Q: We have Samsung phones and an iPad. Why do these devices not have a way to "select all" for deleting old e-mails, pictures and phone logs?

David Beal, Minneapolis

A: You can mass-delete data from the e-mail, photo and phone log categories of your mobile devices. But it isn't as simple as it should be.

The latest iPad and iPhone software allows you to delete multiple e-mails this way: Click "edit" and check the box in front of each e-mail you want to delete, then click "trash" at the bottom of the screen. (To empty the Trash folder, click two successive "delete all" commands.)

For photos on Apple devices, click "select," then touch the pictures you want to delete. Once the photos are chosen, touch the trash can icon at the bottom of the screen, then click "delete photos" (the number of photos being deleted appears between the two words.) To get rid of phone logs, click "edit," then "clear," then "clear all recents."

Samsung offers websites with directions for deleting all e-mails, photos and call logs from its phones, but the instructions vary from one model to another. To find the directions for your phone, search for the phrase: "delete all e-mail, call log and photo (here insert your model number) Samsung phone."

A one-step "delete all" button for mobile devices would certainly make our lives easier.

Q: Can you suggest a free way to get rid of Astromenda.com? It took over my Web browser, which I was able to fix, but parts of it remain on my computer and I can't get rid of them.

Elizabeth Novak, Morro Bay, Calif.

A: Astromenda.com is a type of malicious program called a "browser hijacker." It puts its own advertisements in your online search results, and may record the things you search for. For the several steps necessary to get rid of it, and a list of trustworthy downloadable security programs to use, see tinyurl.com/nr76p3f.

Q: I have trouble moving audio books from CDs to my MP3 player using Windows Media Player. I get a message that "one or more tracks could not be read." Can you offer any advice? Also, I have a book on CD that's in MP3 format. How can I move it to my MP3 player?

Richard Lane, Shorewood

A: To convert audio books to MP3 files, try the "Free Audio Converter 2014." It's available through CNet's download service (tinyurl.com/pc5e4om). Open the newly converted MP3 files in Windows Media Player and transfer them to your MP3 player.

For the MP3 audio disk, use Windows Explorer to copy the files from the CD, then paste them into Windows Media Player. From there, transfer them to your MP3 player.

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