5 AI Prompts That Replace Calling Your Adult Children For Tech Help

You are an experienced repair technician who specializes in walking non-technical adults through diagnosing whether a problem is internal to the device, a connection issue, a software/settings issue, or something else — before they spend money on a repair or replacement. I have a thing that's acting up. Help me figure out what's actually wrong.

What I've got:
- The device / appliance: [E.G. SAMSUNG 55-INCH TV / HP LAPTOP / GE DISHWASHER / iPHONE 13 / WIFI ROUTER]
- Approximate age: [YEARS]
- The exact symptom in plain English: [DESCRIBE — what it does or doesn't do]
- When it started: [DAYS / WEEKS / AFTER A SPECIFIC EVENT — power outage, update, move, software update, etc.]
- What it's connected to: [E.G. WALL OUTLET, HDMI CABLE TO ROKU, WIFI, ANOTHER DEVICE]
- What I've already tried: [UNPLUGGING IT, RESTARTING, CHANGING CABLES, ETC. — OR "NOTHING YET"]
- Any error messages, beeps, blinking lights, or screen behavior: [DESCRIBE EXACTLY OR "NONE"]
- Whether it's intermittent or constant: [INTERMITTENT — describe when / CONSTANT]
- Whether it's under warranty: [YES / NO / NOT SURE]

Walk me through the diagnosis:

1. THE FIRST 3 QUESTIONS that narrow it down. Ask me the most useful questions first — the ones that split "internal hardware problem" from "connection problem" from "software/settings problem." I'll answer, and you'll narrow further.

2. THE QUICK FREE TESTS I can run in 10 minutes to isolate the cause:
   - The power test (is the device getting power at all)
   - The connection test (cable swap, port swap, wifi check)
   - The reset test (the RIGHT kind of reset for this device — soft reset vs. factory reset vs. unplug-for-60-seconds power-cycle)
   - The signal test (if it's a TV / monitor / router / smart-home device)

3. YOUR BEST GUESS at the actual fault, ranked most-likely to least-likely, with the reasoning for each.

4. WHAT THE FIX LOOKS LIKE for each likely fault:
   - $0 fix (a setting, a reset, a cable reseat) — the exact steps
   - $5-50 part fix (a cable, a small replaceable component) — what to buy and where
   - Real repair (out of my depth) — whether it's worth fixing vs. replacing given the age and the typical repair cost for this device
   - When to stop spending money on this device entirely

5. THE SAFETY CHECK: anything I should NOT try on this specific device (e.g., don't open a microwave even unplugged, don't mess with the dishwasher's wiring with the power on, don't do a factory reset before backing up).

6. THE EXACT WORDS to use if I do end up calling a repair tech or warranty line — so I sound like I've already done the diagnostic work and they don't upsell me on things I don't need.

Be specific. Don't tell me to "consult the manual" — ask me what's happening and help me figure it out.

You are a cybersecurity analyst who specializes in phishing detection. I just received [EMAIL / TEXT / VOICEMAIL / PHONE CALL TRANSCRIPT / POP-UP MESSAGE] that I'm not sure about. Tell me if it's legitimate.

What I received:
- Type: [EMAIL / SMS / VOICEMAIL / POP-UP / PHONE CALL]
- Sender (as it appears): [PASTE NAME AND EMAIL / PHONE NUMBER]
- Subject line or opening: [PASTE]
- Full body / transcript: [PASTE OR PARAPHRASE]
- What they're asking me to do: [E.G. "click a link," "call a number," "verify info," "approve a transaction"]
- Anything that already feels off: [DESCRIBE]
- The service or company they claim to be: [E.G. AMAZON, BANK NAME, MICROSOFT, IRS, MEDICARE]

Analyze it and tell me:

1. The verdict: SCAM / PHISHING / LEGITIMATE / NEED MORE INFO. Be direct.

2. The specific red flags (or the reasons it's actually fine). Walk me through what to look at: sender domain mismatch, urgency tactics, generic greetings, mismatched URLs (the one that LOOKS like Amazon but is actually amaz0n-secure.co or similar), grammar issues, threat-based language, etc.

3. What this specific scam variant is trying to accomplish (steal login, install malware, get money, harvest info for later attack).

4. What I do NOW:
   - If it's a scam: don't click anything, the exact steps to report it (to FTC, to the impersonated company, to my email provider), and whether I need to take any account-protection action (change a password, alert my bank, etc.)
   - If it's legitimate: how to verify safely (go to the real website directly, log in there, see if the alert exists)
   - If you need more info: tell me exactly what to look at and report back

5. The 2-3 future versions of this scam I should expect (scammers iterate — same trick, different sender).

6. The 1-minute habit that prevents 95% of these from working on me going forward.

Be specific. Don't tell me to "be careful" — tell me whether THIS is a scam.

You are a digital security advisor who specializes in helping non-technical adults clean up their password chaos. I'm ready to fix this. Walk me through.

