Tech Support

How to Use the Disk Utility Tool on Your Mac The disk utility tool can help troubleshoot specific disk problems on your Mac. Examples include when multiple apps quit unexpectedly, when your computer crashes, when external devices don’t work as expected, and when the Mac won’t start up. To launch the Disk Utility tool, take the following steps: Restart your computer by navigating to Apple Menu > Restart. Hold the Command and R keys until you see the Apple logo. Click Disk Utility and continue. Choose View > Show all Devices. Select the disk that you want to troubleshoot. Click the First Aid button and click Run. After the repair process, the Disk Utility tool will issue reports on how the process went. If the reports state “overlapped extent allocation errors,” it means that two or more files occupy the same space on the disk that you have just tested. It may also indicate that one of them or both are corrupted. If...

6 signs you might be a Linux user https://opensource.com/article/19/10/signs-linux-user

#TechTuesday (late entry) Do you want to learn to use Linux / UNIX ? This will help you use the command line interface / BASH shell / ( DOS-prompt for UNIX /cringe ) https://www.instapaper.com/read/1234919023

The SAN DIEGO COMIC CONVENTION (Comic-Con International) is a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation organized for charitable purposes and dedicated to creating the general public’s awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular art forms, including participation in and support of public presentations, conventions, exhibits, museums and other public outreach activities which celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture.

I returned to Comic-Con in the beginning of July, 2018, just a few weeks before the yearly event. I was working for great company called Vigor just before, having converted to employee from consultant after a few months there. My time at Vigor was short but sweet - it's a fantastic company to work for if you ever get the chance. At Comic-Con, I got the one job I wanted more than all the rest. That's a rare experience. I provide I.T. Support for conventions, and now we have a museum (opening soon).

Every PC computer (AKA laptop) has a dust problem , I've helped resolve many of them, and some more than once. The most common source of dust trouble in my experience with it, is taking the computer to bed. Most beds have a cover, a duvet, or something like it, and that not only will cover your vents and block your computer's cooling air flow, but it also hugely contributes to this dust problem. A dust filter might get clogging, and then might block air flow for cooling. Here's what we use to solve that part of the problem: https://goo.gl/fFvj7w We'll also occasionally blow it clear through its vents with compressed air (which you can buy in cans at CostCo if needed) to remove much of the dust. What's your solution?

I borrowed some work from this guy's page . This short, simple script: do shell script "date +%Y-%m-%d\\ %H:%M:%S\\ %z" will replace whatever text you highlight, with this: 2017-09-13 15:27:41 -700 (That's just an example, of course) I don't want the " 20 " from " 2017 " so I'll change the %Y to %y I don't want dashes I don't want colons I don't want spaces I don't want seconds I don't want zone My script ends up like this: do shell script "date +%y%m%d%H%M" and my replacement output is now: 1709131527 (Optionally, I've created an additional service that includes the seconds, useful for rapid renaming of multiple photos or other files I like to store chronologically/sequentially.) Assign a keyboard shortcut by turning it into a Service in Automator. Open Automator.app Create a New > Service Set it to receive selected text in any application Check the Output replaces...

I began working for Robert Half Salaried Professional Services at the end of August. SPS is RH's consulting staff. In case you wonder, this is Robert Half offering their own staff of salaried, highly technical, and highly experienced employees to businesses that have projects where they need temporary additional staff but not more permanent headcount. So ... it's like temp work where I am still a permanent employee with all the PTO and health benefits and such. I've done this before. I worked for Ajilon on their Information Technology Services team, out in Dallas, TX, at Alcatel and then at Nortel (in Dallas's "Telecom Corridor" along 75N). I really enjoyed that work, particularly at Nortel, and I look forward to doing this work again.

I needed to disable the 'auto' part of the updates, and found this: https://4sysops.com/archives/disable-windows-10-update-in-the-registry-and-with-powershell/ I used the Registry option first, but intend to move forward using the PowerShell script.

I copied this from MS TechNet . Applies To: Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 You can export a certificate in order to import a copy on a different computer or device or to store a copy in a secure location. If you are exporting certificates for import onto a computer running Windows, PKCS #7 format is the preferred export format. This format preserves the chain of certification authorities (CAs), or the certification path, of any certificate that includes countersignatures associated with signatures. If you are exporting certificates for import onto a computer running another operating system, it is possible that the PKCS #7 format is supported. If it is not supported, the DER-encoded binary format or the Base64-encoded format is provided for interoperability. Users  or local  Administrators  is the minimum group membership required to complete this procedure. Review the details in "Additional considerations" in this topic. To export a certificate...

Here's a simple guide  from Microsoft (Open Outlook Data files).

I recently switched to my wife's old iPhone 5 from my iPod touch g5, so that I could use iOS 10. Neither my iPod touch g5 nor my iPad mini g1 are compatible with iOS 10 so those devices go in the retired pile. To use the iPhone 5 while mobile, I installed my Google fi data-only SIM . When Apple's setup routine was configuring the phone, it asked me to add the data SIM's phone number to my Apple ID / iMessages / FaceTime and I approved. I didn't know at the time that it would cause some of my conversations to become divided and create more confusion for me and my messaging friends. To resolve this conflict & confusion, I opened the settings on my iPhone 5 and then Phone options in settings. There, I set my phone number to match my actual number, which f course, is used by my regular mobile (Nexus 5X). Next, I went into the options for Messages, then Send & Receive, and unchecked the option to use the unwanted new data-only phone number. Next, went into Face...

When you export from Salesforce and the spreadsheet shows as blank / empty ... Disable the Protected View setting within Excel: Open MS Excel Go to File > Options Click Trust Center (from the menu on the left) Click the 'Trust Center Settings' button Click Protected View (from the menu on the left) Remove the check mark next to "Enable Protected View for files originating from the internet" Click OK Try again now.   :-)

How To Disable AutoPlay On YouTube AutoPlay-enabled-by-default is a new trend in my experience, and it's everywhere now.

Here's a guide for resolving 'Temporary Profile' issues in Windows 7

Managing your iCloud storage

I prefer all links open in tabs, not restricted little windows, so I found this: https://www.msoutlook.info/question/open-owa-messages-in-new-tab

I'm primarily an Apple Mac user. When I use Windows again sometimes, I'm annoyed by the backward scrolling they're still using. I found this tip via Google. When I reboot, I'll comment and let you know if it works.

The link to my C.V. / résumé is reserved for serious inquiries regarding business and work opportunities. Please request the link by email if you don't already have it: tech [at] dougwood [dot] info Thank you! I look forward to meeting with you.