permissions

How to fix drive-permissions problem in OS X

Secondary volumes such as external USB and FireWire hard drives are often used with multiple computers, and if the drive contains a permissions-aware filesystem such as Apple's HFS+ (the default Mac filesystem) then it can inherit various permissions settings from the systems it's used with. While that's not usually an issue, these permissions can sometimes block access to parts of the hard drive so it can't be read from or written to.

To deal with this problem, Apple includes an option to ignore permissions on secondary drives, which can be invoked by selecting the drive and … Read more

How to configure Firefox plug-ins to load only when clicked

Firefox is a powerful Web browser, in part, because of its support for plug-ins. Unfortunately, some of those plug-ins can cause problems with security and stability, especially if you have a lot of them. In Firefox 14, you can now configure plug-ins to load only when clicked. Seth Rosenblatt first reported on the feature with Firefox 14 Aurora. Now that the stable version of 14 (technically 14.01) is finally out, here's how to enable and use opt-in plug-ins in Firefox:

Enable opt-in plug-ins in Firefox

Step 1: In the address bar, type "about:config." When you … Read more

What happens during permissions repair in OS X?

One of the commonly recommended maintenance routines in OS X for tackling system slowdowns and other performance problems or odd behavior is to run a "permissions fix" on the boot drive. This is done with Disk Utility, and because it will not hurt the system to perform it is often one of the first suggestions people offer for troubled systems.

Permissions in OS X are file and folder attributes that grant a specific user or group access rights to that file or folder. There are two types of permissions in OS X, the first being traditional UNIX permissions, … Read more

Accessing old files in OS X after a hard drive upgrade

The hard drive on most Mac systems is one of the user-serviceable components of the system, so you can follow instructions such as these provided by Apple to access and replace the drive to upgrade it, or swap a broken one out for a working one. The replacement of the hardware can be relatively straightforward, but sometimes you might run into hurdles when accessing files in user accounts and other locations on the older drive.

While Apple offers options to migrate user files, accounts, and settings to the new drive either from the old drive directly or from a backup, … Read more

How to browse another account's files in OS X

When you log in to an account in OS X, the Finder process opens and allows you to browse files within that account, organize them, delete them, or open them for editing if needed. However, if you can't log in to the account, then browsing its files may be a bit more difficult.

If a problem occurs in a user account in OS X that prevents it from logging in correctly, then often the solution is simply to remove preference files, caches, or other files that the account loads at log-in. This can be done with the Terminal if … Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week people wrote in with questions about permissions errors after network file transfers, a system always booting to Verbose mode, the threat of the Flashback malware for iOS users and the potential for the removal tools to cause problems with Java installations, and Time Machine being stuck in a "Preparing Backup" mode after a crash. We welcome alternative approaches and views from readers, so if you have any suggestions, post them in the comments!

Question: Permissions errors after network file transfer MacFixIt … Read more

One last time to get Loaded

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Android app security flaw Google+ redesign gets mocked Sony launches SmartWatch And this is the final episode of Loaded! In just a few days, we will launch our new daily tech news show, CNET Update. We thank you for watching Loaded all these years, and we can't wait to show you what we have in store. Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (HD) |  RSS (MP3) |  RSS (320x180) |  RSS HD

Android gives 'no permissions' apps access to sensitive info

Thanks in large part to Android's history of lax app policing, Google's mobile operating system has been criticized as insecure.

But now it appears that apps with no permissions pose a new threat, gaining access to sensitive personal information without authorization. Leviathan Security Group researcher Paul Brodeur explained in a blog post earlier this week that he created a proof-of-concept to demonstrate that "no permissions" apps still have access to the device's SD card, handset identification data, and files stored by other apps.

On the SD card, Brodeur's app yielded a list of all … Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week people wrote in with questions about a Mac continuously booting to Safe Mode, an apparent missing option to ignore ownership on an external volume, where and how to look up Mac model information, and ways to prevent OS X from reopening programs and windows at startup. We welcome alternative approaches and views from readers, so if you have any suggestions then post them in the comments!

Question: Mac continuously booting to Safe Mode MacFixIt reader Andreas asks:

My iMac (late 2009 27", … Read more