Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

What camera should I buy my daughter for video production?

Watch Mark from Tustin, CA Comments

Mark needs to buy a camera for his daughter for her video production class in high school. Leo doesn't recommend a camcorder much anymore, though. The budget is $500. Leo says that any camera can take great videos now.

Leo recommends a Micro Four-Thirds camera because she'll get the best of both worlds being able to change lenses while still having a compact design. Panasonic is the best option. They could probably pick up an older GX1, GF3 or GH3 to do it. The Sony Alpha 6300 is another one to consider, but it's about $1,000. The Panasonic G7 with a kit lens is about $600 and would give her the ability to record in 4K.

Leo recommends checking out DPReview.com for camera reviews.

How can I get rid of malware?

Watch Carolyn from Pasadena, CA Comments

Carolyn thinks she got attacked by a virus. MalwareBytes says there's over 174 viruses on her machine. Leo says there might not be. There may be malware on it, but sometimes Malware Bytes gives a false positive on cookies and calls them viruses. She'll also want to be sure that she got MalwareBytes from the >official MalwareBytes site. Carolyn really should just make a recovery, back up her data, wipe the drive, and then run the recovery utility. It's the only way to be sure that she's free of viruses.

How can I stop telemarketers?

Watch Alexander from Georgia Comments

Dan has been getting a ton of telemarketing and robocalls lately. Is there a service that will filter them out so he doesn't have to deal with it? Leo says that Google Voice has great call screening and blocking utilities -- and it's free. Leo also says there's a new service called the Jolly Roger Telephone Company that has fun with telemarketers on your behalf.

Other options for screening calls include:

Leo says that unethical telemarketers don't care about the DoNotCall list and often they are outside the country, which isn't required to obey that law. And they spoof the call anyway. Leo says Google Voice is the way to go.

(Disclaimer: RingCentral is a sponsor)

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

Is hard drive speed more important than processor speed?

Watch Henry from Riverside, CA Comments

Henry wants to buy a new Mac and wants to know if it's true that processor speed isn't as important as hard drive speed. Leo says that's true. Processors are really fast now and there's only a dimes worth of difference between them for every day use. It's better to get an i5 and then spend more money on a faster hard drive and better screen. Leo says that a 21" iMac with an SSD is best for speed, but a Fusion Drive would give him more space plus a speed boost.

Henry also needs a MacBook Air. Leo says that Skylake based MacBooks will be coming out really soon, plus there may be a Retina MacBook Air coming. If he can put it off for a few months, it would be a good idea.

How can I be secure online while traveling?

Watch Andrew from Eerie, PA Comments

Andrew is always traveling and he's thinking about using a VPN since he's always on public Wi-Fi hotspots. Leo says that's a very good idea. Most places he'll visit online are encrypted, but Leo has read lately that it's becoming really easy to get into computers over public Wi-Fi. Leo says a VPN will work, but it slows him down.

Leo has a Tiny Hardware Firewall, which gives him more protection, and it also comes with its own VPN. It's very easy to use. It also supports TOR, for additional privacy. It is very secure, very flexible, and the speed is very good.

Can I download the Windows 10 ISO?

Watch Don from Mojave Valley, AZ Comments

Don wants to know how he can download the Windows 10 ISO. Leo says he can download it at microsoft.com. He can try it for 30 days free and then he can buy it, or if he has Windows 7 or 8, it's a free upgrade. It isn't free to Vista users, however.

Is there a Mac keyboard shortcut to mirror the display?

Watch Don from Mojave Valley, AZ Comments

CMD + F1 will is the keyboard shortcut to mirror the Mac display to an external display. If he's using a Windows keyboard, he'll need to press the Windows key + F1.

Why does SiteLock keep reporting that my site has malware?

Watch Steve from Rancho Mirage, CA Comments

Steve said that he's been a HostGator customer for 9 years and had been very happy. They are associated with SiteLock, a site that scans websites to check for malware. His site got infected with malware, and SiteLock reported that to HostGator, who notified Steve they were going to take down his site. When he called HostGator, they forwarded him to SiteLock, and they presented him with an option to clean up his site for $300 or subscribe to a monthly service that would cost $97 a month. He called HostGator back and asked them if he could clean up his site himself, but it turned out not to be an option. SiteLock wound up taking his site down. Steve says he went and cleaned his site of malware, but SiteLock still was reporting it for having malware.

