Tag Archives: mac

troubleshoot

Learning How to Troubleshoot the Right Way

Playing around with a bunch of wires and fidgeting with the gadgets on the keyboard can not only be unproductive, but it can also be dangerous. When you want to know how to fix problems with your computer properly, what steps can you take?

Ask a Friend

Chances are, you know someone who graduated with a degree in Computer Science or who is working at a major computer store. Instead of fiddling around with the keyboard today, give that person a call. Find out when he or she is available, and ask this individual if a private tutoring session could be arranged. Let your friend know you want to learn how to deal with common troubleshooting issues when they arise, and, hopefully, this person will be happy to teach you.

Take a Course

Many people do receive their degrees in Computer Science and other related fields. As a result, most colleges, if not all, in your area will offer at least a handful of courses related to the subject matter. Over the summer or during a season when work is a little bit slow, enroll in one of these courses. You’re likely rather worried about the price. Fortunately, many community colleges also offer classes, and you can enroll in these for a fraction of the cost of what other universities would offer.

Read the Books

Whenever you purchase a new computer or a gadget for your computer, you are given a pamphlet. In this booklet, you’ll find an array of information about the device as well as details on how to deal with common troubleshooting issues when they arise. Generally, people tend to cram this booklet up into a drawer someone and completely forget where they put it in their times of needs. Make a nice little file of all of the booklets, and refer to them when your computer isn’t functioning properly. It’s quite likely you will find the answer for which you are looking in one of the chapters.

Using the Computer

Sometimes, the computer is not entirely beyond repair. For example, you might be able to turn it on, but, once you do, one of the programs you need for work will not function properly. Many computers have troubleshooting functions built right into them. As long as you are able to use the computer, look up steps on it to help you resolve the problem in a timely fashion. Sometimes, these tools can also check for problems on the system. Therefore, you will be able to find the root of the problem to address that as opposed to waffling around with issues that are not really problems at all.

The best way to learn how to troubleshoot on a computer is to have a professional or someone who works in the industry show you. If you have any questions, you can ask that person. However, when you cannot take a class or no one is available, other options exist to help you deal with the computer crisis.


This article was submitted through TechGeec’s article submission form.

Walter O’Neal writes about technology, education and more. Most recently, he has written a series of pieces on the best computer degrees.

evasi0n

Jailbreak ALL iPhones, iPads, iPods on iOS 6.0-6.1 with evasi0n

Download evasi0n for Mac, Windows, and Linux at www.evasi0n.com

Steps:
a. Upgrade device to iOS 6.1
b. Disable passcode lock
1. Plug device into computer
2. Click ‘Jailbreak’ button in evasi0n
3. When prompted, tap evasi0n app ONCE
4. Complete! Open Cydia, select user type, and allow it to refresh.
c. You can now re-enable your passcode lock

evasi0n can jailbreak all iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and iPad mini models running iOS 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, and 6.1. If the jailbreak process gets stuck somewhere, close evasi0n, reboot the device by holding the Home and Power buttons at the same time until it restarts, and restart the jailbreak process. evasi0n takes roughly 5 minutes to jailbreak the device. Once the jailbreak process is complete, open Cydia and allow it to refresh its sources. Once it closes, open Cydia again and in the ‘Changes’ section, update ‘evasi0n 6.x Untether’. Once you do that your device will be completely jailbroken and you can continue to install any jailbreak tweaks/apps/themes you choose.

txt to computer

How to Transfer/Backup Text Messages from iPhone to Computer

For 30% off of your DigiDNA purchase, download DiskAid from http://www.digidna.net/techgeec.

To download DiskAid click HERE.

We Rule Quest

We Rule for Mac? Let’s See in my Interview With the Developers!

I recently had a “interview” with the people over at the famous addicting game We Rule. You all know I’m addicted to We Rule and with the launch of the Mac AppStore I was very curious if they would release a version for the Mac. I would love if they did that, so I tweeted them (that’s how I start most interviews) I asked them if they were thinking about or working on We Rule for the Mac and they replied back with this.

