texts:
I've updated much of my songs' metadata using MusicBrainz Picard and it's successfully updated in the .mp3 files. However, a song's updated metadata is not reflected in iTunes until I play it. Is there a way to refresh this data for all the songs at once.

Also, just for testing, I dropped a music folder into iTunes. Instead of updating the song's metadata, it added the songs again and now I have duplicates.

PS: I am on Windows 8.1


texts:
I have a
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
MacOS High Sierra 10.13.2

Sometimes my mac using a lot of CPU power. The usage is 75% of the system. But this occurred when I was away and the mac was in the sleep mode (I went away at about 11 AM till 8 PM). Also, the "User" usage is used more power than even when it is on. Does my Mac has some problems or is this behavior normal? Can it be a Virus?

I checked the last 30 days. It happened more than ones. They are lasting for about 3 days...


texts:
Is there an extension or a plugin that allows for marking different tabs with colors ?
I want to be able to group together a bunch of tabs that are relevant under one color using Safari.


texts: iPod Nano wake screen sometimes shows music instead of Clock

texts:
I've recently purchased a band from Lunatik to use my iPod Nano as a watch.

To do this, I've gone into Settings > Date and Time > Time on Wake and put this ON.

At first, this worked as expected, showing me the watch face when I hit the 'on' button.
But after I've played some music on the Nano, now it sometimes shows me the music application (even though it's not playing) instead of the Clock.

I've checked and the setting 'Time on Wake' is still on.

Anyone know how I can avoid this behaviour and always get the Clock when I hit the 'on' button?


texts: Cannot load the Built-in keyboard kext on Macbook pro

texts:
I needed to disable my internal keyboard for a while. What I did was try this:

sudo kextunload /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBTopCase.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBTCKeyboard.kext/

Though that showed an error:

(kernel) Can't unload kext com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyboard; classes have instances:
(kernel) Kext com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyboard class AppleUSBTCKeyboard has 6 instances.
Failed to unload com.apple.driver.AppleUSBTCKeyboard - (libkern/kext) kext is in use or retained (cannot unload).

The way I tried to deal with it was to drag it out. I then dragged it in when I wanted to re-enable the keyboard. So I dragged it in, and issued:

sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBTopCase.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBTCKeyboard.kext/

And the following error showed up:

TopCase.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBTCKeyboard.kext/
/System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBTopCase.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBTCKeyboard.kext failed to load - (libkern/kext) authentication failure (file ownership/permissions); check the system/kernel logs for errors or try kextutil(8).

I noticed that when I dragged it to the desktop, I gained privileges to the kext. So I tried this to stop the above error:

sudo chown root /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBTopCase.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleUSBTCKeyboard.kext/

That had no success in fixing the error and the keyboard did not show up. I know that there is kextutil which might be the new kextload and kextunload as described here. It is a similar question, though the answer is not what I wanted.

If it is possible to reload the keyboard kext with kextutil, I would like a tutorial on that and an explanation to why the authentication failure shows.


texts: Why aren't pictures in imessages showing up on my macbook messages?

texts:
I setup my macbook to show messages from my iphone conversations and they show up now but none of the pictures show up.  I see a reference to a picture but i can't view it or download it.

NOTE: I am able to send pictures from my macbook messages directly and those work fine.

I have plenty of storage available on my computer so not sure what the reason could be.

if I click on download arrow or double click on the image this is all I see

Can anyone else determine why I can't see pictures on my macbook within messages when it was sent from my iphone.


texts:
I'm using a 2011 13" MacBook Pro. For the past few days the brightness always resets to full on boot up and just when the spinning wheel stops loading (before desktop loads), it dims automatically to the level I've set it at.

The brightness level is sometimes maintained during boot up but its very sporadic.

I've already tried resetting SMC and PRAM but neither seems to have helped.

I thought my new Mountain Lion install had something to do with it so I reinstalled Snow Leopard but the issue still persists.

What could possibly be the issue? Any help will be appreciated.


texts: How to Unlock iOS 12 with passcode, without disabling touch ID

texts:
Is there a way I can force a prompt for passcode unlock without disabling touch ID?

I have some gloves with capacitative tips on the index fingers. I can use them relatively well to navigate the phone once the phone has UI elements up on the screen but I'm having a lot of trouble bringing up the passcode prompt. The gloves don't seem to trip the touch ID sensor to appear as an unknown fingerprint.

iPhone 6s / iOS 12.4


texts: Erratic iOS battery meter and usage from Music app randomly playing on mute

texts:
Since 3 weeks ago the battery meter on my iPhone 6s with iOS 11.4 has been highly inaccurate. The meter will stick at a certain percentage far longer than it should, then rapidly drop down to a lower level, stay there, and then drop down again. For example: it will stick at 100% for a few minutes on end, plunge to 95% over half a minute, stay there for 8-10 minutes, then plunge again to 90% within another half minute.

The erratic battery meter behavior doesn't coincide with an OS upgrade (11.4 had been fine for months leading up to this).

iOS Battery Health doesn't report any problems with the battery - it holds 92% maximum of what it originally held and is considered to be in "good health".

I previously blamed and associated this behavior with a specific mobile game that was updated recently. However, I observed the battery meter plunges outside of that game just recently (it occurred on the home screen) so it's been ruled out as a cause.

Additionally, the built-in Music app is randomly waking up and silently putting itself on play over speakers with volume on minimum or mute, wasting 20-30% battery over several hours. This happened yesterday at 1-2 PM estimated and again overnight today.

When I first checked for excessive power usage, the game I mentioned earlier used off-the-charts amount of power for "audio". Now with the built-in Music app acting possessed and waking up with no user input, I'm inclined to blame the iOS audio system.

I already read the previous question on
Erratic battery percentage behavior which doesn't fit as it asks about a jailbroken iPod Touch.


texts:
My wife's iPhone 4 (Verizon) earpiece stops working every now and then.  She has to switch to speaker mode during calls.

To fix this, she plugs in the headphone and unplugs it.  Not a bad workaround IMO, but very annoying to her.  She's debating selling it on ebay and getting a different phone.

I'm not sure if this is hardware or software related.  Any advice?  Upgrade the software?  Not sure if it will fix it, but we probably will anyway.


texts: Stereo mic to iPhone 5S (jack) for recording

texts:
I'm looking for the cheapest way to get a stereo mic signal into iPhone 5S

A google search shows a lot of expensive mic solutions using the lighting port

And some say it can't be done without some special circuit

Is it not possible to use an oldschool analogue stereo jack mic somehow?

To record the sound, in stereo, using my own stereo mic with mini-jack

Perhaps with a converter to fit iphone multi-jack standard?


texts: macOS keyboard shortcut to dismiss notifications?

texts:
I'd like to be able to dismiss and open macOS Notification Center notifications with the keyboard.
(I'm not talking about opening/closing the Notification Center itself.)
Is this possible in some manner with a tool or setting or other software?


texts: How can I use iTunes Match but keep my music videos not from iTunes?

texts:
I currently have my iPad set up to utilize iTunes Match for the music on there. But in my iTunes, I've got a fair amount of music videos on there from sources other than iTunes.

Is there any way to allow the iPad to continue to use iTunes Match to manage audio files, but override it to include all (or a playlist) of my music videos?


texts: Automator: Open the current PDF file in Preview with another app

texts: After I open a PDF file with Preview, I want to open the same file in another PDF viewer (Skim or Adobe Acrobat).  How can Automator do this?


texts: How do I keep my MBP awake when using a KVM switch?

texts:
Using a KVM switch, my Macbook Pro and Mac Mini both share the same keyboard/monitor/mouse.
Everything works great, but the only hiccup is every time I switch back to the MBP, I have to remember to lift it's lid... essentially having to manually wake it up before hitting the KVM switch button. If I don't do this, my monitor just switches to black and I get no input responses.
I switch computers like 5-10 times a day, and the MBP lives on a shelf, meaning I have to pull it out, open it's lid and put it back every time I switch over. For reference, switching to the Mac Mini is problem free.
MBP specs:
Macos version 10.15.6

Macbook Pro 13inch 2017, two thunderbolt ports
2.3ghz DUal-core Intel Core i5
Memory 8gb 2133mhz LPDDR3
Intel Iris Graphics 640 1536mb
4mb L3 cache
128 gb ssd


texts:
When my iPhone is in Silent Mode from the side switch I only ever get vibrations when specific apps receive a notification, such as TweetBot/Facebook, however I'm not getting them from quite a few other apps such as Fallout Shelter/Spotify. I was under the impression that enabling Sounds under the Notification preferences switched on the vibration notification when the phone is silent, but it doesn't seem to be working.

I'm sure I'm missing something obvious but I can't see it.


texts: Photos app wants to upload my library to iCloud once again

texts:
After I upgraded to OS X EL Capitan, I need to turn iCloud Photo Library once again on my Macbook Pro, but once I tap on iCloud Photo library checkbox the Photos a[[ wants to upload my images once again. But every image now exist in my iCloud Photo Library. I do not want to upload this once again.

I had 5GB, my library was 25GB, So I bought a new plan with 50GB for 1$ per month. Now It wants to upload 25GB once again, but there is not enough space, so it redirect me to upgrade my iCloud storage plan to 200GB. I do not want that. All I need is to turn iCloud Photo Library on my mac once again. Is it possible? How can I do that?

What does it mean?


texts: Macports cccc terminates when run - how to solve

texts:
One tool I really appreciate when analyzing source code for software is Sourcemonitor, but unfortunately it is only available on windows.  Having searched around for alternatives on my mac, it seems that cccc is a tool that fits the bill.

I installed it via macports but it terminates when I run it.  This is the error I get:

Parsing
libc++abi.dylib: terminate called throwing an exception
Abort trap: 6

Does anyone know of a way to fix this error?


texts: Big Sur - No "Create New Folder" option when using the finder to download files

texts:
Since I've upgraded to Big Sur, the "Create New Folder" option has disappeared from Finder when it is opened in the context of downloading a file.
Here's an example:

A colleague sent me a file via Slack.
I'm clicking on the download button on Slack.
I'm browsing the Finder to the desired folder (I have writing permission in that folder)
I'm trying to create a new folder for that file. ISSUE - In the past I would have the ability to either (1) right click in an empty area and from the context menu create a new folder, or (2) from the top bar click on "Create New Folder". However, the first option is now impossible because even when I right click an empty space there's no such option, and the button for the second option simply doesn't exist.

Any ideas? Did Apple ruin finder like they've removed the calculator widget?


texts: ClamXav not protecting against Malware and Trojans, what to do

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Anti-virus comparison for Mac OS X

I am using ClamXav for protecting my Mac from Antivirus.

