Two months ago, I accidentally dropped a locked font file on to my desktop. Dragging it to the trash didn’t work so I searched for a way to delete it. Finally, I’ve found the solution to deleting those pesky locked files.

If you’re seeing the message “The operation could not be completed because the item ‘(item name)’ is locked.” message, then you’re having the same problem.

Unlock the File, Then Delete

The trick is to unlock the file first, then you can drag it to the trash and delete it for good! So the question is;

How do you unlock the file?

Try this first: Select the file you are trying to move, then choose Get Info from the File menu. If the Locked box is checked, deselect it, then try moving the file again.

If that doesn’t work – don’t worry. It didn’t unlock my font file either. You’ll have to use Terminal to unlock the file (it’s easy):

1. Open Terminal (/Applications/Utilities).
2. Type this, followed by a space: sudo chflags -R nouchg
3. Drag the folder you would like to unlock into the Terminal window.
4. Press Return.
5. Enter your password and press Return.
6. Quit Terminal

The file should be unlocked – Drag it to the trash and delete it!

If you’re still having trouble unlocking the file, try this page on support.apple.com

Got more than one person using your Mac? I do. My Mac is shared with a 18 year old. She’s constantly listening to terrible (pop) music and downloading junk to my desktop – and I’m sick of it.

I think it’s time to give Jade her own desktop to clutter with files AND to keep my files organized and save.

*IMPORTANT* Does your default account require a password? If so, please write it down before going any further because you’ll be at risk of never having access to the Admin account if you follow this tutorial. Please write down the password now!

Here’s an easy way to create a second user account on your Mac using OSX 10.5 – AKA Leopard.

Open System Preferences

In the Dock, click on System Preferences

Open Accounts

Now click on the Accounts icon

Unlock Accounts

The Accounts area is locked by default. To unlock the accounts and make changes, click on the Lock

Enter Password

1. If your main account requires a password, you’ll have to enter it now.

2. Click OK when done.

Ready To Make Changes

Now you should see your main account (Admin) at the top of the window on the left and a guest account below.

We could use the guest account, but I want another user account that’s password protected so we’ll create a totally new account in the next couple steps.

Login Options

Click on Login Options to get started.

Automatic Login Setting

My Mac is set up to automatically login as the admin when the computer is turned on. To change that, we need to change the automatic login setting.

Click the drop down menu and select Disabled.

This will give us the option to choose our Account the next time the computer is shut down – or if we decide to logout.

Create The New User Account

Click the + icon under the Login Options

New User Account Options

This screen is where you’ll enter the name, password and password hint for the new account.

Enter all of the required information and click Create Account when you’re finished.

*NOTE: If you’re creating this account for a child, you can set Parental Controls by using the drop down menu next to New Account at the top. For this tutorial, we’re going to leave it on Standard.

New Account Created!

To personalize the account, you can select a click on the image in the center to select a new icon.

Test The New User Account

Quit System Preferences to test the new Account.

1. Now click on the Apple Menu

2. Click Log Out at the bottom

Confirm Log Out

Are you sure you know the password for the Admin account? If you don’t know the password for the Admin account – Click Cancel immediately! If you Log Out and can’t remember the Admin password, you’ll never be able to login to that account again! PLEASE write down the password and keep it in a safe place – before you Log Out.

Click Log Out to… log out!

You’re Done!

After you log out, you’ll be shown a screen where you can select a user account to login to… Make sure you know the password for the Admin account before you Log Out! Otherwise, you’ll be making a trip to the Genius Bar at the Apple Store.

I thought Digital Copy would run HandBrake and other DVD copy software out of business. So today I decided to try out Digital Copy for real and back up my claims (and blog post) from a short time ago.

Back when I wrote about Digital Copy killing HandBrake, I didn’t have all of the facts. All I knew was that digital copy was coming and it was going to make life so much easier for all of us who watch movies on our Macs, AppleTV, iPhones and iPods…

I was half-right.

Digital copy makes it easier to transfer movies to our Apple products (I’m assuming again because I haven’t tried it), but we’ll all have to pay for the convenience.

Where’s The Digital Copy File? It’s On The DVD, Right?

I opened iTunes and stuck the Juno DVD in my Mac. iTunes will recognize the DVD and instantly copy the correct movie file right to my library – just like Apple said it would. That’s what I thought, but it didn’t happen.

