Laptop or desktop computers and any components within.
Hardware
How can I boot to my USB key?
Episode 1609
GScott fromGScott is having issues with rebooting to USB on his computer and his USB Key isn't booting up. Leo says to make sure your USB key is properly formatted and made. Turn off secure boot, then try changing the boot order in BIOS to check USB first.
Sam Abuelsamid - eRacing
Episode 1609
Sam was at the Formula E electric car races today. He said they sound a lot like TIE Fighters when they race. The races can be viewed on YouTube. Sam also got to test drive Porche new secret electric vehicle. Leo calls it his dream car.
How can I reset Windows?
Episode 1609
Steve fromSteve has an old Toshiba Satellite Laptop that was running really slow and he's trying to reset Windows 10. He's getting a popup to run disk utility. Leo says it sounds like the hard drive is getting flakey and needs to be replaced. Fortunately, Rick has his data backed up and the hard drives are cheap. So replace the drive and you'll be back in business. $50 for a 2TB spinning drive. But Leo says that SSDs are almost as cheap. So why not go SSD and speed that old Toshiba up?
The Giz Wiz and the Sports Fan
Episode 1608
This week's gadget from the Giz Wiz is the Wearable Sports Fan. This is a weird gadget! Here's a bit of info about it from Amazon: Hand-free fan was designed as a headphone to free your hands anywhere; Fashion style makes you look so cool. Hanging around your neck, suitable for travelling in hot weather. Low/medium/high speed level. 1800mAh lithium battery. 5-10 hours of working time depends on a different speed.
How Can I Reset My Chromebook?
Episode 1608
Debbie fromDebbie got a message on her Chromebook that says that Chrome is missing or damaged and she can't log in. Leo says it's easy to fix by using the powerwash utility if she can get to the sign-in screen. However, if she doesn't get to the log in screen, that points to a more serious problem. There's also a keyboard reset - Turn it on and press CTRL-ALT-SHIFT-R. This will open up the powerwash utility and completely reset and reinstall the ChromeOS. If that doesn't work, it's likely a hardware issue. Should she buy a new one? Leo says Chromebooks are still a great solution.
Which Computer Should I Get?
Episode 1608
Donna fromDonna wants to know if getting a computer at Costco is a good deal. Leo says that Costco usually carries last year's models, so she can get a pretty good deal, and they have a liberal return policy. For a new laptop, Leo likes the Lenovo Thinkpad. For desktops, Leo recommends Dell, especially for video editing. Great for business too.
Doctor Mom ... Echo in a Car
Episode 1608
Doctor Mom finally got her Amazon Echo Auto device and plugged it in. She says it gives them voice control to your phone through the car via Bluetooth. You're talking to your phone and use all the commands of any other Echo device. It'll also give you directions through any maps app you determine. But she says it'll chew up your data plan pretty quickly.
Are Hotspots Secure?
Episode 1608
Tucker fromTucker wants to use a captive portal wifi hotspot, but is it secure? Some are poorly made and can leak your data, others can sell data or even input advertising into it. Is Opera a good one? Leo says it's not exactly a VPN, and by giving away the service, that costs money. So they have to be making money somehow. Also, it's not strictly a VPN, it's a proxy service. One thing that Leo recommends is the Tiny Hardware Firewall. It has a built-in webserver, dual wifi radios, and a built-in hardware firewall.
How Can I Transfer Data from SCSI to a Mac?
Episode 1607
Chris fromChris has to transfer data from old SCSI (scuzzy) hard drives to his Mac. How can he do that? Leo says that SCSI was huge in the 90s, and there may be a SCSI to USB adapter online. Try Amazon, or as a last resort eBay. MonoPrice may also work. You can do it with a PC, as there are Scuzzi to USB adapters for Windows. So it may be that you'll need to get a new PC for it. Here's an article from 2014: https://www.macworld.com/article/2149163/how-to-recover-data-from-an-old...
What is Powerwashing?
Episode 1607
Mickey fromMicky wants to know what powerwashing is on a Chromebook? Leo says that it's a feature on Chromebook, that if the computer gets compromised due to a bad update, or some malware, you can use the powerwash setting to completely reset the Chromebook back to its original configuration.
