Q: What can I do to get better battery life from my smartphone? It doesn’t even get me through the afternoon on most days. — Ed

Q: I received a call today from a male who identified himself as Andrew Allison with Microsoft Security. He told me that “my NT wires” were installed incorrectly and were causing errors across the internet and that he could talk me through the steps needed to correct the problem. Trying to find a way to report this to Microsoft... — Dennis

Q: My son’s laptop was stolen from his college dorm during a party and he had the Find My Mac system setup on it, so he was able to track it to an apartment complex nearby. The problem is that the police said that they need more information to go on as they can’t just start knocking on all the apartment doors. What else can we do? — B

Q: I would like to print from my Gmail account on my iPhone or iPad to my printer, but it doesn’t come up in Apple’s print option on either (device). Any suggestions? — Daryl

Q: I saw your video on how to turn off in-app purchases (http://youtu.be/9P4wFB6d7gM), but what if I want to allow my son to buy age appropriate items on his iPod touch but limit how much he can spend? — Daniel

Q: Is a VPN the safest way to use an unsecured (public) Wi-Fi connection? Are there other ways to stay safe? Are there any free VPNs out there for personal use? — Kevin

I am trying to find a way to legally copy DVDs we own to an external hard drive for storage connected to my laptop. When we take long road trips it would be nice to not have to haul all our movies along. — Bill

Q: I use Microsoft Security Essentials as my “seatbelt” for protection, plus I am as careful as possible. Is this enough or should I get Trend Micro. Not both, right? — Jonathan

Q: Is there an easy way to see if I have a hidden keylogger on my Windows 7 computer before I start doing my taxes? — Don

Q: I’ve heard rumors that there are viruses that can take over your computer and demand a ransom to allow you back in. Can this really happen? — Kris

Q: Where can I take my old computers and cell phones to be recycled properly? - Suzanne

Q: Does it affect your iPhone’s battery life when you charge it every night? I have found a lot of conflicting answers on the web. — Madeline

A: I have an old computer with (Windows) XP that is running very slow (I think it has a virus). I would like to get a new computer and transfer things to the new computer but I’m afraid it will transfer the virus. What should I do? -- Maureen

Microsoft is making the claim that you can’t trust Google anymore because they only show search results for those that are willing to pay. Is this true?

Q: Are extended warranties on computers worth buying? — Tim

Q: How do I know if I downloaded the (Facebook Photo Sync) app (by accident)? - Donna

Q: Curious what y'all thought about the (Google) Chromebook or if you could point me to a post if you've already covered it. - Cathy

Q: With all of the “special deals” being offered during the holiday shopping season, is it safe to buy electronics that have been refurbished? - Melody

Q: What is Metadata? And after the scandal of General Petraeus, are our emails private from government agencies? - Jeremy

Q: I find that unless I vocally tell people to look in their spam box for my messages they usually DO NOT get them as they are fazed out of regular mail. How can this be rectified? — Donna

Q: How does Microsoft’s Surface tablet compare to the iPad? -- Jesse

Q: I’m considering Windows 8 but don’t know if my current computer is capable of the upgrade. Any quick way to figure out if I need a new computer or not? — Donald

Q: I have thousands of songs in my iTunes at home that I would like to listen to at work and I don’t want to pay Apple to use iTunes Match. Any other suggestions? - Nicholas

Q: I travel a lot and work with a lot of PDF files. Can you recommend a PDF editing app for my iPad? — Lee

Q: I love the new panoramic photos I can take with my iPhone, but when I share them on Facebook, they are too small. Help! - Sandy

Q: I trust you guys, so I have to ask: Is it true that your private Facebook inbox messages are now visible for all to see, from 2010 and earlier? I keep seeing people posting this on Facebook. - Robyn

Q: I upgraded my iPhone 4S to iOS 6 and heard about all the problems with the new Maps app that Apple switched to; is there a way to get Google Maps back on my phone or something else that’s more reliable? — Samuel

Q: In the past, you guys talked about a program that allowed you to record Internet radio and YouTube videos pretty easily. What was the name of the program again? - Stephen

Q: I heard you guys talking on your radio show about some tool that used red, green and yellow dots to alert you of dangerous websites when you are searching. I was in my car and couldn’t write it down, so could you tell me what it was called? - Gina

Q: What should I do to get rid of personal info on my smartphone before I sell it? -- M

Q: I just received a call from someone asking me to click the Windows button + R. The caller says he's from the computer maintenance department of Microsoft Windows and they are doing a routine check. He left a phone number and his name and asked that I call back. I'm figuring he was up to no good, so I didn’t comply. -- Cindy

Q: I seem to be getting more spam text messages on my phone these days; I reply with ‘stop’ like they say, but it doesn’t always seem to work.

Q: After hearing about the reporter who had his entire laptop wiped by hackers, I’m wondering about the best way to backup all my photos to the Internet. What Internet photo storing sites do you recommend? - Greg

Q: How does Google’s new 7” tablet compare to the iPad, Kindle and Samsung tablets? -- Roger

Q: I'm looking to buy a laptop for school. Can you give me suggestions on the best laptops under $600? -- Brian

Q: What are your suggestions for alternatives to cable and satellite television services? -- Peter

Q: I’m strongly considering a jump from my iPhone to the Samsung Galaxy S III but concerned about getting all my stuff over. Is this an easy thing to do or is it going to be a nightmare? — Glen

Q: I’m trying to send a video file to a friend via e-mail and she keeps telling me that she gets the message but not the attachment. What am I doing wrong? - Rhonda

Q: Had a phone call this morning (caller id was 510-943-3040) telling me that there are problems with my computer and asking me to turn it on and hook up to the Internet. When I asked for proper authentication, he stated that he was a certified Microsoft technician. I told him I had extensive experience with computers and the line went dead. What’s up? — Roman

Q: Is the new Microsoft tablet going to be something that will be worth considering vs an iPad? — Tanya

How can I securely erase the data from a flash drive or camera card?

How can I securely erase the data from a flash drive or camera card?

Q: I’m in the market for a new computer; when will Windows 8 be out and is it worth getting? — Stanley

Q: I have a couple of VelociRaptor hard drives and have had nothing but problems with them. I am wondering would the Seagate Hybrid drives be a better alternative? - D

Q: I’m in the market for a new computer; when will Windows 8 be out and is it worth getting? — Stanley

A lot of my news feed (recently) is about FB starting to charge business pages a fee; do you know if someone started a rumor or is it true? — Nancy

Q: Someone suggested that I use Google Voice phone for my business; is this a good idea? — Terrance

Q: Someone suggested that I use Google Voice phone for my business; is this a good idea? — Terrance

Q: I have an old HP scanner/fax/printer. Is it true that it stores your personal info inside somewhere and you should remove it before getting rid of it? I called HP and they denied that. Help! — Julie

Q: I have an old HP scanner/fax/printer. Is it true that it stores your personal info inside somewhere and you should remove it before getting rid of it? I called HP and they denied that. Help! — Julie