Apps, Operating Systems (Windows, MacOS, Linux), or pro level software.
Software
How Can I Get Rid Of Popups?
Episode 1793
Mario fromMario picked up a new HP computer, and he's now constantly getting popups when he's online. How does he get rid of them? Leo says that there's malware that can cause popups. Leo thinks Mario may have some malware installed on his computer from visiting a site he shouldn't have. It's a very common issue for Windows machines. Leo recommends going to the Windows recovery menu (Windows Key plus R) and select "reset this PC." If that doesn't do the job, you may need to go for the more radical option and have Windows reinstall itself. That's in the same menu.
What Software Can I Use to Publish a Book?
Episode 1793
Eva fromEva is doing a publishing project, but her computer is 12 years old. So she's looking for user-friendly design software. Leo says that Serif is a solid company that used to make desktop publishing software and now have a low-cost app called Affinity Publisher. It's $25. Leo uses Affinity Photo, and he likes it. So Publisher may be a good one to look into, and they have a 90 day try before you buy.
Is There a Free App to Organize Music Libraries?
Episode 1792
Vidak fromVidak recently got a new job as music and production director for a local radio station. However, the digital music library the station uses is unorganized. It's like a jungle. So he needs to be able to organize it with metadata. Leo says that Music Brainz is a great app for that. It's an open-source version of CDDB and FreeDB. It'll open the mp3 and seek to identify the song and album. It'll then add the metadata, and that'll give about 90% of what he will need to reorganize the library. Music Monkey is another.
How Can I Print to PDF if it Doesn't Work?
Episode 1790
Damon fromDamon gets a popup message "PDF Printer not initialized" when he tries to create a PDF in Windows. Leo says that a PDF printer will simulate a printer to create a digital document, and it sounds like Windows may have broken it in a recent update. Type Windows+KS to go into Windows features (or Windows key, type Windows Features). Turn it off. Then on. Then look for a check box for printing to PDF. Turn it off. Then go back in and turn it back on. That will reenable the Windows Print to PDF drivers.
How Can I Encrypt Data if I'm Vision-Impaired?
Episode 1790
John fromJohn is vision-impaired and uses Linux in order to go online. He uses ORCA, a graphical user interface in order to go online. He also uses a screen reader called "Speak up." But what can he use to encrypt his data? Leo recommends BitWarden (TWiT sponsor), though he isn't sure how the accessibility is.
How Can I Control One Computer From Another?
Episode 1789
Gary fromGary has a Windows and Mac computers, each with its own keyboards and displays. Is there a product that would allow him to use his Mac laptop to control his iMac? Leo says you can use a KVM switcher to link all the computers and switch from computer to computer. Also, check out Symless Synergy. It's a program that will make one computer act as a server and use clients on the other computers, so they can be controlled remotely.
How Can I Avoid Duplicates When I Sync Contacts?
Episode 1789
Richard fromRichard has several platforms with different OSs, and he's having issues with maintaining contacts. He gets a lot of duplicates. Leo says that synchronization is a hard, universal problem. It guards against deleting anything, just in case. So you end up with duplicates. Leo uses Google Contacts. But even that doesn't solve the duplicates issue. But the sync is quite good. One solution that Leo recommends, that's iPhone only, is Sunshine. It can dedupe, as well as sync.
What Voice Dictation Software Support's macOS?
Episode 1789
Tracey fromTracey says that Dragon Naturally Speaking doesn't support the Mac anymore. What are her options? Leo says that Apple's Speech to Text, operated by Siri, is quite good. As good as Google's Voice Dictation, which is also good. Microsoft recently bought Dragon, and it's possible that they may add macOS support in the future. Express Dictate by NCH Software is about the only one that's close to Dragon.
How Can I Control My TV With My Phone?
Episode 1788
John fromJohn wants to know if he can display slideshows and control them from his smart TV with his mobile phone. Leo says that he can through the Google Home app. If they are connected on the same network. He can also create slideshows with Google Photos.
Why Can't I Open My Maps App In Windows 10?
Episode 1787
Jim fromJim uses a 2013 Garmin GPS marine unit. But he can't seem to update it anymore with his PC. When he tries to download or upload from the device, the Mapsource service doesn't connect. Is that because his computer runs Windows 10, and it needs Windows 7? Leo says it may. Try r/c on the Mapsource icon and select "Compatibility Mode." So click on Start: go to the app and r/c. Properties. Compatibility. Or search for Mapsource in the taskbar and then select "Open file location." That will take you to the program file folder. Then you can try compatibility mode.