Category: Macs

Macs Only 11-28-23 Your Backup Plan

One of my clients went through a terrible situation where she spilled a beverage all over her M1 Mac Book Air.  I do not believe my client had ever turned on iCloud backup for files but she did regularly plug in an external hard drive for physical backup (called Time Machine).  Fortunately, it seems a backup was just made 2 days prior to the laptop failure.

And yes — there was a failure.  The liquid spill totally damaged the logic board (known as a motherboard in the Windows world).  The hard drive on all modern Macs is baked right into that logic board.  It cannot be removed.  A new hard drive cannot be swapped in.  We are not living in a 2011 Mac world.  When the logic board goes …. when the hard drive goes…. so goes your data. 

You need a backup system!!!

1.  At a bare minimum — use iCloud backup ($1 to $3 a month for most people)

2. However, for my clients with businesses or serious collections of files — I have recommended a paid “one way” backup solution like Backblaze or Carbonite.   One concern I have with iCloud is that it is more of a file synchronization service than a backup (because those files can be available on multiple Macs, iPhone, iPad). If you delete in one place, it will be deleted in all places.   Of course iCloud Backup is just fine for “Joe and Jane consumer” — but it is not a true backup.   I wholeheartedly recommend Backblaze or Carbonite ($70 to $100 a year) if you have mission critical data.  These services have saved my clients behinds!!. 

3.  My clients don’t have a great track record of remembering to do it — but IF YOU CAN REMEMBER — I also recommend an external hard drive and regularly plugging it into your Mac for a physical backup.  Time Machine software has been built into the Mac since 2007.  Super Duper is also a great physical backup application for more advanced needs. 

What is your Mac backup system?  Can you prove that it’s working?

Apple Updates – Late July

On Thursday — Apple released iOS and iPad OS 16.6.  I read through the log of what these updates were about.  Apple fixed MAJOR security bugs in the operating system.  The write up looked like a research paper with citations.  Apple was very transparent and gave credit to all of the experts that tipped them off to these vulnerabilities.  These updates took about 25 minutes for me.  This may be one of the last “point” updates that we get before iOS 17 comes out in the Fall. 

Furthermore, this week Mac OS 13.5 was released — fixing a ton of issues.  Those of you stuck on Mac OS 12 also got 12.6.8.

Go ahead and do all of these.

Freedom From Data Loss

It’s so easy to lose files or even data within a file (such as everything you typed, gone — WOOSH).  I have talked about these topics before, but it never hurts to come at it from a new angle.    If you work with documents, spreadsheets or photos on your computer (I’m even calling iPad a computer for you iPad only users) — what is your backup system?   Are you able to verify that the backup system is actually working (Honor’s class question:  Is your backup system truly a backup or is more of a file synchronization system, posing as a backup? )There is nothing wrong with the file sync approach as your backup– it’s what most of my clients use (iCloud or One Drive).  Just be aware of the one flaw.   If you are using a Windows or Mac computer and your files and folders really matter to you — a physical backup to an external hard drive would be most appropriate IN ADDITION to whatever cloud based backup you have implemented. 

On the Mac — Time Machine has been the built in backup system since 2007.  It backs up  your computer initially and then it backs up CHANGES every hour.  My clients are regularly able to retrieve missing or deleted files by dialing back into the past through Time Machine.  It is not the best backup system on the planet but it is truly a “set it and forget it” (Thanks Ron) system. 

Within Windows, there is a built in backup program for key folders called File History.  It’s not quite as polished as the Mac’s Time Machine but it is not bad.  Here is a primer on File History (link).  Some of my Windows clients also use a more advanced backup application  Macrium Reflect, my personal favorite.  Despite the “Mac” in the name — it is Windows only backup software. 

Finally to make sure that you are truly free from data loss within a word processing document — I want you to know that Microsoft Word is only auto-saving your document these days if you save it in a Microsoft One Drive folder.  If you have a lot of files and folders — I think paying the $6 a month for Microsoft 365 which includes a TON of One Drive storage is a no brainer.   If you are a heavy Microsoft Office user on the Mac, you can also pay for a Microsoft subscription and get the same One Drive benefits.  Microsoft is being discriminatory here.   There is also a free version of One Drive that you can use with a stand alone purchase (non subscription) version of Office.  The free One Drive gives you 5 GB of space, likely good enough for a couple thousand text only documents.  Once you start throwing the pictures into One Drive, you will want the paid account. 

Using One Drive cloud storage is not a requirement for using Word however.  If you are not on board, you always have to remember to keep saving your document.   If you make a mistake you can easily lose it. 

If you have a Google account — creating documents in Google Drive / Google Docs is a brilliant option.  This platform is totally free and has a robust auto save function built in. 

