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TAG: Mac

How to fix VMWare Fusion Pro 10 “Cannot find a valid peer process to connect to”

10th April, 2018

I recently got a new mac and was migrating a VMWare Windows Virtual Machine from my other computer. When starting the virtual machine, I received a random message from VMWare Fusion saying “Cannot find a valid peer process to connect to.”

The fix was rather simple as it was just Apple blocking VMWare from running. To fix it, follow these steps:

Open System Preferences by searching in Spotlight or clicking the gear icon in the dock.
On the top row there is an icon for Security and Privacy – Click that icon
Near the bottom of the screen that appears the following statement
“System software from developer “VMWare, Inc.” was blocked from loading”
Click Allow

How to use Teensyduino to send cmd + enter

Greg

16th June, 2017

Development

Recently we purchased a bunch of Teensyduino powered buttons for a trivia game we were building for a client’s convention as a fun learning experience. Now that the conference is through, the buttons are sitting unused, and my boss asked me if I could reprogram one of them so he could use it to send emails through Outlook on Mac.

It was a fun little exercise since I’ve never worked with programming Teensyduinos before. It turned out that this wasn’t so complicated to accomplish. I figured I’d share the script in case anyone else would find it useful.

int key1 = KEY_ENTER; 

int spacesAllowed = 1;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  pinMode(10, INPUT);
  digitalWrite(10, HIGH);  // C7
}

void loop() {
  if (digitalRead(10) == LOW && spacesAllowed > 0){
    Keyboard.set_modifier(MODIFIERKEY_GUI);
    Keyboard.set_key1(key1);
    Keyboard.send_now();
    delay(5);
    spacesAllowed = 0;  // no  spaces allowed anymore
  }
  if (digitalRead(10) == HIGH){
    Keyboard.set_modifier(0);
    Keyboard.set_key1(0);
    Keyboard.send_now();
    delay(5);
    spacesAllowed = 1;  // button is up again
  }
}

int key1 = KEY_ENTER;

int spacesAllowed = 1;

void setup() {

Serial.begin(9600);

pinMode(10, INPUT);

digitalWrite(10, HIGH); // C7

}

void loop() {

if (digitalRead(10) == LOW && spacesAllowed > 0){

Keyboard.set_modifier(MODIFIERKEY_GUI);

Keyboard.set_key1(key1);

Keyboard.send_now();

delay(5);

spacesAllowed = 0; // no spaces allowed anymore

}

if (digitalRead(10) == HIGH){

Keyboard.set_modifier(0);

Keyboard.set_key1(0);

Keyboard.send_now();

delay(5);

spacesAllowed = 1; // button is up again

}

If you need to send through Outlook on Windows, change the line

Keyboard.set_modifier(MODIFIERKEY_GUI);

1	Keyboard.set_modifier(MODIFIERKEY_GUI);

Keyboard.set_modifier(MODIFIERKEY_CTRL);

1	Keyboard.set_modifier(MODIFIERKEY_CTRL);

List of my must-have Alfred Workflows

Greg

12th May, 2017

Administration

Use a mac? You’ll want to grab Alfred App. I’m finding it an invaluable replacement for spotlight and the workflows allow me to supercharge my workflows. It’s so useful that I’ve purchased the Powerpack lifetime license.

In addition to the standard features, here are a list of the most useful workflows for dev/tech:

Kill process – by Nathan Greenstein (@ngreenstein)
I use it as an activity monitor for CPU usage, and from there I can easily force quit any process if needed. It’s easier to see all processes on the Alfred UI instead of opening Activity Monitor on your mac. There’s also the workflow Kill Application – by Sebastian Hallum Clarke (and also on his site you can find other cool workflows).

Timer – by Daniel Bader
I use this one a lot. It’s super simple and by writing “Timer” and the number of minutes, you can easily set a reminder. It’s great for anyone using the Pomodoro technique or even if you leave something on the stove and want to go back to work.

Copy SSH Public Key – By oldcai
This one saves me time when I need to deploy my SSH key on a new server. Type ‘pk [ssh key file name]’ and it’ll copy the ssh key to the clipboard.

Incognito – by Nedwood
I find myself using this when I need to test a page and bypass the cache. Type ‘incog [url]’ and it’ll launch a new chrome window in incognito mode.

Find Folder by Samvlu
Finds a folder by name. I find this is faster than spotlight in just about every search.

