STILL

ONLY
1.99
346 fake sites detected, eg: www.lloydstsbs.com
Avoid the scam p16
201177
JUNE 20
ISSUE 502 24 MAY 6

p40
SHRED THEM INSTEAD
ue
isssu
every is
Learn something new in (because hackers always
p49
I think, therefore I type look in your Recycle Bin)

1.99
Welcome
EDITORIAL
Group Editor Daniel Booth
Features Editor Mike Plant
Technical Editor Sherwin Coelho
From the Editor
Production Editor Graham Brown Im always asking my friends and relatives
Art Editor Katie Peat
Sorry, no technical or buying advice. which areas of computing they would like to
ADVERTISING know more about. Whenever one says of a
Group Ad Manager Charlotte Milligan
Deputy Advertising Manager Alexa Dracos
particular subject I just dont know where to
start, I make a mental note that Computeractive
MARKETING AND CIRCULATION
Subscriptions Rachel Hare could come to the rescue. Nothing befuddles
Marketing Production Manager Gemma Hills
For subscription enquiries ring 0330 333 9493
them more than the countless possibilities
provided by TV streaming. There seem to stream Sky to my tablet. Its all a long way from
PRODUCTION
Group Production Manager be more devices than programmes to watch the small black-and-white TV my parents had
Stephen Catherall
Production Controller
on them, and enough services to ll several back in the 1970s.
Maisie Harvey app stores. Daniel Booth
MANAGEMENT In this issue we aim to clear the confusion, editor@computeractive.co.uk
Managing Director John Garewal
MD of Advertising Julian Lloyd-Evans making it easier to choose whats best for you.
Commercial and Retail Director David Barker In case youre interested, I currently use a Roku PS: Im happy to say weve reduced the prices
CFO/COO Brett Reynolds
Chief Executive James Tye box and Google Chromecast, subscribe to (while stocks last) of our Kaspersky Reader
Company Founder Felix Dennis
Netix, watch programmes on Kodi, and Oer - see page 68 for details.
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Please contact Ryan Chambers for more p16 p40

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ONWARD RESALE
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Material may not be reproduced in any form
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Please address such requests to John Garewal,
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LIABILITY
While every care was taken preparing this
magazine, the publishers cannot be held
responsible for the accuracy of the information
or any consequence arising from it. All
judgments are based on equipment available
to Computeractive at the time of review.
Computeractive takes no responsibility for the
content of external websites whose addresses
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p42 p60
A DENNIS PUBLICATION
Computeractive is published
fortnightly by Dennis Publishing,
31-32 Alfred Place, London, WC1E 7DP.
Company registered in England. Material may
not be reproduced in whole or part without the
consent of the publishers. ISSN 1461-6211 w THIS ISSUE IN NUMBERS HOW TO USE
Average sales, Jan-Dec 2016, 83,856
8 years 150
SNIPCA URLs
copies per issue.
Prison sentence Number of new We use snipcas to turn long URLs that
Copyright Dennis Publishing Limited for cufflink themes available for are hard to type into ones that are
terrorist - p7 Windows 10 - p35 short and simple. They arent websites
themselves, which means they wont
be recognised if you type them into
10 Google. Instead, you need to type them
Typical compensation into your browser address bar, then
Computeractive for broadband press Enter. Doing this will take you to
Printed in the UK
failures - p14 the correct website.

24 May 6 June 2017 3

 Contents 24 May 6 June 2017 Issue 502

In this issue YO U R C O M P L E T E G U I D E T O

50 Complete guide to TV
streaming
Watch just about anything just about CO
anywhere with our plain-English FEA VER
TU
guide to the world of streaming P50 RE

58 Save space by shrinking

your files
Free hard-drive space running low?
Dont delete your les just make
them smaller

60
STREAMING
Make your PC do the
boring stuff
Dont keep carrying out the same
mundane jobs on your PC. We explain
how your computer can take the strain Everything you need to know and do in plain English

Shrink your files

p58

Get your
4 PC working
4
harder p60

In every iissue Temporary files:

a messy business
p74
6 News 33 Competition
Win a Kitvision Escape
11 Question of HD5W Action Camera
the Fortnight
Will Microsoft save us 49 Whats All the Fuss
from 1984? About? Brain-computer
interfaces
12 Letters
64 Problems Solved
14 Consumeractive
70 Reader Support
16 Protect Your Tech Your tech problems xed

18 Best Free Software 73 Jargon Buster

Windows 10 Download Tool
74 The Final Straw
30 Buy It! Temporary les

4 24 May 6 June 2017

 Subscribe
cribe
NOW!
W!
See page
ge 62
for our special
sp
subs offer

HP Pavilion Wave Reviews

p20
20 HP Pavilion Wave
Is it a PC? Is it a speaker? Sounds like it

21 Venturer PrimePro 12 TS
A tablet with Windows misses its
opportunity

22 Philips 276E7QDAB
PC monitor for the bigger picture

24 PC Specialist Apollo Zen

Professional-level PC puts power at
your ngertips

26 InstruMMents 01
Pen tool doesnt quite measure up

27 Google Wifi
Philips 276E7QDAB p22 Google Wifi p27 Cover your home with Wi-Fi

28 Samsung Galaxy S8
Samsungs phone oers a bigger
sc
screen and its a wrap

29 Under Armour
Sp
Sport Wireless Heart Rate
List
Listen to your heart with tness
ea
earphones

THE ADVANCED GUIDE

Workshops & Tips TO WINDOWS 10
14 pages of brilliant workshops and expert tips
ON SALE NOW!
35 Download best new 42 Sign into Microsoft
themes for Windows 10 without a password

