Network homes / synchronized mobile homes with OS X and Active Directory I work in a company which manages IT for several customers (mainly for Apple OS X deployments). Some of them have more users than computers, so they need some form of "movable" home directory (so the user's bookmarks, settings and so on stay while he changes computers).

I remember that this worked relatively well in OS X 10.6.X and wasn't so hard to set up. I now tried (in different configurations) to get it working in OS X 10.10.X and OS X 10.11.X but never really got it working in a stable way. Here are the different ways I tried it (for both: OS X 10.10 and 10.11):

Open Directory server on OS X Server and userhome-location on the OS X Server

Issue: The keychain-items do not get synchronized. Other files get synchronized (but the keychain-not-syncing is a showstopper)

Active Directory, userhome-location on the OS X Server or on a synology file server (AFP or SMB) or on the windows server:

same issue as with "pure OD": Keychain does not get synced. Additionally, many other files do not get saved correctly or with incorrect permissions.

general Issue: Some applications do not work well with network homes (for example the mac built-in unzipper)

Because of those problems, I decided to try to get it working with synchronized mobile homes. Here, the user home is copied locally and upon the user logging out, the changes are written to the server. The general observation is:

it is incredibly slow (2 Minutes for 3MB are nothing special, and this on a Gigabit-LAN!)
There are many synchronization errors or wrong file permissions

Here are the combinations I tried for synchronized mobile homes:

OS X Open Directory Server, Storage location on the OS X Server
OS X Open Directory Server, Storage location on the Synology Server (AFP and SMB)
Active Directory Server, Storage location on the Synology Server (AFP and SMB)
Active Directory Server, Storage location on the OS X Server (AFP and
SMB)
Active Directory Server, Storage location on the Active Directoryy Server (SMB)

I ask myself if it is even possible to get it working. I tried 3 times, always with those (or comparable) results. Also I let colleagues check my DNS, NTP and networking settings - no problems there.
I'd be realy happy if someone who's experienced with that topic could answer and even if it's a "no it's not possible anymore".

Regards
Christian

Use SMB and set it back to V1 on a windows file server


Can I upgrade the carrier settings without the original SIM? I have an iPhone 4 that I got from my uncle (it's a little used), but I don't have the original SIM that came with that iPhone, and I want to unlock it, can I ask the old carrier to unlock it with only the IMEI and others information that do not depend on the SIM card? Will it be able to receive a carrier settings update on iTunes?

Yes. Carrier settings are sent when you connect to their respective cellular service. So if you purchased an unlocked iPhone 4 from Apple, and inserted a SIM from AT&T, you would be pushed the latest carrier update. If the next day, you removed the AT&T SIM and inserted one from Bell Mobility, then you would be pushed a carrier update for that respective carrier.

The updates are based on your iOS version number and the wireless network you are connected to (of course you need the respective SIM as well). You won't receive updates should you remove the SIM (or fail to insert one), but then it becomes a moot point because you need the card to connect to a network, making a carrier update rather pointless to begin with.

When the original carrier unlocks the device, it will be able to handle any wireless network. And the new carrier you sign with, will issue you a SIM.

Been having the same problem for 4 months. I backed up and restored and it still didn't worked. I was pretty bummed out..and I really didn't want to go to a repair shop for phones cause they cost a tonnnn! So I just randomly thought that maybe something sticky got inside the button and used a pair of eyebrow tweezers (the pointy ones like this one: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31xBWTSHbiL.jpg)
and I basically just stuck it around the button maybe 3 or 4 times really well and TADA! I DON'T HAVE THE ISSUE ANYMORE!!! I'm so happy I saved money by not getting it repaired :'D


How to update Xcode from 7.2.1 to 7.3.1 using terminal (commandline tools) I just need to know if there's a way to update Xcode from 7.2.1 to 7.3.1 using terminal (command line interface)?

The reason is I updated the Xcode via Mac App Store and once it was installed, the Xcode is still showing the version as Xcode 7.2.1.

I've been searching here as well as over Google and I couldn't find any info regarding this.

Depending upon the version of macOS/OS X that you have installed as well as your boot volume's storage, you might not see the version of Xcode.app in your /Applications folder update immediately after updating from the App Store app.

For a relatively easy way to deal with MAS apps and updates, check out the mas recipe in Homebrew:

https://github.com/mas-cli/mas

  A simple command line interface for the Mac App Store. Designed for scripting and automation.


Ran export TMPDIR=~/tmp/ and it broke my node app, can I revert the tmp folder to the default folder? Hey I ran export TMPDIR=~/tmp/ and it changed my temp folder. I was trying to get a Go backend working and an article suggested it. I was a little trigger happy and now this is causing issues with a once working Node app I have.

The node app is now saying:

  Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, mkdtemp
  '/Users/myName/tmp/puppeteer_dev_chrome_profile-VYUdd3'

Is there a way to revert the temp var back and fix this problem. Where do env vars live on a mac. I also updated my mac from Mojave to Catalina during this process. Not sure if that has something to do with it too.

Any help would be appreciated.

TMPDIR needs to point to an existing, user-writable directory. So setting it to ~/tmp is fine as long as ~/tmp actually exists.

By default it points to /var/folders/_d/_SOMERANDOMLOOKINGSTRING/T/ to ensure that every user has their private temp folder. If for whatever reason you loose the definition you can run find /var/folders/_d -user $(whoami) -type d -maxdepth 1 to check that it still exists, and then do

export TMPDIR="$(find /var/folders/_d -user $(whoami) -type d -maxdepth 1)"

to set it back.

In case it doesn't exist any more (which is unlikely as it is protected by SIP), either reboot to have it recreated or run (all three lines)

export TMPDIR=/tmp
export TMPDIR="$(mktemp -d)"
chmod 700 "${TMPDIR}"

to create and assign a new temp folder.

Found the answer. I ran export TMPDIR=~/ to reset the TMPDIR to the root folder which has a tmp folder. You can check that the tmp folder is in the root by running cd / then ls -a to see the tmp directory you routed it to.

After resetting the temp to the mac's root directory all node applications ran as expected.


How can I view the current price of an app I've previously purchased? I want to view the price of Cut The Rope 2 on the iOS App Store. However, because it's an app I've already purchased, the price listing has been replaced with the "redownload" button.

Is there a way to view the current price of an app I've previously purchased?

The best place I have found for this information is AppShopper.com. They list all of the current apps on both (iOS, Mac) app stores. They track the current price as well as the price history and update history for the app.

There isn't a way unless you either log out of your account on the App Store, ask someone else that doesn't have it installed to look it up for you, or look it up on Google.


Is it safe to erase ~Library/Developer? In the user Library, there is a Developer folder with about 3.2 GB of space (2.8GB from DocSets and the rest mainly from Xcode/iOS DeviceSupport). I had Xcode installed, I presume these are from that? I no longer use Xcode, is there any downside to erasing these folders? If I install Xcode again wouldn't it restore what is needed?

No its not safe to delete everything in:

  ~/Library/Developer

Doing so could cause you to lose backup snapshots, any generated Archives for applications and other customizations set in the XCode IDE.

Specifically within the Developer folder there should be two additional folders.

"Shared" and "Xcode"

Shared contains documentation that you have downloaded using Xcode, depending on how you work and whether you have internet all the time you might not want to trash that, but worst case you can just re download it, so if you need space, and are not concerned about offline documentation, here is where you can grab back some space.

The Xcode folder contain a lot, and potentially some things you might not want to lose.

  Archives

If you use Xcodes Archives organizer feature, deleting this will wipe out any Archives you may have.

  DeveloperPortal 5.0.db

Contains information probably about using iTunes Connect in Xcode, I would guess its disposable, but you may have to reconfigure Xcode to talk to Apple for App Store distribution, etc.

  UserData

This generally contains any changes you made to Xcode color schemes and font themes as well as any changes you may make regarding Key Bindings in Xcode, again this stuff should be pretty small and is probably something you don't want to throw away if you spent any amount of time tweaking those kinds of Xcode settings, you probably just don't want to trash those changes made.

  iOS DeviceSupport

Probably some information relating to iOS devices that you have attached to and tried to use in Xcode, should be safe to delete.

  DerivedData

Stuff in the DerivedData folder is generally pretty safe to delete, it is all the stuff that gets generated every time you press the build button in a project. It includes the generated log and applications executables and libraries for all the products you build in a project.

  Snapshots

If you use Xcodes built in snapshot tools as a means of version control, wiping out your snapshots will wipeout the possibility of reverting to older snapshots.

  iOS Device Logs

Safe to delete, unless you need your logs, you would know if you need to keep them.

  Templates

Your custom project templates, like a UserData you probably just don't want to trash those changes made.

If you have installed 4.3 or later version of XCode, it should be safe to delete.

It's written here :

https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/DeveloperTools/Conceptual/WhatsNewXcode/Articles/xcode_4_3.html


How do I find my IP Address from the command line? I know you can do ifconfig | grep inet, but that shows you several IPv4 addresses. How do I get the specific one for SSHing et al?

Use ipconfig getifaddr en1 for wireless, or ipconfig getifaddr en0 for ethernet.

Update:

ipconfig getifaddr en0 is default for wifi interface.

To find the IP address of the current network interface, run:
ifconfig -l | xargs -n1 ipconfig getifaddr

This is basically equivalent to ipconfig getifaddr en0, but more reliable! en0 is not always the correct interface!
Thank you to @epylinkn in the comments of another answer for this hint. I'm posting it here so it's more visible; I initially missed it myself.


Mail on Yosemite 10.10.5 Can't stop Mail from downloading attachments Simply trying to disable Mail from downloading attachments automatically.

So I went to Mail > Preferences > Accounts > Advanced tab and turned off the "Automatically download all attachments" option. I did this for every email account on my system. I restarted Mail. It still downloads attachments from shady senders, many of which are being caught by Avira. Most of the time I right click and delete the message if it looks like junkmail, sometimes I'm quickly reading emails and forget, allowing the preview to start the attachment download. I suppose I could turn off the preview window, but I'd rather not if possible.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

Fixed this issue finally. I had to go to Preferences > Viewing and unchecked "Load remote content in messages."


How do I post a screenshot from Mac OS X Lion on askdifferent? How do I take a screenshot?  On the other Mac I was using, grab was installed, but paying for screenshots seems excessive.

