macosxhints.com other hardware tips

Move forward and back in iCal with the Magic Mouse

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:30:03 -0800

The Magic Mouse lets you navigate forward and backward between web pages in Safari or Firefox with a two-finger swipe.

The same two-finger swipe also moves you forward and back in iCal. It works just the same as clicking the forward and back arrows around the day/week/month view control at the top of the iCal window.

10.5: Enable momentum scrolling for Magic Mouse in 10.5

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:30:00 -0800

The Mouse System Preferences pane on Leopard does not include an option to enable momentum scrolling like Snow Leopard does. However, by setting a hidden preference, you can get this feature without updating to Snow Leopard.

To enable momentum scrolling, first run the following command in Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothMultitouch.mouse MouseMomentumScroll -bool yes

Next, go to the Mouse System Preferences panel, and uncheck and then check the Scroll option. You should now have momentum scrolling enabled.

[robg adds: I don't have a Magic Mouse, so I can't test this one.]

Control volume of attached digital Dolby surround device

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:30:01 -0700

Some people are speaking from the "living room of the future:" A television where you can read your emails and surf the web, listen to your music everywhere in your house, and also control everything everywhere. For me, all solutions I've seen until today are not very user friendly. Surfing the internet with the television remote control, problems with all the different video codecs when playing media files on the TV screen, etc.

I've had my own solution for the last three years: A Mac mini (small, quiet, powerful enough) attached to a big LCD TV, a Dolby Surround system, Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, some AirportExpress Base Stations for iTunes access in other rooms and an iPod touch to control them, eyeTV, etc.

There was one small problem with my setup, though: With the Mac connected to an audio device using the digital fibre connector, there's no way to control the system output volume. Pressing the volume keys results in ...

Avoid a bug that makes AirPort-connected drives unusable

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:30:04 -0700

We are hearing reports of a bug in the Airport software version 7.4.2 -- access to hard disks attached to the AirPort via USB become unusable after a few hours. You can't even access them through the Finder until the AirPort reboots. It's discussed in this thread on the Apple Forums, but there's been no official comment from Apple.

The solution is to revert to software version 7.4.1. To revert, run the AirPort Utility, click on the Summary tab (once you're in Manual Setup mode), and then click on the word Version -- this brings up a list of previous software versions, making it easy to move back one version.

[robg adds: I was having this problem myself, which was really bad as my Time Machine backups are on the attached disk. Every few hours, I'd have to reboot the AirPort to get Time Machine working again. Downgrading to 7.4.1 has solved the problem (going on two weeks now without a s...

Sleep displays with password protection

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 07:30:03 -0700

The following hint is useful to me because I use my iMac in my bedroom, and I don't shut it down or put it to sleep. I prefer to sleep in the dark. Additionally, I don't want people hopping on my computer and changing my stuff - so I need the password protection a screen saver provides.

Since 10.5 was released, my workaround has been to set Energy Saver to sleep the display after a certain amount of minutes, and set a screen saver to start one minute after the display sleeps. It didn't always work, unfortunately.

Here's my new solution. For this to work properly, you're going to need to have either a hot corner set up to activate the screen saver, or have the screen saver set to a timer. It's a good idea to disable Energy Saver's display sleep. Then, download and install Sleep Display an...

Mark shows as watched on Apple TV 2.4

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:30:02 -0700

After installing the latest update to my Apple TV, I was having a look to see what had changed. There are a couple of things that have been posted on the net; for instance, the new Remote app for the iPhone/iPod touch, the new UI that sorts shows with the oldest first rather than the newest, and the ability to display unwatched episodes only.

However, one feature that I have not seen documented is that when you have a TV Show or Movie highlighted, if you press and hold the center button on your remote for a second or so, a menu will appear allowing you to mark the item as Watched.

Add a ROM-launching front-end to Apple TV

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:30:00 -0700

I wrote this Apple TV plug-in to provide a clean front-end for launching ROMs with various emulators. Of course, this requires the AppleTV to be modified so that you can install custom code, and it is not sanctioned by Apple, but I thought some of you might find it useful.

It's a great way to augment the utility of the Apple TV in the living room with a wireless USB controller. Plus, my source code is open if others need a jumping off point for creating their own plug-ins.

[robg adds: There are lots of instructions out there on how to modify your Apple TV, including sites such as AwkwardTV. My Apple TV is stock, so I haven't tested this particular plug-in.]

