to commonly asked questions.

December 2016

How do I add a signature in Apple Mail?

Scotty, how do I add a signature to my mail? I already have my logo sitting on the desktop.

Go to preferences for Mail and select signatures

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  1. Hit the plus sign to start a new signature.
  2. Drag your logo from the desktop into the signature field on the right
  3. adjust the centering by pushing the text over with the space bar on the top and bottom of your logo.
  4. Drag the signature name in the middle column onto the account name in the left column.
  5. choose that signature at the bottom of the window as your default signature.

Where did my share menu items go?

Scotty after updating my computer, some options are missing from my share menu like twitter or mail. How can I get them back?

Open terminal.

Copy and paste the following command:


Hit return. It may take a few minutes but eventually the command should finish.

Restart your computer (optional) then go to system preferences/Extentions. Enable whatever you feel you need.

My email won't go out. Please help

Scotty, my email is not going out. It's stuck in my inbox. What should I do?

You most likely changed your email password recently. When you phone prompts you to re-enter the email password, it fills the new password in both the incoming and outgoing server settings. However, when your computer prompts you to enter the new password it only fills it in for the incoming server settings. Therefore, you're outgoing settings remain incorrect.

In mail, go to the menu bar and select "preferences".

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Next select Accounts across the top of the window and click on the account you're trying to send out from. Now select Server Settings and toggle the Outgoing Mail Account to reveal the outgoing servers available.

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If the account in question is a gmail account then you may see "Google" as one of your choices.

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Try that first. Close the window. Quit mail and restart. Try to send your mail. If that doesn't work, continue on.

Sof if that didn't work select "Edit SMTP Server List" from the choices.

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Enter in the correct password there. (IMPORTANT: you may want to go to and test your password there first to ensure you are trying the correct one).

Close the window and try again. If that doesn't work, it would be best to go to system preferences, internet accounts and delete the account and re add it. The computer would then do all this for you automatically. But you'd lose your outgoing email.

How to restore from a time machine backup using migration assistant.

How do I restore from a backup after a hard drive replacement? The operating system and a new user have already been created.

Go to the Applications folder then into the Utilities folder. Applications/Utlitilites/Migration Assistant. There you'll find "Migration Assistant". (You can also spotlight search for migration assistant.) Open it with your backup drive plugged in.

Select Continue and enter your admin password. All other applications will quit and you'll be presented with the choice of restoration sources. Select Time Machine backup. From there you'll be able to select which users you want to restore. Select everything. (Users as well as applications.) Once the migration is complete, keep in mind you still have the original admin that you'll want to delete.

To delete the temporary admin user, log in to your now restored old admin user. Open system preferences. Select Users and Groups. Unlock the screen using the lock in the bottom left corner. Select the user you wish to delete and hit the minus button in the bottom left corner. Select to delete the folder immediately. (the third choice). You're done.

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Alternatives to Airport Routers

For years now Apple has been manufacturing Airport Extremes and Express as a wifi option for your home network. They've been very reliable and the large majority of homes I work in have them, including my own. For years this has been the wifi router I recommend, bar none. It's reliability, ease of use, ability to be extended, made it the best choice in my opinion. Unfortunately word on the street is that Apple will no longer be developing routers going forward. Apple has yet to verify this publicly but all signs point to a change in their business plan which does not include manufacturing routers. The Extreme is based on the currently fastest spec 802.11ac which means that for the foreseeable future, the extreme is still a great choice. The problem is that it's little brother, the express, is not ac. It's 802.11n which means that while as an extender it works very well, it does bottle neck your speeds. In other words, using the express as an extender does slow your network down a little.

This leads us to the inevitable question. What router do I recommend going forward? This is a very difficult question to answer for many reasons. Over the next few months I will be researching which router I feel will best fit my client's needs. The criteria I will be considering is, ease of use, reliability, pricing, ability to extend. But above all, the highest priority in my eyes is range. I work with many homes over 3000 square feet which means that for most homes in my client list, one router will not do.

For now, I still stand by the Airport Extreme and still recommend that as the router to purchase for the next several months. I'm just not sure if Apple will halt production or continue to manufacture them. If you buy an extreme right now, you are going to be fine for the next several years until the next 802.11 standard is adopted and the speed of your ISP goes up. For most of us, Time Warner and ATT have still not pushed speeds over 300 mbps out so even an older 802.11n router is actually fine for our home networks for now.

So in the coming months I will be looking at alternative routers on the market and hopefully come up with a few strong recommendations. In the meantime, here are a few well written reviews on top routers for 2016:,2817,2398080,00.asp

iPhone 6S battery replacement program

My iphone 6 battery isn't lasting long enough. What can I do?

Check to see if your phone qualifies for the replacement program by going
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