Category: Uncategorized

If you’ve ever been to your town’s dump (or transfer station, as it’s commonly known as), it’s a pretty fascinating place. There, all types of products are segregated – cardboard, metal, garbage, plastics, etc. Each of these facilities also has electronics drop off area, which is laden with discarded electronic devices, both old and new. And although there are signs warning against scavenging, there are plenty of people picking through these devices, hoping to find gold.

So – before tossing your device in the dump with all your data intact, it’s imperative that you zero out (a cool word for “erase”) that data on your devices before tossing them into the great unknown.

First of all, I’ll proceed with the assumption that these devices are few generations (or more) behind what’s current. (Newer Macs – Ventura macOS 13 and later – are a bit easier to easily erase, through TRANSFER or RESET in the System Settings, which is under GENERAL, but most people aren’t getting rid of modern Macs.)

 Understand that a password protected hard drive isn’t enough to deter users from accessing your data. Erasing the drive (or physically destroying it) is enough. So here, I’ll go through the basics of handling this. (Understand that this is only a top-level, best-case scenario for erasing disks, assuming the computer still boots up.)

• To erase the hard drive of an older Mac, reboot the computer and hold town the COMMAND and R keys – until it fully boots. There, you’ll see the macOS Utilities screen. Click on DISK UTILITY and then highlight the Macintosh HD icon in the upper left column. Then, click on ERASE, which will then quickly erase the drive.

• For iPhones and iPads, tap on SETTINGS>GENERAL>TRANSFER or RESET iPHONE. Once there, you’ll be able to erase all your data. But it will force you to log out of your Apple Account (formerly known as iCloud). Easy enough!

• As far as PCs (aka Windows machines), it’s a simple process to open the case and remove the hard drive manually. Then you can take out your aggressions on it and smash it with a hammer. Preferably on an cement or asphalt surface.

Computers, like other devices such as cars and appliances, require some maintenance to keep running smoothly. Now, that doesn’t mean you have to drag your computer into the store every three months (or have somebody stop by to handle this sort of thing), but there are some things you can do to keep your computer (whether used for work or pleasure), none of which take up too much time and effort.

Gone is the era of having to “defrag your hard drive,” a time-consuming operation that was purported to speed up your computer but made it unusable during the process. (It was also used as an excuse to work overtime back in my days working on the corporate hamster wheel, as the excuse was to handle it after hours, ergo the overtime.)

But – both the defrag thing and my corporate days are both pleasant memories. However, there ARE still a few things you can do on a semi-regular basis to keep your computer well maintained. And a well-maintained computer is a happy computer.

• Check your disk storage: By pulling down on the apple icon (upper left corner of the screen) and selecting SYSTEM SETTINGS, navigate to GENERAL>STORAGE. Once there, you’ll see how much data resides on your internal storage (a.k.a. hard drive). If you have less than 10% free space remaining, you’ll want to clear some data off that drive. (Look for a blog on that next month.)

• Update your software: Again, while in SYSTEM SETTINGS, navigate to GENERAL>SOFTWARE UPDATE to keep your Mac up to date, at least as far operating system goes. Other software packages (Adobe, Microsoft Office, and Zoom (among others) must be done when that application is open. Generally, one of the pulldown menus has a “check for updates” option.

• Restart the computer on a regular basis: You don’t have to turn it on and off multiple times a day – simply a couple of times a week.

• And while you’re at it, uncheck the “Reopen windows when logging in” check box. That’s a real downer when it comes to things running smoothly. You can open the windows you want once the computer reboots.

• And probably most importantly, AVOID any type of “Mac Cleaners” or “Tuneup” software and apps. These things cause more problems than they solve. That’s only my opinion, but then again, I’ve been doing this stuff for a very long time! You’ll thank me later!

I know you’ve heard this before, but it happened again: Optimum, the main internet (and cable television) provider in Fairfield County, CT has been having issues with its email service. Again.

Understand, its revenue comes from its subscribers (luckily, I’m not one of them!), advertising, revenue from the premium channels it carries, and rent on the equipment (cable boxes, routers, and modems) that are required to bring the signal into your home or office. Now its ubiquitous email service (@optonline.net) is merely an afterthought, something it introduced when it got into the internet business over 25 years ago.

