiple sources at once by having them in your clipboard


Change GarageBand recording directory When recording audio in GarageBand (open GarageBand, New Project, Voice, then start recording). I would like to record to an external SSD rather than the system disk as I get occasional crashes that seem to be heavy IO related (either to much IO, or perhaps the disk is hitting a thermal shutdown point, I'm not sure). A simple solution seems to be to record the audio to an external SSD and bypass the internal spinning disk. Is there some hidden setting I can change to set the directory/location where GarageBand records audio to by default?

This is on Mac OS X 10.12.1, GarageBand 10.1.4.

I don't know a lot about GarageBand - but I move most of ~/Library directories (where most of the User stuff is being kept) by simply linking them to a different place with:

ln -s /your/source/directory /your/target/directory in terminal.

for example, assuming that GarageBand is saving music to ~/Library/GarageBand/Music please move the directory first with

mv ~/Library/Music/GarageBand ~/Library/Music/GarageBand.bak/

and then try to link a directory in the place of ~/Library/Music/GarageBand (the ~ resolves to your /Users/username or $HOME and is simply a shortcut to your home directory)

ln -s /Volumes/YourDevice/YourDirectory/GarageBandMusic ~/Library/GarageBand/Music

assuming it is the place where your data is being stored. You could try to create a hard-link without the -s flag, but this is not possible for cross-device targets (i.e another hard-drive)

I'm sure you can do this, there are more ways to force macOS to use linked directories.

I don't know about GarageBand - but I keep my Mails, iTunes, Photos, Dropbox etc. on a different drive simply by either using symbolic links or, if necessary by hard-linking them to another directory.

For hard links workaround in macOS use https://github.com/selkhateeb/hardlink it does work very well.

Keep in mind that if you rm -rf a symbolic link directory you delete link only.

When you do the same with hard-link on the filesystem then rm -rf follows your link and deletes the things linked to it!

Let me know if this helps you.


How to fix "com.apple.dock.extra: ... Could not connect the action buttonPressed: to target of class NSApplication" in system.log On a recently installed (from internet via Recovery Disk) 10.7.4 Lion system the system.log is filled with multiple "com.apple.dock.extra: ... Could not connect the action buttonPressed: to target of class NSApplication" message.

Have tried creating a new account, with only 2 icons in Dock: Finder and Recycle bin, though that also generates these "com.apple.dock.extra: ... Could not connect the action buttonPressed: to target of class NSApplication" messages in system.log.

System.log excerpt:

Jun 24 16:14:50 mac03 com.apple.launchctl.Aqua[1209]: usage: launchctl load [-wF] [-D <user|local|network|system|all>] paths...
Jun 24 16:14:50 mac03 com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[1051] (com.apple.launchctl.Aqua[1209]): Exited with code: 1
Jun 24 16:14:52 mac03 com.apple.dock.extra[1231]: Could not connect the action buttonPressed: to target of class NSApplication
Jun 24 16:14:52: --- last message repeated 3 times ---
Jun 24 16:14:52 mac03 com.apple.dock.extra[1231]: 2012-06-24 16:14:52.250 com.apple.dock.extra[1231:1507] Could not connect the action buttonPressed: to target of class NSApplication
Jun 24 16:14:52 mac03 com.apple.dock.extra[1231]: 2012-06-24 16:14:52.303 com.apple.dock.extra[1231:1507] Could not connect the action buttonPressed: to target of class NSApplication
Jun 24 16:14:52 mac03 com.apple.dock.extra[1231]: 2012-06-24 16:14:52.304 com.apple.dock.extra[1231:1507] Could not connect the action buttonPressed: to target of class NSApplication
Jun 24 16:14:52 mac03 com.apple.dock.extra[1231]: 2012-06-24 16:14:52.305 com.apple.dock.extra[1231:1507] Could not connect the action buttonPressed: to target of class NSApplication

How can this behavior be "fixed"? The goal is to prevent these messages from appearing in system.log.

You have a similar request to this question:

How to fix message spam from usbmuxd in console (_SendDetachNotification/_SendAttachNotification)

The answer I put there should work if this hasn't fixed itself via time or an upgrade to a newer OS. Just send the com.apple.dock.extra messages to /dev/null by editing /etc/syslog.conf


Refuse to install fonts in MS Word Docs When opening one of my documents in Word 2015 (15.17.1) on MacOS 10.13.2, I'm asked to download a series of fonts including: STHeiti and Osaka.

I know I could have these fonts installed to make word happy. How to do this was explained in another SO question.

I have a very small HD however, so I DON'T want to install these fonts. How can I tell word to stop prompting me to do it please?

Side remark: I am also surprised by the massive amount of space installing these not so well known fonts requires.

There is no way of bypassing the system. If you have a second hard drive, you can back up data to the second drive (to save disk space), install the fonts, enable them and then DELETE them (in font book), and then restore your files from the external drive.

Not very convenient, but works.


How to get rid of default font (Helvetica Neue) in Numbers? I am using Numbers '09. I defined (and saved within My Templates) a template of a very basic table format where all cells are formatted with Palatino:

If I simply hit ⌘+Xwithin any selected cell,
immediatly the font of the cell is switched to Helvetica Neue:

This magic font switching also occurs on some other operations (example: move of a block of cells).
This is leaving cells with the wrong format. When I discover this format corruption I have to manually set the font back to the one I configured in My Templates.

What could I have done wrong with my template?
How may I avoid this behaviour?

You need to update the table style so that your changes persist for new cells. Make the changes to the formatting of the table as you wish, then select the dropdown triangle for the currently selected table style and choose Redefine Style from Table (Numbers '09).

In more recent versions of Numbers, simply click the blue Update button for the Table Style. The asterisk indicates changes have been made to the currently selected cell which has not been saved to the style.


Safari replaces some text with an A I recently reinstalled my computer because I got a new hard drive. After the reinstallation my Safari started to act weird.

It replaces some text with an A in a box, please see images below.

I use OS X 10.8.5 and Safari 6.0.5.

I hope that someone can help me to fix this.

The symbol you see, letter A in a box with rounded corners, is most probably the generic glyph is used in some fallback fonts like LastResort. It means the data contains some Ascii (Basic Latin) character, and for some reason, a fallback font is used.

It’s more difficult to say. On the pages in the screen shot, the text rendered that way have Arial set as the primary way, so it almost looks like Arial was somehow replaced by LastResort in your computer. But this would affect the page more widely, and your use of the computer in general, so it’s probably something in Safari.

I would first try re-installing Safari.


How to Get Expanded Synology Raid to be Recognized in Mac OS? I recently purchased a DS517 to expand my DS1817+ Raid. I went through all the steps on the Synology side to increase the volume size. However, my Mac OS computer is still showing the old size of 53.7 TB instead of the new size of 92.8 TB.

When I try to use Disk Utility and go through the Partition tab. I can select the "Free Space" and click the "-" sign, and it shows the projected new space of 92.8 TB. When I click "Apply" it gives me the error of:

  "The new size must be different than the existing size."

In Terminal, when I run "diskutil list" I can see the new size, but the container it's in is the old size. It shows -

/dev/disk4 (external):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                         92.8 TB    disk4
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk4s1
   2:                 Apple_APFS Container disk5         53.7 TB    disk4s2

/dev/disk5 (synthesized):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      APFS Container Scheme -                      +53.7 TB    disk5
                                 Physical Store disk4s2
   1:                APFS Volume CC-SYN1                 52.6 TB    disk5s1

I've found commands such as diskutil apfs resizeContainer disk4s2 0 that supposedly are supposed to fix it, but it gives me the error of:

  Error: -69743: The new size must be different than the existing size

I don't have a spare 54 TB raid sitting somewhere to where I can just format and start over, so I'm hoping there's a way to get the container to show the new size. It's obviously there, but after searching Google for hours and seeing mostly the same "solutions" without it working, I'm not sure what else to do/try.