System Software Overview:

  System Version:   Mac OS X 10.7.5 (11G63)
  Kernel Version:   Darwin 11.4.2
  Boot Volume:  Untitled
  Boot Mode:    Normal
  Computer Name:    a MacBook
  User Name:    thufir (thufir)
  Secure Virtual Memory:    Enabled
  64-bit Kernel and Extensions: No
  Time since boot:  53 minutes

More specifically, how do I post that screenshot here on askdifferent?

I see that you can take a screenshot...but...where is it saved?

To take a screenshot of the full screen hit cmdshift3.
To take a screenshot of a part of the screen hit cmdshift4. You'll get a crosshair, click the mouse button to define the first corner, hold the button, move the cursor and then release it to define the transverse corner. The grey overlay spanning between the two corners will be the screenshot.
To take a screenshot of a special window hit cmdshift4 then the spacebar and choose the window with a symbolic camera.

The default location for saved screenshots taken this way is on the Desktop.

To change the default location enter:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture location /path/;killall SystemUIServer

Example:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Pictures/

Hit the return key to set ~/Pictures as the location. You’ll need to follow it up with a SystemUIServer relaunch too:

killall SystemUIServer

If you want to save them in a new folder create a new folder first with

mkdir ~/Screenshots

To upload it hit the symbol pic (with the red circle in my screenshot) and choose your screenshot:

To your other question, to add a screenshot, screen recording or any video/picture file follow these steps:

Click 'Edit Question' if you have already published your question (if you haven't published your question already, just move to step 2)
There should be a picture of 2 mountains and a dot for a sun (in black and white) in the top of the box where your writing your question.
Email the screenshot or picture/video file you wish to upload to the mac that you are using AskDifferent on
Save the emailed picture/video or screenshot file to your laptop somewhere
Click on this button and it will let you upload a screenshot or picture/video file
Find the screenshot or picture/video file you wish to upload and click 'Open'
Your question will contain a link to your photo - if anybody clicks on this link they will see your screenshot or photo/video file
Hope this helps


Is there any way to add an ePub book to iBooks without iTunes? I purchased a book and have it in ePub and PDF formats. I can easily add the PDF to iBooks from Safari. However, I can't find a method to get an ePub book into iBooks without iTunes. I'm away from my laptop with iTunes where my iPhone syncs, so that's not an option at the moment.

Is there anyway to add an ePub book to iBooks without iTunes?

If you email the epub file to yourself, opening the attachment in iBooks will be an option in iOS Mail.

Use a file manager and copy the epub to the correct folder. It should be there the next time you open the app.


How to recover TextEdit files? I just quit TextEdit and forgot to save my files that I have been working on for 2 weeks. I'm about to cry.

Please tell me how can I recover them?

If you quit TextEdit, then reopening TextEdit will re-open all your documents. If it didn't give you an option to save, then they were stored by Restore in the Saved Application State. When you next open the app, they should have been there as the application state is restored. If this did not occur, then something else went wrong and the application state was either not saved or not restored correctly (e.g. force quit whilst opening will cancel restoration of application state).

If you closed TextEdit, then all the documents will be closed, and clicking Don't Save will delete them and you will not be able to recover them.

If you know the name of your file(s), try using Spotlight (cmd + space) to search for them.


Is there a way to bring this disk to life? I have a USB disk from which the USB interface, inside the case, failed.

I removed the disk from the case and connected it to another case that is working.

Now, when I connect the disk to my Mac I see the message: this disk is unreadable.

Typing on terminal

diskutil list

gives me

/dev/disk12 (external, physical):
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:     FDisk_partition_scheme                        *801.6 GB   disk12
   1:                       0xEE                         375.1 GB   disk12s1

disk utility gives

is there a way to bring this disk to life in anyway or at least read its files before throwing it away?

Try to use ddrescue, which should do a block-to-block copy of your hard drive. Then mount the copy with hdiutil and you might be able to find your files.

Basically:

ddrescue /dev/rdisk12 /path/to/save/the/copy ddrescue.log

Note: you can interrupt the process whenever you want. The progress will be saved to the map file, ddrescue.log.

And then

hdiutil attach -nomount -noverify /path/to/save/the/copy

And you should see a new disk in 'diskutil list'

You can then try to mount the partitions or do data recovery on that image. One tool you can try for data recovery is testdisk.

In Disk Utility there is an option to restore which may restore your drive but may erase it in the process.  If there is nothing you want on the drive, and you're sure there is nothing you want, then you can try erasing and reformatting the drive. You could also try the partition option in Disk Utility to set up partitions and set the format of each.  If you do just reformat the drive, you will lose all the info on the disk.


Where is the "Send all traffic over VPN connection" setting in OSX 10.9 Mavericks? I'm attempting to change the settings of a Cisco IPSec VPN connection which was set up through OSX's built in VPN client in system preferences. The VPN functions as expected, allowing me to access protected servers at my company. I would like to access other websites on the internet through this VPN (youtube, wikipedia, whatever). As far as I can tell, my regular web browsing is not being directed through the VPN.

This apple support page says there is a setting called "Send all traffic over VPN connection" which can be enabled through the Apple menu > System Preferences > Network > Advanced > Options dialogue. However, when I select the VPN from the network interface list and click the "Advanced..." button, there is no "Options" tab or button. I see a dialogue with two tabs, "DNS" and "Proxies". There is no options button or "Send all traffic over VPN connection" anywhere to be found.

So, what gives? Does this have to do with what kind of VPN I am connected to (Cisco IPSec)? Is it related to the VPN's settings? Regardless, how can I route normal browsing through the VPN?

I guess not all VPN connections of the build-in VPN client in Mac have that option.

The PPTP and L2TP do offer the option: Open your network settings:

Select your VPN connection and click on the advanced button.

A new window will pop up with three check-boxes under the heading "Session options".
The last one of these checkboxes is the one you want: "redirect all traffic over VPN".

However, like you said. The advanced button does not pop up with Cisco IPSec.

I found this thread (https://superuser.com/questions/91191/how-to-force-split-tunnel-routing-on-mac-to-a-cisco-vpn) that maybe could be an answer to your problem (if you use it to route the whole ip range):

  Any one know how to hack the routing table (on a mac) to defeat the
  forcing of VPN routing for every thing over a cisco VPN? pretty much
  what I want to do is have only 10.121.* and 10.122.* addresses over
  the VPN and everything else straight to the internet.

The following works for me. Run these after connecting to the cisco vpn. (I'm using OS X's built-in cisco client, not the Cisco branded client.)

sudo route -nv add -net 10 -interface utun0
sudo route change default 192.168.0.1

Replace "10" in the first command with the network that's on the other side of the tunnel.

Replace "192.168.0.1" with your local network's gateway.

I put it into a bash script, like this:

$ cat vpn.sh
#!/bin/bash

if [[ $EUID -ne 0 ]]; then
    echo "Run this as root"
    exit 1
fi

route -nv add -net 10 -interface utun0
route change default 192.168.0.1

I also found an explanation on how to run this automatically when you connect the VPN, but it's late on Friday and I don't feel like trying it :)

https://gist.github.com/675916

Edit:

I have since left the job where I was using the Cisco VPN, so this is from memory.

The "10" in the first command is the network that you want to route over the VPN. "10" is short hand for "10.0.0.0/8". In Tuan Anh Tran's case, it looks like the network is "192.168.5.0/24".

As for which gateway to specify in the second command, it should be your local gateway. When you log into a VPN that prevents split-tunneling, it is enforcing that policy by changing your routing tables so that all packets are routed on the virtual interface. So you want to change your default route back to what it was prior to getting on the VPN.

The easiest way to figure out the gateway is to run netstat -rn before logging into the VPN, and look at the IP address to the right of the "default" destination. For example, here's what it looks like on my box right now:

Internet:
Destination        Gateway            Flags        Refs      Use   Netif Expire
default            10.0.1.1           UGSc           29        0     en1
10.0.1/24          link#5             UCS             3        0     en1
10.0.1.1           0:1e:52:xx:xx:xx   UHLWIi         55   520896     en1    481
10.0.1.51          7c:c5:37:xx:xx:xx   UHLWIi          0     1083     en1    350
10.0.1.52          127.0.0.1          UHS             0        0     lo0

My gateway is 10.0.1.1 -- it is to the right of the "default" destination.

Cisco VPN servers normally send out a list of routes to private networks so you don't end up sending all of your traffic through the VPN server. To overcome this issue, you can try the suggestions here to migrate from CiscoVPN to the native OS X IPSec VPN by decrypting passwords saved in CiscoVPN PCF files or manually set up routing.

Hope it could help.


Change label on USB drive in OSX Terminal I am trying to write a program in Python that will rename a USB drive (from the standard "USB DISK" to my custom "MYDISK").

However, I can't find any way to do this neither in Python nor in OSX Terminal. (I figured, if I can make it work in Terminal, I can simply use os.system("command") in Python).

The USB drive is a FAT32 formatted flash drive on filesystem /dev/disk2s1, and it is by default mounted on /Volumes/USB DISK

What I have tried so far: (from http://techbu.com/2009/06/28/renaming-usb-drive-labels-in-linux)

sudo umount /Volumes/USB\ DISK            ## Works fine
sudo mlabel -i /dev/disk2s1 ::MYDISK      ## Command not found!

It seems that the "mlabel" command is not found in OSX Terminal. Is there an alternative?

See diskutil

sudo diskutil rename USB\ DISK MYDISK

install it and every thing  done :D
https://github.com/rueckstiess/mtools/wiki/mtools-Installation-on-Ubuntu-12.04


Bluetooth keyboard stopped working after upgrading to Yosemite I've upgraded to OS X Yosemite and now my wireless bluetooth keyboard is not connecting anymore.  I have a bluetooth Belkin 10 keyboard.

I seem  to have fixed this now.

I went into Bluetooth prefs and removed the mouse and Keyboard.
I removed to batteries from both.
Rebooted.
Went to System Preferences → Mouse
Put batteries back into mouse, re-paired mouse only
Rebooted.
Went to System Preferences → Keyboard → Connect Bluetooth Keyboard.
Re-paired keyboard.

