So I get asked this a lot and on my day to day setup of any Apple silicon mahcine this is one of the first things I do in setting up a new build of macOS. All you need to do is open up Terminal paste in this command
“softwareupdate –install-rosetta”
press returned It prompts you to confirm by typing A press return and Rosetta is installed very quickly. You can also try this terminal command.
So this one is a little tricky as you need an old machine to setup the installer from. I would recommend a machine that has 10.15 Catalina or below as the Operating System anything more I think you will have an issue trying to download and run the installer. I did try it on a newish machine but when I downloaded the installer it timed out saying the OS would not be able to install. This is due to the machine being to young to run the old OS as the downloader thinks your trying to install say El Capitan to that machine which is why you need a old machine that can handle the old software. I have a old 2012 MacBook Pro which is fine to run the software and as it cannot run any OS higher that Catalina it works fine as the machine to run the terminal command to create the USB installer.
Anyhow we have now established you need an old machine to use as your terminal machine. Next we go to the download page from Apple.
Please note you can only go back as for as El Capitan if you want anything earlier good fortune trying to get it to work on a USB stick. The architecture is too old. I do have the old memory sticks for those installers however I am not sure they still work. I have checked and it still possible to create it using Deploy Studio but that is a real overkill. https://www.deploystudio.com
When you go to the Apple support page for the downloads the legacy options are down the bottom of the page under Use a Web Browser for older versions.
You need to select the macOS you need I would advice you choose El Capitan. All the other installers don’t have a terminal command to run to build your USB stick installer. I did have an article on my site with a few of the old OS that might still work. I did find Sierra and Yosemite where a bit hit and miss if they worked or not. You do have to ask the question why is only El Capitan the only one with a terminal command on Apple support page. Anyhow you have choose the installer you want and clicked the download. an installer file will download. On the legacy machine run the installer and it builds the installer app for the machine in the applications folder, it will also show the OS window wizard you could run through if you wanted to install this OS over the current account much like any of the new installers. Once this is done close the installer wizard and open up terminal and plug in the USB drive. The USB drive needs to be a decent size I would work on 16GB, you can install it on 8GB but why bother the price of the USB is so cheap these days it’s not worth the hassle. With the USB stick plugged in (it should show up on the desktop) highlight and press return this will allow you to change the name of the USB it must be the same name as the terminal command MyVolume then click off. You can change the name to whatever you want but the default is easy and then there is no changing or tweaking the terminal command from the help page. It’s your decision, I just try and keep everything simple.
The next thing is highlight and copy then paste the terminal command from the help page into terminal and press enter. It will prompt you for the password and the Y to say yes to confirm what you want terminal to do. On the old OS it should not ask you to gain access to the USB and should go ahead and run the command to move the data to the USB stick. It’s going to take a while to do but once done it will show in Terminal the job is complete. You can then eject the disc and I would then test the installer works on a machine that can handle the OS so any machine below 2012 I think would do.
In short it’s like the other installers the only difference is you need an old machine, download the installer, run the installer, close the installer then USB stick name change and run the terminal command from Apples help page or use the code I enclose here.
Download Sequoia from the app store. Once downloads plug in the USB stick change the name to MyVolume. Check the Installer has download by checking the Applications folder then use this terminal command to run in terminal to create the boot stick.
You will be promoted for the admin password. Then confirm with a y in terminal. The installer will go away and ask to give access to the drive (USB) older OS might not ask you this question. Once confirmed wait for the installer to setup the USB stick. This will take a while depending on the speed of the USB. Once completed the Terminal window will state the the media is now ready.
To confirm boot to the USB stick and install from the USB stick. Note If you decide to format the drive and it’s a silicon machine the machine will reboot. On a reboot it will boot to the current recovery OS of that machine so if Sonoma was installed it will boot to that and ask you to re install that OS. You will need to boot to the Sequoia memory stick so I would reboot to that stick which will allow you to install and test the USB stick you just created.
Download Sequoia from the app store. Once downloads plug in the USB stick change the name to MyVolume. Check the Installer has download by checking the Applications folder then use this terminal command to run in terminal to create the boot stick.
You will be promoted for the admin password. Then confirm with a y in terminal. The installer will go away and ask to give access to the drive (USB) older OS might not ask you this question. Once confirmed wait for the installer to setup the USB stick. This will take a while depending on the speed of the USB. Once completed the Terminal window will state the the media is now ready.
To confirm boot to the USB stick and install from the USB stick. Note If you decide to format the drive and it’s a silicon machine the machine will reboot. On a reboot it will boot to the current recovery OS of that machine so if Sonoma was installed it will boot to that and ask you to re install that OS. You will need to boot to the Sequoia memory stick so I would reboot to that stick which will allow you to install and test the USB stick you just created.
Browse with Microsoft Edge across all your devices
Hello all Mac Users,
For this article we are going to look at Microsoft Edge for Mac. Since the last Microsoft web browser for the Macintosh was ‘Internet Explorer for Mac’ back in 1996 with the Power PC and Mac Operating system running classic and then Mac OS X finishing with Tiger 10.4 or as we all called it ‘tigger’ because it sounded cooler.
