MAC THEME FOR YOUR PC

How to give a trendy "Mac look" to your PC

Have you ever imagined of giving a Mac OS X look to your PC? I am not talking about installing the Mac OS X on your machine, but this is just a theme and which will turn your PC into Mac and I can guarantee a non Mac user cannot identify which operating system are you working on. FlyakiteOSX is a transformation pack. It will transform the look of an ordinary Windows XP system to resemble the look of Mac OS X. The installer simply automates the process of replacing critical system files, setting registry tweaks, and installing extras such as cursors, sounds, visual styles, etc.

Even the start up icon will be changed to grey Apple startup logo. Login screen will also look exactly as of Mac OS X. The startup tune will no longer be traditional Microsoft tune, it will be changed into Mac startup chime. Also the error tone, clicks, cursors, buttons & selectors on the browsers and all other applications will give a Mac look. Not just these things but lots more that you can think of will become as it is in Mac.

In case you are not happy with the results of FlyakiteOSX, everything is completely removable. Just run the uninstaller from the Start Menu or from Add/Remove Programs. FlyakiteOSX does not contain any spyware or ad-ware of any kind. All files needed for FlyakiteOSX are stored in the Windows directory in a folder named 'FlyakiteOSX' that is hidden by default.
I must say this was really a great programming. After you install it, don't forget to say thanks to the team behind it.

So what are we waiting for? Lets get it downloaded from here or you can get one from here, this is another source. (31 MB)

Now you will never type Mac theme for Windows in Google search and I can bet, you are gonna love this theme. It will work better that you have ever imagined. Once you get this Mac skin on your Windows PC, the speed will not be effected.

NOW YOU CAN CHECK TWITTER UPDATES ON TV

According to the post embedded below,  there is chance of Twitter being available to provide you your updates even on TV. Read it down for complete info... or you can also click here to read the complete story with images.

Wouldn't this be an amazing idea?

TWITTERFUN - A GREAT TWITTER APPLICATION FOR MAC

What is so special about TwitterFun

For the users who are Twitteraholic and cannot run their business without it can now download Twitter application on their desktop. One of the best that I use is TwitterFun.

The best part is this application is too compact and can be kept at any corner of the desktop.

Another great feature is that it has inbuilt url shortner where url can be shortened with just one click and it can be set to a mode where you paste long url and it will automatically shorten it even without a click.

Some of the other features are its inbuilt reply button where you don't even have to bother about typing @before a reply. It can also take you to Twitter homepage just by one single click.

You can also select sent Tweets, recieved tweets, archive tweets and lots more, if you own a mac, give it a try.

If you need additional Twitter applications for Mac,you can find 50+ from here. Here almost all the application for Twitter is available, if you have iPhone, download one from here.

DISABLING THE SPOTLIGHT IN OS X 10.5

How to disable the spotlight in Snow Leopard

In our last post we discussed about disabling spotlight in 10.5, now I will mention the way to make it happen in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Disabling Spotlight in Snow Leopard is simple, all you need to do is launch the Terminal and type the following command:

sudo mdutil -a -i off

This will give a command to the Spotlight manager to disable all indexing on the mounted volumes, this command requires your admin password to execute.

Re-enabling Spotlight in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard is as easy as disabling, just type 'on' instead of 'off' as below:

sudo mdutil -a -i on

Now everything should be cool as it was. Additional tips & tricks are available here.

LIST OF ADDITIONAL FEATURES IN ENTOURAGE 2008

Some added features in Entourage 2008

• Toolbar can be customized like Finder. (Video)(download pdf)
• Sync Services no longer includes conduit. Learn more...  (MVPS)
• Notifications are termed as Reminders. Learn more...
• Added column view in Address Book for last name. Learn more...
• Now there is Folder view for Default Account. Learn more...
  
• Menu items have been moved. Learn more... 

There are some more changes, to view the complete list, please visit the masters.
Some additional info about Entourage.

MAKING A FILE/FOLDER INVISIBLE

How to hide a file/folder using Terminal

This is one of the greatest technique that I ever came across, I had to share my Mac in office and was curious about hiding confidential data. This was when I started exploring and finally came up with this solution.
These commands are to be typed in Terminal.

To make a file or folder invisible in Mac OS X Finder

setfile -a V testfile.txt

Here is goes, the file or folder is no longer visible via the Finder GUI, though it will be by Terminal. Your files are still there and you can find them via the command line and will show with an ls command. If you want your files and folders to be visible again, use this command:

To make a file or folder visible again in Mac OS X Finder

setfile -a v testfile.txt

Now the file/folder will be visible again to the Finder, cool isn't it?

