launchd listening on port 4444 the lsof command tells me launchd is listening on port 4444:

$ sudo lsof -i tcp:4444

COMMAND PID USER   FD   TYPE           DEVICE SIZE/OFF NODE NAME
launchd   1 root   32u  IPv4 0xfe4e7e9bb5c1a5      0t0  TCP localhost:krb524 (LISTEN)
launchd   1 root   46u  IPv4 0xfe4e7e9bb5c1a5      0t0  TCP localhost:krb524 (LISTEN)

I'm trying to set up a Selenium (https://www.seleniumhq.org/) Server whose default port is 4444 - I realise I could change Selenium's port, but I don't recall having this clash on Macs previously (I guess prior to Tiger)

Is it possible/viable to have launchd run on a different port?

EDIT:
I found the following info by searching which plist files refer to port 4444 - it shows that it's part of the Server configuration.  The Wiki feature of Server is currently turned OFF.  Is it safe to edit this file to change the port setting?

  /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/private/etc/apache2/webapps/com.apple.webapp.auth.plist:19:                  http://localhost:4444/auth
  /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/private/etc/apache2/webapps/com.apple.webapp.changepassword.plist:19:                  http://localhost:4444/changepassword
  /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/private/etc/apache2/webapps/com.apple.webapp.collabd.plist:24:                 http://localhost:4444/svc
  /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/private/etc/apache2/webapps/com.apple.webapp.collabd.plist:33:                 http://localhost:4444/streams/activity
  /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/private/etc/apache2/webapps/com.apple.webapp.wiki.plist:24:                    http://localhost:4444/preview
  /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/private/etc/apache2/webapps/com.apple.webapp.wiki.plist:33:                    http://localhost:4444/files
  /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/private/etc/apache2/webapps/com.apple.webapp.wiki.plist:42:                    http://localhost:4444/upload_file
  /Applications/Server.app/Contents/ServerRoot/private/etc/apache2/webapps/com.apple.webapp.wiki.plist:51:                    http://localhost:4444/app-context/wiki

I suggesting noting which files you change and exactly how you change them, as updates to the Server app will very likely undo all of the changes you made. You may even want to make a shell script that looks for these files and automatically changes them at boot time, every time. I have to do something similar so my brew-installed apache doesn't get disrupted by the system's apache.


External monitor not detected with MacBook Pro I just got my MacBook Pro, and now I want to start using an external monitor hooked up to it.  The connection, from my MBP is an HDMI adapter to VGA, and then the VGA cord to my monitor.  So it's HDMI -> VGA (the monitor doesn't have an HDMI port).

I go into displays and the monitor doesn't show up.  I hold down the option button and click Detect Displays but still nothing happens.

The cables are secure, and I know this HDMI -> VGA setup works (I connect my Raspberry Pi to this monitor using the same setup).

Is there anything else I need to be doing?

Thanks in advance!

From Apple: Can the HDMI port drive analog displays (VGA displays, for example) using adapters?

  No. The HDMI port will only drive digital connections (such as DVI)
  using the adapter that came with the Mac. The HDMI port cannot be used
  for analog displays such as VGA. You can purchase a Mini DisplayPort
  to VGA adapter separately to drive analog displays.

In addition to the actual digital signal, an HDMI port has a few optional pins for legacy analog support. Apple doesn't bother sending an analog signal to HDMI, so an HDMI to VGA adapter receives nothing.


Shortcut to switch between Today and Notifications in Yosemite While it is possible to set a keyboard shortcut to bring up the Notification Center in Mac OS Yosemite, I cannot find a way to switch between the panels "Today" and "Notifications" via the keyboard - it only seems to be possible using the mouse/trackpad.

Is there anything I overlooked?

Applescript:

tell application "System Events" to tell process "SystemUIServer"
    click menu bar item "Notification Center" of menu bar 2
end tell

tell application "System Events" to tell process "NotificationCenter"
    click radio button "Today" of radio group 1 of window "NotificationTableWindow"
end tell

Depend on what an user needs, whether it's to switch when the menu is pulled out, or to simply access Today or Notifications on demand, one can modify the above code and bind it/them to keyboard shortcuts.


Why iTC app privacy policy is not optional anymore? When I open some of my apps in iTunesConnect, I see that they are require privacy policy now (the app become edited, Save button is active, privacy policy field is highlighted):

I have this problem only for particular apps. It started after iOS 10.3 update. Did I missed changes in iTunes Connect?

Sorry, I found answer by myself:

https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#privacy

  Apps that collect user or usage data must have a privacy policy and secure user consent for the collection. This includes—but isn’t limited to—apps that implement HealthKit or other health/medical technologies, HomeKit, Keyboard extensions, Apple Pay, Stickers and iMessage extensions, include a login, or access user data from the device (e.g. location, contacts, calendar, etc.).

My app is using HealthKit for workouts on Apple Watch (but not collect any data).


How do I stop my computer name from automatically, and incorrectly, changing? Ever since I upgraded my 2009 iMac to Mavericks, I often get a message stating 'The name of your computer "Foo" is already in use on this network. The name has been changed to "Foo (2)".'. The number at the end will continuously increment over time as the same error keeps happening.

It is trivial enough to rename the computer back, but is there a way to prevent this from happening in future? I had an old Macbook Pro (running Mountain Lion) that had the same issue, but my early 2013 MBP running Mavericks doesn't seem to be suffering from this issue.

Workaround

Like other users, I'm plagued by this annoyance but have found a semi-satisfactory workaround:

my_hostname='your-hostname-here'; for key in LocalHostName ComputerName  HostName  ; do sudo scutil --set $key $my_hostname; done

After running this command, you can check that all places where they store hostname are the same with this one-liner:

for key in LocalHostName ComputerName  HostName  ; do sudo scutil --get $key; done

If the Macbook keeps immediately renaming ComputerName back with a suffix, you may be able to make it stop by turning off Wake for Network Access.

System Preferences→Energy Saver→Wake for Wi-Fi network access → Unchecked

Once off, rename your machine using the commands above to finish.  You may also try forcing ComputerName back by using the System Preferences→Sharing→Computer Name text field preference.

If this did not help, try flushing your mDNS cache:

# El Capitan (10.11) and later
#   check if you have dscacheutil command with: which dscacheutil
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache

# Yosemite (10.10) and ealier
#   check if you have discoveryutil command with: which discoveryutil
sudo discoveryutil mdnsflushcache
sudo discoveryutil mdnsrestartquestions
sudo discoveryutil mdnsrestartregistrations
sudo discoveryutil udnsflushcache
sudo discoveryutil udnsrestartquestions

After flushing mDNS cache, retry renaming your machine using the commands above.

If this still did not work, try killing the mDNSResponder service:

sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

Then, retry again to reset your computer name using above scutil commands.

If you find that none of this is doing any good, there are some other reported solutions which include:

Ensure you have only one connection to the local network
Turn Bonjour off and back on

# Yosemite (10.10) (and other versions with discoveryd?)
# Check for discoveryd with:  ps auxww | grep -i discoveryd
sudo killall discoveryd
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.discoveryd.plist
sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.discoveryd.plist

# Mac OS versions without discoveryd
# Check for mDNSResponder with:  ps auxww | grep -i mDNSResponder
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.mDNSResponder.plist
sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.mDNSResponder.plist

Shut down and reset ALL networking hardware

Problem Discussion

In my experience, setting the hostname this way, or through the standard System Preferences→Sharing→Computer Name only lasts a short period of time.  This is usually < 24 hours, but sometimes the ComputerName even changes immediately to have a suffixed number in parentheses (N).  I've observed this number to immediately be set to either (4) or (5) recently after using the scutil --set commands above.

The cause of this behavior is due to some daemon code running in Mac OS which attempts to add a numbered suffix (N) any time that the same hostname is found on the network.  In ALL of my testing, the hostnames I've chosen have NEVER been used before on the network and additionally had NEVER been used for any Bluetooth devices as well.

The true cause of the "trigger" of this behavior is unknown and unverified.  That is to say: Through all my research online and testing I have not been able to determine definitively why Mac OS decides that the name is already in use when it clearly is NOT and never has been.

My theory is that somehow mDNS also known as Bonjour (Avahi to Linux users, or Zero-conf Networking to Windows users) may be partly to blame.  Somehow, the prior hostname of the Macbook or Apple device gets persisted somewhere in mDNS, or perhaps some form of ARP table + hostname information which is discovered and stored by the Macbook or Apple device.  This could be some kind of race condition.  Somehow the entry is seen as duplicate and triggers the Mac OS suffix renaming behavior.

The number suffixed hostnames are visible when using the Apple provided DNS Service Discovery utility dns-sd:

For example, using hostname my-mbp-hostname, it might show up like the following entries

dns-sd -Z _ssh._tcp
; To direct clients to browse a different domain, substitute that domain in place of '@'
lb._dns-sd._udp                                 PTR     @

; In the list of services below, the SRV records will typically reference dot-local Multicast DNS names.
; When transferring this zone file data to your unicast DNS server, you'll need to replace those dot-local
; names with the correct fully-qualified (unicast) domain name of the target host offering the service.

_ssh._tcp                                       PTR     my-mbp-hostname\032(5)._ssh._tcp
my-mbp-hostname\032(5)._ssh._tcp                           SRV     0 0 22 my-mbp-hostname.local. ; Replace with unicast FQDN of target host
my-mbp-hostname\032(5)._ssh._tcp                           TXT     ""

[...SNIP...]
[...OTHER SSH HOSTS HERE...]
[...SNIP...]

The theory of the true cause is unconfirmed as it's difficult to find and observe what is actually happening without access to internal Mac OS state & low level Apple OS debugging tools.  The interactions between mdnsd, mDNSResponder, and mDNSResponderHelper with other Mac OS services or even other Avahi daemons on the network are not well documented or easily observable.  The current state of some forms of network discovery can be viewed through dns-sd and arp -a or perhaps arp -a -n.  Other theories or potential places where this hostname information may be stored could be:

Bluetooth device names persisted by the OS somewhere
SMB (windows file share) info cached from network periodically by smbd (/System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.smbd.plist)
AFP share info cached from network (also presumably by smbd?)
mDNS / Avahi reflector (or other type of re-broadcast of Bonjour / zero-conf packets on the network by a router or some other device)?