Dave Meehan's technique worked for me:

Switch off the keyboard by holding down the power button for at least 3 seconds
Click the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar
Click on “Set Up Bluetooth Device” or “Open Bluetooth Preferences”
urn on the keyboard by holding down the power button, but do not let go of the power button. It must be kept held down through the entire process.
The Setup Assistant will find the keyboard, so click the name of the keyboard, and then click on “Continue”. Make sure you are still holding the power button down.
You will be prompted for the Pairing Code. You can now release the power button, type the pairing code on the keyboard and then press return. There will be a slight delay whilst the pairing completes (a few seconds)
The keyboard will now be Paired.

So just to clarify, the trick is to continually hold down the power button.


Where is the system wide PATH shell variable set in OS X? I'd like to set the PATH shell variable for all users, but could not find where it is defined.

Having no export PATH in my .bash_profile, I have this:

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

Where is this the PATH shell variable defined?

On a shell level, the PATH variable is set in /etc/profile by calling /usr/libexec/path_helper. To add your own paths, you can add files with a path in it to /etc/paths.d/:

pse@Fourecks:~$ ll /etc/paths.d
total 8
-rw-r--r--  1 root  wheel  13 Jul 22 07:02 50-X11
-rw-r--r--  1 root  wheel  12 Aug 13 14:12 TeX
pse@Fourecks:~$ cat /etc/paths.d/TeX
/Library/TeX/texbin

That's the safer way than editing /etc/profile, /etc/paths or any other system-provided file which may get overwritten with the next OSX upgrade.

Well, if you really wanted to OVERWRITE the path, you could just set the new one in /etc/launchd.conf.  There is a similar question here.


iPhone 5 non-responsive when ringing I have an iPhone 5 with iOS 6.1.4. No third-party software like apps are installed --- the device is all but fresh from the factory.

The device gets non-responsive sometimes when I get an incoming call (about one call in 20) -- the phone keeps ringing but it's impossible to answer it because the touch screen won't respond. After clicking the lock button (on top of the device) a few times, the call is lost and the device gets back to normal, which makes me think this is an iOS bug and not a hardware problem.

Is there any workaround for this problem?

Edit: After using the phone more, I've noticed that the UI may suffer hiccups in many more situations (for instance when texting somebody a message); the phone freezes and becomes unresponsive for a few seconds. This behavior is obviously most annoying when you can't answer incoming calls.

I couldn't ring out or accept incoming calls on new Iphone 5 as it had become unresponsive, there are very few apps installed on phone as it is new. Turned power off and back on and phone works again. Hope problem is not recurring.

Restarting and resetting the phone seems to have solved the problems. It now works like a charm. It remains to be seen if the problems will resurface; I guess another reset will be neccessary then.

I have no apps installed, so this seems like an iOS 6 issue.


Siri stopped working Since iOS 8.1 Siri stopped working for me. The sound and wave animation appear, but it seems the microphone does not register my speech, or it is not processed by Siri.

I have read various "solutions" and tried to troubleshoot it, but I am running out of ideas.

I have tried, turning Siri on and off again :), restarting the phone and resetting different settings (including the network settings). Nothing seems to work.

Any ideas, how can I resolve this?

I have iPhone 5s and iOS 8.3 and my siri stopped working after replacing broken glass. My current workaround is to use the headphone microphone.

I think iPhone when using SIRI does some sophisticated background noise reduction. For that it uses additional microphones I think for iPhone 5s and up there are three all together.

Try to use the iPhone supplied Headset microphone I am certain this will work for you. This is my current workaround and it works all the time..

Reset all settings and then do a hard reboot by holding home and power buttons. This fixed it for me


How to add apps or files to the Finder toolbar in 10.9 Mavericks? In previous versions of OS X, I could drag an application or any file onto the Finder toolbar, creating a persistent shortcut that works in all Finder windows.  It's no longer working in Mavericks.

cmd + drag does the job! This got me trying for a while.

I was looking for the same thing. The closest solution I could find was to add the app to the sidebar. Select your app and hit Cmd+Ctrl+T.


Is there a way to install and use PowerPC applications on Intel Macs? Is there any way to install and use PowerPC applications on Intel based macs? I have older Adobe software that I would like to use, and cannot use on my new iMac.

There was an emulation layer called Rosetta to allow Intel Macs to run PowerPC applications that Apple provided from Mac OS X 10.4 to 10.6. Sadly, they removed it in 10.7 Lion and it no longer works. Given that you said your iMac is brand new, it presumably came with Lion preinstalled, and is unable to run anything older. So, unfortunately, the answer is no.

Your options are to upgrade your Adobe software to an Intel version, trade in your new Mac for a slightly older used Mac (from early 2011 or earlier) and put Snow Leopard on it, or continue to use your old hardware for your Adobe software.

I was experiencing the same problem and was shocked that I can't use PPC on the Mac I bought.

So, after reading all of the sheepshaver and Snow Leopard forums, I finally came across "winebottlercombo.bmg". Look it up, download it and set it up. You might have to download xquartz.dmg as well, I had to.

When you download and set up these two programs, they allow you to use a .exe (Windows execution file) and from there you can use what is known to the Mac as an "unsupported" ppc file as a .exe Windows file through "Winebottler". Totally bypasses the "unsupported PPC" on Mac OS X Lion.

So just copy the image of the CD that you want using a
Windows pc, make sure that you are copying the .exe file and open/set it up with the wine file on your Mac and it will work like a charm, without having to go through all of the set up procedures.

After it is set up, whatever .exe and .lnk file you want to use, always "Open With--> wine.app"

Note: you may have to look for the .lnk file via search in Finder. That is the file I needed to find to use the program I set up.

So sorry if this is not so clear, I am also new to the Mac world and don't know all of the Mac lingo yet.


Issues with Google + Auto Backup, how do I troubleshoot? I'm trying to set up a Mac to auto sync pictures and videos already available on the Mac with Google+, mostly because they allow an unlimited amount of photos and videos to be uploaded as long as they are downsized to X amount of pixels, which is fine by me (edit: I'll also accept suggestions on other services to use as a resolution to this problem, as long as they also allow unlimited storage for videos and images).

So I have installed the software, it seemingly works fine as pictures and videos are indeed showing up in Google+, but two things are worrying me.

When I click the icon in the task bar, it tells me that there is a total of 3000 or so items to backup. However, it consistently stops at random numbers. This time, it has stopped at around 1400/3000. It stops at different times, which brings me to:
Every time I restart the application, for example by restarting or logging out, the counter "resets". It starts counting from 0 up to 3000, slowly, which indicates to me that it doesn't understand that a lot of these things are already uploaded. It then freezes at some other random number.

I have tried running the app both via Wi-Fi and via Ethernet (with Wi-Fi shut off, to be sure), but this doesn't seem to affect the end result at all.

So where do I go from here? Googling for troubleshooting steps have proven useless, are there any logs I can look at or any verbose way (command line?) of running this application to try and figure out what is going on?

Thank you in advance!

Update: Taking a hint from this post I have tried disabling the resizing functionality, I will report back if this allows the backup to proceed beyond X of 3000.

I Have the same problem (MAC Yosemite 10.10.1). It seems to occur when the computer goes into sleep mode. The auto bu process doesn't pick up again automatically. The application will not shut down either. Only way is to log out and back in again and start auto backup. Leave the computer on and avoid sleep for the process to finish.
Waiting for the application to be fixed.

As the answer linked in my question hinted, this seems to be an issue where Google Auto Backup encounters a file too large to process. You can bypass the problem by electing to upload files in their original size (presumably you can turn this setting back to resizing as before when you've passed the bump that is the too-large-file).


Can I display GMT on my iPad's world clock? I have an iPad running iOS 8.1. Can I include a world clock pane with GMT? I see London as an option, but it appears that it adjusts for DST.

Select UTC instead of a city. (Strictly GMT no longer exists.)

Alter GMT to Zulu Time. Zulu time is just an Americanism to avoid the of GMT. It also easier under fire to state 0140 zulu than 0140 GHT


How can I tell if my iOS device is currently jailbroken? How can I find out if my iOS device has been jailbroken (with a drive-by exploit for example)?

Is there an app for that?

Basically, if you can execute arbitrary code or write to arbitrary disk locations, you're jailbroken.

iOS security researcher Stefan Esser (also knows as i0n1c) has developed an application called System and Security Info to determine if an iOS device is currently jailbroken by testing for the abilities that you gain from jailbreaking.

Update: Apple has taken down System and Security Info.

Well if you are on iOS 6 then it is not possible, you would also have a Cydia application on your screen, like this:


Besides iCloud or a sync cable, how can i back up my files? I've got an iPhone 5 running iOS8. It can't use a sync cable, because it came broken when I bought it used in January 2015 (no returns accepted, and no resale value if it's broken, so I just kept it, but barely use it, would prefer to stop using it altogether, and only haven't yet because there are files still stuck on it).

I just spent like two hours trying to upload my photos to Google Drive and Onedrive, and I only just figured out how, because the apps I was using seem to be designed to give the user a hard time with uploading (Drive app doesn't seem to have an Upload option, Photos forces me to select files one by one instead of hitting Select All, Photos forces me to only upload ten files to Drive at a time, drive.google.com doesn't work on my iPhone when I try it, etc).

I've figured out how to back up photos (using the Onedrive app works well enough), but I still don't know how to back up my files from the Notes app, the videos from an app called Download,and the audio files from Smart Recorder and Voice Memos. These apps don't have a "share" option built in, and I don't have or know of any app that can access those apps' files (I tried Onedrive, and it only lets me to choose files from Photos).

Is there any way I haven't thought of to transfer these files to another device? I'd prefer not to resort to copying my Notes into emails, recording the playback of my audio files with another device and filming the screen of my iPhone as it plays my video files, because doing all those things would take forever.

If you plan on getting another iPhone

iCloud backs up everything on your iPhone—every game's data, every app's data, your health data, your messages, your phone logs, your settings, your Homekit data, your photos and videos, everything. If you get a new iPhone, when setting it up, you can choose to set it up from a backup, and that new phone will have all of the data your current phone has. The sync is as complete as backing it up to a Mac. Also—try the Google Photos (not Google Drive) app for awesome photo backups.

If you need any help backing your phone up with iCloud or iTunes, check out Apple's support article.

