Technobuddy

Q: I'm going nuts trying to correct a problem with viewing streaming videos. The video will begin playing but every so often stop and wait for the downloading to catch up. I've gone online and found what are supposed to ...

Privacy? You don't have any. Technology's ability to collect and search vast amounts of information has made your life an open book. A complete stranger, with a few clicks of a mouse, likely can find detailed information about your family, ...

Just a few drops of my miracle solution will speed up your computer. This stuff is not sold in stores. Nor can you get it from those screaming, late-night TV pitchmen.

Q: My laptop is shutting down frequently. One day I received a pop-up saying that a virus and trojan had been spotted. So I immediately scanned with McAfee, and it did find and eliminate a virus. But the laptop continues ...

Q: After reading your column noting the dangers of free email accounts, I've decided to switch my most important emailing to the paid account from my Internet provider. I also plan to follow your advice and create a better password ...

It starts with a high-pitched squeal followed by a burst of static. I sit bathed in an eerie purplish light, straining to hear a ghostly voice that grows in volume and then fades. I'm in the basement, hunkered over an ...

When it comes to computers, there’s a lot of merit to a yearly spring cleaning.

The numbers on the gas pump spin at a dizzying speed. By the time your car has had its fill, your bank account may be running on fumes. There are high tech ways to ease that pumping pain. We'll use ...

If you use a free email account there's a good chance it will be hacked within the year. Then your friends will be getting — all under your name — spam promoting Viagra, baldness cures, perhaps even child pornography.

Q: My computing needs are really simple and are handled fine by my 6-year-old computer running Windows XP. My friends keep urging me to upgrade but I see no point since my current setup does everything I need.

Q: You caught my eye the other day when you mentioned buying your wife a travel-sized computer with a 13-inch screen. That sounds like it would work for me, but I've heard that netbooks aren't powerful enough to do serious ...

My task was a complicated one that included removing and replacing a soldered-on circuit board component no bigger than a flea. To make things worse it was hidden away behind a maze of other parts.

Q: I've taken a long question and edited it for length. A reader bought a new computer from a large store and, within the 90-day warranty period, had problems with the computer. The store hasn't fixed those problems to his ...

Don't think of it as surrender; it's merely a temporary retreat. The day will come when your computer will have problems beyond your skills. The smart among you will recognize that and call a real expert.

Most of us still keep a printer busy cranking out photos, homemade greeting cards, reports for school and work and even grocery lists.