fixed : (re)format a drive in FAT32 MBR using macOS

Posted on 19-12-2019 by MacManus.nl

Question :

I need to reformat a USB-stick in FAT32 MBR.

Is it possible to do that on a Mac ?

Answer :

Yes, you can.

To (re)format a drive, like a USB-stick, external HardDisk or external SSD in FAT32 MBR (MBR = Master Boot Record) do this :

plug the drive (USB-stick) into you Mac
make sure that there are no files or documents you need to keep left on the drive (USB-stick)
- copy all files and documents you are not willing to lose to your internal disk space, or to another external drive
goto Applications –> Utilities –> Disk Utility
double-click on the application’s icon to startup Disk Utility
in the window that opens, click on the View-button (top-left) and select “Show Alle Devices”
then, select the drive (USB-stick) from the list of drives on the left
- it should be listed in the “External” chapter
- make sure you select the drive itself, not the formatted partition that is on it
  - drives are listed entirely on the left (and have a small triangle in front if they are formatted)
  - partitions are listed shifted slightly to the right of the devices list
then, click on the Erase-button (top-center, just below the Disk Utility name)
in the pulldown window that opens, select these settings :
- Name : Untitled [ …or any name you prefer, the choice is up to you ]
- Format : MS-DOS (FAT)
- Scheme : Master Boot Record
then click on the Erase-button
now, wait for the process to complete
then, click on the Eject-icon (underlined triangle) next to the name of the drive (USB-stick) in the list on the left
when de drive (USB-stick) disappears from the list, you can unplug the USB-stick (or external HD or SSD)
close the Disk Utility app

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : update navigation maps of Peugeot 208 from 2013 using a Mac

Posted on 19-12-2019 by MacManus.nl

Question :

I have a Peugeot 208 from 2013 with a built-in navigation system. Since the maps are completely out-dated, I want to update them. Peugeot says I can buy and download new official map-updates from a company called HERE, which have their website at http://www.navigation.com

I think I have found the right maps, but the pictures of the compatible navigation systems that are shown on the site are not identical to the navigation system in my Peugeot 208, so there’s no way to tell before I buy.

Furthermore, the updating instructions in the installation manuals that HERE is providing online cannot be used in my case, as several buttons and options mentioned simply do not exist on my navigation system.

What can I do ?

Answer :

You are completely right, HERE (previously named Navteq) acknowledges that your navigation system is not listed in the reference photos and that they do not provide installation instructions for your navigation system online.

Anyhow, more reasons for us to put these instructions online for you :

STEP 1 : GET YOUR CAR’S VIN-NUMBER

to be able to buy the navigation map update, you will need your car’s VIN-code
go to your Peugeot 208
do not step into your car, but stand outside and look at the front windscreen
in the bottom-right corner of the windscreen, you will see a see-through opening in the black film that covers all edges of the windscreen
behind this see-through opening, you will see a 18-digit code ; that’s your car’s VIN-number ; write it down ! (the VIN-number usually starts with VF3…)

STEP 2 : BUYING THE RIGHT MAP UPDATE

as you have a Peugeot 208 from 2013, you should have a built-in navigation system with a Screen-diagonal of about 17.5cm and a radio-dial and 2 physical buttons on the left of the screen ; the button bottom-left is MENU and just above it is ‘a button with a rectangle with an arrow below it and 2 lines at both sides’ ; if so, HERE calls your navigation system a Touchscreen 7″ so yours does not have MirrorScreen, this navigation system is also known as SMEG+ iV1 running version 3 of the SMEG operating system ( probably SMEG3.25 )
- if your Peugeot 208’s navigation system does not match the above description, you either have a Peugeot 208 from a different model year or your navigation system is not the built-in original, in that case, contact Peugeot, HERE or your local dealer to find out which navigation system you have
since you now know you have a (regular) Touchscreen 7″ navigation system, you can buy the update you need on the HERE website, this is the link if you live in Europe : https://peugeot.navigation.com/product-list/Catalog/Catalog_Peugeot_208_2013_Touchscreen_SMEGplus/en_GB/PeugeotEMEA/EUR
choose the map update you want there, and buy it
- if you are wondering if this is the right time to buy as maps have to be updated continuously, HERE usually updates these maps every 6 months (in April and in October) but there’s no guarantee they will keep on doing that
- HERE acknowledges that
- buying advice : only buy the map of your own region ; since maps need to be updated so frequently to keep then kind-off up-to-date, it’s no use to buy maps of regions you will not be visiting any time soon
to be able to buy the map update, you will need an account at HERE ; if you don’t have one, you have to register for a new account
- during the registration process, you will need to enter your car’s VIN-number
during the buying-process you will get an Activation Code ; write it down ! (after buying online, you will get the Activation Code in an extra eMail also, you could also print out that eMail)
click on the download link that is provided during the buying process to download the map updates to you Mac (you can also find the download link in the Activation Code eMail afterwards)