Could be cached by mDNSResponder or mdnsd (/System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.mDNSResponder.plist)

Solution (placeholder)

As of October 6th 2017, there is still no full solution from Apple or remedy to prevent this problem from reoccurring.  I recommend filing a Bug Report with Apple describing this issue.  You may also wish to contact Apple Customer Support.

The more people that make noise about this annoying issue, the faster Apple Product Managers will prioritize so Engineers will be able to fix it.

Debugging / Future Lines of Investigation

This MacRumors Forum Discussion has some useful information as well as adding a theory that Wake for Wi-Fi Network Access and device Wake / Sleep has something to do with this issue.  Other theories presented have to do with using multiple network adapters (e.g.: WiFi + Thunderbolt Ethernet), routers that have multiple Access Points advertised on multiple bands such as on 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz) or 802.11 a/ac (5GHz).  These combinations may cause a "ghost" version of the Apple device to show up on the network somehow temporarily, triggering the renaming behavior.

There were no useful log lines in /var/log/system.log that appeared related to this renaming behavior being triggered.  Supposedly mDNSResponder can be configured to higher log levels:

Error - Error messages
Warning - Client-initiated operations
Notice - Sleep proxy operations
Info - Informational messages

How to set these debug levels other than perhaps through non-existent file /Library/Preferences/com.apple.mDNSResponder.plist was not clear.  I did not have a plist example config to use, so I was unable to get any extra logging info out of mDNSResponder.

Tools such as Wireshark could be useful to show mDNS packets being broadcast on the network along with other potentially relevant ARP packet info among other traffic.

On Mac OS, other tools such as dscacheutil may exist to view this information. It's not well documented or clear how to view the definitive cache of this information which is used by the hostname renaming code. When I tested this utility, it did not produce any useful output except when using query mode for the exact hostname (IPs scrubbed for privacy):

sudo dscacheutil -cachedump -entries host
Unable to get details from the cache node
sudo dscacheutil -cachedump
Unable to get details from the cache node
dscacheutil -cachedump
Unable to get details from the cache node
dscacheutil -cachedump -entries host
Unable to get details from the cache node

dscacheutil -q host -a name my-mbp-hostname.local
name: my-mbp-hostname.local
ipv6_address: fe80:4::1a:1234:abcd:ef01
ipv6_address: 2601:280:1b00:1234:567:abcd:ef01:1234

name: my-mbp-hostname.local
ip_address: 192.168.1.123


How to find out what launch agent or daemon is starting a process After installing Autodesk Smoke, I have two httpd processes running all the time, and I'd like to stop them.  When I use sudo killall httpd, they stop and are restarted right away.  Activity Monitor shows that the parent process is launchd, but how do I determine which agent or daemon is starting it so I can disable it?

launchctl list | grep httpd shows these results:

302 -   0x7f94ea700dd0.anonymous.httpd
92  -   org.apache.httpd

I look in /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/org.apache.httpd.plist and it shows the following. You can see it's set to disabled.  The other launchd item with a weird name doesn't show up in a filesystem search, so I have no idea what it is.

<?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>Disabled</key>
    <true/>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>org.apache.httpd</string>
    <key>EnvironmentVariables</key>
    <dict>
        <key>XPC_SERVICES_UNAVAILABLE</key>
        <string>1</string>
    </dict>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/usr/sbin/httpd</string>
        <string>-D</string>
        <string>FOREGROUND</string>
    </array>
    <key>OnDemand</key>
    <false/>
</dict>
</plist>

You can grep the output of launchctl list for the pid:

$ pgrep -fl foo
40679 bash /tmp/foo
$ launchctl list|grep 40679
40679   -   com.example.foo

Then for example look for a file named com.example.foo.plist in ~/Library/LaunchAgents/, /Library/LaunchAgents/, or /Library/LaunchDaemons/.

Edit: the Disabled key can be overridden in /var/db/launchd.db/com.apple.launchd/overrides.plist, which is modified when launchctl load -w is run as root, or in /var/db/launchd.db/com.apple.launchd.peruser.$UID/overrides.plist, which is modified when launchctl load -w is run as the user.

If the Apache plist that comes with OS X was enabled, you can disable it by running sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/org.apache.httpd.plist.


Word 2011 for Mac: How to delete a Quick Style Set? Tryig to delete a quick style set from Word 2011 for Mac. This link claims the styles are in "/Users/USERNAME/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office/Style Set" and the save dialog seems to confirm that.

However if I try to go there with the Finder, there is no visible or hidden "Office" folder in the "Microsoft" folder.

Any ideas?

I'm not a Mac expert, but I think I figured it out. I'm running Office 2011 on Mac OS X 10.9.5. I searched for the name of one of the other quick set styles to figure it out.

The quick set folder is located at: /Applications/Microsoft Office 2011/Office/Media/QuickStyles/.


Resources for programming a text based interface in Swift? Are there any tutorials someone could point me at for creating a terminal based, text interface application for OSX? Something sort of looking like Lotus 1-2-3 for DOS.

It is very common to create such text interface application using the ncurses library.

You can use ncurses from Swift programs by importing it:

import Darwin.ncurses

Then you can follow ordinary ncurses tutorials to get a grasp on how to build up user interfaces using ncurses.

In particular, you'll probably find the following tutorial helpful. It is on how to use ncurses with Swift - though on Linux. The techniques explained are exactly the same on OS X, except that you need to use the aforementioned import instead of loading the Linux version of the library:

"Ncurses with Swift on Linux"


Activity green ring not filling while non-workout outside walk or cycle [Apple Watch 2] After my Apple Watch 1 I decided to switch to the Apple Watch 2 and gave my GF also an Apple Watch 2. The strange thing is: My green activity ring is filling during my day without starting a workout (just walking stairs etc) but my GF's watch barley updates the green ring.

Example:
We are walking in the city next to each other. We both have around 2000 steps and walked 2K without a workout. My green ring is at 40%, hers is at 3%.

How is this possible? We set the same movement goals.

The watch uses your heart rate to decide whether you're exercising. Maybe your heart rate increases over the threshold and hers isn't?

More info: http://www.imore.com/apple-watch-activity-tracking-5-tips-you-need-know


Replacing the speaker on iPad 3 - What adhesives I need and where I buy them? I am about to replace the speaker on an old iPad 3 I have.
I know that the iPad is glued in a lot of places and that these apple devices use adhesives in form of double sided tapes that are cut in precise forms.
Before I replace the speaker, I need to have to purchase these adhesives.
I found the speaker at ebay
But what adhesives do I need and where to purchase them?

iFixit sells adhesive strips for that model.


Theming Mail.app to look like iPad's Mail.app or Thunderbird Is there a way to theme Mail.app in Snow Leopard to look like iPads Mail application?

Maybe with a Thunderbird skin or something else?

The Mail.app program in Snow Leopard is not easily themable.

There are 3rd party applications that can change various theme elements (eg http://mac.appstorm.net/how-to/graphics-how-to/an-introduction-to-changing-os-x-themes/) but it is unlikely that even these will get the exact look you are after.

And most of them will change the entire look and feel of the operating system, not just selected applications.


iPhone 4 Stopped Charging My iPhone 4 has stopped being able to be charged.  I have tried two different cords and have tried plugging it into my computer, but nothing works.  There is not an Apple Store close.  What are some things that I should try?

From iPhone and iPod touch: Charging the battery:

  If your battery doesn't charge, or if your device shows a low-battery image, black screen, or "accessory not supported" alert, follow these steps.

  Inspect the connector at the bottom of the phone:

  Make sure that there are no bent pins in the connector.
  Make sure that the connector is free from debris.
  If there are bent pins or debris, please contact Apple Support.

  Otherwise, continue troubleshooting.
  Make sure that the outlet you're using works.
  Make sure that the Apple USB cable and Apple USB power adapter work.
  Plug the device in to power and let it charge until your device turns on. This could take between 10 and 30 minutes. If you don't have an Apple USB power adapter, try connecting to a computer's high-power USB 2.0 port (not a keyboard). The computer must be on.
  If the device still exhibits an issue, try turning your device off and then on again while connected to power.
  If the issue persists, please contact Apple Support.


Problem after erasing the HD of a brand new Mac (OS X Yosemite) with Disk Utility I cannot reinstall OS X Yosemite now, as there's no hard drive I could see.

I had erased the HD with the idea that it will create a new partition but it didn't, so now I can't see a hard disk on disk utility. I have tried with diskutil command, but didn't succeed.

Basically you have a CoreStorage Logical Volume Group without a CoreStorage Logical Volume now. You may delete your Logical Volume Group (-> step 4) or restore a Logical Volume (-> step 7).

Requirements: Booted to Recovery Mode

Please quit Disk Utility.
Open Utilities/Terminal in the menubar
Enter diskutil cs list and hit enter. The output will look like this:

CoreStorage logical volume groups (1 found)
|
+-- Logical Volume Group 5B8350BF-20EF-4199-82E6-129EFF19E9EB
    =========================================================
    Name:         Macintosh HD
    Status:       Online
    Size:         250640592384 B (250.2 GB)
    Free Space:   6111232 B (6.1 MB)
    |
    +-< Physical Volume 907FCDE2-0C62-4951-A39E-36F19244FDB7
    |   ----------------------------------------------------
    |   Index:    0
    |   Disk:     disk0s2
    |   Status:   Online
    |   Size:     250634481152 B (250.2 GB)

To delete the Logical Volume Group enter:

diskutil cs delete lvgUUID

The lvgUUID is the UUID of the Logical Volume Group and usually the first listed.
In the above example:

diskutil cs delete 5B8350BF-20EF-4199-82E6-129EFF19E9EB

This will delete your CoreStorage LVG and reformat it as an unencrypted HFS+ volume.
Enter exit, hit enter and quit Terminal
Open Disk Utility to format your disk like you want.
After step 3 you may create alternatively a new CoreStorage Logical Volume in your orphaned LVG by entering:

diskutil cs createVolume lvgUUID jhfs+ NewVolName Size

Using the above example

diskutil cs createVolume 5B8350BF-20EF-4199-82E6-129EFF19E9EB jhfs+ MyMac 100%

would create a new full sized (≈ 249.5 GB) Journaled HFS+ volume with the name 'MyMac'


Transfer speed of USB-C to Lightning on latest iPad Pro 10.5 Has anyone experience or estimates on what transfer speeds are to expect when transferring data to/from the latest gen. iPad Pro 10.5 using a USB-C to lightning cable? Scenarios might be

creating an iTunes backup
syncing movies, music and other media via iTunes
copying photos, videos using iTunes or some photo organizer app
transferring documents to apps using the iTunes app documents feature
...

