Showing posts with label macbook pro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label macbook pro. Show all posts

Monday, February 20, 2023

Apple ID; Can't Sign-In On Older Devices

Have you ever gotten an older Apple device (iPad, iPod, etc) and when you tried to set it up, and try to log in with your Apple ID information, you get an error message along the lines of; "This Apple ID cannot be used on this device. This Apple ID can only be used with devices running iOS version 15 or newer."

Turns out your Apple ID account has a "Recovery contact" setup/associated with your account just in case you ever get locked out. Well, that feature is unfortunately a modern iOS feature, and if enabled you will get the previous error when you try to sign in to an old Apple device with that associated Apple ID!

So what is the fix?

Remove the recovery contact(s) from your account! That's it!
Once you do that, you will then be able to login to older Apple devices using your Apple ID information.


Pacific Northwest Computers
360.624.7379

Monday, January 16, 2023

Our Favorite Mac Apps

Here is a basic list of some Mac OS applications that we use and recommend! Leave a comment below if you have a program that you use/love and would like to recommend it! 


Web Browsers

Brave Browser - 3x faster than Chrome. Better protection from Google and Big Tech. Built with your privacy in mind!

Vivaldi - Not sure what browser to use? Vivaldi allows you to use features from various different browsers, including their add-ons! Get unrivaled customization options and built-in browser features for better performance, productivity, and privacy.

Choosy - Choosy can prompt you to select from the browsers on your Mac, or just the ones that are running, so you can decide which browser is right for a particular link.

OpenIn - OpenIn is a native application for Intel and Apple Silicon architecture and allows you to choose what happens when you click on a web link or an email link, and even open specific programs for certain file types! OpenIn can even modify file open requests, and send the application a request to open a parent folder instead of the file. Plus much more!

BitWarden - Secure cloud syncing lets you access your sensitive information from anywhere on any device. Protect your online data using a password manager you can trust. Bitwarden conducts regular third-party security audits and is compliant with GDPR, SOC 2, HIPAA, Privacy Shield, and CCPA standards.


System Utilities

Download and install current, or previous versions, of Mac OSX operating systems: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211683

Macs Fan Control - Mac OS application for real-time monitoring of fan speeds and temperatures. With this app, you can monitor your temperatures, and fan speeds, and help you solve overheating problems like those found on a MacBook Pro. Solve fan noise problems such as those caused by HDD replacement in iMacs and fan speed issues after various aftermarket parts replacements. 

Hot - Hot is a macOS menu bar application that displays the CPU speed limit due to thermal issues.

Stats - Mac OS system monitoring software.

Onyx - OnyX is a multifunction utility that you can use to verify the structure of the system files; run miscellaneous maintenance and cleaning tasks; configure parameters in the Finder, Dock, Safari, and some Apple applications; delete caches; remove certain problematic folders and files; rebuild various databases and indexes; and more.

Mac Cleaner Pro - Professional tools for Mac cleanup. Keep your Mac always fast, clean, and organized!

GmsartControlGSmartControl is a graphical user interface for smartctl (from smartmontools package), which is a tool for querying and controlling SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) data on modern hard disk and solid-state drives. It allows you to inspect the drive's SMART data to determine its health, as well as run various tests on it.

DriveDX - Advanced hard drive health diagnostics, drive health monitoring, and hard drive health testing software.

Disk Inventory X - Disk Inventory X is a disk usage utility for Mac OS X. It shows the sizes of files and folders in a special graphical way called "treemaps".

coconutBattery - With coconutBattery you're always aware of your current battery health. It shows you live information about your battery such as how often it was charged and how is the current maximum capacity in relation to the original capacity your battery had when it left the factory.


Security

Malwarebytes AntiMalware (MBAM) - Say hello to smarter, safer protection for all your family's devices. Specifically designed to catch malware on Mac, MalwareByte's threat intelligence & proven technology let you rest easy, knowing that we’re finding and crushing threats that other antivirus software missed. The best part, we do it all without hogging your system’s resources or spamming you with annoying notifications. Finally, cybersecurity that is smart enough for your Mac.

ClamXAV - Whether you’re a home user, business user, or education user, ClamXAV provides effective malware protection on a single Mac or an entire network. ClamAV is one of the oldest Unix AntiVirus programs around.

Clario - Modern protection from more modern threats! Protect your Apple Computer and digital identity from viruses, unsecured Wi-Fi, ID theft, or hacking; in real time. 100% Detection rate!


General Programs

Caffeine - Caffeine is a tiny program that puts an icon in the right side of your menubar. Click it to prevent your Mac from automatically going to sleep, dimming the screen, or starting screen savers.

VNC - Securely access and manage any device, from anywhere!

Sublime Text - Text editing, done right!

The Unarchiver - The Unarchiver is the only app you need to open RAR on Mac. It’s times more powerful than the native macOS utility and supports infinitely more archive formats.

