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Episode 952 February 10, 2013

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Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

What's the best external hard drive connection?

Watch JR from Detroit, MI Comments

JR is looking to get an external hard drive, but he really doesn't want to get one that uses USB. Leo says he could add a Firewire card or an external SATA (eSATA). There's also Network Attached Storage (NAS). Leo likes Synology's DiskStation and NetGear's ReadyNAS. NAS gives him data redundancy too, which is a plus.

How can I get texts on Android and the iPad at the same time?

Watch Stephen from Long Beach, CA Comments

Steve bought an HTC Evo 4G with Virgin Mobile and he's having trouble with text messaging through Facebook. When his friend responds, it goes to his iPad, not his phone. Leo says that's probably because they're responding via iMessage. He'll have to delete his phone number from Facebook and then re-register the new one, even if it's the same number.

He'd like to get his text messages on his HTC Evo and his iPad. Can that be done? Leo says that probably not. Apple's getting around text messages via iMessage. The chatroom says he can try renaming the cell as a regular cell phone, not an iPhone, that may do it.

How can I get my camera to show up again in Skype?

Watch George from Santa Monica, CA Comments

George was on Skype the other day and his camera went blank. Leo says that sometimes Skype will forget or get confused if the camera is attached or not. It can also happen if the camera has been taken over by another program exclusively. Try rebooting the computer and then going back into Skype. George says it's on the iPad, not a regular computer. Leo says it could be a bug in the Skype app, and reinstalling it could fix the issue.

How can I make multiple hard drives appear as one in my Mac Pro?

Watch Bob from Los Angeles, CA Comments

Leo says that Chris Breen has a great article RAIDING the Mac Pro at MacWorld.com. That'll walk him through how to turn his Mac Pro into a RAID. OS X can do it in Disk Utility.

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

How do I change the password in my Content Advisor in Internet Explorer?

Watch Lois from Tyler, TX Comments

It's not simple to do, but here's a good step-by-step explanation of what to do: http://www.pchell.com/support/contentadvisor.shtml

The chatroom also suggests an entry from Microsoft Answers on how to turn content advisor off.

How can I turn my hard drive into network attached storage?

Watch Doug from Diamond Bar, CA Comments

Doug has a Seagate Freeagent Desk that he would like to turn into network attached storage.

Leo says the easiest way to do this is to buy a router that can support an external disk. Many routers have a USB port that he could plug the FreeAgent into. He also could look into a PogoPlug.

How can I restore a partition?

Watch Bob from Spring Hill, FL Comments

Bob recently bought a new hard drive and wants to copy the contents of his older hard drive. Somehow, he lost the partition on the original drive. He's wondering if he can restore that data from the partition. Leo says no. Losing the partition is far more significant, and once a drive has been repartitioned, no data can be recovered.

Doug in the chatroom says TestDisk may be able to recover and undelete a partition. There's also Recuva by Piraform, which the chatroom says is easier to use. Partition Recovery from DiskInternals, and EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard are other options.

Can I backup one external Firewire drive to another?

Watch Jeff from Woodland Hills, CA Comments

Jeff has a Firewire 800 external hard drive that's filled with video. Will it be as fast as an internal hard drive when streaming to his AppleTV? Leo says no, but it's fast enough.

He's also wondering about backing up his drives using Time Machine or Super Duper. Leo says the nice thing about firewire is that he can daisy chain his external drives and back them all up.

Are black boxes in cars a violation of privacy?

Watch Mike from El Segundo, CA Comments

Mike hears that black boxes are now being put on cars. Can they be used to spy on the motorist? Leo says that it could, but there's cameras everywhere, so it's not like the government can't follow him if they really want to anyway. The boxes are more likely for diagnostic information to repair a car. That capability has been in there since the 80s. But they can also be used for accident investigation. The question though, is what are the rules?

Check out the Electronic Frontier Foundation's article on Black Boxes in Cars along with how to comment on the use of them by the NHTSA.

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Hour 1 Hour 2 Hour 3

Will I benefit from upgrading to a DOCSIS III modem?

Watch Jack from West Orange, NJ Comments

Jack is being offered a newer, faster modem (DOCSIS III). His cable company has told him that if he takes them up on it, they will have to disconnect his second modem. Leo says it's OK. It may be the speed difference which causes them to disconnect it. He could get a second DOCSIS III modem and try that, though. He can always reconnect the second modem after they leave, too, and see if it works. A wireless repeater may be a better option to get internet through his house, though.

Why does my smartphone battery drain so much faster while I'm on a cruise?

Watch Larry from Northridge, CA Comments

It's most likely because his phone is seeking for a cell signal while on the cruise, and since there isn't signal around, it will drain the battery faster. He should turn off his cell data or go into airplane mode and that'll preserve his battery power.

What can I do about the constant 'beach balls' in my Mac's Finder?

Watch Alex from Long Island, NY Comments

Leo says beach balling usually happens when something is stuck, and in the finder is the worst. It could be just about anything. Given the age of the Mac Pro, it could be a flakey hard drive, or a corrupted system file. A failing power supply or some other hardware issue could also be the culprit. If it's tossing him off his FIOS Internet connection, there's probably a relationship there somewhere. Leo suggests getting a new hard drive and reinstalling everything, then use the old drive as a secondary drive. If it doesn't work, then it's some other hardware issue, which could end up being too costly to repair.

How do I get rid of the FBI Moneypak Virus?

Watch John from Barstow, CA Comments

John got bit by the FBI Moneypak virus. Leo says it's ransomware, they threaten users and offer to cut them a break if they spend $300 worth of Moneypaks and send it to them. After he got this, John went into safe mode and found it and tried to clean it off. He can remove it, but at the end of the day, it may be best to just backup his data, and reinstall Windows from a known, good source.

What are some basic things to know about using Twitter?

Watch Cheryl from California Comments

Cheryl is new to Twitter and wants to know about using it. Leo says that using a hashtag will enable people to search and see her public tweets when they scan that hashtag. Also addressing someone with an "@" symbol and their twitter handle (Leo's is @LeoLaporte). Always use a hashtag, though, that makes it searchable. It may or may not appear in a specific feed.

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