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Don’t Forget to Backup!

While working on a client machine it prompted me to wrote a few words on backups. I really don’t want to publish horror stories, but, honestly, the first time you suffer data loss, you’ll regret not backing up more than you can imagine!

Whatever computer you have, its likely you have a single hard disk in there, holding all your information. That disk is made up of several metal platters spinning at 5400 revolutions a minute or more, and a magnetic head. Add to the fact, it’s an electrically operated device, you must realise that these components do occasionally break. That’s just one scenario to be conscious of. There’s also the risk of theft, accidental damage (see my earlier post on damage limitation after liquid spills) and several other things that could happen to cause you to lose access to the data on this drive.

Fortunately, in the Apple environment, backing up your drive is relatively simple. Within the Mac Operating System (from 10.5 onwards) there is a fantastic feature called Time Machine which, when configured correctly, automatically backs up any changes you make to your data every hour. You will retain different versions of your files as you change them, should you wish to revert to an older file later. Once this feature is set up, all you need to do is make sure the backup is working occasionally (very simple; in the menu bar at the top of your screen there’s a little clock-like icon – this is the Time Machine widget, and when you click it, you’ll see its status. If it’s backing up regularly, you are fine) and you’re good to go.

I’ve seen some very upset clients in the past who’ve lost […]

By |September 17th, 2013|Help and Advice|0 Comments
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Don’t be an Unprofessional Professional!

Are you a small business owner with your own company Web site (e.g. www.yourcompany.com)? 

Is your email address consistent with your Web site address (e.g. you@yourcompany.com)?

Or like many people, do you get more junk mail and spam than you can cope with?

You’d be stunned at the number of tradesmen, and small professional services companies we come across where the answers to one, or all, of these questions is not yes.

If you don’t have a Web site, you really should! Even if its a single holding page showing your contact information and a basic introduction to what you do, you do need something because the internet is the first place people turn to these days to find out if your company is someone they should deal with. And the more professional you look, the more trust they are likely to put in you. We have plenty of contacts in the industry that can set you up with a Web site, whether it be the most basic single page, or a full scale Content Management System, talk to us and we’ll put you in contact with the right guys.

If you are a small business operating with a “free” email address (e.g. hotmail, gmail, aol, yahoo and many others that are non-specific to your company), the chances are that you are reducing the trust people are willing to place in your company. For a small monthly cost per user we can provide you with a hosted service that gives you business level email, contacts and calendar access across all your connected devices (computer, tablet, phone). Wherever you are in the world, as long as you have unrestricted Internet access, you will be able to see all your incoming and outgoing email, calendars and contacts. Not […]

By |September 12th, 2013|Broadband Information, Help and Advice|0 Comments
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A Simple Way to Fix Many Mac Problems

I seem to have been answering a lot of enquiries recently with the same answer: Download and run AppleJack. Perhaps it would be helpful if I documented this process for you?

Mac’s generally maintain themselves, you don’t need to do much with them at all. However, occasionally you’ll find your computer slowing down or some other niggly little issue that you can’t quite explain or understand. There is a utility freely available which does some deeper maintenance (that you could do manually if you wished, but this tool is quicker and easier) and solves many of these little issues for you. It won’t fix everything, but it’s a great way of ironing out any minor problems before having to call in experts that will charge you for their time.

Word of warning: we strongly recommend you make sure your Mac is backed up before running any maintenance software, and do not attempt this if you are unsure – call a professional (see here).

 Firstly you need to download AppleJack. There are two versions of AppleJack currently available, and which one you need is based on the version of  Mac OS X you are running on the machine you have problems with (to find this out, click on the Apple in the top left of your screen and then About This Mac – the OS version is listed there). If you have versions 10.4 or higher, download v1.6 from here. If you have an OS prior to 10.4, get in touch with us and we’ll send you a link for the correct version of the software for you.
Now you need to install the application; this is extremely easy. Open the dmg file you downloaded, and it will bring up a new window.
Launch […]

By |September 9th, 2013|Help and Advice|0 Comments
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Five Tips to Increase the Resale Value of Your iPhone

With the expected release of new iPhones in the next couple of weeks, there’ll be a lot of people out there looking to move on older iPhones to allow them to upgrade. Today I wanted to focus on a couple of tips to get as much money as possible when reselling your iOS devices (and generally these tips are consistent for all smartphones and tablets).

When you buy a new phone, keep the box.
When it comes to selling devices secondhand, you almost always get a better price for your device when you have all the packaging. That includes cables, manuals etc so don’t throw them away just because you don’t use them. You’ll thank us for this later. Last time I sold my iPhone, I would’ve been £30 better off had I kept the box.

 
If possible, get your device unlocked
Most providers sell their phones locked to their own network. However, it is usually possible to get them unlocked at some stage through the life of the contract. It may be free, or there may be a small charge. This is worth doing as unlocked phones often have a better resale value. Do this as soon as you can – it can take several days to happen, and once you’ve made the decision to upgrade there’s nothing worse than having to wait for your old device to be unlocked.
Look after your device
Better condition always equates to more money. Think about this during the life of the product. Don’t put it into a pocket with keys or coins (scratches), maybe put a case of some sorts on it (even a thin plastic back case will offer your device some protection from little knocks). Keep it clean, and before […]

By |September 6th, 2013|Help and Advice|0 Comments
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Apple Blocking Unauthorised iOS7 Users?

Yesterday we had a call from a client who had unfortunately lost the ability to start his iPad mini. It transpired that they had ‘acquired’ iOS7 on their device, and for some reason it had been deactivated (we’ll never know why now…). And because the iPad was using Find My iPhone (which he couldn’t turn off because he couldn’t get into the OS), he couldn’t restore the operating system normally.

After a little research we found that it seems Apple may be clamping down on unauthorised iOS7 users, and also that one of the beta releases of the software had expired. Either or both of these things could have been the cause of our clients problem, but the solution was going to be the same no matter. We had to talk the client through putting his iPad into what’s known as DFU mode and restoring it back to iOS6, losing all his settings and data (backups from iOS7 are not compatible with iOS6); obviously he could reload apps later.

There’s a couple of important lessons here:

Never run beta versions of Operating Systems or Software. We’ve made the mistake ourselves, and, honestly, it’s not worth the risk. When beta software goes wrong, it has the capacity to cause you a whole world of pain. Wait for the software to become release quality (and even then we’re inclined to suggest you leave it a short while to further reduce the risk of causing yourself more pain – let others suffer it for you!) before upgrading or installing.
CHNO Technology have the technical knowledge and access to resources to help you out of these emergencies. Fixes such as this may not be instant, or perfect (such is their nature), but […]

By |September 5th, 2013|Help and Advice|0 Comments
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