Help Desk
Occasionally when we encounter an issue that affects many of our users we will post information and possible solutions here.
"Solar Winds" Microsoft breach, ongoing 2020:
Microsoft's servers for Office 365 breached by Russian hackers
If you use Office 365 Outlook Mac or PC and do not understand your vulnerability, contact us to check and secure your account. You are affected if your Office 365 was initially installed before November 2020. Russian hackers are accessing email, contacts, and calendars- any information contained in all three might further increase your risk. Immediate steps must be taken to secure your online accounts and information.
SPILL ON YOUR LAPTOP?
Have you spilled liquid on your laptop? Call us right away! We are sorry that it has happened but are here to help. If it is under non-Apple warranty, call THEM right away. If we are unavailable, here is what to do:
1. DO NOT TURN IT ON!!!
2. If the battery is easily accessible (from the outside or under a removable plate), remove it immediately.
3. Place it, open, with the keyboard down, on a towel draped over the edge of a table with the display hanging over the edge. Keep it there for now.
4. If the battery was "unremovable" and you have the tools and are a bit brave, remove the bottom cover and find the connecting plug that attaches the battery to the mother board. Being careful to avoid static electricity, touch the metal case to ground yourself to the computer with one hand and disconnect the cable with the other hand. Do not try to turn it on or sop up any more liquid for now.
5. Reposition and tape the bottom cover back over the computer to protect the unit and get in touch with us as soon as possible for further instructions. Save the screws in an envelope or zip-lock bag.
OTHER STEPS YOU CAN TAKE:
1. Only do these steps if you are not coming to us or cannot reach us for over 6 hours.
2. Put a quantity of rice or other dessicant like silica gel under the keyboard and around the computer to draw off liquid. If you do this, seal off the computer with a plastic bag or plastic sheeting to form a mini-hood to allow the desiccant to do its work.
3. Again, if you are not bringing it to us, wait SEVERAL DAYS for the computer to dry out. Best is to bring it to us as this is an imperfect solution which may allow oxidation to begin, likely further damaging costly components.
4. Bring it to us. If the battery is still attached, try to keep it, safely, in the position above described.
5. Bring it to us!
6. Bring it to us!!!!
7. Pray a lot and put the computer back together and try it out. It will either work, sort of work, or, if you did not bring it to us, may further damage the computer and you will, no sarcasm intended, regret not having brought it to us. Now bring it to us.
WHAT WE WILL DO:
We will ask which steps you have already taken, immediately remove the battery if not already done, and visually examine the unit. If the computer is, in our estimation, damaged beyond repair upon initial visual inspection alone, we will tell you so and will not charge for the visual inspection. If visual inspection justifies further action, we will disassemble the computer completely, further inspect the components for viability, manually clean them, ultrasonic clean as necessary, and allow them to dry in a desiccation chamber for an appropriate amount of time. We will then reassemble the computer if the components pass individual and visual inspection and try to get it back to you for $150 without additional parts. If further repair is necessary after a triage test of the assembled unit, we will advise you as to the best solution that can be expected upon your unique situation. Much of the $150 cost will be absorbed into the cost of any subsequent additional repair procedure, as warranted. If the cleaning and reassembling procedure does not result in a working computer or indicates a repair beyond what is economically feasible or what you can afford, we will help absorb the pain and charge $75 for our labor rather than the full $150.
(And you are welcome, competitors, for the lesson in how you are really supposed to handle this situation!)
BACK UP YOUR DATA!!
Is the data on your computer important to you? Would you be devastated if your computer was stolen and you lost everything? How about if it wasn't missing but you STILL lost everything on the computer? This happens every day to literally millions of computer users in the U.S. and around the world!
Your computer contains a hard drive, one of the few moving parts on the computer. It is a fast spinning disk, reading and writing the data as you produce it. Unfortunately, it is also is one of the more delicate parts of your computer and can be damaged relatively easily. If that happens, like the millions of others affected daily, you will lose access to your data, perhaps permanently. As technicians, we can attest that almost EVERY hard drive is going to fail on a computer. The average life, in our experience, for a hard drive seems to average about 3-4 years.
What can you do? BACK UP YOUR DATA! On a Mac it is so easy. Purchase an external hard drive (they start at less than $100 and we have them right here at Bilzi Mac and plug int into your Mac. Your Mac has a program called "Time Machine" which will automatically sense the drive you just installed and ask you if you want to use it to back up you computer. Just click "OK" and, with perhaps one or two more prompts, the drive will begin the process of copying everything from your computer, a second copy of everything. It will continue, whenever it is connected, to record the changes and updates you make on the computer, a full record of everything done from the time you first started using the backup drive. It's even mighty handy for recovering a file, or several, that you accidentally erased!
Please note, if you carry that backup drive around with you with a laptop, it could get stolen with the laptop! There go both copies! We advise leaving the backup drive in a drawer at home and connecting it as often as possible, but then hide it when away from or taking the computer. We can replace your computer, but we cannot replace your pictures, music, and documents. Your backup drive can be used restore any mac to exactly how your original computer looked the last time it was backed up!