USB 2 is really ancient now, and I expect a modern device as expensive as the iPad to offer faster transfer speeds than USB 2. So it would be great to know if the USB-C to lightning cable is worth buying. Thanks!

The iPad Pro 10.5"-inch model supports USB 3, so it is not the "ancient" USB 2 as you mention.

USB-C only refers to the plug, so it hasn't got anything specifically to do with the USB-C to Lighting cable - you can achieve the same, higher speeds using a USB-A port when using a USB 3 compatible cable and USB 3 capable port.


How do I change iOS iTunes Store Region? I was looking at movies reviews online, and a hyper link took me to iTunes, it said "Hey this isn't available in the US but it is in the UK, would you like to change stores?"  So I said sure, why not?  Now I'm stuck in the UK store.  I tried Settings -> iTunes & App Stores -> Apple ID -> View Apple ID -> Country/Region, but it doesn't work because of active subscriptions and passes (which I do have under the US store).  How do I get back the US store front for my iTunes Store on my iPhone?

Quit the iTunes Store and the App Store on your iPhone. Then go to 'Settings > iTunes > iTunes & App Store' and sign out of your Apple ID, and then back in. When you relaunch the iTunes Store app it should then automatically direct you to the iTunes Store for the appropriate country.


Is there a configurable "word-of-the-day"-screensaver/ -widget I am looking for a "word-of-the-day" screensaver or dashboard widget where I can configure (e.g. in a text file) that "words" to be displayed?

AFAIK - there's word-of-the-day screensaver that comes packed with every Mac OS X (since Tiger). You can configure it on a "per dictionary" basis. So if you need a limited list of some words, just create your own dictionary, install it on the system and I believe you'll be able to use it in a screensaver yourself.


Delete a folder with a lot of files I'm not even sure how to ask this question properly, but let me try.

I'm on Mojave 10.14.

I found a directory in my trash can that is extremely slow to delete. When I try to go into the directory, finder shows spinning at the bottom and does not displays the files in it. I've waited well over 10 mins.

When I try to use "ls" cmd in the terminal, it also takes over 10 mins and does not display anything.

When I try to empty the trash, it is EXTREMLY slow. The # of files deleted increases 1 per second (almost). I've waited well over 30 mins and it was still not finished.

How do I diagnose this problem and find a solution?

Update 1: Filesystem is APFS and the directory has more than  12,000,000 small json files.
Update 2: Finally counted the # of files and total size of the directory. The directory has 22,203,359 files and 27.59GB.

When I try to use "ls" cmd in the terminal, it also takes over 10 mins and does not display anything.

This is not normal.  Something is amiss. I'd see the most likely cause as either a bad filesystem or a failing drive. While surprising, it could be a bad spot on the drive just where the directory is.  In the case of a failing drive, macOS will try multiple reads to see if it can retrieve the data.

/Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility

goto the First Aid tab.  Should you find problems, you will have to boot in the recovery manager. command + r at boot time before the beep.  click on the utilities tab and select disk utility.

High Sierra's Disk Utility

Yosemite's Disk Utility

Try a safe boot.  It's always a good idea to try safe mode when strange things happen.

Shutdown your machine.  Hold down the shift key.  Poweron.  The boot up will take longer than normal because the filesystem on the startup drive is being checked and repaired as needed.   All about safe mode including what features and apps safe boot leaves out.  Safe boot uses a software driver instead of using your machines video hardware.
  http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1455


Is it normal Mountain Lion behaviour to save changes in Preview without asking? I just opened an image in Preview, selected a rectangle, hit delete and then quit Preview. Now I have a grey rectangle missing from the middle of my image but at no point did I get a chance to say whether or not I wanted to save my changes.

Is this normal?

(I made the edit just to have a quick play with Preview, see what it can do. Needless to say I'm not impressed)

Yeah, Preview has supported auto-save since 10.7.

The general preference pane has an option to ask to keep changes when closing documents. It can also be applied to individual applications:

defaults write com.apple.Preview NSCloseAlwaysConfirmsChanges -bool true

You can also disable auto-save and Versions completely:

defaults write com.apple.Preview ApplePersistence -bool false


How to write to a Windows formatted disk from OS X? I have 4 external hard disk formatted on Windows as NTFS, but they are lying unused since I bought a Mac. So I am looking forward somehow I should be able to write to those disc without having to format them! Is there anyway I can do that?

I also tried NTFS-3G but it is giving me this error!

Paragon NTFS or Tuxera NTFS

Paragon NTFS and Tuxera NTFS will let you read/write NTFS partitions on OS X. They integrate with Disk Utility as well, letting you erase and partition such disks.


Remove video from iPod Nano 6th-generation I did not know that we can't play videos on an iPod nano 6th generation. I added a video (180 MB) to my iPod but I can't access it . I cant see it in iTunes nor on my iPod. But when I connect my iPod to my system, in iTunes it shows that 180MB is occupied with videos (in the bar graph shown below which also shows the space occupied by songs, pics, etc). Can anyone please and tell me how to delete that video?

How did you ad the video? iTunes won't let you add videos to a 6th gen nano.

One thought: is it a music video? Those you would probably have to remove via the Music tab.

Edit: after trying with my own nano: if you send a music video to the iPod, it will be sent and show up as a video in the bar graph.


bulk delete apps in iDevice I have a habit to download the latest apps gone free, however This results in many unused apps. (Lots of space gone!)

Deleting the apps the casual way, (tap'n'hold, delete) works, but takes too long for the confirmation to come up.

Is there any way I can just select multiple apps and click on delete? I don't generally care for the remove from game center as well.

I would recommend plugging into your computer and deleting your apps, much faster there


How can I print a PDF X-1A from a iWork Pages document? In order to use my university's printing shop, they said they need a PDF x-1a format.
I noticed in Pages that I can print as "Save as PDF-X" but a little googling says this is not exactly the PDF x1a format, but another one. Googling did not turn up exactly how to get the x-1a format.

If they can take PDF-X1/a, then they can take any of the others as well; you shouldn't have any problems.

PDF-X1/a was simply the first in a long line of iterations of a new PDF schema that basically does a lot of preflighting for you (it's one of the best things to happen in the printing industry in a long time). It means your document is "press ready", which mainly applies to SWOP presses but can apply to small printers as well.

As a footnote to all of that...   You can also output press-ready PDFs using the Mac OS X-supplied "Save as PDF" button in the print dialog box from just about any application.


Playing non-iTune music files on iPhone SE I recently used CopyTrans Control to copy music files from my PC to my iPhone.  When I try to access my library of music on the iPhone, I keep getting blocked by an "Account" screen requiring me to join Apple Music.  When I plug my iPhone into my PC, I can see the music files I copied but I can't play them.  Any ideas?

Apple has never required anyone to join Apple Music. Some people have reported a bug that causes this screen to get stuck (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7313495?tstart=0), but this appears to refer to an outdated version of iOS. If you are really stuck, you can always close and reopen the Music app, or reboot the phone.


Read .iwa files from Pages Pages has crashed, my file is now corrupted and I'm trying to get the text from this file.

if I Right click on the file > Show package content > open index.zip , I can see a bunch of .iwa files which seems to contains my original text, especially "Document.iwa".

If I "$ nano Document.iwa" (because "$ file" only returns "data") I can see some of my text, but the overall seems crypted.

Does anyone know how to decode/read this kind of .iwa file or recover corrupted files?

At GitHub obriensp/iWorkFileFormat there exists some work on reverse engineering the format and they have published results there.

Basically, the .iwa files are Protobuf streams compressed using Snappy.

There was also a question on Stack Overflow about the format:
Reverse engineering iWork '13 formats


Remove files from MS Outlook A couple months ago I thought I'd switch from Thunderbird to Outlook, I thought it would make sense seeing as I'd started paying for MS Office.

However it reminded me on just how bad Outlook is and I stopped using it a few days later.

Seeing as it downloaded a pretty hefty amount of emails (there didn't appear to be a way to limit the sync like in Thunderbird) I would like to remove any files it generated from my hard drive.

Does anyone know how I can do this? I imagine it is just a case of deleting the necessary file(s) folder(s)?

I'm assuming you're using MS Outlook 2016. If so, the location of your data will be within your user's Library folder.

To view this:

Go to Finder
Press and hold the option key
Click on the Go menu and select the Library option
You can let go of the option key now
Within the Library folder navigate to the Group Containers folder
Within the Group Containers folder look for a folder starting with "UB" and ending with .office
Open this folder and you will see the Outlook folder

Within this folder are located any profiles you created - you can delete these as you wish.


Change the Apache user in httpd.conf on MAMP? I have MAMP installed on OS X. This is the /Applications/MAMP/conf/apache/httpd.conf Apache's configuration section for the user which should run the server:

...
#
# If you wish httpd to run as a different user or group, you must run
# httpd as root initially and it will switch.
#
# User/Group: The name (or #number) of the user/group to run httpd as.
# It is usually good practice to create a dedicated user and group for
# running httpd, as with most system services.
#
User me
#Group -1
...

As you can see, it is set to me, which is my user account.
Now, I have created a system user named _apache which I would like to use to run the server, so I change the httpd.conf to:

...
#
# If you wish httpd to run as a different user or group, you must run
# httpd as root initially and it will switch.
#
# User/Group: The name (or #number) of the user/group to run httpd as.
# It is usually good practice to create a dedicated user and group for
# running httpd, as with most system services.
#
User _apache
Group _apache
...

But if I restart the server, and reopen the httpd.conf file, I see that MAMP changes the User directive back to me:

User me

Why does it do that? Is this the expected behaviour? Should I somehow tell MAMP that I have intention to run Apache as another user too? How can I do that?

AFAIK MAMP is not intended to run Apache/MySQL as www/mysql. However MAMP Pro allows you to run Apache and MySQL either as your user or as www/mysql. This can be done by selecting the respective users in Preferences -> General.

MAMP Pro contains the free MAMP and a free 14-day trial of MAMP Pro.


I need help getting the pf firewall to work Okay, so I asked this question on security.stackexchange.com and superuser.com and no one on either of those forums answered.  Hopefully someone here will know the answer.

