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Tech Talk: TV Slideshows, Printer Fix, and Beta Software
By Bob DeLaurentis
Q. I cannot print from my laptop computer. When I
checked if my HP5255 was connected, I found a
printer email address that ended with
@hpprint .com. I also do not understand why that
address is different than my regular email address.
A. I feel your pain. Troubleshooting printer prob-
lems is one of the toughest aspects of home com-
puting. Moreover, helping to fix printer problems is
hobbled by the fact that everyone's setup is slightly
different.
Keep in mind that there are two connections that
must both work. The first is the "hardware" connec-
tion between the computer and printer. This is often
a USB cable, but it can be a network or Wi-Fi con-
nection. The obvious things are still the most easily
overlooked. Can it print a test page? Often a test
page has helpful status info. If you are using a wire-
less connection, try switching to a cable temporari-
ly. Or if you already use a cable, try a different USB
port on your laptop.
The second is the "software" connection. This in-
cludes the printer driver, the application that is
sending the print job, or a service like cloud printing.
Once again, the large number of potential possibili-
ties is a hurdle. Make sure your software is up to
date. Check if the printer is listed in the Device
Manager. Try printing from a different application.
With respect to the @hpprint.com email address.
HP printers can accept jobs using the HPConnect
service. But for that to work, the printer must be
connected to the Internet, and you need to config-
ure an additional cloud service.
Unless this was working for you and suddenly quit,
ignore this approach. Cloud printing makes your
workflow even more fragile. Stick with a simple USB
cable.
Q. When I go to the control panel to start a backup,
I am prompted to select the E drive. I prefer to use
September 2020 8
my Seagate device, which registers as drive F.
What can I do to change this?
A. It sounds as if you are at the mercy of incorrect
default settings. Most settings have a default, and
most of the time they work so well we barely notice
them. Because your Seagate mounts as an F drive,
it appears to be working properly.
If you are not already doing so, insert the Seagate
drive and wait a few seconds until it appears before
you open the Control Panel. That one change alone
may solve the problem.
If the Control Panel is still suggesting the E drive,
there should be a button that allows you to change
to the F drive to perform the backup. This change
may or may not "stick" the next time, depending on
the version of Windows and a few other variables.
To make a permanent change, you will have to find
and change the backup settings. In any event, make
sure that the Seagate drive is connected before
starting the backup. Even if you change the default
settings, if the backup tool does not detect the F
drive when it opens, it may not be able to use it.
Q. Since Facebook has said that they take action
on false content, does that mean the posts I see are
accurate?
A. Virtually everything you see on Facebook is
someone else's opinion, not fact. Even traditional,
well-known news sources often lack essential con-
text. Using Facebook for news is like asking for ad-
vice from a Magic 8-Ball
The time it takes some videos to spread across the
Internet is measured in hours. In a recent incident, a
video flagged as containing erroneous information
about COVID-19 was already seen by 14 million
people. Facebook does not notify the people who
have already watched it.
Here is just a single example of the many problems
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