Mac Users Guide » OS X 10.5

Mac OS X Safari Tips: Navigating Tabs and Managing Downloads

cberkeley — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 05:03:22 +0000

Get The Most Out of Safari

Every week I bring you a series of Mac OS X Tips via my feed on Audioboo.fm. With the launch of Safari 5.1 update on Wednesday I was reminded why I love Safari so much. The new version enables third-party extension support in the web browser. Compared to Chrome it will give it a run for the money, but Firefox – well that’s another story. At any rate I wanted to leave you with a selection of tips I have come up with to help you get the most out of surfing Safari!

Drag & Drop File Uploads
This is one of Safari’s hidden features. Tired of having a file to upload, a YouTube video or a Flickr image, for example, normally you would click the “Browse” button to open a dialog box and navigate to the location of your file. Wouldn’t it be great if you could drag and drop the file from your already – open Finder window directly to the upload form’s ‘Browse’ button in Safari? Well you can! Next time just drag and drop your files to the ‘Browse’ Button and your done!

Tab through Safari Tabs
Cycle through your Tabs like a pro by holding down CNTRL-Tab. Hit Tab to move forward.

Putting Safari Address Bar to work!
Ever run into the problem of starting to type a URL in the Address Bar and then realizing that I intended to view it in a new tab. Instead of cutting and pasting the URL into a manually-created tab, Safari lets you stay in the current tab and press Command+Enter to open it in another.

Re-sizable text fields in Safari
When filling out an online form that includes multi-line text fields, you might feel a little cramped by the pre-determined number of lines coded into the page. In Safari you can resize multi-line text fields on forms and make them larger by merely dragging the bottom-right edge.

Snap Back feature in Safari
Typically when you are surfing in Safari and move through a website you might find yourself wanting to go back to where you started. Sure, you could hit the Back button – a few hundred times – to get back to the original page, or you can use SnapBack. SnapBack works by silently marking a web page everytime you type in a new URL, click a bookmark, or open a new window. Simply go History > Search Results SnapBack or Type Comand+Option+S and SnapBack will bring you back to the beginning immediately. A huge time saver!

Speed up Safari
Surfing the web is great in Safari but after a while your Mac might start slowing down. Have you emptied your Cache lately? What is Cache you ask? As you surf the web your browser makes copies of the pages you visit, in case you need them again. This can cause things to slow down though. Here’s how to do a clean up. Select Safari > Emtpy trash from the main menu. A dialog will appear. Click Emtpy.

Setting Download Location in Safari
Did you know that Safari provides several options for managing downloads? To set the location for saving downloaded files on your hard drive, from Safari’s Menu Click on Safari and select preferences and Click on the General tab. Next Click on the “Save downloaded files to…” drop-down menu and select either “Last download location” or “Other…” to specify a specific location.

Managing Active Safari Downloads
The Downloads option under the Window menu in Safari provides you with more control over your downloads. When you select Downloads from the Window menu, the Downloads Pane will open, listing all active downloads and also perhaps some past downloads, depending on your settings in the General preferences pane. You can start and stop a download by clicking the Stop or Resume button next to the file name. You can also view the progress of your download in the Finder by clicking on the ‘Magnifying Glass’ button. There is also a Clear button in the lower left hand corner to clear your history of downloaded Files.

Macintosh Troubleshooting: Make a bootable Mac OS X USB flash drive for repairs

cberkeley — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:44:04 +0000

Make a bootable Mac OS X USB flash drive for repairs

I am always on the go working on a variety of Macs. As reliable Macs can have their bad days and you don’t want to be caught unprepared. We have all been there, and it only takes that one time faced with a repair not having the right utilities or maintenance tools. I always have a USB flash drive with me that is ready for all situations that require me to diagnose, repair or maintain Mac OS X.