To put it mildly, this email service stinks. Its unreliable, and customer service there has gone downhill since founder Charles Dolan sold the entire mess to Altice for a cool $17.7 billion, back in 2016. I’ve gone on and on and on about how users should establish an email account with a more stable provider (say what you want about Google, but I never see issues with its service) and migrate away from Optimum. (This also goes for other outdated and troublesome email providers, including AOL, Hotmail, SNET, Yahoo, etc.)

Setting up email on a device isn’t brain surgery: All one needs is the username (email address), the password, the name of the incoming and outgoing mail servers, and the port numbers for the aforementioned servers. And the security protocol. All info (except username and password) is easily found. Yet, some clients were able to send and receive Optimum email on one device (computer, for example) and not on another (iPhone or iPad), using the same credentials.

True story: During the Optimum troubles of 2025, reps at Optimum were quick to blame the tech companies. For example, when its email wouldn’t work on an iPhone, it was “an Apple problem.” And when a client had a Windows PC and the email didn’t work, it was “a Microsoft problem.” Now, that’s deflecting better than Dominik Hasek!

“But what about all the services and sites that use my Optimum email address as my logon?” you ask? 

A valid question, no doubt! Yes, you will have to change your logins one at a time, but you don’t want to lose access to your Optimum mail. So do this:

Establish a new email account. Easiest option is Google’s Gmail. (Yes, they have a dossier on all of us, but so does Facebook!) Or Proton Mail (which is what I use, but I don’t recommend it for non-technical users, as it’s a bit of a pain to set up).

Open a browser and log onto Optimum’s site (or AOL, Yahoo, or whatever mail you’re trying to migrate out of) and navigate your way to SETTINGS. (They’re pretty much the same.)

Once you’re in SETTINGS, look for something called MAIL FORWARDING. Click the link and enter your NEW email address in the proper field and enable forwarding. (Don’t forget to save!)  You can opt to keep a copy of each email in your Optimum (or AOL et al) inbox, or not.

Now, send yourself a test to your OLD email address, and confirm it comes through to your NEW email inbox.

There, you’ve done it! You have some breathing room to start changing your login email address for your bank, Amazon, Apple Account, etc. Yes, it’s a pain to do it one by one, but take a few at a time and it’ll be done before you know it.

Happy New Year!

OK, so 2025 is winding down quickly – and it’s been quite a year, at least for me personally!

But more importantly, I’m here to discuss end-of-year archiving, and making sure your valuable data is not only being backed up but also archived. Things you may need, but don’t need eating up storage on your computer – things like taxes and other financial records, data that you may one day need to reference (hopefully no on taxes!).

I’ve described my backup/archiving steps before, but I’ll go over them quickly again, the steps I take to save my valuable data and records.

First of all, my data is synced between my devices using iCloud (part of the Apple Account), which is free (but there are paid tiers) with every Apple device. Because I use a desktop model (Mac mini) in my home office and a MacBook Air when I’m out of the house, it’s perfect to have all my latest revisions of files on both computers. (Dropbox, Google Drive and others can accomplish the same thing.)

But that only SYNCS my data between devices. To back up my data, I use Apple’s Time Machine, which is built into the OS, connected to my desktop computer. (Because the data from my laptop is synced via iCloud to my desktop computer, I don’t need to back up my laptop.) Also, my desktop computer contains data that isn’t synced among my devices – my music library and certain photo libraries, among others. Those are backed up to an external SSD using Time Machine. I don’t use any cloud-based backup systems, such as Carbonite, BackBlaze, iDrive, etc.

However, I also archive data (separate from the Time Machine backups) on an SSD at the end of every December and lock it in my safe. My year end work, personal, and financial files for example. Also, my entire music library, Photos libraries, and other data I need to keep. Better safe than sorry!

Ah, your Apple Account (formerly known as iCloud Account, Me.com, MobileMe, etc.) – some users swear by it, others swear at it. People ask me all the time whether it’s necessary or important, and what exactly it does.