I figured this out a few days after posting my question, and figured I should followup for anyone else experiencing a similar problem. I came across gdisk and used the following instructions in Terminal to fix the issue:

* Type "sudo gdisk /dev/sdc" (or whatever the appropriate device filename is)
* Type "x" to enter experts' mode
* Type "e" to relocate the backup data
* Type "w" to save your changes.


Camera will not work in Skype in 10.8.5 I have a MacBook Air 13", bought about a month ago, running OS X 10.8.5. The camera is recorded in System Information as:

FaceTime HD Camera:

  Model ID:     Apple Camera VendorID_0x106B ProductID_0x1570
  Unique ID:    CC2332357XYF9T9CA

The camera worked in Skype very well until last night when I installed the latest upgrade from Apple. After that, the camera will not work in Skype although it works on PhotoBooth and iChat. In the preferences Skype declares that there is no camera. I reboot the system a few times. I unistalled and reinstalled Skype (the latest and some of the earlier versions). I performed SMC and PRAM and I fixed the permissions. I open Photo Booth while Skype was running. Nothing worked.

Any suggestions!

Apple issued a patch to go on top of the 10.8.5 update that didn't ship both a 32bit and 64 bit file that Skype, Apple's iMovie and other apps need to run the internal camera.

After some investigation, we have found that the OSX 10.8.5 update is missing a specific file that would allow some apps such as Skype or iMovie to access the built-in facetime camera on Mid-2013 MacBook Airs.
The 10.8.5 update updated a CoreMediaIO plugin that accesses the MBA camera, but didn't bundle the 32-bits version of it.

Source: Skype Community Post
Also, you can use an external camera in the mean time if you need to run on 10.8.5 and the affected Air.


Applescript: Automate Excel to convert .xls to .csv I'm trying to batch process converting a folder of .xls files to .csv using Applescript for MS Excel V15.15. I'm using a sample I found online to model it :

set theOutputPath to (path to desktop folder as string) & "My Saved Workbook.csv"
  tell application "Microsoft Excel"
    tell active workbook
      save workbook as filename theOutputPath file format CSV file format
    end tell
  end tell

This is the script that fails consistently, though it seems to most closely resembles the model:

set csv_folder to "Macintosh HD:Users:Me:CSV:" & file_name as string
    tell application "Microsoft Excel"
        open Source_file
        tell active workbook
            save workbook as filename csv_folder file format CSV Mac file format-->
           (*This generates error "Microsoft Excel got an error: Parameter error." number -50 *)
        end tell
    end tell

I have also tried:

set csv_folder to "Macintosh HD:Users:Me:CSV:" & file_name & ".csv" as string

tell application "Microsoft Excel"
    open Source_file
        tell active workbook
            save workbook as filename csv_folder -->
           (*This usually generates error "Microsoft Excel got an error:
            Parameter error." number -50 the first time it is run,
              then works the 2nd time *)
        end tell
end tell

EDIT:This latter script, though it completes does not result in a true csv file, as when I open it with BBEdit it is showing code, not the file contents.

I have also tried setting the cv_folder without using "as String". Any ideas why this fails? It does not seem to like the syntax "save workbook as filename theOutputPath file format CSV file format".

For Excel V15, use a posix path, like this:

set theOutputPath to POSIX path of ((path to desktop folder as string) & "My Saved Workbook.csv")
tell application "Microsoft Excel"
    tell active workbook
        save workbook as filename theOutputPath file format CSV Mac file format with overwrite
    end tell
end tell

Edit 1 -

I test it on V15.15 and V15.16, it's a bug when the destination folder doesn't contains a recently opened Excel file.
So use it

set theOutputPath to POSIX path of ((path to desktop folder as string) & "My Saved Workbook.csv")
set parentFolder to (do shell script "dirname " & quoted form of theOutputPath) as POSIX file -- get the parent folder

tell application "Microsoft Excel"
    alias parentFolder -- a folder where to save a new file, workaround to a bug when the destination folder doesn't contains a recently opened Excel file
    save workbook as active workbook filename (theOutputPath) file format CSV Mac file format with overwrite
end tell

Edit 2 -

Or create an empty file like this

set theOutputPath to POSIX path of (path to desktop folder as string) & "My Saved Workbook.csv"
do shell script "touch " & quoted form of theOutputPath -- create an empty file
set theOutputPath to theOutputPath as POSIX file
tell application "Microsoft Excel"
    save workbook as active workbook filename (theOutputPath) file format CSV Mac file format with overwrite
end tell

Edit 3 : I had another idea, it would be the simplest script.

set theOutputPath to (path to desktop folder as string) & "My Saved Workbook.csv"
tell application "Microsoft Excel"
    alias theOutputPath --  workaround to a bug when the destination folder doesn't contains a recently opened Excel file
    save workbook as active workbook filename theOutputPath file format CSV Mac file format with overwrite
end tell


What programs have trouble with case-sensitive (HFSX) filesystems, and how to fix them? There are some programs that require a case-sensitive filesystem, and others that require case-insensitive. Even though Apple warns against using case sensitive file systems, in some situations it is useful.

What programs have trouble with Case Sensitive (HFSX) systems?

What are the work-arounds?

In general, the problem is that the developers have a file in their app called FOO, but try to access the file by the name foo. In an HFS+ system that is case preserving but case insensitive, searching for foo will find FOO. That is not the case in HFSX. The general solution is therefore to

Find the misnamed file or folder
Make a copy, a link, or rename so the expected name is found

According to this question, Photoshop CS5 won't work on HFSX.

Convert a partition from case-sensitive to case-insensitive


Microsoft Word Forcing "Spaces" Switching When I have Microsoft Word on one “space” (virtual desktop in usual english), sometimes clicking anything on another “space” forces me to go back to the "space" where the Word window is opened. How can I prevent Word from behaving this way?

Note: This is a blind answer attempt: I don't have Microsoft Office on any of my computers.

Could you try:

System Preferences
    Mission Control

to deactivate:

    ☐ Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use
    ☐ When switching to an application, switch to a space with open
               windows for the application

I deactivated both because they were always disturbing my working environment in a way I wasn't able to go ahead with what I was running in parallel on many spaces.
Since I made this setting I'm able to work with an environment not running under my feet.


How can I get Time Machine to ignore the data created by Spotlight? I would like Time Machine to ignore the indexes and other metadata created by Spotlight, where are those kept on 10.6?

On the root of each indexed volume, a hidden folder called .Spotlight-V100.

Also: spotlight metadata is probably not large enough to be worthwhile in excluding, at least if you are doing this for space reasons. Spotlight is also essential for TM to work properly, as this is how TM determines which files have changed since the last backup.


How do I connect to a Windows Remote Desktop with a Terminal Services Gateway in OS X? The Microsoft-provided RDP client here:

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/remote-desktop-client

Does not support connecting via a Terminal Services Gateway. Are there any other options?

Unfortunately, neither Microsoft's own client nor the popular CoRD alternative currently support it, and the latter likely won't for a while.

I haven't tested it, but the €20 iTap claims to support it.


too late to get mavericks? I'm on an older imac on SnowLeopard and didn't upgrade as was happy with the OS and heard there were bugs with Lion etc.

I didn't realise Mavericks was going to disappear from the app store. I'm not sure if many of my apps like CS5 are going to be compatible with Yosemite, and I only have 4GB of RAM.

Is there any way to get mavericks now? Or am I too late?

OS X Mavericks is not legally available (via the Mac App Store) anymore. Sharing it is not allowed.

Edit: just remembered that I needed it too a could of months ago and I called Apple. They said 'it might be available in the future'.


How to upgrade jailbroken iPhone 4 with iOS 6.1.3 to iOS 7.0.4? I bought an iPhone 4 online around a year ago, maybe more, without knowing it was jailbroken (I should have sensed this by the price, indeed too good to be true).

