The name of you Mac is displayed in the login window below the words "Mac OS X". Since Mac OS X 10.6.1, you can click on the name of your Mac to show different statistics about your machine. Each time you click, it will cycle through different bits of information that are particularly useful when troubleshooting problems.
The order of the statistics are as follows:
One click: Your OS X version number (e.g. Version 10.6.1)
Two clicks: Your OS X build number (e.g. Build 94KM1)
Three clicks: Your mac's serial number (e.g. 47HY74G9LNG)
Four clicks: Your mac's IP address (e.g. 196.254.0.1)
Five clicks: The status of any networked account
Six clicks: The date and time (e.g. Saturday, OCTOMBER 24 2009 4:02:31 AM GMT)
Seven clicks: Back to where you started, the name of your computer.
So you click a few times and set the information line to your favourite thing, but next time you log in, it has changed back to the name of your mac. To change the bit of information that appears first, you need to do a bit of tinkering in the Terminal (Applications/Utilities). Open Terminal and type the following command:
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow AdminHostInfo HostName
Depending on which piece of information you want displayed, replace HostName with one of the following:
SystemVersion
SystemBuild
SerialNumber
IPAddress
DSStatus
Time
After doing this, hit return, and the next time you view your login window the information you chose will be displayed. To change it back to normal, simply repeat the command with HostName at the end.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Change the background image of Login Window
There are ways to change the background image by replacing the Aqua Blue image, but that is slightly crude. A better way to do it is using the Terminal. Type the following command and press return:
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow DesktopPicture /Users/Shared/mynewbackground.jpg
The last part, /Users/Shared/mynewbackground.jpg is the location of the image you want to use. You don't have to type it out. Just paste the command as far as DesktopPicture and put a space after it. Then find your image in the Finder, and drag it onto the Terminal window. The address to your image should just appear. As far as I can tell, you have to place the image in a place that all users have access to (the shared folder is a good place).
To change back to the normal Aqua Blue image, type the following command and press return:
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow DesktopPicture /Library/Desktop\ Pictures/Aqua\ Blue.jpg
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow DesktopPicture /Users/Shared/mynewbackground.jpg
The last part, /Users/Shared/mynewbackground.jpg is the location of the image you want to use. You don't have to type it out. Just paste the command as far as DesktopPicture and put a space after it. Then find your image in the Finder, and drag it onto the Terminal window. The address to your image should just appear. As far as I can tell, you have to place the image in a place that all users have access to (the shared folder is a good place).
To change back to the normal Aqua Blue image, type the following command and press return:
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow DesktopPicture /Library/Desktop\ Pictures/Aqua\ Blue.jpg
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Seven quick Mac fixes you should never skip
You can count on it: the time will come when something goes wrong with your Mac—something you don’t know how to fix yourself. That’s when you’ll likely consider a trip to your local Apple Store. There, at the Genius Bar, you’ll find Apple-trained experts ready to help for free with whatever ails your Mac.
But that doesn’t mean you should run to the Genius Bar at the slightest hint of trouble. The Genius Bar is the metaphorical equivalent of an ER: it works best when you save it for real emergencies, not for the computer equivalent of a skinned knee. And given a choice, wouldn’t you rather fix a problem yourself than hassle with driving to an Apple Store—assuming there’s even one within driving distance of where you live?
One thing every good genius knows is that sometimes what looks like a complete computer meltdown actually has a simple fix. Here are a few tried-and-true remedies you shouldn’t forget in the rush to try more-complicated troubleshooting techniques.
1. Restart
Yup, simply choose Restart from the Apple menu. It’s amazing how often this can eradicate whatever was bothering your Mac. Always try it first.
You may be able to save time by instead quitting all the applications that you don’t need to keep open. If the problem you’re experiencing comes from your Mac’s having too little free memory, this might be sufficient to get the gears turning again. Web browsers in particular can eat up a lot of memory.
