Blain Gunter

Blain Gunter is a Computer Repair Specialist and small business owner based in Bakersfield, California. He was first introduced to computers at the age of five, and has over twenty years of experience in his field, going back to his high school years. He is both an IT consultant and computer repair technician and prides himself on his ability to troubleshoot anything. He works with hardware, software, Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux, and even vintage electronics.

Favorite Piece of Advice

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” -Marcus Aurelius

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Forum Comments (5)

Meta AI is driving me nuts. How do I stop it?
After searching, it seems that Facebook still doesn't have an option to turn off the AI features.

The next best solution might be leaving feedback, it could be a long time before they take action, and they may not take action, but if enough people let them know, there is a greater chance they will make a change.


Instructions to leave feedback on iPhone (iPad instructions below):


1. Go back to where you saw the problem and shake your mobile phone.

2. Tap Report problem.

3. Tap Include or Don't include.

4. Please explain what you were doing when the problem occurred and what steps we can take to reproduce the problem.

5. Review the screenshot. You can edit it by tapping Edit image, delete it by tapping Delete or add a different screenshot from your camera roll by tapping Upload from phone. There is also an option to record a video.

6. Tap Send in the top right, represented by a paper airplane icon

If you can't use shake to report a problem, you can also report a broken feature in Help & support:

1. Tap Menu in the bottom right of Facebook, represented by three stacked lines

2. Scroll to the bottom and tap Help & support.

3. Tap Report problem, then scroll down and tap Continue to report.

4. Tap Include or Don't include.

5. Select the Facebook feature you're having a problem with, then describe what happened. Please include the steps you took to encounter the issue.

6. Add a screenshot from your camera roll by tapping Upload from phone.

7. Tap Send in the top right, represented by a paper airplane icon


Leave feedback on iPad:


1. In the bottom right of Facebook, tap Menu (three stacked lines icon)

2. Scroll to the bottom and tap Help & support , then tap Report a problem.

3. Tap Continue to report.

4. Below Choose feature, select the product you're having a problem with.

5. Tap What went wrong? and type a few sentences about the issue and the steps to
reproduce it.

6. To add an attachment, tap Take screenshot.

7. Tap Send in the top right, represented by a paper airplane icon


To leave feedback on Android:


1. Go back to where you saw the problem and shake your mobile phone.

2. Tap Report problem.

3. Tap Include or Don't include.

4. Describe what happened. Please explain what you were doing when the problem occurred and what steps we can take to reproduce the problem.

5. Review the screenshot. You can delete it by tapping Delete or add a different screenshot by tapping Upload from phone.

6. Tap Send in the top right to submit your report, represented by a paper airplane icon

If you can't use shake to report a problem, you can also report a broken feature in Help & support:

1. Tap Menu in the top right of Facebook, represented by three stacked lines

2.Scroll to the bottom and tap Help & support.

3. Tap Report a problem, then tap Continue to report a problem at the bottom.

4. Tap Include or Don't include.

5. Select a category in the Select product list.

6. Select the Facebook feature you're having a problem with, and then describe what happened. Please include the steps you took to encounter the issue.

7. Review the screenshot. You can delete it by tapping Delete or add a different screenshot by tapping Upload from phone.

8. Tap Send in the top right to submit your report, represented by a paper airplane icon


On Desktop you can leave feedback on this page linked below:


https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/268228883256323/
Frustrated. Why won't my Airpods connect to my MacBook?
Make sure macOS is up to date, and compatible

If you're using AirPods 2, make sure that your Mac has macOS Mojave 10.14.4 or later. AirPods Pro 1 require macOS Catalina 10.15.1 or later. AirPods 3 require macOS Monterey or later. AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 (both models) require the latest version of macOS.

If you set up your AirPods with your iPhone and your Mac is signed in to iCloud with the same Apple Account, your AirPods should connect automatically and be ready to use with your Mac. Place your AirPods in your ears and click Control Center in the menu bar. Click Bluetooth, then choose your AirPods from the list.