Please Note: setfile is a command line utility included in Apple’s Developer Tools, which is a highly recommended optional install included on any Mac OS X install/restore CD/DVD. This is also available as a Xcode download from Apple’s Developer center.

More links & video about hiding.

DISABLING THE SPOTLIGHT IN OS X 10.5

How to disable the spotlight in Leopard

Here is small tip to disable the spotlight, if you don't want it to work, just move these two files to another safe location and then reboot your mac.

/System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.Spotlight.plist

/System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.metadata.mds.plist

If you want to re-enable Spotlight just move those files back to their previous/original location, reboot your Mac and Spotlight will start working again. Please make sure that you backup these files, if by any chance you delete them, you will not be able to reactivate Spotlight without a reinstalling the OS.

HIDING FOLDER FROM SPOTLIGHT

How to hide a folder from Spotlight

If you have some personal stuffs and dont want others to peep into it even though they are using Spotlight to find stuffs, you have to follow the below mentioned steps and stop spotlight searching there.
1. Go to System Preferences and select Spotlight icon.
2. Select the privacy tab.
3. Under, "Prevent spotlight from searching these locations" select the folders that you want to stay hidden.
4. To add the folder, click on the '+' icon and select the desired folder.

EJECT CD/DVD QUICKLY

Another way of ejecting a CD/DVD

If you want to eject a DVD or a CD, you have to hold down the Eject key for a few seconds, otherwise, it won't eject. You can bypass the time delay however. You just have to press "Option - Eject" and it will eject instantly, without having to wait a few seconds.

Make sure that this is not to be used as troubleshooting step, its just a tip for you to make your Mac act faster.

MOVING A WINDOW WITHOUT HIGHLIGHTING

How to move a window without highlighting it

This is a simple tweak that can be beneficial when you have two large windows and need to move the rear one keeping your eye continuously on the front one.
Hold down the command key and then move the desired window, this will not move the focus/selection of the window.

APPLE LAUNCHES ARD Ver 3.3

Apple Remote Desktop version 3.3 is now available

Let me give a brief idea what ARD (Apple Remote Desktop) is. It allows you to manage the Mac computers on your network. You can also distribute software, provide real-time online help to others, create detailed software and hardware reports, and also automate routine management tasks.
Apple Remote Desktop version 3.3 is now available and it includes two update packages:
(A) Apple Remote Desktop Client 3.3.1 updates the software that facilitates Remote Management (enabled in Sharing preferences, in System Preferences).
(B) Apple Remote Desktop Admin 3.3 updates the Remote Desktop application, which can be used to remotely administer Apple Remote Desktop clients.

You can download it from Apple.

1. Includes Task Server and Directory Server scanners, for finding client computers known by your task server and clients in computer groups on a directory server.
2. New "Reporting" tab in client computer Info window, to set a single reporting policy for the client computer, shared by all Remote Desktop administrator computers.
3. Improves client stability when Sharing Screen.
4. Scheduled UNIX Commands stay scheduled.
5. When controlling a remote client, function keys and key combinations for actions such as Force Quit, Log Out, and the Application Switcher are now all sent to the remote computer.
6. Improves screen sharing performance with RealVNC.
7. Improves performance of encrypted file copies.

iPHONE OS 3.1 launched on Sep09, 2009

Apple Releases iPhone OS 3.1 (iPhone and iPod Touch)

Apple announced the availability of iPhone OS 3.1 for the iPhone and iPod touch. The new firmware will be able to take advantage of the new Genius feature for apps to help users find new apps that may be of interest based on past purchases and will also allow wireless downloading of new pre-cut ringtones.
Source: Macrumors
The mail features of OS 3.1 and updates includes the following mentioned points and is also available on Apple website:

• Display available iTunes account credits in the App Store and iTunes Store
• Save video from Mail and MMS into Camera Roll
• Improved syncing for music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and photos
• iTunes U content organization
• Redeem iTunes Gift Cards, codes, and certificates in the App Store
• Remotely lock iPhone with a passcode via MobileMe
• Use Voice Control on iPhone 3GS with Bluetooth headsets
• Paste phone numbers into the keypad
• Option to use Home button to turn on accessibility features on iPhone 3GS
• Warn when visiting fraudulent websites in Safari (anti-phishing)
• Improved Exchange calendar syncing and invitation handling
• Fixes issue that cause some app icons to display incorrectly
• Option to "Save as new clip" when trimming a video on iPhone 3GS
• Better iPhone 3G Wi-Fi performance when Bluetooth is turned on

The good news is that iPhone OS 3.1 is now available for free download for iPhone customers and iPod touch guys who already own iPhone OS 3.0.
iPod touch users running old firmware versions can upgrade to iPhone OS 3.1 for $4.95.