2. Unplug and replug
Restarting your Mac can be a cure for a wide range of symptoms. The same principle applies to any other Mac hardware: a good first troubleshooting step is to unplug the misbehaving component and then plug it back in. This is typically the equivalent of a restart for that device. For example, for any USB or FireWire device (such as a Web cam or an EyeTV), disconnect and reconnect it from its USB or FireWire port. If that doesn’t fix things, and the device is connected to AC power, disconnect and reconnect its power source. As you are doing this, you can check in with System Profiler (/Applications/Utilities). If you don’t see the device listed, it means the Mac is currently unaware that the device is connected. After each unplug and replug, select Refresh (Command-R) from System Profiler’s View menu to see whether the device returns. It usually will.
3.Reset PRAM
4. Repair your disk
If it doesn’t appear that a single application is causing your troubles—for example, if all applications crash on launch—try repairing the drive using Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities). Open the utility, click on the First Aid tab, and then click on Repair Disk. Unfortunately, if the problem drive is your startup disk (which is almost always the case), you’ll run into an immediate dilemma: the Repair Disk button will be dimmed and you won’t be able to select it. To find out how to circumvent this obstacle
5. Make sure things are up-to-date
Does a particular program consistently crash when you try to perform a particular action, such as saving a file? If the symptom doesn’t occur with any other applications, check to see whether there’s a newer version of the problem software. Oftentimes, the new version fixes some bug (or some conflict with other software) that is causing the symptom.
Many programs can now automatically check for updates upon launch. Take advantage of this option—if you see a dialog box asking whether you want to check for updates, accept the offer. Other software comes with a separate update utility that can launch on a schedule—say, once a week. For example, look for the Microsoft AutoUpdate program in your Applications folder if you want to check any of your Office programs right away or set up a schedule. To check for updates from Apple, select Software Update from the Apple menu. You can set Software Update’s Preferences settings to alert you to new updates.
For a program that doesn’t offer this sort of help, use your Web browser to check for an update, by going either to a site such as VersionTracker or to the company’s Web site.
6. Reinstall
If the misbehaving software turns out to be the latest version, there’s a chance your copy of it may be corrupted. In that case, it might help to reinstall the software, by either downloading it from the Web or pulling out your original CD.
Unfortunately, reinstalling won’t fix problems involving a program’s support files. For example, numerous programs place files in youruserfolder/Library/Application Support. Simply replacing the main program won’t replace these support files. Sometimes even using an application’s installer won’t do it.
If the program came with an uninstall utility, uninstall and then reinstall it. Otherwise, you may need to search for support files (in Spotlight, search for items that contain the application’s name) and remove them before you reinstall the software.
7. Do a Safe Boot
If your Mac crashes when you turn it on, hold down the Shift key at startup until you see the words Safe Boot appear on screen. In Safe Boot mode, the Mac performs checks and makes repairs much as it does when you run Disk Utility’s Repair Disk feature. It also deletes the dynamic loader shared cache, a known cause of some “blue screen” startup crashes. Even if you don’t do anything else, Safe Boot may restore your Mac to its old self with the next normal restart. It’s worth a try.
Otherwise, assuming the Safe Boot succeeded, you’ve at least temporarily bypassed the startup crash and you can now do further troubleshooting. After you’re done, restart normally.
But that doesn’t mean you should run to the Genius Bar at the slightest hint of trouble. The Genius Bar is the metaphorical equivalent of an ER: it works best when you save it for real emergencies, not for the computer equivalent of a skinned knee. And given a choice, wouldn’t you rather fix a problem yourself than hassle with driving to an Apple Store—assuming there’s even one within driving distance of where you live?
One thing every good genius knows is that sometimes what looks like a complete computer meltdown actually has a simple fix. Here are a few tried-and-true remedies you shouldn’t forget in the rush to try more-complicated troubleshooting techniques.
