fixed : use old iPad as an extra screen for your Mac (or PC)

Posted on 22-04-2020 by MacManus.nl

Question :

Since we are working from home a lot (and the children are home schooling), and we have several old iPads and iPhones lying around gathering dust, we were wondering if it would be possible to use them as second screens on our Macs and Windows PCs to make our work and homework easier by being able to do this (and more) :

manage our music playlist (iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify) on our old iPad/iPhone whilst running MS Office on our Mac/PC without switching apps
use our old iPad/iPhone’s touchscreen to put a signature under a PDF-document whilst typing it on our Mac/PC
use our old iPad/iPhone as a drawing tablet for our Mac/PC
videochat or view an online presentation onour Mac/PC whilst making notes on our old iPad/iPhone using a full-size keyboard (and easily swapping the two around when needed)

We noticed Apple has introduced this great feature called Sidecar that enables you to use your iPad (or iPhone) as a second screen for your Mac. But when I looked at the Sidecar requirements on the Apple website, I found that our older iPads/iPhones aren’t supported.

Is there any way to use Sidecar (or something similar) on our old iPads/iPhones ?

Answer :

Yes, even though you cannot use Sidecar on any unsupported iPad, iPhone or Mac, there is an alternative that works just as great for any old iPad (or iPhone) and is not limited to a Mac, but does support Windows PCs also… and best of all : it’s FREE.

This is ideal for working from home and home schooling since you can do all this (and more) :

manage your music playlist (iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify) on your iPad whilst running MS Office on your Mac/PC without switching apps
use your iPad/iPhone’s touchscreen to put a signature under a PDF-document whilst typing it on your Mac/PC
use your iPad/iPhone as a drawing tablet for your Mac/PC
videochat or view an online presentation on my Mac/PC whilst making notes on my iPad/iPhone using a full-size keyboard (and easily swapping the two around when needed)

This FREE alternative for Apple Sidecar is Splashtop Wired XDisplay. It enables you to use any iPad/iPhone running iOS 7 or newer as a second or third (touch)screen for any Mac running OSX 10.9 Mavericks (or PC running Windows 7) or newer.

This means that all these iPhone / iPad / Mac models are supported :

iPhone 4 or newer
iPad 2 or newer
any iPad mini
any iPad Air
any iPad Pro
any aluminum iMac (iMac “Mid 2007” or newer)
any iMac Pro
Mac mini “Early 2009” or newer
Mac Pro “Early 2008” or newer
white MacBook “Early 2009” or newer
any aluminum MacBook
MacBook Air “Late 2008” or newer (2nd gen MacBook Air or newer)
MacBook Pro “Mid 2007” or newer

To install, do this :

install the Splashtop Wired XDisplay app on you Mac/PC
- you can download Splashtop Wired XDisplay for Mac or Windows here
install iTunes on your PC if you have done so yet
- you can download iTunes for Windows here
- on a Mac you don’t need additional software for your iPad/iPhone to be recognized
install Splashtop Wired XDisplay on your iPad/iPhone
- you can download Splashtop Wired XDisplay for iPhone here
- you can download Splashtop Wired XDisplay for iPad here
then, plug your iPad/iPhone’s USB-cable into your Mac/PC
then run the Splashtop Wired XDisplay app on your Mac/PC
then run the Splashtop Wired XDisplay app on your iPad/iPhone
then goto the Settings on your Mac/PC, find the Screen Settings and arrange your screens the way you like
- you can choose “Mirror Screen” to see exactly the same on your MAc/PC and your iPad/iPhone
- you can choose “Extend Screen” to arrange the iPad/iPhone as an add-on for your desktop
- if you already have a second screen attached to your Mac/PC, you can use your iPad/iPhone as an additional third screen also

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : easily generate a new random password in macOS

Posted on 16-01-2020 by MacManus.nl

Question :

I need to generate a random password for a new online account for an app, but for some reason, macOS doesn’t suggest a Strong Password as usual…

How can I easily generate a random strong password ?

Answer :

When using Safari on macOS, Safari will automatically suggest a Safari Strong Password (and backs it up to iCloud) whenever a field where you need to manually type a new password…

However : this feature is Safari-only (as the name Safari Strong Password suggests), so if you need to manually type a new password into an app (or anything outside of Safari) this automatic suggestion won’t kick into play…

Luckily, macOS has a Password Generator built-in… only tricky thing is it’s a little hard to access… there are 2 ways to get the Password Generator to start up (and an alternative in case you need extra features) :

– Option 1 –

Apple Menu > System Prefs > Users & Groups > Change Password > Key Icon
now Password Assistant opens in a separate window
Close previous window (that is now in the background) by clicking Cancel-button
Back to Password Generator window
set type of password you need
Generate password
Copy password
Close Password Generator window

– Option 2 –

User’s Home Folder > Applications > Utilities > KeychainAccess.app
now the Keychain window opens
click on the Plus-sign button ( or press the CMD + N key combo on your keyboard )
now a pulldown window opens
at “Password”, on the right, click the ‘black key’-button
now Password Assistant opens in a separate window
note : leave the Keychain Access window in the background, as trying to close it will also close the Password Assistant window
in the Password Assistant window, set the type of password you need
then, generate the new password
copy the password
switch to the window where you need to paste the new password
then, switch back to the Keychain Access window and close it

– Alternative option –

If macOS’ built-in Password Generator doesn’t allow you to get a random password that suits your needs, for example if you need a memorable password, you can get the StrongPassword.app for FREE from the Mac AppStore.

