Technical notes indexBasic MobileMe How-Tos
Using your iDisk
How to Synchronize your iDisk
Publishing web pages to your iDisk
How to make a Podcast
Accessing your iDisk's Public Folder
Safari Bookmarks on MobileMe
MOBILEME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- I get a notice saying 'about my iDisk.rtf' can't be deleted
- How do I forward my domain to my web pages?
- How can I have two sites and two personal domains?
- How do I password-protect my Public Folder?
- I can't log in to MobileMe
- My iDisk is half the size it's supposed to be
- I can't FTP to my iDisk
- What is the URL of my website in MobileMe?
- How do I contact MobileMe Support?
- I can't check my MobileMe mail in IE
- Is there a better way than the Finder to connect to my iDisk?
- How do I link to files on my iDisk?
- How do I Share files on my iDisk?
- When I log in to MobileMe I get 'Resource not found'
- Why don't my podcast episodes show the podcast image?
- How can I back up files to my iDisk?
- How do I subscribe to (or renew) MobileMe using a retail box?
- iWeb cannot open HTML files
- I'm getting spam messages from myself which I haven't sent
- My web pages show the HTML code, or get downloaded as an application, in FireFox
- What can I do about serious syncing problems?
- What is a Family Pack and how do I set it up?
- Subscribed calendars don't show on the MobileMe site
- How can I share a calendar between accounts?
- I don't understand 'email syncing'
- How do I cancel my account?
I get a notice saying 'about my iDisk.rtf' can't be deleted
This
is because you have iDisk syncing turned on. There
used to be a rtf
file called 'about your iDisk' at root level in the iDisk: this was
owned by Apple and could not be deleted. A copy was made when your
iDisk was synced to the 'local copy'.
When MobileMe started Apple removed this file. Now the sync is trying to delete the file from your local copy, but can't because you don't own it.
The simplest, though most time-consuming, method of dealing with it is to turn iDisk syncing off, then on again: of course this means your entire iDisk will have to be copied down all over again. There is a method using Terminal commands - try searching Apple's MobileMe Forum, it has been discussed, but I can't advise on that.
Could I suggest you think about whether you really want iDisk syncing? Unless you really need access to the contents of your iDisk when you are offline it is in my opinion more trouble than it's worth. You can just copy files to the mounted 'real' iDisk and they will then be accessible from any other computer.
Please see this page for more info and the pros and cons of syncing:
http://www.wilmut.org.uk/id
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When MobileMe started Apple removed this file. Now the sync is trying to delete the file from your local copy, but can't because you don't own it.
The simplest, though most time-consuming, method of dealing with it is to turn iDisk syncing off, then on again: of course this means your entire iDisk will have to be copied down all over again. There is a method using Terminal commands - try searching Apple's MobileMe Forum, it has been discussed, but I can't advise on that.
Could I suggest you think about whether you really want iDisk syncing? Unless you really need access to the contents of your iDisk when you are offline it is in my opinion more trouble than it's worth. You can just copy files to the mounted 'real' iDisk and they will then be accessible from any other computer.
Please see this page for more info and the pros and cons of syncing:
http://www.wilmut.org.uk/id
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How do I forward my domain to my web pages?
There are two separate
methods: 'Personal Domain' and Web Forwarding.
Personal Domain* is set up in your MobileMe account and at your domain name registrar: basically it replaces the URL web.me.com with your domain name: subsequent pages then show after the domain name.
For example, a page in the Web/Sites/Site folder called fred.html would have the original url of
http://web.me.com/username/Site/fred.html
If your domain name was domain.com and you enabled Personal Domain then the URL would (also) be
http://domain.com/Site/fred.html
You can only do this with one domain, and it will apply to all pages and sites in the Web/Sites folder.
However most domain name registrars provide web page forwarding, usually with 'masking', 'cloaking' or 'frames' (all the same thing): this retains the domain name by itself in the address bar but does not show filenames as you navigate the site (so that pages can't be bookmarked). You could do this with additional iWeb sites, or you could place other sites in the Sites folder, where the basic URL would be http://homepage.mac.com/username.
If they don't provide redirection (most do) but provide web space you can do it yourself: see this page.
