troubleshooting

Troubleshoot Windows 7 upgrade woes

The consensus of experts is that Windows 7 is the best operating system Microsoft has ever released. I managed to perform a clean install of Windows 7 Ultimate on an XP PC with no problems whatsoever, but not all Windows 7 upgrades go so smoothly.

In fact, I was getting ready to install Windows 7 Home Premium on a blank partition of my Sony Vaio laptop so I could dual-boot Vista and Win7 but was scared off by a handful of reports of serious upgrade problems. Call me chicken, but I count on my notebook PC and don't want … Read more

How lower Mac price points and Windows 7 will affect Apple troubleshooting

Rumors around the Internet continue to make mention of the possibilities of Apple initiating a deft attack, targeting the pending Windows 7 release. Advertisements are just the first step with Senior Apple VP Phil Schiller stating that the Microsoft OS upgrade process presents a "very good opportunity for us", which could very well include price reductions in Apple's lineup to better compete with low-cost PCs. Business Week reports that Apple is gearing up to lure PC users facing the daunting task of upgrading their machines to Windows 7 into Apple Stores to purchase a shiny, new Mac that "just works".… Read more

Apple releases iPhone Configuration Utility 2.1

Apple's iPhone Configuration Utility 2.1, released last month, isn't designed as an end-user troubleshooting tool--it's really meant to help enterprise users create configuration profiles for device deployment--but it provides three functions that can be very useful for troubleshooting or security.

1. It can uninstall applications directly from the host computer, which can be useful for removing stubborn apps that cannot be deleted directly from the iPhone. Some third-party applications can cause systemic issues, which can be resolved through their removal via a host computer.

2. It allows easy access to the iPhone's console log, which … Read more

General approach to addressing bizarre behavior after upgrading

Whenever an operating system is upgraded, there are always some applications or system services that will behave oddly. In some instances, applications will not display properly, or the system will slow down, have unexpected behavior, or show interface oddities.… Read more

Find MobileMe sync logs to help troubleshoot sync issues

Mac OS X provides several log files that keep track of system operations--a resource that can be extremely valuable when troubleshooting issues. When Mac users experience problems with MobileMe syncing, the sync logs can be used to determine the source of the issue, or sent to the MobileMe support team.… Read more

Bypassing the OS 9 log-in password

Periodically, readers will need to access files off old computers that they have kept stashed away for years (I still have my PowerBook 150, and will probably never get rid of it). If you are one of these people and have protected your old Mac with OS 9's password protection, there may be a chance you have forgotten your log-in password and cannot access your system. As with OS X, in order to get around the password protection in OS 9 you will need a boot CD, in this case preferably one that's loads the classic Mac OS.… Read more

Troubleshooting Mail issues in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard

Various reports have surfaced around the Web regarding unexpected behavior of Apple's Mail application in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, prompting Apple to release a knowledge base article describing possible troubleshooting steps for the program.… Read more

Remove viruses from an infected PC, and keep them from coming back

Our family PC gets quite a workout. It's a five-year-old machine that runs Windows XP and is used primarily by my daughter and teenage grandson for instant messaging, e-mail, social networking, and downloading audio and video files. Since I rarely use the system, I didn't notice that its antivirus subscription had expired.

Which explains why I was a bit surprised when my grandson called when I was out of town to tell me that the PC was acting strangely. Ads appeared on the desktop as soon as Windows started and Firefox and other programs would occasionally close without … Read more

Microsoft Automated Troubleshooting Services fix a CD drive

A friend of mine named John had good luck using Microsoft's free online troubleshooting service for Vista:

"I am elated with the results of the Microsoft Automated Troubleshooting Services' Fix it. Have you ever run across this service? After 8+ months without a CD/DVD player—and weekly efforts to remedy the situation—I googled my problem once again and this time came up with a link to MATS.

"After several tries (not compatible with Firefox, open Internet Explorer, won't download, try again later) finally it loaded onto my computer and gave me some options to … Read more

More major, minor iPhone upgrade problems and how to fix them

Some iPhone Atlas readers, and posts on Apple's Discussion boards, have reported additional problems--some large, some small--after upgrading to iPhone OS 3.0 or the iPhone 3GS. The following procedures will solve a number of the reported problems.

Reset your iPhone by holding down the Sleep and Home buttons until the Apple logo appears. Restore your iPhone: In iTunes, click the Restore button under the Summary tab. Restoring the phone will erase contacts, calendars, photos, and other data on the phone, but will restore automatically backed-up information including text messages, notes, call history, contact favorites, sound settings, widget settings, … Read more