Answers...

to commonly asked questions.

Apr 2014

My new computer doesn't have a CD drive! Help!

How do I get Microsoft office on my new computer? There is no place to insert a disc!
___________


A couple of ways to go about this.  The official way to do this is to use “disc sharing” from another mac in your home.  Go to the older Mac’s system preferences/sharing/ and turn on DVD and CD sharing.  Insert the Microsoft Office install disc into the older mac.  

Now, on the new mac (with no DVD drive) open a finder window and look for “remote disc” in the left hand column.  Click it and then return to the old computer and select to allow the requesting mac to have access to the drive.  Now the Microsoft Office install disc (currently inserted in the old computer) will show up on your new computer as if it were inside its own DVD drive.  Now install normally.  

The other way to install Microsoft Office is to just wait for me.  

I ran into a few setbacks trying to recover your data.  Your drive kept unmounting during the process.  Not cooperating.  So I’ve had a little talk with it and I’m back on track with the data recovery.  Hopefully good news for you tomorrow.  Sorry for the delay.  

Moving to a new email hosting service

Can you help me move from Bluehost email hosting to Godaddy?
__________

I should be able to assist you with your transition from Blue Host to GoDaddy.  However, you may want to discuss your change with your web developer first to get their opinion.  It is a bit of a process to move email hosting.  Usually email hosting is bundled with your web hosting service so your web designer will definitely need to be in the loop on this. This involves changing the email MX records and requires the cooperation of both the company you’re leaving and the one you’re going to.  Changing email servers is not to be rushed into and everything must be in place before the switch is made.  Otherwise you risk loosing email for a period of time.  

Graphics Card Failing

Hi Scotty

Can you recommend someone who repairs Macbook Pro's?  My wife's computer shows a diamond pattern across the screen and after doing a bunch of research I found someone who figured out how to resolve this but it requires opening the computer and removing a battery to clear the video memory as well a software upgrade.  I am located in Mint Hill so if you can recommend someone reasonably close it would be greatly appreciated.
___________


While I try to avoid hardware repairs on Macs other than hard drives, the issue you describe vs the solution you propose don’t seem to add up.  If the MBP is displaying graphics issues then it’s most likely related to an impending failure of the graphics card.  The graphics card is located on the logic board (soldered)  So it’s not possible to simply change the graphics card.  However, if you’ve done some research and feel you’d like to try a few other things I have a suggestion.  I’m not sure of what “video memory” is referring to but maybe the article you read or person you spoke with is referring to the parameter ram.  To reset the parameter ram, hold down command+option+p+r and allow the computer to restart 3 times (three chimes).  That will clear whatever temporary memory was cached in ram.  

The battery does not have to be removed to deprive the computer of power.  This process is called reseting the SMC.  Depending on your model of mac, this is achieved through a specific order of operations of holding down the power button, a combination of keys at startup, and or unplugging the power adapter from the computer at a specific time during the process.  

Specific directions can be found in this Apple Support article.  

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

All this being said, if those processes don’t solve your video issue, it’s more likely that it is hardware related.  

Manually sort folders by using Tags

Scotty,

I could not find a place on your website to leave a question. Is there a place there or should I always e-mail the question?
From tonight's town hall (which was great, btw) I asked about file naming and you requested that I put my question in writing for you to research.

In Finder/Pictures/2014/Outer Banks I want to have 5 folders named raw, working, hdr, ready for web, and ready for print. I would like the 5 folders in that order. The only way I can get that to work is to add a numerical prefix (1,2,3,4, and 5). However, I would like to avoid using that method. It will be a nuisance each time I download images to have to add the numbers. Any way to arrange the folders manually in certain places without making a global change?

Thanks again for the town hall.
___________


You can always just email the question to me directly at scotty@sellsconsulting.com. Otherwise, there’s a link to email your question on the answers page at www.sellsconsulting.com/answers. (top right corner)

On to the question...What you’re hoping to do is customize the order of your folder contents and apply that order change only to that particular folder.

Idea one: Use Tags. Tags are fairly new to the Finder in Mac OS X. Tagging any file will put a small piece of metadata into the file and then you can manually sort tags using the left hand column of finder. You can tag multiple items at one time. So you’ll select say 150 pictures and tag them “ready for web”. Don’t worry. You won’t have to type the entire phrase each time. Essentially, you’re building a library of tags. 5 in your case. This should work very well.

Idea two: Use the left hand column of the finder. Drag the important folders to the left column where you can drag them into what ever order you like.

