Have you ever need to share your password with somebody else? Have you ever sent a password via email? QuickForget is a good way to share sensitive information such as a password. Read More from “A Quick Way To Send Sensitive Information: QuickForget.com”
Use eDrawings Viewer, A Free Way To View AutoCAD (.dwg) Files
Do you ever need to open AutoCAD files? If you’re renovating your home or office there’s a chance that an architect or contractor might send you an AutoCAD file in .dwg format. eDrawings Viewer is a free application that lets you open and view these files. It’s been around for at least 15 years. The developer makes their money selling other applications which allow architects and others create .dwg files, so I expect eDrawings Viewer to remain free. Download it and give it a try.
A Free And Easy Way To Test Your Fax Machine
Do you have a fax machine? Have you ever wanted to test it to determine that it’s working? Perhaps a colleague or a friend indicated that he or she was unable to fax you. GotFreeFax is an easy way you can send a fax to your own fax machine. Here are instructions for using it. Read More from “A Free And Easy Way To Test Your Fax Machine”
Setting Up An Auto-Reply In Gmail
Do you use Gmail? Would you like to setup an automated reply email to indicate that you’re going to be on vacation or out of the office? Google provides some simple, step-by-step setup instructions for their Vacation Responder. Since Gmail’s interface changes often, I do not think it makes sense for me to re-write them in this article as they could change without notice.
Here are some related notes.
Your automated reply is sent to people only the first time they contact you. It resets after four days and if that same person emails you after four days then he or she would receive your automated reply a second time.
You can have your automated reply sent to everybody or only to people who you have saved to your Google Contacts list. If your Gmail account is provided by your employer or school you can choose whether your automated reply is sent to everybody or only to people in your organization.
Email messages delivered to your spam folder will not get your automated reply.
Email messages from a mailing list will not get your automated reply.
The Importance Of Monitoring One’s Backups
This week’s Tech Tip is a cautionary tale. Last week, I offered some guidance on how to prepare for a Genius Bar appointment and the importance of knowing that you have a current Time Machine backup of your Mac, before taking your Mac to the Genius Bar. Recently, I had two clients take their Macs to Genius Bar appointments. In each instance, Apple erased all of their data. One client, who I’ll call Bill, had a current Time Machine backup and we were able to use it to return his Mac to a functioning state after Apple returned it to him in a non-functioning state. The other client, who I’ll call Sally thought she had a current Time Machine backup, but, it turns out she didn’t.
Bill’s incident highlights the importance of know which version of the Mac operating system is installed on your Mac. Sally’s incident highlights the importance of knowing how to monitor your backup systems, backing up daily as well as the need to have a second, redundant backup system. Because she had Backblaze performing backups, we were able to recover all of her data, but she could have had a less stressful time if she’d really had a current Time Machine backup. Read More from “The Importance Of Monitoring One’s Backups”
How To Prepare For A Genius Bar Appointment
Are you planning on taking your Mac, iPhone or iPad to a Genius Bar appointment? Here are some items to keep in mind as you prepare for your appointment.
- Make a note of which version of the operating system is installed on your device.
- Check your backup systems so you know, with certainty, that your device is backed up.
- Know your administrative user account password. (This only applies to Macs.)
- Be prepared to be without your device for a few days and, in rare situations, up to a couple of weeks.
Read More from “How To Prepare For A Genius Bar Appointment”
How To Enter A New Email Password On Your iPhone
Are you unable to either send or receive emails on your iPhone? Are you getting an error message about an incorrect password? Sending and receiving emails are independent processes so one could be working while the other one is not. More specifically, your iPhone could be able to send emails but not receive emails, or vice versa. Consequently, there are two places you need to visit to enter the correct email account password. Read More from “How To Enter A New Email Password On Your iPhone”
Follow The Blue Ball
I know you subscribe to my Tech Tips to get pearls of wisdom and nuggets of knowledge. Not this week. This Tech Tip is just for fun. Hope you enjoy it.
Follow the blue ball through this impressive Rube Goldberg machine.
Report Spam And Phishing Emails That Arrive In Your iCloud Inbox
Do you use an iCloud email account? (iCloud email accounts can end in any of the following suffixes: Mac.com, Me.com or iCloud.com.)
Do some spam emails arrive in your Inbox? Apple’s spam filters are pretty effective, but nobody’s spam filters are perfect. Thus, if spam or phishing emails get past Apple’s spam filters and arrive in your Inbox, you can report them to Apple. Apple will then work on improving their spam filters. Read More from “Report Spam And Phishing Emails That Arrive In Your iCloud Inbox”
Upgrade Firmware On HP MFP M477 Series Printer To Resolve 59.F0 Error
Do you have an HP Color LaserJet MFP M477 series printer? Is your printer displaying 59.F0 error on its touchscreen display? Online research indicates that this error message can indicate that your printer has experienced a hardware malfunction. However, sometimes, this error can be resolved by upgrading the printer’s firmware. Hewlett Packard makes a Mac application named HP Firmware Updater. However, this application can’t communicate with the printer when it is displaying this error message. Here are instructions that I received from HP that include alternate ways to install a firmware update. Read More from “Upgrade Firmware On HP MFP M477 Series Printer To Resolve 59.F0 Error”