Plain-language write-ups of the problems I run into most often, and the things worth doing before something breaks. No jargon, no upsell.
Since macOS 27 Golden Gate came out, the same problems keep turning up. A printer stops working, old apps warn they're on borrowed time, work email on the Mac stops syncing, or the Mac won't offer the update at all. What causes each one and what to do about it.
A lot of people were told their Windows 10 PC would stop getting security fixes on October 13, 2026. Microsoft moved that date to October 12, 2027. What changed, how to check that your PC is covered, and what to do with the extra year.
Stolen Device Protection stops somebody who watched you type your passcode from taking over your Apple Account. It is off unless you turned it on. What it blocks, what it does not, and the one setting worth changing.
Oregon recycles computers for free, but nobody at the drop-off is responsible for the data still on the drive. Where to take an old machine in the Portland area, and how to make sure nothing of yours leaves with it.
On modern Macs the memory and storage are soldered in and can never be changed. That makes two of the choices permanent and most of the others reversible. Here is how to spend your money in the right place.
iCloud is not a backup, and Apple's own terms say so in writing. What actually counts as a backup, why sync is not the same thing, and the arrangement I recommend to Portland households.