JR wants to know what would be the easiest way to set up a slideshow presentation that he can show on an HDTV. Leo says that many TVs have USB slots, but it depends if the software supports running photo slideshows. JR could use AirPlay with his iPhone and keep the slideshow on it. Or he can make a movie of the slideshow and the TV could play it.
Dennis' computer has a Western Digital Passport external hard drive that mounts, but it can't be read it or ejected. Then it crashes the computer. Leo says that it's a USB device that isn't fully mounting. It's probably an issue with either the USB controller on his computer, or the cable itself. Dennis should try using a different USB cable first. Then he should try plugging it into another USB port and see if he can replicate the issue. The USB driver may also be corrupted.
Gary wants to know about Google Voice with the Pixel phone. Leo says that Google Voice started as GrandCentral, which he used to use for his office. Then Google bought it and created a central phone hub for everyone. It gives you a new universal number and then rings different phones until it finds you. It also has custom voicemail boxes for people in your contact list, strangers, close friends, and unknown. It also sends you a text message with the voicemail. And it's free to use.
Martinio can't see his external hard drive on his computer when he boots up. What software can he use to fix it? Leo says first he'll have to be able to see the drive to fix it. If he can't see it, then there's a hardware issue. It's a very expensive proposition to get the data off. DriveSavers will be able to do it, but it's very expensive.
Jonathan has a Windows laptop and he wants to add a fingerprint scanner. The one he's looking at works with WIndows Hello, but there's no real branding. Leo says that chances are, one Chinese company makes it and then sells it to multiple companies who put their name on it. The good news is that it works with Windows Hello. Jonathan should check out the Eikon fingerprint scanner. It's the one he recommends, and it's only $20.
Mike's Galaxy S7 Edge keeps pinging that it's connected to a USB even when it isn't. Leo says that could be a ghost issue. He should turn off USB debugging in the developer settings. He needs to go to into Settings > About Phone, and tap the build number 10 times. Then he'll get into the developer's menu. He should check his phone's USB port for fuzz. He can also try resetting the phone. Then before he reinstalls his apps, he should make sure it isn't happening. If it does still happen, then he does have a hardware problem. If it doesn't, then an app is likely the culprit.
Rowan wonders if USB thumb drives are becoming obsolete like so many other data drives before it. Leo says that no format will last forever, but there's still plenty of life left in USB. We need to keep an eye on how technology progresses and transfer the data over when the time comes, though. Rowan will likely be able to get an adapter for USB-C, which is the current standard. The other thing he can do is use an open source backup, like TAR, which will make the backup easily transferrable. The best way is to go into the cloud, though. He should have both.
Natalie broke the screen on her Samsung Galaxy S7 and she can't get the information off. How can she backup her data? Leo says she can get a Samsung USB to Go adapter that would allow her to host other devices.
The chatroom says that Samsung has software called Kies that will allow the user to backup a device via USB.
Richard has downloaded the TuneIn app, where he downloads podcasts and then listens to his phone. His stereo system doesn't support the mp4 stream, though. Leo says it shouldn't because mp4 is video. He can save audio as that, but it's not very widely supported. He'd have to reencode it to listen to it.
Leo advises just streaming it live. That way the phone can handle the encoding, not the car stereo. Leo also suggests going Bluetooth instead of the USB connection, if he can.
Chap has an old XP laptop and wants to know how he can transfer data from it to a USB thumb drive. He tried to and it didn't work. Leo wants to know first if the laptop can see it. If not, he should try another. Flash memory can die and the thumbdrive could just be bad. He should also try both USB ports. If nothing shows up, his USB port could be dirty or could have shorted out. That's not likely, though. He should try another USB device like a mouse and see if that will work.