I am running Mac OS X.  I would like to be able to configure pf because it seems to be more sophisticated and flexible than the default Mac OS X firewall that you can access through the System Preferences.  I tried using some pf commands and got some errors that I don't understand.

bash-3.2$ sudo pfctl -s rules
No ALTQ support in kernel
ALTQ related functions disabled
scrub-anchor "com.apple/*" all fragment reassemble
anchor "com.apple/*" all
bash-3.2$ sudo pfctl -s states
No ALTQ support in kernel
ALTQ related functions disabled

I looked up ALTQ on Wikipedia and it seems to be a queueing program that does statistical multiplexing of packets at the kernel level.  It is the kernel module that BSD systems use for queueing of packets.  And the Mac OS X kernel apparently doesn't support it.

Okay, so this doesn't really make sense.  Why would Mac OS X include the BSD pf firewall but not include support for the queueing software necessary to make that firewall work?  Isn't that kind of counter-productive?  There must be some way to turn support for ALTQ on, but I have no idea what it is.  I'm not even entirely sure what ALTQ is.  Is it a loadable kernel module that I have to load using the kextload command?  Or is the problem that it's already there but the kernel is just incompatible with it.  I am utterly confused.

Let's clear up a few misconceptions here, and get your PF working for you.  First, the ALTQ portion of PF handles QoS, or Quality of Service functionality, which might only be relevant to your needs if you were doing some sophisticated network routing through the machine and needed to prioritize the routing of certain types of latency-sensitive, network traffic -- video streams, cell phone calls, etc -- in order to reduce latency and assure such traffic of a greater responsiveness.

I would not worry about the QoS portion not having been implemented in Apple's port of what appears to be the FreeBSD version of PF.  Apple must have envisioned less of an enterprise-level network routing usage of their operating system and more of a home-user and office-user usage in opting to skip the ALTQ inclusion.

Next, I find the following command more useful for an overview of what PF is doing:

sudo pfctl -vvv -s all

Our next step is determining what you would like PF to do.  The meat-and-potatoes configuration for PF is the file /etc/pf.conf.  Is there something specific you would like PF to do, or would you like me to post a few example pf.conf files, in order to give you an idea of how it is used.

All in all, you make a wise choice in choosing to use PF.  It is a shame that Apple, for one reason or another ( hint -- think Edward Snowden... ) has opted to deploy its operating system with its firewall onboard, but disabled by default, and without any packet filtering rules enabled by default...

Doors wide open, if you ask me...

Hope that this helps.


Full screen app in a small window (Picture in picture) I'm currently running Mac OS X 10.10.1. Is there a way to get a full screen app into a window?

Example:

I have netflix running in a web browser full screen on one desktop. I'd like to take that full screen window and do a "picture in picture" and show it in the corner of the current desktop I'm working on. Is there an app out there that does this, or can it be done natively?

Alternatively, I realize that I can resize the window myself but I still have to deal with unused real estate (e.g. borders), and battling with making sure its always in focus.

FullScreen & windowed are really mutually exclusive.

If you run windowed, there's the possibility that Afloat might work for you, to keep it always in front; unfortunately it is no longer supported & I don't know whether it still works in Yosemite.


A Way to Save Desktop Layouts with Multiple Presets Anyone know if there's an app that will not just let you save window positions for multi-display setups, but also create presets for different situations?

For example

Client A (saved as a preset)
-all windows open and size to saved positions
-different finder windows open to specific folders and views
-browser open to specific tabs at specific addresses
-terminal opens up directly to desired directory
etc...

Client B (saved as a preset)
-same idea but maybe different programs, finder locations, etc..

I took a look at "Stay" but it doesn't seem to be what I'm looking for.  Also, I'm using El Capitan.  Anything like this out there?

I can recommend Moom. You can have different presets for different display configurations.


The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer I have just bought a new SSD from Crucial for my iMac 9,1. I have plugged the disk in via a SATA to USB connector and I am displayed with the message

The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer.

When I click on the initialise option it takes me to Disk Utility where usually I would expect the disk to appear in the side tab for it to be partitioned and then cloned for it to then be installed into my iMac however it does not display in the side menu so I do not know what to do, any advice or help will be perfect

The solution of the error "The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer" is:
for me the dev is /dev/desk2

sudo diskutil repairDisk /dev/disk2


Chess app for iPhone and iPad? I want to improve my chess skills with my iPhone 5s and iPad 3. There are too many chess apps on the App Store for me to test. My ideal app should be free, strong, offers suggestion, nice graphics, adjust level of play etc. The app must play strong chess otherwise I don't learn anything from my games.

Any suggestions? At least I can't find one now.

You can try the Chess Free  and Chess * apps, both are free, compatible with iPhone 5S and iPad 3 and top in downloads.

If you want to learn about chess, there are some ebooks like Learn Chess available in app store and you may also try Chess - Play & Learn which was developed for both iPhone and iPad.


Where is "Convert to AAC…" in iTunes 11 (and 12)? In iTunes 10, holding the Option key while selecting the Advanced menu turns Create AAC Version into Convert to AAC… which allows selecting a number of files which are then converted to AAC and added to the library. Does this functionality still exist in iTunes 11 (and 12)?

It does, but it's a little hard to find. It's under File -> Create New Version. You still need to hold the Option key. But the difference in iTunes 11 (and 12) is that you have to make sure no songs are selected when you perform the menu selection. If a song is selected iTunes will attempt to create an AAC version of the selected song. If nothing is selected you can select audio files to convert to AAC.


Can new iMac output video to current generation Thunderbolt display as secondary monitor? I have a 27" iMac hooked up to 27" Thunderbolt display, providing me with a standard dual monitor configuration. Both the iMac and the secondary monitor were purchased on the same day in early 2012.

Apple recently released a 5k iMac which I plan to purchase. I'd like to swap out my old iMac for this new one, and hook up this new iMac to my existing Thunderbolt monitor so as to retain the dual monitor configuration.

Will this work? I realize that the secondary Thunderbolt monitor will not support the new 5k video format, seeing as how it was made back in 2012. But will it at least run properly at its own native max resolution? Are there any downsides (e.g. eyestrain, etc.) with having a dual monitor configuration wherein one monitor has a significantly higher resolution that the other?

Your dual monitor setup will still work fine, and they will both stay at their native resolution.

The only issue is that you might have the borders will not match up, since 5k is (probably) a lot more than what you had before, so it will be a lot larger. When mousing from your old monitor to your new monitor, you will have no problems, but when mousing back you might hit a boundary on the top or bottom. You can configure where the boundary is, so it shouldn't be a huge problem.


Is there a way to re-enable "old-style" quit in Chrome? I've just turned on my old Macbook for the first time in a couple years and found that now I have to hold command + Q in order to quit Chrome, whereas I used to be able to just tap it. I prefer the old way. Is there a way to re-enable that?

This is a problem with Chrome, not MacOS. It's being done by the Chrome software. In the top menu, under Chrome, there's an option "Warn Before Quitting." Unchecking that turns the feature off.


App Store only sells latest OS X version? Can't get Lion 10.7 anymore? I have a MacBook model A1181, 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB memory. It's running Snow Leopard, and running fine including speed wise. I want to upgrade to make use of iOS simulator and XCode 4. Saw that App Store has only the newest 10.8 Mountain Lion for upgrade, and saw a few reviews saying it slowed down their Macs, even w/ 16GB memory, wonder what it will do to my machine.

I would prefer to get 10.7 Lion. Any way to get that anymore, maybe at Apple Stores? Or am I out of luck and have to go to 10.8 if I want to upgrade? Too bad I should have upgraded sooner when 10.8 wasn't out yet.

Update: looking around online, looks like my Mac may not even quality for requirements for 10.8, but 10.7 should be ok.

It is still possible to purchase 10.7 for installing/upgrading on your mac, see my answer at question Can we still upgrade to OS X 10.7 now that 10.8 is out?:

  Although you can no longer buy Lion through the App Store or directly
  by SKU from the online store, you can still order Lion after Mountain
  Lion was released.

  I called 1-800-MY-APPLE, it took some time to get through but they
  told me that I would be able to purchase Lion, OSX 10.7 from them for
  $19.99.  They would send me the physical copy through the mail.

  […]


Cydia apps gone after install and respring I installed Overboard from Cydia and after respring all my Cydia apps are gone!

There is no Cydia section in Settings. I have reinstalled Cydia Substrate and PreferenceLoader, but nothing happened.

Go into Safe Mode using a tweak or by rebooting whilst holding volume up. Once booted, open Cydia and uninstall Overboard, then respring. If the icons still don't show, ssh into your device as mobile and run uicache then respring.


iTunes encryption Password Is there a way to access iTunes encryption password on Windows 10? I can't remember the password and without the password ,I can't restore my backup on a new iPhone. The old iPhone is broken ..

The entire idea of encrypting something is you can't access it without the password. Passwords are never stored anywhere in plain text.

Modern password structures mean that only a hash of the correct input is stored.
If you input the correct password, the hashes match; without the password ever actually been stored anywhere at all, only the 'maths' necessary to test for when it is entered correctly.

So, in short, if you don't have the password, you don't have access to the data.
Not even Apple can unlock it for you.


How to invoke osascript 'Generic Scripting System'? The terminal command osalang list the following installed OSA languages supported by osascript.

AppleScript
JavaScript
Generic Scripting System

Using AppleScript or JavaScript works. For example:

osascript -l JavaScript \
    -e 'Application("iTunes").currentTrack.name()'

However, something like to following returns a "found unknown token" error.

osascript -l 'Generic Scripting System' \
    -e '#!/bin/bash' \
    -e 'echo $HOME'

How does one invoke osascript for 'Generic Scripting System' from the command line for some non-AppleScript, non-JavaScript scripting ... without using any (intermediate) AppleScript or JavaScript?  Is this even possible?

According to OS X system internals, the "Generic Scripting System" is a generic class to contain the two flavors of scripting supported:

AppleScript
JavaScript

It's not some third option that adds one or more new dialects, but a container to hold the existing ones. This is indirectly explained in Apple's documentation - they list the two languages and don't mention the wrapper class (or whatever it's proper name is):

Mac Automation Scripting Guide -  part of which is the list of languages

If you needed other languages, I would call AppleScript "do shell script..." to then call whatever shell executable that ships by Apple or you have installed (bash, sh, python, swift, perl, ...).


What happens if I put an unsupported version of iOS on my iPhone? I have an iPhone 6s, released in 2015. I want to know if I can install iOS 5.1.1 on it, and if it is possible.

I don't care if it could brick my iPhone. I'm willing to do it.

Simply put: iOS 5 came out in 2011. It does not have the drivers to control hardware from the future.

