Monthly Archives: November 2019

fixed : need to run old 32-bit app in macOS 10.15 Catalina once or twice

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Question :

I have just upgraded to macOS 10.15 Catalina, but I just found out that I still have an old iPhoto database somewhere that I want to integrate with Photos.app using the official Apple iPhoto Updater application. But that’s 32-bit software, so it won’t run in macOS 10.15 Catalina…

What can I do ?

 

Answer :

The easiest option is to find a Mac that still runs one of the latest versions of the 32-bit supporting versions of macOS like 10.13 High_Sierra or 10.14 Mojave.

In any version of macOS before 10.15 Catalina, the easiest alternative would probably have been to create a bootable external USB drive running an older version of macOS (like 10.14 Mojave), but by installing 10.15 Catalina you have also installed some drastic security which prevents your Mac from booting from an external drive easily…

So your best option at this moment is to create a virtual machine on your Mac (hoping you have enough internal disk space available – even though you might be able to pull the trick with 16GB free memory, you should be better off with at least 32GB of free memory before you try this).

First, get yourself an official copy of the macOS 10.14 Mojave installer :

  • search online for the official macOS 10.14 Mojave installer on iTunes / the App Store, or use this link to download :   https://apps.apple.com/sk/app/macos-mojave/id1398502828?mt=12
  • the AppStore.app will now automatically open on your Mac on the right page
  • click the GET button
  • now System Preference’s Software Update window will open with a pulldown window asking you if you are sure you want to download macOS Mojave (since you are running from macOS Catalina even macOS knows that normally doesn’t make sense) click the Download button
  • when the installer has been downloaded completely, it will automatically run – however, since your Mac is already running a newer version of macOS (you are running macOS 10.15 Catalina) you will get an error window saying ‘this copy of the “Install macOS” application is too old to be opened on this version of macOS’ so you will only be able to click the Quit button
  • then open a Finder window to check where the Install macOS Mojave application is located (it should be located in the Applications folder)

Secondly, get yourself a Virtual Machine application. I would suggest to use Oracle’s VirtualBox, as it’s FREE and the features are nearly identical to commercial Virtual Machine applications like Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion :

  • go to https://www.virtualbox.org and download VirtualBox
  • since you are ultimately trying to run 32-bit software, you might be tempted to download VirtualBox 5.2 which is the last version to run on 32-bit hosts ; there is nothing against doing so, but VirtualBox 6 should do great as well, since your Mac is capable of running macOS 10.15 Catalina ; it’s just the VM you’re trying to install (Mojave) that needs to be 32-bit capable, not the host (your Mac running Catalina)
  • install VirtualBox
  • run Virtual Box

Then, install macOS 10.14 Mojave within VirtualBox. There are various guides available on doing so, but the best way is using the guide created by TobiWasHere! on installing a macOS 10.13 High_Sierra VM, which is (nearly) identical :

VirtualBox: How to create a macOS High Sierra VM to run on a Mac host system

When done, run the macOS 10.15 Mojave VM. Then import the 32-bit application into it and run it.

As mentioned before, it’s far faster and easier to borrow a Mac that hasn’t been upgraded to macOS 10.15 Catalina if you incidentally need to run 32-bit software. And if you need to run a 32-bit application for daily use a Virtual Machine is not recommended (even though it can be done), in that case it is probably best to either use a ‘two Mac strategy’ with one running macOS 10.14 Mojave and one running macOS 10.15 Catalina, or – if you insist on using one Mac only – to run macOS 10.14 Mojave only until all applications you need have been upgraded to (or replaced by) 64-bit versions.

Good Luck !

enjoy 😉

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fixed : quickly rotate a movie file in macOS 10.15 Catalina

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Question :

I have a movie-file that was shot on an iPhone in portrait-mode, but I think it will look better  when viewed in landscape-mode. It’s a video of you cat playing on the carpet, shot from above, so both portrait-mode and landscape-mode are okay for viewing, but as we prefer to view video’s on out TV it would make more sense to have it in landscape-mode.