The movie started playing in DVD Player – like a “regular” DVD and that wasn’t supposed to happen. I picked up the DVD case and read the back. Looking for anything that might be a “digital copy” icon.

No icon. No good.

“No problem. iTunes didn’t recognize it this time. It happens” I thought. I clicked the DVD on my desktop and opened it up. Here’s what I found:

The two folders every DVD has: AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS. No digital copy file or usable video file anywhere.

After about 10 minutes of searching the folders and reading the back of the DVD case (about 12 times) I figured something was wrong. This DVD of Juno did NOT have the digital copy file.

Digital Copy Costs More Money

I did some quick research at Amazon.com and found that the Juno DVD that we bought for $15.99 (the cheapest version) doesn’t have digital copy.

If you want to buy the Juno DVD with digital copy, you’ll have to buy the two-disc Special Edition with Digital Copy for $22.99…

Or grab the Blu-ray version of Juno DVD with digital copy for $24.99

In fact, all of the movies I found that have digital copy – all of them are Special Edition and cost anywhere between $5-$10 more.

Look For The Green, Digital Copy Banner

After surfing a few more movies at Amazon.com, I found that all of the versions with digital copy have a green banner at the top with the text “Digital Copy.” – Clever right?

Can you find the green Digital Copy banner in this picture?

If you can find a DVD with the green banner, you’re golden! The digital copy file should be waiting and ready for your viewing pleasure.

HandBrake Ain’t Dead Yet

My guess is people won’t want to pay the extra money to get the Special Edition of a DVD just to get the digital copy file – and and easier way to transfer the movie to your iPhone, iPod or Mac – Especially when HandBrake is free.

I’m thinking that HandBrake will continue to be used by thousands of Mac owners as the movie copy software of choice.

This tutorial will show you how to create your own widget using Dashcode. You can create all kinds of widgets with Dashcode including Photocasts, Guages, RSS Feeds, Maps and anything else you can think of.

You’ll need Dashcode installed on your Mac. You can download Dashcode free from Apple or you can use your Leopard install disk to install Dashcode.

For this example, we’re going to create a custom RSS widget for your favorite website AppleSlut.com! Of course, you can create this RSS widget for any website with an RSS feed, but we’ll use this website for now.

Sounds good? Let’s rock…

Open Dashcode

Dashcode will be installed in your Developer folder by default – NOT your regular Applications folder as shown above. Open your hard drive > Developer folder > Applications > Dashcode. Double click Dashcode to open it.

Select RSS

Now that you’ve got Dashcode open, you should see the list of Widget Templates.

1. Click the RSS template.

2. Click Choose at the bottom of the screen.

RSS Widget Started!

Your RSS Widget has now been started and you should see the screen above. Got it? Great… Next step…

Grab Your Favorite RSS Feed

1. Open Safari and go to www.AppleSlut.com

2. Click the blue RSS button as shown.

Find The Feed URL

Now you should see the address: feed://appleslut.com/feed – This is the URL we need to plug into our Widget. We’ll Copy and Paste it. Highlight the entire URL so it turns blue like shown. (To highlight it, just click at one end and drag your mouse all the way across to the other side.)

Copy And Paste The Feed URL

Go to the Edit menu and select Copy

Back To Dashcode

Go back to Dashcode and click on the little arrow next to RSS Properites as shown.

Select The Feed URL Field

Click inside the empty field next to Feed URL. The Field should be outlined in blue when it’s selected.

Paste The Feed URL

Go to the Edit menu and select Paste from the drop down. This will paste the Feed URL we copied from AppleSlut.com

Mark As Done

In the Workflow Steps area, Find the Provide RSS Feed box. Click Mark as Done. This will show us how many tasks are left so we can keep track of what’s left until our Widget is ready to be used! Cool right?…

Set Attributes

Click on the Set Attributes button to open the panel.

Click The Attributes Arrow

Click the tiny arrow next to Attributes to open the next area.

Add The Widget Itentifier

Every Widget needs an original “Widget Identifier.” The Widget Identifier must be written in the required format or it won’t work. Just type this exactly to make sure it works: com.appleslut.widget.rssfeed

Mark As Done

In the Set Attributes panel, click Mark as Done to show you’ve finished this step.