Note that if you have a MobileMe Gallery and redirect to it people will not be able to upload to it - you must use the real URL. Similarly if you run a podcast, the media must be referenced in the feed file by their real URL, not the domain name with redirection (which simply doesn't work). Also note that all the above does not apply to email: email redirection must be handled quite separately.
*This page assumes you are using iWeb, but you can do this with any site hosted in the Web/Sites folder as long as the home page is at the root level of that folder and is called index.html. Sign in at http://me.com and start from step 4 of Apple's instructions.
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Personal Domain* is set up in your MobileMe account and at your domain name registrar: basically it replaces the URL web.me.com with your domain name: subsequent pages then show after the domain name.
For example, a page in the Web/Sites/Site folder called fred.html would have the original url of
http://web.me.com/username/Site/fred.html
If your domain name was domain.com and you enabled Personal Domain then the URL would (also) be
http://domain.com/Site/fred.html
You can only do this with one domain, and it will apply to all pages and sites in the Web/Sites folder.
However most domain name registrars provide web page forwarding, usually with 'masking', 'cloaking' or 'frames' (all the same thing): this retains the domain name by itself in the address bar but does not show filenames as you navigate the site (so that pages can't be bookmarked). You could do this with additional iWeb sites, or you could place other sites in the Sites folder, where the basic URL would be http://homepage.mac.com/username.
If they don't provide redirection (most do) but provide web space you can do it yourself: see this page.
Note that if you have a MobileMe Gallery and redirect to it people will not be able to upload to it - you must use the real URL. Similarly if you run a podcast, the media must be referenced in the feed file by their real URL, not the domain name with redirection (which simply doesn't work). Also note that all the above does not apply to email: email redirection must be handled quite separately.
*This page assumes you are using iWeb, but you can do this with any site hosted in the Web/Sites folder as long as the home page is at the root level of that folder and is called index.html. Sign in at http://me.com and start from step 4 of Apple's instructions.
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How do I password-protect my Public Folder?
Go to System
Preferences>MobileMe>iDisk. Set it to 'read and write' and enable
the password. Choose a suitable password (not your MobileMe password).
Alternatively you can go to http://me.com/idisk and click the Tools button in the toolbar -
; select Preferences and from there you can set the password.
Visitors can access it with a browser at
http://public.me.com/username
They should enter the password you set at the prompt (the previous requirement to enter the username 'public' has been removed); they can upload, download and delete files. Note that downloading is achieved by clicking on the file to highlight it, then clicking on the download button in the toolbar (a down-arrow into a half-rectangle), not by drag-and-drop. You can select a folder, or more than one file by shift-clicking (or command-shift-clicking [Mac] to select non-adjacent files): they will be zipped and downloaded as one file. Uploading is achieved using the 'Upload' button (an up-arrow in a circle, in the toolbar).
However note that files placed in the Public folder appear at http://homepage.mac.com/username/.Public/filename whether or not the Public folder is password protected. Of course people would have to know the file name to be able to access it this way, which does offer a fair level of privacy.
Further information on your Public Folder here:
http://www.wilmut.org.uk/pf
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Alternatively you can go to http://me.com/idisk and click the Tools button in the toolbar -
; select Preferences and from there you can set the password.Visitors can access it with a browser at
http://public.me.com/username
They should enter the password you set at the prompt (the previous requirement to enter the username 'public' has been removed); they can upload, download and delete files. Note that downloading is achieved by clicking on the file to highlight it, then clicking on the download button in the toolbar (a down-arrow into a half-rectangle), not by drag-and-drop. You can select a folder, or more than one file by shift-clicking (or command-shift-clicking [Mac] to select non-adjacent files): they will be zipped and downloaded as one file. Uploading is achieved using the 'Upload' button (an up-arrow in a circle, in the toolbar).
However note that files placed in the Public folder appear at http://homepage.mac.com/username/.Public/filename whether or not the Public folder is password protected. Of course people would have to know the file name to be able to access it this way, which does offer a fair level of privacy.
Further information on your Public Folder here:
http://www.wilmut.org.uk/pf
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I can't log in to MobileMe
Go to System
Preferences>MobileMe; sign out. In
place of your username and password, enter any old garbage: this will
of course be rejected. Now enter your correct username (without the
'@me.com') and password. See if this is accepted; if so try iWeb and
desktop Mail again.
