December 2016
How do I add a signature in Apple Mail?
15/12/16 Filed in: Mail
Hi Scotty,
I had used your consulting services awhile ago, and now I have a friend who may be in need. I said I would reach out on his behalf to ask if you might be able to assist. Then, we could use your site to schedule an appointment and appropriate timeframe, based on how my friend wants to proceed.
My friend has been using Time Machine to do backups, and is now in need to checking for email from this year 2016 as an email appears to be deleted and the files that were it in, not saved/ download as he thought had occurred. When he goes to Time Machine for the start of October 2016…the emails are only returning 218 messages and they are from 2014. He’s not sure how to confirm that emails from this year (September/October ) are available or how to get to them.
Are you able to help with retrieving backups for emails? Does it involve restoring the full email inbox, or can certain emails be retrieved? For this type of activity, is a short appointment sufficient or is the hour and half likely needed.
If you can let me know, I can share the details and your website for scheduling. I know he was trying to google more information, so he might try this first, but I recalled how you assisted me so wanted to ask a few questions.
___________
Good questions. Time Machine is SUPPOSED to allow you to retrieve individual emails within the history of backups but it doesn’t always work. So, what I might suggest is we use a test computer to restore the entire email contents to a fresh unused user. Then your friend may be able to find the specific items he was looking for. Worth a shot. Not an easy task but possible. I would say 1.5 hours to be safe. If time machine has a healthy set of backups dating back over a year or so, there’s a good chance we can get what they need. We would then just have to move or forward the emails to his current account.
I had used your consulting services awhile ago, and now I have a friend who may be in need. I said I would reach out on his behalf to ask if you might be able to assist. Then, we could use your site to schedule an appointment and appropriate timeframe, based on how my friend wants to proceed.
My friend has been using Time Machine to do backups, and is now in need to checking for email from this year 2016 as an email appears to be deleted and the files that were it in, not saved/ download as he thought had occurred. When he goes to Time Machine for the start of October 2016…the emails are only returning 218 messages and they are from 2014. He’s not sure how to confirm that emails from this year (September/October ) are available or how to get to them.
Are you able to help with retrieving backups for emails? Does it involve restoring the full email inbox, or can certain emails be retrieved? For this type of activity, is a short appointment sufficient or is the hour and half likely needed.
If you can let me know, I can share the details and your website for scheduling. I know he was trying to google more information, so he might try this first, but I recalled how you assisted me so wanted to ask a few questions.
___________
Good questions. Time Machine is SUPPOSED to allow you to retrieve individual emails within the history of backups but it doesn’t always work. So, what I might suggest is we use a test computer to restore the entire email contents to a fresh unused user. Then your friend may be able to find the specific items he was looking for. Worth a shot. Not an easy task but possible. I would say 1.5 hours to be safe. If time machine has a healthy set of backups dating back over a year or so, there’s a good chance we can get what they need. We would then just have to move or forward the emails to his current account.
Where did my share menu items go?
15/12/16 Filed in: MacOS
Scotty after updating my computer, some options are missing from my share menu like twitter or mail. How can I get them back?
____________
Open terminal.
Copy and paste the following command:
/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -seed
Hit return. It may take a few minutes but eventually the command should finish.
Restart your computer (optional) then go to system preferences/Extentions. Enable whatever you feel you need.
____________
Open terminal.
Copy and paste the following command:
/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -seed
Hit return. It may take a few minutes but eventually the command should finish.
Restart your computer (optional) then go to system preferences/Extentions. Enable whatever you feel you need.
My email won't go out. Please help
Scotty after updating my computer, some options are missing from my share menu like twitter or mail. How can I get them back?
____________
Open terminal.
Copy and paste the following command:
/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -seed
Hit return. It may take a few minutes but eventually the command should finish.
Restart your computer (optional) then go to system preferences/Extentions. Enable whatever you feel you need.
____________
Open terminal.
Copy and paste the following command:
/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Versions/A/Support/lsregister -kill -seed
Hit return. It may take a few minutes but eventually the command should finish.
Restart your computer (optional) then go to system preferences/Extentions. Enable whatever you feel you need.
How to restore from a time machine backup using migration assistant.
12/12/16 Filed in: Backup
How do I restore from a backup after a hard drive replacement? The operating system and a new user have already been created.
___________
Go to the Applications folder then into the Utilities folder. Applications/Utlitilites/Migration Assistant. There you'll find "Migration Assistant". (You can also spotlight search for migration assistant.) Open it with your backup drive plugged in.
Select Continue and enter your admin password. All other applications will quit and you'll be presented with the choice of restoration sources. Select Time Machine backup. From there you'll be able to select which users you want to restore. Select everything. (Users as well as applications.) Once the migration is complete, keep in mind you still have the original admin that you'll want to delete.
