April 2018 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

2 Tips to Solve Almost All Computer Problems Documented Results! Impress Your Friends Computer and tech issues are annoying. They take up time, they cost money to resolve, and they slow down productivity. But what if there were two simple things you could do to resolve 96.7342% of them? What if you (meaning yourself) had the power and ability to knock out error messages, lost data, and frustrating logins? Would that be something that you would be interested in? The good news is you don't need a pill, an expensive subscription, or a new piece of software. You don't have to spend hours at the gym, go Vegan, or even sweep your house for odd EMF fields. No, all that you have to do to solve most computer issues is: 1.) Know Your Passwords 2.) Backup  That's it. It sounds annoyingly simple, and if you are a regular consumer of our Mini-Bytes you probably have heard it all a billion times before, but it is true.  If you know your passwords, you will be 100% confident in logging in and interacting with websites and other online resources. You will be able to install software with a snap, unlock your encrypted drives, and re-setup your email with ease. No more will you have to reset that password again and again, or get locked out for multiple fruitless attempts.  I have said this before: You don't have to memorize your passwords. Just have a system to write them down in a way you can access them if you need them. The method is up to you, yet whatever you choose, make sure you keep the list updated. And backup... Here is an example: Wendy was trying to get an older unsupported version of a certain piece of software to run on her MacBook Pro as a test, troubleshooting a problem. The installer broke her install to the point where she had to re-setup her MacBook Pro from her Time Machine backup. There was no stress here. It was a minor inconvenience, and then she was back up and running. I have done the same to my machine four times -- completely thrashed it troubleshooting problems, working on issues, and experimenting to see if I could break it. It's what us IT consultants do so you don't have to. We're like crash-test dummies with our machines. Now, Wendy and I do this stuff for a living, so we are more exposed to having to restore our workstations more often than most. But the lesson here is if you have a backup, you can get right back to where you left off -- no stress, no worry, no problem. So, stop what you are doing and get a plan together on passwords and backup. You will be happy that you did.

General Tips for Purchasing Apple Equipment Guidelines to Make Dollars Work For You I'm typing this Mini-Bytes on a 2012 MacBook Pro. It's on it's fourth hard drive. I am dreading the day when I have to get a new machine. I'm cheap, and would rather spend money on bike stuff (#priorities), but the time will come when I will have to replace this laptop with a new one.  Many of you are running into this now. 2012 and 2013 machines are aging quickly. Those with SATA hard drives are dropping like flies after a Minnesota barbecue. The truth is that industry standards for a computer's lifecycle is three years -- two for mobile devices. That's not a long time, but like me, there are many of us on six year or older machines that are coming up to the day when new equipment beckons. So here are some guidelines to help you with your next purchase: Cheaper Doesn't Mean Better Value - The less expensive Macs, iPads, and iPhones are actually MORE expensive relative to their capability to more expensive models. Look at capability and longevity over cost. 16 GB of RAM is the Minimum - These days we don't recommend purchasing a machine with less that 16 GB of RAM. You will need it in the future. Get Enough Storage - Whether an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, make sure that you get enough storage at the time of purchase. File sizes will get larger over the years. Ensure you have room to grow. SSD only no SATA - Do not purchase an iMac or Mac Mini with a SATA or even a Fusion hard drive. These are old-style drives that will slow down your brand new machine. Log on to Apple.com and custom configure your new iMac or Mac Mini with a Solid State Drive. iPad or iPhone - Get the Top of the Line - iPhones start to show their age at about two years. iPads last a bit longer, but if you buy the better of the units, you are hedging your bets that you will get far more usable life from your device than if you went with the budget option.

It Gets Hot in Arizona Be Kind to Your Devices With the summer heat fast approaching, it's important to remember that your iPhone, iPad, and Mac have both operating and non-operating tolerances. They do not like being left in a hot car. If you are outside on your iPhone in July in downtown Phoenix, you are probably exceeding the recommended operating temperature. Also keep in mind that iPads and iPhones are held together with glue. Leaving them in a hot car is not a good idea. Apple has an article here on what happens when your mobile device gets to warm: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201678