I guess the real question is: why do you want to do this? Is there some old app that you want to run? Some aspect of the UI that you prefer? Perhaps there's another method of achieving your goal.


Is there a limit for the attachment size in Messages? I'm trying to send a 36 MB .mp4 video via Messages, but I'm not exactly sure if it's working.

After sending the file, the CPU usage of the processes VTDecoderXPCService and IMTranscoderAgent goes up very high (~300%) and then only about 11 MB of data are send.

I doubt that Messages is performing some magical compression that results in <30% of the original video file size for the transfer, instead I assume that the whole file is not send. But I'm not receiving a warning such as: "Could not transfer file. Attachment too large..."

Is there a limit for the attachment size in Messages?

Despite Joost's links, Apple did officially provide a size limit for Messages attachments.

Extracted from Mountain Lion's Features page:

  Send large attachments: Send high-quality photos, full HD video, or documents. iMessage allows attachments of up to 100MB.

Your 36MB file is, indeed, off the limit.


MacOS Apple Maps: Can I show street numbers? I might mention that I am in Melbourne, Australia, so it’s possible that the answer might be affected by my location.
Is it possible to show the street numbers on the Maps app?

Drop a pin on the street and Apple Maps shows it’s best guess as to the street address. Same for just entering a street address - maps will pin where it thinks that is.

A quick check of one of the suburbs near Melbourne shows this data to be equivalent for you as for us in the US. It’s not perfect, as I would expect this pin to be in Ervin Rd.


Safari iPhone 6 will not load static website which is hosted on AWS Currently I am encountering an issue with loading a webpage with Mobile Safari on my iPhone5. The site was just deployed with AWS (Amazon Web Services) here is the link http://www.point.plumbing

The site works perfectly when using Safari browser with my MBP

I've done the following.

1. Reset network settings

2. Cleared my browsing cache

3. Reset iPhone5

I know that I'm due for a software update although I'm really not really sure if that's causing the issue.

Might be something with DNS settings?
Or it could be a AWS issue?

Looks like its working fine for me on iPhone 6 :


Is it true that an expedited review in the app store is not allowed for more than one application? I have developed an iPhone application and submitted this to the iTunes Connect successfully. My app status has got change to "Waiting For Review". I would to know that if i have already requested for expedited review of my previous application before one month, is it possible to request again for expedited review in the app store for my current application? I have heard to peoples that we can only request for expedited review once in a year.

I don't think there's an automated system, I once requested two expedited reviews in a row (due to my own improper testing), and got both accepted.

So no, no firm rule, but they'll probably look at your history when deciding, and your reason for asking for an expedited review.


How do I prevent automatic mounting of all the partitions on a flash drive? I have a flash drive that I use for various diagnostics on macs. Most of the partitions on the drive are accessible by holding down the option key on boot.
I also have one extra partition that is not bootable and used strictly for diags after the macs OS has loaded. My challenge is finding a way to not mount all the option boot partitions when trying to use the non bootable one.

Any ideas?
Thanks

Borrow a trick from Apple - set the partition type to something besides Apple_HFS. The Apple_Boot partition type is used by Lion Recovery, and should provide the exact behavior you want. This process is NOT for the faint-of-heart, and you should definitely have a backup. If any of this process is unclear, DO NOT DO IT. Note that all numbers and drive names will be different on your computer.

First, determine which "BSD disk" your target drive is.  Very likely disk1, but not necessarily. For example, this is my current system:

bash-3.2$ diskutil list
/dev/disk0
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *120.0 GB   disk0
   1:                        EFI                         209.7 MB   disk0s1
   2:                  Apple_HFS Macintosh SSD           119.2 GB   disk0s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk0s3
/dev/disk1
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *320.1 GB   disk1
   1:                        EFI                         209.7 MB   disk1s1
   2:                  Apple_HFS Secondary HD            319.7 GB   disk1s2

What follows is a copy-paste-edit job from Dmitry Dulepov:

We need to change the type of this partition. This involves noting partition parameters, deleting and creating a patition with gpt. Firsts, let find out parameters:

bash-3.2$ sudo gpt show disk1
         start       size  index  contents
            0          1         PMBR
            1          1         Pri GPT header
            2         32         Pri GPT table
           34          6
           40     409600      1  GPT part - C12A7328-F81F-11D2-BA4B-00A0C93EC93B
       409640  246725744      2  GPT part - 48465300-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC
    247135384     262144
   247397528    1269528       3  GPT part - 48465300-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC
    248667056    1402591
    250069647         32         Sec GPT table
    250069679          1         Sec GPT header

Next, delete and add the partition. Note that we use values found on the previous step.

bash-3.2$ sudo gpt remove -b 247397528 -s 1269536 -t 48465300-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC disk1
disk0s3 removed
bash-3.2$ sudo gpt add -b 247397528 -s 1269536 -t 426F6F74-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC
disk0 disk1s3 added

Notice the different GUID. That is important because it tells OS X the type of the partition.

…

Check if everything is ok:

bash-3.2$ diskutil list disk1

You should see what had previously been an Apple_HFS partition should be listed as Apple_Boot.  Such partitions are bootable on an Intel Mac without being auto-mounted by a running system. Repeat this general process with each partition that you want to "hide" normally.


iTunes Match mismatch between OS X and iOS Yesterday, I decided to go ahead and subscribe to iTunes Match. One of the first CDs I imported after having activated iTunes Match was a really old compilation CD, with various tracks from various artists.

Some of the songs were matched with songs in the iTunes Store (correct songs, but a different compilation album from the one I was importing), whereas most of them were just uploaded. In iTunes in OS X the album displays correctly, grouped together as the album I uploaded and with the album art that iTunes found for me. However, on my iOS device, all of the uploaded songs are grouped together, whereas the matched songs are displayed as separate albums, with the album art from the albums to which they were matched - albeit with the same album name as my uploaded tracks.

How it looks in iTunes:

How it looks on iOS:

Has anybody got any ideas about how to fix this?

The answer is here, there's error in iTunes Match since 27th of April.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7026755?start=15&tstart=0

DK


Merge multiple Time Machine backup disk images My MacBook Pro typically backups to my iMac Time Machine server. I went on a year long trip, during which time I switched my MBP to instead back up to my router (which acts as a NAS and runs a Time Machine server of its own, which writes to a sparsebundle). Now that I'm back from my trip, I would like to resume backing up my MBP to my iMac.

I would like to "merge in" the backups from my NAS's sparsebundle, so that my iMac has the full history. Is this possible?

Original Time Machine destination: A sparsebundle hosted by my iMac

$tree -L 1 /Volumes/old_backup_sparse_bundle/Backups.backupdb/Alex's\ MacBook\ Pro
    /Volumes/old_backup_sparse_bundle/Backups.backupdb/Alex's\ MacBook\ Pro
    ├── 2017-12-29-033257
    ├── 2018-01-06-141057
    ├── 2018-01-13-041417
    ⋮
    ├── 2018-03-03-094036
    ├── 2018-03-07-233939
    ├── 2018-03-08-001351
    └── Latest -> 2018-03-08-001351

Temporary Time Machine destination: A sparsebundle hosted by my router

$ tree -L 1 /Volumes/newer_backup_sparse_bundle/Backups.backupdb/Alex's\ MacBook\ Pro
    /Volumes/newer_backup_sparse_bundle/Backups.backupdb/Alex's\ MacBook\ Pro
    ├── 2018-10-14-091702
    ├── 2018-10-21-100253
    ├── 2018-11-01-202140
    ⋮
    ├── 2019-03-03-192937
    ├── 2019-03-04-142255
    ├── 2019-03-04-153448
    └── Latest -> 2019-03-04-153448

Desired outcome: My iMac's sparebundle is backfilled with the router sparsebundle's snapshots:

$tree -L 1 /Volumes/newer_backup_sparse_bundle/Backups.backupdb/Alex's\ MacBook\ Pro
    /Volumes/newer_backup_sparse_bundle/Backups.backupdb/Alex's\ MacBook\ Pro
    ├── 2017-12-29-033257               ┐
    ├── 2018-01-06-141057               │
    ├── 2018-01-13-041417               │
    ⋮                                   │ Already present in this sparsebundle
    ├── 2018-03-03-094036               │
    ├── 2018-03-07-233939               │
    ├── 2018-03-08-001351               ┘
    ├── 2018-10-14-091702               ┐
    ├── 2018-10-21-100253               │
    ├── 2018-11-01-202140               │
    ⋮                                   │ "Merged in" from the router's sparsebundle sparsebundle
    ├── 2019-03-03-192937               │
    ├── 2019-03-04-142255               │
    ├── 2019-03-04-153448               ┘
    └── Latest -> 2019-03-04-153448

This is a really bad idea. How many files exist in one snapshot? Since you have hard links to contend with and protective permissions that prohibit most write operations, I would presume most attempts to construct a working hybrid will fail.

The failure modes likely are:

insufficient iops to get the job done in months to longer timeframe.
insufficient sophistication handling the unpublished checksum handling of when a backup has been tampered with or just failed to be successful.

I would love for someone to prove me wrong, but please make a backup copy of your backups if your main goal is actually preserving their viability. It’s likely you will be able to recover data from any tampered backup, but less likely you’ll be able to continue using a merged backup to make new backups. If that happens you now have another set and are further forked.


Automatically move files when inserting SD card? Is there a way to detect the insertion of an SD card so it would be possible to automatically move specific files (photos in subdirectory) to another location? I do not want a photo application to take control.
Even better, when I put the card in, I get asked whether to move the files.
I would like the files to be moved directly to a shared folder..

From this question on SuperUser, try MarcoPolo

Or, you could use folder actions.

From this tutorial:

  Go to File > Save As Plug-in.
  Choose Folder Action from the pop-up menu.
  In the Attach to Folder pop-up, select Other…
  In the resultant open dialog, hit cmnd-shift-g. This will bring up a small sheet labeled Go to the folder:.
  In this sheet, type /Volumes/, and hit the Go button, then hit Open.
  Hit the Save button in the Plug-in sheet.


How to make the Logitech 300s move wider? I am using an wired mouse Logitech 300s (As seen in the screenshot)

Whenever I move the mouse from edge to edge of the mouse pad, the cursor only moved about slightly over 1/2 of the way on the monitor.

I really want the mouse cursor move a longer distance. Is there any way I can fine tune it?