FONT ISSUES IN MAC OS X: REMOVING DUPLICATE FONTS

How to remove duplicate fonts causing issue in any application

Remove font files from all Mac OS X fontfolders, except the System/Library/Fonts folder.
Move font files from the Fonts folders in the Users, Library, and Network folders to the desktop or other location, and restart the computer. If the problem doesn't recur, the problem is caused by one or more of the font files you moved.
Replace font files a few at a time to determine which font is causing the problem. (For example, replace font files that start with A-E to the System/Library/Fonts folder, and then restart the computer. If the problem doesn't recur, add another small group of font files.
If the problem does recur, one of the font files you just added may be the cause: Remove the font files, and add them back one at a time, restarting the computer each time until you find the particular font file that causes the problem.) When you find the font file that causes the problem, reinstall the font from the original media.
For any font issue in Adobe application, please refer this site.
If additional fonts are required, you can load it from here, but please make sure this is not our site, I have mentioned it here as it is the top in Google search.

FONT ISSUES IN MAC OS X: MS-OFFICE - DUPLICATE FONTS

How to fix font issues due to duplicate font files

In this step will go in three different locations and try to find if there is any duplicate font there.
1. The first step is to create a folder on the desktop and name it as Duplicate Fonts.
2. In the Finder, open the following fonts folders:
- Hard disk\System\Library\Fonts
- Hard disk\Users\User_name\Library\Fonts
3. Drag any duplicate font files that you find into the Duplicate Fonts folder that you have created.
Now restart your computer to make sure that the issue is resolved. If the issue still persists, follow the next step.

FONT ISSUE IN MAC OSX: MS-OFFICE

How to fix the corrupted font cache

In order to remove the corrupted cache font follow the steps mentioned below:
1. Open the following folder:
Hard disk > Users > Username > Library > Preferences > Microsoft.
2. If you are working on Office 2004, drag the Office Font Cache (11) to the trash.

Now launch Word to make sure whether the problem is resolved. If it is then it is really good, otherwise follow the next post.

FONT ISSUES IN MAC: MS-OFFICE

How to fix font issues in MS-Office

When you try to launch any MS-Office suite program or open a document for any of those program, a splash screen may appear, but then the program closes unexpectedly.
This could happen if there is a damaged or an unsupported font in one of the Fonts folders on your computer. When a Microsoft Office 2004/2008 program starts, the program will try to read and to create an optimized list of the fonts available in the OS X. If the program finds a damaged font, the program may close unexpectedly.
The following conditions can cause this problem to occur, once you identify it, you can follow upcoming posts to fix it:

• Duplicate font files.
• Corrupted Font Cache file.
• Corrupted font files and folders.

In next few posts we will talk about fixing all the issues seperately.
While any troubleshooting do not try to change any font folders that you find in the Mac OS X System folder.

WHAT IS DOCK EXPOSE IN MAC OS X 10.6?

Dock Exposé: The all new feature in Snow Leopard

Apple has introduced Dock Exposé in Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard, its a quick and intuitive way of viewing all of the windows for an application. To activate this, you need to click and hold an active application icon on the Dock; Dock Exposé shows you a thumbnail of every open window for that specific application.
This will show you all the windows in that application, regardless of which Space is it, opened or minimized in. In order to open this, just click the Window tile (or hit return after selecting the window) you would like to work on and it will instantly bring it to foreground.
To see Dock Exposé live, view this video.
Dock Exposé screen is divided with a line, bigger windows are on the top and the smaller ones displayed below. The bigger ones are the window which are open and the later ones are the minimized window. If there is no minimized window, the line would not appear there.

SNOW LEOPARD: TROUBLESHOOTING & SUPPORT

Snow Leopard troubleshooting knowledgebase released by Apple

For the convinience of Mac 10.6 users, here is the list of knowledgebase released by Apple. Almost all the topics are covered in those, if any missed can be founded on other sites like wiki, mvps, Mac Fixit, MacLife etc.

