A Surprise Computer Fix, Part 2

So, yesterday, I ended by saying my Apple email wasn't showing old or new emails.  AOL was allowing my Cavebear account just fine but not Marksmews (cats) or Yardenman (gardening).  I like separated and themed user names...

I decided to figure out passwords to try and get my email of those 2 in AOL.  They have been unhelpful in the past, so I didn't even bother calling them.  I looked up stuff on the net.  That is always difficult.  I'm not a beginner, but not an expert either.  I live in the awkward world where I have an idea what experts are telling me but not understanding all the instructions.  Experts assume "some things".  Like what the heck is a "kernal panic"?

But I did get enough to try setting up AOL email accounts.  One site told me the locations within AOL to look at email accounts.  Another suggested way to establish a new password.  None of them worked immediately, but I kept trying some of them.  All failed.  Everytime I tried a new account, I got my Cavebear account login on Safari.

I opened Firefox and tried the same things.  I actually got a different sign-in page!  I entered my Mark's Mews email address and searched around.  I found a place for re-setting a password.  It asked some security questions.  That was difficult'

I have my accounts and passwords on paper (no one can hack THAT).  But over the years, I have scribbled notes of changes and drawn lines to new passwords, etc.  Its a MESS!  I really have to update the Excel spreadsheet of those (its on a standalone computer).  But I found enough in the scribbles to answer the security questions.

I was shocked to discover that AOL had that data and allowed me to establish a new password for Marksmews email account.  But it said I had to restart my computer.  OK, I can do that, and did. 

The Marksmews email account didn't show up in Safari, but it did in Firefox.  I have NO idea why.  But there (Oh happily there) was the Marksmews email account ON AOL.  Previous discussions with AOL agents said that was not possible without a standard monthly fee.  On my screen, there was no mention of a fee.  I am assuming they lied about that.

And when I opened the MarksMews email account on Firefox in AOL (my Cavebear account is bookmarked on Safari), all the old emails and the new 10 days of emails all showed up!  Among them were the notifications from Chewy about my autoship.  So they were not to blame.  

I bookmarked it on Firefox.  I closed Firefox.  I reopened it on Firefox.  The email account shows up in AOL!  I sent emails back and forth to myself.  It worked.  I got one account solved.

Something successful every day is good...

A Surprise Computer Fix, Part 1

Yeah another computer post.  But this time, an interesting and unexpected fix.

 Two things happened.  First, I received an unexpected autoship shipment of cat food from Chewy.  I am supposed to get an email from them advising me of an upcoming autoship (in case I want to cancel or change it).  I did not get an email about that.  I was kind of upset because there were a few flavors The Mews don't love and I didn't receive a notification email in order to change that.

I thought about how that might occur.  First, maybe Chewy had accidentally duplicated the previous order.   Second, since I had been delaying autoship orders the past few months (I get damaged cans), they had sent stuff to keep me as a customer.

The actual reason didn't occur to me at first....  I had 3 email accounts with Verizon once.  I read them all EASILY using Apple Mail.  They sold all their email accounts to AOL with a promise they would all be maintained for free (as it was on Verizon).   

It hasn't been a good experience.  AOL hates people having multiple email accounts.  My Cavebear account (the general one) works fine on AOL (probably because I transferred that one first.  AOL has fought me tooth and nail over the Marksmews and Yardenman accounts.  They want a monthly "support fee" for each (and it was, as I said) supposed to be free.  But I could still receive emails to those (but not send or reply from them.

So, having the new computer mostly working (some apps needed upgrades due to the new non-Intel chip) and some few apps and files just wouldn't migrate (mostly fixed now), I looked at the email accounts.  I discovered that the migration to the new computer stopped my Apple mail MarksMews and Yardenman accounts.  

I could see previous MarksMews emails, but not after April 27th.  Worse, the next day, all the old emails were gone.  As if my Apple mail accounts never existed.  It was only a week, so I hadn't realized that there were no new ones.  That sometimes happens.

And then it struck me that Chewy probably had send a notification of impending autoship, but the emails weren't showing up.  I'll stop here for now.  People get bored reading about computer problems in general and this is getting too long anyway.

More tomorrow...

Rehabilitating The Computer, Part 2

Oh, it's going to be one of THOSE posts; I made 3 typos tonight in the title alone.  LOL! I'm actually typing this Sat night, but it kinna late to post.  

