Facebook is a great tool for sharing your life with your friends.  But it’s also easy to over share information you may not want others to have access too also.  The default privacy settings on Facebook are very lax and the options to keep things more private are purposely put in hard to find locations.

Here is an example of a typical Facebook application.  While they add more functionality to your Facebook experience, they may also be given access to not just your own personal information but information of your friends also.  As you can see in the red circled area, this application would have access to the education histories, locations, and work histories of all of your Facebook friends also.  While some may be OK with their friends sharing their personal information with random applications they find on Facebook, most of us would be concerned about sharing that info with unknown persons or companies.

Facebook does allow users to block applications from being allow access to their information but the settings are hidden away a bit.  To keep your friend’s applications from sharing your private information, follow the steps below.

1) Click on the triangle in the upper right corner of the Facebook window next to your name and the Home button.  Select Privacy Settings.

2) To the right of the ‘Apps and Websites’ option, click on ‘Edit Settings’.

3) Click the Edit Settings button to the right of ‘How people bring your info to apps they use’.

4) Now you get to see all the information about you that your friends may be sharing with any application they choose to install.  Since anyone can sign up to be a Facebook app developer, almost anyone may have access to your information.  Your status updates, your pictures, your phone number and email address, when you’re online and much more.  Scary really.  By default only Interested in and Religious and political views are off limits for sharing with any application your Facebook friends choose to install.

At this point you should uncheck the boxes of any information you don’t want your friends to be able to share with applications they install on their own Facebook account.  In most cases we would suggest that you uncheck everything and save the changes.  Even with all boxes unchecked, applications will still have access to your friend list, gender and any information that you’ve made public on your Facebook account.  If you want to block applications from accessing this information too, you must turn off all apps as shown below.

By turning off all apps, you not only block others from sharing your information but it also means you cannot use any applications either.  No Words With Friends, Farmville, or any of the others.  For some people this may be an issue but one must decide between playing Facebook games and personal privacy.

Facebook is a great way to share with those in your life.  While they want to make the process of sharing with others as simple as possible it also leaves very little in the way of privacy for users and many aren’t aware of what information is being shared with who.  By thoroughly going through your privacy settings, users can make sure that Facebook is only sharing information that they’re comfortable giving to others.

Apple’s newest operating system, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, hides a hidden application that allows the user to monitor and diagnose their wi-fi connection. The application, called Wi-Fi Diagnostics, is hidden in the CoreServices folder. To get the application, simply open your hard drive and you will find the System folder. From there follow the path below to find the Wi-Fi Diagnostics application.

/System/Library/CoreServices/Wi-Fi Diagnostics.app

Once launched, the Wi-Fi Diagnostics application gives you 4 options:

Monitor Performance

Monitor Performance displays a graph of network signal strength, noise level, transmit power, and data rate. Information such as Country Code, SSID, Channel, txPower, txRate, Signal, and Noise are logged and displayed in the area at the top of the window with each line representing a single sampling. The graph below shows a running representation of the wi-fi networks signal and noise measured in dBm. Clicking the Continue button brings the user to a screen where they can export the report either to the Finder desktop or send it the report in an email. Clicking the back button will return you to the original menu.

Record Events

This option detects and reports dropped network connections, roaming, and other network events, such as connecting to or disconnecting from a network or network device. Clicking the Continue button brings the user to a screen where they can export the report either to the Finder desktop or send the report in an email. Clicking the back button will return you to the original menu.

Capture Raw Frames

The Capture Raw Frames option captures all network traffic on the Wi-Fi interface.

Several options are available in this mode.

• Capture data sent and received on the network
• Capture data sent and received on my computer
• Capture data from all nearby networks

There is also a checkbox for Disconnect from the network and capture only data from channel and then a drop-down menu to select the channel.

You’ve selected your option(s), simply click the Start Capturing button to begin the raw frame capture and you will be prompted on the following screen to select to either save the report to the Finder desktop or send it in an email.

Turn on Debug Logs

This option provides specific details of every wireless connection. When clicking the Start Logging button, you will be prompted to enter an administrator password. Logging will then begin with any events showing in the log. Clicking the Continue button allows you to export the report to the desktop or an email.

Apple recently released their latest operating system, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.  SubRosaSoft.com Inc. has been testing our applications for compatibility with this new OS and found that most are fully compatible with Lion.

CopyCatX is fully Mac OS X 10.7 Lion compatible.

FileSalvage is 99% Lion compatible except it does prompt for the user to enter their password when they click on Supported File Formats button.

CameraSalvage is fully Mac OS X 10.7 Lion compatible.

PodSalvage is fully Mac OS X 10.7 Lion compatible.

OfficeSalvage is fully Mac OS X 10.7 Lion compatible.

