For those who are trying to decide on a new computer for their Princeton, NJ business, no debate rages quite as hard as as the Mac and PC battle. How to decide between a Mac and a PC isn't always the easiest thing to unfurl. Both have quite passionate followings that will swear that they have chosen the better option. Still, the result actually isn't so clear cut: instead it comes down to the smallest details that will make or break how you feel about your computer.

If you do your research when deciding between a Mac and a PC, you can't really go wrong: there are strong options in both fields. It becomes less a matter of what the computer does but instead how you feel about using it and your personal taste.

Differences Between Mac and PC: More or Less?

When you buy a Mac, you are sending a certain kind of message. This is the company (Apple) that gives us many of the most popular pieces of technology. There is a certain amount of style to them. Mac only offers six different computer styles with a limited amount of choice there. Instead, they build the "best" possible computers that make the choices for you. If you aren't the type of person who likes to think about RAM, hardware, or disk space, a Mac could be the perfect option.

On the other hand, PCs are much easier to customize. There are over a dozen major PC manufacturers that produce different pieces of equipment, though most run through the Windows operating system. You have limitless choices in the styles and configurations that you want. This allows you to find exactly what you want or even build it - though it could take you more time and effort.

You have to make the choice about how much you need to personalize your computer when deciding between Macs and PCs. This is something we see quite often at our Princeton, NJ location: people want to personalize and then realize they cannot.

Don't Just Worry About Price When Comparing Mac and PC

Macs have the same reputation that most Apple products do: they are quite expensive when compared to other components. However, that means that there is also a trade off: they are also better at performance and far more reliable than other options.

In fact, there is so much to discuss that the comparison of price when deciding between a Mac and a PC is enough to be a series of blogs on their own. PCs and macs typically have different software and components, so you have to take those additional costs into consideration as well.

Since they have a lower cost, PCs have always been a great option for those who are looking to choose between basic computing functions, like going on the web or typing papers, versus those who make art or edit videos on their computers.

Deciding Between Mac and PC: Are You A Techie?

If you are considering a Mac, there are a smaller number of choice that you have to make and the number of choices you can make within those choices is also small. You may be able to upgrade the RAM and hard drive of a Mac. PCs, on the other hand, have many different options that you can switch out to really get something special if you have the time and budget. Things you may want to think about include:

• How you will use the computer
• How long you plan on keeping it
• Can you do some of your own maintenance

Apple makes both the hardware and the software of a Mac, so you only have one place to turn if you need to do maintenance or have an issue - and they can typically be resolved quite quickly. On the other hand, PCs can take some time as you may have to go through different vendors.

Macs vs. PCs: Does Software Matter?

A few years ago, it was easy to choose whether you should get a Mac or a PC based on the type of software that you wanted to use. Most businesses had Windows because it was seen as the more accessible option. Digital media people had the Mac computers because of editing, photo and other creativity apps.

That simply isn't true anymore. PCs still tend to dominate within the workplace, many software programs have version for both types. Software is a smaller issue than it used to be so unless you are going to use some very obscure piece of software that only works on one type of computer, you really don't have to weigh this when deciding between Macs and PCs.

Do You Want To Play Games?

If you are a gamer, you have probably always used a PC and there truly isn't a reason to change that now. PCs can stream games from different gaming devices and there is simply a larger variety of options on PC than on Mac.

If you plan to use your computer to play games, there is really only one option here: PC.

Which One Is More Secure? Macs vs. PCs

At one time, PCs were thought to be the more unsecured of the two, but Windows has certainly become more reliable as time has passed. Mac is still known for its stability, but there is not quite as much of a difference anymore.

Still, it is important to note that the odds of getting a virus or malware on your PC are still higher than with a Mac.

That said, there have also been more mac attacks lately, with the Keyranger ransomware wreaking havoc and attacking the OS* X operating system and encrypted all files on a hard drive until users paid an extortion fee.

Proper antivirus could help you.

There are some clear cut differences between Macs and PCs, so you have to determine which of those differences means the most to you.

Looking for the Best Computer Services in New Jersey? Call: (908) 332-5051

Many companies use Mac computers in their offices, but they aren't necessarily using them to the fullest. If you have a Mac for work, there has never been a better time than now to explore what you can get out of it. The best Mac and MacBook computers can do many things that PCs and other computers cannot.

When you are using a Mac, one of the biggest benefits you will receive is that you do not need to install a lot of third-party apps like you may have had to do before. Everything works how you want it to right off the bat.

Now, since most people aren't aware of what those things are, we've compiled a list:

1. You Can Actually Run Windows

While most people who have a Mac probably aren't interested in running Windows, it is actually something that you can do. Whether there is a niche piece of software that you want to use but it doesn't have a Mac equivalent. Or maybe you are just interested in the interface more because it is what you are used to using. Either way, it is an option.

