Q. My Win XP PC comes up with “Couldn’t find NTLDR” and won’t boot?

Posted on June 26, 2012 by quill

Your Windows XP or XP Pro machine cannot find a bootable drive to start from, or the NTLoader (NTLDR) software on your bootable drive is damaged. (for Windows Vista/7 go here)

The first step is to make sure you are booting from the drive you expect.  Unplug any USB drives or peripherals and eject any CDs and floppies. Shut off the machine and try again.  If you’re lucky, it will boot OK. If this keeps coming up, check your BIOS setup to make sure the boot order is set appropriately.  If a restart didn’t help, carry on…

Second step, turn the machine off and open it up if it is accessible. Unplug and replug all of the drive cables and PCI/PCI-e cards, put it back together, and try starting.  Still happening? Following are several methods to fix, starting with the easiest and getting more technical.

General troubleshooting hint: Always use a cabled keyboard and mouse for doing troubleshooting. Wireless devices don’t work until drivers are loaded — and the input you need to give the machine has to be done way before Windows loads the drivers. Similarly, if your machine is not responding to USB keyboard input, and it has round PS2 (green and purple) mouse and keyboard ports, find a PS2 keyboard and plug that in for doing troubleshooting.

Replace NTLDR and Ntdetect.com from CD

To enter the Recovery Console you need to boot from a Windows XP CD.

  • Remove any USB flash drives or external hard drives
  • Put the Windows CD in, restart the machine,
  • Watch the screen for the prompt “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD” and
  • Press any key to boot from the Windows CD.
  • Do not press any function keys while the software loads, you do not want to go into an Install
  • When the Setup screen appears, press R to enter the Recovery Console
  • Unless you have multiple Windows installs, on the next screen which asks which Windows Install you want to recover, type 1 and then Enter
  • Enter your password when it prompts you for an administrator password, and hit Enter.  Unless additional security has been set up, this should be the Windows logon password for the primary user of the machine. (if you are stalled on the password, check out this software to reset).  If it doesn’t challenge you for a password, just hit Enter.
  • Enter the commands: At the command prompt of the Recovery Console, you are going to type in two commands, type in the first line, and hit Enter after you have typed it, then type in the second line, and hit Enter. Be careful to spell these correctly, and include only two spaces in each command, once between Copy and D and once just before the c of c:\  These commands assume the defaults, that D: is the drive letter of your optical drive that the Windows CD is in, and that C: is the drive letter of your boot hard drive. If your machine is different, substitute the appropriate letters.
    copy d:\i386\ntldr c:\
    copy d:\i386\ntdetect.com c:\
  • If it prompts you to overwrite existing files, reply by pressing Y
  • Take out the Windows CD from your optical drive, type
    exit
    and hit Enter, and your machine will restart.
  • If the missing NTLDR file was the problem, then it should start up as normal now.

Repair the boot.ini file

If your machine has a corrupted boot.ini file, it can cause similar symptoms.

  • Follow the same instructions as above for booting from CD and entering the Recovery Console.
  • At the Command Prompt, where the section above says Entering Commands, substitute this command:
    bootcfg /rebuild
    and hit Enter 
  • You will get a prompt: Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All). Respond with Y  and hit Enter.
  • You will get another prompt:  Enter Load Identifier
    It is asking for the name of your operating system. Depending on the version you have, type in Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home Edition and hit Enter.
  • You will get a third prompt Enter OS Load options
    Type in  /Fastdetect and hit Enter.
  • Take out the Windows CD from your optical drive, type
    exit
    and hit Enter, and your machine will restart.
  • If a bad boot.ini file was the problem, then it should start up as normal now.

Fix the Partition Boot Sector

If the Partition Boot sector has become corrupted by a virus or a crash, repairing it may solve the problem.

  • Follow the same instructions as above for booting from CD and entering the Recovery Console.
  • At the Command Prompt, where the section above says Entering Commands, substitute this command:
    fixboot
    and hit Enter 
  • Take out the Windows CD from your optical drive, type
    exit
    and hit Enter, and your machine will restart.

Fix the Master Boot Record (MBR)

A damaged MBR can cause a drive to fail to boot.

  • Follow the same instructions as above for booting from CD and entering the Recovery Console.
  • At the Command Prompt, where the section above says Entering Commands, substitute this command:
    fixmbr
    and hit Enter 
  • Take out the Windows CD from your optical drive, type
    exit
    and hit Enter, and your machine will restart.

Do a Repair Installation of Windows

A Repair Installation of Windows XP will replace all Windows files on your drive without altering your data or programs (although it is prudent to have your data backed up if possible before doing any repairs).  To do the Startup Repair you need to boot from a full Windows XP or XP Pro CD, and you will want your 25 digit authorization key that goes with this installation CD on hand.

Note – If you can’t find the authorization key, and you do have a licensed and authorized version of Windows XP installed, try this procedure before you start repairs.

Note – if all you have are the Restore disks from the computer’s manufacturer, you may not be able to do a Repair Installation depending how the disks are configured. You do NOT want to do a Restore or Factory Reset, Reinstall or Clean install

  • Remove any USB flash drives or external hard drives
  • Put the Windows CD in, restart the machine,
  • Watch the screen for the prompt “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD” and
  • Press a key to boot from the Windows CD.
  • You may get a prompt Press F6 if you need to install a third party SCSI or RAID driver…If you are installing from a Service Pack 2 or 3 Windows XP CD (SP2 or SP3) then you don’t have to do anything.
    • However if you have a custom hard drive set up, or are booting from an original version 1 of XP and have a SATA hard drive, then you may have to hit F6 and configure the options. Consult the information from the hard drive manufacturer or RAID manufacturer for XP SP1 instructions,
  • After it has booted, you will see the Setup screen. Press Enter to Setup XP Now
  • Scroll down and Press F8 to OK the license agreement
  • Unless you have multiple systems, it should come up with one Windows installation in the next selection screen, click R to Repair the Selected XP installation
  • Wait while the installer deletes Windows files and writes replacement files to the drive. Don’t do anything until you are prompted for Language selection
  • Make any changes needed to the language and region, and click Next
  • When prompted to choose a workgroup or domain, if this is a home computer and not part of a corporate network, choose No this computer is not on a network or it is on a network without a domain. If it is on a corporate network, choose Domain and enter the domain information particular to your business setup. If you don’t know, then stop at this point and ask your business’s technical resources.
    Click Next
  • Wait for the installer to complete installation and reboot your machine and Wait for the start up to load updated files.  
  • If you see the registration screen, you can skip the Microsoft Registration by choosing No Not at this time, and pressing Next
  • Enter the name of one or more users that will be using this machine. You can enter additional users later through the Control Panel if you wish. Click Next
  • Click Finish
  • As soon as the machine is booted, you will want to do the Windows Update to download and install all of the patches, Security fixes and Hotfixes that Microsoft has released since the CD was printed. This is essential for security. It can take some time (up to several hours) and several restarts for the Update procedure to finish.