38 Make a photo slideshow 43 Readers Tips

in HD Delay sending emails

40 Shred your files beyond 44 Phone and Tablet Tips

recovery Identify your W-Fis strengths

46 Make Windows Better

Save money on printing

47 Make Office Better

Change how you sign off in Outlook

48 Secret Tips For Kdenlive BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON

at www.snipca.com/21617

24 May 6 June 2017 5

 News
NHS hacked: world needs
a cyber police force
S ecurity experts
have called for
a global cyber
police force to ght the kind
of huge ransomware hack that
disrupted the NHS and
thousands of other business
and organisations worldwide.
Professor Mark Skilton of
Warwick Business School said
that an international eort
would help manage these
escalating threats with the
right level of specialist skills,
and that technology
companies shouldnt be left to
sort it out for themselves.
He said the scale of the
WannaCry attack showed
that we are in open full scale
war with the criminals.
Microsoft responded to the
attack, which targeted
computers running Windows
XP, by repeating its call for a
Digital Geneva Convention
to establish international
standards for ghting cyber
warfare.
Microsoft replaces Windows Movie Maker
Microsoft has nally
announced a replacement
for Windows Movie Maker,
which the company stopped
supporting in January.
Called Story Remix, its a
desktop app that turns your
photos and videos into
stories with their own
soundtrack, theme and eects.
Youll like this
Nokias retro 3310 phone is now on sale
(www.snipca.com/24381)
6 24 May 6 June 2017
In a blog post (www.snipca.
com/24385) Brad Smith, the
companys President and
Chief Legal Ocer, said: The
governments of the world
should treat this attack as a
wake-up call. They need to
take a dierent approach and
adhere in cyberspace to the
same rules applied to weapons
in the physical world.
Professor Skilton agreed,
warning that the risk and
impact of cyber weapons can
do the same or more harm
than physical weapons.
The attack began on Friday
12 May, with hospitals and GP
Once the stories are nished
the app lets you put them on
The top stories in the world of technology
surgeries reporting that their
computers had been locked,
and were displaying a ransom
message demanding $300 in
the digital currency Bitcoin
(see screenshot). Thousands of
operations and appointments
were cancelled.
Businesses and
organisations attacked
worldwide included Spanish
telecoms company Telefonica,
German railway rm
Deutsche Bahn and several
Chinese universities.
Microsoft rushed out a x
for the aw in XP exploited by
WannaCry, its rst security
YouTube, Facebook or
OneDrive, or share by email.
The app, available now to
Windows Insiders signed up
to the Fast Ring, will launch
fully as part of the Fall Creators
Update in the autumn. This
update will build upon the
features added to the rst
Creators Update, which was
but not this
Vodafone is raising prices for some customers
from 11 June (www.snipca.com/24382)
COMMENT
The scariest thing about
this hack is that it may be
the precursor to a more
catastrophic attack. Criminal
gangs will now be working
on ways to recreate it in
Windows 7, 8 and 10. Millions
of users worldwide would
have their lives ruined by
such an attack. It feels like
a case of when not if, so
weve cancelled the cover
feature of our next issue to
bring you the latest advice
on staying safe in this deadly
new age of ransomware.
update for the operating
system since 2014. But within
days the ransomware had
evolved to bypass the x.
By Monday 15 May over
230,000 computers had been
infected in 150 countries,
making it easily the most
devastating cyber attack ever.
released in April.
Other new tools include
Timeline, which shows you
apps on one computer that
you were using on another,
making it easier to switch
between a laptop and a PC, for
example. Watch Microsofts
video about Story Remix at
www.snipca.com/24383.
ISIS-supporting cufflink terrorist
jailed for eight years
An ISIS-inspired terrorist who
stored extremist content on
USB cuinks has been jailed
for eight years.
Samata Ullah, 34, of Cardi,
admitted to being a member
of so-called Islamic State, as
well as taking part in terrorist
training, preparing terrorist
acts and possessing articles
for terrorist purposes.
When police raided his
home in September last year
they seized 150 digital devices,
including laptops and phones,
and 30 pairs of metal cuinks
(similar to those pictured)
containing tiny USB sticks. In
total the devices held more
than 8TB of data.
One USB contained a
wish list to boost the ISIS
cause. This included chemical
weapons, viruses, cyber
warfare and translating a US
manual on rocket engines
into Arabic. It also had back
issues of ISISs propaganda
magazine.
Ullah, a British citizen of
Switch off your bank card to fight scams
Barclays has become the rst
UK bank to let users switch
o their debit card in order to
limit the damage caused by
fraudulent scams.
Customers can use a new
option in the Barclays Mobile
Banking app (www.snipca.
com/24307, pictured) to disable
their card, preventing scammers
from using it to make purchases
online or over the phone.
It will also help customers
who have lost their card, but
are sure its not been stolen.
Instead of going through the
hassle of cancelling their card,
they can temporarily disable
it until its found.
The app also lets customers
set their own daily withdrawal
limits for cash machines.
Ulla stored
terrorist data on
USB cufflinks
Bangladeshi origin, was a
key member of the Cyber
Caliphate Army, a gang of
Islamist computer experts
specialising in hacking.
During his trial at the
Old Bailey prosecutors said
that his computing abilities
made him a new and
dangerous breed of terrorist.
Brian Altman QC said
Ullah deployed his not
inconsiderable, self-taught
computer skills to further the
cause of terrorism and in
particular Islamic State.
Commander Dean Haydon,
head of the Metropolitan
Polices counter-terrorism
unit, said that Ullah created a
one-stop shop for terrorists
These new features are part
of Barclays 10m Digital
Safety campaign to ght fraud.
As well as adverts to raise
from his bedroom, oering
advice on how to stay one
step ahead of counter-
terrorism agencies, including
videos on how to encrypt
data and stay anonymous
online. He also advised others
to use USB sticks to keep
information secret.
Haydon added that
terrorists from around the
world were accessing and
using information provided
by Ullah.
Police traced Ullah
following the FBIs arrest of
Mohammed Abdi Ali in Kenya,
who is suspected of planning
an anthrax attack. Ullah was
one of Alis contacts in the
messaging app Telegram.
awareness, the bank will
set up a new police hotline
for sta to call when they
suspect fraud.
Theres also a Digitally safe
quiz on the banks website
(www.barclays.co.uk/security)
to test your knowledge of
scams. It starts by asking
whether you know the
dierence between phishing,
vishing and smishing.
Barclays UK boss, Ashok
Vaswani, said that the publics
condence in using tech has
grown faster than their
knowledge of doing so safely.
He added this has created a
digital safety gap which is
being exploited by criminals.
IN BRIEF
GOOGLE UPGRADES
32BIT CHROME
Google is in the process of
upgrading the version of
Chrome that some people
use on their computers.
Anyone running the 32bit
version of the browser will
see it upgraded to 64bit,
provided their Windows
computer is also 64bit,
and has at least 4GB of
memory. Google said the
move is to improve stability,
performance and security.
BEWARE CLONED CARS
SELLING ON EBAY
Scammers are conning
people into buying cloned
cars on eBay. These are
stolen
vehicles
that have
been given the identity of
a similar legitimate car,
including licence plates and
chassis numbers. A BBC
investigation found that
buyers are asked to hand
over the cash typically
around 17,000 in person,
giving them no chance
to recover it. EBay said it
had closed the fraudsters
accounts, and advised buyers
not to pay in cash.
Tomorrows
world
At the moment youll nd
touch controls only on
phones, tablets and some
laptops. Electrick could
change that. Developed by
scientists at Pittsburghs
Carnegie Mellon University,
its a spray that adds touch
functions to any surface - at
or bumpy. Once a table has
been sprayed, for example,
you can move your nger on
it to control a cursor on a PC
screen. Watch this video at
www.snipca.com/24322.
24 May 6 June 2017 7
 News
IN BRIEF
SEE OLD CYCLE WAYS
FOUND ON STREET VIEW
A cycling enthusiast has
used Googles Street View
to create a map of forgotten
cycle paths created in the
UK between 1934 and 1940.
Carlton Reid is campaigning
to reinstate some of the
routes, which were put in
place by the Ministry of
Transport. They fell out of
use after World War 2 as car
ownership boomed. You can
see Carltons map at www.
snipca.com/24309.
MORE SCAM EMAIL
WARNINGS IN GMAIL
Google is adding phishing
warnings to Gmail on Android
phones and tablets. If you
click a suspicious link in an
email, youll see a message
saying the site youre about
to visit has been identied as
a forgery and intends to trick
you into revealing sensitive
information (read more at
www.snipca.com/24339).
It follows a scam in early
May when a million people
opened a malicious le in
Google Docs.
Labour: 30Mbps broadband for all
Labour has promised 30Mbps
broadband for everyone by
2022, and more free Wi-Fi in
city centres and on public
transport.
The pledges are in the
partys General Election
manifesto, which was leaked
several days before it was due
to be ocially launched.
It says: Few things are
more crucial to businesses
and our economy than a
fast and reliable internet
connection, but 3 million
households and businesses
have been left incapacitated
by slow internet.
Labour claims that the
Conservatives commitment to
8 24 May 6 June 2017
Mozilla gives Thunderbird a
reprieve
Firefox maker Mozilla has
said it will keep hold of
Thunderbird, after previously
indicating it wanted to give
it to another developer.
The news will please
Thunderbirds many loyal
users, estimated by Mozilla to
be around 25 million, who
had feared for the future of
the email client.
Mozilla announced in
December 2015 that it was
spending too much time on
Thunderbird, at the expense
of its top priority Firefox. It
wanted to nd a home for
Thunderbird that would
help the community thrive.
A consultant, Simon Phipps,
was hired to identify the best
open-source organisation
for Thunderbird, with The
Document Foundation (which
runs LibreOce) one of his
recommendations.
But unhappy at the prospect
of new owners, an inux of
new developers added several
features to Thunderbird, in the
hope of keeping it alive. These
were the rst non-security
10Mbps universal speeds
will see 400,000 small
businesses and nearly two
million homes left with
substandard broadband well
into the next decade.
The manifesto outlines
similarly ambitions plans
for public Wi-Fi: We will
improve 4G coverage and
will invest to ensure all
urban areas as well as major
roads and railways have
uninterrupted 5G coverage.
But the leaked proposals
include no detail on how they
will be funded.
updates since 2012. The latest
version of the client (52) was
released in April (see Best Free
Software, Issue 501).
Mozilla, perhaps swayed
by this outbreak of
enthusiasm, has now agreed
to remain the legal, scal and
cultural home of Thunderbird.
But the software will exist as a
separate entity outside the
Mozilla Foundation, run
instead by the Thunderbird
Council another option
suggested by Phipps.
This means Mozilla wont
need to spend money on
Thunderbird in the long term.
The Conservatives have
called for the public to
have the legal right to
demand 10Mbps, rejecting a
recommendation by the
House of Lords to increase
this to 30Mbps.
In April, Digital Minister
Matt Hancock warned that
internet service providers
like BT and Sky may mount a
legal challenge, saying that a
30Mbps minimum is too high.
He added that theres not
sucient public demand to
justify 30Mbps, proposing
instead that Ofcom increases
the 10Mbps minimum only
when more than 75 per cent of
people sign up for it.
Instead, the Council will seek
funding from donations and
corporate sponsors.
Thunderbird users
shouldnt be aected by this
change. Importantly, they
should be warned in advance
about Thunderbird leaving
Mozilla because both parties
must give the other six months
notice if this is to happen.
In a blog post (www.snipca.
com/24333) Thunderbirds
Philipp Kewisch said he was
optimistic about the clients
future, and appealed for
donations to keep it modern
and secure for years to come.
Facebook is as addictive
as nicotine and chocolate,
according to a study from
Amsterdams Vrije University.
Researchers found that just
seeing the Facebook logo
triggered spontaneous
pleasure cravings among
regular users of the site.
The ndings could be used
to develop a programme to
rehabilitate
people
who are
hooked
on social
media.
Phone blocker in cars updates
Faradays 19th-century cage
A 19th-century technology
may solve one of the 21st
centurys most pressing
problems how to stop
drivers using mobile phones.
Car maker Nissan has
invented a way to block phone
signals in vehicles using the
principles of the Faraday
cage, rst demonstrated by
English scientist Michael
Faraday in 1836.
In renowned experiments
Faraday showed how
electromagnetic signals are
distributed across a cages
conducting material. It means
a person standing inside a
cage will be shielded from
strong electric elds hitting it
(pictured above left).
This eect is seen when a
car is struck by lightning,
which travels around the
surface of the vehicle, leaving
passengers unharmed.
Nissan has applied the
science to its new Signal
Shield, a compartment built
into car armrests (pictured
Will up to broadband ads be banned?
Broadband providers may
have to be more honest about
what speed you can expect
under proposed changes to
advertising regulations.
The Committee of
Advertising Practice (CAP),
which works alongside the
Advertising Standards Agency,
has suggested scrapping the
rule that lets internet service
providers (ISPs) advertise a
speed that at least 10 per cent
of its customers can achieve,
as long as they include the
phrase up to.
This rule, introduced in
2012, has been widely
criticised for allowing ISPs to
quote exaggerated speeds in
their adverts, leaving thousands
of customers feeling misled.
above right). Tested in the
companys Juke sports utility
vehicles, it prevents all forms
of electromagnetism,
including cellular, Bluetooth
and Wi-Fi signals, from
reaching any phone placed
inside. It is meant to help
drivers resist the temptation of
checking their phones.
Alex Smith, Nissan Motor
GBs managing director, said:
Some drivers are immune
to the activity of their
smartphone, but for those
who struggle to ignore the
beeps and pings, this concept
provides a simple solution in
As part of a 10-week
consultation with the
broadband industry, the
CAP has suggested four
alternative calculations ISPs
can use as a basis for their
speed claims. The one that
gives consumers the most
accurate expectation of speed
is the 24-hour national
median download speed.
As the middle point
between the highest and
lowest speeds, this median
this very connected world
we live in.
RAC road safety spokesman
Pete Williams said it could be
a solution to the epidemic
of motorists using phones.
The Government has been
urging phone manufacturers
to add features that disable
them in cars, responding to a
shocking rise in deaths
attributed to drivers being
distracted by their devices.
Department for Transport
gures show that in 2015
22 people were killed and 99
seriously injured in accidents
partly caused by phone use.
would give customers a more
realistic indication of what
to expect. Another proposal
would force companies to
quote the median download
speed during peak times,
which are typically between
7pm and 11pm.
The two other options are
quoting speeds available to the
20th to 80th percentile of
users over 24 hours; and
speeds available to the 20th to
80th percentile of users at
peak times.
The CAP said it wants to
make sure the speed quoted
by an ISP is trusted and
welcomed by consumers.
Do you trust broadband speed
claims? Please let us know:
letters@computeractive.co.uk
IN BRIEF
DEBENHAMS FLOWERS
CUSTOMERS HACKED
Hackers have stolen personal
data, including credit-card
details, of 26,000 customers
from the Debenhams
Flowers website (www.
debenhamsowers.com).
Debenhams said that cyber-
criminals had access to the
systems of Ecomnova, the
company that operates
the website, between 24
February and 11 April. It said
it suspended the site as soon
as it was informed about
the hack, and has contacted
aected customers.
FACEBOOK: HOW TO
SPOT FAKE NEWS
Facebook has
taken measures
to help stop the
spread of fake
news during the UK General
Election campaign. It said it
will stop promoting stories
that sound implausible, and
delete tens of thousands
of bogus proles. It has
also run adverts in national
newspapers giving people
10 tips on spotting false
news (also at www.snipca.
com/24301). Facebook
admitted in April that its site
had been used to spread
political propaganda.
BIG RISE IN ONLINE
HOLIDAY SCAMS
There were nearly 6,000
cases of holidaymakers
being scammed in 2016 a
rise of 19 per cent according
to Action Fraud. Victims
lost 7.2 million in total,
an average of 1,200 per
person. Fraudsters are
targeting people by setting
up fake websites selling
ights and accommodation,
using online adverts to lure
their victims. The majority of
victims pay by bank transfers
or cash, meaning they dont
get their money back.
24 May 6 June 2017 9
 News
Jane Hoskyn puts the boot into tech villains, jargon-spouting companies and
software stued with junk
WARNING: JUNK AHEAD
Junk oender: DriverMax
DriverMax may sound like a cushioned
car seat, but it certainly wasnt designed
with your safety in mind. This program
takes a two-pronged approach to messing
up your PC. First, it bundles a PUP. Then
in a disturbing twist it switches your
keyboard keys around.
DriverMax describes itself as Award-
winning driver updating software, which
may be true, and the optimal solution for
your computer, which is empty jargon at
best. Its developer is called Innovative
Solutions, so empty jargon appears to be
DriverMaxs native tongue.
I had my suspicions about DriverMax
from the moment our eyes met across a
crowded list of program updates. To no
ones surprise, its installer contained a
PUP: our fresh, brand new Orange
Defender Antivirus!, which I can say
with condence is no relation to Orange
What are they
talking about?
Google (www.snipca.com/24332):
Modern phones and
modern personal
computers with
fast processors,
non-trivial amounts
of RAM with
arbitrary peripherals doing open-ended
computation.
What they mean
Googles description of the hardware
needed to run its new Fuchsia operating
system starts as a perfectly reasonable
sentence before descending into
jargon half-way through, like someone
giving up on holding their breath. We
look forward to an internet full of
mis-spellings of Fuchsia.
10 24 May 6 June 2017
Mobile. The fruity fugitive will do nothing
for your security other than wreck it by
conicting with your AV. I clicked Decline.
I learned to type on a clunky old
typewriter, using two ngers with a
studiously bowed head, and the habit
stuck. So Id typed several lines before
looking up only to realise Id been
typing as @ and vice versa.
Then the DriverMax upgrade pop-ups DriverMax batters you with pop-ups - and
began. The program had launched itself makes sinister changes to your keyboard
automatically and was running in the
background, battering my desktop with I wouldnt call DriverMax malware. In
invitations to Get it now with a 82 per fact its not even the worst adware Ive
cent discount! $10.39!. Below the pop-up encountered recently, because its PUP is
were three letters: POL (see screenshot), avoidable and I got my ENG keyboard
instead of the usual ENG. DriverMax had back the moment I uninstalled it and its
changed my keyboard to a Polish pile of leftovers. But its behaviour is
developers setup hence the key switch. creepy. Im also really confused by it. Why
If DriverMax could do that without would an award winning program go to
permission and without me noticing, what such great lengths to make you hate it
else could it do? Record my keystrokes? before you can even use it?
Janes villain of the fortnight
The fifth Earl of Iddesleigh
Get orf my land! said the Earl to BT,
leaving 300 residents of Upton Pyne in
Devon stuck in the internet slow lane.
And they are not happy about it.
Lord Iddesleigh refuses to let BT lay
bre cable over or under his elds,
according to the BBC (www.snipca.
com/24335). As a nature lover I do have
some sympathy with his point about especially older people, living in
his unspoilt valley, but according to isolated areas depend on the internet
villagers only four telegraph poles are for contact with families. Shopping,
needed to complete their superfast bill payments and even doctors
connection. Its not exactly building a appointments increasingly require fast,
motorway, and will make a dierence reliable internet access. The residents of
to peoples lives. But the Earl says nope. Upton Pyne are quite right to be angry.
Internet access is now regarded as a
basic human right by the United Want to nominate a villain of the fortnight?
Nations Human Rights Council. People Email us at editor@computeractive.co.uk
 ?
Question
of the
Fortnight
Will Microsoft save us
from 1984?
It says companies must prevent such Orwellian nightmares
I n George Orwells Nineteen
Eighty-Four, Inner Party
member OBrien tells Winston
Smith: If you want a vision of
the future, imagine a boot
stamping on a human face
forever. What if, by 2084 - or
much sooner - the foot doing
the stamping is a robots?
It would t as one of the
dystopian scenarios
Microsoft boss Satya Nadella
(below) warned about in his
speech on 10 May, at the
companys Build conference
for developers (watch it at
www.snipca.com/24375).
Despite claiming that he
remains an unrepentant tech
optimist, Nadella said that
articial intelligence (AI)
could be used to oppress
people, eventually leading to a
surveillance state.
How can Microsoft lecture
about trust when it grabs so
much user data?
To illustrate the point he
showed a slide of Orwells
masterpiece alongside Aldous
Huxleys novel Brave New
World, which also paints a
sinister future.
Nadellas message was
aimed at the software
developers in the audience.
He asked them to think
about what Orwell
prophesied in 1984,
where technology
was being used to
monitor, control,
dictate, and to
consider Huxleys
vision of a society
driven solely by the
pursuit of pleasure, without
any meaning or purpose. chief reaction was: how can
Neither of those, he said,
are futures that we want,
adding that to prevent
them developers must
take greater responsibility
for the impact technology
has on peoples lives. snipca.com/24379).
He said Microsoft must stick
to three principles: to create
technology that empowers
people; to make sure its
inclusively designed so level of telemetry to limit
anyone can use it; and to
build trust with consumers.
There were lots of nodding
he
heads inside
th
the conference,
as Microsofts
de
developers
co
contemplated
th
their new role as
sa
saviours of the free
wo
world. But outside
th
the room there
was some scepticism. The
Microsoft lecture the world
about privacy and trust
when the company grabs
so much data about how
people use their computers?
Its a valid question.
Windows 10s telemetry
system analyses diagnostic
data, which includes such
information as which apps
you use, what you do online
and any searches you make, as
well as your photos metadata
(see the full list at www.
The company says it uses
this data only to make
Windows better, and that
users can select the Basic
how much information
Microsoft gathers. But why
isnt that the default option?
Why do users have to switch
from the Full setting?
To be fair, Nadella deserves
credit for drawing attention to
the dangers of AI. But hes not
alone. Bill Gates and Stephen
Hawking are also worried,
while the webs inventor, Sir
Tim Berners-Lee, recently
THE FACTS
Microsoft boss Satya
Nadella told technology
developers they have a
responsibility to avoid
dystopian scenarios
He said Microsoft should
stick to three principles,
including building trust
with consumers
Experts fear that the rise of
robots in the workplace will
lead to massive job losses
warned about companies
using AI to make decisions
that deeply aect peoples
lives, such as whether or not
they get a mortgage.
Buying a home may be
beyond many people if AI
takes their jobs, however.
What happens to lower-level,
blue-collar jobs that might be
impacted? asked Jason Wong
from IT research company
Gartner. That is part of the
dystopia that can occur
because of the abruptness of
AI; in less than a generation
we will be seeing things like
driverless cars.
Berners-Lee has suggested
that the answer may be a
universal basic income,
where everyone receives
a monthly payment from
the Government.
Nadella hopes it wont
get that far. He wants tech
companies to start taking
accountability for how their
products change society,
and to acknowledge that
they can have unintended
consequences. Lets hope one
of those isnt robots getting
their kicks in Room 101.
24 May 6 June 2017 11
 Letters
Unpredictable
Labour means
Google searches
May I suggest a
solution to the
conundrum you touch on in
your Question of the
Fortnight, Issue 501 (Can
Google predict the General
Election?). In it, you
wonder why Labour can be
so far behind in the polls, butt so
far ahead in Google searches. I think its
because what could happen to Labour at
this election is so unpredictable, and
therefore lends itself to more questions
that people want Google to answer. By
the way, Im not making a political point
here. Im very much a oating voter.
Gordon Martin
Visiting Googles Election site
(www.snipca.com/24240) was an
eye opener, and not always in a good way.
One of the most searched-for questions
was What is a general election?. I know
were meant to live in an age of political
apathy, but this was still depressing.
Perhaps the question was asked mostly
by young children, in which case fair
enough. But nobody over the age of 13
should ask it without also hanging their
head in shame.
Paul Butcher
Dont mourn death of
the high street
I dont think Peter Davies should
mourn too much about computers
and the internet killing the high street
(Letters, Issue 501). Im sure Im not alone
in remembering the bad old days when
half the weekend was spent in shopping
centres buying stu. It pains me to think
of all the bored hours I wasted in queues
and multi-storey car parks when I could
have been having lunch in a country pub
somewhere.
My life was transformed 15 years ago
when I shopped on Amazon for the rst
time. I soon followed this with my rst
online supermarket shop. Ive barely
been back to my high street since, which
will probably annoy people who talk
about it being the hub of a local
community. But in my experience the
less time you spend shopping, the more
12 24 May 6 June 2017
time you can actually spend
with people doing things
you love.
Arthur Lomas
Nervous about two
updates a year
In your News story
about Microsoft
ch
changing its release schedule
fo
for Windows 10 (page 6, Issue
50
501), you start by saying that
users can look forward to two major
updates every year. Its the phrase
look forward to that Id question. I treat
each Windows update with trepidation,
hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.
I love discovering new tools, but dread
something going wrong with the
installation. So, for me, one update a year
is plenty. Im about to attempt the
Creators Update, so wish me luck!
Hugh Patterson
Phone-addicted parents
are ruining childhood
I read your News story in Issue 501
(page 9) about children getting fed
up with their parents glued to their
phones and it conrms something Ive
long suspected parents are setting a
terrible example by prodding and
Well click that bridge when we
come to it
Thanks for your News story on
Google Earths new Voyager
tours (Issue 501, page 9). I dived
straight in, and was delighted to nd a
tour that captured my lifelong passion
for bridges (which began when as a
boy I saw the Queen open the Severn
Bridge).
The tour called Renowned Bridges
includes Brooklyn Bridge, Tower
Bridge and my own favourite Charles
Bridge in Prague (pictured). Youll
nd the tour in the Travel section of
Voyager, but it might be easier if
Computeractive could create a Snipca
URL for it, so other bridge enthusiasts
can jump straight to it.
Mark Leslie
Tell us whats on your mind
Email: letters@computeractive.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/computeractive
Twitter: @ComputerActive
www.twitter.com/computeractive
swiping all day long on these tiny screens.
My own grandchildren love technology,
but they also loving running around in
parks. Theyll play with an app for ve
minutes, then get bored and want to play
age-old games like chase and hide and
seek. The sort of games, in fact, that I
used to play myself when I was their age.
Ive seen other children in the park get
upset when their parents wont play with
them because they cant bear to put their
phones down for 30 seconds. I feel so
sorry for them.
It worries me that only 10 per cent of
parents realise the damage phones can
have on family life. Are we raising a
generation of children that will feel
alienated from their parents?
Heather White
Is Microsoft
abandoning
Windows Phone?
I am now on my third
Windows Phone, but I feel that it
may be my last because I just dont know
where Microsoft is going with it. Apart
from the complete lack of phone choice,
more and more apps are being removed
by large companies. Wasnt Windows 10
supposed to open the doors for
developers to bring forth newer and
CA says No problem Mark: www.
snipca.com/24268. Once youre on the
site, click the blue Start Exploring
button. At the bottom right you can
switch between 2D and 3D views, and
drag Pegman on to the image to enter
Street View.
better apps? Im sick of seeing the get the
app from your app store message next to
everything from taxis to food but only
for Android and iOS.
I switched to Windows Phone because I
liked the idea of keeping my phone, PC
and tablet all in sync. But that can now
be achieved on rival platforms (Android
and iOS) and all the reviews show that
apps are innitely better on those than
on a Windows device. If Microsoft are
giving up, at least they could let me know
so I can decide what to do next. Or is the
anticipated Surface Phone going to
change all that? Unfortunately, at the
moment, I doubt it.
Duncan Bird
Dont overlook new
iPads flaws
In Issue 500, your review of the
new iPad 9.7 got a Buy It
recommendation. This puzzled me
because of the many shortcomings of the
device. It is very expensive compared
with other tablets and has, by todays
standards, a paltry, non-expandable 32GB
of storage. Its heavier and thicker than
other iPads, and has a poor reective
screen. The only thing
in its favour is a slightly
longer battery life.
I enjoy reading
Computeractive,
especially the reviews.
I have even bought a
couple of devices on
your recommendations my Mesh PC
and my Moto G4 phone. But I just dont
understand peoples misguided xation
on how wonderful Apples ludicrously
overpriced products are.
Michael Weaver
Ban encryption is a
minority view
I must take umbrage with Martha
Hennesseys letter in Issue 500 in
which she states everyone Ive spoken to
says they are happy to sacrice
encryption if it means reducing
their chance of being mowed
down by a fanatic. First of all, she
cannot use such a small survey to
justify her opinion. Secondly,
would she send a postcard on
which she had written personal
info or bank details? Thirdly,
would she give the keys of her
house to a total stranger? I could go
on, but I think Martha should
STAR LETTER
Emails increase work,
rk, not back pain
Peter Davies makes a good point
in Issue 501, when he asks why
we work harder now, in the age of
email, than we did in the age of the
oce memo. The answer is the internet
has had the opposite eect to what is
often claimed. Yes, its allowed us all to
work more remotely (from home, the
coee shop, the pub and so on), but it
has also made it easier to communicate
with other people. And the more you
communicate, the more work you can
arrange, and the more meetings you set
up. Meetings invariably lead to more
work. Email even lets workaholics
arrange meetings when theyre on
holiday. I spend half the year relaxing in
Spain, and often see young go-getters
who nd it impossible to put down
their laptop. But I dont think that overall we
Tech has eradicated backbreaking, work less, just dierently, and with less
tedious jobs. My grandmother would harm to our bodies. For example, Ive
have loved dishwashers, washing probably typed more words in this
machines and tumble dryers. She used email than my grandmother did in her
to tell me about the blood, sweat and entire life. My ngers ache a bit, but
toil that went into working with Im not bent double in pain.
mangles and washboards. Harold Adams
The Star Letter writer wins a Computeractive mug!
pause for thought before claiming to it lists every le with those words in the
speak for everyone. title. You can sort by le type, and the
Bob Williams right-click menu provides options such
as Open Path and Copy Full Name to
Free software: my favourites Clipboard. Its so easy to use it can
Congrats on reaching the ripe old encourage laziness because, providing
age of 500 you dont look a day you give sensible names to your les, you
over 489! I very much enjoyed your no longer need to bother organising them
article on free software in that issue. I into folders!
would just add a couple of things. First, Nick Haysom
my favourite site for free software is
Gizmos www.techsupportalert.com. Let Vista rot at the
This reviews and rates programs and bottom of the sea
(f
(for those in a hurry) In Issue 501, Bryan Webb asks you
su
summarises the pros not to abandon Vista users. In
an
and cons of each. contrast, I hope that you do. He needs to
Second, my favourite realise that the operating system is now
fr
free software and one ancient, in computing terms, and should
I use every day is be tied to a heavy weight and launched
Everything (www. into the North Sea, left to slowly decay. I
voidtools.com). This no- hope other readers dont follow his lead
frills program enables and ask you to keep writing about the
you to search your Commodore 64, the Sinclair ZX80 and
drives instantly. Just Mesopotamian abacuses.
type a search term and Maurice Sutherland
24 May 6 June 2017 13
 Consumeractive
Can you ask
Lenovo to return
my tablet?
A Lenovo tablet I bought from
Q Argos last Christmas stopped
turning on after a couple of
weeks. I sent it back to Lenovo in January
under warranty, and initially was told I
would be sent a quote for a bill to x it.
Since then, despite emails to the company,
Ive heard nothing. Lenovos still got the
tablet, so can you help me?
Mark Ingram
We understand Marks instinct
A to send the tablet to the
manufacturer, but its a mistake
many customers make. Instead, Mark
should have returned it to Argos (the
retailer). Because Lenovo still has his
tablet, we cant ask Argos to intervene.
Weve asked Lenovo about Marks
tablet and why it wants to charge him for
a repair. He shouldnt have to pay this
unless Lenovo examined the tablet and
found a fault that wasnt covered by its
warranty, or evidence that Mark had
damaged it. Either way, by now Lenovo
should have told Mark the reason for
the delay.
If the fault isnt covered by Lenovos
warranty, that doesnt mean its not an
inherent aw. In this case, Mark
should return the tablet
to Argos for a refund,
repair or replacement.
Can I get compensation for faulty phone line?
I recently switched my
Q broadband, phone and TV from
Sky to Virgin. Now my phone
line is down, which is a disaster because I
work from home. Virgin told me the
earliest it could send a technician was a
week later. Can I get a refund? And
maybe compensation for work lost?
Gemma Goshe
A refund yes, but probably not
A compensation for work lost.
Internet service providers will
14 24 May 6 June 2017
Why has Norton taken 49.99
99
from my bank account?
I installed Norton Internet
Q Security on my PC in 2015,
but uninstalled it after a year.
Now, two years later, Ive received an
email from Symantec (which makes
Norton) telling me its time to renew.
Despite me emailing the company
to say I no longer use the software,
Symantec took 49.99 from my bank
account. Surely this is theft or have I
been the victim of a scam?
Norman Chappell
We dont think Norman has
A been scammed. Its much
more likely that when he
signed up to Norton in 2015, giving the
company his bank details, he was
placed on a subscription that renews
automatically. This is common practice,
and isnt illegal. The burden of
responsibility is on the customer to
check this. Uninstalling software, as
Norman did with Norton, wont cancel
your subscription.
However, from the early days of
Computeractive weve argued that
companies should be forced to be far
more transparent about automatic
renewals. So we were pleased that in
Marchs Budget the Government
announced proposals that would
usually oer a refund how much h
depends on how long its service is
down, but around 10 o the
monthly bill is typical.
Compensation is a dierent
matter. Despite the fact that Gemma
will be incommunicado for a week,
shes unlikely to be oered more than
a refund. Legally shes on shaky ground
if she tries to claim for lost income
because her contract with Virgin is a
residential one meaning for home/
personal use only, not business. Business
compel companies
to provide better
information to
customers, and give
them enough time to o
cancel before the renewal
newal begins. We
had expected these proposals to be
published by now, but the small matter
of a General Election appears to have
forced them on to the back burner.
Symantec actually makes it easier
than many companies to cancel
ongoing subscriptions. Customers
should sign into Nortons website, nd
the Automatic Renewal option next to
their product, move the slider to O,
then click Turn O. Youll nd these
instructions on Symantecs website:
www.snipca.com/24257. See the This
Will Come in Useful box on the
opposite page for more.
Since rst emailing us Norman has
decided to continue using Norton. But
nothing happens when he tries to enter
the registration code Symantec emailed
him when it renewed his subscription.
This means he is now entitled to a
refund, as long as he asks for one
within 14 days of receiving the
code. Well contact
Symantec to make
sure he gets one.
contracts cost more, but they
also provide compensation should
anything go wrong. Had Gemma signed
up to a business contract,
Virgin would have had to
ensure a reliable service all
day, every day.
 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

M t I putt up with Threes repeated

Must
attempts to repair my phone?
A ZTE V7 Blade phone I bought
Q from Three in February
developed a fault after a month.
The battery wont keep a charge so Three
told me to return it to ZTE for repair,
which I did. Two days later it came back
to me, but the problem remains. I told
Three about the one repair only clause
in the Consumer Rights Act (CRA), but it
claimed it wasnt Threes responsibility,
and that ZTE must carry out another
repair. Is this right?
Peter Gilmore
No its not, and weve told Peter
A not to send the phone back to
ZTE. His rights under the CRA
are the same as they would be for any
goods covered by this law. Threes
customer-service team thinks that
ZTE needs to x the phone. Wrong. Peter
bought the phone from Three, so his
contract is with them, not ZTE. Three
needs to stop shifting responsibility.
We suspect the phone has a faulty
battery, but Peter doesnt need to prove
this. Because one repair has already failed
he can return the phone for a refund or
replacement. Three can only avoid these seem to be unaware that under 2015s
options by proving that Peter has Consumer Rights Act customers can
damaged the phone, so it may ask to demand a refund or replacement after
examine it. Weve explained this to Three, just one failed repair. We could perhaps
and sent the company Peters details. forgive this in the few months after
Recently, weve had several cases of
companies trying to foist second and
the law was introduced
(October 2015), but not
even third repairs on customers. They 18 months later.