If it doesn't, go to the MobileMe website, http://me.com (sometimes that address shows only 'Resource not available', but you can get usually in through https://auth.apple.com/authenticate ). Click on the Account button (the head-and-shoulders image) in the toolbar, log in again with your password, click on Password Settings in the left sidebar, and change your password.
Now return to System Preferences>MobileMe and enter the new password. Check it works by mounting your iDisk (command-shift-i).
If this doesn't work, it's time for Support:
http://www.apple.com/support/mobileme (if you are in the USA)
In the left sidebar click on 'Account & Billing' and wait for it to expand. Click on 'Member name and password' and you will get a link at the bottom of the page to 'Live Chat'.
If you are not in the USA, go to http://www.apple.com/support/mobileme/ww and pick your country. Follow the above process: the link will usually be to email rather than Chat.
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If it doesn't, go to the MobileMe website, http://me.com (sometimes that address shows only 'Resource not available', but you can get usually in through https://auth.apple.com/authenticate ). Click on the Account button (the head-and-shoulders image) in the toolbar, log in again with your password, click on Password Settings in the left sidebar, and change your password.
Now return to System Preferences>MobileMe and enter the new password. Check it works by mounting your iDisk (command-shift-i).
If this doesn't work, it's time for Support:
http://www.apple.com/support/mobileme (if you are in the USA)
In the left sidebar click on 'Account & Billing' and wait for it to expand. Click on 'Member name and password' and you will get a link at the bottom of the page to 'Live Chat'.
If you are not in the USA, go to http://www.apple.com/support/mobileme/ww and pick your country. Follow the above process: the link will usually be to email rather than Chat.
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My iDisk is half the size it's supposed to be
By default, the storage space on your account is divided equally between email and the available space on your iDisk. Log in at http://me.com. go to your Account page, on the line 'Mail and iDisk Storage' click the 'Settings' button. In the next pane, on the 'Mail' line use the menu to set the amount of email storage your require: the remainder will be allocated to your iDisk.Top of page
I can't FTP to my iDisk
MobileMe
does not use FTP, but a different protocol called WebDav. You can
upload using your iDisk on your computer or on the MobileMe website,
and there are clients such as Cyberduck and Transmit which handle both
ftp and WebDav. If you are using a program which depends on ftp it
won't work: iWeb, RapidWeaver and I believe the latest version of
DreamWeaver will all upload directly.
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What is the URL of my website in MobileMe?
If you place your site in
the Web/Sites folder it will appear online at
http://web.me.com/username
If you do this you should not also use iWeb, which would overwrite your index.html file.
If you place your site in the Sites folder it will appear at
http://homepage.mac.com/username
You can use 'Personal Domain' with the former but not the latter.
'HomePage' has nothing to do with this: it is a separate online website creation tool and is at http://homepage.mac.com; but you do not need it if you are using a third-party program such as RapidWeaver or DreamWeaver.
Please see this thread for details of how to post your site from DreamWeaver:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=8077510
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http://web.me.com/username
If you do this you should not also use iWeb, which would overwrite your index.html file.
If you place your site in the Sites folder it will appear at
http://homepage.mac.com/username
You can use 'Personal Domain' with the former but not the latter.
'HomePage' has nothing to do with this: it is a separate online website creation tool and is at http://homepage.mac.com; but you do not need it if you are using a third-party program such as RapidWeaver or DreamWeaver.
Please see this thread for details of how to post your site from DreamWeaver:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=8077510
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How do I contact MobileMe Support?
If you need to contact
support and are in the USA, go to
http://www.apple.com/support/mobileme/
click on 'Account and Billing' or other suitable category in the left-hand side (it may be slow to open), then on a sub-category: at the bottom of the page you will see a link for 'live chat' (when available).
If you are not in the USA, go to http://www.apple.com/support/mobileme/ww and pick your country. Follow the above process: the link will usually be to email rather than Chat.
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http://www.apple.com/support/mobileme/
click on 'Account and Billing' or other suitable category in the left-hand side (it may be slow to open), then on a sub-category: at the bottom of the page you will see a link for 'live chat' (when available).