Hardware:

Finally, keep in mind that a software error may be a result of a hardware failure.  What looks like a Windows issue may be a dead or dying hard drive, bad data cables, a motherboard failure or failing RAM.  Testing the hardware should be part of your diagnostic efforts. Intermittent hardware failures are the troubleshooter’s nightmare, if they appear at random or only in certain circumstances. Heat is the culprit sometimes, make sure that the fans and cooling systems of the machine are functional, and that the vents are clean and free from obstructions.

Sometimes, a Windows problem is un-solveable and can consume an inordinate amount of time. At that point, cutting your losses and installing a new hard drive with a fresh install of Windows may be the lowest cost solution.

Resources:

Windows XP NTLDR is missing: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/findbyerrormessage/a/ntldrmissingxp.htm

Restoring NTLDR from CD: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fixtheproblem/ht/ntldrntdetect.htm

Repair Boot.INI: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fixtheproblem/ht/repairbootini.htm

Windows XP NTDLL.DLL errors: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fixtheproblem/a/ntdlldll.htm

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Q. My Win7/Vista PC comes up with “Couldn’t find BOOTMGR” and won’t boot?

Posted on June 26, 2012 by quill

If your machine is stopping very early in the boot up sequence and telling you that BOOTMGR is missing, that means your Windows 7 or Windows Vista machine cannot find a bootable drive to start from, or the software on your bootable drive is damaged. (for Windows XP go here)

The first step is to make sure you are booting from the drive you expect.  Unplug any USB drives or peripherals and eject any CDs and floppies. Shut off the machine and try again.  If you’re lucky, it will boot OK. If not, carry on…

Second step, turn the machine off and open it up if it is accessible. Unplug and replug all of the drive cables and PCI/PCI-e cards, put it back together, and try starting.  Still happening? Following are several methods to fix, starting with the easiest and getting more technical.

General troubleshooting hint: Always use a cabled keyboard and mouse for doing troubleshooting. Wireless devices don’t work until drivers are loaded — and the input you need to give the machine has to be done way before Windows loads the drivers. Similarly, if your machine is not responding to USB keyboard input, and it has round PS2 (green and purple) mouse and keyboard ports, find a PS2 keyboard and plug that in for doing troubleshooting.

Startup Repair

Do a Startup Repair of Windows, this will replace any damaged Windows files on your drive without altering your data or programs (although it is prudent to have your data backed up if possible before doing any repairs).  To do the Startup Repair you need to boot from a full Windows 7 or Vista DVD.

Note- if all you have are the Restore disks from the computer’s manufacturer, you may not be able to do a Startup Repair depending how the disks are configured. You do NOT want to do a Restore or Factory Reset

  • Remove any USB flash drives or external hard drives
  • Put the Windows DVD in, restart the machine,
  • Watch the screen for the prompt “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD” and
  • Press a key to boot from the Windows DVD.
  • After it has booted, respond to the Language choice, region and keyboard choices, and hit Next.
  • On the next screen, choose Repair Your Computer – do not choose Install Now.
  • The System Recovery Options screen will come up, and it will search for Windows installations to repair
  • Unless you have multiple systems, it should come up with one Windows installation, choose that and click Next
  • Click on the Startup Repair option, follow the prompts and accept the changes suggested by the installer.
  • The installer may (or may not) reboot the machine during the process. Leave it alone to do so, do NOT hit a key and make it reboot from the Windows DVD.
  • When it is finished, you will get a dialog box, click the Restart your computer to complete the repairs button

If Startup Repair did not fix the problem, then you will have to take additional steps.

Writing a new Partition Boot Sector

This will replace corrupted boot information with good files, allowing the partition to be bootable.

  • At boot time, press F8 to go into the Advanced Boot Options menu
  • A menu will come up, choose Repair Your Computer
  • Note: if you are using Vista and you don’t have a Repair Your Computer option, that means that System Recovery Options was never installed with Windows on your machine. You will have to boot the machine from a Windows Vista DVD to access the option. Different ways to get to System Recovery Options
  • In the System Recovery Options menu, choose Command Prompt This will bring up a text screen with a cursor
  • Type in (make sure to include the space)
    bootrec /fixboot
    and then press the Enter key
  •  After it has written the boot sector files, you should see a message The operation completed successfully.  Restart your machine now, and it should boot up.

Boot Configuration Data

If this didn’t work, you can try rebuilding the Boot Configuration Data Instructions are in this link.

BIOS Setup

You can also check in your BIOS Setup to make sure that the boot order settings are correct.

Hardware:

Finally, keep in mind that a software error may be a result of a hardware failure.  What looks like a Windows issue may be a dead or dying hard drive, bad data cables, a motherboard failure or failing RAM.  Testing the hardware should be part of your diagnostic efforts. Intermittent hardware failures are the troubleshooter’s nightmare, if they appear at random or only in certain circumstances. Heat is the culprit sometimes, make sure that the fans and cooling systems of the machine are functional, and that the vents are clean and free from obstructions.

Sometimes, a Windows problem is un-solveable and can consume an inordinate amount of time. At that point, cutting your losses and installing a new hard drive with a fresh install of Windows may be the lowest cost solution.

Resources:
Windows 7 Startup Repair: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/ss/windows-7-startup-repair.htm

Windows Vista Startup Repair: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/ss/windows-vista-startup-repair.htm

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. My computer won’t attach to my WiFi router?

Posted on June 23, 2012 by quill

Troubleshooting steps for WiFi connections:

First of all, make sure that you know the router’s network name (SSID), and the password (WPA key). If you don’t know these, ask the owner of the router.  If you are the owner and you have forgotten them, then go here.