CASE UPDATE THIS WILL COME IN USEFUL

PayPal gets instant refund from
reluctant retailer Cancel your automatic
We often advise readers subscriptions
to use PayPals Buyer
Protection (www.snipca.com/24258), so were Adobe Google Play
delighted that it has come to the rescue of Jenny Prentiss, www.snipca.com/24249 www.snipca.com/24250
whose case we covered in Issue 501. She had returned her
faulty Asus laptop to the retailer, which then sent it to Asus for Amazon Prime Kaspersky
repair. That was over two months ago. The retailer kept insisting www.snipca.com/24244 www.snipca.com/24246
that the laptop would be returned within days, but Jenny got
fed up with waiting and contacted us. Ancestry Norton
We couldnt get a response from the retailer, so asked Jenny www.snipca.com/24255 www.snipca.com/24257
how she had paid for the laptop. When she said PayPal, we
advised her to immediately open a dispute through the service Apple Office 365
(for instructions visit www.snipca.com/24260, see screenshot). www.snipca.com/24245 www.snipca.com/24243
PayPal then contacted the retailer with Jennys details, asking
it to resolve the dispute. A couple of days later the retailer AVG OneDrive
phoned Jenny to say that she could have a full refund (1,000), www.snipca.com/24253 www.snipca.com/24251
or receive a repaired laptop with 200 compensation as an
apology. She took the full refund, and was paid through PayPal Bitdefender PayPal
within 24 hours. www.snipca.com/24248 www.snipca.com/24256
Even had the company
refused to refund Jenny, Dropbox Plus Spotify
PayPal would have www.snipca.com/24242 www.snipca.com/24247
returned her money if
it ruled in her favour. It Google Drive Trend Micro
would then have chased www.snipca. www.snipca.
the retailer for the amount. com/24252 com/24242

24 May 6 June 2017 15

 Protect Your Tech
Scams and threats to avoid, plus new security tools
WATCH OUT FOR
Fake bank website URLs
Whats the threat?
Hackers have set up fake URLs for
UK banks, using website names
that sound genuine in order to
trick people into handing over
their personal information and
log-in details.
Security researchers at
DomainTools (www.domaintools.
com) found 346 fake sites, comprising
110 for HSBC, 74 each for Barclays and
Standard Chartered, 66 for Natwest and
22 for Lloyds. Bogus URLs run by
scammers include www.hsbc-direct.
com, www.natwesti.com, www.
barclaya.net, www.barclays-supports.
com and www.lloydstsbs.com.
Many fake URLs have an extra letter
or character that may go unnoticed at a
glance, such as the s after Lloydstsb,
or the dash between hsbc and direct.
New tools
Only gluttons for punishment
enjoyed wading through Microsofts
old index of security updates, which
arrive on the second Tuesday of every
month (known as Patch Tuesday). In
early April Microsoft replaced this
clunky system with a new website
that lets you search for much more
precise information about whats in
each update. It should make it easier
to understand the security xes
16 24 May 6 June 2017
Sometimes scammers even use rn
instead of m.
Kyle Wilhoit, one of the companys
researchers, called on companies to buy
fake URLs so that they cant be used by
scammers. He said that at around 12 a
year, it is a relatively cheap insurance
policy. He added that the rise in scams is
a sign that so-called cyber-squatters are
becoming more dangerous. In the past
they would buy a URL similar to a
companys or celebritys ocial site, your screen (see screenshot).
Microsofts Security Update
Guide www.snipca.com/24273
Microsoft makes to your PC.
Visit the site above and youll see all
the xes in the updates released on 11
April and 9 May. You can sort this list
by clicking a product under the
Product heading (such as Microsoft
Edge, Internet Explorer 11 or Adobe
Flash Player). To see the severity rating
of the xes Critical, Important or
Moderate tick that box at the top of
the table. For details about the x, click
the number in the More
Info column (see
screenshot).
One of the most useful
options is right at the
bottom. Click the
dropdown menu next to
Show to see up to 100
xes on one page instead
of the default 20.
hoping to make money by
pretending to be aliated with
them, or by forcing them to buy it
(Microsoft vs MikeRoweSoft is one
of the best known examples:
www.snipca.com/24267).
But now, Wilhoit warns, they
are more sophisticated, using
spoofed domain names for more
malicious endeavours.
What should you do?
The surest way to protect yourself is
to bookmark your banks website,
double-checking you have the URL
correct. That way youll never need to
type the URL to visit the site. If you are
clicking a link, hover your cursor over
it, then check the authenticity of the
URL that appears at the bottom left of
ScamWatch
READERS WARN READERS
Wanted for tax evasion
My wife played back a recorded
phone message purporting to be
from HMRC. It instructed us to call
back regarding a legal issue. I phoned
the number and spoke to a man with
an American accent who conrmed
my name and address. He said he
had a warrant for my arrest for tax
evasion. Id apparently withheld
5,000 on my tax returns! I knew it
was a scam because Ive always paid
tax through PAYE. I later checked the
number online (020 3129 5663) and
found scam warnings, then reported
it to the police via Action Fraud
(0300 123 2040).
Steve Rothon
Warn your fellow readers about scams at
letters@computeractive.co.uk
 Best Free Software
Jane Hoskyn recommends new programs that wont cost you anything

SYSTEM TOOL

Windows 10 ISO Download Tool

www.snipca.com/24284
Windows 7, 8/8.1 or 10

If you plan to upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or
8/8.1, or to update or re-install your current version of
Windows 10, youll need a Windows 10 ISO le. These
installation kits are available from Microsofts website (www.
snipca.com/24286) as long as youre willing to do some
work to get them. Microsoft forces you to install the Media
Creation Tool before you can get them, and oers you
dierent les depending on the device and even the browser
youre using. To skip the palaver, use this free new portable
tool instead.
Windows 10 ISO Download Tool is eectively a browser
that bypasses Microsofts restrictions. It takes you straight
to the download links for every Windows 10 edition currently
available (including the Creators Update and Anniversary
Update). It also oers Windows 10 N, a version with no
built-in media player (www.snipca.com/24290).
The program is completely independent of Microsoft
but doesnt tread on any copyright toes. Its not re-selling or
sub-letting Windows 10 ISO les, just helping you access
them far more easily.
To get it, scroll to the bottom of the page, then click
Download. Save the portable program le (winisodl.exe),
then click to run it. The program window looks like a
simplied browser, displaying the Download Windows 10
Disc Image (ISO File) page of Microsofts website. The
window is annoyingly small and you cant maximise it or
drag its edges. To show you as much of its content as possible,
here are two screenshots instead of the usual one.

1 Scroll past the blurb 2 Click the Select edition box 3 Click Choose one, select 4 To download Windows
relating to the Media to open the dropdown menu, English (or your preferred Insider Preview builds
Creation Tool, then click then choose an edition to language), then click Conrm. instead, click More
Before you begin to read download. The latest is the On the page that opens, click download options,
Microsofts notes about Creators Update, released in 32-bit Download or 64-bit then follow the links to
system and storage space April. Click Conrm. Download to get your Microsofts site. Links
requirements (at least ISO le. open automatically in
5GB). Internet Explorer.

18 24 May 6 June 2017


UNINSTALLER
UninstallView 1.00
www.snipca.com/24300
What you need: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8/8.1 or 10
NirSoft has retired MyUninstaller, the portable uninstaller
thats been around since 2003. Its replacement, UninstallView,
is even faster and more powerful and unlike its predecessor
it lets you remove multiple programs at once. By default,
UninstallView lists all your installed programs in alphabetical
order and lets you remove them one at a time, then oers to
blitz their leftovers. To remove multiple programs, click Options
then Allow Uninstall Of Multiple Items, then press Ctrl while
selecting programs in the list. To remove multiple programs at
once without having to click OK each time, select the Quiet
Uninstall option in the File menu.
UninstallView comes in two portable editions, for 32bit and
64bit Windows. Scroll down the page then click the Download
UninstallView link that matches your version.
FILES & FOLDERS TOOL
Snap2HTML 2.0
www.snipca.com/24289
What you need: Windows 7, 8/8.1 or 10
This tiny portable program lets you save an interactive
snapshot of any drive or folder as an HTML le that you can
open in your browser to explore its contents. You can even use a
snapshot to give someone on another PC view-only access to a
folder. If you tick Enable under Link les before saving the
snapshot, your recipient will be able to open (but not edit) the
les inside the folder ideal for letting friends and family look
through your Photos folder, wherever they are. Version 2.0 is a
big redesign, and lets you export drive contents as plain text and
CSV spreadsheets as well as HTML. To get the portable program
le, click Download, save the ZIP le, then extract its contents.
WHAT SHOULD I DOWNLOAD?
We tell you what software to use
What should I use to create
my camera clubs website?
I have run the website for my local camera club
Q since 1998. I used Microsoft FrontPage and Namo
WebEditor to build and maintain the site, but both
programs have been discontinued. Ive tried Serif WebPlus
and online editors like Wix, and hate them all. Please can
you help me nd modern WYSIWYG software?
Peter Carlyon
Adobe Dreamweaver is still the gold standard
A software for building websites, but it no longer
supports WYSIWYG (what you see is what you
get) so dont bother with it unless youre condent about
writing your own HTML. The most powerful WYSIWYG
alternative is Adobe Muse (http://muse.adobe.com).
Muse lets you build and maintain sophisticated websites
that work on all devices and browsers, and requires no
coding knowledge. But its not cheap. After a free trial,
youll have to pay 15.17 per month to continue using it.
If you dont mind paying but only want to do so once,
Artisteer (www.artisteer.com) is worth a look. The cheapest
version costs a one-o $49.95 (39). We gave the free trial a
spin, and it didnt install any junk. The excellent Xara Web
Designer Premium is our current Buy It! recommendation,
but be careful to untick unwanted extras when installing it.
The closest youll nd to a free version of Muse is
BlueGrion (http://bluegrion.org). This open-source
program lets you switch between WYSIWYG (default) and
HTML modes, and comes with thousands of highly
customisable templates. Whats more, BlueGrion is
portable a huge advantage over the resource-hogging
Muse. The downside is its tricky to get the hang of, and
the user manual costs 7.50 (6.34) plus VAT. That may
seem a bit cheeky from an open-source program, but its
still much cheaper than Adobes subscription.
Do you need our advice on what software to use?
Just email us at letters@computeractive.co.uk
ON SALE NOW!
The Complete
Guide to KODI
This is a must-have
manual for anyone who
uses the most exciting
software of 2017
Buy it now at
www.snipca.com/24110
24 May 6 June 2017 19
 Reviews
PC/SPEAKER 680 from Currys www.snipca.com/24263
HP Pavilion Wave
Sounds bigger than it is
Many desktop PCs are still just a big black
box, and if you want room for expansion,
thats ne. But if you dont, why take up
the space? Were used to seeing complete
systems packed into a monitor, and now
HPs managed to build the computer
into a speaker.
The Pavilion Wave is about the size of a
subwoofer, and with its fabric nish it
looks like an upmarket Bluetooth
accessory. A discreet Bang & Olufsen logo
conrms that it really is designed around
sound. Meanwhile, a vent at the top
(which makes it look like its wearing a
hat) lets out the audio from the single
full-range driver, which points upwards.
Its not stereo, but with strong bass, rich
mid-range and plenty of detail, the Wave
does justice to all kinds of audio and goes
pretty loud without distortion.
A space-saving
PC-speaker hybrid, but
you cant expand it
The rest of the innards will remain a
mystery to most users, since HP hasnt
designed this box to be upgradable or
even serviceable. The tightly packed
triangular space is sealed up tight, so
you cant even add memory later, at least
not without a lot of fuss and an
invalidated warranty. Thats not
something we welcome in a
desktop PC, but if you think
of it as a non-portable
laptop, its no dierent from
a lot of PCs nowadays.
Power comes from an
external mains transformer.
The i5-6400T processor is
from last years Intel range,
and the T means its a
low-energy version,
drawing about half the
power of a full-blown
20 24 May 6 June 2017
New products tested by our experts
desktop i5 processor. Our Windows 10
performance tests conrmed that this
put it closer to the capability of a laptop
i5, so its not ideal for intensive tasks,
such as video editing or running lots of
demanding apps at the same time. Nor
will the integrated Intel HD Graphics 530
handle the latest 3D games, but older
ones will run smoothly if you turn down
resolution and quality settings.
To keep things zipping along HP has
shoehorned in a 128GB SSD as well as a
1TB hard drive. This means the Wave
boots up quickly and you wont be kept
waiting when opening or switching
between programs. Youll just need to
consider what to keep on the SSD and
what to relegate to its mechanical
counterpart. With all this going on in a
very small space, the Wave needs to
constantly cool itself, and despite a clever
copper piping system that directs all the
heat out of the top, we found it was never
silent except when fully asleep.
Theres just one USB 3.0 port at the
front and two at the back, on a
vertical connector strip, plus a
fast USB 3.1 Type-C port that
you could use for external
storage. Speaking of which, an
SD card slot is also provided.
You can connect monitors to
both the HDMI and
DisplayPort outputs if you
want a dual setup, but only
one 4K screen can be used at a
time. Fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi is
built in, and a wireless
keyboard and mouse are included. We
found the full-sized keyboard ne once
we got used to its small Return key,
although the mouse wasnt great.
At a regular price of 730, the Wave is
pricier than a comparable desktop PC but
not outrageously so, and at a current 50
discount its quite tempting. If you can
cope with even more basic performance,
its also available with an i3 processor for
less (550 from John Lewis www.snipca.
com/24265).
SPECIFICATIONS
2.2GHz Intel i5-6400T quad-core processor 8GB
memory 1TB hard drive 128GB SSD 802.11ac
Wi-Fi 3x USB 3 ports USB 3.1 Type-C port Gigabit
Ethernet HDMI port DisplayPort Windows 10
Home 235x168x173mm (HxWxD) One-year
warranty www.snipca.com/24264
VERDICT: Theres no functional benet
to making a PC this small, but the Wave
is perfectly practical while being easy
on the eye and ear
ALTERNATIVE: Acer Revo One e
RL85 250 This discontinued
ed
micro-tower can still be
found and is beautifully
compact, but its Celeron
processor is very slow
LAPTOP TABLET 350 from Amazon www.snipca.com/24271
Venturer PrimePro
ePro 12 TS
Windows on a touchscreen
The iPad may be the most popular tablet,
but its mobile operating system only lets
you run approved apps. Microsofts
Surface Pro laptop-tablet hybrid runs full
Windows 10, so you can use desktop PC
programs on a lightweight touchscreen.
The catch is that it starts at over 650.
The PrimePro is a Windows 10 tablet for
the price of an iPad. Its 12.2in screen is
the same size as the Surface, giving you
enough room to t work in comfortably,
and it comes with a detachable keyboard
and touchpad as standard, so you can use
it as either a tablet or a laptop.
Turning it on, we were pleasantly
surprised by the screen. Its Full HD
resolution looks pretty sharp, and
although its not very bright it covers a
reasonable 88 per cent of the sRGB colour
range. Its not in the same league as
current full-price tablets, but better
than most budget laptops.
Its sharp screen
cant make up for poor
battery life and slow
performance
Elsewhere, you can see where savings
have been made. The plastic case is nearly
12mm thick even without the keyboard,
which at least leaves room for a proper
USB 3.0 port and a mini HDMI monitor
port. A microSD card can be inserted to
expand the 64GB of storage. The keyboard
attaches with a physical data connection,
which is better than relying on Bluetooth,
but its fold-up stand holds the screen at a
xed angle, while typing and moving the
mouse is hard work using the mushy
keys and unresponsive trackpad.
Inside, an Intel Atom processor oers
worse performance than a low-power m3
chip in the cheapest Surface Pro 4, and
with 4GB of memory we couldnt even
carry out all of our usual tests. Only the
least demanding 3D games will run. It did
cope with basic Windows tasks, keeping
up with the Asus Transformer Mini (see
our review, Issue 491).
Where the PrimePro diered markedly
from the Transformer was in battery life:
it gave up on our video-playback test
after a pathetic ve hours 23 minutes, less
than half of what we got from Asus
smaller, slimmer and lighter tablet.
Whatever Venturer has lled the case
with, its not lithium ions. At 1.5kg with
the keyboard, our best guess is concrete.
This is a better buy than Venturers
earlier BravoWin 10K (see Issue 481), even
at twice the price. But its more like a
cut-down laptop than a proper tablet.
SPECIFICATIONS
1.44GHz Intel Atom x5-Z8300 processor 4GB
memory 64GB flash storage 12.2in 1920x1080-
pixel screen 2-megapixel front and rear cameras
802.11n Wi-Fi Bluetooth 4.0 Windows 10
MicroSD card slot USB 3.0 port Mini HDMI port
300x213x25mm (HxWxD) with keyboard
907g (tablet only) One-year warranty
www.snipca.com/24274
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: Worth considering if you
want a cheaper Windows laptop-tablet
and rarely need to type, but battery life
is disappointing
ALTERNATIVE: Asus Transformer Mini
349 This has a smaller,r,
coarser screen and lacks
ks
the rear camera, but
comes with a stylus and
d
keeps going all day
24 May 6 June 2017 21
 Reviews
PC MONITOR 214 from Ballicom www.snipca.com/24313
Philips 276E7QDAB
Big screen, small price
Colour science is hard. Every time we
test a monitor, we analyse its picture
quality using a gadget called a
spectrophotometer, which measures the
light coming out of the screen so that we
can compare it to the data that went in.
What were really looking at is how
wide a range of colours it can display,
and how accurately it translates the
colours we input.
The latter can often be improved by
tweaking settings. Ideally youd do this
using a spectrophotometer of your own
(such as the Spyder5Express, 106 from
www.snipca.com/24315), but you can
do it fairly well with the naked eye. In
Windows 10, click the Windows button,
type color calibration, then click
Calibrate display colour. Ultimately,
though, the colour range of the screen
is limited by the hardware.
This monitor is
more than adequate
for most purposes
The 276E7QDAB, a 27in monitor from
Philips E-line range, is at the other end
of the spectrum (no pun intended). Yet
Philips claims its Ultra Wide-Color
technology covers 122 per cent of the
standard sRGB range. Thats getting into
territory professionals
demand. Budget screens
usually manage around
85 per cent. Our kits verdict?
90.3 per cent.
This doesnt mean Philips
is lying. There are lots of
variables, and we often get
dierent results from what
manufacturers claim. But as
you wont be editing a
Hollywood movie on it, this
discrepancy doesnt matter too
much. This monitor is more
than adequate for almost
anyones purposes.
Its IPS LCD panel looks
great from all angles. It
22 24 May 6 June 2017
goes nice and bright, and its slim bezels
and minimalist case look stylish. If you
do need to ddle with the options, a little
joystick on the back makes this easier
once you get the hang of it.
However, the metal stand isnt the
sturdiest and, apart from a bit of tilt, its
not adjustable. So you might nd you
need to stick it on top of something to get
the screen to a comfortable height. The
Full HD resolution is ideal for lms, but a
little coarse by todays standards for
Windows programs. More and more 27in
monitors have the higher 2560x1440
spec, and even 4K (four times Full HD) is
becoming aordable.
Basic speakers are built in, but theres
no hub to give you extra USB ports, and
with only HDMI, DVI-D and VGA sockets
youd need an adapter (around a tenner)
for DisplayPort. MHL support means
Android devices can connect via HDMI.
SPECIFICATIONS
27in IPS LCD 1920x1080-pixel resolution 2W
stereo speakers HDMI port DVI port VGA port
468x616x179mm (HxWxD) Two-year warranty
www.snipca.com/24312
VERDICT: The specications arent the
most impressive weve seen, but this
is an excellent general-purpose 27in
screen at a very reasonable price
ALTERNATIVE: AOC Q2778VQE 213
Its not as slim, but this 27in
7in screen
oers 2560x1440
resolution and good
picture quality for the
same price
Do I really need...
4k resolution?
What does it do?
UHD, or 4K, describes a screen with
3840x2160 pixels. Its equal to four Full
HD screens compressed into the same
space, such as a 27in monitor or 48in
TV, giving an extremely sharp picture.
Why would I want it?
On a Full HD 27in monitor, photos may
look good but small text isnt as clear
as in a book. Put your eye near the
screen and you can see this is because
everythings made up of pixels about
0.3mm square. That limits how much
detail can be shown, even if the original
data, such as a font or a DSLR photo,
contains a lot more, which you can see
by zooming in.
Whats the catch?
Traditionally, pixels were about the
same size on all screens. When you
switched from a 13in laptop to a 27in
monitor, the window containing your
work would occupy the same area,
leaving room to enlarge it or open
another. But on a 4K 27in monitor,
the window would just get comically
tiny. So, as our screenshot shows,
since Windows 8, Microsoft has been
adding options to scale things back
up (sometimes called HiDPI). This
hasnt always worked well, especially
if you use two monitors at dierent
resolutions, but some of the problems
were sorted out in the Anniversary
Update last year, and more are xed
in the Creators Update. Unfortunately,
some apps still dont support scaling, so
text and icons may look pixellated.
So can I do without it?
Yes, but it does look superb, and its
getting cheaper. Most phones and
tablets now use HiDPI (Apple calls it
Retina), and PCs are following suit.
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 Reviews
PC 1,599 from PC Specialist www.snipca.com/22318