Leo says they're doing the right thing to do this. If there's malware on the website, he's potentially infecting everyone who visits his site. Google also will do this, and will block the site to all visitors as long as it's infected with malware. Leo says that he thinks his hosting company won't let him do it himself because it's hard to do. They've partnered with a company that does this, unfortunately at a high cost to him. But Steve has a responsibility when having a public website online. His hosting company and Steve himself are incurring liability by having a site with malware on it online. Leo suggests following the instructions from SiteLock, and unfortunately if it costs $300, that's what he'll have to pay to keep his site online.

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

How do I reactivate Windows on my computer?

Watch Anne from Oceanside, CA Comments

Anne had her computer repaired and now she's getting a popup asking her to activate Windows. Leo says that yes, she'll have to activate Windows because they probably reinstalled the entire OS. She doesn't have the key, though. Leo says that it's annoying that the manufacturer fixed the computer and they should have activated it for her. Leo suggests looking underneath the laptop and there should be a sticker that has her key on it. It will be 10 groups of 4 characters. There may also be a product service key.

She's also not getting any updates. Leo says she won't get updates until she activates Windows. Until then, she should run the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool. She can press Windows Key + R, then type MRT and hit Return. This will run the tool and give her computer a complete scan.

What's the best 70" TV for $1200?

Watch Gary from Downey, CA Comments

Gary wants to buy a new 70" HDTV and his budget is around $1200. Leo says that if there's a 70" for that price, it's probably a Vizio. The M-Series are good TVs. The E-Series is great as well. Leo bought one. Vizio corners the market for decent TVs for the price. This Vizio E-Series 70" TV is $1200 and Leo thinks it's a good choice.

Gary is wondering about 4K vs. 1080p. Leo says there's very little 4K content and what there is streams quite compressed, so there's no real compelling reason to get 4K right now. Leo says Gary can stick with 1080p. That also means he'll be getting either last year's models or a refurb. If he gets a refurb, Leo says to get it from Vizio. They'll give him a full warranty with it.

Why is Windows 10 asking me to activate?

Watch John from Manhattan Beach, CA Comments

John wants to upgrade to Windows 10 and he can't find the product key. Leo says that if the computer is already activated, the free Windows 10 will just take that authorization and apply it to his new version of Windows. There's no need to to reactivate or re-enter the license key. Windows will not ask him for it. If he's getting the product key request, then the previous version wasn't activated. But Microsoft has changed the way it licenses Windows now to an entitlement system where his computer is entitled to run Windows 10.

Should I buy a used Mac Mini?

Watch James from Austin, TX Comments

James is thinking of getting a used Mac Mini. How can he find out how old the Mac is? Leo says to check out EveryMac. It will give him a list of specs for it. He shouldn't go back further than 2012, though. He'll want to use the latest version of OS X, El Capitan, so he'll want to make sure the machine can support it.

How can I upgrade to Windows 10?

Watch Ed from San Diego, CA Comments

Ed finally took the dive and started to upgrade to Windows 10. But after the initial login, he couldn't continue and complete it. Leo says it sounds like a bad install. Also Microsoft wants him to use his microsoft account to log in. Leo says that it sounds like a bad install. He recommends using the separate Windows 10 ISO and do the upgrade that way.

How can I copy my files in Windows?

Watch Jim from Madison, WI Comments

Jim wants to save his files to a thumbdrive and hears there's a command that he can enter to do it. Leo says drag and drop file copying is the easiest way to do it. Just drag and drop the Documents and Settings folder into it.

In Windows, there is something called RoboCopy, where you can use the command line to copy files. You would open the command line by pressing "Windows Key + R", then type "CMD". Then type RoboCopy. If you type "RoboCopy /?" you'll see all the parameters. You can also type "RoboCopy-help" for more information.

Jim is worried about upgrading to Windows 10 because he hears that Media Player isn't included anymore. Leo says it's still there. Microsoft took out Windows Media Center, which is a home theater PC utility that not many people used. To backup files, Microsoft still uses SyncToy, and there's also Second Copy, which will sync as well.

How can I attach a camera lens to my mobile phone?

Watch Asadis from Italy (via Skype) Comments

Asadis has an Samsung Galaxy S6 and wants attach a real 35mm lens to it. How can he do that? Leo says that if anyone sells it, PhotoJojo does. The challenge is that most of them are developed for iPhone, but they should have it.

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