Answers...

to commonly asked questions.

June 2023

Can I stop getting junk mail?

How can I reduce the amount of junk mail that I get?
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There’s no real magic bullet to resolve junk mail other than the basic tried/true strategies. We all have it. Set junk to auto delete, never use the unsubscribe button on an email you don’t trust, in general, unsubscribe with caution, don’t cc people. Ask people never to cc you. BCC is the only way to go. If all else fails, make rules to junk things if nothing else works.

How do I edit contacts in Mailchimp?

I see all contacts in mail chip but could you tell me how to edit? I don’t have anything to mail now but could you possibly tell me how I would import etc. or whatever I need to do for when I do have something to mass mail. I think I know how to add contacts.
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First, in Mailchimp’s webpage, select “Audience” from the left column, then select “view contacts”.



Next, select any contact by just clicking on the email address listed and you’ll be taken to the overview page. From there you can click “edit profile” and change the email or whatever you’d like from there.

Is this wifi network safe?

We just checked into our hotel in Costa Rica and they said WiFi is “free and open to everyone on the property.” We don’t know if it’s a secure line based on that description.

When you go to login to Wifi it says please enjoy complementary WiFi and then there is a connect button. I will see if I can screen shot it. The cell service on property isn’t good.

Thanks for your help in letting us know if the line is secure.
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"Free and open” means not secure. Use at your own risk. Again, three types of networks:

Network that does not require a password: not secure
Network that requires a unique password to you like your last name and room number or something: not secure.
Network that has a password that everyone is aware of in the entire building: secure.

How do I reassign signatures in email?

Had to delete my email account and re-add it. Now my signatures are gone.
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Sorry for the delay in responding. After I left your home, later that night I became extremely sick and have not been able to move until just about an hour ago. Extreme vertigo and nausea. It was rough to say the least but I’m back up and walking around again. So signatures…

It’s possible your previous signature is still there and just needs to be reassigned to the email address itself. Here’s how to check: In Mail, go to settings/Signatures:




If you see the signature there already (in the second column as seen above) then all you have to do is drag the circled item onto the account on the left. (Like I’ve shown with the arrow.)

However, if the signature is gone from the middle column, you’d need to recreate it. Hit the plus sign to create a new signature. If you had graphics, icons, or logos in your signature you can always copy/paste it exactly as it was by looking at a previously sent email. Every one of your sent emails from the past would contain that signature.

How do I reinstall Office?

My Microsoft word is not opening. How do I reinstall it?
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Easiest thing to do is log into your microsoft office account at office.com and find the plan you’re currently enrolled in. Once there, you’ll see a “install” button. That will download the installer and it’s easy from there. That should overwrite any bad files associated to the software itself. Can’t guarantee that would resolve the issue, but it’s the next step I would try.

How do I change the default application

Excel will not open and “Pages” is now opening any documents I receive!  How to fix?
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Go to any .xls document and right click on it. Get info. Next, you'll see a long rectangular window pop up holding information about that document. Find the "open with" section and it will most likely say Pages. Click that drop down and select Excel instead. Now click "Change All". The computer will ask if you're sure you'd like to have all .xls files to now open with Excel instead of Pages. Agree and you're good to go.




You can change what program is the default for any document or file on your Mac. Examples:

Word instead of Pages.
VLC instead of Quicktime
Chrome instead of Safari
Keynote instead of Powerpoint
Preview instead of Adobe Acrobat
Lightroom instead of Photoshop

Keeping a copy of your pictures locally

Hi Scotty - I want to keep full res copies of my pictures locally as well as in the cloud. Do we just need to “download originals to this Mac” ONLY on our computer? In other words, can I still select "Optimize iPhone storage” on my iPhone in settings?

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Yes. Selecting “download originals” is really on needed on one device. Keeping “optimize” settings on your phone or iPad is totally fine.

Should I install this update?

Should I install this update?

Screen Shot 2023-06-05 at 5.59.04 PM
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MacOS Ventura is a mature OS. It's been out for around 7 months so the current version 13.4 is very stable. What's difficult for some users is how System Preferences (now called System Settings) are now laid out. There are several new features of course but overall the transition from older OS's to the latest (Ventura) is minimal. The only other thing to consider is how much free space you have on your hard drive. Ventura needs 12 gigs of free space. I you don't have enough free space, the computer will tell you. Other than that concern, go ahead.
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