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Welcome
EDITORIAL
Group Editor Daniel Booth
Features Editor Mike Plant
Technical Editor Sherwin Coelho
From the Editor
Production Editor Graham Brown We answer many questions in Computeractive,
Art Editor Katie Peat
Sorry, no technical or buying advice. but I fear that Is there a God? would be
ADVERTISING beyond us. However, we can certainly conrm
Advertisement sales & media pack
020 7907 6799
that theres a GodMode on your PC, and that
Advertising Director Andrea Mason its your computers best-kept secret.
Group Ad Manager Charlotte Milligan
Deputy Advertising Manager Alexa Dracos In our Cover Feature the omnipotent
MARKETING AND CIRCULATION
Jonathan Parkyn guides you through products that they once charged for. Is there a
Subscriptions Rachel Evans GodMode, explaining how it gives you catch? Well, you may see more adverts, and
Marketing Production Manager Gemma Hills
For subscription enquiries ring 01795 592 926 shortcuts to important PC settings. The tool youll have to keep an eye on your personal
PRODUCTION
is so useful that it does sometimes feel data, but generally its a positive thing.
Group Production Manager miraculous. Well continue to recommend essential free
Stephen Catherall
Production Controller Also in this issue, we predict which software software throughout 2017, as well as the best
Maisie Harvey
and services might become free in 2017. This is hardware that you will have to cough up for.
MANAGEMENT more than casual speculation there is a Daniel Booth
Managing Director John Garewal
MD of Advertising Julian Lloyd-Evans strong trend for companies to give away editor@computeractive.co.uk
Commercial and Retail Director David Barker
CFO/COO Brett Reynolds
Chief Executive James Tye
Company Founder Felix Dennis

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judgments are based on equipment available
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Computeractive takes no responsibility for the
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SNIPCA URLs
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4 17 January 2017 3
 Contents 4 17 January 2017 Issue 492

CO
In this issue FEA VER
TU
P50 RE

WINDOWS
50 Windows GodMode
What you can do
with Windows hidden control
centre to make your PC work
best for you

GodMode
57 Is it worth the money?
IObit Uninstaller

58 What software will

become free in 2017?
Our team of experts predict the
programs likely to lose their price tags
Your complete
Y p guide
g to your
y PCs best-kept
p secret
61 Your most popular
programs of 2016
The software you downloaded most the hidden settings you MUST unlock
in the past 12 months

Software to
freeware in
2017?
p58

The programs that clicked with you p61

In every issue No such

thing as
6 News 33 Competition a freebie
Win a Kitvision Edge lunch p74
11 Question of HD10 Action Camera
the Fortnight
How can we stop drivers 49 Whats All
using mobile phones? the Fuss About?
Microsoft Home Hub
12 Letters
64 Problems Solved
14 Consumeractive
70 Fast Fixes Firefox
16 Protect Your Tech
73 Jargon Buster
18 Best Free Software
TeamViewer 12 74 The Final Straw
Ken Rigsby calculates the
30 Buy It! cost of freebies

4 4 17 January 2017
 Subscribe
e
NOW!!
See page 62 2
for our special
ial
subs offer

Reviews
20 Aria Gladiator Centurion Lite
Gaming PC with wide appeal

21 Philips Brilliance
Type-C monitor lives up to its name

22 Xerox Phaser 6022V

This Phaser printer isnt set to stun

23 Logitech M720 Triathlon

A wireless mouse that roars
MSI Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
Powerful card for graphic content

24 Lenovo Yoga 900S

Light hybrid oers slim pickings
Aria Gladiator Centurion L
Lite p20 25 BBC micro:bit
Mini PC proves size isnt everything

BBC micro:bit p25

p2 ePluss
OnePlus 26 OnePlus 3T
3T p26 This mid-range phone is a real plus

28 Anker Ergonomic Wireless

Vertical Mouse
Take control with this wireless mouse
Google Daydream View
VR headset isnt out of this world

29 Buy or wait?
BUY IT! We explain which tech products you
should grab now and which are worth
waiting a little longer for

THE ADVANCED GUIDE

Workshops & Tips TO WINDOWS 10
14 pages of brilliant workshops and expert tips
ON SALE NOW!
35 Make your Start menu 42 Edit videos without
easier to use losing quality

38 Create your own 43 Readers Tips

news feed on your tablet Password-protect sensitive files

40 Control PCs on 44 Phone and Tablet Tips

your home network Watch Netflix movies offline

46 Make Windows Better

Search more easily in Edge

47 Make Office Better

Customise your own font in Word

48 Secret Tips For BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON

Google Search at www.snipca.com/21617

4 17 January 2017 5
 News
Update your Netgear router
now with security fixes
N etgear has released
emergency rmware
updates for 11 of its
1 COMMENT
routers that are deemed
to be at risk of being
hacked. Some of these are
among the companys
best-selling models.
The aws in the routers
are so serious that even
the US Department of
Homeland Security
advised people not to
use them until a x was
released.
Anyone with a Netgear
router should visit the
companys website to check
whether their model requires
a x: www.snipca.com/22949.
These are being released rst
as betas (which havent been
fully tested) and then as more
comprehensive production
rmware updates.
Netgear says that the
beta xes are a temporary
solution and might not
work for all users. It strongly
recommends that all users
install the production
rmware xes.
If your router is listed, click
its link (see screenshot 1),
then click the Download Link
WHICH ROUTERS ARE AFFECTED?
R6250 R6900
(pictured) R7000
R6400 R7100LG
R6700 R7300DST
Youll like this Google Maps now tells you
whether a location is wheelchair friendly
(www.snipca.com/22927)
6 4 17 January 2017
2 but also home security
(see screenshot 2) and follow
Netgears instructions.
You can see the 11 aected
routers in the box below.
Netgears D7000 router was
initially listed as a vulnerable
model, but after testing it the
company said it is safe and
doesnt need to be updated.
Incompetent Netgear
Security researcher Andrew
Rollins, known as Acew0rm
on Twitter, said that he told
Netgear about the
R7900
R8000
D6220
D6400
The top stories in the world of technology
vulnerabilities in August, but
claims the company never got
back to him.
After he went public with
the aws three months later,
the Computer Emergency
Response Team (CERT), part
of the Department of
Homeland Security, issued its
warning on 9 December
(www.snipca.com/22950).
The aws are easy to exploit.
Hackers would be able to
access a users router by
directing them to a website
that contained malicious code.
A hacked router could then be
assimilated into a botnet,
which is a network of devices
used for huge internet attacks,
often to knock websites
oine.
Netgear rst acknowledged
the aws on 11 December,
but not this A new type of ransomware
claims to unlock your les if you infect other
PCs (www.snipca.com/22909)
Security expert Graham
Cluley is right when he
calls this aw an omen
of what 2017 has in store
for us. He expects many
more vulnerabilities to be
unearthed in web-connected
devices and not only routers,
cameras and digital video
recorders, among others. For
too long manufacturers have
underestimated the security
risks, possibly hoping hackers
would be focused more on
attacking PCs. The hacks
of 2016, particularly the
devastating Mirai attack in
October, proved otherwise.
We need better protection
and faster xes.
admitting that more routers
were at risk than security
researchers had originally
indicated. It took until 13
December for Netgear to start
releasing the updates.
Rollins slammed Netgear as
incompetent for forcing
users to install the updates
themselves, rather than
issuing them directly to
routers over the air.
Another leading security
specialist, Bas Van Schaik,
who published a temporary
x before Netgear did, said it
was appalling and baing
that Netgear didnt act upon
Rollins warning in August.
Microsoft rushes out fix for
catastrophic Windows 10 update
Microsoft has xed a
major aw caused by a
Windows 10 update that
prevented many
computers from
connecting to the internet.
The problematic update,
which its thought was
released in early December,
left some machines unable to
get an IP address from routers,
which they need to go online.
Microsoft released a
x on 13 December to
automatically install and
resolve connectivity
diculties reported by
some customers.
It added that people may
need to restart their PC by
selecting Start on the taskbar,
clicking the Power button,
and choosing Restart, not Shut
down. The same advice was
being shown in a banner on
Microsofts website (see
screenshot). Youll nd more
help on Microsofts website:
BT caps phone calls for people on benefits
BT has capped the cost of calls
to landlines and mobile
phones for customers signed
up to its Basic package, which
is a special low-cost deal for
people who receive benet.
Households signed up to BT
Basic pay 5.10 a month for
landline rental, much cheaper
than the normal price of
18.99. However, previously
calls to landlines cost 11.3p
per minute once the initial
4.50 monthly allowance
was used up.
BT has now set a monthly
maximum of 10 for calls to
landlines, meaning the most
any Basic customer will pay
each month for calls and
rental is 15.10. You can add
broadband to this for an extra
4.95 a month.
It covers all calls to numbers
www.snipca.com/22899.
The problem seemed to
particularly aect Virgin
Media and Plusnet customers,
hundreds of whom vented
their frustration on social
media. Many people in Europe
also reported trouble getting
online. Before Microsofts x,
Virgin published advice on
how to get online (www.
snipca.com/22900).
It is not clear which
specic update caused the
problem, but it may have
been KB3201845, released
on 9 December. Microsoft
said this update was
replaced by the x, which is
called KB3206632. However,
some experts said that the
starting with 01, 02, 03
(landline), and 07 and 08
(mobile). However,
premium-rate numbers
are excluded.
You can sign up to BT Basic
if you receive any of the
following benets: Income
Support, Income-based
Jobseekers Allowance,
problem existed before
KB3201845 was released.
Windows updates have
caused several problems in the
past few months. In August
the substantial Anniversary
Update (AU) caused many
computers to freeze. Microsoft
admitted that the AU was
disrupting PCs that had
Windows 10 stored on an SSD,
and apps and data stored on
another drive.
The companys advice was
to boot into Safe Mode, then
move your apps and data to
the same drive as Windows 10.
Have you had problems with
recent Windows updates?
Please let us know: letters@
computeractive.co.uk
Pensions Credit (Guaranteed
Credit), Employment and
Support Allowance (income
related) and Universal Credit
(and are on zero earnings).
Customers who are ill and
claiming temporary benets
can also apply.
To nd out if youre eligible
visit www.snipca.com/22894.
IN BRIEF
BBC LAUNCHES
INTERNATIONAL
NETFLIX
The BBC has teamed up
with ITV to launch a Netix-
style TV-streaming service
for people living outside
the UK. BritBox will be
made available in the US
rst, launching in the rst
quarter of 2017, before
being considered for other
countries where theres high
demand for British TV shows.
It will oer a mix of modern
shows, including Silent
Witness and EastEnders,
and classics such as Fawlty
Towers and Inspector Morse.
ALBANIAS 4G NETWORK
BETTER THAN UKS
Peru, Albania and Panama
are among 53 countries that
have better 4G coverage
than the UK, according to
a new report. The National
Infrastructure Commission
(NIC) said that on average
people can get connected
only 53 per cent of the time.
Lord Adonis, chair of the NIC,
said the UK needs a new
universal service obligation
to ensure that text, talk
and data are available to us
wherever we need them.
Tomorrows
world
Remember the date: on
7 December 2016 Amazon
delivered its rst item
anywhere in the world by
drone. Thirteen minutes after
placing his order, Richard B
of Cambridgeshire received
an Amazon Fire TV Stick
and popcorn. He was part
of a local Amazon Prime Air
service trial. If its successful,
expect more drones in the air
soon. Watch the delivery at
www.snipca.com/22896.
4 17 January 2017 7
 News
IN BRIEF
YAHOO FIXES EMAIL
FLAW EVENTUALLY
Yahoo has xed a security
aw in its email service,
although it took the company
17 days after being told about
it. Finnish security specialist
Jouko Pynnnen received
$10,000 from Yahoo for
disclosing the vulnerability,
which hackers could have
used to read users emails. It
was a serious aw because
victims could have been
hacked simply by opening
an email. No further action,
such as clicking a link or
downloading an attachment,
was needed.
BT HIRES MORE
CALL CENTRE STAFF
BT is hiring 500 people in
Wales and England to work
in its call centres to help the
company hit its target of
answering 90 per cent of
customer phone calls by the
end of March 2017. Most jobs
will be created in Swansea,
Warrington, Doncaster and
Accrington. It follows BT
recruiting 1,000 customer
service sta in January 2016.
Thats the way cookie warnings crumble
Websites may soon no longer
have to show the cookie
warnings that many people
nd a nuisance.
Under EU law introduced in
2012 all sites must tell visitors
if they are using cookies.
These are small bits of code
that remember your log-in
details, and your preferences
such as language settings. But
sites also use them to show
personalised adverts and track
browsing history.
Currently, the warnings
which appear when you
rst visit a site ask you to
click to accept cookies, or
state that if you continue on
the site you are happy with
8 4 17 January 2017
Football trumps Trump in Googles
2016 search results
Celebrity deaths, sport and
politics have dominated what
people searched for on Google
in 2016.
The company has revealed
its annual end-of-year search
lists, showing that Euro 2016
was the top trending search
term in the UK, followed by
the phone game Pokemon Go
and David Bowie, who died
at the beginning of the year.
Also in the top 10 were Alan
Rickman, EU referendum/
Brexit, Donald Trump and
Olympics. Many of these
subjects also appeared in the
worldwide top 10, which was
topped by Pokemon Go (see
box below).
Googles list is based on
words and phrases, usually
inuenced by news events and
current aairs, that show the
GOOGLES UK TOP 10
1 Euro 2016 6 EU referendum/Brexit
2 Pokemon Go 7 Alan Rickman
3 David Bowie 8 Olympics
4 Donald Trump 9 US election
5 Prince 10 Deadpool
their presence, such as on
www.bbc.co.uk (see
screenshot).
But a leaked privacy
directive from the European
Commission (EC) outlines
proposals to let users allow all
cookies by changing a setting
in their browser. This would
mean sites would no longer
be required to show their
own warnings.
Its a change that will be
welcomed by those users who
see the current messages as
biggest rise in popularity.
At the end of every year
Google also lists the top
trending questions. Heading
the UKs How to list in 2016
was How to play Pokemon
Go?. Three Brexit-related
GOOGLES GLOBAL TOP 10
1 Pokemon Go
2 iPhone 7
3 Donald Trump
4 Prince
5 Powerball
intrusive and irritating.
Websites too will be pleased
about the planned changes.
Introducing the cookie
banners has cost businesses
around 1.8 billion (1.5
billion), the EC said.
It is unclear how Brexit
will aect cookie laws,
although the Information
Commissioners Oce, the
UKs data watchdog, has
suggested that Britain should
adopt similar privacy laws
as the EU.
questions were in the top 10,
all peaking in late June: How
to vote for EU referendum?,
How to get an Irish passport?
and How to apply for British
citizenship?.
Brexit also dominated the
UKs Where is questions,
with Where is Brussels? and
Where is my polling station?
coming rst and second.
To see Googles full lists,
which are broken down by
country from Argentina to
Vietnam visit www.google.
com/2016.
6 David Bowie
7 Deadpool
8 Olympics
9 Slither.io
10 Suicide Squad
Forget French, Spanish and
German will schoolkids
in the future need to learn
how to speak emoji? In the
rst job of its kind, London
company Today Translations
is advertising for someone
who can convert these
animated gures across
cultures. For example, a
waving hand emoji means
something dierent in
China than it doeses in the UK.
Want to apply?
Read more at
www.snipca.
com/22866.
Billion stolen Yahoo accounts
sold on the dark web
Hackers are selling the
personal details from a billion
accounts stolen from Yahoo in
2013, security researchers
claim. Data being sold could
include names, dates of birth,
phone numbers, passwords,
security questions and email
addresses, but not bank
details, which Yahoo says
werent stolen.
The hack, which Yahoo
admitted in December, is
believed to be the biggest ever
security breach. On Yahoos
website (www.snipca.com/
22916) Bob Lord, the companys
chief information security
ocer, wrote: Based on
further analysis of this data by
forensic experts, we believe an
unauthorized third party, in
August 2013, stole data
associated with more than
one billion user accounts.
Arizona-based security
company InfoArmor said that
in August 2016 a hacking
collective based in eastern
Europe oered the data on the
Rural broadband: 900,000 homes
too far from phone exchange
More than 900,000 UK homes
in rural areas are too far from
the telephone exchange to get
broadband speeds of 10Mbps,
Ofcom has said. But overall
the number of homes that
cant get 10Mbps has fallen by
one million since 2015.
The gures come from
Ofcoms Connected Nations
2016 report (www.snipca.
com/22910), which tracks the
progress of communication
networks in the UK. It said
that around 1.4 million homes
in the UK cant get speeds of
10Mbps, the speed that Ofcom
considers to be the minimum
required to meet the needs of
a typical household.
dark net for $300,000 (around
242,000).
It claims that three groups
two spammers and one
involved in espionage have latest attack is unrelated to
bought the data. InfoArmors
chief intelligence ocer
Andrew Komarov said that
since obtaining the database
his company had alerted
military and law-enforcement
authorities in the US,
Australia, Canada and the UK.
Komarov added that he
didnt approach Yahoo directly
because he was concerned
that the companys planned
4.8bn purchase by Verizon
Based on Ofcom research,
the Internet Services Providers
Association estimates that
1.1bn would need to be spent
in rural areas to achieve this.
Steve Unger, Ofcoms director
of strategy, acknowledged that
mobile and broadband
coverage continued to grow,
but said it was unacceptable
that so many people and
businesses are still struggling
for a good service.
The report also suggests that
would discourage it from
investigating the theft
thoroughly.
Bob Lord added that the
the hack Yahoo admitted in
September last year, in which
the details of 500,000
accounts were stolen in 2014.
However, he did reveal that
the hackers behind the 2014
attack had learnt how to forge
the cookies that Yahoo use to
recognise you when you log
in, meaning a hacker wouldnt
need the correct password to
access a Yahoo account, and
could be logged in indenitely.
the growth of superfast
broadband is reaching a
plateau. Despite 25 million
premises being able to receive
speeds of 30Mbps and above,
only 9.1 million have signed
up for them, a rise of just four
per cent from 2015. Ofcom
says its unclear why more
consumers arent subscribing
to faster broadband.
Trac management is less
of a problem, the report said,
because ISPs are better at
explaining to customers how
their policies work.
Are you happy with your
broadband speed? Please let us
know: letters@computeractive.co.uk.
IN BRIEF
MICROSOFTS NEW
SYSTEM RESET OPTION
Microsoft is planning to add
a new option to Windows
10s System Reset that lets
you remove all programs
that didnt come built into
the operating system, and
update it to the latest version.
You can currently use System
Reset to uninstall programs
and les if you choose but
it keeps you on the same
version of Windows 10. The
new option is in the Insider
Preview of Windows 10, and
may appear in the Creators
Update, due in the spring.
FACEBOOK CRACKS
DOWN ON FAKE NEWS
Facebook has introduced
new tools for users to report
fake news posted on the
site. The social network is
responding partly to criticism
that fabricated news stories
inuenced the US election
in November. You can now
select the option its a
fake news story, or label it
disputed which, Facebook
says, means it will be
scrutinised by fact-checking
organisations. Read the sites
announcement at www.
snipca.com/22907.
FIREFOX USERS STICK
WITH WINDOWS 7
Almost half of
Firefox users
are still running
Windows 7,
according to the
browsers latestst
Hardware Report (www.
snipca.com/22914). It shows
Windows 7 usage at 45 per
cent, much higher than the
26 per cent of people running
Windows 10. Windows XP
is the third most popular
operating system, at 10
per cent, despite Microsoft
ending support for it in 2014.
Firefox will end support for
XP and Vista in March.
4 17 January 2017 9
 News
Jane Hoskyn puts the boot into tech villains, jargon-spouting companies
and software stued with junk
WARNING: JUNK AHEAD
Junk oender:
Auslogics Browser Care
Download Now! No adware, no
spyware, no toolbars proclaims the
Auslogics Browser Care web page (www.
snipca.com/22902). It forgets to add Just
a browser-hijacking search engine,
upgrade pop-up, unwanted Auslogics
program and hidden registry junk.
Browser Care claims to clean browser
plug-ins, extensions and junk data from
your PC for free. We showed you how in a
Workshop in Issue 474. But soon after, it
began stung its own installer with
rubbish including les and folders that
blighted my computer weeks after I
thought Id cleared them. Its new version
4.1 carries more PUPs than ever.
Browser Care despair
When I tested Browser Care in the
summer, a couple of months after our
What are they
talking about?
What they say
The Bluetooth Special
Interest Group (www.
snipca.com/22913):
Bluetooth is revolutionizing how
people experience the IoT. Bluetooth 5
(delivers) reliable IoT connections and
mobilizing the adoption of beacons, which
in turn will decrease connection barriers
and enable a seamless IoT experience.
What they mean
New Bluetooth 5 means faster, more
stable connections between Bluetooth
devices around your home. IoT stands
for Internet of Things, horrible jargon
for connected devices and bound to
be as familiar as selfie within months.
10 4 17 January 2017
Workshop, it installed a PUP called
BoostSpeed. I removed Browser Care and
BoostSpeed and cleaned my PC. Three
months later, Malwarebytes AdwCleaner
found ve new threats on my PC all
Auslogics les and folders. I removed them.
This week I tested Browser Care version
4.1 to see if Auslogics had cleaned up its
act. It had not. Au contraire, Rodney.
I clicked Custom Install and unticked
Install BoostSpeed. The next screen, new
in version 4.1, invited me to Set Yahoo as
your homepage and default search engine
(see screenshot). I unticked it and then
had two buttons to choose from: Decline
and Agree and Install. I clicked Decline,
and Browser Care installed. If Id clicked
Agree and Install, the PUPs would have
installed anyway even after Id turned
them down. You may think unticking the
PUPs was enough to opt out, but its not.
Theres more. The Finish screen had a
Janes villain of the fortnight
AVG
Respected security company AVG left
Computeractive reader Walter Blanchard
feeling neither secure nor respected
when he discovered he was about to be
charged 64.99 for two years of AVG
Internet Security a subscription he
says he never even signed up for.
AVGs demand is not a scam. Its a
legal, sneaky and common business
practice: automatically renewing a
product that started free, and which
users may not realise they signed up for.
AVG Internet Security is free. Users
are harassed with pop-ups urging them
to try advanced features. Click one and
youre upgraded to a 30-day trial for a
paid-for version. After the trial, two
years fees are collected in one go.
Auslogics now installs Yahoo junk unless you
untick it and click Decline
tiny pre-ticked box, for Auslogics Driver
Updater. This time, unticking was enough
to opt out. When I clicked Finish, a gaudy
advert called Giveaway Club opened in my
browser, and a pop-up appeared urging
me to Improve Performance Now. If I had
clicked it, Id have unwittingly upgraded
to a paid-for version of Browser Care.
To nd so much junk bundled with a
program that seemed genuinely useful for
cleaning your PC is shocking. Auslogics
began 2016 by impressing us, and ends it
as the worst junk oender of the year.
Walter says AVG
doesnt have his bank card details, but
he should double-check. AVGs
Facebook page has loads of complaints
from users who have been charged
without consent. Many also say they
cant remove AVG from their PCs.
Auto-renewal is very lucrative. Take
Amazon Prime. Amazon currently
reports a $2.66bn (2.13bn) operating
prot but without Prime, itd make
an 800m loss (www.snipca.com/
22911). At least Amazon doesnt
pretend to be a beacon of security and
righteousness unlike AVG.
Want to nominate a villain of the fortnight?
Email us at editor@computeractive.co.uk
 ?
Question
of the
Fortnight
How can we stop drivers
using mobile phones?
The Government wants phone companies to introduce drive safe modes

N o subject has united

Computeractive readers
more in the past few months
than the irresponsibility of
people who use a phone while
driving. Weve received plenty
of emails from readers praising
the Governments proposals to
introduce tougher penalties
for those breaking the law.
But you seem sceptical that
motorists will change their
behaviour. Campaigners too
believe itll take more than
longer prison sentences and
higher nes.
The Government agrees,
and wants to make it harder
and maybe even impossible
for drivers to use phones. In
January, ministers will meet
with phone manufacturers
and mobile networks to tell
them that their devices should
come with drive safe modes,
similar to the airplane mode
that limits what a phone can
do during a ight. With around
20 deaths a year attributed to
drivers being distracted by
phones, its felt that restrictions
are urgently needed.
Nearly a fifth of drivers admit
to sending a text or email
Whats particularly
concerning ministers is that
using a phone while driving,
which was made illegal in
2003, doesnt yet have the
same social stigma as drink
driving. Indeed, more people
are doing it. The RACs annual
report on motoring (www.rac.
co.uk/report-on-motoring),
published in September,
found that the number of
drivers who admitted to using
a mobile phone had increased
from eight per cent in 2014 to
31 per cent two years later.
Fourteen per cent of drivers
think its acceptable to make a
quick phone call up from
seven per cent.
Perhaps a more worrying
development is that drivers
are doing things on their
phones that are more
distracting than simply
making calls. Almost 20 per
cent admitted they had sent a
text or email, or posted a
message on social media. As
phones become more
advanced, capable of more
involving tasks, drivers will
nd it even harder to keep
their eyes on the road.
The Government wants to
talk to phone companies
because theyve shown little
desire to act on their own. A
separate report commissioned
by the RAC Foundation last
summer concluded that few
companies would introduce a
drive safe mode voluntarily
because it would restrict what
their phones can do, placing
them at a commercial
disadvantage. Instead they
think that the onus should be
on drivers to make sure they
dont break the law.
Theres also the question of
how the technology would
work. One option is for
phones to have a motion-
sensitive app that turns o the
device when it detects the
movement of a car. Apple
patented such a system in 2014
for its iPhone, although it
hasnt been implemented.
Safety campaigners want
the Government to force
phone companies to add drive
safe features. Gary Rae from
road-safety charity Brake said
that it just needs the political
will to make this happen.
As well as legal measures,
the Government will use
psychological tactics. It aims
to make using a phone while
driving as socially
unacceptable as drink driving,
or not wearing a seat belt.
THE FACTS
The Government is asking
phone companies to
introduce software that
prevents drivers from being
distracted by calls and texts
In Spring, the xed penalty
for using a phone while
driving will double to 200
31 per cent of drivers admit
to having used their phone
while driving
Baroness Newlove, the
Governments victims
commissioner, said: We need
better education and hard-
hitting messages to ensure the
next generation know what
could happen. Ministers are
planning to run a Think!
road-safety campaign focused
on texting while driving.
While stronger deterrents
and social pressure will help,
the long-term solution to
phone use while driving will
surely be a technological one.
We hope the Government
nds time in 2017 to tackle
this growing menace.