Keka - Mac OS file archiver.

PDF Expert - PDF Expert is a uniquely fast, reliable, and easy-to-use PDF software. PDF Expert packs powerful features into a well-designed and intuitive interface. Effortlessly breeze through any type of PDF-related task!


Software Removal Tools

AppCleaner -  AppCleaner is a small application that allows you to thoroughly uninstall unwanted apps.
Installing an application distributes many files throughout your System using the space of your Hard Drive unnecessarily. AppCleaner finds all these small files and safely deletes them.

TrashMe - Your Mac is full of files that you consider to be junk because they are too old, too big, or useless to you: incomplete downloads, Windows files, old screen captures… In addition, macOS creates many large files like app caches, system updates, log reports or Xcode files. When space is precious, you can use TrashMe to remove all these files and recover many gigabytes!


Jon Pienkowski
Pacific NW Computers

*Last Updated ~ August 28th, 2023*

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Mac Battery/Power Management System Calibration

Calibrating The Battery/Power Management System of a Mac Is Easy To Do!

On a new Apple computer, or after a new battery is installed...

Step 1 – Charge The Battery To 100%

  • Shut down the computer and then connect the power adapter.
  • Keep the computer plugged in until the light on the power connector turns green indicating a 100% charge.

Step 2 – Charge Two More Hours

  • After the battery is 100% charged, keep the power adapter plugged into the computer for an additional 2+ hours. 
  • The computer can be powered up and used during this time.

Step 3 – Temporarily Change the Energy Saver Settings

  • If the computer is off, you'll need to turn it on.
  • In OS X System Preferences click on the Energy Saver preferences.
  • In the Energy Saver / Battery preferences:
    • Set the "Turn display off after:" slider to "Never"
  • Various Mac models may have two sliders for "computer sleep" and "display sleep". If you have two sliders, simply slide both to the right to set them to "Never"
    • UNCHECK "Put hard disks to sleep when possible"
    • UNCHECK "Slightly dim the display while on battery power"
      • Note: The location/existence of certain settings may shift or vary depending on your computer model or OS version.
  • In the Energy Saver / Power Adapter preferences:
    • Set the "Turn display off after:" slider to "Never"
    • Various Mac models may have two sliders for "computer sleep" and "display sleep". If you have two sliders, simply slide both to the right to set them to "Never"
    • CHECK "Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off"
    • Note: this setting may or may not be available depending on your model or OS version.
    • UNCHECK "Put hard disks to sleep when possible"
      • Note: The location/existence of certain settings may shift or vary depending on your computer model or OS version.

Step 5 – Unplug And Drain The Battery

  • Unplug the power adapter.
  • Leave the computer on until it automatically shuts down.
  • You can use the computer during this step, but don't put the computer through heavy use to deplete the battery faster. Steady, even usage is better for power system calibration.

Step 6 – Leave It Off And Unplugged

  • After the computer has automatically shut down, leave it shut down for at least 5 hours or overnight. 
  • This will ensure the battery is completely drained of energy.

Step 7 – Charge To 100% Again

  • Plug the computer back in until the battery is 100% charged.
  • While plugged in, the computer can be used.
  • This is also a good time to go back and select your desired Energy Saver preferences.

AND THAT'S IT!

After this essential calibration, the new battery will be able to achieve its fullest charge and reach its full lifespan, and the system will display an accurate battery level. You can also reuse these steps to recalibrate the power management system every few months if desired.

Monday, March 12, 2018

Run macOS in Windows via Virtual Machine!


With a few downloads, a hand full of steps to follow, you can have a Virtual Apple computer running on your Windows PC. That's right! Your eyes are not deceiving you. You can create a macOS virtual machine using VMware Workstation Player! Have access to the apps, tools, programs that you love about your Apple computer, all on your Windows PC!! No "hackintosh" required.

The link for the tutorial is below and will require you to download and install several programs as well as modify a config file using NotePad. Nothing crazy, but there are quiet a few steps involved. So read carefully and pay close attention to each step.

Link: Run macOS High Sierra OSX via Virtual Machine on a Windows PC!


**A few quick notes regarding this guide!**

  • VMware Virtual Workstation Player us up to version 14. However the needed "unlocker" utility that makes VMware Workstation Player compatible with OSX is ONLY compatible with copies of Version 12 VMware Virtual Workstation Player. So DO NOT download the newest version of VMware Virtual Workstation Player; only use copies of version 12.
  • You DO NOT need an ISO or currently OSX installation media. The tutorial has a link to have to download the Intel version of the Mac OSX virtual machine. This virtual machine is provided courtesy of the excellent fellows at Techsvidrewer.

Thank you PCSteps.com for creating such an easy to follow and thorough setup/install guide!!