The best device I have in my arsenal of repair equipment is my Iron Key USB flash drive loaded with a bootable copy of MAC OS X. With this clean installed system you can pin point most problems that the main drive might have troubles isolating. I tend to have 3 or 4 of these USB keys, one for each Mac OS (10.4, 10.5 and 10.6). I used to lug around a big bulky portable drive but with more reliable USB flash drives available portability has become a great added tool.

Getting Started
To start you will need to have a USB based Mac, either Intel or PowerPC based on what you plan on repairing and at least a 16GB USB flash drive, I use the a S200 16BG Ironkey from Amazon. SanDisk also carries a reliable drive. Lastly you will need a version of Mac OS X.

Plug in your USB flash drive to your Mac.
Open Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities)
Select your flash drive in the list on the left.
Click on the Partition tab and select “1 Partition” from the Volume Scheme drop-down menu.
Enter a name for your USB flash drive (I called mine “Lifesavor OS X”)
Under Format select “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)”. Make sure the size is somewhere around +/- 16GB.
Below the partition display click the ‘Options’ button.
Choose “GUID Partition Table” from the popup window and click OK.
With you setting chosen click the ‘Apply’ button. Disk Utility will take a minute or two to complete this task.
Insert your Mac OS X installation disc.
Double-click the ‘Install Mac OS X’ icon and progress through the installer until you get to the screen that says “Mac OS X will be install on…”
Click the ‘Show All Disks’ button and select your USB flash drive.
Click on the ‘Customize’ button and a new window will appear.
Un-check all of the items except ‘Essential System Software’. Save space and don’t check ‘Rosetta’ and ‘QuickTime 7′.
Click OK to Install. The rest of the process should be automated and might takes about 30-60 minutes.
Once Installation is complete test the flash drive by booting it up. Restart your Mac and hold down the Option key to choose your flash drive manually. HINT: You will need to do this in the future also to boot to the drive.
After restarting using the USB flash drive follow the set up prompts just like you would a new computer.
Once the OS is running launch Software Update and make sure that your flash drive OS is up-to-date.
Finally install any third party diagnostic utilities you may have. For example, Alsoft’s DiskWarrior is an invaluable tool going beyond what Disk Utility has to offer.

DONE! Although booting to a flash drive is a bit slow it does the job and is convenient; a lot lighter than dragging a book of CD/DVD’s around. Hopefully you will never have to use it but having it available is a great portable emergency too for troubleshooting your Mac.

Mac OS X Safari Tips: Get The Most Out of Safari

cberkeley — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:43:15 +0000

Get The Most Out of Safari

Every week I bring you a series of Mac OS X Tips via my feed on Audioboo.fm. Comparing Safari to Chrome I was reminded why I love Safari so much. Here are a selection of tips I have come up with to help you get the most out of surfing Safari!

RSS and Safari
Security risk in Safari using it as your RSS reader. Fix this by opening Prefer>RSS> and select a alternative RSS Reader.

Private Web Browsing
Enable private web browsing by selecting Safari > “Private Browsing” from the menu.

Tab Through Checkboxes and Radio Buttons in Firefox and Safari.
Don’t look in the Brower’s Preferences. Go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts. At the bottom under Full Keyboard Access select All Controls.

Set Your Wallpaper with Safari.
Quickly set your wallpaper by dragging the image into Safari. Right Click the image and “Set As Desktop Background…”

ZOOM ZOOM in Safari
The zoom feature in Safari works just like Safari on the iPhone. Instead of just increasing the font size, it increases the size of images and other media as well. To access this tool go to View > Zoom In or Zoom Out. You can also use Command + and Command -. Take it one step further Left clicking your toolbar or choosing View > Customize Toolbar to add the zoom buttons.

Emailing Web Pages.
Find a web page in Safari you want to share with a friend, don’t send them just a boring old link — send them the page itself. Just press Command+I and a email with the page it in will appear. Simply type in the email address of the person you want to send the web page to.