4 17 January 2017 11
 Letters
Stop scaremongering
about Windows 7
I read Russell Gartons letter in
Issue 491 on Microsofts warning
concerning ransomware aecting
Windows 7. Sorry, but give it a rest.
Windows 7 will be updated and patched
until at least 14 January 2020, so lets stop
the scaremongering
Microsoft and people like Mr Garton
dont understand the massive job it can
be to keep upgrading operating systems.
In my case, it would take me at least a
week of hard work. I am heavily involved
in ight simulation, with dozens of
aircraft to install (if they work in
Windows 10, that is). Does Microsoft
care? No, as long as they can keep selling
new operating systems. Lets
just enjoy using Windows ws
7, and when 2020 comes
along we may decide to
move to Windows 10.
Jeremy Newman
I think Russell Garton is being too
kind on Microsoft. The company
has only one motive in publishing
warnings about Windows 7 and thats to
scare people into upgrading to Windows
10. As it happens, I think people should
upgrade, but not because of Microsofts
malware research. They should upgrade
for the simple reason that Windows 10 is
a major step forward in what an
operating system is capable of.
Why doesnt Microsoft talk more about
Windows 10s brilliant tools, such as the
revamped Start menu, or the ability to set
up multiple virtual desktops? If 2016
taught us anything its that project fear
doesnt work! Microsoft should
accentuate the positive instead.
Pat Townsend
Heartened by new
Narrator tools
I know Microsoft can sometimes
get a kicking from Computeractive
readers, but Id like to praise one aspect
of the company: how it tries to make
Windows accessible for people with
disabilities. I was reminded of this when
reading your news story in Issue 491
about the forthcoming Narrator tools. Ive
relied on Narrator for the past few years
ever since my eyesight started to
12 4 17 January 2017
deteriorate, and its allowed me to do so
much that would otherwise have been
impossible. Im heartened by Microsofts
dedication to improving this tool in the
Creators Update even if I usually dread
major changes to Windows because they
only seem to cause problems.
Tim Falconer
Internet as vital as
electricity? Dont be
ludicrous!
There is too much talk of the digital
divide in our society. I see that as simply
the dierence between those who are
free of digital clutter and those who are
a slave to it.
The idea put forward that internet
access is as important as other utilities,
such as water, gas and electricity, is so
ludicrous as to warrant an LOL emoji!
IBM PC shows how far weve come
I always enjoy reading the little
Tomorrows World box in your
News pages for the glimpses it gives
into the future. I would like to suggest
you introduce a Yesterdays World box
as an interesting contrast, to highlight
how far technology has come - and
maybe to stop people moaning about
modern computers, which really are
the stu of dreams.
A good example is an advert I found
on YouTube from 1977 that shows
IBMs 5100 computer (www.snipca.
com/22908). The claims made about it
sound hilarious now. For example, it
weighs only 50 pounds (by contrast,
my modern Asus laptop weighs ve
pounds).
But Im sure the 5100 felt like a
breakthrough back then, and the
Tell us whats on your mind
Email: letters@computeractive.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/computeractive
Twitter: @ComputerActive
www.twitter.com/computeractive
Water is essential, electricity may
be very desirable, but millions
survive perfectly adequately
without gas or the internet.
I am a pensioner with internet
access that is a hangover from
when I was working and needed
it. If I didnt have it now, I
wouldnt be looking for it. While
others may want me to have it, I
dont by any stretch of the
imagination need it. I have an ancient
laptop, which is too old to run Windows
10 (mercifully) and when that dies, I
probably wont replace it.
The internet is not my preferred way of
communicating, banking or purchasing.
I dont see anti-social media sites (that
can be conveniently grouped together
under the title youtwitface) as the
answer to social exclusion.
If one in seven pensioners live in
poverty, that is deplorable and an issue
that needs addressing long before forcing
them to have internet access by making
the services they require available only
online. Doing business over the internet
is seen by companies and the government
as a way of shifting overheads to the
customer, and maximising prots while
appearing to still provide a service.
Mike Gosling
advert certainly makes it feel
important, with lots of self-satised
business people boasting about how it
improves their work. We may sco at a
computer that had a maximum storage
of 64KB as we smugly tap away on our
iPhones, but I bet our fancy devices
will be seen as quaintly prehistoric to
people in 40 years.
Matthew Hall
Dont neglect defence
spending
Gordon Sealy seems under the
impression that 39bn on defence
is wasted if we do not have a war (Star
Letter, Issue 490). Not true! Defence is
mainly to deter war. If the UK is attacked
we should have spent more on defence;
enough in fact to deter the attack. I agree
with his well-made point that a digital
invasion could disable the conventional
armed forces by crippling the electricity
supply, transport, communications and
so on. I say lets spend more on cyber-
defence but not at the expense of
conventional weapons.
Nick Clatworthy
I share Gordon Sealys concern
about Russia hacking our
infrastructure, but I think theres also a
danger that it will try to inuence our
politics too. Weve seen recently that
Russia has no qualms about hacking
emails in the US to aect the result of
elections. Theres no reason to think it
wont try to do likewise in the UK and
Europe. Brexit negotiations are a case in
point. If our politicians send emails
containing sensitive information about
Brexit, you can bet that Russia will try to
leak them in order to stir up trouble.
Maybe we should get our retaliation in
rst, as they say, and hack the emails of
Putin and his cronies.
Gwen Churchill
Broadband benefits will
trickle down
If we all had the attitude of Eric
Chambers wed have no progress
in anything. In his letter in Issue 491 he
attacks the Government for wanting to
invest in 1Gbps broadband when millions
cant get speeds of 10Mbps. But its only
by pushing the boundaries of whats
possible that more universal benets
trickle down.
People often ask what society ever got
from Americas Apollo Moon landings.
They grudgingly acknowledge the scale of
STAR LETTER
We cant trust drivers to stop
using phones
I would like to join the chrous of
Computeractive readers calling
for stronger penalties for people using
their phones while driving. No text
message is so important that it cant
wait until you park the car.
But I think its going to be harder to
stop this activity than it was to dissuade
people from drink driving, which was
very common when I was growing up
in the 1960s. The simple reason: phones
can be taken everywhere, and indeed
are taken everywhere. People wake up,
check their phone; clean their teeth,
check their phone; get in the car, check
their phone. Its become a ritual of
modern life thats irresistible, however
depressing that may be to those of us
who remember life before them.
Drink-driving is dierent. People
dont have a pint every 30 seconds like
they check their phones. And its also
easier to tell when someone is drunk,
and shouldnt get behind the wheel of a
car. By contrast, its impossible to tell
before a car journey whether somebody
is going to spend half of it texting.
So, unfortunately, society wont
change by itself. Nor will the stigma of
using a phone while driving ever match
The Star Letter writer wins a Computeractive mug!
the achievement, but wonder what
practical benet it brought. The answer
would be too long to list in your Letters
page. Nasa made many technological
breakthroughs that have since fed into
devices we now take for granted.
Obviously, getting 1Gbps broadband for
the UK isnt as signicant as landing on
the Moon. But Im condent that the
whole of the country rural and urban
will benet from such ambitious
infrastructure plans.
Stuart Rourke
As overstatements go, it would be
hard to beat Eric Chambers saying
its morally wrong to prioritise 1Gbps
broadband. I have my doubts whether the
Government will achieve its ambition,
but Im condent that its the right thing
that of being inebriated while driving.
The only answer is for society to be
forced to change, and for that to
happen we need technology companies
to come up with a solution.
I read a while back that Apple was
working on a phone that turned itself
o when it detected the movement of a
car. I would urge governments around
the world to team up with tech
companies to encourage such research.
Car manufacturers should get involved
too. It requires investment, innovation
and leadership, because drivers cant
be trusted to voluntarily abandon this
very dangerous practice.
Derek Baker
CA says Derek will be pleased to read
about the Governments plans to
introduce technology that stops
phones working in cars
see page 11.
to aim for, otherwise well be stuck in the
internet dark ages while the rest of the
world rushes into the future.
Ian Latimer
Why I wont sign Snoopers
Charter petition
I wont be signing the petition to
repeal the Snoopers Charter,
despite Susan Crawfords impassioned
plea in Issue 491. Thats because I value
the freedom to walk the streets of
England without being blown to bits in a
terrorist attack. To pay for that freedom
Im happy to give the authorities access to
my browsing history. It doesnt turn the
UK into North Korea. It just means we
have a Government that understands
how realistic the threat is from terrorists.
George Moore
4 17 January 2017 13
 Consumeractive
Should Amazon
take back Do I have to put up
inherently faulty with repeated
goods? repairs from HP?
I bought an HP Envy y laptop

Q
In May 2015, I
bought a 137.99
Snooper DVR-3HD
dashboard camera for my car
from Amazon. It stopped charging after
15 months, but Snooper no longer
supports this model so cant repair it.
Can I make a claim with Amazon?
Gavin Read
Yes, Gavin can make a claim
A with Amazon because as the
retailer it has a contract with
him under the Sale of Goods Act.
Because the camera cant be repaired
Amazon must oer a replacement. This
can be a refurbished model, but must still
be t for purpose. If Amazon cant do this
Gavin is entitled to a refund, but Amazon
can take some money o for the length of
time Gavin has used the camera. For 15
months use we think a fair refund
would be around 100.
Because Gavin has owned the camera
for more than six months Amazon is
allowed to ask him to prove the fault is
inherent. If so, hell need to pay for
an inspection, but can ask
Amazon to refund this if the
camera is proved to be faulty.
Q from Currys for 699.99
99.99 on
29 December 2015. It worked
well until September 2016 when the
screen became faulty. Its beenn sent
back twice to HP for repair,
but the laptops still not
working properly. Do I have to
put up with a third repair?
Harry James
Absolutely not. Harry y didnt
A even need to put up with a
second repair. But hes done
what many people do, which is to use
the manufacturers warranty, instead
of his legal rights with the retailer
under the Consumer Rights Act (CRA).
Using the CRA, introduced in 2015,
customers can demand a refund after
just one failed repair.
However after we contacted Currys
about Harrys case, the retailer phoned
him to say that because the laptop was
still under warranty he should send it
back to HP for a fourth repair. Only
then, said the Currys employee who
phoned him, would the retailer
consider a refund or replacement. It
appears that Currys sta need to be
reminded about how the CRA works.
We phoned Currys again to explain
that it should refund Harry, or send a
replacement. But Currys could say that
it hasnt actually had the chance to
repair the laptop because Harry went
straight to HP. Technically this is
correct, but its not much help to Harry
because Currys would probably send
the laptop to HP, which has repeatedly
failed to x the problem.
Alternatively, Currys may decide to
oer Harry a partial refund because
hes owned the laptop for a year.
However, we think that three repairs
during this period indicate that he
hasnt had good use out of the
laptop. We would expect
Currys to see sense and
refund him in full.

Must I return faulty goods before receiving a refund?

I bought a set of Do It Wiser toner
Q cartridges through Amazon
Marketplace for my Konica Minolta
printer. However, the cyan cartridge is faulty.
Amazon says it will refund me, but I have to
send the cartridges back, leaving me with no
way to use my printer. Can you advise me?
Mick Skinner
Annoying though this is for Mick,
A Amazon is within its rights to ask
him to return the cartridges. This is
because retailers are not obliged to give a
refund or send replacements until the
original items have been returned.
If an item hasnt turned up within 30
days, you can demand a refund immediately
you dont have to wait for the retailer to
track down the item. Similarly, you can ask
for a refund if an item takes longer than the
express delivery you paid for.
Mick has bought cartridges from the
seller before, so he could contact them
as a loyal customer to see if it will
send him replacements as a
goodwill gesture. The company
may not ask Mick to send the
originals back.

14 4 17 January 2017
 Contact us so we can investigate your case
Email: consumeractive@computeractive.co.uk
Write: Consumeractive, Computeractive, 30 Cleveland Street, London W1T 4JD
Please include both your phone number and address.
Unfortunately, we cant reply to all your letters.
We sstand up for your legal rights

Wh
Whatt should
h ld I d
do with packages I didnt ask for?
Ive received two unsolicited of making a sale. It seems that shoppers wording of the law, which is that
Q packages from China, and one
from Brunei, containing two
who have bought items online from
China have been targeted in particular.
customers can use, deal with, or
dispose of the goods as if they were
pairs of very small gloves, a keyring, and Amazon customers sometimes buy an unconditional gift.
a small cycle light. Ive not ordered these items from China without realising it. To If the company has requested a
and having checked my PayPal, bank and check a companys location on Amazon, paym
payment, that would be a criminal
credit-card accounts, nd I havent been click its name thenn o
oence under the Unfair
charged. Do I have to return the items, read the Detailed Tr
Trading Regulations (unless
or contact the seller? Is this a scam? Seller Information
on its a genuine error). The
it
Gary Marshall in the right-hand co
company cant demand
column. that Gary return the
Weve actually no idea if this is a Under the Consumer
um
umer go
goods.
A scam or bizarre business tactic,
but after some research weve
Contract Regulations
ions
Gary doesnt have to
ns An
Anyone who receives
unsoso
unsolicited goods should
found that many puzzled people have contact the seller or keep
ep checking their bank
received unexpected goods from China. return the items, so andd Pa
PayPal accounts just
We think Gary has been targeted by ants
can do what he wants ts to m
make sure that
inertia selling, which is the practice of with them. This is scam
am
scammers havent
sending goods to customers in the hope made clear in the stolen
en any money.

CASE UPDATE THIS WILL COME IN USEFUL

BT fixes broadband to end
readers year of frustration End-of-support dates in 2017
Were happy to report that after a year of
constant problems with her broadband, BT Adobe Reader XI Symantec Mobile
customer Jenny Terras now has a reliable 15 October Security
service again. As we reported in Issue 489, 1 March
her connection had been going down up to 50 times a day. BBC iPlayer on Wii U
BT added to her frustration by incorrectly telling her that she 16 January Trend Micro
needed to contact Openreach for help. SafeSync
BT apologised for this, acknowledging that it is responsible for Avira Ultimate 31 January
fixing broadband problems, and sent an engineer to her house Protection Suite
to do just that. Jenny told us: An engineer spent the best part 3 July Ubuntu 12.04
of a day with us, ending up by replacing a considerable length 26 April
of wire in the area. So it sounds like Jenny may have done her Asus Transformer
neighbours a favour by pursuing her problem with BT. Pad (2014) Windows Essentials
However, it took far too long for BT to fix this. If your internet May 2012 Suite
service provider (ISP) isnt responding to your complaints, you 10 January
could consider raising the issue with Ofcom at www.snipca. Google Nexus 5X
com/22829, or by calling 0300 123 3333 or 020 7981 3040. & 6P phones Windows Vista
Although the regulator cant look into individual cases, it will September 11 April
take notice of a large number of complaints and could launch an
investigation into the behaviour of an ISP. Kaspersky 2014 Microsofts lifecycle
While Jennys case has had a welcome outcome, its a stark 8 January for Windows
reminder there are still too many people who cant get a decent www.snipca.com/22693
broadband connection. Despite pledges from politicians and Microsoft Office
ISPs about pumping money into the UKs infrastructure to give 10 October
rural areas better connections,
Jenny and many others live too Panda Security for
far from the exchange to receive Desktops 4.50
fibre broadband. June

4 17 January 2017 15
 Protect Your Tech
Scams and threats to avoid, plus new security tools
WATCH OUT FOR
Fake malware warnings in Edge
Whats the threat?
A security researcher has demonstrated
how hackers can manipulate Edge so it
shows fake malware alerts that mimic
the browsers genuine red warnings.
Manuel Caballero from Buenos Aires
said that hackers can display warnings
that look almost identical to those
produced by Edges SmartScreen lter,
which tells you if youre about to visit a
site it deems to be unsafe. Caballero
showed that hackers can change the
wording of this warning to include a
phone number (see screenshot).
Calling the number would put you
straight through to them.
What should you do?
Never ring a phone number in a
warning from Edge. Theres no
immediate danger because this threat
New tools
No, thats not a typing error
theres a new strain of
ransomware that spells Windows
as if with a strong German
accent. But it uses a depressingly
familiar tactic in an attempt to
con you, namely urging you to
call a level 5 Microsoft
technician (the smiling fellow in
the screenshot apparently) who
will miraculously unlock your
les for a piing $349.99.
If you phone the number
provided, the scammers will connect to
your PC, then open a genuine Microsoft
support page in the hope of persuading
you they are authentic. Next they take
you to a web page with a credit-card
form and ask you to ll it in.
Its far from the most convincing
scam ever. But your PC les are locked
16 4 17 January 2017
has been presented in theory only
whats known as a proof of concept. But
hackers will be delighted to learn from
Caballeros blog post (www.snipca.
com/22841) that theres a aw in one of
the worlds most popular browsers.
Microsoft will probably x this in an
update soon, but until then you should
be especially vigilant when using Edge.
Should they appear, these fake warnings
will be among the most realistic ever seen.
You could disable SmartScreen Filter,
but we wouldnt recommend this. Since
2006, when it launched with Internet
Explorer 7, it has oered reliable
protection against online threats (just as
Googles Safe Browsing has for Chrome,
Firefox and Opera). Turning it o to avoid
a threat that has yet to be seen online
would be an overreaction.
Over the years SmartScreen Filter has
Vindows Locker Decryption Tools
www.snipca.com/22833
whether youre fooled or not.
Thankfully, the malware is easier to
crack than a boiled egg. Malwarebytes
wasted no time in publishing a tool
that frees your les - just click the link
above then click the Download button.
This YouTube video explains how it
works: www.snipca.com/22834.
become more powerful. In December
2015, Microsoft gave it the ability to
block drive-by attacks, which are
triggered simply by visiting a website
you dont have to click anything to
download the malware. Visit
Microsofts site for more information:
www.snipca.com/22842.
ScamWatch
READERS WARN READERS
How to spot an HSBC scam
Ive been an HSBC customer for years
and never been targeted by scammers
pretending to be from the bank. Until
last month, that is, when I received
an email allegedly from HSBC saying
that I needed to update my HSBC
Safeguard details. The subject line
looked convincing: Please complete
Safeguard action. And likewise the
from title: HSBC Bank. But the
actual email address didnt include
HSBC, and hovering your mouse
over one of the links shows the URL
of a non-HSBC site. I had my worst
suspicions conrmed by this report:
www.snipca.com/22769.
Beryl Cole
Warn your fellow readers about scams at
letters@computeractive.co.uk
 Best Free Software
Jane Hoskyn recommends new programs that wont cost you anything

REMOTE PC TOOL

TeamViewer 12
www.teamviewer.com
What you need: Windows 7, 8/8.1 or 10

TeamViewer was created by and for business people, and its
website is still littered with management jargon. But dont be
put o. This superb free program deserves a place on
everyones PC. It lets you share a live, secure video stream of
your screen with someone anywhere in the world. You see
their screen and they see yours, and you can chat and share
les while youre at it.
This means you can talk a friend through a PC problem
without having to visit their house (or let them visit yours).
You can invite family to view your latest photos while theyre
on the other side of the world, and even give friends a tour of
your new laptop.
Its very quick and easy to set up, and secured by unique ID
codes and passwords. Video is much smoother and more
reliable in the new TeamViewer 12, and le sharing is 20
times faster, with transfer speeds of up to 200Mbps
(megabytes per second). The new version also has a
redesigned interface thats easier to use, and lets you leave
virtual sticky notes on other PCs.
The main downside is that the best new features in
TeamViewer 12 like the option to connect to phone and
tablet screens are reserved for business users. With prices
starting at 30 a month, thats not an option for the rest of us.
And we dont like the way TeamViewer begs you to Buy
license when you close it. You dont have to all the basic
features are free.
To get it, click Download TeamViewer 12, save and run the
installer, then click Personal/Non-commercial use in the
setup wizard. Follow the steps in TeamViewers YouTube
video (www.snipca.com/22775) to set up a connection with
another computer. Once youre connected, youll see the
window in our screenshot below.

2
4

1 Once youve connected
to a remote computer
(Janes Mac, in our example),
TeamViewer displays a live
video stream of the other
computers screen.
2 To leave a note on the other
computer using the new
Remote Sticky Notes feature,
click Actions and then click
Leave note on the toolbar
that appears.
3 To share les, click Files
& Extras, then Open le
transfer. The Files & Extras
menu also lets you take
screenshots and record a
video of the remote screen.
4 Click the speech bubble to
start chatting to the person
on the other computer. The
chat box you can see here
is actually mirrored from
the other computer.

18 4 17 January 2017

SYSTEM TOOL
GUIPropView
www.snipca.com/22778
What you need: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8/8.1 or 10
Your PCs Task Manager lists your running processes. But what
if you want to investigate a particular folder or browser window,
and dont know which process it relates to? One solution is to
use NirSofts GUIPropView, which lists all your top-level
windows (those you can see) and child windows (background
processes) with their le location, size and other properties.
To nd out what process a specic window is linked to, click
and drag the target icon (below File) to the window in question,
and then GUIPropView will then highlight the corresponding
entry. You can then right-click the entry to hide or close that
window, stop its associated processes, and more. To get the
portable program, scroll to the bottom of the page then click the
appropriate Download GUIPropView link (32bit or 64bit). Save
and extract the ZIP, then click GUIPropView.exe to launch it.
DESKTOP
Start Menu X 6.00
www.startmenux.com
What you need: Windows 7, 8/8.1 or 10
The return of the Start menu in Windows 10 is great, but its still
cluttered with gaudy tiles for features and apps you may not
want. Start Menu X restores a more practical menu, with
everything you need and nothing you dont. Click a location on
the left, such as Control Panel, Documents or Programs
(default), and the big box on the right lls with an at-a-glance
list of items in that location. New version 6.00 lets you add up to
ve more folders of items to the menu, and oers alternative
styles Classic Start Menu (like XP) or Start Menu 10. You can
even replace the Start button with an Angry Bird or the Apple
icon, if you really want (youll nd these in Options). To get
Start Menu X, click Download then run the installer. Under
license type, click Free version.
WHAT SHOULD I DOWNLOAD?
We tell you what software to use
Whats the best program for
removing duplicate files?
I have been an avid reader of Computeractive for
Q some years. I remember reading about programs
for dealing with duplicate les, but now I cant
nd them in my old magazines. Could you help?
Alan Blackburn
The program you remember may be Duplicate &
A Same Files Searcher (www.snipca.com/22788),
which I mentioned briey on this page in Issue
465. Its worth a look, but theres now a much better
contender AllDup (www.snipca.com/22787). This superb
program is completely free (and junk-free) and treats your
les with respect. Its powerful and fast, but it doesnt
automatically remove any duplicates until youve double-
checked them and given it the go-ahead.
AllDup guides you through three
main steps: Select source folder,
Search method and then Start
search. Search methods include
duplicated le names, size, contents,
date and more, and you can choose
one or more of these criteria when
searching. Then you review the duplicates, tick those
you want to remove, and nally select Remove all selected
les from the search result in the Remove menu. Its the
most useful le-management program Ive tested for some
time, and Ill take a closer look at it in Best Free Software
when it has its next big update.
To get AllDup, click Download and then click Server #1
or Server #2, then save and run the installer (AllDupSetup.
exe). During setup, tick Add AllDup to the Windows
Explorer context menu. This lets you right-click any folder
and select AllDup search for same to nd duplicates,
without having to launch the AllDup program.
Do you need our advice on what software to use?
Just email us at letters@computeractive.co.uk
ON SALE NOW!
The A-Z Jargon
Buster Book
This A-Z guide contains over
950 definitions of computing
and tech jargon, helping you
take back control of your PC.
Buy it now at
www.snipca.com/21989
4 17 January 2017 19
 Reviews New products tested by our experts

