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All Things Pondered Here

Pondering Many Things....

Technical

Why Your Computer Has Slowed Down And No Special Tools or Programs Help…

November 30, 2012 by Dave

Poor Computer Performance Situation:

The apple care rep thought the PRAM reset would help me. But the reality is, it had nothing to do with my problem.

Unfortunately, I finally made my way to a ‘senior’ tech at Apple who told me what the ‘real’ problem was.

It doesn’t really matter what special tools you utilize to ‘clean your computer’. The problem has to do with something that many people just don’t know.

That’s why I am writing about it now. Because people should know about this.

Your computer needs about 15 percent of it’s hard drive space free to run programs.

If you have 120GB hard drive. you need to keep that last 20Gbs free in order to keep your computer running smoothly.

You might mistakenly think you need more ram for the programs you are running, but in fact, the hard drive space is the limiting factor.

So before you go out and waste money on additional memory, take a look at your free space.   Before you purchase programs that are supposed to ‘clean up’ your computer, take a look at how much free space you have on your hard disk.

 

Being Low on Free Space

 

 

 

 

The Problem

Applications constantly write to your hard drive when they are in use.   That space may again be freed up when you are finished using the application.   This is the reason that ‘experts’ suggest that you leave at least 15% of your hard drive space free.

 

Very Annoying…

The 120 GB SSD hard drive I bought two years ago was very expensive. This is the reason that I didn’t bother buying a larger drive.

The problem is that is is very easy to fill up 120 GBs, particularly when you process video.

Unfortunately, there are only two fixes.

1. Is that you can reduce the amount of data stored on your hard drive.

2. The second is to get a bigger hard drive.

If you opt for number 2, you may run into issues when reinstalling your applications. You may have to put the license keys back in.

If you have bought apps in a manner that did not include an install disk, then you may also face the possibility that your program is no longer available from the digital source you purchased it from (such as the app store or other places).

That means you facing losing tools that you have grown used to utilizing and that you have relied upon.

That’s very sad, isn’t it?

The first option can work by moving videos, pictures, music and other items to an external hard drive.  In this case you lose the benefit of having them readily available.  You have to go through the extra step of accessing them through an external drive.   Not very convenient, is it?

So, your ‘options’ are limited at this point! Which will you choose? Comment below

 

Filed Under: Computers, Laptop Computing, Technical Tagged With: computer keeps freezing, computer slow down, slow computer

How To Reset The PRAM On A Mac…

November 29, 2012 by Dave

The PRAM Symptoms

I called Apple Support at 1-800-APL-CARE  because I was having a problem with my computer.

It seems that disk utilities would show me that I had 1.5 or 2 Gigs free but within 30 minutes of doing routine work, I would get a message.

That message said:  “Your Disk is Almost Full”

I would then open Disk Utilities again and sure enough, it would show that I had only a few megabytes of space left.

I would run a cleanup program and I would suddenly have more space again!

This continued about every thirty minutes or so.

Resetting PRAM

I called Apple Care for this problem.  They told me that I needed to clear my PRAM – I had not heard of this before.   (Silly of me, I know).

The procedure I was told to perform was this:

Restart the computer.  Before the screen turn on, hold down  Command-Option-P-R   (4 keys) all together and hold them until you hear the ‘Chime’ Twice.

If you only here the chime once, you must restart again.

You need to hear the Chime TWICE before logging in.

This resets the PRAM.

 

Results

Sure enough, I checked Disk utilities again,  this time I had a LOT more space than I was previously showing.

The problem seems to have disappeared now.

The only maintenance I had run previously was a ‘clean up’ utility and the repair permissions utility.   I was not aware that any other routine maintenance was needed.

The only other problem I have had was with my battery – which AppleCare replaced for me at no charge!

So, now I know that sometimes there may be additional maintenance to perform.

Next time I need to do this, I will come straight to this post for the directions.

 

System

Just so you know what I am running in case you are thinking of comparing it to your system.