Test Your Widget!

In the top, left corner of the screen, click on the green Run arrow to test your widget and make sure it’s actually working!

It Works!

You’re RSS widget should be working just like it will in the Dashboard. Use the scroll bar to see all of the previous posts on the blog.

Stop The Test

In the top, left corner of the screen, click on the red Stop button to end the test and get back into editing mode.

Give Your RSS Widget A Cool Name

Click on Untitled in the left panel to edit your Widget.

Name The RSS Widget

Now double click on the text “My RSS Feed” to begin editing. Type something cool like “AppleSlut.com Rules!” – or something else. Totally up to you.

Customize The Font Size & Color!

Click on the blue Inspector button to open up the text editor window

Go Nuts!

In the Text window, you’ll have the chance to change everything about the text. The font family, style, color and size. You can even add a shadow to the text. Go crazy… but make it look good!

Customize Your RSS Widget Even More

If you want to change the look of your widget, just click the buttons shown as 1, 2, 3 and 4 above. They’ll bring up new ways to change the look of your widget. Check out the Help files in Dashcode for more information on customizing your widget.

Deploy Your Widget!

You’re almost done! Just a couple quick steps and you’ll have your custom widget done…

To get your widget ready to use in Dashboard, you’ve got to “Deploy” it. To do this, click on the File menu and select Deploy Widget from the dropdown.

Name & Save Your RSS Widget

1. Give your widget a name you’ll remember. I went with “AppleSlut RSS Widget”

2. Select the 10.4.0 backward-compatible widget version – just incase you give this widget to somebody else!

3. Click the Save button

Install Your Widget!

Your new widget is now sitting on your desktop. Double click it to start the install!

Confirm The Widget Install

Click Install to continue

LAST STEP!

Just click Keep and you’ve got a brand spankin new widget! Congratulations!

Dashcode is a free program that is on every OS X Leopard install disk. If you have you Leopard disk, you can use it to install the Dashcode. If you’re like me and you can’t find your Leopard disk, then you can download Dashcode from Apple. This tutorial will show you where & how to download Dashcode so you can create your very own Widgets! Let’s go…

Apple Developer Connection Registration

You need to join the Apple Developer Connection (ADC) so you can download Dashcode and make your widget. Go to the ADC Member signup page click the Join Now button and fill out the form on the next page.

You’re An Apple Developer now!

Don’t you feel special? You should see this page now. Look to the top, right corner to find your name. If you see your name, that means you’re logged into the developer area – and you can now download Dashcode.

Download Xcode 3

Go to Apple’s Download Xcode page ( http://developer.apple.com/technology/xcode.html ). Click the Download Now button that’s next to "Xcode 3 for Mac Development." Why download Xcode? Because the software you need is part of Xcode. If you read the small print you’ll see that Dashcode is one part of Xcode. Unfortunately, we’ve got to download everything to get Dashcode.

Confirm Your Password

Apple just wants to make sure you’re a real person, so you have to enter the password you created a minute ago. Enter it and click Login

Now You Can Download Xcode 3

Click on Xcode 3.0 (Disk Image) to start the download. The file is big – 1.1 GB – so it might take a while. This is the perfect time to write a comment on this blog and tell me how great I am – or how much you love this tutorial. : )

Still Downloading

Enjoy some coffee or a high-fructose, corn syurp beverage while you wait.

Install Dashcode

Double click on the xcode_3.0.dmg to start the install.

Start The Dashcode Installation

Double click on the Dashcode.pkg to start installing Dashcode – finally! Follow all of the instructions just like any other software installation. When it’s finished you’ll be able to create your own Widgets!

Today is Part 2 of How to Create Your Own Dashboard Widget. You’ll learn how to create a widget that will display an image. In a few steps, you’ll have your very own widget. This tutorial is a little bit more advanced than creating a widget with Safari, but still doable.

REQUIRED: You’ll need a PNG image for this tutorial. Resize the image so it will look good with your other widgets. We’re going to create a widget that will display this image in the dashboard.

Follow along carefully and be ready to try something new… Let’s get started!

Create a New Folder on Your Desktop

From the file menu, click “New Folder.” This will create a new folder on your desktop.