March 2018 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Online Privacy: Is there any? 3 Tips That May Help You have probably been hearing a lot in the news lately about some big social media sites being mined for data without the users' permission. It's definitely a thing, and if you think about it, this is one instance to which we have become aware. How many breaches have there been that we have not been told of? Plenty. But should you be paranoid? Not necessarily, but caution is the order of the day.  The internet is wide open (for now) and data posted to it can potentially be accessed by anyone. Sure, there are privacy settings and notices from different companies on how they keep our data safe, at the same time they admit sharing some "things" with subsidiaries and other business entities. And these Privacy Notices change on the fly and have very little to do with privacy, in my opinion. Yet, we all do not have the luxury of disconnecting and rushing away to an off-grid cabin in the Rockies. And I don't think that is necessary. The internet, cloud computing, email, and social media have changed the fabric of society, but it's important to be mindful. Here are three tips that will go a long way to help: Have Good, Strong & Varied Passwords I talk about this a lot, and you are probably sick of hearing me say it. Well, like a broken record, here I go again. Do not use the same password for everything. It's easy for you, but it's easy for the bad guys to crack. Once they have one, they have it all! Vary your passwords with mixes of numbers, letters, and symbols. Write them down. I don't care how. You are not supposed to remember them, just have a spreadsheet, password manager, or a QR tattoo on your wrist that unlocks another secret code that gets you to your passwords. There are points for creativity. Having secure and varied passwords helps keep your accounts safe. Also, I highly recommend using two-factor authentication when available and practical. Think Before You Post Before posting a picture or message on-line, take a moment and think. Back at the company I used to work for, I drilled into my employees the idea of taking a breath and thinking before sending an email. The same can be said for posting a picture, comment, or review on a site. Do you want other people to see this? Once it's out there, it's out there forever. It's impossible to remove everything from the internet.  Say No to Peer Pressure And this can be pressure from kids and grandkids, too. You do not have to use a site or service that you are not comfortable with. Period. It goes back to your mother using the "everyone jumping off the bridge" analogy. Many people get sucked into different social media sites because their friends are on it, or it's a way to keep in touch. Remember there is always the phone and email (#oldschool). Please, take this all with a grain of salt. I do not believe that paranoia is the correct reaction to any of this. It's just about being cautious, thoughtful, and deliberate in your approach to online society so that it works for you.

Your Automatic Backup Isn't Understand Care & Feeding Whether it is Time Machine, the iCloud Backup for your iOS device, or a cloud backup, you have to keep an eye on them and their progress. They are only automatic when they are working. Each requires attention. In the case of Time Machine, it's an easy process to go into System Preferences to see when it has backed up. Plus, the drive needs to be attached to the machine, and in the case of a laptop, the lid has to be open and plugged into power.  On your iPhone or iPad, if you are taking advantage of iCloud Backup (and you should) going into your iCloud settings in Settings, you can then drill down to Backup to check on the status, or even force a backup. iOS Backups only happen if the device is on wi-fi and plugged into power. Third party cloud backups are all different. Some will give you a report, but all can be checked on to see how they are progressing. Cloud backups usually take longer than Time Machine, so keeping the machine on, awake, and plugged into power is critical.

It's Phishing Season! It's Delicious to be Suspicious There have been a rash of phishing emails popping up, spoofing Apple, Google, and maybe even your own email. It's alarming, but phishing and spoofing will happen and we don't have control to stop it. Fortunately there are things that you can do to keep yourself safe: Never Click on a Link I never click on any links in an email, even if I am 100% sure it is real. If I get something from my bank, I go to my bank's website directly. If I get a security alert from Google, I go to Google in my web browser, log in, and check that way. Not clicking on links is the best way to protect yourself. Mark it as Spam/Junk Marking an email as Junk or Spam helps your email provider understand what type of nefarious messages that are being sent to their users. Each provider handles this process differently, but if you mark it as Spam/Junk it will hopefully cut down on getting similar messages, at least in the short term. Passwords... Again, I know Sorry, but it has to be said: Good passwords help keep your account safe. If you suspect your account may have been compromised, changing the password is one of the best things that you can do.