If you are not in the USA, go to http://www.apple.com/support/mobileme/ww and pick your country. Follow the above process: the link will usually be to email rather than Chat.
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I can't check my MobileMe mail in IE
You can check your MobileMe
mail (and reply to it) at http://www.mail2web.com.You
could also set up MobileMe mail to forward to a Google
Mail account, which you would be able to use to access and
reply to your messages; or use Google Mail to access your MobileMe mail
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How do I link to files on my iDisk?
It's
possible to link to files in any folder in your iDisk other than the
Documents
Folder (and of course the Software and Library Folders which aren't
really on your
iDisk anyway); this is best used if you want to use an image in another
web page. It can be used for providing a download, though a better
method has now become available (see below).
Files placed in the Sites folder appear at
http://homepage.mac.com/username/filename
Files placed in the Pictures folder appear at
http://homepage.mac.com/username/.Pictures/filename
(note the period before Pictures and the capital 'P'), and similar for Movies and Music.
Files placed in the Public folder appear at
http://homepage.mac.com/username/.Public/filename
whether or not the Public folder is password protected.
Of course a browser accessing these files will (usually) display audio, music and picture files rather than download them: if you want them to be downloaded you could zip them first, but you will get more convenient results by Sharing:
Go to http://me.com
and click on the button with the folder to go to your iDisk. Navigate
to the folder and file you want to share, and in the pane to the right
you will see the details of that file, together with a 'Share File...'
button.
Click this and you will
get a pop-up window giving a URL for
sharing (this takes the form http://files.me.com/username/
followed by a code) which you can copy, an option to send the link by
email, and options to limit the period of availability and
password-protect the file. The link, when clicked in an email or pasted
into a browser, will download the file (even if it's a type a browser
could display). You can share files in any folder, including your
Documents Folder, except Library, Groups and Software.
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Files placed in the Sites folder appear at
http://homepage.mac.com/username/filename
Files placed in the Pictures folder appear at
http://homepage.mac.com/username/.Pictures/filename
(note the period before Pictures and the capital 'P'), and similar for Movies and Music.
Files placed in the Public folder appear at
http://homepage.mac.com/username/.Public/filename
whether or not the Public folder is password protected.
Of course a browser accessing these files will (usually) display audio, music and picture files rather than download them: if you want them to be downloaded you could zip them first, but you will get more convenient results by Sharing:
How do I share files on my iDisk?
Go to http://me.com
and click on the button with the folder to go to your iDisk. Navigate
to the folder and file you want to share, and in the pane to the right
you will see the details of that file, together with a 'Share File...'
button. Click this and you will
get a pop-up window giving a URL for
sharing (this takes the form http://files.me.com/username/
followed by a code) which you can copy, an option to send the link by
email, and options to limit the period of availability and
password-protect the file. The link, when clicked in an email or pasted
into a browser, will download the file (even if it's a type a browser
could display). You can share files in any folder, including your
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When I log in to MobileMe I get 'Resource not found'
If on going to
http://www.me.com
you get an otherwise blank page saying 'Resource not
found', this appears to mean that the domain fowarding to the login
page has fallen over. It may be possible to get into the site by using:
https://auth.apple.com/authenticate
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Why don't my podcast episodes show the podcast image?
When
you look at the iTunes Store page for your podcast you see the podcast
image (if there is one) you have referenced in your feed file. However,
when you subscribe to a podcast and select an episode you don't see an
image.
This is because the display is for 'cover art' belonging to the individual episode rather than the entire podcast. The artwork for this is embedded in the audio file rather than referenced in the feed file.
To embed an image in an audio file: having created an image (ideally 600x600):
My thanks to ' Certified' who originally provided this information.
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This is because the display is for 'cover art' belonging to the individual episode rather than the entire podcast. The artwork for this is embedded in the audio file rather than referenced in the feed file.
To embed an image in an audio file: having created an image (ideally 600x600):
- Open iTunes. In the sidebar, under 'Library', click 'Music'. It's probably best to select the list view from the buttons at top right.
- Locate your podcast mp3 file and drag it into this list: it will be copied in.
- Select it and hit command-i (control-i on Windows) or choose 'Get info' from the File menu.
