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This might sound like a dumb question but I just want to doublecheck before I do something irreversible. I’m planning to factory reset my Android phone. I’m just a little nervous about losing my phone number? Do I need to back up anything related to my carrier?
Although, I already synced my contacts to my Google account, so that part’s safe.
Appreciate any reassurance before I hit that “Erase All Data” button
Chao!
Going on a trip to Iceland, Italy, and a cruise through Croatia, Greece, & Turkey. I would like a new camera to take landscape, vacation, and hopefully some aurora shots.
I’m looking for some advice on what to get for the trip and to grow into. I’m an amateur with an understanding of basic photography principles and owned a couple DSLRs in the past (Rebels). I would like to start taking landscape pictures as a hobby.
My wife and I have our 30th anniversary coming and we’re going on the trip above. I’m hoping to take some nice landscape shots, pictures of my wife and I running around these amazing destinations, and hopefully some Aurora shots in Iceland if we’re lucky.
Of course you can… as long as you’re okay with your ‘awesome clip’ turning into a press-and-hold-to-breathe wallpaper, because iPhones don’t believe in truly living wallpapers.
Congrats on the new camera! Looks like your memory card decided to take a vacation before your trip. Maybe it just needs a manual read too.
You mush know that iPhone doesn’t allow full video wallpapers on the Home Screen. You’ll need to convert your clip into a Live Photo first.
Open Settings > Wallpaper > Add New Wallpaper. Next, Select Photos > Live Photos, choose your converted Live Photo. And, Set it as Set as Lock Screen.
I just recently purchased a new camera for a big trip my wife and I have coming up in September. With a bunch of very helpful advice from another thread in this forum I ended up getting a Sony A7C2.
The cameras is fine and click superb pictures. But, the card which came along with the camera started behaving funny. Sometimes, it says to format and sometimes it ask to reinsert it.
Is there any maintenance required on a camera to keep it in working order? I’m going to read through all the manuals tonight but I wanted to ask here if there was anything I should be doing?
Hi, thanks for the responses!
I’m using Windows 11, and this is a brand-new 2TB external hard drive. When I plug it in:
I hear the connection sound, but nothing shows up in File Explorer.
I checked Disk Management, and the drive shows up as “unallocated” with the full 2TB space.
It’s also visible in Device Manager without any warning signs.
I tried changing the USB cable and port, but still the same.
Seems like the drive is detected but not usable yet. What should I do next?
Absolutely, you can set a clip as a Live Wallpaper on your iPhone—but with a catch. First, the video must be converted into a Live Photo. You can use free apps like “intoLive” from the App Store to do this.
Once converted, go to Settings > Wallpaper > Add New Wallpaper, choose the Live Photo from your library, and make sure “Live Photo” is enabled.
Note: Live Wallpapers only animate on the Lock Screen and only on devices that support Haptic Touch (not on the Home Screen, and not available on some newer models like iPhone 15 with iOS 17+ where Apple shifted to always-on/static wallpapers)
I found a really awesome clip, can I set it as my wallpaper on my iPhone?
If you’re trying to repair corrupted files on your Mac without paid software, start by using Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility) and run First Aid on the drive where the file is stored—it can fix some directory-level issues.
For documents like Word or Excel, try opening them in Preview, TextEdit, or even Google Docs, which sometimes bypasses formatting errors. If it’s a system file, running sfc or fsck in macOS Recovery Mode can help. Also, Time Machine, if enabled, lets you restore a clean version. It won’t work for every case, but it’s your best shot with built-in tools.
SanDisk iXpand may not be getting proper power or has experienced hardware failure since it’s not showing in Disk Utility or Finder—even after restarts, which points to either a damaged controller on the drive or a USB compatibility issue.
First, try a different USB port or adapter (if you’re using USB-C). Also, test the drive on another Mac or a Windows PC to rule out a Mac-specific issue. If it still doesn’t appear anywhere, it’s likely a hardware failure. At that point, contact SanDisk support—most iXpand drives come with a multi-year warranty, and they may offer a replacement if it’s within that period. If your data is critical, you’d need a data recovery service.
When the SSD shows used space but no visible files, it usually means the file directory (metadata) is damaged, not necessarily the files themselves.
First, try running Disk Utility > First Aid on the SSD—if that fails, use Terminal and run diskutil list to confirm the drive is mounted properly. For recovery, third-party tools like Stellar Data Recovery or PhotoRec can scan the raw sectors and recover files regardless of directory damage. Just avoid writing anything new to the drive to prevent overwriting the lost data
I was transferring some video files from my SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD (1TB) to my MacBook Pro (macOS Sonoma), and suddenly the process froze. I had to force eject the drive. Now, when I plug it in, the drive shows up but all the folders are empty, and storage info still shows used space. Could the files be corrupted? Is there any way to recover the missing data?
I’m using a 256GB SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive with my MacBook Air running macOS Ventura. Yesterday, when I plugged it in, the light flashed briefly and then went off. Now the drive doesn’t show up in Finder or Disk Utility. I’ve tried reconnecting and restarting my Mac, but nothing works. Has anyone else had this issue or found a fix?
Given your DSLR background, I’d suggest looking at mirrorless options for lighter travel without sacrificing quality:
1. Sony A7C II or A7 IV
2. Canon R8
3. Fujifilm X-T5
You can also use a 24-70mm for versatile travel coverage. These cameras are best for capturing beautiful landscapes, candid moments with your loved ones, and capturing aurora shots if you’re lucky enough to have clear skies.