Is it possible to have your system preferences saved as a profile?

I have hooked my Mac up to my 40" TV. I'm using a clever little box that combines the minidisplay port and toslink into an HDMI output. However, I would like different settings in preferences depending on which display I'm using. For example I would like the dock, icons and cursor a bit bigger and optical audio output for the TV, but normal sized and analouge out for my usual monitor. Since I'll never be using both at the same time (I only have the one head) I'd like to be able to save my system preferences into 2 profiles and select between the 2 rather than manualy changing everything each time. Is this possible? It seems like it should be but I can't find a straight forward way to do it.
Two potential solutions spring to mind, first use different users for each display and switch between the 2 but this is far less than ideal. Secondly, set up for one display and save copies of the relevant plist files, then set up for the second display and save again then use a script/automator action to switch between the 2 and restart Finder. Although I have no idea about the technicalites of the second solution. All help appreciated.

Some progress on second idea. Saved a copy of universal access plist with cursor set to large then set the cursor to small again. Replacing the plist file had no effect until I went into the UA pane and changed a setting at which point it must rewrite the file and refresh because the cursor size also changed at this point.
Tried the same again and restarted Finder, no effect. Also tried altering another pref pane instead with no effect. Need a way to force the computer to look at the plist files, no idea how though. :-)

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My system preferences have suddenly disappeared! I have the language and text icon but that is the only icon that is displayed! where have my system preferences gone and how do i get them back??

I went to my system preferences today and they are all gone except for my language and text icon! I have the language and text icon but that is the only icon that is displayed! where have my system preferences gone and how do i get them back??

Double click on the picture of the HD on your desktop, then look at the bottom of the window that opens.
First check the S.M.A.R.T. status on your HD: Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility > in the panel at left, select the first item in the list/your HD mechanism > look atthe bottom of the main window next to S.M.A.R.T. status and see if it says “Verified” or something more ominous like “Failing.”
If S.M.A.R.T.status is "Verified," run Repair Disk: Boot from install disc (insert disc > restart > immediately hold down c key and keep holding it until you see “Preparing Installation”) > at first screen select the language and click Continue > click on the Utilities Menu in the menu bar > open Disk Utility > select your HD in the panel on the left side > click Repair Disk at bottom of main window. Run this at least twice, and keep running it until it says “appears ok” twice in a row. If that doesn’t happen, you may need a stronger utility such as DiskWarrior or if the directory is damaged beyond repair, you may need to reinstall the OS, or you may have a damaged HD (repair utilities can only repair the directory structure, not the HD itself). When this is finished, quit Disk Utility, quit the installer, and restart. Once booted normally, go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility and run Repair Permissions.

Is it possible to set your language preference on books so you can avoid looking at books in languages you are not interested in ?

Is it possible to set your language preference on books so you can avoid looking at books in languages you are not interested in ?

Hi,
I don't think so, I would be happy to have such function too.
In the French iBook store there is a section where you can find books by language, I guess in other countries there is the same section. But it's not really convenient…
Hope this helps,
Guillaume

Installing the new update for OSX has stopped my trackpad from swiping between pages in Safari. Whenever I try it Safari freezes and I have to quit. I have checked system preferences and the option is checked.

ave to quit. I have checked system preferences and the option is still checked. Is anyone having the same problem?

Go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J. When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder. Select Preferences/com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothMultitouch.trackpad.plist.
Move the .plist to your desktop.
Log out/in and test. If it works okay, delete the plist from the desktop.
If the same, return the .plist to where you got it from, overwriting the newer ones.
Thanks to leonie for some information contained in this.
You might need to redo the View settings after an update.

Help Problem NOT Solved Why have my system preferences suddenly started to reset back to default every time I reboot

Why have my system preferences suddenly started to reset back to default every time I reboot At first I thought it was happening because I disconnected my Google account, but now I've disable that account and switched to Firefox. I wasn't sure how my browser setting could have anything to do with my system preferences and now I think it's some glitch or missed setting that is causing the problem. Oh & I locked my preference panel and that did not help.
In addition to what I say above, not only are all my system preferences being reset to default, but also the preferences for word and Excel. I'm sure it's affecting other programs, but Word & Excel are the main ones that I have a lot of custom setting for. Especially annoying is the fact that my ribbon commands are reset. All this started happening when I signed up for a Google Drive account. The only system updates have been the usual security updates. I deleted my Google account but haven't uninstalled it. I'll try this, but I can't figure out how that would result in all OS preferences being reset.