You can run Windows alongside macOS with an app or you can run it full tilt on your hardware.

2. Sign PDFs Directly In Mail

One of the hardest things to do, no matter how computer savvy you are, has always been signing PDFs. If you are emailed a PDF, most people will print it, sign it, and then scan it right back in - but you do not have to do that with a Mac.

Instead, you can drag the PDF into the email you intend to send, hover over it at the top right, and see a small button appear. When you click on that, you will get a wide range of markup options, including the option to sign it. You can either take a picture of your signature or sign it on your own.

3. Use Split Screen

If you are working in two windows or apps side by side, you can use the Split Screen view. Hold down and left click on the app's green maximize button to drag it into position on either side of the display. Then, pick the second window and snap it to the other side. While this does obscure the launches and the menu bar, you will be able to work with fewer distractions.

4. View Another Screen Remotely

Sharing screens is sometimes necessary to complete work. One easy way to do this is to use the Screen Sharing app on Mac. You need to know the Apple ID of the person you are trying to share with. They will have to look in the iCloud pane of the System Preferences menu. They will have to ensure that they have the Screen Sharing enabled.

5. Send and receive SMS on your Mac

When someone sends you a text message and it is green, that means that they have sent you an SMS. Before recent updates, you could only answer iMessages on your Mac. Now, you can answer both. This will help you to save time.

You will need an iPhone that is running iOS 8.1 or later, but once you have it, you should be able to see the messages once you have turned on the forwarding option under Settings > Messages.

6. Store Anything On iCloud Drive

There used to be a time when the only files you could store on iCloud were from specifically built apps that Apple granted, but now you can do even more.

With macOS High Sierra on forward, you can put any file that you want into the iCloud Drive through the desktop or documents folder. There are some apps, those with the permissions granted from Apple, that will have their own folders, but now you can create your own.

All of the files will sync to other Macs that use the same Apple ID if you have enabled iCloud Drive on them, so this is also a great way to work on things at the same time. It is also great to help with data recovery if you need to get your Mac repaired.

7. Add a Guest User Account

You probably already know this one, but you can add multiple users to your Mac so that when someone wants to go on your computer, they don't have to use your account. This is great for someone who shares a work and home computer. However, you may not know that there is another type of account: a guest account.

You can turn it on in System Preferences under Users & Groups. Now, someone will be greeted with the guest option at the login screen. There won't need to be a password to put in - but there also won't be any data saved.

Our team takes pride in being the most experienced team of IT professionals in New Jersey. You can count on us to have solutions to problems that you may not have had luck with before. When it comes to data recovery in New Jersey, you simply cannot go to anyone better. We have technical support available to the public every day of the week: you’ll have the option to talk to an experienced technician if a problem arises.

Looking for the Best Computer Services in New Jersey? Call: (908) 332-5051

Sometimes when people buy a new laptop or computer, they don't realize that there is more that goes into it than simply going to a local store and picking something out. Instead, it requires a bit of research, some hard choices, and maybe even testing a few different options out. One of the most common computer types we get questions about is the ever sought after Mac.

Now, many people think that Mac computers, no matter what type they are, will always have what you need. This isn't true either: while Macs are great computers, there are some things that you certainly need to pay attention to before you make any buying decisions.

1. Do You Need Portability In A Mac?

One of the main considerations to make if you a purchasing a new Mac is just how portable the device is - after all, that is why most of us purchase laptops to begin with. There are MacBooks that are small, thin, and light. In fact, the 12 inch MacBook is extremely light, but you do have to make some sacrifices. Often, it results in lower battery life, fewer ports, and frugality - the smaller the laptop, the costlier it will be in many cases.

The MacBook Air is an extremely popular laptop because it is so light, but it actually isn't the lightest model on the market today.

Remember when you are trying to find a laptop that is small, remember that the screen will sometimes not be as clear as some other options.

You have to think about what you will use your laptop for and whether or not the size of it really matters to its portability. Sometimes smaller laptops are fragile, so you may want to buy some accessories to help keep it safe.

2. Macs Have Industry-Best Battery Life: What Do You Need?

One thing that always seems to trip people up is battery life. The battery life of a laptop can mean the difference between getting work done on the commute home and sitting there in silence. The battery life of a MacBook Air is extremely high. Apple sometimes calls it the "All Day Battery" where you can, depending on what you are doing with the device, you can get up to 12 hours of usage without recharging.

It is probably worth pointing out that this is based on the tests from Apple and not anyone else, but most people claim to get over 10 hours with this laptop.

Battery life may not matter to you if you are at your office all day and you can just stay plugged into a power source. However, if you do travel a lot of want to get work done on your commute, battery life is certainly something that you may want to consider.

