PC or MAC ?

[driphoney]

What you're missing is the fact that if you accidently delete the original by mistake you'll have a backup of it. What you're thinking is if the hard drive crashes what is the point. In that case you'll lose it all. The other point is the fact that it takes up no space at all. The autosave is a good thing. One day you'll be happy you have it.

If only I had auto-save! I do have this auto-back-up, but I once worked on a paper for several hours, then minimalized it, thinking it had autosaved. Got distracted with life, the computer froze up. No save. All my changes were lost. It should have auto-saved several times given all the hours I had the document up.

Now I try to be really careful when stopping work on a document to save it.

You have a good point about the back-up though. I haven't turned it off. Can I delete old backup version? (Dumb question, but ... )

 

[sdsioux]

Why don't you do what I do on my computer. Create a new folder, name it whatever you wish, and leave it on your desktop. Everytime you create a new document name it and save it to your desktop. Do whatever with the document save your work as often as you like. When your done drag the document and drop it into the folder you've created. If you want to go back and open it again you'll know exactly where it is. You can use a flash memory to back it up further. That will work with the drag and drop system also. You just have to remember to re-save each time you change. You can copy the entire folder each time.

While I don't use the flash memory for that I do use it to transfer photoshop files between home and work.

At home I invested in an external backup hard drive of 500 gigs. I bought it at Walmart for under a $100.00. My entire computer hard drive is on it. If my computer crashes or I get a virus my data is protected. Unless there is a fire I'm protected.

Give that a try and I think you'll be satisfied.

 

[driphoney]

Why don't you do what I do on my computer. Create a new folder, name it whatever you wish, and leave it on your desktop. Everytime you create a new document name it and save it to your desktop. Do whatever with the document save your work as often as you like. When your done drag the document and drop it into the folder you've created. If you want to go back and open it again you'll know exactly where it is. You can use a flash memory to back it up further. That will work with the drag and drop system also. You just have to remember to re-save each time you change. You can copy the entire folder each time.

While I don't use the flash memory for that I do use it to transfer photoshop files between home and work.

At home I invested in an external backup hard drive of 500 gigs. I bought it at Walmart for under a $100.00. My entire computer hard drive is on it. If my computer crashes or I get a virus my data is protected. Unless there is a fire I'm protected.

Give that a try and I think you'll be satisfied.

I'm going to try it. I've been given a hard time in the past for never using that option. I guess I do what is comfortable. Sure would make opening it at the spur of a moment easier.

Thanks.

 

[sdsioux]

Keep me posted on how i works. I'm new to this messageboard but I assume you can leave me a PM and let me know.

 

[driphoney]

Keep me posted on how i works. I'm new to this messageboard but I assume you can leave me a PM and let me know.

You have to turn your messages on.

Go to the User CP. Then Edit Options. Scroll down until you see Enable Private Messaging.

And welcome to the AH.

 

[sdsioux]

I think I did it right.

 

[Austin8]

The Beatles are on iTunes http://www.apple.com/the-beatles/


http://images.apple.com/home/images/beatles_hero20101116.jpg

 

[fifty5]

I'm going to try it. I've been given a hard time in the past for never using that option. I guess I do what is comfortable. Sure would make opening it at the spur of a moment easier.

Thanks.

First - feel free to ignore this (or better yet, get a second opinion), because it's donkeys' years since I used a Mac, but...

Second - there are three kinds of problem. The first is shooting yourself in the foot - accidentally deleting your own work (maybe when doing a clean up). The second is, again, shooting yourself in the foot by not saving new stuff. The third issue is having a disc fail, so you lose everything.

The answer to the first is to have another copy of your work - in a different file. If you keep the earlier versions in a different folder (maybe inside the folder where the latest version is stored) then it's easier to tell the difference between the latest version and earlier ones, so it's harder to delete the wrong file. (More, because you have to copy the current version manually [and maybe re-name it to include a version number] your little grey cells are actively involved, making it harder to do what you didn't want to do.)

The second problem is where "auto-save" comes in - if that option is available AND you turn it on AND you set the timing to a very few minutes, then you can't lose more than those few minutes work, even in the machine crashes (or you quit without saving).

For the third problem (discs that die) the solution is to use something called RAID. I understand that since OS-X, the Mac operating system is actually a version of Linux. You'll need an expert (or lots of internet research) to get under the hood on a Mac, but Linux has excellent support for RAID. That acronym stands for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Discs. What it means is that instead of using just one hard disc you use two (or more). There are lots of flavours of RAID with various advantages, but for a beginner (like me) it's sensible to stay with "RAID 1." That simply uses 2 discs and automatically writes all files to both of them. That means that when one dies, you still have access to all your work on the other one! You can simply replace the one that died and the system will then copy everything from the survivor onto the new disc, so you have two copies again. Do beware - act fast. I had two that died just after the warranty ran out - and the second one died less than a week later! If I'd acted within that week, I'd have lost nothing (and disc drives are so cheap now!) I've recently had almost the same issue, but I acted fast, spent about a hundred pounds (UK) and preserved something like 500gig of data. More, instead of having discs that were 2/3 full, I now have discs that are only 1/3 full, so my wife can keep on taking hi-resolution photos.

Sorry that I can't tell you how, but I'm pretty confident that RAID 1 is possible on a Mac running under OS-X.

What I hope is that this will tell you what questions to ask a real Mac guru...