But I don't think that it protects from Malware, Spyware, or Trojans.

So, what are free (or paid :( ) options available for above mentioned threats.

If comparison is available, with suggestions for choosing right product, then it would be like icing on cake.


texts: Is there a barcode app that works on pictures instead of needing to be connected to wifi for it to work?

texts:
I've got a couple of barcode apps, but they all require that you have the item, the camera, and the internet connection at the same place.

Are there any barcode apps where you can take a picture of the item's barcode, store the picture, and then feed it into the app when you have an internet connection?


texts: First time pairing of Apple Watch with iPhone keeps failing

texts:
I just got a new Apple Watch Series 4, but I'm having some issues pairing to my iPhone (an iPhone 8 with up to date iOS).

When iPhone and Apple Watch are near each other, the pairing procedure starts on the iPhone. I can go through, alternatively, the pairing using the "holding the phone over the animation" or the one with manual code insert. After a few seconds on the following "pairing successful" screen, a popup message appears saying that communication between the devices wasn't stable and that I need to restart.

A couple of times I was able to select wrist and crown position, it started syncing but again failed after a couple of minutes of waiting.

I tried restarting the iPhone and the Apple watch, resetting network connections. This happens with Wi-Fi, Cellular and Bluetooth on, with or without Wi-Fi connected to a network.

One thing that I don't understand is why I can't pair using only cellular connection on? I tried moving outside the building, to stay outside the range of any known Wi-Fi access points. In that case, the pairing can't even start. The iPhone says I need to have a Cellular or Wi-Fi connection on (along with Bluetooth) but it appears that I can't do anything without Wi-Fi. The same happens if I turn Wi-Fi off.

What could be going wrong? How do I pair the Apple Watch to iPhone in such a scenario?


texts: AnyConnect connection through VPN Settings

texts:
I have an iPad with iOS 11.3. I have installed the Cisco AnyConnect app to connect to my companies VPNs. It connects to each of them fine. I can view the connection when connected in the Settings app under the VPN option. When I try and connect from the Settings app I am prompted that I must connect through the Cisco AnyConnect app rather than through the Settings app.

Is there a way to bypass that functionality so that the AnyConnect app will automatically open and prompt for my password when I activate VPN connections through the settings app?


texts: Services do not work in Preview after upgrade to Catalina

texts:
After upgrading to Catalina, when selecting text from pdf files in Preview and try to use services, the text is not passed into services. For example, I have enabled shortcut for "Look Up In Dictionary", but when I press the shortcut key the selected text does not show up in dictionary.

I found the following log related to the error:

2019-11-19 21:17:44.907 Preview[41744:3943423] Object <PVPDFView: 0x7fead0e7eba0> could not or did not write the selection to the pasteboard in preparation for a service request


texts:
Here is what I have for ls output in my Volumes dir ...

Going from the info found here ...

What do the different colors mean in ls?

it seems its "file that is setgid (g+s)".  However, I do not know what that means?  What are the implications of this?  Also, why is the other external hdd not the same?  Is there a way to change it to normal?  Also, in the second column it seems that both hdds have 24 and 23 links to them.  Is this normal?  Thank you.


texts: OSX Preview HIGHLIGHTER makes for bad PRINT quality

texts:
There appears to be a funny bug in Preview.app 5.0.3 (504.1):

I took a few PDF pages of normal black text, used Preview's yellow highlight functionality, and printed it on a B&W HP Laserjet.

The pages that don't contain any highlights look normal.  But the pages that do are printed in a strange 'jittery' low-quality -- all of it, not just the words that are highlighted.

I've seen this happen with a variety of different PDFs that I've highlighted using Preview.


texts: How can I get parallels 6 to run well on my MBP

texts:
I've been trying to run windows 7 on my MBP on parallels so that I can test different browsers.  Trouble is, it is just slow, I mean excruciatingly slow.  Like booting it up takes 15 minutes.  It's ridiculous.

I'm running a MBP with 4M Ram and and i5 quad core processor.  I mean really, this should be enough.  Any tips on getting this to actually perform?


texts: How to reset ACLs after Apple Server sharing mistake?

texts:
I wanted to share my root file system and in Server.app I set up / as a share.  Unfortunately it wrote ACLs across the system that have caused a lot of various problems.

sudo chmod -RN /* has resolved most of the issues, but there are still some permission issues on 10.12.2.

sudo /Applications/OnyX.app/Contents/Resources/repair_packages --repair --standard-pkgs --volume / is still reporting a few folders as still having ACLs that it can't repair with repeated executions, example:

ACL missing on 'System/Library/User Template/ro.lproj/Library'.
Repaired "System/Library/User Template/ro.lproj/Library".
ACL missing on 'System/Library/User Template/ro.lproj/Public'.
Repaired "System/Library/User Template/ro.lproj/Public".
ACL missing on 'private/etc/pam.d'.
Repaired "private/etc/pam.d".
ACL missing on 'private/etc/ssh'.
Repaired "private/etc/ssh".
ACL missing on 'System/Library/User Template/Dutch.lproj/Desktop'.
Repaired "System/Library/User Template/Dutch.lproj/Desktop".
ACL missing on 'System/Library/User Template/Dutch.lproj/Library'.
Repaired "System/Library/User Template/Dutch.lproj/Library".
ACL missing on 'System/Library/User Template/Dutch.lproj/Library/Application Support'.
…

It seems that I'm going to need to issue some other commands to remove the new ACL accident.  What other commands and / or options exist to reset everything back to a pristine state and thus allow repair_packages to execute and repair permissions properly?

Following the above, I then managed to execute:
sudo chflags -R nouchg,nouappnd /System/Library/User\ Template/

…and that seems to have resolved most of the issues now at least in that folder, but when I execute it on the remaining folders I still don't see any help.  Example, here are the ones that are remaining unprepared:

ACL found but not expected on 'installer.failurerequests'.
Repaired "installer.failurerequests".
ACL found but not expected on 'private/etc/aliases'.
Repaired "private/etc/aliases".
ACL found but not expected on 'private/etc/localtime'.
Repaired "private/etc/localtime".
ACL found but not expected on 'private/etc/resolv.conf'.
Repaired "private/etc/resolv.conf".


texts:
I'd like to connect my bluetooth headphones to my computer. Unfortunately, my macbook pro thinks that my headphones are connected. When I go to the bluetooth menu, my headphones appear connected even though they are turned off and out of range.

I deleted the bluetooth preferences plist with this command

sudo rm -R /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth.plist

I've also gone and option + clicked the bluetooth menu and hit reset and disconnect. I also shift + option clicked and hit debug reset bluetooth module and forget all devices.


texts: Can't delete 'cloud calendar' from my iPhone

texts: I have an iPhone 5 with iOS 8.1.2 and I cannot delete a cloud calendar.  When I edit and go to the calendar all I get is the name of the calendar and the color that represents it.  No delete button at the bottom.  In fact, nothing below the colors.  Has anyone had this issue and are there any solutions short of a reset?


texts: How to find how long a Mac App Store app installation will take

texts:
When installing something via the Mac App Store, Launchpad will happily show a progress bar but it's a very limited view.

Is there any way to see how long, even if the estimate is inaccurate, the app will take to download and install?


texts: solution to easily embed skim notes doesn't work

texts:
My question is directly linked to the thread Make Skim save PDF's with embedded notes by default

What if the proposed solution (https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/166794/180243) doesn't help? As in, I worked my way through all steps, but when I press command + s it still saves normally rather than embedded.

I just found out I lost 200 hours of carefully made annotations, and I really want to avoid that from ever happening again.

Please help.

Skim version 1.4.18 running on El Capitan


texts: Will the Verizon iPhone 5 be capable of accessing cellular data while on an active phone call?

texts:
I'm considering switching to Verizon for my family's new iPhones (partly due to cost, and partly due to free hotspot capabilities).

The current Verizon CDMA iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S can not access data while on a voice call. Has this been improved over CDMA or LTE for VZW with the iPhone 5 hardware?


texts:
I have just got a new iMac 14.3 with 21.5″ display. It has Intel i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GT750M graphics card with GPU (Device ID: 0x00fe9). I have installed Ubuntu 13.10 on it (dual boot with refit). Everything works fine apart from graphics. It is clear that graphics' not accelerated. I have tried to…

Install NVIDIA drivers from the repository.
Download NVIDIA drivers and install them manually.
Follow instructions here.
Follow instructions here.
Follow instructions here.
Install bumblebee.
Play around with xorg.conf file.
Blacklist nouveau.

As you may guess, nothing worked. The weirdest thing is, that when I boot from a LiveCD, it picks up screen resolution and all the rest correctly, though when I install the system to my Hard Drive it clearly does not have proper drivers. I have checked it with lsmod and it seems that it pick up nouveau drivers in LiveCD mode — everything works fine then, but it does not in the install mode — get crap resolution. Also, I cannot load nouveau drivers manually. In case this is important, I have to boot with acpi=off option, as it does not boot otherwise. Does anyone have any suggestion how can I fix this graphics problem?


texts: quicktime resets playback speed after pausing

texts: Hi usually on players when you set a playback speed it doesn't reset after pausing the video but on quicktime this happens does anyone have a solution?? (I know that you can change playback speed using option key + clicking on fast forward button)


texts: Include backspace key in custom keyboard shortcut

texts: I want to make the keyboard shortcut for a Service I made ⌃⌥⌫ (Ctrl+Opt+Backspace); however, System Preferences doesn't let me do this. Is there a way I can include the key manually?


texts: What happens if I plug a power delivery dock to my Mac Mini?

texts:
I need to use a dock for two displays from my MacBook and Mac Mini. The issue is the constant plugging and unplugging.
I am considering getting the Kensington SD2400T Thunderbolt 3 Docking station for use both with the Mac Mini and the MacBook.

My question is, will this damage the Mac Mini? Does Thunderbolt successfully ignore the power delivery option when not needed.


texts: Connecting iPhone 4 to MacBook Pro via Bluetooth

texts:
I'm having issues when trying to connect my new MacBook Pro to my iPhone 4 via Bluetooth. I'm trying to connect my iPhone to my MacBook so that I can use the iPhone as a hotspot through Bluetooth and not wi-fi or a cable.

Things I've done:
I start off by clicking the Bluetooth icon, then go to "Set Up Bluetooth Device..."
I then select my iPhone when it appears. The pairing popup comes up on my iPhone but it never does pair... I get a popup on my phone later on stating the MacBook Pro was not compatible.