1. Restart
Yup, simply choose Restart from the Apple menu. It’s amazing how often this can eradicate whatever was bothering your Mac. Always try it first.
You may be able to save time by instead quitting all the applications that you don’t need to keep open. If the problem you’re experiencing comes from your Mac’s having too little free memory, this might be sufficient to get the gears turning again. Web browsers in particular can eat up a lot of memory.
2. Unplug and replug
Restarting your Mac can be a cure for a wide range of symptoms. The same principle applies to any other Mac hardware: a good first troubleshooting step is to unplug the misbehaving component and then plug it back in. This is typically the equivalent of a restart for that device. For example, for any USB or FireWire device (such as a Web cam or an EyeTV), disconnect and reconnect it from its USB or FireWire port. If that doesn’t fix things, and the device is connected to AC power, disconnect and reconnect its power source. As you are doing this, you can check in with System Profiler (/Applications/Utilities). If you don’t see the device listed, it means the Mac is currently unaware that the device is connected. After each unplug and replug, select Refresh (Command-R) from System Profiler’s View menu to see whether the device returns. It usually will.
3.Reset PRAM
4. Repair your disk
If it doesn’t appear that a single application is causing your troubles—for example, if all applications crash on launch—try repairing the drive using Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities). Open the utility, click on the First Aid tab, and then click on Repair Disk. Unfortunately, if the problem drive is your startup disk (which is almost always the case), you’ll run into an immediate dilemma: the Repair Disk button will be dimmed and you won’t be able to select it. To find out how to circumvent this obstacle
5. Make sure things are up-to-date
Does a particular program consistently crash when you try to perform a particular action, such as saving a file? If the symptom doesn’t occur with any other applications, check to see whether there’s a newer version of the problem software. Oftentimes, the new version fixes some bug (or some conflict with other software) that is causing the symptom.
Many programs can now automatically check for updates upon launch. Take advantage of this option—if you see a dialog box asking whether you want to check for updates, accept the offer. Other software comes with a separate update utility that can launch on a schedule—say, once a week. For example, look for the Microsoft AutoUpdate program in your Applications folder if you want to check any of your Office programs right away or set up a schedule. To check for updates from Apple, select Software Update from the Apple menu. You can set Software Update’s Preferences settings to alert you to new updates.
For a program that doesn’t offer this sort of help, use your Web browser to check for an update, by going either to a site such as VersionTracker or to the company’s Web site.
6. Reinstall
If the misbehaving software turns out to be the latest version, there’s a chance your copy of it may be corrupted. In that case, it might help to reinstall the software, by either downloading it from the Web or pulling out your original CD.
Unfortunately, reinstalling won’t fix problems involving a program’s support files. For example, numerous programs place files in youruserfolder/Library/Application Support. Simply replacing the main program won’t replace these support files. Sometimes even using an application’s installer won’t do it.
If the program came with an uninstall utility, uninstall and then reinstall it. Otherwise, you may need to search for support files (in Spotlight, search for items that contain the application’s name) and remove them before you reinstall the software.
7. Do a Safe Boot
If your Mac crashes when you turn it on, hold down the Shift key at startup until you see the words Safe Boot appear on screen. In Safe Boot mode, the Mac performs checks and makes repairs much as it does when you run Disk Utility’s Repair Disk feature. It also deletes the dynamic loader shared cache, a known cause of some “blue screen” startup crashes. Even if you don’t do anything else, Safe Boot may restore your Mac to its old self with the next normal restart. It’s worth a try.
Otherwise, assuming the Safe Boot succeeded, you’ve at least temporarily bypassed the startup crash and you can now do further troubleshooting. After you’re done, restart normally.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express HD: Tips for HDV Print to Video
If you want to get the best quality with HDV Print to Video, here's a check list of things to do or note before starting:
- In System Preferences, configure Energy Saver to never sleep and make sure the "Put hard disks to sleep whenever possible" option is not selected.
- Quit all applications, except for Final Cut Express, including applications running in the background (Mail, Safari, iChat, desktop toys, and such).