Smart Folders by Deanishe
List all the Smart Folders/Saved Searches (same thing) on your system and drill down into their contents. Works in much the same way as Alfred’s File Filter, but Smart Folders are also available outside Alfred and are a bit more flexible.

For example, you can configure a Smart Folder to show all video/audio/image files without having to specify each different filetype individually. If you already use Smart Folders, this workflow can save you the work of re-implementing them as File Filters.

What’s more, you can exclude specific filetypes with a Smart Folder, which Alfred cannot do.

Advanced Google Maps Search by stuartcryan
This workflow gives you some quick and dirty shortcuts into Google Maps:

Commands:

To Configure:

mapsethome <home address including street number, name, postcode> (i.e. what you would type into Google Maps)
mapsetwork <work address including street number, name, postcode> (i.e. what you would type into Google Maps)
Commands for Use:

maps <query> – Search Google maps for an address
dir <query> to <query> to <query> etc (seperate multiple addresses with ” to ” minus the quotes, and you will get a multiple location search)
dirfw Show directions from Work to address
dirfh Show directions from Home to address
dirtw <query> Show directions from query to Work address
dirth <query> Show directions from query to Home address
trafficw – Show traffic from Home to Work
traffich – Show traffic from Work to Home

StackOverflow Search by deanishe
If you use stackoverflow as much as I do, this is a must-have.

Date Calculator
I find myself needing to calculate differences between dates in my personal life a lot lately. This workflow saves me a lot of time to do that. Want to know how far Christmas is away in days? ‘dcalc 12-25-16 – now d’ returns the number of days (assuming you’re using the US short format like I am).

Wifi Control by miroman
All my Macbooks periodically have issues with wifi. I’ve never been able to figure out what’s causing it but I use Wifi Control to restart the wifi which allows me to connect successfully.

Bugnot by vitor
If you use bugmenot at all, this is a useful extension to get logins without loading a new tab. Type ‘bn domain.com’ and you’ll get a list of matching passwords to use.

ReportCrash High CPU & How to Disable reportcrash in Mac OSX

Greg

28th September, 2016

Administration

For a while now, all of my MacBooks have run extremely hot and the fans have gone nuts. While troubleshooting the issue, Activity Monitor showed that an app named reportcrash has run very high on the CPU and has killed my battery life. Force quitting the app didn’t help as it would start right back up in a few seconds and climb back to 80-100% usage of the CPU.

What is CrashReporter?

CrashReporter runs in any time an application crashes and it’s designed to saves the application state to aid developers in working out why the app crashed. Basically a process is launching, crashing (and invoking CrashReporter) and then re-launching, repeating this cycle never ending.

How to Identify What’s Crashing

To show which process is triggering this cycle and stop it, CrashReporter is pretty verbose in its logging which makes finding the problem app somewhat easier. Open up the console.app (/Applications/Utilities/Console.app) and look towards the end of your system.log to see what app is crashing.

Unfortunately for me, the problem is a driver by some company called EFI and getting the latest drivers didn’t resolve the issue. The next obvious solution was to disable reportcrash.

How to Disable ReportCrash

Fire up terminal and run the following commands to disable reportcrash:

launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.ReportCrash.plist
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.ReportCrash.Root.plist

1 2	launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.ReportCrash.plist sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.ReportCrash.Root.plist

How to Enable ReportCrash

If you need to reenable crash report, run the following commands in terminal:

launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.ReportCrash.plist
sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.ReportCrash.Root.plist

1 2	launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.ReportCrash.plist sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.ReportCrash.Root.plist

Cheap Macbook Pro Docking Solution for about $30

Greg

9th June, 2016

Applications

I typically prefer developing on my desktop and large dual screen monitor setup as opposed to my Macbook. Recently, I’ve gotten into more PHP development and developing on the Mac is proving to be a more enjoyable experience only because Windows is still a second class citizen for most PHP libraries/tools. I still wanted a larger screen setup, so I considered buying a docking station to hook up to a larger monitor but I soon learned they feature the ‘Mac Penalty’ in that they cost more than they should just because it’s for Apple products.

I already have two large monitors and figured my Macbook could serve as third screen. Then I did some thinking and realized I could use one of the monitors for both computers. Assuming you have two HDMI screens already hooked up to your desktop, this would save you $150+ and still allow you to be more productive.

