Walter Mossberg: Two solutions can make printer work wirelessly

A There are two main methods, assuming the printer doesn't have a built-in networking port or Wi-Fi transmitter. One method is to buy a small box called a print server and plug it into your router. Then you plug the printer into the print server, and with the right software and settings, it will appear on your network and be available to any computer on the network, wired or wireless.

The same companies that make routers, such as Linksys and Belkin, also make these print servers. The other method is to buy a wireless router that has such a print-server function built in, with a USB port for connecting a printer.

Q: If I have a laptop with Wi-Fi capability. Does that mean I can surf the Web while sitting in a car?

A: Yes, but only if the car is in range of a Wi-Fi network that's either open (not password-protected) or for which you know the password. And it would be practical only if the car was stopped or parked. A car moving at normal speed would very quickly drive out of range of any networks you encountered.

A better option, which works even when a car is moving, is to buy a high-speed cellular wireless modem for your laptop, or buy a laptop with such a modem built in. These modems, which get you on the Internet via citywide cellular-data networks instead of Wi-Fi, can remain in range for miles. But they require hefty fees, typically $60 a month. And, of course, you should be surfing the Net in a moving car only if you are a passenger, not the driver.

Q: With the new iPods coming out, how do you deactivate an old one? I think Apple allows only a certain number to be used with an account.

A: You don't have to deactivate an iPod if you replace it. The copy-protection rules imposed on Apple by the entertainment companies allow for copy-protected music and videos bought from the iTunes Music Store to be stored and played on an unlimited number of iPods.

The only "deactivation" that iTunes users have to perform is on a computer — Windows or Mac — because the copy-protection rules allow purchased, copy-protected songs and videos to be played on no more than five computers at a time. So before you replace a computer on which you are storing such purchased, protected iTunes material, you should deauthorize the machine by going to the "Store" menu in iTunes and selecting "Deauthorize Computer."

Of course, if you aren't at or near the five-computer limit, this issue may not matter. It's also irrelevant if none of the music or videos you play from within iTunes is copy-protected material bought from iTunes.

You can happily use iTunes and iPods without buying any copy-protected stuff from Apple. You can restrict your music and videos to those you copy from legally obtained CDs, those you create yourself, or those you buy in unprotected formats from iTunes or other sites such as eMusic.

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Walter Mossberg