But the RAM has been upgraded from 8 GB to 16.  It was scheduled for 4-6 PM Thursday, but the technician had some difficult repairs and then rush hour traffic problems made it unreasonable (Washington traffic is among the worst in the US and any accident just brings it to a screaming-mad halt). So we rescheduled to Sat 9-11 AM.  I wasn't exactly "thrilled", but things happen.  

He arrived early in the time-slot, so that was good.  I must say, he had 2 impressive bags of tools.  Well, it's an on-site service, so he has to have everything with him.  And I have to say that he was friendly, experienced, and helpful (even answered some unrelated  questions I had - I always try to learn a little bit during household repairs).

I left him to his work (mostly) but dropped into the room a few times just out of curiosity.   It isn't often I get to see the insides of a computer.  So I learned a few things.  The Mac-Mini has a fan, though I never heard it or noticed an airflow input).  Apparently it is a better fan than Window Companies use ("heavier and more wings".  The hard drive is the size of a Bridge playing card and is "solid state".  

I had my Mac upside down for some reason; probably some thought about how the ON button should be placed.  The circle I had on top is a combination base and Wi-Fi antenna (no harm done, though).  The RAM cards were more familiar-looking; you can see some circuitry.  

I originally bought the RAM upgrade chips months ago, but feared to attempted it.  The online instructions said you need special screwdriver bits and a "IFixIt".  I have some odd driver bits, but I didn't know what an IFixIt was.  And there were dire warnings about static electricity damage.  So I chickened out and finally called for the experts...

And a good thing I did!  It took the guy 2 hours to exchange the RAM chips.  It turns out that IFixIt is a massive case of REALLY weird driver bits that I didn't have a HOPE of having.  I couldn't have done it even WITH the right tools.  And he said the 2018 Mac-Mini (mine) was unusually difficult to work on.  

He had to almost completely disassemble it!  Replacing the RAM chips was the EASY part.  And even then, some very tiny connectors and 2 rubber insulators (and I THINK), a metal MESH heat-disippation cover gave him some trouble.  I'm far-sighted and can't see anything without reading glasses or a magnifier lens up close, so I NEVER could have done it anyway.  

After he was done, we talked for a few minutes (as I said, he was friendly).  First, he liked my (home-made) computer desk.  It's old but sturdy at 5' by 30".  By "old" I mean it even has a 12"x 1" slot cut though the top and a platform below for fanfold paper (remember that stuff?).  

Second, he said the computer was very clean inside.  Considering I smoke (and only while on the computer these days) I was amazed.  He said it looked perfect.  Good for years...

Third, he said he needed to test the computer to make sure every seemed to be working.  That was humerus.  I'm right-handed, but hold the mouse oddly, so I have the mouse buttons reversed.  From my earliest office days to the present, anytime an IT guy had to work on my computer I warned them of that.      I tell them to just reverse the buttons to "normal" (it's SO easy) They always shrug it off saying they'll adjust.  They never do!  And they always keep frustrating themselves.  They just keep pressing the wrong side button (it's muscle-memory).

But we tested out some apps and sites.  The Apple Menu confirmed it was reading 16 GB.  He wanted to test an online site, so I directed him to the Mark's Mews Blog.  He had seen Lori wandering around the room and mentioned he had 2 cats, so that seemed like a good place.  And he took a picture of the blog address to visit later.

He mentioned having to be professionally neutral among Apple/Windows/others.  So to test my files folders, (and because he asked why I preferred Apple, I directed his attention to Finder.  Its like Windows Directory, but better).  That was working fine, too.  But I pointed his attention to the organization of my files/folders.

I am very organized.  Well, there is a reason I was a Federal Agency Project Manager.  He loved how organized I was.  Some people have all their files dumped in "Documents".  I have 6 folders just for categories of pictures and all my spreadsheet and word documents are similarly separated by subject. He loved it.  And it demonstrated to him that my computer was working fine after the "operation".

He loved my keyboard.  That might not seem odd, but I wear the letters off regular keyboard in mere months.  I found one with ingrained keys (daskeyboard) months ago and there isn't the least loss of key symbols since.  He didn't love my motley assembly of adapters.  Said they were slowing things down and making the hard drive work slightly harder.  And it is true.  I have adaptors to adaptors.  I keep old equipment connected until it just doesn't work anymore.  

So he gave so free advice and brought up sites that provided more direct connections.  I mean, even the 2018 Mac Mini has ports I couldn't understand.  So he explained:  Those tiny ones are "thunderbolt ports".  My external multi-port adapters I was using were really slowing things down.  And that I had wireless connections I wasn't using.  There is an Satechi Apple-dedicated keyboard he thinks I might prefer.  There is also a Satechi base that exactly matches the Mac Mini and adds various ports.  Add he says they provide the best adaptors.  I'll be looking at them...

