Category Archives: computer tips

How to view status of app store download? Mac OSX El Capitan

I was downloading the latest iOS SDK from the Mac App Store and initially I could not find the download status. Eventually I found one way to do so, go to the “Purchased” section of the app store and you should be able to view the download progress! 🙂 I realize it is pretty obvious once you see it, but I really wish Apple would put the progress someplace else too… if anybody has other tips for viewing DL status,

Install VMWare ESXi on Dell PowerEdge 1950 III server

Later this week I will be installing VMWare ESXi for the first time. It will be on a nice Dell 1U server and here are a few links and resources that I have gathered so far: Compatibility list for VMWare ESXi versions: http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php PowerEdge 1950 = good to go with the latest ESXi versions! Install ESXi to a USB thumbdrive (so you can free a valuable SATA/SAS port for VM usage) Install ESXi 4.0 to a USB devicehttp://www.vm-help.com/esx40i/Boot_ESXi_from_USB_flash_drive.phpBelow are 2

Minimize all windows/apps in Mac OSX Lion [solved]

Q. How do I quickly minimize all runnings apps/windows and show the Mac OSX desktop?! A. The best way I know of is to press the F11 key (or Fn+F11 on some MacBook keyboards…) this should  push all your apps out of the way and show the desktop. To get your apps back in place, just press F11 again! PS another method is to command+option+click on the desktop, (or instead of Desktop, a Finder window, or the Finder icon in the dock).

Best RDP client for Mac OSX Lion

UPDATE: 2013.03.10 adding a new desktop client to the list as well as info for iOS and Android RDP clients. UPDATE: 2012.04.05 added more info regarding certificate errors (and ignoring them!) This week I have been using OSX alongside Windows. I quickly realized that I needed a good remote desktop connection (terminal server) client for Mac OSX Lion. Here are the primary candidates I considered: MS Remote Desktop Connection Client for Machttp://www.microsoft.com/mac/remote-desktop-clientConnect to multiple PCs New Multiple Session Support gives Mac users

uTorrent vs Transmission on Mac OSX Lion

Well, I bought a Mac. Specifically a MacBook Air 11.6″ notebook. It is the best ultralight travel computer I could find. I had known the MacBook Airs were good little computers for quite some time, but after they did away with the backlit keyboard a while back I scratched them off of my “short list” of top notebook. Well, they re-added the backlit keyboard and they also put in some spicy new CPUs and nice big SSD options. So I

Cheap tech gear for telecommuting jobs in Colorado

Mountains and wildflowers diagonal

Colorado is a wonderful state to visit for business or pleasure. This summer my wife and I will be spending almost a month there. We have a housesitter for home and will be staying at a cabin at 10,500 ft. For the portion of the stay where I’ll be working (telecommuting) I have tried out a variety of hardware and software for the job. If you are thinking about telecommuting from Colorao, this post illustrates a surprisingly capable telecommuting setup

Auto fill username & password in Opera? [solved]

Q. I use Opera as my new web browser. But when I tell Opera to save my username and password for a site it does not seem to do. Like now when I go to the site it does NOT autofill the stored info. It does not even prompt me to save anymore login info for that site anymore. Can you help?! A. Yes! In all likelihood Opera did save your login info, however, to autofill that info you need

What is the latest Kindle firmware version? [answer] for all generations

Q. Hiya. I see on my Kindle “Settings->Device Info” screen that my Kindle has “Software Version” Kindle 2.5.5 Is there a later firmware version for my Kindle?! Thx in advance. A. Yes! There are later firmware versions available.  The LATEST version depends on which Kindle you have. Judging from the info you provided, you have either a 2nd gen Kindle or a Kindle DX so version 2.5.8 is the latest version for your devices. Also here is the latest firmware