What can be done to troubleshoot tethering over bluetooth?


texts: Headphone play/pause button controls iTunes only

texts:
Finally upgraded my MacBook Pro (Unibody late 2008) from leopard to snow leopard, with a view to go to Lion when it finishes downloading. I've now noticed that hitting the single button on my Etymotic HF-2's no longer play/pauses the media in the active player but launches iTunes if it's not running, and play/pauses iTunes content if iTunes is running. Historically on Leopard, pressing this button would cause the active player to play/pause, be it Spotify, VLC or any other media player (Though spotify and VLC are my most used players)

Anyone know how to return to this behavior?


texts: What format and encoding does iPhone save video clips in?

texts: Using the default Photo/Video application. Tried to find any info regarding this on Apple's web site with no success. Does anyone have the specs on this?


texts:
I had no problem until the few last days. My phone was full and I couldn't download anything. Then I deleted the majority of my pictures and some apps and tried to download these apps back. But the icon that pops up when it starts to download, that circle, keeps rotating forever and it doesn't download the app.

I can't also update any app, because the app badge show that I have 4 updates but when I go to the updates there are none. Any solution?


texts: How to edit "kMDItemXxx" file metadata on macOS?

texts:
Today I tried to edit the metadata of a picture file. I used mdls to display them, then looked for a command to edit one. But I couldn't find any.
For vanilla metadata, like basic timestamps, touch is good enough. And for these things called "extended attributes" (quarantine, etc.), macOS gives you xattr -d.
But is there a CLI way to edit, say, "kMDItemBitsPerSample" or "kMDItemFSName", or the key/value pairs used by Spotlight?


texts: Trouble Making Macbook Pro Retina Power 3 External Displays

texts: I have a late 2013 15" Macbook Pro Retina (the newest model as of the time of this question). I've seen numerous blog posts that show this computer powering 3 external displays, plus the built in retina display, but I can't make it work. I have a 22" ASUS connected by mini display to VGA adapter, a 30" Hannspree connected by mini display to HDMI adapter, and a 22" LG connected to the built-in HDMI. I can get every combination of 2 monitors working plus the built-in, but I can't get all 3 external on at the same time. I've tried with the built-in open and closed. I've also tried using 2 mini display to VGA adapters. According to a CNET article, this should work!


texts: Does a Macbook Pro have 1 or 2 Hard Disk Controllers?

texts:
If SATA channel 1 (used by the hard drive) is damaged, could it be that SATA channel 2 (used by the SuperDrive) is fine?

I would like to know if I can use a hard drive on the SuperDrive channel even though the hard disk channel is damaged.


texts: Is there a tool similar to powertop for macOS

texts: I am looking for a tool similer to powertop for macOS. I'd like to see which processes have the largest power use (activity monitor shows apps but not servers like nginx and node and I'd like to see the power use of those server processes too). Any suggestions?


texts: How can I center a PNG with a transparent background using the CLI?

texts:
I'd like to come up with a technique for properly posting images on this site on my Macbook using a CLI tool to do the conversion.

This is a sample image that I'd like to make it so that the image is properly sized with a background that's transparent and makes it so that when the image is posted to AskDifferent or other StackExchange sites, that the image will be large enough with a transparent background that no additional tricks are required to center images within posts on these sites.

For reference this is the question that started this:
- Have DHCP for Wi-Fi and static IP for Ethernet?

Original

This is the image that without any tricks shows up as left justified

Goal

Another user helped me out and posted a improved version of this image that he used GIMP to merge a transparent background which resulted in this:

NOTE: To be clear, I'm familiar with the techniques covered in posts such as this mSO post on the topic, titled: Is it possible to horizontally center an image on Stack Exchange sites?.


texts: Change the Apache user in httpd.conf on MAMP?

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

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

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

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

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

User me

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


texts: How to make an iTunes playlist based on "up next" history AND in order played?

texts:
I note that this question only discusses how to add tracks but not how to add them en masse and (importantly) in the same order as they played out.
iTunes version = 12.9.5.5
macOS version = 10.14.6 (Mojave)


texts: How do I watch the US presidential debates live via AppleTV?

texts:
I have a 3rd generation Apple TV. Will it be possible to use it to watch the US presidential debates live? I would prefer to do so without using AirPlay, if possible.

I know that today's (Oct 3, 2012) debate will be streamed live via YouTube. Is the Apple TV's YouTube app capable of showing this? If so, how would I navigate to it?

If AirPlay is my only choice, how can I best go about it? I have:

an iPhone 4S running iOS 5 (capable of both AirPlay for videos and AirPlay Mirroring)
a Mac running OS X 10.7 (capable of AirPlay for videos, but not AirPlay mirroring)


texts: What is the highest resolution external display that can be driven by the Late 2012 13" Retina MacBook Pro

texts:
The MacBook is configured with 2.5 GHz Intel i5 processor, 8 GB of RMA and the Intel HD Graphics 4000 with 768 MB shared memory.

It's running Mac OS X 10.8.5 (12F45).

In particular, I'm wondering if it can drive Ultra HD display with a resolution of 3840 × 2160?


texts: Can't delete photo, right clicking doesn't bring up trash can

texts:
I'm trying to delete a photo but it won't bring up any trash icons I've read about when right clicked.
I tried dragging it to trash on the Dock and there are now multiple copies of the photo in the trash but it is still in my photos.


texts: Can I upgrade to an SSD with the newest macOS from an old HDD with old macOS on MacBook Pro 2012?

texts:
As per the title, my MBP 2012's hdd with Mavericks installed had recently failed and I am looking to replace it with an SSD.
I also have a MacBook Pro 2017 that I'm going to use to install macOS Catalina on the new SSD, so that I can directly use my MBP 2012 without having to wait for internet recovery.
Question is, can the MBP 2012 recognize the Catalina-installed SSD, even if I assume the firmware is for the old Mavericks? Or do I have to go through internet recovery?


texts:
I just opened a new Macbook Pro out of the box and, after going through the initial setup (language, timezone, name, etc.), I see the login screen without my username. I tried typing in my username (manually) and password but nothing happens. The only option is to click the back button which then shows a blank alias picture with the word Other underneath it

If I reboot the computer pressing ⌘Sand then do ls /Users to see the users on the system it only has .localized and Shared directories, which indicates to me that the user was not created properly.

How do I correct this so I can have an initial user account?


texts: Guides online refer to a text box beneath the image, but I don't see one in Keynote 8. I've filled in the Description, but I can't find any way to make that visible, either. Must I create a text box? I am using my company's presentation template.


texts: How to create third partition after Macintosh HD and Boot Camp partitions?

texts:
I have a mid 2009 MBP. I am going to install Boot Camp beside Snow Leopard.
I would like to have a third partition, DATA, and format it FAT32, where I will keep my data files easily and safely accessible by both Snow Leopard and Win7 on boot camp partition.

Does anyone knows the easiest procedure that I should follow to create this third partition? should I create it before/while/after installing Boot Camp?

Thanks


texts: App Store will not update applications on iOS 13.2.3, iPadOS 13.2.3 or macOS 10.15.1

texts:
It happened since 13.2.2 and I thought maybe this recent 13.2.3 could fix it but I was wrong. When I tap "Update" the indicator spins for a short period and then "Update" reappears. I have called Appel Support 3-4 times and they could not help. I have done everything I could think of, rebooting, signing out from App Store and iCloud. Even I tried restoring iPad. I have even tried another Apple ID to update an existing app in vain. I also tried changing payment detail. Nothing has worked. I can download new apps and reinstall previous purchases though. One las hope for me to find out the reason was looking into the logs (for iOS from Apple Configurator, and Console app for macOS) after hitting update. I share theme and hope someone can help.

iPad logs: https://paste.ee/p/eDCV5

MacBook logs: https://paste.ee/p/LNdOn


texts: How to repair python3.5 and why is it broken at all?

texts:
Seems that my python3.5 is broken. I can still call it, either with python3.5 or with /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.5/bin/python3.5. But it does absolutely nothing, particularly, it does not open a Python console.

The only thing I did to it was setting a symlink with:

ln -sf /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.5/bin/python3.5 python3.5

How can I repair my Python?
Was it really the symlink who caused harm?


texts: power mac G5 won't boot past the logo - shuts down to a black screen

texts: I think the HD is full? When I power up it chimes and I get the logo screen and whirling ball then after a 20 seconds it shuts down to a black screen and powers off. I tried to start in Safe Start Mode but no go.


texts: What's a good terminal manager for OS X?

texts:
The Terminal.app application from OS X is quite good but it lack some functionality that I find really important like: ability to setup SSH profiles for connecting to different servers and ability to setup tunneling.

I know that there is a putty port for OS X but it uses X and is ugly. Is there any other alternative, preferably free?


texts: I bought a new iPad and my wife is taking my old Mini. She really likes "Word Collect", but wants to start at the beginning, not at my level. I deleted the app, deleted the backup, but when I reload the game from iCloud it comes in at my old level, not zero.


texts: How do I open an iOS app that I transferred to my Mac?

texts: I downloaded an app on my phone and transferred it to my MacBook Pro and I got a file of the app. Whenever I click on it, it says the app already exists in my iTunes library and do I want to replace it. How do I open the app so I can use it?


texts: How can I remove songs from the Music app on my iPhone?

texts: How do I edit songs that are in the Music app on my iPhone 5?  I need to delete some songs that were automatically synced that I don't want.


texts: My Macbook 2011 cursor moves and clicks but won't work

texts: My MacBook cursor moves fine, clicks fine on the touchpad, but will not click on anything. I tried right-clicking and this works on some windows but not all. I tried powering off, doesn't work. I tried putting the machine to sleep, doesn't work. Please help.


texts:
I noticed Apple's tvOS broadcasting no less than 7 mDNS PTR-RRs (via Bonjour, I presume):

+ Apple TV._airplay._tcp.local
+ Apple TV._mediaremotetv._tcp.local
+ Apple TV._companion-link._tcp.local
+ 1BC5121395BA@Apple TV._raop._tcp.local
+ 70-61-23-49.1Apple TV._sleep-proxy._udp.local
+ BC69B8CC-AEE6-B37E-AAB3-E2D55C4DE0AA._homekit._tcp.local
+ EC9ED9FECEDB93DFEE5A0AC02C0BA9A5CD8DDA27._touch-able._tcp.local

Note: Unique, personally identifiable values have been randomized.