Use a Folder Action to create a 'wannabe' iPod Shuffle

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:30:01 -0700

I created a Folder Action that turns your cheap screenless MP3 player into an iPod shuffle (3rd gen) wannabe. It reads the title of the track into a file, converts the tracks, and merges them together. This way, the audio file starts with a computer voice saying the name of the track, just like the iPod Shuffle. Or, if you drag multiple files into the folder, it asks you for a playlist title and merges the tracks together, adding the title to the front of the playlist.

To install it, download the Shuffle Wannabe Folder Action [30KB download], and add it to /Library » Scripts » Folder Action Scripts. Plug in your MP3 player, and Control-click on its drive icon. In the More contextual menu item, select Enable Folder Actions, and select the script.

I originally wrote this up on my blog ...

Enable third button options for generic third-party mice

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:30:00 -0700

I won't discuss the pros or cons of Apple's Mighty Mouse here, as mine just broke. Or more to the point, I broke it -- the sticking little ball just drove me round the bend. Anyhow, I ended buying myself a simple, cheap and quite nice USB optical mouse. Nothing fancy. Two main buttons plus a scroll/button wheel (ie: a scroll wheel that you can also click). So far so good. Until I re-installed my System.

Once in I started setting the system up like I wanted it, to my horror, the Mouse preferences didn't show me the third button on my mouse! Now what? Well it turns out that the System treats the Mighty Mouse special. That is, it recognizes it as such and brings up the corresponding preferences. Great, what about the rest of us?

I scoured the net for several days trying to find out if someone had worked it out. I did find one solution. Just plug in a Mighty Mouse, set the preferences, plug it out, use you other mouse -- the preferences will 'stick.' Fine, what if you ...

Eject any disc even if system cannot boot

Fri, 15 May 2009 07:30:00 -0700

In the newest versions of the boot manager (Intel only, I believe), it is possible to simply Option-Boot the computer and press the Eject key on the keyboard to eject a disc. This works even if your computer has a completely blank, newly-formatted hard drive.

This may also work on the older PowerPC versions of the boot manager, but I haven't tested it.

[robg adds: This would have come in handy for me when I was trying to upgrade our iMac to 10.5.7 -- one of the problems was a non-ejectable CD in the drive.]

Use Keyboard Viewer to work around broken keys

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:30:00 -0700

Recently a friend shared a beer with his Macbook Pro, which resulted in a dead Down Arrow key. One way to work around such a problem is to enable Keyboard Viewer (System Preferences » International » Input Menu) and use it to click the dead key instead.

The viewer can be toggled on/off from the menu bar if Show input menu in menu bar is also checked. Apparently Apple charges quite a lot for a repair involving a liquid spill, so if the broken key is not a frequently-used alphabet or punctuation key, perhaps this is a viable solution for users in this situation. It isn't the keyboard viewer's intended purpose but it works.

[robg adds: If you were going to do this for any length of time, you might also want to use this hint, which lets you toggle the viewer off and on via an AppleScript.]

Reduce travel gear by one device with AirPort Express

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:30:00 -0700

I recently bought an Airport Express, and to me, it's really the ultimate MacGyver tool for my needs. At home, I use it to extend my wireless LAN; when traveling, I use it to create a new wireless network to free me from the cords required in the typical hotel room. No hints there, obviously; that's what it was designed to do.

But what I also figured out is that I can use the USB port on the AirPort Express to charge my phone, so I can leave the iPhone's charger at home.

[robg adds: I know this hint is relatively simple ... but as someone who will admit to having traveled with both an AirPort Express and an iPhone charger, it's definitely a tip I'm going to take advantage of on my next trip. I figured if I overlooked the obvious, maybe some others have as well.]

Access all Expos� modes on new keyboards

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 07:30:00 -0700

On my new Unibody MacBook, I really enjoy the dedicated Expos� key (F3). The only problem is that I assumed it did only one thing: enter the All Windows mode of Expos�. Through experimentation, however, I have learned that is not the case; the following modifier keys change the behavior of the F3 key:

Control-F3: Current application windows mode
Command-F3: Show desktop mode
Option-F3: Opens the Expos� & Spaces System Preferences panel.

I assume these shortcuts will work on all Macs with a single dedicated Expos� key. As I have been in 12" PowerBook land for five years, I don't know exactly which models this will apply to.

[robg adds: I thought we had this documented here somewhere, but a search on all the obvious, required words comes up empty.]

Play any region-coded DVD

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:30:01 -0800

Here's one way to make your Mac play most any DVD, regardless of its assigned region coding:

Get an external DVD drive -- the internal drive does not seem to allow region-free viewing!
Install VLC media player.