If neither of these will work for you because maybe you’re more interested in Folder contents, then I can take another swing at it. But I think you’l be happy with the results through the power of tags once you get the hand of it.

Gmail email not deleting

Scotty
I have an incoming mail ( in gmail) which I have not been able to delete. The message has no content. How can I delete it?
___________


I would suggest going to www.gmail.com and logging in from there. Once logged in via the website you may be better able to delete the email from there.

Printer is offline during scanning

Another question: The printer will not scan using image capture while being hooked up to the apple router. I have to plug it directly into the back of the computer and it works just fine. Ironically, the printer will not print unless plugged into the apple router. Will not print at all while plugged into the back of the computer. I have been changing it back and forth to do each task.
___________


It’s common to see older printers (and some new ones) get confused about what node of a multiple node (repeaters) wireless network to join. Playstations and Xboxs will also do this. You could:

A: unplug all the airport expresses in the house then run the wireless setup wizard once again on the printer and it will only have one device to join. Then plug all the repeaters in the house back in.

B: Leaving the device plugged in to the Apple Router, delete the printer then re-add it. It’s possible the printer is added in a different way and image capture is not looking for it via wifi. Delete the printer in system prefs and re-add it and try image capture again. Avoid using the HP Scan or other proprietary scan software. Stick with image capture. The problem is not image capture. It’s the way the printer is added to in printer preferences I’m betting.

I’d go with trying B first. Anytime you are troubleshooting printer problems, the first thing you always do is delete the printer and re-add it.

AppleTV update failed

The printer will not scan using image capture while being hooked up to the apple router. I have to plug it directly into the back of the computer and it works just fine. Ironically, the printer will not print unless plugged into the apple router. Will not print at all while plugged into the back of the computer. I have been changing it back and forth to do each task.
___________


Sounds like there was an issue with the AppleTV update. Try restarting your AppleTV by going to Settings/General/Restart. If that doesn’t resolve the problem you may try resetting the device entirely. Settings/General/Restart. You will have to log back into iTunes, netflix etc.. but your Apple TV should show back up on the network afterwards. Your AppleTV would also have reverted to it’s default name on the network “AppleTV”. So you can always go back and rename it in the settings.

If neither of these work then you can reset the AppleTV by holding down menu and the down button on the remote for 6 seconds. The AppleTV’s indicator light will blink. Unplug the device then plug it back it. Do this only if it’s acting very stubborn.

It’s common to see older printers (and some new ones) get confused about what node of a multiple node (repeaters) wireless network to join. Playstations and Xboxs will also do this. You could:

A: unplug all the airport expresses in the house then run the wireless setup wizard once again on the printer and it will only have one device to join. Then plug all the repeaters in the house back in.

B: Leaving the device plugged in to the Apple Router, delete the printer then re-add it. It’s possible the printer is added in a different way and image capture is not looking for it via wifi. Delete the printer in system prefs and re-add it and try image capture again. Avoid using the HP Scan or other proprietary scan software. Stick with image capture. The problem is not image capture. It’s the way the printer is added to in printer preferences I’m betting.

I’d go with trying B first. Anytime you are troubleshooting printer problems, the first thing you always do is delete the printer and re-add it.

Possible failed Firmware update

Hi Scotty,

My Mac froze and will not reboot. This is what I have on screen and it’s been like this for 15 minutes.


Screen Shot 2014-04-26 at 10.38.39 PM
___________

This is never a good thing. Usually that progress bar means that a firmware update was in progress. If the firmware update failed (which is likely) then it’s going to be difficult to recover. Not impossible. My guess is that the hard drive is ok however, the operating system OS X has developed a problem. You could try booting in Safe Mode by restarting the computer (holding down the power button for around 7 seconds then the computer will cut off). Then, while restarting, hold down the shift key. This may give you temporary access to your data. However, if this is indeed a failed firmware update, more drastic steps will need to be taken. I should be able to better assess what has happened in person. Schedule a session the problem persists.

One other note, if this is your white 27” iMac, then you may want to start consider replacing that computer as well. I’m sure you are backing up to an external hard drive with Time Machine. Right?!!! If not, the drive may still be ok and we may be able to recover the data off the drive if there’s no back up. I just don’t want to see you invest too much money in an aging computer. Feel free to email me with any other questions.

Saving YouTube Videos to your HD.