Note: you can very easily get a new sync cable for your iPhone from Amazon. Here's a reliable one, and it's just $6.

If you plan on switching to Android or you're not sure what your next phone will be

Save your photos with Google Photos: download the app for iOS and it's really easy to back up all of your photos, and since Google Photos comes preinstalled on many Android phones (and is available from the Play Store on all others), your photos will be right there waiting for you.

Save contacts by going to iCloud.com and exporting them all as a VCard, then importing this into your Gmail contacts; see a guide here: https://support.apple.com/kb/PH3606?locale=en_US.

Notes synced to your Gmail account are just waiting out there in your google account, but notes synced to your iCloud account must be manually exported with Copy and Paste. Here's Apple's official guide on exporting your iCloud notes:

  To copy notes, open the Notes app at iCloud.com. Copy the text of each
  note and paste it into a document on your computer, such as a Pages or
  TextEdit document. Save the document to your computer. To export your
  notes as PDF, open the Notes app in OS X Mountain Lion or later.
  Select the note, then click File > Export as PDF and choose a
  location.

Emails are self-explanatory, just hook up the Gmail app on your next phone.

Calendars are pretty self-explanatory too, they should all be tied to accounts in the cloud you can sign in to on an Android phone.

Your phone number is hooked up to your Sim card, but be sure to deactivate iMessage if you switch to Android or you won't get some text messages! Here's a guide on that: http://www.imore.com/how-to-disable-deactivate-imessage-iphone-ipad

Anything else on your phone can likely be exported in its own way, and more than you may realize is tied to the cloud.

Use a NAS as your backup solution.
Please see the link https://www.synology.com/en-global/solution/Apple
I have got DS216 as home&office backup solution, it works very well for backing up windows laptop, MAC books and iPhone(s). Can also setup a quickConnect, which allows you to access your files in the cloud as long as your NAS is running.


Resetting an iPhone with 'No Service' error A couple of days ago my iPhone 7 started to show 'No Service' error in the upper left corner of the screen. Tried several ways to fix this but nothing helps. While trying to reset it I got the error message:

title: iPhone Requires Service

body: You will not be able to set up this iPhone after erasing. A cellular update is required before it can be activated again.

What does this mean? Is it safe to proceed?

Don't reset.
If you do, then you won't be able to activate your new iPhone.
Some iPhone7 devices has this "No Service" problem. This is because it can't read your SIM. If you erase this iPhone, it will try to activate but since it can't read SIM you will loose your device.


How to get Mavericks 10.9.1 to remember external keyboard modifier keys When I upgraded to Mavericks I discovered that my external keyboard modifier keys (for multiple wireless keyboards) were no longer mapped as they had been before. I was able to fix this by going in to System Preferences > Keyboards > Modifier Keys

However, every time I disconnect and reconnect the keyboard(s) I need to go back in and manually change the settings which always revert to the internal Apple Keyboard settings. Is there any way to save my preferences so that I won't need to do this every time?

It sounds like the settings aren't getting saved properly. Try running Disk Utility and Fix Permissions on your startup volume. I usually run this a couple of times and reboot when I'm done when I start having problems like this.

If that fails check the system logs in Console.app while making these changes to see if  System Preferences.app is writing any error messages when changing this setting or quitting.

I remap the caps lock key to control and I've never had this problem when switching keyboards, which is something I do every day.

Good Luck.

Checkout KeyRemap4Macbook
Lots and lots of settings and options to play with.
In the General section you can find "Don't modify internal keyboard", so you can modify the external only.


How can I delete a photo off my camera roll, but keep it in my album? I'm hitting the hide button, but it's still showing up in my camera roll. I want to delete some photos from my camera roll, but keep them in my album.

My workflow for this - not using iCloud - is:

import the photos into an app (I use Lightroom)
label photos I want to end up on my iPhone with "for-iphone"
export photos labelled "for-iphone" to a folder of your choice (I use "Pictures/for-iphone")
in iTunes turn on "Sync Photos" for your iPhone [note: find "Sync Photos" by plugging in your iPhone, opening iTunes, clicking on the little phone icon to the right of the "Music" dropdown, then clicking Photos in the list below]
at "Copy photos from:" pick "Choose folder..." and navigate to the "Pictures/for-iphone" folder or your equivalent
Hit Done

Your photos will be uploaded to your phone independent of the Camera Roll.

Each time you sync any newly-added photos in the for-iphone folder will be added to your phone.

You could upgrade your iPhone to iOS 8 (which you should do anyway for security reasons). It doesn't have a Camera Roll, so your photo definitely won't be in it.


IOS 7 for non developers Can people without an Apple developers account try the beta versions of iOS 7?

Anyone can run the beta, provided they're a member of Apple's iOS developer program, which costs $99/year to join.

Yes, it is possible - but I will not go into how.

$99 a year is not that expensive, so it is foolish to "cheat"


How do I remove the previous App Store user from my computer? Someone else at the office was attempting to help me setup the laptop before I started, so now my MBP has their credentials for some apps. I can uninstall and reinstall the app, if that's all it takes, but how do I remove this user from the system so it quites prompting me?

The App Store app uses spotlight to find all the apps on your Mac that were downloaded from the store. You need to run a search and delete all those apps from the Mac (your personal data and settings do not get deleted) and re-download the app. Remember, you could have more than one copy of an app, so keep checking until they all are deleted.
Step one of course, it to sign out from the other account if you haven't done that yet. When the App Store App is running, choose the Store -> Sign Out menu item.
The details on how the App Store app actually knows if an app was downloaded is buried inside the application bundle as descrtibed on this quesiton about avoiding updates to apps entirely.

How can I opt out of updates for one app when using the App Store?

Try to change account into System Settings -> iCloud.

(duplicate of Being asked to log into a different account on Mac App Store?)


Safari keeps refreshing itself Safari is keep refreshing itself multiple times a day which is quite annoying.
It prompts a message to me: "Force Reload" and then it reloads every tab in every window. This is unacceptable.

Any idea what is going wrong?

(Safari 5.1.3 / OS X Lion 10.7.3)

Safari on Lion exhibits similar behaviour to on IOS, in that it can decide to arbitrarily drop a loaded page in order to save memory, regardless of the fact that you likely have many many more times more Ram than on your iPhone...

When you switch back to a tab that has been dropped, it will then proceed to redownload it to get it back to how it was.  This is irritating, pointless, and potentially disruptive depending on exactly how the page was formed.

Sadly, before you ask your next question, no, there's no way to stop this:

Use a different browser. Apollo seems to work.


Moving multiple subfolder files to parent folder on Mojave? I'm trying to move the files of multiple (100+) subfolders to the parent folder, but I don't want to do it manually for each. Is there something I could do to automate that?
I've tried solutions for older OS's and they don't seem to work, and I don't fully understand https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8385501
Thank you!

In Terminal run
cd PARENTFOLDER
mkdir -p $TMPDIR/move
mv */* $TMPDIR/move/
rmdir *
mv $TMPDIR/move/* .
rmdir $TMPDIR/move

Please note

This will lead to data loss if files in different subfolders have the same name.
rmdir * will fail if the subfolders aren't empty after the move (e.g. if they contain files/directories starting with a .)
It works by first moving the files within the subfolders to a temporary location, then removing the subfolders themselves and then moving the files from them temporary location back to the parent. The moves are fast if they are on the same drive, they are very slow (and may fail due to lack of disk space) if the parent folder is on an external drive

For the extended version you've asked in the comments

Is there an easy way to batch apply this for an entire folder? For example: Year (parent folder) > Month > Day 1, 2, etc. Where I can apply your function to every folder in Year, with the contents of Day 1 & 2 going into Month, but the content of Month don't go into Year?

_tmp=$(mktemp -d)
cd YEAR
for month in *; do
    [[ -d "$month" ]] || continue

    echo mv -- "$month"/*/* "$_tmp"/
    echo rmdir -- "$month"/*
    echo mv "$_tmp"/* "$month"/
done
rmdir "$_tmp"

Remove the echos if the output of the dry run looks ok.

I'm trying to move the files of multiple (100+) subfolders to the parent folder, but I don't want to do it manually for each. Is there something I could do to automate that?

Here is one way to handle it...

Open Terminal.

Change directory to the parent directory containing the sub directories, e.g.:
 cd /path/to/parent

Use the following command to move all files in the sub directories to the parent directory, the one the cd command was set to in the previous step:
 find . -type f -name '*' -exec mv -n '{}' . \;

Note that this command just moves files, not folders or application bundles, and does not overwrite files of the same name already in the parent directory.

To remove the empty sub directories, use the following command:
 find . -type d -name '*' -exec rm -d '{}' \;

Note that any sub directories not deleted contains files of the same name already in the parent directory, or an application bundle if any exist. You can decide how to handle it after you see what's left. If just a few files didn't get moved maybe just do the few files manually.

NOTE: Always insure you have proper backups before running commands in Terminal and the commands as typed will produce the wanted behavior!


Can I update my iPad to 9.3.1? Can I update my iPad if it hasn't been done for a couple of years to 9.3.1? I haven't updated in a long time and it's currently at 7.1.2.

It's not the same as your but I have tried mine just few days back... it's iOS 8 and iPad3.  It was okay but had to be connected to iTunes (USB).

Over the air had problems.
Using non-original cables will also cause issues (my previous experiences).

Just make sure you make a backup as there is a big chance it will fail and you have no choice but to restore from backup which will first update your iPad to the latest OS then re-download the software and data.

Yes, you can, depending upon your iPad model. You can check the iPad compatibility list here.


New iTunes gives error: iTunes cannot verify the identity of the server "safebrowsing.clients.google.com" I can browse to https://safebrowsing.clients.google.com/ but it just redirects me to Google's home page.

iTunes 12.5.5.5, Windows 8.1

I saw this same error on multiple occasions in iTunes 12.5.5.5 on Windows 10 when I tried to sync my iPhone.

I just upgraded to iTunes 12.6, and I no longer see that error.

This is an issue with iTunes 12.5.5 that needs fixing by Apple.


Move iTunes folder outside Music folder iTunes by default stores its settings, the iTunes Library.itl file, and the music library audio tracks, inside the \Users\username\Music\iTunes folder.

I don't want my Music folder polluted with program settings, especially because I'm synchronizing that folder on the cloud.
Via the settings panel I can only change the path of the audio tracks, but the settings remain in the default position.