It seems like a lot. At first I thought it was only the first 5 (still seems like a lot). Some are obvious, others are.. not so much. But, pull the AppleTV's ethernet cable and watch them all disappear.


texts: Set timeout when falling asleep before network disconnects

texts:
I'm using OS X Mavericks (latest) on a 15″ 2014 MBP. There's an option to make the system not lock the screen for x number of seconds/minutes after the screen goes dim. I'm looking for an option to not disconnect the network for x number of seconds/minutes after the screen dims.

Here's the situation (happens a couple times a day): I'm VPN'd in somewhere and have a bunch of SSH and RDP sessions open. I then have to go sit in a meeting where I'd be busy talking to someone or looking at a presentation. I try to keep my screen awake but sometimes I catch it a bit late, often right as it's just going totally dark. When that happens I move the mouse and it wakes up and doesn't ask for a password (since it's only been a few seconds) but my VPN has disconnected and all of my SSH and RDP sessions are killed.

Is there any way to set a grace period for when the network goes down the way you can set a grace period for when the system is locked?


texts: As Apple suggests, Mac running OS X Lion v10.7.3 or later should be able to boot from Time Machine backup disk. I followed the instructions on this page https://support.apple.com/en-us/ht202796. I hold down option key while it was turning on, the startup manager popped up but for some reason I didn't see an EFI boot option. The Seagate external drive used for backup is formatted to HFS+ encrypted. My MacBook Pro from late 2011 is running lion 10.7.5. I've tried to press command shift option period and that didn't work. Does anyone have any idea why it's not picking up the Seagate as a bootable drive? The disk utility actually states it's bootable.


texts: How do I give myself full read/write/admin access to Backups.backupdb on a old Time Machine HD

texts:
I have a hard disk which I don't want to use as a time machine anymore but I do want to delete files on there but I get:

The operation can’t be completed because backup items can’t be modified.

I disabled SIP but it still doesn't let me.

My goal is to delete files from this directory that I don't care about and archive it on Amazon Glacier or B2. I do not care for any other system files on there apart from the actual user data. I have nearly 50 backup snapshots on there and I can't seem to delete any files in there.

Is there a way for me to grant myself full access and just tell MacOS to give me full access.


texts: Is iTunes required for iOS7 iPhone to trust PC with Windows 7?

texts:
Every time I connect my iPhone 5S (7.0.3, but have had this issue since 7.0 with both 5S and iPhone 4) to my computer (Latitude E6410 with Windows 7 Pro) I get prompted to Trust the computer. I trust it, and each time I reconnect the USB cable, the prompt returns.

I am not alone.

Googling this issue, it seems to affect a large number of Windows 7 users. There isn't a single solution that appears to work for everyone, but this one seems to have helped some:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1567

However, it presupposes the presence of the AMDS service. I do not have this service, I presume because I do not have iTunes installed (and I would prefer not to install it). Nowhere could I find any information from Apple about whether iTunes is required for Trust.
So my questions are:
(a) is it true the iTunes is required for establishing "Trust"?
and
(b) if so, is there a workaround?

Note: this post (related to Linux) would imply to me that it should work without iTunes:
iOS7 won't trust linux computer


texts: How do i pair my AirPods to my iPhone 6s?

texts: How do I pair my AirPods to my phone? I have tried everything, such as turning off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Contacting Apple Support did not help.


texts: Final Cut Pro video downloaded to flash drive

texts: I recently made a wedding video for my cousin, its about 6 minutes long. I can get it downloaded onto the flash drive but when I play it back it is really slow and laggy and doesnt really work? does anyone know why this is?


texts:
Some time ago, I started having minor problems.  The "least minor" was that shutdown took more than ten minutes.  With an SSD internal and nothing external, this didn't seem right.

But when I used 'last' one day to check the timing of a recent session, I noticed that every shutdown was labeled "crash."  So I decided to wipe and reinstall.

After reinstall, to avoid re-introducing any problems, I did not use migration assistant.  I created all my user accounts fresh, and did a few app updates.

Before doing a backup of the new system, I used 'last' to see exactly when the install started (so I would know which backups to get old stuff from).  To my surprise, every shutdown, including the ones done by the installer, was labeled "crash."

I know it did not always do this.  Is this a "normal" change of some recent MacOS version?  All the hardware except the RAM and SSD are Apple-refurbs with only five days of the warranty used.  The RAM and SSD came from the old system, which Apple's in-store diagnostics said had no hardware issues.  We did have to "repair disk" but afterward, it passed diagnostics and besides, I erased it completely before the re-install.  Well, not completely—even though I selected the whole drive, Disk Utility saved the recovery partition.

So (tl;dr), is it normal for MacOS 10.12.1 and 10.12.2 to log a crash every time we shut down?


texts: How is the passcode stored in the cloud?

texts:
Since iOS11 one is forced to use 2FA, unless one wants to do without a second factor. But 2FA has the disadvantage that the passcode is transmitted to the iCloud. But I don’t know when this is the case. So I would like to know when and how this happens?

What I know is that I don’t like it and don’t need it. Can anyone help me to feel less uncomfortable with this?

An other question related to the passcode is why the phone/cloud saves the last attempt?

Edit:
I found the documentation. HT202303 says: "To access your data on a new device, you might be required to enter the passcode for an existing or former device."

So this means when I activate 2FA, my passcode is uploaded to the cloud. And for a 6-digit passcode there is no "encryption" or whatever. Is is super simple to bruteforce.

Now as these keys are transferred to China, how can I be sure that my iPhone security is not totally compromised when using 2FA?


texts: MacBook Air at 5700 RPM fan speed during summer?

texts:
it is unusually hot today (37 Celsius, about 100 Fahrenheit) and my MBA mid 13 fan is going crazy. The CPU temp is at 47.5 when almost idle but my fan blows with 5703 RPM (pretty much the maximum). This data is taken from iStats and the fan symbol is literally blinking red.

Is there anything I need to worry about or is everything cool as long as the CPU is still cool? I understand that with an outside temperature almost as hot as the CPU temp, the fan needs to blow a bit more, but I am afraid the fan blasting at 100% could have some unfortunate outcome.

Going into my basement, it goes down to about 4000 RPM, so the fan itself does seem to react to the temperature as it is supposed to do.

2nd question: should I decrease my MacBook use (or maybe cap the max CPU load) just to be safe or is Apple's temperature management smart enough to turn down when it's getting dangerous?


texts: Why don't I receive Logic Pro X update notifications in App Store?

texts:
I'm signed into App Store and have an installed version of Logic Pro X that I bought with the same Apple ID that I'm signed in with.

I no longer receive update notifications via the App Store about Logic Pro X updates.

Here is my system info:

OS X El Capitan version 10.11.6
Logic Pro X version 10.3.3
MacBook Pro Retina 15-inch Mid 2015

I can't upgrade to Mojave yet as apparently, Universal Apollo Audio Software doesn't support it yet.

Is my macOS too old to receive updates now? I tried re-installing once before, but that's a lengthy workaround I'd like to avoid.


texts:
I'm trying to install Windows 10 in BootCamp on my 2012 Macbook Pro, running mac OS Sierra, but fail to boot from the USB drive on which the Windows install tools reside. The error message I get is No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key.

What I did so far:

Tried to create a boot medium using Boot Camp assistant. This failed, because on the ISO-Image I have there is a file install.wim, which is too large for a FAT32-formatted drive.
Tried to manually create the boot medium, using the above ISO-image, formatting the drive using ExFAT. This resulted in the above error message. I did some research and it seems that ExFAT is not bootable?

The most promising attempt was the following:

So, since I have another device running Windows 10 available, I ended up installing Microsoft's MediaCreationTool and creating a FAT32-based bootable USB drive.
Using this drive; I was once able to boot into the Windows 10 Installation. Since I was not able to quickly obtain a product key and thought I needed one for the installation, I canceled the installation at this point.
After cancelling the installation, the Windows partition stopped showing up as a startup disk!
I restarted the Boot Camp procedure, erasing- and re-creating the Bootcamp-partition.
The USB drive stopped being recognised; I again get the above error message No bootable device -- insert boot disk and press any key. In macOS the USB drive shows up without any problem.

I did a few more attempts (each time erasing and creating the bootcamp partition; trying to create another USB tool), but always with the same result.

Any help in getting this to run is appreciated. If possible, I'd like to avoid updating to mac OS Catalina.


texts: Weather App in iOS 7 - can't get the top location to delete or move

texts: I can move or delete any of the locations on the list except the one at the top. Help.


texts: AirPort Extreme Refusing Internet Connection to Windows Clients

texts:
I have an AirPort Extreme (3rd generation) acting as the router in the house. Unlike the Actiontec router that it replaced, Windows 7 (but not XP) computers connected to the LAN in various ways, either by wired ethernet or wireless-N, cannot access the Internet through it. I can ping them from my Mac on the LAN, but they cannot ping anything on the Internet like 8.8.8.8 (Google DNS). It can't be a DNS issue. I've tried both DHCP and manual setup, mimicking the settings my Mac uses except with a different IP address. I'm no expert at networking, so I don't know what else could cause it. What's going on?

I've switched between this router and the Actiontec in the past. Whenever this router is in, Windows 7 can't connect. The moment I switch to the Actiontec, it works.


texts:
Scrolling slowly using a 3rd party mouse does absolutely nothing on Sierra for me. I just now noticed after using the trackpad for several months. I even purchased a new mouse to see if Logitech's software was interfering with something to no avail.

I am using a Razer Naga, but the same issue occurs with my Logitech MX Anywhere 2, MX Master, M705, and my generic Microsoft mouse.

Here is a little video showing the issue in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB975jLpmKg

I have seen one other person with the same issue on Sierra, but zero solutions unfortunately. Please do not recommend USB Overdrive or SteerMouse.


texts: **to reset iphone 6**(without connecting to itunes or without using home button)

texts: My iphone home button doesn't work and it doesn't turn on. It shows the apple symbol and doesn't start. Trying to hard reset the phone. Whenever I am connecting it to the itunes, it is asking for the permission from the phone(It wants me to allow Access) but I can not see anything but the apple symbol. Please tell me if there are any other ways to reset the phone without using the home button and connecting it to the itunes. I am trying to turn on my iphone by resetting the iphone.


texts:
Issue:

using diskwarrior 5.0
when opening the app then authenticating i get an 4010:716 error. Trying to understand why and how to fix it.

Tried:

removing the app
reinstalling the app
removing all references of the app from the library and reinstalling.
used that on another computer and the app works fine.


texts: Non native 3rd-party apps not loading on Apple Watch

texts:
Apps like DataMan, Carrot Weather or Runtastic Pro are stuck on the loading screen and eventually crash if I wait long enough.