How do I do that ?

 

Answer :

In MacOSX and OSX rotating photos was easily done in iPhoto or Photos.app, but rotating video couldn’t be done in iPhoto or Photos.app – that had to be done in video editing software like iMovie, or a dedicated video-rotation-app.

In macOS 10.15 Catalina, rotating video 90 degrees can be done extremely simple in the Finder :

  • open the Finder (click out of all apps until you have only the Desktop to look at)
  • open a New Finder Window by typing CMD and N keys on your keyboard simultaneously (or goto Finder > File > New Finder Window)
  • locate the video-file (if you know it’s name, typ it in the Search-bar, else browse to the file if you know where it’s located)
  • then click on the file name to select it
  • the video preview will now come up on the right side, with various info and some buttons below it
  • to rotate your video 90 degrees counter-clockwise, click on Rotate Left
  • to rotate your video 90 degrees clockwise, press the ALT key on your keybord and click on Rotate Right (in the same spot where the Rotate Left button used to be)
  • then wait for the processing to end…

…and you’re done 😉

That’s it – enjoy !

fixed : iPad mini 2 screen glass shattered

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Question :

My son slipped on the stairs this weekend and his iPad mini (2nd generation) fell down the stairs… the cover prevented any damage to the iPad itself, but the screen is completely shattered since it hit a staircase pole head-on…

The iPad mini 2 is still working properly, but the screen is no longer use-able…

What solution do you suggest ?

 

Answer :

The first thing to do is cover the broken screen with broad transparent tape, in overlapping lanes, to make sure you will not lose any glass pieces and keep your fingers and face safe when you use it.

Then, go to your local AppleStore or Apple Repair Center and ask them to check your iPad to get a price quote on the repair costs. If your iPad is still okay and only the screen has to be replaced, a repair at the AppleStore will probably cost you ca. €210, for that you will get a “remanufactured” unit of exactly the same specs as your original iPad, so an “Apple refurbished” / “factory refurbished” iPad mini 2 with a 6 month warranty.

Even from Apple’s point of view, that’s not a top deal, as they will try to talk you into buying a new iPad, iPad mini or iPad Pro, since the iPad mini 2 is quite outdated by today’s standards : it can run iOS 12, but not the latest iPadOS 13 (nor iOS 13).

So Apple is somewhat right : if this is your primary iPad, buy a new iPad or get yourself a 2nd-hand iPad that can run iPadOS 13.

And if it’s just a secondary iPad : fix it yourself.

If your screen is not completely shattered and the cracks in the screen are not blocking your view, they’re just hazardous to your fingers : buy a glass screen protector and put that over the original screen (after removing the transparent tape).

You can get glass screen protectors at various (online) shops, be sure to get tempered glass like Gorilla Glass or Panzer Glass.

This is one of the options available on Amazon :

Ailun Tempered Glass H9 Screen Protector for iPad mini 1/2/3 – 2 pack [buy on Amazon US] [buy on Amazon UK] [buy on Amazon DE]

However, if the cracks in your screen are preventing you from joyfully using your iPad mini 2 that is not your primary iPad, go and try to replace the screen yourself :

that’s it !

good luck & enjoy 😉

NOTE : to make sure you will not run into this problem again, you might consider a (semi) military grade protection case for your iPad mini 2 : Supcase Beetle Defence Case with integrated Display Protector for iPad mini 1&2 [buy on Amazon US] [Buy on Amazon UK] [Buy on Amazon DE] …for a relatively old iPad these are quite expensive cases, so it just depends on how, how often and for how long you will use your iPad mini 2 to decide if that’s a good investment…

 

fixed : NVIDIA GeForce NOW completely broken in macOS 10.15 Catalina

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Question :

I’ve just upgraded to macOS 10.15 Catalina on my MacBook Pro, but now the NVIDIA GeForce NOW app is broken so I can no longer play Fortnite in a decent way…

The NVIDIA GeForce NOW app seemed to have disappeared completely from my Mac, but I found it is still in the Applications folder, but the icon is now a greyed-out NO ENTRY sign… so nothing happens when I click on it…

What can I do ?