No matter which side you’re on, there is one takeaway: It’s a service. A service that has important benefits, most of which work behind the scenes. (More on that in a bit.) And because it has such a vital duty, you SHOULD pay attention to it, and understand what it does, and why it’s important.

Of course, like any other online service, there’s a username (in this instance, your email address) and a password that are required to do anything. This is one of the few that you should have etched in your brain – both the email handle and the password – without having to look them up, as the following cautionary tale will aptly demonstrate.

So, in short, your Apple Account allows you to sync contacts, calendar items, photos, notes, and more between your Apple devices. Sure, other providers can do the same thing – Google, for example – but the Apple Account is more geared towards your Apple ecosystem and provide streamlined ways to do certain tasks. Like finding a lost device.

For example, if you misplaced (or lost) your iPhone, you can find its location by using the “Find My” app on your computer. A great idea in theory, but you must be signed in to the SAME Apple account on both the lost phone AND the device you’re using to locate it. If you must scramble around trying to remember your username and password, you’re defeating the purpose of this entire thing. Some users keep that info on their iPhone – which doesn’t help if that’s the device you’re looking for. Or if you’re trying to log onto iCloud to use the web-based version of Find My.

I mention all of this because a client (no names!) lost a phone coming home from NYC a couple of weeks ago. Long story short – the phone hasn’t been located at press time, and the user had to buy a new one. And this user had two iCloud accounts (not uncommon), a “real” one that had all the information, and a second one that had no data saved. So, trying to get logged on to the “real” account was tough, as the phone wasn’t available for two factor authentication. (Oh, what a tangled web we weave!)

Bottom line: Always know what your Apple Account username and password are, you never know when you’ll need it in a tough situation.

Oh yes, iCloud also allows a user to back up a device using the cloud, giving you the ability to restore a new phone with the same apps, settings, and data on it. Another reason why you should always know it!

By Chris Capelle – Macintosh Computer & Apple Products Expert

A while back (August 2025, to be exact), I wrote about how you can be betrayed by your email provider. And as I opined, that’s not something you should take lightly. Why? Because your email address is your handle, your logon to most sites you depend on. Like your bank. Utilities. Amazon. Facebook. Etc. and etc. So, if your email account isn’t working, you might not be able to have access to any or all of your vital accounts!

But here, I’m sticking with your Apple Account, formerly known as your iCloud account. Sometimes it’s important (or necessary) to change the email address connected with your Apple Account. Sure, it’s a pain in the neck (or somewhere lower sometimes), but if you need to attach your Apple Account to a new (and better) email address, you should do this sooner rather than later.

So, in order to change the login to your Apple Account, you first have to log on to iCloud. There (unless you have saved your password in your browser), you’ll need your username (the email address you eventually want to expunge from your account) AND your iCloud password. (Or Touch ID if you have that enabled.) And quite possibly a second device logged in to your Apple Account OR the ability to receive a confirmation text. That way, you’ll satisfy that pesky two factor authentication process that Apple usually bullies you into accepting.

Once you’ve made it past security and into the site, you’ll see your avatar (or initials, if you haven’t added an avatar) in the upper right corner of the page.  Click on that, and one of the options will be “Manage Apple Account.” Click on that link, and you’ll be brought into a SIGN-IN AND SECURITY page. Once you’re there, you can add your new email address by clicking on the EMAIL & PHONE NUMBERS. Once you add it, you’ll naturally have to verify it by receiving an email from Apple.

Once it’s been verified, you can go back into the EMAIL & PHONE NUMBERS section and select that newly added email address as your “primary” email address. And yes, all your devices signed in with the old address will have to be signed out of and signed into again with the new primary address. Another pain, but what do you expect from these tech behemoths these days?

It’s the way of the world…

© 2025 Chris Capelle

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OK, here’s a question I get asked all the time: “How do I keep my files organized?”

Yes, I have the (correct) answer for you! Knowing where they reside (and how to access them) is paramount. BUT – first of all, there are a couple of things I need to clarify. We’re talking about the actual files that reside on your computer (and quite possibly on a cloud-based service as well, such as Dropbox, iCloud or Google Drive), NOT your email. The best rule is an oldie – “a place for everything, and everything in its place.” That quote is commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin, but it appeared verbatim in “The Naughty Girl Won,” a story published in 1799.

