Mac tricks

When your Mac won't start

Startup in single user mode and fsck Briefly:

• hold down Command-S for single-user mode. (Hold down Command-V for verbose mode)
• /sbin/fsck -fy
• reboot

Set the volume from the command line

osascript -e "set Volume 5"

Print from the command line

Look at the advanced properties of the printer in System Preferences for the queue name (it will be the same as the printer name with all spaces and dashes replaced by underscores).

lp -d <queuename> <file>

To clean up the right-click context menu

/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user

Enable user's personal web site

From Mountain Lion onwards Sharing control panel no longer contains "Web sharing" to turn on web servers so command line comes to the rescue...

mkdir ${HOME}/Sites 2>/dev/null
sudo cat <<EOCAT >> /etc/apache2/users/$(whoami).conf
<Directory "/Users/$(whoami)/Sites/">
Options Indexes MultiViews
AllowOverride All
Order allow,deny
Allow from all
</Directory>
EOCAT
sudo apachectl start

To have the Apache server start at each boot, follow above with this...

sudo defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/org.apache.httpd Disabled -bool false

Some Terminal tricks

macs.about.com/od/usingyourmac/tp/terminaltricks.htm

List known disks

diskutil list

Create a bootable OSX Mavericks on a USB stick / thumb drive

This way worked for me...

• Download the Installer from the App Store. You end up with a file called "Install OS X Mavericks.app" (5.34Gb) in your Applications folder (and the Install OSX application open)
• Format a USB drive. Use Disk Utility. Partition tab, 1 partition, options... GUID. Call it "Untitled". Here's the bit... Check the mount point at the bottom of the screen! (Does it say /Volumes/Untitled?)
• Don't eject / unmount it.
• Open Terminal. Run the following command...
  

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app --nointeraction

If the mount point was /Volumes/Untitled then this command will work. If it was anything else, you will get an error. Change the name of the "--volume" attribute to what you saw as the mount point.
It all goes well, be prepared to make a cup of tea and take your time drinking it...

Password:
Erasing Disk: 0%... 10%... 20%... 30%...100%...
Copying installer files to disk...
Copy complete.
Making disk bootable...
Copying boot files...
Copy complete.
Done.

or

• www.techrepublic.com

Show (or set) Power Management Settings

sudo pmset -g

Turn Sudden Motion Sensor off

sudo pmset -a sms 0 

Show hidden files

defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE;\killall Finder;\say Files Revealed

and on Mavericks

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -boolean true; killall Finder

Automatically start Apache Web Server at boot time

sudo defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/org.apache.httpd Disabled -bool false