One final word processing option that I do not want to discount is Apple’s Pages.  Pages is a mature alternative to Microsoft Word.  If you are mainly typing documents for yourself and only occasionally emailing them out to others – Pages is a fine choice.  Pages can be integrated with iCloud to Auto  Save your documents on the Mac or iPad.   Pages does use it’s own proprietary format. However, you can easily export and share a document as a PDF or Word-compatible file. 

Trusting First Instinct and The Complete Menu

Happy rainy Friday.  Just want to let everyone know that I don’t have any classified documents in my garage, in the trunk of my old Camry or otherwise.  I didn’t tell anyone to lie about it [wagging finger] not even one time.

Biz Briefing:  Trusting My First Instinct

I got involved with a new (business) client over the past 2 months.  One of my business advisors told me not to get involved.  I didn’t listen.  I knew from the get go it was going to be a combative, if not hostile situation.  I then thought I am going to ask for a $1500 non refundable retainer and a few other conditions.  I didn’t listen to myself.  I got talked out of it.  99% of my client interactions are wonderful and warm situations.  My loose, warm, no hard line policies have worked for me for years.  However, the hard core business world isn’t always meant for teddy bears.  I don’t have contracts or service agreements. I don’t even think I would have the resources to pay someone to draw them up.  I ended up getting $burned$ by this situation. Lesson learned  I have got to stick to those warm and friendly encounters and trust my instinct on negative vibes that I get. Not every potential client is a match.

The Complete Menu

So now I want to talk about many of the services I can offer for you….

1. Comprehensive pre-purchase consultations for computers, iPhones, iPads — I will provide these services at no charge, including help with ordering if a client is going to have me set up their device for them.   If the client wants to set it up themselves or just wants a report to contemplate for later — I simply bill for my time.

2. Set up of computers, smartphones, tablets, printers.

3. Set up of TV’s that don’t need to be mounted — including setting up streaming services (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Apple TV +) and streaming players (Fire Stick, Roku,  Google TV, Apple TV)

4.  Virus / Malware / Adware — computer security mitigation — including reports for your bank when required

5.  Freeze Credit Reports  – give yourself the ultimate protection

6. General computer / technology troubleshooting  (note – I do not personally replace screens on iPhones or laptops, but I can take your devices and get this done for you)

7.  Back Up —  backing up your data and establishing a backup plan

8.  Computer / Technology Training — Whether you are staying for extra-credit or sitting in the back of the class — I believe you have the power to learn

9. Set up new WiFi routers — especially the newer mesh WiFi systems (ie. Eero)

10.  Computer updates and resets — upgrade an existing operating system or wipe and reinstall

11.  New E-mail address / custom private email address — Whether you want to start fresh with a new free address or you want a custom e-mail like you@yorudomain(dot).com — I can help you get this done.

Time To Update Your Mac–12.6.1

I just spent some time with a client on Saturday and the primary issue was — even on a current model M1 iMac — the software (mac OS) needed to be updated and it hadn’t been updated in months.  The system was on mac OS 12 but it was an older version  12.4.  The latest installment of 12 is 12.6.1.    As much as I say — leave things to the automatic updates — sometimes it doesn’t go that way.

I don’t want anyone updating to mac OS 13 yet (perhaps a few months later would be fine), but Apple does give you the option of just updating to a newer version of OS 12. 

Doing the Update

Some of you can probably do this on your own.  Others, like my 94 year old client on Saturday, will want my help.  Although this was not a brand new OS version, it was a significant update and took 1 hour. 

1. Click on the Apple Menu in the top left of your screen

2. Click System Preferences

3. On the window that appears, click Software Update

4.  On the next screen you will probably see a big button to upgrade to OS 13. YOU DON’T WANT THAT.

5.  Right below in smaller font there will be a section allowing you to do other updates — that’s what you want.    Therein you should see the opportunity to get 12.6.1

Make sure your Mac is plugged in (laptop) and backed up before any updates.  Go for it!!

Mac Users–Benefits Of Using iCloud

Though some of you are the exception — the easiest way to make sure you don’t lose files on your Mac — is to have iCloud for Desktop and Documents turned on so it backs up and synchronizes your files.    If you are not using iCloud for your files — maybe it’s time you start. 

(If I already have you using Carbonite or BackBlaze — you are probably the exception to the rule but we can talk about this next time)

The Value Of Anti Virus and Defensive Computing Strategies

(A couple of definitions before we start. I have talked about VPN’s before, with the VPN being a piece of software that runs on your computer (or computing device) that runs your internet traffic through a private tunnel. This can be done for privacy, security or both. DNS is the “phone book” through which you look things up on the internet (domain name system). By default you use the DNS of your internet service provider. If you own your own router, you can set a custom DNS (free option) that blocks most malware.)

