Change a file's Last Modified Date and Created Date on Mac OSX

Simple steps on how to change a file’s date modified and date created attributes on Mac OS X.

Date Format Key:

YYYY – The year (the first two digits/century can be omitted).

MM – The month of the year, from 1 to 12.

DD – The day of the month, from 1 to 31.

hh – The hour of the day, from 0 to 23.

mm – The minute of the hour, from 0 to 59.

How to change the date modified attribute of a file?

1. Open up the Terminal.

2. Type this into Terminal (without hitting enter/return) replacing YYYYMMDDhhmm with the desired date information:

touch -mt YYYYMMDDhhmm

3. Open a Finder window and locate the file you wish to modify and drag and drop it into the Terminal window. Here’s an example of what should be typed into the Terminal at this point:

touch -mt 200801120000 /Volumes/Mac\ HD/Pictures/somefile.jpg

200801120000 in the example above represent “January 12, 2008 12:00 AM”. Replace /Volumes/Mac\ HD/Pictures/somefile.jpg with the proper path to the file you wish to alter the date for.

4. If all is in order press the return key.

How to change the date created attribute of a file? Warning: This will change both the date modified and date created attributes.

1. Open up the Terminal.

2. Type this into Terminal (without hitting enter/return) replacing YYYYMMDDhhmm with the desired date information:

touch -t YYYYMMDDhhmm

3. Open a Finder window and locate the file you wish to modify and drag and drop it into the Terminal window. Here’s an example of what should be typed into the Terminal at this point:

touch -t 201212211111 /Volumes/Mac\ HD/Pictures/somefile.jpg

201212211111 in the example above represent “December 21, 2012 11:11 AM”. Replace /Volumes/Mac\ HD/Pictures/somefile.jpg with the proper path to the file you wish to alter the date for.

4. If all is in order press the return key.

How to batch update the date modified attribute of multiple files?

1. Make sure all the files you want to modify are in the top directory of the same folder. Don’t store files in this folder if you don’t want them to be modified.

2. Open up the Terminal.

3. Type this into Terminal (without hitting enter/return) replacing YYYYMMDDhhmm with the desired date information:

touch -mt YYYYMMDDhhmm

4. Open a Finder window and locate the folder containing the files you wish to modify and drag and drop it into the Terminal window. Here’s an example of what should be typed into the Terminal at this point:

touch -mt 200801120000 /Volumes/Mac\ HD/Pictures/Album

5. Add /* to the end of the command. If you’re only targeting a specific file type include its extension (e.g. /*.jpgor /*.png). Your command should look something like this:

touch -mt 200801120000 /Volumes/Mac\ HD/Pictures/Album/*

6. If all is in order press the return key.

How to batch update the date created attribute of multiple files? Warning: This will change both the date modified and date created attributes.

1. Make sure all the files you want to modify are in the top directory of the same folder. Don’t store files in this folder if you don’t want them to be modified.

2. Open up the Terminal.

3. Type this into Terminal (without hitting enter/return) replacing YYYYMMDDhhmm with the desired date information:

touch -t YYYYMMDDhhmm

4. Open a Finder window and locate the folder containing the files you wish to modify and drag and drop it into the Terminal window. Here’s an example of what should be typed into the Terminal at this point:

touch -t 201212211111 /Volumes/Mac\ HD/Pictures/Album

201212211111 in the example above represent “December 21, 2012 11:11 AM”. Make sure to change201212211111 to the date you want and to replace /Volumes/Mac\ HD/Pictures/Album with the proper path to the folder containing the files you wish to alter the date for.

5. Add /* to the end of the command. If you’re only targeting a specific file type include its extension (e.g. /*.jpgor /*.png). Your command should look something like this:

touch -t 201212211111 /Volumes/Mac\ HD/Pictures/Album/*

6. If all is in order press the return key.

Fix damaged RAR file and CRC error - Mac

Firstly download all the files without any interruptions and ensure all the RAR files are of the size as specified on the download site/link. 

Download Mac OSX port of the RAR program,  from http://www.rarlabs.com/download.htm. Decompress the downloaded file.

Open the terminal and drag the file named rar from the decompressed folder to the terminal window. Then make sure there's a space, then type "r" (without the quotes). Then make sure there's another space. Then drop the file you want repaired onto the terminal window (it'll give the path and name of the file). Then make sure there's another space, and type "Users/yourname/Desktop" or wherever you want the fixed file placed. It may be easier to just drag and drop the folder where you want it placed onto the terminal window again so there's no chance at typos.

