Small amount of dust won't matter to the contacts on your SD card slot. If it really bothers you, just vacuum the slot (and any nearby ventilation holes) before plugging in your memory card.
Agreed. SD card reader is the best option.Using a data cable from SX60 to laptop will work, but you'll need to keep the camera powered on during the file transfer. An SD card reader (especially one that support Apple Lightning for your iPhone and USB...
Yup, I ran into this issue last month. For me, it was changing the AF-MF switch to AF on the front of the camera. Too bad the setting doesn't show up on the menus.