StrongPassword.app has 3 main options of automatic password generation :

“Basic”
“Advanced”
“Words”
note : all 3 come with the option of adding or omitting symbols like ! ? @ & * _ + =
The “Words” option comes closest to the (now obsolete) “Memorable” option that used to be built-in in macOSX and OSX

that’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : Strong Password that Safari suggests is not accepted for this web-account

Posted on 16-01-2020 by MacManus.nl

Question :

To get access to a website I need for school, I need to create a new account. While doing so, Safari suggests a Strong Password, but when I accept to use it, the website gives an error since the Safari Strong Password format does not comply with the rules that this website has for passwords : at least 8 digits, of which at least one undercast letter, one capital letter, one number and choice from only a very limited set of symbols. Unfortunately, the ‘minus’-symbol that is used in each Safari-generated Strong Password is not allowed for this website…

How can I generate a random password that will be accepted by this website ?

Answer :

Some websites do not allow the automatically-generated password format of Safari Strong Password, because they only allow capital and undercast letters, numbers and a limited array of symbols, in that case, Safari Strong Password cannot be used to automatically generate a strong password

Use the StrongPassword.app (FREE on the Mac AppStore)
StrongPassword.app has 3 main options of automatic password generation : “Basic”, “Advanced” and “Words”
Even in the “Basic” password generation setting it’s possible to have the password generation include exactly the Symbols, Punctuation marks and Brackets that are allowed in your particular case
what sets this app apart from nearly every other password generating app are 2 features :
- it has an option to generate a random memorable password : “Words” comes closest to the (now obsolete) “Memorable” option that used to be in macOSX and OSX
- on top of that : it’s a FREE app
when the password of your liking is generated, you can copy-paste it onto the website

enjoy 😉

fixed : quickly wipe old Mac before passing on to family member

Posted on 16-10-2019 by MacManus.nl

Question :

I’ve just got myself a new Mac and transfered all data to it. Now I want to donate the old Mac (a MacBook Pro) to my children, but I would prefer to take my own documents off before I do so…

Isn’t there an easier way to do this than reinstalling macOS ?

Answer :

If you would sell the old Mac or give it to someone you do not trust completely, wiping the harddrive (or SSD) completely and reinstalling macOS would be the best way to go.

If you are giving the old Mac to someone you completely trust (like your partner, parent or child) you can wipe your old data and documents far quicker. Do this :

open System Preferences (to do so, goto Apple-icon top-left onscreen, and choose System Preferences from the pulldown menu)
in the window that opens, select “Users & Groups”
in the next window, click on the padlock (bottom left)
typ your computer-password when asked
now the padlock will open and the +sign (plus-icon) just above it will turn black (it was greyed out, just below “Login Options”)
in the drop-down panel that appears, choose “Administrator” at “New Account:”
then fill out the Full Name, the Account Name, a Password and a Password hint for the person that is going to be the next ‘owner’ of that Mac
then, click the “Create User”-button
then, check in the Users-list on the left if the user you’ve just created is listed at “Other Users”
if you’re sure the new user is properly created, log out the current user (to do so, goto Apple-icon top-left onscreen, and choose “Log Out [username]” from the pulldown menu
in the window that appears, click the “Log Out”-botton
wait for your Mac to return to the login-screen, then login as the new user you have previously created
wait for the macOS-desktop to appear, then open System Preferences (to do so, goto Apple-icon top-left onscreen, and choose System Preferences form the pulldown menu)
in the window that opens, select “Users & Groups”
in the next window, click on the padlock (bottom left)
typ the new user’s computer-password when asked
now the padlock will open and the +sign (plus-icon) just above it will turn black (it was greyed out, just below “Login Options”)
then select your (old) username from the list on the left (listed under “Other Users”)
then click the -sign (minus-icon)
in the window that appears, choose “Delete the Home folder” and click the OK-button
Then wait for the deletion to complete

That’s it – you now have deleted all your personal files from your old Mac.

Note : all applications that you had installed when the Mac was yours, will still be available in the Applications folder, if you want to delete any of them, just move them to the trash and empty the trash (to also delete supporting files, you should use an app like AppCleaner). If you had any applications that had personal licences, make sure these are still working from this new user account by trying to start them up and typing the appication’s licence key when asked 😉

enjoy !

fixed : can’t connect new iPhone (iOS 12) to MacBook Air Late 2010

Posted on 23-01-2019 by MacManus.nl

Question :

I have a new iPhone 8 (running iOS 12) and I want to connect it to iTunes on my MacBook Air (Late 2010), but when I connect them using the Lightning-to-USB-cable I get an error message saying the software on my Mac should be updated.