EDIT:

Add screen shot of Mouse pane in System Preferences

Go to System Preferences - Mouse. Click on the "Point and Click" tab. In the middle of this pane is a slider for Tracking Speed.  By moving the slider to the right to make it faster will do what you want.  See the image below.


If I remove my SIM card from my iPhone, will iMessage still be connected to my phone number, or can I only be reached by my Apple ID email? I'm traveling internationally and I'm removing my SIM card. Even if I don't have my phone number connected to my iPhone by the SIM card, will it still be connected to iMessage for people to contact me through? Should I tell them to text my Apple ID email(s)? Or well I still be able to receive the messages if they text my phone number?

I don't have an iPhone myself, but because the account can be based on email address as well, I believe it in theory should be possible to keep using iMessage after removing your sim. However, I have experienced that my friends who have gone overseas and used a different sim have ended up having iMessage being connected to the new number. In other words, it is possible to connect to you via iMessage, but your new, overseas number will need to be made known.


Force MacBook to turn on when low battery indicator is showing i copied some files to a USB drive with 8 minutes left of battery and then closed the lid. 30 seconds later I realised I missed a file and reopened my MacBook to be presented with the low battery indicator. Seeing as I had 8 minutes left is there a way to force the MacBook to turn on so I can take a few seconds to copy the missing file. I need the file quite urgently

No, there's no way to force it to turn on - except by plugging in the charger, which you seem to not want.


PATH not being changed for root user I have added .bash_profile, .bashrc, .profile exeuctables in the /var/root dir.  However, unlike the normal users which execute their .bash_profile(s) and change the path.  There is no difference in the profiles but the root user one does not work.

I am unclear about how to get this workinkg.  Any suggestions?  Thanks.


Can an iPad (3rd gen) run solo with an Airport Express My folks are using a PC running WinXP to control a non-Apple wifi-router. The PC crashes often, bringing down with it the wifi network. They no longer actually use the PC, just the iPad, but they keep the PC to control the router.

If I replace their router with an Apple Airport Express, can I then discard the PC and control the router solely from the iPad? Could an iPad control a non-Apple wifi-router?

Edited since I misread the question

You can definitely set up and control any Apple router that supports 802.11n from an iPad only. Apple has an iOS app just for that purpose.

However if you want to save some money, or possible use the existing router, that may be an option too. Almost all routers these days have web interfaces, so an iPad can manage most routers. However there are some routers that require a PC app to manage, typically older ones.

Chances are they'll be fine, but you'll first want to check what kind of router it is, then have a quick look at the manufacturer's page to figure out if it has a web interface or not. If it does, you'll probably want to figure out the IP (typically 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) and bookmark that for your parents.

It is a bit troubling that the router crashes when the PC crashes - sounds like something's not quite right there, so definitely check that out.


New Outlook Email Item Shortcut I am looking for a way to create a keyboard shortcut or an icon I can click on that will simply open a blank Outlook email.

I found several solutions for Windows but I need to do this for my Mac. I've been trying a few options but none can just open a new Outlook email with one click or one keystroke.

Use an email template

Open Outlook
Create a new message (⌘ CommandN)
Immediately "Save as Template" to the Desktop (File -> Save As Template)
Shortcut will be created on your Desktop with the name <no subject.emltpl> rename it if you like.

Just double-click that template file every time you want to open a new email.


Is it preferable to buy two 8GB or one 16GB for iMac 27" 2017 memory upgrade? I have 16GB of RAM installed on my iMac 27" 5K i7 2017 (2 x 8GB).

There are 4 slots in total and I would like to add another 16GB.

I don't know if it's best to buy 2 x 8GB or 1 x 16GB?

Your model, like most Macs, supports memory interleaving, which means that paired memory may work better than single modules.

However, Apple's own guidelines for installing memory in iMacs make no mention of this, and the real-world effect may be minimal, (as mentioned in comments)


This update is for an app downloaded with a different Apple ID. Sign in with that Apple ID and try again After upgrading to Yosemite I see under App Store > Updates.

  This update is for an app downloaded with a different Apple ID. Sign
  in with that Apple ID and try again.

What works for me is this hint from https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5532426?start=45&tstart=0

  I solved this problem, instead of going to the update page go to the
  app itself within the App store.  Here it will say "Accept" where it
  usually says download and then it will reauthorize you


Why did Apple decide to lock my account and force me to change the password? A few days ago I got a message on my Mac that my Apple account was locked and I had to change my password. I did that, but ever since then, using Apple products has become a nightmare. I have Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, I'm signed in all of these devices and they are synced via iCloud.

All devices are asking for password multiple times a day, applications also synced via iCloud (for example Notability) can't sync because they detect iCloud not available. Multiple restart happened, I deleted local files, I deleted caches and still not working as it did a few days ago. Why on earth I have to enter multiple times my password on a device when I assume it should be enough (I assume an auth server should be able to serve all auth related requests centrally) only once?

Does Apple lock user accounts frequently and force users to change passwords? If not, then is possible to get some info why they did it in my case?

My account has had this password for a few months, or half a year. It is in use on daily basis for work.

You mentioned that "all devices are asking for password multiple times a day..."

Apple describes the type of message you could possibly receive in their support document If your Apple ID is locked or disabled

  If you or someone else enters your password, security questions, or
  other account information incorrectly too many times, your Apple ID
  automatically locks to protect your security and you can't sign in to
  any Apple services. You can unlock your Apple ID after you verify your
  identity.

If this was a legitimate security concern (which I believe it could very well be), you need to reset (change) your password and even enable two factor authentication.

Now, bear in mind that there are AppleID phishing scams that will tell you that you're account is locked and then provide you a link on which to confirm your account details.  If you clicked on this, you gave away your account info.  Reset it as soon as possible.

Note:  Legitimate firms (banks, Apple, Facebook, etc.) will never send you a link to validate or sign in.  Always go to their site(s) manually.


Mac Rechargeable Battery - 13-inch Serial Number Where are all the places I can locate the serial number for a Mac Rechargeable Battery?  I know the serial number can be located on the battery itself as well as on the Mac they were used with, but is the serial number available in any other locations?

The battery serial number is recorded in 4 places I have seen:

Physically on the battery (and optionally on the box if you purchased the battery in a box as a separate item)
In system profiler when the battery is installed in a running mac.
I have asked at the genius bar from time to time for them to look and see if there are records from when the mac was built in the factory. From time to time a client needs to know what hard drive or what battery came with a specific mac and that information is sometimes available.
Saved to the filesystem - use spotlight to look for files that have the mac's serial number. System profiler will save all hardware as a text/rtf/xml file if asked to. Some crash reports squirrel away a copy of that information so if you look, it might be there even if you didn't save it explicitly.


Getting exchange password from keychain Is there a way using security find-internet-password or something similar to get my exchange credentials on the command line?  I'm trying to write a script to auto-login into an exchange server and I'm sure the data exists somewhere but just unsure how to grab it.

security find-generic-password -ga <account>

You can find the account by opening Keychain Access, opening the application password (titled Exchange) and looking at the Account field. It should be in the form emailaddress@server e.g. ‘username@example.com@mail.example.com’.

Upon running this command, you will be prompted to allow access to the item in your Keychain, upon which you can Allow or Always Allow.

The password is printed in the last line of the output:

…
password: "abc123"


Can't run postfix on Mountain Lion due to missing system_user_maps.db When I start postfix, I see in /var/log/system.log the following error:

error: open database /etc/postfix/system_user_maps.db: No such file or directory

How should this file be created so that postfix can start properly?

I tried doing touch on this file, but I get the error

postfix/cleanup[871]: warning: hash:/etc/postfix/system_user_maps is unavailable. open database /etc/postfix/system_user_maps.db: Inappropriate file type or format`

Is there a postmap command that sets this up?

I figured it out. You need to not only touch /etc/postfix/system_user_maps but also run sudo postmap /etc/postfix/system_user_maps to create /etc/postfix/system_user_maps.db. Then postfix will start up.


iPhone 3G screen partially broken I have an iPhone 3G which had a cracked screen. I replaced the digitizer last November and this morning the left third of it stopped responding to touch. What can I do to fix it?

This seems like a definite hardware problem.

You can take it to a retailer, send/take it to Apple, or do it yourself.
Here are DIY instructions and parts ($99)


Syncing iCal with Google calendar under 10.4? Is it possible to sync iCal on Tiger with Google calendar?

Upgrading to 10.5 isn't an option for my G5, but I'd love to be able to use iCal to access the years of calendar data I have on Google Calendar.

BusySync

  Google Calendar Synchronization — Sync iCal with Google Calendar for online read-write access to your calendars from any computer, anywhere.

  Requirements

  Mac OS X 10.4, or
  Mac OS X 10.5, or
  Mac OS X 10.6


Saving my all iMessage conversations to Windows 10 I need to save my iMessage conversations as they are, because I'm afraid all the updated dialogue will be erased as soon a I restore my iPod from a previous backup.  The restoring of the iPod will happen, I just don't want to lose any dialogue from this very second until the last time I backed up my iPod. The conversation is very long and very important to me, and I need to keep all of it.  I am not looking to add an unknown, potentially hazardous software of program.

Any help will be greatly appreciate.
Thank you for you time and attention.

I use iExplorer, which is available for macOS and for Windows. Among other highly useful things, it can export the contents of Messages, including images. It it not a free app, but I've used it so many times that it has paid for itself (US$39.99) many times over.

Disclaimer: Satisfied user - not affiliated in any way with Macroplant LLC.


Trackpad and keyboard problems My keyboard is working oddly. The right side shift does not work, but the left side shift command button will. The trackpad will click, but it stopped working to move the cursor around.

The trackpad works perfectly if I start up computer using Command-D, so for the 2 minutes it takes for the diagnostic test to complete I can move the cursor using the track pad, so it is not the hardware. Today I did not have my mouse near my computer to be able to choose my user at startup so I just pressed the arrow key on the keyboard and it moved my cursor over to my user icon for me to sign in.

This shows me that something is telling my computer to listen to the keyboard and not the trackpad. It is not the setting in Accessibility that says ignore built in trackpad when mouse or wireless trackpad is present - that is unchecked. This is something going on with keyboard settings. Can I use terminal to set default settings?

