Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • Zombie Computers 101

    I was recently forwarded an email from a customer who is having issues with his portable computer waking from sleep, and sometimes even going to sleep. He, like many people with similar issues, wants to know why. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and sight-unseen, there’s no real way to diagnose the machine. Since it’s such a common occurrence, though, let’s talk about possible scenarios.

    For a machine not waking properly from sleep, there are a few basic troubleshooting steps that one can take before bringing the computer in for service. They can try resetting their PRAM, which clears out the Non-Volatile RAM that may have corrupt settings stored in it. Resetting the System Management Controller or Power Management Unit (depending on the machine) is the next step as that clears out potentially corrupt preferences in how your system is controlling power.

    If neither of those works, or if it only works temporarily, the next step is usually to try an Archive and Install of the system software, or if you have a good backup and want to really be thorough in your troubleshooting, you can try an Erase and Install. There are a few folks out there who believe an Archive and Install is the placebo equivalent of a school nurse taking your temperature for a broken leg, I firmly believe that is not the case and have seen many a bizarre software glitch fixed with a simple Archive and Install. Fresh operating system = Good Times.

    So let’s say you’ve done all of that, and still your machine doesn’t wake properly from sleep. My next troubleshooting step would be to try known-good RAM. RAM can be a sneaky culprit as the processors are constantly transferring information to and from it for quick access. If the RAM is failing, this can cause software corruption. This is particularly frustrating when one has a system that is constantly becoming corrupt but always resolves temporarily after an Archive and Install. While there are plenty of at-home memory tests out there, they can often produce false-negatives (and even in rare cases false-positives). Want to rule out memory? Try running the machine with a fresh chip, run another Archive and Install and see if the issue reoccurs.

    Have you now done everything above and are still having issues? It might be time to bring it in for repair. While at this point some technicians make the mistake of jumping right to the logic board, often times sleep issues are caused by a defective sleep sensor. This is more likely in the case of a machine that puts itself to sleep (as opposed to one that has trouble waking up). In rare cases, a defective temperature sensor or flex cable can cause sleep/wake errors as well.

    There are two more machine-specific hot tips to check that could help your technician diagnose the issue. First off, if you have a 15″ PowerBook that is putting itself to sleep, check the Console logs and if you see “PMU Overtemp” you most likely need your top case replaced (where the sleep switch on that model is located). Have a MacBook Pro that’s waking up in your bag or when you pick it up closed from the right-hand side? That most likely needs a top case too.

  • Happy Tuesday,

    Once or twice each generation, there are perhaps a handful of days that most people on this planet will remember for the rest of their lives. It’s tough to argue that today isn’t one of them, regardless of your political affiliation or preferences. I am overjoyed not only to see the racial barrier fall and the fulfillment of Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream, but also to finally have a change in leadership after President Bush’s two terms in office.

    Our network at the Small Dog headquarters in Waitsfield was overwhelmed with employees trying to stream video of the inauguration. We operate on a 1.5 megabit T1 connection for our private network, and a six megabit DSL network for our showroom, so it’s not too surprising we had some issues. In the end, many of us tuned to Vermont Public Radio or gathered at the plasma screen in the showroom to watch history unfold from The New York Times’ video stream.

    Here’s to the change we so desperately need.

    Keep in touch,

    Matt
    matt@smalldog.com

  • Expansion Plans!

    Times are tight right now, but Small Dog Electronics vows to make this a productive and successful year. We are hoping to expand…

  • Vermont's Newest, Must-Have Accessory

    The AT&T bag… it’s so hot right now. Don was spotted carrying one back into the office today, after I snagged one yesterday….

  • SPECIALS | 01/16/09 – 01/23/09

    View specials while on-hand supplies last. Please note that some specials may not be available in our retail stores; check for availability.

    See all specials on our Specials Page: http://www.smalldog.com/specials

  • I am speaking on a panel on health care reform this weekend. With the current economic crisis, health care reform is getting more attention as an economic development issue. I believe we have a unique opportunity at this most dire moment for our economy to make some fundamental changes to how health care is financed in our country.

    I look forward to hearing our new President’s inauguration address on Tuesday–it should be a truly historic moment.