The best anti virus is a strategy built around defensive computing practices defensive computing practices

– If I could only choose 2 of the following 3:  (#1) VPN that has a malware block option, (#2) using Quad 9 or similar as the alternate DNS in my router (which blocks about 99 % of known malware domains) for those situations when I don’t have my VPN on or I have browser bypassing my VPN, or (#3) traditional anti virus software…..

…. I would choose the first 2. 

however since it seems like many clients want to have the additional protection of antivirus software…..  you have to remember that the typical clients I serve are older adults either at home or in their businesses who are not very technologically savvy and like a lot of customer service and handholding.   I don’t necessarily put a lot of weight on antivirus rankings and publications that claim to do those rankings because a lot of them are just paid advertisements.

Traditionally — my go to recommendation for Mac AV has been Intego.  They are a French company with local phone support based in Texas. They’ve actually removed viruses from my clients’ computers so that’s why I trust them. The phone support has been excellent when my clients have needed them.

I’ve had good experiences with ESET on the Windows side – and based on my dealings their customer support was located in Southern California even though they are also a European company. I’ve never tried them out on the Mac but I wouldn’t doubt that they are an outstanding product.

Bit Defender has a legendary reputation but I don’t have a lot of real world experience with them. However, it should be known that they provide support by chat, E-mail and phone – so another senior friendly option.   Another Mac Anti-virus that I have found valuable in the past — though they are not necessarily known for providing great customer support for seniors is Avast antivirus. I don’t know if they still do this but they had a habit of scanning websites before you visited them which I thought was great. One time a Mac client was going to upload some sensitive information to his accountants website and avast detected that it was compromised. It led to a startling revelation for the accounting firm.

An antivirus that I would like to try out but haven’t is PC Matic. You may have seen a lot of their ads on TV. They’ve recently expanded to support the Mac and they use a very different strategy than traditional antivirus by blocking you from ever accessing tons of harmful websites.

In conclusion…

1.  Use defensive computing practices, do not click on links or open attachments from people you did not expect to receive them from. Do not re-use passwords. Use an ad blocker in your browsers.

2.  If desired, use a VPN that offers malware blocking meaning they block malware domains as one of the filter options. Personally, I use Windscribe VPN but there are others that do this as well.

3.  It’s impractical to use the VPN 100% of the time. Frankly, some of my clients just won’t use one period. I actually keep mine on pretty much 100% of the time but I’m allowed to exempt certain browsers so I always exempt one browser and therefore my activity in it is outside the VPN. For those situations that is why I have Quad 9 as the DNS in my router because it blocks 99% of malware domains.  Quad 9 is free to use.

4.   Antivirus is great for when strategies one through three fail or when you’re dealing with attachments or files on the computer. I would just make sure that the antivirus that you’re using scans all files opened, and ideally that they do a little scan of websites before you visit them. If customer support matters to you, I have given you a couple options that are better in that area. 90% of my Windows clients just use the built in Microsoft Defender. This anti-virus also features Smart Screen but it really only works if you are using the Edge browser. If you are on Windows and you are not paying for a 3rd party anti-virus – consider making Edge your primary browser. It is Chrome based these days and works very much like Google Chrome.

Microsoft Word Secret Revealed

I’ve been using Microsoft Word for how long — 30 years almost!  You might think you know all the ins and outs of Word.  Today, I confirmed something that has always been true but I think a lot of Word users don’t know and would be shocked by.   Here is the big TRUTH BOMB:   With one exception ** Microsoft Word does not  — absolutely does not — auto save your document.   What?  But — I have always gone into the Word Options (File menu >> Options >> Save and set it to 5 minutes or 10 minutes).    @Look again Word users @   Even I did a double take.   You are saving Auto-Recover information to a certain location on your computer.   That is not the same as auto saving the file every 10 minutes.  Bottom line:  Word does not auto save your file — with one exception.  This Auto-Recover business is about if you were to lose power or Word was to freakishly quit in some sort of computer error — you MIGHT be able to go to the Auto-Recover folder on your computer and retrieve a recent version of your file.  MIGHT is the key word, because I have seen many instances where this does not not happen for my clients. 

Alright, alright.  So I have to keep pressing the save button on my file?  Generally, yes.  What is the exception?    The exception comes if you are saving your files in Microsoft One Drive.   One Drive is a service and a folder on your computer that synchronizes with the cloud.  It is a direct competitor of Dropbox.  It shouldn’t surprise you that it integrates very neatly with Microsoft Word and other Office programs.   One Drive works on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android.   Don’t want to pay anything?   Don’t have to.  The free tier of One Drive gives you 5 GB of free space — that is good for potentially thousands of Word documents.   When you pay the $6 or $8 a month for Microsoft Office 365 the annual subscription to Office that I set up for many of my clients — you get 1 TB of One Drive space or 1000 GB.   That is more than enough space to likely save your whole digital lives. 