I know about "last mile" cable connections causing slowdowns.  And I know about UPS and FedEx using the USPS to make final divers for cost and speed cost and efficiency reasons.  I DIDN'T know that last inch of adaptors was slowing things down.  Normally, I don't do things that require much speed.  BUT!  It makes a difference when downloading updates to apps or the whole O/S.  And I HATE sitting around for an hour during some major updates.  

I need an update to Firefox.  I'll see if it "feels" like it works faster after this RAM upgrade.  But mostly, I will know if the RAM upgrade helps if I stop getting warnings to "free up some RAM".  And if the computer wakes up from "sleep mode" and doesn't make the monitor go on and off fuzzily several times "sometimes" before coming up normally.

If all this makes sense to you, GREAT.  If not, just read it as details of me learning from a tech guy and relating it to past and present experience.  I know "some stuff" but not much.  Hardware is nearly invisible.  Software is easier, only because the apps guide me through the choices.  And even the software drives me crazy.

I have the RAM upgraded.  Now it is time to tackle the tangle of email apps.  AOL recognizes my cavebear account but not marksmews or yardenman.  Apple email reads marksmews and yardenman, but not cavebear.  And I can't reply FROM marksmews or yardenman, so have to forward those emails to AOL cavebear.  

I have an AOL, gmail and an iCloud email account for cavebear.  It has gotten TOTALLY out of control!    AOL is threatening my account there because of "3rd party" reading issues, gmail (Google) wants to make itself my exclusive provider, and I don't like that Apple iCloud keeps my data "away".  I love my stuff "here on the Mac Mini (safer from data-extraction).  

So that's the work for this week...  

Email Accounts

This is long and has a pretty good ending, but you'll have to read to get to it!  And I'm writing this is relatively good humor, as you'll see by the end.  Consider it "a novel to read in 20 minutes".  I'm done complaining.  LOL!

I originally set up 3 email accounts on Verizon mail years ago (2008).  It was quite easy.  So I set up a primary email for myself (friends, family, shopping, my Cavebear's Lair blog).  That is me "in general".

I set up one for the cat blog (Mark's Mews).  That one gets 95% of all my emails of course.  Mostly notifications on comments.  It is easier to read them in email than actually going to the blog.  And all of those are saved that way "just in case".

I set one up for my garden posts and forums (Yardenman).

I was happy as a pig in mud.  I loved being organized in my slightly different 3 personas.  No deceit intended, but it was just easier to have family, cat blog, and garden forums separate.

And then, in 2017, Verizon sold their email accounts to AOL.  "Rest assured", they said, "you keep your email addresses forever, and will get more experienced service at no cost.  This is for YOUR benefit".  I ask, are there more chilling marketing words than that?

AOL is used to people having one email.  But they worked hard to get my 3 accounts transferred.  And they did succeed.  I ended up with a dozen different passwords and I wasn't sure which went to which email account, but they assured me they could always find it or give me a new one.  No cost.  I was a legacy from Verizon, and free service was part of the contract.

Nothing is forever...

When I foolishly downloaded Mac OS 'Catalina'  last November, everything to Hell in a Handbasket, as they say.  Catalina was a 64-bit system and none of my 32-bit apps worked.  And it was not reversable.  Apple WANTS everyone to "progress" and that meant 64 bit.  I kicked like a mule and I bit like a crocodile.  Didn't do me any good.  Catalina wasn't leaving my computer. 

So I pulled out the previous Mac Mini (that didn't have 'Catalina') and started migrating the Catalina one to it.  I had some short cables, so I had to snuggle both Macs on one desk.  Along the way, I moved one that still had an overlooked cable attached

That cable caught my wine glass and spilled it onto the Catalina Mac.  It's OK to laugh.  I'm trying to write this as a comic-tragedy...  The Catalina Mac was immediately fried.  Dead.  No power.  Drowned.  Zombied.  6' under.  You get the point....

So I had the older one I stopped using in 2017.  But I also had an external backup from a few days before.  On Mac, it is called "Time Machine".  Theoretically, you can restore your computer  down to the last email setting from it. 

But what they don't tell you is that it has to be the same computer.  To a different computer, it is just a collection of apps and docs and folders.  Guess who was on "a different computer"?

I tried everything for a couple months.  Ceiling Cat KNOWS I tried (I'll get some credit for that somehow someday, I'm sure, but not NOW).