But enough of the history lesson! The overall concept is to organize your digital files the same fashion you would organize your physical files – in a cabinet with folders inside. And yes, you can have folders within folders. (And folders within THOSE folders if you wish!)

Apple has done some of the heavy lifting for you – inside your “home folder” (the folder within “Users” that is usually named after you), there is a “Music” folder, a “Pictures” folder, etc. There is also a “Desktop” and “Documents” folder, BUT these may be located under “iCloud Drive” if you have enabled the “Drive” setting under iCloud in your Apple Account. This can be found by pulling down the apple (upper left corner of your screen) and selecting SYSTEM SETTINGS (or SYSTEM PREFERENCES on older versions of the macOS).

So – the “Documents” folder seems like the ideal place to store your files. Frist of all, you must create a folder that acts as your digital file cabinet. Now, that could be your “Documents” folder, or a folder within that folder. The one I created is named “2025,” as I update it every year. (And archive it, but that’s a blog post for another day – look for that one on January 1, 2026!)

Within my “2025” folder, I have subfolders that store my documents: These folders are named:

• Admin
• Finances
• Health & Wellness
• Home
• Insurance
• Recipes
• Websites
• Work

Among others.

I do have subfolders within these folders. For example, “Finances” has a subfolder named “Taxes,” and “Insurance” has subfolders named “Auto,” “Health” and “Homeowners.” All of this is helpful when I’m looking for a document quickly.

Well, it finally happened. Something I’ve warned about for years – Optimum, a major email provider for many living in the Fairfield County area, failed big time recently. Most users were unaffected, but some were able to receive mail but not send; some lost the ability to send AND receive. And Optimum’s help desk was quick to shift the blame to anybody else but itself, including Apple, Microsoft, and the end user, telling them to change the password and they’ll be fine. Bad optics for a company that most people already dislike strongly.

This issue certainly doesn’t affect everybody reading this but take it as a cautionary tale: Unless you have a stable email provider, you’re at the mercy of some less-than-stellar company not providing the service you expect.

And it’s not just Optimum; last week, a client using a Yahoo! email account had a 24-hour outage. (It was an @snet.net account, that was originally SNET, but taken over by AT&T and Yahoo, a domain passed around like a hot potato.) Do you REALLY want an email provider that discards its service on to another company?

I’m talking about the “loser” email providers – accounts started years ago, before any of us knew better. These include the aforementioned Optimum, Yahoo!, AOL, SNET, Hotmail (if that even still works), Netscape, Juno, etc. If you can’t get hold of them, then you should seriously phase off of them.

Yes, I understand that all sorts of things (like bank accounts, Amazon, and more) are dependent on your email account to log on; furthermore, a lot of these use that address for two factor authentication. Don’t concern yourself with untying the knot for those accounts – that’ll be a task for another day.

So – you should establish an email address from a reputable company – Google, Apple, or Proton Mail. Once you do that, consider transitioning your bank (and other) accounts one-at-a-time (see next month’s blog for more deets on that!). But for now, go into your current (a.k.a. loser) email’s dashboard (or control panel) and have the emails sent to that address FORWARDED to your new email address. Every email account has that feature – Optimum, Yahoo, AOL, etc., so take advantage of it! And say goodbye to substandard email providers!

Oh, and don’t lose your Gmail password. IT’S a big pain if you do!

www.chriscapelle.com

Here we go again! Another oft-asked question: What is the difference between backing up and syncing my data? How do I get it back in the even that things go totally wrong?

I’ve been doing this work for quite a while, and I’m pretty good at it. I’ve seen it all, including total no-warning computer crashes. Sometimes there are signs; sometimes, it comes as a complete shock. In fact, it’s happened to my computer. Twice. No Signs. One day, all good, the next, it’s boat anchor time.

So, when that happens, the first thing you think is “I hope my data is safe!” Is it? Well, all depends on how things were set up initially. Or modified upon the advice I gave you or from some other Apple expert. (Are you cheating on me?)