When I tried doing the upgrade everything got wiped out and I had to use RedSnow to restore the newest version at that moment. This was iOS 6.1.3 which was decent — I could use almost everything except making phone calls.

Now a few apps are requiring me to download the newest version of iOS in order to operate properly. The next iOS version that appears suggested is 7.0.4. I have backed up all of my information on both the computer and cloud.

Restore the device with iTunes (connect the device and click Restore in iTunes).
Once the device is restored, set up the device using an iTunes backup and select the iTunes backup that you made before you restored the device.
If you want the device jailbroken, jailbreak the device using evasi0n 7.


Is it possible to find out an app installation date on iOS? Is there a way to find out the date of installation of an application that was added to my iPhone?

On iTunes on a computer. You can see your app & subscription purchase history.

Open itunes.
At the top select the iTunes Store.
On the right hand side click on "purchased".


Scrobble to last.fm with iTunes home sharing Is there a way to scrobble to last.fm what I play from my iPhone with home sharing?

Edit: last.fm currently scrobbles when I play right from my iTunes. I am using the last.fm mac app. When I stream music from my iTunes library on my mac with my iPhone, using home sharing, last.fm does not scrobble.

It can be done, using the following steps:

In iTunes, go to Preferences > Sharing Preferences. There is an option there called 'Home sharing computers and devices update play counts'. Turn that on.
After you've listened to some music, open the last.fm Scrobbler application on your computer, and it should prompt you to scrobble what you've just listened to.

Works for me - I'm using iTunes 11 on a Mac.


Is there a way to record my iPad screen for free? Good afternoon,

I own an iPad 2 and a Macbook Pro. I am looking for a free solution to recording my iPad's screen from my computer. I plan to record the gameplay of various iOS games and upload them on video sharing websites.

About my iPad 2 -
Version: 6.0.1

Not jailbroken.

I apologize if this exact question has already been answered but I have been unable to find an answer that is suitable for my specific needs. Finding a free alternative to Reflector seems to be very difficult!

All answers will be greatly appreciated.

There used to be some free apps, but they stopped working because the devs didn't have time to update them to work with the latest changes to airplay.

If you are willing to pay a bit of money you can get apps which turn your Mac into an Airplay server. You can then mirror your iPad's screen to your Mac, and record it there.

Reflector is $12.99
AirServer is $14.99
X-Mirage is $16.00

Check them out, and work out which one is best for you.

EDIT:

X-Mirage has a 7-day free trial, so I think it's the closest you'll get to a "free" solution.


Macbook Pro main volume not accessible - filesystem type FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFF Preface: I know there are lots of other questions about this on here, but they do not exactly match my situation and/or I do not have the technical knowledge to apply the answers to my situation. Thank you in advance for any help!
I have a Macbook Pro (Late 2011), running High Sierra. I partitioned the harddrive to install Linux. I later uninstalled Linux, and I seemingly did it in a bad way! My main volume now is unbootable, and it does not show up in the startup manager. I'm also not able to boot from Recovery, so to get to the terminal I've booted from a UBS flash drive with a MacOS installer on it.
I followed the steps from answers to similar questions on here, and I got to the step where I remove the volume with the gpt command, but then couldn't get any further. So the main partition doesn't show up on the diskutil list anymore (shown below).
Here is some relevant information from the terminal. For convenience of viewing, I've also included photos of these outputs (below).
[-bash-3.2# diskutil list disk0
/dev/disk0 (internal, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *750.2 GB   disk0
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
   2:                  Apple_HFS                         650.0 MB   disk0s3
   3:       Microsoft Basic Data                         74.3 GB    disk0s4

[-bash-3.2# gpt -r show disk0
gpt show: disk0: Suspicious MBR at sector 0
       start        size  index  contents
           0           1         MBR
           1           1         Pri GPT header
           2          32         Pri GPT table
          34           6
          40      409600      1  GPT part - C12A7328-F81F-BA4B-00A0C93EC93B
      409640  1318255112      2  MBR part 218 *[no contents because I removed this one]*
  1318664752     1269536      3  GPT part - 48465300-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC
  1319934288        1712
  1319936000   145210938      4  GPT part - EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-B7C0-6886B72699C7
  1465146938        2197
  1465149135          32         Sec GPT table
  1465149167           1         Sec GPT header

The answer at this question has been the most helpful to me so far. However, I do not have an additional mac to do the hex dump that the answer calls for. If needed, I can borrow one from a friend, but I don't own one.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Output of the commands export LC_CTYPE="ASCII" and dd if=/dev/disk0s2 bs=1 count=64 | vis -c;echo:
64+0 records in
64+0 records out
64 bytes transferred in 0.377151secs (170 bytes/sec)
\M-6\0\^S\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\^B\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0

You have hybrid partitioning. The question you have linked to does not. An indicator of hybrid partitioning is the output of the following warning message from the gpt command.
Suspicious MBR at sector 0

When a GUID partitioning is being used, there are two tables. The first is the MBR (Master Boot Record) partition table located at sector 0. This is followed by the GPT (GUID Partition Table) which occupies several sectors. When hybrid partition is being used, one or more entries in the GPT are duplicated in the MBR partition table. The gpt remove command can only remove a duplicate entry from the GPT. This means the other duplicate in the MBR partition table remains. The gpt add command will not add an entry to the GPT, if this entry overlaps an entry in the GPT or the MBR partition table. In your case, the duplicate entry in the MBR partition table was indicated by the following line output from the gpt -r show disk0 command.
     409640 1318255112      2  MBR part 218

Hybrid partitioning is required, if you need to BIOS boot an operating system on an older Macs that has a BIOS. For example, older Macs may need to BIOS boot certain versions of Windows. Below are answers which depend on whether Windows is installed.

Note: Since you will be booting to macOS Recovery from a flash drive, you probably can omit sudo from the commands given below. With older versions of macOS and OS X, the -f option for the gpt command may not be available. If the -f option is omitted, then you may need to enter the command diskutil unmountdisk disk0 before entering the gpt command.

Answer When Windows Is Not Installed
Since you only have macOS installed, you do not need hybrid partitioning. Below are the steps you can take to remove hybrid partitioning from disk0.
Enter the following command to edit the MBR partition table.
sudo fdisk -e /dev/disk0

When using the above command, the following warning messages can be ignored.
fdisk: could not open MBR file /usr/standalone/i386/boot0: No such file or directory
Device could not be accessed exclusively.
A reboot will be needed for changes to take effect.

This is an interactive command. Below are the values to enter into this command.  A blank line indicates you are to accept the default values by pressing the return key. If you make a mistake, you can press the control+C key combination to exit fdisk without saving any changes.
auto hfs
edit 1
0
edit 1
ee

1

quit
yes

When finish, the sudo fdisk /dev/disk0 should produce the following output
Disk: /dev/disk0    geometry: 91201/255/63 [1465149168 sectors]
Signature: 0xAA55
         Starting       Ending
 #: id  cyl  hd sec -  cyl  hd sec [     start -       size]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1: EE    0   0   2 - 1023 254  63 [         1 - 1465149167] <Unknown ID>
 2: 00    0   0   0 -    0   0   0 [         0 -          0] unused
 3: 00    0   0   0 -    0   0   0 [         0 -          0] unused
 4: 00    0   0   0 -    0   0   0 [         0 -          0] unused

After removing the hybrid partitioning, you should be able to enter one of the next three commands to add back in the macOS partition.
Below is the first possible command for adding the macOS partition back into the GPT. If you are using Core Storage, encryption or APFS, then skip this command.
sudo gpt -f add -i 2 -b 409640 -s 1318255112 -t hfs disk0

If you are not using APFS and you are using encryption and/or Core Storage, then you should use command given below.
sudo gpt -f add -i 2 -b 409640 -s 1318255112 -t 53746F72-6167-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC disk0