I'm using watchOS 2.1 with 16 apps installed and have it paired to an iPhone 6 running iOS 9.2.
I've already tried unpairing the watch and then pairing it again, reinstalling the apps on both watch and iPhone as well as soft resetting both devices.

I have found these steps describing to fix the issue of not loading for native apps:

Step 1: Perform an encrypted backup with the paired iPhone, using iTunes.
Step 2: Erase all content and settings on your iPhone.
Step 3: On the Apple Watch, go to the Settings app and select Erase All Contents and Settings.
Step 4: Now restore your factory default iPhone from the iTunes backup.
Step 5: Once the restore is complete, pair your Apple Watch with the iPhone.

But before going through the steps of completely resetting my iPhone I wanted to make sure that there's no other way.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Can't find Apple Music Icloud in settings. (Can't Download Music) FIXED

texts:
I have searched for answers on how to download music from our apple computers without the apple icloud setting being in our iphone settings. Sadly no ones provided answers on how to make it re-appear nor seems to be running into this problem, but don't worry if you're reading this and are also finding trouble downloading music from your computer, i'll give you the answer you're looking for.
Simply sign your apple ID out of your device

(you will temporarily lose your music you've downloaded whilst logged in - until you sign back in.)

Now download your music & don't forget to sync ! Then sign back in ! :P
Kind regards M.


texts:
From time to time, my Magic Trackpad gestures will stop working. I can restart to bring them back, but this is pretty disruptive.

Is there a process I can kill to bring them back?

(I've tried turning off the Magic Trackpad; unfortunately, it doesn't fix the problem.)


texts: Possible to link mouse buttons to macOS functions

texts:
I've just taken delivery of a new mechanical keyboard and laser mouse as I wanted to switch off the Bluetooth on my MacBook Pro (early 2013 Retina, running High Sierra).

All is working nicely with the Mac except I've lost the gesture control which I use a lot to switch between VMware virtual machines.

The laser mouse is a gaming mouse (HyperX Puslefire FPS) with a couple of extra buttons and I'd like to assign these buttons to switch desktops.

Does anyone know how I can do this, ideally without 3rd party software, using automation or similar?


texts: OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 .plist can't be found

texts:
My HDD is encrypted. Accessing Terminal from Recovery Mode -> Utilities. The location /var/db/dslocal/nodes/Default/users/ doesn't contain <user>.plist.

There is an user account for sure and I can see it on regular boot.

Any ideas what is wrong and alternatively where can I find password hashes for user accounts.


texts: Two Login Screens with different accounts on both

texts:
I have a user that was having an issue with his mac where only 1 administrative account was showing up.  He'd log in, then have to log out and could see the other two accounts (his personal account and another administrative account).

I checked filevault but his personal account was the only one enabled to use filevault, so I removed the 1st administrative account that was the only one showing up on reboot.  After removing the account (and home folder securely) we reboot the mac.

The 1st administrative account is still the only one showing up, but now once we log into this account, instead of showing the desktop, it takes us to another login screen with his personal account and the other administrative account.

What do I need to do to remove the first login screen?

I believe he is using yosemite


texts: How can I change a non-existing iCloud email address?

texts:
Setup iphone 5c for my mom 2 years ago and just performed her latest software update using her Apple ID and it worked fine.  I went to Settings > iCloud and it shows a different iCloud ID email address that has never existed.  I tried entering her Apple ID password and now it is stuck "Verifying" asking for her password to this non-existent email address.

And now she gets a message "Sign in to iCloud -- Enter the password for your Apple ID "non-existent email address".  Say what?  That is NOT her Apple ID email address!

I cannot change the email address because I cannot verify.

What can I do??


texts:
In previous versions of Mobile Safari, when I used Google Reader on my iPhone and clicked through to open an article on the New York Times or another news site, it would open in a mobile-optimized format. This made articles really easy to read on my iPhone, since I didn't have all the junk on the Times website competing for screen space with the actual article.

Because the format appeared to be universal, it was clearly being done within Safari (or by the mobile version of Google Reader) and not by all these sites. But for a while (perhaps since iOS 4.x) articles are opened in in their normal formats, without being modified at all for mobile browsers.

Is anyone familiar with this change and what might have caused it? Something in the mobile version of Safari or of Google Reader?


texts: How to protect my Mac from reseting the admin password

texts:
Yesterday I was studying and writing some texts in german. I closed my MBP and went watch some TV which made me forget about the german keyboard layout.

When I came back, my password wasn't being accepted at all. I double checked both shifts, caps lock, everything. (The keyboard layout wasn't being shown at the top)

I gave up and started looking online on ways to reset my password. I found out that anyone in possession of my Mac is able to easily reset my admin password even without knowing anything about me or my computer.

Is there a way to protect myself from this kind of "attack"?

Reference: Recover Admin password


texts: Why has sound stopped outputting with VLC?

texts:
Background: I tried recently to hook my Macbook Air to my TV using an HDMI cord and a converter. It worked completely using Netflix and iTunes but the audio did not work with ANY of the AVI files I tried using VLC, even when I connected the audio ports using a 3.5 mm audio jack cord.

A few days later I tried to use VLC when not hooked up my TV but the sound has stopped working and I don't know why. The files are not corrupt, because they work fine on my MBP using VLC. I deleted my version of VLC, downloaded the latest version and deleted my preferences in case I had changed something vital without realizing it.

I have confirmed that my audio output is set correctly in my settings, but I don't have external speakers so I haven't tried that yet. Has anyone ever come across an issue like this before?

Edit: It resolved itself after a few days and I have no idea. I guess I will leave this open because someone might know what happened and the question might help someone else?


texts: Restart CoreAudio... to fix Safari problems?! Why?

texts:
On my M1 Macbook Pro (2020) running Big Sur 11.3.1, I've found that I need to restart CoreAudio to solve seemingly unrelated problems. For example:

Safari will stop rendering content... Safari is still working, I can go to other tabs, but it will just stop rendering content. I found if I kill and restart CoreAudio, the page snaps into existence.
Quicktime won't launch... it just keeps bouncing in the dock. I kill and restart CoreAudio and then it starts right up.
Zoom is unresponsive... restart CoreAudio and we're good.

If I'm experiencing problems in one of these apps, the problem extends to all of them. So if I notice that Safari is wonky, I'll try to launch Quicktime and it won't launch either. These apps must all be reliant on the same CoreAudio thing.
I discovered this fix by trial and error. Every once in awhile my audio would get crackly and restarting CoreAudio fixed it... which makes sense. So, on a whim I tried this to fix the Safari situation and it worked.
So what the heck is going on here? How do I figure out what's corrupting CoreAudio? How do I fix it?

This is how I'm restarting CoreAudio, BTW. In Terminal:
sudo launchctl stop com.apple.audio.coreaudiod && sudo launchctl start com.apple.audio.coreaudiod


texts: BigSur installed on virtual box does not allow me to install virtual guest addition

texts:
I'm trying to install guest additions on BigSur on a virtual machine.
I'm following this guideline: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/41691803/how-to-install-guest-addition-in-mac-os-as-guest-and-windows-machine-as-host but the command to access recovery mode gives me operation not permitted:

There is a way to access recovery mode from a virtual box machine maybe simulating cmd+r inserting? Or there is another way to install guest additions?


texts: How to get file path of user selected .icns file in applescript?

texts:
I'm writing an applescript in which I need the POSIX path to an .icns file that the user selects. For some reason though, it refuses to accept .icns as a valid file type.

This will work:

set Icon to (POSIX path of (choose file of type {"png"} with prompt "Select a .png file."))

But this won't:

set Icon to (POSIX path of (choose file of type {"icns"} with prompt "Select a .icns file."))

When the script is run, it won't let me choose any files, including .icns files.

Any ideas? Thanks.

Also, I'm running 10.8.5 if it helps, and if there is an easy way to convert .png files to .icns files with applescript, I'm open to that too.


texts: Change accessibility setting on Mac using terminal

texts:
I would like to grant accessibility permission to some apps on Mac using Terminal as per this intruction

https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT202866 which is the accessibility tab in System Preferences

Or this

http://mizage.com/help/accessibility.html

I would like to do that using Terminal so I can setup to install apps (i.e: BetterSnapTool) for many Mac at the same time, given I have admin privilege and this should be applied only on Mavericks and Yosemite

Does anyone know how to do this?

Thanks


texts: How to update company's MacBook Pro with OS X Lion?

texts:
How a company I work for should update my MacBook Pro to Lion? I have some options but I'm unsure which way to go?

Note: volume license is not an option (not that many Macs at my company).

Update to Lion using my Apple ID and ask for reimbursement. Cons: not
quite the right thing IMO as license is on myself then. Pro: pricing (€23.99)
Ask company to buy an USB stick with update. Pros: seems the
easiest way. Cons: pricing is at €59.99, so the company may not be willing to go that way when the update is cheaper in App Store.
Maybe a company can update via App Store by logging in with
company's Apple ID?

What you recommend? What's your experience?


texts:
I have a problem with my iPhone 11 - the handset audio device has disappeared so I cannot make calls, play music etc from the speakers on the device.  I cannot change the volume.  When I long press on the volume control in control centre it appears as a full white bar, which I cannot adjust.  When I long press on the media controls in control centre there is no "iPhone" item in the device list, and the scrubber on the volume control is missing.
See images below.

Using headphones works fine, but currently there is no way to make the handset device make a sound!


texts: Is the /Developer directory still needed for Xcode in OS X Mavericks?

texts: The new Xcode is .app and all the package contents are with it, inside the applications folder. Can I just delete /Developer?


texts: Downloading preorders from iTunes in iOS6

texts:
I preordered some music last night via iTunes on my computer at home. I have an iPad at work that is bound to the same iTunes account. I go to the "Purchased" section in iTunes on the iPad and my preorder isn't there. The preorder has been released and i received my confirmation from Apple this morning that it in fact has.

How can I download my preorder?


texts: Escaped path in AppleScript adds leading /

texts:
I have the following AppleScript that I am trying to debug:

tell application "System Events"

    set theResult to (do shell script "sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\\ Support/Dock/desktoppicture.db \"SELECT data.value
FROM data WHERE data.ROWID = 2\"") & "/" & (do shell script "sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\\ Support/Dock/desktoppicture.db \"SELECT data.value
FROM preferences JOIN data on preferences.key = 16 AND preferences.picture_id = 1 AND preferences.data_id=data.ROWID\"")

    do shell script "open -b \"com.adobe.Photoshop\" " & quoted form of theResult

end tell

Basically what this script does is it fetches the path of the currently displayed wallpaper on my computer and passes that as an argument to Photoshop.

