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Mac OS XHow to Boot into OS X Lion’s Recovery HD PartitionAll Macs with OS X Lion have a bootable Recovery partition that can be accessed in case of system problems, allowing you to troubleshoot, restore from Time Machine backups, and even reinstall Mac OS X. Hold down Command+R keys during boot to access the Recovery HD partition. You’ll know you’re in recovery mode because the standard desktop won’t be displayed, replaced with a limited Mac OS X Utilities window and a simple Mac OS X menu bar. Here you can use Disk Utility, Time Machine, and restore the OS. From the Utilities menu you can access Network Utility, use the Firmware Password Utility, and launch the Terminal, which lets you repair user home permissions, launch other apps, and perform other diagnostic tests. To reinstall Mac OS X Lion from the Recovery partition, you will need an active internet connection, although this isn’t necessary if you booted with a full Lion USB installer rather than the built-in Recovery HD partition or a disk made with the Lion Recovery Assistant tool. Note that if you deleted the Recovery HD partition, you can not access these features. Thanks for the tip idea @oldrobots Theme the iPhone to Look Like Android, Windows, Kindle, WebOS, and MoreBored with how your iPhone looks? If you have it jailbroken, you can install iPhone themes and make the device look a lot different than iOS by using an app called Dreamboard. If you haven’t jailbroken yet, backup the iPhone and then proceed with Absinthe for iPhone 4S on iOS 5.0.1 or Redsn0w for iOS 5.0.1 on other iPhones and iPods. Dreamboard is then found as a free download in Cydia, so search for it and install. Many Dreamboard themes are available via Cydia, here’s a handful:
There are plenty more, and while a lot of the themes are free, others cost a buck of two. Some paid themes have to be downloaded manually and then moved to the iPhone with SSH and SFTP from a Mac or PC, others can be installed directly on the phone. Heads up to Lifehacker for the basic theme ideas, but if you’re serious about theming the iPhone don’t miss iDownloadBlogs theme page for tons of videos on the process. Fix Rosetta in Mac OS X Snow Leopard After Security Update 2012-001The problems updating to Mac OS X 10.7.3 aren’t the only issues with Apple’s recently released Mac OS X updates, as MacRumors reports that SecurityUpdate 2012-001 aimed at Mac OS X 10.6.8 has caused significant problems with Rosetta apps in Snow Leopard. Applications effected seem to be anything that relies on Rosetta PowerPC support to run on Intel Macs, including Microsoft Office 2004 and X, Adobe Photoshop, Quicken, FileMaker Pro, AppleWorks, and others. If you use Mac OS X 10.6 and you have not yet installed Security Update 2012-001, you may wish to avoid doing so until the problems have been resolved. If you already updated and you now have apps crashing left and right, read on… Fixing the Rosetta Problems in Snow Leopard Download the RosettaFix Patch Here Use the patch at your own discretion, and be sure to follow the instructions: This fix MAY NOT resolve your issue… This is the installer that we are most confident in. It replaces all of the files that were replaced by the Security Update 2012-001 and should be similar to a “reversioner”. Once you have installed the Package, please make sure to repair permissions and restart your computer in order for the changes to take effect. Presumably Apple will release an update in the near future to resolve these issues, although there is no time frame on when that could happen. Update: Apple has apparently released Security Update 2012-001 version 1.1 to address the Rosetta issues. We will update with direct links when available. Secure Empty Trash in Mac OS X LionIf you need to delete sensitive information and have it completely inaccessible, you’ll want to use the “Secure Empty Trash” feature. This works by writing over a file immediately after it has been removed from the filesystem, something which otherwise takes place over time throughout normal computer usage. Secure Empty Trash Quickly in OS X LionMac OS X Lion makes it easier than ever to access secure file removal:
Using secure empty, which is also accessible via the Finder menu, will take a bit longer than emptying the Trash as normal, this is because the aforementioned overwriting process is taking place. The more files you are secure deleting, the longer this will take. Get in the habit of using Secure Empty Trash anytime you are removing something that is truly sensitive and that you don’t want others to regain access to. Things like financial statements, credit card information, personal files and diaries, or deleting the source files and finished documents from openssl file encryption. Enable Secure Empty as DefaultFor nearly every version of Mac OS X, there is also an option to always securely empty the Trash, enabled within the Advanced Finder preferences. If you regularly work with private data this is a good feature to turn on. While the Secure Empty Trash feature makes recovering data significantly more difficult even by professional data recovery services, if you want true data removal without any traces, performing a secure format of a hard drive is the safest bet and is always recommended when transferring ownership of a Mac or it’s hard drive. Reindex Spotlight from the Command LineSpotlight is generally very good at keeping a valid index of a drives contents