Rename the Folder

Rename the folder to: Image Widget.wdgt – then press the return key.

Click “Add” in the Pop-Up

You’ll be asked to confirm the new name of the folder. Click “Add” when you see this message.

Widget Icon Created!

Notice the folder has changed into a Dashboard Widget Icon – that’s what we want! Great job so far

Select the Image Widget.wdgt

Click on you Image Widget.wdgt once to select it.

Get Info

With the Image Widget.wdgt selected, go to “File” and then select “Get Info”

Hide The “.wdgt” Extension

In the Name & Extension section, check the box next to “Hide Extension” Then close the Info window.

Show The Widget Contents

Hold down the “Control” key on your keyboard and click the Image Widget. This will bring up a menu where you should select “Show Package Contents.”

Keep The Folder Open

Now the folder “Image Widget” should be open as shown above. Keep this folder open so you can drag & drop files into it.

Rename Your Image

Change the file name of your image to: Default.png

Drag The Default.png Into The “Image Widget” Window

Drag the Default.png image into the Image Widget folder.

Open TextEdit

Open TextEdit so we can create a required file for the Widget.

Change The TextEdit Format

Now that TextEdit is open, we have to change the format of the document so it will work with our Widget. In the Format menu, select “Make Plain Text”

Start Typing!

Copy the code below and paste into your TextEdit document:

<?xmlversion=“1.0″encoding=“UTF-8″?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC“-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN” “http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd”>
<plistversion=“1.0″>
<dict>
<key>AllowNetworkAccess</key>
<false/>
<key>CFBundleDevelopmentRegion</key>
<string>English</string>
<key>CFBundleDisplayName</key>
<string>ImageWidget</string>
<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
<string>com.my.widget.Untitled</string>
<key>CFBundleName</key>
<string>ImageWidget</string>
<key>CFBundleShortVersionString</key>
<string>1.0</string>
<key>CFBundleVersion</key>
<string>1.0</string>
<key>MainHTML</key>
<string>index.html</string>
</dict>
</plist>

Save The Document As: Info.plist

In the File menu, select “Save As…” In the next screen type the name as: Info.plist

Warning!

You’ll see this warning. Click “Use .plist”

Drag Info.plist Into The Image Widget Folder

Now drag the Info.plist file into the Image Widget folder.

Create A New TextEdit File

Go back to TextEdit and open a new file. Click the File menu, then select New

Change The TextEdit Format Again

In the Format menu, select “Make Plain Text”

Type The Image Code

Type this code in the TextEdit document: <img src=Default.png>

Save As…

Select File, then Save As…

Save As Index.html

Type index.html into the Save As field

Warning!

Click Use .html

Drag The index.html File Into The Image Widget Folder

Drag the index.html file into the Image Widget folder

Double Check Your Files!

You should have 3 files in your Image Widget folder. They are:

1. Default.png

2. index.html

3. Info.plist

If you’re missing any of the files, now is the time to go back and create them.

Launch Your Widget!

If you’ve got all the files – and followed all the steps – you can now launch your widget! Just double click the Image Widget on your desktop!

Warning!

When you double click the Image Widget, you’ll get this pop-up window. Click Install to see your widget in action!

Last Step!

Now you’ll be asked to Keep or Delete your new Image Widget! Click Keep and you’re done! Ta-Dah!

This is the quick and easy way to create your very own Dashboard Widget for your Mac. This feature is built into Safari – so you can create widgets on anything and everything you want as long as it’s on a website.

I’m going to create a widget using the "iTunes Free Single Of The Week" (on the right side of this website). That way I can open my widgets to see – and download – the free singles every week without actually visiting this website.

Cool right? Let’s get started…

1. Open Safari

Safari is the only internet browser that can make dashboard widgets. Click on the Safari icon in the dock to open it.

2. Click the Scissors Button

The scissors / dotted line button will let you pick a section of the website to use as a widget. The screen will turn slightly grey and you can move the mouse around to highlight the area or section you want.

3. Highlight & Click the “iTunes Free Single of the Week”

Highlight the Free Singles section and click it to "select" the area. When you click, you should see the circles on the corners as shown.

4. Click “Add”

You should see the "Cancel" and the "Add" buttons at the top of Safari. Click "Add" to instantly create the widget. Or you can click "Cancel" to start over.