Here are a few more:
"Data Rescue II" from prosofteng.com has a free download demo available. You will need to follow/read the directions carefully.
VirtualLab™ Data Recovery has a free download demo available.
DriveSavers Data Recovery is NOT free. However, they have a toll free contact phone #, international phone # & fax contact #'s. Also helpful Recovery Tips and Disaster Recovery for important precautions to prevent further data loss on their website.
http://www.stellarinfo.com
Stellar Phoenix Macintosh -- Mac data-recovery software -- recovers data from damaged, deleted, or corrupted volumes, and even from initialized disks. An exhaustive scan of the drive is performed to locate lost partitions. All found data in the lost partition is then presented in a tree structure so that you can copy your lost files to a working volume.
*FREE* DOWNLOAD DEMO
FileSalvage
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Is it possible to have your whole family on one apple id or is it better to have each person have there own? If each has their own does each id have to buy their own music and apps? How does find my iphone work with one apple id or two?

Is it possible to have your whole family on one apple id or is it better to have each person have there own? If each has their own does each id have to buy their own music and apps? How does find my iphone work with one apple id or two? also I am going to be going off to college soon should I make an itunes id for my self and how will I get all the music from the old id?

Is it possible to have your whole family on one apple id or is it better to have each person have there own?
Yes, it is possible. 1 apple ID can be associated with up to 10 devices.
If each has their own does each id have to buy their own music and apps?
Yes, all purchases are non-transferable.
How does find my iphone work with one apple id or two?
Every device associated with one apple ID through Find my iPhone is tied to that Apple ID; Find my iPhone will work in the same way with up to ten devices associated with one apple ID. You cannot enable Find my iPhone for one device across two apple IDs
I am going to be going off to college soon should I make an itunes id for my self and how will I get all the music from the old id?
If you have authorized a computer with the old apple ID, you can transfer old media purchased through the old to other devices via iTunes. This doesn't mean the media purchases through the old apple ID it transferred to the new account. If you plan to make future purchases and don't wish to share them with others, make your own apple ID.

The session variable, NQ_SESSION.OU_ORG, has no value definition.Please have your System Administrator look at the log for more details on this error. (HY000)

Hi All,
I have created a user 'Bitest' and group 'Bi_Test_Group'. Assigned the user to the group and the group to BI consumer role.
I gave access to only procurement and spend catalog folder reports and Dashboards.
When I login to BI Presentation Services with above created user and open any procurement and spent catalog dashboard i am getting below error in every report.
Its BI Apps 7.9.6.3 installation.I gave read access to group to all procurement and spent subject area.
Error Codes: OAMP2OPY:OPR4ONWY:U9IM8TAC:OI2DL65P:OI2DL65P
Odbc driver returned an error (SQLExecDirectW).
State: HY000. Code: 10058. [NQODBC] [SQL_STATE: HY000] [nQSError: 10058] A general error has occurred. [nQSError: 43113] Message returned from OBIS. [nQSError: 23006] The session variable, NQ_SESSION.OU_ORG, has no value definition.Please have your System Administrator look at the log for more details on this error. (HY000)
SQL Issued: {call NQSGetQueryColumnInfo('SELECT Fact."PO Amount" FROM "Procurement and Spend - Purchase Orders"')}
SQL Issued: SELECT Fact."PO Amount" FROM "Procurement and Spend - Purchase Orders"
Please help me in resolving this issue and getting results on Dashboard.
Thanks in advance
Thanks,
Sandeep

Check your query or connection pool settings etc

Is it possible to have your music and videos saved on different external drives and use the same iTunes library?

Is it possible to have your music and videos saved on different external drives and use the same iTunes library?
I am running out of space on my external hard drive and would like to split the movies and music between two external drives while using the same iTunes library is this possible.
My library is stored on the external drive all of my music etc is stored.

Yes.

Why do Mac games have higher system preferences compared to Windows games?

Hello,
I am wondering why Mac games have higher system preferences compared to Windows games?
For example "The Movies" game on Mac requires:
Mac: OSX 10.4 Tiger or later,
PPC G4 1.67 GHz,
512MB RAM,
64MB video card,
DVD drive (minimum)
Whilst on Windows:
PC: Windows 98SE or later
800 MHz CPU
256MB RAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible sound and video card.
Now anyone can see the amount Windows needs compaired to Mac but why such a huge leap.
And this isn't only on "The Movies" it's the same with "Sims 2" and "Age of Empires"
If you know why could you please respond.
Thanks,
James

Hi there vickivoo,
You may find the troubleshooting steps in the article below helpful.
Troubleshooting wireless mouse and keyboard issues
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts3048
-Griff W.

I installed Lion and now have 2 system preferences(1 original and 1 alias). How to fix?

I installed Lion and now have 2 system preferences(1 original and 1 alias). I'm trying to clean up Launchpad and I have 2 system preferences and 2 iTunes apps. How can I merge or remove the unecessary files?

No. It's perfectly safe. An alias is just a pointer to the actual file, not the file itself.
BTW, the icons in the Dock are also just aliases, so it's safe to remove those as well, and just keep the ones you use often.

I have TWO system preferences apps.