    Thanks for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
    _Don, Kali & Ed_

  • FEATURE OF THE WEEK | 01/16/09 – 01/23/09

    The iPod classics used to be available for 80GB and 160GB, but is now only being distributed by Apple in 120GB capacities, which “we sell for $249.99.”:http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/x/Apple|iPod_classic

    Some people want or need even more storage than that, so we were able to track down some of the remaining 160GB iPod classics, in both silver and black. These are $299.99. Need less capacity for less money? We also have some remaining “80GB iPod classics for only $199.99 (silver only).”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/70098

    We’re shipping these with free leather flip cases (actually, we’re offering all iPod classics with a free leather flip case). Any order over $200 ships free, and we don’t charge sales tax on any orders that ship out of Vermont!

  • Join Us on Facebook and Twitter

    Remember to sign up to become a fan of Small Dog on Facebook! We will continue to randomly choose two contest winners per month from our Facebook fans as January comes to a close.

    If you’re not already in our Facebook group, you can join here:
    “Small Dog Electronics on Facebook.”:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Small-Dog-Electronics/18904017006

    Not on Facebook? “Sign up here.”:http://www.facebook.com

    A fan of Twitter instead? We post Mac tips, tricks, news, contests and more on our Twitter feed.

    Follow us now!
    “Small Dog Electronics on Twitter.”:https://twitter.com/hellosmalldog

  • Printing in iPhoto '08: More Than Meets the "i"

    iPhoto ’08 really has a lot of cool options–and not just for manipulating photos. There are a lot of options when it comes to printing too. The days of just printing a photo (and only that) are over. You can choose fun layouts, multiple photos on a page, shapes, borders and even print things like they’re on a mat board!

    Highlight/select the photos you want to print up. Hit File > Print

    You will see this screen:

    (Yes, yes, that gorgeous little beauty is me about 20 years ago!)

    On the left, you can choose what kind of border you want to have around the photo. Here, I chose the “Simple Mat” option (so the computer automatically added the tan border around the photo I chose). I can just hit Print, frame it, and (depending on the type of paper I used–matte, glossy or standard paper) it can look like I spent a lot of money mounting this picture before I framed it!

    At the bottom part of the screen you have the “Paper Size” and “Print Size” options. “Paper Size” lets you choose from different paper layouts like US Legal Size, US Letter, A4, your own custom size, etc. The “Print Size” will let you choose how small or large you want the picture to be. (How about wallet size? Or heck, you could even blow this picture up to poster size if your printer could handle it and put my cute picture on the fridge!)

    Last but not least, the customize button under the picture will let you choose from the following:

    * *Themes:* Change the type of border like in the main print window.
    * *Background:* Change the paper that surrounds your photo (the mat). There are about 20 different options from solid colors to fun patterns like the ones pictured below!

    * *Borders:* Choose the type of Mat you want. Standard to large.
    * *Layout:* You can choose if you want more than one picture (you can go up to four pictures at a time) or if you want the picture shape to be round, oval, vertical, or horizontal, etc.

    Then finally, if you have the picture selected, you can use the “Adjust” button to move the picture around so it fits correctly with the mat/border that you picked. It will also let you change the color, exposure, temperature or reduce the “Noise” of the picture as well, among many other options.

    We will be reporting back on the features in iPhoto ’09 soon in future issues of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Happy printing!

  • Quick Tip of the Week: Getting an Image Out of Pages

    Have you ever received a Pages document with in-line photos, charts or other images that you wanted to save?

    The dilemma: When you try to drag images out of Pages, it won’t let you. Nor will it allow you to copy and paste the image anywhere.

    The fix:
    1) Click the image you want to save in the document to select it
    2) Go to the Inspector (the blue circular “i” icon in the top right part of the Pages document window)
    3) In the Inspector window, click the Ruler icon (which indicates Metrics) and you will see the image name in the File Info box
    4) Select the small icon to the left of the file name and drag it to wherever you would like to save it

    *Note: It’s a great idea to get to know the Inspector tool well, because Apple has integrated it into multiple apps (among them, Keynote, Numbers and iWeb) for superior ease of use!*