February 2018 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Sometimes It's Not You Give Yourself Some Credit! Tech is not perfect. In fact I think it is incredibly broken for one simple reason: it can't think for itself. Fortunately, we can, but when we run into roadblocks the tendency is to blame ourselves, rather than the bucket-of-bolts with which we are trying to interact. But how do you know when it's not you, but the machine? Unless you are a whiz at root cause analysis, determining if the problem is you or the computer can be difficult, but it doesn't have to be. Just keep it simple. Case in point: I have an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and a Mac. I have setup Text Message Forwarding so I get alerts on all my devices. Theoretically, when a text comes in all four devices should bing, or beep, or vibrate and alert me. This rarely happens -- but it does happen. I have verified all my settings, tested and both resolved and then re-created the problem. I KNOW the settings are correct, then the only other thing is a bug or flaw in the design. It is not me. It is the machine. You may have also run into issues when trying to log into a website, or email, or iTunes, or whatever, and you KNOW the password is correct. You have it written down and have it committed to memory, yet the machine says no. Is it you? In this case, no. It could be a network problem, the site could be down, or it may just be 1:37 PM on a Tuesday. Because the machine cannot think for itself, it throws the only error it has at hand: Incorrect Password - Please Re-Enter Password - Have you forgotten your password? - Would you like to read our FAQ? (Enter colorful expletive here...) It's not you. It's the machine. So, what can you do to absolve yourself in the computer to human blame game? Know Your Passwords - I harp on this a lot, but knowing your passwords and having them written down is so important. Just do it. It's 2018. It's not like passwords are new. Go record them now. I'll wait... Don't Ignore the Network - Login or technical issues from printing to streaming problems can be related to a network. You can recycle the modem and router or even try jumping on another network or tethering to your phone to see if that fixes the issue. Confirm Settings - Walking things back and confirming things are on and setup correctly can help ease your mind. It may not fix the issue initially, but at least you will know that you've done what you could. Ultimately, after all this, you still may have a problem, but at least you have absolved yourself of blame and now can move forward to either a workaround or resolution. The first step to resolving the issue is determining where the problem resides. And sometimes, it's not you.

macOS High Sierra and the Sticky Update Again, It's Not You... This has happened a lot. You go to update macOS High Sierra and it hangs on reboot or login. Try the following Safe Boot procedure. In 9 out of 10 cases (no dentists surveyed) it will unstick the update and get you rolling again! Restart your Mac Hold down the LEFT Shift key Keep it held down until you see the Apple, then release It will take a while to boot and run the update, but you should eventually get to a login screen Login, and then (very important) Restart your Mac

Public Wi-Fi Staying Safe on the Road Public wi-fi is scary. You don't know who else is trolling the network looking for vulnerable machines or even if you have connected to a spoofed "man in the middle" router. You could always use a properly configured VPN, but the easiest thing to do is create your own network with your iPhone. Here are Apple's instructions on turning your iPhone into a hotspot:  https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204023

January 2018 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

The Inherent Unreliability of Technology It's Only as Good as They Make It Did you enter your Apple ID password today? Did it ask again... and again? Why is the internet slow? Oh! It's asking for the Apple ID password again... cannot verify. Why is there no sound coming from the TV? Bluetooth headset crackling? Does this all sound familiar?  Yes, it does -- at least for me and a billion other people. In fact this was just my morning... the first hour. As a technology professional, or someone silly enough to deal with the stuff for a living, I am astonished about how simple little activities turn into a troubleshooting session. The mundane task of turning on a TV these days is a complicated mess of remotes, boot sequences, and choosing the correct HDMI port. Back before MP3s, when we wanted to listen to music we pulled out a cassette tape, popped it in the boom box, and hit play. It worked 100% of the time. Today you need to login with your ID, verify your credit card, maybe even enter a new one, click on those silly "I'm not a Robot" pictures, and THEN you get an error that your music client does not support the digital rights format of the song that you want to listen to. Yep, we're totally ready for self-driving cars... The truth is that technology is not magic. In fact, it is a simple human construct like the wheel, sliced bread, and CBS's The Amazing Race. Genius, of course, but just like the people that created it, technology is fallible with all the imperfections and failings of any of us. So what do we do? How do we keep from going insane? How do we approach technology so that it once more is an enhancement of convenience rather than a time consuming burden? It's a big subject, but here are three things that you can do: Temper Your Expectations This does not mean expect to be disappointed, rather set realistic expectations about the tech that you use and how you approach it. Do not assume that any digital solution is going to be a time-saver unless you put in the effort to learn and adapt to it. Set some reasonable goals and know what you can handle in your journey to get there. Know the Creator No, this is not about religion, but literally know who makes the tech that you use. It doesn't mean knowing them personally, but understanding the reputation of a hardware maker or software developer can help you choose what you would like to use. For example, Apple has always had a good and reliable reputation and that is seen in their products compared to others. If you take some time to do research, it could pay off in reduced downtime and frustration later. Nail the Workaround Tech often does not work the way we expect, and the way it works can change with updates, bugs, or even the speed of our internet connection. By first understanding the goal with any task, you can choose differing paths to the objective when the tech throws up roadblocks. Workarounds are the keys to getting around the human factor that is baked into the hardware and software that we use. And, believe it or not, knowing how to work around issues will build your tech confidence higher than any computer science degree I can think of.  I hope this special article can help calm a little bit of the insanity that technology brings to our lives. Wendy and I have used the three best practices above for years, and we are happy to share them with you. Oh, it's asking for my Apple ID again....