MacBook Pro Retina 13 inch mid 2014 - Mojave

This sounds like you may have the settings on for Mouse Buttons, which allow the arrow keys to navigate the mouse. I believe this is under Accessibility or maybe Keyboard or Mouse/Trackpad, depending on the MacOS version.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204434#mousekeys


Where is the "Free on iTunes" link? Is "Free on iTunes" gone again?
I'm unable to find the "Free on iTunes" link from the iOS app. I have seen no announcements nor news that "Free on iTunes" was going to be removed. How do I locate this link (if it's still available)?

On an iPhone, you're right it's currently missing even on 8.3. Perhaps an oversight. On iPad, it's ok. Open up the iTunes Store, it's in the footer for Music:


Disable background app refresh for ONLY Messages app iOS 10 has made the Messages app drain my wife's iPhone 6's battery.

It uses up about 40% of her battery and most of that is background time.

How can I turn off background refresh for ONLY Messages?

(Not looking for a solution that turns off all background refreshes.)

It sounds like you're trying to address the symptom, rather than the problem. To be clear, Messages should not be using up that much battery power. I suggest the following:

Restart your wife's iPhone by holding down the Power and Home buttons simultaneously for about 10 seconds until you see the Apple logo
Wait for her iPhone battery stats to refresh.

NOTE:
This may take up to a day - typically it will need to be plugged back into a charger and fully charged and then removed and used normally for a few hours up to a day before the battery stats will refresh.

Once you've done this, let us know if your wife is still having this problem.


Access folder in which Photos stores its files I have photos stored in the Photos app on my iPhone. I have installed the new Photos app on my Mac, and I'm using iCloud to sync pictures between Photos on my iPhone and Photos on my Mac.

On my Mac, is it possible to access the folder in which the Photos app stores my pictures?

Launch photos, click on the Photos in the top navbar. On the dropdown, click Preferences > General and click Show in Finder. This will open the library. On top of the show in Finder button, there is the path to where the Library is located in.

Update: As Tetsujin said, the Library folder appears as a flat file rather than a directory. So access it by Right clicking > Show Package Contents


Transferring contact list from Iphone 4 to a Windows 7 PC and vice versa I would like to transfer the contact list from my iPhone 4 to my Windows 7 PC.  How can I do that?  Which software should I need?

After I transfer all my contacts to the PC, I want it to copy back to another iPhone 4.

You can do it with iTunes! You can sync iPhone contacts with Windows address book, Yahoo! contacts, Google contacts or Outlook contacts... And after that you could sync it with another iPhone...
Also, you can use Apple's mobileMe service (which is NOT free). They have a sync tool for Windows (me.com)...


How can I clear pending iCloud Downloads? So macOs just lied to me. I went into storage and recommendations.
And saw this

Which clearly says store all files photos and messages in iCloud and save space on Mac automatically when it's needed.

As soon as I accepted this recommendation what it actually did is this

Which reads quite the opposite "The full contents of iCloud drive will be stored on this mac" ?!?!?!

I managed to turn it off but now I have these massive downloads pending and not doing anything.

How do I remove them?

From this article:

Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
Click System Preferences in the drop down menu.
Click on iCloud.
Click on Options next to iCloud Drive.
Click to uncheck the checkbox for Desktop & Documents Folders.

Alternatively, try signing out of iCloud.


Is there a floating-ruler app for macOS? I’m working with a notation software and I would need to space certain graphical elements evenly within a predetermined space (e.g.: I set a 5cm space and I have 5 elements, they need to be precisely 1cm from each other), something that the software cannot do on its own (that is, without printing on paper, measuring, then moving the objects, then printing again and so on...).

The ideal solution would be to have a floating ruler on the screen or a superposed grid similar to millimetric paper that would still allow click-through (i.e.: interaction with the program below it).

Is there an app that provides this tool?

Thank you very much

I've used Free Ruler for Mac OS X in the past. I'm amazed that still works just fine. However, it does not allow click-through.


Where does OS X store the list of disabled fonts? I am using Font Book a lot and manage my fonts with it. Now, I want to back up all my settings.

I found my collections in ~/Library/Font Collections

But where does OS X store which fonts are disabled? I want to copy this "list" and move it to my new mac.

I don't have Fonts Disabled folders either, but the list of disabled fonts is stored in ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.FontRegistry.user.plist. If you copy it to another computer, run sudo atsutil databases -remove; atsutil server -shutdown to apply the changes.


Your drive is failing.
The key to this diagnosis is this error message in the panic report:
> Root disk errors: "Could not recover SATA HDD after 5 attempts.
> Terminating."

To fully diagnose this, install macOS to an external drive.  If your MBA starts to function normally, you've narrowed it down to your drive.  (It can be a USB flash disk - it's only for testing purposes).
Luckily (as "lucky" as one can get in this scenario) the drive isn't soldered to the logic board so you do have the opportunity to replace it with another (128GB: PN# 656-0021A or 256GB PN# 661-02396).  It's not too difficult a fix, you just have to remove the back cover and disconnect the SSD.  ifixit.com has a good walk through.
Now, you DO have a backup, right?
If not, the good news is you can buy a sled or cable and attempt data transfer after you put a new drive in. Since reading data often works after writes to a failing drive are not happening. Sooner you power off and start data transfer the better.


On iTunes 11.4 where do you change the default settings for Podcasts? I am using iTunes 11.4.x, and every time I add a new Podcast I have to change the settings.  Where can I change the default settings so any new podcasts I add will have the settings I want?

There's a Default Settings link at the bottom of your list of Podcast subscriptions on the Podcasts page - you might have to scroll down the list to see it.


Automatically deleting files that contain a specific content I would like to make use of the command that looks for a specific phrase in a file:

grep -lr "text to find" *

provided here and delete all of the found files. How can I generate the relevant terminal command?

Assuming you want to delete them without further ado, use

rm $(grep -lr "text to find" *)

The $(..) runs the command within the parenthesis and uses its output as arguments for rm.


How do I get iTunes Radio back? I didn't have connectivity for a bit and the iTunes Radio tab in Music.app disappeared. I have connectivity now but it isn't back. When I try to browse to an iTunes Radio station through iTunes.app I get an error message. Any ideas?

I got it back by doing a combination of killing Music.app and trying to browse to a station from iTunes.app. Either action alone was not enough to get iTunes radio back.


When two devices connect via wifi, is the connection 'direct' or are they going through a wifi network? In the documentation for 'How to move your content to a new Mac', we see:

If both computers are using macOS Sierra or later, just make sure that they're near each other and have Wi-Fi turned on. If either is using OS X El Capitan or earlier, connect them to the same network using Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

I presume it's implicit that if both computers are using macOS Sierra or later, they'll connect directly to each other (without requiring a separate wifi network)? Is this correct?
The reason I ask is because I currently have access to only slow wifi networks, which would pose a problem with the amount of data needing transfer.

It doesn’t matter if you have a router or not, the macs will find each other and transfer. Plug a direct ethernet cable if you have it for fastest speeds, however. Your reading is correct - good work picking apart the nuance of direct connection on Sierra.


Power consumption of a bash command I want to run a bash script on my jailbroken iPhone whenever it is being charged. Currently my script looks like this:

#!/bin/bash

ACpower=$(pmset -g | sed -n '2 p' | grep -o '*')
if [ "$ACpower" != "*" ]; then
    exit 0
fi

rest of script...

As you can see I'm using the pmset package to basically output a list of different variables and then extract the * which indicates if it is being charged or not. If it is not being charged the script stops, otherwise it continues with the rest of it.

Next I was thinking of adding this to a launchdaemon to basically run this script at a given interval.

However, that also gives rise to my question for you guys: If I run this command say every 15 or 30 seconds will that have a noticeable impact on my battery life? Or is there a better way to monitor this variable change than letting the script be ran at an interval?

Actually you don't need to write it at all! Use Activator! You can add an activator event that runs whenever you start charging or stop charging.

Also there is Activator plugin that allows you to run a shell script on an Activator event.

EDIT

I don't have any of my jailbroken devices with me currently, but I can get you the name of the Activator plugin.


Create Google sheets shortcut in homescreen This quora answer instructs on how to create a shortcut to a sheet in mobile  safari

I would like to have an icon on iOS springboard (home screen)  to tap and open a specific spreadsheet document in the google sheets app.

Can this be done natively with automation scripting or with a helper app?

I see that all of my line breaks were removed in the answer. Let's fix that!

Open the document in GoogleDocs app on your iPhone.
Tap the three dots in the top corner
Share & export
Copy link
Leave the GoogleDocs app and open Shortcuts app

Create Shortcut
Add Action
Search for Safari
Open URLs
Tap the little gray field that says URL
Type googledocs://
Tap and paste (the link you copied from GoogleDocs). The result will look something like http://googledocs://https://docs.google.com/document/d/bunch-of-random-characters
Tap where it says “New Shortcut” at the top in big bold letters and name the shortcut

Tap the three dots
You can change the icon (the gray square with the magic wand in it) to what you want and give it a shortcut name.
Tap Add to Home Screen
Add
Done
Done/Next

Voila! You now have an icon on your home screen for the document, which will automatically open in GoogleDocs.


Does apps backup on iCloud consume space? iCloud comes with free 5GB space. If I enable iCloud to backup my iPhone app (10GB+), is the app size counted as part of the 5GB space? Or only the data of apps is counted?

Anything on your iPhone that Apple sells in its stores (that is, any music, apps, movies, books, etc. you've purchased and are still available) will be backed up and won't count towards the 5GB total.

That doesn't include, obviously, app data, your photos and videos, SMS and the like (from iCloud: Backup and restore overview):

  What is backed up

  You get unlimited free storage for:

  Purchased music, movies, TV shows, apps, and books

  (...)

  You get 5 GB of free iCloud storage for:

  Photos and videos in the Camera Roll
  Device settings (for example: Phone Favorites, Wallpaper, and Mail, Contacts, Calendar accounts)
  App data
  Home screen and app organization
  Messages (iMessage, SMS, and MMS)
  Ringtones
  Visual Voicemails

There are some caveats to consider when using iCloud Backup, though:

as already mentioned, purchases no longer available in the iTunes Store, App Store or iBookstore may not be restored
backup of purchased music is not available in all countries
backups of purchased movies and TV shows are U.S. only
music, movies, and TV shows that you did not purchase from the iTunes Store are not included
any podcasts, audio books or photos that you originally synced from your computer are excluded

I warmly recommend that you read Choosing an iOS backup method (Should I use iTunes or iCloud to back up my iOS device?) for more information on iTunes and iCloud backups and which may the right choice for you.

