Q: I’m trying to get a security code from Microsoft so that I can access my email while abroad. I need the code now, because while overseas I won’t be able to receive it via an alternate email address or a phone text messaging service. What can I do?
Linda Merriam, Minneapolis
A: After many complaints, Microsoft is offering an alternative to its onerous email security system for travelers. Before, anyone logging in to a Microsoft email account while more than 300 miles from home had to provide a second form of identification in addition to a password. This second ID wasn’t made available until you tried to access your email from a remote location; it was then sent to your alternate email or phone text messaging service.
Now Microsoft is offering travelers another method: Before leaving home, list the PC you will take on your trip as a “trusted device.” That exempts you from needing a second form of ID to access your email. For details on how to tell Microsoft that your PC is “trusted,” see tinyurl.com/jvydsb4. Alternatively, you could open a Yahoo email account (which doesn’t require travelers to have a second form of ID) and have your Microsoft email forwarded there.
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Q: I teach a workout class that requires music, which I play by plugging my iPhone 6 into a studio stereo system. But occasionally, some songs stop playing after a few seconds, usually in the same place each time. More recently, the same problem occurred while I was playing the iPhone through my car’s stereo system via a Bluetooth wireless connection. What can I do?
Peggy Morgan, St. Paul
A: Because the problem occurs with more than one song, and in more than one location, the culprit is probably the iPhone’s music-playing software. But, if you load music on the phone from a PC or Mac, the problem might lie in the computer’s iTunes program. Try these fixes:
If you downloaded the songs from your computer, see if the affected songs will play in the computer’s iTunes program, or on any other Apple devices you might have.
If the songs work on the computer or other devices, try re-syncing the iPhone with the computer’s version of iTunes.
If that doesn’t solve the problem, remove all the music from the iPhone, then sync it with the computer’s iTunes program as you originally did.
Make sure that your iPhone and computer are using the same Apple ID account to buy music from iTunes. If they use different account numbers, that could cause iPhone problems.
Q: My Windows 7 PC had a “save video as” feature for storing online video clips on my computer. But after upgrading to Windows 10, I found that it lacks that feature. What can I do?
James Porterfield, Toledo, Ohio
A: Windows 10 doesn’t provide an easy way to record online video. But it can use several non-Microsoft video-capture programs, such as ClipGrab (tinyurl.com/mn78j6v). (Note: See my previous columns about ClipGrab at tinyurl.com/zuodpmp and tinyurl.com/gr7nbsr.) For other programs, see tinyurl.com/odbqvae.
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