Quote (via @WeRuleGame):

@connerowen We’re taking at look at the new platform – more details when we have them.

So this means that most likely that they will release a version for the Mac soon. So if you addicted to We Rule like me and have a Mac, You will be soon able to play We Rule on the Mac.

If you want to add me on We Rule my gamer tag is connerowen
I always accept all orders as well.

tuneswift

How to Transfer iTunes Library from One Computer to Another

Now that more and more people are switching from PC to Mac more and more people are losing their iTunes libraries. CopyTrans TuneSwift from WindSolutions solves this problem easily and efficiently. The program has an easy to follow, simple UI from which you can choose to backup, restore, or transfer your iTunes library and all you need is an external hard drive or flash drive. This video will demonstrate how the program works:

Activation Code: TUNESWIFT-TECHGEEC-ROCKS


TuneSwift: http://www.copytrans.net/copytranstuneswift.php
TuneSwift for Mac: http://www.copytrans.net/support.php?action=showEntry&data=1600
Support for TuneSwift: http://www.copytrans.net/support.php?action=GoToCategory&data=240

t-clock

How to Display the Date & Time in Windows System Tray Clock in the Taskbar

Throughout the 25 years that the Windows operating system has been with us, not in one version has the date been displayed along with the clock in the system tray of the taskbar (at least in the versions that had a taskbar). For those familiar with Mac OS X, in the upper right corner of the screen, you can choose to have the date be displayed along side the time. It’s a shame that with Windows, if you choose to use the “small” taskbar or display “small icons” in Windows 7, you can only see the time.

If you’d like to be able to see the date as well, a free portable application called T-Clock v.3 by StoicJoker will do just that. You can download it HERE (download “(both) T-Clock 3 & T-Clock x64″ by Stoic Joker, not the other versions of T-Clock). To get T-Clock set up and running, follow the video tutorial below. If you’d like to have T-Clock start when Windows starts, in the “About” tab of the T-Clock properties, you can check the box that has this option.

If you’d like to create a custom time format, below the video is a chart listing the date and time strings along with their meanings.

Format specifier Description Examples
“d” The day of the month, from 1 through 31.

More information: The “d” Custom Format Specifier.

6/1/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 1

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 15

“dd” The day of the month, from 01 through 31.

More information: The “dd” Custom Format Specifier.

6/1/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 01

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 15

“ddd” The abbreviated name of the day of the week.

More information: The “ddd” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Mon (en-US)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Пн (ru-RU)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> lun. (fr-FR)

“dddd” The full name of the day of the week.

More information: The “dddd” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Monday (en-US)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> понедельник (ru-RU)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> lundi (fr-FR)

“f” The tenths of a second in a date and time value.

More information: The “f” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 13:45:30.617 -> 6

6/15/2009 13:45:30.050 -> 0

“ff” The hundredths of a second in a date and time value.

More information: The “ff” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 13:45:30.617 -> 61

6/15/2009 13:45:30.005 -> 00

“fff” The milliseconds in a date and time value.

More information: The “fff” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 13:45:30.617 -> 617

6/15/2009 13:45:30.0005 -> 000

“ffff” The ten thousandths of a second in a date and time value.

More information: The “ffff” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 13:45:30.6175 -> 6175

6/15/2009 13:45:30.00005 -> 0000

“fffff” The hundred thousandths of a second in a date and time value.

More information: The “fffff” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 13:45:30.61754 -> 61754

6/15/2009 13:45:30.000005 -> 00000

“ffffff” The millionths of a second in a date and time value.

More information: The “ffffff” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 13:45:30.617542 -> 617542

6/15/2009 13:45:30.0000005 -> 000000

“fffffff” The ten millionths of a second in a date and time value.

More information: The “fffffff” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 13:45:30.6175425 -> 6175425

6/15/2009 13:45:30.0001150 -> 0001150

“F” If non-zero, the tenths of a second in a date and time value.

More information: The “F” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 13:45:30.617 -> 6

6/15/2009 13:45:30.050 -> (no output)

“FF” If non-zero, the hundredths of a second in a date and time value.