 

Answer :

For some unknown reason, some upgrades to macOS 10.15 Catalina break the NVIDIA GeForce Now app…

Luckily, the solution is simple : download the latest version of NVIDIA GeForce NOW here and install it… choose Replace Old Version during install and then just restart the app…

It’s simple as that…

enjoy 😉

fixed : iPhone 6s screen displays all red colours as pink

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Question :

While I was charging my iPhone 6s overnight, something weird has happened to the display : for some mysterious reason all red colors have turned pink overnight…

What can I do ?

 

Answer :

Since we cannot rule out that someone has pranked you, you should start out by checking your display settings – to do so in iOS 13, do this :

  • open the Settings.app
  • in the Settings window, click on Accessibility (so not Display & Brightness, but the one just below it)
  • in the Accessibility window, click on Display & Text Size
  • in the Display & Text size window, make sure Colour Filters is turned OFF
  • if the display color problem persists, this is not the way to solve it…

If that works, you’re good. If not… try a reset :

  • press both the round Menu-button (below the screen) and the ON/OFF-button (on the right side of the iPhone) to shut down your iPhone
  • keep both these buttons pressed continuously until the screen goes black
  • keep both these buttons pressed continuously until the white Apple-logo appears on screen
  • now release both buttons and wait for the iPhone to restart
  • if the display color problem persists now, it wasn’t a software problem…

If that works, you’re good. If not… it’s a hardware problem, so if this is your primary iPhone, go to your Apple Store or local Apple Repair Centre and have it fixed …or get yourself a new iPhone.

…if this is your secondary iPhone, you’re probably best of trying to repair it yourself (as the iPhone is getting more-and-more outdated every day, and an official AppleStore repair will cost you about €150…). To make sure you are ready to repair your iPhone yourself, watch some Youtube-video’s on this subject first :

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=iphone+6s+screen+replacement

If you think you are ready to replace your iPhone 6s display yourself, get yourself a new display with new LCD and touchscreen (and replacement tools), make sure you also get a cut-out film of glue-gel if that isn’t included, and follow the replacement manual that is available at iFixit :

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iPhone+6s+Screen+Replacement/62900

If you need replacement parts, here are a few suggestions from Amazon we’ve tested and work great :

Bokman Pre-assembled Display & Touch-screen for iPhone 6s – complete with tools [ buy it on Amazon UK ] [ buy it on Amazon DE ]

an alternative (similar but untested by us) from Amazon US :

Pre-assembled Display & Touch-screen for iPhone 6s – complete with tools [ buy it on Amazon US ]

and do not forget to order this too :

MMobile cut-out film of glue-gel for iPhone 6s – dual pack [ buy it on Amazon US ] [ buy it on Amazon UK ] [ buy it on Amazon DE ]

NOTE : on these pre-assembled displays, a new Home-button is included, but the new one doesn’t support fingerprint recognition, so if you want your iPhone to recognise you by your fingerprint (which is extremely convenient) you will need to swap the original Home-button back onto your iPhone (a fairly simple thing to do)

…and if your iPhone battery is getting old, you might want to replace that at the same time. to check the status of your iPhone battery, do this :

  • open the Settings.app
  • in the Settings window, click on Battery (just below Emergency SOS)
  • in the Battery window, click on Battery Health
  • if the Maximum Capacity listed there is 85% or lower, you should replace the battery (if not, it doesn’t need replacement)

If you need a replacement battery, here’s a suggestion from Amazon that we’ve tested and works great :

Icero Replacement Battery for iPhone 6s – higher capacity than the original [ buy it on Amazon UK ] [ buy it on Amazon DE ]

an alternative (similar but untested by us) from Amazon US :

iBestwin Replacement Battery for iPhone 6s – higher capacity than the original [ buy it on Amazon US ]

 

if you need to do a hardware repair : Good Luck & enjoy 😉