Mac Printer Problem

The other day I received a phone call (at Aplus Computer Aid) from a man whose printer had suddenly stopped working. All the lights were on. The cable was plugged in. He hadn't moved the printer or computer, changed any settings, or installed/uninstalled any software.
So he was puzzled.

So I had him try the usual Printer Troubleshooting Steps
* Was the printer getting power (plugged in)? Yes.
* Turn the printer off, and then turn it again. Resolved? No.
* Is the USB cable plugged in securely? Yes.
* Delete old print jobs. Resolved? No.
* Is the printer showing in System Profiler? No.
* Restart the computer. Resolved? No.

Hmmm...
The fact that the printer wasn't showing up at all in the Profiler meant that it was almost certainly not a software (driver) issue.. And all the lights on meant it (probably) wasn't a power issue. So I kept coming back to the USB cable, and he kept telling me it was plugged in just fine, and that he hadn't touched it.
So I told him to "humor me" and plug it in to a different USB port.

This resolved his problem.
It turns out that had had made a change recently. He had replaced his keyboard with a new wireless mouse and keyboard set.
Keyboard? What's that got to do with a printer???

His printer's USB cable had been firmly and securely plugged in -- to the old keyboard. The one that he had unplugged to make room for the new wireless one. Apple likes to put convenient USB ports on their keyboards, and..
Normally, I run into this "it IS plugged in" with powerstrips. Is the powerstrip plugged in?

Today's free link: Apple's Support page for troubleshooting printer issues provides the step-by-step methods for resolving most printing errors. Those with driver issues (software) should look here.

Today's free download: In sticking with my Mac theme today.. http://www.opensourcemac.org/ is a website dedicated to listing the best in free (Open Source) programs for your Mac. All kinds of categories, so whether you're looking for an anonymizer or image editor, you'll find something here.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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Transfer OE Address Book To Vista

Reader Asks How To Move Their Address Book To A New Laptop

Q: I purchased a new laptop that has Vista Home Premium. I want to move the addresses stored in Outlook Express on my old machine to the new one, but there isn't Outlook Express on Vista, there's something called Mail. How can I move my contacts to the new laptop?

A: Outlook Express is no more. It has been "upgraded" and renamed to "Mail" in Vista, but fear not -- it's still basically the same. What you need to do is make a copy of the .WAB file on you old machine, and then "Import" it on the new machine.

1) In the Search tool (Start >Search) search for "Files and folders", and enter "*.wab" (no quotes) in the "What to search for" textbox.
(Or, navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local settings\App Data\Identities\{a string of numbers}\Microsoft\Outlook Express)

2) Drag the .wab file from the results window to your portable media -- floppy disc, thumb drive. This will copy the file. (or.. you can attach the file to an e-mail, and e-mail it to yourself.)

3) Take the thumb drive/floppy to your new machine and plug it in.

4) Now launch (fancy talk for "open") Windows Mail.

Click on "File", then "Import", and then "Windows Contacts".

You will be prompted for what to import, and simply point the wizard to your portable media, and then click on the .wab file.

That's it. You're done. Now your old Address Book is installed on your new computer.

Today's free download: Speakonia is a freeware utility that reads text out loud. Speakonia comes with about 20 voices (all with strong robotic accents) and lets you quickly change the reading speed and pitch. Speakonia can save text in WAV files for playback when you're driving or jogging, but unfortunately it can't save sound files in the MP3 format. The program interface is clear and straightforward; you simply select text in any document and press Ctrl C to read it aloud. Decent performance and free price make it a reasonable choice for the vision-impaired or people who'd rather do their reading with their ears than their eyes.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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A Word About Words -- Passwords, That Is

A Quick Look At Common Password Mistakes

If your name is Fred, "Fred" is not a good password.

Neither is "Fred1". Nor is "Fred123". Nor is "123Fred". Nor is "Fredbirthdate". Nor.. is "Derf".

Now, I know, you read that and you might have laughed at those examples, and said to yourself, "nobody does that!" Well.. let me tell you, I look at a lot of machines in my job. Almost everybody does this. And when I look at their browser's "remembered passwords" list, 95% of their online logins are "Fred123" too.