Get a copy of Synergy (http://symless.com/) for $10. It’s open source and can be built if you have the time, but a one time fee of $10 saves me the hassle of doing so. With this, you can share your desktop keyboard across all your computers with the one license and it’s cross platform so Linux support is included too.
Purchase an auto HDMI switcher. I purchased the PORTTA PET0301S 3×1 Port HDMI Switch/Switcher for about $9.
Be sure to get 2 HDMI cables if you don’t already have them on hand. I don’t like the Amazon Basic brand for these as I’ve had problems with the Mac and those cables hooking up to larger screens.
Install Synergy on the desktop as a server. Install on the Macbook as a client and it should autoconnect.
Plug the HDMI cable from the computer into the HDMI switcher, and plug the spare into the Macbook pro. Plug the “Out” end into the monitor.

When you plug your HDMI cable into the Macbook, the HDMI switcher will automatically switch to it and project the Macbook. Synergy will auto-connect as long as it’s running on both and you can share the mouse and keyboard between both and work seamlessly.

If you have an iPad and want to turn that into an additional screen, grab a copy of Duet Display on your desktop/Macbook and install on your iPad for $15.99, and viola, instant portable second screen!

When updating Office 2011 for Mac, you are prompted that you must close “Microsoft Database Daemon” and “SyncServicesAgent”

Greg

23rd July, 2015

Administration

If you’re trying to update your install of Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac, you may get the following message:

“These applications must be closed before the software can be installed:

Microsoft Database Daemon
SyncServicesAgent

Close these applications and try again”

If you try to kill the apps using activity monitor, you’ll find they keep getting restarted. The only way I found that worked to stop them is by following the instructions below.

Open a terminal window and enter the following command:
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.microsoft.LaunchAgent.SyncServicesAgent.plist

This will unload the SyncServicesAgent. Unfortunately the Daemon kept running for me after the latest update. To stop that, do the following:

Open activity monitor
Scroll down until you find Microsoft Database Daemon in the list of active applications.
Click on Microsoft Database Daemon and click on the Quit Process button in the toolbar

Go back to the install utility and you should now be able to proceed with the install. Once the install is finished, you’ll want to restart the Sync Services Agent, so do the following:

Go back to the terminal window and enter this command:
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.microsoft.LaunchAgent.SyncServicesAgent.plist

Now you should be all set with updates and can close terminal.

Mac Outlook 2011 Reply All Includes My E-mail (with solution)

Greg

28th May, 2014

Administration

I’ve started a new job and was assigned a Macbook for my daily work. I’ve found equivalents for most of my applications. Personally, I find the native Mac apps are just extremely underpowered for my computing needs. I hate Mail especially, and even more so how all the apps are split out into separate apps. Luckily I have Office for Mac. Not so luckily, Outlook Mac 2011 is not as well designed as Outlook for Windows in so many ways.

One of the bugs I ran into was the “Reply All” bug where your e-mail is included in the CC field. It’s rather annoying having to choose from having to manually delete your address or having an extra e-mail to delete from your inbox.

The fix turned out to be rather simple for me. It turns out that Outlook for Mac isn’t very smart. It doesn’t seem to be able to tell which address you’re sending the e-mail from even though it’s doing the sending. When my account was initially setup, the company set it up with one of their subsidiary domains which was incorrect. Rather than creating a new inbox, they simply created an alias for the domain but never updated my configuration.

To fix the issue, do the following:

Go to Tools -> Accounts.
Ensure that your e-mail address field is set to match the address you are sending from.

My e-mail address had been set to the old one and still worked due to the aliasing. As soon as I updated the address to match the corrected domain, the reply all stopped including my e-mail address.

mtouch exited with code 98

Greg

13th August, 2012

Mac

In an attempt to leverage my existing .NET skills, I started working on learning MonoTouch and MonoDroid. I tried following the simple HelloWorld tutorial on the documents section of MonoTouch and kept getting a random error during any build:

mtouch exited with code 98

This is a really good example of bad user experience. The error is extremely cryptic and tells the user nothing. I tried searching for documentation on error codes to no avail. Finally I stumbled upon the build output tab (which is hidden by default, unlike Visual Studio) to find a bit more useful information:

License file is missing. Please activate MonoTouch.

Looks like the IT team didn’t activate the license properly on the Mac they provided me but having this error description shown in the error list would have saved me 3 hours of hunting.

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