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: 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: 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: 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