STEP 3 : PUT THE MAP UPDATE ON A USB-STICK

get yourself a USB-stick of 1GB or more that is formatted as FAT32 MBR and completely empty
- if you buy a new USB-stick for this, you can buy a basic one of any size (8GB is probably the smallest you can find these days), any brand will do, as nearly every brand format their USB-sticks as FAT32 MBR ; a USB-stick with an indicator light is slightly more useful, as the navigation system will not tell you if the USB-stick is being recognized (like your computer would)
- if want to use an old USB-stick for this, you can if you completely empty it – if you need to reformat it to FAT32 MBR, you can find instructions in this post
plug the USB-stick into your Mac (if you haven’t done so already)
on your Mac, locate the download of the map update (usually it’s inside the Downloads folder)
- the file has probably been unzipped already automatically, but if it isn’t, double-click on the ZIP-file to unzip it
open the folder (that has a name consisting of 5 digits, like 52044 or something similar)
select one file inside the folder, then typ [CMD]+[A] ( = Select All ) on you keyboard
then, drag&drop all files onto the empty USB-stick
- HERE advises you to put all update contents directly onto the top-level folder of the USB-stick, but if you have bought multiple map updates together and you want to install them at the same time (immediately after each other that is) you are probably best off by putting all their respective folders next to each other onto the top-level folder of your USB-stick
when the copying is done, drag the USB-stick’s icon to the Trash to eject
then, unplug the USB-stick

STEP 4 : GET THE MAP UPDATE ONTO YOUR CAR’S NAVIGATION SYSTEM

go to your car, and take these with you :
- the USB-stick with the map-update
- the Activation Cade you have written down
- these update instructions (preferably printed out)
get into your car, and start the engine
plug the USB-stick into one of the USB-ports that are next to the cigarette lighter (in the cavity in front of the gearshift-handle)
your navigation system will now display a message “Verification of media data”
click the (physical) MENU-button
the window “Main Menu” will open, click the (on-screen) Navigation-button
then click the (on-screen) Navigation GPS-button
the window “Navigation” will open, click the (on-screen) Settings-button
the window “Navigation Settings” will open, click the (on-screen) Maps-button
a new “Navigation Settings” window will open, where you can see all installed maps and their versions listed
click the (on-screen) ‘circle-shaped arrow’-button (top-right)
- if the ‘circle-shaped arrow’ button is greyed-out, there’s something wrong with the USB-stick ; go back to your Mac and make a new USB-stick with the map-update on it using the directions listed above
the next window “Add and update maps” will open, select the name of the map you want to update
then click the (on-screen) Confirm-button
now, you will get a warning message : “The update will take more than 20 minutes. Keep the engine running. Confirm update?” (the update will probably take less than 10 minutes to complete anyway… but it is important that you keep your car’s engine running throughout the updating process)
click the (on-screen) Yes-button
after a few moments, a window will appear where you need to type your Activation Code
then, click the (onscreen) Confirm-button, and wait…
a window with a progress bar will now be displayed ; the update will probably take less than 10 minutes to complete, but as mentioned, it could take more than 20 minutes…
when the progress bar window disappears, the update is done
do not forget to take out the USB-stick

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : swap Windows-key layout on PC-gaming keyboard within macOS

Posted on 18-12-2019 by MacManus.nl

Question :

I’ve been playing online multiplayer games like Fortnite for a while now on my MacBook Pro, but the built-in keyboard is starting to cramp my hands & fingers…

So I bought an (external) keyboard, and since there are hardly any gaming-keyboards for Mac, I got myself a PC-gaming keyboard that is supposed to work with Mac also : Trust GXT860 Thura.