Next, check to see that your machine has wireless capability and it is turned on.

  • Some laptops have a WiFi on-off switch on the side or back of the case.  If it has been accidentally turned off, the machine will not try to use WiFi.  Some laptops use a function key combination to turn WiFi on and off.  Check your owners manual.
  • Also check the Network control panel or System Preferences to see that it is turned on there.

Are you within reasonable range of the router, without a lot of walls blocking the signal?  Move closer to the router to test.
Does your machine’s wireless card detect other networks? If so, then there’s a good chance there’s nothing wrong with your machine.
If your machine doesn’t detect any WiFi networks even when you know they are available, it may have a hardware problem or a software problem.

  • If the machine has an accessible WiFi card, make sure it is seated properly in its socket, and that the antenna connection if it has one, if properly connected.
  • If necessary, download and re-install the latest wireless card software drivers for your OS version from your machine manufacturer’s or the wireless card manufacturer’s website.

You need to be sure that the router is working.  Are there other machines successfully using it wirelessly? Can you connect to the router with an Ethernet cable from your machine? Does it work OK while cabled?

Log onto the Admin interface of the router while connected by Ethernet cable, and check the Wireless configuration. (Refer to the routers owners manual or website for instructions).

  • Is wireless networking turned on?
  • What mode(s) are supported, B, G and/or N? Make sure that the router and your machine are operating in the same WiFi mode – Wireless B, G or N. Most routers can handle all three, but it is possible to set the administrative settings on a router for only one WiFi mode.
  • Is MAC address filtering turned on or off?
  • Is SSID broadcasting turned on or off?
  • Is the router set to serve DHCP?

If the router can’t be used by other machines or by Ethernet cable, then

  • shut off the broadband modem and the router,
  • wait 60 seconds turn on the modem, wait 60 seconds,
  • turn on the router, wait 60 seconds,
  • and then check to see if it is working.
  • Double check the cable(s) by unplugging and replugging them from the router and the modem.
  • Call your broadband ISP to verify that there is no problem with their network or your account. They may walk you through the above steps again.

Now, a question: when you go to connect wirelessly, does your computer recognize that the router is there by showing the network name and asking you for the password, or does it not find any router to log onto at all?

If it does not find a network at all, the router may have had its SSID broadcast turned off. In that case it is still running, but it is not broadcasting to the neighborhood “I am here and this is my name”. You will have to enter the network name (SSID) manually by choosing “Other Network” in your wireless network settings. You need to spell the network name exactly, and enter the WPA password.

If MAC (Media Access Control) filtering is turned on on the router, then only specific computers and devices are allowed to sign on. Each Ethernet card and WiFi card has a unique MAC identifier number.  If the router is restricting access to specific MAC IDs, then your machine may need to be added to the list by the router owner.  If you replaced a WiFi card on a machine, or got a new machine, the MAC address will be different.

Your machine should be set to get the IP address automatically from the router (DHCP).  If it is not, or if the settings have been set manually, it may not be in the same range of network numbers (subnet) as the router.  The router will have a default internal LAN IP address something like 192.168.0.1 (it will vary by manufacturer, and it may have been changed manually). In the Network settings, your computer should either show “Auto” for getting its IP address from the router

If it is not getting the address automatically (DHCP off), then it should have the numbers entered which correspond to your router:  Under Default Gateway or Router address should be the number of the router 192.168.0.1.  Under Subnet should be 255.255.255.0.  If the machine has a manually assigned IP address, it must be within the range of the same three address segments 192.168.0.xxx where xxx is the individual machine address within the local network.  xxx is a number between 1 and 255, it cannot be the same as the router, or any other server or other device with  a fixed IP address within your network.

If you have checked everything above and your machine is persistently not recognizing the router, then you may want to delete the stored network configuration(s) and start from scratch through the Control Panel or System Preferences.

When you locate the network name with your Network Settings or your WiFi logon, make sure you type the WPA password accurately. It is case sensitive, so double check you don’t have CapsLock on, and watch your upper and lower case.  Remember that 1’s can be mistaken for l’s or I’s. 0’s for o’s and O’s, and 5’s for s’s (and vice versa).

Here’s some links to help out

http://www.7tutorials.com/troubleshoot-internet-connection-problems-over-wireless-network

http://www.7tutorials.com/troubleshoot-wireless-network-connection-problems-yourself

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/troubleshooting-wireless-network-connections.html

http://mobileoffice.about.com/od/wifimobileconnectivity/ss/wifi-connection-tutorial.htm

Connection troubleshooting
Windows XP: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314095
Windows Vista: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/Troubleshoot-network-connection-problems
Windows 7: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/help/wired-and-wireless-network-connection-problems-in-windows
OSX: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1714

Windows XP video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czn5AmGVuoQ

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, General Computer, Internet and Networking | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. I have a problem with my iTunes purchase, who do I contact?

Posted on June 19, 2012 by quill

If you have a problem with a download you purchased within the Apple iTunes store, such as the download didn’t work, or you were charged for multiple copies of the same item, you can address it directly in iTunes,

First you need to sign into your iTunes Store account in iTunes

Open iTunes, go to the iTunes Store by clicking the link in the left hand sidebar.

At the very top right of the iTunes window s your account name with a triangle beside it if you hover your mouse over the account name. If your account name doesn’t appear, it will say Sign In, so click that then log in

When you click the triangle, a dialog box will ask you for your password, enter the password and choose See Account Informatio, or if you have already logged in, the option under the triangle is Account

In the Account Information screen, there is an item for Purchase History. Click the See All link to the right of that.  This will list your purchases in reverse date order.  You can click the arrow to the left of any of the purchases and see the detail of that purchase. If there is a problem, click on the Report Problem button on the detail page of the purchase, and you will have a form to fill in to outline the problem you have.  Apple can then reauthorize a download, or apply a credit, or otherwise fix the problem.

 

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Mac questions, Software, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. What Memory and Drives fit my MacBook Air?