You may have heard of online backup services such as Carbonite. They are an economical and secure way of backing up also if you have a fast internet connection and they record your data off-site. They are slower, however, require being connected to the internet much more often, and we consider them an excellent SECOND option. We use both at Bilzi Mac, in fact we use 3 methods - we back up to external hard drives locally with Time Machine, back up from our homes to the shop and vice-versa to hard drives on the opposite locations, AND we back up with an off-site service of our own, similar to Carbonite. We know how easy it is to lose our data and we are not going to take any chances. Remember- fire, flood, weather events, burglary, etc. can all leave you with nothing. Don't get caught! If the things on your computer are important, BACK THEM UP!
See us at Bilzi Mac for more details and a free consultation regarding options to protect OR RECOVER your precious data. We have backup drives and other solutions right here in the store.
In the event of hard drive failure, you will definitely need to replace your hard drive at some expense. If you see that spinning colored cursor more often than you used to, that is a hint that your hard drive's probably on the away out. If you wait too long, whatever is on that drive might not be able to be recovered, or it might have to go to a specialty company that can recover SOME drives starting at about $1000 and way up. We can do about half the recoveries out there before that, and we charge around $350 max, a considerable saving. Remember however, if you wait too long, we won't be able to recover it or the failed drive will have to go to one of those companies and if you wait too, too long, even they might be unsuccessful.
Have we made our point? BACK UP YOUR DATA!!
SECURITY BREACH IN HIGH SIERRA, MAC OS X 10.13: contact us if you do not understand this post!
Note: For most folks, this is updated and fixed in later versions of Apple Operating Systems:
With the recent system updates provided by Apple, the users expect a better and more efficient system for their devices. However, the MacOS High Sierra update suggested otherwise. Turkish software developer, Lemi Ergin, discovered the Root bug by simply entering “root” in the username field while leaving the password field blank. Upon gaining access, the administrative privilege can be used to modify system files. According to Ergin, the security staff at his company encountered the issue while trying to help a user recover his account. Upon discovery, they tried it on their own machine, and the security breach occurred once again.
According to Express, Apple immediately took the necessary action upon the disclosure of the serious flaw of its software update. Within hours, the company addressed the issue and released a fix. Apple issued an apology and asked the users to set a root password for the meantime to prevent unauthorized access. The users were asked to change the root password to ensure that a blank password won’t enable hackers to gain access.To fix the alarming security breach, a software update was made available for download. The update will automatically be installed on all systems running the latest version (10.13.1) of MacOS High Sierra.
"Solar Winds" Microsoft breach, ongoing 2020:
Microsoft's servers for Office 365 breached by Russian hackers
If you use Office 365 Outlook Mac or PC and do not understand your vulnerability, contact us to check and secure your account. You are affected if your Office 365 was initially installed before November 2020. Russian hackers are accessing email, contacts, and calendars- any information contained in all three might further increase your risk. Immediate steps must be taken to secure your online accounts and information.
SPILL ON YOUR LAPTOP?
Have you spilled liquid on your laptop? Call us right away! We are sorry that it has happened but are here to help. If it is under non-Apple warranty, call THEM right away. If we are unavailable, here is what to do:
1. DO NOT TURN IT ON!!!
2. If the battery is easily accessible (from the outside or under a removable plate), remove it immediately.
3. Place it, open, with the keyboard down, on a towel draped over the edge of a table with the display hanging over the edge. Keep it there for now.
4. If the battery was "unremovable" and you have the tools and are a bit brave, remove the bottom cover and find the connecting plug that attaches the battery to the mother board. Being careful to avoid static electricity, touch the metal case to ground yourself to the computer with one hand and disconnect the cable with the other hand. Do not try to turn it on or sop up any more liquid for now.
5. Reposition and tape the bottom cover back over the computer to protect the unit and get in touch with us as soon as possible for further instructions. Save the screws in an envelope or zip-lock bag.
OTHER STEPS YOU CAN TAKE:
1. Only do these steps if you are not coming to us or cannot reach us for over 6 hours.
2. Put a quantity of rice or other dessicant like silica gel under the keyboard and around the computer to draw off liquid. If you do this, seal off the computer with a plastic bag or plastic sheeting to form a mini-hood to allow the desiccant to do its work.
3. Again, if you are not bringing it to us, wait SEVERAL DAYS for the computer to dry out. Best is to bring it to us as this is an imperfect solution which may allow oxidation to begin, likely further damaging costly components.
4. Bring it to us. If the battery is still attached, try to keep it, safely, in the position above described.
5. Bring it to us!
6. Bring it to us!!!!
7. Pray a lot and put the computer back together and try it out. It will either work, sort of work, or, if you did not bring it to us, may further damage the computer and you will, no sarcasm intended, regret not having brought it to us. Now bring it to us.