Bookmark Multiple Tabs in Safari.
If you have more than 1 tab open in Safari and want to Bookmark them all go to: Bookmarks > Add Bookmark For These (#) Tabs.

Tab through Safari Tabs.
Cycle through your Tabs like a pro by holding down Control+Tab. Tap Tab to move forward.

Safari Tab Shortcuts.
Working in Safari and want to open a link but don’t want to loose your spot on your current tab. Try holding down Command + Shift and Click the desired link and it will open a new tab and immediately display the page.

Merge Windows with Safari (Manage Windows in Safari)
Safari 3/4 now allows you to drag and drop tabs. You can drag a tab off the bar to create a new window or drag it onto an existing window to add it. You can also use this to rearrange the order of your tabs. If you have lots of open windows each with different numbers of tabs, there is an easier way to get them all into one instead of dragging and dropping. In the Window menu you will find the “Merge All Windows” command. This will instantly combine all your open windows into one tabbed window.

How to iChat: Share, Present and Collaborate with Mac OS X iChat

cberkeley — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:58:28 +0000

Share, Present and Collaborate with iChat

Share, Present and Collaborate with Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6 iChat

I am a big user of Apple’s iChat, a built in chat client that comes with Mac OS X. I was a early adopter of iChat and have tried other software and web based services like Facebook, Yahoo and Google. Mac OS X iChat remains my go to chat application since it has a lot of features that integrate with the Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6; most of which Mac users are not aware of.

Included with Mac OS X, iChat provides a comprehensive application that works with your AIM, Jabber, Mobile Me and Google Talk accounts. With Mac OS X iChat you can easily stay in touch, collaborate, show off your kids and share friends and family using text (SMS) sound or video. Even if the person you are trying to talk with doesn’t have a Mac you can still use iChat as long as they have an AIM or Google Voice account. Lets get started looking at all the cool features that are found in iChat.

Down to Basics
Start by setting up an account. When you launch iChat for the first time a dialogue will appear asking you to press ‘continue’. You can use iChat with your MobileMe, AIM or Google Talk accounts. In Account Settings you will need to:

Select Account Type
Enter Screen Name
Enter Password
Click ‘Get an iChat Account’

Facebook Connection Wizard

Use Facebook Chat (IM) with Mac OS X iChat.
This is a great way of taking advantage of all the features of iChat and combining it with the social networking reach of Facebook. Start by opening your iChat Preferences:

Go to the Menu Bar iChat > Preferences…
Click on Accounts Tab.
Click + to create a new Account.
Select Account Type: Jabber Account.
Account Name: (Facebook usersame)+@chat.facebook.com – find it in your profile.
Enter your Facebook Password.
Click Done.

Once the account autheticates it will enter all the server information for you. Voila!

Show off Slideshows – Anywhere.
I have been in a lot of Skype interviews lately and and there is always a moment you wish the candidate could show a visual presentation. In most cases you need to be technically minded to get through a presentation; not to mention calm before giving a presentation online! With iChat you can give a Keynote presentation remotely using iChat Theater. To start select 1-4 buddies, next:

Using presentor tools in Mac OS X iChat!

Click and Drag your Keynote presentation to the iChat window.
Drop your file into the ‘Share with iChat Theater’ drop-box.

That’s it! Keynote will automatically launch your presentation and load up a presentation feed in the iChat window. You can also host a photo slideshow or play a movie this way. You control the slide show from keynote. When your done just quit Keynote and resume talking via video.

Screen Sharing: Get on the same page.
iChat also allows you to share your screen with your buddy. This way you and your buddy can observe and control a single desktop making it easy to collaborate, browse the web or look over documents. Sharing your desktop allows you and your Buddy access and control to each others desktops. To start up Screen Sharing all you have to do is:

Select the Buddy you want to share with.
From the Main Menu select Buddies > Share My Screen.
iChat initiates an audio chat to start the screen sharing session. You can talk while you make the connection and work.

That’s it! Hard to believe that you can manage to do all this with only a few clicks.