Is there a way to completely move the iTunes folder to another path?

PS: I've looked at the answers to What is the safest way to move the iTunes Library from one hard drive to another?, but the focus there is on moving the media library only, not the whole iTunes directory.

Yes. Quit iTunes. Move the iTunes folder to the desired location. Then, make a symbolic link to the moved iTunes folder, drag that symbolic link to the Music folder, rename the link to be exactly "iTunes" and you are done.

An alias won't work. It has to be a Symbolic Link.

I made my symbolic link using an Automator Service. Automator is not set up to make Symbolic Links out of the box, so you have to get something third-party to enable it. Here is a link to a good article on how to get the piece you need and also how to make and use the Automator Service. Here is the link:

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/automator-create-symbolic-links-dropbox-mac/

There are other ways to make a Symbolic Link but you only need one, so here you go.

You don't have to change anything at all in iTunes. That's the beauty of this method. The symbolic link satisfies iTunes' need to have an iTunes folder in the Music folder, while pointing to the real iTunes folder somewhere else. Just be sure you name your Symbolic Link "iTunes" after you move it (don't try to rename it before you move it-- you will be trying to name it the same thing as the real iTunes folder).

You can always throw away the Symbolic Link and put the iTunes folder back in the Music folder if you'd like, so you really have nothing to lose. Try it!


Update from ios 6 to ios 8 I have an iPad 4.  Still have ios 6.  Want apps I can't purchase since they require ios 7.  How much space am I losing to upgrade to current ios 8 version?

You can see below the free space available with iOS 8 for each kind of devices :

Edit :

Table from http://www.techrepublic.com/article/lawsuit-against-apple-for-ios-storage-misrepresentation-get-the-facts/

iOS 8 = 1.1GB
iOS 8 Installer Package = 4.6GB
iOS 8 Install Package also = ouch!

iOS 8 requires 4.6GB when you do it over the air [not connected to your computer], it's greatly reduced when you do it from your computer. There are tutorials out there that can guide you through the process to limit the iOS 8 catastrophe you might have heard about. People had to delete apps, photos, music etc just to download the new iOS because it required 4.6GB of free space to download even though iOS8 isn't actually 4.6GB or even close to it.

So the question is relative, your not really losing space, although you kind of are losing space. You have to have a certain amount just to download to the device, but the ostracized disk space not taken up after the install can once again be used to hold your apps, music etc that you deleted prior to the download. The decompressed version of the update will be deleted once the process is complete.

My recommendation : Forego all of this plug it up to your computer download/install from iTunes.


How do I un-trust a computer that I have connected my iOS device to? When I'm at work, I connect my iPhone to my computer over USB to keep it charged during the day.

When I do so, the phone appears in iTunes. I don't remember my phone prompting me if I wanted to trust my work computer (or I don't remember choosing Yes), but I'd rather not have this connection. All I need is the precious, precious voltage.

Is there any way to remove or un-trust a particular computer?

(My specifics: iPhone 5, iOS 7.0.2, Windows 7, iTunes 11.1)

Here is how to do this on a Mac: Go to /var/db/lockdown in Terminal, as Apple instructs in http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5335 . You can remove everything in this folder, which will remove trust from every device -- you can then re-trust those devices you still want to trust. Or you can remove trust for the specific device; this is a little trickier:

First, find out the "Wi-Fi Address" of your device. For an iPhone/iPad, go to Settings->General->About, and scroll down. You'll see a set of numbers and letters that look like "D0:23:DB:6C:B9:13". You'll need this.

Now, on your Mac, fire up Terminal and type:

cd /var/db/lockdown

(Don't forget to press return.) Take that Wi-Fi Address you just found and very carefully search for it like this:

grep -i D0:23:DB:6C:B9:13 *

Instead of my example, use your Wi-Fi Address. You'll see something like this:

39c1082da11b4920c2298dca702ca3795efbf0cc.plist: <string>d0:23:db:6c:b9:13</string>

The long string of numbers and letters ending in .plist (not including the colon) is the file you need to remove! (If you don't see anything, check very carefully that you typed the Wi-Fi Address correctly. If you still don't see anything, then your device likely wasn't trusted in the first place. Be very careful to use zero and not the letter O when you type this string!)

How to remove the file? Well, type:

sudo rm xx...xx.plist

where "xx...xx.plist" is the file that you want to remove ("39c1082da11b4920c2298dca702ca3795efbf0cc.plist" in the example). You can use copy and paste for the file name, or type the first few letters of the name and hit tab. You'll have to type your password (and you need to be set up as an administrator on your Mac), but this will nuke the file and untrust the device with that Wi-Fi address.

(My appologies to the CLI-adept at this long explanation, but even highly adept Mac users don't necessarily grok the Unix command line. And, yeah, I know what a MAC address is, but imagine the confusion!)

if you open itunes on the computer that you wish not to trust... there is a bar that has File, Edit, Veiw, Controls, Store, Help

click on "Store"
Scroll down and click on "Deauthorize Computer"


Install X11 version of Firefox on OSX 10.8.2 I'm trying to install a x11-enabled version of Firefox on my OSX 10.8.2, so it can integrate nicely with xmonad.

My problem: Firefox in macports is extremely old (7.x) and building 17.x from source fails with some cryptic error:

/Users/wherr/Downloads/mozilla-release/_virtualenv/bin/python ../../config/pythonpath.py -I../../config ../../config/expandlibs_gen.py --depend .deps/libi18n.a.desc.pp -o libi18n.a.desc nsI18nModule.o  ../lwbrk/src/liblwbrk_s.a ../unicharutil/src/libucharucomp_s.a ../strres/src/libstrres_s.a ../locale/src/libnslocale_s.a ../locale/src/mac/libplatlocale_s.a ../hyphenation/src//libhyphenation_s.a
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "../../config/pythonpath.py", line 56, in <module>
    main(sys.argv[1:])
  File "../../config/pythonpath.py", line 48, in main
    execfile(script, frozenglobals)
  File "../../config/expandlibs_gen.py", line 43, in <module>
    print >>outfile, generate(args)
  File "../../config/expandlibs_gen.py", line 27, in generate
    raise Exception("File not found: %s" % arg)
Exception: File not found: ../locale/src/mac/libplatlocale_s.a

Any idea what can I try now to get firefox working with x11?

I'm using the same configure switches as firefox-x11 from macports, namely:

./configure --enable-default-toolkit=cairo-gtk2  \
--with-xulrunner-stub-name=xulrunner-stub --disable-static \
--enable-shared --disable-official-branding --with-branding=browser/branding/unofficial \
--with-distribution-id=org.macports --enable-default-toolkit=cairo-gtk2 \
--enable-libxul --disable-system-lcms --disable-system-cairo \
--disable-system-sqlite --enable-oji --enable-plugins \
--enable-mathml --enable-extensions="default,spellcheck" \
--enable-permissions --enable-cookie \
--enable-image-decoders=all --enable-image-encoder=all --enable-canvas --enable-jsd \
--disable-xpctools --enable-crypto --enable-pango --enable-svg \
--enable-svg-renderer=cairo --enable-xinerama --with-pthreads \
--disable-gnomevfs --disable-gnomeui --enable-postscript --enable-safe-browsing \
--disable-crashreporter --enable-optimize='-O2' \
--disable-prebinding --enable-strip --enable-install-strip \
--disable-debug --disable-installer --disable-updater --disable-pedantic \
--disable-tests --disable-mochitest --disable-necko-wifi --enable-llvm-hacks

The complete config.log is available here: http://knping.org/~herself/config.log. After the configure I proceed with typing gmake.

It doesn't matter.  X11 is no longer available, it was completely removed from the Mac OS after Snow Leopard.

Best bet is to run an older version under a virtual machine.


Automatically close Chrome tabs (for certain websites) On our family mac, each child has a separate account, which is very nice.

The kids use Chrome for their browser, because the parental controls work so well (much better than the OS X built-in ones!), but the parental control mode doesn't allow extensions, and some of the websites they leave open (ChoreMonster, Mathletics) really peg the CPU.  If these sites are left open (on the kids' users) then when my wife or I try to log in to our user, our brand new mac is unbearably slow.

Is there an OS X-based way to shut down tabs for certain sites whenever it switches away from that user, or when the browser is idle for a long time?  A way that doesn't require a Chrome extension?

Automator, perhaps?

There's a Macworld article that may help you do what you want, although it focuses on logging out idle users in a fast-switching environment rather than closing applications. That said, if you have a launch agent monitoring the idle state of the user, it should be possible to have it trigger an AppleScript that brings Safari into focus and tells it to exit.

It might be easier to just have their accounts logged out when they're idle.

As far as eating up energy and memory, I feel the painfully slow Mac problems. I think I have a pretty good solution for you, I hope :) After putting in real work and time with 4 different browsers over the course of about 6 days, noting my device's performance under normal working conditions, and being flexible with workflows in each browser, I came back to Chrome.
I continued searching high and low for an answer to my dilemma with no luck because my 2017 Macbook Pro was... about to be tossed out my fifth story apartment. I ultimately came up with my own little solution, implementing two wonderful plugins. They also added some benefits that I didn't even know I needed, which is something that'll help you automatically saving your windows' state of tabs, while also along you to save collections of tabs manually.
I don't know how I've survived this long...
"Chrome Tab Hoarder" and "Memory Efficiency" Achievements Unlocked!
Confession - I knew my memory issues were caused by the fact that I had 15 browser tabs open. I can have triple that open now, no problem.
Get the Toby Chrome extension to automatically save any and all browsing window states whether your computer stroked out or you quit Chrome on purpose. It's even better than what I was originally searching for because you can save (and edit at any point) Collections of tabs. This is by far my most used and favorite thing that I've discovered in 2020 (along with my web design software, Figma, and upgraded web development workflow).
The perfect companion extension for Toby is called The Great Suspender. It will cause you to yell at the sky screaming profanities a lot less because your computer will run SO much better. Suspended tabs use significantly less energy and memory. If you have tabs open and don't use them within 30 minutes, it'll stay there in your tabs, but be suspended and not use resources. When you click on the tab, it reloads. It won't suspend any tabs that have input fields with information in them or ones that actively play videos or sounds. You have options to not suspend any tabs from a particular domain, particular URLs (I don't suspend Gmail, ClickUp, and some others), customize the amount of time before suspending a tab, etc
I hope this helps some people! It may sound like a lot but give it an honest couple of days and see what you think, especially those of us who are tab hoarders .
I literally have 46 tabs open right now between two different windows - oops  My 3-year-old MacBook Pro has that plus Photoshop and 6 other open apps. My embarrassing number of tabs (let's not talk about it) wasn't even a possibility before, neither was saving them.