If you are using APFS, then you should substitute the command given below.
sudo gpt -f add -i 2 -b 409640 -s 1318255112 -t apfs disk0

Answer When Windows Is Installed
2011 model Macs require Windows to be installed to BIOS boot. This means you need to keep hybrid partitioning. In this case, the instructions below will remove the duplicate entry from the MBR partition table, then add this entry back into both the GPT and MBR partition table.
The command given below removes the duplicate entry from the MBR partition table.
sudo fdisk -e /dev/disk0

This is an interactive command. Below are the values to enter into this command.  If you make a mistake, you can press the control+C key combination to exit fdisk without saving any changes.
edit 2
0
quit
yes

You should be able to enter one of the next three commands to add back in the macOS partition.
Below is the first possible command for adding the macOS partition back into the GPT. If you are using Core Storage, encryption or APFS, then skip this command.
sudo gpt -f add -i 2 -b 409640 -s 1318255112 -t hfs disk0

If you are not using APFS and you are using encryption and/or Core Storage, then you should use command given below.
sudo gpt -f add -i 2 -b 409640 -s 1318255112 -t 53746F72-6167-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC disk0

If you are using APFS, then you should substitute the command given below.
sudo gpt -f add -i 2 -b 409640 -s 1318255112 -t apfs disk0

Below adds the duplicate back into the MBR partition table.
sudo fdisk -e /dev/disk0

The interactive entries for the above command are given below.
edit 2
af
n
409640
1318255112
quit
yes

Fixing the macOS Boot Partition
The partition with an index of 3 has a GPT partition type of 48465300-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC. This should be 426F6F74-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC. You need to change this the same way you did for the partition with an index of 2.
The remove command is given below.
sudo gpt -f remove -i 3 disk0

The add command is given below.
sudo gpt -f add -i 3 -b 1318664752 -s 1269536 -t 426F6F74-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC disk0


Changing Apple ID on iPhone - how is non-iTunes data affected? My sister's iPhone had been irreversibly damaged. When she got a new one some time later, she had forgotten her Apple ID's password and created a new one. I managed to reset the password just yesterday, and she'd like to use the old account again, as she's bought many apps with it.

How would changing the account affect all data unrelated to the Apple ID on the phone, like call history and text messages? Are they somehow tied to the account, or can she simply change the account both on the phone and the computer and create a new backup without losing anything*?

* Except the apps from the new account, of course. No problem, she only downloaded free ones.

Any purchases that she made with the previous account are the biggest problem as they are non-transferable. This would include music and movies, as well as apps. Since you mentioned that she only downloaded free apps, it shouldn't be a monetary problem. Because updates will require you to login to the old account, it would probably be better to re-download the apps with the new account. That way updates are seamless and easy.

iMessage (or SMS and MMS for that matter) shouldn't be a problem at all. All the old threads and messages should stay in tact and be usable like nothing ever changed. Call history isn't something that iCloud, or an Apple ID has anything to do with, so the change will also be without consequence there.

Yes, change Apple IDs, create a new backup and you're good to go.

Side note: iPhone actually handles Apple ID changes very easily and smoothly. Some people have two Apple IDs in general - most by accident - and they will change back and forth for app/music/movies purchases.


Has iOS Always had Secure Boot? In Apple's recent iOS Security paper here
http://images.apple.com/ipad/business/docs/iOS_Security_May12.pdf

They speak about the Secure Boot Chain, my question is has iPhones/iPods/iPads always had this feature?

  "Secure Boot Chain Each step of the boot-up process contains
  components that are cryptographically  signed by Apple to ensure
  integrity, and proceeds only after verifying the chain of  trust. This
  includes the bootloaders, kernel, kernel extensions, and baseband
  firmware"

The Secure Boot Chain is a succession of steps designed to check and verify the integrity of the iOS. As it ensures too that the iOS runs only on validated Apple device, I'd say that it has been like this since the beginning.


Defaults tool equivalent of Ctrl-F7 In OSX one can use Ctrl-F7 to change what the Tab key can move the focus between. By default it is only text boxes and lists but after pressing ctrl-f7 one can move between all ui elements.

I was wondering if there is a way to toggle this functionality by using the defaults tool.

After some searching the equivalent command using the defaults tool is

defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleKeyboardUIMode -int 2

Anyone can verify this by toggling the values and then reading the key value. The default value has a value of 0 and switching it to all ui elements will turn it to a value of 2.


Remote Access from Windows to Mac I am interested in using Xcode, but don't currently own a Mac and my dad owns many, but lives far away. What is the best way of remotely accessing his newest Mac running OSX 10.11 so that I can use it at the same time as him, and without an unreasonable amount of lag?

I realise that this question has been asked before, but I can't find any answers from the last three or four years, so was interested if anything has changed. The best advice I can find so far seems to be using a program called Real VNC to connect via SSH, is this still true?

Any type of VNC would be able to achieve this.

However, a far simpler solution would be to use TeamViewer which would be much easier to set up & avoid the need to provide a way to punch through the firewall from the outside, as it connects from 'inside' the firewall & is then 'invited in' by the remote party.

TeamViewer is free for non-commercial use.


Restore WhatsApp History from old Number I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask but maybe someone can help me out.

I lived in Australia for a few month and got a new number on my iPhone. I backed up my WhatsApp a few times while having that new number. When I got back to Germany I returned to my old number on the same phone. I did a factory reset after I came back and then switched to my german number with a clean WhatsApp history.

Now here is my question: Can I still restore my old history (Australian number) onto my new WhatsApp?

I'm not even sure if my Australian number still exists since I don't have the SIM anymore.

Afaik there is no other possibility restoring WhatsApp messages than doing it via an iPhone backup. WhatsApp officially does not store messages except those, which can't be directly delivered. WhatsApp will always refuse giving you access to this kind of data.

So your only chance will be to find an old backup of your device and try to back your device up with that old state.

Please also provide some information, if your issue is solved or what other step you took to figure it out.

Edit to be clear: WhatsApp history backups are only stored in your device's backup :)


Key remapping without Karabiner Through "System preferences -> Keyboard -> Modifier Keys" I had setup: Caps Lock as Ctl.

Then, I installed the new Karabiner (formerly KeyRemapForMacBook) to achieve the following key-remap:

Left Ctl = Fn
Fn = Left Ctl

But, setting up Karabiner meant that my "Caps Lock to Ctl" key remap made with "System Preferences" was lost. Now, Karabiner demands that I install yet another app (SEIL) to remap only the Caps Lock key. I think that is ridiculous and I do not wish to install another app just for remapping one key.

So, I removed Karabiner from my system and then set up the following key remap via "System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Modifier Keys":

Caps Lock = Ctl
Left Ctl = None (No key binding => dead key)
Fn stays Fn (NOTE: this doesn't bother me because #1: I don't use it much anyway and, #2: I am used to the Thinkpad "Fn on far left" style).

But, I am wondering, how does Karabiner do its magic on the inside. My understanding is that ultimately, Karabiner has to pass the key-remap configuration to the OS, right? Or does Karabiner insert itself into the system (i.e., as a kernel module) and watch all keys typed on the keyboard to detect the Ctl and Fn keys?

More importantly, is there anyway (similar to xmodmap in Linux) to achieve this key remap without Karabiner?

Sadly, with MacOS Sierra, Karabiner has gone into a strange kind of hiatus-but-not-really-because-someday-we'll-fix-it.

Which is too bad, because Karabiner was the perfect tool for what I needed (which was make MacOS behave like a forty-year-old UNIX terminal because my stupid fingers still hit ^W to delete a word and I kill the window and I can't stop, no, don't help me, I'll die eventually and then my problem is fixed).

My other main tool is Typinator for abbreviations--w for with, h for the, n for and, etc; those really add up.