Multiway Video iChat – Connecting up to Four Buddies in a Conference.
Video iChat is the best way to quickly get to know who is on the other side of the screen. With iChat you can connect up to an unlimited number of people in one text conference, up to 10 total people in an audio conference, and up to four total people in a video conference. Here is how:

Select the buddies that you want to participate in your conference. (Tip: Hold down the Command key to select more than one buddy).
Click the movie camera button to start a video conference; If you want to start a text conference click the “A” or the phone button to start an audio conference.
Participants just need to accept your invitation and they will be able to interact with everyone who joins!

Having fun with iChat! – Video iChat Backgrounds
If you haven’t tried this your should! Try the video backdrops that are a part of iChat. After you start a video iChat you can make it look like you’re chatting from the Golden Gate Bridge or use your own custom backdrop. Here’s how:

Select the Buddy(s) you want to chat with.
Initiate the the video chat by clicking the movie camera button.
Select View > Set Chat Background…
Select the background you want to use. Tip: Make sure you are in front of a neutral background like a white or solid color wall.
To clear the background just select View > Clear Background.

You can also add cool effects by selecting Video > Show Video Effects (Shift+Command+E).

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Using iPhoto 8: Share Your Photos Online with iPhoto ‘09

cberkeley — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:18:58 +0000

Share Your Photos Online with iPhoto '09

Share Your Photos Online with iPhoto ‘09

iPhoto has come a long way since its first version with the sole purpose of being used just to organize your photo library. In the the latest version ‘09 you can now easily share your photos online using iPhoto with Flickr, Facebook, MobileMe, iWeb or Email. In this how-to I will show you the easy it is to post your photos online and how you can add geotagging info to your iPhoto photos.

Selecting a Photo Sharing Service
What you will need. You will need a photo-sharing account with one of the following services Flickr, Facebook or MobileMe. You can also use various plug-ins available like Google Picassa Web Albums Exporter, AOL Pictures which includes an iPhoto plug-in, SmugMug iPhoto plug-in and Shutterfly iPhoto plug-in.

Upload Your Photos
Once you have your account set up and plug-ins installed you are ready to start uploading photos to one or all of you photo sharing services. To upload your photos start by:

Selecting a single photo, event, flagged, or album.
There are a series of icons in the lower right and section of the iPhoto windowor you can go to the main menu and select ‘Share’ and then select the service you want ot post your photos to.
Next a dialog appears asking if “you want to publish ‘[Name of your Gallery]‘ to [Service]?” and to whom the photos will be viewable to and at what size.
Finally Click the ‘Publish’ button and thats it.

Adding Geotagging Info in iPhoto
If you want to add geotagging info in iPhoto start by selecting the photo.

Click on the small ‘i’ icon in the lower right hand corner of the window.
A dialogue will appear where you can enter more Title, Date, Rating and Descriptive information.
Click the ‘photo place’ field. You can be as detailed as you want in the ‘photo place’ field entering address, city state, country.
Click Search (Magnifying Glass).
In the dialog that appears you can ‘Drop Pin’ additional places or ‘Assign to photo’ the location you searched for.

Convert MTS to Quicktime: How to convert AVCHD MTS video files in Mac OS X

cberkeley — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:12:57 +0000

How to play AVCHD MTS video files in Mac OS X

Convert AVCHD MTS file to Quicktime .mov

I recently purchased a Panasonic GF1 Lumix four-thirds micro camera and it is truly one of the best camera’s I have owned. I could go on and on about all the great features and the quality but I rather focus on a technical challenge I faced after starting to use it. The Panasonic GF1 shoots excellent video and offers three compression levels for AVCHD Lite movies (17Mbps, 13Mbps, or 9Mbps), all of which are at the full 720p resolution. As an alternative to AVCHD Lite the Panasonic GF1 also shoots Motion JPEG recording 30 frames-per-second video at 1,280 x 720, 848 x 480, 640 x 480, or 320 x 240 pixel resolutions. There are a couple of things that I knew before purchasing this camera, that the RAW file would not work in Apple’s Aperture since it only supports the major manufactures like Sony, Canon and Nikon and that the AVCHD MTS would require conversion.

