Brian

Windows Pro...I prefer that version for my computers. Not only because I do more "Commercial" (i.e. Domain) stuff, it also doesn't get in your way like the Home Edition does. The Pro version is the full version of Windows, at least in my world. Sure there is "Ultimate" but Pro is just overall better in my opinion for the majority.

Yep! Windows does "Maintenance" stuff at 2AM as the default. Oh, make sure you are set to the correct Time Zone as well.

AMD has been kicking Intel's butt in their desktop line, but historically, Intel Chips in laptops seem to perform better when it comes to battery life. Intel has always been "better" in this regard to power management and laptops; they have it figured out. I've recommended that Lenovo Y540 in the past, it's a decent laptop. Sure the Dell Inspiron also checks most of the boxes, but between the two, I'd go with the Lenovo.

Well, if you open the lid, it will wake the laptop up from sleep, thereby contaminating the results. We want to know WHY it’s waking up on its own. If you open the lid, Windows will record that “last event” and not the 11PM PST Event. Make sense? We know that it woke up due to you opening the laptop, duh! You could set the screen saver to just turn off the display when you leave it open.

So you are closing the lid at night? Honestly, I'd keep it open. I'm thinking it's Windows Updates running. Last night for me would be Wednesday night, and MSFT releases patches on Tuesday. Windows Update usually kicks in around 2AM, sometimes 3AM.

I'm not a fan of Acer Laptops. They don't hold up over time and tend to fall apart if you move them around a lot. The problem with a lot of gaming laptops, is the lack of a IPS-Based Display Panel. That Zephrus has lots of fancy marketing graphics, but no mention of IPS, so I'd pass on that one. That said, the Asus TUF has a IPS Display, so I'd get that one out of the three: See what I mean that the manufacturers will point it out if it's installed? IPS displays on laptops are tough to find, and I wouldn't let this one slip through your fingers. Of course, you could get an external display, like the U2719 that you linked to, and that would work pretty well. Just make sure you get a HDMI 2.0 cable to hook up the display to your laptop. Well as far as the Asus TUF that you linked to goes.

Bad news. I'm stumped. It should work. By any chance, do you have an older copy of PS CC installed on your computer? It would be listed under the Applications. I'm curious to see if the EHD is listed in the older version of PS' scratch disks settings. The newest PS CC has been a real pain-in-the-ass with all sorts of goofy problems. PS CC 2019 is the most stable version around. You might have to contact Adobe on this one and see if you can get PS CC 2019.

No. That doesn't tell me anything. I need this: Apple Menu >> About this Mac >> System Report Button >> click Storage in the left column >> post a screenshot here. I'm really interested in the File System Column and what's listed.

That’s fine. With a small HD, you need every GB you can get. How much free space are we up to, about 76GB or so? Can you post a screenshot of the storage section under “About this Mac” for me? (Click on Overview and then storage in the left column. Make your screenshot look like mine. I want to see the partition type on the LaCie.)

This right here: That's "Other" Space. It's what the OS deems as safe to delete, but doesn't until in needs that area. Often, it never goes away. Did you purchase CleanMyMac X? There is a spot in the Maintenance Section that frees up this area: You probably have another 75GB of space being taken up by junk in this "Other" section.

Good. I just emphasized some of my comments above. Be Ruthless. You do not need 75 Raw Photos taken of your Lunch from 5 years ago. CULL-CULL-CULL!!

You gotta click that storage section in the left column to see the hard drives. You are just under 18GB free on your main hard drive. THIS IS EXTREMELY BAD. VERY VERY BAD. YOU NEVER EVER-EVER-EVER want to go over than 80% full on ANY Macintosh HD. Once you hit 90%, you are in the Danger-Zone. (...and not the cool Danger Zone like in Top Gun.) In fact, once you hit 95% full or above, your Mac is a ticking Time-Bomb and there is a good chance it will crash and not boot at all. Seriously, once you get that low on space with Macs, it is VERY POSSIBLE that your Hard Drive will start corrupting itself You seriously need to stop worrying about your PS Scratch Disk and FREE UP SPACE ON YOUR MAIN HARD DRIVE. Like, right now. Photoshop is the least of your problems. There is a good chance that your HD is starting to corrupt itself and that's the reason that PS is being stupid. We may have to un-install and re-install Photoshop. But we will cross that bridge later. Please purchase CleanMyMac X and run it. Also go through your Macintosh HD and start deleting stuff. We want our first target to be 75GB free instead of 18GB. The more free space, the better. We will not continue until your hard drive has more free space. It's that serious.

