iTunes – Authorizing and Deauthorizing

Posted on August 20, 2010 by wjimenez275

Ran into a situation where I had to install a new hard drive in my computer. When I went to authorize iTunes, I was told that I had reached my limit of 5 authorizations. I realized that over the past couple of years, I had authorized several computers that I no longer had. Since I couldn’t authorize my new installation, I had to find a way to deauthorize  some of the other ones.  I found that I could log into the iTunes Store and Deauthorize All my systems and then reauthorize the one’s I’m actively using.

To deauthorize a computer

  1. Open iTunes.
  2. Choose Store > Deauthorize Computer (In earlier versions of iTunes, access this option from the Advanced menu).
  3. Select “Deauthorize Computer for Apple Account” and enter your Apple ID and password.

Make sure you deauthorize your computer before you upgrade your RAM, hard disk or other system components, or reinstall Windows. If you do not deauthorize your computer before you upgrade these components, one computer may use multiple authorizations.

To deauthorize all computers associated with your account

If you find you have reached 5 authorizations, you can reset your authorization count by clicking Deauthorize All in the Account Information screen.

  1. Click iTunes Store in the menu on the left side of iTunes.
  2. If you’re not signed in to the store, click the Account button, then enter your account name and password.
  3. Click the Account button again (your ID appears on the button), enter your password, and then click View Account.
  4. In the Account Information window, click Deauthorize All.

Note: You may only use this feature once per year. The Deauthorize All button will not appear if you have fewer than 5 authorized computers, or if you have used this option within the last 12 months.

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Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Mozy vs Carbonite – Off-site Backup Thoughts

Posted on August 13, 2010 by wjimenez275

In the past, I’ve recommended options for backing up your important files, since we all know that at some point in time, your computer or hard drive is going to die. One of the options I’ve mentioned is backing up your data to an off-site location. The reason for this is that in the event of catastrophe, your files will be available to you from where ever you might be.

Two off-site companies are Mozy and Carbonite. Recently I’ve had to experience the restore capabilities of both companies and I found out that there is a world of difference between the two.

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine, who was using Carbonite, had to restore her files from the vendor. Several days after the restore started, she was still having problems getting her files. Many calls and e-mails to tech support later, her files were finally recovered. Not having experienced Carbonite before, I wasn’t sure whether this was an isolated incident or not. Well, come to find out that it wasn’t. A couple of months ago, another friend, also a Carbonite user, had to purchase a new computer and went to restore her files from the vendor. Several days later, she was still trying to recover her files from the vendor. Many calls and e-mails later, she had her files but the frustration felt by both individuals was incredible.

Just recently, I lost my hard drive. I use Mozy for backup needs and when I needed to restore my files, I logged onto the site, chose the files/folders to restore, waited an hour while Mozy processed the request, clicked the download button and within a couple of hours, my files were on my new hard drive. It was incredibly easy, pretty quick, and very painless. Additionally, Mozy allows you to duplicate the off-site backup to an external hard drive that is attached to your computer so restoring your files would be even easier.

Having backups of your critical files is extremely important. Being able to restore those files in a timely manner is also important. Before my most recent experience with the restore functions of these two vendors, I’d say that they were pretty comparable. After experiencing the restore functions, I’d say Mozy is the better program hands down. My recommendation – Mozy. If you’re using Carbonite, switch.

https://mozy.com/
http://www.carbonite.com/

Filed under: Instructional, PC Maintenance, PC Tips and Tools | 2 Comments »

The curse of popularity: Hackers love Apple’s iPad, iPhone, too | ZDNet

Posted on August 4, 2010 by wjimenez275

As the popularity of the iPhone and the iPad – both of which run iOS – has gone mainstream, hackers are tapping iOS. And surely, they’re counting on users – who have long known about vulnerabilities to computers – to be naive about the vulnerabilities that are possible in the mobile world.

Today, Gizmodo posted an unsourced report about a security breach in iOS products that are being pushed through PDF files and the Web pages that load through the Safari browser. Gizmodo calls the vulnerability “easily exploitable” and explains that unsuspecting users who could be giving “total control” of their iPhones, iPod Touches or iPads to hackers. The blog reports:

It just requires the user to visit a web address using Safari. The web site can automatically load a simple PDF document, which contains a font that hides a special program. When your iOS device tries to display the PDF file, that font causes something called stack overflow, a technical condition that allows the secret ninja code inside the font to gain complete control of your device. The result is that, without any user intervention whatsoever, that program can do whatever it wants inside your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Anything you can imagine: Delete files, transmit files, install programs running on the background that can monitor your actions… anything can be done.

via The curse of popularity: Hackers love Apple’s iPad, iPhone, too | ZDNet.

Filed under: PC Security | 1 Comment »