If you want to download and back up all those pictures on Google Photos over the years, try using Google Takeout. It's a lot faster than backing up manually, especially for people with huge batches. Google Takeout allows you to see the data you've given to Google in other areas too, like Google+ (rest in peace).
John has spinning hard drives to back up data, and wonders if SSDs are more reliable nowadays. Leo says that SSDs have a feature called wear-leveling that takes care of the limited read/write cycle issue they used to have. Whenever Leo buys new drives, it's a Solid-State.
Chip's PC is stuck in the boot cycle and eventually goes to a black/blue screen of death while updating Windows 10. Leo says he has a hunch that the hard drive is stuck and Windows can't find a particular file. If he can't go into safe mode, then the next option is to download a WINDOWS ISO and put it on USB with the installer (media creation tool). Then reinstall Windows from the USB key. But he can also run the recovery utility before reinstalling. If that doesn't work, the hard drive may be dead.
John Paul is having a hard time recovering his Gmail account. What can he do? Leo says it's very difficult to recover your Gmail because there's really no one to talk to. Gmail is a free service and doesn't offer support. If you had the paid version, GSuite, you'd have support. But since this is free, you're really at the mercy of the support documents. One way to prevent this is to turn on 2-factor authentication. That way you get a text message with a code that you input, or you use an authenticator.
Patty has new iPad and she hasn't been able to unlock it. There is a process that Apple uses called "IForgot" that will help you to recover and reactivate your iPad. Here's a tech note on how - https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204306. This page will walk you through. If that doesn't work, then your next move is to go to a nearby Apple store or call Apple support. You'll also need to know your AppleID.
Brett just updated to OSX Mojave and hangs up on the login screen. Leo says clearing the PRAM or parameter ram can sometimes solve issues like this. Also, reboot with CMD R and that will enable you to reinstall the OS. Maybe it wasn't updated properly. If that doesn't work, Leo recommends making an appointment at the Genius Bar in the Apple Store.
Chatroom says to boot into safe mode, press and hold the shift key, and it will install the absolute minimum. If it works OK after that, then there's an app that isn't compatible that's hanging things up.
Greg has an old, inactive Google account, but when he tries to recover his password, it won't verify. Leo says it's possible that the account was deleted due to inactivity. The chatroom points to this support article at support.google.com for recovering a lost account. Though Greg's account isn't lost, maybe treating it as a lost account could solve the problem.
Jim is having boot up issues with his computer. He gets an error on his SSD and Leo suspects that the drive is failing and the computer can't see the boot drive. Leo suspects that his SSD isn't meant to be a boot drive since it's an Intel hybrid drive. He shouldn't mess with it. It's not really two drives, it's one drive that appears as two.
Leo says if there's data on the drive, it's going to be tricky to recover it. The Dell recovery disks could help but chances are, he'll need a tech to get the data off it. It would be best to replace it with a dedicated SSD.
Kim got a computer recently from a friend and she can't log into her account. It keeps asking for the previous owner. Leo says that the best thing to do is format the hard drive and start over. That way she can set it up for her preferences and make her account the primary account. Windows 10 has great reset options, and she won't even need a Windows key anymore. She should just make sure to back up her data and files first. Then hit the Windows Key and type "recovery." She'll get the choice of several options. Then she can run the recovery and it'll reinstall Windows.
Jay's HP is having issues and the recovery drive doesn't seem to fix it. Leo says that he should get his own 16GB USB key and create a recovery drive of his own using Windows Media Creation Tool. He'll also have the benefit of creating a clean install with no trial ware. He may have to also download specific drivers for his device, and HP may have a create media tool of their own.