- Select the 'Artwork' tab at the top of the pane which opens. Drag your image to the space. Click 'OK', and when you play the track you should see the artwork.
- Drag the episode file out to the desktop and upload this version to the server to replace the existing episode file.
- You can delete the copy in iTunes if necessary but if you are storing the file elsewhere you should replace it with this new version (which looks just the same, and note that the cover art does not appear in the QuickTime Player).
My thanks to ' Certified' who originally provided this information.
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How can I back up files to my iDisk?
How do I subscribe to (or renew) MobileMe using a retail box?
To
use a MobileMe 'retail box' (which doesn't contain any software, only
an activation code), go to http://www.me.com/activate
and choose
whether to open a new account, reactivate an expired account or renew
an existing account. If renewing you will be asked for your username
and password. You can do this at any time but the renewal will not be
applied to your account until the current year's subscription is up.
If you are on a trial account or are set to auto-renew with a credit card, the Account pane on the MobileMe site will probably still show the expiry date, which is disconcerting. If you click on the Options button, a page should come up showing that the activation key has been applied, the new renewal date, and a zero total to pay.
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If you are on a trial account or are set to auto-renew with a credit card, the Account pane on the MobileMe site will probably still show the expiry date, which is disconcerting. If you click on the Options button, a page should come up showing that the activation key has been applied, the new renewal date, and a zero total to pay.
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iWeb cannot open HTML files
When
you create a site in iWeb it saves it in its own special format in a
file called 'Domain' in ~/Library/Application Support/iWeb. When you
publish, to MobileMe, to a local folder, or to another server, it
creates the html, css and other files on the fly and uploads them to
the server. When you want to edit, you open iWeb, it reads the Domain
file, and you edit as necessary and re-upload. If you want to edit the
site on another computer, you have to copy the Domain file to that
computer and open it in iWeb. You cannot re-import the published html
files and edit them in iWeb, nor edit html files made in another
application.
To do that you could use Kompozer (free).
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To do that you could use Kompozer (free).
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I'm getting spam messages from myself which I haven't sent
When
people receive emails which appear to come from their own address but
they haven't sent they naturally tend to be concerned: however it's
most unlikely that anyone has hacked their account, they've just been
targeted by one of two common spammers' techniques: both arise because
it's all too easy to forge the 'from' address on messages to be
something other than the real one.
There are two things that can happen. One is that the sender has forged the 'from' address to be the same as the 'to' address (so other people will see it coming from themselves, not you), presumably in the hope of confusing spam filters. It's harmless, if extremely annoying. Delete it (never ever answer spam or try to unsubscribe from it), and you don't need to be worried about it.
The other problem is that a spammer is forging your address as the 'from' address on a whole batch of messages. The first thing you hear about this is when you start getting bounce messages because the spam has been sent to non-existent addresses and is being bounced to you. There's no point at all in responding to it. It's infuriating but normally stops after a bit as they move on to another forged address.
There isn't really anything you can do about it: closing the account isn't really worth the hassle unless you are totally swamped, because you will have to tell everyone your new address. Apple can't really do any more than they already are about spam.
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I have carried out some experiments and confirm that this is a repeatable bug, as some others have posted.
A web page uploaded using Transmit appears correctly, as does a web page uploaded using http://idisk.mac.com/username.
A web page uploaded using the MobileMe interface to iDisk, using either Safari or FireFox, appears correctly in Safari but in FireFox is presented as an application for download.
There is evidently a bug in the MobileMe uploading interface, and it would be wise to avoid it: mount your iDisk on the Desktop (command-shift-i) and drag the website to the folder you want - either Sites or Web/Sites. Or use Transmit or Cyberduck. This will avoid the problem, which arises only when you use the MobileMe web-page for your iDisk.
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Turn off syncing on your phone and any other computers involved.
Check that all the information on your main Mac that you want to sync is OK. Back it up - (user)/Library/Application Support/iCal and /Address Book, and (user)/Library/Safari (for the bookmarks).
Go to System Preferences>MobileMe>Sync. Turn off syncing. Click the 'Advanced' button and remove all devices from the list. When you do this you should get a dialog asking if you would like to 'delete unused sync info from MobileMe'; select all the items and click 'delete'. Then click the 'reset sync data' button.
