Welcome to Richard's Blog

Author: applegater

  • My kiddo ❤️  and my mom’s cats

    Crazy, right?  It’s been almost a year and a half since my cats moved in with Mom, and they’re living in the garage now – they’ve got toys, a home, food, and water.  When we get our 5 cats and put them in the house, it’ll be chaos!  Too much fur on the hardwood and stairs.

    I’m spending a ton on our cats—food, treats, scratching posts, medicine, the works!  Mom’s a lifesaver with the litter and sometimes toys.  So grateful for her help! 🙏🙌❤️

  • How to force restart and recover your iPad using iTunes.

    How to Force Restart Your iPad (Hard Reset)

    A force restart solves minor glitches without deleting data.

    For iPads without a Home Button (Face ID models):

    1. Press and quickly release Volume Up.
    2. Press and quickly release Volume Down.
    3. Hold the Top button until the Apple logo shows up.

    For iPads with a Home Button:

    • Hold down the Home button and the Top/Side button simultaneously until the Apple logo appears.

    How to Recover Your iPad Using iTunes (Recovery Mode)

    Step 1: Open iTunes or Finder

    • Install the latest iTunes or use Finder (macOS Catalina and newer).

    Step 2: Enter Recovery Mode

    • Connect your iPad to your computer.
    • Face ID iPads: Quickly press Volume Up, then Volume Down, hold the Top button until recovery mode appears.
    • Home Button iPads: Press and hold Home + Top/Side buttons until recovery mode screen appears.

    Step 3: Update or Restore via iTunes/Finder

    When prompted in iTunes or Finder, choose:

    • Update to reinstall iOS without data loss.
    • Restore to erase your iPad and install the latest iOS.

    ⚠️ Important: Restoring erases all data unless you’ve previously made a backup.

    Step 4: Set Up Your iPad

    Restore your data from iTunes or iCloud if a backup exists.

    Follow on-screen instructions on your iPad after restoring/updating.

    Helpful Tips

    • Ensure your computer has internet access during recovery.
    • Keep your iPad connected throughout the process.
    • If recovery mode exits prematurely, repeat the steps to enter it again.

    Need help backing up your iPad or troubleshooting further? Feel free to reach out!

  • Cloudron and Nextcloud: Your Quick Path to Secure, Self-Hosted Cloud Storage

    Follow this easy, step-by-step guide to deploy Nextcloud with Cloudron, providing you with secure, self-hosted cloud storage.

    Step 1: Prepare Your Server

    • OS Recommendation: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
    • Minimum Requirements:
      • 2GB RAM (4GB recommended)
      • 20GB disk space
      • Root SSH access

    Step 2: Set DNS Records

    • Log in to your DNS provider.
    • Add an A record pointing to your server’s IP (e.g., my.example.com → your_server_IP).

    Step 3: Install Cloudron

    • Connect to your server via SSH.
    • Execute these commands:
    wget https://cloudron.io/cloudron-setup
chmod +x ./cloudron-setup
./cloudron-setup
    • Follow the prompts; you’ll get an admin URL when finished.

    Step 4: Configure Cloudron

    • Open your Cloudron admin URL.
    • Set up your admin account.
    • Configure email settings (SMTP).

    Step 5: Install Nextcloud via Cloudron

    • Log into Cloudron.
    • Go to App Store, search “Nextcloud”.
    • Choose the app, specify your domain, click Install.

    Step 6: Access & Customize Nextcloud

    • Go to your Nextcloud URL (e.g., nextcloud.example.com).
    • Log in with admin credentials.
    • Configure storage, add users, set sharing options, and install useful Nextcloud apps.

    Step 7: Maintenance & Backups

    • Cloudron handles automated backups (configure via the Backups tab).
    • Regularly update Nextcloud through the Cloudron dashboard to maintain optimal security and reliability.

    ✅ Done! Your Nextcloud instance is now securely hosted, easy to manage, and ready for collaboration.

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