Apple

When Beta Software Breaks Your Favourite Tool

/ John Wagenvoort / Leave a comment

One of the realities of running developer beta software is that things occasionally stop working. That’s part of the adventure, and it’s also how bugs get found and reported before the final release.

After updating to macOS Golden Gate Beta 3, one of the first casualties was the PCalc Widget. Our preferred workflow had always been simple: press F16, the calculator widget appeared beneath the menu bar, perform a quick calculation, and carry on working. It’s a small feature, but one that’s used dozens of times a day when preparing contracts, invoices and quotations.

Rather than waiting for either Apple or the PCalc developer to resolve the issue, we took a different approach.

If the tool you need doesn’t exist… build it.

Over the course of an afternoon we designed and developed JCalc—a lightweight macOS calculator built specifically around our own workflow.

Unlike a full-featured scientific calculator, JCalc has a single purpose:

  • Instantly available via a configurable global shortcut (default F16)
  • Appears on whichever monitor currently has focus
  • Supports both keyboard and mouse input
  • Standard operator precedence for accurate calculations
  • Hides immediately by pressing Esc, clicking anywhere outside the window, or pressing the shortcut again

The interface deliberately follows the familiar layout we’ve grown accustomed to over the years, allowing us to continue working without having to change our habits.

Solving the right problem

This wasn’t about creating a better calculator than PCalc. PCalc remains an outstanding application and we’ll happily return to using its widget once compatibility is restored.

Instead, the goal was simply to restore a workflow that had unexpectedly disappeared.

Sometimes the best software projects aren’t the biggest ones. They’re the small utilities that quietly remove a point of friction from your day and let you get back to the work that matters.

In the end, what started as a temporary workaround has become another useful addition to our growing collection of in-house macOS utilities.

Necessity really is the mother of invention.

When a macOS Beta Breaks Your Network (and Why I Rolled Back)

/ John Wagenvoort / Leave a comment

Overview

Recently, I ran into a serious networking issue after upgrading one of my Macs (“Ripley”) to a beta release of macOS.

What initially looked like a minor connectivity problem quickly turned into a deeper issue involving the operating system, networking stack, and security software.

This post outlines what happened, how I diagnosed it, and why I ultimately chose to roll back to a stable version of macOS — a decision made painless thanks to a disciplined backup strategy.

The Symptoms

After upgrading to a macOS 26.5 beta build, the system began behaving inconsistently:

  • Wi-Fi had no internet connectivity
  • Ethernet worked, but only partially
  • Some websites (such as banking) loaded correctly
  • Business-critical apps like FileMaker could not connect to FMPHost
  • Sophos Endpoint became inaccessible

This wasn’t a complete outage — it was worse: partial connectivity.

Initial Diagnostics

The first step was to determine whether the issue was external or local.

A quick port test confirmed that the FileMaker service was reachable:

nc -vz a731293.fmphost.com 5003

The connection succeeded, which ruled out:

  • ISP issues
  • Router/firewall problems
  • External service outages

At this point, it was clear the issue was local to the Mac.

What Was Actually Broken

The problem was caused by a combination of:

  • macOS beta networking instability
  • A corrupted or incompatible network extension
  • Interference from endpoint security software

Modern macOS versions rely heavily on network extensions for traffic filtering. When these break (especially after a beta update), they can leave the system in a half-working state:

  • Some traffic flows normally
  • Some traffic is silently blocked
  • Applications behave inconsistently

Exactly what I was seeing.

Why I Didn’t Keep Troubleshooting

At this stage, I had two options:

  • Continue debugging an unstable system
  • Cut losses and rebuild cleanly

I chose the latter.

When the foundation is compromised, rebuilding is often faster than repairing.

The Recovery Strategy

1. Download a Full macOS Installer

Instead of relying on Software Update, I used Terminal to download a clean installer for macOS Sequoia:

softwareupdate –list-full-installers

softwareupdate –fetch-full-installer –full-installer-version 15.7.7

2. Create a Bootable USB Installer

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sequoia.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/installer

This created a fully bootable installer.

3. Perform a Clean Installation

  • Boot from USB
  • Erase the internal drive
  • Install macOS from scratch

4. Restore Using Migration Assistant

Direct migration from the beta system wasn’t possible, as macOS does not support migrating from newer to older versions.

Instead, I migrated from another Mac running the same stable OS.

5. Restore Critical Components

  • User data migrated cleanly
  • Windows 11 VM restored from backup
  • Key apps reinstalled:
    • FileMaker
    • Sophos Endpoint

The Result

After the rebuild:

  • Networking was fully restored
  • FileMaker connected without issue
  • No residual beta artefacts remained
  • The system was stable and predictable again

Downtime was minimal thanks to preparation.

Key Lessons

Beta Software and Production Don’t Mix

If your system relies on business-critical tools, avoid beta OS builds.

Partial Connectivity Is a Red Flag

If some services work and others don’t, the issue is usually local. not the network.

Backups Are Only Valuable If They Work

Backing up the Windows VM separately made recovery fast and painless.

Rebuild Beats Repair (Sometimes)

When core system components are unstable, a clean rebuild is often the fastest path forward.

Control Your Install Process

Using full installers and bootable media gives you complete control and avoids surprises.

