A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from my stepmother, who converted to Mac some years ago when she left the corporate world. As I wrote back in November, she brought my father into the Apple fold after his retirement. For the most part, they are very happy with their Macs, but sometimes trouble rears its ugly head in paradise. Though Macs are well-constructed pieces of hardware, they’re not immune … [Read more...]
We Can Rebuild It (RTFM)
About a month ago, a friend called to tell me her computer had died and to ask whether it would be possible to save the data. (No, she didn’t have any backups.) I said it would depend on whether her hard drive had failed, and asked her to describe just what had happened. Reassured that there were no awful clicking, clanking, or grinding noises coming from the machine, I said it might be possible … [Read more...]
Often Imitated, Never Duplicated: FileSlinger™ Backup Reminder 3-25-05
Sunday, just as I was about to start working on my taxes, my laptop started beeping wildly at me and then shut down. Despite the fact that it was plugged in, it wasn’t getting power, and the battery had run out. I considered screaming and tearing my hair (even though I don’t really want to see how much money I owe the IRS) and checked all my connections. There was no obvious problem. Everything … [Read more...]