More information: The “FF” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 13:45:30.617 -> 61

6/15/2009 13:45:30.005 -> (no output)

“FFF” If non-zero, the milliseconds in a date and time value.

More information: The “FFF” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 13:45:30.617 -> 617

6/15/2009 13:45:30.0005 -> (no output)

“FFFF” If non-zero, the ten thousandths of a second in a date and time value.

More information: The “FFFF” Custom Format Specifier.

6/1/2009 13:45:30.5275 -> 5275

6/15/2009 13:45:30.00005 -> (no output)

“FFFFF” If non-zero, the hundred thousandths of a second in a date and time value.

More information: The “FFFFF” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 13:45:30.61754 -> 61754

6/15/2009 13:45:30.000005 -> (no output)

“FFFFFF” If non-zero, the millionths of a second in a date and time value.

More information: The “FFFFFF” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 13:45:30.617542 -> 617542

6/15/2009 13:45:30.0000005 -> (no output)

“FFFFFFF” If non-zero, the ten millionths of a second in a date and time value.

More information: The “FFFFFFF” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 13:45:30.6175425 -> 6175425

6/15/2009 13:45:30.0001150 -> 000115

“g”, “gg” The period or era.

More information: The “g” or “gg” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> A.D.
“h” The hour, using a 12-hour clock from 1 to 12.

More information: The “h” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 AM -> 1

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 1

“hh” The hour, using a 12-hour clock from 01 to 12.

More information: The “hh” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 AM -> 01

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 01

“H” The hour, using a 24-hour clock from 0 to 23.

More information: The “H” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 AM -> 1

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 13

“HH” The hour, using a 24-hour clock from 00 to 23.

More information: The “HH” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 AM -> 01

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 13

“K” Time zone information.

More information: The “K” Custom Format Specifier.

With DateTime values:

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM, Kind Unspecified ->

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM, Kind Utc -> Z

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM, Kind Local -> -07:00 (depends on local computer settings)

With DateTimeOffset values:

6/15/2009 1:45:30 AM -07:00 –> -07:00

6/15/2009 8:45:30 AM +00:00 –> +00:00

“m” The minute, from 0 through 59.

More information: The “m” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:09:30 AM -> 9

6/15/2009 1:09:30 PM -> 9

“mm” The minute, from 00 through 59.

More information: The “mm” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:09:30 AM -> 09

6/15/2009 1:09:30 PM -> 09

“M” The month, from 1 through 12.

More information: The “M” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 6
“MM” The month, from 01 through 12.

More information: The “MM” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 06
“MMM” The abbreviated name of the month.

More information: The “MMM” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Jun (en-US)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> juin (fr-FR)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> Jun (zu-ZA)

“MMMM” The full name of the month.

More information: The “MMMM” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> June (en-US)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> juni (da-DK)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> uJuni (zu-ZA)

“s” The second, from 0 through 59.

More information: The “s” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:09 PM -> 9
“ss” The second, from 00 through 59.

More information: The “ss” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:09 PM -> 09
“t” The first character of the AM/PM designator.

More information: The “t” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> P (en-US)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 午 (ja-JP)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> (fr-FR)

“tt” The AM/PM designator.

More information: The “tt” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> PM (en-US)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 午後 (ja-JP)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> (fr-FR)

“y” The year, from 0 to 99.

More information: The “y” Custom Format Specifier.

1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM -> 1

1/1/0900 12:00:00 AM -> 0

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM -> 0

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 9

“yy” The year, from 00 to 99.

More information: The “yy” Custom Format Specifier.

1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM -> 01

1/1/0900 12:00:00 AM -> 00

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM -> 00

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 09

“yyy” The year, with a minimum of three digits.

More information: The “yyy” Custom Format Specifier.

1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM -> 001

1/1/0900 12:00:00 AM -> 900

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM -> 1900

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 2009

“yyyy” The year as a four-digit number.

More information: The “yyyy” Custom Format Specifier.