Posted on June 12, 2012 by quill

Apple MacBook Air machines feature Intel processors and an exceedingly thin Aluminum body. None of the MacBook Airs have internal optical drives, Apple sells an external USB Superdrive (make sure to check compatibility with your MacBook Air when buying a USB drive, the latest USB optical drives from Apple are compatible only with the current version Airs). MacBook Airs came with either hard drives or SSDs, the current models are SSD only. Their HD/SSDs are not a standard 2.5″ format, and the interfaces have changed over time, so it is critical when upgrading to know the exact revision of the MacBook Air.

Following is a chart of all of the MacBook Air models, the types of RAM and hard drives that can be installed. Newest MacBook Air models are at the bottom.
For the MacBook Pro models, go here…

Lists of RAM and drive compatibility for all Macs

Model / Identifier CPU/ Speed/ Screen/ Date/ Designation Standard Drive
 Maximum RAM Hard Drive/ SSD
MacBook Air Rev A
MacBookAir1,1		 Core 2 Duo 1.6 GHz 13″ (Early 2008 “Original” MB003LL/A, A1237, EMC 2142) 80 GB  HD 2 GB Not upgradeable PATA ZIF
MacBook Air Rev A
MacBookAir1,1		 Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz 13″ (Early 2008 “Original” CTO, A1237, EMC 2142) 64 GB SSD 2 GB Not upgradeable PATA ZIF
MacBook Air
MacBookAir2,1		 Core 2 Duo 1.6 GHz 13″ (Late 2008 “NVidia” MB543LL/A, A1304, EMC 2253) 120 GB HD 2 GB Not upgradeable SATA ZIF
MacBook Air
MacBookAir2,1		 Core 2 Duo 1.86 GHz 13″ (Late 2008 MB940LL/A, A1304, EMC 2253) 128 GB SSD 2 GB Not upgradeable SATA ZIF
MacBook Air
MacBookAir2,1		 Core 2 Duo 1.86 GHz 13″ (Mid 2009 MC233LL/A, A1304, EMC 2334) 120 GB HD 2 GB DDR3 Not upgradeable SATA ZIF
MacBook Air
MacBookAir2,1		 Core 2 Duo 2.13 GHz 13″ (Mid 2009 MC234LL/A, A1304, EMC 2334) 128 GB SSD 2 GB DDR3  Not upgradeable SATA ZIF
MacBook Air
MacBookAir3,1		 Core 2 Duo 1.4 GHz 11.6″ (Late 2010 MC505LL/A, A1370, EMC 2393) 64 GB or 128 GB SSD 2 GB or 4 GB DDR3 Not upgradeable mSATA
MacBook Air
MacBookAir3,1		 Core 2 Duo 1.6 GHz 11.6″ (Late 2010 BTO, A1370, EMC 2393) 128 GB SSD 2 GB or 4 GB DDR3 Not upgradeable  mSATA
MacBook Air
MacBookAir3,2		 Core 2 Duo 1.86 GHz 13″ (Late 2010, MC503LL/A A1369, EMC 2392) 128 GB or 256 GB SSD 2 GB or 4 GB DDR3 Not upgradeable  mSATA
MacBook Air
MacBookAir3,2		 Core 2 Duo 2.13 GHz 13″ (Late 2010, BTO, A1369, EMC 2392)  128 GB or 256 GB SSD 2 GB or 4 GB DDR3 Not upgradeable  mSATA
MacBook Air
MacBookAir4,1		 Core i5 1.6 GHz 11.6″ (Mid 2011, MC968LL/A, A1370, EMC 2471) 64 GB or 128 GB SSD 2 GB or 4 GB DDR3 Not upgradeable mSATA
MacBook Air
MacBookAir4,1		 Core i7 1.8 GHz 11.6″ (Mid 2011, BTO, A1370, EMC 2471) 128 GB SSD 4 GB DDR3 Not upgradeable mSATA
MacBook Air
MacBookAir4,1		 Core i5 1.7 GHz 13″ (Mid 2011, MC965LL/A, A1369, EMC 2469) 128 GB or 256 GB SSD 4 GB DDR3 Not upgradeable mSATA
MacBook Air
MacBookAir4,2		 Core i7 1.8 GHz 13″ (Mid 2011, BTO, A1369, EMC 2469) 256 GB SSD 4 GB DDR3 Not upgradeable mSATA
MacBook Air
MacBookAir4,2		 Core i5 1.6 GHz 13″ (Mid 2011,  Education only MD508LL/A, A1369, EMC 2469) 64 GB SSD 2 GB DDR3 Not upgradeable mSATA
MacBook Air
MacBookAir5,1		 Core i5 1.7 GHz 11.6″ (Mid 2012, MD223LL/A) 64 GB SSD 4 GB or 8 GB DDR3L-1600 Not upgradeable mSATA
MacBook Air
MacBookAir5,1		 Core i5 1.7 GHz 11.6″ (Mid 2012, MD224LL/A) 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB SSD 4 GB or 8 GB DDR3L-1600 Not upgradeable mSATA
MacBook Air
MacBookAir5,1		 Core i7 2.0 GHz 11.6″ (Mid 2012, BTO) 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB SSD 4 GB or 8 GB DDR3L-1600 Not upgradeable mSATA
MacBook Air
MacBookAir5,2		 Core i5 1.8GHz 13″ (Mid 2012, MD231LL/A) 128 GB SSD 4 GB or 8 GB DDR3L-1600 Not upgradeable mSATA
MacBook Air
MacBookAir5,2		 Core i5 1.8 GHz 13″ (Mid 2012, MD232LL/A) 256 GB or 512 GB  SSD 4 GB or 8 GB DDR3L-1600 Not upgradeable mSATA
MacBook Air
MacBookAir5,2		 Core i7 2.0 GHz 13″ (Mid 2012, BTO) 256 GB or 512 GB  SSD 4 GB or 8 GB DDR3L-1600 Not upgradeable mSATA
Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Hard Drives and SSD, Mac questions, Memory | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Q. My Macintosh is slow in all programs – what’s the problem?

Posted on June 7, 2012 by quill

There can be a variety of problems that can slow a machine down. If the performance is poor in only one program, the first approach would be to delete and reinstall that program.  For slowness across all programs and OSX, here is a list of things to check.

Back up now: The first thing that I will say before attempting any repair is to make sure you have a complete and up-to-date backup of all of your data.  Do a backup now if you haven’t got one.