So far, I've found BetterTouchTool to be a viable replacement for Karabiner, even better in some ways. But worse in others; key repetition doesn't work for me despite the developer saying it does. (Possibly it interacts with Typinator, but turning the latter off doesn’t fix the problem.)

I've written a whole novel using these two tools (Typinator and BetterTouchTool), but I'd appreciate anyone chiming in if they've found something better still.


How to list my programs in my User Applications folder? Somehow (a long time ago) I deleted the contents of the Applications folder under my username (User/Applications). However, when I typed "Applications" into Spotlight, it gave me a folder called Applications with all my Adobe products, MAMP and other software in it.

So what I did was "select all" on those applications and dragged them to the empty Applications folder under my username. It's taking a long time to copy and I don't think I really wanted to duplicate the data so I hit cancel.

How can I:

Reverse what I did (if I did indeed duplicate all the data)
Get those applications LISTED in the right folder without duplicating the data

It seems you duplicated your applications. To be sure, you can do a Spotlight search of one of your application and see if it's listed twice.

Your "original" applications are under /Applications/.
You can find it by opening Finder, ⌘+⇧+G, entering /Applications in the text box, and validating. It's a folder at the root of your hard drive that Apple put there to hold all the applications for all the users.

Once you checked they're in double, you can delete the ones that are in your user folder.

Your idea of putting all your application under your user account is not a good. Some applications, especially the built in ones, don't like to be moved, and since they already have that special place for them, what's the point?

But, you can do it for your own applications, such as Firefox, Adium, etc.
Those applications can be moved from /Applications/ to the Applications folder in your user account.

Final question, why do you want your application listed under your user Applications folder?

I you really want to do that, I guess you can make an alias.

Go into /Applications/, select all the applications, hold ⌘+⌥ while moving them into the new location.
There's a little arrow under that will tell you that they will only be aliased:


Macbook Pro 16" Clamshell Mode Power Delivery with 2 USB-C PD Monitors I wanted to know if there is difference in terms of charging the battery when a MacBook Pro 16" is connected to two monitors via USB-C, both with Power Delivery capability.

In this specific case I am talking about the LG 27UK850-W monitors. The MacBook Pro 16" will be connected via USB-C to both of them and use them as external monitors. Since both can charge it as well, will the MacBook Pro  charge faster while being connected to both or will just one monitor be able to deliver the charge at a time?

The MacBook Pro 16" will be connected via USB-C to both of them [LG 27UK850-W monitors] and use them as external monitors. Since both can charge it as well will the MacBook Pro 16" charge faster while being connected to both or will just one monitor be able to deliver the charging at a time?

The MacBook Pro will only charge from a single port at any one time.  It doesn't matter if the power is coming from a monitor with Power Delivery or from USB-C Power Adapters, it will only take charge from one.  Usually the one with the higher power rating or if identical, the first one connected.


Path to the Folder where Widgets are stored! There are lots of useless widgets in the notification center of macOS, so does anyone knows where these widgets are stored in the system, I want the path to that folder in-order to remove the useless ones to the trash.

Part of CoreServices

The widgets are stored within /System/Library/CoreServices. They are plug-ins of small applications of the same name.

Finding Widgets

Widgets contain an Info.plist file containing the text com.apple.widget-extension. You can use this text to search for other widgets.

A full disk search from the command line would be:

grep -r 'com.apple.widget-extension' /

System Integrity Protection

Note that these widgets are protected by macOS's System Integrity Protection (SIP). This means you can not remove these widgets without first disabling SIP.

Apple recommends you do not modify the contents of the /System folder on your Mac. Changing the contents of this folder can result in unexpected behaviour from macOS.


Upgrading Ram on macbook pro mid 2010 Hello,
I would like to upgrade my macbook pro mid 2010's ram so it could run faster. I'm going to be a student next year so i'd like to lower the costs as much as I can.

what would be the maximum ram that i can upgrade it to?

Thank you for your help!

Max memory for that model Mac is 8GB. You should also consider replacing the spinning Hard Disk with a Solid State Drive (SSD). It would be like
getting a brand new Mac.


Apple 4s Using Tracfone BYOP I am looking into buying a used Apple 4s to use as a Tracfone through Tracfone BYOP. I want to be sure that I know my facts before investing money into this venture. Please let me know if I'm missing something or have the wrong info.

Tracfone BYOP Requirements:

Used Apple iPhone 4 or 4s/
Verizon Carrier/
Clean ESN/
UNLOCKED/
Must Have Verizon SIM Card/
Must be CDMA

Question ~~ Does the iPhone HAVE To Have A SIM Card?

ANY Help Will Certainly Be Appreciated! Thank-You!

I have just activated (Nov 20, 2014) an iPhone 4s that had been on the Verizon System.  It had to be unlocked for international use.  It had to be active on the Verizon System to do the unlocking.  The previous owner of the phone kept the sim card so it does NOT have a sim card installed.  It functions 100% as a Tracfone.


Share external FAT formatted drive over SMB in Mountain Lion I have an external drive formatted with FAT32. Is it somehow possible to share it using SMB in Mountain Lion? It appears on the client but with nothing on it. I have read that on older OS X versions, it was possible by editing /etc/smb.conf but is that still relevant? I don't seem to have one of those on my hard drive.

You don't have to manually edit a configuration file; it's possible to share drives via SMB using the Sharing control panel. Under the File Sharing service, hit the "Options..." button to enable SMB:

This will make your shared folders accessible via SMB to the specified users. It shouldn't matter what the source filesystem is (FAT, HFS, or other) as long as your Mac can access it.

If you don't see any contents from the client, make sure you've added your drive as a shared folder, and that you've given users the appropriate permissions.


default /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.backupd-auto.plist file I have messed up my time machine backup file and did not back it up.

Can anybody please post the default file from:

/System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.backupd-auto.plist

for El Capitan (10.11.5)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>MachServices</key>
    <dict>
        <key>com.apple.backupd-helper.status</key>
        <dict>
            <key>HideUntilCheckIn</key>
            <true/>
        </dict>
        <key>com.apple.backupd-auto</key>
        <true/>
    </dict>
    <key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
    <string>com.apple.backup.launcher</string>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>com.apple.backupd-auto</string>
    <key>Disabled</key>
    <true/>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/System/Library/CoreServices/backupd.bundle/Contents/Resources/backupd-helper</string>
        <string>-launchd</string>
    </array>
    <key>LaunchEvents</key>
    <dict>
        <key>com.apple.xpc.activity</key>
        <dict>
            <key>com.apple.backupd-auto</key>
            <dict>
                <key>Interval</key>
                <integer>3600</integer>
                <key>Delay</key>
                <integer>3600</integer>
                <key>GracePeriod</key>
                <integer>1800</integer>
                <key>Repeating</key>
                <true/>
                <key>AllowBattery</key>
                <true/>
                <key>PowerNap</key>
                <true/>
                <key>Priority</key>
                <string>Utility</string>
            </dict>
        </dict>
    </dict>
    <key>RunAtLoad</key>
    <true/>
    <key>KeepAlive</key>
    <true/>
    <key>EnableTransactions</key>
    <true/>
    <key>POSIXSpawnType</key>
    <string>Background</string>
    <key>EnablePressuredExit</key>
    <true/>
</dict>
</plist>


How can I pause animated GIFs in Messages.app on OS X? I have a group message where my friends and I enjoy sharing animated GIFs. Sometimes, when one of these stays on screen for a long time, it will eat my CPU and cause my fan to spin up/make noise.

I enjoy the GIFs, but in order to keep my fan quiet, I often delete them, which reduces the CPU usage. I have a hunch that if I could pause the animation, it wouldn't use as much processor power. Is there any way I can do this?