3. Best Option For Businesses

When trying to figure out which Mac will be better for your business, you want to think about a few different things. According to MacWorld, you will get the ever popular iWork for free when you buy any new Mac laptop, which means you will have access to Apple's Pages, Numbers and Keynote applications (the rivals to Microsoft's Word, Excel and PowerPoint).

If you are working on your laptop a majority of the day, you may want to consider something that is just a bit bigger than your standard machine. There is a 15" MacBook Pro that has some truly amazing space and screen large enough to have multiple windows open at the same time.

Most businesses, however, do well with the 13" Pro, which has a larger number of ports, is easy to travel with, and has some great reviews.

4. Price of the Laptop

If you have to watch your budget (and who doesn't) when it comes to buying a MacBook, then you may want to consider the cheapest model available (which is still a good enough model for most people), the 128GB, 13 inch MacBook Air. There are some problems to consider here (including some aging components), so if you have just a bit more money, you might want to get a different model or at least add some extras to help it run better.

Another option that you may want to consider is to look at refurbished Macs. These are Macs that have been taken and revamped and then sold at reduced prices. Now, you want to make sure that you go through trusted mediums like Apple's refurbished store. Apple doesn't put a product in that store unless it has been tested vigorously. In many cases, you will hardly be able to tell that you don't have a new model.

Once you have your Mac, you need to take care of it. Since this is one of the biggest pieces of equipment you are likely to get for your business, you will want to ensure that you update it, scan it for viruses, and simply use the best tools with it.

At the end of the day, your decisions is your own: you have to buy the computer that you feel the most comfortable working with and using. If you have to buy a bunch of laptops or computers for your team, make sure to get input from them.

Looking for the Best Mac repair in New Jersey? Call: (908) 332-5051

Apple Macs are usually very reliable and just get the job done with the minimum of fuss. It’s one of the reasons they are so popular. But what if your Mac won’t boot? What if it gets stuck on the white loading screen? This happened to a Dave’s Computer customer this week and we were able to fix it for her with a bit of work.

If it happens to you, here are some things you might like to try before bringing it to our New Jersey computer store.

Booting a Mac when stuck

The symptom of the fault is usually that every time you boot your Mac you hear the chime and see the startup screen but then nothing else happens. It seems stuck there forever.

Here are some things to try.

Remove all peripherals and reboot. Sometimes it’s a hardware conflict with these peripherals that stops the Mac booting. Remove them and retry booting your Mac.

Try to Safe Boot. This will attempt to rebuild your Mac’s Launch Database in order to get it working again. Turn your Mac off and then hold down the Power and Shift key. Hold them down until you see the Apple logo. Once booted restart without doing anything and let the database rebuild. Boot will be slower but it should complete this time.

Run the Disk Utility. If Safe Boot doesn’t work, turn on your Mac and hold down Command and R until you see the Apple logo. Then let them go. Select Disk Utility from the menu that appears and select the MacOS drive. Select to Verify or Repair the disk. Do not select delete disk unless you want to lose everything!

Reset the PRAM. The PRAM, or more correctly, the NVRAM is what holds the hardware settings your Mac needs to boot properly. Resetting this will clear back to factory settings and hopefully have your Mac booting properly again. Shut down your Mac and then turn it on while holding down Command + Option + P + R. Hold them until you hear the second chime and then let go.

If none of those tips works and your Mac still won’t boot properly, it may be a hardware or OS issue. You can choose to reinstall MacOS if you like but you will lose any unsaved data. If you use Time Machine, you can use that to restore your Mac if you have the option.

Otherwise it may be a hard drive replacement or OS rebuild. If you’re confident you can do those yourself as they are quite straightforward. There is a risk of data loss though, so if you have important files you haven’t backed up, you may be better off bringing your Mac to Dave’s Computers.

We can take a copy of your drive and get it working again. Hopefully without losing any of your files!

If you’re sure nobody else can get into your Mac or MacBook and that you’re unlikely to leave it somewhere, you can switch off that initial Mac login prompt if you want. Instead, you can have your system boot up and log you in automatically so you’re ready to go in a much shorter time.

I would suggest only doing this if you live alone or trust your partner or housemates. It is a strong security feature you’re skipping here that can leave your Mac vulnerable to snooping. If you’re confident that you don’t need to log in every time you start your Mac, here is how to automatically log in.

Automatic logon on a Mac

Windows has a similar setting where you can skip a login at boot. While logging in isn’t exactly laborious, it can shave previous seconds of your starting your computer and being able to use it. I’m surprised MacOS has this option, but it does.