up to date, but if you’ve recently restored a drive or had to delete the Spotlight index for one reason or another, you may need to reindex the drive manually. This is easy from the Spotlight control panel, and can also be achieved through the command line as we’ll demonstrate. Reindexing Spotlight from the Command LineReindexing Spotlight from the command line is done with the mdutil tool, first launch Terminal and then type: sudo mdutil -E / This will reindex every mounted volume on the Mac, including hard drives, disk images, external drives, etc. Specific drives can be chosen by pointing to them in /Volumes/, to only rebuild the primary Macintosh HD: sudo mdutil -E /Volumes/Macintosh\ HD/ To reindex an external drive named “External” the command would be: sudo mdutil -E /Volumes/External/ Use of the mdutil command will spin up mds and mdworker processes as Spotlight goes to work. Individually Reindexing Selected Files mdimport /path/to/file The mdimport command can be used on directories as well. Web Server Added to OS X Lion Server with 10.7.3 UpdateThe recently released Mac OS X 10.7.3 update is proving to be a more significant upgrade than originally anticipated, with the update for OS X Lion Server adding a simple web server. The web server pane is found in the Server application, and has the standard features you would expect. Apple specifies the following capabilities about the web pane in the 10.7.3 Server release notes:
Due to some of the reported problems with the OS X 10.7.3 update, it’s recommended to install with the Combo Updater (link for Server Combo) rather than through Software Update. When OS X Lion Server initially shipped, some longtime users were surprised to discover no web server had been included. The addition in 10.7.3 is welcome, and was first discovered by @MacMiniVault, who runs a colocation service for Mac Mini Servers. MacMiniVault also noted that PostgreSQL is the default database server for OS X Lion, ditching the longstanding MySQL that was featured in Snow Leopard Server. Change the Time Machine Backup ScheduleEvery Mac owner should be using Time Machine, it’s by far the easiest and most painless backup solution, running in the background and allowing for easy recovery of files or the entire operating system should something go wrong during an OS X update or otherwise. That said, Time Machine is a bit aggressive, and backs up all changes every hour that a drive is connected or within range, this is great for backup purposes but can be a nuisance when it hogs disk I/O and CPU cycles from other tasks. The easiest way to avoid this is to adjust the backup schedule, and we’ll show you how to do this from the Terminal, or with a super easy to use Preference Pane called TimeMachineScheduler. Manually Changing Time Machine Backup ScheduleUsing the command line and defaults write, you can manually adjust the Time Machine backup schedule. This command belongs on a single line: sudo defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.backupd-auto StartInterval -int 14400 The last number is the time interval in seconds, making hours grouped by 3600 second segments. If you wanted to wait 4 hours between backups, the number would be 14400, and so on. The default setting is one hour, or 3600 seconds, which can be restored with: sudo defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.backupd-auto StartInterval -int 3600 If you don’t like the command line, or if you want more control over when Time Machine runs, your best bet is the free TimeMachineScheduler app for Mac OS X. Adjust Time Machine Schedule & Interval with TimeMachineSchedulerTimeMachineScheduler works with Mac OS X 10.7 and 10.6, and allows for simple and precise controls over when Time Machine runs. Just as with the defaults write commands, you can adjust the backup interval, but perhaps most useful is the ability to skip backups between scheduled times. Don’t want Time Machine to run during your peak productivity hours of 9am and 2pm? Set the time period to block in the app. TimeMachineScheduler also lets you restrict backups only to a specified network connection and SSID, which is a great touch for those who use Time Capsules or backups over wifi. Heads up to The Graphic Mac for finding TimeMachineScheduler Fix Mac OS X 10.7.3 Update Problems, CUI Errors, Stuck Installs, and CrashesMac OS X 10.7.3 update was just released, and for the vast majority of users the update installed trouble free. But not everyone was so lucky, and a series of problems have cropped up for some users, ranging from being stuck on an endless spinning loop progress indicator, to apps crashing nonstop, to a very bizarre “CUI CUI CUI” error screen filled with question marks (seen below), to other strange behavior. The good news is these problems are relatively easy to fix. Basically all you need to do is install the OS X 10.7.3 Combo Updater over the existing messed up installation of 10.7.3. The bad news is that if you already updated to Mac OS X 10.7.3 and you’re having problems, you’re going to have to find a way to use the Combo Updater over the troubled installation. If you’re just encountering the CUI errors, this is relatively simple, but if you’re stuck on a boot loop you need to get a bit more creative. Fixing the OS X 10.7.3 Installation Problems
If you can’t get to the desktop of the Mac in question, you can boot it with Target Disk Mode (Firewire or Thunderbolt required), and then point the 10.7.3 Combo Update at the troubled Mac and install it that way. If your OS X installation is totally screwed up and you can’t use target disk mode, you have a few choices:
Not the best situation, but hopefully you have recent Time Machine backups. Finally, if you’re reading this and haven’t had any problems but you’re now paranoid about the OS X 10.7.3 update, here’s all you need to do to be safe: Backup your Mac with Time Machine, download the Combo Updater and install the update manually. You’ll almost certainly be fine. Thanks to Erik, Martin, and Apple Discussion Boards for the tips. Chime in if you have any additional info. Absinthe Jailbreak Updated to 0.4 with Bug Fixes & PPC Mac SupportThe Absinthe Greenpoison jailbreak utility for A5 based iOS hardware has been updated to version 0.4, fixing several bugs and adding support for PPC Mac users and those running Mac OS X 10.5 on either Intel or PPC platforms. This version is aimed at new users, and if you already have the jailbreak installed on the iPad 2 or iPhone 4S there is no reason to re-do it with this version. However, a new version of the Corona tool was released as “corona 1.0-8″ and can be found on Cydia to resolve some of the the bugs that have persisted for some iOS 5 jailbreakers. Older Mac users should be pleased the new Abinsthe version supports them, and instructions to jailbreak the iPhone 4S or iPad 2 with iOS 5.0.1 remain the same regardless of device or host operating system. The official changelog for 0.4 is short: - Mac: added support for OSX 10.5, PPC and Intel CPU Again, this is for iPhone 4S with iOS 5.0 or iOS 5.0.1, or iPad 2 with iOS 5.0.1. Other hardware requires the redsn0w jailbreak for iOS 5.0.1. All 5.0.1 jailbreaks are untethered at this point. Mac OS X 10.7.3 Update Released [Download Links]Apple has released Mac OS X 10.7.3 to the public, the third minor update to OS X Lion. The update includes bug fixes including a Wi-Fi stability update, and also fixes a handful of other issues that have effected OS X 10.7. The update also includes support for several new languages, and updates Safari to 5.1.3. Download Mac OS X 10.7.3 UpdateYou can download Mac OS X 10.7.3 Update through Software Update, it’s about 1GB, or through these download links from Apple:
Mac OS X 10.7.3 Release Notes are below: What’s included? The OS X Lion v10.7.3 Update includes Safari 5.1.3 and fixes that:
Directory Services
Use a Secondary Cut And Paste Function to Avoid Overwriting Clipboard ContentsMac OS X has a secondary Cut and Paste function that provides the ability to cut and paste additional information without overwriting existing clipboard contents. Highlight something and use the following keystrokes:
This cut and paste function works with images and text, but notice that it will remove any rich text formatting or styling. It’s also important to remember the difference between cut and paste and copy and paste, cut removes the item from it’s source to then be pasted elsewhere, whereas copy makes a duplicate of it within the clipboard buffer. These two control key shortcuts work in the Finder for elements, but not files, folders, or file system items. For that, cut and paste came to OS X Lion on a filesystem level, providing for a Windows-style system of moving items around the Finder. If memorizing another keyboard shortcut isn’t for you, try using a simple clipboard history app like ClipMenu instead. These apps allow you to store and recall tons of data in the clipboard, retrievable with the standard Command keys. Use an iPhone Without a Data PlanTo get the most out of an iPhone you’ll obviously want to have internet access, but for those who live in regions where wi-fi access is ubiquitous, you can potentially save some money on a monthly cell phone bill by not having a data plan. No, I don’t mean only turning off data on the phone, I mean having a simple voice and SMS plan without any data plan at all. These voice and text plans are quickly disappearing, but they can result in a low bill of around $25 per month with plenty of talk time and text messages. To accomplish this, you’ll need a few things. Requirements:
Depending on how old the data-free plan is, you may need to trim down the SIM card so that it fits into the iPhone 4 and 4S micro-SIM slot. This wouldn’t be necessary for iPhone 2G, 3G, or 3GS though. Setting Up iPhone With No Data PlanIf you have those two things, setting up the data-free iPhone is easy:
The first step is important because it prevents the iPhone from attempting to use data, which can inadvertently sign you up for a data plan with some carriers. AT&T has been known to detect and automatically add data plans to smartphones, whereas T-Mobile is reportedly less likely to do so. After the old SIM card is inserted you should quickly get service and be able to make and receive phone calls and text messages. For using an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S with T-Mobile, you may want to follow our T-Mobile iPhone 4S set up guide to configure MMS, but skip the ‘Cellular Data Network’ section. Of course, the unlocked iPhone aspect is fairly expensive and can quickly make this whole idea cost prohibitive. If you’re looking for more ideas to lower the monthly iPhone bill though, the next cheapest option – and it includes data – is to set up a prepaid iPhone, which the iPhone is unofficially capable of supporting on a pay-go basis with AT&T, or if you have an unlocked device this can work with T-Mobile too. Thanks to Anthony F for the tip and information about AT&T. Send Contacts from iPhone to Another iPhoneSending contacts from an iPhone is very easy, all data about the contact; from name, phone number, picture, email, URL, etc, can be exported as an inclusive vCard bundle and sent to someone else by email or text message. While we’ll focus on sending contacts between iPhones, these vCards are also usable by other iOS devices, Macs, Windows, and even Android phones. Send Contacts from an iPhone to Someone Else