PC 600 from Aria www.snipca.com/22644

Aria Gladiator Centurion Lite

A desktop PC with added spice

Imagine you really fancy a curry, but the
local Chinese restaurant has a special
oer and you can get a whole banquet for
the price of your usual balti. Do you stick
with what you know you wanted, or let
yourself be swayed?
Dont worry, this is still Computeractive,
we havent morphed into Takeaway
Weekly. PCs, you see, can be a bit like
dinners. In our oce, we tend to favour
desktop PCs that devote more of their
budget to the central processor (CPU)
rather than the graphics card, so that we
get our moneys worth in all-round
performance, and we can do a little 3D
gaming and advanced graphics tasks if
and when we need it. Thats our regular
chicken tikka masala, if you like.
Its geared towards
gaming and graphical
tasks, but should
appeal to all
But this years new generation of
graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia
oer such huge amounts of processing
power at aordable prices
that its tempting to buy a PC
that uses more of its budget
on superior graphics
technology. This will already
be important to you if you
happen to be a gaming PC
user. Either way, this system
from Aria is well worth a
look. By using a fairly modest
Intel i3 CPU, it leaves enough
change from a sensible 600
budget for a shiny new
GeForce GTX 1060 graphics
card, based on Nvidias latest
Pascal architecture.
This particular 1060 comes
with only 3GB of memory
(others have 6GB), and has a few other
small technical restrictions. On the other
hand, thanks to Nvidias memory-
compression techniques its arguably
more like a 4GB card. In any case, it made
short work of our gaming tests, running a
very challenging shooting game at a
respectable 50 frames per second (fps) at
Full HD resolution, with maximum
quality settings. A less demanding racing
game hit 90fps even at a 2560x1440-pixel
resolution.
Beyond gaming, the value of a GPU is
harder to assess. Unlike when you
upgrade to a faster CPU, adding a GPU
wont automatically help with every task.
Only software specically designed to use
the relevant type of GPU will benet. The
good news is that Nvidia cards are widely
supported by photo- and video-editing
programs and 3D-animation software, but
also work well in non-graphics tasks
through CUDA, Nvidias technology for
carrying out general processing work on
the GPU. CUDA users include scientic
researchers as well as graphics
professionals.
A compatible GPU in video-editing
software, for example, is more likely to let
you add colour correction and special
eects to your timeline without making
real-time playback jerky. But
its less likely to help with
tasks like transcoding from
one format to another, which
would gain more from a
more powerful CPU. In our
benchmark tests the Aria
scored very well on image
editing despite the i3, pretty
well on video editing, and in
line with other i3 systems in
multitasking.
Audio is also well served.
As well as a headphone jack
there are rear speaker and
subwoofer connections.
Theres also an S/PDIF
bre-optic socket, and three
of the USB ports have DAC-UP, which
helps to get the best from external
digital-to-analogue accessories. Inside
the case, little is tted except the GTX
1060 and a 1TB hard drive, but there are
lots of slots and bays for more, including
M.2 for a fast SSD. The four fans (in
addition to the processor coolers) can get
a little noisy, but should stop anything
melting.
You might prefer a more powerful i5
CPU, or spend a little more on an i7, but
the Gladiator Centurion Lite is an
attractive option. In the end, it comes
down to your personal needs.
SPECIFICATIONS
3.7GHz Intel Core i3-6100 processor 8GB memory
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card 1TB hard
disk 5x USB 3.0 3x USB 2.0 Gigabit Ethernet 3x
HDMI ports 2x DisplayPort 2x DVI ports Windows
10 Home 48x115x115mm (HxWxD) Three-year
warranty www.snipca.com/22189
VERDICT: Its aimed at gamers, but will
also appeal to people who edit lots of
photos and videos
ALTERNATIVE: Palicomp
i5 Tremor 750 Iff youre
all about the CPU,
U, try a
very fast overclocked
ocked i5
processor with a basic
AMD R7 370 graphics
phics card

20 4 17 January 2017
PC MONITOR 299 from Misco www.snipca.com/22795
Philips Brilliance 258B6QUEB/00
A new Type of monitor
Whoever came up with the
expression Any port in a storm
clearly wasnt thinking of the
PC market. The last thing youd
want to be doing in a storm is
trying to gure out which port
you need to plug a peripheral
into. Several types of port will
end up being replaced by the
new USB Type-C format. But
if you thought that would
simplify matters, youd better
go back and grab your souwester. er.
Type-C refers to the shape of the plug
and socket. Apples new MacBook ook Pro,
for example, has four ultra-fast Type-C
Thunderbolt 3 sockets. You can also
plug USB Type-C 3.1 devices into them,
but you cant connect Thunderbolt 3
devices to the USB 3.1 Type-C ports on
current PCs. Many screens, however, can
connect to both varieties using a simple
Type C-to-DisplayPort cable.
This monitor is the rst weve seen with
an actual Type-C input a connection
which is designed to make everything a
bit easier by using the same plug at both
ends of the cable (which, annoyingly, is
not included). Not only that, but the plug
ts into the socket either way up. The
Brilliance also has a full set of regular
inputs for non-Type-C PCs, and it just
happens to be a rather good screen,
whichever way you connect it.
The 25in panel matches the 2560x1440
pixel count of mid-range 27in screens,
so although it lacks the sharpness of 4K
screens, yyou can still t a lot of work in.
It covers more than 98 per cent of the
sRGB colour range, with excellent
contrast and brightness, making it
suitable for most tasks.
A stylish monitor,
with good colour
accuracy and USB
Type-C connection
Given that any desktop PC and laptop
that have Type-C will probably only have
one port, it would be ideal to have a
monitor that provided more Type-C
ports. But this one doesnt even have a
single pass-through port to daisy-chain
more Type-C devices. Instead, the USB
signal from your PC goes to a USB 3.0
(not 3.1) hub with three sockets. Thats
useful, but not quite what we hoped for.
Still, this is a functional and stylish
screen, with narrow bezels, a wide range
of height, tilt and swivel adjustment and
90-degree rotation for document reading.
If you have a Type-C port to plug it into,
all the better, but its simply a very good
monitor, as long as youre happy with a
slightly smaller panel than 27in rivals.
SPECIFICATIONS
25in IPS LCD 2560x1440-pixel resolution 2W
stereo speakers 1x HDMI port 1x USB Type-C port
1x DVI port 1x DisplayPort 1x VGA port 3x USB
3.0 ports 511x571x244mm (HxWxD) One-year
warranty www.snipca.com/22796
HOW WE TEST
Computeractive is owned by Dennis
Publishing, which owns a hi-tech facility
for testing the latest technology. Youll
often read references to our benchmark
testing, which is a method of assessing
products using the same criteria. For
example, we test the speed of every
PC and the battery life of every tablet
in exactly the same way. This makes
our reviews authoritative, rigorous
and accurate.
Dennis Publishing also owns
the magazines PC Pro, Computer
Shopper and Web User and the
websites Expert Reviews (www.
expertreviews.co.uk) and Alphr (www.
alphr.com). This means we can test
thousands of products before choosing
the most relevant for Computeractive.
FAIR AND IMPARTIAL
Our writers follow strict guidelines to
ensure the reviews are fair and
impartial. The manufacturer has no
involvement in our tests.
OUR AWARDS
We award every product
that gets five stars our
BUY IT! Buy It! stamp of approval.
It means we were
extremely impressed by the product,
and we think you will be too.
Every product that gets a
four-star review is given
the Great Pick award. We
highly recommend these
products, although they just fail to meet
the high standard of our Buy It! winners.
PRICES
Our reviews contain a link to the best
price we found online at the time of press.
VERDICT: Type-C denitely seems
to be the future, and this decent,
stylish screen is a step in the right
direction
ALTERNATIVE: BenQ GW2765HT 300
This basic IPS monitor
oers the same resolution
on
and comparable picture
quality in a larger
27in screen
4 17 January 2017 21
 Reviews
PRINTER 174 from Amazon www.snipca.com/22817
Xerox Phaser 6022V
Compact colour laserr
In Star Trek theyre always setting
tting
phasers to stun. Xeroxs Phaserser
is quite happy to mildly impress.
ress.
The 6022V, like its stablemates,s,
is a solidly unremarkable laser
ser
printer, in this case a budget A4
colour model thats pleasantly ly
compact. With its cheery bluee lid
and kitchen-appliance styling, g, it
looks well suited to home as well
as oce use.
Xerox invented much of thehe
technology behind laser printers,
ters,
originally as a way of modernising
nising its
photocopiers. The output we got from
the Phaser 6022V lived up to its heritage:
black text was as crisply precise as youd
hope from a laser printer, and our colour
documents looked detailed and vibrant,
even if gradients and photos couldnt
escape a little of the banding eect we
often see in this type of printing.
Despite its quality
prints, its just too slow
and expensive to run
to justify this price
At an average of just under 12 pages
per minute (ppm) for our 20-page text
document, however, slowing to just
over 9ppm in colour (so much for the
promised up to 18ppm) it wasnt quick,
and the cramped 150-sheet paper tray is
another clue that this isnt a machine
intended for high-volume users.
The question, then, is why you should
choose it over an inkjet printer, especially
at the relatively high price. Running costs
arent persuasive either, working out at
around 2.1p for a mono page and an
exorbitant 15p for colour. Thats partly
because the capacity is limited to 2,000
SPECIFICATIONS
1200x2400dpi maximum print resolution 18ppm
quoted speed PCL 6 PostScript Level 3 emulation
USB 2 10/100 Ethernet 246x397x398mm
(HxWxD) 12.4kg One-year warranty
www.snipca.com/22819
22 4 17 January 2017
pages for black and 1,000 for each of
the three colour cartridges. Theres no
high-capacity option to make supplies
better value for money. These prices
will vary depending on what deals you
can get on toner. Unocial rells will
be a lot cheaper.
One benet of choosing Xerox
although they might not thank us for
pointing this out is that third-party
compatible rells are widely available.
You can nd a full set of four toner
cartridges for around 66, cheaper
than Xeroxs prices of 70 for black and
55 for each colour.
While most inkjet printers now have
a colour touchscreen and built-in
scanner, the 6022V is more basic. It
doesnt even oer duplex (printing both
sides of the paper), and although Wi-Fi is
built in, you can only print from mobile
devices if you add the Xerox Wireless
Print Solutions Adapter for a mind-
boggling 140 extra. If you were going
to spend that much money, youd have
a very wide range of Wi-Fi printers
to consider.
VERDICT: This is a solid laser printer
in a neat chassis, but it really doesnt
do enough to justify its price or
running costs
ALTERNATIVE: Epson
WorkForce Pro WF-
5620DWF 190 A fast ast
es
inkjet printer that does
more and costs less to runun
Do I really need a...
Blue-light filter?
What does it do?
It cuts out a range of frequencies at
the blue end of the colour spectrum.
Products include PC monitors that
reduce blue light; lters for screens;
apps that reduce the blue light emitted
by devices; and lens coatings for
glasses that cut blue light.
Why would I want one?
Studies have shown that exposure to
light from electronic devices and some
energy-ecient lightbulbs, especially in
the two or three hours before bed, can
disrupt your biological clock. The sun
emits a full range of frequencies, but
it sets before we go to sleep. We may
leave the lights in our houses switched
on after dusk, but the yellowish light of
incandescent lightbulbs is friendly to
our sun-adapted brains. Newer gadgets
emit more blue light, and its this that
experts think is messing up our ability to
sleep (see www.snipca.com/22890).
Blue light seems to suppress the
hormone melatonin, and this can not
only inuence your circadian rhythm but
could even increase your risk of cancer.
Whats the catch?
Theres not much
evidence that solutions
actually help, although
the makers of the blue light
light-reduction
ed ti
app f.lux (http://justgetux.com) have
compiled an interesting graph of various
devices and lters (www.snipca.
com/22893). Making all your apps go a
funny colour isnt ideal, and for colour-
related work, such as photo editing,
youll need to turn any ltering o.
So can I do without it?
Were talking about specic
and possibly subtle eects.
You need some exposure to
blue light to stay healthy, and
d
anyway youll get 30 times
more blue light standing outside
side
de
than using a tablet. Eye specialists
recommend you dont spend long
periods looking at a screen, regardless
of blue light. Reading a Kindle or similar
electronic ink device should be better,
but not if you use its backlight.
MOUSE 58 from Amazon www.snipca.com/22905
Logitech M720 Triathlon
No more Bluetooth bother
Laptops have built-in trackpads that serve
the same purpose as a mouse, but
whether they work as well in practice is
another matter. The latest big glass-
topped multi-touchpads are wonderfully
responsive, detecting Windows 10 two-
and three-ngered gestures as well as
basic cursor movements. However,
cheaper laptops come with much less
impressive versions that can feel
frustratingly vague and imprecise. Adding
a mouse is the obvious answer, but it galls
to buy one in addition to your PCs mouse
when you can only use one at a time. And
swapping the one from your desktop PC
SPECIFICATIONS
2.4GHz wireless mouse Requires Bluetooth receiver
(supplied) or device with Bluetooth 4.0 or higher
Supports Windows 8 or 10, Chrome OS, Mac OS
10.10 or later Requires 1xAA battery 45x74x115mm
(HxWxD) 135g One-year warranty www.snipca.
com/22906
GRAPHICS CARD 196 from Scan www.snipca.com/22903
MSI Nvidia
GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
More graphics for less money
When we opened up the Aria Gladiator
Centurion Lite (see page 20), we found
something unusual: Nvidias new GTX
1060 graphics card, one of the more
aordable versions of its latest series of
GeForce GPUs, but with only 3GB of its
own memory.
It turns out that this version (available
from a range of partner manufacturers)
also features slightly fewer stream
processors the chips that basically do
the work than the standard 6GB unit.
These compromises bring the cost down
by about 50, but the 3GB card still held
up very well in our tests. In some of the
SPECIFICATIONS
3GB two-slot PCI-E 3.0 graphics card 250x111mm
Supports Nvidia SLI, G-Sync, DirectX 12_1, Vulkan,
OpenGL One-year warranty www.snipca.com/22904
is a fa, especially if its wireless,
reless,
because youll need to re-pairpair it
with the other machine each h time.
Logitech to the rescue: this is
Bluetooth mouse can stay paired aired with up
to three machines at once. It has a simple
switch at the front to select them, so
theres no need to go into settings. One
USB Bluetooth dongle is supplied in case
your desktop PC doesnt have a wireless
card, but your other system or systems
will need Bluetooth Smart, part of the
Bluetooth 4.0 specication, which is built
in to work with the Triathlon.
The mouse is a comfortable shape,
though evidently made for right-handers,
and provides a couple of programmable
buttons, which you can assign to
functions in dierent programs, as well
as the usual left, right and centre buttons
and vertical scroll wheel. The wheel is of
the ywheel type, so you can ick k it to
BUY IT!
most demanding 3D games on
the highest settings, it managed
60 frames per second (fps) at
2560x1440 pixels, matching pricier
cier
er
27in monitors.
Being an Nvidia card, it should also
help with advanced graphics software.
Youll need to check compatibility with
your programs, but anything that can
benet from other Nvidia cards, such as
the popular GTX 960, should be able to
use the 1060, whether for graphics
processing using OpenGL or Microsofts
DirectX 12, or converting video via
OpenCL or Nvidias CUDA. It also supports
Vulkan, a new alternative to OpenGL.
Here you might nd the smaller
memory limiting: there are video
plug-ins, for example, that require 4GB
scroll fast, which is great, although its
not as sophisticated as a touch-sensitive
two-way scrolling surface like that of
Apples Magic mice.
VERDICT: This solidly made multi-PC
mouse will save a lot of fuss for some
users, but 60 is a lot to pay for a fairly
standard mouse
ALTERNATIVE: Logitech M705 40
This also has extra
buttons and a
switchable free/notched d
scroll wheel if you dont
need multi-PC connection on
on the card. The most
demanding games also need as
much video memory as possible. Rated at
120 watts, the 3GB 1060 is power-ecient,
with our test PC peaking at 243W in total
compared to 290W with an RX 480.
VERDICT: This wont satisfy if you might
need more video memory now or later,
but for many users this looks like an
excellent deal
ALTERNATIVE: Sapphire AMD RX 480
4GB 220 Discounts are bringingng g this
tss
nearer the 1060s price. Its
great, though graphics
programs favour Nvidia
4 17 January 2017 23
 Reviews
LAPTOP TABLET 999 from John Lewis www.snipca.com/22803
Lenovo Yoga 900S
The noveltys wearing thin
The S in the name might stand for slim:
at 12.8mm, this touchscreen laptop-tablet
hybrid is one of the skinnier options. Its
also light, shaving 300g o of the Yoga
900, Lenovos top-end model. This is the
company that took over IBMs laptop
division, so although its become
known for its endless variety of
budget two-in-one hybrids, it also wants
to sell durable mid-range systems to
people who dont mind spending a bit
extra for quality. And quality is what you
see when you open the box.
It looks classy and
has sharp resolution,
but its keyboard and
battery disappoint
This build, with its intricate hinge and
two-tone black-and-aluminium styling,
hasnt changed much since 2014, but it
still looks classy. And it still has a full-size
USB 3.0 port, as well as the new USB
Type-C version, which can connect a
monitor, plus a USB 2.0 that also serves
as the power input. The keyboard isnt
detachable, but it does fold all the way
back when not required. While youre
typing, that hinge keeps the display at
the exact angle you want.
Unfortunately, we didnt nd typing
much fun. The 12.5in format provides
plenty of room for full-size keys, but for
some reason Lenovo has made the keys
smaller, and given them an odd
24 4 17 January 2017
shield-like shape with lots of space in
between. This confused our ngers, even
if our wrists were comforted by a cosy
faux-leather nish on the area just in
front of the keyboard. The touchpad,
unlike the Yoga 900s, worked awlessly,
as did the touchscreen.
2560x1440 pixels, also known as QHD,
is a very sharp resolution for a screen of
this size, so everything looked amazing
and crisp, and Windows 10s scaling
options allowed us to choose whether to
t more in or make it bigger. But our tests
revealed that it only covered 86 per cent
of the sRGB colour range, which wont
please photo or video editors, despite
good contrast and acceptable brightness.
Youll have to take our comments about
its performance with a small pinch of
salt, because our test model came with
8GB of memory, whereas the equivalent
m5-processor model in the shops has half
that amount. Thatll make multitasking
more of a chore, and if you need top
speed for a full range of tasks you might
want to consider more expensive variants
of the 900S, which go up to an i7
processor as well as the extra RAM.
Even with 8GB, the m5 is no match
for Intels i-series p
processors, which
come in desktop PCs. The 900S
managed to run our 4K video-
processing tes
tests, which is more
than can be said for some budget
laptops, but this isnt a budget
machine, and it scored about
a quarte
quarter of what wed
consid
consider acceptable for a
desk
desktop PC at a similar
pric
price. Windows 10 in
gene
general was usable, but
demanding programs and multitasking
did slow things down quite noticeably.
Its absolutely ne if using Microsoft
Oce and web browsing are the kinds of
tasks you have in mind, but look
elsewhere for a desktop PC replacement.
What a low-power processor should
oer, as well as a thinner case with less
fan noise, is longer battery life. Here the
900S doesnt quite deliver. Our video-
playback test lasted eight hours 39
minutes, enough for most work days but
not as reassuring as the 900s 11-plus
hours. The latest 12in MacBook, which
costs a couple of hundred quid more in
its m5 conguration, managed 10 hours
12 minutes, while the cheaper Dell XPS 13
lasted 11 hours 30 minutes.
On the other hand, the bulkier Dell
weighs 30 per cent more and lacks the
touchscreen. So, as ever, it comes down
to where you choose to compromise.
SPECIFICATIONS
Intel Core m5-6Y54 processor 4GB memory
128GB SSD 12.5in 2560x1440-pixel screen 1x USB
3.0 1x USB 2.0 1x USB Type-C 802.11ac Wi-Fi
Windows 10 Home 12.8x305x208mm (HxWxD)
999g One-year warranty www.snipca.com/22804
VERDICT: Its not badly priced for an
attractive and practical laptop-tablet,
but the 900S doesnt break any moulds
ALTERNATIVE: Dell XPS 13 899 Less
money for a more powerful processor
and a sharper
screen, but in
a conventional
non-touch laptop
op
SINGLE BOARD PC 15 from Farnell Element www.snipca.com/22655
BBC micro:bit
A tiny computer for play
and more
The Raspberry Pi (see our review, Issue
473) showed that a simple circuit board
an
could inspire more digital creativity than
a full-blown PC. Hobbyists, kids and
professionals alike have been using the Pi
for nearly ve years now to program
gadgets, games, robots and all kinds of
video, music and automation projects.
The BBC micro:bit serves similar purposes,s,
but with some notable dierences.
A piece of kit you
can use for an unlimited
d
range of purposes
The most obvious distinction is the
built-in display the lowest-resolution
screen youre ever likely to see, with a
5x5 grid of red LEDs. Technically, thats
one thirty-fth of a trillionth of Full HD,
which doesnt sound very impressive. But
making messages and pictures scroll
across it, much like those displays in shop
windows and minicab oces, is great
fun. It also makes the micro:bit more
eective as a standalone controller
system, because it can display its own
indicators and error messages. Yet its still
small enough it would almost t in a
matchbox for almost any job.
Unlike a Raspberry Pi, though, the
micro:bit cant function as a standalone
computer when connected to a proper
WHY IS THE BBC MAKING COMPUTERS?
You might wonder why the BBC would be
selling a tech product. In reality, its not.
The idea of putting the BBC name
to a home computer goes back to the
1980s, when over a million schools and
families had a BBC Micro. It was made
and marketed by Acorn, which won a
bid to participate in the BBCs Computer
Literacy Programme. The project was an
enormous success introducing millions
of schoolkids to computing and helping
to develop the ARM chip architecture, the
BUY IT!
monitor. Instead, you program it from a
PC, tablet or phone, connected via the
microUSB port or wirelessly via Bluetooth.
There are several ways to write code,
including Microsofts Block Editor, which
is a bit like Scratch (the programming
language schoolchildren use in IT classes).
Lots of help is available online to get you
started and troubleshoot. The board has
two programmable buttons for user
input, a compass and an accelerometer,
as well as pins to communicate with
other components, either directly or via
breakout boards from companies such work its an excellent starting point.
as Kitronik. When not powered via USB,
it needs two AAA batteries.
The micro:bit doesnt come with a set
of ready-made projects. Instead its a
basis of products like
the iPhone.
The micro:bit was
initiated by the Computer
te
ter
Literacy Programme in 2012
2012,
20
working with 29 partners, who bore
most of the cost. After giving away the
first batch of boards to schools, aiming for
one per Year 7 child across the UK, the
project was passed on to the non-profit
Microbit Education Foundation, run by a
former ARM executive.
piece of kit that you can use for an
unlimited range of purposes. When we
visited the Maker Faire UK show (see
www.makerfaireuk.com) earlier this year,
we already found plenty of companies
oering add-ons, and more are appearing
all the time.
So theres plenty to try, and because it
only costs 15 you might end up
connecting your micro:bit permanently to
something you build, then buying another.
For anyone interested in electronics or
just generally putting together things that
SPECIFICATIONS
16MHz ARM Cortex-M0 processor 16KB memory
128KB storage 5x5-pixel LED display Compass
Accelerometer Bluetooth LE MicroUSB 25-pin
edge connector 7x85x56mm (HxWxD)
www.snipca.com/22658
VERDICT: For once, our Buy it!
recommendation probably doesnt go
far enough if the idea appeals, you
may end up buying several
ALTERNATIVE: Raspberry
berry Pi Zero 4
This is a computer in itself,
but needs a monitor
and keyboard. More
powerful versions
are also available
4 17 January 2017 25
 Reviews
PHONE 399 from OnePlus www.snipca.com/22830

OnePlus 3T
More expensive, but still good value

OnePlus started out by crowdfunding, The OnePlus 3s attractive aluminium

inviting customers to place pre-orders,
and their success allowed them to develop
a more conventional business model. Its
made some of the best-value phones of
the past couple of years. At rst glance,
the 3T looks like a move in the wrong
direction. When we rst reviewed the
OnePlus 3 (see Issue 480), it was a fantastic
phone for a very reasonable 309. Then,
as sterling fell, it went up to 329. Now
its been replaced by a new model at 399.
With improved
screen, speed and
storage it remains a
great bargain
So far, so disappointing. In fact, though,
the 3T remains a great bargain. For a start,
you get a sensible 64GB of storage as
standard. As with iPhones, theres no
microSD card slot to add capacity, but
if you think you might need more, a
128GB model is available for 439. Bear
in mind that Apple still only oers 32GB
in its basic congurations, and charges
100 extra for 128GB.
minium
case, decent 16-megapixel rear camera
mera
and excellent AMOLED screen are left
unchanged. The processor is even better,
etter,
matching much pricier phones, and the
battery has been tweaked to charge ge
faster. Strangely, our video-playback
ack test
ran it down in just 13 hours 22 minutes,
nutes,
compared with nearly 17 hours forr the
original OnePlus 3. However, in daily
use the 3T did seem to last longer a
reminder that improving battery life is
a complicated business. The one new
feature that did fail to impress us was the
16-megapixel sele camera, which h often
got exposure and colour balance wrong.
What may persuade you more iss news
that an upgrade to its OxygenOS software
lready
(based on Android 7.0 Nougat) is already
available in a beta version and will soon
be nished. OnePlus says itll take this VERDICT: It may not be a huge leap
opportunity to sort out a software forward from its cheaper predecessor,
problem that at times in our tests made but this is still one of the best mid-range
the touchscreen feel slow to respond. phones around
We wish it was 309, but OnePlus is still
showing the big brands how its done.
ALTERNATIVE: Moto Z Play y
SPECIFICATIONS 341 With 32GB and a microSD roSD
5.5in 1920x1080-pixel screen 16-megapixel rear slot, this isnt as fast but it has a
camera 16-megapixel front camera 64GB flash
lengthy battery life and optional
ptional
storage 802.11ac Wi-Fi Bluetooth 4.2 3G/4G
OxygenOS 153x75x7.4mm (HxWxD) 158g One- accessories
year warranty www.snipca.com/22830

WHAT SHOULD I BUY? We solve your buying dilemmas

Which desktop PC would you recommend?

