Top 10 Mac OS X Hints and Tips on Macosxhints.com

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Convert .dmg files to .iso files for burning elsewhere    I found this out a while ago when looking for info on reading .DMG files on Windows or Linux boxes. I found out it was not possible, and I wasn't too happy. You see, my iMac has no CD-R drive, just a CD-ROM. This tip creates ISO images from DMG images, so they can be burned elsewhere. To convert the file to an ISO image, type the following command at your terminal window: hdiutil convert /path/to/filename.dmg -format UDTO -o /path/to/savefile.iso Replace /path/to/filename.dmg with the path and name of the existing .DMG file, and replace /path/to/savefile.iso with the desired path and name for the converted image. This then creates an ISO image burnable in Nero on Windows, or pretty much anything on Windows that will burn ISOs and same with Linux. I just converted a DMG image as a test, and it took a while -- it only converted at about 1MByte per secoond, but I only have a 333Mhz imac G3, so speed wise, it may be good. YuraF on 10/21/08 URL of this item needs to be fixed. Thx :)   1 Replies

 

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A 'perfect' iTunes equalizer setting      This hint is really only for iTunes, and I found it in MacFormat's September 2004 Issue. It was submitted by an anonymous user. Are you somewhat disappointed with the output from iTunes? If so, you might try using the equalizer (Command-2, or the third button from right at the bottom of the main window) to modify the output levels at various frequencies. There are a number of pre-defined settings, but the MacFormat tip contained a different set of suggested levels. Open the equalizer, and from the pop-up menu, select "Make Preset." Call it "Perfect," because it is, and set the following levels, from left to right (skip the Preamp section): db +3, +6, +9, +7, +6, +5, +7, +9, +11, +8 db The image to the left (full-size image) shows about what it should look like when you're done. Make sure you check the "On" box to activate the equalizer, too. These settings produce absolutely the best balance I've ever heard. My home computer speakers are ablaze with sound now. [robg adds: I realize that there's no such thing as a 'perfect' equalizer setting, hence the use of quotes in the title. I further realize that the use of any equalizer setting other than "flat" means that you're no longer listening to the music as recorded on the master. However, due to the varying quality of computer speakers, signal loss due to MP3/AAC encoding, and non-ideal speaker setups, you might find that your music does sound better to you using a non-flat equalizer setting. I've been using the above settings for a week or so now, and I must say that my music now sounds better -- it may be less "true" to the original, but it sounds better to my admittedly untrained ear ... and that's what counts.

 

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Recover a dead hard drive using dd    The Unix program dd is a disk copying util that you can use at the command line in order to make a disk image. It makes a bit-by-bit copy of the drive it's copying, caring nothing about filesystem type, files, or anything else. It's a great way to workaround the need for Norton Ghost. Normally, in order to make a disk image, the disk you're copying from has to be able to spin up and talk -- in other words, it's OK to make a copy if the disk is healthy. But what happens when your disk is becoming a doorstop? As long as it continues to spin, even with physical damage on the drive, dd and Mac OS X will get you out of the fire. We had a situation recently where a friend sent a disk to us that had hard physical errors on it. It would boot in Windows, but then it would hit one of these scratch marks and just die. We fired up dd, and it started OK, but stopped at the same physical error location -- complaining about a Hard Error. So the workaround was to designate the dd mode as noerror -- which just slides over the hard stops, and to add the mode sync, which fills the image with nulls at that point. We did it on BSD Unix, but as long as you can get the hard drive attached to your Mac, the command is the same: dd bs=512 if=/dev/rXX# of=/some_dir/foo.dmg conv=noerror,sync The bs=512 designates block size, and the if=/dev/rXX# is the UNIX path to the actual disk device. Make sure that the chosen directory (some_dir) has enough room to take the entire disk image -- which will be equal to the size of the drive. Since dd doesn't care about the contents of the drive, it copies every bit on the thing, so you get an image equal to the disk's capacity. A really big file. One workaround is to put it on a RAID array. Once you've established the disk image (in this example, foo.dmg), you're almost home. Here's where your Mac OS X box is far and away the best thing to have. In this example, the dd output file is foo.dmg. You have to realize that this is an exact copy of a busted drive, but the "holes" are filled with nulls. As long as the damage isn't to the boot sector, though, when you double-click on it, Mac OS X mounts it without breathing hard ... who cares if it's FAT32, NTFS, whatever. Due to the size of the image that we were copying, we put it on a RAID array, and had to access the image over the network -- it still mounted fine. In straight UNIX, if you try to mount a disk image, it complains that there is "no block device" and fails. Once your image is mounted, it appears in your Finder, and then it's easy work to retrieve the critical files from the image -- usually things like .doc files and .xls files and the lot. Finally, since your disk is actually dying, once you have your image, you can drop it to tape or something and you've not only recovered your files, you've made a viable backup as well. Once again, that which destroys a Windows box becomes a play thing to a Mac OS X box.

