RUPERT-TECH - Computer & Laser Printer Services

Before you panic, accept the possibility that whatever is frustrating you is a Mac OS X difference, not a Mac OS X problem. Plenty of "problems" turn out simply to be quirks of the way Mac OS X works. For example:

My System Preferences controls are dimmed
Many of Mac OS X's control panels are off-limits to Standard account holders. Even if you're an Administrator, in fact, Tiger requires you to unlock System Preferences the first time you open it (by clicking on the padlock icon at the lower left corner of System Preferences and then entering your password).

I can't log in! I'm in an endless login loop!
If the standard Login screen never seems to appear - and you go straight to someone else's account every - it's because someone has turned on the automatic login feature...

You won't have a chance to sign in with your own account until somebody Logs Out.  (Apple Menu - Log Out)

I can't move or open a folder.
Like it or not, Mac OS X is unix, and Unix has a very strict sense of who, among the people who share a Mac over time, owns certain files and folders. For starters, people who don't have Administrator accounts aren't allowed to move, or even open, certain important folders.

So how do we fix that?

First Resort: Repair Permissions
An amazing number of mysterious glitches arise because the permissions of either that item or something in your System folder have become muddled—that is, the complex mesh of interconnected Unix permissions.

When something just doesn't seem to be working right, open your Applications>Utilities folder and open Disk Utility. Once there, go to First Aid and click on Repair Permissions.

TIP: Many Mac mavens, in fact, believe in running this Repair Permissions routine after running any kind of installer, just to prevent any problems that might have lurked in. That includes both installers of new programs and of Apple's own Mac OS X updates.

Second Resort: Look for an Update If a program starts acting up immediately after you've installed or upgraded to Mac OS X 10.4, chances are good that it has some minor incompatibility. Chances are also good that you'll find an updated version on the company's Web site.

Defragmentation helps speed up access to data on your drive. In this section, you’ll learn how to schedule defragmentation so you don’t have to worry about ensuring your drive is defragmented.

Windows XP, Vista, and 7 all come with a built-in disk defragmenting tool. I’ll show you how to use this and set up a schedule.

Setting up scheduled defrags is easy:

1. Click the Start button, type defrag, and click Disk Defragmenter.
2. Click Configure schedule.

Choose a time when your computer is turned on, but you are not using it.

4. Click OK and Close to save your settings

Your disk will now be defragmented regularly.

When Windows 7 or Windows Vista programs won’t run right, there are some things you can do to get them working. Programs that won’t load quickly, don’t function correctly, freeze, won’t show up on your desktop or don’t install properly can all be fixed.

Here are some tips on how to troubleshoot Windows software problems.

1. Obviously, first make sure the program you have installed is compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista or whatever version you are running.
2. Second, make sure your computer meets the software’s minimum system requirements. You will need to upgrade your equipment to run software that exceeds your system’s capacity. Computers that barely comply with minimum requirements may perform unreliably or slowly when their capacity is being maxed out.
   
   
3. Some software works better when few other programs are running, so close windows and programs you aren’t using. Try the program in question again after you close everything else.
   
   
4. Make sure at least 5 to 10 percent of your total hard drive space is free to get the best performance from your Windows 7 or Windows Vista machine. This makes programs run faster and prevents annoying crashes. Use a disk cleanup utility to free some space if you’re running short.
   
   
5. Visit your software maker’s website for updates and notes about frequent issues. If it’s a Microsoft program, run Windows Update and let it load all patches. Once you’ve installed all available updates for your system, restart the computer before you try your software again.
   
   
6. Improve your system’s overall performance by deleting or uninstalling any unwanted programs. Windows 7 and Windows Vista work best when they’re not cluttered, so this may improve your software’s performance.
   
   
7. Check your Startup folder and disable any Windows 7 or Windows Vista programs that load automatically when you start the computer. Once again, restart after making these changes.
   
   
8. Next, further improve the performance of your machine by running its defragmenting utility to optimize your hard drive.
   
   
9. If your new software still isn’t working correctly, scan for spyware and viruses. Both Windows 7 and Windows Vista can use Windows Defender, which can help eliminate threats and reduce pop-ups that claim system resources.

When everything else fails, you have two more options.

1. After uninstalling the software and rebooting the computer, try loading the program again. Something may have gone wrong the first time.
   
   
2. Finally, go for help from either Microsoft or the software company’s technical support, but be aware that these services may charge a fee. They may also be able to help you finally solve your problem.

Following these steps should get any piece of software up and running. Software can be finicky, and so can many computer systems. Every problem, however, has a solution.

Dust is all around us, indeed, but some places and/or things collect much more than others.

Air filters on an air conditioner, cooling fins on a refrigerator, a fan blade... anything that has a fan pushing or pulling air through will inevitably collect more as the airflow is increased. 

Your computer is no exception.

As the number one enemy on a computer device is heat, there are severe repercussions that arise from such dust accumulations:

• Blocks the air flow inside the computer, effectively preventing heat from being transfered to the outside of the case thus creating overheating problems, and eventually processor failure.
  
• Makes fan blades heavier, noisier and prone to breaking down.
• Can create shorts on board circuits.
• Can be a nest for nasty pests.
• And more...

None of which you would like to (nor should) have in your system.

As a preventive maintenance procedure, whenever you see a little dust accumulated on the vents on your computer, you can use a vacuum to suction that dust out.

If you decide you want to clean the interior as well, please note that:

1. Opening the case might void your warranty.
2. Electrostatic Electricity created by the airflow on the vacuum plastic can damage the components inside your computer.
3. Touching any component inside without following proper ESD guidelines can cause component failures.

Alternatively, you can also use a pressurized air can, but then again, certain precautions should be used, least component damage might occur.

1. Do not tilt the bottle, least the liquid might come out and short the components inside.
2. Make sure the computer is off, and let it cool down before cleaning it. Blowing cold air from a pressurized container into hot components can cause serious problems to them.

If you're unsure or don't know exactly how to safely perform this task, please contact a professional technician that can do the job safely and efficiently.