1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM -> 0001

1/1/0900 12:00:00 AM -> 0900

1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM -> 1900

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 2009

“yyyyy” The year as a five-digit number.

More information: The “yyyyy” Custom Format Specifier.

1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM -> 00001

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> 02009

“z” Hours offset from UTC, with no leading zeros.

More information: The “z” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -07:00 -> -7
“zz” Hours offset from UTC, with a leading zero for a single-digit value.

More information: The “zz” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -07:00 -> -07
“zzz” Hours and minutes offset from UTC.

More information: The “zzz” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -07:00 -> -07:00
“:” The time separator.

More information: The “:” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> : (en-US)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> . (it-IT)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> : (ja-JP)

“/” The date separator.

More Information: The “/” Custom Format Specifier.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> / (en-US)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> – (ar-DZ)

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM -> . (tr-TR)

“string”

‘string’

Literal string delimiter. 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM (“arr:” h:m t) -> arr: 1:45 P

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM (‘arr:’ h:m t) -> arr: 1:45 P

% Defines the following character as a custom format specifier.

More information: Using Single Custom Format Specifiers.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM (%h) -> 1
\ The escape character. 6/15/2009 1:45:30 PM (h \h) -> 1 h
Any other character The character is copied to the result string unchanged.

More information: Using the Escape Character.

6/15/2009 1:45:30 AM (arr hh:mm t) -> arr 01:45 A
choose your poison

Reasons to Consider Taking a Break From Apple

Earlier today TheAppleBlog had an interesting post that I thought many Apple “fan-boys” should read.

Quote (via TheAppleBlog):

I realize that suggesting a break from Apple products on an Apple blog is heresy, but there are good reasons to pop your head up and look around at what else is out there every once in a while. Gadget tunnel vision is a dangerous thing, for both your sense of perspective and your budget.

Brand Loyalty Carries No Tangible Reward

Brand loyalty can be a very strong emotion, especially around Apple Inc. But what’s it really worth to you? You could argue that by being loyal, you’re encouraging Apple to continue putting out high-quality products, but it’s not a one-to-one relationship. Buying a piece of kit from Sony or someone else here or there won’t destroy Apple’s R&D capabilities.

In reality, you get nothing for your loyalty beyond the ability to wave it in the faces of others who aren’t so loyal. Which, admittedly, can be quite satisfying in the short term, but doesn’t really amount to much in the long run.

Playing the Field Gets You More Action

Pardon the double-entendre, but it’s true that if you have greater variety in your choice of gadgets and tech, you’ll have a much broader base of experience from which to draw for both professional and personal purposes. At work and on resumés, platform agnosticism plays much better than single-minded devotion to one company. Most employees don’t want to see “haven’t touched a Windows machine since ’95″ listed under “Skills.”

Knowing about, say, Android as well as iOS, for example, will also get you far in personal interactions. The one-note Apple guy or girl isn’t always the most popular person at tweetups and tech conferences. Even if you’re debating the merits of OS X versus Windows 7, think how much stronger your argument will be if you’ve actually used both extensively.

Your Apple Vacation Can Be a “Staycation”

You don’t need to invest in new hardware to take a break from Apple. Bootcamp on OS X allows you to run Windows or other operating systems on your Mac computer. Or, if you’d rather not even leave OS X (though I recommend you do), there are always Parallels and VMware Fusion which allow you to run Windows on an emulated machine within Apple’s OS.

You can also even run Android on an iPhone or iPad using OpeniBoot, though it’s pretty buggy. But if you’re the adventurous type, and want to test out Google’s iOS competitor without spending money on new hardware, this could be the way to do it.

The Future Is Multi-Platform

Developers aren’t going to focus on just one platform, so long as user interest in a platform continues to grow. Nor are content providers, advertisers, or enterprise IT departments. There’s no reason why users should, either. Device and platform flexibility will inform UI and UX decisions going forward, and consumers with a wide variety of experience will help inform those decisions.

Apple is a great platform, and will likely remain my platform of choice for the foreseeable future. But that doesn’t mean I’ll use it to the absolute exclusion of all others. Variety is the spice of life, and that maxim applies just as well to my digital existence, too.