Not enough RAM: First off, how much RAM do you have? 4 GB is the practical minimum for Intel Macs, 2 GB or the model maximum is desirable for PowerPC G5 and G4 machines and first generation Intel CoreDuo Macs.  Most modern Macs can go to 8 or 16 GB of RAM, and that is the most cost effective way to speed up a machine.

The more multi-tasking you do, the more RAM you need. When your programs and data use more memory than you have RAM chips for, OSX is forced to swap memory contents on and off the hard drive, which causes a slow-down.

If you are using Photoshop or professional level graphics. photography, animation, video production, audio production or engineering software, add as much RAM as you can afford. Order Macintosh RAM here.

Multitasking overload: How many programs do you have running in the background?

Hint – when you click the red button at the top of a window to close it, you are not actually closing the software program, only that window, and the program remains running in the background.  You need to go to the top menu bar and actually Quit the program, or right-click (or option-Click) on the program’s icon on the Dock.

You can go into Activity Monitor and check what programs and processes are running, and see which are consuming RAM and processor power.  Sometimes software has “memory leaks” which gradually lead to the piece of software using more and more memory and CPU. Examples  Safari 6 with AdBlock or a third party sceensaver. Make sure your software is all upgraded to the latest versions.

Full Drive: How full is your hard drive?  If the drive is over 75% full, then you are operating on the slowest tracks on the disk. Drive speed falls by about 50% from the outer tracks (fastest) to the inner tracks. When you hit 90% full you can run into real slow downs. If you are chronically out of space on the drive, consider a larger, faster new drive. You can use a utility like WhatSize to find out which files are using the most space on the drive, and a program like OnyX to delete caches and temporary files (careful with OnyX, don’t do anything that you don’t understand).

Dying drive: Extremely slow performance in the Finder and all programs can be the sign of a failing hard drive. If your machine is under warranty, take it to an Apple store or an authorized service center to have it checked out, or take it to a competent Mac tech.

USB: Occasionally, slowness can also be a problem with a misbehaving USB peripheral. Unplug everything except the keyboard and mouse.

Repair Permissions: A preventative maintenance item is to run a Repair Permissions from Disk Utility (Applications: Utilities: Disk Utility). Do this especially after installing new software or importing a lot of files.  It is unlikely to solve a speed problem on its own, but it is one checklist item. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1452

Disk Repair (Safe Mode): Another technique is to start the machine up and hold the Shift key down through the startup, you can release it when you see a progress ‘thermometer’ bar on the screen.  Your machine will take several minutes to start, and during this time it will perform some self diagnostics and repair on the data structures of the hard drive.  When it has finished starting up into Safe mode, you can restart the machine again and log in as normal.

Corrupted Software: One cause of slow performance is software that is either damaged or is hogging the machine’s resources. This includes the various services and helper applications that start up when you boot, and it can also be damaged Preference files in the user account.

Try this: in System Preferences, Accounts, create a new user and give it Admin privileges. (you need to click the lock icon and enter your password before the + icon for adding a new user becomes active) http://support.apple.com/kb/VI32

Now, reboot the machine and log in as your new user.

Is the machine faster now? Then your problem is some software that you have loading in your main account. You need to look through your Account’s Login Items, and perhaps clean out some data files and Preference files. If it is the same speed with a fresh User, then it is either a hardware problem or an operating system problem.

More troubleshooting steps:

Repair Disk routine: With your OSX DVD in the optical drive,

  • Restart the machine and hold down the C key as it boots. it will boot into the Installer from the DVD. Answer the language selection but go no further.
  • Go to the Utilities menu at the top and choose Disk Utility.
  • Choose your Macintosh HD (or whatever your main hard drive is named)
  • Choose Repair Disk, and let it run.

What are the results?

Is the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive OK or FAILING?  If it reported that it was unable to fix a problem, then the hard drive is either failing, or the catalogs of the hard drive are damaged badly. Consider taking the machine to a competent Mac tech at this point rather then continuing. http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4406

Reinstall OSX: You can reinstall the operating system without damaging  your data: If the hard drive checks out OK, then proceed into the Installer, and do an Install (NOT an Erase and Install) of the OSX. On OSX 10.6 and later, this will reinstall the OS but leave your accounts, data and programs in place. (In OSX 10.5 and earlier, choose the Archive and Install option to preserve the data http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1710)
Then you need to do another round of Software Updates immediately

Is it faster now? If so then it was an issue with OSX.
If not, things are looking more like a hardware problem.

Check RAM and cable connections: Shut the machine down all the way, unplug it, and remove and reinstall the RAM memory modules. On a MacPro or a PowerMac you can also unplug and reseat the internal cables and PCI-e cards, (other Macs are not accessible). Restart the machine and check that all of the RAM modules are registering in Apple Menu, About this Mac, More Info, Hardware, Memory.

Hardware Test: Your machine’s bundled DVD may have Apple Hardware Test on it – if so the instructions how to enter AHT will be printed on the face of the DVD. Run AHT and see if that gives any information. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1509  Consult with a tech.

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Q. I have a file on my Windows machine and it won’t open the correct program?

Posted on June 6, 2012 by quill

What type of file is it? Most files have a file name with a three or four letter extension which tells the machine what program it belongs to. For example, a .XLSX file is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file. This information is stored on your Windows machine in a table of File Associations. In most cases, the File Associations table is updated when you install a new program, and your PC knows what files each program can handle.  But sometimes, a new data file can fool it, or the program has been deleted.

Note: If the file does not have an extension on the file name the machine will have trouble identifying it.  If you know what program created it, you can rename the file to have the correct extension.  However, just adding a file extension will not convert the actual data from one type of file to another (Putting a .XLS on the end of a .DOC word processing file will not turn the letter into a spreadsheet.)

If the file was made by a program that you don’t own on your PC, then Windows won’t know what to open. Or, if your file association table is sending the documents to a program that you don’t want to use, you’ll want to correct that.

If it is a file type that you know you can open with one of your existing programs, then you can Right click on the file icon, and choose Open With… and choose the program that you want to open this file with. If your desired program doesn’t show up on the list, click Choose Default Program… and Browse… to find it.