What’s an easy way to rip videos off of youtube?
___________


While I won’t go into the legal questions of doing this, try one of these sites:

http://keepvid.com
http://www.clipconverter.cc

Just enter the web address of the youtube video and the website should do the rest.

You could also enable Developer Mode in Safari and use the activity viewer to see the video file cached then pull it that way as well but the aforementioned method is easier.

Email signature to a letter

How do I move my email signature to a letter?
___________

The signature in your email (found inside your preferences) is most likely a pict file that you created using Preview’s signature feature. There are a couple ways to go about this.

1. open Mail. Go to Preferences/signatures. Select the pict file in the signature and choose copy, then paste in your word or pages document you are using to compose your letter.

2. Find the original graphic file you may have stored in a folder on your computer. I seem to recall your signature graphic may be in your dropbox folder. Drag that file into the word or pages document.

Transfering to a new Mac

Scotty, my 5 year old MacBook is acting tired, and I am thinking of getting a new one.  If you remember, I like to run Windows for both Quicken and TurboTax so I have used VMWare.  Also, I prefer Word and Excel over the Apple products.

As I am thinking of buying, how do I sequence what I do.  I assume Apple doesn’t want to do those extras.

So, do I buy the Mac, then download VMWare?  Assume all files can be accessed from the cloud although I would do a complete backup as well.

How much RAM do I need to run both?

Then buy Office for the Mac.
___________


It sounds like you may be headed toward the MacBook Pro. You are correct that Apple doesn’t preinstall any of the third party software you mentioned so the order you laid out is correct. You’ll buy the computer first, then download the latest Version of VMware and Microsoft Office. However, if you currently have those installed on your current mac, you should be able to use Migration assistant to move those applications from the old to the new computer. You may have to reenter the product keys to re-authenticate each. Your old vmware fusion windows file lives in your documents folder and would need to be transferred to the new computer and will include all your windows applications such as quicken, turbo tax, etc....Those shouldn’t have to be reinstalled. Office can be purchased and downloaded for around $160 although Microsoft is moving to a subscription based model of around $10 per month. More info on that can be found at
microsoft.com/mac.

As far as ram is concerned, the more the better. The default amount that comes with every current Macbook pro is plenty but you can add more at time of purchase as a Built to order model.

Adobe breaks flash for some macs in recent update

I am so sick of Adobe’s crap. It’s a back and forth battle. Adobe writes crappy software. Apple blocks it from being run on Macs. Adobe updates it, Apple blocks it again several months later and the dance continues. Here’s the latest issue. Adobe has pushed out a bad update inside its latest flash update. Here’s the admission and the workaround:

http://forums.adobe.com/message/6285851

Home security system options

Scotty,

After migrating from one computer to another, now I cant open word, which I have work on I need to finish. I also cant open excell. It downloaded adobe update just a few minutes ago and now its saying the plug in crashed. I dont even know what that means.
___________

Sometimes these programs have problems when data is transferred from one drive to another.  The product key, which is an invisible file, is not always included in the transfer automatically.  It’s a royal pain in the butt to deal with.  (microsoft, go figure).  The adobe flash issue is common with all computers.  That should be a very easy fix.  We can do that remotely by simply reinstalling flash from the web.  However, the microsoft issue will be a bit more involved.  Do you have the original install disks?  Most likely yellow and says microsoft office 2008 or 2011?  That would be the most simple way of solving the issue.  Just reinstalling from the CD once again.  Let me know.  

Bing has taken over my computer!

Scotty,

Our home network is not working. Please help!  I have reset the router about every hour since last night and it keeps going out. 
___________


A network going down could be caused by many issues.  If you are resetting the black time warner box, then it is most likely the fault of that time warner box itself and not the apple routers.  The apple airport extreme and expresses are much more reliable than the time warner boxes in my experience.  If however, you are unplugging the white router (apple) and functionality is returning without having power cycled the time warner modem/router then maybe we need to take a look at that.  Most likely, it’s the time warner modem/router.  But nonetheless, I would be happy to come over and address the issue as best I can at no charge if you’d like.  

iTunes/Apple ID password woes

Scotty, should I upgrade to OSX Mavericks? I have no idea.
___________

That depends on the speed of your processor and the amount of ram you have. I say anything above a 2.66 Core 2 Duo is fine. And while Mavericks will run with only 2 gigs of ram, 4 is much better. You can find out this information by selecting “about this mac” under the black apple in the menu bar.

Overall, the answer is yes. Upgrade. It’s free and available in the Mac App Store.
This image is a theme.plist hack