 

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Configure Mail for Gmail POP access      Google recently started introducing free POP3 and SMTP e-mail access access to GMail users. However, their instructions for Mail were not very accurate, so I thought I'd share how to really get up and running with this new feature. Please note that not all accounts have POP3 access yet, as it has only been introduced to a handful of users. To see if your account is POP-ready, log in and look for "New Features!" in red on the top-right of the window. If it isn't, this hint won't be very useful to you. 1. Open up Mail.app and press Command+Comma to invoke the Preferences window. 2. Switch to the "Accounts" pane and press the + button in the lower-left corner. 3. Under "Account Information", fill out the following information: * Account Type: POP * Email Address: username@gmail.com * Incoming Mail Server: pop.gmail.com * Username: username@gmail.com * Password: password 4. Select "Add Server..." from the "Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP)" pop-up menu. Here are the details for it: * Outgoing Mail Server: smtp.gmail.com * Server port: 465 or 587 * Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL): Yes * Authentication: Password * User Name: username@gmail.com * Password: password * Dismiss the window by pressing "OK." 5. Back in the "Accounts" pane, switch to the "Advanced" tab and check the box marked "Use SSL" towards the bottom. 6. The rest of the process is short and sweet, and merely involves changing your Gmail preferences to enable POP access.

 

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How to burn ISO disc images      Disc images are a fairly common packaging standard for large software programs. If you want to try out a new Linux distribution, for example, chances are you'll need to download a disc image in ISO format and burn it to a blank CD-ROM or DVD. But ever since I began using Mac OS X, I've been perpetually confused about how to burn ISO images. I'm used to disc burning utilities that have an obvious, explicit command like "Burn ISO Image to CD." To make life even more confusing, OS X's Disk Utility does have a Burn command, but it becomes disabled when you click on the blank disc you'd like to use for the burn. The problem here is that most Mac disc utilities, including the built-in Disk Utility, take a different approach when it comes to image burning. Instead of telling the program you want to burn an image, then choosing the file, you're supposed to do the reverse: You choose the file, then tell the program you want to burn it. So, to burn an ISO image to disc, here's what to do: 1. Insert a blank disc. 2. Start Disk Utility. 3. From the File menu, choose Open Disk Image and select the ISO to be burned. 4. In the list of volumes, you will now see an item representing the ISO file. Select it. 5. Click the Burn button and follow the instructions. That's it! Sure, it may seem simple enough, but when you've been using Linux and Windows utilities for years, these steps can be a little perplexing and hard to remember. [robg adds: Yes, for those who've been on the Mac for a long time, this is an obvious hint. However, I've been confused when trying to use Windows and Nero to burn discs, so it seems the opposite would also be true for those new to our platform of choice.]