Im not a gamer, but I do
Q prefer desktop PCs to laptops.
I have a Windows Vista Home
PC, but Microsoft will stop supporting
it in April. I also have a Windows
Phone, but Photo Gallery doesnt
recognise it when I connect it with a
USB cable.
So Ive decided to buy a new
computer. What would you suggest?
And something thats not in the 1,000
price bracket, please!
Dot Wilson
Windows Phone 8 was the last
A version of that operating system
(now superseded by Windows 10
Mobile) that was compatible with
Windows Vista. If youre having trouble
connecting the phone, Microsofts
support page at www.snipca.com/22835
might help. However, Vista is obsolete
now, so it may indeed be time for a new
Windows 10 computer.
You can get a decent general-purpose
desktop PC with a capable i5 processor
for as little as 400, such as the Aria
Gladiator Intel Core i5 6500 (see our
review, Issue 488). But if you dont have
lots of expansion in mind you could
consider a compact NUC system
(pictured), available from online shops
(such as PC Specialist from 410: www.
snipca.com/22836). Or you might want
to wait and see what systems turn up
with Intels new Kaby Lake processors
(see our tech preview page 29).
Do you need advice on what you should buy?
Email us at letters@computeractive.co.uk

26 4 17 January 2017
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 Reviews
WIRELESS MOUSE 12 from Amazon www.snipca.com/22659
Anker Ergonomic Wireless
Vertical Mouse Stand up for your wrist
An Ergonomic Wireless Vertical Mouse
sounds like something that would be
found in the back of Emilys shop and
brought to Bagpuss for identication.
Even Professor Yae probably wouldnt
guess it was a computer input device.
And thats the whole point, really:
it doesnt work the same way as a
regular mouse, instead giving a
dierent shape to hold at a dierent
angle, which could prove very helpful if
you suer from repetitive strain injury
(RSI) from using a conventional mouse.
The Ergonomic Wireless Vertical Mouse
(also available with a wire) sits upright
SPECIFICATIONS
2.4GHz wireless mouse Windows XP, 7, 8 or 10 and
Linux (not recommended for Mac) Requires 2xAAA
batteries (not supplied) 87x58x115mm (HxWxD)
95g One-year warranty www.snipca.com/22660
VR HEADSET 69 from Google Store www.snipca.com/22665
Google Daydream View
Immerse yourself in another world
We love the name Daydream for a
virtual-reality (VR) system, and we
love the look of the View. While other
headsets plastic cases feel like youre
strapping a bin to your head, Google
has chosen a jersey fabric, in light or
dark grey or red, to make the Daydream
feel truly wearable.
Like Samsungs similarly priced Gear
VR, the Daydream View uses your
smartphone to do the work of expensive
screens and sensors which you would
nd in a standalone VR helmet such as
HTCs 800 Vive but it adds lenses to
focus the images for you. While Samsung
only supports its own Galaxy phones,
Google has built Daydream software into
Android 7 Nougat, which will eventually
run on many handsets as long as
SPECIFICATIONS
Requires a compatible phone running Android 7
Nougat 99x106x167mm 220g (without phone)
One-year warranty www.snipca.com/22665
28 4 17 January 2017
on your desk and you grip it with
your hand at about 60 degrees more
vertical than with a traditional mouse,
which means your elbow sticks out
less. The chunky device has a soft
rubbery nish and is shaped to t your Also, annoyingly, the mouse turns itself
hand comfortably, as long as youre o after 10 minutes idle, requiring a click
right-handed (if not, you can start to awaken it.
thinking of rude names to call the
manufacturer). VERDICT: It wont replace the
We liked the feel of this, and the conventional mouse, but a change can
scroll wheel and right and left buttons be as good as a rest (for your wrist), and
are easy to reach, although our this is a cheap and eective one
thumb struggled to nd the small
Forward and Back buttons. Do be sure
to order some AAA batteries: youll cal
ca
ALTERNATIVE: Evoluent Vertical
need two, and theyre not included. Mouse 4 80 This is stocked
While other wireless mouse makers by ergonomic specialists,
quote battery life in years, Anker but its pricey
doesnt give you an estimate at all.
theyre powerful
enough. The View should
be the rst of several
headsets running it.
In use, its not quite
as comfortable as it
looks: we found the
elastic strap ddly to adjust,
and with your phone inserted
(only Googles Pixel models work at the
moment) the whole thing wanted to slide
down our nose. Picture quality will depend VERDICT: When more Android 7
on your phone, but our Pixel XL looked phones appear, this should be a cheap
great. However, it also got hot not way into VR, but we might wait for
surprisingly, when it was being asked to version 2
process intensive 3D graphics inside the
headset equivalent of a woolly jumper.
Real-time VR scenes followed our head ALTERNATIVE: Samsung Gear VR
well enough not to make us too nauseous, 65 This Oculus-compatible helmet
despite a bit of motion blur. As with other for Galaxy S6 and S7 phones
VR software, there are only a few apps works well for short,
available so far, but you can watch simple VR experiences
YouTube VR too.
Buy or wait?
2017 will bring more advances in tech products, but
should you hold back before spending money on new kit?
Our Reviews Editor Adam Banks gives his verdict
WINDOWS 10 COMPUTERS
Intels Kaby Lake processors (pictured
above) are nally appearing in laptops.
For example, the Razer Blade Stealth
(1,249 from Amazon www.snipca.
com/22831) has an i7-7500U, which uses
less power while still matching the
performance of many mid-range desktop
PCs. Cheaper PCs will follow. Desktop PC
builders have also begun to oer models
with Kaby Lake processors, but early
reports on performance suggest minimal
gains over 2015s Skylake processors. So if
you see a Skylake bargain, we wouldnt
necessarily put o buying. By the end of
the year, Cannon Lake will be replacing
Kaby Lake in laptops.
SHOULD I WAIT? Probably not
PHONES & TABLETS
Will 2017 bring an iPhone 8 or keep
Apple fans waiting again with a 7s? Were
keener to see the more aordable iPhone
SE 2, rumoured for the spring. Revamped
iPads are also likely, and the question is
whether the big bezels will disappear. If
so, Android tablets will follow suit but
we have a feeling it wont happen just yet.
Android 8 is expected in the autumn,
possibly called Oreo, but for now, dont
hesitate to choose a phone or tablet with
version 7 (Nougat).
SHOULD I WAIT? T? Only if youre considering
an Apple device
BROADBAND
Ofcom has decided
cided to enforce a
split between BT and its wholesale
arm Openreach, h, which owns most
hat bring the
of the wires that
internet into UK homes.
The aim is to give more
ordable
households aordable
net.
ultra-fast internet.
It could take ages, but the Government,
BT itself and other ISPs might just seize
the moment to shake things up or bring
forward bre-optic connections to more
homes.
SHOULD I WAIT? Dont expect big changes
instantly, but think twice about signing a
two-year contract
TV BOXES
2017 is the 10th anniversary of the Apple
TV (pictured below). Neither this nor its
rivals have made any dramatic advances
lately, so dont hold your breath. If youre
tempted in the sales by a TV streamer
(see our Do I really need? column in
Issue 491), go for it.
SHOULD I WAIT? No, but you may not want
to buy anyway
PRINTERS
Inkjet printers will develop in 2017 but
not in the way you might think. The
technology is now being used
industrially to print products such as
OLED screens. As for the paper-guzzling
gizmo on your desk, the best we can
hope for is falling prices on innovations
that reduce the cost of ink, like Epsons
EcoTank system.
SHOULD I WAIT? No
VIRTUAL REALITY
Should you wait before
buying a VR headset?
Yes! Just keep waiting.
And waiting. See you
here next January.
SHOULD I WAIT?
Yes possibly
forever
The Computeractive
Wishlist
Products we would like to see
No.10: A 21ST CENTURY INPUT DEVICE
In the early 1960s, a Stanford University
researcher called Douglas Engelbart
invented the computer mouse
(pictured below). Apart from detecting
movement with a light sensor instead
of a ball, its barely changed since.
Weve used keyboards since the 1870s
(with the letters in the same order).
Touchscreens, trackpads and voice
recognition have been around for 50
years. And computers are still awkward
to operate. Isnt it time we invented a
better form of input?
Currently, bots software that
interprets language are quite popular.
But its often impractical to talk aloud to
your computer.
One answer could be subvocal
recognition, in which computers listen
to the subtle internal movements we
make, not only when talking but when
reading or just thinking, without actual
speech. Already used in systems for
astronauts and the military, it can
feel like reading your mind without
physically intruding into the brain.
ntly muttered
Weve all silently
at our PCs
maybe we
could put that
to good use.
ON SALE
NEXT ISSUE Weds
18 Jan
CCL Elite Intel i5
Aordable desktop PC with
the latest Nvidia
vidia graphics
Razer Blade Stealth
Do-it-all laptop with
new Intel Kaby Lake
processor
These and much more
Subscribe to Computeractive at
www.getcomputeractive.co.uk
4 17 January 2017 29
 Buy It
LAPTOP
Asus ZenBook UX305CA
650 from www.snipca.com/22321
Tested: Issue 475
This metal-cased ultrabook looks much
more expensive than it is. Theres no
touchscreen or 36-degree hinge, just
great quality all round and an ultra-sharp
display. The M3 processor is adequate for
most tasks, though not gaming.
ALTERNATIVE Dell Inspiron 15 5000
If you need a full-size Windows 10 laptop
with a DVD drive and a desktop PC-level
i5 processor, this is a solid choice. 525
from www.snipca.com/21650
ANDROID TABLET
Samsung Galaxy S2 9.7
450 from www.snipca.com/21678
Tested: Issue 462
The Sony Xperia Z4 is too expensive
and Googles cheaper Nexus 9 has
been discontinued, leaving the 32GB S2
9.7 as the best mid-sized choice. Its a
serious rival to the iPad Air 2, albeit slower.
ALTERNATIVE: Huawei MediaPad M3
8.0 Rivalling Samsungs Galaxy Tab
S2, this compact tablet has a slightly
larger screen and a ngerprint reader.
Its highly capable except when playing
advanced 3D games. 341 from
www.snipca.com/21926
30 4 17 January 2017
Find out what other products we liked.
Buy our new 2015 Back Issue CD:
15 from www.snipca.com/21619
Our pick of products that have won the Buy It award
DESKTOP PC
Palicomp AMD Avenger
500 from www.snipca.com/20927
Tested: Issue 479
AMDs Athlon X4 880K processor
gives this PC solid performance with
money left for GTX 960 graphics and
a very fast 128GB SSD as well as a 1TB
hard drive. Its not the quietest or most
expandable PC, but excellent value.
ALTERNATIVE: Dell Inspiron 24 5000
If you prefer your desktop PC in one
neat box, this Intel i5 system has all
the essentials at a reasonable price.
815 from www.snipca.com/21651
APPLE IPHONE
Apple iPhone SE
361 from www.snipca.com/21683
Tested: Issue 474
It may be
b Apple
Apples budget
bud
ud t phone,
ho but
the smaller SE beats most others in the
market with top-end processing power,
a great screen and camera, ngerprint
recognition and Apple Pay. You should
consider paying 439 for the 64GB
model, though.
ALTERNATIVE: iPhone 6s A bigger
screen, better camera and 3D Touch
justify the price, but as with the SE the
64GB model (619) is the best choice.
499 from www.snipca.com/20441
APPLE IPAD
Apple iPad Air 2
365 from www.snipca.com/21664
Tested: Issue 437
Getting old, but still our favourite
iPad. Buy with 64GB (429) and
youll never run out of space. The Pro
models are great with Apples keyboard
and Pencil, but work out much more
expensive.
ALTERNATIVE: iPad Mini 2 Slower
than the iPad Mini 4, with no ngerprint
recognition and a less vivid screen, but
an iPad at this price is great value.
239 from www.snipca.com/20436
ANDROID PHONE
Motorola Moto G4
150 from www.snipca.com/21685
Tested: Issue 479
With an attractive 5.5in screen, an
excellent 13-megapixel camera and
decent performance, the G4 is the best
budget option. 150 from www.snipca.
com/21685
ALTERNATIVE: Samsung Galaxy S7
Restoring the microSD slot to allow
extra storage makes this an even
better top-end phone than the S6,
with a fantastic screen and camera and
incredible 18-hour battery life. 460
from www.snipca.com/21684
 BUY IT!
Buy It
EBOOK READER SECURITY SOFTWARE PHOTO EDITING

Amazon Kindle (2016) Kaspersky Internet Adobe Photoshop

57 from www.snipca.com/21901 Security 2017 Lightroom 6
Tested: Issue 483 19.95 from www.snipca.com/21532 99 from www.snipca.com/21904
Tested: Issue 437 Tested: Issue 453

Here: All copy copied

and pasted from issue
489

Kaspersky Internet Security 2017 has won Lightroom is the professionals choice
Amazons
ons basic ebook reader is now our past seven antivirus tests. Compatible for managing and tweaking photos,
good enough to be our rst choice. Its with Windows 10, the 2017 edition is including raw les from DSLR cameras.
plasticky, but slim and lightweight, with available at an exclusive reader discount If you need Photoshop for more
a decent 4GB storage and good battery on our Software Store. Go to the link advanced editing, get both on the Adobe
life. Consider the 110 Paperwhite if you above for a one-year, one-device licence CC Photography Plan for 8.57 a month
want backlighting or (for 60 extra) 3G. or buy a two-year, three-device licence for (www.snipca.com/19283).
just 34.99.
ALTERNATIVE Kobo Aura Glo HDOne ALTERNATIVE: Xara Photo & Graphic
Competing with Amazons
the Kindle Kindle
Paperwhite,
Oasis, ALTERNATIVE: Avast Free Antivirus Designer 365 For all-round design
this
Kobos
premium
compactmodel
modelfrom
hasKobo
a clear
hasscreen
a Almost as good as Kaspersky, but and drawing plus photo lters, this
with
largecontrollable
7.8in screenlighting.
and is comfortable
130 from to sometimes blocks legitimate software. aordable app has a lot to oer.
www.snipca.com/21905
read. 190 from www.snipca.com/22031 Free from www.snipca.com/16493 50 from www.snipca.com/19280

PC MONITOR ROUTER NAS

AOC Q2778VQE Synology RT1900ac Synology DiskStation

215 from
228 fromwww.snipca.com/21902
www.snipca.com/21902 140 from www.snipca.com/21903
134 DS215j
Tested: Issue 468 Tested: Issue 474 177 from www.snipca.com/21906
Tested: Issue 449

Here: All copy copied

and pasted from issue
489

It comes with no extras, such as If youre looking to upgrade an outdated

built-in speakers or a USB hub, but
Here: All copy copied
router, there are lots of dual-band
this 2560x1440 panel gives you a full and pasted
802.11ac models to from issue
choose from. This This two-drive NAS enclosure has it all
27in screen with excellent contrast and 489
This
one suits
one suits
mostalmost
broadband
all broadband
connections fast performance, easy conguration
colour accuracy at a very reasonable connections
that dont require
and has
an ADSL
plentymodem
of options,
and and plenty of extra features. Its only
price. Its a little laggy for gamers, but such
has plenty
as sharing
of options,
a connected
such asprinter
sharingora aw is that installation is a little ddly
theres no ghosting on motion. storage.
connected printer or storage. but if you want quality network storage,
then this is the obvious choice.
ALTERNATIVE: Dell UltraSharp U2414H ALTERNATIVE TP-Link Archer C9
This 1920x1080, 24in screen has a Not quite as fast, but this or the D9 (with ALTERNATIVE: Synology DS414j
stand that can switch to portrait mode. ADSL modem built in) is a simple and A four-drive NAS thats generally fast
Colour accuracy is excellent. 199 from capable router with a stylish design. and easy to set up and use. 268 from
www.snipca.com/21908 109 from
107 from www.snipca.com/21909
www.snipca.com/21909 www.snipca.com/22846

32 4 17 January 2017

HOMEPLUGS
Devolo dLAN 1200
Triple+ Starter Kit
90 from www.snipca.com/21690
Tested: Issue 444
Devolos latest HomePlug adapters are
the fastest weve ever seen. Theyre
well designed too, with a passthrough
socket so you can still power another
device and the design should avoid
skirting boards and other obstacles.
ALTERNATIVE: D-Link PowerLine AV2
1000HD Gigabit Starter Kit Fast (speeds
of up to 1000Mbps), much cheaper and
very easy to set up, but the lack of a
passthrough socket is frustrating.
27 from www.snipca.com/21691
MULTIFUNCTION PRINTER
Canon Pixma MG5750
60 from www.snipca.com/21693
Tested: Issue 470
You dont get many frills, but this
compact all-in-one printer/scanner
includes all the essentials, like Wi-Fi
and printing both sides of the paper
(duplex), at a reasonable price. Its
fairly quick, running costs are better
than average, and the ve-ink system
ensures photos and black text both
come out looking great.
ALTERNATIVE: Brother MFC-J5320DW
For more business-type tasks, this
all-in-one has automatic paper feed
for the scanner and the ability to print
occasional A3 pages. 115 from
www.snipca.com/21694
WEB DESIGN
Xara Web Designer
Premium 365
70 from www.snipca.com/16955
Tested: Issue 453
This visual web-design program makes
creating sites more like laying out a
document than writing HTML code, and
sites can be responsive, meaning they
look right on both big and small screens
without extra work. A basic version is
also available for half the price.
ALTERNATIVE: Incomedia WebSite X5
v12 Evolution It may feel a little basic,
but this straightforward program outputs
ecient HTML code and responsive pages.
50 from www.snipca.com/19440
SOLID STATE DRIVE
Crucial BX100 1TB
598 from www.snipca.com/21695
Tested: Issue 445
A blindingly fast, high-capacity SSD
at a low
lower
ower
er p
price
rice than ever before. If
youve been put o buying an SSD
because of the cost, then now is
nally the time to take the plunge.
ALTERNATIVE: Samsung 850 Pro
256GB An even faster SSD, but its
much more expensive per gigabyte.
120 from www.snipca.com/21696
BUY IT!
COMPETITION
Win 1 of 3
Kitvisions Edge HD10
Action Camera
Built for the adventurer
who wants to take
photos and videos
anywhere, the Kitvision
Edge HD10 Action
Camera captures
what you do in 1080p
resolution at 30 frames per second.
It records in incredible detail, thanks
to the 170-degree ultra-wide angle
lens and the 4x digital zoom. Once
secure inside the waterproof case it can
survive depths of 100 metres, making
it ideal for scuba diving. To enter, email
cacomp@dennis.co.uk with edge in
the subject line by midnight 17 January.
You can buy Kitvisions Edge HD10
Action Camera from Amazon for
149.99: www.snipca.com/22679. For
more information on Kitvision products
visit http://kitvision.co.uk and follow
@KitvisionUK on Twitter.
SECURITY CAMERA
Y-cam Evo
130 from www.snipca.com/22714
Tested: Issue 483
Smaller and simpler than rivals, this
all-in-one 720p HD Wi-Fi camera is
triggered by motion. Play back or watch
live remotely from your iOS or Android
phone or tablet. A weeks cloud storage
is free, upgradable to 30 days for 3.99
per month.
ALTERNATIVE: Netgear Arlo
Batteries, which last months, make
these cameras (the price is for two)
very practical. Cloud storage beyond
a week costs extra. 280 from
www.snipca.com/21653
4 17 January 2017 33
Computeractive 2015
Back Issue CD
Over 100 people have given our 2015
Back Issue CD a five-star review on
Amazon. Visit www.snipca.com/21619
to read them, and buy the CD yourself.
Heres what some of your fellow
Computeractive readers have said:
This exceeded my expectations.
You tend to forget the amount of
information there is in each issue.
Simply wonderful.
Keith Hollobone

Have been using these for some
years. Great space-savers as well as
a convenient method of storage and
accessing data.
Maureen Jenner
Excellent product. I have purchased
all of the 2015 printed editions. I can
now use the disc as a reference
source, in a compact, easily retrieved
form. Wouldnt be without it.
David Nelson
Invaluable space saver. I have
every issue of this CD back to
Computeractives first appearance
18 years ago and many Windows
systems back, and they all still
produce the information asked for.
Margaret Little
An absolute bargain at the price.
These 26 issues contain a wealth of
information for all computer users
and have already solved some
problems I was having. I copied the
files to the hard disc of my PC so I
could browse them at leisure
without inserting the CD.
Carl Hughes
Lived up to expectations and as a
new purchaser of the magazine it
gave me access to previous editions.
Mr N Tinlin
COMING SOON!
2016 BACK
ISSUE CD
 PU
& LL

Workshops & Tips

Is K OU
su E
e E
49 P T
2

Edited by Sherwin Coelho

14 pages of easy-to-follow workshopss and expert tips

35 Make your Start menu 40 Control PCs on PLUS
easier to use your home network 43 Readers Tips 47 Make Office Better
38 Create your own 42 Edit videos without 44 Phone & Tablet Tips 48 Secret Tips For...
news feed on your tablet losing quality 46 Make Windows Better Google Search

Make your Start menu

easier to use
What you need: Start Menu X; Any Windows version (XP to 10)
Time required: 40 minutes

W eve used several

Start-menu replacement
programs over the years, but
none have as many features as
Start Menu X. While there is a
paid-for version for 16 with
extra bells and whistles, the
free version is packed with all
the options most people will
need. It lets you access items on
your PC in double-quick time
and oers more customisation
options than Windows own
Start menu. You can reposition
this Start menu, and set an
automatic timer and a
keyboard shortcut to shut
down or restart your PC.

STEP To install the free version of the program, go to www. STEP The menu is divided into two sections. Move your
1 startmenux.com and click the red Download button 1 .
Open the downloaded setup le, click Yes, tick to 2 cursor to any item in the left section 1 to see its related
options on the right. Some options have further menus.
accept the agreement, then click Next. Now select Free For example, if you move your cursor to OneDrive 2 , youll see
version 2 , then keep clicking Next 3 until you need to click all its folders 3 . Move your cursor over any folder to see all its
Install. Click Finish after thats done, then close the web page contents 4 that you can then click to open.
that opens. The program wont launch, but open your Start
menu (by pressing the Windows key) and youll see that it
looks dierent.
2
2 3

1 1 4

4 17 January 2017 35
 Workshops
2
3
4
1
STEP To detach your Start menu from the bottom-left
3 corner, move your cursor to any other corner until you
see a crosshairs symbol, then click and drag it
wherever you want. You can also resize the menu by clicking
any edge and dragging it. To search for something on your PC,
type your search term in the search eld 1 . Youll see your
search results on the left 2 , along with a link to its website and
the option to install the relevant app 3 (if there is one) from the
Windows Store. You can also search the web for that term 4 .
3
STEP The Power Control button at the bottom brings up a
5 pop-up menu with several options (including Shut
Down, Lock, Restart and Sleep). Each option has
timer icons, so you can set a time when you want to carry out
that action. For example, click the timer icon beside Shut
Down. Youll now see various time values you can select 1 .
Alternatively, enter the number of minutes in the box 2 , or
choose a specic date and time 3 . Click Run 4 and your PC
will automatically shut down after the time you set.
36 4 17 January 2017
1 5
2
4
3
STEP The Add and Remove icons let you customise which
4 items appear on the left. Click the Add icon 1 to see
four options 2 . Here, move your cursor to Folders, then
select a folder 3 you want to add to this list. If you want to add a
program or app, click Choose your Item 4 , navigate to where
that item is stored on your PC and click OK. Similarly, to remove
something from this list, click the Remove icon 5 , then select
the item you want to get rid of.
2
STEP There are many ways to customise the program. Click
6 the Options button at the bottom right of Start Menu
X, then click Options again. Now ensure Launch the
program with Windows is ticked 1 . By default, Start Menu X is
displayed whenever you press the Windows key, while
Windows default Start menu appears when you press
Shift+Windows. However, you can swap these keyboard
shortcuts using the dropdown menus 2 .
 Make your Start menu easier to use

STEP Next, click the

7 Personalization
section 1 . Here, you
can change your Start menu
3 skin (theme) from the default
1 Windows 10 to something
else 2 (there are seven options
to choose from). Youll see any
changes made in the preview
2 pane 3 . If you nd the text in
Start Menu Xs window too
small, increase the Scale 4 to
enlarge it. You can also change
5 4
the default size of the Start
Menu X window 5 .

STEP Next, tick Enable Virtual Groups 1 . This

4
8 displays six categories (with dropdown
menus) 2 when you open the Start menu.
To choose which items appear within the group
dropdown menus, click the Manage Virtual Groups
2
button 3 , select a group 4 , then tick to select the
items 5 you want. Click the Edit Group button to see 5
options to change the group name and its default
icon. You can reposition where that section appears
using the right and left arrow icons at the top right.

4
4

1
5
2 1

3 2

STEP You can also change the default Start menu button STEP The Style section 1 has three options. If you prefer to

9 (Windows icon) by clicking Start button 1 , ticking

Replace the system Start button, then selecting
another icon (there are 17 options). The Controls section 2 lets
you add icons to this Start menu. For example, you can tick
Shut Down and Log O if you want to display those icons. The
Shortcuts section 3 lets you create your own keyboard shortcuts
for 15 common PC tasks 4 .
10 see your Start menu items as tiles instead of a list,
select Start Menu 10. Next, click Advanced options 2 .
Here, you can choose to highlight les that have recently been
updated in the Start menu 3 and hide the captions that appear
when you move your cursor over the Power and Options
buttons 4 . Ensure Automatically check updates is ticked 5
so youre always prompted to get the latest version of Start
Menu X.

