April 2016 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Ransomware and the Off-Site Backup Another Layer of Defense Ransomware is not really a problem yet for Macs. There was only one reported program out there, and that was related to people accessing illegal content on the internet. But, as with all things, preparation is your best hedge against disaster.  What we have learned from the problem with Ransomware in the Windows PC world is that oftentimes the backup drive is encrypted along with the main hard drive. Victims lose access to their backup and fall into the clutches of the scammers, paying a ransom to unlock their machine and backup.  So, how do you protect from this? Simple: Have an off-site backup. Backing up to the cloud and encrypting that backup yourself gives secure off-site piece of mind. Companies like CrashPlan and iDrive are just two options out there. There are many to choose from depending on your budget and your needs.

What Version of OS X Should You Be On? Keep It Current for Better Browsing We get a lot of questions about whether to upgrade or not. Moving to a new version of OS X means changes that can make things look and feel different. Some don't like change, and that's okay. But with technology, keeping current means keeping safe. Being on a current system allows you to get the latest security updates and offers things from better compatability with your iPhone along with more reliable internet surfing. So, here's the straight scoop: If you are not on at least OS X 10.9 Mavericks, then we strongly recommend heading to the App Store and downloading the latest version of OS X... but make sure you have a current backup of your system first.

Quick Fix for Printer Problems Three Easy Tips Printers... they're a necessary part of your home and office, but wow do they frustrate us sometimes. When the paper stops flowing, here are a few things that you can do to help resolve printer connectivity issues. 1.) Power Cycle the Printer: Believe it or not, turning it off and then on really helps clear a lot of issues. You may need to restart your computer, too, just to get them to handshake. 2.) Delete and Re-Add: In System Preferences go into Printers & Scanners and from here you can select your troublesome printer. Hit the Minus sign to delete and then the Plus to add it back. Try your job again. 3.) Restart Your Router: If all else fails, and your printer is not directly attached to your computer (using it over Wi-Fi), give your router a restart. It helps clean up the routing table and freshens up the connections. You may need to do steps 1 and 2 again after this.

March 2016 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

The New iPhone SE and iPad Pro Everything old is new again! Apple had another session today where they announced a new iPhone SE and iPad Pro. Let's start with the iPhone. The iPhone SE looks exactly like your iPhone 5 or 5S. It's the same form factor, although they have some nifty new colors. Basically it's the iPhone 5/5S with iPhone 6S guts inside. You get a 12 megapixel camera, 4K video, Apple Pay, and Live Photos. You don't get the iPhone 6S's force touch screen or the promised (theoretically) deletion of the Home button and headphone jack in the iPhone 7 (or whatever they will call it).  Overall, I see it as kind of odd that Apple has taken a 2012 phone design and put 2015 parts in it and calls it new. But, if you need a new iPhone, but want to keep the 5's smaller package, and don't wish to purchase a ton of new accessories, then the iPhone SE may be for you. What this does insinuate is that Apple will be putting all it's emerging technology in the larger 4.7 inch (and above) iPhones. Those who like smaller phones (like myself) appear to need to be satisfied with the hand-me-downs. You can read more about the iPhone SE here: http://www.apple.com/iphone-se/ The new 9.7-inch iPad Pro is basically the standard sized iPad all "Pro-ed" up. So, if you wanted a new iPad, and like the iPad Pro, but not the size, here's one right up your alley. Truth be told, if you are considering a new iPad, then I'd say opt for either of the iPad Pros. http://www.apple.com/ipad-pro/

Ransomware on the Mac It's Why There is a You in User If you've been a regular consumer of Mini-Bytes, then you have no doubt been familiar with my repeated notion that the greatest vulnerability on the Mac is the user at the keyboard. Unlike Windows PCs that pick up viruses easier than a kindergarten class, Macs are much more robust, but it's up to you -- the you-ser. The ransomware that the news has been reporting as being the first to hit the Mac OS is embedded in a program that folks use to access illegal and pirated content. That's right! So if you are surfing the Net, doing your email, and being a responsible Mac owner you can know where not to go and get infected. Now, if you are selling small flightless birds on the deep web... For more info check out CNET: http://www.cnet.com/news/apple-users-beware-first-live-ransomware-targeting-mac-found-in-the-wild/

Freshen Up Your Old iPhone or iPad Get More Life from Your Device I still have an iPhone 5S and an iPad 3. I like them. They work well for me and I don't feel compelled to run out and slap down some Benjamins on the latest and greatest. But having older equipment means trying to get the most out of it in the ever increasing demands of updated software. ZDNet has some tips and tricks to breathe new life into your old device. Check it out here:  http://www.zdnet.com/article/dont-want-to-buy-a-new-iphone-or-ipad-heres-how-to-speed-up-your-old-one/#ftag=RSSbaffb68