 

[3113]

The Beatles are on iTunes http://www.apple.com/the-beatles/

Took 'em long enough--the Beatles, not iTunes. iTunes has been trying to get 'em forever.

As for Macs...I am biding my time, but this little beauty will soon be mine. Oh, yes, it will be mine....

http://www.electricpig.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/MacBook-Air-Review-4-150x150.jpghttp://www.electricpig.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/MacBook-Air-Review-1.jpg

The 11" MacBook Air

 

[Liar]

The 11" MacBook Air

Fiddled around with one on release day. I do edit work for a tech magazine so I get to borrow gadgets they have for review now and then.

Good stuff: Really good screen. Surprisingly good built-in speakers. And oh so pwetty. Fast at some stuff due to solid state disk.

Not so good stuff: Slow at other stuff due to old processor and small memory. (Unless you opt for 4 GB.) No back-lit keyboard. (The resident macaholic had a minor hissy fit over that. But he's a weirdo. I've never felt the need for glowing keys.)

 

[3113]

Fiddled around with one on release day. I do edit work for a tech magazine so I get to borrow gadgets they have for review now and then.

Good stuff: Really good screen. Surprisingly good built-in speakers. And oh so pwetty. Fast at some stuff due to solid state disk.

Not so good stuff: Slow at other stuff due to old processor and small memory. (Unless you opt for 4 GB.) No back-lit keyboard. (The resident macaholic had a minor hissy fit over that. But he's a weirdo. I've never felt the need for glowing keys.)

I want one sooo bad. But I gotta wait till bank account says I can have one

I do plan to get the 4GB as others have said it's a must, and since you can't add more RAM later, it's got to be gotten upfront. And I'm with you on the glowing keys. I find it very strange when people say this is a deal-breaker, but to some it is. The backlight is a nice extra but hardly a necessity. The screen usually provides enough light if I need to search for a function key, and for the rest, I'm a touch typist and I can do without.

What's more problematic to me is that there's no slot for a lock (how can it not get stolen if left out unwatched out on a coffee shop table, right?). I guess I'll just have to take it on bathroom breaks with me.

 

[Austin8]

I want one sooo bad. But I gotta wait till bank account says I can have one

I do plan to get the 4GB as others have said it's a must, and since you can't add more RAM later, it's got to be gotten upfront. And I'm with you on the glowing keys. I find it very strange when people say this is a deal-breaker, but to some it is. The backlight is a nice extra but hardly a necessity. The screen usually provides enough light if I need to search for a function key, and for the rest, I'm a touch typist and I can do without.

What's more problematic to me is that there's no slot for a lock (how can it not get stolen if left out unwatched out on a coffee shop table, right?). I guess I'll just have to take it on bathroom breaks with me.

My MacBook is still working great! I did however want glowing keys... missed the release of the MacBook with the illuminated keyboard by just a few months. This year however Apple is making it more attractive than ever before for a business upgrade with an incentive, so perhaps next year if same said discounts are offered it will be time for a new MacBook, and Ill pass this along to my son.

Ive never thought anything about this lockable slot... Curious.

 

[3113]

Ive never thought anything about this lockable slot... Curious.

Your MacBook undoubtedly has one. The "Airs" don't have one and I suspect it's because the locks themselves are too bulky as in this example:

http://www.mrgadget.com.au/catalog/images/kensington%2064517%20laptop%20notebook%20ComboLock.gif

Locks like that need a laptop that is a certain thickness. MBAs so so thin and rest so flat that using such a lock would tilt them, like putting a rock under one side.

I like having the option of the lock because I tend to do a lot of writing at coffee places. There are spots where I know I can leave my laptop unwatched for however long it takes to go to the counter for another coffee or the restroom, but there are other places where I just don't trust leaving it.

That, however, is my current MacBook. I'd be far more paranoid about this little 11" because it is so thin and small and light, it could be slipped under a person's shirt and hidden. Which is both it's blessing and curse

I'm going to guess someone will start coming out with security locks for this little computer very fast as I think both computers and locks for them will be in demand. But until they do, and presuming I get one, I'll just have to slip it into my purse every time I need to leave the table.

 

[Austin8]

Your MacBook undoubtedly has one. The "Airs" don't have one and I suspect it's because the locks themselves are too bulky as in this example:

http://www.mrgadget.com.au/catalog/images/kensington%2064517%20laptop%20notebook%20ComboLock.gif

Locks like that need a laptop that is a certain thickness. MBAs so so thin and rest so flat that using such a lock would tilt them, like putting a rock under one side.

I like having the option of the lock because I tend to do a lot of writing at coffee places. There are spots where I know I can leave my laptop unwatched for however long it takes to go to the counter for another coffee or the restroom, but there are other places where I just don't trust leaving it.

That, however, is my current MacBook. I'd be far more paranoid about this little 11" because it is so thin and small and light, it could be slipped under a person's shirt and hidden. Which is both it's blessing and curse

I'm going to guess someone will start coming out with security locks for this little computer very fast as I think both computers and locks for them will be in demand. But until they do, and presuming I get one, I'll just have to slip it into my purse every time I need to leave the table.

Yay! I found the *slot* never knew thats what it was for!! My laptop goes where I go, Hmm, Ive never seen anyone lock there's up and leave it though.

 

[3113]

Yay! I found the *slot* never knew thats what it was for!! My laptop goes where I go, Hmm, Ive never seen anyone lock there's up and leave it though.

I do it all the time. Leash the laptop to a chair or table. Anyone wants it they're going to have to break said chair or table