Apple's Special Battery Replacement Pricing $29 for Many Through December 2018 iOS 11 uses a lot of power, and you may have read in the news that if you have an older iPhone with a failing battery, you may be having less than a positive experience. Right now if you need a battery replaced, Apple has reduced the price to $29 for several models through the end of 2018. Here is a link to the details: https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/battery-power

New Printer: Quick Tips for the Home User *See Article Above About Expectations Printers should not be stressful, but they are. They turn off by themselves, then they turn on by themselves; they need ink; they need wifi -- it's almost like having another child for many. Printer is low on ink... feed printer. When picking out a printer for your house, the choices can be daunting. I am not covering business printing here -- that is a whole different animal. Finding a good and reliable printer can be challenging, but here are three tips to help: Keep Inkjets under $150 Consumer grade inkjet printers are the mainstay of the suburban home. They plow through ink, but are inexpensive. Don't be tempted to spend more than $150 on an inkjet for the house. In fact, if you can find one for around $125, that would be best. At those prices you should get a good printer to fill your needs, but not feel bad when it fails and has to be replaced in two years... or less. Get Extra Capacity Inks It depends on the model printer, but all manufacturers offer extra capacity ink replacements. They can go a long way to keep you from constantly swapping in new ones at every turn.  Second House? Consider Laser Inkjet printers clog when they are not used. Oftentimes, they will not be able to be cleaned and have to be tossed. If you have a printer at at second home or a location where it will sit for months on end, consider a low cost black and white laser printer.

December 2017 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Updating to High Sierra Have Patience and a Backup You've probably seen the persistent alert to update your Mac to macOS High Sierra. Wendy and I have been on this version of macOS for a while now and it is a very good update, but it is a big one. It lays down an entirely new file system structure, which means under the hood there is a lot that's going on during the update process. Here are our tips for updating to macOS High Sierra. Have a Current Time Machine Backup Do not go into this update without having a Time Machine backup of your computer. It would be like hiking Camelback in the summer with no water. Make sure you are backing up, and if you don't use Time Machine, now is the time to start.  Check your Applications If you have applications that your rely upon daily, check to see if they are supported in macOS High Sierra. Some older versions of QuickBooks are guaranteed not to open and Microsoft does not support Office 2011 for Mac in High Sierra. This means you will need to spring for a new version of Office... or use Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Be Patient Do not rush the update. We have been recommending that folks start it in the evening and let it run overnight. Do not interrupt the process. Once the machine comes back up, give it a few hours to reindex before diving back into your 4K video editing. To learn more about macOS High Sierra visit: https://www.apple.com/macos/high-sierra/

QuickBooks for Mac is No More Intuit Ending Support Intuit is ending support for QuickBooks for Mac Desktop. The current 2016 version will be supported through May 2019. Intuit is encouraging users to move to QuickBooks Online. I know this is a bummer for some, but personally I think it is just the direction that software is moving. By being web-based QuickBooks Online is not dependent on whether the user is on a Mac or a PC. For more info from Intuit visit: https://community.intuit.com/articles/1615867-discontinuation-of-quickbooks-mac-desktop

Holiday Tip: Guest Access Keep Your Stuff from the Crowd The Holidays are a time when family and friends stop by your home. It's also the time they ask to check their email on your computer, play games, or print out boarding passes. Well, there are ways to keep your network and your computer segmented from their prying eyes. Guest Access on the Mac You can set up a Guest user on your Mac. It allows your guests to log in, without a password, to a fenced off area. They can't see your stuff; can't make any changes to the Mac; but can surf the internet, check webmail, and even print boarding passes. When they log out, all their activity (their footprint) is then deleted from your computer... like they were never there. To enable Guest, go to System Preferences -> Users & Groups. You will see Guest User in the left hand column. If it is On you are set. If it is Off, click the lock and go ahead and turn it on. Then just log out of your account. You will see the Guest user. Your guests just need to click on it -- no password required! Guest Wifi Network This is for the advanced users: Most wifi routers allow you to setup a Guest network with a separate password. This is a segmented network that allows you to give your guests access to your wifi, but on a separate network that keeps all of your other stuff away. Each router is different on how this is done, but it is great when you have parties and people want to jump on your wifi.