After shooting in the AVCHD MTS video mode I was hoping that I could convert the video using VLC Media Player as it supports h.264 video and AC3 audio. When trying to export it from VLC the video was not the same quality as I shot it. The following guide is my solution using iSkysoft Software.

Download and Install
You will need to download a trial copy of iSkySoft Video Converter for Mac OS X (Intel or PowerPC Version). Next your will need to drag the iSkySoft Video Converter to you Applications Folder. Once copied you are ready to go.

Launch and Use
Once you have iSkySoft Video Converter open you will need to do the following:

Click Add Files. (You can add more than one file at a time.)
Specify the output settings in the output settings area. If you plan on editing using iMovie, Final Cut Pro Express or Final Cut Pro select “HD QuickTime Move (*.mov)” under the HD menu. I found this gave me the most loss-less file for editing in Final Cut Pro.
Click on Settings. Set your Resolution for 720x 480 (if you are going full HD then set for 1280×720). Set the following if you plan on editing: Frame rate: 30 fps, Encoder: High Definition H.264, Bitrate: 200000 kbps. Set the Audio setting to: Sample rate: 48000 MHz, Encoder: AAC, Channle: 2 Channel Stereo, Bitrate: 192 kbps.
Specify your Output folder/location.
Click OK.
Click Convert

iSkysoft Video Converter

If you follow this you will convert the MTS file in to a format that is great for editing. iSkySoft Video Converter can also convert MTS to AVI, MOV, MP4, MPEG, etc. Under the Format drop down you can select for a variety of settings that optimize video quickly for your iPhone, iPod, Apple TV or other portable device.

Mac OS X Tips: Your Top 10 Macintosh Tips

cberkeley — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:38:31 +0000

Top 10 Tips From Mac User Guide

Every week I bring you a series of Mac OS X Tips via my feed on Audioboo.fm. I was recently asked by one of my readers for a top 10 list of tips for new mac users to get started. These tips are ones that I found to be the most useful in getting to know Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and 10.6 Snow Leopard. Tips that only work for Snow Leopard have a comment next to them.

1. Mac OS X Finder Submenu (10.6 Only)
Unleash Snow Leopards hidden menus by holding down the Option click your Finder items: Sound, AirPort, Synch and Time.

2. Set Your Wallpaper with Safari
Quickly set your wallpaper by dragging the image into Safari. Right Click the image and “Set As Desktop Background…”

3. Secure Empty Trash
For those occasions when you want to permanently delete files. Go to Finder > Secure Empty Trash…

Customize your search results by reordering your categories.

4. Set Spotlight Search Result Categories
Open the System Preferences menu under the Apple icon, then click on Spotlight. A list of search result categories appears. You can rearrange the order in which Spotlight lists these types of data by simply dragging the category names up or down in the list.

5. Using Get Info Window
Get Info displays individual windows for each selection up to 10 total, unless you use Control+Command+I to view the summary window. With more than 10 files selected, you always get the summary window. The only way (that I know of) to see more than 10 individual Get Info windows is to select files in batches smaller than 10, then do Command+I on each batch.

6. Customize the Finder Toolbar
Use your Finder Toolbar as your second Dock. From the Finder Menu Select View > Customize Tool Bar… or Left/Control Click the Finder Toolbar. You can drag Applications, Files or Images to the Toolbar. To further customize the Finder Window add Sidebar Items. You can highlight any item and press Command+T to put it on the Sidebar. To remove them, simple right-click and choosing remove.

7. Clear the Finder
Hide every open program except the one that’s currently active (make sure its a spreed sheet if your at work) by typing CMND+OPTN+H.