• Mac OS X v10.6: About gamma 2.2
• Mac OS X v10.6: Mac 101 - Printing
• Mac OS X v10.6: About Wake on Demand
• Mac OS X v10.6: Printer and scanner software
• Mac OS X v10.6: About Sync Diagnostics assistant
• Mac OS X v10.6: Mac 101 - Finder and the desktop
• Mac OS X v10.6: Unable to use third-party screensaver
• Mac OS X v10.6: Digital camera RAW formats supported
• Boot Camp 3.0, Mac OS X 10.6: Frequently asked questions
• Installing QuickTime Player 7 on Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard
• Mac OS X v10.6: Mac 101 - The Dock, Dock Exposé, and Stacks
• Media formats supported by QuickTime Player in Mac OS X v10.6
• Mac OS X v10.6: About the Battery menu bar extra for portable Macs
• Mac OS X v10.6: Using Microsoft Exchange 2007 (EWS) accounts in Mail
• Mac OS X v10.6: After installing, Mac still starts up into Mac OS X v10.4 or v10.5

UNABLE TO FIND PRINTERS AFTER INSTALLING 10.6

How to get printers back to work after installing Snow Leopard

Some of my users after installing Snow Leopard, have complained that the printers are missing from the list. Some of them found that their printer is not functioning properly, if there is any left. According to Cnet review, "Changes in the printing system between Leopard and Snow Leopard may have the operating system reset the printing system upon updating, which will remove all printer devices, so the printers need to be added again". In order to fix this, you need to follow the steps mentioned here by Apple on http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3771.
If you want you can check if your printer is listed in supported printers, insert the Snow Leopard DVD and launch the "Optional Installs" package in the "Optional Installs" folder. Agree to the license and then check the "All Available Printers" option in the "Printer Support" category.

LIMITATIONS OF CISCO VPN IN SNOW LEOPARD

How to connect CISCO VPN in Snow Leopard 10.6

According to the latest review on Cnet about Cisco VPN compatibility with 10.6 the Snow Leopard version of Mac OS X is limited to TCP connections and does not support the UDP protocol. There is a built in client in Apple to connect to VPN and the limitation of TCP transportation will stop users from connecting to VPN using UDP setting. Unluckily, if your VPN server is set up to accept connections IP sec over UDP only, you will not be able to connect using Apple's client. In such a condition the use of Cisco's third-party VPN client is needed. The good news for such users is, the Cisco VPN client works well in Snow Leopard, so those who need this alternate connectivity can download the client from here: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/secursw/ps2308/index.html
For more info about VPN client please read FAQs on CISCO VPN

MAKING YOUR MAC ACT FASTER

10 tips to optimize the speed of the Mac machine

1. Use A Wired Mouse & Keyboard: Though a wireless/bluetooth mouse is cool, but using bluetooth means it can left behind. When you are low on battery it makes you work slower because you have to move the mouse more same is with the keyboard.
2. Clear Caches: A Mac machine runs on caches. After long period a cache becomes corrupt or full of erroneous data. Removing it will speed up your computer. To know more about deleting cache, visit this link.
3. Check Your Processor Performance Setting: There is an option to change how fast you processors run to save power, it is under System Preferences > Energy Saver > Options. If your Mac is slow, you can try this option to increase the speed and get maxium out of your Mac, but this will use more energy and reduce battery time on laptops.
4. Turn Off File Vault: This is meant to encrypt the data of the hard drive, but by turning it on, your computer has to work harder to decrypt the information. If it is really not required, you can turn it off under System Preferences > Security > File Vault.
5. Use LAN Instead Of Wi-Fi: In todays world we prefer to be on Wi-Fi, but the fact is that it is comparitively slow, better user wired LAN/Ethernet connection. Installing a new LAN cable instead of using Wi-Fi will will increase the performance when using your home network.
6. Upgrade Your Network Architecture: If you are using an old 10Mbit LAN network it is really slow. Upgrade your network components to run at 1Gbit which all new Mac support. With a new faster network your will definitely see a big speed improvement.
7. Upgrade Your Internet: Although this wont be a viable option for most people. If you can get the fastest internet option available. A lot of things use the internet on your Mac, the faster your internet is the quicker these jobs will complete.
8. Upgrade Your RAM: One of the biggest speed improvements is to add more RAM. The more RAM you have the quicker your Mac will run.
9. Get A Fast SSD Hard Drive: A hard drive with a faster access time will enable your computer to run quicker. This is because it will take less time for your computer to find the applications it needs. This may only be an option for people running on iMacs and Mac Pro’s.
10. Repair Disk Permissions: In Disk Utilities, repair the disk permissions for your Mac disk. Enables improved performance. Will not make a real big change, but does help if you have a two year old Mac and have never run this command.

Hope following these small tips, will overall improve the speed of your machine.