QuickLook and plist files I have the latest Xcode installed, but I can't "quicklook" plist files (I mean they appear as an xml file instead of a table). Is this normal?

Afaik yes. This is normal.
You can drag n drop the plist onto Xcode and it should open it in a tree form

Plist files and .properties-files can't normally be QuickLook'ed. You could try to QLStephen, which let's you QuickLook any files without an extension, and with extensions such as .plist and .properties (according to this answer) in plain text.


Keyboard backlit light control from command line Is there any command to control the intensity of keyboard light of a MacBook Pro?

I haven't found a great solution yet. Here is some information that can help:

Apparently there is a solution for Ubuntu on MacBooks.
Lab Tick runs on OS X but unfortunately not command-line (nor open source).
brightness is free software to control the display brightness.

This turns off automatic backlight in low light:

defaults write com.apple.BezelServices kDim -bool false

This turns off keyboard illumination when computer is not used for 1 second:

defaults write com.apple.BezelServices kDimTime -int 1

But ideally I would just turn off the illumination under all circumstances. And I haven't found a CLI solution for that - yet.

Have you tried the f5 key?  That changes my keyboard light.


How to set PATH for Finder-launched applications Apps launched via Finder seem to not respect the PATH as set in .bash_profile.  So when I try to run code from an IDE (Intellij) I no longer have access to programs in /usr/local/bin, which is normally added to my path in the Terminal.

Apparently .MacOSX/environment.plist used to be the way to do this, but it no longer works in Lion.

How can I set the PATH for Finder-launched applications?

If you are on 10.7 and not 10.8, the solution below works well:

I had the same problem with eclipse, but now I've added e.g. the following to my .bash_profile and then it worked.

export PATH=some_path:another_path
launchctl setenv PATH $PATH

In case you want to leave the original path intact use

p=$(launchctl getenv PATH)
launchctl setenv PATH /my/new/path:$p

instead (or just launchctl setenv PATH /my/new/path:$(launchctl getenv PATH)).

Note: Changing the launchctl PATH will not take effect until the Dock is "restarted".  A new Dock process will automatically start after the current one is killed with the command:

killall Dock

On Mac OS X 10.8.4, Mountain Lion, the path environment incorporates the paths listed in this file:

/etc/paths

You can edit this file using a command line tool, such as vim using the following command:

sudo vim /etc/paths


How To Trick WeChat Into to Thinking My iPhone Is An iPad? so I use a chatting app called WeChat and I have two phones. It only allows me to sign in on one phone at a time. But I can sign in on an iPad and a phone at the same time. It's an universal app, which means there is no iPad specific ipa. I like to know how I can put WeChat into a sandbox and makes it think my iPhone is an iPad. Thanks.

The WeChat app can ask iOS whether it is running on an iPad or iPhone. It is not something you can set in Settings, or "fake" through the Messages settings as indicated elsewhere.

The only way to overcome this is with a jailbroken iPhone, where you can intercept the relevant method calls. In practice it is not possible to do so for an "ordinary user" without strong technical skills.

Try contacting WeChat support to see if they have a work-around, or they might consider lifting the restriction in coming versions.

Since I am not allowed to "comment" I will respond here. Look at your iPhone and iPad Settings for Messages/Send a Receive. You should see either phone numbers or/and email addresses or both. Perhaps you will see a categorical difference between the iPhone setting and that for the iPad. It may show you why WeChat sees the as two different types of "things". This is obviously just a guess. Good luck.


Getting all files from a web page using curl I would like to get all files from the web page below using curl:
http://www.ime.usp.br/~coelho/mac0122-2013/ep2/esqueleto/
I tried:
curl http://www.ime.usp.br/~coelho/mac0122-2013/ep2/esqueleto/
It returned a bunch of lines in the terminal, but didn't get any file.

Use wget instead.

Install it with Homebrew: brew install wget or  MacPorts: sudo port install wget

For downloading files from a directory listing, use -r (recursive), -np (don't follow links to parent directories), and -k to make links in downloaded HTML or CSS point to local files (credit @xaccrocheur).

wget -r -np -k http://www.ime.usp.br/~coelho/mac0122-2013/ep2/esqueleto/

Other useful options:

-nd (no directories): download all files to the current directory
-e robots.off: ignore robots.txt files, don't download robots.txt files
-A png,jpg: accept only files with the extensions png or jpg
-m (mirror): -r --timestamping --level inf --no-remove-listing
-nc, --no-clobber: Skip download if files exist

For those of us who would rather use an application with a GUI, there is the inexpensive shareware program DeepVacuum for Mac OS X, which implements wget in a user-friendly manner, with a list of presets that can handle commonly-needed tasks. You can also save your own custom configurations as presets.


How to remove an icon from launchpad that does not appear in the Finder? I have moved an installer into the launchpad (uTorrent-Installer). The problem is that I would like to remove it now but as it is an installer it doesn't appear in "Applications" in the Finder. I can't right-click the icon to remove it nor can I drag and drop it into the trash.

Can I delete apps from launchpad?

If you are using Yosemite here is the surgical approach to remove only what you want to, instead of wiping out all of Launchpad.

Open up your Terminal app of choice, then use the following command:

sqlite3 $(find /private/var/folders \( -name com.apple.dock.launchpad -a -user $USER \) 2> /dev/null)/db/db "DELETE FROM apps WHERE title='APP_NAME_CASE_SENSITIVE';" && killall Dock

to remove an application from the Launchpad.

i just using cleanymac to complete uninstalling deleted program thats still showing in launchpad.


Missing disk space after repartitioning I tried to make a partition and then tried to undo it. Now, I don't know how to get the missing disk space back.

As you can tell, I have 751.28 GB disk. Macintosh HD and Recovery HD have 557.4 GB. About 180 GB are missing. Where did it go? How do I figure out where it went? Most importantly, how do I fix it?

I ran

diskutil list

and it showed

    0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *751.3 GB disk0
    1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
    2:                  Apple_HFS Macintosh HD            556.7 GB   disk0s2
    3:                 Apple_Boot                         650.0 MB   disk0s3
    4:                 Linux Swap                         16.4 GB    disk0s4

Edit:

I ran

   sudo gpt -r show /dev/disk0

Output is:

     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  1087392760      2  GPT part - 48465300-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC
1087802400     1269536      3  GPT part - 426F6F74-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC
1089071936   344263872
1433335808    32049152      4  GPT part - 0657FD6D-A4AB-43C4-84E5-0933C84B4F4F
1465384960     1954819
1467339779          32         Sec GPT table
1467339811           1         Sec GPT header

Booted to Internet Recovery Mode you have to remove the swap partition and then resize your main volume.

Preparation:

Backup your main volume
Restart to Internet Recovery Mode by pressing alt cmd R at startup.

The prerequisites are the latest firmware update installed, either ethernet or WLAN (WPA/WPA2) and a router with DHCP activated.
On a 50 Mbps-line it takes about 4 min (presenting a small animated globe) to boot into a recovery netboot image which usually is loaded from an Apple/Akamai server.

I recommend ethernet because it's more reliable. If you are restricted to WIFI and the boot process fails, just restart your Mac until you succeed booting.

Alternatively you may start from a bootable installer thumb drive (preferably Yosemite or El Capitan) or a thumb drive containing a full system (preferably Yosemite or El Capitan). If you boot to a full system and login as admin you have to prepend sudo to execute some commands like gpt ... or newfs_hfs ...!

Remove the Linux Swap partition

Open in the menubar Utlities->Terminal
Enter diskutil list and gpt -r show /dev/disk0 to get an overview
Remove the Linux partition:

diskutil umountDisk /dev/disk0
gpt remove -i 4 /dev/disk0

Restore the original size of your main volume

Resize your main volume:

diskutil resizeVolume /dev/disk0s2 750g #or 100%

this should also move your Recovery HD to the end of the disk.
verify the volume with diskutil verifyVolume disk0s2
reboot to your main disk

First of all i would use a gparted livecd/usbstick to find and destroy the missing partition, after deleting the misscreated partition i would left the space unformatted. Since you are using El Capitan the system is probably using core storage it is preferable to resize the Macintosh HD volume with diskutil from your mac recovery partition or a Mac OS X installation usb stick . Using the terminal run

diskutil cs resizeStack /dev/disk0s2 736G

*dont forget to modify the disk identifier an the volume size accordingly to your setup.

If the volume is not core storage i would still use gparted live to destroy the faulty partition and use one of the those options

Directly grow the mac Macintosh HD using gparted
Boot on the recovery partition and resize the Macintosh HD using disk utility


How to stop the Anydesk application from opening at startup? I utilize this application called Anydesk for remote desktop very frequently, and while I was recently removing programs from starting up at login (because I wanted a faster start up speed) I noticed that Anydesk wasn't in the list of login items, even though it shows up whenever I login after I restart/shut down the computer.

How does one rectify this issue?

I am running OSX El Capitan on a 13" MacBook Pro.

After several attempts I finally found the file that is created during the installation process. So to prevent AnyDesk from starting at login, you need to delete the file,

/Library/LaunchAgents/com.philandro.anydesk.Frontend.plist

That solved my issues with autostarting AnyDesk at login.

try this command

sudo rm /Library/LaunchAgents/com.philandro.anydesk.Frontend.plist


With the release of iOS 11.2.1 an essential feature of my Apple TV was removed I have an 3rd generation Apple TV which I use as a home hub. After remote access was disabled from Apple because of CVE-2017-13903 and turned on again with iOS 11.2.1 it stopped working remotely for shared users with the Apple TV.

Here are the changes to HT207057:

This is the version of  Dec 15, 2017.

And here the version of Mar 27, 2017 as it looked on Sep 27, 2017:

I am a bit unhappy about this because I don't really use the Apple TV for watching, so it would be a bit overkill to buy a 4K one. What could I do?