4 17 January 2017 37
 Workshops
Create your own
newsfeed for 2017
What you need: Web browser; Android or iOS (phone or tablet) Time required: 20 minutes

T he Google Play Newsstand app

has always been a convenient
way to get all the latest news stories
on your phone or tablet. With its
latest update, its even easier to add
topics of interest. The app now
displays videos and photos in a
higher resolution and they load
faster on your device. The service is
also now available as a website.
Well show you how to add your own wn
news topics, then use the apps
brilliant features so that you stay on
top of the news in 2017.

2
1 3

STEP To use the web version of Newsstand, go to www.
1 snipca.com/22789 in your PCs browser and log in
using your Google account. Ensure its the same
account you use on your phone and tablet. To nd out the
Google account you use on your device (Android or iOS), open
any Google app (for example, the Play Store, Gmail or Maps),
tap the three lines at the top left, then look at your account
email address 1 .
STEP On the Google Play Newsstand web page, youll see
2 news stories relevant to your location. If youre using
Newsstand for the rst time, youll see the big national
stories. By default, the weather forecast at the top uses
Fahrenheit for temperatures. To change it to Celsius, click the
three lines 1 , Settings, the Temperature units dropdown menu
then change it to Celsius. The four icons are For You (your
magazine feed) 2 , Library 3 , Read Later 4 and Magazines 5
(which includes those youve subscribed to and bought from
the Play Store).

STEP Well now show you how to

3 customise the topics that appear
in your newsfeed. First, click the
3
Library icon 1 . Youll see a list of topics or
1
publications you follow as tiles 2 (rst- 4
time users will see a random selection of
tiles). To remove an item, click its tile 3
then drag it to the red Remove section 2
that appears at the top 4 . Google prioritises
your interests based on the way youve
arranged your tiles (important items at
the top), so click and drag to re-arrange
them.

38 4 17 January 2017
 1
2

1
2

STEP Its easy to add publications, topics, sports teams and
4 people to your Library. To add a news source (for
example, the BBC), type bbc in the search bar 1 . Youll
see a list of relevant search results as tiles. Click the tile you
want (for example, BBC News), then click the Add to Library
icon 2 . Similarly, you can add other publications - including
national newspapers (The Guardian, Mail Online, The Times)
and local ones (Bournemouth Echo, Belfast Telegraph,
Liverpool Echo). You can also search for and add topics youre
interested in (such as brexit, sports, culture).
STEP Likewise, you can also search for and add your
5 favourite football, rugby or cricket team and celebrities.
At this point, its worth returning to the Library
section 1 and prioritising your interests, or deleting any
unwanted ones (see Step 3). To read your updated newsfeed, go
to the For You section 2 (recent changes may take a day to be
reected in your newsfeed).

2
4

1 2

4
1 3

STEP The Newsstand mobile app (Android www.

7 snipca.com/22792; iOS www.snipca.
com/22793) has a few extra features. Tap
STEP All articles have a bookmark icon and three dots. Click the Library 1 , then tap the Digest tab 2 . Here, youll see

6 bookmark icon 1 to save a story to read later (these articles are

available oine on your devices). Click the three dots 2 to see a
pop-up menu. This lets you hide stories from that publication 3 , receive
fewer stories on that topic, or go to that publications home page within
Newsstand 4 . The more you use Newsstand, the more relevant topics youll
see that you can click to add to your Interests.
the top three news stories in each topic and source
in your library. Explore 3 has several sections
(including Entertainment, Sports, and News &
Politics). Select one to see related topics that you can
add to your list of favourites. Tap the three lines 4 ,
then Settings. Here, switch on the Deals and oers
slider to display product oers in your newsfeed and
the Daily brieng slider to display every morning
the top news stories of the past 24 hours.

4 17 January 2017 39
 Workshops

Control PCs on
your home network
What you need: Advanced IP Scanner; Any Windows version (XP to 10)
Time required: 35 minutes

I f you have multiple PCs at home

there will be occasions when you
need to access a le on one thats
stored on another. Advanced IP
Scanner is a brilliant free program
that gives you control over all PCs
connected to your home network.
You can access any les on your
network and transfer them
between PCs. You can even
remotely shut down any PC on
your home network.

STEP To download the program, go to www.snipca.
1 com/22897, click Free Download, then click the
Download Latest Version button at the top right of the
web page that opens. Click the downloaded setup le, then click
OK. At this stage, you can select Install 1 to install the program
on your PC (we selected this) or click Run 2 to install the
portable version. Click Next 3 , select I accept the agreement,
then click Install, Yes, then Finish to launch the program.
Install the program on all your home PCs.
STEP First, click the IP button 1 . This enters your PCs
2 IP address into the address bar below 2 . Now click
Scan 3 to search for all devices (PCs, phones, tablets,
printers and routers) connected to your home network.
These appears in a list in the main window. Itll also show
you the IP addresses of those devices, their MAC address,
and in some cases the Manufacturer 4 . If Network Sharing
is enabled on your home PCs, youll see a dropdown menu
beside those PCs 5 .

1
1 4
3

2
2

5
3

STEP If you dont see any dropdown 2

3 menus, it means you need to
set up Network Sharing on
your PCs. To do this, open File Explorer,
click Network 1 , OK, then wait until
you see the Click to change panel 2 .
Click it, then click Turn on network
discovery and le sharing. Next, click
No, make the network that I am
3
connected to a private network 3 , then
click OK. You now need to enable all 1
your PCs to share information without
needing passwords.

40 4 17 January 2017
 1 1

2
3
4
5
4

STEP Press the Windows key, type manage 3

4 advanced sharing settings, then press Enter.
Youll see three sections with dropdown
menus on the right. In the rst section, Private
(current prole), ensure the rst option (of two) is
selected under each heading. Next, click the All
Networks dropdown menu 1 , select the rst option
under both Public folder sharing 2 and File
sharing connections 3 , and the second option under
Password protected sharing 4 , then click Save
changes 5 .
STEP Now restart Advanced IP Scanner and you should see dropdown
5 menus beside the PCs you want to include. If not, theres another
way to add a PC for remote access. Click Actions 1 , then Add
Computer. Now go to the other PC, open Advanced IP Scanner there
and note down its IP and MAC addresses (see Step 2). Return to the PC
you want to use for remote access, enter these addresses into the elds
provided 2 , then click Add 3 . The PC will now appear in the Favorites
tab 4 .

2
5

3
1

2
3 4
4
1

STEP If you want to add other PCs to your list of favourites,
6 right-click them 1 in the Results tab list, then click
Add to favorites. You can now access these devices
from the Favorites tab. Next, click the dropdown menu beside
the PC you want to control 2 , then click the Users folder 3 .
Youll now be able to access all les on that PC 4 , as well as
copy and paste les (using keyboard shortcuts or by dragging
and dropping) from one PC to another. You can navigate around
the remote PC using its address bar 5 .
5
STEP To remotely shut down connected PCs, right-click the
7 PC in the list 1 , then click Shut down. Next, tick Use
Windows authentication 2 and enter the remote PCs
username and password in the elds provided. By default,
theres a 60-second shutdown delay, but you can change this 3 .
You can also choose to shut down immediately or restart the
PC 4 . Click the Shutdown button 5 to conrm your choice.

4 17 January 2017 41
 Workshops
Edit videos without
losing quality
What you need: Lossless Cut; Any Windows version (XP to 10) Time required: 15 minutes

W henever you edit the start and

end points of a video le, it
can diminish the quality of the
videos resolution. Lossless Cut is a
new, free portable program that
gives you extra control while
trimming your video and is based
on a multimedia tool called FFmpeg
that doesnt reduce quality while
editing. The program supports most
popular video formats, but well
show you how to convert ones that
arent supported. You can use the
same process to edit audio les.

1
2 4

STEP First, nd your PCs system version (64bit or 32bit).
1 Right-click My Computer (on your desktop, on the
Start menu or in File Explorer), click Properties, then
look under System type. To download Lossless Cut, go to www.
snipca.com/22867. Youll see the latest version at the top 1 .
Click the Windows version for your PC 2 . Now open your
Downloads folder, right-click the downloaded zipped folder,
click Extract All, then Extract. Next, open the Lossless Cut folder
and click the setup le to open the program. Drag and drop the
video you want to edit into the program, then click the Play icon
at the bottom. If the video plays, skip to Step 3.
STEP If you dont see the video, you need to convert its
2 format. One of the best free le-conversion programs is
Handbrake. Go to www.handbrake.fr, select the
download link for your Windows version, then run the
downloaded setup le. Open the program on your PC and
ensure the Container dropdown menu is set to MP4 1 . Next,
click Source 2 , File, then select the le you want to convert.
Now click Browse 3 , select a save location for your converted
video, rename it at the bottom, then click Save. Finally, click
Start 4 to begin converting your video. After thats nished,
drag and drop it into Lossless Cut.

STEP To edit your video in Lossless Cut, place your cursor on

3 the timeline approximately at your start point 1 , then
use the controls 2 to determine the exact point. Click
the Set cut start icon 3 when youre happy. Now click the
timeline where you want to nish your video, and repeat the
process, clicking the Set cut end icon 4 when youre happy.
2 2 Finally, click the Export selection icon 5 to start exporting your
video without any reduction in quality. By default, the edited
video is saved in the same folder as the original.
ON SALE

NEXT ISSUE Weds

18 Jan
Set a schedule of automated PC xes
Edit multiple photos in one go
5 Set an automatic PC shutdown
1 3 4 Create keyboard shortcuts for clipboard itemss
Subscribe to Computeractive at getcomputeractive.co.uk

42 4 17 January 2017
Readers Tips
TIP OF THE FORTNIGHT
T
Protect sensitive files with a password
After reading Issue 489s Best
Free Software I installed the
free PC-optimisation program
Synei System Utilities 4.0
(www.snipca.com/22217).
After trying it out for a few
days, I discovered several
useful tools that you probably
didnt have space to cover.
My favourite is the option to
password-protect sensitive les
and folders. I use a Windows 7
PC and have a document
containing all my bank-account
details and account passwords,
which Ive always wanted to secure.
Synei System Utilities proved to be
the ideal solution.
Click the Toolbox tab, then click
Protect File/Folders at the bottom (see
Pete wins a copy of our A-Z Jargon Buster book
EMAIL
Fix Thunderbird when it blocks
access to your emails
Instead of logging into my three
email accounts via their respective
websites, I use Mozillas email client
Thunderbird (www.snipca.com/22844)
to manage them in one place. The other
day, Thunderbird logged me out of
Gmail. When I tried to log in again,
I was redirected to a cookies disabled
page. After a little research I learned
that my Gmail cookies had been disabled
in Thunderbird, which was preventing
me from logging in.
To rectify this, click Tools, Options,
then the Privacy tab in the window that
opens. Next, ensure that Accept cookies
from sites is ticked, the Accept third-
party cookies dropdown menu is set to
Handy hints and tips from your fellow readers
Email us your tips: letters@computeractive.co.uk
screenshot). Youll now be prompted to
enter and conrm a password, then
enter a password hint. After doing this,
enter your password again. A window
will open into which you can drag and
Buy it on Amazon www.snipca.com/21616
Never, and the Keep until dropdown
menu is set to they expire (see screenshot
below left), then click OK. This ensures
you only download the necessary cookies
from Gmail and not other websites. Now
enter your login details and you should
be able to access your emails.
Ray Hargreaves
PHOTO EDITING
Make washed-out skies more
vivid in your photos
I have an ageing Android phone that
doesnt always take great photos. I
back up my images using Google Photos
and make use of its editing tools to
enhance some of my worst snapshots.
Recently, I noticed a new Dark blue
slider in the programs Editing section.
This lets you brighten overcast skies
ideal if you live in the UK! The feature
works in Android and iOS apps, as
well as on the Google Photos website
(photos.google.com).
To use it, open the photo, click the pen
icon to bring up the editing tools, then
tap the sliders icon. Next, click the
dropdown menu beside the Colour slider.
Youll see a new slider called Deep
blue. Move this to the right to add some
vibrancy to the blue tints in your photo. I
also nd that moving the Pop slider to the
drop les and folders. Having
dropped in the document
containing my sensitive info,
I then clicked Lock & Exit.
To make sure this had worked,
I navigated to the document on
my PC to nd that its le format
had changed and I couldnt
access it (success!).
The only way to access your
password-protected items is
to return to Protect File/Folders
in Synei, log in using your
password, select the le or
folder, then click Unprotect.
You can now access the le, make any
changes, then re-secure it using the
same steps. Its a great way to protect
valuable info.
Pete Foster
right enhances all the colours in your
photo, making it look more vivid.
Bryan Shawclie
MUSIC PLAYER
Use VLC to listen to radio
stations from around the world
VLC media player (www.snipca.
com/22779) is my favourite media
player program. Aside from playing my
videos and music, it has other useful
features that are easy to overlook. I only
recently discovered you can use it to
listen to internet radio stations from
anywhere in the world.
To do that, click View at the top,
then Playlist. Next, click Icecast Radio
Directory (below Internet) on the left.
Youll see a list of internet radio stations.
To lter them by musical genre, I type
the genre name in the search eld at the
top right, press Enter then double-click
the relevant radio station.
Trevor Falls
4 17 January 2017 43
 Phone and Tablet Tips
ANDROID & iOS
Download Netix movies and
TV shows to watch oine
In Issue 491 (see News
page 8), we reported on
Netixs new feature that
lets subscribers download lms and TV
shows to watch oine. Its limited to a
certain number of titles, but there are still
plenty to choose from.
The fastest way to nd content you can
download is by opening the Netix app
(Android www.snipca.com/22847; iOS
www.snipca.com/22848), tapping the
three lines at the top left, then My
Downloads. Next, tap Find Something To
Download. Youll see a list of all available
titles, which include award-winning
Netix originals like The Crown and
House of Cards; ITV shows like Cilla and
Benidorm and Channel 4s This is
England 90; as well as over 50 movies.
To download an episode or lm, ensure
that youre connected to a Wi-Fi network,
tap to select a title, then tap the Download
icon next to the episode you want (see
Best New Apps
Trusted Contacts
Free
Android: www.snipca.com/22850
Googles latest app lets you quickly
share your location with people you
trust, even if
youre oine
or your phones
switched o.
Add your family
members
and closest
friends, so that
you can send
your location
(or request
theirs) in an
emergency.
44 4 17 January 2017
Brilliant things to do on your device
screenshot below left). Youll see the
download progress and a Download
Complete message when its nished.
From now on, you can access this content
from the My Downloads section, even
when youre oine.
Netix oers the rst month free for
new customers, after which its pricing
plans start at 5.99 a month (www.
snipca.com/22864).
ANDROID, iOS & WINDOWS PHONE
Update all your apps in one go
and set up auto-update
Your devices apps
are regularly
updated with
new features and security enhancements.
Well show you how to update all your
apps in one go, then how to turn on
the auto-update feature so your apps
automatically update whenever youre
connected to a Wi-Fi network.
To update all your Android apps, open
the Google Play store, tap the three lines
at the top left, My apps & games, then
tap Update All (see screenshot above
right). On iOS, open the App Store, tap
Updates at the bottom, then Update
All at the top left. On a Windows Phone,
tap the Store tile, the three lines at the
top left, Downloads and Updates, then
Check for updates.
Making sure your apps auto-update
when youre connected to a Wi-Fi
network is easy. On Android, tap the
three lines at the top left of the Play Store
What you should install this fortnight
CameraSim
Android: www.snipca.com/22853 1.99
iOS: www.snipca.com/22854 1.49
CameraSim teaches you how to take better
photos on your DSLR camera. It explains
each setting (aperture, shutter speed, ISO,
focal length, and so on) and how they impact
your photo. Experiment using the app, before
applying the concepts with your camera.
app, then Settings. Here, tap Auto-update
apps at the top, then select Auto-update
apps over Wi-Fi only. On an iOS device,
open Settings, tap iTunes & App Store,
then tap the Updates slider to turn it on.
On a Windows Phone, tap the Store tile,
the three lines (top left), Settings, then
tap the Update apps automatically when
Im on WiFi slider to turn it on.
ANDROID
Scan books and magazines
to read on your device
Ctrl+F is the standard keyboard
shortcut to search for specic
terms in your browser, documents
or PDFs. The free Android app CTRL-F
uses the same premise, except that it lets
you search for words within the pages of
Laundrapp
Free
Android: www.snipca.com/22851
iOS: www.snipca.com/22852
This laundry-service app takes the strain
out of washing clothes. First, go to the
Laundrapp website (www.laundrapp.com)
to make sure
the service is
available in your
area. If so, you
can use the app
to pay to have
your laundry
picked up and
dropped o at
a time thats
convenient.
books or magazines that you scan using
the app. The app converts any scanned
pages to a high-resolution PDF, which
means its ideal for saving pages you may
want to read later on your phone and
tablet, without having to carry the book
or magazine around with you.
Install and open the app (www.snipca.
com/22849), then tap Skip to bypass the
introductory screens. Next, tap the
Camera icon at the bottom right, point it
at a book or magazine page (ensure
youre standing directly above it in a well-
lit room), then tap the shutter icon to
take your photo. If your photo appears
blurry, tap the X icon and retake it.
Otherwise tap the tick icon to save it.
Using the on-screen grid, move the
dots to frame the text you want to read,
then tap the arrow (see screenshot
below). Next, tap Always use English,
then tap OK. The app will now scan and
display a high-resolution PDF of your
document that you can zoom into and
read on the go. Use the search icon at the
bottom right if you want to nd specic
text within your scanned document.
WINDOWS PHONE
Free up storage space quickly
Most Windows Phones come
with 8 or 16GB of storage. If your
device is becoming slower, its
probably running out of space. Thankfully,
theres an easy way to identify space-
hogging items and free up storage. Swipe
down from the top of your phone, tap All
settings, System, then Storage. Here,
youll see a graph representing your total
storage space, including how much is
used and free. Tap this.
In the Storage usage section, youll
now see a number of coloured bars
representing the amount of space taken
up by System & reserved, Apps &
games, Documents, Pictures, Music,
Videos and so on (see screenshot right).
Apart from System, you can tap any item
to see a further breakdown. For example,
tap Apps & games, tap the Sort by name
slider, and change it to Sort by size.
Here youll see apps that consume the
most space (the largest appear rst). If
you dont need a particular app, tap it,
then tap Uninstall (you can only uninstall device. Here, tap the selection icon (two
apps youve downloaded, not built-in ones). ticks) at the bottom, tap to select the
Similarly if you tap Pictures in the photos you dont want, then tap the bin
Storage usage section, you can tap View icon at the bottom to delete them and
pictures to see all the photos on your recover valuable storage space.
Games With Kids
What to play together on your phone and tablet
AGES 0 5
Rainbow Slides: Care Bears
2.29 www.snipca.com/22855 (iOS)
This is a simplied version of the classic
snakes and ladders game that the whole
family can play. Choose the bear you want,
then tap the spinning wheel at the top right
to determine your next move and advance
up the grid. The rst to the top wins.
AGES 6 10
1010!*
Free www.snipca.com/22856 (Android)
Free www.snipca.com/22857 (iOS)
In this Tetris-like puzzle game your child
needs to build horizontal or vertical lines
using blocks that appear at the bottom.
The game ends when they cant place
a block within the grid. You can also
compete in multiplayer mode.
AGES 11 16
Super Mario Run*
Free www.snipca.com/22858 (iOS)
This classic Nintendo game is now
available to play on your device. Timing
is crucial as you need to tap the screen
to make Super Mario jump and avoid
obstacles and traps. The longer the tap,
the higher he jumps. The aim is to collect
as many coins as you can in each level.
*Contains in-app purchases
4 17 January 2017 45
 Make Windows Better
WINDOWS 10
Edit photos quickly
Microsoft has updated Windows
10s default Photos app, making it
easier to edit your photos quickly.
Open the app, click to select the photo
you want, then click Edit at the top right.
In the right-hand panel, youll see a
button to Crop and rotate your photo
(see screenshot below). The Enhance
and Adjust tabs now give you more
nuanced editing controls.
Select the tab you want, then move the
sliders below the respective options
(Enhance, Colour, Warmth, etc) to
instantly see the changes applied to your
photo. At the bottom youll see options to
undo your edits, save the le, save a copy
of it, or share the le using compatible
apps (such as email and messaging).
WINDOWS XP, VISTA, 7, 8, 10
De-select multiple les quickly
To select all the les
within a folder you press
Ctrl+A and to select
multiple les press Ctrl, then click the
les you want. These same methods can
also be used to de-select multiple les
in one go. This is especially useful if, say,
you want to delete most of the les in a
folder, but not all. In this case, rst
press Ctrl+A to select all the les in your
folder. Next, press Ctrl, then click to
de-select the les you want to keep,
before pressing Delete to get rid of the
selected items.
46 4 17 January 2017
Clever tips for every version
WINDOWS 10
Add right-click Google search to Edge
Highlight any word or phrase right, click Download ZIP, then Save
within Chrome or Firefox and (see screenshot). Now open your
youll see the option to run a Downloads folder, select the
Google search for it. Microsoft Edge downloaded Google-Context-Menu-
doesnt have this option, but theres a Edge-master zipped le and extract its
way to add it using a Google Search contents with whatever program you
extension. use for compressed les. For example,
First, open Edge, type about:ags in if you use PeaZip (www.peazip.org),
the URL bar at the top, then press right-click the zipped le, select
Enter. Next, tick Enable extension PeaZip, click Extract, then OK.
developer features (this might put your Now, return to Edge, click the three
device at risk) under Developer dots at the top right, then Extensions.
settings. Microsoft issues this warning Click Load extension at the bottom,
because enabling this feature lets you then navigate to and open the extracted
add extensions from outside the Google-Context-Menu-Edge-master
Windows Store, but this particular folder. Select the Google Search folder,
extension wont harm your PC. Now then click Select Folder. Youll now see
close Edge and re-open it. Google Search added to your list of
To download the Google Search Edge extensions. From now on, you can
extension, go to www.snipca. right-click any selected word or term in
com/22776, click the green Clone or Edge to see the option to run a Google
download dropdown menu on the search for it.
WINDOWS 10
Print web pages in black and
white in Microsoft Edge
Compared with other browsers,
its not immediately obvious
how to print web pages in black
and white in Microsoft Edge. In Googles
Chrome browser, for example, press
Ctrl+P then use the Color dropdown
menu to choose whether you print in
colour or Black and white.
However, Edge doesnt oer this
option. Instead, you have to click the
More settings link at the bottom after
pressing Ctrl+P. Here, youll see options to
change your page orientation and paper
size. Change the Color mode dropdown
menu to Monochrome to print in black
and white (see screenshot right).
Make Office Better Expert tips for every program

WORD

Create your own default font style

The Home tab in Word has a
range of Styles that you can
click to add to any selected text.
If you dont fancy any of the default
styles, its easy to create your own. Click
the Expand dropdown menu in the
Styles section (see screenshot), then
click Create a Style.
Give your style a name, then click the
Modify button to see a variety of text-
formatting options. You can base your
style on an existing template or create it
from scratch. To use a template, click
the Style based on dropdown menu,
then select the style you want (from
Heading 1, Subtitle, etc). Dont change
the dropdown menu if you
want to create your own style.
For both methods, click
the dropdown menus in the
Formatting section to see a
range of font types and sizes to
choose from. Click the bold,
italics and underline icons to
add those if you want. Click the
colour dropdown menu and
choose a colour. In the pane
below youll see a preview of
how your style will look. Click
OK when youre happy with it.
Your style will now appear as
an option in the Styles section.

EXCEL
Move or copy Excel data quickly
There are standard keyboard
shortcuts you can use to cut
(Ctrl+X), copy (Ctrl+C) and paste
(Ctrl+V) Excel data from one column or
row to another. But you can speed up this
process with a useful trick. Well rst
show you how to move data from one
column to another, then how to copy it.
The same method applies to rows.
First, highlight the column data you
want to move (this can be the entire
column if you want). Now move your
cursor to the columns right or left edge
until it turns into a crosshairs symbol
(see screenshot below). Next, click the
symbol and drag it to the column you
want to move your data to. To copy
column data rather than move it, simply
press Ctrl, before clicking and dragging
the symbol.
OUTLOOK
Make your navigation options
more accessible
By default, youll see four
navigation options at the
bottom left of Outlook Mail,
Calendar, People and Tasks. The three
dots next to Tasks conceal three more
options Notes, Folders and Shortcuts.
If you prefer, you can display all seven
options at the bottom of Outlook and
change how they appear.
To do that, click the three dots next to
Tasks, then click Navigation Options. In
the window that appears, change the
number at the top to the number of
options you want to show. Tick Compact
Navigation to see the options displayed as
icons rather than text. To reposition an
option, select it in the list (see screenshot
below), then click Move Up or Move
Down. Click OK to conrm your changes,
or Reset to revert to the default settings.
POWERPOINT
Improve your presentation
If youre giving a presentation,
the tools in Presenter View will
help you enhance the experience
for your audience. Press F5 to start
playing your slideshow and youll see a
preview of what your audience will see,
but you (and only you) will also see ve
tools at the bottom. Well explain what
each one does (from left to right).
The pen icon lets you use a laser
pointer, pen or highlighter tool (see
screenshot above) to draw something on
the slide being displayed. The See all
slides icon (four squares) displays all
your slides as tiles, so you can jump to
the one you want by clicking it. The
zoom icon lets you zoom into your slide.
The black slideshow icon lets you
temporarily black out your screen.
The icon with three dots lets you hide
Presenter View and end your slideshow.