- Do not interrupt the Print to Video operation in any way (including clicking the mouse or typing on the keyboard).
- Don't daisy-chain devices to FireWire drives. For example, you shouldn't connect an iPod to your FireWire drive's FireWire port during the Print To Video process.
- Don't use a FireWire 800 cable to connect your camera.
- In System Preferences, configure the screen saver to never start in the Desktop & Screen Saver pane (turn off any other third-party screen saver too).
- Unmount any active server volumes.
- Make sure that the camera is ready before beginning the Print To Video process.
- Print to video may not yield the same frame-accuracy with HDV as other formats. To ensure all your frames are output to tape when using Print to Video, allow up to an extra second of leader or black before your program material.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Import Mail From Outlook
Open Outlook Express on your PC.
1. Highlight all mail in a folder e.g. "important mail", and
drag them into a any folder on your hard drive (ideally -
outlook mail/important). Having Outlook
fullscreen) and dragging the mail to a folder on your
desktop seems to be the easiest way, because you dont
have to switch windows.
2. Make as many folders and fill them this way as you
have/need, then copy them to your Mac.
3. Start Microsoft
Entourage
Drive' version of Microsoft Office
comes with any new Mac).
4. Drag them into a folder the same way as you exported
them on your pc.
5. Now you should have the mail in Entourage.
6. Mail can now
import mailboxes from Entourage.
don't forget to delete all the other mails (in folders,
entourage, outlook), all those mails usually fill up pretty
much space on your drives
Alternative Method
another possibility is to intall mozilla thunderbird (free) on your pc
1. it will ask you during install if it should import from outlook -
do so
2. now it the mails should be in thunderbird
3. you can just take the thunderbird forlder (find in user files)
and move them to your mac
4. find files with the name of your mailboxes (they dont have a
suffix) and rename them to nameofthefile.mbox
5. and open them WITH entourage
6. if you want to have them in mail - drag and drop them from
entourage to mail
OR
Download Emailchemy, O2M.
This is just a Referal it is not sure that it works 100% All time..
1. Highlight all mail in a folder e.g. "important mail", and
drag them into a any folder on your hard drive (ideally -
outlook mail/important). Having Outlook
fullscreen) and dragging the mail to a folder on your
desktop seems to be the easiest way, because you dont
have to switch windows.
2. Make as many folders and fill them this way as you
have/need, then copy them to your Mac.
3. Start Microsoft
Drive' version of Microsoft Office
comes with any new Mac).
4. Drag them into a folder the same way as you exported
them on your pc.
5. Now you should have the mail in Entourage.
6. Mail
import mailboxes from Entourage.
don't forget to delete all the other mails (in folders,
entourage, outlook), all those mails usually fill up pretty
much space on your drives
Alternative Method
another possibility is to intall mozilla thunderbird (free) on your pc
1. it will ask you during install if it should import from outlook -
do so
2. now it the mails should be in thunderbird
3. you can just take the thunderbird forlder (find in user files)
and move them to your mac
4. find files with the name of your mailboxes (they dont have a
suffix) and rename them to nameofthefile.mbox
5. and open them WITH entourage
6. if you want to have them in mail - drag and drop them from
entourage to mail
OR
Download Emailchemy, O2M.
This is just a Referal it is not sure that it works 100% All time..
Monday, July 28, 2008
iPhone Tips
Update location information on original iPhone :
You might think you are out of luck when using Location services on your old iPhone, but you aren't! You have to perform an extra step, and you are relying on the original iPhone's tower triangulation method instead of GPS, but it's better than nothing. It, of course, requires the iPhone 2.0 software.
To use location services with your current local location, before you access any program that needs to know your location, go to the Maps program, and use the Find Location icon to get your current location by triangulation. Then, access the program that plans on using location services, and it will use your current location. (If you've used the "OK to use my location" button to access a program from one location, then move to another location and launch a location-aware program, your stored location will reflect your first position until you force it to update using this technique.)