PC Specialist Apollo Zen

Pricey but powerful

Apollo Zen sounds like one of David
Bowies psychedelic alter egos. This new
Windows 10 computer from PC Specialist
is a pretty standard tin can from the
outside, but stepping through the door
well, pulling o the side reveals plenty
of space and one oddity: AMDs Ryzen 7
processor.
It doesnt look much
but the liquid-cooling
graphics card to accompany the Ryzen. It
means even the latest 3D games will run
smoothly with high-quality settings at
Full HD resolution, and 4K is possible
with some tweaks, while compatible
photo- and video-editing programs will
also benet.
When only one processor core was in
use in our tests, the Ryzen was barely
faster than an Intel i5. But throwing
more work at it let the eight cores do
their stu. It soared through our
multitasking test faster than any Intel i7

system makes it fast PC weve seen, blasting o towards

and powerful
Its the rst system weve seen with this
new class of processor, which comes with
a futuristic-looking liquid-cooling system.
Its not rocket science, but we tested the
Apollo Zen with its Ryzen 7 1700X
processor against the 1800X in a
conventionally air-cooled PC,
and the 1700X came out 20 per
cent faster overall. So even
though it isnt overclocked
(which is also possible), youre
getting better performance
simply by ensuring the processor or
doesnt have to hold itself back.
Thats a thoughtful bit of
component selection from PC
Specialist, and we also liked its
choice of an Nvidia GTX 1080
AMD TAKES ON INTEL WITH RYZEN
high-end workstation territory. If serious
creative software is your thing, this is the
kind of clout you need. The included
16GB of fast DDR4 memory might not be
quite enough, but two slots have been left
empty on the Asus Prime B350-Plus Although the latter is on the M.2
motherboard to add more. interface, its not the fastest around, but
The basic white InWin 503 case, with a we got read speeds averaging 399
glossy black front and a plastic window megabytes per second (MB/s) and
on the left si
side, is a bit basic for a PC like 204MB/s for write speeds, which is
this
this, but it does the job. The nine decent.
driv
drive bays include a front-facing If you want a PC that can do absolutely
5.25
5.25in slot which PC Specialist everything, this isnt it, but it crunches
has lled with a DVD writer, through heavy work with satisfying
almo
almost an extinct species in 2017. gusto. However, its hefty price tag will
Ther
There are plenty of USB ports, put o many people. Its a reasonable
incl
including two USB 3.1 for fast purchase for professional users though.
exte
external storage, although none
are of the new Type-C variety. SPECIFICATIONS
St
Storage already tted 3.4GHz AMD Ryzen 7 1700X eight-core processor
comp
comprises a bog-standard 2TB 16GB memory 8GB GeForce GTX 1080 graphics
card 250GB SSD 2TB hard drive 2x USB 3.1 5x
hard drive plus a 250GB SSD.
USB 3.0 4x USB 2.0 Gigabit Ethernet DisplayPort
DVI port HDMI port VGA port Windows 10 Home
440x210x472mm (HxWxD) Three-year warranty
www.snipca.com/22318

AMD is Intels traditional rival in PC
processors, but recently its done better
with its graphics processors based
on technology it acquired in 2006 by
buying ATI. Now Ryzen, a brand new
processor architecture, puts it back
in the game.
cused on
While Intel has focused
cooling systems andd doing
more work with twowo or four
cores, AMD chucks in
es PC
eight cores and leaves
makers to gure out the rest. Intel
provides integrated graphics, Ryzen
leaves this out, assuming buyers will
go for a dedicated graphics card,
although some integrated options are
expected later. For more demanding
users, the Ryzen processors oer a
huge amount of performance per
pound, and theyre all
overcl
overclockable to eke out
even mmore if you can stop
them ove
overheating.
VERDICT: If you take your creative
tasks seriously, this is an excellent
choice. But its probably overkill for
most users
ALTERNATIVE: Chillblast
Fnatic Ryzen 2,550 Higherher
specs justies the jaw-
dropping price, but the water-
ter-
cooled Ryzen 1800X beat the
Apollo by just 8 per cent

24 24 May 6 June 2017

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 Reviews
MEASURING PEN 149 from Selfridges www.snipca.com/24326
InstruMMents 01
The pens not mightier
The measuring tape is surely one of
humanitys greatest inventions. Simply
by marking evenly spaced lines on a
length of cloth or metal, we can tell
precisely how big things are. And all
for under a ver.
So obviously what the worlds been
waiting for is a digital one that costs
150 quid. The InstruMMents 01
measuring pen was crowdfunded on
Indiegogo, is sold only by Selfridges,
and has a name with two capital letters
in the middle. Short of it falling o the
back of a yellow Reliant Robin in the
middle of Peckham its hard to see
how it could look dodgier.
We have to admit, though, its actually
quite nice. Made of steel and aluminium,
it feels as expensive as it is. Its just an
WHAT SHOULD I BUY?
Whats the best inkjet printer for my needs?
Can you recommend an inkjet
Q multi-function printer to
replace my Canon MG6250?
I need both front and rear paper feed
trays to print envelopes and A4 card;
double-sided (duplex) printing; and
an Ethernet or USB
interface. Canon
seems to have
dropped the rear
paper tray from its
current range.
Andrew Wilson
26 24 May 6 June 2017
Draw to measure, but you
need a steady hand and
replacing the battery isnt
cheap or easy
ordinary ballpoint until you connect it,
via Bluetooth, to a neatly designed app on
your Apple or Android phone or tablet.
You then roll the other end of
the pen sideways across whatever you
want to measure. If its a person, some
giggling will ensue.
Measurements are accurate to a tenth
of a millimetre in theory. To keep the
roller in perfect contact with the surface,
youll need to go quite slowly and
carefully. And it measures the wobbly line
you actually roll along, not the straight
line you meant, which can add a few
extra millimetres. You cant pull it tight
like a measuring tape.
Unlike a measuring tape, the
InstruMMents 01 can also measure in 3D,
creating lines in space that you can load
into a CAD program to recreate solid
objects. Amazing! At least, that was the
plan. Recently, the makers admitted this
was a bit harder than they thought, and
the extra-cost Pro app that enables it is
still in development.
We solve your buying dilemmas
The MG5750, which is still
A available (49 from Currys
www.snipca.com/24324), does
have duplex printing, and although its
front-fed and designed for paper only up
to 105gsm (grams per square metre), it
takes Canon photo paper up to
300gsm, which qualies as
card. You could experiment
with dierent paper stocks.
As with the TS5050, envelopes
are accepted, but youd have
to unload the main paper
Still, regular measuring does work
quite well until the batteries run out.
Estimated to last six months, theyre not
rechargeable. Nor are they standard.
You have to order a new set from
InstruMMents in America, at 29. As
they say on Dragons Den: were out.
SPECIFICATIONS
Pen with magnetic measuring sensor Requires a
device running iOS 8.2 or Android 4.3 or higher
www.snipca.com/24329
VERDICT: Its too expensive, the most
exciting feature doesnt work yet, and
it really ought to be rechargeable.
Well be sticking with our Stanley
ALTERNATIVE: 01Go 95
This keyring-sized version
sion
on seems
more practical, but you can
ca only
order it from the US (www.
www.w.
snipca.com/24327) and d
its still pricey
stack to feed them.
For a proper separate rear feed,
consider the Epson WorkForce
WF-3620DWF (99 from Argos www.
snipca.com/24325, see our review,
Issue 496, pictured), which takes up to
256gsm (thin card), oers duplex and
adds an automatic feed for scanning.
But it cant match the photo quality
of Canons models.
Do you need advice on what you should buy?
Email us at letters@computeractive.co.uk
MESH ROUTER 229 from John Lewis www.snipca.com/24280
Google Wifi
Smaller, bigger Wi-Fi
Rivals have tried to make their mesh
Wi-Fi boxes pretty, but Googles had an
even better idea: make them small. At
four inches across and less than three
high, they look attractive too, with a
multi-coloured LED indicator band
around the middle. A twin pack is
reasonably priced at 229, and you
should only need a third unit, at 129,
for larger or trickier spaces.
On paper, the technology inside Google
Wi isnt as sophisticated as that inside
BT Whole Home Wi-Fi. But in practice
that didnt make as much dierence to
speed and reliability as we expected. This
WHICH MESH ROUTER IS FOR YOU?
Mesh Wi-Fi is a new technology that
adds on to your broadband connection
and spreads wireless network
reception evenly around your home.
The two or more boxes have smart
software inside that switches Wi-Fi
channel to give each device that
connects the best
possible speed
and reliability.
Google has sti
competition from
Netgears Orbi (see
our review, Issue 498,
pictured) and BTs
Whole Home Wi-Fi (seesee
An attractive
and easy-to-set up
solution to Wi-Fi
blackspots
re.
is because its not all about the hardware.
Whats also important is that BT and
Googles devices use band steering, which
switches devices between 2.4GHz and
5GHz depending on reception, and client
steering, which discreetly disconnects
you from one box and connects you to
another when its oering a stronger
signal, much like the way your mobile
phone icks between towers when youre
moving, without you noticing.
Googles app, which is the only way to
set up and congure the boxes, lacks the
web page interface youd expect with a
traditional router, but is incredibly
comprehensive. It oers options such as
parental controls that let you choose
when each device can and cant get on
the internet, as well as a guest network
that dictates which of your network
devices (such as a Google Chromecast or
your smart TV) they can use. There are
Issue 496) as well as the likes of
Devolos GigaGate (see Issue 501),
which is slightly more limited.
We like BTs dishes, and retailers are
discounting its three-router system so
its cheaper than rival two-router
options, which is especially appealing
if your house has several
ha
hard-to-reach corners. But
Go
Googles smaller boxes also
wo
work very well. Next issue
we
well review Linksys Velop,
wh
which promises high
pe
performance at 250
fo
for two boxes or 400
fo
for three.
also plenty of monitoring tools that let
you see ho
how th
the wi
wireless
le network
et rk iis
performing.
In our tests, we got very good results
around the house with our two-box
Google Wi network, but it wasnt quite
as fast as BTs dishes. Google sells single
packs, but we found one unit alone
didnt push a signal out as far as the best
standard routers. Each unit has two
Gigabit Ethernet ports for PCs or other
devices with wired networking, while
BTs dishes only have one apiece. That
might sway you if you have a room with
several machines, although a basic
Ethernet switch (12 from Amazon
www.snipca.com/24283) would add
more sockets to either system.
At their recommended prices, Googles
kit would undercut BTs, but Amazon is
selling three Whole Home Wi-Fi dishes
for under 200. Nonetheless, its a very
good system, with excellent features and
no major aws, in the neatest mesh
design weve seen so far.
SPECIFICATIONS
Two-router mesh network Supports 802.11n
(2.4GHz) and 802.11ac (5GHz) Setup requires
Android 4.0 or iOS 8 or higher device
69x106x106mm 340g www.snipca.com/24285
VERDICT: Its not the fastest or
currently the cheapest option, but
Googles well-designed system oers
very practical hardware and software
ALTERNATIVE: BT Whole le
Home Wi-Fi 195 With
three dishes now at a
heavily discounted price,ce,
this looks like a solid buyy
24 May 6 June 2017 27
 Reviews
ca.com/24303
PHONE 689 from John Lewis www.snipca.com/24303
Samsung
Galaxy S8
Long back, no sides
In the year since we reviewed the Galaxy
S7, Samsung became a byword for
making things that burst into ames
(were looking at you Note 7). Thats
unfair, though. The S7 was a great phone,
and the S8 is even better in some ways.
An excellent
wraparound screen,
but awkward to use
The S7s sister model, the S7 Edge, had
a screen that rolled o the sides. This is
standard on the S8. It means you get a
bigger screen without the phone being
any wider, but height is another matter.
Samsung has squeezed the empty areas at
the top and bottom to a minimum, and
stretched the screen to ll the space.
We found if we gripped the S8 high
enough to reach the top, we then
struggled to reach the bottom. It might
have been better to keep the standard
16:9 screen shape and make the phone
smaller. Because theres no room for a
physical button, an on-screen Home
icon is provided; this responds to a press
even when its not visible, for example if
WAITING FOR BIXBY
Microsofts Cortana and Amazons
Alexa are due to be joined by Bixby,
Samsungs own voice-activated
personal assistant. But it isnt quite
ready. So far, the S8 just has a feature
that recognises whats in a photo and
gives you information about it. It will
be updated soon to respond to voice
commands.
28 24 May 6 June 2017
re playing a game.
youre
And the screen is brilliant. Brightness,
traditionally a weakness of AMOLED
displays, is now more than adequate. In
fact individual pixels can go so bright
that it qualies as an HDR (high dynamic
range) screen, and the full sRGB colour
range is covered. We still nd the features
Samsung adds to Android to make use of
the edges like swiping for app shortcuts
gimmicky. But the screens curve does
look extraordinary.
The Galaxy S8 has a proper headphone
port (unlike the iPhone 7) and comes
with excellent earphones. The camera on
the back is almost unchanged from the
S7, but the software now takes three
pictures at once and merges them to
improve quality, which made a noticeable
dierence to our indoor shots. Optical
image stabilisation means you dont
need a super-steady hand.
A ngerprint sensor on the back
supports Android contactless payment,
as well as Androids new service, which
should have launched in the UK by the
time you read this. You can also unlock
the S8 using iris scanning or face
recognition, or by typing a passcode or
tapping a pattern. Should you wish you
can make it turn on automatically at
trusted locations.
For some reason the S8 in the UK has a
dierent processor to the US model, but
theyre both very fast, narrowly beating
even the iPhone 7. Our video-playback
test ran down the battery in 16 hours 45
minutes, which is quite acceptable.
Were not sure what to make of the S8.
Its extremely impressive, and not
seriously awed, though it is a bit odd.
Its also, continuing an unwelcome trend,
crazily expensive, over 100 more than
the S7. Bizarrely, theres a Galaxy S8 Plus
with an even bigger screen that costs more.
SPECIFICATIONS
5.8in 2960x1440-pixel screen 12-megapixel
rear camera 5-megapixel front camera 4GB
flash storage microSD card slot 802.11ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 4.2 3G/4G Android 7 149x68x8mm
(HxWxD) 155g One-year warranty
www.snipca.com/24305
VERDICT: The stunning screen is
unnecessarily tall and the ngerprint
sensor is awkward, but this is the most
striking Android phone around
ALTERNATIVE: Honor 8 Pro
475 Well be testing this
soon, but with similar specs
except for the wraparound
screen, it looks like a serious
rival for a lot less
SPORTS EARPHONES 134 from JBL www.snipca.com/24341
Under Armour
Sport Wireless
Heart Rate
Earphones that take your pulse
Weve seen watches and wristbands that
measure your heart rate, and many
people nd them useful for monitoring
the eects of exercise. These are the rst
earphones weve seen with ith this feature.
The idea is logical: likee a watch,
earphones are in contact ct with your body,
so with the right technologylogy they can
detect blood ow and calculate how fast
your heart is beating. Itss like taking your
ther than
pulse but using light rather
pressure. And it works. Without
a medical team to hand, its
curate
hard to be sure how accurate
they are, but when we went for a run
cord app
the results in the UA Record
matched what wed expect and were
more convincing than those from the
Fitbit Blaze watch (140 from Amazon
www.snipca.com/24342).
Accurate heart-rate
monitoring in a pair of
reasonable-sounding
earphones
As with many tness devices, the
earphones rely on your smartphone
for their heart-rate monitoring feature,
but at least you dont have to keep
checking your phone: the earphones
can tell you your heart rate aloud at
set intervals. The app also charts how
long you exercised and how far you
went, and works with gadgets from
other companies too, so you could
use it with a tness band that lacks
heart-rate monitoring.
The earphones look good and feel
comfortable. A sti loop goes over each
SPECIFICATIONS
Wireless earphones with heart-rate monitor
Microphone Three-button inline controller Micro
USB charging port Requires an iOS 9 or Android 4.4
or higher device www.snipca.com/24334
ear, and while not everyone will like
this,
this it stops them falling out during
exercise. The earphones use Bluetooth
to connect wirelessly to your phone,
but theres a cord between the earbuds
with a built-in microphone and control
buttons. The battery takes a couple of
hours to charge and then lasts ve to
eight hours.
134 is fairly expensive for a
pair of earphones, but not outrageous.
There is a cheaper version, minus the
heart-rate monitor, for 120 (www.
snipca.com/24340). Both sets have
speakers produced by audio specialists
JBL. We found the sound they produced
acceptable bassy but a little harsh,
and more like a 50 pair. If you want
to track your heart rate and like
using earphones, though, it could be
worth the money.
VERDICT: Wed have hoped for better
audio quality at this price, but its a
convenient way to track your heart rate
during exercise
ALTERNATIVE: Garmin Vivosmart HR
100 This waterproof wristband tracks
steps, distance (via your
our
smartphones GPS)
and height climbed
as well as heart rate
The Computeractive
Wishlist
Products we would like to see
No.20: NOTHING
What if we could put
computer development nt
on pause? Not the
technology behind them em
let the processor makers keep packing
in more transistors and wasting less
heat, and the case designers can still
shave a millimetre o everything every
six months if they really want to.
But what if we said no new features?
Just for a while until we gure out
what the heck is going on nobody
piles any more functionality into their
hardware or software. Instead, they
take the time to x whats already
there. Rather than inventing new
le formats, make the existing ones
compatible with each other. Instead
of piling more code into programs,
and more bugs with it, rewrite whats
there to work more eciently. Stop
looking for new gimmicks to compete
for attention, and look at what users
actually want. Maybe even try to rene
products so they cost less, and more
people can aord them, instead of
adding value to justify price rises.
All right, its not going to happen and
were glad computers dont still look
like the Commodore PET (above), but
must they change so fast?
ON SALE
NEXT ISSUE Weds
7 June
Asus ZenBook UX310UA
Windows 10 laptop with
Kaby Lake i5 performance
for under 750
BlackBerry KEYone
BlackB
BlackBer
The last ever smartphone
with proper buttons?
These and much more
Subscribe to Computeractive at
www.getcomputeractive.co.uk
24 May 6 June 2017 29
 Buy It
LAPTOP
Dell Inspiron 15 5000
699 from www.snipca.com/23375
Tested: Issue 459
Now updated with Intels seventh-
generation processors, this laptop ((not the
2-in-1 version) now edges the ZenBook
below and starts at just 449, but
mid-range congurations with SSD and
AMD R7 graphics are the best choice.
ALTERNATIVE: Asus ZenBook UX305CA
If you want something sleeker, this oers
basic performance in a superbly slim
and light metal case. 600 from
www.snipca.com/23376
ANDROID TABLET
Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7
600 from www.snipca.com/24140
Tested: Issue 501
Samsungsgss new
w mid-sized tablet
et has a
wonderful HDR screen and comes with
a pen included, unlike Apples iPad Pro.
But its processor isnt the fastest and its
disappointingly expensive, especially
compared to the 339 iPad 9.7in.
ALTERNATIVE: Google Pixel C It lacks
a smart stylus, but this slightly larger
Android tablet is excellent and comes
with 64GB for less. 538 from
www.snipca.com/24211
30 24 May 6 June 2017
Find out what other products we liked.
Buy our new 2016 Back Issue CD:
15 from www.snipca.com/23209
Our pick of products that have won the Buy It award
DESKTOP PC
Wired2FireDiabloUltimaV2
800 from www.snipca.com/23767
ed: Issue 497
Tested:
Teaming Intels latest i5 processor with
a Radeon RX 460 graphics card, this
delivers great all-round performance
and adequate gaming, helped by a fast
M.2 SSD plus a generous 2TB hard
drive and 16GB of memory.
ALTERNATIVE: Chillblast Fusion
Hubble For advanced performance, this
overclocked Kaby Lake i5 PC comes
with a GTX 1060 graphics card. 1,000
from www.snipca.com/23380
APPLE iPHONE
Apple iPhone SE
340 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 9.7in
339 from www.snipca.com/24079
Tested: Issue 500
The replacement for the iPad Air 2 is
slightly bulkier and has a downgraded
screen but remains the best mid-sized
tablet, with a sensible 32GB of storage.
Youll need the 549 iPad Pro if you
want to use the Pencil stylus (99).
ALTERNATIVE: iPad Mini 4 The smaller
7.9in iPad is excellent, but Apples
decision to sell it only with a huge 128GB
makes it unreasonably expensive. 419
from www.snipca.com/24080
ANDROID PHONE
Motorola Moto G4
139 from www.snipca.com/21685
Tested: Issue 479
With an attractive 5.5in screen, an
excellent 13-megapixel camera, a 13-
hour battery and decent performance,
the G4 is the best budget option.
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. 428
from www.snipca.com/21684
 Computeractive
Bookstore
THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO
GOOGLES HIDDEN TOOLS
NEW! In the new and updated Denitive Guide
to Google Hidden Tools, the experts at
Computeractive lift the lid on Googles most
popular services to reveal more than 390 ways
to make them even more ecient, useful and
ta
tailored to your needs. These include clever new
add-ons for Chrome, smart hacks for YouTube,
and the best things you can do in Google Maps,
Drive, Gmail and more. Its an essential guide
to unlocking the hundreds of secret settings,
options and tools that Google oers. Youll learn
ti
tips and tricks that you can use every day online.