With the release of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, Apple has made over 250 changes to the worlds most advanced desktop operating system.  One of these changes is that the User Library folder is now hidden.  This can be a problem for those looking to get in there and delete preferences that are causing them problem or make other changes.

To make the User Library folder visible, simply launch the Terminal (found in the Utilities folder inside your Applications folder) and paste in the following command and press the Enter key:

chflags nohidden ~/Library/

If at some point you would like to hide the Library folder again, simply go back to the Terminal and enter the following followed by the Enter key:

chflags hidden ~/Library

DasBoot is a free disk utility from SubRosaSoft.com Inc. that allows the user to create a bootable Mac OS X repair drive.  This drive can be a USB flash drive or external hard drive and can be loaded with all their favorite disk repair utilities and data recovery software.  All that’s required to create your own bootable repair drive is a bootable CD/DVD like those included with FileSalvage, CopyCatX, Drive Genius and DiskWarrior and a USB flash drive or external hard drive at least 1GB in size.  To get started, download DasBoot here for free.

1)  Before launching DasBoot, it’s best to first insure that your USB flash drive or external repair drive you will be creating is already formatted for Mac HFS+ using Disk Utility.  Also have both the USB flash drive and the bootable CD/DVD from one of the software makers listed above inserted into your Mac before launching DasBoot.  Once you have done so, launch DasBoot.

2) At the DasBoot startup screen, click the Start button to continue to the main window.  You will be prompted to enter your administrator password.  This is required for DasBoot to “bless” your bootable repair drive with the bootable abilities.

2) At the main screen you will see that the Source boot CD/DVD is shown.  If you would like to select a different Source, simply select it from the drop-down menu.  Below the Source disc is the Destination volume that will become the bootable repair drive.  Information about this drive is shown in the Destination area.  If there is more than one eligible volume connected to your Mac, the correct volume may be selected from the drop-down menu that will appear in the Destination area.

3)  Be default, DasBoot populates the Applications area with commonly helpful programs found on your Mac.  Programs that will be included on your repair drive are shown with a green checkmark.  To remove any of these programs, simply click on them once and a red X will display indicating the application will not be included.  To add additional applications, simply drag and drop the application into the Applications area of the DasBoot main window and you will find they have been added to the list.

4) Once you have successfully selected your destination device and applications to be included on your bootable repair and recovery drive, simply click the Start the DasBoot process button.  A warning will appear.  Once you have read the warning, click the Agree button and the DasBoot process will begin.

5)  DasBoot will start building your bootable recover device.  This may take some time depending on the speed of the USB flash drive or external hard drive used as the destination device.  When the process is done, a completion dialog will appear and you’re set to use your recovery and repair drive.

You’ve now built your own bootable repair and recovery drive for your Mac using DasBoot.  To boot from this device, simply connect it to your Mac and hold the Option key while your Mac is booting.  A screen will appear showing all available bootable drives connected to your Mac.  Double-click the DasBoot device you created to boot from it.  The DasBoot launcher program allows the user to launch their desired program.

DasBoot offers users a great way to repair and recover lost information from their Mac along with perform general maintenance.  It’s free and easy for even the novice Mac user and is a great way to be prepared for when hard drive problems strike.  While it isn’t a substitute for keeping good backup copies of your important data, having a repair and recovery drive around in case of emergency can help to lessen the headache of data loss and hard drive problems.

While it’s very important to be prepared for data loss with a powerful data recovery program like FileSalvage, it’s also important to keep current backups of your important files.  File recovery programs can recover lost files in the event of accidental deletion and some other data loss situations but with some forms of data loss they can’t replace having a backup copy.

1 in 5 computers suffer fatal hard drive crashes that can leave your valuable files gone forever even for the best of data recovery software.  Using CopyCatX to make a backup of your data can insure that if a hard drive crash does happen, you’re prepared.  Paying a data recovery company to get your files back usually costs thousands of dollars and takes time plus there is no guarantee they will be able to get all your information back.  The fast read and write speeds of modern hard drives makes backing up even large amounts of data fairly quick and it really pays off when disaster happens.  Rather than wasting time trying to recover your lost files, simply restore them from your backup and you’re ready to go again.

Data loss and accidental deletion happens all the time.  It’s part of using a computer.  Unfortunately, most people aren’t prepared for data loss before it happens.

When they’re faced with accidentally loss a important file or having a hard drive crash, they panic.  Unsure of what to do, they turn to the internet for help.  The search begins to figure out how to get their lost files back. Check the search engines and see what they have to offer.  Read a couple forum posts and maybe even post themselves to ask what to do.  Without realizing, this search for help may be destroying their chances to successfully recover their lost data.

