Answers...

to commonly asked questions.

September 2011

Windows virus alert scam.

Internet connection in upstairs girls room very very slow! U helped a few yes ago. What should we do?
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There are several things to consider. Large homes usually require multiple routers. My general rule of thumb is one router per every 1300 or so square feet. Give or take depending on home construction and layout. So it may be a situation where we need to add an additional router. If your network was strong in that area and is now weak then that is something we may need to address by checking on the current router’s performance. If you need assistance you can schedule a session online.

Online backup not so hot

For some reason my iPad apps never transferred.   What can I do without buying them all over again. It is still sncy and it is on photos
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You won't have to repurchase any of your apps.  iTunes now allows you to re-download any previously purchased items at any time on any device.  However, any apps you had in the past should have synced over.  With iPad connected and iTunes open, be sure you have selected which apps to sync under the "Apps" pane at the top in iTunes.  

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If the apps you are looking for are not listed then you'll need to re-download them from the app store.  (at no cost of course.)

Connecting to the internet using VMware

Scotty,

For some reason, I cannot find the Quicken CD in Virtual Windows.  Joe suggested I activate the CD icon at the bottom of the screen, which I did, but VW is still not recognizing it or not letting me see or find it.  Any ideas?  Thank you.
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When you use VMware to run windows on your Mac, you do need to use the cd icon in the lower right of the vmware window to allow either operating system to control the optical drive.

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You can also use the same window to select CD/DVD settings then choose to have vmware control the CD right at start up. Unless the disc is damaged, the Quicken disc should show. You may also try testing with a different disc to eliminate whether it’s the Quicken disc or software related.
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Removing duplicates from iTunes

I am sort of interested in running linux on a partition of the hard drive. Can I do this with Boot Camp? And what are your thoughts on Linux, because I would just do it to have a separate OS dedicated to all of our photos or music or documents as a family. This could work so family members could use the computer just to make a document and not have to deal with passwords and just work. As I type this though, I think that should us Windows on bootcamp for this. Because then it will be for something dedicated and  solve the      compatibility problems that we sometimes face as Mac users. If I used Windows, I would probably download the free dev preview to use. Please give any thoughts on this that you have on this.
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Bootcamp will not allow you to run linux. You can, however, run Linux on a Mac via VMware Fusion ( a virtualization software normally used to run Windows). (I strongly encourage you to check out Linux. Ubuntu is a great Linux build. Start there. And welcome to the world of open source. You’ll be sticking it to the man in no time.

Now Linux is not the answer to your question above. Don’t think of Linux as a solution to separate music or pictures for your family. It would only complicate things. Because it’s not an easy task to let one operating system view information that lives in another operating system.

Can a 1998 iMac run Office?

Marcia was on safari last night and somehow this and another warning (I’ll send in a minute) appeared on her screen. I couldn’t get out of Safari-eventually turned the computer off. It seems to be working.
Do I need virus software to clean up?
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No you don’t need virus protection. That popup was a scam. It would have been fine to force quit safari by choosing “force quit” from the menu bar. It’s designed to affect windows machines. Never click on a message such as this and leave the website you were on that may have brought the message to you immediately.

System updates locked up the computer

 
Have you heard of anyone having issues with trying to download the reinstall program from Carbonite necessary if you if have Lion OS?  Every time I download it, Apple tells me it can't extract the file because it's corrupt and I obviously don't want to go anywhere near it, but I can't imagine that Carbonite would send me a corrupted file to download their latest program.  Carbonite is extremely difficult to work with b/c their customer service closes at 5 pm.
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I can not recommend Carbonite for these very reasons. Most online backup solutions are still not to a point where I can personally recommend them. I strongly prefer having a second physical hard drive that I either clone or rotate using time machine, carbon copy cloner or super duper every few months. I would suspect that Carbonite may not be completely up to date with Lion but I have not encountered anyone with an issue. Mostly because I encourage people not to use it.

Drive not mounting for time machine use

I need help obtaining Internet access through the virtual program.
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The virtual machine shouldn't have an issue sharing the internet connection.  Just check your network settings in the vmware program itself to be sure you are sharing via bridged using autodetect as seen below.  

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How is Uverse?

looking to install itunes on new computer. have 2 external drives with about 122000 songs, 87000 dups. probably downloaded a couple old drives 2x, have new 1.5 terra to use for itunes. about how much to do that project thanks
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That is an increbibly large music library.  There is a way to do it but it will take a very long time.  I suggest you look at either  Doug's Apps for iTunes Dupin - iTunes Duplicates Manager - v2.3.3 or  Rinse: How To Remove iTunes Duplicates - Delete Duplicates In iTunes.

There are several de-duplicating pieces of software but with that large a library it will take a long time to run.  Like a couple days.  I would not take on that project myself but I think you will have success with either of the above mentioned software.  

Do you repair iPod touches?

I am seriously thinking about purchasing an old i-mac computer that has graphics software on it. The apple store thinks it may have a classic 8 or 9 operating system. Would you happen to know what operating system it could be and if microsoft office can be loaded onto it?
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It all depends on exactly what model iMac you are thinking of purchasing. Assuming it is the very first iMac (the Bondi Blue) that computer shipped with OS 8 and supported all the way up to Panther 10.3.9. Therefore if you were really had your heart set on working on one of the first iMacs, yes you could put Microsoft Office on it. Up to Office 2004 I believe. If you want more info on every mac every made check out
MacTracker. Good Luck!
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