BUY IT NOW FROM

AMAZON
at www.snipca.com/22784

THE ADVANCED GUIDE TO THE A-Z JARGON COMPUTERACTIVE

WINDOWS 10 BUSTER BOOK PLUS 20
2016 BACK ISSUE CD

This 196-page This A-Z guide This easy-

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
troubleshooting guide, with
xes for every problem.
contains over
900 denitions
of computing
and tech jargon,
helping you
take back control of your PC.
It tells you in plain English
what so-called experts say
in gobbledygook. Keep it next
to your computer and youll
never again be bamboozled,
befuddled or bemused by
technical twaddle.
to-use
CD-ROM
contains all
26 issues of
2016, giving
you one-click access
to thousands of tips,
workshops, reviews, free
programs, superb apps and
problems solved. It has a
searchable index, which
makes it easy for you to nd
what you want to read.

BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON
at www.snipca.com/21617 at www.snipca.com/21616 at www.snipca.com/23209
 BUY IT!
Buy It
EBOOK READER SECURITY SOFTWARE PHOTO EDITING

Amazon Kindle (2016) Kaspersky Internet Serif Affinity Photo

60from
57 fromwww.snipca.com/21901
www.snipca.com/21901 Security 2017 49 from www.snipca.com/23739
ed: Issue 483
Tested: 17.99 from www.snipca.com/21532 Tested: Issue 498
Tested: Issue 493

Here: All copy copied

and pasted from issue
489

Kaspersky Internet Security 2017 has won Designed for both full-time professional
Amazons
azons basic ebook reader is now our past eight antivirus tests. Compatible image retouchers and the rest of us
good enough to be our rst choice. Its with Windows 10, the 2017 edition is keen amateurs, this is a beautifully
plasticky, but slim and lightweight, with available at an exclusive reader discount designed and comprehensive program
a decent 4GB storage and good battery on our Software Store. Go to the link for both Windows and Mac users,
life. Consider the 110 Paperwhite if you above for a one-year, one-device licence although so far it performs better on
want backlighting or (for 60 extra) 3G. or buy a two-year, three-device licence for Macs.
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 DS216j

217 from
228 fromwww.snipca.com/21902
www.snipca.com/21902 148 from www.snipca.com/21903
134 140 from www.snipca.com/23387
Tested: Issue 468 Tested: Issue 474 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 The DS215j has now been replaced by
27in screen with excellent contrast and 489
This
one suits
one suits
mostalmost
broadband
all broadband
connections this similar two-drive NAS enclosure
colour accuracy at a very reasonable connections
that dont require
and has
an ADSL
plentymodem
of options,
and with a slightly faster processor. With
price. Its a little laggy for gamers, but such
has plenty
as sharing
of options,
a connected
such asprinter
sharingora good setup software and lots of features,
theres no ghosting on motion. storage.
connected printer or storage. its only aw is that installation is a little
ddly. A great choice for network storage.
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 Synology DS416j Synologys fast and
stand that can switch to portrait mode. ADSL modem built in) is a simple and exible four-bay NAS has also been
Colour accuracy is excellent. 202
199 from
from capable router with a stylish design. updated. 256 from www.snipca.
www.snipca.com/21908 109from
93 fromwww.snipca.com/21909
www.snipca.com/21909 com/23388

32 24 May 6 June 2017


HOMEPLUGS P WEB DESIGN
DRRIC
OP E
TP-Link AV1200 Powerline
werline
Wi-Fi Kit WPA8730
125 from www.snipca.com/23766
Tested: Issue 495
HomePlug adapters use your mains
wiring to extend your network where
Wi-Fi wont reach. This kit provides
Wi-Fi at the far end too, so phones and
tablets can connect as well as PCs and
other Ethernet-equipped devices.
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.
22 from www.snipca.com/21691
MULTIFUNCTION PRINTER
TER
R P
DRRIC
OP E
Canon Pixma MG5750
750
/21693
55 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. 206 from
www.snipca.com/21694
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 P SECURITY CAMERA
DRRIC
OP E
Samsung 960 Pro 512GB
12GB
om/23389
295 from www.snipca.com/23389
Tested: Issue 491
Made for the fast M.2 interface thats
increasingly common inside PCs, this is
not a cheap option, but if you want an
SSD you want speed, and this has it in
spades. Samsungs 850 Evo (150 for
500GB) is a good budget choice.
ALTERNATIVE: Kingston SSDNow
UV400 480GB Much slower, but still
faster than a hard drive, this gives you
more GB per pound. 129 from
www.snipca.com/22127
BUY IT!
COMPETITION
Win 1 of 3
Kitvision Escape HD5W
Action Camera
Whether youre
charging down a hillside
on your mountain
bike or revelling in an
awe-inspiring view, the
Kitvision Escape HD5W
Action Camera ensures that every
adventure you record is preserved
forever in full HD video. Its waterproof
down to 30 metres so you can dive in
and capture every experience across
land and sea, as well as snap high-
quality photos of up to 12 megapixels.
To enter, email your address to
cacomp@dennis.co.uk with escape in
the subject line by midnight 6 June.
You can buy the Kitvision Escape
HD5W action camera for 49.99 on
Amazon at www.snipca.com/24318.
For more information on Kitvisions
products visit www.kitvision.co.uk and
follow @KitvisionUK on Twitter.
P
DRRIC
OP E
Y-cam Day/Night
om/22987
110 from www.snipca.com/22987
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. 250 from
www.snipca.com/21653
24 May 6 June 2017 33
 2016
Back Issue CD
NOW !
SA LE
ON CON
T
ALLAINS
ISSU 26
M 20ES
FRO
16

Buy it now from Amazon at

www.snipca.com/23209
or search for computeractive cd on Amazon
You can still buy our 2015 CD at www.snipca.com/21619
 PU
& LL

Workshops & Tips

Is K OU
su E
e E
50 P T
2

Edited by Sherwin Coelho

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

35 Download best new 40 Shred your files PLUS
themes for Windows 10 beyond recovery 43 Readers Tips 47 Make Office Better
38 Make a photo 42 Sign into Microsoft 44 Phone & Tablet Tips 48 Secret Tips For...
slideshow in HD without a password 46 Make Windows Better Kdenlive

Download the best new themes

for Windows 10
What you need: Windows 10 Creators Update
Time required: 30 minutes

M icrosoft has added a

category with over 150
new themes to its Windows
Store. To access this you rst
need to update your PC to
the Windows 10 Creators
Update, then click a link
within your PCs settings.
Well show you how to
update your PC, then access,
install and customise these
themes to give your
Windows operating system
a whole new look.

1 1

STEP The new themes are only available if you are running
1 the Windows 10 Creators Update. To nd out which
version youre on, press Ctrl+R to open the Run box,
type winver, then press Enter. If you have the Creators Update,
you should see Version 1703 (OS Build 15063.0) or greater 1 in
the window that pops up.
STEP If your version number is lower, you need to update
2 your PC to the Creators Update. Open Settings on
your PC, click Update & security, then Check for
updates 1 (this can take a few hours). Alternatively, see our
Cover Feature in Issue 501 for other ways to get the update.
You can also follow Microsofts instructions at www.snipca.
com/24291.

24 May 6 June 2017 35

 Workshops
2 1
3
4 2
1
STEP Once your PC is updated, open Settings on your PC,
3 click Personalisation, then click Themes 1 . At the top,
youll see your current theme 2 , including its
background name, colour scheme, sounds and mouse cursor 3 .
At the bottom, youll see other themes you have installed you
can click any of these to apply them 4 . To access Microsofts
new themes, click Get more themes in the Store 5 .
1
2
STEP After clicking the theme you want, click the Get button
5 to install it, then click Launch. This will take you back
to the Themes section in your devices settings. Here,
click your downloaded theme 1 to apply it to your desktop. To
install other themes, click the Get more themes in the Store
link again 2 , then repeat the process.
36 24 May 6 June 2017
STEP This opens the new Windows Themes section with over
4 150 free themes 1 . Note, this section is not accessible
by going directly via the Windows Store. Once you
select your theme 2 youll see the images it contains in the
order theyll appear on your desktop. At the bottom, youll see
any related themes that you can click. For example, if you
selected a sunset theme, youll see themes related to beaches,
landscapes and nature.
5 4
2
1
STEP When youve nished, return to the Themes section 1
6 to see all the themes youve installed2 . If you dont
want a theme, right-click it, then click Delete 3 . Each
theme includes a default colour for your taskbar, Action Centre,
Start menu, and title bars for PC programs. However, its easy to
change this colour. You can either click the themes Colour
button 4 , or click the Colours 5 section.
 Download the best new themes for Windows 10
4
3 3
STEP Next, tick this box 1 to let Windows choose a colour
7 for the four elements based on your background image.
Alternatively, select one of the colours from the Recent
colours 2 or Windows colours 3 palettes. Changes are applied
immediately and you can view them in the preview pane 4 . If
youre not happy with the options provided, click the + Custom
colour button at the bottom of the Windows colours section,
select a colour you want to use, then click Done.
2
1
3
STEP Finally, click Background 1 to see more customisation
9 options. For example, to see the current image as
your desktop background, change the Background
dropdown menu to Picture, otherwise leave it on Slideshow 2 .
By default, your desktop image changes every 30 minutes 3 ,
but you can adjust this frequency using the dropdown menu.
Options include 1 minute, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 6
hours and 1 day.
1
STEP Below Custom colour, youll see further
8 customisation options. Turn o the Transparency
eects slider 1 if you want to give your desktop
elements a solid colour. The two tick boxes 2 let you remove the
themes accent colour from the Start menu, taskbar and Action
Centre, as well as from the title bars. The accent colour is the
most prominent colour in your theme so orange in our case.
At the bottom, youll see options to choose a light or dark
mode 3 for the Windows Settings section.
1
3
STEP Desktop images within any theme appear in the order
10 shown in the Windows Store (see Step 4). However, you
can randomise the order by switching on the Shue
slider 1 . Slideshows tend to consume more power than static
images, so we suggest turning o the Allow slideshow when on
battery power 2 if you use a laptop. The Choose a t dropdown
menu 3 lets you choose how you want your background to
appear. Fill (default) usually works best, but you can try the
other ve options (Fit, Stretch, Tile, Centre and Span) to see if
you prefer them.
24 May 6 June 2017 37
 Workshops
Make a photo
slideshow in HD
What you need: PhotoFilmStrip; Any Windows version (XP to 10)
Time required: 30 minutes

T here are several free

programs that let you
convert your photos into
slideshows, but PhotoFilmStrip
is one of the easiest weve ever
used. You can add music,
quickly rearrange photos and
then export your slideshow as
high-denition video. The
program also oers some
eye-catching motion and
transition eects. Even better,
you can set the exact duration
for each motion and transition.

3 1
1
2 2

4 5

STEP To install the program, go to www.snipca.com/24270.
1 The website is in German but the download links you
need are in English. Click the link to download the
installable 1 or portable version 2 . The website makes no
mention of Windows 10 support 3 , but it does work on it. Open
the downloaded setup le, click Run, Yes, select I accept the
agreement 4 , then keep clicking Next until you need to click
Install. After thats done, click Finish to launch the program.
STEP Click the Create new project icon 1 , name your
2 slideshow 2 and choose where you want to save it on
your PC 3 . If you want to add music to your slideshow,
click the Open audio le icon 4 , then navigate to and add the
audio le(s) you want. The options at the bottom let you set the
length of your slideshow 5 . Select Timelapse here if you want to
create a timelapse video. Click OK at the bottom right when
youve nished.

4 STEP To add photos to your slideshow, click the + sign with

2 2
3 a green label in the centre of your screen, navigate to
the folder containing your photos, press Ctrl, click to
select the ones you want, then click Open. Youll now see all
your photos arranged in a timeline at the bottom. Click any
photo 1 to see two previews 2 . Press Delete 3 to remove any
unwanted photo. Click the + sign 4 to add more photos if you
want. Click and drag any photo in the timeline to move it.

1 3

38 24 May 6 June 2017

 3
1
2
STEP The Settings section lets you rotate your photo 1 and
4 add a Black and White or Sepia tone eect 2 . The
top left-hand preview shows the starting point of a
moving frame. This displays the section of your photo that will
be shown at the start of the motion eect. This then moves to
the position shown in the right-hand preview, before the
transition to the next photo in your timeline. Its easy to set
these start and end frame points. Click either preview pane,
move your mouse wheel up or down to zoom in or out, then
click and drag the rectangular frame 3 to the area you want to
focus on.
1
2
3
4
5
STEP You cant preview your slideshow as you put it
6 together, but its easy to make changes after exporting
your le (see next step). To export your slideshow as a
video le, click Tools 1 , then Render lmstrip. In the window 3 to see more options, including to open the video folder 4 .
that opens, set the le format to MP4 2 , the resolution to HD 3 ,
the type to NTSC 4 , then click Start 5 . The render progress can
take a few minutes depending on the number of photos and the
settings you selected.
1
2 5
4
STEP There are three types of motion eects you can apply to
5 these frames 1 . Linear moves it at a steady pace;
Accelerated starts fast and slows down; and Delayed
begins slow then speeds up. You can change the default photo-
display duration (seven seconds) 2 and apply a transition
eect 3 from one photo to the next. Fade dissolves one photo
into the next one, and Roll makes the next photo slide in from
the left. You can change the default transition time (from one
second) 4 and add a caption for each photo (optional) by typing
in this eld 5 .
1 3
2
4
STEP After thats done 1 , click the folder icon 2 to play
7 the slideshow in your default media player.
Alternatively, click the down-pointing green arrow
From here, you can play the le using another media player.
Close PhotoFilmStrip, then click Yes to save your changes. If
you need to make changes to your slideshow, simply re-open
the program, then select your project name to re-load it. Now
make your changes and repeat Step 6 to export your edited
slideshow.
24 May 6 June 2017 39
 Workshops

Shred your files beyond recovery

What you need: Folder Shredder; Any version of Windows (XP to 10)
Time required: 20 minutes

W hen you delete a le on your PC

it goes into your Recycle Bin by
default. However, you can retrieve items
from here, which means that hackers can
just as easily access les you thought
youd disposed of.
Folder Shredder is a free portable
program that oers military-grade
le-shredding capabilities. This ensures
that your les are obliterated without a
trace, thereby making it impossible for
hackers (or anyone else) to retrieve them.

STEP First, well explain why standard methods of deleting

1 les pose certain security risks. Most people select the
les they dont want, then press the Delete key, which
moves those les to their Recycle Bin. However, you can still
restore all deleted les from the Recycle Bin in one go 1 , or
right-click any of the les 2 , then click Restore. Therefore, any
le in your Bin is accessible to hackers.
1

STEP Another common method to delete les is to press Ctrl,

2 then click to select the les you dont want. Next, press
Shift+Delete (see screenshot), then click Yes to conrm
you want to permanently delete the les. This removes the les
from your PC, bypassing the Recycle Bin altogether (this is
equivalent to emptying your Recycle Bin). Even though this is
more secure, you can still restore these les using le-recovery
programs, such as Recuva (www.piriform.com/recuva), which
means so can hackers.

STEP Folder Shredder, on the other hand,

1
3 rewrites your les, shrinks them,
rewrites them again, encrypts,
renames, then deletes your les, making it
impossible for hackers or recovery programs to
retrieve them. The program is a zipped portable
le, so youll need a le-compression program to
open it, such as PeaZip (www.peazip.org). If you
already use PeaZip, open it, click Help 1 , Check
for updates, Yes 2 , then install the new version
from the website.

40 24 May 6 June 2017

 2
3
1
STEP Before using Folder Shredder, its a good idea to move
4 all the les you want to erase to a single folder. To
install the program, go to www.foldershredder.com,
then scroll to the middle of the page to see two download
buttons White Skin and Black Skin. Click to select the theme
you want, then open the downloaded setup le 1 in your
Downloads folder 2 . It will open in PeaZip, so click Extract 3 ,
then click OK at the bottom right.
5
2
1 4
STEP Check that the number of les youre going to erase is
6 correct 1 , then click Start Shredding 2 . Click OK 3
when you see the Shredding les completed pop-up.
Youll see a summary of the process, including the number of
les deleted 4 . If some les werent deleted, click Details 5 to
nd out why.
2
4
1
STEP Youll see a new Folder Shredder icon 1 in your
5 Downloads folder. The program doesnt add a desktop
shortcut, so if you want one, drag this icon to your
desktop, then open the program. To select the folder you
want to erase, click the Select Folder button 2 , then use the
dropdown menus to navigate to it. Select it 3 , then click OK 4 .
1
2
3
STEP In most cases, its because the les are being used by a
7 program on your PC. To resolve this, close any open
programs. Some programs will continue running as
background processes. To stop that, open Task Manager by
pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete, then clicking Task Manager. Here,
click the Processes tab 1 . Youll see a list of all programs
running as background processes. Select the program thats
using the items youre trying to erase 2 , click End Process 3 ,
then click End process again 4 . Now repeat Step 6 to shred
these stubborn les.
24 May 6 June 2017 41
 Workshops
Sign into Microsoft
without a password
What you need: Android or iOS (phone or tablet) Time required: 10 minutess

M icrosoft has added a

useful new feature to its
free Authenticator app for
Android and iOS. It lets you
log into any Microsoft website
on your PC (including
Outlook, OneDrive, Skype,
Bing, Oce, MSN and Sway)
without having to enter your
password. Well show you
how to set up the app. After
doing this, you can log into
any of these websites by
simply tapping Approve on
the app notication on your
phone or tablet.

STEP Install and open the app (Android www.snipca. STEP On the Enter code screen, type the code into the eld
1 com/24281; iOS www.snipca.com/24282), tap Add
Account, Personal account, log into your Microsoft 2 provided, tap Submit, then tap Got It. Youll now see
your Microsoft email address at the top. If you want to
account, then tap Sign in. You now need to verify your add another Microsoft account to the app, tap the three dots at
account. By default, youll see a part of your phone number or the top right, tap Add account, then repeat this process. Now
alternative email address go to any Microsoft website on your PC, click Sign in, then type
(whichever you added to your email address. When you reach the password screen 1 ,
your Microsoft account). If click the Use the Microsoft Authenticator app instead link 2 .
1 you added both, then in the The rst time you do this, youll see a two-digit number on your
dropdown menu select how PC screen.
you want to receive your
verication information 1 .
Next, enter your verication
code in the box below 2 ,
1
then tap Send code 3 . 2
Youll receive a seven-digit
code via email or text
2 message (depending on
the method you chose).

STEP Open the Authenticator app on type your email address into any your device to see two options: Approve

3 your device, tap the same two-

digit number, tap Approve, then
OK. Youll now log into the website on
your PC. From now on, whenever you
Microsoft website, youll see a message
prompting you to approve it in the app 1 .
Tick Keep me signed in 2 if you want to
do that. Now tap the app notication on
and Deny. Tap Approve to log into that
website on your PC. If you dont have
your phone with you, you can click Use
your password instead 3 .

