How To Make Sure Time Machine Backs Up Your External Drive

Posted on August 13, 2017August 11, 2017 by Tim Hannon in Backup, Time Machine

Do you want to make sure that Time Machine backs up an external hard drive, USB flash drive or an SD card that is connected to your Mac? If so, here are instructions to make sure this happens.

Click on the Apple menu and select System Preferences
Click on Time Machine
Click on the Options button in the lower right corner
Look at the list of items under “Exclude these items from backups”
If your external hard drive, USB flash drive or SD card is listed, click on it to select it and then click the minus sign icon. This will remove it from the list of excluded items. Thus, Time Machine will backup this drive or card.
Click Save
Click the red dot to close the Time Machine Preferences window.

How To Create A Digital Photo Contact Sheet

Posted on August 6, 2017August 9, 2017 by Tim Hannon in Graphic Design, Mac OS X, Photo, Software

Do you take digital photos and would you like to quickly create a file with thumbnail size versions of photos from a trip or family event? This file is called a contact sheet. Professional photographers commonly want to create contact sheets of all photos from a wedding or other photo shoot. Here are a couple of ways to create a contact sheet if you use a Mac. Read More

Using Apple Mail’s Two Mail Display Layouts

Posted on July 30, 2017July 17, 2017 by Tim Hannon in Email, Software

Apple’s Mail application offers two layouts, that is, two different ways for you to view your email messages. This article will show you how to switch between and customize each of these layouts. Read More

AppleCare+ For Mac

Posted on July 23, 2017July 17, 2017 by Tim Hannon in Apple, Companies, Hardware, Macintosh, Maintenance

In most situations, I tend to recommend that you buy Apple’s extended hardware warranty, called AppleCare. Apple recently enhanced AppleCare so I think it’s an even more compelling option. Read More

How To Restore A Time Machine Backup To A New Mac

Posted on July 16, 2017July 17, 2017 by Tim Hannon in Backup, Mac OS X, Software, Time Machine

When you buy a new Mac you likely want to transfer all of your data and applications from your current Mac to a new Mac. Here are instructions on how to accomplish this migration using a current Time Machine backup of your current Mac. I’m going to provide instructions for two different scenarios.

If you’re just taking your new Mac out of it’s box and turning it on for the first time follow the instructions in Scenario 1 – Setup Assistant.

Alternatively, if you’ve already turned on your new Mac and created a user account then follow the instructions in Scenario 2 – Migration Assistant. Read More

Using Amazon’s Prime Video App

Posted on July 9, 2017July 9, 2017 by Tim Hannon in Miscellaneous

Are you an Amazon Prime subscriber? One of the benefits is access to Amazon’s video streaming service called Prime Video. You can watch Prime Videos in a web browser on your computer or using the Prime Video app on your iOS device, such as an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. This Tech Tip will give you an introduction to using the Prime Video App on your iOS device. Read More

How To Change Your AppleID Email Address

Posted on July 2, 2017July 9, 2017 by Tim Hannon in iCloud, iOS and iPhone/iPad Apps, Mac OS X, Services, Software

Is your AppleID tied to an email address that you no longer have access to or no longer use? If so, Apple offers step-by-step instructions on how to change your AppleID to use a new email address. Before we jump to the instructions, let’s start by reviewing some important background information and talk about some caveats. Read More

DriveSavers Provides Excellent Data Recovery Services

Posted on June 18, 2017May 31, 2017 by Tim Hannon in Backup, Data Recovery

Do you need to retrieve data from a sick or dead hard drive? If you do not have a backup of the data on this disk, then you should consider hiring a professional data recovery company like DriveSavers. DriveSavers has been an industry leader for 30 years. They have a stellar reputation and success rate. In the rare cases that I have had a client who needed professional data recovery, I always use DriveSavers. Fortunately they have been able to recover most of the needed data. The downside of professional data recovery companies is the relatively high cost. Read More

Social Engineering Scams Are The Easiest Way to Hack Into Your Mac

Posted on June 11, 2017May 21, 2017 by Tim Hannon in Computer Basics, Security/Privacy

You are the weakest link in your computer’s security! Please keep reading this important Tech Tip. If you’re not already aware of this fact, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the easiest way for a hacker to get into your Mac is through you. Tricking you into divulging information, installing software or giving remote access to your Mac is the easiest way to break in to your Mac. Tricking you is often called social engineering. Read More