OK, here’s the story: There IS a difference between BACKING UP and SYNCING your data.

Syncing means your data is shared across multiple locations. For example, if you’re syncing your data, a change on one device (your desktop computer, for example) is reflected on your other devices (your laptop, perhaps). iCloud does this, as well as Google Drive and Dropbox.

Backing up, on the other hand, is a method of creating a copy of your data, which is important in the event that any files are lost or become corrupt.  This usually includes backing up locally to a hard drive attached to your computer, or less common, a network-attached storage (NAS), which is far less common, or using a backup service, such as Carbonite, Backblaze, or CrashPlan.

So – which road should you travel?
Answer: Both.

Both scenarios have their own pros and cons. Syncing, using a service like Apple’s iCloud, is excellent in the event your computer dies, and you need to restore your data to your new one. Services like Dropbox and Google Drive deliver the same end result. The same can be achieved with a backup (Apple’s Time Machine is a stellar way to back up your data). That way, if you want to go back to a version of a file from two weeks ago, it’s simple to restore. However, using Google Drive or Dropbox for restoring a previous version of a document is a little more dicey, so consider yourself warned!

But the question that begs to be asked: What do YOU do?

Both, actually. I use iCloud’s sync function to make sure the same versions of my documents are on both (desktop and laptop) computers of mine; I back up the desktop to ensure that I have a copy of not only my most recent data, but historical versions as well. Plus, a few times a year I make a copy of my entire drive and lock it in my safe. Better “safe” than sorry!

Here’s a question I hear all the time: Where’s my stuff?

In this case, your “stuff” refers to your files (documents and/or folders), some of which may be on your computer, while others may reside on servers that may be halfway around the globe. But let’s take it back to the beginning; your computer has an internal hard drive (storage), a piece of hardware that can hold your data, but has a finite capacity. This is where a lot of your bits and bytes on your computer are stored – including the system files that make the computer work, the application files, and yes, your data files. Maybe.

In most instances, your files reside somewhere on your hard drive, typically on your DESKTOP or within the DOCUMENTS folder, both of which are found within your HOME folder (or the iCloud folder, which is discussed below) *. So, the way the Mac is configured, your files are contained in one of those locations, either as a stand-alone document, or within a Russian doll of folders within folders. (Older versions of the Mac OS allowed users to create folders directly on the hard drive directory, but no more. However, if you’ve done that in the past, those folders are grandfathered in – still there and accessible, but you’re no longer able to create folders there.)

OK, now on to Apple’s iCloud: First of all, to avoid further confusion, understand that iCloud is a SERVICE. It has many functions, but its biggest one (and most important for this discussion) is that it syncs your data between devices. So, your contacts, photos, passwords, web history, and files can be accessible on any of your devices. You update a document on your laptop, and when you go to your desktop computer, the updated version is there. Plus, if one of your devices dies, you can simply log on to your iCloud account, and bang! Your files are all there! (This is assuming you’ve enabled this function when you configured your Mac!)

Of course, every company wants to host your files. The two big players in this space are Dropbox and Google Drive, but there are other lesser ones. These two are Coke and Pepsi – pretty much the same thing, but different brand names, and people are generally a fan of one over the other. These services allow you to sync your data to a cloud-based server and are built more for interaction with others than iCloud is.

There are options in both platforms to hold your files in the cloud (and off your hard drive) until you choose to download any or all of them, great for situations where you have too much data and too little hard drive. And similar to iCloud, there is a free option (with limited storage) and paid tiers that can provide you massive terabytes of space. Documents in Google Drive and Dropbox may (or may not) be synced to your hard drive – that all depends on how you configure your settings within the service.

Understand the above three services (iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Drive) allow you to save any type of file; some services allow only same-brand documents to be saved, such as Microsoft’s OneDrive (Microsoft Office documents only), and Adobe’s Creative Cloud Storage, which provides storage for the files created in Adobe. (Yes, there are ways to save all types of files to these services, but why bother?)

*  What I describe below covers 98% of situations. Occasionally, there are some exceptions to these rules!