The path that is fetched is in the form ~/PATH/TO/IMAGE.  This path has spaces in it which is why I used the quoted form of command to escape the string.  However, in doing so the path to the image changes to /~/PATH/TO/IMAGE and I'm very puzzled as to why it adds the extra "/" to the beginning of the string.  Because of this, the script does not run as expected.  How can I escape the path but keep it from adding the extra "/".  Is there a way to convert the path to a fully qualified path or a different way of escaping the string?

Updated version of script with correction:

tell application "System Events"

    set currentWallpaperPath to (do shell script "sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\\ Support/Dock/desktoppicture.db \"SELECT data.value
FROM data WHERE data.ROWID = 2\"") & "/" & (do shell script "sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\\ Support/Dock/desktoppicture.db \"SELECT data.value
FROM preferences JOIN data on preferences.key = 16 AND preferences.picture_id = 1 AND preferences.data_id=data.ROWID\"")

    if currentWallpaperPath starts with "~/" then set currentWallpaperPath to (system attribute "HOME") & text 2 thru -1 of currentWallpaperPath

    do shell script "open -b \"com.adobe.Photoshop\" " & quoted form of currentWallpaperPath

end tell

Also wanted to add that this script is only relevant to OS X Mavericks (10.9) as the wallpaper information has now moved to the database file rather than being referenced in the com.apple.Desktop.plist file as it was in previous versions of OS X.  Also, my computer is set to randomly display wallpaper from a specific folder on my machine.  The script may need to be tweaked depending on your computers configuration.


texts: How many monitors can the 13" retina MacBook Pro output to?

texts: The 15" retina can do three (and itself) via daisychaining two Thunderbolts (or just using the two ports) and with the HDMI port. Is the 13" retina able to do this as well?


texts:
My wife has lost a number of files she had in iBooks on her iPad.
These were journal articles downloaded from the web or books/patterns she had purchased on line.
Many are no longer available for download.
The presumed cause is when she plugged the iPad into her MacBookPro to backup and upgrade iPadOS.
Books seems to delete any which are downloaded directly to the iPad.
If you elect to turn off Books sync it threatens to delete all the books on the iPad.
This seems like a catch 22 - there seems to no way to sync downloaded Books to the MacBook (which she doesn't really want to do - because there is insufficient space on the SSD) but turning sync off deletes all the books!
I would like to recover the lost files - some older files would be in the TimeMachine backup and possible in the iPad backup.
Can anyone suggest

a method of recovering these files?
How to stop sync deleting downloaded files.


texts: MacOS Big Sur cannot use wifi adapter device

texts:
Recently, I upgrade to macOS Big Sur (11.0 Beta (20A4300b)).
After upgrade, my tp-link usb wifi adapter(Archer T2U Plus model) no longer works.
I had tried to reinstall the driver, and even other driver from gitHub.
I also tried doing smc reset, nvram reset. Nevertheless, after restarting, my extended wifi adapter still can't work.
There is no issue regarding the wifi adapter itself. I am able to successfully connect adapter with my other laptop. Either type-c port directly or with a usb to type-c converter inbetween, both ports can recognize the adapter correctly. The adapter would start to blink after plug-in in 2 seconds, yet the adapter won't be able to blink at all for the Big Sur.
What can I do to make Big Sur work with this wifi adapter?
P.S. This is my working laptop, I had to bought this adapter after work from home period since its internal wifi is terrible. Even after the upgrade, the interal wifi still suffer network inconsistent issue heavly. Therefore I had to rely on the external wifi adapter to get decent network. While I upgraded the system, I didn't backup the system, so I can't time machine it back. And also wipe out the system would not be a good approach for me, especially still in lock down period.


texts: Copy/Migrate FileVault 2 encrypted hard drive

texts: I'm running OS X Mavericks and have the entire hard drive encrypted with FileVault 2. I intend to upgrade to a larger hard drive (actually an SSD). In the past when not using FileVault, I used Carbon Copy Cloner to copy the entire disk to the new hard drive. Can this be accomplished with a FileVault protected drive?


texts: How to sync non-system photo library to iPhone

texts:
The default photo library is system library. Any new library created is non-system photo library. How to sync the photos in these library into iPhone? In iTunes it seems that you can only sync the system library. Is there any app useful?

Yosemite 10.10.3
Photos 1.0
iTunes 12.1.2.27
iOS 8.3


texts: Folders and files are overlapped by menu in Finder

texts:
I have been a Windows user my whole life and just purchased my very first Apple product ever: a MBP.

I have a question regarding Finder, which may be a bug or simply me who doesn't know how to use it properly.

Anyways, here's the (potential) problem: when I am using Finder in split screen mode sometimes folders and files are overlapped by the upper menu.

Check this out:

As you can see in the image above, some folders are now 'under' the upper menu and I cannot seem to be able to get them back in 'visible' positions.

Can someone advise if this is a bug or it's just me being newbie?

Thanks :)

--- UPDATE

I am on MacOS 10.12.5 - the scroll bar is 'fully scrolled up' already.

I can't drag folders or files - when I release the mouse button, they simply stay in their original position.

The problem occurs in all folder view modes.

--- UPDATE II

I don't have 'none' or 'snap to grid' as options in the 'sort by' dropdown:

Or in the 'arrange by' dropdown:

The 'clean up' entries in the view menu are disabled:

One thing I forgot to mention: the sidebar also gets 'swallowed' by the upper menu:

'Documents', 'Desktop', 'Google Drive', 'Air Drop', etc., are also hidden by the upper menu.


texts: Syncing and deleting categories in Outlook?

texts:
I created a bunch of Outlook categories via AppleScript using the following command:

make new category with properties {name:"Snooze2", color:"blue"}

These new categories work as expected, but don't show in the 'Categories' window (Preferences → Personal Settings → Categories) and also will not be available on other machines using the same account.

Do you know how to create categories that will behave like the ones created using the Categories window?

Also related, does anybody know how to delete a category via AppleScript? Since they don't show in the Categories window, I can only delete them via AppleScript.


texts:
I am doing well with my Mac, but I don't want to buy another computer for gaming, then I'm thinking on upgrading it.

Searching in the web, I've seen that there is no way to upgrade the Mac mini's internal card, but anyone have experienced or knows if it works well with an external graphics card?

Do you think it's worth? Suggestion for an external graphics card?

Mac mini's model is mid-2011 with 8 GB RAM.


texts: How do I find out which folder an app is in in iOS 11?

texts:
In older versions of iOS, if I searched for an app with Spotlight, it would tell me which folder the app was in. (E.g., this feature still works on my iPad, which is running iOS 9, but not on my iPod Touch, which is running iOS 11.)

This feature seems to have been removed at some point. When I search for an app under iOS 11 using Spotlight, it will find the app and let me run it, but it doesn't tell me which folder it is in.

How can I find out which folder an app is in now?


texts:
I'm running dnsmasq on a 2016 MBP running Mac OS Sierra (10.12.1) but I'm unable to ping any .dev addresses despite having what I believe is the proper config. Running dig does return sane output.

/usr/local/etc/dnsmasq.conf

resolv-file=/usr/local/etc/resolv-dnsmasq.conf
address=/.dev/127.0.0.1

/etc/resolver/dev

nameserver 127.0.0.1

/usr/local/etc/resolv-dnsmasq.conf

nameserver 8.8.8.8
nameserver 8.8.4.4

My DNS server list in System Preferences has only one entry pointing to 127.0.0.1.

When I run dig on a .dev address I get the following output:

; <<>> DiG 9.11.0-P1 <<>> test.dev
;; global options: +cmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 36126
;; flags: qr aa rd ra ad; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;test.dev.          IN  A

;; ANSWER SECTION:
test.dev.       0   IN  A   127.0.0.1

;; Query time: 0 msec
;; SERVER: 127.0.0.1#53(127.0.0.1)
;; WHEN: Mon Dec 19 23:13:20 PST 2016
;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 42

I'm able to load external sites like google.com perfectly but if I try accessing a local web server or even pinging a .dev address it fails.

Help would be appreciated!


texts: Restore iPhone SMS history from Mac Messages without iPhone backup

texts:
I recently reimaged my iPhone, however I forgot to check my SMS history before deleting my original backup. I assumed, incorrectly, that it would sync via iCloud, or by the SMS Forwarding feature that brings these messages into Mac OS X Messages. So, I have no sms.db, but I do have chat.db and the supporting Attachments. Extensive searching turns up nothing.

How hard is it to translate a chat.db file into an sms.db file suitable for restoring from an iPhone backup? Major surgery? Minor hacking? Rename the file?


texts: Give iOS Developer Program membership as a gift?

texts: Is it possible to purchase a one-year iOS Developer Program membership for someone as a gift? I know the Apple ID of the desired recipient, but couldn't find how to offer the program membership.


texts: Not enough storage space to update iPad mini

texts: I don't have enough storage space to update my iPad mini  from iOS 7 to iOS 9. As advised I have linked to MacBook Pro through Bluetooth but cannot see what the next step should be. I have little IT knowledge so answers need to be idiot proof.


texts: Is there a way to save a running system snapshot, without hibernating?

texts:
I don't mean file system snapshot, I mean the system state that is saved by the hibernate procedure (or deep sleep), to be recovered after a shutdown, so that I I'm able to restart from the situation (opened windows, running processes, etc) as it was when I did the save operation.

This is possible with Virtual Machines (yeah, I know it's physically different, cause they save the virtual hardware and don't rely on the OS capabilities) and basically, it should be the functionality run upon hibernation, without the final power off step.

I need this because my old Mac has started shutting down out of nothing, with the system restarting from scratch after that (so, all previous app have to be reopened, all unfinished jobs need to be restarted).

Note also I don't mean the "reopen apps" functionality that is available as a login option: that just relaunch apps, but they restart from scratch, not from their previous state.


texts: I restarted my Mac (OS X 10.11.6) this morning and upon opening Mail.app (9.3), most (all?) of my display preferences had been reset. Very annoying! I have a Time Machine backup - what file(s) do I need to restore to get Mail back to where I like it? Thanks much!


texts: Mac needs to repair library after changing location of home directory

texts:
I recently reinstalled Yosemite to fix the notorious WiFi bug, and i have two hard drives, one SSD which i reserve for apps and boot, and the other HDD for data (including user data).

I started up my mac made a user account on the SSD (aside from my original one, this is a safety precaution in case the HDD goes down and i need to log in to an account on the SSD), then i copied my user folder to the HDD and went to the advanced settings for that account and pointed it to the new location on the HDD.