Apple Released iTunes 10.1



Apple released today iTunes 10.1. This introduces AirPlay and iOS 4.2 for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. (NOTE: iOS 4.2 is not yet out, there is just support for it.)

With iTunes 10.1, you can wirelessly stream videos from iTunes on your computer to Apple TV. This also provides important stability and performance improvements.

I just need iOS 4.2 and then my life is complete!

excel 2011 review

Excel for Mac 2011 (Review)

Microsoft has released Office 2011 for the Mac, and we’ve already looked at the new versions of PowerPoint and Word in the suite. Now it’s Excel’s turn. How does the updated spreadsheet program compare to the dismal reputation of its predecessor?

Look and Feel

Excel 2011 brings in the ribbon interface. As I mentioned in my look at Word 2011, I actually like it. The Windows version of the ribbon I found to be much more panic-inducing because it pretty much gets rid of all the menu bars. Not so on OS X; you get to have your cake and eat it, too.

The ribbon actually takes up less overall room than its equivalent in Excel 2008. The screenshot below shows the Excel 2008 on the left, and Excel 2011 on the right. You can also minimize the ribbon by single-clicking on a tab header. If you don’t like it, you never even have to see the thing. It’s definitely nice to have the option, either way.

Show Me The Money: Getting Your Work Done

Overall, Excel 2011 feels much more responsive than 2008. For starters, I can now launch the app without being able to microwave popcorn before it fully loads. I did notice some sluggishness when it loaded the template chooser, but you can easily skip that screen. Speaking of templates, while I found the supplied Word templates weren’t that special, I was impressed with those supplied in Excel. There are a few (invoices and general finance) I can actually use, a first for Office.

One interesting new feature is Sparklines. Basically, Sparklines is a handy way to trend data. In the screenshot below, we’re tracking quarterly sales by region. The in-cell chart is a Sparkline showing the trending data. We can tell at a glance that the Boston region is doing quite well, while the manager of the Los Angeles region might want to shop his resume. You can set a Sparkline to be a line, bar, or win-loss chart. I can see using it to trend my freelance business.

Conditional formatting is much improved in 2011. Put simply, conditional formatting allows you to set rules to highlight cells that meet a given criteria. Keeping with the sales data, I can set up a condition to highlight any cell with a number less than 100.

There’s a couple of weird gotchas, though. When I opened the document review spreadsheet I mentioned earlier, I wanted it to show me documents that had been modified during a specific date range. While you can choose “dates occurring” from a pull-down, it’s a fairly narrow range. Instead, I had to set the cell data range in a separate pulldown. It’d be nice if there was an option to set that range right in the “dates occurring” section. Still, the older version of Excel was much more limited, so these improvements are welcome.

One cause for complaint in the new version of Excel is the lack of support for Snow Leopard services. In my Word article, I mentioned how happy I was that Word handled these well, but sadly, the same can’t be said for Excel 201. Highlighting a section of text and choosing Services just gives you a grayed-out “No services apply.” I believe this is due to the Carbon underpinnings of Excel, as it seems Services require the app to be programmed in Cocoa. Whatever the reason, it’s a shame it’s not in there.

Back to the Macro

Thankfully, Visual Basic macros are back. As I said, I’ve never been a big VB user, but the lack of them really messed up Windows compatibility.  While I never created them, I’d get enough spreadsheets containing them to shake my fist in Redmond’s direction whenever I tried to open sheets in Excel 2008. It’s nice to see things are back to normal.

Closing the Books

I’m pretty happy with Excel 2011. The interface is cleaner, and I didn’t notice some of the slowdowns other reviewers have mentioned, but the largest sheet I opened was about 1000 lines. Sparklines, corny name aside, seems like a good, albeit situational feature. I’m happier with the improvements to conditional formatting. The big reason to upgrade, though, is the return of Visual Basic macros. It’s hard to praise that return too much, though, since it really feels like we’re paying a premium just to get an old feature back.