Answers...

to commonly asked questions.

Jul 2015

Blue Screen on Mac may mean graphics card

A few years ago you exchanged a hard drive out for me in my iMac.  I am having "blue screen" style issues plus screen anomalies which have made the unit unusable.  
I cannot find a repair signup.  Do you no longer repair?
Thank you for your time,
___________


At this time I only do hard drive replacements on older machines. But the issue you described sounds more like it is related to the graphics card. The graphics card is soldered onto the logic board and is not considered a replaceable part. The entire logic board would need to be replaced and that is an expensive part.

If you are experiencing video issues like flashing screen, artifacts on the screen, blocks, lines, or static, these are all symptoms of a failing graphics card. The apple store would be the place to handle that.

Malware comes to the Mac

Hi there!  You helped clean up my mac a few months ago because it was very slow and giving me the rainbow spinning all the time.  It is not happening again.  I was considering upgrading to a new desk top with more space and possibly faster, but didn’t want to do so if I was going to get these same problems.  I think you said some of the problem was things I picked up online?  I guess that would be the case again in a new Mac?  Just don’t want to waste money if the issues will b the same….Otherwise, I might want your advice and set up for a new mac.
___________


Yes. It's become a very common occurrence that people are accidentally installing malware on to their macs. This new malware comes in many forms. IntallMac, TuneMyMac, MacKeeper, MacReviever are all bad pieces of software in my opinion and should be avoided. The good news is that they don't install themselves. I human being that lives in the house has to fall for the marketing trick of "your mac is running slow..click here and your prayers will be answered." Most of these terrible scams advertise on less than moral websites often and that's usually where we pick them up.

With all that being said, a new mac doesn't solve that issue. We have to be conservative when surfing the web, don't fall for advertising scams, and try to avoid the darker seedy parts of the internet.

There are many reasons a mac can start performing slowly. Age is one of them if the user continues to update their computer. Each update asks the hardware to perform tasks it was not originally designed to perform. That's why no one you know is using the original iPhone anymore. Each operating system update slows the phone's performance just a little more than the last one. Computers are the same way. So if your computer is several years old and you're running the latest version of the Operating System, then yes. It may be time to upgrade.

Changes for Fall 2015

Town Hall is back and now twice a week!


First, as always, I'd like to thank everyone who has chosen Sells Consulting as their in-home Apple Consulting service in the Charlotte area as well as all of those I work with remotely online throughout the U.S. With your help I am proud to announce that I have become the most reviewed five-star consultant on the Apple Consultants Network throughout the United States for 2014-15. Your feedback has been invaluable in helping to customize my business to fit the needs of our Charlotte Apple-user community and now I’m happy to share a few new announcements.

New Town Hall Times:
Town Hall is now offered twice a week on Monday and Wednesday* evenings at 7pm.

New Town Hall Signup Process:
Attendees now signup to reserve their seat for the evening. Just go to www.sellsconsulting.com/townhall to signup at the bottom of the page.

New Town Hall Pricing:
Town Hall will continue to remain free for clients I've worked with recently. Your paid invoice now contains an access code to be used at signup good for up to two months. If we've not worked together recently, you can still sign up for Town Hall at the cost of $10 per class.

New Remote Support Hours:
Other changes going forward include new hours offered for online/remote support. In addition to hour-long online/remote sessions, I’m now offering 1.5 hour-long online/support sessions as well. Fridays are now reserved exclusively for remote sessions. While online/remote sessions can still be scheduled at any time during the week, I’ve set aside Fridays for online/remote sessions specifically. I’m considering making certain mornings or evenings exclusively online/remote session times as well. But for now, six days of the week are still open for onsite support.

New Social Area:
I've added a Social/Live Streaming page for up-to-date news and information on what's hot and what’s not with Apple devices and software. By following @sellsconsulting on Twitter, you can more quickly get the latest happenings in all things Apple. I will also be tweeting out Town Hall access codes from time to time as well as discount codes for sessions so it pays to pay attention. Just visit www.sellsconsulting.com/social to follow me and find links to my other current projects and social media.

Cancellations:
If the need arrises to reschedule or cancel a session, a link is provided in your confirmation email. No penalty will be assessed for canceling or rescheduling sessions up to two hours in advance. A $30 fee will be charged for missed or cancelled sessions within two hours of the session start time.

Other:
Other changes coming to Sells Consulting this fall include new hourly rates for onsite support and remote/online support as well as geographic travel limitations. More details can be found at
www.sellsconsulting.com/terms.

Again, thank you so much for your loyalty as I continue to grow my business by assisting you with the task of navigating the sometimes frustrating world of all things Apple including iCloud, iOS, parenting and whatever else comes our way.

To kick off the new Town Hall process, I’d like to invite you to join me free of charge by using the access code: APPLEBITE (expires Sept. 1st) at signup. I appreciate your patience as I work out any minor issues during the new sign up process.

For any additional questions, fee free to email me at scotty@sellsconsulting.com.



See you soon,

Scotty



*day and time subject to change.

Changes are on the way.

In the coming weeks, I'll be implementing a few changes to my business. Along with a new pricing structure, I'll be offering certain services on certain days as well as incorporating more social media directly on the site. Stay tuned.
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