Posted by Adminon October 30, 2023 IT /
Comments Off on Path for iPhone / iPad backups on OSX Monterey
The path for your iPhone / iPad backups on OSX Monterey (and presumably others) is:
~Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup
You won’t be able cd into that path using terminal because (I believe) the directory is protected. Even with SUDO I hit a wall. Instead, use finder. (I know, right?) Open finder, then Go -> Go To Folder -> then paste that link. Your device backups will be burried in apple’s classic gibberish UUID folders and filenames.
Mess with your data and backups at your own risk!!
Posted by Adminon June 15, 2022 IT /
Comments Off on Clear App sync problems
Clear is a “To-Do” list management app by RealMacSoftware. Based on what I found searching around on the net (here), it looks like they sold the app to some other developer and then support was non-existent for a variety of reasons, COVID being one of them. I don’t know the details, nor do I care. But I sure would love an app update that would resolve a problem I’ve encountered more than once: a device randomly stops syncing.
After some research and a fair amount of hacking at it (as a once-upon-a-time UNIX admin), I think I figured out how to fix it.
Let me be perfectly clear, I realize that I’m probably pushing the App more than the average user, by having my lists sync between two phones, a tablet, a laptop and a desktop. Still, it can be particularly frustrating when one device randomly stops syncing, because somehow that’s the device I end up needing more than any other.
Posted by Adminon May 10, 2021 Personal /
Comments Off on How to disable the sound on an LG Microwave (model LMC2075)
I recently got a new LG microwave because my GE Profile started misbehaving and eventually died. For the record, every GE Profile kitchen appliance I bought has failed, and that rant is for another post.
How to disable the annoying tones: hold down “Stop” and “Timer” for a few seconds. The display will say “OFF”. You will now have silence. If you want to turn on the sound, use the same key combination and the display will say “ON”.
I appreciate the honest salespeople at PC Richard and Home Depot, who explained that all consumer grade microwaves will fail in about 5-6 years, so get the service contract. Lesson learned, these appliances are now consumables, and won’t last 18 years like the durable microwave my parents bought when I was a kid. OK. So time to buy something cheap. I found this LG on sale for $199.
The electronic melody when it starts and stops is SO ANNOYING that it quickly became an issue in my home. We wanted to punt this thing. I went searching for how-to videos, and found several, but nobody had a video for this particular model. I was inspired by this guy’s video, with a similar microwave. After watching it, I tried a few key combinations, and after some quick trial and error, I found it: hold down the “Stop” and “Timer” buttons for a few seconds. That will toggle the sound on and off.
Posted by Adminon August 13, 2019 IT /
Comments Off on OSX slow boot after cloning drive with SuperDuper
I just upgraded my MacBook Air with a 1TB SSD from OWC. I cloned the OS drive with SuperDuper, and then pulled out the old drive and installed the new cloned drive.
When I booted up the machine, it hung for an unusually long delay. After that, it worked. It just took an unusually long time for the boot to get going.
Here’s the issue: you need to tell OSX to use this new drive as the boot drive. Here’s the deal: it’s looking for the old drive, and when that times out, it falls back onto whatever is left, which is the new drive you just installed.
Here’s the fix: go to Settings -> Startup Disk -> Unlock (enter your password) -> Click on your boot drive -> Lock again.
Done.
It’s worth noting that this issue has nothing to do with SuperDuper, it’s all about OSX knowing what disk to use when it boots up. SuperDuper comes up in every search because everyone uses it – it’s such an excellent tool for cloning or backing up your drive.
The next time you boot, you’ll see it goes much faster. You might also have problems like permissions need to be “fixed.” This can happen if you’ve been running the same O/S and installing, uninstalling software for a few years. To do this, go to Applications -> Utilities -> Disk Utility -> Select the O/S or boot drive -> First Aid -> Run
Posted by Adminon March 07, 2019 WTF? /
Comments Off on AT&T 972 Telephone Power Supply
AT&T 972 2-line speakerphone
A few years ago I moved, and I finally got around to unpacking old boxes and throwing out a lot of unused stuff. I came across this “Advanced American Telephone Model 972” also call the AT&T 972. It’s a decent 2-line, caller ID telephone. Of course I had no idea where the power supply was. I looked all over the phone and couldn’t find that little diagram that shows you the the polarity of the power jack and voltage and wattage. I searched for, found, and downloaded the instruction manual. Would you believe that in 29 pages, not once did they describe the power supply capacity and details? The manual said to call some 800 number for replacement parts. I’m sorry, but that’s bulls**t. So I hit google, and there were tons of places offering to sell a power supply specifically for this phone (eBay, Amazon, and on and on.)
Here’s the catch: EVERY SINGLE IMAGE was deliberately obfuscated so you couldn’t see what the voltage was. I probably have it in a bin full of wall-warts, and just don’t know which one it is because the manual won’t tell me and everyone selling a replacement part would rather sell me something for $25 than just say hey, here are the specs, check your stash before spending money.
AT&T 972 Power Supply AC 9V 300mA
Well, I figured it out, and so I’m making this blog post to undermine this nonsense.
It’s a 9 Volt AC, 300mA adapter. Yeah, AC. Not DC. Weird. After searching for at least an hour, I found an expired eBay auction with a decent photo (shamelessly screen grabbed here.) Turns out I had one adapter with an AC output, it was 9V / 200mA, and it worked just fine. So there. To hell with all you vendors who deliberately obfuscate the details of the power supply in an attempt to make people spend money.
In conclusion: if you have an AT&T 972 and you’re wondering what the power supply voltage and amperage should be, the phone takes an AC, 9V, 200-300mA supply.