I've had to do this manually every time I wanted to get local information, but it works well for apps like box office when you don't know the local zip code, or CareerBuilder when you just want a general location in order to display local jobs. Just remember to take the location for what it is.
Connect to a LEAP wireless network with iPhone 2.0
My company uses the LEAP security protocol for its wireless network. The iPhone doesn't list LEAP as a network security option, but the following workaround works with iPhones and iPod Touches that have the 2.0 software update.
Go to your Settings app. Then select Wi-Fi. Next, select Other. Enter the name of your LEAP network. Under Security, select WPA Enterprise. Then enter your username and password. That's it. It works like a charm for my company's wireless network.
Use MobileMe push on iPhone with alternate From address
This hint is for those who have a primary email address, say a@default.com, and would like to use this email address, but would like the 'push' aspects of their MobileMe account, say a@me.com. It would be useful to be able to send email from a MobileMe account, but have a@default.com show up by default as the From address. This hint is similar to this previously-posted hint, in that one can set their primary email address to forward a copy to their MobileMe account. However, this previous hint does this, but only by subscribing to their MobileMe account as a standard IMAP account, which would not use push.
For this hint, one also needs an additional Gmail account (which may or may not be the primary email address) -- assume this account is a@gmail.com. and one would need to subscribe to that within the iPhone as well. Under the Mail settings for the MobileMe account, change the sent mail server to use smpt.gmail.com instead of the MobileMe sent mail server.
Then, in the Gmail settings page on the web, on the Accounts tab, configure it so that your Gmail account can send mail as a@default.com. (This involves gmail sending an email to a@default.com, confirming that it can send mail as that address). Then after that is added, click on Default next to a@default.com to make that your default sent mail address.
In this way, when one sends mail from the MobileMe account on the iPhone, even though it displays a@me.com as the From address, Gmail's mail server will replace a@me.com with a@default.com, and the receiver will see that in the From address. When replying, the recipient will reply to that email address as well.
If you would rather not change your Gmail settings to use a default alternate From address, you could get an additional Gmail account that only is used for this purpose. This would also be useful, in that you would not get new mail to this alternate Gmail address, which would affect the unread message count of mail on the iPhone. It would obviously be good to set this Gmail account to refresh manually on the iPhone as well, to save battery life.
Listen to music while playing games on iPhone 2.0
Simply start listening to your music, then while listening, start your game. Wait until the music stops and the game's music begins. Now just press the top iPhone button; this will put your phone to sleep. Press your headphone button to start the iPod music, than wake up your phone, slide to activate, and you'll be back to the game while listening to your music.
Search iPhone (2.0) contacts by first and last name
On the new iPhone software, you can search for a contact using the first and last name. For instance, if you want to search for Pedro Fernandes, you would write P F (that's P, then a space, then an F). The iPhone will filter out all the contacts with first and last name starting with P and F, and vice-versa. You can further refine the search by typing more letters. This is a great time-saving feature; thanks, Apple!
Bonus hint... on a standard phone (none-Apple) I always stored the names in such a way that you can do this search. So for instance I would have: Pedro Fernandes stored as PFernandes Pedro, Tania Silva stored as TSilva Tania, Daniel Fidalgo stored as DFidalgo Daniel, etc. This enables a quick search through first and last names. So if you are stuck (or by choice) have an old (classic) phone, maybe you find this usefull as well.
You might think you are out of luck when using Location services on your old iPhone, but you aren't! You have to perform an extra step, and you are relying on the original iPhone's tower triangulation method instead of GPS, but it's better than nothing. It, of course, requires the iPhone 2.0 software.
To use location services with your current local location, before you access any program that needs to know your location, go to the Maps program, and use the Find Location icon to get your current location by triangulation. Then, access the program that plans on using location services, and it will use your current location. (If you've used the "OK to use my location" button to access a program from one location, then move to another location and launch a location-aware program, your stored location will reflect your first position until you force it to update using this technique.)