If the size of your backup exceeds the 5 GB free storage limit, an alternative to purchasing additional storage is to restrict which app data will be backed up. You can do that in Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup > Manage Storage.


The item “.VolumeIcon.icns” can’t be replaced because it’s invisible I am trying to install an app in OSX.  But I am getting the below error

  The item “.VolumeIcon.icns” can’t be replaced because it’s invisible.

When I get into the Applications, I'm able to see .VolumeIcon.icns as a hidden item.  I also tried deleting it, however it is again created by the app(by default it is hidden).  Can you guide me how to resolve this error?

I have gotten this error when trying to delete or affect an invisible file before. Temporarily turning the file visible usually, in my experience, changes the error to a dialog that asks if you are sure you would like to change the file.
I figure you have probably already come across this command, but for completeness, here is the explanation:

To make invisible files visible, enter this code in terminal:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE && killall Finder

and to make invisible files invisible again:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE && killall Finder

Note that this does close finder, so make sure you don't have any important folders open. I believe that it opens previously opened windows, but the back button doesn't work in my experience.

What's happening

defaults

This is OSX's command to change defaults, apple's low-level preference system.

write

This tells defaults you want to change a preference, or write it

com.apple.finder

This tells defaults that the application's preferences you want to change is Finder, specified by the application's bundle identifier.

AppleShowAllFiles

This specifies which preference you want to change within the application.

TRUE or FALSE

This is the value you want to set the preference to. In this case, it is a boolean, so the values must be TRUE or FALSE. I think you might be able to use YES or NO, but I'm not sure.

&&

This is a terminal operator to run whatever's after this if the previous command is successful

killall

I don't know much about this, but it kills processes or closes applications

Finder

Specifies which process or application to close.


Two Apple ids and just want one I changed my e-mail from hotmail to gmail during 2013.

I want my Apple id to follow that.

The old email account is still there when I configured my iPhone 5s and tryied to install my icloud and phone settings.

The new phone wants both apple ids. Why?

Question : How do I remove my old Apple-id from my phone?

I'm assuming when you say "both Apple IDs", that you mean an Apple ID using your Gmail account, and an Apple ID using your Hotmail account.

It asked you for passwords to both of those Apple IDs because you have purchases or free items licensed under both IDs.


How to run/manage websites on macOS versions *after* High Sierra? High Sierra (10.13) is deprecated now that Big Sur (macOS 10.16/11) is out.
High Sierra was the last version of macOS which supported websites (technically Apache, I believe) being managed through the Server.app in macOS.
I am now looking for another way to run a 24/7 web server on macOS.
“Why not use MAMP (Pro) or VirtualHostX (Pro)?”
I have tried both MAMP and VirtualHostX (both regular and pro versions) as possible replacements; however, neither app is designed for this. They are designed to be a service for web developers who want to check their web development locally before it is deployed to a remote (usually Linux-based) server.
That is not what I am looking for. I am looking for apps/utilities/tools/whatever to help me configure and run a web server on macOS, ideally compatible with Big Sur.

You could run NGINX and Apache via Homebrew on Big Sur as far as I'm concerned.


Pass keyboard input to cli after exiting vim Some irritating thing when doing git commit - what I'd like to type (really fast :))

git commit -a --amend :wq<CR> git push -f

My problem is that after :wq<CR> I have to wait until vim exits... And as I have a big vimrc - it takes some time... I know, I'm spoiled...

I'm pretty sure there is a flag to git commit that will not open vim at all, but I'd prefer a more generic vim solution that will make vim not eat my input...

git config --global /usr/bin/ex

should configure git to use the non visual version of vi: ex which has
a much shorter time to switch from line to curses interface and back.


Mounting USB stick in single-user mode: unsupported sector size (0) I'm trying to mount a USB stick in single-user mode (thankfully there's nothing wrong with my Mac, I'm just trying some stuff out). These are the commands I've been running:

$ mount -uw /
$ mkdir /Volumes/drive
$ mount -t msdos /dev/disk2 /Volumes/drive
mount_msdos: Unsupported sector size (0)

The USB drives connects to my system properly and is visible in /dev/. I've reformatted the drive as HFS and got the same error message. I've also tried another USB stick formatted in both FAT32 and HFS, to no avail. I assume this must mean that I'm doing something wrong here, but a quick Google search shows that most people succeed using this approach.

I'm running MacOS Sierra 10.12.6 on a mid 2012 MacBook Pro.

How about formatting the usb stick with exFAT format. That works for me where I have to copy/read in both my mac and windows OS's


Run script in automator (without terminal) After trawling through Stack Exchange and other forums for a few hours, I'm still not sure what I'm doing wrong!

cliclick automates mouse movements on macOS. When running the following command in terminal it runs/works as it's intended to.

cliclick w:750 m:2656,1138 w:750 m:2827,1000

However, I would like to create a .app to avoid running/opening the script in terminal.

When pasting my command into the Automator > Run Shell Script and testing the result is:

cliclick: command not found

You probably installed cliclick in /usr/local/bin which is not part of the search path the Run Shell Script action uses. To overcome this just specify the full path within the action

/usr/local/bin/cliclick w:750 m:2656,1138 w:750 m:2827,1000


Binding a keyboard shortcut to shut down I want to bind a gesture in BetterTouchTool to the shut down menu that is invoked by pressing the power button on my MacBook Air.

It's fairly simple to bind gestures to keyboard shortcuts, so what I'm really looking for is a way to bind a keyboard shortcut to the shut down menu. You can't use the power button in BetterTouchTool, so I need to bind it to a standard keyboard shortcut such as Command+Shift+S.

You don't need to map the power button, that menu is already mapped to control+eject

Other useful shutdown/restart/logoff key mappings are below which might be of interest too

Prompt to save work and restart the Mac - Control+Command+Eject

Prompt to save work and shutdown the Mac - Control+Option+Command+Eject

Sleep - Command+Option+Eject

Sleep displays - Shift+Control+Eject

If the computer isn't responding and you need to force it to power off, you can hold down the power button for 6 seconds, you'll lose unsaved work though.

These power shortcuts are listed on the apple support pages


Randomly got the "Get a tour of your new Macbook Air" on a 6 year old Macbook Pro I was playing a game and out of the blue, I got a notification saying "Take a tour of your new Macbook Air." and when clicking it, it took me to the tour page in Safari. The weird thing is that this Mac wasn't factory reset recently, and is a 6-year-old Macbook Pro. On the website, it said that it was a Mac with an M1 Chip. I think it may be because Somebody in my family bought a Macbook Air recently, but it's not an M1 Mac. I'm not looking for a solution, but I'm just wondering if anybody knows why this happened or if this has happened to anybody else..

I've seen this happen before, though not in identical circumstances.
Something has raised a flag, which you need to clear.
Clear it by taking the tour, even if you cancel out of it halfway through.
Flag gone.


How do I check the memory usage from a certain time in macOs? I had a website which was using massive amounts of memory on my MacBook but I was unable to take  a screenshot of the total memory usage from Activity Monitor to file an issue with the website. Is there any way I can see the log of the Activity Monitor from a specific time?

No, Activity Monitor does not store historic information about memory usages anywhere.
The system also do not by standard log such information into log files or databases or anything like that. So the information you seek is gone now, I'm afraid.


Adding external wired NAS to Time Capsule First, I have none of this equipment, so I can't just test it and see ..Yet.
I Know I could hack a Time Capsule into a RaidBox via SATA/eSATA connector, But that's not the route I'd like to go.
If you plug in a NAS to a A1470 TC does acknowledge it's existence ? And Can you store to it?
I want to get a TC A1470. replace the small drive with a larger TB unit. Use that for my Time Machine Backups. Then add a 16TB NAS (wired) to the ethernet on the TC. Like a Drobo 5-Bay DAS Storage.
Mac, Mojave, External NAS, Time Capsule,

If the NAS is connected over Ethernet then you are dependant on the NAS software being able to present a share that supports TimeMachine.
For example, the Synology series of boxes let's you create a share on any volume (Raid or non-Raid) and has an option to allow TimeMachine backups to be made to this share.
I have not seen a NAS that would present a drive / share via USB.  A simple external drive can connect to the AP via usb and be used for TimeMachine this way though.
You have to be careful moving the backups from one drive to another - the format changes from a direct connected USB drive to those connected via AP or NAS and the actual mount point name will change - the NAS share name can be totally different from the AP name it is connected to.
Be aware you cannot encrypt the data drive on the AP so you have to set the TimeMachine backups to be encrypted for security of data.


App can't be deleted having no name, just numbers Using an iPhone 5s on iOS 10.3 (14E5230e) beta.

I recently tried to re-download Spotify after having some issues with low memory. Unfortunately Spotify didn't complete install, so there was only the grey app tile and after trying to delete it it remained as an uncompleted grey tile with just a number as name:

So I tried to delete it, but after confirming that all other data of that app will be deleted the app is still there. Pressing on the app has no effect. Reinstalling Spotify leads to having Spotify as a additional app - full functional.

I already made a soft reset (several times) also tried to delete it via iTunes (there it doesn't show up), via memory management (doesn't show up there neither). Finally I did exclude it from iCloud backup (shows up there - I know, it's funny).

Before I take the step to do a factory reset and recover the phone via backup - does anybody know what I can do else?

First, try resetting your home screen layout

Resetting your iPhone's home screen layout should clear icons from apps that aren't downloaded (the relevant app icon appears to not be downloaded). This only involves moving icons around to suit your desire after the reset, no other data will be lost.

Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Home Screen Layout.

Tip: take pictures of your old layout before resetting to make the process smoother.

If that doesn't work, do a factory reset

Doing a factory reset and restoring your phone from a backup should fix this issue because the reset will clear all of your app icons and start the home screen from scratch.

Here's how to do that:

Back up your iPhone to either iTunes or iCloud (if you choose iTunes, make sure to do a complete backup). How do I backup my iPhone?
Perform a factory reset of the iPhone after the backup completes in Settings > General > Reset. How do I factory reset my iPhone?
During setup, choose to restore your iPhone from another iPhone and choose the backup you just made. How do I restore my iPhone's data from a backup?
Watch as all your data returns (allow a few hours for apps and photos to re-download), almost definitely without the odd app icon in question.

Note: data from apps that specifically request data not be backed up (like Google Authenticator) will be lost.

tl;dr: try resetting home screen layout first, but if that fails you'll need to do a factory reset.

Fun tidbit: You just found out Spotify's SKU, a unique ID for an app in the Apple system that is not seen by users.