November 2017 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Knock Out Those Holiday Cards with Photos A Time Saver on your Mac It's that time of year again, and if you are prepping to get a holiday card in the mail then now is the time to act. The good news is that you can create your card and order it right from Apple's Photos by starting a Project. It is easy and fun! In Photos go up to the File menu and select Create. You will see everything from cards to books to calendars. When you are done with your project you can order prints directly from Apple.  To learn more about creating holiday cards in Photos check out this article from MacWorld:   https://www.macworld.com/article/3147006/software-graphics/how-to-create-custom-greeting-cards-in-photos-for-mac.html

The Safe Way to Update Adobe Flash Don't Be a Victim of the Pop-Up Scam It's so easy to be tricked into downloading malware onto the Mac, and the Flash Pop-Up Scam is one of the most prevalent. While surfing the internet you will get a pop-up saying that you need to download Flash and to click a link. Don't ever click on the link. Here is the safe way to check if you need to update Flash. Go to System Preferences -> Flash Player. Click on the Updates tab and hit Check Now. If you need to update it will walk you through. You can also toggle auto-updates on or off here, so Adobe can handle all the updating for you.

Change Update for Server, etc. iOS 11, High Sierra, and Server 5.4 Apple made a lot of changes with their latest rollout. Many of you are already familiar, but macOS Server has had some even more dramatic changes. Check out Apple's "Prepare your institution...' article for all of the details. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207828

October 2017 - Monthly Mini-Bytes

Wait to Update iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra Over the past month Apple released iOS 11 for their mobile devices and macOS High Sierra (10.13)for the Macs. Apple has already sent out three patches for iOS 11 and one for macOS High Sierra. We think that it's prudent to wait until early November to upgrade your systems. iOS 11.1 is set to be released at the same time as the new iPhone X and a .1 update should follow on it's heels for macOS High Sierra. As a general rule, it's best to wait after a new software update is released. Companies like Apple do their best to test out all scenarios, but not until it's released out into the wild do they know all the quirks and things that need fixing. Can you update? It's still a free country, but just be mindful that you may run into some bumps in the road.

Smart TV vs. Apple TV Which is really the smartester? If you walk into any electronics store looking to purchase a new TV, the salesperson is going to push hard to get you into a new Smart TV. So, you plunk down copious amounts of cash, head home, and then try to do the smart things on the TV, only to realize the only smart anyone was the person who sold you the TV. Let's say this together: Hardware is only as good as the Software. It's the Software that makes a TV "smart," so if the software is no good, difficult to use, and buggy, then how smart is that Smart TV? Not very much. So what do you do? First, don't worry about the smart part of the TV. Purchase the TV for all the things that historically mattered like picture, sound, resolution, and size. You may then purchase an Apple TV, plug it into that TV, and the Apple TV then makes the TV smart. The benefit to an Apple TV is you get all the stability that you expect from Apple products with an intuitive interface that is easy to use. Plus, you get full iTunes integration and the ability to share content and pictures from your iPhone and iPad. You can rent movies, view Netflix, and watch all those other apps that Smart TVs have, but within Apple's strict confines which define usability and reliability. Apple TV comes in either 4K or Full HD versions. You can find out more about them here: https://www.apple.com/tv/

Upgrading the Hard Way Clean Installs for Stable Systems I love Migration Assistant. With a few clicks you can move an entire system from one Mac to another. With iOS the iCloud Backup makes restoring to a new phone a breeze. But is there a better way? When migrating old configurations you are moving all of your old "furniture" from one house to another. It's like having that unopened box from college that you've moved through four states, but have no idea what's in it. Sometimes it makes sense to clean it all out and start from scratch. But how do you do that? Keep on reading.... iOS Clean Install This is relatively easy and can be done by anyone. It's a bit of a pain as you have to sign back into all of your accounts, and download your purchased apps, but it is doable. All you need to do is to set up your iPhone or iPad as a new device -- don't restore from backup. Sign into iCloud and then the App store and start configuring. I just did this with my iPhone 8 and it took several hours on a Saturday, but it resolved many problems that have plagued the phone since I purchased it. If you do this, just be ready for the time commitment involved. macOS Clean Install This is only for advanced users. It's time consuming and tricky, but can clear up a ton of space and may make a computer run much better. It involves first backing up with Time Machine and then completely erasing the Mac (scary, yes). Then you must set up your user and password identical to the old configuration, which will allow you to copy over your data from within the Time Machine bundle. It's advisable that you do not copy over the System or User Libraries. You will also have to reinstall all of your software as it will not come over. I did this and it took me several hours over a few days to get my computer back to where I wanted it, but just like my iPhone, it cleared up several issues. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING INTO AND HAVE A BACKUP. You have been warned.