Setting Default Boot Mode

You might be wondering how you can change your boot kernal so that you can use different hardware and/or software or perhaps some other reason.
In OS X Lion, you can choose a default of either the 32-bit or 64-bit kernal, by typing these commands in Terminal:

To select 64-bit mode as default:
sudo systemsetup -setkernelbootarchitecture x86_64

To select 32-bit mode as default:
sudo systemsetup -setkernelbootarchitecture i386

You can also boot up in either of these modes for one startup only without assigning a default mode. You can
do this by holding the 6 and 4 keys during startup for 64-bit mode or you can hold the 3 and 2 keys during startup for 32-bit mode.

Faster Search for Mac OS X using Terminal

Using Spotlight for file searches can be fast (even faster if you are using SSD) and it is also speedy to use the search field in the upper right corner of the Finder window, but there is an even faster way of searching through the files on your hard drive using Terminal.

In Terminal, you can use the Unix Command locate, this command relies on creating an index database for performing searches, much as Spotlight does, but the searches are much more efficient without the added operating system processes. However, when using this command, you must type the full filename and extension in order for it to find the queried file.

To set up an index database for Terminal in order to make locate command searches, simply type this command in Terminal:

sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.locate.plist

It will take some time to build an index, but note that once this process is done, the index file will not include any files added afterwards unless you perform this command again to include the new files.

In addition to using locate, you can also use the command mdfind. This Terminal command is another form of a Spotlight search, which uses the central metadata store without you having to build a separate index file.

The command mdfind can be used in various ways that the command locate cannot be used. You can find a list of uses for mdfind at Apple's Mac OS X Developer Library.

Find LCD Panel Model Number for your MacBook or iMac

The latest release of the Macbook Air reportedly has two different manufacturers for its high resolution display. Many people are now trying to verify which make and model display they have.

You can determine the model number by typing (or copying and pasting) this lengthy Terminal command:


ioreg -lw0 | grep IODisplayEDID | sed "/[^<]*</s///" | xxd -p -r | strings -6

After executing the command you should receive a set of digits and numbers. If you want to determine the manufacturer of your display, simply take the model number generated in Terminal and type it into Google. Usually various OEM part listings will show the name of the brand for your particular LCD screen.

*Note: This may not work with older iMac computers. It has been confirmed to work with most MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air machines.

Automatically fix the Clock Time on your Mac

Does your clock on your Mac occasionally display the incorrect time? This usually happens due to the battery and system hardware not syncing, thus there are lapses in the time count.


You can solve this problem by going to System Preferences, under the System pane go to Date & Time. Once there, check the "Set date and time automatically" box. Now you should be fully synced if and when you have an internet connection.

Change Name or Names on Mac Login Screen

In System Preferences you can easily change the name that appears next to your login picture on the screen when you first start your Mac computer.

Follow these few steps:

First, go into System Preferences, and then under Accounts you will see the field to change Full Name, this will change name that appears in black text next to the user icon before you log on.

What about the name that appears in gray under Mac OS X that reads "Blank's MacBook" or "Blank's iMac"? There is also a way to change this, but it is less obvious than the other name change. Here is what to do:

Go to System Preferences and choose Sharing, once you are there, you will see the field called Computer Name, in this space you can simply replace the first part or all of the text depending on what you want to appear when your system turns on.

Stop Safari crashing from Flash

All too often does one encounter a time when Safari will freeze and not respond to any input, and sometimes crashes altogether, losing any precious open webpages you didn't want to lose in the first place.

It's best to update to the latest Flash 10.1 because this latest version seems address some of the freezing in Safari, but unfortunately, not all of it.


If your browser becomes unresponsive due to Flash, you can use a very simple but effective Terminal technique:

Open Terminal using Spotlight (or however you wish to open it)

Type the following: killall -9 WebKitPluginHost


Now Terminal will quit all Flash Plugins in Safari, which will instantly stop the frozen state. You can then refresh the webpage to reload the plugin, hopefully without the freeze state occurring again anytime soon.

Enable Magic Mouse Free-Scrolling in Leopard

You might have noticed the ability to scroll through web pages with the trackpad on the Magic Mouse in a way that is similar to the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

It seems that Apple has only made this feature visible in System Preferences in Snow Leopard, but they have not added it to the interface on Leopard.