Pacific Northwest Computers
www.pnwcomputers.com

Thursday, July 7, 2016

OSX Finder Crash Loop - FIX

PROBLEM: Your Mac’s finder is stuck in a crash loop Other apps work but your finder crashes and re-crashes indefinitely; even when the system is restarted. Other user accounts may work just fine and even a newly created account will work just fine. Permissions repair through the OSX DiskUtility doesn’t help either.
  1. Start with another user account or create a temporary administrator account. 
  2. Download and install PathFinder (search via Google) for all users. 
  3. Pin the PathFinder icon to your dock. 
  4. Log on with with your usual name and, with Pathfinder, move files that are in your Desktop folder, over to another directory. 
  5. No more Finder crash! 
Pacific Northwest Computers 
360-624-7379

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

PNW Computers' Favorite Mac Apps

PNW Computers' Favorite FREE Mac Apps


VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files as well as DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols.

Titanium Software ~ OnyX
OnyX is a multifunction utility for OS X which you can use to verify the start up disk and the structure of its system files, to run miscellaneous tasks of cleaning and system maintenance, to configure some hidden parameters of many of Apple’s applications, and more.

Titanium Software ~ Maintenance
Maintenance is a system maintenance and cleaning utility for OS X which you can use to run miscellaneous tasks of system maintenance: repair permissions, run periodic scripts, rebuild the databases, delete Application, Font and System cache, and more.

Derlien Software ~ Disk Inventory X
Disk Inventory X is a disk usage utility for Mac OS X 10.3 (and later). It shows the sizes of files and folders in a special graphical way called "treemaps".
If you've ever wondered where all your disk space has gone, Disk Inventory X will help you to answer this question.

smcFanControl
smcFanControl is MUST HAVE for keeping your Mac running cool. smcFanControl lets the user set the minimum speed of the built in fans; so you can increase your minimum fan speed to make your Intel Mac run cooler. However in order not to damage your machines smcFanControl doesn't let you set a minimum speed to a value below Apple's defaults.

ClamXav
ClamXav is a free malware scanner for Mac OS X. It uses the very popular ClamAV open source antivirus engine as a back end and has the ability to detect both Windows and Mac threats.
ClamXav can be setup up as passive or active: scan only the files you tell it to or your entire hard drive, whichever you prefer; you can also choose to activate Sentry to monitor your hard drive and scan new files as they arrive.

CCleaner is the number-one tool for cleaning your Mac. It protects your privacy online and makes your computer faster and more secure. Easy to use and a small fast download.

FreeMacSoft ~ AppCleaner
AppCleaner is a small application which allows you to thoroughly uninstall unwanted apps.
Installing an application distributes many files throughout your System using space of your Hard Drive unnecessarily.
AppCleaner finds all these small files and safely deletes them.
Simply drop an application onto the AppCleaner window. It will find for the related files and you can delete them by clicking the delete button.

With coconutBattery you are always aware of your current battery health. It shows you live information about the battery in your Mac and iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) including:
  • Age of your Mac, iOS device and battery
  • How often the battery was charged
  • Your battery health (capacity in relation to the original capacity your battery had when it left the factory) and much more...
gfxCardStatus
gfxCardStatus is an unobtrusive menu bar app for OS X that allows MacBook Pro users to see which apps are affecting their battery life by using the more power-hungry graphics.

The Unarchiver is a much more capable replacement for "Archive Utility.app", the built-in archive unpacker program on Mac OS X. The Unarchiver is designed to handle many more formats than Archive Utility, and to better fit in with the design of the Finder. It can also handle file names in foreign character sets, created with non-English versions of other operating systems. I personally find it useful for opening Japanese archives, but it should handle many other languages just as well.

Monolingual is a program for removing unnecessary language resources from OS X, in order to reclaim several hundred megabytes of disk space. It requires a 64-bit capable Intel-based Mac and at least OS X 10.10 (Yosemite).

Hanynet ~ NoobProof (or WaterRoof) Firewall Software
NoobProof is a very easy tool. When you start it the first time you have a service list and you can choose to "allow" or "deny" connections to those services. So you have only to decide which service to allow, and then check "Activate NoobProof". You can also add selective "allow" and "deny", and you can delete or add new custom services in service list.
WaterRoof is a very complex and powerful tool, which allows you to configure almost every aspect and option of "ipfw". And more, you can list/manage active connections or network files, do graphics log analysis, configure your mac as a router with bandwidth management with tasteful rules and tons of other options. You need a good knowledge of "what a firewall is", and you should also have at least a basic ipfw knowledge.

TeamViewer - QuickSupport Remote Access Software
*What PNW Computers uses for remote support!
TeamViewer is the All-In-One Software for Remote Support and Online Meetings.
Remote control any computer or Mac over the Internet within seconds or use TeamViewer for online meetings. 

If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to get in touch!

Jon Pienkowski
Pacific NorthWest Computers
www.pnwcomputers.com
360-624-7379