The official archive of all available ComputerTalk with Dave Mason radio shows. Spend some time with Dave. Listen to a full show or explore clips by topic.
ON AIR
Clips by topic
3,475 unique clips. Each clip appears in one section. Historical conversations, not current advice. Full episodes remain available separately by date.
Consulting Philosophy
1414 clips, strongest first.
The monitor moved four inches · Proposed air date:
An auto-shop monitor went haywire whenever a compressor started even though its power and backup unit were sound. After the owner struggled for months and Dr. Dave initially struggled too, Dr. Dave stood between office and shop, noticed the building's main electrical panel hidden inches behind the screen and solved the mystery by moving the monitor four inches across the desk.
The realities on both sides of tech support · Proposed air date:
Former CompUSA support worker Carl describes having to cover unfamiliar systems and solve calls in as little as fifty seconds. He and Dr. Dave acknowledge that true beginners can be extremely difficult to guide, that computers should be easier and that even the technicians Dr. Dave criticizes are often capable people working inside a bad support structure.
The technical flinch and the next right thing · Proposed air date:
Dr. Dave and Evil Steve recognize a caller’s pessimism as a technical flinch caused by repeated failure. Dr. Dave tells him to follow instructions patiently, avoid wiping the original drive, resist the cycle of irritation and rushing, then relax enough to do the next right thing.
Dr. Dave explains that his hands are in real computers every week rather than only in press releases, then warns that professional pride can become expensive when it keeps someone from asking for help soon enough.
A caller who has already changed providers wants his next email address to last forever. Dr. Dave gives the uncomfortable answer twice: there is no such thing as forever in technology, and believing a change is permanently finished practically guarantees that another one will eventually be required.
There is no hard and fast list of background programs · Proposed air date:
Asked which background programs slow a computer, Dr. Dave says the answer changes with the machine and the person using it. He admits that removing a program and checking whether needed functionality disappears is inelegant, but refuses to invent a universal list where none exists.
Too much security can become the problem · Proposed air date:
A caller has installed many overlapping security programs and spends more time maintaining them than using the computer. Dr. Dave identifies two harmful extremes, being unprotected and becoming so enthusiastic about protection that the protective tools overwhelm the system.
Troubleshooting has no silver bullet · Proposed air date:
Caller Tom worries about disabling security software during support work. Dr. Dave explains how a brief controlled test can isolate a firewall problem, describes physically disconnecting a machine during certain changes and finally warns that diagnostic software is never a perfect answer because the diagnostic tool can itself be part of the problem.
Upgrade only for a reason that matters · Proposed air date:
Caller Charles offers a strict rule against changing a stable computer merely to gain features. Dr. Dave agrees with the core idea, adds an exception for necessary security patches and says any hardware or software upgrade deserves skepticism unless it addresses a specific issue that matters to the person using it.
Users should be security concerned · Proposed air date:
Reacting to a government cyberattack warning, Dr. Dave says ordinary users do not need to become security experts but should stay security concerned and ask for help when they do not know what to do. Products alone cannot compensate for every unsafe action, yet paranoia is not productive either.
Caller Ollie describes two optical drives that suddenly stopped reading discs. Dr. Dave briefly answers his own diagnostic question with “they broke,” then works through why a loose connection is unlikely and offers a damaged cable or corrupted writing software as more plausible causes.
When an old computer is not worth upgrading · Proposed air date:
Caller Cindy wants to add memory to an older computer used by her children. Dr. Dave explains how scarce obsolete parts can cost more than current ones, checks the motherboard limitation and honestly weighs repair against replacing a machine that still serves a purpose.
A hospital employee asks whether an online service is safe for sensitive patient information. Dr. Dave does not claim that the named company is careless; he explains that even major institutions suffer breaches and that sending data elsewhere means relying on another party. For information that truly must remain private, his standard is to retain possession and encrypt the local copies.
When the firewall is not the real enemy · Proposed air date:
Victor’s email prompts Dr. Dave to distinguish an incompatible firewall from a damaged installation. He explains that disabling protection may help isolate a problem, but a malfunctioning tool should be repaired rather than teaching users that security itself is the obstacle.
When the recovery screen did not match Dave’s memory · Proposed air date:
The recovery menus Dan describes do not match the screens Dr. Dave expects. Rather than force an uncertain instruction, Dr. Dave says they may be using a different disc or his memory may be wrong, keeps the drive with its original computer and offers to continue carefully by telephone or on site.
A first computer for an animal rescuer · Proposed air date:
Kara explains that she is disabled, lives on a limited income, cares for rescued animals and wants her first simple, private computer. Dr. Dave listens closely and turns her real needs into a practical shopping plan.
Dr. Dave returns to a statement he made about Sharp television subpixels and says plainly that it was too sweeping. He explains the actual improvement more carefully: the extra subpixels matter, but they do not transform an HD set into 4K or a 4K set into 8K.
Explaining why work and family computers should be separated when possible, Dr. Dave draws from daily family life. He would spend all day researching and fixing PCs, then arrive home to his two boys waiting at the door with the news that Opera, the printer or something else was broken; a dedicated children's machine kept the adults operational while the boys experimented.
Dave called Walgreens during the break · Proposed air date:
Still thinking about John’s slideshow question, Dr. Dave realizes that his original conversion premise may be wrong and calls the Walgreens scanning department during the break so he can return with a concrete explanation.
Do not spend your life chasing technology · Proposed air date:
While discussing imperfect software and protecting his two young boys, Dr. Dave explains that he changes slowly because endlessly chasing the newest technology can turn it into an end rather than a useful tool.
A comic poster in the studio gives Dr. Dave a playful version of persistence, but he sharpens the lesson: troubleshooting usually succeeds by taking the next right step. Thinking outside the box sometimes matters; panicked action for its own sake usually does not.
Even an email from Mom may not be from Mom · Proposed air date:
A fake Yahoo page prompts Dr. Dave to reject the familiar advice that messages are safe when they appear to come from someone you know. Malware often travels through trusted names, so he compares an email sender line with a stranger outside the door merely claiming to be your mother: recognition alone is not proof of identity.
Explain the repair after it works · Proposed air date:
Dr. Dave and Evil Steve explain why an unfinished repair can look bewildering from over a technician’s shoulder: diagnosis involves trying paths, backing up and poking around, while the useful client explanation comes after the technician knows what worked.
Fountain pens and hard-learned eBay lessons · Proposed air date:
Dr. Dave’s interest in old fountain pens leads into a long personal conversation about learning from mistakes, resisting auction pressure and checking the true cost before committing to an online purchase.
Browse by year, then month, to find the episodes from that month.
442 proposed broadcast dates, plus 2 undated entries. Dates are based on archive filenames and may be approximate. Some broadcasts survive as separate parts or incomplete recordings.