* It's easy to remember.

* I'm asked for passwords every time I turn around. How am I supposed to remember them all?

* Nobody ever told me.

If you are a UC Berkeley alumnus, and your desktop is blue and gold "Cal" logos wallpaper.. what are the chances your password is "GoBears" or "GoCal"? From what I've seen, close to 100%.
(Substitute your favorite school/team)

Q: What are passwords for? And why am I being bugged for one ALL the time?

A: Passwords are the primary means to prevent unauthorized access. Put a simpler way, a password keeps Joe Criminal from reading your e-mail and sending a letter to your boss telling said boss to go fly a kite (or worse).. or transferring your saving account balance into his.

That's kind of important, wouldn't you say?

Strong passwords should be “complex”. That means that they should contain both upper and lower-case letters, special characters (!,@,#,$,%,^,&,*,(,),{,},[,]) and numbers, and be at least eight characters long, and–most definitely–not be a word (or name) found in the dictionary.

Your passwords (notice the plural. It is not wise to use the same password for everything.) will be easier to remember if you make them into a ‘passphrase’. An equestrian might use a passphrase of 1Lu^h0rsez, for example.

You should change your current passwords once every 90 days.. just like they (probably) make you do at work.

OK. Good advice. But since it's tedious, who's going to actually do it? Well, since easily guessed passwords are the primary security weakness in the world of computing.. (think "Sarah Palin", and "celebrity Facebook account hacked") and have been since the beginning, I'd say, I sure hope YOU will, Dear Reader.

Solution: There are tools (programs) to help you with your passwords, which are collectively known as "password managers". These tools can generate complex passwords, store them securely, etc., and are a great way to go for those people - like me - who sometimes forget them, and forget to change them after 90 days.

There are many to choose from, but the most popular one is undoubtedly RoboForm, which has both a free, and a "Pro" version, and there's a portable version too.

Today's free download: RoboForm was named PC Magazine Editor's Choice, and CNET Download.com's Software of the Year. 

RoboForm allows you to:
.    Manage your passwords and Log In automatically.
.    Fill long registration and checkout forms with one click.
.    Encrypt your passwords to achieve complete security.
.    Generate random passwords to maximize password strength.
.    Fight Phishing by entering passwords only on matching web sites.
.    Defeat Keyloggers by not using the keyboard to type passwords.
.    Back up your passwords and copy them between computers.
.    Synchronize passwords between computers using GoodSync.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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Does My Laptop Need Professional Help?

Q: Paul, my Acer Aspire is having a problem, and I'd like your advice. When I open programs and start working it will turn off. I tried running Norton Scan but it shut down before the scan could finish. I am very careful on the Internet and have Norton so I don't think I have a virus. This has been happening pretty constantly for two weeks now, and I can't get any work done. Is there something I can do, or do I need to take it into a repair shop? I suspect since you are a tech you're going to say take it in, but thanks in advance.

A: Dear Reader,
I would have to ask you several questions before I attempted to diagnose your particular issue, and I have not run across it in an Acer before, but I must say to you, very good guess! I am going to recommend taking it to a certified repair shop. Here's why --

This is most likely a hardware issue, but it could be a software conflict (and, yes, it might even be malware). You can try uninstalling any recent Updates, or programs you've recently installed, and maybe "rollback" device drivers, but the time to do that - really - was when it first started acting up. (And then System Restore would've been a good starting point. See, How To Use System Restore To Fix Windows)

But as I said, this is most likely a hardware failure (or fault) -- it could be a memory module, a fan is not cooling enough, a loose connector, the mainboard, or a power controller (usually a component of the motherboard) or a half dozen other things... A repair shop will have the tools to isolate the fault.

You didn't say how old your laptop was, and whether or not it was still under warranty, but folks should know that opening a laptop case usually voids any warranty.
And, notebooks are assembled in a very intricate and complicated way, and it is not easy to access all the components. Disassembling a laptop is really not a task for the "average user".

PS -- Yes, I repair laptops, but when looking for a repair shop, I suggest trying to find one that's "Acer certified". This page on the Acer website should help you locate a service center near you.

Copyright 2007-9 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix

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