Google’s extra step can trip up email users

7/13/2013

Q: I’m trying to download my Gmail into the Apple Mail program on a new Mac and I’m getting an error when I try to set up the account. I have Gmail’s extra verification turned on, but there’s no place in the Mac’s Mail program to enter the security code they send to my phone. What can I do?

A: Google’s two-step verification feature can trip up mail-setup scripts that are not equipped to handle anything more than a standard password. In this situation — or if you have recently turned on two-step verification and found your mail program or devices can no longer get Gmail — you need to log into your Gmail account in the Web and set up an “application-specific password.”

You can find Google’s step-by-step instructions for using application-specific passwords at bit.ly/​12woTrC and a YouTube video demonstration at bit.ly/​o7GWAs. Once you log into your account and go to your security settings, you can get to the application-specific passwords area. Here, you can type in a name for the application (like “Apple Mail”) and click a button to generate a lengthy one-time password to type into the Mail program’s password box.

Google has a troubleshooting page at bit.ly/​17WuRnT that guides you through setting up other types of mail software to send and receive messages from your Gmail account. The page also includes links to guides for programs besides Apple Mail, like Microsoft Outlook, Windows Mail, Mozilla Thunderbird, and mail programs for Android, BlackBerry, and iOS devices.

Q: I just got a new digital camera that came with a few discs of software. Do I need to install all this to get the photos from the camera to the computer when I connect the two?

A: Manufacturers often include manuals, how-to videos, utility programs and software drivers on discs when you buy a new camera, but you may not actually need to install any of it. Most modern computer operating systems automatically recognize the camera or memory card.

If you connect the camera to the computer with the USB cable and the memory card pops up as a new external drive, you can open it and copy the photo files to your hard drive manually, usually from the card’s “DCIM” folder. (If the computer does not recognize your connected camera or offer to import photos, check the manual and install the camera’s driver software.) If your computer has a built-in memory card reader, or you buy an external USB card reader, you can stick the camera’s card in the reader and copy the photos without connecting the camera.

Some discs include software for processing, editing, and organizing photos imported from the camera. If you already use a program like Adobe Photoshop Elements, Google Picasa, or Apple iPhoto to import pictures, you do not have to install anything new.

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