Interesting. I want to see what your Mac sees. The Storage Section under "About this Mac" is going to be really what I'm after. How much stuff is on this LaCie Drive? Is it important stuff?

In addition, head to your Apple Menu and select About this Mac. Click the System Report, then select storage. Post a Screenshot of that section for me, here is mine: Oh, to so a screenshot where you control what is selected, hit Command + Shift + 4. Then draw a box around the various screens that I want to see. What exact model is the LaCie Drive?

Can you post a screen shot of your Scratch Disk Settings in Photoshop? Here is mine:

That's bad. You need that as close to 100GB Free as much as possible. Even if you got around 75GB Free, that would be better. Buy CleanMyMac X from MacPaw and run it weekly. Hit your downloads folder and delete all the crap that is in there. You'd be surprised on how much stuff ends up in there. Cull images. Delete-Delete-Delete the photos that will never see the light of day. With a 200GB Main HD, you need to be hyper anal on what is stored on that drive. How full is the LaCie Drive? How is it connected to your Mac? USB or Thunderbolt? Do you use the LaCie for anything else, like Time Machine?

I mis-read your statement. As long as you have signed out of iCloud and even went as far as removing her profile from the Computer, it shouldn't affect anything on her computer. iCloud also has a habit of backing up data, which usually results in people getting error message that their "iCloud is Full." So I think you should be fine.

The easy answer: Pick a format and stick with it. Macintosh OR Windows. Long Answer: By default, a Macintosh will READ a Windows drive with zero problems, but WILL NOT WRITE TO A WINDOWS DRIVE. This makes it easier for people to switch from Windows to a Mac and is done intentionally. When you go back-and-forth between the two worlds is where things get complicated. You will need special translation software to write to a Windows Format, or have special software installed on your Windows Computer in order to read the Macintosh Format. There is also another partition format called exFAT, but that method isn't 100% fool-proof and I don't recommend it for the general users here. Hell, even * I * don't use it. Of course, if you have two Macs at your disposal, then going back and forth is pretty standard. You could also use a Cloud Service like Dropbox or OneDrive, but that method isn't 100% guaranteed either. Often when you save from your Mac, a Windows computer will give you some sort of error message when you try opening the files.

Thank You!! FYI: By default, a Macintosh will READ a Windows-based drive without any issues, but will not WRITE to it without help. This is what trips people up. You'll just need to download the Crashplan/Code 42 Software that is meant for the Mac, and then sign in / download / sync stuff. The one thing I'm not sure is going back and forth between the two worlds. It could turn out that Crashplan is impartial and doesn't care, which if you think about, makes things really easy. If not, I'd download all your files to your new Mac and then create new folders with Crashplan and sync things up. Of course, hopefully the support team from Crashplan can answer these questions or point you to a FAQ Answer. Oh, I'm sure you saw this, but here it is anyway: Quick and Dirty iMac Desktop Configurations

You can find it on Amazon: Crucial 64 GB Kit Or look for a OWC equivalent: OWC 64GB Kit I'm sure your next question is "Which one?" It doesn't matter. Both are good. OWC has been making Mac Stuff since the 1990's (or late 1980's) and it's $300. YES. Apple makes it EXTREMELY EASY to go from a Windows Machine to a Mac. It's when you want to go back and forth between a Mac and Windows Computer is where things become a pain in the ass. My recommendation: Pick a format and stick with it. Mac OR Windows.

@Kim with the pink hair: I just saw this article: https://www.macrumors.com/guide/14-inch-macbook-pro/ I'd hold off buying anything for a few months. It looks like Apple is going to release an update to the M1, probably in the Spring.

Yeah, it doesn't look like it woke up last night. You also want to make note of the day/date that it woke up. If this happens every Tuesday or early Wednesday Morning (2:00AM,) it could be Windows Update checking the Microsoft Servers since patches are typically released on Tuesdays. Also, if you want dead silence and are determined to keep using this laptop, you might have to upgrade/replace the Hard Drive with a SSD model. In addition to the CPU fans, you have a rotating disks in the HD and that motor can get loud.

