1. Spotlight search

Pour an extra cup of coffee for your new best friend. Spotlight is a handy-dandy tool to help you find nearly anything and everything on a Macintosh computer. In the top right of your screen you will see a magnifying glass. Click it, and type in what you are looking for. That is it. Spotlight does the work for you. It will search the machine for any file, folder, and/or application on your hard drive.

2. Know the keyboard

Your PC muscle memory may trip you up on this one for awhile, but practice makes perfect. You’ll learn that there are minor differences in the Mac keyboard. The Alt buttons do not exist, for one. You will also notice that there are a few new keys as well – such as Command and Option. Some of your keyboard shortcuts on a Mac are different. For example, you can print on a Windows machine by pressing Ctrl+P. On a Mac, you can perform the same action, but the button combo is Command+P. These differences are subtle, but good to know. TechRadar has an awesome list of common keyboard shortcuts for people making the switch, and of course Apple Support has their own article on the Mac keyboard as well.

3. The mouse

If you are using an Apple mouse, no more left and right clicking. To left click and select something, physically press down on the mouse, like you are pushing it against the table. To right click, hold Control on the keyboard, and click. If you have an Apple Magic Mouse, you can customize the clicking options to be more intuitive. If you don’t like the idea of this weird new mouse technology, any Mac-compatible USB mouse will do.

4. The trackpad

If you have a MacBook, you will notice that the right and left buttons are also missing from the trackpad. The trackpad on your Macintosh works much like a touchscreen on your mobile device. You may use gestures and multiple fingers to operate it. For instance, you may pinch in or zoom out to magnify or reduce an item on your screen, again, much like a smartphone. Scrolling up and down can be done by moving two fingers up and down on the trackpad. Apple Support once again put together this great guide to elaborate a little more on this.

5. Remember your support system

Blue Lightning IT Services and Apple Support can help you when something breaks. There are tons and tons of support materials provided by Apple to help you make the switch. The Apple Support site has support documents detailing every square inch of your new Macintosh device. The Apple Support Community is a group of people just like you, but also has experts available to troubleshoot and answer questions. When the going gets tough, we get going.

Consult the above if you need a little Mac education, but if your Mac is not working, or you hit a wall in getting something setup or installed – contact us today. There’s no use losing valuable business time and productivity.

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Digital cameras are great, and thanks to smartphones, we have one with us almost all of the time. We’re taking more photos than ever before, and building a lifetime of digital data. But despite the enormous value of these photos and videos, most people don’t have a backup. It’s time to shine a light on this essential task and make it a regular habit before those precious memories are gone forever.

If you asked someone what possession they’d save from a house fire, most would say photos, and they’d make a point of grabbing a frame or album on the way out. But with digital photos, you don’t need a fire to lose everything, they could simply disappear in the blink of an eye with hardware failure or theft. There’s no warning, no smoke alarm, and without a plan already in place, no chance to recover the data. It’s time to get set up with a true backup system.

Is one copy enough?

You might think saving your information to an external hard drive or flash drive is enough.  You’re right, it’s better than nothing, but since the data is stored in only one place, this isn’t a backup – it’s just storage. That drive could fail at any moment, perhaps from age, malfunction or plain old theft.

Often enough, that drive even becomes lost over the years, put somewhere “safe” and promptly forgotten! And with the way technology is moving, accessing that data in 5 years might even bring up compatibility issues – some newer computers don’t even have CD/DVD drives, yet hundreds of thousands of homes would still have photos stored on disc.

Two copies?

You might have your extra storage drive as backup and keep a copy on your computer. This is a better solution, and how most people store their data, but it still isn’t enough. While you’re protected against device failure, that house fire or a hard drive is going to take both copies up in flames. Thieves would probably grab the external drive while they’re bundling up your computer too, so again, you’d be left with zero copies. It’s close, but it’s not a true backup system.

The rule of three

We subscribe to the backup rule of three. Just reading this may sound like overkill, but tech is fragile and device failure is a constant risk. We recommend keeping one copy on the computer/device, another on an external drive, and a third copy as last resort tucked safely away in the cloud. The cloud backup can be fully automated so you don’t even need to worry about remembering to do it. If the day comes that you need your data back, it’s ready and waiting in perfect condition. Cloud technology also means your data is far away from any potential fire or flood, it’s secure and with the right provider, guaranteed against loss.

