Tag Archives: AppStore

fixed : ValiDrive alternative for macOS

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Question :
I have purchased a 2TB USB-stick for a discount price. I thought that was an incredible deal and when I received it it looked great and my Mac even recognises the USB-stick as properly and sees 2TB of available disk space. I can even reformat the drive and it will still remain listed as 2TB… incredible !
But as the brand name on the product and the packaging do not add up, I got the feeling that at least something is off… so I googled some and found that it is common practice with USB-sticks with extreme memory sizes to turn out to be fraudulent or even counterfeit products… in-factory the firmware has been hacked to make the USB-stick appear as a large volume drive, but when in use, but when in use the data copying either stops when the maximum amount of actual (hardware) memory capacity is reached (4GB or 8GB or sometimes even more) or the data copying keeps on going endlessly but is at the same time erasing previously copied data…
That is really bad news…
Now there is a tiny piece of software for Windows that can check if a drive has been tampered with like that : ValiDrive by GRC (Gibson Research Company) …but that’s Windows-only…

Is there any app for macOS that can do the same ?

Answer :
YES there is !
Even though there is no official version of ValiDrive for macOS and drive checking apps like Disk Utility, TechTool Pro, CleanMyMac X and WD Drive Utilities are not (yet) able detect these hacked drives… there is a macOS-app that can :
Drive Capacity Tester by Sascha Simon Software ( available on the Mac AppStore )

Here’s how to use Drive Capacity Tester to verify USB drives :
– plug the USB-stick into your Mac
– if there is still data on the USB-stick, backup all data from it, then trash everything or reformat
– when there’s no more data on the USB-stick, open Drive Capacity Tester
– then, in the list, select the USB-stick
– in the popup window that appears, just leave Size at “Full” and Steps at “Write and verify data” and click the “Start Test” button (there is no nessecity to pay for the Pro-version… but it is of course very kind of you to support Sascha Simon by buying the Pro-version)
– now, if the countdown underneath the “Writing Files” status bar just counts down to zero, just let it finish… if it finishes regularly, you’re good : the drive is what it is supposed to be
– but… if the countdown underneath the “Writing Files” status bar counts down extremely fast, then loops and restarts the countdown… you can be sure that it is a faulty USB-stick
– in that case you can stop the “Writing Files” process as it will probably get you nowhere… (or you can let it run till it finishes, if ever, hoping you will find how much memory space there actually is on the drive

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : fingerprint not recognised when installing apps on new 2019 iPad

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Question :

Every time I try to download a new app from the AppStore on my new 2019 iPad, I am asked to install using my fingerprint, but when I put my finger on it, my finger isn’t recognized…

What is wrong ?

 

Answer :

What do you mean by ‘it’ ?

Do you mean that your finger isn’t recognized when you press it on the fingerprint-icon on-screen ? If so, you aren’t the first person that happens to misunderstand Apple’s directions, which can be quite confusing : on the 2019 iPad your fingerprint can only be scanned by the actual click-able menu-button that is below the screen (on the front-facing side, beneath the display), so just put your finger on the menu-button and it will be recognized 😉

note : since 2019, only the ‘regular’ iPads have Touch ID and a ‘traditional’ menu-button below the screen, the 2018 iPad Pro and newer all have Face ID (so those have face-recognition instead of fingerprint-scanning)

If that wasn’t the problem, check these :

  • make sure your fingers aren’t wet or greasy ; wipe them with a dry towel and try again
  • make sure the menu-button isn’t wet or greasy ; wipe it with a dry towel and try again

If that wasn’t the problem either, do this to reset your fingerprints :

  • login to your iPad using your on-screen unlock code
  • goto Settings.app (Gear-icon/Sprocket-icon)
  • in the list on the left, click on “Touch ID & Passcode”
  • in the window that opens, typ your passcode (the one that you use to unlock your iPad’s screen)
  • then, at FINGERPRINTS, click on “Finger 1” and delete
  • then delete all other fingerprints (like “Finger 2” and “Finger 3”) if there are any
  • then click on “Add a Fingerprint” and follow the on-screen directions
  • this info from the Apple-website might come in handy if you think this isn’t working as intended : https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201371
  • tip 1 : it is wise to replace all fingerprint namings like “Finger 1” and “Finger 2” to something that makes more sense like “Right Index Finger” to enable yourself to only redo one fingerprint if it turns out that one of your fingerprints isn’t recognized properly
  • tip 2 : the current version of iPadOS seems to have some problems recognizing fingerprints when holding the iPad in landscape-mode (so sideways, for instance when watching a full-screen video) ; this is probably due to the fact that the initial fingerprint-scans were all made while holding the iPad in portrait-mode ; so, as an extra, also include a fingerprint-scan of your right tumb while grabbing your fingers around the bottom-left side of your iPad (so a 90 degree clockwise rotated fingerprint-scan ; as if you were holding the iPad in landscape-mode)
  • then, back in the “Touch ID & Passcode”  make sure that both “iPad Unlock” and “iTunes & App Store” are switched ON (“Apple Pay” and “Password AutoFill” should be turned ON only if you intend to use them on a regular basis, else the should be turned OFF)
  • then exit Settings.app and go test if your fingerprints are being recognized (e.g. by getting a new app from the AppStore)

If that still doesn’t work, try setting up a fingerfrint-scan from a different finger and try again.

If you keep on having problems, go to your local AppleStore or the Apple-dealer where you bought the iPad (or else to an authorized Apple Repair Centre) and have your iPad checked for a hardware-failure of the menu-button.

That’s it 😉

enjoy !

fixed : iOS app cannot be moved or deleted – is instead renamed “Home”

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Question :

I installed the iOS-app called “FaceApp” on my iPhone a few days ago, and now suddenly it’s on a screen-page I don’t want it on. The way I normally use to move it to another screen-page doesn’t work however : if I hold the icon for a long time, the icon’s doesn’t start shaking and no X-label does appear either.

I managed to get the shaking icons and the X-labels in the end by just holding my finger on another app a little longer… but now, the “FaceApp” doesn’t want to move either when I put my finger on it…

I finally managed to move it by moving another app in front of it, but I still can’t get it to another screen-page…

So, I tried to delete the app by clicking on it’s X-badge, that seemed to work at first, but the “FaceApp”-icon immediately reappeared, only the name has now changed to “Home”, and there is no X-badge on it… so I still can’t delete it…

What is wrong ? What can I do ?

 

Answer :

Don’t worry.

  • First, exit the ‘shaky mode’ by clicking on the (physical) MENU-button (the front one, just below the screen
  • Then, open the AppStore.app
  • Click on “Updates”
  • Then click on “Purchases”
  • There, you’ll see that the “FaceApp” is listed, but with the “cloud&arrow”-icon next to it (so the “redownload from the AppStore-cloud”)
  • Then, click on the “cloud&arrow”-icon to reinstall the app
  • Exit the AppStore.app
  • On the main screen-pages you’ll now see that the name of the app has changed back from “Home” to “FaceApp”
  • Now, click&hold the FaceApp-icon until all icons start shaking and you’ll see that the X-badge will also appear on the FaceApp-icon
  • Then, click on the X-badge and the FaceApp.app will be deleted from your iPhone, or move the FaceApp.app to the place you want to have it on your screen-pages

That’s it – enjoy !

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