I'm currently on OS X Yosemite (10.10.3) and using Messages 8.0 (4752)

Edit by Tetsujin Aug '17
The bounty I'm offering isn't for the same reason as the OP, i.e. CPU, but merely the irritation factor of watching them go round & round & round ... & round...

You can not pause an animated GIF.

But build-in in your operating system is the power of App Nap which is developed just for your needs. Shamelessly copied from the 'Power Efficiency in OSX' PDF from apple.com. It is an easy read.

  App Nap

  While your Mac can run many different apps at the same time, the
  reality is that you’re typically interacting with only one of them,
  and in some cases (such as using a full-screen app), you can’t even
  see what the other apps are doing. App Nap takes advantage of this
  fact by putting applications that you can’t see into a special low-
  power state that regulates their CPU usage as well as network and disk
  I/O. App Nap can be automatically triggered in the following
  situations:

  • The app’s windows are not visible.

  • The app is not playing audio.

  • The developer has not explicitly made the app exempt from App Nap by using the existing IOKit IOPMAssertion API (currently used in OS X to prevent the system from sleeping while an app is busy).

  • An app is in background and hasn’t drawn recently.

Btw: GIF is pronounced as pronounced as ɡɪf or dʒɪf ;)


CardDav / CalDav not syncing existing entries I set up both CalDav and CardDav on my iPhone 4S using iOS 6. It does sync new entries both ways but it fails to sync any of the existing ones. Google search queries did not shed any light on this question, so:

Is this service meant to sync existing information either one way or two ways?

I was having a similar problem, at least with Gmail contacts using CardDav. The problem is that CardDav puts your newly synced contacts in a separate "group" on your iphone than your current contacts. (You can check that by hitting "groups" in the upper left of your contacts and seeing what's listed there.) So for new contacts, yes, it will sync both ways, but not necessarily for old ones that were solely on your phone.

A couple of things to start with:
1. When you make a new contact on your iphone, does it properly sync with your gmail contacts online? (I think you say that it does, but I'm just checking.) If not, go to Settings->Mail, Contacts, Calendars->Default Account (the one under the Contacts section) and choose Google).

Had you ever synced with gmail contacts in the past? Are the contacts that were in your iphone different from the ones in gmail, or are there duplicates?

Because CardDav does not touch the existing iphone contacts, there's no good way to get those to be in gmail. The only way I've found to do this is for each contact, choose "share" and email it to yourself. When you get the email on your phone, add it to your contacts. Then, assuming Google is the default (see #1 above), it'll put it in the right place and then all syncing will work as it should.

I agree that this is convoluted, but it's the best I can come up with after days of searching and messing around. I had previously synced with Gmail contacts using iTunes (no longer supported, as far as I can tell), so once I set up CardDav it downloaded all of my existing contacts, creating two of everything, but it at least knew enough to link them so they only show up once.

You'll have to specify exactly what the problem is with syncing calendars with CalDav. That's something I've actually had better luck with.


How can I hide a recurring Calendar event? In order to reserve a conference room in my office (via Exchange) I have to send a meeting request to the room's calendar. I have a recurring daily event to book a room indefinitely, and I don't want this recurring event showing up in my calendar because it's just clutter.

At the very least, I've turned off notifications. Is there any way to hide the event so it's not constantly visible in Calendar?

The best way to do this is to create a new calendar within the Calendar app, label it what you'd like (perhaps "Hidden"?) and move any events you'd like to hide over to this calendar. When done, just uncheck the box next to the calendar and it disappears.


How to create a bootable USB for Mac OS X Server 3.0.2? I have the latest version of OS X Server (Version 3.0.2) downloaded of the App Store and basically I want to create a bootable USB for the installer.

However, looking at it, I'm not able to find the InstallESD.dmg and therefore I'm not sure how I can create a bootable image from this.

Does anyone know how to create a bootable for the latest server version of OS X Server?

Server.app is just a set of scripts and apps that run on top of the base OS X. So just follow the guides for 10.9 USB media.

So, I just carry a second USB drive with server.app and other downloads and use the first drive to install the OS, the second to outfit that image after it it running.


Disable a user's ability to unlock a FileVault 2 volume at startup/login time I recently performed a clean install of Lion on one of my Macs. The installation process created one administrative user account. After installation, I enabled FileVault for the entire disk. Then, I created an additional administrative user. Both users are able to decrypt the drive during login.

How would I revoke decryption rights to one of the users without deleting the user or temporarily disabling FileVault? I have tried revoking one user's administrative privilege, making them a regular user, but they are still able to decrypt the drive during boot.

Use fdesetup:

sudo fdesetup remove -user username

See: http://derflounder.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/using-fdesetup-with-mountain-lions-filevault-2/


Mojave 59 second hang About two weeks ago, my Mac started hanging on boot.  It has been driving me crazy.
Today I looked at the logs in /var/logs/system.log and on every boot I can see a 59 - 60 second hang, exactly.  And it's always the same line

Oct 10 18:19:44 FOO-BAR ControlStrip[226]: DEPRECATED USE in libdispatch client: dispatch source activated with no event handler set; set a breakpoint on _dispatch_bug_deprecated to debug
Oct 10 18:20:44 FOO-BAR loginwindow[93]: There are still active callers

The fact it is so precise makes me think some process is timing out and the Mac just decides to continue.

Is there a way to identify what that could be?  Nothing above there really looks bad?

Edit: new info: I created another account and that account does not hang.

If you have Little Snitch installed, then you need to make sure you update to the latest version, because there was an older version that caused a pause on boot, just as you are describing.


How to install the Mono package in a wineskin app? I created a wineskin app for one of my windows games on steam (H1z1). I installed steam and downloaded the game on steam in the wineskin app but it crashes at launch in steam.

I created the wineskin using PortingKit, it offered at the beginning to install Mono but it also said I should skip it so I did.

Now that I'm troubleshooting i'd like to try with Mono in the wineskin, how can I add it at this point please ?

If memory serves, you can just delete the following file, and these dialogs will come up on the next run:

<YOUR_APP_NAME>.app/Contents/Resources/.update-timestamp

Of course, this dot file will be hidden by default and inside an application bundle, so it might be easiest to remove it by Terminal.

Otherwise, you could enable hidden files and right-click, browse contents to find it.


In a Service, how to get a URL from rich text? I'm interested in making a Service (using Automator if possible) that allows me to perform an action on a URL.

If the URL exists as plain text, this works just fine.

However, if the URL is a link in rich text, then my service gets the link's title, rather than it's URL.

How can I obtain the URL when activating a Service on a rich text link?

You can do it using the app TextSoap. The cleaners "Extract URLs by Replacing" and "Extract URLs by Appending" work with rich text format.

You can also use the following AppleScript:

tell application "textsoap7"
    cleanClipboard with "Extract URLs by Replacing"
end tell


Live Photo Stream / Photowall For an event I need pictures displayed on a screen right after they are taken on an iPhone.

I tried doing this with an Apple TV and the photostream view, but the photos take some time to show.

Is there any way to make an live feed of pictures taken with an iPhone? I have an Apple TV and MacBook to make this work.

Here is some Applescript code to go with grgarside's Answer

I tested and it works. The code needs to be saved as a stay open Application.

When the app is running it will try press the right arrow right. In this code I have set it to ten seconds return 10 But depending on the length of time you set this could be a little bit of a pain if you switch out of aperture for some reason or want to quit the app.

So I have included a  CAPS  lock key down detection. Which will quit the App on the next iteration. You don't have to use it but it is there if you need to.

  on idle
    if isShiftKeyPressed() then
        -- IF CAPS LOCK IS DOWN THE APP WILL QUIT
        display notification with title "Arrow Right App" subtitle "quiting right Arrow App"
        quit me
    end if
    try
        tell application "System Events"
            tell application process "Aparture"
                key code 124
            end tell
        end tell
    end try
    return 10
end idle

on isShiftKeyPressed()

    return (do shell script "/usr/bin/python -c 'import Cocoa; print Cocoa.NSEvent.modifierFlags() & Cocoa. NSAlphaShiftKeyMask > 1'") is "True"
end isShiftKeyPressed

I have tested this in Aperture and it worked as grgarside suggested.