2
1

ON SALE
Weds
NEXT ISSUE 7 June

Add 3D images to your newsletters

Download and keep YouTube videos
Stop apps busting your data limit
3 Add essential options to File Explorer
Subscribe to Computeractive at getcomputeractive.co.uk

42 24 May 6 June 2017

Readers Tips Handy hints and tips from your fellow readers
Email us your tips: letters@computeractive.co.uk

TIP OF THE FORTNIGHT

T

Schedule emails to be sent later

I often forget to wish friends and relatives Clicking the Settings tab at the top
a happy birthday, even though I have left lets you see how many times you
all the dates written down in a diary. can use each feature for free. In most
My cousin pointed me towards a handy cases, you can perform each action
Chrome extension called Gmelius for ve times for free per month, which
Gmail that lets me schedule emails is more than enough for my needs.
to be sent at a time of my choice. To To schedule an email, return to Gmail,
install it, make sure youre logged into click the Compose button and click the
your Gmail account and go to www. clock-shaped Send Later icon at the
snipca.com/24336. Click Add To bottom left. Here you have a choice
Chrome, then click Add extension. of options for when your email will
Your Gmail account will open and youll be sent (see screenshot).
be prompted to log into Gmelius using it. As a bonus, the service automatically
Once youve done that, click Allow, then stops companies tracking the links
click Open My Dashboard to see a list of you click in their emails (see www.
all the actions Gmelius can perform. These snipca.com/24376) and adds useful
include scheduling emails, receiving Unsubscribe buttons to newsletters
reminders, tracking when people have and promotional emails. Both these
opened your messages and adding notes features are completely free.
to your emails. Sam Godfrey

Sam wins a copy of our 2016 Back Issue CD Buy it on Amazon www.snipca.com/23209

NETFLIX
Access hidden Netix categories
I recently subscribed to Netix
(www.netix.com free for the
rst month, then from 5.99 a month)
after reading about it in your magazine.
I love the way it arranges lms and
programmes into categories, which you
can access from the Browse dropdown
menu. Now my son has sent me a link to
a new website called Netix Secret
Categories (www.netixcodes.me).
Unlike Netix, which has only 21
categories, this site has more than 120! Manager, click the Start up tab, select latest app to get me hooked is Complete
Click one to see what Netix has to oer iTunesHelper and click Disable (see Anatomy, which lets you explore the
in that category, then start watching. screenshot above). If you use Windows 7, human skeleton in 3D and learn about
Daisy North press the Windows key+R to open the each bone and its function within the
Run box, type mscong into it, press body. Its been developed by medical
iTUNES Enter and click the Start up tab. Next, experts and has tons of useful
Stop iTunes opening tick iTunesHelper and click Disable all at information. Some of the more in-depth
automatically the bottom right. Now iTunes wont pop elements (such as muscles, nerves and
I have an iPhone and an iPad, and up every time you connect your devices, arteries) are paid-for, but theres lots of
use iTunes (www.apple.com/itunes) but you can still back them up by free stu for a casual learner to explore.
on my Windows PCs to back them up opening iTunes manually. Install the app from www.snipca.
occasionally. Whenever I connect the Michael Parker com/24337. When it rst opens, youll see
phone or tablet to my PC to charge, a human skeleton that you can click and
however, iTunes opens. I nd this very WINDOWS 10 drag to move in 3D. Click any bone to
annoying. Thankfully, theres an easy way Explore the human skeleton read more about it (see screenshot). You
to stop this happening although the When I rst upgraded to Windows can isolate bones to view them in 3D, and
method diers slightly for dierent 10, the Windows Store didnt have a search tool lets you nd any bone you
versions of Windows. many interesting apps, but Im pleased to want to explore in detail.
In Windows 10, open your Task see that this is gradually changing. The Liam Reid

24 May 6 June 2017 43

 Phone and Tablet Tips
ANDROID & iOS
Organise your life with
Microsofts new note-taking app
Microsoft have released a
new, free note-taking app,
called To-Do. It lets you
create simple task lists, set reminders and
keep on top of of everyday projects.
Install and open the app (Android www.
snipca.com24352; iOS www.snipca.
com/24354), sign in using your Microsoft
account, then tap Get Started.
Now tap the + icon at the bottom
right, then start typing the things you
want to do. Each of these items appear in
the main window. They are assigned a
Best New Apps
Link ATM Locator
Free
Android: www.snipca.com/24360
iOS: www.snipca.com/24361
Locating the nearest cash machine in
an area youre not familiar with can be
dicult. This app
lists all local cash
machines and gives
you directions to
the nearest one. It
also has options to
identify those that
have wheelchair
access, audio
assistance and any
that dispense
5 notes.
44 24 May 6 June 2017
Brilliant things to do on your device
default To Do category. To create a list (for
example, to buy or birthday party) that
you can add these items to, tap the three
lines at the top left, tap New list at the
bottom right, then name your list.
You can now sort your items in two
ways: by the lists you have created or by
days when you need to have completed
them by. To do this, tap and hold any item
until you see three icons at the top right.
The rst lets you assign that item to a
completion day. The second icon lets you
sort that item by a list youve created. The
third (bin) icon lets you delete the item.
When you open the app, youll see a list
of any recent pending items, followed by
upcoming ones. Tap the circular boxes to
select the items youve completed (it will
then display with a line through it see
screenshot left). Swipe left across an item
to delete it from the list. To reorder items
tap and hold one, then move it up or
down. Tap any item to see options to add
reminder notications to it.
ANDROID & iOS
Find out your Wi-Fis strengths
and weaknesses
If you notice that your
Skype calls keep dropping
or that videos youre
streaming take a while to load, then you
should install the free Ofcom Mobile and
Broadband Checker app. It analyses the
strength of your Wi-Fi signal and tells you
what its ideal for based on six categories
(see screenshot above right).
What you should install this fortnight
Citizen Aid
Free
Android, iOS, Windows Phones:
www.snipca.com/24362
Developed specically for the UK, this app
can help you save someones life. It includes
emergency contact
numbers and critical
rst-aid steps if you
are rst at the scene
of an accident or
someone around
you has fallen ill. The
instructions cover
everything from
sudden collapses and
breathing diculties
to fractures and burns.
Open the app (Android www.snipca.
com/24356; iOS www.snipca.
com/24357), tap Next three times, tap
Run a test, Broadband & Wi-Fi test,
then Begin test. The app will now
analyse your Wi-Fi speed. Youll see a
tests results page with one of three icons
beside each of the six categories.
A green circle with a tick indicates that
you can carry out that particular task
without any problems. A yellow triangle
with an exclamation mark indicates that
the function will work but you may
experience problems intermittently,
and a red square with an X indicates the
function may work but problems are
highly likely.
CastBox
Free
Android: www.snipca.com/24363
iOS: www.snipca.com/24364
New to Android, this app contains a library
of over a million media items from various
sources - including
podcasts (video
and audio), radio
stations and
audiobooks. You
can download any
content to enjoy
oine. You can also
record your own
podcast by talking
into your phone or
uploading a le.
ANDROID
Save web pages to read oine
Google has now made it easier
to save web pages to read oine
using its browser Chrome.
Whenever you come across links to
articles of interest while browsing,
simply long-press the link, then tap
Download link.
To access this content when youre
oine, open a new tab by tapping the
tab-number icon at the top right, then
tapping the + icon at the top left. On
the page that opens, youll see a new
Downloads section containing articles
youve saved. Below that, youll see your
Bookmarks and the Articles for you
section. This contains articles Google
thinks youll be interested in based on
your browsing habits.
ANDROID
Uninstall space-hogging apps
Recently, Google updated its Play
Store app with a new design and
some handy new features. Open
the app, tap the three lines at the top left,
then My apps & games. Youll see three
tabs at the top Updates, Installed and
Library the latter two are new. In the
Updates section, tap the circular refresh
icon to see which apps have updates
available, then tap Update All to do that
in one go.
Tap the Installed tab to see a list of apps
on your device. Now tap the sorting
menu at the top right then select Size to
see your apps arranged by size largest
apps appear rst. Scroll down the list,
select any app you dont need, then tap
Uninstall to do that. Finally, tap the
Library tab. This section displays apps
that you have installed on your other
Android devices using the same Google
account. Tap Install to install any of those
apps on your device.
WINDOWS PHONE
Install Creators Update on
your phone
Microsoft has now rolled out the
Windows 10 Creators Update to 13
Windows Phone models. They
have warned that older devices may not
be able to receive this update because
their hardware or drivers may not be
compatible. For more information,
including the list of phones compatible
with this update, go to www.snipca.
com/24359. If your device is listed, you
should update it.
To do that, swipe down to
access your Notication
Centre, tap All settings, scroll
to the bottom, tap Update &
security, Phone update (see
screenshot right), then tap
Check for updates.
Your device will begin
downloading and installing
any available updates this
can take a while, depending on
the speed of your internet
connection. After thats
nished, tap Restart now.
Well cover the new phone
features in this update in
forthcoming issues of
Computeractive.
Games With Kids
What to play together on your phone and tablet
AGES 0 5
Little Kitten My Favourite Cat
Free www.snipca.com/24367 (iOS)
As well as letting your toddler play with
a furry virtual kitten, this app oers six
games. Our favourite involves catching a
mouse before it eats some cheese. It also
has simple puzzles and drawing activities.
After each game your child gets to feed
the kitten.
AGES 6 10
Dragonbox Algebra 5+
3.99 www.snipca.com/24369 (Android)
4.99 www.snipca.com/24370 (iOS)
3.89 www.snipca.com/24371
(Windows Phone)
Kids can struggle with algebra if their basic
maths is weak. This app aims to rectify
that by explaining how to solve simple
equations. There are over 200 puzzles
where kids need to drag and drop icons to
each side of an equation to balance it.
AGES 11 16
Crosswords With Friends*
Free www.snipca.com/24372 (Android)
Free www.snipca.com/24373 (iOS)
In this game, your child will get a new
crossword theme every day (Movie
Monday, TV Tuesday, and so on). While
they can solve crosswords on their own,
you can also challenge them in multiplayer
mode in a race to see who solves them
faster.
*Contains in-app purchases
24 May 6 June 2017 45
 Make Windows Better
WINDOWS 10
Use Windows 10s hidden
File Explorer app
The Windows 10 Creators Update
has a new version of File Explorer,
which has a simpler app-like
interface and larger icons (see screenshot
below). This makes it easier to use if your
eyesight is impaired or you use a laptop
with a touchscreen.
To access this version, right-click a
blank area on your desktop, move your
cursor to New, then click Shortcut. Now
go to www.snipca.com/24308 and copy
the line of code and paste it into the Type
the location of the item eld on your PC.
Click Next, name the shortcut, then click
Finish. Open this desktop shortcut to see
the new File Explorer version. Unlike the
standard version of File Explorer, you
cant drag les to or from this app, but its
useful for opening programs and les.
WINDOWS 7, 8, 10
Defragment your hard drive
at regular intervals
All Windows PCs
have a built-in Disk
Defragmenter, which
defragments your hard drive and
optimises your PCs performance.
To use it, press the Windows key, type
defrag, then click Disk Defragmenter
(Windows 7) or Defragment and Optimise
Drives (Windows 8, 10). Youll now see a
list of all the drives on your PC.
To schedule an automatic disk defrag,
46 24 May 6 June 2017
Expert tips for every program
WINDOWS 10
Save paper and ink when printing
Images and adverts in online
articles can take up space (and
ink) if you decide to print them.
A handy solution is the Chrome and
Firefox extension Print Friendly &
PDF (Chrome www.snipca.com/24319;
Firefox www.snipca.com/24320).
It removes images and adverts, and
even lets you remove any unwanted
text (such as captions) before you print.
The developer has recently released a
new Windows 10 app, which adds this
extension to Microsoft Edge.
To install this app, open the Windows
Store, type printfriendly, then click
PrintFriendly and PDF in the search
results to access that app in the Store.
Next, click the Get button, then Launch
to open the app.
click the Congure schedule button
(Windows 7, 8) or the Change settings
button (Windows 8, 10). In the window
that opens (see screenshot below left),
you can set a daily, weekly or monthly
defrag (we recommend monthly). Next,
click the Choose button, then tick to
select the drives you want to tidy up
(choose the ones you use regularly).
Click OK twice to save your settings.
Your PC will automatically analyse
Microsoft Edge will now open on
your PC. Click Turn it on to add the
extension to your browser. From now
on, whenever youre on a web page that
you want to print, click the three dots
at the top right of Edge, then click the
PrintFriendly (green printer) icon.
In the pop-up window that opens
(see screenshot), youll see your page
without any adverts or images. To
remove other text elements (such as
writers bylines, URLs and captions),
simply click them. You can undo any
changes you make and change the text
size using the appropriate options at
the top. The options at the top left let
you print the page, save it as a PDF or
email it using your default email
program.
these drives, then defragment them in
the background if needed.
WINDOWS 7, 8, 10
Open taskbar items using
keyboard shortcuts
Theres a useful
keyboard shortcut that
lets you cycle through
programs on your taskbar and open the
one you want.
Press Windows key+T to see a preview
of the rst open item on your taskbar
(to the right of the Start button). Keeping
the Windows key pressed, press T to see
a thumbnail of the next program on
your taskbar, and so on (see screenshot
left). Press Enter to open the selected
taskbar item.
Another useful keyboard shortcut
(Windows key+M) minimises all open
programs on your desktop.
Make Office Better
OUTLOOK.COM
Change your Outlook.com signature
Microsoft recently
upgraded users of its
Outlook web service to
the latest version. Now when you
go to www.outlook.com and log
into your Microsoft account, youll
see the words Outlook Mail in the
top left, which shows that youre
using the new version. If youve
used Outlook.com in the past,
youll nd that it now does some
things dierently. Here well show
you the new way to create or
edit your signature.
Click the cog-shaped icon at the
top right of the screen and choose
Options. Expand the Mail option on the
WORD
Add book citations to your
documents
If you include text from a book,
publication or website in a
document youre writing, its a
good idea to cite the source at the end
of the relevant sentence or paragraph.
Word has a built-in feature that lets
you do this.
To use it, click the last line of the
text you want to cite, then select the
References tab. Click the Insert Citation
dropdown menu and choose Add
New Source. Youll see a pop-up
window with many empty elds and a
dropdown menu for the Type of Source
(see screenshot below). The source is
set to Book by default, but it oers 17
options including Book section, Journal
Article, Report, Website, Film and
Interview. The elds at the bottom
change based on the type of source you
select. If you select Book, for example,
Expert tips for every program
left, then expand the Layout option at the
bottom and click Email signature. On
the right, youll see your current
youll see the elds displayed in the
screenshot, but if you change this
to Website, youll see elds for
Author, Website, Year, Month, Day
and URL. Type the relevant details
into the elds provided and click
OK. The citation will appear
beside the text.
Word remembers any citations
youve added, so you can add the same
information to other text simply by
clicking the Insert Citation dropdown
menu and selecting it.
EXCEL
Rename and colour your sheets
Its easy to add multiple sheet
sections to your Excel
spreadsheets. Simply click the +
button at the bottom-left of the Excel
window. The sheets are named Sheet1,
Sheet2 and so on by default, but its a
good idea to rename them for easier
identication. To do this, double-click the
signature or, if you dont have
one yet, a blank pane. The
tickboxes at the top let you add
your signature to new messages
and to messages you forward
or reply to.
Type the signature you want,
or edit your existing one. The
icons at the top of the pane let
you add images, change the font
and format your text. To add a
hyperlink to your signature,
highlight the relevant text, click
the dropdown menu at the top
right and click the Insert
hyperlink icon (see screenshot). Click
Save at the top when youre done.
sheet name at the bottom left and rename
it whatever you want.
You can also add tab colours to these
sheets. Right-click the sheet, move your
cursor to Tab Color and click to select a
colour from the grid (see screenshot
below right). To rearrange sheets within
your spreadsheet, simply click one and
drag it to the left or right.
OFFICE
Use Oces background
and themes
All Oce programs Word,
Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook
and OneNote have dierent
background designs and colours
(Themes) that change how the program
looks. Open any Oce program, click the
File tab at the top left, then click Options.
In the Personalize your copy
of Microsoft Oce section on the
right, youll see two dropdown menus
Oce Background and Oce Theme
(see screenshot above). The former has 14
designs that you can click to add, while
the later has three colours. Select
the one you want, then click OK.
These changes will be applied to all
your Oce programs.
24 May 6 June 2017 47
 Secret Tips For
Kdenlive
In our lead Workshop in Issue 500 we
explained how to get started with video
editor Kdenlive. Here we provide a few
ideas on how to take your editing
prowess to a whole new level.
Add a still image
To add a still image to your videos. Click
the Add Clip button, navigate to the
relevant image, then click OK. Youll see
the image has been added to the Project
Bin at the top left of the Kdenlive
window. Next, drag and drop the image
into the Video row of the timeline. To
change the length of time the image is
displayed move the cursor to the
right-hand edge of the image. When
the cursor changes to a double-headed
To change how long a still image is displayed,
drag its right-hand edge in the timeline
Remove your videos original audio track
If youd like to replace your videos
audio with music or commentary,
you rst have to remove the original
audio track from your footage.
To do so, right-click the relevant
video clip, then click Split Audio (see
screenshot). Youll see that the audio
has been moved to one of the Audio
tracks below your video (usually
Audio 1, unless youve already added
an audio le to your video).
Youll also notice a dotted line
around the video and the extracted
audio, meaning the two clips have
been grouped together. To delete
the audio you rst need to ungroup
the clips.
To do this, right-click either clip,
48 24 May - 6 June 2017
Add zoom eects, insert still images,
add silence to your soundtrack, and
replace the original audio
arrow (see screenshot below left), hold
down the left mouse button and drag to
the right.
Zoom into a favourite bit
If your video contains something you
want to focus on, you can add a pan and
zoom eect. With the video clip added,
click the Eects tab. Scroll to the Crop
and transform section, click the + icon
to expand it, then drag and drop the
Position and Zoom eect on to your
video clip (see screenshot above).
You now need to add four keyframes
to your clip. The actual zoom-in starts at
the rst keyframe and nishes at the
second, then stays zoomed until the third
keyframe when zooming out starts,
then select Ungroup Clips (the dotted
line will now disappear). To remove
the audio track from your video
entirely, right-click it, then click
Delete Selected Item.
Next issue Secret Tips For Your browser history
Use the
Position
and Zoom
tool to add a
zoom effect
to sections
of your
video
before nishing at the fourth.
Play your video to the point where
you want to start zooming in, then press
Pause. Click the + button (the Add
keyframe button) in the Position
and Zoom tools menu. Next, click
Play, let the video play to the point
where you want the zoom eect to be
completed, then click the Add keyframe
button again. Now play the video and
click the Add keyframe button at the
point where you want the zooming-out
process to start and again at the point
where you want that process to be
completed.
Youll see all four of the keyframes
youve created in the timeline in the
Position and Zoom tools menu. Click
the second keyframe you made, then
adjust the X, Y, W and H values to
zoom into the precise portion of the
video you want. Alternatively, drag the
red borders in the video preview (at the
top right). Once youre happy make a
note of each value, then click the third
keyframe and add exactly the same
values to that. Add as many zooms as you
want by repeating this method.
Put silence in your soundtrack
You may have a soundtrack on your video
but would like to insert a short period of
silence. If so, play the audio clip (or use
the slider) to where you want the silent
period to start. Next, right-click the audio
clip then select Cut Clip. This splits the
audio into two clips. Move your cursor to
the right-hand audio clip, and with the
left mouse button held down, drag it to
the right to determine the duration of
the silence.
Whats All the Fuss About...
Brain-computer
interfaces
What are they?
Systems that let people control devices
with the power of their mind. An
instruction to move something, such as a
mouse cursor, travels straight from the
brain to a computer. This bypasses the
bodys neuromuscular network, which
sends signals from the brain to the
nger controlling the mouse.
Is this something paralysed
people can use?
Yes. In a recent breakthrough, Bill
Kochevar became the rst person
paralysed from the neck down to use
thoughts to make reaching and grasping
movements with his hands (see image
below). Surgeons placed sensors in his
brain and arm to electrically stimulate his
muscles. Researchers at the Case Western
Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio,
then used a computer to translate his
brain signals into commands. This video
shows him drinking coee and eating
mashed potato: www.snipca.com/24261.
Why is this so groundbreaking?
Because it shows that people can move
parts of their body using brain signals.
In previous research participants have
controlled robotic arms, but not their
own. Dr Bolu Ajiboye from Case Western
Reserve University said that this
neuro-prosthesis technology could
oer individuals with paralysis the
possibility of regaining arm and hand
functions to perform day-to-day
activities, oering them greater
independence. It may also help you type
at 100 words per minute, Facebook claims.
Thoughts become actions in the
latest breakthrough technology
Hang on! Whats Facebook
got to do with it?
It wants to read your mind, and recently
announced that its working on silent
speech software that turns your
thoughts into typed text. Building 8, the
companys hardware research lab, has 60
scientists and academics working on the
project. Their goal is to realise the full
computing power of the brain.
Which is?
Well, according to Facebook founder
Mark Zuckerberg, our brains produce
enough data to stream four HD movies
every second. But evolution hasnt kept
up with technology, apparently: The
problem is that the best way we have to
get information out into the world
speech can only transmit about the
same amount of data as a 1980s modem.
Should I be worried about
Facebook reading my brain?
It certainly has the potential to go very
wrong. Facebook makes most of its
money through advertising targeted at
individuals. To do this, it needs precise
information about its users, and what
could provide more data than access to
their brain? Just imagine if every time
you thought of a product, you saw an
advert for it on your PC screen. Thats
a dystopian vision, but you can
bet that someone in Facebooks vast
marketing department has considered
whether it would work.
And would it?
Probably not. In fact, many
neuroscientists doubt whether any of
Facebooks plans will amount to much,
with one dismissing them as science
ction. The problem is that the ethics
and technology dont match. Facebook
acknowledges the moral problems
inherent in implanting sensors into the
brains of healthy people. It would prefer
to use non-invasive brain-reading
techniques, such as optical imaging. It
therefore came as a surprise when, to
illustrate its ambitions, Facebook showed
a woman with motor neurone disease
controlling an on-screen keyboard via
brain implants (see image above).
So my thoughts will remain
private for now?
Yes. Were many decades away from I
think, therefore I type.
24 May 6 June 2017 49
 YO U R C O M P L E T E G U I D E T O

STREAMING
Everyone seems to be streaming TV these days, which can make it
irritating if you dont know how. Jonathan Parkyn explains
how to go from couch potato to channel surfer

T
raditional live broadcasts are still
the way most of us watch telly
but, according to BARB (the
Broadcasters Audience Research
Board, www.barb.co.uk), UK viewers
watched a mind-boggling 1.5 billion
minutes of online TV in 2016. To save you
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Stream your favourite TV shows so
you can watch them when and where
you want
Find out if your TV is smart or if you
already own smart devices
Cast television and lms from your
PC to your telly
Discover the best streaming services
available in the UK right now
the maths, thats about 2,850 years
worth. Suce to say that TV streaming
is pretty popular, and the industry is
only going to continue to grow as our
appetite for TV when and where we
want it grows.
For anyone who remembers staring
impatiently at the BBCs test card while
waiting for the rst programme of the
day, the world of 24/7 on-demand TV can
seem rather intimidating. Not only are
there more channels than ever before,
but there are more ways to watch them.
Nowadays, everyone seems to have a
smart TV or tablet that can stream just
about anything you can think of. But if
youre new to all this, it can be hard to
know where to start.
Fear not. We kick o this feature by
addressing some of the most fundamental
questions about TV streaming that you
never dared to ask. Well then take you
through exactly what you need to stream
TV shows and lms, explain how to nd
out if you already own any smart
devices, and which programs and apps
you should install to access your favourite
TV shows.
Well also show you some of the best
ways to stream using Windows whether
thats casting your own videos from your
computer to your TV, or getting the most
from on-demand TV.
Finally, well highlight some of the
best features in streaming services
like BBC iPlayer, Netix and Amazon
Prime Video so you can decide which
service is the one for you. So sit down,
have a cup of team and nd out how
to tune in at your convenience.