WHAT WE WILL DO:
We will ask which steps you have already taken, immediately remove the battery if not already done, and visually examine the unit. If the computer is, in our estimation, damaged beyond repair upon initial visual inspection alone, we will tell you so and will not charge for the visual inspection. If visual inspection justifies further action, we will disassemble the computer completely, further inspect the components for viability, manually clean them, ultrasonic clean as necessary, and allow them to dry in a desiccation chamber for an appropriate amount of time. We will then reassemble the computer if the components pass individual and visual inspection and try to get it back to you for $150 without additional parts. If further repair is necessary after a triage test of the assembled unit, we will advise you as to the best solution that can be expected upon your unique situation. Much of the $150 cost will be absorbed into the cost of any subsequent additional repair procedure, as warranted. If the cleaning and reassembling procedure does not result in a working computer or indicates a repair beyond what is economically feasible or what you can afford, we will help absorb the pain and charge $75 for our labor rather than the full $150.
(And you are welcome, competitors, for the lesson in how you are really supposed to handle this situation!)
BACK UP YOUR DATA!!
Is the data on your computer important to you? Would you be devastated if your computer was stolen and you lost everything? How about if it wasn't missing but you STILL lost everything on the computer? This happens every day to literally millions of computer users in the U.S. and around the world!
Your computer contains a hard drive, one of the few moving parts on the computer. It is a fast spinning disk, reading and writing the data as you produce it. Unfortunately, it is also is one of the more delicate parts of your computer and can be damaged relatively easily. If that happens, like the millions of others affected daily, you will lose access to your data, perhaps permanently. As technicians, we can attest that almost EVERY hard drive is going to fail on a computer. The average life, in our experience, for a hard drive seems to average about 3-4 years.
What can you do? BACK UP YOUR DATA! On a Mac it is so easy. Purchase an external hard drive (they start at less than $100 and we have them right here at Bilzi Mac and plug int into your Mac. Your Mac has a program called "Time Machine" which will automatically sense the drive you just installed and ask you if you want to use it to back up you computer. Just click "OK" and, with perhaps one or two more prompts, the drive will begin the process of copying everything from your computer, a second copy of everything. It will continue, whenever it is connected, to record the changes and updates you make on the computer, a full record of everything done from the time you first started using the backup drive. It's even mighty handy for recovering a file, or several, that you accidentally erased!
Please note, if you carry that backup drive around with you with a laptop, it could get stolen with the laptop! There go both copies! We advise leaving the backup drive in a drawer at home and connecting it as often as possible, but then hide it when away from or taking the computer. We can replace your computer, but we cannot replace your pictures, music, and documents. Your backup drive can be used restore any mac to exactly how your original computer looked the last time it was backed up!
You may have heard of online backup services such as Carbonite. They are an economical and secure way of backing up also if you have a fast internet connection and they record your data off-site. They are slower, however, require being connected to the internet much more often, and we consider them an excellent SECOND option. We use both at Bilzi Mac, in fact we use 3 methods - we back up to external hard drives locally with Time Machine, back up from our homes to the shop and vice-versa to hard drives on the opposite locations, AND we back up with an off-site service of our own, similar to Carbonite. We know how easy it is to lose our data and we are not going to take any chances. Remember- fire, flood, weather events, burglary, etc. can all leave you with nothing. Don't get caught! If the things on your computer are important, BACK THEM UP!
See us at Bilzi Mac for more details and a free consultation regarding options to protect OR RECOVER your precious data. We have backup drives and other solutions right here in the store.
In the event of hard drive failure, you will definitely need to replace your hard drive at some expense. If you see that spinning colored cursor more often than you used to, that is a hint that your hard drive's probably on the away out. If you wait too long, whatever is on that drive might not be able to be recovered, or it might have to go to a specialty company that can recover SOME drives starting at about $1000 and way up. We can do about half the recoveries out there before that, and we charge around $350 max, a considerable saving. Remember however, if you wait too long, we won't be able to recover it or the failed drive will have to go to one of those companies and if you wait too, too long, even they might be unsuccessful.
Have we made our point? BACK UP YOUR DATA!!
SECURITY BREACH IN HIGH SIERRA, MAC OS X 10.13: contact us if you do not understand this post!
Note: For most folks, this is updated and fixed in later versions of Apple Operating Systems:
With the recent system updates provided by Apple, the users expect a better and more efficient system for their devices. However, the MacOS High Sierra update suggested otherwise. Turkish software developer, Lemi Ergin, discovered the Root bug by simply entering “root” in the username field while leaving the password field blank. Upon gaining access, the administrative privilege can be used to modify system files. According to Ergin, the security staff at his company encountered the issue while trying to help a user recover his account. Upon discovery, they tried it on their own machine, and the security breach occurred once again.
According to Express, Apple immediately took the necessary action upon the disclosure of the serious flaw of its software update. Within hours, the company addressed the issue and released a fix. Apple issued an apology and asked the users to set a root password for the meantime to prevent unauthorized access. The users were asked to change the root password to ensure that a blank password won’t enable hackers to gain access.To fix the alarming security breach, a software update was made available for download. The update will automatically be installed on all systems running the latest version (10.13.1) of MacOS High Sierra.