4 17 January 2017 47
 Secret Tips For
Google Search
Filter search results by date and country, exclude keywords,
roll a dice and search a single site
Search by date
Searching on Google is generally
straightforward, but there are ways to
lter the search engine if you want more
precise results. For example, Google
delivers results that it thinks are most
relevant, but they can often date from
some time ago and therefore be no longer
useful. If you want results from just the
current year, or youre searching for a
particular article and know roughly
when it was published, you can lter the
search results accordingly.
As an example, search for Windows 10
in Google. Once you see the results, click
Search tools at the top, then the Any
time dropdown menu and select
Custom range (see screenshot below
Filter Googles search results by date of
publication using the Any time dropdown
Search by image
Google is just as good at searching for
images as it is words. Search for
anything you want an image of, then
click Images (just below the search
bar). To further lter these, click Tools
and then use the Size, Color, Type and
Time dropdown menus to select from
the options (Large, Medium, Black and
white and so on).
If you want the image results to
match a certain colour palette, click the
Color dropdown menu and select the
colour you want. Google will then
rene the results to show pictures that
mostly consist of that colour.
48 4 17 January 2017
left). In the pop-up box enter a start and
end date and Google will only display
results published within that timeframe.
Other options in the dropdown menu
include Past hour, Past 24 hours, Past
week, Past month and Past year.
Limit results to the UK
Filtering search results by country is
another way to narrow your search. You
might, for example, enter the search term
historical facts about Manchester to nd
out about the citys past. To make sure
your results dont include websites about
Manchester, New Hampshire in the US,
click Tools and select Country: the UK
from the Any country dropdown menu.
Focus your search on one site
Many websites have their own search
tool, but they can be poor. Thankfully,
you can use Googles Site Search instead.
Use the format site:<domain name> in
your search term to search on just one
site (<domain name> is the URL after
www.). For example, site:bbc.co.uk bake
o will search the BBC for mentions of
The Great British Bake O (see
screenshot above right).
To search Google using an image
(instead of a written search term), go to
www.images.google.co.uk and click the
camera icon (see screenshot). Click the
Upload an image tab, then Choose File
and navigate to the images location on
your PC. Google will upload it and then
show results for other images on the
internet that best match it.
Use Site Search to have Google focus its
search on just one site
Exclude words from your results
If your search results are overwhelmed
with information youre not interested
in, you can exclude certain words by
using the minus (-) symbol in your
search term. This means everything
after the - will be excluded from the
search results. For example, if you enter
jaguar speed -car Google will only show
you results for how fast the big cat can
run and will leave out anything to do
with Jaguars prowess in the motoring
industry.
Find similar websites
If youve got a favourite website and want
to nd similar sites, Google has a search
phrase to help. Type related:<domain
name> (where <domain name> is the
web address of one website minus the
www. prex). For example, typing
related:manutd.com brings up links to
the home pages of other Premier League
football clubs. The related keyword is a
powerful tool that can easily help you
nd other websites.
Roll the dice
Google can even help if you want to play
a board game, but have misplaced your
dice. Just type roll a die into the search
bar, and Google will roll a virtual die for
you, showing you the results on screen.
Click Roll it to throw it again.
Next issue Secret Tips For Chromecast
Whats All the Fuss About...
Microsoft Home Hub
Cortana has kindly volunteered to be your own domestic helper
What is it?
Microsofts grand vision to
turn your Windows computer
into your homes control
centre, letting you perform
actions such as playing your
favourite music and turning
lights on and o just by
talking to it. Its the companys
answer to the home
automation craze that is
sweeping technology
companies. See that
bandwagon over there?
Microsoft wants to jump on it.
How does it work?
Dierently to other products.
Amazons Echo (pictured
below) is a cylindrical speaker
with no screen (we called it a talking
can in our review, Issue 487). Google
Home is slightly smaller, but again has
no screen. Both are devices that are
intended to sit on your coee table or
mantlepiece, awaiting your commands.
But Home Hub (unrelated to BTs
Home Hub router) is software, and so
doesnt require new hardware.
According to rumours it will connect all
your Windows devices
laptops, PCs and phones
using Cortana, Microsofts
voice-controlled personal
assistant that debuted in
Windows 10. And it has one
big advantage over the
devices from Google and
Amazon: a screen.
What dierence
does that make?
It means you should be able
to do much more with Home
Hub than with its rivals.
This ties in with Microsofts
aim of Home Hub being
used as a shared service by
all the family. For example,
Amazons Echo is a talking
can that performs actions by
responding to your voice
it will show your calendar events
across several devices an option the
screen-less devices from Amazon and
Google lack. These will be displayed on
a Welcome Screen, which also contains
to-do lists and sticky notes. So you
could leave an on-screen message for
your husband or wife a shopping list
perhaps replacing the Post-it note on
your fridge door.
Does this Welcome
Screen replace my
desktop?
No, it sits above it. Beneath
it is your normal PC, with
access to the taskbar, Action
ac
Center, Start menu and so on.
Ce
Can I still have a
Ca
personal account?
pe
Yes you just need to prove
Ye
your identity using Windows
yo
Hello, which recognises your
He
face. Once you sign out youll
fa
st
still be able to see the family
ac
account. Microsoft wants to
ma
make it easier to switch
be
between your personal and
fa
family accounts by removing
th
the password for the latter, so
th
that it remains always active.
So you never need to sign
into Home Hub?
Thats right. This makes it faster for
everyone in a household to see shared
information, such as documents, apps
and bookmarks. Cortana sits idle on
Home Hub until it detects movement
nearby, or you give it a command, such
as turn on the lights or tell me the
weather forecast.
Can I try Home Hub now?
No, its not available yet. In fact, its not
even been conrmed by Microsoft.
So how do we know all this?
Through unknown sources speaking
to the website Windows Central. They
gave the site enough information for
it to recreate what the Welcome Screen
could look like (see screenshot above).
The report contains so much detail
that it seems highly likely to be
accurate.
According to these sources, early
Home Hub features will appear in the
Windows 10 Creators Update, due to
arrive before the end of March, with the
bulk following in further updates
planned for late 2017 and early 2018. So
until then youll have to leave shopping
lists the old-fashioned way.
4 17 January 2017 49
 WINDOWS
GodMode Windows GodMode is the best-kept secret on your PC.
Jonathan Parkyn explains how to access it and guides
you through its most important settings

O
ver the years, Microsoft has
continued adding more and
more features to Windows. The
companys most recent operating
systems Windows 7, 8 and 10 are
packed with hundreds of brilliant tools
and settings, many of which are
completely overlooked by the majority of
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Uncover a secret way to access
powerful Windows features
Control your PC like never before with
direct access to hidden tools
Make your PC safer, faster and easier
to use
Create customised mini-GodModes
for specic groups of tools
PC users because they are completely
unaware of them.
Did you know, for example, that
Windows comes with a built-in tool for
calibrating your monitor and another
for designing your own fonts? Or that
Windows can prevent malicious
programs from harming your PC by
monitoring their activity and shutting
them down if they exhibit suspicious
behaviour? If not, youre not alone,
and these are only the tip of the iceberg
when it comes to Windows great,
hidden gems.
The problem is that far too many of
Windows most useful tools are buried in
the depths of the operating system (OS).
They are hidden within menus, inside
other menus, reachable only via yet more
menus. In fact, even if you were to nd
your way to one of these tools, the
chances are youd never nd your way
back to it a second time. Thats where
GodMode comes in.
GodMode is the name given to a
powerful Windows hack that provides
you with instant access to hundreds of
hidden tools and settings. GodMode itself
is simple to set up and use if you know
how. And thats the problem. Most of it
has been secreted away by Microsoft.
Instead, the company seems content to
push features well never use, such as the
Groove music player and Xbox video-
games app.
But fear not. In this feature well show
you how to get GodMode on your PC,
introduce you to its best tools and explain
how you can use them to improve and
streamline your PC.

50 4 17 January 2017

HOW TO ACCESS GODMODE
Despite being one of Windows lesser-
known assets, GodMode is easy to enable.
Theres no need to hack the registry
simply create a new folder and give it a
specic name.
You can create a GodMode shortcut
anywhere, but we recommend putting
it on your desktop at least initially.
To do this in Windows 7, 8 or 10, right-
click a blank space on your desktop
and select New, then Folder. Carefully
name the folder:
GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-
99712043E01C} (or copy it from www.
pastebin.com/raw/QQxndqBn).
Now press Enter and the folders image
will change (into a Control Panel-style
icon) and it will be renamed GodMode
(which can be changed see box right).
How GodMode works
GodMode works by combining two of
Windows hidden features. The rst is a
secret le-system folder that Windows
uses as the source folder for all Control
Panel items. The second is the operating
systems ability to turn a Windows
le-system folder into something called
a virtual junction point by using its
globally unique identier (GUID) the
long number in the folder name you just
typed as an extension.
In very basic terms, the folder you
create on your desktop acts as a shortcut,
with the GUID part of the folder name
directing you towards the secret Control
Panel source folder. What you get when
you open the shortcut is direct access to
an unltered list of every Control Panel
item, sorted by category (see screenshot
above right). Its not restricted by the
standard Control Panels way of arranging
items, which can sometimes make
specic tools and tasks dicult to nd.
Later, well show you how to create
further GodMode-style shortcuts for
groups of tools, such as accessibility
options, networking tasks and more.
Create a separate shortcut if you want
GodMode on your taskbar
GodMode makes every tool easily accessible by listing each one alphabetically first by
category, then by the name of the setting
Move GodMode wherever
you want
Accessing GodModes tools from your
desktop is handy. But if you like to keep
your desktop clutter-free, or if you like to
use the Start menu or the taskbar for
shortcuts, you can move GodMode there.
Adding a GodMode shortcut to your
Start menu is easy. In Windows 7, click
the GodMode desktop icon and drag it to
the Start button, then release the mouse
button when you see the Pin to Start
Menu message. In Windows 10 (and 8)
right-click the desktop icon and select
Pin to Start.
Adding a GodMode icon to your
taskbar is a little trickier. If you drag the
desktop icon to the taskbar, youll be
prompted to Pin to File Explorer (in
Windows 10) or Pin to Windows
Explorer (in Windows 7). This just adds
a shortcut for GodMode in the Pinned
section of your File Explorer jump list
(the menu that pops up when you
right-click the Explorer taskbar icon).
If youd prefer GodMode to have its
own taskbar icon, right-click your
desktop, click New, then Shortcut.
In the window that opens, enter the
following: explorer shell:::{ED7BA470-
8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} (or
copy and paste it from www.pastebin.
com/raw/4tMD2QZ4) into the Type
the location of the item box (see
screenshot left).
Click Next, then type GodMode when
prompted to name the shortcut and click
Finish. This places a new File Explorer-
style icon on your desktop. To change this
icon to the Control Panel style, right-click
it and select Properties, then Change
Icon. In the box, type control.exe, then
Windows GodMode
NAME GODMODE
WHATEVER YOU WANT
GodMode isnt Microsofts ocial
name for this feature. In fact, GodMode
is so secret, it doesnt have an ocial
name at all. That means when
you enable it, youre free to call it
whatever you want. Once youve
created the GodMode shortcut using
the instructions on this page, simply
highlight the shortcut and tap F2 to
change its name to anything you want
SuperDuperMode, SecretToolkit,
FluyKittens or anything else.
press Enter and click OK twice. Now
right-click the shortcut again and select
Pin to Taskbar. You can now delete the
desktop icon.
How to use GodMode
Double-click your new GodMode
desktop icon (or select it from the Start
menu or taskbar if youve moved it), and
a window will open displaying a list of
tools and tasks, all neatly arranged by
category: Administrative Tools,
Performance Information and Tools,
and so on.
Each tool is listed with a logical,
easy-to-understand name, making it
simple to nd the one you need. Want
Windows to show hidden les or folders,
for example? Then just double-click
Show hidden les and folders in the
Folder Options section to see the relevant
settings. You can also search GodMode
for a specic setting using the search box
in the top right.
4 17 January 2017 51
 USE GODMODE TO MAKE WINDOWS SUIT YOU
1Schedule almost anything
Want your PC to perform a specic
action at a particular time of day like
turn itself o at night, for example?
Windows Task Scheduler tool lets you
automate a wide range of actions and
specify the precise conditions required
for them to be carried out. We use it all
the time, but for some reason Microsoft
has buried it deep within Windows.
Thankfully, its easy to access using
GodMode just click Schedule tasks in
the Administrative Tools section.
To schedule a common action, such as
starting a program, sending an email or
displaying a message, click Create Basic
Task on the right, then follow the
instructions to name the task, choose a
trigger (a specic time or event) and
select an action. To shut down your PC at
night, for example, select Daily as your
trigger, then click Next. Enter the time of
day you want your PC to switch o and
click Next again. Select Start a program
as your action and click Next. Then under
Program/script, click Browse, navigate to
C:\Windows\System32 and double-click
shutdown.exe (see screenshot above
right). In the Add arguments (optional)
box, type -s -f -t 0.
Not all tasks require this many steps,
but the shutdown command needs to tell
Windows you want to shut down your PC
immediately at the time you specied
(without showing a warning screen that
would stall the process). Click Next, then
Finish to save the setting.
2Create your own special
characters or fonts
Windows comes with dozens of fonts. But
what if youre looking for something
specic and none of these suit your needs?
Windows has a built-in tool that will let
you create your very own custom fonts.
Private Character Editor has been
around since XP and is possibly one of
the most overlooked Windows tools
Use existing font characters as the basis for
customised ones in Private Character Editor
52 4 17 January 2017
Set your PC to automatically shut down at night using Windows Task Scheduler
even the operating system itself seems
to have forgotten its there. Thanks to
GodMode, however, you can nd it easily
in the Fonts section. Open the tool, then
click a blank square in the Select Code
box and click OK.
Youll now see a grid. Using the Pencil,
Line, Shape and Eraser tools on the left,
you can either design a character from
scratch, or you can click Edit and Copy
Character to select a base character that
you can adapt (see screenshot below left).
Getting the right look can be tricky, but
when youve nished, click File, Font
Links, then select Link with All Fonts
and click OK. To insert your new
character into a document, click Start,
type character and open the Character
Map. Select All Fonts (Private Characters)
from the Font dropdown menu, then
select your character, click Copy and
paste it into your document.
3Manage and back up
saved passwords
Not many people realise that Windows
has a built-in password manager. Called
Credential Manager, it stores encrypted
You can set Windows to include the contents
of ZIP files in search results
versions of online logins saved by Internet
Explorer (and Edge on Windows 10), as
well as other log-in details, such as for
Skype accounts, Microsoft Oce
subscriptions, network passwords and
more. To view these, back them up for
safekeeping or delete them (if youd
rather use another password manager, for
example). Double-click Manage Windows
Credentials under Credential Manager
in GodMode.
To create a new entry (so that you
automatically log into a website the next
time you visit it in Internet Explorer or
Edge), click Add a Windows credential.
Type the websites URL into the Internet
or network address box (www.gmail.
com, for example), then enter your
username and password and click OK.
Note: this wont aect Chrome, Firefox
or other browsers.
To back up your saved passwords, click
Back up Credentials (Windows 10) or
Back up vault (Windows 7) and follow
the on-screen instructions. To change or
delete an existing login, click Windows
Credentials or Web Credentials (Windows
10 only), then click an item in the list,
then click Edit or Remove.
4Include Zip les when
searching your PC
By default, Windows completely ignores
the contents of ZIP les when you search
your PC. To change this, and get more
comprehensive search results in general,
click Change search options for les and
folders in GodModes Folder Options
section, then tick the box next to Include
compressed les (ZIP, CAB) and click
OK (see screenshot left).

5Magnier
Get instant access to
and Narrator
GodMode provides a speedy way to get to
useful accessibility tools that otherwise
can be ddly to locate. Open GodMode
and youll nd all 26 of Windows
accessibility tools listed in the Ease of
Access section. However, you can make it
even easier to access the tools you need.
Lets say you often use Magnier.
Right-click the Magnify portions of the
screen using Magnier entry and select
Create shortcut (see screenshot right).
Click Yes if you see a prompt, and youll
now have a dedicated shortcut to the
Magnier on your desktop. This trick
works for all GodModes tools. And you
can also create mini-GodMode shortcuts
for groups of tools see the box on page
55 for more.
6 Stay safe by letting Windows
monitor your programs
Another scandalously under-used
Windows feature is Data Execution
Prevention (DEP), which helps to protect
your PC from malware by monitoring
programs to make sure they use memory
safely. If Windows detects that a program
is using your PCs memory in a suspicious
way it will automatically shut the
program down and display a warning.
By default, DEP is only activated for
essential Windows programs and services,
but you can enable DEP for any programs
you want. To do this, open GodMode, scroll
to System, then click Adjust the appearance
and performance of Windows. In the
window that opens, click the Data
Execution Prevention tab and tick the
Turn on DEP for all programs and services
except those I select.
Its worth noting that not all programs
are DEP-compatible especially older
ones. And enabling DEP for all programs
may cause some of your tools to close
WHATS NEW IN W10 GODMODE?
The precise contents of your GodMode
panel and the number of tools oered
varies depending on the version of
Windows youre using. In fact, even
though Windows 10 is the latest version,
its actually Windows 7 users who have
the advantage here.
Windows 10 Homes GodMode contains
227 individual items, while Windows 7
Home Premiums contains a whopping
263 items, including entire sections
on Parental Controls, Performance
Right-click Magnifier (or any tool you want) in
GodMode to create a handy desktop shortcut
down unexpectedly, even if theyre safe.
To get around this, click Add, then browse
to the programs .exe le usually in
C:\Program Files and click Open. Click
OK when youre nished. This will stop
DEP monitoring that particular program,
letting it run unhindered.
7Add a clock for a dierent
time zone
If you have friends or family abroad, its
good to know what their local time is, so
that you dont inadvertently Skype them
at 3am. GodMode oers a quick way to add
an international clock to your taskbar.
Double-click Add clocks for dierent
time zones in the Date and Time
section, then tick the top Show this
clock box and select the time zone you
want from the dropdown menu. Give the
clock a recognisable name New York,
say, or Bob and Justine, then click OK
(see screenshot above right). To view your
second clock, move your mouse over the
time in the bottom right-hand corner of
the screen (but dont click). Youll see the
name you typed for your clock and the
current time in that time zone.
Information and Tools and Notication
Area Icons that are absent from Windows
10s version. The reason? Microsoft is
moving away from the old Control Panel
environment with Windows 10, shifting
a lot of the tools and tasks that were
previously found there into the new
Settings app. Unfortunately, a second
GodMode doesnt exist for the Settings
app, meaning youll just have to live with
it when it comes to accessing some of
Windows 10s buried features.
Windows GodMode
Create additional clocks for your taskbar that
represent other time zones
8Show hidden folders and
recover lost les
By default, Windows hides certain
folders, because it doesnt trust us not to
muck up those les that are crucial to
Windows working properly. But there are
occasions when youll need to access
some of these folders such as the
AppData folder (C:\Users\YourUser
Name\AppData). This can often contain
junk youll want to remove, or important
data youll want to back up. Microsoft
Oce programs like Word, for example,
store AutoRecover versions of your
documents in the C:\Users\ YourUser
Name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\
folder, letting you restore documents lost
after a crash or an accidental deletion. But
you wont be able to nd any AutoRecover
les if the AppData folder is hidden.
To make hidden system folders visible,
click Show hidden les and folders
under File Explorer Options (Windows
10) or Folder Options (Windows 7) in the
GodMode panel. Then click the Show
hidden les, folders and drives option
and click OK.
9Switch from double-clicking
to single-clicking
Many Windows users prefer to open
programs using a single-click, rather than
a double-click. But if youre sharing a PC
with someone who prefers to double-
click, then its useful to have a quick way
to switch between the two dierent
methods. GodMode oers an instant link
to this setting (youll nd it listed as
Specify single- or double-click to open)
under File Explorer Options (Windows
10) or Folder Options (Windows 7). For
even quicker access, use the right-click
trick we explained earlier (Tip 5) to add a
shortcut to the single- or double-click
setting to the desktop.
4 17 January 2017 53
 Computeractive
Bookstore
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THE ADVANCED GUIDE TO
WINDOWS 10
This 196-page
guide is packed
with expert
advice in plain
English, to help
you unlock
every hidden tool. Youll learn
how to customise Windows
10 so it works how you want
it to, and how to reverse
settings that Microsoft keeps
changing. Its also the ideal
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xes for every problem.
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 Windows GodMode

GET EVEN MORE FROM YOUR HARDWARE

10Fix problems with your
PCs memory
When a PC starts behaving erratically
crashing, freezing or showing the blue
screen of death, for example you can
run a somewhat obscure system tool
called Windows Memory Diagnostic.
Look under Administrative Tools in
GodMode and double-click Diagnose
your computers memory problems to
launch the tool, then click Restart now
and check for problems (recommended)
(see screenshot right).
Your PC will restart and carry out a
series of tests on your memory. Once
thats done, it will boot to Windows as
normal and show a report of any problems
identied. If you dont see a report, no
errors were detected. If you want to see
the report anyway, you can nd it in
Windows Event Viewer (see tip 14). If
errors are discovered, youll need to
replace the RAM in your PC. Check your
manufacturers instructions to nd out
what type of memory modules you need
before you buy (or see our Dont pay for
PC Repairs cover feature in Issue 483).
Click Restart
now and check
for problems
(recommended)
to test your PCs
memory
corner and work your way through the
various steps, using the sliders to change
gamma and colour settings when
prompted, and using your monitors
brightness and contrast settings to
improve the image further. Once youve
nished youll be able to compare your
current calibration to the previous one
and should notice a big dierence. Try another colour profile to see if this
If you tick the Start ClearType Tuner improves your display
option before clicking Finish, you can
also ne-tune the way text is displayed on screen, double-click Change advanced
your screen and improve its readability. colour management settings for displays,
Again, work your way through the steps, scanners and printers (in GodModes
selecting which text looks best to you Colour Management section). In the

11Calibrate your display

A poorly calibrated display can
each time you are prompted. window that opens, make sure your screen
is selected in the Device dropdown menu
make text hard to see, make photos less
photogenic and may cause you eye strain.
Windows has a screen-calibration tool,
12Improve your PC screens
colour settings
If your screen still doesnt look right after
at the top, then tick the Use my settings
for this device option. Now click Add
(bottom left), select a dierent prole to
with a direct link in GodMode simply calibrating it, it may be possible to improve try (see screenshot above), then click OK.
double-click Calibrate display colour in it using Windows Colour Management Highlight your new prole in the list and
the Display section. tool. This lets you select specially created click Set as Default Prole. If you decide
This launches a full-screen tool designed colour proles and assign them to your you dont like it, try another or select
to walk you through the process of devices, including your screen, printer your previous one in the list and click
making sure colours are accurate. Click and scanner. Set as Default Prole.
the Next button in the bottom-right To change the colour prole for your If you see an error message when
trying to select a prole, it may be for
12 MINI GODMODES YOU CAN USE a dierent type of device (such as a
printer), so try another. If you dont
You can create mini GodModes for on page 51. Here are twelve of the most see many proles listed when you
Windows tools you use frequently using useful ones. Copy the text from www. click Add, you may need to download
the folder-naming technique mentioned pastebin.com/raw/5NRGSE7M). additional ones. Adobe, for example,
has a few free International Color
Administrative Tools: GodMode.{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524153} Consortium (ICC) proles available at
AutoPlay: GodMode.{9C60DE1E-E5FC-40f4-A487-460851A8D915} www.snipca.com/22782. Click ICC
Backup and Restore: GodMode.{B98A2BEA-7D42-4558-8BD1-832F41BAC6FD} prole download for End Users, then
Default Programs: GodMode.{17cd9488-1228-4b2f-88ce-4298e93e0966} Accept, Proceed to Download and
Devices and Printers: GodMode.{A8A91A66-3A7D-4424-8D24-04E180695C7A} click Download Now. Save the le to
Display: GodMode.{C555438B-3C23-4769-A71F-B6D3D9B6053A} your PC and unzip it.
Ease of Access Center: GodMode.{D555645E-D4F8-4c29-A827-D93C859C4F2A} Back in the Colour Management tool,
Power Options: GodMode.{025A5937-A6BE-4686-A844-36FE4BEC8B6D} click the All Proles tab, then click Add
Programs and Features: GodMode.{7b81be6a-ce2b-4676-a29e-eb907a5126c5} and browse to your unzipped download.
Speech Recognition: GodMode.{58E3C745-D971-4081-9034-86E34B30836A} Open the RGB folder, press Ctrl+A to
System: GodMode.{BB06C0E4-D293-4f75-8A90-CB05B6477EEE} select all, then click Add. Now try
Troubleshooting: GodMode.{C58C4893-3BE0-4B45-ABB5-A63E4B8C8651} selecting a dierent prole again and you
should have more choices available.