You can enable this kind of scrolling manually by typing some basic commands.

Simply start Terminal, and type the following (without quotation marks):

"defaults write com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothMultitouch.mouse MouseMomentumScroll -bool yes"

After doing this, you might have to check and uncheck the Scroll option in System Preferences, and now you should have free scrolling fully enabled.

How To Enable Password For Screen Saver

Maybe some of you might be wondering how to set a password for a Screen Saver on your Mac. It is a little confusing at first when you go to look for an option to enable your login password, because upon first glance there is not an option to set a password for Screen Savers in the Desktop & Screen Saver pane in System Preferences, like one might expect to find in the Screen Saver section of Display Properties for Windows.






Make sure you have already set a login password in Accounts, and then, all you have to do is go to System Preferences, and then click on Security. This is where the feature is hiding. Click on the General pane, if it is not already enabled. Then check "Require password after sleep or screen saver begins". You can change the interval for when the computer will ask for a password. The default is set to require a password immediately.

Moon Phase Widget

Ever wanted to find out which moon cycle we are in? There's not very many resources online for finding out about the Lunar Calendar, but now there's a nice and simple Dashboard Widget called Moon Phase which shows the current moon cycle and how many days and hours until the next cycle.





It is available for download here. It requires Mac OS 10.4 or later.

Weather Radar Widget

You can use this little Dashboard Widget called Radar In Motion which actively pulls the latest Radar information from Weather.com or the NOAA, and displays the Radar images in various ways every time you look in your Dashboard. The Widget inclues a fair amount of options for displaying the latest Radar information.









You have the option of viewing the latest images by city or zip code, along with National Radar and National Satellite images. This latest version allows for the ability to search maps by 3-letter Airport codes. You also have the ability to adjust the size of the window by double-clicking on the window itself.

This Widget is available for download at the Official Website. It requires Mac OS 10.4 or later.

Free SMS Dashboard Widget

You can send free text messages to any provider in the US or Canada by using this very simple little Dashboard Widget from txtDrop.com. No more looking up your carrier's website to send text messages if you don't have your cell phone handy. Just quickly bring up this little Widget and send your SMS instantly.






There's a Universal Binary available for download at their website. It requires Mac OS 10.4 or later.

Monitor Your Mac Widget

You can monitor many different statistics on your system using the iStat Pro Dashboard Widget. This handy all-in-one Widget seems to cover just about every statistic you would want to know on your Mac or Macs currently running and using different resources.




It features detailed information on CPU, Hard Drives, CPU and Hard Drive Temperature, Bandwidth, IP Addresses, Detailed Memory Usage (including Available RAM), Fans, Battery, etc. You can also filter specific disks and network interfaces.




The display of the Widget is very flexible, allowing you to shift around different panels of data. You can view in Graphs or Bars, change the panel length and style, display degrees in Celsius, Fahrenheit or Kelvin. The Widget can also be displayed in a variety of 9 different colors. It requires Mac OS 10.4 or later.

Show Random Desktop Picture After Restart

Those of you might already be aware that you can choose a folder of pictures to display in random order in the Desktop & Screen Saver section of System Preferences. But, sometimes when you reboot the mac, it reverts back to the default Desktop Image for the machine.



There's a handy way to get around this. You can go to the Desktop & Screen Saver section in System Preferences and choose Random Order for the Desktop Image. Then, create an Applescript file containing the following:

tell application "System Events"
  tell current desktop
    set random order to false
    set random order to true
  end tell
end tell

Now, go to System Preferences, choose Accounts, and then choose Login Items. Locate this new Applescript file on your mac and select it. Make sure that it is checked. Now when you shut down, power up or restart your system, your images should randomly display as they should.

Album Art For Dashboard Widget

Quickly displays the artwork of any currently playing song in iTunes. It also has the ability to fetch artwork from Amazon if no artwork is provided by iTunes.

It also includes a star rating for different songs. You can pause/play/skip songs in the same window or go directly to the iTunes Music Store.

Album Art Widget Version 2.9.2 can be downloaded here.