Return to the 'Account' pane. Click the 'sign out' button, remove your name and password and enter some garbage. When it's rejected, re-enter the correct name and password.
Go to the sync panel and start syncing again: choose the option for the computer to over-ride MobileMe. Carry out the sync.
Restart syncing on the phone and any other computers: in this case choose the option to have MobileMe over-ride the device (if offered).
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To purchase or upgrade to a Family Pack
If you are starting from scratch you can choose a single account or a Family Pack account when you sign up: or you can buy a Family Pack 'retail box' and use the activation code.
If you already have a single-user account, you can use a credit card: go to http://me.com, go to your Account page, click the 'Options' button, then on the next pane the 'Upgrade' button and choose 'Family Pack': you will be charged the proportion of the extra charge for the remainder of your year's subscription. If you have a Family Pack retail box you can go to http://www.me.com/activate and enter the code, but your upgrade will not take effect until the next year's subscription begins.
To set up a Family Pack
The main account holder can create up to four sub-accounts: click the 'Set Up Account' link to the right of an unused Family Member account, and set a suitable name and a password for each account. The new members can log in using these (they do not need to activate their account in any other way) and should change the password so that the main user can no longer access the contents of their account.
To convert a single-user account to a Family Pack sub-account
This Apple tech note explains the procedure: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=MobileMe/Account/en/acct16956.html
Things you can't do
You cannot change a sub-account to a trial account, an email-only account (these no longer exist) or an email alias.
You cannot change an email alias to any other type of account, it remains tied to the account which created it (even after expiry).
You cannot share a calendar or Address Book between accounts (to a lot of people's annoyance, but there it is). There is a sort of partial workaround which I have detailed on this page.
Renewal
If you have set the master account to auto-renew, make sure that you also set the Family Pack upgrade to auto-renew, otherwise when the subscription renews you will find that the sub-accounts have disappeared.
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Double-click this .ics file and when prompted by iCal, choose to create a new calendar. This will create it as new calendar which will sync with MobileMe. Of course both versions of the calendar - the exported one and the imported one - will show on your computer, but you can uncheck one of them. However when the subscribed calendar changes you will have to delete the imported version, and do the export and import process again before it can be synced to MobileMe.
This web page describes a more complex way of attacking the 'syncing subscribed calendars' problem: I'm not in a position to try it so I can't say whether it works reliably or not.
As of the introduction of the 3.0 update, the iPhone can subscribe to directly, so you can see another person's published calendar and the changes will be updated automatically: this Tech Note describes how to do this.
Most mail services are POP: when you collect mail it is downloaded to your computer and removed from the server: it is possible to arrange to leave it on the server for, say, a week so you can download it again to other computers.
MobileMe mail is IMAP, which means that the messages live on the server; any machine's copy of Mail can access them - it looks as if the messages are in Mail on your Mac but they aren't; if you think of it like webmail it makes sense. Therefore any machine can access the messages, just as any machine can access webmail. Other ISPs mail does not appear on the MobileMe server.
You can check one other POP account on MobileMe so that the messages will turn up there. It is also usually possible - and more practicable - to set other accounts to forward received emails on to MobileMe, either retaining the messages for POP downloading or not, as you require.
Note that if you do this you cannot reply from MobileMe with any other address as the 'From' address than the MobileMe one, so if you forward mail from another ISP and then read an answer it using MobileMe it is the MobileMe address which will be seen as the 'from' address by the recipient.
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Before cancelling or allowing the account to expire, if you have turned 'iDisk syncing' on (not a procedure I recommend) you should turn it off first, or you may be landed with persistent error messages. After you have cancelled you should go to System Preferences>MobileMe, logout and remove your username and password.
A common question is whether the email will continue after expiry/cancellation: it is not a free service and all email services will cease to function. There is a short period of a few days before the contents of the iDisk are erased.
You may have an 'Apple ID' for iTunes, the Discussions Forum, and registration of hardware, and often is the same as your MobileMe (or .Mac) email address. Your Apple ID continues to be the same, and will work on the forums. Your email address doesn't have to be the same as your Apple ID, and if you are cancelling the account you will need to change it.