I have a 17 inch MacBook Pro with 8 Gigs of RAM,  And a 120 GB HD that was installed by APPLE before I received the computer.

I am running LION  10.7.5 as an OS.    The MBP was created in the summer of 2010.   Processor  2.66 GHz Intel Core i7

* note, I cannot warrant or guarantee the suitability of the information provided here for your machine and your unique situation, be sure to call Apple Care for assistance before attempting to reset your PRAM – just in case you need a different set of instructions or have a different problem altogether than you may think. Proceed at your own risk!

Any thoughts?   Post your comments and experiences below.

 

 
About The Author

 

Filed Under: All Posts, Computers, IT Support, Laptop Computing, Technical Tagged With: MBP PRAM reset, PRAM reset, Resetting the PRAM

How Do I Reboot My IPod? It is stuck!

May 23, 2011 by Dave

Question:

My Ipod is stuck (the screen is frozen). No matter how many buttons I press, nothing seems to happen. I do NOT want to have to wait until the battery runs out to get it started again. Is there anything I can do? Is there a way to reboot my Ipod?

Answer:

I know what you mean, this same thing happened to me as well. I found out that you can hold down the menu key and the center button simultaneously for about 8 to 10 seconds and your Ipod should reboot and reset itself.

Filed Under: Technical Tagged With: apple ipod, apple products, ipod, reboot ipod

How To Take a Screen Capture on A Mac

February 17, 2011 by Dave

This was done on Mac OS 10.6.6  – there may be other versions of Mac OS that are slightly different.  However, chances are good that this will work for you!

Here is the video on how to take the screen capture:

In case you were wondering what the object of the screen capture was, this is a book about gum disease that you can find on Amazon or other book seller sites. It is an excellent book by the way. Disclaimer: I wrote it. 🙂

Shift + Command + 4

Ok, comments or questions below!

Filed Under: Technical Tagged With: Mac OS, mac os 10, Mac screen capture, Mac screen shot

HBX1461Q BLUEANT Q1 BT Headset Review

August 4, 2009 by Dave

I’m sad to say that I just returned my BlueAnt bluetooth headset to the store.

Too much static, even when inside. The people I talked to also said it was a bit staticy to them as well.

The sales person had told me that I could stand next to a lawn mower with this headset and the listener would not hear it.

Obviously, that was an exaggeration. I’m disappointed. It certainly wasn’t worth the $129 price tag that came with it.

When I returned it, the salesman didn’t even attempt to sell me on anything else. He told me to wait until Jawbone 3 came out and try that. Strange or?

Next: More on BlueTooth Headsets….

Filed Under: Technical

Replacing My Hot Water Heater

January 24, 2007 by Dave

electricI woke up last Thursday to find that I had no hot water.

Little did I know what a hardship it would be to get it replaced.

First I called a local plumber called ‘Bob Hamilton’ plumbing. I took off work because they told me they would send someone after 4:00pm.

I received a call from them at 5:30 pm and they said they couldn’t send anyone today.

I then contacted Home Depot and ordered a hot water heater. The guy they sent out told me there would be an extra 99$ charge to carry the water heater up the steps.

I think he was trying to pocket some money for himself. Anyway, he said that he couldn’t install the hot water heater anyway, because it wouldn’t be up to code.

When I cancelled the order with HD, they charged me a 75$ restocking fee. They guy didn’t even bring the water heater with him, so I’m not sure what they needed to restock.

energy star

 

Next I called, Roger the Plumber. Roger sent two workers out. They looked at my water heater and said it would cost 1500$ to replace it.

I’m not completely dumb and I knew they were about 200% over what anyone else would charge.

Then I decided that I should get a tankless water heater. After talking to an electrician and a plumber, I realized that my dream of constant hot water could not be realized because it would cost a lot to upgrade my electricity and gas service to meet the requirements for a tankless water heater.