You can buy an Apple TV 4 (not 4K), which is cheaper. Or if you have an iPad model that can be updated to iOS 11 (which is Air/Air 2, 5th gen or newer, or mini 2 or newer) use that as your home hub.

Otherwise you are out of luck. Even if 3rd generation Apple TV had a jailbreak available (it does not) to patch this feature back in, you're talking about encrypted communication between Apple devices and Apple's servers, which is extremely unlikely to be able to be replicated by a third party to reenable it.

Make sure that all of your iOS devices are running iOS 11.2.1 or newer. Even if your Apple TV is up to date, your iOS devices also need to be updated in order for HomeKit sharing to work completely.


Lock keyboard in lion Is there a way to lock the keyboard in Lion?  By "lock keyboard" I mean some way to make the computer ignore almost any keypresses, except some special "unlock" sequence.  Maybe an OS X feature or utility?  It's a laptop, so I can't just unplug the keyboard.

My desire stems from using my laptop to skype with my toddler's grandmother.  The kid bangs randomly on the keyboard and interrupts the call.  It's more fun if she can get up close to the screen, but then grandma disappears.

Any advice appreciated.

I use KeyboardCleanTool, which ignores all keyboard input. It was created so you can clean the keys without accidental key presses, but obviously would work for your situation too.

It's free!

To unlock, just use the mouse to click the unlock button.

I've been using Keyboard cleaner for years. It's super simple and free:

As soon as the app starts, it "locks" your keyboard and displays a black screen with a  reminder on how to quit the app
Command + Q (OSX quit keyboard shortcut) to exit the app

I use it whenever I need to clean my keyboard, and the black screen helps me clean my screen pretty well too.


How to disable Top Sites in Safari on macOS Lion How do I disable the auto-updating of the Top Sites in Safari?  I don't want to turn the feature off altogether, I just want to prevent auto-update.  I know this may seem like an attempt to defeat the purpose of Top Sites in the first place, but I find that if it auto-updates any of the Top Sites that are forum-based, all of the unread topics are marked as read.  So, an even better solution would be the ability to exclude the auto-update of certain URLs/domains, etc.  Does that functionality exist?

I found this somwhere else which may solve your problem:

Quit Safari
Open Terminal (Applications/Utilities) & paste:

defaults write com.apple.Safari DebugSnapshotsUpdatePolicy -int 2

then hit return & quit Terminal.

To reactivate:

defaults delete com.apple.Safari DebugSnapshotsUpdatePolicy

If you use Safari's Private Browsing mode, Top Sites will not update at all. However, this solution might not completely address your original question - I haven't found any solution that could turn-off auto-updates of Top Sites, either completely or selectively for certain URLs/domains.


Mirror iPad Pro to MacBook Air I use the PDF Expert app on iPad Pro to annotate documents using the Apple Pencil, and it works brilliantly. Now, I'd like to mirror the same work flow to my MacBook Air (so I can still look straight down at my iPad, which makes annotation easy), and ideally, run a screen capture program on my MacBook Air.

Two primary questions: 1) how do I most efficiently mirror (app suggestions), and 2) is there a way to run a screen capture program or any program that would accomplish the same thing on my laptop if I'm using my laptop as a mirror?

Thanks ahead of time. I open to any suggestions outside what I've proposed. Essentially, I need a way to screen capture (video) my iPad Pro workflow.

If you connect your iPad to your computer, you can natively display and record the iPad's screen on the Mac, answering both your questions at once, if I understand you correctly.

Connect the iPad to the computer and open QuickTime Player.
Select File > New Movie Recording (⌥⌘N)
Click the dropdown arrow to the right of the record button and select your iPad's name from the list. (see below—“Seagull” is the name of mine)
If you want to record the screen, simply press the record button.

You can use an app called Duet Display. It's very good and works very smoothly.


One message that cannot be deleted on iPhone 4 I have a single message in Mail on my iPhone 4 that just cannot be deleted. I get a popup saying Unable to move message - The message could not be moved to the trash folder.

I'm using the latest version of iOS. The account is an Exchange Active Sync account and deleting other messages is not a problem. I also use the same Exchange account from Outlook on my desktop and the message in question does not exist in Outlook. It only shows in Mail on iPhone.

I also have an another IMAP account on my iPhone and deleting isn't a problem on that account.

How can I remove this rogue message?

You could try removing the Exchange account completely and setting it up again. Maybe this also deletes the message.

Try this link.  there are several options to try.
http://appletoolbox.com/2014/03/ios-unable-to-move-message-fix/


How to import iPhone videos into Instagram without distortion? Whenever I take a video with the standard camera app and then import it into Instagram on my iPhone 5S, the video ends up distorted.

A still from the original video:

A screengrab showing distortion:

I suspect this occurs due to the different aspect ratios of the two formats.

Is there any way to either:

Take video in the default camera app in Instagram's 1:1 ratio, or
Crop video in the Instagram app so that it doesn't distort

I know that Instagram doesn't allow video cropping at the moment. Nor can you change the Camera app's aspect ratio. I suggest either recording inside Instagram or changing your phone's recording position to landscape.

In case someone still has this problem, I found a way to avoid the distortion on videos caused by Instagram. Instead of opening the instagram app and selecting your video in the app, go to your phone gallery and click on the "Share" button, share to instagram and the distortion goes away! Worked this way for me!

PS: Android user... might work for Iphones as well!


Strange issues with garage band 10 and sound fonts sf2 I'm having issues with Garage Band 10, when trying to set up custom sound fonts.
I installed them in /Library/Audio/Sounds/Banks

Then I opened the MIDI file, doing these steps:

I select my track
I choose Smart Control
I select DLS Music Device like this:

Then it seems to work. I can see all my banks:

But when I select the second track, doing exactly the same steps, I see another interface for DLS Music Device. With this one I can't select sound founts. Here's a screenshot:

I can't understand the difference between the first and the second track.

What is causing this? How can I open the right interface I need?

Have the same problem,
strange, but works once in a time (don't know the reason) : try it again after having created a different track without DLS


Is there a way to prevent iTunes from renaming TV Show filenames? I have imported quite a few TV Shows into iTunes and I have noticed that iTunes renames the files in the style Episode number Episode name.m4v (e.g. 01 - My First Day.m4v).

This is not a useful way of naming the files as if the show has multiple seasons you can't order the files in Finder by season as you could if it was in the format Season number Episode number Episode name.m4v (e.g. S01E01 My First Day.m4v).

When files are imported or if the filename is changed myself in Finder, iTunes renames the file back to its format.

Is there a way to prevent iTunes from renaming these files?

If you don't want iTunes to manage your files at all then go to:
iTunes > Preferences > Advanced, and uncheck the Keep iTunes Media Folder Organised checkbox.

Alternatively, iTunes uses each item's Title to rename the file, so if you edit the info of a file within iTunes (CMD + I) you can set the title to something to your liking such as <show name> <season no.><episode no.> e.g. Silicon Valley S03E01.

Yes, stop using iTunes.  Use a separate video program to watch the files and store them in your own folders.


Suddenly I'm requested to restore my iPhone to factory settings I have an iPhone 4 loaded with unmodified iOS 6. I use it (for two years now) with a virtualbox running Windows XP with iTunes (10.7 currently).

Everything works just peachy most of the time, and when it doesn't I can usually find the fault and correct it quickly.

Earlier today I was synchronizing my iPhone, and it seemed to have worked fine, or so I thought. I wanted to re-synchronize after updating an app via iTunes, and suddenly the software tells me it cannot read my iPhone and that I must restore it to factory settings before I can use it again.

My last backup was two weeks ago, and I fear that deleting it would mean that I cannot restore any data if I end up resetting the phone.

What I already tried:

I checked the iTunes and the cable with my girlfriend's iPod Nano. Everything works great.
I tried to reboot my virtual machine.
I tried to reboot my iPhone.
I tried to reboot my virtual machine after rebooting my iPhone.
I tried to see if there are any "bad" files somewhere that I may delete, some incomplete transfers or so.
I tried to meddle within the log files, but I wasn't sure which ones to check or what to do.

The iPhone works perfectly fine, by the way.

Please help me.

What should I do to correct this, and if I do end up restoring factory settings what happens to all the texts/photos/music/etc. I have on my iPhone right now?

(I have a traumatic experience from the upgrade to iOS 6...)

Edit: Quite some time later, my iTunes still insists that I need to restore my phone. I tried to delete all the previous backups and remove iTunes and whatnot, but nothing helped. I tried to connect it to other iTunes and they all tell me the same thing: I must restore the phone to factory settings.

However, being a "cunning" Linux user I decided that I should try and see if I can access the phone from the Linux part of the computer, and indeed I can. Being able to browse through the files it hit me that it might be possible to fix the problem through manual tempering with some file (or removing some leftover files).

Is it possible to do that at all? If so, is there a guide or some hint on how to find out what needs to be corrected?

Firstly I would sign up to iCloud if you haven't and then use the over the air backup to backup your iPhone (You get 5GB free!) then once this is done, you will be able to reset the phone should you want / need to.

Have there been any updates to your Virtual Box since your last sync? If not, it could be that iTunes can not see its XML file needed for device synchronisation; also ensure that all of the helper services are started on your machine.

Failing the above and assuming you follow the first recommendation, try resetting and restoring from iCloud.

Best of luck

connect your iphone USB cable to the pc or mac with the iphoe still turned of, with iTunes running connect your phone to the USB cable but keep pressing the homw button untill a window pops up saying ur phone is on recovery mode and then, its gonna give u the option to restore ur phone. tht means it will delete EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!


Can I install Mac OSX Sierra on USB drive? I have an early 2011 MacBook Pro. I want to try Sierra as most of the software I want to use no longer works on Mavericks. I went through a number of post that I can install Sierra on 8 GB USB drive but that turned out only to be a macOS installer thumb drive.

I am interested in installing Sierra on USB drive just to test drive it and to run my favorite software. I bought 16 GB USB for that purpose but only found out it cannot be installed there for lack of space.

Can somebody guide me, can I have Sierra USB Image that I can load on USB and test drive it or can I install it on USB and run Sierra from it whenever I want it.

You certainly can install macOS Sierra to a USB device. I would advise you use USB 3 or 3.1 in order to ensure a smoother experience while booted from this device.