Make sure the AirPods are not already connected to another device like your iPhone.

You can attempt to factory reset the AirPods by putting both AirPods in the case, close the lid, wait one minute. Then open the lid, and long-press the setup button for 15 seconds until you see the status light change from yellow to white. After you close and re-open the lid, the AirPods should be back in the mode they were in when you first bought them, and should be ready to pair with any compatible device.

If all above has not helped, and there are no updates available for macOS, one of my first troubleshooting steps would be to create a secondary, temporary user account to see if it's a glitch unique to the account that is already on the mac computer.

These are Apple's official instructions to accomplish creating a new and or temporary user account:
https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/add-a-user-or-group-mchl3e281fc9/mac

1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Users & Groups in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)

2. Click the Add User button below the list of users. (You may be asked to enter your password.)

3. Click the pop-up menu next to New User, then choose a type of user, for this, we will choose 'Administrator'.

4. Enter a full name for the new user, I like to name it: 'Test' for this.

5. Enter a password for the user, then enter it again to verify. Enter a password hint to help the user remember their password. For this, let's choose something as easy as possible, like: '1212' or 'temp'. (Keep in mind the user name cannot be the same as the password.)

6. Click Create User.

7. Log out of the current user profile by clicking on the Apple Menu in the upper left corner, click 'Logout' and confirm.

8. Log in to our new temporary user account, if it asks to set up an Apple ID, choose to 'Set up later', and I would quickly skip all other steps/leave everything on defaults. Apple assumes we will be using this permanently and wants to set it up nicely for us, but we just need defaults to troubleshoot with.

9. Try pairing your AirPods again by going to System Settings from the Apple menu, then click Bluetooth.

10. Make sure that Bluetooth is on.

11. Put both AirPods in the charging case and open the lid.

12. Do the following, depending on your device:

--For AirPods 4 (both models), double-tap the front of the case until the status light flashes white.

--For all other models, press and hold the setup button on the back of the case until the status light flashes white.

13. Click Connect next to your AirPods in the Nearby Devices list.

14. If sound still plays from your Mac speakers, click Control Center in the menu bar and make sure that your AirPods are selected as the output device.

15. If your AirPods don’t appear in Find My, make sure that you’re signed in to the same Apple Account on both your Mac and iPhone, and that both devices are running the latest software version.

If none of these steps work, you may need to open a support request with Apple: https://support.apple.com/
1 (800) 275-2273
1 (800) MYAPPLE
How do I screen record sound and video on Windows?
Many of the built in recording functions may not allow recording of File Explorer, or the Windows Desktop which may be necessary for some users to record.

The default shortcut to start recording in Windows is Windows Key + Alt + R if you are in an app that is allowed to be recorded by Windows.

The approach taken by many is using third party programs. The most used is probably going to be OBS Studio, available here:

https://obsproject.com/download

Download the Installer, open the file that was downloaded.

On Windows you may have to click a button that says 'Allow' to open the file, on some versions this may appear as a more generic Security Warning dialog that asks if you'd like to run, or cancel. Click Run, then follow the instructions to install the program.

On macOS, it will open a small window with the OBS icon next to the Applications icon.
Drag the OBS icon over the Applications icon to install the application, confirm your password.

For Windows you can open OBS Studio from your Start Menu, on macOS it will be in your Launchpad, which is an icon that has 9 different colored squares inside of it, this takes you to the list of apps installed in macOS.

Open OBS Studio, it will ask if you want to optimize for recording or streaming, for what we want to do, choose 'Optimize for recording, I will not be streaming', the next page can be left on defaults, or you can customize your resolution and Frames Per Second.

Now for the only hard part: your source.

In the bottom left, there is a section called 'Sources' that should say 'You don't have any sources.'

Click the + (plus) icon in the lower left of the sources box, choose display capture if you want it to record everything shown on the screen.

Give it a name, I leave it on defaults unless I will have more than one added, and press OK.

It will then ask what the Capture Method should be, leave it on Automatic.

Where it says 'Display', this is where we can choose the monitor it will record from.
If you only have one screen attached, it will only show one monitor.