 

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Record and playback high definition TV signals    Want to enjoy HDTV, but haven't forked over the $21,999 for that 82'' LCOS Rear Projection HDTV yet? (Or even know what the heck that is!). Fear not, because with just about any Panther-capable Macintosh, you can enter the world of high definition recording and playback without breaking the bank... or buying a single new piece of hardware! This 21st Century Holy Grail comes in the form of a recent FCC regulation requiring all cable companies to provide a Firewire-enabled Cable box to any customer who asks. (Yes, some government agencies are still on our side after all!) This law went into effect April 1st, and by now most Cable companies have complied. Unlike regular TV, you cannot record HD with an analog VCR -- or even a standard issue Tivo. You must have a Firewire connection ... the very same Firewire that ships on every modern Mac. (bet you see where this is headed). You have the Mac, now all you need is the cable box and a pair of free programs: VirtualDVHS for recording, and VLC for playback! Step 1 - Get the Cable Box! If you have cable, your first step involves calling your provider and requesting a new "Firewire capable" or "IEEE 1394 enabled" HDTV cable box. Even if you don't own an HDTV, all these boxes have S-video out and work perfectly with regular TVs. Most cable companies charge a nominal monthly fee for the box, and provide local stations in high defenition for free (this is the only cost involved). For example, I am on Time Warner Cable, and I pay about $8.00 extra per month, which includes PBS, NBC, ABC, CBS and Discovery HD Theater. Plus, if you subscribe to any premium station, like HBO or Showtime, that price includes the high definition version! Once your provider delivers the box, you just need a Firewire cable long enough to reach your Mac. Any Firewire cable (with the right connectors) will do. I actually used one of Apple's dainty-thin white iPod Firewire cables, and it worked like a charm when run to my Aluminum 15" PowerBook. Step 2 - Get the Recording Software VirtualDVHS. Remember that name! A free little piece of software that you can find in two different places. If you have the Developer Tools, VirtualDVHS comes in the Firewire SDK, available at Apple Developer Connection. Far more conveniently, ninjamonkey provides a (very slightly) modified stand-alone version of VirtualDVHS [305KB download]. You probably won't notice any changes to the program, but not having to dig through a bunch of developer tools make this my favorite option for download. Step 3 - Run the Recorder You can follow the instructions on ninjamonkey's site, but since the software is really a developer example (not even beta quality), pay attention to these few pointers. First, create a new folder to store the recorded files into. Drag and drop this folder onto the D-VHS icon. You MUST do that drag and drop step, or your recordings will inexplicably fail. While presenting a somewhat daunting interface, just pay attention to the transport controls on the top right. The biggest trick is selecting the correct Firewire Channel for input. Most cable boxes will transmit on channel 63 (that's the "broadcast channel"). Also try channels 0 and 1 if 63 fails. To see if your channel works, just press the record button, and the "Bitrate" field takes off ... along with the recorded file size! Step 4 - Playback One word: VLC. Even if you don't plan to watch HD content, get the VideoLan Client. It rocks (beside the fact that it's free and open source)! AFAIK, VLC is the only client that can replay full-resolution high definition content in transport stream format -- what you get from VirtualDVHS. If you're one of the lucky few and have an HDTV with a Firewire port, you can also use VirtualDVHS to play back directly to the TV. Just select the file, and use the transport controls on the left side of the interface. It's that easy! A Few Caveats Some cable companies encrypt HD content for copy protection. I put this caveat first because it's the biggest. Basically, if the content is encrypted, you cannot play it back. However, it's illegal for Cable companies to encrypt broadcast stations. So at the very least, you can record NBC, CBS, ABC, WB, UPN and PBS. If those are encrypted, a quick call (or two) to your cable provider should take care of it. If you're lucky, you will get subscription content like HBO in the clear ... but enjoy it while it lasts, because all Cable companies WILL implement copy protection sooner or later! Now just a few notes on a bit more mundane issues... * HDTV basically comes in two resolutions: 1920x1080 and 1280x720. PBS, and most sporting events show at in 1280x720 (known as 720p). HBO, Shotime and broadcast stations like NBC and ABC use 1920x1080 (1080i). The Tonight Show was one of the first programs broadcast in HD, and if you're looking for a good test, that's your best bet. * VirtualDVHS stores files in MPEG2 Tranport Stream format. In the Windows world, this has an extension of ".ts" rather than the ".m2t" that VirtualDVHS uses. Transport Stream differs from standard MPEG2 files, like decrypted DVD (known as Program Stream), because it's packetized for transmission over a network. * HDTV recordings get huge. HUGE! Suffice it to say these constitute the largest single files I've ever worked with -- or seen! * Last but not least ... You MUST store your recordings on an HFS+ formatted volume. UFS has a 4GB limit to file size, while standard HFS is similar (2GB I believe). Plain and simply, anything over 15 minutes will overflow this limit. For example, my copy of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones clocks in at 12GB. And that's not even my biggest file! Recording HD content has been one of the coolest things I've ever done on my Mac! It's awesome, and if you're friends don't have Mac envy yet, wait till they see a movie playing back on your G5 at 1920x1080 resolution!