Then hit "return" and the repair scan will start. if the file has a recovery record, it will say that it was found almost immediately. Then it goes about repairing the file. Depending on the size of the file, it may take a couple minutes.

Note that the file will have the prefix "fixed" appended to the beginning of the filename. You'll need to delete that once the repair process has completed before you attempt to join the files again.

Excel Functions - a quick reference

SMALL Function: To fetch the 2nd smallest number from an array. SMALL(Range,n).

E.g. Range: A2:A10.

n=2
Result: Displays 2nd smallest number in the range from A2 to A10.

An Attempt...HOPE!!!

Passing through the darkest street...

I wish to see some faintest light.

My eyes searching for a loved one...

to realize that I'm all alone.

I stop and think what went wrong...

and find that happiness is a past thing.

I cry to God to help me out...

He scorns at me to sit and wait.

I close my eyes to sit and pray...

to see nothing but the darkest gray.

Days, weeks, months and a year...

having loved ones I'm yet a loner.

Lost interest in the world round me...

can't even think how my life's gonna be.

Not sure if its part of Life...

my heart is chopped with a butcher knife.

Feel like putting a stop to agony and pain...

but fear if it leads to jeopardy and vain.

I go to sleep wishing some light tomorrow...

wishing to bring me out of this sorrow.

I wake up and look for the Sun...

and disappointed to be back at square one.

I'm still in that darkest street...

for me to live, HOPE is the only light!!

----a slave to destiny.

my cooking got a culture shock...

I pride on the fact that 'I can cook'...to add essence on what I pride upon 'I have never stepped into the kitchen in my home to cook'...

the first time I had to stay away from my home was when I got placed into Satyam and got kicked to Chennai as part of my first project...and it was there I was successful in my experiments on the stove with near perfect performance all the times...and here I'm 'a cook with a taste'...

the journey continued...and if you are a follower of my blogs..I eventually ended up in the US!!

the first time we went to walmart all by ourselves and I picked up a "cabbage" wrapped in cling wrap and was amazed at the freshness of the vegetable...got our stuff billed and headed home excited to butcher the "cabbage" and feast...

it raised no doubt even while I was cutting it..all the way through I was seriously amazed at the freshness and crisp of the veggie...started cooking it in a traditional style and was dreaming it to be as close as possible in taste to what my mom made...

for those who cook cabbage might know that it takes less than 40 mins for the curry to be ready if started from scratch without pre cooking it...but..to my surprise this "cabbage" of mine took more than 4 hours but was not ready...the surprising part was that when ever I open the lid of the pan it was my turn to get amazed at the crisp of the veggie...

finally after 4.5 hours decided to eat it the way it is...and it was a disaster...then I had to swallow the pill called pride and started retrospection...guess what came to me as a dawn of revelation?? ofcourse after 2 days when I first stepped into subway!!

if you have high IQ as me you might have got it by now [:D]...and to my surprise I never knew there is a veggie like that which resembled cabbage when I was back in India...it was like a culture shock to my cooking!!

Thanks to my roomies who accepted this episode in a smoothest possible manner...

yesss...my nicknamed "cabbage" was indeed "lettuce"!!@#$%^&*()

My First Time...

it was a Friday and it seemed normal to me as any other day...I got up early and started my daily chores just as if it were on any other day!!completely oblivious of what was in reserve for me that afternoon...

...in the background my destiny was ready to execute its impeccably carved out master plan!! A plan which might have demanded it's [destiny's] utmost attention to detail so that there is no escape route at all as such...

It was 7:30 AM and I checked my calendar to find it free for rest of the day...it was then there was an unnoticeable smile...both on my lips and heart!! Meticulously planned out my work for the rest of the day and got ready to drive to office..

the vicious plan was put into execution and it was about to start it's first step...a plan, of which never even a hint was let out..

it was 9:30 AM...I'm in the office in the middle of something, when my phone rang. Casually looked at the caller ID to realize that was the number I usually dont get calls from...with a inquisitive frown answered the call...