First of all, use the Mac App Store installer for macOS Sierra, which you can get here: get macOS Sierra. Learn more about obtaining macOS Sierra here: How to download macOS Sierra

Next, it's best to format your USB device as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). With Scheme as : GUID Partition Once you do this, open the macOS Sierra installer. When you are prompted to choose an install destination, make sure to choose your USB device.

Download the High Sierra installer to your Mac (it should end up in Applications)
format the USB pendrive to have GUID Partition Scheme
open Terminal and type:
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app

Substituting "MyVolume" for the name you gave to your USB pendrive.
It will erase the pendrive and install High Sierra on it. Reboot and select the pendrive as the startup disk, using Option key while booting.


How can I disable pop-unders when using Chrome? I know it's possible to disable pop-ups, and that's the default behavior, but It's not affecting the pop-unders.

Yes,
but you need to block all scripts on a domain using Chrome's own script blocking feature.

Why?
Pop-unders are usually via JavaScript. In order to disable them, I block javascript on the specific site using the extension ScriptNo  Chrome's build-in script blocking in:
Settings →  Show advanced settings → Content settings → JavaScript → JavaScript Exceptions
At the moment Chrome's API do not allow proper script blocking which is also why Firefox' NoScript developer has not yet ported his extension. Third-party extensions like ScriptNo suffer from the same problem.
The lack of needed API can allow scripts to still load the first time you visit a website.
By design there is no option for extensions to effectively block scripts like in Firefox, therefore the only way to stop this behavior is to block all scripts on a domain using Chrome's settings which I mentioned at the top.

Here is a video showing you how to do it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBiOlO1jwX4


Mac kernel panic - memory problem I have a Early-2011 MacBook Pro base model. It has 4GB of RAM, and I use it for heavy development work.

It shows a pattern of continuously dumping into a black screen which asks me to restart (a kernel panic) almost once a week. It seems that I don't have enough RAM, as today I had Xcode, Eclipse and Firefox opened side by side (each of these apps are memory hogs), and when I opened iCal and Safari, I got a kernel panic.

I tried a free memory application available in the App Store, and it said that before opening these two applications I had 22 MB free memory and 1.1 GB inactive memory out of 4 GB total memory. It looks like inactive memory is not getting freed (my understanding is that inactive memory is what the OS uses for fast app switching), and the OS simply crashes. Safari only had one tab open.

Will additional RAM help or is there a different problem? I'm also using a Samsung 21.5" monitor through mini DisplayPort to VGA connector if it matters.

Update: this problem started occuring again: the system becomes slow then I get a kernel panic. Would upgrading RAM help? I have nearly 1GB of inactive memory.

Did you disable your swap file? As ghoppe, bmike, and I mention in the top answers to this question, this is a bad idea for exactly the problems you're having.

The other option is that you have bad RAM. Run a memory checker (like Memtest86) to see it you have a bad stick or two and remove and replace the offending modules.

I applied recent EFI firmware update v2.3 for early 2011 model and this problem seems to be rectified. And while the device becomes slower, it is not crashing. I opened multiple Android emulators (3), Eclipse, Xcode, everything on my doc and the system still seems to hold.

So, all in all, the problem seems to be fixed in new OS X update and hence the question is not relevant anymore.

EDIT: The asker edited the question to say that they're experiencing the problem again, so this answer seems to be wrong/irrelevant.


Can I reset Notification Centre badge counter for Messages? The new Messages beta app (based on iChat) is stuck with one incoming message.
Can I somehow reset the badge?

The correct answer to this issue isn't to message all your contacts.

First close the Messages app.

Then simply open up Activity Monitor and quit the Dock process to restart it.

Here's how it looks:

Your badge count should be reset after that.

PS: You can access Activity Monitor from Spotlight (⌘ Space) by simply typing its name and pressing Enter.

Edit: update thanks to @JjP and @Toland H

I'm not certain how the badge works, but I suspect the bug isn't on your computer, it's on apple's iMessage server somewhere in the cloud.

To fix it, you would have to have access to their servers, which you don't have.

Basically, the solution is to stop using beta software if you are worried about glitches like this one.


Trying to reinstall macOS on a 2009 MacBook Pro My dad gave me his old 2009 MacBook Pro yesterday. It was slow and clunky so I reformatted the drive. Now I'm trying to reinstall macOS through OS X utilities. It asks me to agree to Yosemite terms and conditions, and when inputting my or my dad's Apple ID and password it says the product is temporarily unavailable.

I tried creating a bootable USB for macOS Sierra from the Mac desktop we have in the house, however when booting from the USB the screen gives me a circle with a cross in it.

I believe I may have to purchase Yosemite for my profile before it will work, but I cannot find the item in the App Store.

If I buy Snow Leopard instead, will I be able to install it from the utilities? At the moment it tries to install Yosemite.

Just to clarify the terminology used: If you ask about "reinstall macOS" that would mean macOS "Sierra", at least, strictly speaking, older versions of the Macintosh operating system are called Mac OS X.

This 2009 MacBook Pro should be able to boot anything from Leopard, Snow Leopard, Yosemite to Sierra. That translate into version numbers as anything from 10.5.7 (9J3050) to 10.11 (and with caveats: also 10.12) can be installed.

To install any version of OS X/macOS it is strictly speaking not necessary to provide or even have an AppleID. But you need access to an ***Install.app that is usually downloaded via the AppStore. Once that is downloaded or came otherwise into your possession in full then the app is transferable to other Macs.

For the actual install it is possible to create a real external install medium, most users opt for a USB-stick.
An application that greatly simplifies the task is DiskMakerX.

Sierra is not officially supported on that machine you have now. It might also be a challenge to request that download from a machine that Apple is no longer supporting or if you want to use the AppStore and have not previously downloaded the installer with the AppleID currently in use. (And now that High Sierra s released a re-download of the Sierra installer seems impossible…)

That sign you see on screen when booting an installer with the official version of Sierra shows you that Apple has blacklisted this machine from receiving this upgrade. But Sierra can be installed and works for many more Macs than Apple allows. (Which would be self-evident if the terminology used in the OP's question is accurate.)
See this Sierrapatch to help you with that. A 2009 MacBook Pro is listed there as a supported machine, in principle.

But be sure to verify your WiFi card is supported before you go that route. That might be the only real deal breaker for Sierra on this hardware. If it had Sierra previously installed and WiFi was working you are good to go with it.

"If I buy Snow Leopard[…]?" As stated above Snow Leopard should work. But there are now certain downsides to be considered for this approach. In terms of performance, security and support, whether from Apple or third party developers, Snow Leopard is not that good of a choice, especially if this machine is going to be used on the net. [Currently Yosemite would be the best pick as it has recently received at least some security updates.] Update: Since the release of High Sierra it has to be presumed that also Yosemite is now some kind of abandonware. A recommendation would therefore move up to 10.11 El Capitan.

You can create a new Apple ID and try using that new Apple ID, for that,

In the four choices you get click "GET HELP ONLINE"
This opens Safari.
Click iCloud and Sign-In with your Apple ID.
Now you can go back to installing screen and the downloading will finally work because you have now shown Apple ID you've logged in from your computer.


Is there a practical ePub book reader program for Mac OS X? Adobe Digital Editions has some capabilities but is essentially an orphaned product with no support.

Stanza only displays text in ePub books, and again, is an orphaned product with no support.

Calibre is mostly for building e-books. It has a text-only ePub reader but it's even more primitive than Stanza for Mac.

Scrivener can compile and output ePub format, but I don't think it can display them for reading on your Mac.

There are various apps for iPad and iPhone, but I already know about them.

And let's not discuss DRM issues; what we all want is a reader that will let us display ePub books (without DRM, or perhaps certain forms of DRM), one that supports displaying significant formatting and graphics and photographs if present.

Is there anything out there at present other than what I've noted above?

Let's exclude Window, Linux, or anything that would require X11. I'm hoping somebody knows of a native Mac app, or something you can run in a Web browser.

I haven't used it - so I can't say if it's any good - but I noticed that you didn't include the Barnes & Noble app in your list. Have you tried using that to view your ePub books?

I'm using a free program called Calibre for Mac OS - works like a charm on Lion.


Why is rename command missing from macOS? I usually rename files and directories with the mv command. I'm reading a book on bash shell that mentions the rename command. When I executed man rename a man page was shown. However, when I entered rename on bash shell, it reported:

-bash: rename: command not found

I did some research and discovered that you can install the rename command with Homebrew.

Is there any good reason not to install it with Homebrew?
Is there anything you can do with the rename command that you can't do with the mv command?

I'm also curious to know if there is a known explanation for why the rename command doesn't exist in the first place. And why is there a man page for a command that does not exist?

In the default install of macOS, rename man page is available in the section 2. As you can notice from the man page, rename is not a command but a BSD system call.

The Homebrew formula named rename is a Perl script. You should be fine with installing it. In-fact it can give you much more flexibility than plain mv command.

After you have installed rename utility via Homebrew, running man rename will show the man page for the installed utility and not the BSD system call.

  I'm also curious to know if there is a known explanation for why the command does not exist in the first place.

rename is not a standard Unix command.

  And why is there a man page for a command that does not exist?

As mentioned above, the man page present refers to the system call by the same name.

You can install using brew https://brewinstall.org/Install-rename-on-Mac-with-Brew/

Hope this solves your problem.


Download OS X from Windows to install on Mac from USB Trying to install Windows along with OS X I ended up erasing all the data on my MacBook Air. Right now I have one empty parition, so, I tried to install from internet - pressing Control + Option + R during turning it on. My internet connection is being disconnected often, and during component download - it is being disconnected (already the 3rd time) and after the connection is back after a few mins, when I click Retry it does not work anymore: from the log list I can see, that it is stuck on row

  Chunk validation failed, retrying…

I have not used OS X before, so question might be strange, but is it possible to download the OS X DVD/ISO or something else in similar format from my home PC, when make a bootable usb from it, so I can install on Mac?

As I Googled, I just found info that perhaps I can download from App Store? Is that true, and if so can I download that for free? e.g. providing my original Mac's ID or something, or I have to pay for it?

Why not just do a clean install of OSX from the recovery utilities when they load after control + option + R? Or restore from back up?