From 2019 Microsoft brought Edge to the Mac. Their web browser had already replaced Internet explorer on the windows platform and was looking at direct competition to other top web browsers available for mac.
Lets dive into the browser and its operation in the Mac world.
At the first look you get the option to download either the Intel or Apple Silicon version.
Screenshot
Much like lots of other software make sure you select the correct download to install.
Installation is quick and straightforward, allowing you to dive into the web with minimal effort. You will need an admin password to install the browser like most apps these days for the Mac.
You then get the option to sign into your Microsoft account to sync between devices which can be handy if you work that way. On the account options it’s not a showstopper if you don’t have a Microsoft account however for easy I have found having one helps in your day to day operation.
The account can join the other online accounts you signed up to from Google or iCloud Apple ID.
So installation is complete you have or have not signed in to Microsoft account your now ready to browse the tinerweb. You can customise the browser and layout much like Chrome try’s to force you to do. I would recommend you set you default language before you start your browser experience. The key features like Familiar interface works identical to that of its Windows relative. Performance is rather good and much quicker in its responses and browser experiences to its main competitor Google Chrome. To date I have not had the compatible issues I get with Safari or Firefox when working within certain websites which have clearly been written for the windows platforms. I know you can always use the Safari workaround with the developers option to tell the web page your working in “edge” not safari browser however I have found when I get a compatibility issue I just open the same site in a different web browser application. Anyhow back to Edge. The Security feature works in sync with Microsoft Defender just remember you need a Microsoft 365 account to sign into Microsoft Defender to allow it to work. The Cross platform sync works with my 365 Account on Edge inside Windows however I love the Apple ID icloud integration on the Mac with Safari and the keychain so my 365 account is completely separate and not linked to my Apple ID. I have done this intentionally so I don’t have any sync issues between devices.
Finally it has the “edge features” in the top right corner of the browser which I am sure everyone used religiously or not.. like the weather (what is it about the UK and our fascination with the weather). My patch of the UK its always raining…….
Nominations can be handy depending how you have set them up to alert you and the layout page is smooth and easy to understand and operate.
Screenshot
In short I would look at it as another browser option you might need or keep it in reserve on your Mac system. To embark on this new browsing journey, simply download Microsoft Edge from the official website.
If you have any questions or need assistance in exploring Microsoft Edge’s features, feel free to reach out. We’re here to help! Or as I say I like a challenge.
So Microsoft defender for mac has now appeared when you download and install the full Office 365 package for your mac. According to some reports the software has been around since 2019; however its only now been include in the full build of 365 for Mac download. Looking at the programme you would think that it would be as simple setup as it if by default on a windows machine.
Well, you would be greatly disappointed. The programme needs a registered Microsoft individual account to work and before you rush off and create a dummy Microsoft account to pair the software to the mac the account does need a Microsoft 365 personal or family licence to work with.
For business users it’s not that easy either you need the Business packaged bolt on to your work account. Prices start at £2.5 + vat per user. (click here for link)
So, you’ve gone through the hurdles, ticked all the boxes, and managed to register the device on your individual Microsoft 365 account. Next, you will encounter the privacy and security tick box to enable the program to run in the background as a live antivirus for your Mac. This process has been well fine-tuned since Apple’s OS decided to lock down the software in System Preferences, or as it is now called in the latest OS versions, System Settings. The Microsoft Defender Shield icon marks itself with a little tick to show it’s live and enabled via privacy and security.
Like most other Anti Virus for Mac, the programme is managed from the finder window at the top of your mac. There are 4 options:
1: Live event “no Action needed”
2: Quick Scan “scans the drive for suspect issues etc”
3: Protection history “ in short a list of the scans, any upsets or highlights of the programme”
4: Open Microsoft Defender “ the programme when you can manage the software programme”
As for its reliability, well, we will need to wait and see. It is very basic and has limited functions, unlike some of the paid competition programs like Bitdefender; however, the interface within the managed devices in the Defender online portal is very clear and has a clean layout. As for people adopting Microsoft Defender for their Mac, I would doubt it.
The hurdles you have to go through just to install it on your Mac due to license issues are enough to put people off. If you already pay for your individual or family version of 365, then yes, you might adopt it for your Mac. It’s worth running a test of the software to see how you get on. Let’s not forget there are several ‘free’ versions of antivirus out there, including Malwarebytes and AVG, to name a few. I would always err on the side of caution with anything free, and antivirus programs are no exception.
Finally, I inputted Microsoft Defender and what it used to be called Windows Defender ‘for Mac’ into ChatGPT, and its response was very entertaining and around 12 months out of date. Oh well…
I am tempted to place its response in this article, but to dangle a carrot and see what results you get, why not input your own search and see what results you get.
Anyhow, enjoy your day, and see you soon for the next Mac announcement.
In this video we see how to create multiple OSX installers for different Operating Systems onto 1 USB external Hard drive using either Terminal or a program called Disk Maker X.
Here is a quick video on how to use preview on a mac in reducing a PDF to a size that would be manageable for any email client. Also show the option of using a downloadable filter to use in preview for different PDF size conversions. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4975061?tstart=0