5. Start Using & Loving Your New Dashboard Widget!

Your new widget should be added to the Dashboard and working perfectly. Now you can download free music anytime!

Want to create a dashboard widget for your Mac? Me too. This week I started looking around for ways to do it. After days of research, I found 2 ways you can make a widget… They are:

1. Use Safari to Make a Dashboard Widget (easy)
2. Code A Simple Image Widget Easily (medium)
3. Create A Widget From The Ground Up With Dashcode (advanced)

Over the next several days I’ll try to explain each one in detail – but fear not! You don’t have to be a programmer to follow the steps (but it might help). To be continued…

In my last post I talked about how you can set up Spaces on your Mac. Let’s continue the discussion and find out how I should be using Spaces and why I try to open Spaces on my PC at work (PCs don’t have Spaces!) and more.

Any Spaces Tips? I know Spaces are meant to be simple, but for some odd reason I don’t feel like I’m using them to their full potential. Maybe it’s because of the way I organize them or the fact that I click the mouse scroll wheel to open Spaces. If there are any clever ways to use Spaces – I want to hear them!

“I’ll never use Spaces” – That’s what I told myself when I first heard about Spaces. I just couldn’t see how they’d be useful. Of course I changed my tune when I started using them. Immediately I found the value of keeping your working area clean and having a clear shot to the desktop without a bunch of applications getting in the way. Plus, they make my 17 inch monitor feel bigger than it is because I can have multiple applications open at the same time and not feel squashed for space.

Just One Application Per Space. I like to keep it simple so I only have 4 Spaces. Each Space has only one application in it. My standard configuration is Firefox in the top left, Mail in the bottom left, iTunes in the top right and Photoshop (or other software) in the bottom right.

PCs Don’t Have Spaces. I wish they did, but they don’t. In fact, I’ve become so used to using Spaces on my Mac at home that I’ll try to open them on my PC at work. That’s the true sign you’ve become dependent on a single feature – when you try to use it no matter where you are or what system you’re working on because it’s that useful – which makes you assume every operating system has it.

What Sucks About Spaces? Nothing. I love Spaces and I honestly can’t think of anything I’d change. They’re very simple and straight-forward and I’m not sure if it’s possible to improve on that. (I said that about the first version of the iPod!) But this is Apple, so you know they’ll find some tiny way(s) to make it better.

How do you use Spaces?

P.S. Spaces is only available in the newest version of Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard: Order today and get free shipping at the Apple Store!

Spaces have been extremely useful for me and my tiny 17-inch iMac. My screen is small so I get lost with open applications all the time. That’s why I’ve started using Spaces and dropping at least one application into each Space. So here’s a little tutorial and description of my Spaces setup:

1. In the Dock, click on System Preferences.

2. In the System Preferences window, click on Exposé & Spaces

3. Setup Spaces. Now you’re ready to set up your Spaces any way you like, but first you need to enable Spaces. Just click the check box next to Enable Spaces to turn them on.

4. Spaces icon in the Menu Bar. If you’d like to see the Spaces icon in the Menu Bar, just check the box next to Show Spaces in menu bar (up by the clock). This option gives you a quick way to switch spaces by clicking the icon, then the Space you’d like to view. Easy.

5. Rows & Columns. To add or remove rows and columns, click the plus (+) and minus (-) signs in the black area. You can have just 2 Spaces or up to 16. I go with four because I don’t use many applications at once and it’s easy to manage and remember which Space holds a specific application.

6. Application Assignments. I don’t mess with this area, but feel free to fool around with it. All it does is assign current applications to a specific Space. You can do this much easier and quicker by dragging and dropping applications when in the “Spaced-Out” view of your Spaces.

7. Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts. The only options I changed are the To Activate Spaces dropdown menus. The first one I set to blank because I don’t use the F-keys, and the second option I set to Middle Mouse Button because I use a two-button mouse with a clickable scroll wheel. This setup lets me click down on the scroll wheel to show all my Spaces. Feel free to set it up however it works best for you.

8. Drag & Drop Applications. Now that your Spaces are set up, you can open a few applications and drag & drop them when in the “Spaced-Out” view.

P.S. Spaces is only available in the newest version of Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard: Order today and get free shipping at the Apple Store!