Automobile Remote Key/Key Fob Battery Replacement - Be Alert

If the battery-operated key fob/remote key for your vehicle shows any sign of weakening, REPLACE IMMEDIATELY. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a situation where you can't open your car door or start your vehicle. Fortunately, many batteries are easy and inexpensive to replace. Signs of weakening are:
1. You have to be closer to the a trunk or hatchback to open it.
2. The key battery warning light is lit on your dashboard. (This does not always happen.)
3. The vehicle will not start when the key fob is in a place where it's always worked - like a pants pocket.

I had two recent personal experiences and witnessed another. In one case, the trunk seemed to open more slowly and I had to be closer. Also, the battery would suddenly not work when the battery was in my pants pocket. I had to take it out. The next day, the battery died completely. Fortunately, it happened at home. In the second case, the dashboard key battery warning light came on. The next day that battery died.

Fortunately, I found on-line videos that showed how to replace each battery. The owner's manual of one vehicle also described how to replace the key. However, it was not as clear as the video. Both replacements only took a couple of minutes. One battery was very common. The second battery was a little harder to find, but I located one at Walgreen's. One of the batteries was four years old and the other was only two years old.

As a precaution, you could replace the battery every two years.

The key fob for a previous vehicle had a battery that could not be replaced. One had to buy a brand new key for nearly $200. Luckily, that battery lasted the four years I owned the vehicle.

One Fix When HP All-in-One Printer Prints, But Won't Copy or Scan

My current current all-in-one printer is an HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus and my previous one was an HP Officejet J6400. Each experienced with scanning and copying, but had no problem with printing. The symptoms were different, but the solution was the same and very easy - clean the glass properly.

The glass may appear to be clean at first glance, but it may be just clouded enough to keep the scanner from aligning properly. The copies and scans I was making just prior to the problem all appeared to be fine.

The symptom with the J6400 was a horrible grinding noise  from the alignment bar. With the 8600, there was no such noise. Instead, I received various error messages, none of which suggested the problem. The messages said things like, "Scan, copy, and fax failed;" and "Can't communicate with printer."

With the J6400, it was the underside of the glass that was dirty. I was very fortunate to find an on-line explanation (by a user, not by HP) on how to access the underside of the glass.

With the 8600, it was the top of the glass that was causing the problem.

There are on-line videos that explain how to clean the glass. It is very important to use glass cleaner or water. It is also important to apply the cleaner to a lint-free cloth, not directly to the glass.