February 2016 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Get a Handle on Malware on the Mac Resources to Note Malware has become a big problem for the Mac. The good news is that good practices on your end can help you avoid it. Begin with these five easy steps: Use a legitimate Search Engine -- we prefer Google Only access reputable websites Do not download or install software that you are not familiar with Be mindful of what is happening when your computer asks for the System (login) password Do not give anyone who you don't know remote access to your computer Now if you have or think you have Malware there are many tools out there that can help. Here are just two: MalwareBytes for Mac: https://www.malwarebytes.org/antimalware/mac/ DetectX: http://sqwarq.com/detectx/ To read more about Malware check out The Safe Mac blog: http://www.thesafemac.com

Apple USB-C Charging Cable Replacement Program For You New MacBook Users If you purchased one of the new MacBooks with the fancy USB-C charger, please note that Apple is replacing some of the earlier ones as they found a flaw that causes them not to effectively charge the MacBook. If you have a MacBook, click on this link from Apple to see all the details and what you need to do: https://www.apple.com/support/usbc-chargecable/

Apple ID Authentication Problem?  It May Be Your Network As we discussed earlier this year, the Internet is going through a transition -- changing it's old IPv4 addressing to the new IPv6. Well, it seems there is a new network hiccup that has developed that is a little odd, but easily fixed. Here's the scenario: You need to enter your Apple ID password, but it won't be accepted. It comes up saying it's wrong. You double check your password sheet, your notes, and you swear it's correct, but Apple just kicks it back. What gives? Believe it or not, it could be your network connection. We can only theorize to why this is happening, but one thing that we do know is that Apple is leaning toward IPv6 vs. the old IPv4. So, if the routing gets messed up between the two systems, it may explain the problem -- or not. It may even be the conspiracy of small flightless birds. We can only wonder -- it's a bit of a mystery. How to fix it: If the problem is on your iPad or iPhone, simply disable Wi-Fi on your device so that you may connect over the cellular network. Then try again. Chances are it will work. If this is the case, a reboot of your modem and router will fix it for your local network. If you don't have the option of going on the cellular network, that same restart of your modem and router should get you rolling again. If you have authentication issues with other sites (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, banking, etc.) the same solution may apply.

January 2016 Edition - Monthly Mini-Bytes

OS X 10.11 El Capitan It's a good update! I've gotten a lot of questions lately whether or not it's okay to update to OS X 10.11 El Capitan. Well, the answer is Yes! If you have been using OS X 10.10 Yosemite, you will not notice much difference in the look and feel of El Capitan. Most of the enhancements are under the hood, although the Notes app gets a huge upgrade. If you have been a user of Evernote, the new Notes app and it's integration with iCloud may make you a convert. You will need to be running iOS 9 on your iPhone/iPad to use the new Notes. Here are the details: http://www.macworld.com/article/2947866/ios/meet-the-new-notes-ios-9s-feature-packed-evernote-rival.html If you are ready to update to OS X 10.11 El Capitan it is available at the App Store for free! Just make sure that you have a backup before you proceed.

iPhone 6c Rumors A Replacement for the iPhone 5s Wendy and I still have the iPhone 5s, not because we don't like the 6 or 6s, it's just the iPhone 5s works really well, has all the features we need, and is a good size for us to carry around. It doesn't have Apple Pay, but we use our Apple Watches for that anyway. Many folks love the 4.7 inch screen size of the 6 and 6s, but many of us, me included, appreciate something a bit smaller. Well, Apple is said to be prepping a new 4 inch phone to replace the 5s called the iPhone 6c. It looks right up my alley! You may like it, too. Here is a link to the latest rumors from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2016/01/13/iphone-6c-rumors/

Is it time to upgrade your Modem? Get ready for the new IPv6 If you have a cable modem, you probably don't think much about it. But they do have a lifespan, and now things on the internet are changing, so it's best to get ready. As you may have read in our previous update, the internet is running out of addresses. The old scheme is IPv4 and the new is IPv6. What happened to IPv5? The same thing I guess that happened to Windows 9. Anyway... if your modem is more than three years old, it may be up for a replacement. The old standard DOCSIS 2.0 models as a rule may not support the new internet addressing. The current standard is DOCSIS 3.0. BTW, DOCSIS stands for Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification. Use that at your next party or trivia night! Or not... We recommend that you stay away from integrated modem/routers and just go with a straight up modem. Here are two that we really like. They are Motorola/Arris DOCSIS 3.0 units: Arris SURFBoard Model SB6141: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/arris-surfboard-docsis-3-0-high-speed-cable-modem-silver/7534146.p?id=1218849840013&skuId=7534146 (We've seen this one at Costco, too!) Arris SURFBoard 600 Series Model SB6183: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/arris-surfboard-600-series-docsis-3-0-cable-modem-white/9082019.p?id=1219389047410&skuId=9082019