To change your email address for iTunes, open iTunes, go to menu Store>View My Account, sign in with your Apple ID and password, then click on the 'Edit Account Info' button in the top right-hand.
To change your email address for registrations etc., go to
https://myinfo.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MyInfo
log in and edit the account details there.
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Roger Wilmut. This site is not associated with Apple.There are two things that can happen. One is that the sender has forged the 'from' address to be the same as the 'to' address (so other people will see it coming from themselves, not you), presumably in the hope of confusing spam filters. It's harmless, if extremely annoying. Delete it (never ever answer spam or try to unsubscribe from it), and you don't need to be worried about it.
The other problem is that a spammer is forging your address as the 'from' address on a whole batch of messages. The first thing you hear about this is when you start getting bounce messages because the spam has been sent to non-existent addresses and is being bounced to you. There's no point at all in responding to it. It's infuriating but normally stops after a bit as they move on to another forged address.
There isn't really anything you can do about it: closing the account isn't really worth the hassle unless you are totally swamped, because you will have to tell everyone your new address. Apple can't really do any more than they already are about spam.
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My web pages show the HTML code, or get downloaded as an application, in FireFox
The symptom: web pages uploaded to Mobile me don't show properly in FireFox: either the source html code shows, or FireFox offers to download them as an application.I have carried out some experiments and confirm that this is a repeatable bug, as some others have posted.
A web page uploaded using Transmit appears correctly, as does a web page uploaded using http://idisk.mac.com/username.
A web page uploaded using the MobileMe interface to iDisk, using either Safari or FireFox, appears correctly in Safari but in FireFox is presented as an application for download.
There is evidently a bug in the MobileMe uploading interface, and it would be wise to avoid it: mount your iDisk on the Desktop (command-shift-i) and drag the website to the folder you want - either Sites or Web/Sites. Or use Transmit or Cyberduck. This will avoid the problem, which arises only when you use the MobileMe web-page for your iDisk.
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What can I do about serious syncing problems?
Syncing of bookmarks, calendars and contacts can sometimes go awry (it's always wise to keep a local backup of this information). Problems can sometimes be solved by a complete reset of the syncing process, involving unregistering all computers which are syncing with MobileMe (this does not erase any data).Turn off syncing on your phone and any other computers involved.
Check that all the information on your main Mac that you want to sync is OK. Back it up - (user)/Library/Application Support/iCal and /Address Book, and (user)/Library/Safari (for the bookmarks).
Go to System Preferences>MobileMe>Sync. Turn off syncing. Click the 'Advanced' button and remove all devices from the list. When you do this you should get a dialog asking if you would like to 'delete unused sync info from MobileMe'; select all the items and click 'delete'. Then click the 'reset sync data' button.
Return to the 'Account' pane. Click the 'sign out' button, remove your name and password and enter some garbage. When it's rejected, re-enter the correct name and password.
Go to the sync panel and start syncing again: choose the option for the computer to over-ride MobileMe. Carry out the sync.
Restart syncing on the phone and any other computers: in this case choose the option to have MobileMe over-ride the device (if offered).
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What is a Family Pack and how do I set it up?
In addition to the normal single-user MobileMe subscription, you can purchase a 'Family Pack' which adds four 'sub-accounts'. Each of those has their own login, separate from the main account, and has all the same facilities except that the iDisk space is limited to 5GB and cannot be increased: and sub-account holders cannot cancel the account, only the main account holder can do that.To purchase or upgrade to a Family Pack
If you are starting from scratch you can choose a single account or a Family Pack account when you sign up: or you can buy a Family Pack 'retail box' and use the activation code.
If you already have a single-user account, you can use a credit card: go to http://me.com, go to your Account page, click the 'Options' button, then on the next pane the 'Upgrade' button and choose 'Family Pack': you will be charged the proportion of the extra charge for the remainder of your year's subscription. If you have a Family Pack retail box you can go to http://www.me.com/activate and enter the code, but your upgrade will not take effect until the next year's subscription begins.
To set up a Family Pack
The main account holder can create up to four sub-accounts: click the 'Set Up Account' link to the right of an unused Family Member account, and set a suitable name and a password for each account. The new members can log in using these (they do not need to activate their account in any other way) and should change the password so that the main user can no longer access the contents of their account.