Depending on the choice of sharing method, either the Mail or Messages app will open and contain the selected contact in a preformatted message. If you choose Messages, the recipient will either need SMS service or iMessages enabled. From here you choose the recipient of the contact as if you were sending a standard email or text message and click send as usual. On the receiving end, if someone sends you a contact all you need to do is tap on the contact name vCard (.vcf) to see a preview of the information, and then tap either “Create New Contact” or “Add to Existing Contact”. If you were curious, the vCard format is not proprietary to Apple and the iPhone, these documents are widely considered the standard for virtual business cards, and should work on virtually any modern communication device, be it a smartphone, tablet, or PC. Obviously the standardization makes it much easier than manually typing out name, phone numbers, emails, and whatever else, so get in the habit of using the iPhones vCard sharing system and you’ll thank yourself later. Animated Glowing iPhone & iPad Charger is the Coolest USB Cable EverIt’s pretty hard to get excited about a USB cable, but the Dexim Visible Smart chargers are ridiculously cool in a super geeky way. You need to watch the video below to see the effect, but basically the cable glows while it is charging or syncing to “visibly show the electrical current flowing through the cable.” The lights actually change speed based on the battery capacity of the iPhone, iPod, or iPad, with the animated lights moving quicker the lower the battery charge is, and finally stopping motion once the battery is charged. You can buy the glowing Dexim charger on Amazon for about $30. Coolest USB cable ever? Yea, I think so. Heads up to Gizmodo for the find. Convert AIFF to M4A Directly in Mac OS X Easily & For FreeUsing Mac OS X’s powerful built-in media encoding tools, large AIFF audio files can be quickly and easily converted to compressed high quality M4A audio, ready for use on in iTunes or an iPod, iPhone, or elsewhere. No additional downloads or software is required, the media encoding tools are free and bundled in Mac OS X since Lion. They should be available by default, but you can enable the media encoders if they aren’t visible in contextual menus for you. Convert AIFF to M4A Easily from Mac OS X
How long the conversion process takes depends entirely on the processing power of the Mac, but it’s always quick. Even on a slower 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo with 2GB of RAM, a 42mb AIF file was converted in about 30 seconds, and the entire process should be finished in less than two minutes as demonstrated in the video below. Other than greater compatibility and portability, the other benefit of encoding audio is file size reduction. In this example, the AIFF audio file started off at 42MB but was shrank down to 7.8MB in a 256kbps M4A file, without losing any observable audio quality. What About Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard? See All Previously Used Defaults Commands in Mac OS XIt’s easy to lose track of all the defaults commands used to perform tweaks to Mac OS X, but with the help of the history command it’s easy to list every defaults write and accompanying defaults delete commands ever used on a Mac. Launch the Terminal to get started. See All Defaults Commands ExecutedTo see all defaults commands, including defaults write, defaults read, defaults delete, and even those requiring sudo: history |grep "defaults" Will return something like this: 47 sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow AdminHostInfo HostName To see only defaults write commands, including those requiring sudo: history |grep "defaults write" The results will look the same as above, but without showing any defaults read or defaults delete commands. See Only Defaults Delete CommandsTo see which defaults write commands have been reverted, grep for ‘delete’ rather than ‘write’: history |grep "defaults delete" See Defaults Commands Related to Specific AppBy changing the text within grep to an application or process name, we can see which defaults commands were used only for that specific application. For example, to see only defaults commands that impacted the Finder: history |grep "defaults write com.apple.finder" Most apps are easy to find this way, and the default applications in OS X almost always follow the ‘com.apple.appname’ convention. We touched on this concept before in a past post about the history command, but focusing on defaults commands is useful enough to deserve individual recognition. Guía rápida: AppCleaner en 5 minutos
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Tots els articles publicats són propietat dels seus respectius autors i/o dels blogs que els han publicat originalment. Todos los artículos publicados son propiedad de sus respectivos autores y/o de los blogs que los han publicado originalmente.
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