Mac OS X: 'This software cannot be installed on this computer'

This is the story about how I took grey install disks that would not work with my Mac Mini, and hacked my way into install disks that work.  I have a mid-2007 model Mac Mini that came with install disks for 10.4 (Tiger) but the guy I bought it from had Leopard installed.

The Mac got very sluggish recently and exhibited all the symptoms of having contracted a virus.  I decided to back up all the data, erase the disks, and re-install.  I ordered a upgrade from Apple to Snow Leopard for 19.99.

When I put the install disk #1 in for Tiger I got this message:

"This software cannot be installed on this computer."

Huh?  I did a bunch of Googling, and found out that the explanation was that the disks that came with the unit were not perfectly matched to it-- the guy I bought the computer from gave me the wrong disks (even though they do say "Mac Mini" on them).

I guess Apple is so afraid that people would use the install disks on other computers and upgrade them for free, that they would be losing out on some precious revenue.  Enough to say to heck with my "user experience."  So they locked down the disks and I had the wrong set.

I had bricked my wife's Mac Mini.

So back to Google I went, and managed to find instructions on how to overcome the problem and create a new "disk 1" that didn't prevent you from installing the OS.  Unfortunately, those instructions were not complete.  So for those of you brave enough, here is what I hope is a more complete set of instructions.

Here's the rub.  You need a good Mac to carry these instructions out, so hopefully you have access to one.  It just so happens my daughter was visiting us from college, and she has a Macbook Pro that is only 2 years old.

Anyway, here's how you do it.

You will need:
1.  A working (hopefully fairly recent model) Mac.
2.  A blank DVD or a USB drive that can hold 8GB.

Here are the steps.  I know this might be tough for some of you Mac people, this is what those of us who use Windows have to put up with all the time, so you might need a qualified Windows person to pull this off.

1. Insert the grey, "Windows-level user-experience" install disk 1 into the working Mac.
2. Start "Disk Utility" from Finder - Applications - Utilities.
3. Create a new disk image.  You do this by selecting Install Disk 1 on the left pane, then clicking "New Image" from the tool bar.  A dialog box will pop up with "Save Disk As" (I suggest something like "Mac OSX Install Disk 1 Custom").  IMPORTANT: Next to Image Format, select "Read/Write." Save the new image to your Desktop ("Where" on the dialog box).
4. Watch some TV for a while.  This can take some time.
5. When the new disk is created, double click to open ("mount") it.
6. A box will open up to show you the contents of the disk image.  Scroll down to the System folder, and double-click to open it.
7. Under System, open the Installation folder, and then finally the Packages folder.
8. Scroll to find the file "OSInstall.mpkg."  Right-Click and select "Show Package Contents."
9. Open the Contents folder, then right-click on OSInstall.date and select Open With.. Other"
10. In the Open dialog box, select Applications - Text Edit.
11. Edit the following files like so:

function checkSupportedMachine() { return true; }
function hwbeModelCheck() { return true; }


12. Close text edit and save the file.  In fact, close all the open Finder windows.
13. Back to Disk Utility.  Select the Mac OSX Install Disk 1 Custom DMG file you created, it should be displayed in the left window.
14. Select Convert in the tool bar.
15. Change the Image Format back to compressed, so that it will fit on a DVD.
16. Again, this could take a while.
17. When the compressed image is finished, right click on the DMG icon on the desktop for the compressed image you just made, and select "Burn to DVD."  You can use this DVD now to install your Mac OS.
18. If the file is too big to burn on a DVD you will have to save it to a USB drive instead.  Back to Disk Utility, select the DMG file on the left and click "Restore."
19. On Restore, drag the DMG file on the left to the box "Source:"
20. Drag your USB drive that is also listed on the left to the box "Destination."  By the way, you are going to loose all the information on your USB drive so I would make sure you have backed up what you need
21. Click the Restore button.  When it is finished, you will be able to use the USB drive instead of Disk 1 to boot your Mac from to do the install.

I think these instructions are a little more clear and complete that what you have seen elsewhere.  If not, drop me a comment so I can improve it.

Good luck!

Honda Civic Automatic Transmission Gear Shift Light

(I have also posted this on Fixya)

I successfully did this on my 2001 Honda Civic.

You have to remove the entire center console to get to the light. I recommend actually having the replacement bulb prior to starting. I used a Sylvania 74 that I picked up at the local auto parts store. They are tiny bulbs. About $3.

Here is a diagram I found that was very helpful in removing the center console:

In A above, you have to work out the middle portion of the console by pulling up on it. There are tabs that hold it in place on either side of it but you can't get to them. By using my fingers and grabbing the inside of the main dish, I applied upward pressure and it came out. It did not break in the process, but I can't guarantee the result will be the same for you.

In picture B you will see that there are two screws hidden underneath the part you just removed. You need to remove those two screws plus the two tabs shown in front and the two screws located in the rear close to the floor.

You will need to put the shift into neutral or farther back to then lift out the entire console.

Once the console is removed you will see a wire going into the right side just underneath the gear shift. If you look into where it's going, you will see the back side of a small round socket. Rotate the socket about 90 degrees and it should come out. Voila! The bulb.

