2. Useful Tips

      • Google Apps error with Apple Mail – invalid credentials

        If Apple Mail is constantly returning the error “invalid credentials failure” while authenticating to a Google Apps hosted IMAP account, try the following :

        1. Unlock the CAPTCHA at https://www.google.com/a/(your domain name here)/UnlockCaptcha
        2. Go to the Mail menu > Preferences > Accounts > the IMAP account in question > delete the password saved to the account > close the window & save
        3. Reconnect to the IMAP account

        For future reference, set Apple Mail to automatically check a Google Apps hosted account for new mail no more than once every 10 minutes

      • Apple Mail unable to send or receive – stuck syncing a Gmail or other IMAP account

        If Apple Mail is stuck synchronising changes to a Gmail or other IMAP server (especially if you’ve just sent a 40MB attachment to someone) it probably has a list of tasks to perform next time it’s ‘online’. This list is called the offline cache.

        To remove the offline cache you’ll need to find it, hidden inside Apple Mail’s storage folders and invisible for good measure. Luckily finding the folder is quite simple:

        1. Quit Mail
        2. Click on the Finder icon in the dock
        3. Go to the Go menu > Utilities > open Terminal
        4. Assuming your email account is user@gmail.com, your IMAP folder will be called IMAP-joebloggs@imap.gmail.com and inside this folder is the invisible offline cache called “.OfflineCache”.
        5. Type the following command into Terminal : open ~/Library/Mail/IMAP-joebloggs@imap.gmail.com/.OfflineCache then push return
        6. The .OfflineCache folder should open, move everything inside it into the trash
        7. Open Mail

        The tilde character ~ tells the computer to go to your user’s home folder (so you don’t delete the offline cache of another user, prompting arguments!).

      • Connecting to an NTL Business 2020 router

        If you’re lucky enough to need to admin one of these fine specimens of technology and have the time to wait 2 minutes for each page to load, the internal port for configuration on the router’s IP address is 64680

      • Windows Server 2008 Small Business Edition : BOOTMGR still missing even after rebuilding the boot record

        A  Server running Windows Server 2008 Small Business Edition refused to boot with the error :

        BOOTMGR is missing

        After following the standard fixes such as :

        1. Boot from the Windows 7 restore DVD, choose System Repair
        2. Boot from the Windows 7 restore DVD, choose Command Line, run “bootrec /rebuildbcd” and “bootrec /fixboot”

        I noticed that the file BOOTMGR wasn’t present in the C: drive (run “dir /as” and “dir /ah” on the C: drive) but was present on other Windows 7 installations. After copying the file BOOTMGR from the root of the Windows SBS 2008 Installer DVD, the PC booted normally.

      • Apple Mail downloading the same email repeatedly

        If Apple Mail is repeatedly downloading the same emails without deleting them from the server:

        1. Quit Mail
        2. Navigate to the following folder : (your home folder)/Library/Mail
        3. Delete the file : MessageUidsAlreadyDownloaded3
        4. Re-open Mail and download the email waiting on the server one more time