So what I am trying to say here is — if you are doing important work in Word — you should be doing one of 2 things

1) Regularly clicking Save

2) Save your documents in the One Drive folder (One Drive is built into Windows. It has to be installed on a Mac from the App Store.)

I tried looking at alternatives and here is what I found.  In the Pages word processing app on a Mac — files do auto save.   Using Google Docs in the browser — files also auto save.     You may or may not want to use One Drive.  Some of you probably should.   But now you know the truth about Microsoft Word.   One way or another — save your files!!    Utilize a backup system as well.

7 Technology Tips For August

1.  Only buy computers with SSDs (solid state drives).  It’s pretty rare to find a computer without a SSD these days.  All Mac Books have had them since 2012, but not all Mac desktops since 2020.  One of my clients is painfully aware of this.  Sometimes, at the cheaper end of computing, they are still sold with a traditional hard drive.  However, as you can see from the example above, cheap doesn’t have to mean slow.  In the larger sizes like 512 GB or 1 TB — the cost will go up but your stress will go down.  SSD or nothing.

2. The iPhone SE is a good choice for someone who needs Facetime and iMessage but does not want to spend $800 to $100 on an iPhone 13 series model.  Of course, the 13 is better.  Of course, the battery lasts longer.  However, if $429 seems like the most you would pay for a smartphone – the iPhone SE is a solid choice. 

3. The New M2 Mac Book Air – base model 256 GB  – now selling for $1199 has not been well received.  It’s not a keyboard issue or a design issue.  On that particular model, the hard drive is actually slower than the 2020 M1 Mac Book Air.  So — you have to go big or be unhappy here.  Bite the bullet and get the 512 GB M2 Mac Book Air.   It is $1499.   The 2020 M1 model is still sold and may be a good option.  Keep in mind that as it is approaching 2 years old — that may well mean 2 years less of updates than the M2. 

4.  Windows — Windows 10 / 11 does a pretty good job of updating automatically.  However, are you keeping your drivers up to day?   This is the software for your video card, sound card, WiFi.  I went through a trying exercise with a client who could not get WiFi on a 6 year old Dell Desktop.  Once, I downloaded the proper driver from Dell (onto an Android phone — then beamed to the computer, the WiFi worked.   The client had no idea that the manufacturer’s drivers had to be updated separately.  This is not an issue with Macs. 

5.  Don’t be married to your cell phone provider.  Just because Verizon was the best in 2005 (and it really was!!) doesn’t mean it is the best today.  The same could be said for ATT or even T-Mobile.  Be nimble.  Towers are changing.  Verizon has been shutting down towers and building new ones.  ATT has been shutting down towers and doing the same and so has T-Mobile.  You may have thought your coverage was perfect at your home or at your office or XYZ spot that you always go to.   It might change in 2022.  Be nimble means, don’t lock yourself into these long term financing deals on phones where you are stuck with a carrier.  Buy your phone outright or if you need payments — possibly think of the Apple Card — that allows you to finance your iPhone in 24 interest free installments.  Then you can move from carrier to carrier without being tied down by the old ball and chain (a phone contract).

6.   If I wasn’t an iPhone user — which phone would I use?  I would want a pure Android experience with nothing added on.  Today, I would choose a Google Pixel 6A which was just released.  https://store.google.com/us/product/pixel_6a?hl=en-US

If I wanted a more upscale experience (like iPhone 13 quality) I would wait for the Pixel 7 which should be released by the fall.

7.  Naming Files —  I have had some instances over the years when I copied my files between different disks on various computers and the dates of the file or folder would change.  This was very annoying.  So I am now in the habit of putting the dates in my file names.   I do a lot of Print to PDF in my internet browser when saving things from my internet browser.    So if I saved a file on July 27th, I will put  “20220727” in the file name.   In some folder, I put the date first in the file name.  This way I know I can sort the files alphabetically but they will also be sorted by date in effect, even if the official date on the file changes. 

New M2 Mac Book Airs

Apple indeed released new Mac Book Airs yesterday.  They feature significantly improved M2 processors.   If you are shopping for a new Mac Book Air — these would be the ones to get.  However, even Apple customers cannot avoid inflation.    The prices have gone up to $1199 for the 256 GB hard drive model and $1499 for the 512 GB model (up from $999 and 1249 previously).  The larger hard drive model is most appropriate if there are a lot of photos and music involved.  There is also a 1 TB offering for an additional cost.

Apple is still going to sell the M1 Mac Book Air in 256 GB as a starter model for $999, however now that this model is 1.5 years old — that will mean a 1.5 year shorter lifespan with software updates.  I would only recommend this one if a client absolutely needed to save that $200.   M2 Mac Book Air should be the first choice.