There’s a saying in the IT industry: “There are two kinds of people: those who backup, and those who have never lost all their data”. No matter what the cause of your data loss, it always has a deep impact, particularly when it comes to precious data. While re-creating some homework or the family budget might just be inconvenient, there’s no way to recreate photos once they’re gone. It’s a lost that hurts for a long time, but it’s also so very avoidable.

If you value your data, contact us today and let us help you implement a well-rounded backup plan today!

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Updates Explained

Whenever Microsoft discovers a potential flaw, they push out a small piece of code called a patch or an update to all Windows computers running a supported version. If set correctly, your computer will check if there are any updates or patches and install them automatically. In new versions, this usually happens when you’re shutting down or starting up and doesn’t impact your experience at all. Unfortunately, some users will manually disable or delay their updates or patches, creating a risky situation.

The update may include security patches, drivers or a simple tweak to address software bugs or issues with Windows. Sometimes they even include new features or applications to improve the stability of your operating system. They’re a good thing!

Not All Versions Get Updates

Some older operating systems are no longer support, which means unless there are extenuating circumstances, Microsoft won’t issue any new updates. Not a single one – generally, if cybercriminals discover a flaw after support ends, they’re free to exploit it. For example, Windows XP support ended in 2014, Windows Vista ended in April 2017 and Windows 7 ended in January 2020. The moment an operating system is retired it becomes a playground for cybercriminals.

It’s not just Microsoft walking away from these old versions either. Third party software like the Google Chrome browser will still work, but they’ve also stopped supporting old versions with crucial updates and patches. It might seem like everything is working fine because your antivirus isn’t pinging an alarm, but it just becomes a case of risk, upon risk, upon risk.

What To Do With Older Versions Of Windows

As much as you’re comfortable with your older version of Windows, each time you boot up you’re exposing your system, important files and entire network. It only takes one weak entry point in the chain to allow malware into all connected devices. That could mean your photos storage, media center or even smart appliances. It’s not worth it – if you’re running a version of Windows older than Windows 10, you need to update to a more modern operating system ASAP.

Need assistance with upgrading your computer?  Need to be sure your computer is staying up-to-date with the latest updates and patches?

Contact us today and let us help you keep you keep your computer protected from the latest security risks!

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You’re not alone! Most people use the same password everywhere – home, work, Gmail, Facebook… even for banking. 

Considering how many passwords we’re expected to remember and use on a daily basis, password exhaustion is a very real thing. It’s no wonder that when yet another prompt for a password appears, users enter easily guessed combinations like ‘abcd’ or ‘password’.

Trouble is, even if your password is making the required effort, hackers are taking a daily stroll around the internet and collecting logins and passwords as they go, from either leaked details or sites with security flaws.

Then, they’ll try their luck with that login/password set elsewhere. They know more than half the internet users in the world have only one password and email combination, so the chance of gaining access to your accounts is actually quite high. 

Even the big names in tech are at risk of password breaches:

360 million MySpace emails and passwords leaked.

117 million LinkedIn account details leaked.

Same password used elsewhere? Cue the domino effect!

One site breach follows another and another until hackers have nothing more to gain. The only way to break this chain reaction is to use a different password for each site.

How to Create Easily Remembered Passwords

Have a system or template for creating your own unique passwords, that you’ll be able to remember, but is not obvious to hackers.

For example:

<character> <word> <something about the site> <numbers> <character>

Becomes !K1ttyFB75!

It might seem complicated, but the above is really just based around the words ‘kitty’ and ‘FB’ for Facebook. Change the FB to something else for other sites.

What to Do If Your Password Has Been Hacked

You can check to see if any of your accounts have been compromised by entering your email into a site like

www.haveibeenpwned.com

If it alerts a breach, you need to change your passwords immediately – all of them. Use the example system above to create a new set. If you’re struggling to remember your set of passwords, consider using a secure password tracker such as LastPass  (http://www.lastpass.com).

If you need help changing your passwords or setting up a secure password system, contact us today and we’ll be more than happy to help you.

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