When i logged into my account that now has a home folder on the HDD a screen pops up saying OS X needs to repair your Library to run applications. Type your password to allow this

I type my password but it just pops up again in an infinite loop.

One strange thing to note is four ? symbols on the dock for keynote, pages, and other apps that i haven't had installed (And haven't even purchased).

Why would simply copying the fresh user folder from my SSD to my HDD (both were formatted during install) cause this error?

When i force restart and log into the admin account on the SSD i can point my user folder back to its original folder on my SSD (since i did not delete it) and then log into it and everything is normal (and there are no ? symbols for apps i don't own on my dock either.


texts: Make MacBook German keyboard behave like windows

texts:
I could not find a thread which exactly answered my questions, even though it seems like a common concern. So, sorry if this question is not appropriate, but I really did some reasearch and only could find half of my answers or questions which were the other way round (cannot control this via the keywords I'm searching).

So, I can choose between the newest MacBook Pro and a Dell Windows Laptop by work. Intended purpose is to do some emergency coding at home, which will be the case no more than 2 hours per month; normally there are many months where I don't have to do anything at all. Which means that I will rarely spend any time with the Mac. I am coming from Windows and Linux OS and my concern is, that due to the rare occasions, I will not adapt to the strange keyboard settings (special characters like !"$&/()[] etc). So my question is, are there tools to completely emulate a Windows keyboard layout, so every character is at the same place? And if so, what are your experiences with it / would you recommend it?

Also, I wonder if it is possible to plug a regular Windows USB keyboard in the Macbook and have the character input Windows-like, or do I have to setup stuff for that? How can I use MacOS keyboard shortcuts with such a keyboard?

I already found stuff like Karabiner and this, but I cannot see what exactly those are doing and what it's limits are, also if it is really recommended or merely tedious.

Side note, I am used to German layout on all my machines and would like to keep it that way.

Also to understand why I would even choose a Mac with these concerns: My earlier experiences with terminal emulators on windows are very bad to say at least. They are clunky, ugly, often buggy and most times don't catch special keys like for VIM or TMUX. So I would like to try the native linux-y terminals of Mac.
As long as I don't know about the keyboard layout, I am not sure which of the two OS is the lesser evil for me.


texts: Macbook Pro limits resolution of Samsung U28D590D to 1920x1080

texts:
I use a MacBook Pro late 2011 and I recently bought a Samsung Screen U28D590D 28" which could, normally, bring me a resolution of 2560x1440 with DisplayPort.

But, my screen recognizes my MBP only with Mini-DisplayPort → HDMI connection. Mini-DisplayPort → DisplayPort connection doesn't work and I'm limited to a 1920x1080 resolution. Why is this happening and how can I fix it?


texts: Assigning applications to multiple desktops (Spaces) across multiple monitors

texts:
I have a setup with two monitors.  Is there a way that I can assign an application to one space on monitor 1 and another space on monitor 2?  I currently have it set up so that each monitor has its own set of spaces and would like to keep it that way.

I use eclipse in a setup where I display the editor on one monitor and everything else (console, navigator, etc.) on the other.  Whenever I change perspectives, restart eclipse, or unplug the second monitor, the windows all move onto one screen.


texts: System hangs when creating bootable disk drive

texts:
I followed the instructions provided in this answer which explains how to make an El Capitan bootable disk from a system running Catalina

I copied the commands exactly as prescribed, reproduced here:

pkgutil --expand /Volumes/Install\ OS\ X/InstallMacOSX.pkg ~/Desktop/El\ Capitan
diskutil eject Install\ OS\ X
cd ~/Desktop/El\ Capitan
hdiutil attach InstallMacOSX.pkg/InstallESD.dmg  -noverify -nobrowse -mountpoint /Volumes/esd
sudo asr restore -source /Volumes/esd/BaseSystem.dmg -target /Volumes/MyVolume -noprompt -noverify -erase
diskutil rename OS\ X\ Base\ System Install\ El\ Capitan
rm /Volumes/Install\ El\ Capitan/System/Installation/Packages
cp -rp /Volumes/esd/Packages /Volumes/Install\ El\ Capitan/System/Installation
cp -rp /Volumes/esd/BaseSystem.chunklist /Volumes/Install\ El\ Capitan/
cp -rp /Volumes/esd/BaseSystem.dmg /Volumes/Install\ El\ Capitan/
hdiutil detach /Volumes/esd
sudo bless --folder /Volumes/Install\ El\ Capitan/System/Library/CoreServices --label Install\ El\ Capitan
cp /Volumes/Install\ El\ Capitan/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/InstallAssistant.icns /Volumes/Install\ El\ Capitan/.VolumeIcon.icns
diskutil eject Install\ El\ Capitan

However it hangs at the last line. Here is the output:

pkgutil --expand /Volumes/Install\ OS\ X/InstallMacOSX.pkg ~/Desktop/El\ Capitan
diskutil eject Install\ OS\ X
cd ~/Desktop/El\ Capitan
hdiutil attach InstallMacOSX.pkg/InstallESD.dmg  -noverify -nobrowse -mountpoint /Volumes/esd
sudo asr restore -source /Volumes/esd/BaseSystem.dmg -target /Volumes/MyVolume -noprompt -noverify -erase
diskutil rename OS\ X\ Base\ System Install\ El\ Capitan
rm /Volumes/Install\ El\ Capitan/System/Installation/Packages
cp -rp /Volumes/esd/Packages /Volumes/Install\ El\ Capitan/System/Installation
cp -rp /Volumes/esd/BaseSystem.chunklist /Volumes/Install\ El\ Capitan/
cp -rp /Volumes/esd/BaseSystem.dmg /Volumes/Install\ El\ Capitan/
hdiutil detach /Volumes/esd
sudo bless --folder /Volumes/Install\ El\ Capitan/System/Library/CoreServices --label Install\ El\ Capitan
cp /Volumes/Install\ El\ Capitan/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/InstallAssistant.icns /Volumes/Install\ El\ Capitan/.VolumeIcon.icns
diskutil eject Install\ El\ Capitan
Could not open package for expansion: /Volumes/Install OS X/InstallMacOSX.pkg
Unable to find disk for Install OS X
/dev/disk3              GUID_partition_scheme
/dev/disk3s1            EFI
/dev/disk3s2            Apple_HFS                       /Volumes/esd
Password:

    Validating target...done
    Validating source...done
    Retrieving scan information...done
    Validating sizes...done
    Restoring  ....10....20....30....40....50....60....70....80....90....100
    Restored target device is /dev/disk2s1.
    Remounting target volume...done

asr: Couldn't personalize volume /Volumes/OS X Base System - State not recoverable
Volume on disk2s1 renamed to Install El Capitan

Does anyone have any idea why that might happen?


texts: Is there source code or an update for the Mac Pro 3,1 overclock utility that ZDNet produced several years ago?

texts:
The Mac Pro from 2008 (MacPro3,1) is still a fairly relevant machine in the modern OS X as not only does it run the latest releases of OSX, but also the 8 CPU cores that it came with provide enough power to do all but the most demanding tasks. Yes, they've made faster machines, but this old one still holds its own well enough.

That being said, there was a kernel extension released by ZDNet back in 2008 that allowed you to overclock this specific machine. Though the pages still exist on the web, it seems that after "ZDNet Clock 1.0" was released it was never touched again. Of course, if it worked fine the first time why bother updating it? The only problem is that it is a 32-bit kernel extension and the last version of OS X to support this KExt was 10.7 Lion.

Does anyone know if this tool was ever updated? I'm surprised I really don't see any information on how it is working, but I would hope that someone would have updated it for the modern 64-bit kernel versions? At least if the source was released, someone who has some spare time could pick this one up.

Alternatively, has anyone ever seen a way to overclock a 2008 Mac Pro that works in 10.9 or 10.10? I know I could replace my processors or upgrade, but I think I've got a few years left in this rig.

UPDATED 2015-09-21: still no love on this question, so changed it to at least asking if source code is available.

UPDATED 2017-09-14: two years later, why not try and see if anyone has an answer? Was it ever clear how this worked and why could(n't) it work today on 10.11+?


texts: What would cause a MacBook to restart instead of shutting down or sleeping?

texts:
I know there's a lot of advice for MacBooks randomly shutting down or restarting, but my question is a bit different. My MacBook Pro (mid-2010 15") only turns off when I instruct it to. However, it will only ever Restart: If "Shutdown" is chosen, it will instead restart. If "Sleep" is chosen, it will restart. If I close the lid and the computer tries to go to sleep, it will restart. The only way to get it to power off is by manually holding the power button.

The issue began when I updated to 10.8.4 so I assume it's some sort of software problem with the OS (could a .plist file have been changed somewhere with a bizarre value?). I was hoping that upgrading to 10.8.5 might help, but it's impossible to update because...the computer reset required prohibits the update from happening.

I've also checked the kernel's shutdown causes, and it's typically code "3" or "-60" I know there's no guide to what these mean, but I'm guessing they refer to the system restarting on its own ("3") and being turned off manually by the user ("-60") but I have nothing to back that up.

What might cause a Mac to display this behavior?


texts: Use iMac 27" in Target Display Mode with Raspberry Pi

texts:
I have this little box called the Kanex XD HDMI to Mini-Displayport converter. It works perfectly with a lot of machines (tried it with a Macbook, PS4 and Xbox 360), but some devices don't seem to be supported and I'm wondering why.

One of the devices is the Playstation 3. I know the PS3 has trouble with its resolution, which means you have to reset holding some buttons etc. etc., but even that doesn't get it to work on my iMac in Target Display Mode.

The most recent problem I've run into is with the Raspberry Pi. Yesterday, I installed Raspbian on it while it was connected to my tv. This worked perfectly, if we ignore the weird resolution of 18##x9##.

Which made me wonder: Does the iMac only work as an external display in TDM if the device changes its own output video to 1280*720? Does anyone know a bit more about this function of the 27" iMacs 2010 (and any iMac after 2011 if I remember) who can explain how exactly TDM works or is supposed to work?


texts: Some items in the Trash cannot be deleted because of System Integrity Protection

texts:
That's the message I'm getting when trying to empty the trash. To my knowledge, almost all of this is just old backups from an external drive, even though the message seems to imply I've been rooting around (no pun intended) in operating system files.

Any clue what this message means?


texts: Safari crashes ~10% of times when opening a link (any link)

texts:
I use 9.1. This happens when I have disabled extensions too, is there anything else I can try, and/or is this a known problem, if so, is there any solution.

