This article is the archived version of a report that appeared in August 2009 Consumer Reports magazine.

You wanted to know . . .

Are the ads I've seen online for personal federal grants to pay off debt, buy a home, or start a business for real?

Emily Orton
North Salt Lake, UT

Federal grants do exist, but obtaining one is a lot of work, and there really isn't free money available to help you out of financial problems. The Web is rife with come-ons and scams offering to sell you information about personal government stimulus grants, so beware. You'll find free informationon the 26 federal agencies that make grants at www.grants.gov. Students should go to www.studentaid.ed.gov, and small-business owners should check out www.sba.gov.

My laptop stopped working. How can I retrieve files before I get rid of it?

Louise de Barros
Mechanicsville, VA

First, remove the battery and disconnect the power cable. Take out the hard drive, connect it to the USB port on a working computer using a universal drive adapter, and copy the files. If you want to recycle the laptop with the drive still in it, wipe out the data with a complete-delete program such as Eraser (www.heidi.ie/eraser). To render the laptop hard drive unusable, hammer the circuitry and chips until the board cracks.

Do you think the lead-testing kits sold at home centers are effective?

Edward Mattson
Port Chester, NY

Some kits we've tested are effective at identifying lead in paint, including Homax LeadCheck, First Alert Premium Lead Test Kit, and Abotex Lead Inspector, which are swab-type kits, and Pro-Lab Lead Surface, a wipe kit. The kits will show a positive reaction at reasonably low levels of lead, from 300 to 600 parts per million. (Note that using the kits requires dexterity and hand strength.) If a test shows the presence of lead, contact a professional lead-risk assessor for further testing and, if needed, a remediation plan.

How do I read the date code on my new tires?

David Pooser
Mount Pleasant, SC

The four-digit number on the sidewall of a tire tells you the week in a year a tire was produced. The code is usually at the end of a string of numbers and letters that begins with "DOT." A code of 3408 signifies that the tire was made during the 34th week of 2008. Don't buy tires more than a couple of years old because they degrade with age.

Send your questions to www.ConsumerReports.org/askourexperts.