Final Thoughts

This experience reinforced a simple idea:

A system should be rebuildable at any time, not just repairable.

With the right preparation, what could have been a major disruption turned into a straightforward recovery.

If you’re running a mixed environment with macOS, virtual machines, and cloud services, the takeaway is simple:

Stability isn’t luck — it’s design.

Reviving a Late 2011 iMac: Clean Install of macOS High Sierra

/ John Wagenvoort / Leave a comment

Introduction

Today, we successfully completed a full clean installation of macOS High Sierra onto a Late 2011 iMac. The goal was to prepare the machine for gifting, leaving it at the Setup Assistant so the new owner experiences it like a new Mac. This blog post summarizes the journey, decisions, and technical steps taken.

Stage 1: Initial Problem

  • The iMac had a freshly erased internal HDD.
  • Attempted to install macOS Sierra from a standard installer.
  • Installation would nearly complete, then error out stating “An error occurred, please run the installer again.”

Key Suspicions

  • Potential hard drive aging issues.
  • Installer image corruption.
  • Time/date certificate issues.

Immediate Actions

  • Verified and corrected system date and time via Terminal.
  • Erased the drive properly using Disk Utility, ensuring:
    • Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
    • Scheme: GUID Partition Map

Stage 2: Hurdles with macOS Sierra Installer

  • The available Sierra installer was an InstallOS.dmg, not a full Install macOS Sierra.app.
  • Due to being on a newer MacOS (Sequoia), the package inside could not be expanded or executed natively.
  • Decided that High Sierra would be a better solution due to its broader hardware support and smoother installation compatibility with Late 2011 iMacs.

Stage 3: Getting High Sierra Installer

  • Direct downloads from the App Store were blocked or incompatible.
  • Successfully used iBoysoft DiskGeeker to download a full macOS High Sierra installer.
  • Verified that the full installer (5.2-5.3GB) was obtained, not a stub.

Creating the USB Installer

  • Used DiskGeeker to create a bootable High Sierra USB stick.
  • Labeled and preserved the USB stick for future use.

Stage 4: Installation and Setup Preparation

  • Booted the iMac holding Option (Alt) key and selected the USB installer.
  • Used Disk Utility to:
    • Erase the internal drive properly.
    • Confirm format and scheme.
  • Installed macOS High Sierra cleanly.

Key Detail

  • Left the iMac at the Setup Assistant screen by pressing Command + Q and shutting down.
  • This ensures the new owner will experience the initial setup process themselves.

Final Reflection

This project showed that even older Macs can be revitalized with careful prep, the right tools, and a logical workflow. Understanding how newer macOS versions interact (or fail to interact) with legacy installers was key to success.

Key Takeaways

  • Always correct system date/time before installing older macOS.
  • Sierra installers via InstallOS.dmg are problematic under modern macOS.
  • High Sierra remains the best legacy installer for Late 2011 iMacs.
  • Leave gifted Macs at Setup Assistant for best “new user” experience.

Post Author: John Wagenvoort
Assisted by: Kai

New Life for 2011 MBP 17

/ John Wagenvoort / Leave a comment

Back in 2012 I purchased a refurbished MacBook Pro 17″ Unibody. (Refurbished due to the GPU having failed already but that’s another story)

This Macbook’s latest Apple supported OS was High Sierra. So some years ago already this machine was being passed by and less capable of running latest apps like Daylite and PDF Expert.

Along came dosdude1 with his sensational patcher for installing Catalina on an unsupported Mac. This allowed the MBP to continue being of useful service until last year when again Daylite and PDF Expert had passed it by.

So I bit the bullet this weekend and decided to give my MBP 17 an OpenCore Legacy Patcher – Sonoma xmas upgrade.

All I can say is that the entire process is so slick that it motivated me to write this.

If you have an old Mac and want to install a later or latest OS then check out; https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/

Well worth a look.

Thanks to everyone at OpenCore.

The Apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

/ John Wagenvoort / Leave a comment

It would be a year ago that I delved into the world of Apple for the first time with my then not too highly thought of iPad. I remember going on about this that and the other. Hmmm, no USB ports etc. Well, a year on and it’s a totally different story.

Soon after the iPad had become the much needed commodity I just couldn’t do without, the Nokia E71 was soon supplanted with an iPone.

Now to just rewind a bit. I started working with the humble PC back in 1987. Lotus 123 was the program of choice and not soon there after I was working with MS Excel 1d. Back in those days windows had winders. The PC would boot up to a C prompt in less than a minute or so. Hmmm what ever happened to that? Not to digress too much, one of my latest forays into the PC world was by way of an Acer Aspire net book. Upgraded to 2gb of ram no less.

Imagine playing a 45rpm vinyl record at 33 and a third and you soon get the point. There’s not a lot of doing when it comes to those sorts of machines except for one thing, waiting. When it does eventually boot, Microsoft decides that the machine hasn’t quite been stuffed to the gills yet and implores you to install the much needed 23 critical updates. Restart required, and then when it finally boots up again Adobe will insist that you must have the latest version of their pdf reader or Flash. Around this time the “must have anti virus program” will decide it’s about time for a scan. Needless to say that if one was to liken the PC to a toaster, one would simply throw it out and buy a new one. So that’s exactly what I did,……

I bought a Mac.

The End