“Komando's Q&A: Do e-books expire?”

Posted: 27 Oct 2010 12:09 AM PDT

Question: I've heard that e-books expire. Is this true? Also, can I share e-books that I purchase with friends?

Answer: In most cases e-books don't expire. However, libraries have started lending e-books. When the lending period is up, you can't read the e-books any more. As for sharing e-books, this isn't possible in most cases. That's because most stores use digital rights management to prevent piracy. Some e-readers do have a lending feature, though. For example, the Nook has the Lend Me feature. You can only lend a book once. And a publisher can disable this feature for certain e-books. So, this may limit the feature's usefulness. For free e-books and help selecting the perfect e-reader, visit www.komando.com/news.

Q: I have to listen to company voice-mail messages for my job. I work from home and use a cell phone. This is eating up my minutes. Can I get the voice mail on my computer?

A: You could place calls from Skype. At 2 cents per minute, this might be cheaper than cellular minutes. If you get free inbound calls, try the free Google Voice instead. It can call the 800 number. Then it can connect the call to your cell phone as an inbound call. You should also talk to your company about starting a Google Voice account. Set the 800 number for automatic voice-mail forwarding. Then have the voice mail sent to the Google Voice account. Google will automatically transcribe the voice mail. Sign in to the Voice account to read them. It's just like getting e-mail, and it is free. Visit Komando.com/news for links to Skype and Google Voice.

Q: I accidentally ran over my laptop. I bought a new one, but how do I transfer my data from the old one?

A: To pull data from the hard drive, you need to remove it from the laptop. Check the manufacturer's site for instructions. Then, you'll need an external enclosure or a cable for the hard drive. This will help you connect the drive to the new computer. The drive likely has a SATA connection. So, look for a SATA-to-USB cable. Or, find an enclosure for a 2.5-inch SATA laptop drive. Once the drive is connected, browse it and pull off your data. Now, the drive may be physically damaged. In that case, contact a data-recovery service.

Q: I heard you recommend disabling file sharing on public networks to help keep hackers out of my computer. How do I disable file sharing on a Mac?

A: Disabling file sharing at Wi-Fi hotspots is a good idea. It's easy on a Mac. Click the Apple logo and select System Preferences. Click the Sharing icon under Internet and Wireless. You'll see a list of items you can share in the left side of the window. Uncheck the things you don't want to share. You'll see options for sharing the display, printer and scanner. You want to deselect the File Sharing option. If you can't deselect it, click the lock icon in the bottom left corner of the window. After you enter your log-in credentials, you can make changes.

E-mail questions to Komando at C1Tech@gannett.com.

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