December 2015 Edition - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Holiday iPhone Safety Tips Ways to Keep Your Device Safe It's a crazy busy time of the year, and your iPhone is a trusted friend to help keep you in touch and organized. But in all the chaos it's really easy to forget to keep your little digital assistant secure. Here are some tips that we all can use: Use a Passcode or Touch ID... or Both It's very important to have a passcode on your iPhone. And no longer are you limited to 4 digits. It can be longer and much more complex. Plus, if you have an iPhone with TouchID you can set it up to unlock with your fingerprint! Your passcode is your first line of defense and will keep everyone out of your iPhone when it is locked. Find My iPhone We've all misplaced our iPhone before, and this seems to happen a lot more over the holidays. Go into Settings -> iCloud and make sure Find My iPhone is turned on. Then, if you do misplace it, you can log into https://www.icloud.com and use the Find iPhone feature to locate your device, play a tone, put it into Lost Mode, or even erase it completely.  Use Apple Pay With all the credit card fraud around, it doesn't hurt to set up and take advantage of Apple Pay at merchants who offer the option. According to Apple and many tech pundits, it's a more secure way to pay versus using a credit card. You can use this feature on the iPhone 6 and newer or the Apple Watch.

Curing Network Problems the Easy Way Reboot, Restart, and Be Happy! Your home network is a wondrous thing. It gives you access to the internet and the massive amount of interconnected goodness it offers. The problem is that networks do require care and feeding. They are never static and are always changing. When does your network need a restart? It could be anything like slow internet speeds, problems connecting to a printer, can't send/receive mail, or issues running updates. It's easy to do, and if you are one of the folks who have experienced the joy of the Cox IPv6 Upgrade, you've probably done this a lot lately. Here is all that you need to do to recycle your network. (This is a general guideline. If you have a more complex network, then the procedure will be similar, but there may be more steps involved.) Find your Cable or DSL Modem Unplug the Power and Count to 10 Then plug the Power back in Then wait for the Modem to reboot (give it a minute or two) Then... restart your router by unplugging the power, counting to 10, and then plugging back in Wait for the router to completely restart You may then have to restart your computer, device, or printer After all is said and done you should be back in business! If not, then it's most likely a problem with your ISP (Cox or Century Link). Sometimes it's best just to wait and it should come back up on it's own. Other times you may have to give them a ring.

Use Your iPhone/iPad to Check Your Purchases Enable Alerts from Your Bank One other thing that you can use your iPhone or iPad for during the holidays is as a way to get alerts to track your purchases. Credit card fraud has gotten out of control, but here is one way that you can get ahead of the game. Most all banks offer the ability to configure alerts that will send you a text or an email when a purchase has been made or there has been any activity on your account. These can be highly customizable, but the capability and configuration will vary by bank.  Also, if you have the bank's app on your iPhone/iPad, you can sometimes configure those alerts to show up as banner notifications. Log onto you bank's website or app to see what type of alerts that they offer.

November 2015 Edition - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Slow Mac? It May Be Your Processor Core 2 Duo Days Numbered Is your Mac slow? Does it take a long time to boot up, load programs, or do just about anything? If you still have an iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, or Mini with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, then chances are you are experiencing one or all of these symptoms. Apple installed the Core 2 Duo processors in its machines from 2006 through early 2010 when the iSeries processors were introduced. They did a great job, but nowadays they don't have the punch that they used to.  So what to do? Adding RAM or a Solid State Drive can help, but considering that most of these machines are older than 5 to 6 years, it's a good time for an upgrade. Spending the time, effort, and money to breathe a few more months out of a Core 2 Duo Mac is not really money well spent. Also, the cost of the upgrades would exceed the value of the Mac anyway. Five or more years for a computer is excellent, since the industry life-span is three. The odds have been beaten, but now is the time to consider a new Mac.