Create an auto-run AppleScript for VLC. Open Script Editor (Applications » AppleScript » Script Editor), and paste in this code:

(* LaunchVLCDVD by Mohan Noone, 2009 drmohan@aol.in*)

set diskname to "/dev/rdisk" & ((length of (list disks)) - 1)
activate application "VLC"

tell application "Finder"
  set frontmost of process "VLC" to true
end tell

tell application "VLC"
  OpenURL "dvdnav://" & diskname
  fullscreen
  play
  next
end tell

Save this filea as, for example, LaunchVLCDVD to the Applications folder (or any other folder).

Change the system's auto-run options. Open System Prefe...

A Python-based DVR for FireWire cable boxes

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 07:30:00 -0800

I wrote a nifty little Python module (for OS X only) that allows you to control and record FireWire-connected cable boxes such as the new ones from Comcast! It's simple code, and this post contains a ton of information about how it works and how to use it.

[robg adds: I don't have cable, so I can't test this one ... in glancing at the page, though, it's clearly a CLI-only tool at present, though Ken states he has a close-to-ready GUI to use with it. This older hint provides another option for recording from FireWire cable boxes.]

A simple fix for Mighty Mouse right-click issues

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:30:00 -0800

Here's a simple one-finger solution for Mighty Mouse right-click problems: Use only your index finger for both buttons. Using the index finger for left-clicking and and right-clicking provides reliable operation of the buttons on both sides of the mouse.

Your thumb should not be further forward than the side button on the left side of the mouse. The position of the fingers on the right side of the mouse is relatively unimportant.

For left-handed operation, I could only get the left side of the mouse "unblocked" by lifting my hand completely off the mouse. It seems the area behind the left side button affects the sensing of the buttons as much as the front button areas do.

[robg adds: I've seen occasional reports of issues with left- and right-button recognition on the Mighty Mouse, but the unit I have here doesn't have such problems.]

Resolve an iChat login issue with certain Netgear routers

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 07:30:00 -0800

A few months back, I replaced my FIOS router when the Verizon-provided model died one day. The replacement worked OK, except for an annoying issue with DNS: every so often, seemingly randomly, my Macs would cease to load any web pages, just sitting there with a "looking for macosxhints.com" message. Clearly, there was some sort of DNS problem, but it had me stumped. It didn't matter if I set the DNS on the Mac or on the router, nor which DNS I told it to use. After a few minutes of not working, DNS would magically begin working again, for some other random period of time. (I'm not going to list the router I used, as I'm not sure it's a general problem with this brand; it may be something peculiar to my setup.)

Finally sick of trying to solve this problem, I replaced the router with a Netgear WNR3500 Gigagbit Router (about $105 at various places). Once connected,...

Mighty Mouse battery life indicator is very conservative

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 07:30:00 -0800

I'm not sure if this is a hint, but when using the Mighty Mouse, the battery icon flashes when your battery runs low. I used to change the battery as soon as the indicator started blinking. This time, I tried leaving it to see how much longer it would last.

As of today, I've been using it for a week without changing the battery! The flashing battery icon might be annoying, but it will save you money on batteries. Of course, your mileage may vary.

[robg adds: You can get a better sense of the remaining battery life by looking at the Bluetooth tab of the Keyboard & Mouse System Preferences panel. To save money (and the environment) on batteries, try rechargeable versions instead of disposables.]

Prevent HDMI signal drops from Apple TV to Samsung TV

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:30:00 -0800

If you have a Samsung LCD TV and an Apple TV connected to it, it's possible you'll occasionally lose the HDMI signal from the Apple TV -- in particular when you turn off/on the TV. I corrected this problem on my set as follows (thanks to Marco in Apple's Discussion Forum for the help). Note that you'll have to access the Service Menu on your TV.

IMPORTANT: Be careful! This Menu has very important parameters which you should not change at all. You could 'brick' your TV if you change the wrong parameter!

Turn off the TV
If you have a 52" Series 6 model (my case), press 'Mute -- 1 -- 8 -- 2 -- Power.' If you have a Series 5 model, try 'INFO MENU MUTE POWER.'
The TV will start and you will be in the service menu (give it a few extra seconds to get there).
Using the arrows/enter buttons, go into 'Option Table (Service)'
Turn off the following parameters: hotplug and hotplugctr...

Group movies together by label on Apple TV

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:30:04 -0800

I'm pretty sure this is a new feature of the 2.3 update. If you add a Show label (under the Video tab) for a group of movies (for instance, Star Wars) then they will all show up in a sub-folder of that show name. So now, instead of seeing a long list of Star Wars: Episode I, Star Wars, Episode 2, etc., you just get one item with a little arrow next to it indicating there's a sub-folder.