4 17 January 2017 55
 Windows GodMode
13Choose a convenient time
to run maintenance tasks
Nowadays, many tasks needed to keep
your PC running smoothly, such as
installing updates, happen automatically.
The problem is that the default time
usually 2am isnt necessarily the most
convenient. Most PCs are switched o at
that time, so changing this to a time
when your computer is on, but not being
used, is more desirable.
In Windows 10 only, GodMode oers a
quick way to customise your maintenance
schedule. Double-click Change Automatic
Maintenance settings in GodModes
Security and Maintenance section, then
select the time you want from the Run
maintenance tasks daily at dropdown
menu. Tick the Allow scheduled
maintenance to wake up my computer at
the scheduled time option, then click OK.
14Check for hidden
PC health problems
Many Windows errors and alerts remain
hidden, unless you know how to access
the Event Viewer. To do this via GodMode
simply double-click View event logs
under Administrative Tools. Sadly, the
Event Viewers interface is unwieldy and
pretty impenetrable. But its still useful
when trying to diagnose what might be
stopping your PC working smoothly.
Click Windows Logs on the left, then
System to see a list of recorded events
errors, warnings and general information
dating back over several months. Scroll
through and click any agged as Error or
NEXT ISSUE On sale Wednesday 18 January
Why you shouldnt use
Windows security
Discover the best antivirus to install instead
Subscribe to Computeractive at www.getcomputeractive.co.uk
56 4 17 January 2017
Critical (see screenshot below). In the
lower pane youll see information about
the event, including an event ID, which
you can use in a Google search to help
diagnose your problems.
To nd something specic, such as the
Memory Diagnostic report we mentioned
earlier, click Windows Logs, System, then
Find, type a keyword and click Find Next.
15Find out how stable
your PC is
GodMode oers an alternative way to view
errors and other PC events. Open the
View reliability history tool in the Security
and Maintenance (Windows 10) or Action
Center (Windows 7) section of GodMode.
Warnings, program crashes, Windows
failures and other events will be displayed
in a chart showing how reliable your PC
has been over a particular period.
This is a handy way to gauge your PCs
stability over time, but it lacks the details
(including event ID codes) provided by
Event Viewer (see previous tip). You can,
however, click Save reliability history to
export all the events recorded to a le
that a technician may be able to use to
help diagnose your problem.
16password-reset
Create a
drive
Forgetting a password for a website is
annoying, but you can usually reset your
login by clicking the Forgot password?
(or similar) link. Forgetting the password
for your Windows account, however, isnt
as simple to x. To help, Windows oers
Solve PC
problems by
checking Event
Viewer for errors
and looking up
event ID codes
online
System Restore may need to be enabled on
Windows 10 PCs
the option to create a special password-
reset drive that you can use, should this
ever happen to you and GodMode
makes it easy to nd the required tool.
Insert a USB stick or SD card, then click
Create a password reset disk under User
Accounts and follow the instructions.
Select the drive and enter your current
password when prompted.
If you forget your password, insert this
reset disk and start your PC. Then click
the Reset password option on the login
screen and follow the steps. Note that in
Windows 8 and 10, this only works if
youre using a local account to log into
your PC. If you use a Microsoft account,
reset your password by following the
instructions at www.snipca.com/22783.
17Re-enable System Restore
Its always advisable to create a
system restore point before making any
big changes to your PC (including when
you install new software or tweak your
system settings). But System Restore isnt
the easiest tool to open, and Windows 10
leaves it disabled by default. To access it
quickly, click Create a restore point in
GodModes System section.
If youre using Windows 10, you may
see Protection listed as O. Click your
C drive, then click Congure and select
the Turn on system protection option
(see screenshot above). Use the slider to
tell Windows how much hard-drive space
to allow System Restore to use (we
suggest about 10 per cent), then click OK.
Now click Create, name your restore
point and click Create again.
ON SALE
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Is it worth the money?
IObit Uninstaller Free is Mike Plants go-to tool for removing unwanted apps and
software. So, would he be impressed when he paid for the Pro version?
IObit Uninstaller Pro
Format: Windows XP to 10
Website:
www.snipca.com/22843
Price: 19
Free trial period: N/A
T
hey say a tidy home means a tidy
mind, but could the clutter on a
computers hard drive say just as
much about a persons psyche? Well, I
hope not, because having taken a good
look at the state of my own hard drive, I
found it bloated with programs and apps
that I barely remember downloading
never mind plan to use again. Suitably
chastened, I began clearing out those
programs that are surplus to my needs.
Uninstalling multiple programs at a
time is a clunky process using Windows
alone, which is why Id always
recommend using IObit Uninstaller to
speed up the process. This time I decided
to go one better by buying IObit
Uninstaller Pro but would paying for it
make for a smoother experience still?
Spot the dierence
Well no, not really. Uninstaller Pro doesnt
actually add much to the comprehensive
software-removal tools already available
in the free version. Just about the
only dierence I could nd was the
Automatically delete leftovers of program
uninstalled by other uninstaller option
in the Settings menu (see screenshot
below). To nd it, click Options (the three
This option can only be activated if you buy the Pro version me. I was met with screaming
but IObit told us not to tick it!
...Pros Dependable software-removal, gets rid of
unwanted Windows 10 apps and browser toolbars
horizontal lines at the top-right), click
Settings and scroll down.
The problem is, the added setting
doesnt really do anything advantageous.
In fact, when I posted a question on
IObits forum asking whether the option
was worth ticking, a moderator told me
to leave it switched o. His reason?
Well, you might have noticed that some
programs uninstall the current version
before installing an update. Apparently,
if you tick the box theres a danger that
IObit Uninstaller will automatically
delete your programs settings when that
happens. That would be particularly
galling if youve gone to great pains to set
it up just as you like it in the rst place.
The hard sell
So, having found that IObit Uninstaller
Free was all I really needed to restore
order to my cluttered hard drive, I turned
my attention to what else comes in the
Pro version. Most of this has to do with
removing malware and adware from my
browsers. Like asking a doctor for a
second opinion, its good to have an
additional program take a
look at potential problem
browser add-ons. But IObit
Uninstaller didnt nd
anything that Malwarebytes
hadnt already removed.
I also found it irritating that,
having paid for Uninstaller Pro,
the program still tried to foist
IObits other programs on to
exclamation marks and
...Cons Pro version is little different to Free,
auto-removal option unnecessary, IObit advertising
You might have
paid for Uninstaller
Pro, but that wont
stop IObit trying
to scare you into
buying its other
programs
ANYTHING ELSE
I SHOULD KNOW?
If you do buy IObit Uninstaller Pro dont
be lulled into buying the Download
Insurance Service (4) and IObit
Backup CD (7.80). The former lets you
download the program for two years
after you purchase it; the latter is simply
a disc containing the program. Both are
unnecessary as you can download the
software directly from IObits website.
warnings about registry errors and
outdated drivers, when I clicked the
Action Center tab (see screenshot above).
The cure for which was surprise,
surprise to be found in IObits other
paid-for programs, such as Advanced
SystemCare and Driver Booster.
SO, IS IT WORTH IT?
No. IObit Uninstaller is still the program
we turn to when removing software.
The ability to queue multiple programs
to uninstall one after the other is, as
ever, essential and its great that the
latest version can remove Windows 10
apps as well as software. The free
version provides all the tools I need and
I was hard pressed to nd a useful
addition in the Pro version. Options to
remove malware and adware browser
add-ons are ne, but, like me, most
users will have other programs for
those purposes, making that Pro
feature redundant.
4 17 January 2017 57
 What software
will become free
in 2017?
Last year many programs became free to use. Features
Editor Mike Plant and the Computeractive team predict
which paid-for software will go gratis in 2017

W
e arent ones to look a gift
horse in the mouth here at
Computeractive, so
whenever previously paid-
for software becomes free, were usually
chomping at the bit. And 2016 was a
generous year in terms of programs losing
their price tag (see our box opposite). The
trend began in January with WhatsApp
waiving its annual subscription, and
continued all year. LastPass made some of
its features free in November.
So which programs, apps and services
are likely to follow suit in 2017, and what
is likely to happen with Windows 10?
Will it remain at its current price or will
Microsoft make it free again? Read on
for our predictions. Well revisit them
this time next year to see how many
we got right.
Dropbox Pro
Dropbox was once the
leading cloud-storage service,
but now Google Drive and
Microsofts OneDrive have
muscled into the picture.
How might Dropbox
respond? Well Id suggest by
upgrading all users to
Dropbox Pro (current cost:
79 a year or 7.99 a month).
Giving users 1TB (1000GB) of
data, which is Pros default, it
Wake up and smell the coffee, Dropbox 2 GB for free is
could once more reclaim top
not enough storage
spot and render OneDrive and
Google Drive (with their measly 15GB of comes with a paltry 2GB is the bare
free space) all but redundant. minimum it should consider.
If Dropbox cant bring itself to oer the Look out for our feature on getting the
full Pro package for free, more storage in most from free cloud-storage services in
the Basic account which currently our next issue out Weds 18 January.

Jonathan Parkyn, Computeractive writer:

Pinnacle Studio
For a long time, Pinnacle Studio (www.snipca.com/22814) was
one of the few programs Id happily pay good money for. It made
the complicated, unwieldy process of editing video relatively easy.
But then along came smartphone apps, such as GoPros Splice
(iOS, www.snipca.com/22816) and Quik (Android, www.snipca.
com/22815) and with them my need to buy Pinnacle Studio.
I doubt Im alone in having taken the decision to use these free
apps, and surely Pinnacles market share will be eroded further if
Microsoft really is (as is rumoured) developing a
new version of Windows Movie Maker its own
free video-editing tool.
There are already three versions of Studio: Pinnacle Studio is facing more competition than ever and will need to
Pinnacle Studio 20 (50), Pinnacle Studio 20 respond if Microsoft updates Movie Maker for Windows 10
Plus (80) and Pinnacle Studio 20 Ultimate
(100). My prediction is that either Pinnacle It will oer a basic selection of eects, leave the programs nicely
Studio will go free, or that a fourth version lets designed interface intact and oer an easy way for users to
call it Pinnacle Studio Free will be introduced. upgrade to one of the paid-for versions should they wish.

58 4 17 January 2017
 Jane Hoskyn, Computeractive writer:
Adobe Photoshop Elements
In 2017, paying for photo-editing software will be like buying
bottled air. Previously, enthusiastic amateur photographers like
myself had no choice but to cough up 80-plus for Photoshop
Elements (www.snipca.com/22807). But Adobes pricey
program has become the exception that proves a new rule:
go
good photo software costs nothing.
From the versatile app Pixlr to the brilliant
op
open-source program Gimp and the free
un
unlimited storage of Google Photos,
to
todays best photo tools are free. The
Photoshop Elements can turn frowns upside down, but is that still
la
latest example is Adobe itself, whose enough to justify its price?
fr
free app-only versions of Photoshop and
Li
Lightroom (www.snipca.com/22806) wont go free not with all those who do photos for a living still
share many features with their paying up. But Photoshop Elements has too many free rivals now.
desktop counterparts. I wouldnt be surprised to see it lose its price tag and gain adverts
The professional version of Photoshop within months.

Microsoft Oce
Could 2017 be the year when Oce
software is nally available for free? So
far Microsoft hasnt announced any plans
to release a new version of Oce
(currently 120) in 2017, but dont rule
out the possibility of a cut-down, free
version. From Microsofts perspective this
might make sense. Not only would it
maintain Oces market dominance
amid increasing competition from free
alternatives such as LibreOce, but it
might also draw in paying customers who
nd they need tools above and beyond
those in the free version. For me, Microsoft
Oce Free would have to be installable
software. The only current, free version of
Oce is Oce Online, but its too reliant
on a fast and stable internet connection
(which many people still dont have).
Dragon Naturally Speaking
Home Edition
Windows 10 oers plenty of options for
voice-to-text tasks basically, dictating
something out loud thats then transcribed
into a Word document as text (see Issue
491, page 61 for setup instructions). That
will put other voice-to-text programs
under pressure to lose their price tags. I
can see Dragon Home Edition (www.
snipca.com/22840) becoming free soon.
Dragon, currently 80, not only lets you
dictate documents, but also lets you
speak commands to search the web and
open programs.
Plex
I often wonder whether theres anyone
who actually pays for Plex because the
free version works awlessly. I use it to
stream videos from my PC to my tablet,
WHAT WENT FREE IN 2016?
WHATSAPP
www.whatsapp.com
Previously, new WhatsApp
customers had been oered a year-long
free trial and then had to pay 69p for each
year thereafter. Last January, WhatsApp
dropped that subscription fee, stating:
Many WhatsApp users dont have a debit
or credit card number and they worried
theyd lose access to their friends and
family after their rst year (www.snipca.
com/22809).
VOPT
www.snipca.com/22818
This long-standing hard-drive
defragger went free in February 2016
when its creator Barry Emerson died. Vopt
is widely considered one of the best tools
of its type due to its speed and how it can
be congured to run as your PC boots. For
more on how to use it see our Workshop
in Issue 484 (Page 40). At the time of
writing, its website (www.vopt.com) is
oine, but you can get the program by
going to the URL above then clicking the
Download@MajorGeeks link on the right.
NIK COLLECTION
www.google.com/nikcollection
Googles Nik, which became
free in March, is a collection of plug-ins
that enhances photo editors such as Paint.
net and Adobe Photoshop. It adds new
lighting lters and image eects that you
can use to manipulate your photos and
get that perfect nal image. See Issue
474, page 18 for instructions on using it.
SOFTPERFECT
FILE ACCESS MONITOR
www.snipca.com/22820
Ever wondered if anyones been
opening your les while your back was
turned? File Access Monitor provides
a detailed history of who read, wrote
and manipulated the les on your PC so
youll know who did what and when. As
recently as October the program cost
122, but now its completely free. Turn
to page 40 of Issue 490 for our easy-to-
follow Workshop.
LASTPASS
www.lastpass.com
The password manager had
been free for a while, but you were limited
to one device unless you paid $1 a
month. In November that restriction was
lifted and now you can use it to create
and store passwords and share them
across all your devices. Simply install
and sign into LastPass on any PC, tablet
or phone you own.
INSTAPAPER PREMIUM
www.instapaper.com
All Instapaper users were
upgraded to Instapaper Premium
free of charge in November, as will be
any newcomers to the service. This
means you no longer need to pay to
search for text within articles and
write unlimited notes. You also get
digests of up to 50 articles on your
Kindle. See our Workshop in Issue 490,
page 38.

4 17 January 2017 59
 What software will become free in 2017?

Sherwin Coelho, Technical Editor:

Stardock Fences
About four years ago my Windows 7 desktop PC was cluttered
with icons representing program shortcuts, documents and
downloaded les. I stumbled upon Stardock Fences (www.snipca.
com/22824) and instantly decided it was worth paying $10 (8)
for. It helped me clean up my desktop by organising icons into
neat, shaded areas called fences.
Fast forward to today and to my Windows 10 PC, where Ive
arranged my Start menu items into tidy sections, can search for
and nd anything on my PC in no time, and use virtual desktops
to launch several programs within their
Stardock Fences was free when it launched, and we think the
own workspaces. Combine these with desktop-tidier will go free again to encourage more people to use it
keyboard shortcuts and I can nd and open
almost anything in seconds. never felt the need to reinstall. Given how seamless Windows
What happened to Fences? Well, I 10 has become, I wouldnt be surprised if the program was made
uninstalled it during a PC spring clean and available for free just as it was when it launched in 2009.

my phone, my PlayStation 4, my TV and

to other PCs. Paying the extra 32 per
year to get a Plex Pass lets me download
videos to watch oine and enjoy
DVD-like extras. But as I only watch
videos that are already on my PC, I can
move them to my tablet anyway. To keep
the software attractive amid the hype
surrounding the similar Kodi, Plex might
make all these features available without
a subscription charge.

Windows 10
One of the biggest unknowns of 2017 is
Windows 10. Microsoft famously made its
operating system free for the rst 12
months, then slapped a 100 price tag on
it in August 2016. Will Windows 10 revert
to being free again in 2017? Im going to
go out on a limb and say yes. Microsoft
has plenty riding on Windows 10s future
success and needs more of us to take up
Daniel Booth, Editor: Dashlane Premium
www.dashlane.com/premium
There must have been much gnashing of
teeth at Dashlane when LastPass made it
free for users to share and sync unlimited
devices (see page 59). Previously, both
services charged for that perk, although
the price dierence was big: LastPasss
Will Dashlane join rival LastPass in offering
syncing across unlimited devices for free?
We cant imagine many people buy a Plex Pass, which is why we expect to see it go free in 2017
its latest operating system and spend
money in its app store.
And when might Windows 10 go gratis?
Id suggest to coincide with the upcoming
Creators Update due in Spring. See Issue
$12 a year compared with Dashlanes
$39.99 (around 32). If Dashlane seemed
expensive then, it looks extortionate now.
To stay competitive, Dashlane needs to
copy LastPass and make unlimited usage
free. The logic is simple: it would attract
thousands more users, some of whom
would buy more advanced tools. We
certainly need Dashlane or another
password manager to make unlimited
sharing free so users can have a decent
alternative to the market-leading LastPass.
My bet is that having noticed how much
press attention LastPass received when it
went free, Dashlane will go for something
similar. I hope so. Its easier to use than
LastPass, and deserves more users.
491, page 58, for more information on
what Microsoft is planning for your PC.
Free! Whats the catch?
PC users are justiably cautious when it
comes to downloading free software.
Surely theres a catch. In the worst-case
scenario you might be inviting malware
or worse on to your PC.
Comments from users on Instapapers
blog post (www.snipca.com/22837)
announcing that its premium software
was now free highlighted these
suspicions: Whats the catch? Theres
always a catch, and Does that mean
that development on Instapaper will slow
to a crawl? were typical responses.
Instapaper pointed out that the product
has gone free because the company has
built up sucient customer numbers
and income from alternative sources to
maintain the software without people
having to pay for it. This business model
is becoming more popular among
software developers, which is great news
for all of us.