I might have to delete the preferences, but I want to try other things if it works.


texts: How can I use a Macbook Air to provide a TV with an internet connection?

texts: The television we  have supports the use of the internet through an Ethernet cable or wireless USB network adapter (bought separately). The television has no built-in wireless and the nearest ethernet port in the house is too far away to be practical.


texts: How I can run(call) a Automator Workflow in VBA excel for Mac

texts:
I have a excel file and like run a VBA Macro that call a automator.workflow.

How I can do that ?


texts: How to remove the 10-minute delay for a scheduled Shut Down?

texts:
When I set a Mac used as a public display (reminder: it turns on and off automatically during business hours) to shut down at a specific time (via Energy Saver), macOS will countdown 60 seconds then will add an additional countdown of 10 minutes.

What can I change in macOS so that there is no countdown at all for a scheduled Shut Down?

I found articles on the Net detailing commands for Terminal but they don't manage the 60 seconds/10 minutes countdown.

Somebody told me: "use this AppleScript

osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to shut down'

and that will work.

Here's the problem.
I paste that line of code that he gave me in AppleScript Editor, then save it as an AppleScript app (doing it in Automator and creating thus an app is the same).
Then I go to Apple's Calendar, create a daily repeating event and associate an action to open that app.

Now, here's the catch:
If I double-click the app, the Mac is shut down immediately. Fine. But that's not what I need.
If the event is triggered in the Calendar, each time when it opens the app, it says that this is the first time this app is run and if it is OK to open it. Despite the fact that I click on OPEN (or YES I don't remember), this warning appears each time the app is launched. It seems that the Shut Down process happens so fast that macOS does not have the time to put it in the registry of authorized apps.

So the question is: how to launch that line of code —without buying the $50 PowerManager— at a specific time? Because when that line of code is run not from an AppleScript or Automator app, it works (no warning about the app).

Thank you.


texts: How to put a long picture overlay on top without imovie making the image scroll

texts:
This has to be the most annoying thing in iMovie. I just want a simple picture in picture. But iMovie crops the image and scrolls it!

I can't find any option to avoid this!!!

How annoying.


texts: Is it possible to have per-app network/vpn/proxy settings

texts:
I have a few different applications on my Mac that ideally I would like to run with different network settings.

One app for work I need to run over my work VPN, but at the same time, I have another app I need to run over a proxy for testing. Currently, I can only work with one app at a time with the required network setup. Stop working with it, then setup my other network config.

Is there an app, or a way to specify via settings that an application should use a particular networking setup?


texts: Mac OS X Java megazoomer: no matching architecture in universal wrapper

texts:
Whenever I try to run a Java program with a GUI through Terminal using the `java' command, I get the following error:

2012-09-17 11:37:35.287 java[2486:2617] Error loading /Library/Application Support/SIMBL/Plugins/megazoomer.bundle/Contents/MacOS/megazoomer: dlopen(/Library/Application Support/SIMBL/Plugins/megazoomer.bundle/Contents/MacOS/megazoomer, 265): no suitable image found.  Did find:
/Library/Application Support/SIMBL/Plugins/megazoomer.bundle/Contents/MacOS/megazoomer: no matching architecture in universal wrapper

Note that this doesn't affect the program at all (as far as I know). It compiles and runs fine, but it just blurts out this error as it boots. I tried a bunch of different things, such as re-installing Java or changing permissions for that file, but nothing worked.

I've done some more research in the mean time, and correct me if I'm wrong here, the megazoomer thing has to do with the green magnification button of windows, right?

I run on OS X 8.1, with my Java version being:

java version "1.6.0_33"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_33-b03-424-11M3720)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 20.8-b03-424, mixed mode)

So yeah, if any of you know what this is, what's causing it, and how to fix it, then any and all input would be greatly appreciated!


texts: Is it possible to load single directories into iCloud? Triggered from the Mac Finder?

texts:
I’m currently thinking about buying paid iCloud storage, because I’ve got several directories on my Mac which I’d like to have backed up that way.

My first look at iCloud was disillusioning, however.

Obviously it isn't possible to upload whole directories via the web interface. Only single files. An alternative would be making compressed directories. But that option isn't great.

Is there a software application for desktop with which one can upload single directories?

I’d like to trigger the upload via the right-click context menu or something similar, and have the upload take place in the background. Ideally such an app would also “watch” the selected folder and keep it synchronized with iCloud.

Is this possible in the current state of iCloud Drive, and does a solution exist?


texts: Terminal Command to display a single line from a text file in OS X

texts:
I want to display at a specific line, e.g. line 4, from a text file in Terminal (I need this for character counts, using wc). I'm sure this is a simple problem but read -e 1 filename doesn't do it.

What can be used to accomplish this task?


texts: Mac OS Calendar synchronizes notification time incorrectly

texts:
Set up Google Account at System Preferences and enable Calendar
Create a whole-day appointment with the 'Notification' = 0 days before at 09:00am
Synchronize the appointment to your local built-in Calendar App (Mac OS)

Result:

"Alert on day of event at 09:00" -> correct
"Alert 1 day before at 09:00 (default)" -> incorrect, this seems to be a default setting for the local App

Certainly I can remove the second one by choosing 'None' and applying it to all the events, but this can be demainding with a calendar having dozens of recurring appointments.
Any ideas?
PS: syncing single Google Calendars by subscriptions is even worse, it modifies the notification date to 1 day before.


texts: iPhone X iOS upgrade failed, now in recovery mode

texts:
Steps that lead to iPhone X being in recovery mode

Phone runs out of battery and dies
Phone put on charge and left alone
Presumably that automatical tried to update to 13.3.1
After some time (10-15 minutes) saw that it got stuck on apple logo with black screen
Did force restart
Got stuck at it again
Put in recovery mode
Connected to PC and attempted to update via iTunes
Through iTunes update started, saw on iPhone apple logo and bar indicating that it was loading
Around 15% of that bar iTunes shows error 14

Tried different tools, even bough one that SHOULD'VE fix it but did not.

Now attempting to update to iOS 13

Goal
Copy media files (image, videos) from iPhone (there are no backups) so that i could do factory reset.

Any tips ?


texts: How can I reset the Safari bookmarks in iCloud?

texts: iCloud has duplicated my bookmarks and bookmark folders many times. Now I cleaned all the bookmarks on my Mac but iCloud keeps syncing the old data and the deleted bookmarks reappear. On the icloud.com website, I found no way to reset the bookmarks. The iCloud pref pane doesn't offer any help either. Did I miss something?


texts: Since upgrading to Mountain Lion, every time I try to drag a folder to my desktop it only makes an alias. Is there any way to reenable moving regular folders? It's really obnoxious to have to make another directory every time I want to move something for a short while.


texts: What is the best method to apply a screen protector to a touchscreen?

texts: Installing a screen protector on a touchscreen is not always easy.  Bubbles and dust can make your screen look horrible.  What is the best method/procedure you have found to apply a screen protector?


texts: iTunes 12.5.1.21 interface with iPod Classic (2009) software 2.0.4 Star vs Heart Rating

texts:
I cannot get the Star Rating System to work through iTunes as it displays on my iPod.

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

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

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


texts:
I have a budget with a Column for "Categories" and for "Amount". Within the Column for categories, as one might expect, is a category for "Groceries". Groceries is column "C" and Amount is column D.

In a separate column I typed the following formula:
=SUMIF(Category); "=Groceries); Amount

Where have I gone wrong?


texts: Intermittent failure of certain keys to respond

texts:
Came across the second MacBook Pro keyboard recently that exhibit very strange symptoms.
Certain keys seem to stop responding despite being clean and traveling very easily just the rest of the keys. Both of them went to the Genius bar for testing, one of them for the 'long run', and came back as "works normally". Of course, despite still intermittently showing symptoms.

The affected keys in both cases were confined to the top row of letter characters on a qwerty-layout like tyuiop. Not always the same keys, not alway all keys. Sometimes all of them really do work normally.

Searching around there are some similar problems reported, apparently mostly on Apple hardware.

First port of call should be this Keyboard key stuck or not being recognized; how to fix but that reads like a permanent physical/electrical problem. And the supposed fix is really just an inconvenient workaround that further would be quite impractical to implement on that many keys.

Searching some more similar symptoms are reported here
Keyboard Intermittently Non Responsive - Top row of Qwerty only (This issue was not really solved…)

qwerty row on macbook air won't work from time to time Also no solution but a lot of voodoo reasoning or observations.

shift key + qwerty row of keys not working To look at similar but non-fruity situation.

Keys qwer uiop Not Working, Rest Other keys Are Working Fine – Laptop, Desktop Linking the key failures to dirt.

Strange symptoms with strange solutions that indicate a keyboard for itself may be fine: Unresponsive Keyboard and Trackpad problem

Both keyboards I examined had no spill related damage, both were cleaned underneath the key caps (minimal dirt there before), one I disassembled completely to really clean it. There is no swollen battery, no strange matter inside the machines.

Two further peculiarities to observe:
Pressing multiple (unresponsive) keys at once seems to yield a temporary relieve and the problems seem to be get more severe when the machine heats up and less severe when running cooler.

What could be the cause of this? How to fix it?


texts:
Here's a project I've been desiring for a while. Hopefully this is not too off topic.

I'd like to take a MacBook Air, remove the case, screen, battery, speakers, keyboard, basically everything. I want to have just a motherboard and hsf running osx and usable via vnc over wifi for ultraportable number crunching power.

What problems do you think I might run into? Is there any reason the air won't boot if the aforementioned components are removed?


texts: Applescript code to find path to Desktop picture in Desktop 2

texts:
I need an applescript that will find the path to the desktop picture used in Desktop 2. As this isn't the current desktop the code below doesn't work.

tell application "Finder"
    set DesktopPath to desktop picture as string
end tell

Is there anyway to easily automatically find the path to the picture in desktop 2?

runnning el capitan


texts: Macbook mid-2010: no power after ssd upgrade

texts:
I changed my HDD to a SSD using ifixit guide on my MacBook Unibody Model A1342 (mid-2010).

But after reconnecting the battery, the Mac seems to be dead (MagSafe light off, no chime, no fan, nothing). I tried another charger that works perfectly with another Mac with no success.

Any chance that this is "only" a battery issue? Or has the logic board died? Is there any other possible solution?

EDIT: Finally, I changed the logic board and the Macbook is back to life...


texts: iPhone locks itself while I’m speaking on it

texts:
Whenever I’m on a phone call with my iPhone 6S, the phone locks itself. The actual call continues normally, but if I want to access the screen, including to end the call, I have to unlock the phone using Touch ID or by entering my passcode.

This has been happening for a few months now. Does anyone know how to fix this in settings?