If you want all files of this type to open this program in the future, after you have clicked  Choose Default Program and found the program, click the box that says “Always open files of this type” and it will make that association permanent. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307859

If you don’t know what program made the file, or if it came from a Mac or Linux system, you may need to do some extra research to find out what software is capable of opening the file.  Preview will open most graphic files, Photoshop can open files from more types of graphic programs, Word (or OpenOffice) can open many different word processing file types, Excel (or OpenOffice) can open spreadsheets plus many text-based data table and database types such a .csv, .tab, .sylk, .wks and others.

FileInfo has lists of common file extensions and their programs. www.fileinfo.com/filetypes/common

If your file association table has become damaged, and all of the documents are not opening correctly, you may need to replace it.

In Windows 7, To make a particular program set itself as the default for all the file types it can handle, or to edit the list of extensions it is set for, go to Control Panel, Default Programs, Set Default Programs, and choose the program from the list. Then choose Set as Default or Choose Defaults for this Program.

In Windows 7, to edit a particular file extension’s default, go to Control Panel, Default Programs, Associate a File Type or Protocol with a Specific Program, click on the extension in the list, and click the Change Program button.

In Windows XP, go to Control Panel, Folder Options, File Types, and either click New to create a new extension, or click on an extension in the list to edit it.

There are also some third party programs that can help edit file type associations
Types izt.name/soft/types/

This free program will repair the most common associations in a damaged Registry www.thewindowsclub.com/file-association-fixer-for-windows-7-vista-released

 

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Q. Can I use images from Google Images on my website?

Posted on June 6, 2012 by quill

Copyright and you:

To start with, all images (photographic, moving picture, painted, sculpted or drawn) and texts (books, song lyrics) – are covered by national and international copyright law. This is automatic as soon as the image is created.

Copyright covers the creator’s Right to control how their work is Copied, and under what terms. A copyright on a work does not expire for 70 or 95 years (depending what country) so even if a photo is not available commercially, it is not free unless the copyright owner grants public use terms.

So for most photos and images, using them without the permission of the copyright owner  is almost always not legal. Offering downloads of copyrighted images, movies and music without permission is also not legal.

A misconception is that it is OK if you post credit of where you got it from.  It’s not. It also does not matter whether your use is non-profit or not. There are certain circumstances where using a minor portion of a work non-commercially for the purposes of education, news reporting or parody is permissible (Fair Use in the USA, Fair Dealing in Canada).

How to get legal images

There are several ways you can use images;

The first way is to contact the copyright owner, and ask for permission.  They may grant permission, deny it, or grant it subject to some terms and conditions.  It can be hard to track down the owner, start with looking at the bottom of the website for the copyright statement and contact information.  Keep in mind that the owner of the Website copyright may not be the owner of the photo, they may be using it with permission (or without).  Just because its hard to get permission doesn’t mean you get a free pass.

The second way is to use images is to choose images that have been released with an open license or a Creative Commons license. These can be freely used, usually you need to include attribution to the creator, and some have restrictions on commercial use.

Here is the link to Flickr’s Creative Commons library www.flickr.com/creativecommons/

WikiMedia commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Free Photobank http://www.freephotobank.org/main.php

Here’s how to search Google Images for creative commons licensed images googleblog.blogspot.ca/2009/07/find-creative-commons-images-with-image.html

 

 

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Q. I am being offered some used software for sale. Is this legitimate?

Posted on June 5, 2012 by quill

In most cases, used software can be sold if it is no longer needed – but there are some strict requirements for it to be legal.  The reason for this is that you don’t purchase software outright, you purchase a license to use the software and the publisher retains the ownership of the copyright.

The seller must give the purchaser the original CD or DVD media, the serial number and a transfer of ownership of the license. Then the seller must erase the software from their machine(s), because they have given up the license to use it. The original owner cannot continue to use the software.  If there were terms and conditions on the original license (such as Eductational versions for full time students only) then these license terms are binding on the new owner as well.

Some companies have additional rules about how you need to fill out forms and register the transfer of license with the company. A few companies charge money for the transfer. Check the software manufacturer’s website for specifics.

One questions that gets asked is if someone upgrades from Version 4 to Version 5 of a software program, can they sell off the Version 4?  The answer is no, because there is only one license to use the software, and the upgrade price only moves that one license to Version 5, it doesn’t generate a new license – so Version 4 cannot be sold

Another question is if someone buys a Family pack or Multiuser pack of software that has installs for three computers (for example) can they use one and sell off the other two installs?  The answer again is no because the terms and conditions of the license of the reduced-cost multiple install package usually state that all three installs must be under the same roof or within the same company or used by the same person or family. Check the exact terms of the license.

Just to cover, the term ‘sale’ also covers giving away or lending or any other method of allowing another person to use the software.

 

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Q. I have received an email – how can I tell if it is spam?

Posted on June 5, 2012 by quill

Mass-Email marketers work on the theory that it costs next to nothing to send a million emails, so if only one in 100,000 people is unwary enough to reply or act on their spam, then they are making money.  Unfortunately, that also means that we all have to wade through tons of unwanted spam – and spam senders are constantly trying strategies to fool us into thinking that their mail is important or interesting so we’ll open it.

Hopefully, your mail service provider has anti-spam filters on your account so you don’t get all of the spam that is addressed to you. Ask them to find out what they have in place.

When a message gets through, how do you decide whether it is spam or not? You don’t want to open spam emails – the content may be offensive, or it may contain malware as an attachment, weblink or download. Your best action with spam is to delete it without opening the message.