Then I went to Sears. Sears turned out to be the best choice. They sent a very knowledgeable plumber to install the hot water heater. It was a Kenmore. The Kenmore is a rebranded A.O. Smith heater and they are a respected hot water heater maker.

At this point it was Monday. So, I went without hot water from Thursday until Monday.

quake proof

 

In the process of looking, I checked out the Whirlpool models at Lowe’s. I found a website that was full of complaints about the Whirlpool Flamelock model.

Another plumber told me to stay away from GE – sold at Home Depot and Whirlpool.

I’m happy to have hot water again! Thanks to Sears! Next time I need an appliance, I’m not going to mess around. I think I will go straight to Sears first, instead of last.

I could have had my hot water sooner.

The place that the hot water heater needed to be installed was very tight. The guy that Sears sent (from Evan’s plumbing in Independence) was a very good plumber.

energy star

 

Tags: hot water heater, hot water, water heater, plumbers, plumbing, installation, SEARS, Home Depot, Lowe’s, GE, Whirlpool, Flamelock

Filed Under: Commentary, Family, learning, Other, Technical

Help! – I’m getting “Not Enough Permissions To Login”

January 8, 2007 by Dave

votes-postcardQuestion: I recently registered and received my login information. When I attempt to login, a message says that I do not have enough permissions to log in.

Answer:

Yes, I have changed the site around.
If you have an article to submit, please do so at :

https://allthingspondered.com/article-directory

If you have a topic for discussion, please post it at:

https://www.allthingspondered.com/forums/

…. or join a current discussion

sea-postcard

 

If you have a totally unique item that won’t appear anywhere else on the
web, you can email it to me or use the contact form and I will consider
posting it on the front page of the site.

If you have a secret to tell the world. Put it on a postcard and I will take a photograph of it and post it.

If you want to know where to mail it, use the contact form (link is at the top right) to reach me. Alternatively, you can email with the location of the photo.

I hope that helps.

David – ATP admin
https://allthingspondered.com

postcard-sea-floor

Tags: postcards, articles, discussion, forums, forum, posting

Filed Under: Blogging, Other, Technical

Images of the Earth

December 6, 2006 by Dave

I found this cool Satellite Viewer that allows you to see what Earth looks like from the perspective of various satellites orbiting the planet.

I’m not sure if it these photographs are near real or if they are old pictures, but the views are stunning.

In addition to the pictures available at the above link, I thought I would share a couple of images with you.

The Stunning Blue Ball Called The Earth:

apollo17-Earth-View

It’s pretty amazing, The Earth looks just like a large blue marble.

Earth In Size Comparison to Mars

earth-mars

Kind of puts it all in perspective, doesn’t it?

 

Giant Jupiter With the Scary Red Eye (storm)

jupiter

Jupiter is Huge for a Planet

Earth, a little further out

Earth View

It’s awesome to realize how big the cosmos is and how tiny our planet, and our lives are in comparison.

 

Life is too short, but the immenseness of the cosmos, kind of makes you feel like life won’t really end, even after death.

 

Let’s help the Falun Gong practitioners in China

Let’s stop the Persecution

meditation

Tags: Earth, Jupiter, universe, cosmos, immense, persecution, human rights

Filed Under: Human Rights, Spiritual, Technical

Michael Eisen

May 25, 2005 by Dave

Recently, I read an interview with Michael Eisen.

One of things he said that really struck me as important was that scholarly journals are way to expensive to subscribe too.

I believe the idea he was getting at was that scientists generally don’t have access to cutting edge data.

Michael suggested that journals be free and published online.

This is a great idea.

Could you imagine what it would be like if scientists had access to all of the cutting edge reports, experimental data, etc. ?

This could push science forward at a much faster rate and it could also help non scientists keep up on the latest information and ideas too.

Great idea Michael! Keep pushing forward on that one, I think it is going to help people a lot.

ttyl,

Dave

Technorati Tags: Technical+Journals+to+expensive

Filed Under: Technical

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