I bought a new Mac Mini, not realizing that it was a cloud computer and had little memory.  I was able to return it.  I bought a real one.  1TB and faster stuff.  So I confidently went to use "Migration Assistant".  Apple says it will copy everything from an old computer to a new one.  Guess what doesn't work as claimed?  It copied most of the old Mac, but not the photos or email or settings. 

I'm going to guess it is partially my fault.  I customize and organize my computer files freely and in ways the designers probably didn't expect. 

When we got our first office computers (Convergent Technology, aka C3) in the early 90s , the spreadsheet was called Multiplan.  It had a way to link files together.  I linked freely.  I crashed the system.  Not to the point where our Data guys were upset, but to where the Multiplan programmers and C3 managers called me asking what I had done.  Well, it was more like "What the F ing H*ll did you do

I told them that I had explored their spreadsheet and used the features.  They had to rewrite large parts of their spreadsheet code to allow what I did.  I am very likely infamous at C3 and possibly mentioned in some software articles from the time.  

So I can get around software given a half a chance, and I find things the programmers didn't think of.  I couldn't fully migrate the old mac to the new one.  The Photos would NOT go (too many I suspect).  The settings wouldn't transfer (I had to many alterations?) maybe.  My mail wouldn't go at all!

I got the photos transferred one folder at a time using an external HD.  The new computer didn't like it the way I did it, but it has to copy files directly if you are determined enough.  On tyhe other hand, you can't MAKE it copy "settings" apparently.

So then I called AOL about the email.  Remember that part about free service forever?  Forget that. Never heard of it.  And they hate us legacy Verizon email users.  They ARE stuck with keeping our email addresses working though.  I have no idea why that and not the free service, but that is money and who really knows what the contract actually says.

They demanded I have a separate phone to receive temporary codes.  I only have the landline (yeah, I'm THAT primitive).  Call waiting would work, but I had never set that up and wasn't even sure I had it.  AND they wanted me to pay $5 monthly for a support account for each email account.  I went for one for the Cavebear email account.  If I had to live with one, that's "me".

They got that working, but refused to touch the others unless they could send a text or voice code to a separate number.

Well, after finally getting the photos moved and setting up new setting all around, I set up a "chat" with a Verizon agent.  She told me I had call waiting and how to activate it.  Stupid me, it was right there on a phone button!

But armed with call-waiting, I confidently called AOL again, expecting to have to pay $5 per month for tech support for each account.  And expecting to have trouble understanding what the agent was saying.

And THIS is why I am so thrilled.  First, imagine an Asian Indian/Irish accent (it sounded beautiful whatever it was).    Second, imagine not being asked to sign up for a year's worth of monthly payment for 3 accounts.  Third, imagine someone who cheerfully led me through all the stages of all 3 accounts (correcting a few previous mistakes by the previous AOL agents) for over an hour and got all 3 accounts working AND even helped me get the email accounts under my Inbox.

I even asked her if she enjoyed her job when it takes so long for a customer like me and she said she really does enjoy helping people with difficult problems.    She seemed sincere.  OK, I get that.  Sometimes I spend hours at a gardening site answering questions that will never benefit me in any way.

And another thing.  They always tell you a name when they start and you never remember it.  So when I told her at the end that she was the most helpful tech person I ever dealt with and wanted to commend her to AOL, she requested I didn't.  I was stunned.

After we tested sending a few emails between my accounts to be sure it was all working, I thanked her and hung up.

And I immediately emailed AOL.  I told them I didn't have her name, but I gave them the case number, and that they had better make her "Employee Of The Year" because she did what 5 other of their agents didn't! 

I do have 11,000+ emails to sort out, but that is sure better than none.  I can do that.

And I did an internet search about where my Firefox bookmarks are.  I learned I can't "import" them because they don't get the idea of importing from Firefox to Firefox.  I'll bet I can import them to Safari and THEN to Firefox.  I LOVE "workarounds", LOL!

I have duplicate pictures that won't go away using a "duplicate-remover" app.  I'll remove them manually over the next few weeks. 

BTW, I learned the difference between email settings of POP and SMTP.  Email providers love POP because it is simpler.  SMTP files are recoverable.  POP files aren't.  Take a look at your email settings and see which you have...  If they are POP, call your email provider and demand a change.

But nearly everything is re-established on my new computer.  3 months of misery.  But you know what?  Next year, I will hardly even remember it.   Times heals all wounds.  And in the grand scheme of things, the past 3 months will not matter next year. 

Happiness to all.  My computer life is finally coming back into order...

And thanks to all who read this far.

Mark