Remember to change the line tell application process "Aparture" to you application if it is not Aperture.


External mouse/keyboard @ LG display no longer recognized over thunderbolt I have MacBook Pro Mid 2015 running macOS 10.13.1, and I used to attach an LG 34UC98-W display via a Thunderbolt port on the MBP, with external mouse and keyboard plugged into the USB ports of the display.

Since the Security Update 2017-0011 the external mouse and keyboard are no longer recognized (the display still is, and if I plug the mouse into the USB port of the Macbook, it also works).

When I have the Thunderbolt cable plugged in, the console shows error messages like

default 13:27:35.937878 +0100   kernel  000930.777752 AppleUSB30XHCIPort@00200000: AppleUSBHostPort::forcePowerGated: kPowerStateSleep completed with 0xe00002d6 after 1001ms
default 13:27:36.612068 +0100   kernel  000931.451950 AppleUSBXHCIPCI@00000000: AppleUSBHostController::hardwareExceptionThreadCallGated: 0x00000040
default 13:27:37.153555 +0100   kernel  000931.993437 AppleUSBXHCIPCI@00000000: AppleUSBHostController::setPowerStateGated: going to state 1 returned 0xe00002e9
default 13:27:37.153597 +0100   kernel  000931.993487 AppleUSBXHCIPCI@00000000: AppleUSBHostController::hardwareExceptionThreadCallGated: attempting recovery
default 13:27:37.153610 +0100   kernel  000931.993499 AppleUSBXHCIPCI@00000000: AppleUSBHostController::hardwareExceptionThreadCallGated: 0x00000004
default 13:27:37.153629 +0100   kernel  000931.993519 AppleUSBXHCIPCI@00000000: AppleUSBHostController::hardwareExceptionThreadCallGated: attempting recovery
default 13:27:37.153739 +0100   kernel  000931.993619 AppleUSBXHCIPCI@00000000: AppleUSBXHCI::raiseOnePowerStateTo: host controller was not halted, USBStatus 0x00000018
default 13:27:38.154534 +0100   kernel  000932.994402 AppleUSB30XHCIPort@00100000: AppleUSBHostPort::forcePowerGated: kPowerStateSleep completed with 0xe00002d6 after 1001ms
default 13:27:38.730765 +0100   kernel  000933.570659 AppleUSB30XHCIPort@00200000: AppleUSBHostPort::forcePowerGated: kPowerStateSleep completed with 0xe00002d6 after 1039ms
default 13:27:38.730788 +0100   kernel  000933.570685 AppleUSBXHCIPCI@00000000: AppleUSBHostController::hardwareExceptionThreadCallGated: 0x00000080
default 13:27:38.881941 +0100   kernel  000933.721844 AppleUSBXHCIPCI@00000000: AppleUSBHostController::setPowerStateGated: going to state 1 returned 0xe00002e9
default 13:27:38.881969 +0100   kernel  000933.721873 AppleUSBXHCIPCI@00000000: AppleUSBHostController::hardwareExceptionThreadCallGated: 0x00000004
default 13:27:38.881977 +0100   kernel  000933.721884 AppleUSBXHCIPCI@00000000: AppleUSBHostController::forcePowerGated: waiting for previous forcePower completed with 0xe00002d8

Does anyone experience similar problems or can suggest a solution?

1 The symptoms certainly seemed to start with the update, but as of now I can't prove it is actually the cause.

IT crowd to the rescue...

It was not the macbook (tried everything: updating MacOS, resetting SMC, NVRAM, updating drivers, safe mode etc.). Simply disconnecting and reconnecting the display from the power solved the problem.

My only excuse is that the monitor was in standby many times during these trials, so I kind of thought it was turning off and on again. That wasn't enough, though.


How do I relocate a existing VM with a OS already installed I have a VM up and running great with Ubuntu installed onto it. I want to stick it on an external herd drive. How can I do that without breaking it? Do I just drag the files, or is there something special I need to do?

I am using VirtualBox.

As you're moving the VM's location but not the hardware that the VM is running on (i.e. you're not changing the host computer), moving the files is fine. This is only fine because of this clause. Moving the VM to a different host computer should be done with import/export.

You need to make sure that you've moved all the files, otherwise errors will occur, as well as making sure that you move rather than copy the files, otherwise you may get duplicate UUID errors. Deleting the VM from VirtualBox without the external drive attached reduces the likelihood of duplicate UUID errors, as follows:

Quit VirtualBox.
Move the VM files to the external drive.
Disconnect the external drive.
Open VirtualBox and remove the VM.
Attach the external drive and add the VM to VirtualBox.


How can I launch a Virtualbox VM from the Dock? How can I put my VirtualBox on my Dock in Mac OS X Lion.  I want to have it on my dock so I can click on it to launch it.

I don't use Virtualbox, but based on a couple resources, it looks like you can launch a specific VM from the command line, which means we can create a basic Automator application to serve as a launcher, which you can then put in the Dock.

In Automator, create a new workflow. Add a Run Shell Script action, and enter /abolute/path/to/vboxmanage startvm "vmname" in the text box. Replace vmname with the name of your VM as it appears in the Virtualbox GUI (make sure to keep the quotes though). Save the workflow, setting the File Format to Application. Then drag the resulting app onto your Dock.


How important is it for a Mac admin account to be associated with an Apple ID My wife and I have an iMac. We each use standard user accounts associated with our respective Apple IDs. We also have an administrator account that is not associated with an Apple ID.

What problems, if any, could the admin account not using an Apple ID cause? Should we add one of ours to it?

This association is purely optional. You don't need an AppleID or an iCloud to manage your Mac and as long as you're the original purchaser and have proof of purchase, you can lock the firmware, iCloud Activation Lock and take your Mac to Apple and they will unlock it for you.

The only reason to put your admin account into iCloud is if you want to let that other password for iCloud / AppleID unlock the Mac, store/sync keychain items in iCloud or use other features of the AppleID.

Choose good admin passwords on your Mac, write them down in a safe place (1Password, bank safe, place where you can get to if you forget a password) and you'll protect the admin password and your Mac.


Import raw photos from Photos app I took a picture on an iPhone in raw format with the camera app.
When I use the macOS Photos app, dragging the photo thumbnail  to the desktop converts it to jpeg.
Is there a way to export photos in raw format?

X_841 is correct.

In Photos, select the RAW image or images that you want to export.
Under the File Menu, select Export, then select Export Unmodified Original.
Save the file where ever you choose.

That file will be save out in it's unmodified RAW format.


MacBook Pro runs fans at full speed constantly I have a 2009 MacBook Pro A1278 running at 6500+ RPM all the time.

When I ran the hardware test, it showed:

  4MOT/1/40000003: Exhaust-7358

I tried NVRAM reset, SMC reset. Nothing worked.

Your temperature sensors could be mis-reading. What do they report? You can check them with a program like iStatMenus. If the readings are stuck on the max temperature the fans would stay on.


How to import photos from new iPad 5 Mini to old 2015 MacBook Air, OSX 10.9.5 I'm trying to import photos from a new iPad that uses the newer Photos app to an old 2015 MacBook Air (OSX 10.9.5) that only has the old iPhotos app, but it's not working.

I keep getting an error on the Macbook saying I need a passcode on the iPad, but there's no request for a passcode on the iPad, and I've already selected 'Trust'.

Apple say that this iPad requires OS X 10.11.6 or later and iTunes 12.8 or later to sync with a Mac, so I'm going to guess that you're out of luck trying to use it with iPhoto.