The Game starts!!In my previous blog "YOUR FIRST TIME" I have scribbled down my "fantasy" of a dentist experience in a pervertible style...looks like the dentist world had cast its spell on me [:P] and is back with 'V' for vendetta!!

the person on the other end started speaking in "chinese english" and was trying to remind me of an appointment I had earlier made...and I had to say "Sure, I'll be there by 1:00 PM"!! [:(]

you guessed it right...a call from my dentist office confirming my appointment for "My First Time!!" - to get two of my wisdom tooth pulled!!

Irony is that there is nothing wrong with them...no cavity, no dislocation, no issues of any kind...I got it done just because the doctor said it would be better to and it wouldn't hurt much as I'm "young"!! I fell for that word "YOUNG" which is otherwise slowly drifting out of my age's equation!! eventhough am still young at heart!

Not sure if that 'young' mantra helped but I ended up bleeding for two days, speaking sign language and watching 3 movies from old times which otherwise I would have never done on a weekend!!

Moral of the story is...'My first time was not as much as I fantasized in that post"!! [:(]

Lazy? Demotivated? Reckless? Caught up?

what suits me best? This was the question I have been asking myself for quite a while! As most of us, I have started blogging with great enthu...continued it for a while and now left it for its own fate almost a year and a half ago...

Have lots and lots in mind to scribble about...almost every week I finish one book or the other..be it financial/management/leadership/communicationnovel whatever..and everytime I finish reading one I feel like scribbling here what I liked the most about the book. but...

I watch a movie..face a situation..drive recklessly..meet a great person or learn something really inspiring or cool...and immidiately this space comes to my mind to share it with my friends. but...

there were days I used to take time out of my weekend/leisure to compose this and would feel happy when one post is pushed to publish..used to make many of my friends jealous because I still have time to scribble my ramblings here while they appeared to be caught in the vicious cycle of life...

many a times I keep thinking that I need to ease out by taking up what I used to do for my pass time...I sit at home get bored to death..read something which I really dont like but just to finish it because of the sole reason that it should not be left unfinished...knowing that blogging is refreshing atleast for me..I have never looked at it for the past year and a half...

why?

have I become too LAZY? even to do something refreshing!!

DEMOTIVATED? from what is happening around me!!

RECKLESS? to take this habit as L(oser) thing!!

or CAUGHT UP in the vicious cycle of life!! - This, I wish, should be the last thing for me absconding!!

Wake up dude...wake up!!

Quaky-Shaky experience!!!

Woke up from sleep...disturbed…over the repeated banging on the door…

It was probably the first time some one knocked/banged my flat’s front door in those six months of my advent in Chennai…the door which was never locked otherwise was apparently bolted from inside that day!!! Call it destiny/serendipity what ever you believe in!!!

It was a cool December morning (even though there is nothing like a cool day in Chennai) and moreover was a weekend…I forced myself out of the bed, too reluctant to come out of the comfy zone under my blanket; I had no other choice as the banging grew louder…I slowly staggered into the living room carefully holding the walls!!!

I was more than surprised to see myself throwing out of balance…it never happened before and I was not drunk too!! At last when I answered the bang...it was my servant maid...hysterically yelling something out in Tamil, a foreign language!!! Hearing her, my roomie came out of the bedroom equally excited and also to translate what she was trying to convey...

Mystery unfolded as I understood that it was an Earth Quake…and a new fear crept in as we were living in the third floor!!!

Trying to digest what we just heard both me and my roomie walked into the balcony. This time we could walk balanced…without any support from the walls, as it subsided!! Another surprise that morning was that the balcony had the stink of sea side…we exchanged perplexed looks; when our maid ran again into the living room…this time bearing the news that the beach which was a kilometer from my house has drowned the whole residential area surrounding it…yes, it was the Tsunami of Dec 2004!!! We ran to the spot to see the devastation which doomed all over…

Three years later…2007, another side of the globe…California, USA

…Waiting at the automatic car wash to get my roomie’s car washed…the car already in the wash area was almost done and was ready to exit when our car experienced a strong turbulence as if being blown by a strong jet of air from an exhaust!!! We experienced a swift swing sitting inside the car and thought it was because of the air being blown inside the carwash to dry the washed cars…

…it was our turn when we got a call from our cousin briefing about an earth quake 2 minutes ago…thrilled, we turned on the radio and lo!! It was the news all over...of magnitude larger than 6!!! came out of the carwash and experienced the emergency vehicles’ sirens wailing and traffic jams on the roads connecting the interstates…

aren’t they shaky-quaky experiences?!?!