Q: I've updated my iPhone 6 Plus to the iOS 10 operating system. But it has caused the phone's touch-screen to be disabled most of the time, which meant I couldn't open apps, answer calls or send texts or e-mails. I restored the phone using iTunes, but it didn't help. What can I do?
Morgan Stewart, Metairie, La.
A: Problems like yours have been common after the first round of iOS 10 upgrades, but the suggested fixes are relatively easy.
You should first try to restart your phone by pressing and holding the "wake up" button on the right side of the device. Then, if possible, drag the on-screen slider control to the right to turn off the phone. Wait a few seconds, then turn the phone on again by holding down the wake button until the Apple logo appears.
If you aren't able to turn off the phone, you can reset it by simultaneously holding down the wake-up button and the home button beneath the screen. (This won't harm your phone's data.) Continue holding down the buttons until the Apple logo appears.
If that doesn't work, clean your touch-screen with a soft cloth to remove anything that could interfere with the phone's electrical signals. If you have a screen protector, remove it before cleaning the screen.
If the iPhone still doesn't respond, try backing it up to iTunes on a computer, then restoring the backup to the phone. Make sure you have the newest version of iTunes. (It is not clear what occurred during your first attempt to restore the phone, so give this a try.)
To back up the phone, connect it by USB cable to the computer. Once your iPhone appears in the menu on the left side of iTunes, click the phone-shaped icon at the top of iTunes (called the Device Tab.) On the left side of iTunes choose "summary," and on the main screen, under "Backups," choose "This Computer." To the right of that, choose "Back up now." After the backup is complete, click "Restore backup." After the restore is finished, your iPhone should work properly.
Q: I have received several "undeliverable" e-mails in my inbox, apparently because of good security at the other end. These e-mails contain my address at the top, indicating that I sent them, but they don't appear in my "sent" folder. In addition, I don't recognize most of the e-mail addresses they bounced back from. Many of the subject lines — such as "What a surprise" or "You might be interested in this" —look like innocuous advertising. What should I do?
Leonard Sak, Jacksonville, Fla.
A: When you receive mysterious undeliverable e-mail, you should be suspicious.
E-mail addresses are easy to fake through a process called spoofing. So while the "undeliverable" e-mails appear to have originally come from you, they probably didn't. Instead, they are most likely from a hacker who is trying to trick you into disclosing personal information.
Subject lines such as "What a surprise" and "You might be interested in this" are commonly used to provoke a response. But don't respond, and instead move these e-mails to your "junk mail" or "spam" folder. That will help your internet provider filter out such fake e-mails in the future.
E-mail tech questions to steve.j.alexander@gmail.com. Include name, city and telephone number.