ENABLING TAB TO SWICTH BETWEEN OPTIONS

How to enable Tab key to switch between option buttons

For around a year I was not aware of the fact that we can enable this option in Mac and I had to use mouse to select options like Close/Cancel/Save. Finally I managed to find out how to enable the tab key to toggele between dialog boxes. To activate this, go to System Preferences > Keyboard & mouse > Keyboard & Shrotcuts. At the very bottom there will be an option saying about full keyboard access. Check the radio button that says “All Controls”.

Now when you find a dialog box (a new file in TextEdit is quickest), when you hit tab and it will take you to the other button displaying alternate option on the box.

CHANGING THE CREATE DATE OF A FILE

Cheating your buddies: How to change create date on a file.

Using this awesome trick you can change the create date of a file and show it to you boss as per requirement. Good idea to save your job.
It is not just used to change it to a time in past, you can also change it to post creation date if you need it. Here is the syntax that needs to be entered:
touch -t 20090101050202 /location/of/file/filename.png

Its really simple, we are using the touch command which is really useful and is designed to change file access and modification times. The next part of it is the number, this is the date of the file written in reverse order. 20090101050202 = YYYYMMDDhhmmss, year month day hour minute second. You can omit the seconds section, you really don’t need it.
Once as you hit return and everything is done correctly the file access time will have change to what you have feeded.

CHAGING THE SKIN/COLOUR OF TERMINAL

How to change colour of Terminal window

I really was not aware of this function within Terminal, unless I read this article few months back. If you use Terminal very often, you might be bored of its monotonous black and green colour. Using this tipyou can spruce Terminal window up so it looks a bit cooler you can very easily, and only takes a couple of clicks, along with this there are mutiple options to really drill down and change and fine tune the colour settings.
Here are the steps to follow in order to change the Terminal skin/colour:
Go to Terminal > Preference > Settings.
On the left coloumn there are multiple options from where you can chose color combination of your choice. Clicking on each option will enable you to see the default settings.
If you are lost somewhere, you can then click Default to set is as the default to load and from next time onwards it will open Terminal in default skin.

ADDING THE TRASH FOLDER AS STACK ON DOC

How to display Trash as stack

This tip could be of great advantage for some users while managing the files and folders on your Mac. Using this you can make your Trash items displayed in Grid, List or Fan format.
All you have to do is, open Goto Folder screen by pressing Command+Shift+G or in the Finder window, click Go and then Go to Folder.
On this screen type ~/.Trash and it will open the Trash folder. All you have to do is drag this folder to your doc and it will accept it as stacks.
Just like other folders you can change the display mode of the folder to Grid, Fan or List format. Isn't it really cool.

HOW TO CHANGE WELCOME MESSAGE IN TERMINAL

Changing welcome message in Terminal

When you launch Terminal you get the borong black screen with the date and time of your last login. In this post I will mention the steps to change the welcome message in Terminal. This step includes using a sudo command so you will have to be extra careful.

1. Firstly type cd /etc this will change the file path to the etc, i.e. a hidden folder, on your computer. Once done, type sudo pico motd. Now the system will ask you to type in your user password to get it to work.

2. Next step is to type in your message. Once you have finished typing your message, press ctrl+X, to bring up the exit window. On this screen you need to press Y which will save changes and then keep the default file name of motd by pressing Enter.

3. That's done. All you had to do is follow these two steps and your Terminal will welcome you with a customised message of your choice.

HOW TO STOP APPLICATION CRASHING

Steps to diagnose troubleshoot application crashing

Something that I have experienced in Mac, which can be considered a draw back, is crashing and freezing of applications very so often. If this is happening repeatedly, then it could be a major problem.
I am mentioning some really simple and user friendly steps to diagnose and fix the crash/freezing problem.
a) Quit the application and re-launch it, probably a simple one to start with. If you have apps open for long periods of time, and it starts freezing a lot its usually time to restart it.
b) Try to Log off. This step helps to clear caches and allow you Mac to reload files.
c) Reboot your Mac. Sometimes just logging off will not help, in this case we have to restart the machine. This will clear all code from memory and allow you to start again. This works well in the cases where problems are occurred when apps running for too long.
d) Try to delete the Preferences (.plist). The preference files are saved in HD > username > Library > Preferences.
e) Update the application. As it is recommended by Apple, always keep the application updated. The crash and bug you may be experiencing could be caused by dodgy code; this code may have been cleaned up in a new version.
f) Disable if there are any plugins. This is for applications such as Firefox, Safari crashes it might be time to disable plugins and start them up one by one. You can then find what plugin is causing it and troubleshoot accordingly.

Many issue will get resoved with these 6 steps, if not then we have to proceed with some hardcore steps which I will mention in my coming posts.