Hi Paul: I have an old laptop that I want to get rid of. But before doing so, I want to completely wipe the hard drive clean of any data I may have on there. Is there any product that can be used to completely wash the hard drive clean?

 

Dear Allister:

 

Yes. And you’re very smart to do it. Most people don’t realize that it takes almost zero effort for the bad guys to reconstruct the data on your hard drive, even if you’ve "deleted" it and "emptied" the trash. I won’t bore you with the reasons why that’s possible, but trust me: Data and identity thieves love it when people recycle their computers.

Dear Paul: I have seen an ad recently on TV for a phone set up in the kitchen that is video/landline/computer.  The commercial is a mom sending a message to her kids' cell phones about what they are having for dinner.  They turn up their noses and she pulls up a pizza place on the computer and dials to order.  Do you know what this gadget is called?

 

Dear Dale:

 

I’m pretty sure you’re talking about this Verizon device:

Dear Paul: DVRs will record and store many hours of TV until the built-in HD is full.  Is there an easy way to move or transfer saved programs on DVRs to DVDs or some other personal storage device?

 

Dear Rob:

You ask a truly popular question, for which there are still very few easy answers. Unfortunately, it shouldn’t be a surprise to you that cable providers are not interested in making it easy to liberate the show that you first recorded on your DVR. However, there is a way to do it, depending on what kind of DVR box you have and, by extension, which outputs are activated on that box. In other words, just because there’s a USB port on your DVR doesn’t mean the DVR manufacturer made it a working USB port. Don’t ask.

Dear Paul,

 

I’ve heard there are some remote control systems that use RF and some that use IR. What’s the difference? Is one better than the other for a home theater system?

 

Dear Jim:

 

RF stands for radio frequency; RF is usually found in remote control devices whose signals have to penetrate hard surfaces. One of the most common examples of an RF remote control device is the button-covered handheld device you often use to unlock your car. The remote receiving unit is somewhere inside the car and responds to your sending "key" by triggering the unlock mechanism.

Hello Paul:

How can I download a camera video to a CD ?

 

Dear Jane:

Nearly every computer these days is smart enough to know when something is connected to it, and even better, smart enough to know what ‘it’ is, whether it’s a USB thumb drive or a camera.

So, not knowing what combination of camera and computer you have, I can say that the key question here is, “Do you have the proper cable?” It’s almost a guarantee that if your digital camera was made in the last 5 years, your camera has a USB port. Check to see if you have the USB cable that came with it. If you don’t, bring the camera to an electronics retailer, show them the port, and buy the proper cable.

Hey Paul:

 

I have a complaint I'd like to file against a company, and I would like for them not to be able to obtain my IP address or personal info when sending email. Is that possible? Can it be done for free?

 

Dear Larry:

 

Just to confirm: when you say ‘IP,’ you probably mean the so-called ‘internet protocol’ address that your computer is assigned when it connects to the world wide web. That IP address, which is a series of numbers, changes every time you sign off and then sign on again. Your ISP, on the other hand, is your ‘internet service provider,’ like Yahoo or Microsoft Hotmail or AOL.

Dear Paul:

 

I'm looking for good-to-better DVD/VHS player with a dubbing feature. Your thoughts, please.

 

Dear Cecil:

 

While I’m not sure what you’ll be ‘dubbing’ or recording, I’ll assume you’re recording TV shows to a DVD or transferring old VHS tapes to DVD’s.

Before I give you my pick, I should say that many people are moving out of this world and into DVR’s or ‘digital video recorders,’ which can record high-definition TV shows directly on to a hard drive for later viewing. TIVO is the most famous brand among DVR’s, but there are many. That said, the Panasonic DMR-EZ48VK, which I’ve seen advertised for about $280, lets you record one TV show while watching another prerecorded one (using DVD-RAM discs). Plus, an SD card slot lets you play back still images, and of course, the VHS deck inside the unit will record to a DVD you put in the system. The slightly less expensive (around $250) Toshiba D-VR660 also has a digital tuner that lets it record TV shows.

Dear Paul.

My typing skills are poor. What voice-recognition typing software do you recommend, and what equipment should I purchase to ensure it works optimally (microphone, PC , etc.)?

Dear Denny:

By many accounts, the best voice-recognition software out there is called Dragon NaturallySpeaking (the latest, most powerful version is v10).  It’s straightforward, makes very few errors and, frankly, is pretty miraculous -- you speak, and the software writes, with high accuracy.

Here’s a review written by David Pogue of the New York Times.

Dear Paul:

Here’s a 4th grade question for ya: What are ‘cookies?’ What does it mean? Where did the word come from? What do I do with it (or them)?

Dear Tom and Patrice:

This query would stump a lot of people, even after the 4th grade. Here’s your answer:

A cookie is a digital text file with a unique ID tag that is planted on your computer every time you visit a website. During your visit, that website also creates a ‘matching’ text file, or cookie, and places it on its own server. These cookies are nothing more than paired identifiers that let the web site know which computer it’s talking to (in this case, yours).