Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

What video camera do you recommend?

Watch Liza from Ontario, CA Comments

Liza wants to get a new video camera and wants Leo's recommendation. Leo says it depends on what she's planning to use it for. Camcorders are disappearing as more people rely on their still cameras and smart phones. Both of which do really good video these days. Liza says they don't shoot for very long, though. She wants to record soccer games from beginning to end. Leo recommends the Canon Vixia HF-R300 for under $300. Very high quality HD with the G10, but that's about $1,000. Liza will also want a tripod or monopod to mount it to.

If you want a first person point of view, the chatroom recommends the GoPro Hero 3.

How can I eliminate the buzzing sound on my computer?

Watch Jeff from Illinois Comments

Jeff bought a new modem for his computer and he's getting a low buzz from a radio nearby. He's moved the radio and the buzz continues. Leo says it's probably not the radio then, it's likely Jeff's power. He can go to Radio Shack and get a "ferrite choke" that he can attach to the power cable that stops it.

What external hard drive should I buy? (Part 1)

Watch Ronald from Los Angeles, CA Comments

Ronald needs to back up his data, and is in the market for an external hard drive. First of all, Leo says he should look for a USB 3.0 drive instead of USB 2.0 because it's much faster.

Leo says there's the 320GB Western Digital Passport USB 3.0 for $56 to the one he got, the 2TB Western Digital Passport for $128. These are great because they are powered from the USB port on the computer, and they're great for travel.

He also could look into the 3TB WD MyBook for $135. This isn't portable, and would require power.

Why can't I open old documents from Dropbox on my mobile device? (Part 2)

Watch Ronald from Los Angeles, CA Comments

Leo says that the documents could be corrupted. It may also be that the phone just can't open the format it has. If the format is something generic like PDF, then it could be that the copy wasn't sent to the phone properly. Or, if the phone just can't read it, he can open it on his desktop and recreate it. That could solve the issue. He should try using FoxIt, not Adobe Reader. Adobe has security issues these days.

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

Why is Solitaire so slow in Windows 8?

Watch Mary from Long Beach, CA Comments

Mary has Windows 8 and she has to hunt around for solitaire. Leo says that Microsoft put Solitaire under Xbox games in Windows 8. Users can then install Microsoft Solitaire. She was able to install it, but it doesn't work quite right. Leo suggests uninstalling it, and then downloading and reinstalling it. It could be that when it downloaded, it wasn't a complete download or installation. Removing and reinstalling it often cures many things.

The chatroom is saying that there are video driver issues in Windows 8, and an uninstall could fix that too. Leo also adds that if there was a video driver issue, it would pop up in other areas as well.

What can I use my old computer for?

Watch Rich from Pennsylvania Comments

Leo says that a file server is a good option. Turning it into a network attached storage device (NAS) is a great thing to do. Check out FreeNAS or Puppy Linux, which may be easier to try. Leo recommends watching Know How Episode 5 where we use Puppy Linux to do just that.

Would the "lemon law" apply to my Mac?

Watch Becky from Los Angeles, CA Comments

Becky bought her first Mac and it's been in and out of genius bar with repairs. It keeps dying and she's worried because her Apple Care is about to run out. It could be that her power is fluctuating causing components to fail. In that case, she can get a UPS from TrippLite that will condition her power. She would want to find one that is constantly conditioning the power, and those cost a little bit more.

Leo ultimately suggests telling the Apple Store that she needs the computer replaced. She tried that, but Apple says that is not an option. Leo says it's clearly a Lemon and the under federal law, multiple repairs means she has a lemon and Apple should replace it.

She should write politely to Tim Cook, mentioning that this is her first Mac. Apple has a team that deals with things like this. It won't hurt to mention that she talked to Leo Laporte on the Tech Guy Show. Quote the Song Beverly Consumer Warranty Act and the Magnus and Moss Warranty Act. Both cover all consumer goods to be either replaced or refunded in this issue. Document everything showing the repair trail. At which point, they'll have to do the right thing and replace it or refund her money.

The address for Tim Cook at Apple is:

Tim Cook
CEO, Apple
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014

Tim's email is tcook@apple.com.

How do I print from a tablet or smartphone?

Watch Ronnie from Anchorage, AL Comments

Ronnie called to suggest to a caller last week trying to print from an Android Tablet, to get an OTG cable and connect it directly. He learned this trick from Lucid Mike on YouTube. Leo says that's a good idea, but also suggests Google Cloud Print.

How can I have DSL without having a phone line?

Watch Doug from Orange, CA Comments

Doug would like to dump his AT&T phone line, but keep his DSL Extreme broadband connection. Can he do that? Leo says yes, it's called "dry loop DSL." AT&T has to allow it by law. He'll have to get DSL Extreme to fight for him on it because AT&T will do everything they can to make it difficult for him to keep it.

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

How can I get rid of the echo I'm getting on my laptop?

Watch Louie from Boca Raton, FL Comments

Louie has a laptop that has an echo. Leo says that there may be a sound enhancement setting enabled in the audio settings. Also, make sure the microphone is turned off, and it may also be that there's a mic pass-through option that's enabled. That would definitely cause it.

How can I get a system restore disc?

Watch John from Southern California Comments

John just bought a refurbished HP laptop on eBay. He wants to create a restore discs because they didn't come with any software. Leo says that usually the laptops come with an option to create restore discs. John says they don't have it. Leo says it's probably not a refurb, but a used laptop that the seller installed an OEM version of Windows Vista on. If he got no serial number or software, then chances are John has an illegal copy on the machine. Leo advises buying a legitimate upgrade copy of Windows and upgrading it to Windows 7. That way, he'd have a legitimate copy. Leo then suggests making an image of the drive with Drive Snapshot to an external drive.

Why did my computer start crashing after installing Windows 7?

Watch Dave from Miami Beach, FL Comments

John upgraded to Windows 7 and after installing it, it started crashing. Leo says it could be a flakey power supply, or the video card could be overheating. It's definitely a hardware failure and since it's an older computer, it was just a matter of time before it would happen. Open up the computer and make sure the fans are running on the CPU and around the computer. He can even vacuum out the dust to clean it up.

In the chatroom - Aero may be causing the crash. Turn off Aero because it may be overworking the video card. Here's an article from Microsoft Answers on how to do it.

Why do my Craigslist postings keep getting flagged?

Watch Doug from Temecula, CA Comments

Doug keeps posting to Craigslist and he keeps getting flagged. Leo says that if his posts are being flagged, then someone either doesn't like him or he's putting it on the wrong section. It may also be that Doug has been put on a black list for spamming. There's no real way to overturn that.

Ways around it is to use a VPN or Tore, which will hide Doug's IP address. Craigslist has an auto robot that searches posts for spam and kills them, but Craigslist doesn't say how to avoid it.

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