You could try:

Seeing if you can download the photos using the Image Capture app on the Mac (Launchpad > Other, or find it in the Applications folder)
Transferring the photos via a service such as Dropbox
Upgrading the Mac to a more recent version of macOS - it should be easily capable of running the latest version and give you a better experience all round. 10.9.5 is pretty old now and is no longer supported with security updates etc, so it's a good idea to upgrade. If you really don't want to go straight to 10.14 for some reason, this Apple Support page has links under Learn More from which you can get the previous three versions.


What ports need to be opened to use the L2TP VPN server on Mountain Lion Server? I am using a Mac mini OS X Mountain Lion Server (10.8.5). My goal is to have the server's own VPN service running over L2TP only.

The Mac mini is behind an AirPort Extreme (4th generation)

AirPort Extreme has:

static IPv4 address
no connection sharing (bridged mode)
Back To My Mac disabled (as for all the Macs and AirPorts on the network)
Internet connection via Ethernet to my ISP's box

ISP's box:

has static public IP address
is the DHCP server with

IP addresses reservations configured for my AirPort Extreme & Mac mini and
private IP addresses from x.x.x.10 up-to x.x.x.50

has NAT/PAT rules for

UDP 500 - ISAKMP/IKE
UDP 4500 - IPsec NAT-Traversal
UDP 1701 - L2TP
ESP/IP 50
AH/IP 51

Mac mini Server:

has static IP address
is the DNS server for the network
is (of course) the VPN server with the configuration as follows:

setup for: L2TP only
VPN hostname: public IP address
Shared secret: dull-8caracter word
Addresses: 10 for L2TP x.x.x.200 up-to x.x.x.209
Name server:
my MacMini private-static IP address + ISP'Box private IP address + google DNS
Routes:
x.x.x.0 255.255.255.0 (my private network) private
0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 public

NB: My ISP is NOT blocking any ports.

I am aware of the "advanced" guide provided by Apple.

I have been able to access the server when inside my network (-_-)

Trying to connect from 3G network with iPhone 4 gives

  "L2TP VPN server did not respond"

Trying to connect from 3G OR other ADSL network with Windows8 gives

  "error 789 the L2TP connection attempt failed because the security layer encountered a processing error during initial negociations with the remote computer"

Is this real life?

According to Apple, L2TP is currently inoperative when the VPN server is NATed. Looks like we have to wait for a bug fix, or use PPTP in the mean time despite it's much lower security.

Remember, if you configure PPTP, you need to activate OpenDirectory, and configure users there. Local users CANNOT use PPTP.

References:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5313
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4748


Error while creating OS X Mavericks bootable USB I am running on OS X Mavericks GM and now that Mavericks has finally released, I downloaded it from App Store. I wanted to make a bootable USB of it so I followed This Tutorial but when I tried to run the command for copying the files from .app to USB I got the following error

Ankurs-MacBook-Pro:~ Ankur$ sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
--volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app -nointeraction
Password:
sudo: /Applications/Install OS X Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia: command not found
Ankurs-MacBook-Pro:~ Ankur$

What can I do to resolve this issue?

EDIT
Using DiskMaker X I got the same error

Had the same problem. Thought the file "createinstallmedia" was missing, but that wasn't the case.
Then I realised I simply needed to make it executable with the following command:

sudo chmod +x /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia

This will create the executable that DiskMaker X initially couldn't find.
After running the command above you shouldn't have the error anymore.

Hope that helps :)


Can I get Apple Mail’s junk filter to identify junk mail better? In my experience Gmail’s junk filter is super-accurate but Apple’s is not. I get emails from senders which I mark as junk but which continue. Is it know that Apple mail’s junk filter is less good? Is it known why? And, is there any way to improve it?

The built in Spam filtering engine cannot be “taught” by the user to improve its filtering.  You can create rules that will help keep your inbox less cluttered, but to really get intelligent Spam filtering, you need a 3rd party product

SpamSieve Is a local client that works with Apple Mail and has decent reviews.  I’ve used similar products in the past with good results.
Hosted Exchange with integrated Spam filtering is a cloud based solution (I personally go this route).  Managing an email server and configuring Spam heuristics is just too time consuming, so I let someone else handle it and I’ve been quite pleased with the results.


App Store won't update I'm trying to update Airmail to the latest version on my MacBook with El-Capitan 10.11.6 (15G31).

When I go under App Store > Updates, I see no new updates. When I search for the Airmail app I see that I am 1 version behind. If I click the "update" button, all I see is the progress indicator spinning for hours.

I've tried:

Restarting my Mac
Clearing App Store cookies
"Reset Application" in App Store
Running killall -KILL storeagent (which says No matching processes belonging to you were found)
Running Disk Utility to check for any problems (none found)

How can I restore my ability to update apps?

Ultimately, I had to delete the Airmail app and reinstall it entirely. It's now able to update.

The problem appears to be due to the fact that when Airmail 2 was upgraded to Airmail 3, the internal app version was 3 while the version shown in the Applications folder was v2. I think this confused App Store.


Disable screen auto-rotate on iPhone XS Max How to disable automatic screen rotate on iPhone XS Max ?
I'm not finding that option to disable it in the settings.

I found it.
Steps :

From the top, do left swipe to open Control Center.
Then, there is an option Portait Orientation Lock.
Tap on that to make it On. That's all, the screen is locked.

Screenshot :


Copy menu is greyed out in Microsoft Word I'm running Word for Mac 2011 and the Copy menu is greyed out. Command-C works. This is on OS X 10.11 El Capitan. My mother-in-law has the same problem and she's on 10.9 Mavericks (I think).

Solved it. Go to:

View > Toolbars > Customize Toolbars and Menus...

Click on Menu Bar row and select Reset

Quit Word and relaunch


spaces switching unexpectedly on osx yosemite I'm having an issue where my spaces keep randomly switching without me doing anything.

I haven't managed to work out any sort of consistency to the behaviour yet so impossible to reproduce, but I'm trying to find out if anyone's had the same problem and knows how to fix it?

I'm running OSX 10.10.1 on a Late 2008 aluminium MacBook.

System Preferences > Mission Control > uncheck Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use


What results in the price difference for seemingly the same product? I am considering buy the latest Apple Mac Mini M1 with 512GB storage from Apple or from Amazon. Apple lists it at $899 while Amazon lists it at $859. What is the hardware/software different that results in Amazon being $40 cheaper than from Apple directly?

There's no hardware or software difference.
As with all other retailers, everyone is free to set their own price. The price can be based on all sorts of parameters, which makes it impossible to say exactly why retailer A is xx$ cheaper or more expensive than retailer B.
It could be for example that a retailer has lower costs. For example having an online presence versus a physical presence is typical less costly. Similarly could spending different amounts on customer service, warranty repairs/support, etc.
It could also be that a retailer that is also the maker of the product wants to be in the market at a relatively high price in order to ensure that other retailers find it worth while to sell their products.
It could also be that one retailer earns money from other sources than the specific product sale - and that makes it possible for them to lower their price. For example by gathering data about the customer, or simply by having the customer browsing their web site making it more likely that they will buy other products from the same retailer.


Why did third party app notifications all revert to tri-tone, and how can I fix it? I got an iPhone 7 a couple of weeks ago, backed up my iPhone 6, and restored that backup onto the new 7.

Ever since then, third party apps which have non-default notification sounds, including Facebook Messenger, Outlook, and Snapchat, are all using the default tri-tone notifications.

I have restarted my phone, disabled and re-enabled notifications for the apps in question, and gone into each app to change notification settings there, if the app allowed. None of this had any effect.

Why did this happen, and what can I do to fix it?

This is apparently a bug in iOS 10, based on a page I read the other day that I can't find now. For me, it's resolved every time by doing a hard reset on the device (hold Sleep + Volume Down until the Apple logo appears). I had this problem on my iPhone 6s, too, for the couple days it had iOS 10 on it before I got my 7.