8. Dynamic Definitions in Apple Apps
Hover over a word and hold CMND+CTRL+D. A definition window popped up. Works in most Apple Application except Safari.

9. Get Your Functions Keys Back
Do you have the new Aluminum Keyboard? Want your Function Keys to the the primary keys instead of Sound and Brightness? Go to System Preferences > Keyboard and Mouse, click the Keyboard tab and check the box that says “Use the F1-F12 keys to control software features”. Now when you press F9, it will bring Expose and when you press Fn+F9 it will change the keyboard light intensity.

10. Deleting files as soon as their copied
If you want to have that file deleted from your drive as soon as it’s copied to another drive, just hold the Command key as you begin dragging the item. Your Mac will do two tasks for you — copy the file to the new drive and delete the original from your drive. Want to cancel your current Drag-and-Drop? To cancel a drag-and-drop by pressing the ‘Esc’ key while dragging and release the mouse button.

BONUS: Quick, Shut Down… This is handy when you need to move in a hurry. Hold down Command+Control+Option+Eject

Mac OS X Software: How-To Record a Phone Call Using Skype

cberkeley — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 08:54:32 +0000

How-To Record a Phone Call Using Skype

Have run into one of those situations where you needed to know how-to record a phone call using Skype or archive an answering machine message digitally? Recently I needed an easy way to record a Q&A interview with a fellow Mac professional. The following is my solution that looks at how to record a phone call using Skype, a third-party plugin and your Mac.

A little disclaimer here, on any phone call personal or professional be sure and tell the other person you are recording them. It is illegal in most states to record a phone call without the consent of the other person. I am a prolific Skype user and so this was a really great way to record my Q&A interview. OK, with that said lets get down to the nuts and bolts. Here is what you will need:

To start download and install Skype. You will have to buy some Skype credit to get the full use of your skype account. Next download, expand and install Ecamm. Once installed your Skype application will launch to the Ecamm recorder preference pane.

Ecamm Recording Preferences

In the preference pane you can set a recording to start automatically when you receive or make a call, record voicemail automatically, recording location, and compression options. The video recordings are overlayed with a Ecamm logo until you purchase the full license.

Ecamm Call Recorder

Once closed you will see a ‘Call Recorder’ window. There you can locate your recordings, manual over-ride, and search for your files. Personally this is a great solution for any situation where you want a recorder!

Mac OS X Troubleshooting: iCal not syncing with MobileMe

cberkeley — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:35:15 +0000

iCal not syncing with MobileMe

Sometimes a gentle nudge is better than using a crowbar. This is the case when you are faced with the issue of one of your Apple devices or Macs iCal not syncing with MobileMe. A recent case I had involved a Mac Pro, iPhone and MacBook Pro syncing iCal over MobileMe. In this case the following worked:

MobileMe <=> MacBook Pro [synced]
MobileMe <=> iPhone [synced]
MobileMe Mac Pro [failed]

Correcting this issue has a few possible fixes. I have ordered the solution based on a escalating troubleshooting path.

Reset your Sync Data

Open System Preferences > MobileMe
Click on the Sync Tab
Click Advanced…
From the Registered Computers select the computer with the problematic iCal.
Click Reset Sync Data…
Choose to replace all your sync info, or select an Application (iCal).
Choose to replace the info on your computer with that of MobileMe; assuming you MobileMe Data is the correct data. You can also replace what is on MobileMe with what is on your Mac. To do either click the arrow that describes what you want to replace.
Click Replace.
Click OK.

If you received the following message or it didn't work. Try the next step.

Toggle your MobileMe Username and Password

Open System Preferences > MobileMe
Click on the Account tab.
If you are already signed in, Click Sign Out…
Sign back in to MobileMe using a false username and password. Accept the rejection and Click OK.
Sign in again with your correct MobileMe username and password.
Click Sync in the MobileMe preference pane.
Click Synchronize with MobileMe. You may get a message: “A computer named “Mac Pro” is already registered with MobileMe synchronization server.”
Click on Enter another name.
Edit the name slightly of the Machine you are attempting to Sync. EX: “Mac Pro2″
Select the application data you would like to Sync.
Click Sync Now.
You will need to Select an Action: Merge all data / Replace Data on computer.
Click Sync.

