iPhone upgrade warning....

Happy Holiday's everyone!

So I spent my holiday in a frantic trying to recover the data from a failed update. Apparently you can't migrate your data from iPhone OS 1.1.1 to 3.1.3 . iTunes doesn't tell you this and all the internet searches say "It's easy." NO it's not. Not sure if it's Apple propaganda or not. Good luck getting support for an out of warranty Apple device.

The firmware update happend flawlessly. The phone came back and booted into the home screen. Then it said to restore the data. After that the phone stayed on the Apple logo and the status bar never moves.

An update without the users data is useless...

BUT! I have a fix and managed to learn a few things...

1. BACK UP! Always back up before you perform any upgrade or update!

2. Apple sucks for backwards compatibility. They REALLY aren't backward compatible friendly. If the device is "Out of scope" it's just not supported. Like 64-bit on older iMacs that have a 64-bit processor, but due to a bios lock you can't run Snow Leopard in 64bit mode. WHY?? Oh, that's right. I have to buy a new iMac because the one that's only 3 years old isn't supported. End of life...

3. It's NOT easy locating Apple fixes in online searches. I pull up A LOT of pages telling you how to do it. Not many, when it fails and it does fail.

4. Apple.com support KB's sucks even more. Their searches are almost useless.

So, how did I recover?

1. Look for where your back up is stored. The file names won't look like anything you know. I had to go by the date and time it was modified. Copy the entire folder to a USB drive or other locations. DO NOT use the original files. You may need to go back to them.

On a Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
On Windows XP: \Documents and Settings\(username)\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\
On Windows Vista and Windows 7: \Users\(username)\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

2. I located an app. http://www.iphonebackupextractor.com/ It saved my life for $25.

3. I extracted the data from the files and there is no easy way to get the files back on the phone. EXCEPT... to export the Contacts as CSV files and Calendar as iCal file.

Both Hotmail and Gmail support Active Sync. I suggest importing them into those mail clients and use Active Sync to get your mail. This will also provide an online back up for all your contacts so in the future something like this won't be a disaster.

I hope this helps.

Browser Has Been Hijacked ?

• Home page or other settings change on your computer. Links are added that point to websites that you'd usually avoid.
• You can't navigate to certain web pages, such as antispyware and other security software sites.
• A seemingly endless barrage of ads pops up on your screen.
• New toolbars or Favorites are installed that give you icons and links to web pages that you don't want.
• Your computer runs sluggishly. Malicious software can slow down your computer.

The following six tips can help restore your browser's settings:

1. Stop cascading pop-up windows. If endless pop-up windows appear on your screen, you'll probably want to stop them first. To do this in Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows 2000 while using Internet Explorer:
   • Press CTRL+ALT+DEL, click Task Manager, and then click the Processes tab.
   • Click IEXPLORE.EXE, and then click the End Processbutton.
   This closes all instances of Internet Explorer. Then you can re-open the program to continue browsing as usual. To help prevent future attacks, you should also have a pop-up blocker turned on.
   To turn on the pop-up blocker in Internet Explorer 8 click theTools button (the gear icon), point to Pop-up Blocker, and then click Turn On Pop-Up Blocker.
   To turn on the pop-up blocker in Internet Explorer 7:
   • Click Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Privacy tab.
   • In the Pop-up Blocker box, select the Block pop-upscheck box. Click OK.
   If you still experience the other effects of a hijacked web browser, try the following:
2. Install Microsoft Security Essentials or another antivirus and antispyware program. Microsoft Security Essentials is free software that will help protect your computer from malicious software such as viruses or spyware. Many browser hijacking programs can be identified and removed by downloading, installing, and running Microsoft Security Essentials or a similar tool.
3. Run the Malicious Software Removal Tool . This can catch some, but not all, kinds of hijacking software.
4. Reset Internet Explorer settings. If you're using Internet Explorer and your home page has been changed, you can often reset it yourself.
   Note If you use Microsoft Security Essentials, Forefront Client Security, Windows Defender, or the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool and these tools have detected and removed hijacking software from your computer, these tools might change your home page and your search page to help protect against the malicious software.
   For more information and step-by-step instructions, see How to restore your Internet Explorer home page and search page preferences.
5. Disable add-ons. Many browser hijackings come from add-ons, also known as ActiveX controls, browser extensions, browser helper objects, or toolbars. These items can improve your experience on a website by providing multimedia or interactive content, such as animations. However, some add-ons can cause your computer to stop responding or display content that you don't want, such as pop-up ads.
   To learn how to disable add-ons in Windows Vista or Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), read How do browser add-ons affect my computer?
6. Get more help. call 1-866- PC safety
7. go online to Here let system try and fix these issues for you.

This is a combo of article posted on the Microsoft site.

Taken from http://blog.mir.net/2010/10/browser-has-been-hijacked.html . Great post Jay!

FREE Antivirus from Microsoft

No need to buy an Antivirus program. Microsoft offers one free to all it's users.

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

About Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.

Microsoft Security Essentials is a free* download from Microsoft that is simple to install, easy to use, and always kept up to date so you can be assured your PC is protected by the latest technology. It’s easy to tell if your PC is secure — when you’re green, you’re good. It’s that simple.

Microsoft Security Essentials runs quietly and efficiently in the background so that you are free to use your Windows-based PC the way you want—without interruptions or long computer wait times.

*Your PC must run genuine Windows to install Microsoft Security Essentials. Learn more about genuine

Expanded Parental Controls in Windows 7 using Live

Live is actually a great FREE service offered by Microsoft. There's much more that I will highlight in a later post.

For the parents out there.

Expanded Parental Controls in Windows 7 using Microsoft's Live service.
http://explore.live.com/windows-live-family-safety

1. Different rules for different ages.
2. Filter out the bad stuff.
3. Detailed activity reports.
4. Limit who they contact online.

I'm thinking about writing a manual for this. Any interest?

Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

A great book from Seth Godin. Especially in this job market.
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

The Brand Called You | Fast Company

A great article from 1997. It still holds true and it's something I've practiced since reading it. My business card design was based upon it, my business ideas and advice I give out to people who are branching off to do their own thing or even in their current position.

Be different. Stand out from the rest.

The Brand Called You Fast Company

1st post... introduction.

After many years and different versions of atchan.com over the years. I've decided on going with the "Blog" format for my welcome page. Since creating my own business card, it seems that people have been visiting my site with nothing but a "Coming Soon", so welcome to something new!