I love the metal housing, the mechanical keys and the huge space-bar. I could learn to work with the PC-layout of the ALT and CMD keys, but isn’t there an option to swap or remap the layout of the keys on my Mac so I can use the keyboard blindly without any practicing ?

Answer :

Yes, there is, and it’s even built into macOS.

To remap the keys of your (external) keyboard on macOS, do this :

make sure your external gaming-keyboard is connected to your MacBook using USB, RF or Bluetooth (even though a wireless connection is not recommended for gaming, it is optional)
if your external gaming-keyboard only has a USB-connector and your MacBook only has USB-C ports, use a USB-to-USB-C-adapter (e.g. this USB-C-connection cable or this USB-C-connection adapter or anything similar, most basic ones will do fine)
goto Apple-menu (top-left on your desktop)
select System Preferences from the pulldown menu
in the System Preferences window, click on the Keyboard icon
in the Keyboard window, click on the Keyboard tab
then, click on the “Modifier Keys” button (bottom right)
in the pulldown window, you can individually remap the function of any of the 4 keys that differ from Mac to PC
- the standard Mac-layout (for desktop and external Mac-keyboards) is from-left-to-right : CTRL – ALT – CMD – SPACE – CMD – ALT – CTRL
- the standard MacBook-layout (for internal MacBook-keyboards) is from-left-to-right : FN – CTRL – ALT – CMD – SPACE – CMD – ALT
- the standard PC-layout (for desktop PCs and external Windows-keyboards) is from-left-to-right : CTRL – WIN – ALT – SPACE – ALTgr – FN – CTRL
- the Trust GXT860 Thura keyboard-layout is from-left-to-right : CTRL – WIN – ALT – SPACE – ALTgr – FN – illumination – CTRL
- check your PC-gaming keyboard to see it’s layout
in the pulldown-window, at “Select keyboard:” select your external gaming-keyboard from the list
then set the key-mapping to your liking : the key names (on the left side) stand for the actual keys on your keyboard, and on the right side you can choose the key-stroke they should invoke in macOS on your Mac
the default is everything the same on the left and the right side (of course…)
and if you want to blindly use the Mac-keyboard-layout on your PC-gaming keyboard, you should set it like this :
- Caps Lock Key : Caps Lock
- Control Key : Control
- Option Key : Command [ connect the ALT-key to the Apple/CMD-keystroke ]
- Command Key : Option [ connect the Windows-key to the Option/ALT-keystroke ]
…but you can choose any variation you like if that suits you better

That’s is !

enjoy 😉

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

Posted on 20-11-2019 by MacManus.nl

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 😉

fixed : quickly rotate a movie file in macOS 10.15 Catalina

Posted on 13-11-2019 by MacManus.nl

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

Posted on 04-11-2019 by MacManus.nl

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 :

start by watching a few screen replacement videos on YouTube to get familiar with the repair process and see if you’re up to it : iPad mini 2 screen replacement instruction video
then, get yourself a new iPad replacement screen like these ones in either black or white :
then use the online step-by-step repair guide from iFixit : iFixit iPad mini 2 screen replacement instruction manual
- NOTE : as you have seen in the instruction videos on Youtube, you do not need the special iFixit iOpener heating bag, you can also use a regular hairdryer to heat and soften the adhesive that’s behind the screen before prying off the screen
if your screen is completely shattered, you will probably not be able to flip open the iPad mini’s screen as it will fall apart while trying to do so ; in that case, heat the screen adhesive until it softens and then start at any place where you can get the glass of piece by piece… just make sure you get out all pieces of glass, even the really tiny ones, and all the adhesive glue !
the rest is quite straight forward : just follow the repair guide

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

Posted on 02-11-2019 by MacManus.nl

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 😉

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