50 24 May 6 June 2017


TV STREAMING: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
What is streaming?
Streaming usually refers to watching
video or listening to music over a
network, either through your home
network or via the internet. TV streaming
is an alternative way to get your favourite
programmes and lms on to your screen
over the internet, rather than via
airwaves, a satellite dish or cable
connection. Streaming lets you watch
programmes when you want, not when
schedulers decide they should be on. You
can catch up on programmes youve
missed, enjoy live sporting events when
youre away from home, or pay for the
latest critically acclaimed TV series, such
as House of Cards and The Crown, on the
likes of Netix and Amazon Prime Video.
How does streaming work?
Unlike downloading, which transfers an
entire le to your device before you can
play it back, streaming involves a
continuous ow of data. The complete
video le lives online, but its data is sent
to your device as its needed and
automatically erased as you watch it. This
lets you stream large les, even if you
have very little free space on your hard
drive or device. Plus, you can start
watching almost immediately, rather than
waiting for the download to complete.
Some services such as BBC iPlayer
and Netix also let you download
shows and lms. These are added to your
device for a set time period (often 30
days), after which they are automatically
deleted. The concept is similar to
borrowing and returning a library book.
Its handy if you want to watch your
favourite shows while oine (when
commuting or abroad, for example).
DO I NEED A TV LICENCE?
Last September, the
UKs TV licensing
laws changed. Unlike
previously, you now need
a TV Licence to download
or stream programmes on BBC iPlayer,
even when youre not actually watching
on a TV set. You also need a TV Licence
to watch or record live broadcasts on
any channel even if youre using an
online service to do so.
Failure to comply could incur a
penalty of up to 1000. A standard TV
Licence currently costs 147 a year.
Your Complete Guide To
Netflix and other streaming services offer an increasing number of exclusive shows that arent
available on terrestrial TV
What dierent types of
streaming are there?
As well as delivering on-demand movies
(Netix and Amazon Prime Video),
catch-up terrestrial TV services (BBC
iPlayer and All 4), and cute cat videos
(YouTube), streaming technology is also
used by music subscription services
such as Spotify, Google Play Music and
Apple Music to deliver an incredibly
wide choice of music to subscribers PCs
and mobile devices. Internet radio is
another example. You can also stream
your own media from your PC to other
devices in your home over a home
network (see page 55).
What can I watch it on?
If you plan to watch TV streams on a PC,
all you really need is an internet
connection. You can also stream TV
directly to a phone or tablet just make
sure your device is connected to your
home network via Wi-Fi. If youd rather
watch programmes on a non-smart TV,
you can connect your computer to it via a
cable. But there are several alternative
methods of enjoying streaming services
from the comfort of your sofa that dont
involve buying a brand new smart TV
(see page 53).
Do I need fast internet?
Youll need a broadband connection in
your home and a Wi-Fi network with a
strong enough signal to reach your
devices, especially if you plan to stream
from one device (for example, your PC)
to your TV set. Netix, for example,
recommends broadband speeds of at least
5Mbps for HD viewing (www.snipca.
Streaming
Most paid-for services, like Amazon Prime
Video, require a monthly subscription
com/24310). Picture and playback
quality can be adversely aected by low
bandwidth and Wi-Fi problems, so see
the box on page 57 for tips on how to
ensure a smooth viewing experience.
How much does it cost?
A great deal of online content is available
for free. BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5
and even YouTube, all stream shows from
their schedules for a limited time after
their terrestrial broadcast (though theres
no avoiding adverts on the commercial
channels).
Paid-for TV services, such as Netix
and Amazon Prime Video, oer new,
original programmes and have a wide
selection of classic and new lms. A basic
Netix subscription costs 5.99 a month,
while rival services oer comparable fees
(see page 57 for more).
Its also possible to pay a one-o fee
(anywhere between 1 and 4.50) to
rent streamable videos from Amazon
Video, Sky, Virgin, BT, Google Play,
Apples iTunes store and others. However,
this option is generally restricted to lms,
rather than TV shows.
24 May 6 June 2017 51
 STREAMING TO YOUR TV WHAT YOU NEED
Direct to your TV
So-called smart TVs connect to the
internet and let you stream programmes
and lms directly to your TV screen. The
easiest way to nd out if your set is smart
enough to do this is by referring its
manual. If you have an older set, there are
plenty of ways to add smart features that
dont cost the earth (see next section).
Sadly, theres no catch-all standard
for smart TV sets. Some only allow for a
wired (Ethernet) network connection,
while others are able to connect
wirelessly. Wi-Fi-capable TVs will have a
Network section in their settings menu.
Streaming services are usually accessed
via apps (either built-in or installable) on
the TV. Some models come with remote Freeview Play integrates streamed catch-up content into your TVs guide
controls with dedicated buttons for the
likes of Netix, Amazon Prime Video or
other services. Annoyingly, you wont
always nd all the streaming services
you want already installed. You may nd,
for example, that you can stream from
Netix but not from iPlayer. Further
services can usually be added as apps or
via rmware updates, but this is at the
TV manufacturers discretion.
Many newer TVs come with Freeview
Play (see screenshot above right), which
lets you access live TV and streamed Connect your PC to a TV via HDMI, then select You may need to change your PCs audio
content all from the same place. Scroll Duplicate these displays in your display settings output to hear sound through your TV
backwards through the electronic
programme guide (EPG) listings to nd and more. All you need is the appropriate Connect your PC to your TV
and stream programmes you may have app (usually available from the consoles Most TV-streaming services can be
missed. Its free and currently supports store if its not already installed). Some accessed via a PC or laptop. But if you
BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5 and Blu-ray players, Freeview boxes and PVRs prefer watching programmes on an actual
UKTV Play. Virgin TiVo boxes have a also have built-in streaming capabilities. TV, there are ways to connect your PC to
similar feature. The Humax FVP-4000T (199 from www. it. Most modern PCs have HDMI output
snipca.com/24299, pictured below), for sockets, which carry both video and
Use one of your existing devices example, comes with Freeview Play. audio. And pretty much any TV bought in
Even if you dont have a smart TV, you Check your devices manuals to see if the last 10 years will have an HDMI input
may already own a device that can stream they support streaming. socket. Use an appropriate length of
to your TV set. Games consoles, such as Sky subscribers can stream catch-up HDMI cable (such as this 3m long HDMI
Sonys PS3 and PS4 and Microsofts Xbox content to tablets, phones and PCs for cable, 5.49 from Amazon: www.snipca.
360 and Xbox One, can all stream free via Sky Go (go.sky.com), while com/24317) to connect your PC to your
Amazon Video, Netix, iPlayer, Now TV further on-demand TV can be streamed TV, then switch to the relevant HDMI
directly to Sky HD+ and Sky Q boxes input using your remote control.
Games consoles
(like the Sony via Catch-up TV and Box Sets services You should see your PCs desktop on
PlayStation 4 (prices depend on your current package). your TV screen immediately. If not,
left) and PVRs Similarly, Virgins TiVo boxes oer cable right-click the desktop and select Display
(like the Humax subscribers streaming services alongside settings (Windows 10) or Screen
FVP-4000T, right)
have built-in TV- traditional channels. resolution (Windows 7). Click Detect,
streaming features then select Duplicate these displays in
the Multiple displays dropdown menu
(see screenshot above left). If you dont
hear any sound from your TV speakers,
right-click the speaker icon at the bottom
right of your taskbar then select Playback
devices. Look for your HDMI output

52 24 May 6 June 2017

 Your Complete Guide To Streaming

option it may be listed as High www.snipca.com/24330, pictured below

denition audio and display a TV icon
rather than a speaker. Right-click this,
then click Set as Default Device (see
screenshot below left) and click OK. You
may have to adjust the volume levels on
the PC and the TV.
For PCs without HDMI, there are
adapters you can use to connect older
VGA and DVI outputs to HDMI. But as
neither VGA nor DVI carry audio, youll
need an adapter that will also convert
audio from your PCs auxillary out or
headphone socket. These can be quite
expensive StarTechs DVI to HDMI
Video Converter with Audio, for
example, costs 92 (www.snipca.
com/24297). You might be better o
using a cheap video-only VGA or
DVI-to-HDMI adapter and listening ing to
kers.
the sound through your PCs speakers.
ne
Stream via a tablet or phone
Streaming content to a phone or
tablet is pretty straightforward.
Download a free app for the
service you want to use (see
pages 56-57), make sure youre
Some Android devices let you connect to a TV
using an MHL-to-HDMI adapter like this one
connected to Wi-Fi (to avoid expensive
mobile-data charges) and o you go.
Watching on a phone or tablet display is
ne for private viewing, but for a larger
audience
audience, you could consider connecting
your dev
device to a TV set.
For iP
iPads and iPhones, youll need to
buy an A Apple TV box (see box below),
which lelets you cast whatevers on your
devices screen to your TV wirelessly.
Cables tthat let you do the same are also
availabl
available. Apple makes its own Lightning
Digi
Digital AV Adapter (49 from
iPads and iPhones can connect to TVs
using an HDMI adapter, but like all
Apple products, theyre expensive
left). Theres also a 30-pin Digital AV
Adapter for older models (49 from
www.snipca.com/ 24331). Youll nd a
host of cheaper non-Apple alternatives
on Amazon and eBay, but many buyers
report that unocial adapters arent
always reliable, so choose carefully.
Android devices are made by numerous
manufacturers, so theres a variety of
video-output standards. Check with your
manufacturer to nd out which one your
phone or tablet supports. Some support
output via full-size, mini- or micro-
HDMI sockets. Other devices may
support either MHL (Mobile High
Denition Link) or SlimPort video
output, which will require an HDMI
adapter (5 to 20 from Amazon).
To make matters worse, some Android
devices dont allow cable connections.
The one video-output solution they all
support is Googles Chromecast (see box
below), so that could be your best bet. Its
also worth noting that some streaming
services most notably Sky Go block
TV output from a tablet or phone to
prevent illegal copying.

BEST
EST TV
TV- STRE
STREAMING
AMING DEVICES
APPLE
PL TV
PLE
Unsurprisingly,
surprisingly Apple TV
(www.apple.com/uk/tv) is
the most expensive option
at 139 for the 32GB edition
of the latest model (4th
generation). This lets you
install free apps for YouTube,
Now TV, iPlayer, Netix
and many other services.
Conspicuously absent is
Amazon Video. If you already
use a lot of Apples services
iTunes, Apple Music and so
on Apple TV is a good way
to get content youre already
paying for on to your TV.
ROKU PLAYERS
Rokus range (www.snipca.
com/24296) starts at 40
for the Streaming Stick, which
supports 1080p video and
wireless networking, and
provides access to Netix,
YouTube, Now TV, all major
catch-up services and on-demand
content to buy or rent from the
Sky Store. More expensive
models, Roku 2 (70) and Roku
3 (80) oer additional features,
such as wired networking and
expandable storage via USB and
and microSD cards.
GOOGLE CHROMECAST
Chromecast works slightly
dierently from its rivals in
that its eectively just a bridge
between an Android device and
your TV. The Chromecast plugs
into an HDMI socket on your TV,
but doesnt run any apps itself.
Instead, you launch an app on
your Android device, then cast
the content to your TV screen the Chromecast Ultra (70)
via the Chromecast. Theres adds support for 4K/Ultra HD
a brief setup procedure (go quality streaming. For this,
to chromecast.com/setup on though, youll also need a TV
your Android device and follow that supports 4K, as well as a
the prompts), then open your very fast (minimum 25Mbps)
streaming app on your phone broadband connection.
or tablet and tap the Cast icon Even then, Netix, YouTube,
(a TV screen with the Wi-Fi Amazon and others currently
symbol across it) to stream to only oer a small selection of
your TV. The basic model (30) 4K titles, so you might wonder
can stream up to 1080p, while why you bothered.

AMAZON FIRE TV
Amazons Fire TV devices are
geared towards delivering
Amazons own services (such
as Prime Video and Amazon
Music), though most other
streaming services can be
viewed too. Aside from price,
the main dierences between
the 40 Fire TV Stick and the
80 Fire TV are size (the Stick
is physically smaller), quality
(the Fire TV supports 4K
video) and storage (the Fire TV
has a microSD card slot).

24 May 6 June 2017 53

 M
O
FR
EW

eb
W
e
Th
N

t s+
ge

ON SALE NOW!
d
Ga
s+
PC
to
e
id
Gu
y
n dl
rie
u rF
Yo

BuynowfromAmazon:
www.snipca.com/24110
(orsearchforKodiguideonAmazon)

STREAM DIRECTLY FROM YOUR PC
Why do this?
As well as streaming online content from
the likes of iPlayer and Netix, you can
stream your own media around your
home wirelessly from one device to
another, providing a way to enjoy your
music, videos and photos on a TV screen,
phone, tablet, or a second PC.
What do I need?
Most home streaming works using a
standard called DLNA, which connects
all local devices automatically. Windows
has its own DLNA media-streaming
software built in, through there are free
alternatives available (see below).
Many smart TVs, games consoles and
streaming boxes have a built-in DLNA
media player, or you may be able to add
support by downloading an app. If youre
streaming to a phone or tablet rather than
to your TV, then all thats usually needed
is an app all the services we cover on
pages 56-57 have apps. The device youre
streaming to will need to be connected to
the same network as your PC.
Is there anything to
watch out for?
As with all streaming, the playback
quality is limited by the strength of
the network connection youre using.
Turn to page 57 for tips on improving
quality.
The other thing to bear in mind is
that its usually not possible to stream
protected content. As a general rule, les
youve created yourself photos, videos,
TV shows youve recorded will stream
ne. But lms or TV programmes youve
bought in online stores, such as the
iTunes Store, or downloaded from
services like iPlayer are usually DRM-
protected, meaning your media-
Enable Windows built-in streaming feature to
share your media library with other devices
Your Complete Guide To
streaming software wont be able to
stream them.
Enable Windows built-in
home streaming
Click Start, type media streaming, then
click Media streaming options. Click
Turn on media streaming (see screenshot
below left), type a name for your media
library at the top of the window, then
click OK. Your PCs library will now show
up in any DLNA-enabled network player
or app. And any les you add to your PCs
Videos, Music, or Pictures library folders
will be available to stream.
A quick way to stream video and music
les to a nearby device is to navigate to
the le you want using File Explorer, then
right-click it and select Cast to device.
Select the device you want to stream to
from the list.
In Windows 10, you can also project
media content from web pages if you use
Edge, though this only works if the TV
or device youre casting to supports a
standard called Miracast (check its
manual if youre not sure). Navigate to
an online video, click the menu button
Stream online content wirelessly from Edge
to Miracast-supported devices
Streaming
Plex is a great
streaming
tool that
automatically
organises your
media library
(three dots) and select Cast media to
device. Your PC will search for compatible
connections and list any it nds, though
you may instead see a message saying
your device doesnt support Miracast.
Home streaming using
third-party software
Alternative streaming tools, such as Plex
(www.plex.tv) and Kodi (kodi.tv) oer
more in terms of both functionality and
panache. Plex, for example, automatically
organises the media les on your PC into
a neat, easy-to-browse interface (see
screenshot above) that you can stream
around your home to almost any device.
To get started, go to www.snipca.com/
24306 to sign up for a free Plex account,
then download the Plex Media Server
software and install it on your PC. Youll
be prompted to sign in and add media
folders to your library. Once this is done
download the Plex app for the device you
want to stream to. There are Plex apps
available for Android and iOS, as well as
many of the games consoles and
streaming boxes mentioned on page 53.
Some smart TVs, including newer LG and
Sony models, support Plex directly. Youll
notice theres a paid-for version of Plex
called Plex Pass that costs 3.99 per
month. It adds a few extra features (such
as the ability to stream TV and music
from Dropbox), but we suggest you
ignore it and stick to the free version.
Kodi isnt as straightforward to use as
Plex, but its completely free and oers
even more exibility, thanks to a wide
range of free plug-ins that can add
features like dierent skins, or support
for alternative media sources, including
NASA TV and Flickr. See our Cover
Feature in Issue 498 (page 50) for much
more information on Kodi.
24 May 6 June 2017 55
 WHAT TO STREAM ONLINE
Free TV & lms
BBC iPlayer
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer
Whats on?
About 95 per cent of what the
Beeb broadcasts nds its way
to iPlayer (the missing ve per are
programmes and lms that the BBC
doesnt own the full rights to, such as
the odd lm or sporting event).
Just before we went to press the BBC
announced that iPlayer users will soon
have to create an account to stream
and download content (www.snipca.
com/24377). To create one, go to www.
snipca.com/24378, ll in your details and
click No, thanks when prompted to opt
out of spam emails.
You can search for programmes using
the search bar, or sort content by channel
or genre using the dropdown menus at
the top of the web page. You can also
watch live broadcasts from the majority
of BBC channels. To do so, click TV Guide,
then click any programme agged up as
On Now. You can use this guide to catch
up on programmes from the past seven
days. Simply scroll back through the days
of the week and any TV show or lm
listed in white is available to watch.
You can also download content and
watch it oine for up to 30 days. Click
the programme you want, then click
Download (see screenshot above). Youll
see a Programme downloads pop-up
that prompts you to install the BBC
iPlayer Downloads manager. Click No,
install now (if you havent downloaded
from the iPlayer before), then click For
Windows, and double-click the
downloaded le to install it. Once its
installed, click the programmes listing,
click Download, click Yes, continue
downloading, then choose SD or HD (the
latter uses more hard-drive space).
Another pop-up will now appear at
the top of your browser window. Tick
the Remember my choice... box,
then click Open BBC iPlayer downloads.
exe (see screenshot below). A new window
56 24 May 6 June 2017
Click Download so you can watch iPlayer programmes offline
will open and youll see your chosen
programme open next to a download-
progress bar. In future, to see this list of
programmes, open the BBC iPlayer
Downloads manager via the Start menu.
Little-known feature
Films dont immediately spring to mind
when you think of the BBC, but iPlayer
lets you stream plenty. Go to www.snipca.
com/24345 to see a list of whats
available. The only dierence between
lms and TV shows is that, for copyright
reasons, theyre usually unavailable to
download for oine viewing.
ITV Hub
www.itv.com/hub
Whats on?
The ITV Hub is ITVs answer to
iPlayer. To watch its content
youll have to create an account. Go to
www.snipca.com/24346 and follow the
instructions (untick Send me emails
about ITV Hub shows, including
Premieres and First Looks if you dont to create a Channel 4 account.
want to receive these).
Once youre signed in, use the search
bar, or click the Shows and Categories
links at the top of the page, to search for
the show you want. But then it gets a
little tricky, requiring a bit of scrolling.
You have to click an episode from the list
at the bottom, then click the Play button
at the top (see screenshot above right).
To make the video full screen click the
box icon at the bottom right.
You have to subscribe to ITV Hub+
(3.99 a month) to download shows
and to remove advert breaks. Watching
live TV is free however. Simply click
Live TV, then TV Guide to watch
Use these settings
to make things
easier in future when
downloading from
iPlayer
Once youve selected an episode on the ITV
Hub, click this Play button to start it
whatever is being broadcast on any
of ITVs channels at that moment.
All 4
www.snipca.com/24344
Whats on?
All 4 is Channel 4s catch-up
service. You need to create an
account to watch its content (www.
snipca.com/24347). Click the Google,
Facebook and Twitter icons to sign in
using those accounts, or click Register
Once thats done, click a programme,
then one of its episodes to watch it. All 4s
best feature is its free box sets. Click Box
Sets along the top of the page to see
whats available, then click a series to
start watching. These include new shows
(National Treasure and Mutiny) and
classics (Whose Line is it Anyway? and
Drop the Dead Donkey). Theres no
download option, but you can click
Watch Live to watch whats currently
being broadcast.
My5
www.my5.tv
Whats on?
Channel 5s iPlayer alternative
also requires that you create an
account. Click Sign In at the top right of
the web page. Again, you can sign in
using your existing Google, Facebook
or Twitter account, or click Register now
to create a My5 account if you prefer.
Click Browse to search for content by
category, or click Search to look for
specic programmes.