If you receive the above message again more invasive measures need to be taken.

Trashing the iCal Cache

Go to: Volume/Users/[username]/Library/Calendars/
Locate the Calendar folder and drag it into the Trash.
Open System Preferences > MobileMe
Choose to replace all your sync info, or select an Application (iCal).
Choose to replace the info on your Mac with that of MobileMe.
Click Replace.
Click OK

Resetting MobileMe
If you continue to experience issues you have one final option. Turn off all your devices except the one that you believe to have the most current information in my case the MacBook Pro. Turning off the iPhone and Mac Pro keeps them from Syncing while you make this update. Have the primary device you selected Sync with MobileMe. Next do the following with your primary device.

Open your System Preferences > MobileMe
Click on Sync tab.
Click on Advanced…
Select and Unregister ALL listed devices.
Deselect Synchronize with MobileMe.
Click on Account tab.
Click on Sign Out..
Sign in again with your correct MobileMe username and password.
Click Sync in the MobileMe preference pane.
Click Synchronize with MobileMe.
Click on Advanced
Click on Reset Sync Data
Select All Sync Info.
Click Arrow to refect “On MobileMe with Sync info from this computer.”
Go to the other devices and turn back on. Check their Registration.
Re-Sync all devices.

Mac OS X Permission Errors: Using unix terminal sudo [chown] and [chgrp]

cberkeley — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:57:28 +0000

Mac OS X Command Line

Using unix terminal ’sudo [chown] and [chgrp]‘

With a recent upgrade to Mac OS X 10.6 I was reminded of a problem that might happen if you migrate files from a previous system or if you have a second hard drive forcing you to correct OS X operating system by running with sudo [chown] and [chgrp] using Terminal. I have experienced this issue before when installing Mac OS X versions 10.0, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3 10.4 and 10.5. Mine was related to my second hard drive that I use for backing up video and image files. After the update I wanted to sort some Desktop items on my primary drive to the second drive (Macintosh HD2). A dialog appeared asking me to Authenticate. Once you Authenticate you will have to keep doing this for every item you move to this drive. This is a common issue and occurs even through your primary user (you) might still have the same short name, password or user level assigned. There are two things you can do to repair this.

Ignore Ownership

If your second drive requires you to Authenticate and you are the primary user of the drive you can have the drive ignore the ownership the the volume. Simply:

1. Select the drive.
2. Type Apple+I or go the the Finder menu and Select > Get Info.
3. At the bottom of the Info Inspector you will see a and check the check box for “Ignore ownership on this volume”.

Change Ownership with Command Line
If this doesn’t solve your issue you can also reassign permissions via command line. This works the best if you are the primary user of you Mac. To change Permission with Terminal you will have to Launch Terminal from the Applications > Utilities Folder. Next you will issue the following commands:

1. To change Owner

[ComputerName]:~ [username]$ sudo chown -R [username] /Volumes/[Hard Drive Name or Folder Path]

You will get the following response:

WARNING: Improper use of the sudo command could lead to data loss
or the deletion of important system files. Please double-check your
typing when using sudo. Type “man sudo” for more information.

To proceed, enter your password, or type Ctrl-C to abort.

Enter your Password to Authenticate

2. To change Group

[ComputerName]:~ [username]$ sudo chgrp -R admin /Volumes/[Hard Drive Name or Folder Path]

You might be prompted for you password again but since you are doing this in the same session it might just approve and return you to your [ComputerName] and [username]. That’s it! Test it by dragging a file to the drive. If you have done this to a folder on your primary drive you might want to Repair Permissions using Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility. Click on Repair Permissions.