 

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Enable the Safari debug menu      While I look around Safari binary code, I found there is a hidden Debug menu. Type the following command in Terminal (while Safari is NOT running): % defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 1 Then launch Safari, and enjoy the new Debug menu. [Editor's note: The debug menu has some useful options on it, so you may find this a very useful hack. If you ever wish to disable it again, just repeat the command with a "0" instead of a "1".]

 

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Install an Ogg Vorbis iTunes plugin (revisited)     I've been waiting to use the excellent and free (license free / open source) Ogg Vorbis sound encoding scheme more on OS X, but support in iTunes has been lacking, until now. Check out http://www.illadvised.com/~jordy. There you will find a QuickTime plugin that will allow iTunes and QuickTime (v6.0.2) to play Ogg Vorbis files (just drop the plugin into the /Library/Quicktime folder), as well as a command line Ogg Vorbis encoder (converts imported CD audio files to Ogg) and a link to the easier to use GUI Ogg encoder "Ogg Drop." This Plugin is working quite well for me under OS X (10.2.1) with iTunes 3 and Quicktime 6.0.2. The following song information tags in the Ogg files are correctly recognized in iTunes: Song Title, Artist, Album and Genre. iTunes will organize Ogg files tagged with this information side by side with the existing MP3s in your library (assuming you've turned on that option in iTunes). The only downside is that the visualizations do not respond to Ogg files using this plugin version. I'm also not sure yet if you can burn CDs using Ogg encoding using this plugin or not. Also, to more easily play Ogg files in OS X, take an Ogg sound file and click on it, then hit Command-I to pull up the information window. Expand the "Open With" section and select iTunes as the application to open your Ogg files. Then select the "Change All" button to make sure that iTunes is your default Ogg player and then you're done. [Editor's note: Another plugin was covered in a previous hint, but (based on a visit to the website) nothing has happened with it since July, and it mentions some incompatabilities between Ogg and QuickTime. I have not tested this newest plug-in.]

 

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Use a D-Link DWL-G122 USB WiFi Dongle     For whatever reasons, D-Link saw fit to hold back their OS X drivers for the G122 54G USB dongle. The DWL-G122, however, uses a Ralink Technology 2500 series chipset. Just go to their Support page, and download the 2500 series USB Mac driver package. Install, plug it in, and you're done. You should get a notice telling you there is a new network interface when you go to your network settings. Select it in the second drop-down menu and configure it, and the dongle will then be added to the interface list. One more important note: If you are using this on a system that already has a wireless card, like Airport Express, DO NOT RUN THEM BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. Two antennas that close to each other (less than 50cm) can actually cause damage to the cards. Turn off Airport when you're running the D-Link, unplug the D-Link when you're using the Airport.  Comment on this item

 

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Restore Classic with drag and drop     If you have to reformat a hardrive and want to get your fully set up OS 9 system back after the reformat, here's how. First back up the folder named "System Folder" that contains the OS 9 installation you'd like to save. After you have finished installing OS X, just drop the System Folder back onto the hard drive and restart to recover your old installation. OS 9 should work flawlessly after the restart. [Editor's note: I haven't tested this hint myself, but it makes sense given that OS 9 installations could be copied via drag and drop. I've also used this method to put my "optimized" Classic folder on various OS X hard drives; just drag and drop, and then reboot on the other drive and fire up Classic. Of course, if you're going to reformat a drive, you should be running a full backup of your drive using one of the available backup programs!]