To convert a single-user account to a Family Pack sub-account
This Apple tech note explains the procedure: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=MobileMe/Account/en/acct16956.html
Things you can't do
You cannot change a sub-account to a trial account, an email-only account (these no longer exist) or an email alias.
You cannot change an email alias to any other type of account, it remains tied to the account which created it (even after expiry).
You cannot share a calendar or Address Book between accounts (to a lot of people's annoyance, but there it is). There is a sort of partial workaround which I have detailed on this page.
Renewal
If you have set the master account to auto-renew, make sure that you also set the Family Pack upgrade to auto-renew, otherwise when the subscription renews you will find that the sub-accounts have disappeared.
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Subscribed calendars don't show on the MobileMe site
The MobileMe page at http://me.com/calendar does not show subscribed calendars, so if you want to access such calendars here there is a slightly messy workaround: export your subscribed calendar in iCal (select it, then File>Export): this will produce an .ics file at the location on your computer which you have selected.Double-click this .ics file and when prompted by iCal, choose to create a new calendar. This will create it as new calendar which will sync with MobileMe. Of course both versions of the calendar - the exported one and the imported one - will show on your computer, but you can uncheck one of them. However when the subscribed calendar changes you will have to delete the imported version, and do the export and import process again before it can be synced to MobileMe.
This web page describes a more complex way of attacking the 'syncing subscribed calendars' problem: I'm not in a position to try it so I can't say whether it works reliably or not.
As of the introduction of the 3.0 update, the iPhone can subscribe to directly, so you can see another person's published calendar and the changes will be updated automatically: this Tech Note describes how to do this.
I don't understand 'email syncing'
Confusion arises because of the term 'email syncing': there is actually no such thing. Syncing Mail Accounts (in System Preferences>MobileMe>Sync) syncs the setup details so that if you add a new account it will appear on other machines without your having to enter all the details again. It does not sync mail messages.Most mail services are POP: when you collect mail it is downloaded to your computer and removed from the server: it is possible to arrange to leave it on the server for, say, a week so you can download it again to other computers.
MobileMe mail is IMAP, which means that the messages live on the server; any machine's copy of Mail can access them - it looks as if the messages are in Mail on your Mac but they aren't; if you think of it like webmail it makes sense. Therefore any machine can access the messages, just as any machine can access webmail. Other ISPs mail does not appear on the MobileMe server.
You can check one other POP account on MobileMe so that the messages will turn up there. It is also usually possible - and more practicable - to set other accounts to forward received emails on to MobileMe, either retaining the messages for POP downloading or not, as you require.
Note that if you do this you cannot reply from MobileMe with any other address as the 'From' address than the MobileMe one, so if you forward mail from another ISP and then read an answer it using MobileMe it is the MobileMe address which will be seen as the 'from' address by the recipient.
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How do I cancel my account?
You can cancel your subscription and get a full refund within 45 days of starting or renewal: Log in at http://me.com and go to your Account: click on 'Account Options' in the left sidebar and then click the 'cancel' button (this is now available for subscribed as well as trial accounts). Your credit card will be refunded: if you subscribed using an activation code then you will have to contact the retailer you bought it from. After the 45 days have passed you cannot cancel the account, you can only wait for it to expire.Before cancelling or allowing the account to expire, if you have turned 'iDisk syncing' on (not a procedure I recommend) you should turn it off first, or you may be landed with persistent error messages. After you have cancelled you should go to System Preferences>MobileMe, logout and remove your username and password.
A common question is whether the email will continue after expiry/cancellation: it is not a free service and all email services will cease to function. There is a short period of a few days before the contents of the iDisk are erased.
You may have an 'Apple ID' for iTunes, the Discussions Forum, and registration of hardware, and often is the same as your MobileMe (or .Mac) email address. Your Apple ID continues to be the same, and will work on the forums. Your email address doesn't have to be the same as your Apple ID, and if you are cancelling the account you will need to change it.
To change your email address for iTunes, open iTunes, go to menu Store>View My Account, sign in with your Apple ID and password, then click on the 'Edit Account Info' button in the top right-hand.
To change your email address for registrations etc., go to
https://myinfo.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MyInfo
log in and edit the account details there.
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