error

Every now and then people write in regarding various errors they see in the system console, where you can review system messages and troubleshoot problems. Sometimes these errors may be related to problems in which the system cannot build or access a specific cache, which can be an application cache, or a system cache such as the kernel extension "kext" cache.

Usually, when caching problems happen, the system will not show any signs of malfunction. Caches are generally binary databases of commonly accessed files that make items easier to load, and if one is missing then the system … Read more

Using iCal linked with Apple's online MobileMe service is one way to synchronize your calendars across devices and make them available online wherever you have an Internet connection. Despite the benefits of this, a number of users have recently run into a problem in which setting alarms on future events results in an access-forbidden error that seems to pop up randomly.

For people experiencing this problem, if you create an event seven or more days in the future and then create an alarm or reminder for this event that occurs seven or more days in advance, iCal issues the … Read more

The team behind ChevronWP7, an application that was released last November as a way for users to install applications without going through Microsoft's Marketplace application or signing up for a paid developer account, says that Microsoft has fixed the "error" that had allowed the hack, and will be rolling out that fix as part of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 software update.

ChevronWP7 was available for user download for just a few days before being taken down by its three-man development team. Brandon Watson, director of developer Eexperience for Windows Phone 7, had gotten in touch with … Read more

Hosts files translate human-readable domain names--"yoursite.com"--to machine-readable IP addresses. HostsMan is a free yet powerful and comprehensive tool for managing, merging, updating, disabling, editing, protecting, and duplicating hosts files from a single interface. It packs some useful extras, too.

We chose to install HostsMan and its documentation but not the optional HostsServer, a local HTTP server for browsing with custom hosts files, or the HostsOptimizer, which is designed to prevent delays caused by the DNS Client Service. HostsMan's installer also gave us the option to disable our DNS Client Service and make a backup … Read more

ErrorZilla Mod is a free extension for Mozilla's Firefox Web browser that updates the domain access error page. It's basically the venerable ErrorZilla extension, only with the old logo replaced by the Firefox logo. It also sports a series of buttons accessing various DomainTools utilities for diagnosing what went wrong when Web sites don't load. It downloads and installs like any Firefox add-on; essentially automatically, with nothing to configure.

If a cop is never around when you need one, try finding a Web page that won't load. Fortunately, we hoard bookmarks, and we found one that … Read more

Some users have experienced an iOS syncing error after upgrading to iTunes 10.1 recently. The error, "Unknown error 0xE800000A," causes syncing to fail, specifically with an iPad.… Read more

A few people who have used Software Update to install OS X 10.6.5 are reporting an issue where the system will not open the downloaded update files. The Software Update utility will download the files, but then issue an error stating the files cannot be expanded. After this occurs, subsequent attempts to download the update fail in the same way.… Read more

The OS X Trash may sometimes give people problems where files cannot be deleted. Usually if you come across a file for which you do not have write privileges, the system will prevent you from moving it to the Trash. But there are instances when odd permissions setups for files can result in bizarre errors when you try to delete them.

One such error may be: "The operation can't be completed because an unexpected error occurred (error code -8003)," but others include a simple warning that you do not have enough privileges to perform the delete action.… Read more

Apple has released an update to its professional image-editing software Aperture, now version 3.1, as well as a handful of helpful troubleshooting knowledge base articles and information documents.

As with any update, it is recommended to create a stable backup of all your important data should anything unexpected go wrong with the installation of the new software.… Read more