To delete the temporary admin user, log in to your now restored old admin user. Open system preferences. Select Users and Groups. Unlock the screen using the lock in the bottom left corner. Select the user you wish to delete and hit the minus button in the bottom left corner. Select to delete the folder immediately. (the third choice). You're done.
___________
Go to the Applications folder then into the Utilities folder. Applications/Utlitilites/Migration Assistant. There you'll find "Migration Assistant". (You can also spotlight search for migration assistant.) Open it with your backup drive plugged in.
Select Continue and enter your admin password. All other applications will quit and you'll be presented with the choice of restoration sources. Select Time Machine backup. From there you'll be able to select which users you want to restore. Select everything. (Users as well as applications.) Once the migration is complete, keep in mind you still have the original admin that you'll want to delete.
To delete the temporary admin user, log in to your now restored old admin user. Open system preferences. Select Users and Groups. Unlock the screen using the lock in the bottom left corner. Select the user you wish to delete and hit the minus button in the bottom left corner. Select to delete the folder immediately. (the third choice). You're done.
Alternatives to Airport Routers
04/12/16 Filed in: wifi
For years now Apple has been manufacturing Airport Extremes and Express as a wifi option for your home network. They've been very reliable and the large majority of homes I work in have them, including my own. For years this has been the wifi router I recommend, bar none. It's reliability, ease of use, ability to be extended, made it the best choice in my opinion. Unfortunately word on the street is that Apple will no longer be developing routers going forward. Apple has yet to verify this publicly but all signs point to a change in their business plan which does not include manufacturing routers. The Extreme is based on the currently fastest spec 802.11ac which means that for the foreseeable future, the extreme is still a great choice. The problem is that it's little brother, the express, is not ac. It's 802.11n which means that while as an extender it works very well, it does bottle neck your speeds. In other words, using the express as an extender does slow your network down a little.
This leads us to the inevitable question. What router do I recommend going forward? This is a very difficult question to answer for many reasons. Over the next few months I will be researching which router I feel will best fit my client's needs. The criteria I will be considering is, ease of use, reliability, pricing, ability to extend. But above all, the highest priority in my eyes is range. I work with many homes over 3000 square feet which means that for most homes in my client list, one router will not do.
For now, I still stand by the Airport Extreme and still recommend that as the router to purchase for the next several months. I'm just not sure if Apple will halt production or continue to manufacture them. If you buy an extreme right now, you are going to be fine for the next several years until the next 802.11 standard is adopted and the speed of your ISP goes up. For most of us, Time Warner and ATT have still not pushed speeds over 300 mbps out so even an older 802.11n router is actually fine for our home networks for now.
So in the coming months I will be looking at alternative routers on the market and hopefully come up with a few strong recommendations. In the meantime, here are a few well written reviews on top routers for 2016:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2398080,00.asp
http://10beasts.com/best-wireless-routers/
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wi-fi-router/
http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/11/21/with-apple-abandoning-airport-here-are-the-best-alternative-wi-fi-routers-for-mac-users
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/apple-kills-wireless-routers-here-are-the-alternatives-for-professionals-and-smbs/
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/best-wireless-routers/2/
This leads us to the inevitable question. What router do I recommend going forward? This is a very difficult question to answer for many reasons. Over the next few months I will be researching which router I feel will best fit my client's needs. The criteria I will be considering is, ease of use, reliability, pricing, ability to extend. But above all, the highest priority in my eyes is range. I work with many homes over 3000 square feet which means that for most homes in my client list, one router will not do.
For now, I still stand by the Airport Extreme and still recommend that as the router to purchase for the next several months. I'm just not sure if Apple will halt production or continue to manufacture them. If you buy an extreme right now, you are going to be fine for the next several years until the next 802.11 standard is adopted and the speed of your ISP goes up. For most of us, Time Warner and ATT have still not pushed speeds over 300 mbps out so even an older 802.11n router is actually fine for our home networks for now.
So in the coming months I will be looking at alternative routers on the market and hopefully come up with a few strong recommendations. In the meantime, here are a few well written reviews on top routers for 2016:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2398080,00.asp
http://10beasts.com/best-wireless-routers/
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wi-fi-router/
http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/11/21/with-apple-abandoning-airport-here-are-the-best-alternative-wi-fi-routers-for-mac-users
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/apple-kills-wireless-routers-here-are-the-alternatives-for-professionals-and-smbs/
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/best-wireless-routers/2/
iPhone 6S battery replacement program
04/12/16 Filed in: iphone
My iphone 6 battery isn't lasting long enough. What can I do?
___________
Check to see if your phone qualifies for the replacement program by going here.
___________
Check to see if your phone qualifies for the replacement program by going here.
Sells Consulting email