Here are a few guidelines to identifying spam;

  • It is from someone you do not know.
  • But there’s a problem with this – if a piece of malware is on a friend’s machine, or someone has hacked their hotmail, yahoo or gmail account, you could be getting spam with your friend’s legitimate address.
  • The email is addressed to someone who is not you, or addressed to your email prefix.
    • Examples:
      “Dear sales” when addressed to sales@mydomain.com
      To “undisclosed recipients”
      To “my friend”
      To “Sir/Ma” – for some reason, spammers often make this error.
  • The email is from your own address. It is trivial for spammers to falsify the From and Reply To: account information on an email. The spammer is counting on the fact that your spam filters will not block your own address or domain.
    • Example: Email to sales@mydomain.com from sales@mydomain.com
  • The email contains foreign characters.
  • The email subject conveys a sense of urgency to open it. As soon as you see “OMG you have to see this right now”, your defensive instincts should slam on the brakes. The spammer is hoping that excitement will override your common sense.
  • The email subject implies bad consequences for not opening/replying.
    • Examples:
      “Final notice re: your invoice”
      “Your login will be suspended”
      “Fraudulent activity on your account”
      “Please respond to your recent job application”
  • The email is from a financial institution or a company that does business online – especially if it says that an action is required to confirm your account information or reset your password. Even if the email is from your bank or a company you do business with, be aware that Phishing (simulating the addresses and look of a real business) is a major way that criminals use to steal account names and passwords.
    • Examples:
      “Confirm your account information”
      “Your undelivered FedEx package”
      “Your Amazon order is delayed”
      “Your bill is now available”
    • Rule: Your bank will never ask you to log onto your account through an email link. Always log onto a banking or ecommerce website account manually in your web browser, never from a link in an email.
  • The subject hits a ‘hot topic’ button
    • Examples:
      “Approve this charge to your credit card” < this is a great one because your immediate reaction is “I never bought anything – I need to find out who is cheating me”
      “Please respond to your recent job application”
      “Your income tax return”
      “Someone is saying something bad about you on Facebook”
  • The email subject is blank or the From or To field is blank.
  • The email implies that someone wants to be friends or has seen your picture online,  is offering you to see pictures or video online, or complements  you on a blog post (which you may or may not have made).
    • Rule: If you have a legitimate invitation from Facebook or another social site, then it will be in your messages when you log into your social account. Do not follow the email link.
  • The email offers money or says you have won something
  • The same email is received multiple times, or at multiple accounts at the same time, or from different senders at different times.

 

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Q. My USB memory stick won’t let me save a 4.2 GB file?

Posted on June 5, 2012 by quill

You are finding that individual files larger than 3.99 GB are failing when you copy them to a USB memory stick (or a camera memory card, or an external hard drive).

The simple answer is that the memory stick is formatted with FAT32 formatting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_Allocation_Table  The File Allocation Table method of formatting limits an individual file to 4 GB less one byte, because it cannot store a longer file length entry. So no individual file can be over 4 GB in size, although the volume can be larger. Windows puts an arbitrary limit of 32 GB that it will format a FAT32 drive volume to, but a FAT32 drive can be formatted up to 2 TB with a standard sector size on a Mac or with third party software.

The solution is to reformat the USB stick (note that this will erase all the data on it, so back it up first).  On a Windows machine, reformat it with NTFS. On a Mac, reformat it to  HFS+ (Mac Extended).  The downside of this is that devices like media players, smart TVs and cameras will probably not be able to read the stick – they require FAT. Also, Windows machines can’t read Mac Extended, and Macintosh machines have a limited ability to read but not write NTFS.

Newer cameras and camcorders with high capacity SD and CF memory cards (64 GB and higher) use the exFAT formatting method. exFAT is supported in Windows 7 and higher and OSX 10.6.6 and higher.  Patches are available for some older Windows OS versions. http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3389/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xMzM4OTI1Mjc3L3NpZC9nRmhVeFdaaw%3D%3D

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Q. Someone knows my IP address and email. Can they hack my computer?

Posted on June 5, 2012 by quill

You don’t get hacked just because someone knows your IP address – you get hacked if your machine has malware on it or if you have left services open to the public or if someone has obtained the username and password to your online accounts.

If you have properly updated firewall and anti-malware protection on, up to date Windows and applications, a strong WiFi password that you change regularly, and your router has a good Administrative password for its settings (read the router’s owner’s manual for instructions), then don’t worry about someone entering your machine.

Use strong passwords (combinations of letters and numbers, not dictionary words or easily guessed things like a pet’s name) for your online accounts, and change them regularly. http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/passwords-create.aspx

You can change a WAN IP address that your broadband modem uses to connect with your ISP. Most residential users have a dynamic IP address, if you turn off your router and your broadband modem for half an hour, you will most likely be assigned a new WAN IP by the ISP when you power back on. If you have changed that address, there is no way that the person with your old IP address knows what new address your outside network connection is at.

You need to be realistic about how people can ‘hack’ you. It’s not like television where people can enter your machine or smartphone in three seconds and take it over. If you have your machine properly secured and haven’t left ports and services open to the outside (like remote access, ftp or web server, and any kind of file, printer or connection sharing), then there is no practical way someone can ‘hack’ your machine.

One thing for sure, do not visit a website, download or install anything that an unknown person tells you to do, whether in a pop up screen, over the phone or by email. Remember, if you install something yourself which turns out to be malware, you have invited it past all of your firewalls and security, www.computer-answers.ca/2012/internet-networking/q-someone-called-me-from-my-internet-provider-and-told-me-my-machine-needed-to-be-fixed/

10 Windows 7 security steps www.pcworld.com/article/254369/10_commandments_of_windows_security.html
Windows 7 Checklist windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Security-checklist-for-Windows-7
Web security www.computer-answers.ca/2011/internet-networking/q-is-there-any-internet-security-threat-if-i-only-visit-reputable-sites/

Securing a Mac www.computer-answers.ca/2011/computer-questions/macintosh-questions/q-how-can-i-secure-my-mac/

 

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Q. I have a file on my Mac that won’t open the correct program

Posted on June 1, 2012 by quill

What type of file is it? Most files have a file name with a three or four letter extension which tells the machine what program it belongs to. For example, a .XLSX file is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file. This information is stored on your Mac in a table of File Associations. In most cases, the File Associations table is updated when you install a new program, and your Mac knows what files each program can handle.  But sometimes, a new data file can fool the Mac.

Note: If the file is an .EXE file then it is a Windows program file and will not work on your Mac. (In rare cases an .EXE file is a self extracting archive file that can be opened with Stuffit or another archive program.)

If the file was made by a program that you don’t own on your Mac, then OSX won’t know what to open. Your Mac doesn’t have an association for the extension of the file (or the file has no extension) so it gives up and either says it cannot locate a program, or it tries to open it with TextEdit thinking it is a text file.

If it is a file type that you know you can open with one of your existing programs, then you can Right click (or control-click http://www.macinstruct.com/node/66) on the file icon, and choose Open With… and choose the program that you want to open this file with. If your desired program doesn’t show up on the list, click Browse… to find it.