Simply pull the bulb out and push in a new one. Turn on the headlights to test. The bulb should be nicely lit.

Now push the socket back into where it came from and rotate back 90 degrees to lock it in place. If you reverse the rest of the instructions, putting the console back together will just take a minute or two.

Finally, write an email to Honda and tell them what you think about how easy it is to replace this lamp.

The Great Flagpole Problem

My daughter had an extra credit geometry assignment with several problems on it, one of which required her "team" to calculate the height of the flagpole at El Toro High (go Chargers).
The team solution on how to accomplish this? Go into the office and ask, "how high is the flagpole?"

Incredibly, since they were the first team to think of this, someone in the office told them the answer.

I am told that in a prior year, a student tried to shimmy up the flagpole with a tape measure.
Keep in mind these are "honors" geometry students that, by the end of the year certainly, are supposed to be aware of salient geometric facts such as the trigonometric ratios of a right triangle.

For those of you who have faded a little on that, consider:

The tanget of the angle would be equal to opp/adj. Image the flagpole as "opp." Hmm, if we measured the flagpole's shadow we would have "adj." Did you ever consider that maybe the angle would be roughly the sun over the horizon that casts said shadow?

Geez. Sounds simpler than shimmying up the darn thing. Here's a link to where you can get the sun's altitude over the horizon in degrees: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/AltAz.html Another method would be to eyeball it with a protractor.

I hope that's enough hints for a student who gets a Goolge hit on this.

Moen and Groan

Yesterday I had the pleasure of having to replace the valve stem from our master bath shower. My wife reported that it was leaking through the handle, which of course is attached to the valve stem.

My shower faucet is originally a Moen. I took the handle off, as well as the decorative round plate that covers the tile and hides all the ugly inner workings.

I'm used to dealing with plumbing components that are screwed into some kind of receptical. This one looked like it was somehow seated inside a small, short pipe extending from the wall. I couldn't see any way to unbolt or unscrew the valve. I also noticed a small tab on top of the end of the pipe and I was able to pull it out with a pair of pliers. It was a retaining clip, leading me to believe that this was all that was holding the valve in place.

After turning off the water main to our house, I took my pliers and pulled on the end of the valve stem but it just wouldn't come free. So, I decided to go to Ace hardware for some help. I turned the water main on (without replacing the retention clip) so my family could still use water and left for Crown Hardware.

Usually the Ace hardware store in our town of Lake Forest, Ca (the one in Orange County that used to go by the name of El Toro) has plenty of good help, but yesterday they were all busy. I just looked at all the valve stems they had and found one that looked like the one that was in my shower. It would later prove to be the correct one, called "Brass Faucet Cartridge" item number 43486 (replaces Moen MO-1).

I got home and turned the water main off. The directions that came with the faucet cartridge just said to do what I had already done: remove the retention clip and pull out the old cartridge. So I decided to go on the internet and do some Google searches.

I found this on one of my searches:

This was conspicuously missing from the instructions that came with my faucet cartridge. It shows using a pair of pliers to twist the valve stem cartridge with a square white cap.

That explained what the square white cap that came with my valve cartridge was for.

So I placed the white cap on the end of my valve stem and twisted it a few times, causing the whole cartridge to twist around inside the pipe it was seated in, then tried to pull out the cartridge.

It was still stuck. So I went back and did a few more internet searches, and found out that a tool is available to pull out Moen faucet cartridges. They wanted about $24 bucks. More internet searches on Home Depot and Lowes gave me the sinking feeling that I wasn't going to get this tool, and besides, I was kind of ticked that I was going to have to part with $24 on a tool I was probably going to use one time.

So being an engineer trained in physics (common sense frequently escapes us) I decided to go back to the plastic white cap and twist it around 50 times and hopefully loosen the cartridge. I was quite surprised when my plan worked; this time the faucet cartridge came out without too much difficulty.

The new cartridge slipped in very easily. I place the retainer clip back in and turned the water main back on.

This is where things get entertaining. I didn't get the retainer clip seated correctly so the retainer clip tab was sticking up too high, keeping me from replacing the chrome sleeve that covers the unattractive pipe containing the faucet cartridge. So, Mr. Brilliant Engineer decides that what must be done is to remove and reseat the retainer clip without giving any thought to the fact that the water was on, with full pressure pushing on the cartridge from inside the pipe.

After removing the clip, the water pressure almost immediately pushed the cartridge about half way out. The pressure was so great I couldn't push the cartridge back into the pipe. The main water valve was located in the front of the house, and I was in the back. Could I run for it?

I yelled for help and neither my wife nor my daughter heard me.

Just then the cartridge shot out from the pipe into the shower stall. Fortunately, it didn't break any tiles. While five gallons a second (it seemed) shot into the shower, I sprinted for the front of the house and turned off the water main.

I came back into the master bath and naturally water was everywhere. I had neglected to close the shower door.

I was able to push the cartridge in securely enough this time to correctly seat the retainer clip and finished the installation.

The most ironic thing about this training session is that by the time I need to replace another Moen cartridge I will have forgotten everything I've learned.