The computer industry has changed and evolved over the past few decades.  Not only have they become more compact and easier to carry around but they have also become more efficient and powerful.  The power supply connections on these computers have also transformed greatly.

The power supply unit is the part of the computer that converts electricity in order to charge your computer/laptop.  It changes mainstream electricity to the low voltage regulation power that the internal components of the computer needs. There are two types of computer power supply connectors.  Most computers use a switched mode power supply–older versions have a manual selector and newer laptops have automatic adaption to the supply voltage.

There are a lot of precautions taken with computer power supplies.  They have protection against short circuits, overpowering, overvoltage, undervoltage, overcurrent, and temperature.  Power supplies are very important to keep your computer working in tiptop shape.

The differentiating factor between different power supply connectors is the number of pins in each.  There is a PC Main power connector which goes straight into the motherboard and has around 20-24 pins in it.  The next size down is a 12V only power connector which  contrary to the name has 16 pins.  There are also two types of 4-pin connectors.  Both the peripheral and Molex versions have 8 pins each (many power supply connectors are made by Molex in the United States).  Finally, there is a 6-pin with 6 pins and 6+2-pin with 8 pins.  You can also get auxiliary power connectors to increase the amount of power supply.

A module power supply connector has a permanent multiwire cable that connects to some of the previously mentioned ones; however, a module power supply also has some cables directly mounted to allow unused cables to be organized and systematically laid out.  The point of this power supply connector is to reduce clutter and remove the risk that comes with extra cables.

If you need help with your power supply cable, you may want to seek professional assistance.  Use TalkLocal to be find reliable local businesses within minutes.  Simply input your problem and availability into the online request form and TalkLocal will do the rest! Shortly after, you should be connected with a qualified IT service company who can help you out.

It’s always a good idea to secure a backup of your files.  However, make sure that the device to which you back up your files (a flash drive, etc) is secure.  Losing the physical copy would make the entire process pointless.  You can also make use of server-sided storage such as google drive and dropbox.

How to copy entire iPhoto library to external hard drive

1.  Secure the hard drive to which you will download the data.

2.  Connect it to your computer – you can just plug in a flash drive.  If you have an actual hard drive, you will need a usb-to-usb cable.

3.  Close iPhoto before attempting to move any files.  This is necessary because files in operation cannot be changed.  After closing iPhoto, locate your pictures folder.

4.  Find the hard drive you want to transfer the files to through your computer menu.

5.  Open up the hard drive.

6.  Choose the iPhoto library from the pictures folder by clicking on the icon once.

7.  Drag the icon to the hard drive screen.

There should be a bar that pops up, showing you the progress of transferring the files and an estimation of how long the entire process should take.  Feel free to go do something else while the process completes.

After the process completes, you should receive a notification screen.  Click OK.  You may now disconnect the hard drive from your computer since no files are being transferred between your computer and the drive.  Make sure that you store the drive in a safe place – losing the hard drive, as mentioned before, defeats the whole purpose of downloading your photo library.

If you feel like you need professional help, TalkLocal can help you find the right local computer repair company, saving you time and energy in what may be a stressful situation.

Cloud storage, previously used mostly by large businesses, is becoming more and more popular as a form of data storage and backup for ordinary users.  Previously, users had to manually upload files individually by hand, making backups a hassle.  Now, most backup programs will automatically sync any files in your designated folders to the cloud, making cloud storage much more accessible to the average user.  There are a variety of options for backing up your files in cloud storage for your home, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.  However, most of these either offer a free trial or a storage size limit before you have to switch to the paid plan or buy more space.  Most of these also have monthly fees that you must pay to continue to store your data.

Cloud storage backup solutions for home:

Mozy

Mozy offers 2GB of free storage, $5.99/month to upgrade to a 50GB limit.  Plans cap at 125GB for home users, with a price of $9.99/month.  The 50GB plan limits you to only one PC, and the 125GB plan lets you backup up to three PCs.  You’re able to schedule regular backups and choose specific files outside of the sync folder for backup.

Dropbox

Dropbox offers 2GB of free storage and $9.99/month to upgrade to a 50GB limit.  The more expensive plan is $19.99/month for 100GB of storage space.  The plans may be more expensive, but you will be able to sync to an unlimited number of computers from the same account.  Files in the Dropbox folder will automatically sync, but you can’t sync individual files outside of the folder.

SugarSync

SugarSync is Dropbox’s direct competitor, and prices start at $4.99/month for 30GB of space.  However, you can go up to 500GBs+ for $399.99 a month if you need it.  SugarSync also offer features that DropBox does not have, such as sending files of any size and syncing a file through email.  SugarSync also allows you to sync files from any location on your company.  However, Dropbox also works on Linux systems, and tends to be a bit faster.

IDrive

IDrive offers 5GB of free storage and starts at $4.95/month for 150GB of space.  However, IDrive does not allow syncing to unlimited computers, and is purely a backup service.  They do offer a family service that allows syncing for up to 5 computers for 500GB, and IDrive also keeps up to 30 backed up versions of the same file at no extra charge.

These are only a few cloud storage solutions for your home.  If you want to find out more about cloud storage in general, use TalkLocal to find a computer technician that will be able to tell you more about the different types of cloud storage and the one that is most suited for you.

Apple products are notoriously easy to use and simple to figure out when installing programs.  Macbook computers have one of the most user friendly systems.  When it comes to uninstalling programs, the same applies.  Compared to PC laptops, deleting files from a Mac is easy and hassle-free.  This article will explain how to a uninstall a program on a Macbook.

Possible Solutions

You have two options when trying to uninstall programs from your Macbook.  You can download another application to remove the files or you can do it manually.  You should be careful when using a third party device to delete programs though.  There are some disreputable programs that portray themselves as a trustworthy source, but in actuality may damage your Macbook.

Uninstall using a third party application

Some good third party applications that will remove all traces of installed programs are AppZapper or CleanApp.  These types of packages work when you drag the program you want to uninstall into their folder.  The application will recognize all the other files associated with this program and delete them.  This way all parts of the program you wish to uninstall will be taken care of at once.  One program you should stay away from is CleanMyMac.  This is a dangerous program that implants cookies and monitoring software into your computer.

Uninstall manually

If you would prefer to do this process manually it will take a little longer, but is still much easier than if you were to do so on a PC.  You can go into your computer finder and search for the program you wish to uninstall.  The first thing you should do is drag it into the trash and empty it.  You should also run a spotlight search for that same program and see if there are any remaining folders in which it was installed.  You can also hit “Control+” on the icon to see what files the program has.  The beauty of Mac applications is that it packs all of the files the program needs into one icon/place.

Many applications will leave behind preference files, which save your settings for that program.  These files can be safely deleted. While they may run in the background and take up negligible disk space, but you should still get rid of them if you do not plan to reinstall the program.

Continuing Problems

If you cannot figure out how to delete the program, try consulting with a professional so that you can get the best help possible.  The easiest way to get in contact with reliable IT supports services in your area is TalkLocal. Just submit a service request on the website, stating your problem and availability and let them do all the work.  Within minutes you will be connected to someone who should be able to help you.