60 4 17 January 2017
Your most popular
programs of 2016
We recommended dozens of programs in 2016,
but which were the most popular with you
and your fellow readers? Heres your top 10
A
s you will have noticed, every
issue of Computeractive
(including this page) is peppered
with URLs that begin www.snipca.com.
This lets us simplify long, convoluted
website addresses to make it easier for
you to access the online content you want
just type the snipca into your browsers
address bar to go directly to that website.
The other advantage of using Snipca is
that we can keep track of how many
people click each link, so that we can
continue covering the sorts of things that
most interest you. Here are your top 10
most popular programs of 2016, based on
those Snipca clicks.
1 AdwCleaner
www.snipca.com/21594
AdCleaner is our readers most-used
program for the third year in a row,
proving that adware remains one of the
biggest concerns around. We use it all
the time to make sure any program we
recommend wont install junk during
its installation process. See Best Free
Software, Issue 484, for information on
the latest version (6.0).
2 PrivaZer
www.snipca.com/20645
Junk is the scourge of all modern-day PC
users, which explains why another
cleaning program has proved so popular
with you. PrivaZer removes over 100
types of junk les, including broken
shortcuts, les left behind by uninstalled
2015: TOP 10
1 AdwCleaner 7 Malwarebytes
2 Autoruns for Anti-Rootkit
Windows Beta
3 Google Earth 8 Reason Core
Pro Security
4 PC Decrapier 9 IObit
5 Belarc Uninstaller
6 SlimDrivers 10 CCEnhancer
programs, and remnants of Windows
upgrade les. See our Workshop in
Issue 477 (page 35).
3 BootRacer
www.snipca.com/21437
Waiting for a PC to boot is infuriating,
so anything that speeds up the process
is a godsend. BootRacer lets you set the
order that startup items boot in and
measure how much time youve saved.
See our Workshop, Issue 483, page 35.
4 10AppsManager
www.snipca.com/19259
This year Windows 10 became the
operating system of choice for hundreds
of millions of people, including many
of you. Of course, Microsoft doesnt
always get it right, so its a good thing
that programs like 10AppsManager can
remove those countless apps none of
us will ever use. See our Uninstall
Windows 10 Apps cover feature,
Issue 468, page 53.
5 Windows Repair Toolbox
www.snipca.com/20768
Swiss army knives arent popular because
of any one tool, but because they are a
useful collection of tools. Windows
Repair Toolbox is very much the same
and proved popular with our readers
precisely because it bundles all kinds of
solutions into one handy interface. See
our Workshop in Issue 478, page 35.
6 UltraDefrag
www.snipca.com/19324
It would seem that many of you made a
New Year resolution last January to speed
up your PCs, because our UltraDefrag
Workshop (Issue 468, page 40) proved
very popular. UltraDefrag not only
restores order to your hard drives ling
system, but does it faster than any
other similar program. Dont use it if
your PC has an SSD itll do more
harm than good.
NUMBER
1
7 Auslogics Browser Care
www.snipca.com/19847
We all know that too many extensions
will slow and even stall your browser.
But some extensions can become so
integrated with your browser they end up
being dicult to shift. Auslogics Browser
Care takes the pain out of removing
unwanted extensions. However, it now
comes stued with more PUPs than
Battersea Dogs Home (see page 10).
8 EaseUS Todo Backup Free
www.snipca.com/21134
With ransomware and other kinds of
malware an ever-present threat, use this
program to back up your documents,
photos, music les and videos with
minimum fuss, so that you can restore
them should hackers target you. It will
also get you out of trouble should your PC
suddenly break down. See our Workshop,
Issue 480, page 38.
9 4K Video Downloader
www.snipca.com/21942
One of our most popular pieces in 2016
was our Download for free Cover
Feature in Issue 486 (page 50). 4K Video
Downloader proved to be the most
popular program we recommended in
that feature. It lets you download
high-quality video, audio and subtitles
from YouTube so you can enjoy its
content when youre oine.
10 TDSSKiller
www.snipca.com/19854
Rootkits are a particularly nasty type of
malware that hide deep inside your
computer. Antivirus software will often
overlook them, but not Kasperskys
TDSSKiller. It specialises in removing
rootkits and should be run at least
once a month. See Issue 471, page 56,
to read more, and turn to page 50 of
this issue to read about the security
threats you need to know about
in 2017.
4 17 January 2017 61
 Problems Solved
PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT
Can I dual boot with Windows XP?
A long shot but is it still
Q possible to dual boot a
Windows 7 computer with
Windows XP? I know Microsoft has
ended support for XP, and wants
everyone to move from 7 to 10, but I
avoided the upgrade to 10 because
Im happy with 7. I have recently
obtained an old copy of XP that Id
like to set up to dual boot with
Windows 7. I have no idea where to
start or even if its safe. So, how do
I set up a dual-boot Windows 7/XP
system, and will I be putting my
computer at risk by doing so?
Frederick Groom
Well answer your last
A question rst. Yes, theres
some risk in running
Windows XP. In theory at least, unxed
security aws could allow hackers to
access your computer and the
damage wont necessarily be restricted
to the XP side of the system. You can
minimise the risks by installing up-to-
date security software on the XP
system, but the dangers will only grow
over time, because Microsoft is
ocially done with repairing XP.
With that clear, heres how to set up
your dual-boot system. First, back up,
just in case something goes wrong, and
read through and digest our
instructions before beginning. Press
Windows key+R, type
diskmgmt.msc and press
Enter. If your PC has just
one hard drive youll need
to free up some space for
an XP partition, so
right-click drive C and
choose Shrink Volume. In
the Enter the amount of
space to shrink in MB
box, type a gure and
then click Shrink. XP
needs at least 1.5GB for
installation, but you want
to allow it 10GB, say, then You can use EasyBCD to complete the process of setting up
type 10240 because a dual-boot system for Windows 7 and XP
64 4 17 January 2017
Windows calculates 1GB as 1024MB.
Soon, to the right of C, youll see a
new partition labelled Unallocated:
right-click this and choose New Simple
Volume, and work through the
instructions, clicking Next at each box.
At the third box, set NTFS as the le
system, type a name for the partition
(like Windows XP) and ensure that
Perform a quick format is ticked,
then click Next followed by Finish.
Now boot your PC from the Windows
XP disc to begin the installation. When
asked, choose the partition just created
and work through to complete the
installation. When nished, your PC
will restart and launch straight into XP.
To x that you need to restore the
Windows 7 boot loader, which has
been overwritten by XPs.
Visit www.snipca.com/22596 to
download EasyBCD (its free, but you
need to supply your name and email
address). Launch EasyBCD, click BCD
Deployment (see screenshot), select the
Install the Windows Vista/7 bootloader
to the MBR button and then click
Write MBR. Now click Add New Entry,
open the Type dropdown menu and
choose Windows NT/2k/XP/2003.
Type Windows XP in the Name box and
click Add Entry. Now reboot and you
will have a dual-boot system that
displays a menu oering a choice of
operating systems.
Why wont
4K Video
Downloader work?
Q
I have been getting
Computeractive since it began,
all those years ago. As per the
advice in Issue 486s cover feature, I
installed 4K Video Downloader and at
rst it worked as you said it would.
However, when I try to use it to
download videos from websites other
than YouTube, I get an error message
telling me that the site is unsupported.
What am I doing wrong?
Steve Oliver
Nothing, as such but
A 4K Video Downloader (www.
snipca.com/21942) is designed
for use only with YouTube. We did
mention that fact in our article, so
perhaps you misunderstood its scope.
VideoDownloadHelper lets you download
videos from almost any website
However, there are ways to download
videos from almost any website,
though you need to be careful not to
break the law. Video DownloadHelper,
for example, is a browser extension
that works with Chrome and Firefox
and its a free download from www.
downloadhelper.net.
Once installed, visit a website that
hosts videos and then click the Video
DownloadHelper toolbar button to see
a list of downloadable videos. If the list
is empty, click the play button on a
video of interest and then try again.
Then, alongside the video you want,
click the right-facing arrow, followed
by Download (see screenshot). Now
choose the destination for the
downloaded video and click Save
and thats all there is to it.
Our experts solve all your tech problems
Email us your problem and well try to help: noproblem@computeractive.co.uk
How do I move my BT address from Yahoo?
Issue 488s article on ditching
Q Yahoo was interesting, and Id
like to do this. Unfortunately, it
didnt answer a particular need I have
before making the move. I do already
have a Gmail account, but it lies unused,
and that is because Im unprepared to
ditch my current email address its on
all my business cards and elsewhere, and
I really need to be able to keep it going.
Its an old BT address, ending in
@btinternet.com, and for which Im still
paying BT a notional amount each month
to keep alive. Is there any way that I can
ditch Yahoo and move to Gmail (or
indeed elsewhere) while keeping my
current email address active?
Dr Nick Corcos
The advice in our feature is still
A useful to you but we can
understand why you didnt
realise that, as we were talking
specically about Yahoo accounts and
Yahoo email addresses.
Your confusion arises because of the
fact that for a long while BT used Yahoo
How do I stop this
Outlook message?
My Outlook.com account has
Q been upgraded with a new
look. I can take or leave it,
though it seems Microsoft insists I take
it. Ill put up with that but along with
the new look Microsoft has taken it
upon itself to add Sent from Outlook
to the bottom of every message I send. I
nd that really annoying, especially as
many of the messages I send are very
short making this interloping text
stand out all the more. I can delete it
but I dont want to have to do this
every time. Is there a way to remove it
automatically, or stop it appearing in
the rst place?
Judy Porter
What youre talking about is
A known as an email signature
and yes, you can remove it (or
@btinternet.com email address is in no
You can switch an old BT Yahoo email account
to another provider via Windows 10s Mail app
as the provider for its own email service,
which was called BT Yahoo Mail. Like the
real Yahoo, BT Yahoo Mail users could
access their messages via a webmail
interface from Yahoo. However, the email
addresses used BTs @btinternet.com
domain, not @yahoo.com or @yahoo.co.
uk. We assume at some point you ceased
being a BT customer, which is why youre
now paying to keep the email address
change it to a message of your own
choosing, if you prefer). To do this, at
the top-right of the Outlook.com window
click the cog icon and then choose
Options. Now, in the left-hand pane,
click to expand Mail followed by Layout
and then select Email signature.
alive the company charges 5 a month
for this service.
The good news for you is that your
way tied to Yahoo or even the defunct BT
Yahoo Mail service. The replacement for
BT Yahoo Mail is called simply BT Mail,
but BT Yahoo Mail is still referenced on
the login page and that probably didnt
help your understanding of the situation.
So, you can actually take your paid-for
@btinternet.com email address anywhere
you want, whether its Gmail or Outlook
or some other email tool, as per 488s
feature. You might need BTs server
details, which youll nd at www.snipca.
com/22630, but many tools automate the
setup process. In Windows 10s Mail app,
for instance, just click the Settings cog,
followed by Manage Accounts, then Add
account. Now click Other account, type
your full email address and password and
Mail will do the rest (see screenshot).
Outlook Mail gives
you the option to
alter the signature,
or delete it
altogether
Finally, in the right-hand pane,
untick both boxes or delete the
message in the editing frame (see
screenshot). Alternatively keep one
or both boxes ticked and edit the
message to say what you want it to
say, and then click Save.
4 17 January 2017 65
 Problems Solved
How do I hide
my name on
Amazon?
Ive been buying products
Q from Amazon for years, but
only recently left my rst
review. To be honest, this was mainly
because the item in question was a
bit rubbish, and I wanted to warn
other shoppers. However, I didnt
realise that this would go up with
my real name. Its not a massive
problem because I dont really care
what people think anyway, but Id
still rather not have my real or full
name attached to this review, or
others I might leave. Is there any
way to leave reviews on Amazon
with a pseudonym, or at least
without my surname?
Michael Delaney
Weve changed your
A surname here also, because
you asked us to.
To do the same in Amazon, log in
as normal and then, at the top-right,
click the Your Account link. Now
scroll down to the Personalisation
section and then, under the
Community heading, click Your
Public Prole. Near the middle of the
page, click the Edit prole button.
In the Edit prole tab, simply edit
the name in the Your public name
eld (see screenshot). Finally, scroll
down to the bottom to nd and then
click the Save button.
Incidentally, this change aects
both old and new reviews, so the
name displayed on your existing
review will be altered accordingly.
Change your public name in Amazons
page settings to conceal your identity
66 4 17 January 2017
Why are my Adobe Reader icons so big?
Ive had a Windows 7 PC for not a big problem but it is annoying, and
Q ages but recently swapped Id just like to have more screen space
it for a new Windows 10 laptop.
This all works ne but when I double-
instead of this row of giant buttons. Do
you know why this is happening, and
click to read PDF les in Adobe Reader, how to x it?
the icons in Reader are enormous. Its Claire Clarke
Its happening
A because you have
an option set in
Reader that magnies the
size of both the toolbar, and
the icons it displays. Normally
this is set to automatic, but f
or some reason thats not the
case with your installation.
To x it, open the Edit
menu, then choose
Preferences. Now, in the Basic
Tools section, look at the Scale
for screen resolution (restart
required) dropdown menu.
Our guess is that this will be
set at 200 per cent, thus
doubling the normal size
of the icons.
Click the menu, choose
Auto-Detect (see screenshot),
You can adjust the display size of icons in Adobe Reader by then scroll to the bottom and
changing the option in Scale for screen resolution click OK. Now restart your PC.
What are these Windows 10 images?
What I nd very
Q curious about my
Windows 10 laptop is
that at startup, before I get to
see the normal screen, I see a
picture of some rocks with
wooden walkways. Before the
last upgrade the image it
showed was of a wooded valley
with a house in the distance. I
have no idea what Microsoft is
up to do you?
Mike Bowthorpe
Yes, this is just
A Windows 10s lock
screen. You click Choose a new picture for your lock-screen image, or pick
(or tap and swipe up) to move one of your own photos, in the Personalisation settings
on to the login screen, and
then the Windows desktop. By Lock screen. Under Background,
default, the images are supplied by click to open the dropdown menu
Microsoft and regularly rotated. and then choose Picture (see screenshot).
To customise what you see, click Now choose one of the displayed images,
Start, followed by Settings, and then or click Browse and choose one of
Personalisation, followed by your own.
How can I stop my iPhones controls
hiding automatically?
My old Samsung phone died
Q so my husband upgraded his
iPhone 5 to an iPhone 7, and
then gave me the 5. Im getting on okay
with it, but when I scroll through a
website in the web browser both the
address bar at the top and the back/
forward controls at the bottom
disappear. To get them back I have
to scroll back up a bit, which I nd
really annoying.
Ive had a good look through the
settings but cant nd any way to stop
this behaviour. Am I missing something?
Hazel Curtis
Youre not missing anything:
A this behaviour is built into Safari
(the iPhones web browser), and
Can I switch
my Windows 10
hard drive to a
new laptop?
My Windows 10 laptop
Q recently went blank and it
made me realise that all my
backups would be useless with a
broken screen. The display xed itself
but I worry how I would get over this
problem. Would it be feasible to have
the same model of laptop as a standby,
and simply put the hard drive from the
old laptop into the new one and boot
up normally. Would this work?
Paul Davies
It might work with the exact
A same laptop make and model,
but theres a major caveat. We
assume your current Windows 10
laptop had the operating system pre-
installed, so itll be covered by whats
known as an Original Equipment
Manufacturer (OEM) licence.
Microsofts licensing terms (www.
snipca.com/22652) are complex but the
essence is that an OEM is tied to a
specic device. If you put the old hard
drive in an identical new machine, the
licence would be invalid because while
you cant change it. The intention
is to make the whole screen available
for website viewing.
However, there are a few tricks
you can use to reduce the annoyance
that this causes you. For starters,
theres no need to scroll up to bring
the controls back into view. Instead,
just tap at the very top of the browser
window. Incidentally, if you tap here a
second time, Safari will automatically
scroll to the top of the current website.
In addition, you can swipe to navigate
backwards and forwards through your
website history. To go back to the last
page you visited, for example, from the
very right-hand side of the screen swipe
left; or swipe right from the very left-
hand side to go forwards.
Tap the top or bottom of a Safari web page to
make the address bar and controls reappear
Microsofts complex licensing terms dictate that software is tied to a specific device
valid licence. If Windows did detect
the change, itd demand reactivation
and Microsoft would probably
decline that request.
If the display does eventually
break, then connecting an external
monitor would allow you to
continue using the machine. But
that doesnt mean your backups
If your laptop screen breaks, connect a monitor to would be useless. Even if your laptop
continue using it broke, your backups would allow
you to restore the data they contain
the components would be technically the to a new machine. You could keep a
same, the actual device would not. So, laptop on standby for that scenario, or
while Windows 10 might not actually just buy a replacement if or when the
detect the change, you wouldnt have a actual need arises.
4 17 January 2017 67
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ANTIVIRUS TESTS

? Whatever happened to WordPerfect?
WordPerfect, and its
Q companions Quattro Pro
(spreadsheet) and Paradox
(database), were my favourite oce
programs for many years, both at the
start and subsequently after Corel took
them over. My wife and I even used
DOS WordPerfect. She used it in an
oce environment back in the early
90s, where it was considered to be the
best word-processor available and
oered some important facilities,
which the emerging Word from
Microsoft didnt.
I still have the Windows version on
my XP computer, and it works well.
What became of the excellent
WordPerfect and why did it, and its
oce suite companions, fail?
John Hale
The story of WordPerfects
A eclipse mirrors that of several
other programs that weve
covered in this section. During the
90s it failed to keep up with the
What broadband speed will I get?
BT says it has oered to increase
Q my broadband speed to 52Mbps.
My current average is around
8Mbps, though it varies. If everybody in
my area except me upgraded to 52Mbps
would my speed increase? Or would
upgrading to the 52Mbps package
denitely improve my speed?
Aled Williams
We could devote an entire
A feature to exploring all
the factors involved
but, in brief, if literally everyone
else in your street moved to
the 52Mbps package then your
speed might increase a bit; and
if you switch to the 52Mbps
package it will probably
increase a lot.
To understand why you need
to know a little about the
underlying technology that
delivers the broadband internet
signal rst to your nearest street
cabinet and then to your house. When BT upgrades its street cabinets from copper to
Running between your local fibre-optic cables, local broadband speeds are improved
Problems Solved
development and promotion of Microsoft
Oce. By the turn of the century,
Microsofts suite had pretty much
conquered all the big-name oce suites
to emerge as the commercial victor.
One crafty strategy that Microsoft
employed was to make early Windows
versions of Word able to recognise the
most popular WordPerfect keyboard
shortcuts: this made it far easier for
WordPerfect users to make the shift to
Microsofts alternative.
However, this is the rst Whatever
happened to? with the twist of a
happy ending. The WordPerfect brand
name and products were passed
from pillar to post, and you rightly
remembered that it ended up with
Corel and in fact its still there, alive
and kicking. Indeed, the suite is being
actively developed, with the most
recent version WordPerfect Oce x8
being released in April 2016.
The Home & Student Edition costs
92.99, and includes Quattro Pro. If you
want Paradox then youd need to buy the
telephone exchange and street cabinet
are old-fashioned copper wires and, in
many cases now, bre-optic cables
dubbed bre to the cabinet (or FTTC).
The much-shorter connection between
the cabinet and your house is almost
certainly copper, though a few homes
have been upgraded with bre bre
to the premises (FTTP).
Copper broadband signals deteriorate
with distance, and the maximum speed
youd ever be likely to get over an
No need to mourn WordPerfect Office its
still around, and this year upgraded to X8
Professional version, which sells for
269.99. Theres also an Upgrade
Edition of the latter that goes for
133.99: if you retain an earlier edition
of WordPerfect, youd be eligible for
this deal.
Want to know what happened to your
favourite program, website or technology?
Email noproblem@computeractive.co.uk
all-copper connection is around 24Mbps.
Fibre signals dont suer the same
problem so with less copper in the way,
FTTC means higher speeds. Your cabinet
has been upgraded to support FTTC,
hence BTs new oer. You might not see
52Mbps often or at all but, for the reasons
explained, it should be better than your
all-copper 8Mbps experience.
If everyone but you switched to the
52Mbps FTTC package, your all-copper
speeds would probably increase because
thered be less contention for total
all-copper bandwidth available from
the cabinet.
ON SALE
NEXT ISSUE Weds
18 Jan
Whats going on with my
iPad storage?
How do I size images
consistently in Word?
How do I access my PCs BIOS?
...And many more
Subscribe to Computeractive
at getcomputeractive.co.uk
4 17 January 2017 69
 Fast Fixes
Firefox
Fix insecure connection
error message
If when trying to open a website in
Firefox you see a Your connection is not
secure error message, it means the
websites security certicate is not
recognised by Firefox and therefore not
trusted. You should take the warning
seriously because the website may
contain malware. If you think the site is
safe, you can check using Qualys website
test page: www.ssllabs.com/ssltest. If you
get the all-clear, you can force Firefox to
load the website. Click Advanced and
youll see one of two options: to load the
site using Outdated Security or to Add
Exception (see screenshot below). Click
the option you see and Firefox will now
load the website.
Allow a blocked website to open by making it
exempt from Firefoxs security filter
Fix recurring Your connection is
not secure error
Even having carried out the previous x,
you may continue to see the Your
connection is not secure error message
when attempting to access websites you
know are secure (for example, www.
google.co.uk or www.youtube.com). This
is probably caused by conicts with your
antivirus (AV) software. Avast, Bitdefender,
Bullguard, ESET and Kaspersky all have
HTTPS-scanning features that have been
known to clash with Firefox. You can
switch these o in your AVs settings.
In Kaspersky, for example, click Settings,
Additional, then Network. Scroll down to
the Encrypted connections scanning
section and tick Do not scan encrypted
connections (see screenshot above right),
then click Continue when prompted.
70 4 17 January 2017
Fix Your connection is not secure errors,
stop Firefox clashing with your rewall
and solve password-saving problems
Turn off Encrypted connections scanning in
your AV to stop it conflicting with Firefox
Avast users should turn o Enable
HTTPS Scanning; in Bitdefender switch
o Scan SSL; in Bullguard untick Show
safe results; in ESET disable and re-
enable SSL/TLS protocol ltering.
If the problem persists, you could
also try uninstalling your AV before
reinstalling it. This should force Firefox to
place your AV into its store of trusted
programs, therefore preventing any
further conicts. Check the manual of
your particular AV to nd out how to
properly uninstall it.
Incorrect location shown
Popular websites like BBC Weather and
Google Maps rely on knowing your
location so they can instantly provide you
with local information. If websites arent
using your correct location, make sure
youre not using a VPN that might be
disguising your location. If you arent, try
deleting Firefoxs cached web content
and cookies to reset location data for
those websites.
Click Firefoxs menu button (the three
lines at the top right), Options, then
Advanced (on the left). Click the Network
tab, then the Clear Now button in the
Cached Web Content section. To clear
stored cookies, click Privacy and clear
your recent history. When the pop-up
window opens, select Everything from
the Time range to clear dropdown
menu, then click Clear Now.
No websites will display
If Firefox suddenly stops displaying any
website, then assuming your router and
phone line are working properly the
problem is probably caused by your
rewall, especially if its been recently
updated. If youre not certain which
rewall is running on your PC, you can
nd out by using EnumProcess. Go to
www.snipca.com/22800, scroll to the
bottom of the page and click the
EnumProcess 1.2.1 link. Double-click
the download, then click Run to see a
window listing the rewall thats running
on your PC (see screenshot below).
With this knowledge youll be able to
search online for information on how to
congure that rewall to allow Firefox
to access the internet.
Use EnumProcess to find out the name of the
firewall on your PC
Usernames and passwords
wont save
Firefox sometimes fails to save your
usernames and passwords for websites
you visit. This is due to the Password
Manager settings. Click the menu button,
Options, Security, then tick Remember
passwords for sites. Next, click the
Exceptions button (to the right of
Remember passwords for sites) and
check that the site youre trying to log
into isnt listed. If it is, click the entry to
select it and click Remove.
THE FINAL FAST FIXES
Weve decided to shake up Fast Fixes
from next issue. Well use the page to
address specic problems you have
with the programs we featured in recent
issues whether thats in Workshops,
features, Best Free Software or
anywhere else in the magazine. Simply
send any questions you may have to
editor@computeractive.co.uk. Well aim
to publish solutions to as many of your
queries as possible.
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In the next issue of our sister title

Web User...
FAKE SOFTWARE YOU MUST NEVER USE
Avoid the programs that look real, but arent

IS YOUR HARD DRIVE ABOUT TO DIE?

Health-check tips to keep it working

DISABLE YOUR FORGOTTEN ACCOUNTS

So sites dont keep using your personal data

PLUS
STOP YOUR HOME SPYING ON YOU
Smart TVs, webcams, routers
theyre all at it!

NEW
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72 5 - 18 August 2015
www.snipca.com/19697
Jargon Buster
32bit A measure of how much
information a computer can
process at once. Most older
computers are 32bit.
4G Technology that delivers faster
mobile broadband.
4K Video with a resolution of at
least 3840x2160 pixels.
64bit A technology that processes
information in larger chunks. Most
modern computers are 64bit.
Accelerometer A sensor that
detects movement. Used in
phones to determine portrait or
landscape orientation.
AMOLED Active-Matrix Organic
Light-Emitting Diode. An
alternative technology to LCD for
creating at-panel displays.
Aperture An opening that controls
the amount of light entering a
camera lens.
Architecture A set of rules
and methods that govern how
hardware and software work.
Benchmarking Comparing
software and products with an
accepted standard.
Beta A version of software thats
being tested.
Cache A temporary space for
storing information.
Calibration The process of
checking that colours are accurate
on a monitor.
Client A program used to access
and manage email.
Contention ratio The maximum
number of customers that at
any one time can connect to
an internet service providers
network.
Cookie A small text le stored on
your computer by a website.
CPU Central Processing Unit.
Another term for a computer
processor.
Crowdfunding A process where
a company gets the nancing
to launch a new product from
prospective customers online.
Bust more jargon in our A-Z book: www.snipca.com/21616
CUDA Compute Unied Device
Architecture. A system built by
Nvidia to increase computing
performance.
Daisy-chained A wiring system
in which multiple devices are
connected together in sequence.
Dark net Websites that can only
be accessed using specic privacy
networks.
Defragger Software that
reorganises data on a hard drive so
les can be accessed quickly.
DirectX A Microsoft technology
required to run many games in
Windows.
Driver A le that tells Windows
how to work with a peripheral
device, such as a mouse.
DSLR Digital single-lens reex. A
digital camera that uses a moving
mirror so its viewnder looks out
through the lens.
Dual boot To set up a PC with two
operating systems.
Emoji An icon showing a facial
expression, such as a smile.
Extension A program that adds
extra features to your browser.
Firewall Software or hardware
that prevents unauthorised access
to a computer over a network.
Firmware Basic software stored
on a device to control its operation.
GPU Graphics Processor Unit.
A chip designed to create 3D
graphics.
Graphics card A component in a
computer that produces the image
shown on the monitor.
HTTPS Hyper Text Transfer
Protocol Secure. The secure
version of HTTP.
IP address Internet Protocol
Address. A unique set of numbers
used to identify computers and
websites on the internet.
IPS A screen technology that
provides wider viewing angles
and better, more accurate-looking
colours.
ISO The light sensitivity of a
camera. Higher ISO numbers allow
you to shoot without ash.
LED Light-Emitting Diode. An
electronic device that emits light.
M.2 A standard specication for
internal PC expansion cards.
Megapixel A measure of the
amount of detail that can be
recorded by a digital image.
Memory module A narrow circuit
board that holds memory chips.
MicroSD A small type of memory
card. Can be converted to SD size
using an adapter.
MicroUSB A miniature version of
USB, often found on smartphones,
tablets and portable hard drives.
Oled Organic light-emitting diode.
A thin-lm organic light-emitting
diode used in PC and TV screens.
Open source Software that can
be modied by anyone.
OpenCL A programming standard
that can be used across multiple
platforms.
OpenGL A programming standard
used for work such as 3D modelling.
Overclocking Making a processor
work faster at the cost of it
requiring more power.
Partition A large hard drive can be
split into two or more partitions or
virtual drives.
Proof of concept Showing how
a system can be hacked without
building malware to do so.
PUP Potentially Unwanted
Program. A program that may
not be desired, despite the user
consenting to it being downloaded.
Plug-in A small program that
adds extra features to software or
to your web browser.
RAM Random-access memory.
The computers working area.
Ransomware Malware run by
hackers who lock les on your
PC and demand a payment to
release them.
Rootkit Software that gives a
malicious user administration
rights and access to a computer.
Safe Mode A way of starting
Windows so that various programs
are prevented from working.
Scaling How operating systems
display text from dierent programs
to make it readable on screen.
SD card Secure Digital card. A
popular type of memory card.
Security certicate A le used to
verify the identity of the company
running a website.
S/PDIF Sony/Philips Digital
Interface. A standard for
transferring digital audio
information between devices.
sRGB A standard RGB colour
space for use on monitors,
printers and the internet.
SSD Solid-state drive. Storage
that, unlike a hard drive, uses no
moving parts.
Subwoofer A special type of
speaker designed to reproduce
deep bass sounds only.
System restore point The
collection of system les stored by
System Restore on a given date.
Thunderbolt 3 A very fast port for
connecting external storage to a PC.
Trac management The practice
of ISPs restricting download and
upload speeds to ensure everyone
gets a stable connection.
Transcoding To convert les
between formats.
USB 2.0/3.0 Faster successors
to USB.
USB Type-C A new connector
thats reversible.
Virtual desktop A desktop you
can expand beyond the physical
connes of your PCs screen.
VPN Virtual private network. A
technology for keeping all internet
communication safe and private.
ZIP le A le that can contain
compressed documents or les.
4 17 January 2017 73
 The Final Straw
This issue Ken Rigsby doesnt want to spend any dough on
Fake freebies
T
hey say theres no such thing as a
free lunch, but I know that cant be
true because just before Christmas,
coincidentally at around lunchtime, I was
passing my local Pizza Express. There, in
the window, I saw a poster oering Free
Snowball Dough Balls. All I had to do
was head inside, holler Free Snowball
Dough Balls to a sta member and Id
walk out with free Snowball Dough Balls.
And do you know what? It worked!
The only catch was that the event was
being staged for charity, so the waiter
suggested I throw a few coppers into his
collection bucket. Admittedly, the grump
inside my head began to say: Well,
charity begins at home, so... but then
the Christmas spirit got the better of me
and I dropped a shiny 20p piece in the
pot. So I acquired my box of steaming,
cinnamon-dusted treats for a price that is
almost as good as free.
To get free Wi-Fi just
provide your name,
address, marital status,
shoe size and first-
borns birth certificate
However, while Pizza Express might be
generous enough to enlarge my waist
with its genuine annual giveaway, there
are many other freebies that are nothing
of the sort particularly in the world of
technology. Take free Wi-Fi, for example.
In a rst for this column, my ire was
inspired by a readers own annoyance
74 4 17 January 2017
John Hills. He wondered whether I
shared his dismay about how the word
free is used and abused. And I do.
Take oers of free Wi-Fi, available
everywhere from high-street coee shops
and hotel chains to the backs of taxis and
coaches. All you have to do is supply your
name, address, marital status, income
level, shoe size and rst-borns birth
certicate. In exchange, youll get a few
minutes online while you sup your
overpriced hot beverage.
Or perhaps youll spend your cab ride
using Google Maps to gure out why the
driver seems to have a knack for nding
the longest trac jams, while his meter
merrily ticks over. But at least you got
some free Wi-Fi! Of course, the very next
day your inbox will be weighed down
with marketing spam, because that was
the hidden cost of the deal.
Another example is free apps. Have you
noticed that its now virtually impossible
to pay for a smartphone or tablet app?
You just cant move online for supposedly
free apps. But these giveaways are littered
with little catch-you-outs designed to
catch you out. Tap the wrong button at
just the wrong time which from the
perspective of the crafty developer, was
just the right button at just the right time
and youll end up with 1,000 free
Next issue Ken rips up his subscription software contracts
KEN RIGSBY is
Computeractives Mr Angry
in-game coins or the like. Thatll be 1,000
free coins supplied in a virtual wallet
priced in the very
small print at 79.99, give or take. Well,
okay, itll most likely be your kids or
grandchildren that fall for these shady
practices, but this isnt a joke.
In fact, its for just this kind of
behaviour that Amazon was recently
ordered by a US federal judge to pay
$26.5m in damages, because it was
making it too easy for unscrupulous
developers to fool kids into making
in-app purchases in many popular free
games. The rm was also told to issue
refunds to disgruntled parents who
between them found theyd been charged
upwards of $86m (about 68m at time of
writing, but who knows at time of
reading) by kids using these apps. You
can read the whole sorry story (for free!)
at www.snipca.com/22701.
So there you have it. The cost of free to
the likes of normal people like you and
me is $86m, while Amazon gets a rap
over the knuckles equivalent to around
0.007 per cent of its approximate $350bn
market worth. That, many would agree, is
as good as scot-free!
Which fake freebies do you hate?
Let us know at letters@computeractive.co.uk
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