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microphone problem
#60328 12/24/21 11:36 PM
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jaybass Offline OP
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OS 10.14.6

I had several options to get my microphone working and I finally used terminal which took about ten minutes to say permission denied. Then apple set up my computer and all of my apps in the dock show a question mark. Everything that was on my

desktop has disappeared. How do I regain my apps & desktop icons/info?

jay bass


OS 13.6.4 iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2017, 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 24 GB RAM, 2400 MHz DDR4. SuperDuper. 1 TB Lacie HD
Re: microphone problem
jaybass #60329 12/24/21 11:54 PM
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I can't make a suggestion about the dock issue but quitting and relaunching Finder works when my desktop icons have disappeared.


Jon

macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
Re: microphone problem
jchuzi #60331 12/25/21 12:08 AM
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I have done that several times but thanks anyway.

jaybass


OS 13.6.4 iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2017, 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 24 GB RAM, 2400 MHz DDR4. SuperDuper. 1 TB Lacie HD
Re: microphone problem
jaybass #60332 12/25/21 12:31 AM
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Originally Posted by jaybass
...apple set up my computer....
Please clarify that.

Precisely what did Apple do?


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: microphone problem
artie505 #60341 12/25/21 04:27 AM
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I was directed to terminal where I entered what was needed and apple asked to access my apps, calendar, some others and then it seems they alnalysed everything before saying permission denied.

I restarted and apps my apps in the dock come up as question marks and those same apps also disappeared when I clicked my HD. I have no idea what apple actually did but it took a long time.

I am thinking of using my back-up to get back to where I should be but will that lose some of my book marks? What else would I lose? All this because my microphone doesn't work.

jaybass


OS 13.6.4 iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2017, 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 24 GB RAM, 2400 MHz DDR4. SuperDuper. 1 TB Lacie HD
Re: microphone problem
jaybass #60344 12/25/21 11:25 AM
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Originally Posted by jaybass
I was directed to terminal where I entered what was needed and apple asked to access my apps, calendar, some others and then it seems they alnalysed everything before saying permission denied.

I restarted and apps my apps in the dock come up as question marks and those same apps also disappeared when I clicked my HD. I have no idea what apple actually did but it took a long time.

I am thinking of using my back-up to get back to where I should be but will that lose some of my book marks? What else would I lose? All this because my microphone doesn't work.

jaybass
Without really knowing what has happened, but based upon your reported circumstances, my inclination is to suggest that you revert to your backup. (If you launch Terminal and hit the up arrow, the last command you ran will appear, and additional hits will reveal the sequentially preceding commands, so you can tell us the exact command[s] that Apple had you run. It maaay be helpful.)

What you'll lose by reverting depends upon how old your backup is and how good your memory is, but you can update your cookies and bookmarks by overwriting ~/Library/Cookies and ~/Library/Safari/Bookmarks.plist in your backup with those in your problem installation. Apps and other stuff are at risk of your not remembering everything you've done, so I'd save the corrupt installation for a while, just in case.

And if your mic doesn't work in the backup too, I suggest that you run the macOS 10.14.6 installer, which should fix things up.

You may want to wait for other opinions before you do this.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: microphone problem
artie505 #60345 12/25/21 12:51 PM
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I don't see any 'up' arrow to click but here is what there is when I open terminal Last login: Sat Dec 25 07:36:31 on ttys000

abcs-MacBook-Pro:~ abc$ Above that it says, abc-bash-80x24...if that tells you anything.

My back-up is about a week old so I think I'll be reverting to that, Q: If I drag the apps from my back-up to a thumb drive, would that save them?

I will re-install Mojave and see what happens...can't do any harm.

Thanks artie.

jaybass


OS 13.6.4 iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2017, 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 24 GB RAM, 2400 MHz DDR4. SuperDuper. 1 TB Lacie HD
Re: microphone problem
jaybass #60346 12/25/21 01:13 PM
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Originally Posted by jaybass
I don't see any 'up' arrow to click but here is what there is when I open terminal Last login: Sat Dec 25 07:36:31 on ttys000

abcs-MacBook-Pro:~ abc$ Above that it says, abc-bash-80x24...if that tells you anything.

My back-up is about a week old so I think I'll be reverting to that, Q: If I drag the apps from my back-up to a thumb drive, would that save them?

I will re-install Mojave and see what happens...can't do any harm.
I should have been clearer. I meant the up arrow on your keyboard.

You can drag whatever you need to save...apps (*), cookies, bookmarks, et al. to a thumb drive, and then drag them from there to your backup.

If you mean rerun the Mojave installer over your current situation, yeah, that's certainly worth a try...possibly save you from the drag & drop cycle of updating your backup (and hoping you've remembered everything).

(*) That requires clarification: If your apps are self-contained, you can drag & drop them, and any plists, application support files, etc. that remain behind will be recreated the first time you use them, but chances are that any of your apps that were installed by an installer have extra components, and you'll need to rerun their installers to recreate them, although the same goes for their plists, application support files, etc.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: microphone problem
artie505 #60349 12/25/21 04:21 PM
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I did re-install Mojave but it made no difference. I the ran Antivirus Zap Scanner which found (4) infections which I removed. I then rebooted with my backup but before using super duper, I again checked for infections and the same (4) were found which I removed. After running super duper, I am now back to square one.

There was only (1) website that's missing but I now have that. What I do not understand is after using terminal, would screw up my dock & desktop.

