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Apple ID password reset exploit reportedly in the wild

A new exploit lets anyone who knows your birthday and e-mail address reset your Apple ID password, according to a new report.

The exploit, described by The Verge though not posted publicly, makes use of a special URL that gets around the need for a security question, a security measure Apple put in place on all Apple ID accounts last April.

The reported exploit does not work on accounts with two-step verification enabled, which Apple introduced yesterday, and does away with the security question in favor of sending a four-digit PIN code to a cell phone that needs to be … Read more

Apple: Reset your iPhone before hitting the Genius Bar

iPhone troubles? Let me guess: an update won't install properly. Or an app keeps crashing on you. Or you can't get your Bluetooth connection to work.

Problems like these often drive frazzled users to the Apple Genius Bar, which, of course, requires a reservation via the Apple Web site. Before you can make one, however, Apple now suggests this:

It's true: Apple wants you to try the iPhone equivalent of Ctrl-Alt-Delete before you make a special trip to the Apple Store and, well, watch while a Genius resets the phone for you.

Although this may come across … Read more

How to fix battery issues after upgrading to iOS 5.1.1

After Apple's iOS 5.1.1 update was released last week, several users began reporting that their iOS devices had taken a significant battery life hit.

While the issues are not common to most users, it appears as though some iPhone and iPad owners found that the battery life they had come to expect was not apparent after updating to iOS 5.1.1 using Apple's over-the-air updating.

If you find your device is not getting the battery life it once was, a few troubleshooting tips provided by Apple Support Communities user sbaily4 could be of help.

First, … Read more

How to factory reset the Nokia Lumia 900

Doing a factory reset on the Nokia Lumia 900 takes just a few minutes, and enables you to sell your device without worrying about your personal information being accessed by the new owner.

Here's how to reset your Lumia 900 to its original factory state:

Go to Settings. Scroll down to the About listing and tap on it. At the bottom of the screen (you may have to scroll) you'll see a button titled "Reset Your Phone." Tap on it. Confirm, twice, you are sure you want to reset your device.

Your device will then reboot … Read more

Firefox gets a 'reset' button

Mozilla wants to cut down on the number of people who complain about Firefox not working properly, and they're giving you a one-click way to do it.

A new feature called Reset Firefox gives you the ability to "reset" the browser while keeping your personal data. Currently available in Firefox 13 beta for Windows, Mac, and Linux, the feature works by migrating your bookmarks, passwords, cookies, and form data to a new default profile. Then it kills off the old one, and you've got a clean Firefox installation without having to troubleshoot anything.

It does not … Read more

How to use the new refresh and reset features in Windows 8

Updated, October 22, 2012: Updated to reflect the changes in the final version of Windows 8.

Since the days of Windows 95, users have had to deal with the inevitability of having to reinstall Windows to regain system stability and performance. This often entailed spending hours in front of the PC -- reinstalling Windows, applying patches, reinstalling programs, and setting personal preferences.

In Windows 8, Microsoft added two new features called Refresh and Reset, which simplify the entire reinstall process and reduces the amount of time required sitting in front of the PC.

Refresh

The Refresh option reinstalls Windows, but … Read more

Windows 8 will refresh your PC without losing your data

Windows 8 will provide a refresh option that can automatically restore your PC to a clean state without erasing all your data and customized settings.

Due to appear in the Windows 8 beta that will debut next month, the refresh option makes good on Microsoft's earlier promise that it would give users an easy way to restore Windows in the event of a problem.

As described in yesterday's Building Windows 8 blog by Desmond Lee, a program manager on Microsoft Fundamentals team, the new OS will actually offer two ways to bring Windows back to factory condition:

• … Read more

How to fix 95 percent of iOS app crashes

iOS isn't perfect. There, I said it. This will become evident to anyone who's ever tried to figure out Notification Center or organize contacts into groups.

And I guarantee that at some point or another, you've installed a shiny new app, only to have it crash on you, either the moment you ran it or maybe a few minutes in.

Indeed, the App Store is packed to the gills with user reviews like these:

"Crashes about a minute into the game."

"App wouldn't load. Zero stars!"

"Won't run on my iPad 2--crashes right after I tap the icon."

So what's going on here? Bad programming? In some cases, yes. Some apps are just plain buggy. But if you install a new one and immediately have problems getting it to run, there's an easy fix:… Read more

How to run the Password Reset utility in OS X 10.7 Lion

With prior versions of OS X, Apple included a "Reset Password" utility that you could use to reset forgotten passwords for accounts on the system. In the recovery options for OS X Lion, this program is missing from the "Utilities" menu where it used to reside, so people looking to reset their lost passwords may be a bit perplexed as to how to do this. While the program is no longer available through the Utilities menu, it is included on the recovery system and can be used, but you will have to open it by alternative … Read more