I've had to do this manually every time I wanted to get local information, but it works well for apps like box office when you don't know the local zip code, or CareerBuilder when you just want a general location in order to display local jobs. Just remember to take the location for what it is.
Connect to a LEAP wireless network with iPhone 2.0
My company uses the LEAP security protocol for its wireless network. The iPhone doesn't list LEAP as a network security option, but the following workaround works with iPhones and iPod Touches that have the 2.0 software update.
Go to your Settings app. Then select Wi-Fi. Next, select Other. Enter the name of your LEAP network. Under Security, select WPA Enterprise. Then enter your username and password. That's it. It works like a charm for my company's wireless network.
Use MobileMe push on iPhone with alternate From address
This hint is for those who have a primary email address, say a@default.com, and would like to use this email address, but would like the 'push' aspects of their MobileMe account, say a@me.com. It would be useful to be able to send email from a MobileMe account, but have a@default.com show up by default as the From address. This hint is similar to this previously-posted hint, in that one can set their primary email address to forward a copy to their MobileMe account. However, this previous hint does this, but only by subscribing to their MobileMe account as a standard IMAP account, which would not use push.
For this hint, one also needs an additional Gmail account (which may or may not be the primary email address) -- assume this account is a@gmail.com. and one would need to subscribe to that within the iPhone as well. Under the Mail settings for the MobileMe account, change the sent mail server to use smpt.gmail.com instead of the MobileMe sent mail server.
Then, in the Gmail settings page on the web, on the Accounts tab, configure it so that your Gmail account can send mail as a@default.com. (This involves gmail sending an email to a@default.com, confirming that it can send mail as that address). Then after that is added, click on Default next to a@default.com to make that your default sent mail address.
In this way, when one sends mail from the MobileMe account on the iPhone, even though it displays a@me.com as the From address, Gmail's mail server will replace a@me.com with a@default.com, and the receiver will see that in the From address. When replying, the recipient will reply to that email address as well.
If you would rather not change your Gmail settings to use a default alternate From address, you could get an additional Gmail account that only is used for this purpose. This would also be useful, in that you would not get new mail to this alternate Gmail address, which would affect the unread message count of mail on the iPhone. It would obviously be good to set this Gmail account to refresh manually on the iPhone as well, to save battery life.
Listen to music while playing games on iPhone 2.0
Simply start listening to your music, then while listening, start your game. Wait until the music stops and the game's music begins. Now just press the top iPhone button; this will put your phone to sleep. Press your headphone button to start the iPod music, than wake up your phone, slide to activate, and you'll be back to the game while listening to your music.
Search iPhone (2.0) contacts by first and last name
On the new iPhone software, you can search for a contact using the first and last name. For instance, if you want to search for Pedro Fernandes, you would write P F (that's P, then a space, then an F). The iPhone will filter out all the contacts with first and last name starting with P and F, and vice-versa. You can further refine the search by typing more letters. This is a great time-saving feature; thanks, Apple!
Bonus hint... on a standard phone (none-Apple) I always stored the names in such a way that you can do this search. So for instance I would have: Pedro Fernandes stored as PFernandes Pedro, Tania Silva stored as TSilva Tania, Daniel Fidalgo stored as DFidalgo Daniel, etc. This enables a quick search through first and last names. So if you are stuck (or by choice) have an old (classic) phone, maybe you find this usefull as well.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Creating Widget
Hi,
I tried to make widgets and it so easy using Mac osX leopard that i even won a contest on Peachpet.
Install Xcode tool developer
and create Widget using DashCode using template even we can edit the temple using java. its were interesting to work on it.
I tried to make widgets and it so easy using Mac osX leopard that i even won a contest on Peachpet.
Install Xcode tool developer
and create Widget using DashCode using template even we can edit the temple using java. its were interesting to work on it.
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