Is this what you were looking for/

[Restored Dec 25, 2021 at 11:18:00 AM]
Last login: Sat Dec 25 10:44:46 on console
abcs-MacBook-Pro:~ abc$ diskutil resetUserPermissions / ~id -u~Last login: Sat Dec 25 10:44:46 on console
Incorrect number of parameters
Usage: diskutil resetUserPermissions MountPoint|DiskIdentifier|DeviceNode UID
Reset the permissions of a user home directory.
Ownership of the affected disk is required.
abcs-MacBook-Pro:~ abc$

jaybass


OS 13.6.4 iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2017, 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 24 GB RAM, 2400 MHz DDR4. SuperDuper. 1 TB Lacie HD
Re: microphone problem
jaybass #60354 12/26/21 12:26 PM
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Originally Posted by jaybass
I did re-install Mojave but it made no difference. I the ran Antivirus Zap Scanner which found (4) infections which I removed. I then rebooted with my backup but before using super duper, I again checked for infections and the same (4) were found which I removed. After running super duper, I am now back to square one.
Have you tried rerunning the Mojave installer over your backup that you're booted into now? (Be sure to run SuperDuper! first.)

Originally Posted by jaybass
There was only (1) website that's missing but I now have that. What I do not understand is after using terminal, would screw up my dock & desktop.

Is this what you were looking for/

[Restored Dec 25, 2021 at 11:18:00 AM]
Last login: Sat Dec 25 10:44:46 on console
abcs-MacBook-Pro:~ abc$ diskutil resetUserPermissions / ~id -u~Last login: Sat Dec 25 10:44:46 on console
Incorrect number of parameters
Usage: diskutil resetUserPermissions MountPoint|DiskIdentifier|DeviceNode UID
Reset the permissions of a user home directory.
Ownership of the affected disk is required.
abcs-MacBook-Pro:~ abc$
Is that the ONLY command you ran?

I see what Apple was trying to do, i.e. repair your user (home) permissions, but I don't understand what they did.

That "Last login: ...on console" is a new one on me. (When I launch Terminal it always says "Last login: ... on ttys000.")

And further, the command as you've posted it doesn't run: "Incorrect number of parameters"

It'll take someone more knowledgeable in UNIX than I am to scope it out.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: microphone problem
artie505 #60355 12/26/21 01:02 PM
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More: If reinstalling Mojave doesn't correct your issue, and I suspect that it won't, try following the instructions you see when you scroll down to "Reset Permissions for the Home Folder" at https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/mac-disk-permissions-repair. (Be sure to copy & paste the command!)

I believe it replicates what Apple was trying to do. (I've followed the procedure myself, with no repercussions, on more than one occasion.)

Matter of fact, I suggest that you try this before trying the Mojave installer.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: microphone problem
artie505 #60360 12/26/21 04:06 PM
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If you have OnyX, Cocktail, TinkerTool System, or MacPilot any one of them they can Repair Permissions and in addition I would run the routine to Rebuild the Launch Services database.

I am sure the Launch Services Database can be rebuilt from the command line, but
  1. I don't know the command to Rebuild the Launch Services Database and
  2. I make too many typos to be very comfortable with the command line


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: microphone problem
joemikeb #60363 12/26/21 05:54 PM
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jaybass Offline OP
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I have onyx which cannot be used by Mojave, there is no update. I also have tinker tool (6.2) which has to be updated but when I tried that, it said the update is incompatible even though the download said it was for Mojave.

As for permissions, apple has a new procedure which I won't bother with. I did read that Clean my Drive 2 also repairs permissions? When I opened it, I couldn't see anything happening,

BTW, if I tap the top of my computer, the microphone is activated all the way across but when I speak, it only activates the first (2) bars but if I shout, it goes half way across. At least it is working albeit slightly.

Is there a way to improve the response.

jaybass


OS 13.6.4 iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2017, 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 24 GB RAM, 2400 MHz DDR4. SuperDuper. 1 TB Lacie HD
Re: microphone problem
jaybass #60364 12/26/21 06:14 PM
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Originally Posted by jaybass
BTW, if I tap the top of my computer, the microphone is activated all the way across but when I speak, it only activates the first (2) bars but if I shout, it goes half way across. At least it is working albeit slightly.
I've been suspicious for a while that this is possibly a hardware issue, and that gives my suspicion some credibility.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: microphone problem
artie505 #60369 12/26/21 07:03 PM
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jaybass Offline OP
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Does that mean a physical part replacement?

I mentioned in my post to joe that I couldn't find a Tinker Tool version that was compatible so I went to bresink and downloaded the usable version.

Now that I have tinker tool, does it repair permissions? After opening, I saw no mention of permissions.

jaybass


OS 13.6.4 iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2017, 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 24 GB RAM, 2400 MHz DDR4. SuperDuper. 1 TB Lacie HD
Re: microphone problem
jaybass #60370 12/26/21 07:06 PM
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Originally Posted by jaybass
Does that mean a physical part replacement?
Could be. frown

Is your Mac still covered by AppleCare?

I don't know much about "TinkerTool" other than that there are two of them: TinkerTool (freeware) and TinkerTool System (shareware). Perhaps only one of them is capable of repairing home permissions and you've got the wrong one.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: microphone problem
artie505 #60371 12/26/21 08:26 PM
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Neither TT nor TTS can repair user permissions, and OnyX and Cocktail likewise. The only app that I know can do this is TechToolPro.


Jon

macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
Re: microphone problem
jchuzi #60373 12/26/21 08:34 PM
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No big deal. The instructions in the link I posted are so explicit and easily followed that there's no need for an app.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: microphone problem
artie505 #60374 12/26/21 10:00 PM
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jaybass Offline OP
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I have just ran TTP and ran home permissions, I didn't know it did that.

Now I know.

Thanks jon

jaybass


OS 13.6.4 iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2017, 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 24 GB RAM, 2400 MHz DDR4. SuperDuper. 1 TB Lacie HD

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