When you delete an item in your Mac’s trash, the item is not gone forever on the spot.  Instead, the computer merely makes note that the space on your hard drive where that file resides can now be used to write new files or information to.  Until that space is overwritten, your file(s) can still be recovered.  No problem, your deleted files should be easy to recover as long as you don’t create a new file that might overwrite your lost file before you have a chance to recover it right?  Sadly, it’s not that simple.  The modern computer operating system is constantly on the move.  In the background, invisible to the user, the system is reading, writing, and moving temporary files around that insure that your system runs smoothly.  These temporary files can quickly overwrite your lost data making it unrecoverable.

While you’re searching around the internet for help in recovering your important lost files, temporary internet and system files overwrite your deleted data and make it impossible to recover.  This is why being prepared for data loss is so important.  While some see it as a needless expense for a program they don’t have a use for at the current time, having good data recovery software BEFORE disaster strikes can lessen the stress of data loss and insure the best odds of full recovery of lost files.  Prepare for the inevitable crisis of data loss with FileSalvage before disaster strikes now.  Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

Data loss is a problem for anyone that uses a computer.  Knowing the most common causes of data loss can help you to prevent and avoid it in the future.  Here are the top 10 most common causes of data loss for most computer users.

1) Accidental Deletion

While most users don’t want to admit it, one of the most common reasons for data loss is user error.  Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes those mistakes end in data loss.  Most people have at some point accidentally emptied the trash only to realize that an important file was in it and now gone.  This experience can be frustrating and can cause even bigger issues when the file(s) deleted are important system files which can lead to more issues.  File recovery software like FileSalvage can easily recover files in this type of data loss as long as the user is prepared ahead of time and acts quickly to recover their information.

2) Computer Viruses and Malware

There are countless viruses and malware out there and many of them can lead to data loss either through purposely deleting files and drives or through hard drive crashes.  This is one of the many reasons that it is important to have virus protection software installed and up to date on your machine to prevent against these type of attacks which can lead to numerous headaches.

3) Physical Damage

Hard drives have platters spinning at thousands of RPMs with the smallest of tolerances.  They’re sensitive pieces of machinery and bumps, drops, and other mishandling can lead to physical damage to the drive platters resulting in loss of data or corruption.  Insuring that your drives are handled with care and kept at temperatures well within their recommended operating parameters helps to insure drive life and minimize the risk of data loss.

4) Accidental Formatting

Formatting a hard drive will cause a total loss of all information contained on it.  This can happen simply because the user selected the incorrect device or volume when attempting to format another device.  Most information can be recovered after accidental formatting but the user must act to insure they don’t use the formatted drive and use a data recovery program or call a data recovery specialist right away.

5) Head Crashes

The read write heads on a hard drive are suspended on a thin cushion of air which the spinning platter induces just few millionths of an inch away from each other.  At that minuscule distance with the platter spinning at thousands of RPMs, it’s easy to see how even the smallest bump or drop can send the head crashing into the platter and cause data loss.  Hard drive repair is done in a special clean room as even a speck of dust between the platter and read write head can cause a big problem.  This is why users should never attempt to disassemble and repair their hard drive themselves.

6) Logical Errors

Logical errors are caused by system or file corruption, software problems, and invalid entries in file locations.  They can cause corruption of other files on the drive and lead to data loss.  Logical errors can be fixed using disk utilities in some cases although it’s recommended to reinstall the operating system and restore files from backup as many times repairing such issues doesn’t prevent future problems.

7) Continued Use After Signs Of Failure

Many users ignore the early signs of drive failure.  Clicking or grinding noises, system hangs, and random file deletion are early warning signs that a drive may be failing yet many users choose to ignore them which can lead to data loss.  When a drive starts to show these signs, back it up immediately and consider replacing it.  Users may also want to run drive integrity checks and verify S.M.A.R.T. status although these do not always catch every sign of possible hardware problems.

Power Failure

Power failure is a common cause of data loss.  Having the power go out leads to loss of unsaved files and can even lead to file corruption.  The best way to prevent this type of problem is through the use of an uninterrupted power supply or UPS. Insuring that you save your files frequently during creation will also help insure you minimize file loss should you lose power.

9) Firmware Corruption

Firmware on a hard drive controls the way it operates to read and write data to the disk.  It is software code that tells the drive how to carry out various tasks.  Although few think about it, this code is essential to the proper operation of the hard disk.  When the firmware becomes damaged, the operating system is unable to recognize or access the hard drive.  Firmware corruption is hard to guard against and the best defense is always insuring that you have a proper backup of your important data.  Some data recovery services can swap out the hard drives logic board containing the corrupt firmware for a working one although this service is expensive.  Drive makers that use non-standard firmware and drive bridges seem to have more frequent occurrences of hard drive firmware corruption than others.