I have 2 System Preferences apps. The original is in my Utilities Folder (I moved it there to clean up my Applications Folder). The 2nd reappeaered in my Applications Folder when I restored my Mac from a backup. They both launched with no issues, so I tried to delete the one in my Utilties Folder, but I couldn't. I tried to lauch it again, but now it's damaged. The one in my Applications Folder is fine, so how do i get rid of the damaged one in my Utilities Folder?

When I try to delete, it goes to the trash as it should, but once I try to empty my trash I get a message saying it's currenlty being used or something. I'd type the exact message, but I'm at work and don't have my Mac on hand.

Is it possible to have your iphone4 hacked if they just have your number?

is it possible to have your iphone4 hacked if they just have your number?

If you are still having problems with the answer of "NO", then provide more details on what you mean by hacked.
Allan

Is it possible to reinstall the System Preferences without reinstalling Lion?

My System Preferences application works fine, except for the Network panel. When I try to start Network the system essentially hangs, i.e., I get the spinning color wheel and I can do very little else without large delays. All other panels work as expected. I have tried this many times through numerous reboots and power cycles. the problem first appeared last Saturday when I plugged in an ethernet cable for the first time in several months; ethernet had previously work fine. So, can I reinstall System Preferences without reinstalling Lion in its entirety? I have a 2007 Macbook (white) that cannot be upgraded to Mountain Lion.

Yes, I did too the first time. These improvements creep up on us.
Stephanie, I just responded to another posting of yours with a Time Machine question. Multiple postings divert resources and you may end up with contradictory information.
An install from the (grey) 10.6 disk will not erase your data. However, if you are using a TM backup that will write over everything and current data will be lost.
As I understand your two posts, I suggest install the operating system from the 10.6 disk.
Copy what data you can to your external hard disk.
Restore from the TM backup.
A restore from the Time Machine backup as I say will delete everything you have and replace it with the backup you select (depends on date). You can then transfer any files you copied to the hard disk if these are needed.

Why have my system preferences all been restored to default?

Hi,
Yesterday my iMac was really playing up, it was writing to the disk, being really noisy and overall not responding much. So after failing to reach the Apple Menu to shut down, I just held the power button on the back of my Alu iMac until it switched off (not slept). This morning I awake, and turn my computer on, log in. Everything seems fine, but, the default Dock is shown, spaces are inactive and all my System Preferences have been restored to defaults, therefore I imagine the System Preferences file or something was corrupt when I force shut down the computer, meaning it started afresh. I have a time machine backup (hallelujah for time machine!) so I can retrieve a certain file and replace it if needs be.
Could anyone give me instruction on how to get my System Preferences back the way I had them?
Thanks.

the system writes to various preference files when you quit applications or shut down normally. It does it by first deleting the old preference file and then replacing it with a new one. In the event of a crash or a hard shutdown it sometimes does the former but has no chance to do the latter. in that case that preference file is created with default values on restart.
It sounds like you have several problems with your computer and several pref files may have been involved. You might consider restoring the whole preferences folder from the library in your home folder (not the one at the top level of the hard drive). However, this might not fix all the problems if your system was seriously misbehaving. I would do a full system restore from TM from some time point before the problems started. to do that start from the leopard install DVD and once past the language screen choose "restore from backup from the Utilities menu at the top.

TS4185 I am having microphone trouble on face time. Others cannot hear me. I have checked system preferences and everything looks ok. Mic symbol has a line through it but nothing happens when I try to click on it. Internal mic is selected.

I am having microphone trouble on my Mac Book Pro during face time. Others cannot hear me. Microphone symbol has a line through it but will not allow me to change from muted to unmuted. "Mute" under Video tab is greyed out and internal microphone is selected. System Preferences show that internal microphone is working. I have tried to restart computer, no difference. Does anyone have a suggestion?

When you have kernel panics, the pertinent information is in the panic report.
These instructions must be carried out as an administrator. If you have only one user account, you are the administrator.
Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.
In the Console window, select
DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION ▹ System Diagnostic Reports
(not Diagnostic and Usage Messages) from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select
View ▹ Show Log List
from the menu bar.
There is a disclosure triangle to the left of the list item. If the triangle is pointing to the right, click it so that it points down. You'll see a list of reports. A panic report has a name that begins with "Kernel" and ends in ".panic". Select the most recent one. The contents of the report will appear on the right. Use copy and paste to post the entire contents—the text, not a screenshot.
If you don't see any reports listed, but you know there was a panic, you may have chosen Diagnostic and Usage Messages from the log list. Choose DIAGNOSTIC AND USAGE INFORMATION instead.
In the interest of privacy, I suggest that, before posting, you edit out the “Anonymous UUID,” a long string of letters, numbers, and dashes in the header of the report, if it’s present (it may not be.)
Please don’t post other kinds of diagnostic report.
I know the report is long, maybe several hundred lines. Please post all of it anyway.

Is it possible to have your system preferences saved as a profile?

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