Slow iPad Solutions Don't Toss That iPad 2 or iPad 3 Just Yet! Is your older iPad slow? It's true that the iPad 2 and newer can run the current iOS, but many of us that have had an iPad for the past few years notice them getting slower and slower. Well the good news is that it's not the iPad, it's you -- and all the stuff loaded on it from older iPads and older operating systems. The solution? Erase the iPad, restore it to it's factory settings, and set it up as a new iPad. If you connect your iPad to iTunes you will have the option to Restore. This will erase the iPad and download the latest copy of iOS and the firmware for the iPad. When it restarts, it will be just like it was when it was new. But here is the trick: DO NOT RESTORE YOUR OLD IPAD DATA. Set it up as new and all the cobwebby slowness should go away with all that old data. You can then choose what Apps to download and start anew!

Save Your iPhone Battery Save the World! Actually, not really... Battery life whether with your iPhone, iPad, or Tesla is always an issue. ZDNet has a great article on what works to save your iPhone battery and what doesn't. They don't mention anything about the Tesla, though. You can read the article here:  http://www.zdnet.com/article/iphone-battery-saving-tips-really-actually-work-and-those-that-are-garbage/

October 2015 Edition - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Don't Fall Victim to the Pop-up Scam Don't Call the Number - Don't Let Them Remote with You It's happening a lot now. You are surfing the web when all of a sudden a pop-up seems to lock the computer saying that you have a virus or some other malware and you need to call a certain number immediately or your machine will melt into a pile of goo. IT'S A SCAM. Never, ever call the number, and do not ever allow them to remotely access your machine.  Why it is happening: Macs, due to their underlying UNIX architecture, are extremely secure systems and the only way the bad guys can get stuff on a Mac is by tricking the user to give them remote access. Don't give the bad guys remote access. If Safari is locked up, here is how to get around it: Either go up to the Apple in the upper left-hand corner and select Force Quit, OR hit the key combination Command-Option-Escape to bring up the Force Quit window. Select Safari or the locked browser from the list and then Force Quit It's then a good idea to clean out your browser's Cookies, History, and Cache. To do this in Safari, go up to History in the menu bar and select Clear History from the drop-down menu. You can choose how far back you want to remove the data.

OS X 10.11 El Capitan is here! Should you upgrade? The latest iteration of OS X is out on the street. OS X 10.11 El Capitan is a mild update visually to OS X 10.10 Yosemite. Disk Utility is totally different, and the ability to Repair Disk Permissions is gone. Mail is streamlined; Spaces gets an update (if you use Spaces); and the new Notes App that integrates with iOS 9 is kinda neat, among other things. Overall, once you download and install El Capitan you'll notice that the look and feel is very similar to Yosemite. So should you update? Here are our suggestions: You have an iPad and/or iPhone - YES If you have either an iPad or an iPhone, then being on the latest system on both the iOS devices (currently iOS 9) and your Mac is extremely important so that they work well together. Delaying an update or having updates out of sync will cause problems. Business User - Not Necessarily... If you are a business user not tightly integrated into your iCloud account on your iPhone and/or iPad, then updating is not something you need to rush into. As long as you are running OS X 10.9 Mavericks or better, and the software you use for work doesn't require a system update, then you are okay to delay the update until you are ready. Updating to El Capitan may require an investment in new software that you use for your business. Home User / No iPhone or iPad - YES Even if you don't have an iPad or iPhone and don't really use iCloud, you do want to be on the latest system since it will support more secure web browsing, email, and security updates much better than an older version of OS X. BUT FIRST... Make sure that you have a current Time Machine backup of your computer before upgrading. And if you have delayed updates and are still on Snow Leopard (10.6), Lion (10.7), or Mountain Lion (10.8), the update is a BIG jump, so have a backup and be patient.  OS X 10.11 El Capitan has been out for two weeks. If you want to wait a few more, that's up to you. Usually Apple comes out with a patch not too long after the release to fix any bugs, but both Wendy and I have been running OS X 10.11 El Capitan since it came out and haven't had any issues. Your mileage may vary. To find out more about OS X 10.11 El Capitan, visit: http://www.apple.com/osx/

Backup your iPhone or iPad with iCloud Backup iTunes Syncing is So Totally 2008 With iCloud Photo Library and iTunes Match you no longer need to sync an iOS device with iTunes. During the sync process, iTunes performs a backup of your device, but since you no longer have to sync with the computer, this backup no longer happens. So what to do? Back your device up to iCloud. The backup happens once per day while on Wi-Fi (while plugged into power) and is totally automatic. It also makes it a snap to restore a device if it is broken, fails, or is replaced with an upgrade. To enable iCloud Backup go into Settings -> iCloud and turn Backup on.