If you want all files of this type to open this program in the future, after you have clicked Browse.. and found the program, click the box that says “Always open files of this type” and it will make that association permanent.

Alternatively, you can set a file association in the Finder by Right clicking on the file (or using File: Get Info or Command-I) and choosing a program in Open With… for that file.  If you want all files of this type to open with that program, press Option after you open the contextual menu, but before you click on the Open With… this changes it to Always Open With…

If you don’t know what program made the file, or if it came from a Windows or Linux system, you may need to do some extra research to find out what software is capable of opening the file.  Preview will open most graphic files, Photoshop can open files from more types of graphic programs, Word (or OpenOffice) can open many different word processing file types, Excel (or OpenOffice) can open spreadsheets plus many text-based data table and database types such a .csv, .tab, .sylk, .wks and others.

There was a program called MacLink Plus which did file conversions, but sadly it has been discontinued by the publisher.

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Q. Can I upgrade the processor or the graphics card in my laptop?

Posted on June 1, 2012 by quill

The short answer is No.

The longer answer is that many laptops have the CPU soldered into the motherboard. Even where the CPU is socketed, the motherboard chipset and BIOS would have to specifically support the new CPU, and laptop manufacturers aren’t in the habit of building in upgrade compatibility (or disclosing the details of the specification).

The only real prospect for upgrading is in a model line of laptops that is both socketed, and uses the same motherboard for a range of CPUs. In that case you may be able to get away with installing a higher CPU within that model line – if you could ever find a mobile CPU for sale. Needless to say, desktop CPUs will not work.

The other problem with laptops is that their battery, power systems and heat dissipation systems are engineered for specific CPUs and thermal outputs. If you put in a faster, hotter processor you are begging for failure.

As far as video cards go, 99.99% of the time you cannot upgrade the graphics card in a laptop machine

In most machines the graphics “card” is actually just a chipset that is soldered onto the motherboard, and cannot be modified. Very few machines use discrete Mini-PCIe cards or MXM cards for graphics. The cards are not commonly available; this company has a list of laptops they have upgraded http://www.mxm-upgrade.com/

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Q. Where can I get free music?

Posted on May 24, 2012 by quill

Copyright and you:

To start with, all music is covered by national and international copyright law which covers the music composition, the lyrics, and the recorded performance.

Copyright covers the creator’s Right to control how their work is Copied, and under what terms. A copyright on a work does not expire for 70 or 95 years (depending what country) so even if an album or a movie is not available commercially, it is not free unless the copyright owner grants public use terms.

So for most commercial music, you need to purchase it, and downloading free popular music (and movies, and software) from torrents and P2P networks  is almost always not legal.

There are several ways you can listen to music for free.

Streaming:

The first free music source is streaming or “internet radio”.  Streaming music on the internet can be free, advertiser supported,  or can be part of a subscription service. The providers of streaming music pay the copyright holders a royalty based on a broadcast model like radio. Disadvantages are that with some services you don’t get to pick the song you want, when you want, there may be advertisements, the streamed music is usually at low bit-rate and not as high a quality as CD, and it requires a broadband connection to the internet (I suggest you don’t stream music with a cell phone data plan, it will consume a huge amount of MB and may result in high usage charges). In any case, the music is licensed for live listening only, you are not permitted to download and keep the songs.

Many radio stations send their live broadcasts out as a stream as well, Shoutcast http://www.shoutcast.com/  is one index of 50,000+ available stations.

http://music.cbc.ca/
http://www.npr.org/music/
http://grooveshark.com/
http://www.jango.com/
http://www.pandora.com/  (USA only)
http://www.live365.com/index.live
http://www.rdio.com/home/
http://www.spotify.com/ (Europe only)
http://www.mtv.com/music/ (USA) http://www.mtv.ca/music/ (Canada)
http://www.last.fm/ (signup required)

YouTube videos are a popular way of putting music online, and many bands put their music videos on line there. However it is problematic for other people to upload videos with copyrighted songs in them.

Artists’ sites:

Often, bands will make selected tracks or concerts or alternate mixes available for either streaming or downloadable files. Go to the band or artist’s official website and see what they offer.  Downloads offered directly by the artist or band are legal.  Famously, Radiohead made an entire new album available for download on a “pay what you want” basis.

Podcast:

There are a huge number of podcasts with concerts, songs, music shows, educational material, radio shows and commentary available. These can be downloaded for listening offline or on a portable player. They are a great source for new music and independent artists. Disadvantage, they tend to be MP3s at a low bitrate

My favorites are from CBC and NPR which are available from inside iTunes.

CBC Radio 3 Sessions – concerts
CBC Radio 3 track of the day
CBC R3-30 – music show
NPR All Songs Considered
NPR Fresh Air
NPR Live concerts

Other listings of podcasts
http://www.last.fm/tag/Podcasts
http://www.podcast.com/Music
http://www.digitalpodcast.com/browse-music-1-1.html
http://musicpodcasting.org/home/
http://www.podcastdirectory.com/

Classical music
http://archive.org/details/ISGM_Podcast
http://www.openculture.com/2007/05/free_classical_music_podcasts.html
http://www.booseyradio.com/?p=downloads
http://www.classicsonline.com/podcasts/podcast.aspx

Open license and Creative Commons:

Some artists have released their music under a Creative Commons license, which permits the music to be freely downloaded and shared. Disadvantage – you will not find the latest hits and top artists here.

http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Music_Podcasts
http://www.opensourcemusic.com/
http://www.jamendo.com/en

Buying music:

It has to be said: If you like the music, and if having the songs available for listening anytime is valuable to you, then pay for it and support the artists who create it.
(And, yes, support the companies that produce and distribute it, because that is how the artistic industry works).  You can purchase music on CD at local merchants or by the song or album at iTunes, Amazon and other reputable online sites.

(Do not patronize offshore websites that sell ‘legal’ music downloads for 1 to 10 cents per song – those sites are run by criminals and the artists do not see a penny, plus you are risking the security of your identity and charge card information.)

If you want to support an artist but don’t want to support the commercial music industry, then buy your music directly from the artist’s own website, or in person at concerts. Support independent artists who release their own music, support local artists who play at community events, dances, pubs and restaurants.

 

 

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