Are smartphone concierges a thing? | Q&A with Patrick Marshall

Q: Are there phone concierges? I’ll be replacing my 3G phone soon, but I have a long list of requirements for my next phone, which partly includes induction-coil compatible, readable in sunlight, double-Sim card and security. I do not rely on my phone for games, movies, talking to my refrigerator, or any of the other features commonly discussed in tech reviews. If you can tell me how to find an expert who can help me make this purchase, I’m ready to pay for a consultation.

— Meg Kibben

A: The closest thing I know of to a phone concierge is your cell service provider’s store.

I know it can be hit or miss with the level of knowledge you encounter. If it was me, I’d just do a little browsing online.

First, most recently released phones can be charged on induction pads so you’ll have a lot to choose from on that score. Secondly, no phones I’m aware of have built-in antiglare screens, but you can purchase those to stick on top of your phone’s screen. If your service provider’s store doesn’t have the screens you can easily find them online for most major models of phones.

Finally, your most restrictive requirement is that the phone has two SIM card slots, which allows the phone to manage two phone numbers. But even there you have models to choose from. Here’s A Cellularnews.com review of 20 phones from that have that feature is here.

Q: I have a problem with my laptop running on Windows 10 that started several months ago. Previously on this computer when I right-clicked on a picture there was a pop-up window with a “Save As” option. After I maneuver to the proper folder and start to type in a file name there was a pop-up with all the files with that name already saved. Now, on my laptop, there is no pop-up so I must scroll through all the files to see others with the same name.

Is there a setting that I may have inadvertently changed and is it possible to return to the previous response? Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

— Alan Graves

A: I’ve not been able to find any setting that might be causing that lack of the filename pop-up, nor can I think of a reason one would want to disable the file list. So I’d suspect a corrupt system file.

I suggest you run scans of your system files using the System File Checker. Windows will automatically replace any corrupted files with clean ones.

First, open a Command Prompt by clicking on the Start button in the lower-left corner, scrolling down the list of programs to the Windows System folder. Next, click on the folder to open it and then right-click on Command Prompt, select More and then Run as Administrator.

Before running the scan with the System File Checker you’ll want to use the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool, which will gather the files that are needed to replace corrupt files. To do this, at the Command Prompt type the following: “DISM.exe/Online/Cleanup-Image/RestoreHealth/Source:C:RepairSourceWindows/LimitAccess” and then hit Enter. (Don’t type the quote marks.)

When DISM finishes and the prompt returns, type “sfc/scannow” and hit Enter. (Again, don’t type the quote marks.)

Windows will report to you any corrupt files it may have found. Now, all there is to do is cross your fingers and reboot.