If you are buying a Mac Laptop, you are going to be spending a lot of money. Apple wants you to "Go Big or Go Home" now more than ever! Yes, you want 16GB at a minimum with today's technology. Unfortunately, with the current Mac Laptop products, the RAM is soldered to the motherboard, which means YOU CAN NOT UPGRADE AFTER THE FACT!! So you are forced to purchase the extra RAM and pay Apple's extremely over-priced components. Personally, I don't think it's a good idea to purchase the current M1 13" Mac Laptops. Sure, the lower price-point is comforting, but I don't like how the Video doesn't have its own dedicated Video RAM, it's shared with the main RAM so it's more important to max out the RAM at the time of purchase. (In this case, it looks to be only 16GB.) Adobe's products rely on the Video Processor and dedicated Video Memory for a performance boost. Content Aware and the Liquify Tools are two things that use the Video Card and Video Memory to work. Often, you will see Photoshop act weird when it doesn't play well with the video drivers. When you disable Photoshop from using the Video Card to "fix" the problem, these two tools have a bit of lag to them. Here is how I would configure a M1 Macbook and it works out to $1899, plus AppleCare and Tax: As with my normal recommendations when it comes to a "Laptop that is good for photo editing..." you do not want to skip on the RAM or Main HD capacity. 16GB RAM at a Minimum 1TB Main Hard Drive at a Minimum These are non-negotiable. "But that costs...." I don't care, save up for another few months. Again, you can't upgrade these things after the fact. If you need more RAM, HD space or whatever, you are buying another (and more expensive) laptop. Bottom Line: If I had to purchase a MacBook that is "Good for Photo Editing," this is what I would buy: Of course, this is at a much higher price-point, $3299 plus AppleCare and Tax, but should last you for awhile and give you the least amount of problems over the years. With cameras, even entry-level ones, being 24MP or greater, 100MB Raw files are becoming the norm. So even though the M1 might work for you now, you may regret your purchase in a few years when you replace your camera body. Something to think about.

Now this is a unique problem. I usually get questions (in real life) to make sure a device doesn't go to sleep, you are the direct opposite. The short answer is, I have no idea. I did find this article: How to Stop Your Computer From Randomly Waking Up From Sleep Mode. I also found this article: What to do if your laptop wakes up from sleep on its own. I'm thinking it might be some sort of scan from virus software, possibly Windows update running, even the manufacture's software that is looking for driver updates. If you are running a Cloud Service, it could be doing a maintenance cycle from there and looking to sync things. Basically, it can be anything. Even a external HD or another device that is plugged into it. If your laptop is configured for DHCP, I'm wondering if the lease time is expiring and the laptop is hunting for a new IP address? (My thinking, if this is happening, the WiFi Adapter is waking up the system, but this is a long shot. Again, I'm just throwing things out there as I think of them.) If you are familiar with the Command Prompt I want you to try this: Click the Start Button Immediately type CMD (Just start typing, don't worry about putting anything into a search box.) Now, this is the important step, the Command program should appear in the list, if you see it, great...but the important thing is to look towards the right column and look for "Run as Administrator." If you don't see Run as Administrator in the right column, that's OK, just simply right-click on the Command Program in the Start Menu and select Run as Administrator. I don't care how you accomplish this, just make sure the Command Window is opened with elevated privileges. (Yes, even though you might be logged in as an Administrator, you still need to do this.) Once the Command Prompt Box appears, type: powercfg -lastwake. If you are lucky, something obvious will appear. If not, you are going hunting for a solution. If you'd like, I want to see what powercfg comes up with. Post a screenshot here with the results. (You can use the Snip-It Tool.) Maybe we can put our heads together in figuring out what is causing this issue. Oh, type exit and hit enter to close the Command Window Box. Edit: You might have to wait to do the powercfg -lastwake command after it wakes up during the night. I know this sucks as you want to get a full night's sleep, but we need to figure out WHAT is causing the issue, and that needs to be done just after it happens. The good news is, if it's obvious, we can form a plan of attack.

Personally, I like having the same OS for the Time Machine, but if it’s a Mojave TM drive, it should also work fine. You can use the method that you have in the past, OR you can take this time to set things up manually and have a fresh start. For transferring data, a Thumb-drive or EHD is probably the easiest. You can also network the two Macs and transfer stuff over the network.