In this week’s episode of TechtalkRadio, Andy, Shawn, and Justin reconnect as Shawn shares details from his recent camping trip to Northern Michigan. He describes the rustic charm of a family resort with little to no internet access—no Wi-Fi for guests and only a Starlink connection that wasn’t available to visitors. Shawn explained how he kept his kids entertained by pre-downloading YouTube videos onto an iPad. The group reminisced about how camping used to mean screen-free adventures and noted how hard it can be for kids today to unplug from technology, even in the great outdoors.

While enjoying the escape, Shawn ran into tech trouble when his iPhone 13 Pro, running the iOS 26 developer beta, suddenly lost SIM card functionality. A visit to the Apple Store led to the discovery that the phone still had a physical SIM card, but the beta OS caused compatibility issues. He downgraded to iOS 18, got things working again, and then reinstalled the beta—only to find that Apple wouldn’t service his battery issue while the beta was active. This led to another frustrating downgrade and a full device restore. The team shared their thoughts on beta software headaches and Apple's rigid repair policies.

Laptop troubles also came up, with Andy detailing a persistent issue with his Lenovo 530 that initially seemed resolved after replacing the CMOS and internal battery. However, the problem ran deeper, and while he managed a workaround by unplugging both from the motherboard, the root cause remains elusive. Justin shared his own experience with a faulty Asus ROG Strix that led him to switch to an HP Omen with an AMD Ryzen 9. He praised the performance and efficiency of the new laptop, especially compared to the heat and power draw of his older Intel system. They also touched on possible microcode issues affecting some Intel chips.

The discussion shifted to Windows user account preferences. Shawn and Justin voiced their frustrations with Microsoft’s push for online accounts, preferring local user setups for better control and privacy. They discussed how difficult it has become to install Windows without a Microsoft account and debated the viability of Linux as an alternative. Andy considered Linux Mint for his editing rig, and Justin reassured him that networking with other systems using Samba is straightforward and effective.

Andy also talked about repairing a Toshiba Satellite 655 that needed a Windows 10 upgrade and a new hinge. Instead of just replacing parts, he found a fully functional donor laptop on eBay for $20 and used its hinge system to complete the repair. It worked out great and sometimes the old laptop can be great to repair with. That led to a conversation about overheating electronics left in hot cars—a serious issue, especially in summer. Andy raised awareness about the damage that heat can do to internal components, and Justin lightened the mood by joking about “computers in heat,” which inspired this week’s episode title: When Two Computers Are in Love.

The show wrapped with Justin recommending the Website of the Week, Incogni, a privacy service that helps protect users from identity theft and online threats, complete with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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