1. Select the Apple menu and System Preferences.
2. Select Users & Groups.
3. Select the small padlock icon in the bottom left of the Users & Groups window.
4. Enter your Apple ID to authenticate.
5. Select Login Options in the center of the window.
6. Select Automatic Login and select your username.
7. Authenticate again to record the change.

From now on, every time you boot your Mac, it will boot straight into MacOS instead of prompting you for the login. You can disable it at any time by repeating the steps above and selecting Off at Step 6. This will return your Mac to requiring a logon again.

If your username is not selectable at Step 6, it is likely that you have FileVault enabled. This requires iCloud authentication. The only way around that is to disable FileVault and try again. FileVault provides valuable security using disk encryption and if you have it enabled, I would strongly suggest leaving it that way. However, it’s your Mac to use your way, so do this to disable it:

1. Select System Preferences and Security & Privacy.
2. Select FileVault and the lock icon.
3. Select Turn Off FileVault and set a local password.

Make that password the same as you login or change your login password to the new local password to enable automatic login.

Remember, if you do this and leave your computer somewhere someone can gain access to it, they will be able to log straight into it. Only make this change if you’re sure your Mac or MacBook is going to be safe.

For professional Mac support at local prices, visit Dave’s Computers in New Jersey.

It’s easy to accidentally delete data. We have all done it and we will all do it again. The data recovery guys here at Dave’s Computers are always busy but some of the jobs we do are unnecessary as you could easily do it at home. That doesn’t mean we won’t do it, of course we will but some of this stuff is easy.

The specific steps you take depend on what has happened. For example, if you accidentally deleted some files fairly recently, it could take seconds to recover them. If you did it a little while ago or have used the computer a lot since, it may take a little longer. Don’t worry, if you can’t recover your files, we can!

Recover deleted files in Mac OS

The easiest thing to try first is to look in the Trash. This is where all your deleted files (that aren’t too large) will sit for a while before being cleaned. If you recently deleted files, you should look here first.

Double click the trashcan icon and work through the files in the list. If you see your files, right click and select Put Back. Your files will be replaced where they were originally and you will be able to use them normally.

If your files aren’t there, we can use Time Machine. If you use Time Machine that is.

As long as you have Time Machine set up, we can use that to recover deleted data.

1. Select Time Machine and then Enter Time Machine.
2. Select the arrow and navigate the various snapshots until you find the file you need.
3. Select the file and then Restore.

Your file will be returned from whence it came and will be usable as before.

If you deleted music or a movie, you can use iTunes to recover it.

1. Open iTunes and search in Trash and in Media.
2. Recover it if you find it or re-download it from iTunes.

Even though you have deleted something from iTunes, if you have paid for it you can just download it again. iTunes trash works the same was as it does in Mac OS. It keeps recently deleted files and will periodically delete those as it goes.

If you cannot find your files and you either cannot find it in Time Machine or don’t use Time Machine, bring your Mac to Dave’s Computers in New Jersey. Our data recovery experts should be able to recover the files and restore them as if nothing happened!

Dark Mode

Desktop Stacks

Continuity Camera

New Mac App Store

Better security

Turn down the brightness

Turn off WiFi and Bluetooth

Turn off background applications

1. Right click the Windows Taskbar and select Task Manager.
2. Select the Startup tab and click Status to order programs by whether they boot with Windows or not.
3. Right click a program and select Disable to stop it starting with Windows.

Tweak your Power Plan

1. Open Control Panel, select Hardware and Sound and Power Options.
2. Select the active power plan and select Change power settings beside it.
3. Change individual settings within the plan to maximize power savings.

Use Battery Saving Mode

Fix the Apple Mac white screen issue

1. To reboot a Mac into safe mode, reboot as usual and then hold down Shift until you see the Apple logo. Then let go and allow the system to boot.
2. Once booted into safe mode, boot again normally to see what happens. Sometimes this is enough to fix a troublesome boot. Sometimes it isn’t.

Reset NVRAM or PRAM

1. Reboot your Mac until you hear that first boot sound.
2. Press Command + Option + P + R.
3. Let the keys go when you hear another boot sound.
4. Boot your Apple device as normal.

Resetting the System Management Controller

1. Turn off your Apple device and plug it into the mains.
2. Hold down Shift + Control + Option + the power button all at once.
3. You should see the color of the light on the MagSafe adapter change briefly to signal SMC reset.
4. Boot your Mac as normal.

MacOS repair

1. Turn off your Mac.
2. Boot it while holding down Command + R to boot into recovery mode.
3. Select Disk Utility from the window when it appears.
4. Select First Aid and allow it to run.

Reinstallation

1. Boot your Mac and hold down Command + R to boot into recovery mode.
2. Select Reinstall MacOS and then Continue.
3. Select your hard drive, then Continue or Unlock and follow the wizard.