Once you have selected your monitor click OK.

You may see your display taking up more or less room than is framed in the preview, in this case, put your mouse over the red boxes that are outlining the display preview, and drag them inwards (or out) to get the preview to match the size of your screen.

The only other thing to consider is whether you want audio to be recorded onto the video.

In the middle we have the Audio Mixer, where we can record or mute Desktop Audio, if you have a Microphone attached, it should show up in this section and will be recorded by default, mute that if you do not want it recorded.

If your microphone is not in the list, you may have to add a new source where we added the Video source, this time add an Audio Input if it's a microphone, or add Audio Output if you want to record all sound that is playing on the computer. The next step will ask you which device you would like to record audio from, I choose microphone so it can record what I am saying, and for audio output I choose my desktop speakers, since for me that is where audio is played.
How to clean airpods safely?
To clean AirPods, Apple does have an official kit for this, made by Belkin, but it is not necessary for this procedure.

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HRVM2ZM/A/belkin-airpods-cleaning-kit

Apple's other recommendation besides the CleaningKit from Belkin is using

- Micellar water that includes PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides,
such as from Bioderma or Neutrogena
-Distilled water
-A soft-bristled children's toothbrush
-Two small cups
-A paper towel

1. Add a small amount of micellar water to a cup.

2. Dip the toothbrush in the cup of micellar water until the bristles are fully saturated.

3. Hold your AirPod with the mesh facing up.

4. Brush the mesh in circles for about 15 seconds.

5. Turn over your AirPod and blot it on a paper towel. Ensure the paper towel contacts the mesh.

6. Repeat steps 2-5 two more times (three times total) for each mesh that you would like to clean.

7. To rinse off the micellar water, rinse the brush with distilled water, then repeat steps 1-5 with distilled water for each mesh that you cleaned.

8. IMPORTANT: Allow your AirPods to dry completely — for at least two hours — before you place them in the charging case or use them.

Instead of paper towels, I find Q-tips work great for these, they seem to do a better job 'scrubbing' the mesh speaker covers, I sometimes remove some of the cotton on the tip to make them stiffer.

For tiny crevices that the Q-tip or paper towel may not be reaching, I like to use a toothpick to very softly run along the seam or crevice, this allows oil or dirt that built up to dislodge from the casing. Don't push too hard with the toothpick.

Many users online have reported they are damaging their AirPods using rubbing alcohol, after a short time researching, it seems the consensus is that rubbing alcohol is removing a water resistant coating, and possibly wearing out seals inside of the AirPods. For these reasons, avoid rubbing alcohol or anything similar.
Easy ways to share your wifi password
iPhones have made it easy to share passwords automatically if they are up to date, already connected to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth is on and they are unlocked, but sometimes these requirements aren't met and it's easier to pull up the password manually:

In the Settings app, tap Wi-Fi. Find the Wi-Fi network that you’re currently using. Tap the Info button. Tap the Password field. Use your passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID to unlock and then the password will be revealed.

WikiLorisRunner157 summed it up nicely for Android users, but there can be a few different menu options. On a Google Pixel android device you should be able to open Settings, tap Network & Internet, tap Internet, tap on the Wi-Fi network you would like to share, then tap share. It may ask for a password, then it will display a QR Code the other person can use to scan and connect, it will also display the password below the QR Code.

There is a way to share from Windows too if someone reaches this page by mistake. On Windows 11, open your Start Menu, type 'Control Panel' in the search bar, click on the Control Panel shortcut that displays. After Control Panel opens choose 'Network and Internet', click 'Network and Sharing Center', on the left you should see 'Change Adapter Settings', click on that option. You will now see a list of network connections, right click on your Wi-Fi Adapter, choose 'Status' in the right click menu that appears. Click 'Wireless Properties', click the 'Security' tab at the top, then click the check box that says 'Show characters' to display the password. It's more clicks than it use to be, but this is how I view the WiFi network password when I have no other way to do so.

Co-authored Articles (18)