I found that I had OSX 10.10 Yosemite installed, so I used the Mac AppStore-app to upgrade to macOS 10.13 High_Sierra. That went smoothly, so I also installed all available updates for my apps from the Mac AppStore. Then, I ran into a strange error : I can’t upgrade to the newest version of iMovie because my version of macOS doesn’t meet the minimal system requirements…

I also ran iTunes, but even now my iPhone 8 isn’t recognised when I connect it…

I found that for some reason macOS 10.13.4 is installed, and not 10.13.6, but still : Mac AppStore says “no updates available”…

Is my MacBook Air late2010 not meeting the minimal system requirements for macOS 10.13.6 for some reason ?

I looked up my MacBook Air late 2010 in MacTracker, and found that is should be able to run macOS 10.13.6 so why won’t it install ?

How can I fix this ?

Answer :

For reasons unknown, you need to upgrade your MacBook Air to macOS 10.13.5 manually using this download :

download macOS 10.13.5 upgrade

And only after macOS 10.13.5 is installed, you can manually upgrade to macOS 10.13.6 using this download (this is an incremental upgrade, not a combo upgrade) :

download macOS 10.13.6 upgrade

After macOS 10.13.6 is installed, you should be able to update to the latest versions of iMovie and iTunes via the Mac AppStore.

If iTunes won’t update, you need to (re)install it manually, using this download :

download iTunes

After installing the latest version of iTunes, connect your iPhone to your Mac using a Lighting-to-USB-cable. Now, an extra update will be downloaded, which will put an extra Devices-button in the iTunes and your iPhone will be recognised in iTunes.

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : where to get the OSX 10.8 Mountain_Lion installer ?

Posted on 15-03-2018 by MacManus.nl

Question :

I have a Mac that can be upgraded to a more recent version of OSX (or macOS), but I never did so I’m still on MacOSX 10.7 Lion.

Today I need to install an application that needs a more recent version of OSX/macOS to run, so I need to upgrade.

I can find various new versions of OSX/macOS available for free through the Mac App Store application (which I have since I had MacOSX 10.6 Snow_Leopard), but I get an error saying that those won’t run.

Where can I get an official version of OSX 10.8 Mountain_Lion (or newer) ?

Answer :

If you have either MacOSX 10.6 Snow_Leopard or MacOSX 10.7 Lion installed on your Mac, your only option to upgrade your operating system to a newer version is to upgrade to OSX 10.8 Mountain_Lion first.

Here’s how to :

purchase OSX 10.8 Mountain_Lion from the official Apple-website here : www.apple.com/shop/product/D6377/os-x-mountain-lion
then wait to receive 2 eMails ; one including a PDF and one that includes a password
open the Mac App Store application
go to Featured –> Quick Links –> Redeem –> Redemption Code
typ the 12-digit Redemption Code from PDF in your eMail
then, wait for the download to complete (view in Mac App Store –> Purchases)
then, unlock

That’s it – enjoy !

fixed : need to use Keynote on PC

Posted on 26-01-2018 by MacManus.nl

Question :

I have always been using Macs, and I am enthusiastic about it. But now my employer wants me to work on a Windows-PC, I have no option…

On my Mac, I am a vivid user of Keynote to make my presentations. But now I, on Windows, I can only make presentations in MS PowerPoint…

PowerPoint can’t handle my home-made presentions made in Keynote.

Isn’t there a solution for that ?

Answer :

Apple has recently introduced iCloud web-based versions of the Apple iWork-suite including Keynote, Pages and Numbers. So now you can work in Keynote through iCloud online.

All you need on your PC is Windows 7 (or newer) and a supported webbrowser : preferably Google Chrome 50 (or newer). Internet Explorer 11 (or newer) is also an option, but then Keynote-transitions and Chinese/Japanese/Korean language are not fully supported.

Then go to icloud.com and login (if you don’t have an account, you can create one for free)

In the web-interface, open Keynote and start working.

If you have ‘iCloud file syncing’ switched on on your Mac at home, you can start working on your Keynote-presentation immediately. If not, you can upload the .key-presentation you want to work on.

Note #1 : the Safari webbrowser can only be used for iCloud online from Mac-computers ; any Mac with OSX 10.9 Mavericks and Safari 9 (or newer) is suited. Safari 7 and 8 are only partially supported.

Note #2 : other webbrowsers are only partially supporting iCloud online on Windows : Google Chrome 35 (or newer), Firefox 27 (or newer) and Microsoft Edge (all versions).

enjoy !

MacManus.nl

helping hundreds of happy Applers each day

Tag Archives: 10.11 El_Capitan

fixed : use old iPad as an extra screen for your Mac (or PC)

fixed : easily generate a new random password in macOS

fixed : Strong Password that Safari suggests is not accepted for this web-account

fixed : quickly wipe old Mac before passing on to family member

fixed : can’t connect new iPhone (iOS 12) to MacBook Air Late 2010

fixed : where to get the OSX 10.8 Mountain_Lion installer ?

fixed : need to use Keynote on PC

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