Mac OS X

Tackle IMAP e-mail not being stored on server

Apple's Mail e-mail client supports a number of different messaging protocols including POP and IMAP, but if you convert an existing account from POP to IMAP then you may run into a problem in which e-mails are longer saved on the server.

MacFixIt reader Bruce recently wrote in with such a situation:

I have recently tried to convert my wife's AOL email from POP to IMAP. I did this by adding a new account in Mail. When she sends messages with the new account, the sent messages do not show up on the server, even though I have … Read more

How to remove 'Yontoo' adware Trojan from your OS X system

Security company Dr. Web is reporting on a new adware Trojan attack that is targeting Mac users, where malicious Web sites will trick users into installing a plugin that will track your browsing and display ads to you.

The malware, called "Yontoo," will be first encountered as a media player, download manager, or other plug-in requirement for viewing contents on some maliciously crafted Web sites disguised as sources for file sharing and movie trailers. When the plug-in prompt is clicked, you're redirected to a site that downloads the Trojan installer and requires you to run it. The … Read more

New adware Trojan circulating that targets Mac OS X systems

A new Mac OS X Trojan is making the rounds, installing an adware plug-in that renders ads on Web pages to generate revenue for its author.

Dubbed Trojan.Yontoo.1, it is the most prominent of an increasing number of adware Trojans making the rounds, according to Russian antivirus company Dr. Web, the same company that discovered the Flashback virus last year.

"Criminals profit from affiliate ad network programs, and their interest in users of Apple-compatible computers grows day by day," Dr. Web said yesterday in a statement. "Recently discovered, Trojan.Yontoo.1 can serve as a … Read more

How to manually verify copied files in OS X

When you copy files from one location to another in OS X, the system should run a number of checks to validate the data and ensure that it was copied correctly; however, if you are using third-party utilities to copy a file, you might be concerned about potential corruption.

MacFixIt reader Douglas recently wrote in with such a concern.

I was wondering if there is any way to verify a copy of files from one hard drive to another? I used SuperDuper to copy one of my RAIDs to another RAID; it was 7TB of stuff and took two days … Read more

Adobe and Apple: Allies and rivals through the ages

When Adobe Systems revealed yesterday that Chief Technology Officer Kevin Lynch is leaving for Apple, it was only the latest example of an unusual combination of alliance and rivalry that has linked the Silicon Valley companies for decades.

Lynch, who came to Adobe via its acquisition of Macromedia in 2005, is notable for leading the company's battle against Apple to spread its Flash Player programming technology to Apple's iPhone and iPad. He lost that battle at Adobe, but evidently managed something more than a frosty detente with Apple.

Apple and Adobe have a long history of both agreement … Read more

How to find system wake causes in OS X

Whenever your system wakes from sleep, the OS X Kernel will output a small code to the system console that indicates the reason for the wake event. Since you can access the system console using Apple's Console utility, if your system is regularly waking up when you have put it to sleep, then you can help track down the reason using these codes.

To locate these codes, first open the Console program. Next, select "All Messages" in the sidebar, which will bring up the output from active and ongoing system events. Now enter the term "wake&… Read more

Intel X25 SSD incompatible with OS X 10.8.3

One common upgrade to install for older Mac systems is to replace the conventional hard drive with a high-speed SSD to reduce data access bottlenecks and greatly speed up the system. However, those who have used some of Intel's SSDs may find that they cannot successfully install OS X 10.8.3.

After applying the updates from Apple, instead of booting normally the system will simply hang at startup or show a no-entry symbol that indicates the operating system cannot boot on the available hardware configuration. Reverting to the previous 10.8.2 installation via a Time Machine backup … Read more

Apple issues Safari update for Snow Leopard

In the latest set of security updates for OS X, Apple has included a new version of Safari for users still running OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. The last official release of Safari for Snow Leopard was version 5.1.7, which addressed several bugs in the WebKit framework that could allow maliciously crafted Web sites to execute code locally on a system. Since then there had been no updates for Safari 5; however, if you are using Snow Leopard and have installed the latest update you will see Safari is now at version 5.1.8.

As noted … Read more

Get sandboxed applications working again after OS X update

Apple recently released OS X 10.8.3 along with security updates for past versions of OS X, and while the updates have worked properly for the vast majority of users, a few have reported having the problem that certain programs like Preview and TextEdit now will not run. When the program is opened, in some cases the system prompts users to authenticate and repair the user Library, but after this is done the program simply quits after bouncing in the OS X Dock for a few seconds. In other cases the program may simply crash and generate an error … Read more