10) Natural Disasters

Acts of god can cause data loss.  Lightning strikes, power surges, flood, fire and earthquakes cause physical damage to hard drives and more.  Protect your data by having a quality surge protector connected to your computer devices and store backup copies of your most important data off-site at another location or with an online backup service to make sure it’s safe in the event of disaster.  Keeping a current backup on a separate drive stored in a safe location is always a good idea also.  Some store a backup copy of their information at home and a 2nd copy at a friend or family member’s place that swap out and keep up to date weekly or monthly.

Being aware of the most common types of data loss helps the user understand the importance of insuring their data is safe and the steps needed to prevent loss of important files.  Data loss is an all too common occurrence but having proper backup copies and being prepared with good data recovery software can go a long way to minimizing the hardship and headaches that usually accompany data loss.

Blessed are the pessimists for they they backup.

Apple has announced that with the release of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, the operating system will be available only via download from the Mac App Store. Past versions of the Mac OS X operating system have always been available for purchase on a bootable DVD and with some systems like the MacBook Air, they’ve been included on a bootable USB drive. To create your own bootable USB device using your own flash drive (note that the device must be at least 4GB or larger), follow the instructions below.

1) Purchase and download Lion from the Mac App Store on any Lion compatible Mac running Snow Leopard.

2) Right click on “Mac OS X Lion” installer and choose the option to “Show Package Contents”

3) Inside the Contents folder, you will find a SharedSupport folder and inside the SharedSupport folder you will find the InstallESD.dmg. This is the 10.7 Lion boot disc image.

4) Copy InstallESD.dmg to another folder like the Desktop.  To do so, simply click and drag the file to the desired location while holding down the Option key.

5) Plug in the flash drive and launch Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities).

6) Make sure the flash drive is properly formatted highlighting the flash drive at the left (make sure to select the device and not the volume shown under it) and clicking the Erase tab across the top right.  Then ensure that the Format drop-down menu is set to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and click the Erase button.  Confirm the dialog ensuring that you want to erase the device and all information on it (make sure you backup any existing information on the flash drive before this point).

7) Select the Partition tab on the top right.

Using the drop-down menu for Volume Scheme, choose 1 Partition as the partition scheme.

Highlight the partition by clicking on it in the space it is shown below the Volume Scheme drop-down and then click on Options underneath it.  Select GUID Partition Table and click OK. This will allow the Mac boot from the drive.

You may now name the device in the Name textbox. Insure that Format is set to Mac OS X Extended (Journaled). When you have finished, click the Apply button to format the USB device.  A warning will pop-up asking if you are sure you want to partition the media.  Click the Partition button to continue.

9) Click on the newly created volume listed under the USB device on the left. This volume will have the name of the device you set in the previous step.  Click the Restore tab at the top right.  In the Source area click the Image… button. Select the disk image InstallESD.dmg and click open (you may also drag-and-drop the disk image into the Source area).

In the Destination area, make sure that the USB device’s name is showing. If it isn’t, simply click and drag the volume from the list at the left into the destination area.  Click Restore and confirm the dialog informing you the volume will be erased.  You will be prompted to enter the admin password for your Mac and the process will begin.

The bootable USB device will be created and a progress bar will show the current status of the operation at the bottom of the screen.

10 ) When the operation is complete, you can verify that the flash drive is now bootable by selecting it and clicking the Info button in the upper left corner of the Disk Utility window.  Bootable status will show as Yes.

To boot from the USB device, simply hold down the Option key while your Mac is booting up. A screen will appear asking you which volume you would like to boot the system from. Click on the OS X installer USB drive and the system will boot using the USB stick. You will see faster boot speeds using the USB installer compared to a DVD installer disc.

Apple has announced that with the release of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, the operating system will be available only via download from the Mac App Store. Past versions of the Mac OS X operating system have always been available for purchase on a bootable DVD. To create your own bootable DVD disc using your own blank DVD, follow the instructions below.

1) Purchase and download Lion from the Mac App Store on any Lion compatible Mac running Snow Leopard.

2) Right click on “Mac OS X Lion” installer and choose the option to “Show Package Contents”

3) Inside the Contents folder, you will find a SharedSupport folder and inside the SharedSupport folder you will find the InstallESD.dmg. This is the 10.7 Lion boot disc image.

4) Copy InstallESD.dmg to another folder like the Desktop.  To do so, simply click and drag the file to the desired location while holding down the Option key.

5) Launch Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities).

6) Click the Burn button in the upper left corner of the Disk Utility window.  Select the disk image InstallESD.dmg and click the Burn button.  A burn dialog will appear.  Insert a blank 4.7GB DVD and click the Burn button.

To boot from the DVD, simply insert the disc and hold down the Option key while your Mac is booting up. A screen will appear asking you which volume you would like to boot the system from. Click on the OS X installer DVD and the system will boot using the disc.