My current situation:
- How I currently track passwords: [STICKY NOTES / NOTEBOOK / BROWSER SAVES / I REUSE THE SAME ONE / OTHER]
- Approximate number of accounts I have logins for: [GUESS]
- Most important accounts (must-protect): [LIST — banking, email, social security, medical, retirement, etc.]
- Whether I've already had any account compromised: [YES — describe / NO / NOT SURE]
- My comfort level with technology (1-10): [NUMBER]
- Whether I have a smartphone: [YES — iOS or Android / NO]
- Whether anyone else (spouse, kids) needs access if I'm incapacitated: [YES — who / NO]

Build me the plan:

1. THE 90-MINUTE FIRST SESSION:
   - Choose a password manager (recommend ONE for my situation — likely 1Password, Bitwarden, or Apple Keychain if all my devices are Apple). Explain why, no jargon.
   - Set up the master password — the ONE password I'll memorize. The "passphrase" method (4 random words) that's both secure and memorable.
   - Install on my phone and computer. The specific steps.

2. THE 30 ACCOUNTS THAT MATTER MOST:
   - Ranked list of which accounts to migrate FIRST (banking, email, retirement, social security login, medical portals, primary email).
   - For each, the password manager workflow: generate a strong password, save it, test the login, done.
   - The time estimate for each (most take 90 seconds once you've done one).

3. TWO-FACTOR (2FA) ON THE TOP 7 ACCOUNTS:
   - What 2FA is in plain English.
   - The specific top accounts to enable it on.
   - The "authenticator app" approach (use one of: Authy, Google Authenticator, or built into 1Password).
   - The recovery codes — what they are, how to store them safely.

4. THE FAMILY ACCESS PLAN:
   - If I'm incapacitated, my spouse / executor needs access. The password manager has a built-in emergency access feature. How to set it up correctly.
   - The 1-page "if something happens to me" document that lives in a safe place with the master password locator. (NOT the master password itself — just where to find it.)

5. THE WEEKLY HABIT:
   - 5 minutes a week migrating the next 5 accounts. In 6 months, every account is in the manager.
   - The browser autofill setup so I never type a password again.

6. THE COMMON MISTAKES:
   - Three traps people fall into when first using a password manager and how to avoid them.

End with: the SINGLE change I can make in 10 minutes today that gives me 80% of the security benefit. So if I only do one thing, I do that one.

You are a photo organization specialist who helps people clean up 10+ years of digital photos. I have years of photos and I want them organized, backed up, and searchable. Walk me through.

My situation:
- Total photos (estimate): [NUMBER]
- Where they live currently: [PHONE / ICLOUD / GOOGLE PHOTOS / EXTERNAL DRIVE / SCATTERED]
- Phone type: [iPHONE / ANDROID]
- Backup situation: [NONE / iCLOUD / GOOGLE PHOTOS / EXTERNAL DRIVE / OTHER]
- Time I'm willing to invest total: [HOURS]
- What I actually want to ACCESS easily: [E.G. "all family events," "all photos with mom," "photos from each year for end-of-year recap"]
- Whether I want to print / share / make books: [YES / NO]
- Privacy concerns: [LIST or "none specific"]
- Tech comfort: [LOW / MEDIUM / HIGH]

Build me the plan:

1. THE BACKUP FIRST (do this before deleting anything):
   - The 2-storage backup setup (cloud + local) for my photo collection. Specific service recommendations based on my volume and comfort.
   - The "set it and forget it" automatic backup config.
   - How to verify the backup is working before I trust it.

2. THE TRIAGE (the 80/20 cleanup):
   - The 4 categories everyone has too much of: screenshots, duplicates, blurry shots, accidental burst-mode 12-shots-of-the-same-thing. How to bulk-delete each in 20-30 minutes per category.
   - The built-in tools that find duplicates and "low quality" automatically.

3. THE ORGANIZATION (light, not exhausting):
   - The album structure that's worth setting up (by year + by event/person + favorites). I don't need to tag every photo — just create the structures that surface what I want.
   - The face recognition / search features that make “photos of my kids” or “photos of mom” just work.
   - The single best feature for finding old photos: searching by location, date, or person — depending on what I actually look for.

4. THE PRESERVATION (the photos worth saving forever):
   - Identifying the 100-300 photos that REALLY matter: family events, the people who passed, the milestone moments.
   - The "best of the year" album I build once a year in 30 minutes.
   - The photo book or print plan if I want physical copies.

5. THE GOING-FORWARD HABIT:
   - The 2-minute weekly habit that prevents the 27,000-photo problem from coming back.
   - The "favorite as you go" pattern.

6. THE FAMILY-SHARING ANGLE:
   - The shared family album that lets siblings / grandparents see what's happening without me having to text photos one by one.

End with: the single 30-minute session that gives me 60% of the benefit. So if I only do that, I'm in a much better place than I am now.