Paid-for services
Netix
www.netix.com
Whats on?
All sorts, but thats what youd
expect of a service that costs
7.49 per month for the standard package
(there is a months free trial available).
Youll get access to exclusive TV shows,
such as House of Cards and Orange is the
New Black, hundreds of lms and BBC
shows. Netix also lets you download
a limited selection of lms and shows
on Android, iOS or on Windows 10 (if
you have the Netix app, www.snipca.
com/24351). Youll see a down arrow next
to any content that can be downloaded.
Stand-out feature
Netix oers lots of content, but isnt
great at guiding you through its vast
collection. If you use Chrome, you can
view Netixs categories using the Netix
Categories Chrome add-on (www.snipca.
com/24348). Once installed, go to the
Netix site, log into your account, then
click the add-on (see screenshot above
right), All Categories, then click on the
category you want these include Action
Comedies, Alien Sci-Fi and Deep Sea
Horror Movies. To include a category in
your favourites, click the heart icon to
its right.
Amazon Prime Video
www.snipca.com/24350
Whats on?
Amazon is Netixs main rival
in the paid-for TV business.
For 7.99 a month you get access to
a variety of TV shows and lms, plus
Amazon Primes other benets such as
one-day delivery on goods and Amazon
Prime Music. If youd prefer to save some
cash and just subscribe to the videos,
thatll cost you 5.99 a month. Like
Netix, Amazon has exclusive shows,
including Preacher and American
Gods but it has much less choice than
Netix. Amazon also has the annoying
habit of mixing in the Prime content
with paid-for videos. Click Included
NEXT ISSUE On sale Wednesday 7 June
UE
SPECIAL SECURITY ISS
RANSOMWARE: Stay Safe
from the Next Attack
Subscribe to Computeractive at www.getcomputeractive.co.uk
Your Complete Guide To
Unlock Netflixs hidden categories using the
Netflix Categories Chrome add-on
with Prime to x this. To download
from Amazon youll need the Android
or iOS app on your phone or tablet.
Best of the rest
YouTube
www.youtube.com
Whats on?
YouTube has a little bit of
everything, including TV shows,
documentaries, live shows, music videos
and classic lms. To nd what you want
use its search bar and lters. For example,
to nd classic lms, type an actors name,
such as cary grant, into the search bar,
then press Enter. Once the search results
appear, click Filters, then Film (see
screenshot below).
Youll see that some videos have a
price next to them, but you can still
nd plenty of free lms. Try adding
free to your search to prioritise these.
You can use as many lters as you
want, so try adding View count
or Rating to nd popular ones.
Use YouTubes filters to target exactly what
you want to watch
Streaming
THREE WAYS TO IMPROVE
STREAMING QUALITY
1 Move your router
TV streaming requires a lot of
bandwidth, so if youre connecting
wirelessly, a strong signal is essential.
If your video is stuttering move your
router closer to your device.
2 Go wired
Many streaming devices (not phones
and tablets) have a wired networking
(Ethernet) socket. You can connect them
to your router with a network cable.
3 Change your settings
Streaming apps usually let you adjust
the default quality. Precise instructions
vary, but on BBC iPlayer, for example,
play the content you want to watch,
then click Turn HD o (to the right of
the episode synopsis) to go from high
to standard denition.
Stand-out feature
YouTube has some great content to keep
kids busy. Get the free YouTube Kids app
for Android (www.snipca.com/24353)
or iOS (www.snipca.com/24355).
NASA TV
www.snipca.com/24358
Whats on?
Exactly what youd expect.
Free TV direct from NASA,
which includes live feeds of Earth from
the International Space Station and
interviews with the astronauts on board.
Qello Concerts
www.qello.com
Whats on?
Music documentaries and
classic concerts by the likes
of David Bowie and Queen. Not
everything on Qello is free an All
Access Pass costs $7.99 (around 6.20)
per month. But even without that you
can watch samples of concerts.
ON SALE
Weds
7 June
Plus W10 Creators Update:
Changes you should make
Have you really signed out?
Check before hackers do
24 May 6 June 2017 57
 Save space by
shrinking your files
4
4
Are huge video, image and music files swallowing your hard-drive space?
Mike Plant explains how to reduce them to a more manageable size
I
f your PC is running low on hard-drive
space youll soon know about it. Open
a program and itll grind to a halt. Try
booting up and you can clear your
diary for the day while you wait. Work on
a document and itll suddenly reset itself
at a moments notice.
Deleting les you no longer need will
help, but what if youve already deleted
everything you can bear to part with? The
usual advice is to buy an external hard
drive, but these dont come cheap.
Here well explain how you can keep
your les and still free up space, without
having to put your hand in your pocket.
Photos
It wasnt so long ago that digital photos
were just a few kilobytes in size. These
days, a photo taken in RAW format on a
DSLR camera can quite easily exceed
30MB. Even smaller image les taken on a
mobile phone can exceed 5MB depending
58 24 May 6 June 2017
on the quality of its camera. Improved
picture quality can be worth the extra
space required to store them, but start
saving these photos to your hard drive
and your PC may soon be struggling
under the strain.
To reduce photo le size while
retaining image quality, you can use
photo viewer, IrfanView (www.irfanview.
com). To download it, go to the list on the
left, click Download, then the FossHub
download link and install it in the usual
way. After opening IrfanView, click File,
Open, navigate to the photo you want to
downsize and click Open. Next, click
Image, then Resize/Resample.
In the pop-up menu, you can either Lower the Save quality of your photos to
type a new size into the Set new size reduce their size
eld, select a standard dimension (such
as 1024x768 pixels) or click Half to reduce photo (4032x3024 pixels) taken on our
the photos dimensions by 50 per cent Android phone, to just 457KB (2016x1512
(see screenshot below). By clicking the pixels) without reducing its quality on
Half button we were able to shrink a 5MB our monitor. We suggest you experiment
with the dimensions settings until you
nd the perfect one for the photos your
camera takes.
To save your new photo so you can
compare it to the original before you
delete it, click File, Save as, type a le
name, then click Save. We also suggest
you tick the Save le with original date/
time box in order to preserve the original
photos metadata (see our feature on page
60 for more on why this is important).
If youd rather not change the
By halving the dimensions of your photo, you can try
dimensions of saving it as a slightly lower-quality JPEG.
a photo you can
reduce its file size Open your photo, click Save as, then tick
to one-tenth of Save le with original date/time and
the original Show options dialog. The latter opens a
new window called JPEG/GIF save
options. Move the Save quality
slider at the top of the window to
the left to lower the images quality
(see screenshot left), then click Save
in the left-hand box (rename it if
you want to compare it to your
original). Try experimenting with
the position of the slider. For
example, we dragged the Save
quality slider to 50 without
compromising our image,
shrinking it from 5MB to 1MB.
Videos
One way to shrink your videos is to
trim their length using a video
editor, but obviously this means
sacricing some of your footage. If Use Free Video Compressor to reduce video file size
you dont want to do this, your best without trimming any footage
option is to use a compression tool
such as Free Video Compressor
(www.freevideocompressor.com).
On the website, click Download and
install the software. Open Free Video
Compressor, click Open, then browse
to and select the video you want to
compress. Next, use the Desired Video
Size dropdown menu to specify the
STOP USING ZIP FILES
The main point of ZIP les is to make
text documents smaller. It was never
meant to compress audio and video, so
it doesnt do a very good job We suggest
you ditch the ZIP format and try some
alternative compression formats.
The 7Z (7-Zip) format, for example, is
more adept at handling a wider range
compressed is added to its name).
Youll now see a progress bar as the
video processes this can take
an hour or two depending on
the length of your video.
Music
Compressing music les can also free
up hard-drive space. But overdo it and
your Led Zeppelin albums might start
sounding like the Spice Girls. Free
web-based tool Online Audio Convertor
(www.online-audio-converter.com)
makes it easy to reduce entire batches of
music les (including MP3s) without
compromising quality.
We used it to compress a 10-track
album from 41.1MB to 35.2MB. That
might not sound like much of a
reduction, but repeat the process for
every album you own and youll soon
amount of your reduction. Bear in start to claw back some space.
mind that the lower the percentage, On the website click Open les,
the more the video quality will be then select as many music les as you
compromised. We found 70 per cent want. Next, move the Quality slider to
(see screenshot above) was the ideal Standard, then click Convert. Once the
trade-o. Next, click Compress, then process has completed click Download
rename your video. Click Save to start to save your converted les as a ZIP. Be
compressing your video (by default aware that the process involves uploading
and downloading les to and from the
internet, so if you have a metered
broadband connection keep an eye on
your data limit.
Lower the Quality If youd rather avoid using the internet,
setting to Medium in its possible to do something similar
Audacity to reduce
the size of your in our favourite audio editor Audacity
music collection (www.audacityteam.org). Once its
installed and open, click File, Open,
then select the le you want to shrink.
Click File, Export Audio, select Medium
from the Quality dropdown menu (see
of le formats. While our favourite screenshot left), then click Save.
compression software, PeaZip (www. Remember to rename it if you want
peazip.org) is capable of creating 7Z to preserve the original and compare
les and ZIPs. audio quality. The only downside
To create a 7Z compressed le, install with Audacity is that you have to
and open PeaZip, navigate to the les process each song individually, rather
you want to compress, select them, than convert them in batches.
then click Add. Select 7Z in the rst
dropdown menu (see PDFs
screenshot), then Manuals and other large documents are
click OK. To extract a often saved in PDF format for the sake
7Z le, double-click it of convenience. PDFs are handy but
and PeaZip should can take up a lot of hard-drive space,
open by default. If particularly if they contain many images.
not, and youre An easy way to resize your PDFs is to use
prompted to choose a Smallpdfs compression tool (www.
default program, click smallpdf.com/compress-pdf).
Select a program Go to the site, click Choose le, select
from a list of installed your PDF, then click Open. Your PDF will
programs, then then be uploaded and compressed. Click
double-click PeaZip. the Download File Now link to save the
new, smaller version of it to your PC.
24 May 6 June 2017 59
 Make your
PC do the
BORING
STUFF
Why sit at your computer repeating the
same old tasks when you can make your PC
do them for you? Mike Plant explains how
H
ow often do you nd yourself
sitting at your PC carrying out
the same laborious tasks day
in, day out? Whether thats
carrying out repairs or maintenance
work, closing the same old error
messages, updating your programs, or
renaming that latest batch of photos.
Its time to give yourself a break from
these tedious, repetitive chores. Here we
explain how to make your PC do the
donkey work, so you can put your time
to better use.
Update your programs
automatically
If we had a penny for every time weve
seen the message this program requires
an update when switching on our PC,
wed have enough money to pay someone
to keep our programs updated for us.
Sadly, thats not the case. So instead we
use Kaspersky Software Updater (www.
snipca.com/24275) to update our
programs in one go.
Go to the website, click the red
This blue button in Windows 10 Repair Tool
will prompt you when carrying out fixes
60 24 May 6 June 2017
Download Now button
and double-click the
downloaded le to install it.
Open the program then click
the Search for updates
button. Once the scan has
completed youll see a list
of available updates for the
programs on your PC. Click
the Update all button,
then Update all when the Click this to exclude stubborn programs from Kaspersky
pop-up window appears. Software Updater scans
Update progress bars will
then appear next to each program.
Most programs update with no
intervention required, but if any updates
fail, click Retry. If the problem persists,
click Cancel to skip it and allow the
other programs on the list to update.
When we carried this out on our PC
only LibreOce failed to update. When
this happens youll have to use the
programs own updater.
You can add these problem programs
to an Exclude list so that Kaspersky
Software Updater wont waste time
checking them in future. To do this,
click the arrow next to Update, select
Exclude from the dropdown menu (see
screenshot above), then click Continue
when prompted. For more Kaspersky
Software Updater tips see our Workshop
in Issue 499 (page 35).
Make your PC x itself
Fix le and folder problems
You can waste a lot of time trying to x
common glitches that aect your les
and folders in Windows. These include
the error message The le or folder does
not exist whenever you rename a le.
Perhaps youre suering from broken
keyboard shortcuts and desktop icons
that randomly change. Whatever the
problem your rst port of call should be
Microsofts little known File and Folder
Troubleshooter (for Windows 7-10).
Go to www.snipca.com/24269 to see
the kind of problems the tool can help
you x, then click the Download link
to get it. Once its downloaded, double-
click the le to run it, then click Next.
After a few seconds youll see a series of
tick boxes, which let you specify your
PCs problems. Make your selections
(or select them all if you want the tool
to carry out a thorough scan), then
click Next.
Depending on which problems the
scan uncovers the tool may ask you to
close any programs you currently have
open, so make sure you save any
important work (such as in documents
and spreadsheets), then click Yes. Once
the troubleshooter has nished youll see
a list of the problems found and whether
or not the problem was xed. Click Close
the troubleshooter to exit it, then restart
your PC.
Use Windows 10s Repair Tool
If your Windows 10 PC is running slow,
experiencing blue-screen-of-death
crashes, or if your clock wont show the
correct time, then use the Windows 10
Repair Tool, in fact. Its described as a
repair kit for Microsoft Surface tablets,
but it works perfectly well on Windows
10 PCs. Go to www.snipca.com/24272,
scroll down then click the Download
the Software Repair Tool link. Once its
downloaded, double-click the le to
open it, tick the License Agreement box,
then click Next.
The Repair Tool will now scan your
PC and x any errors it nds (this can
take 10 to 15 minutes depending on how
fast your PC is). As it scans, youll need
to keep an eye on the blue button at
the bottom right of the tools window
because it will prompt you to carry out
certain actions (such as Restart now
or Install updates see screenshot far
left on page 60). Youll be prompted
to restart your PC again when the tool
completes its task.
Bulk-edit photo le names
Smartphones have made it easier than
ever to build up a huge collection of
photos, but changing all their le names
from, say, IMG_20161217_111138.jpg to
something more meaningful
can take the best part of a lifetime.
Instead, you could use free program
Advanced Renamer (www.advanced
renamer.com) to rename batches of
photos in one go. Go to the website,
click the Download now button,
then click the Download with installer
Advanced Renamer will automatically rename your photos according to when they were taken
OPEN MULTIPLE WEBSITES IN ONE GO
Theres a good chance you have several
websites you visit every day. To save
time you can make your browser open
all your favourites when you launch it
by tweaking its settings. You should,
however, limit the number of websites
you select, otherwise your browser will
take ages to open.
In Chrome, click the Menu button
(the three dots at the top right), click
Settings, then click Set pages (to the
right of Open a specic page or set of
pages). In the pop-up window, type the
URL of a favourite website into the Add
a new page box, then press Enter to
add it. Repeat this for your other chosen
websites, then click OK.
In Firefox, click the Menu icon (three
lines at the top right), Options, then select
Show your home page in the When
Firefox starts dropdown menu. Next, type
the URLs of each website, making sure
and uninstaller option. Install the
program, then open it.
The great thing about Advanced
Renamer is that it can retrospectively
rename your les based on their
metadata. This lets you rename your old
holiday snaps to reect when they were
taken. We suggest you try it with a small
batch of photos rst, until you get used
to how it works.
To do that, click the Rename Files tab,
the Add button, then Files. Navigate to
the rst batch of photos you want to edit,
select as many as you want, then click
Open. Youll now see the les listed in
Advanced Renamer. Next, in the left-hand
panel click Add method, New Name,
then type IMG Year>-<IMG Month>-<IMG
Day>_<IMG Hour>-<IMG Min>-<IMG
Sec>.<Ext> in the box below New Name
you include a space, vertical bar (|) then
another space between each URL (see
screenshot).
In Edge, click the Menu button (three
dots at the top right), choose A specic
page of pages from the Open Microsoft
Edge with dropdown menu, click Add
a new page, enter a URL then press
Enter to save it.
In Internet Explorer, click the Settings
cog at the top right, then Internet options.
Type the websites URLs in the box at the
top (making sure each web address is on
a new line), select the Start with home
page option in the Startup section, then
click Apply.
(see screenshot below). You can also copy
and paste this line directly from www.
pastebin.com/raw/psNPzF67.
This instructs the program to rename
each le by the year, month, day and
time it was taken. Youll see what each
les new name will look like in the list
on the right. This is only a preview pane
your actual le names havent been
changed yet.
You can now add other identifying
elements to the lename, such as a
location. For example, we added Florida-
to the start of the line as a prex for each
le name. Another handy trick is to select
Append incrementing number from the
Name collision rule dropdown menu (at
the top right of the preview pane) to
ensure that photos taken at the exact
same date and time (such as when using
burst mode) are appended with 001, 002,
and so on.
Once youre happy with how the le
names look in the preview pane, click
Start Batch (the far right option at the
top of the window), then click Start
when prompted. The les will disappear
from the preview pane once they are
processed. If you then notice youve made
a mistake, click Undo Previous Batch (to
the left of the Start Batch button), select
the rename job in the list on the left, click
Undo this list, then OK.
For a full list of all the commands you
can use in AdvancedRenamer go to www.
snipca.com/24278.
24 May 6 June 2017 61
 Problems Solved
PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT
Can I put a question mark
in a filename?
Q
Why is it that I cant include a
question mark (and other
symbols) in a Windows
lename? Ive occasionally wanted to
add a question mark to the end of a
lename. I thought Id found a
workaround by using the Symbol
dialogue in Word 2010, where Id
found a symbol that looked like a
question mark. I copied and pasted
this to rename an existing JPEG le
and it seemed to work, albeit with an
extra space in front of the question
mark. The image opened in Photoshop,
but a resizing tool that I use would not
recognise it. Could you explain?
Paul Bath
This is because Windows relies
A on several reserved characters,
which include the question
mark. This small selection of symbols
serve other purposes in the operating
system. In particular, the question
mark acts as a single-character wild
card in File Manager searches. For
example, type ???.doc into the Search
box at the top right of the File Explorer
window and youll be presented with a
list of all les with any three characters
in the le name, but only those with
.doc as the le extension. So, you see
why a question mark in a lename
would confound Windows.
Youve gured out that a workaround
is to use a non-reserved symbol that
looks like the one you want. This works
Paste your question mark here to add it to a
file name
64 24 May 6 June 2017
Type FF1F, then press Alt+X to get a
question mark you can save in file names
because the alternative symbol uses a
dierent underlying code to the
reserved character, so to Windows its a
dierent thing even if it looks the
same to you. The underlying code
numbers that describe every character
are known as unicode, and are usually
expressed in hexadecimal. For
example, the hexadecimal unicode
FF1F (65311 in decimal) represents a
symbol that looks just like the reserved
question mark. The hex unicode for the
question mark symbol reserved by
Windows is 3F (63 in decimal), so
youre free to use the FF1F symbol.
You can try this out yourself in Word
by typing the hex unicode FF1F and
then immediately afterwards pressing
Alt+X (see screenshot above). You can
do the same with 3F, incidentally. They
both look like question marks, but to
Windows only 3F is the question mark.
Youre free to use the FF1F unicode
symbol in le names simply copy and
paste it into the File name eld (see low-prole and/or half-height models.
screenshot left). To look up the unicode
for any symbol, choose the Insert tab,
then click Symbol followed by More
Symbols. Now set the from dropdown
to Unicode (hex), then just click a
character to see its unicode displayed
next to Character code.
However, youve already found that
one of your programs doesnt recognise
the symbol youve chosen. This is
because it does not support the full
unicode character map, and sadly
theres nothing that can be done about
that. Moreover, if you send les to
others then be aware that the lenames
youve used might not be recognised by
other operating systems or devices.
Will a new
graphics card fit in
my small PC?
I am looking to install a new
Q graphics card in my Acer PC
and after some research I found
that it has a PCI Express x16 slot to
accommodate one. However, Im worried
about whether a given card will t inside
my small-form-factor (SFF) case. Is there
any way online to nd out how much
free space there is inside my computer
for a graphics card?
Edward Adams
Theres no simple answer to this,
A other than that youll need to
check both the space inside
your case and the specications of the
graphics card you intend to t.
If you cant nd the internal
measurements for your particular
model on Acers website ( try searching
forit at www.manualonline.com) or in
the products manual (www.acer.com),
then open up the computer and carefully
use a ruler to gauge for yourself. Also
check that your computers case has the
requisite backplate for the graphics card
you intend to buy: there might be a
pop-out plastic panel, or a screwed-down
metal strip that will need removing
from inside.
As for the graphics card, youll almost
certainly need to restrict your search to
These tend to be a bit less powerful that
full-size models, but are designed to t
into smaller spaces such as your PCs
compact connes.
When fitting a new graphics card into a laptop,
check its specifications and the space inside
Our experts solve all your tech problems
Email us your problem and well try to help: noproblem@computeractive.co.uk

Can I run my PowerPoint presentations

via a televisions USB slot?
I have Microsoft Oce on my
Q PC. I use PowerPoint to create
slideshows that advertise
whats on in a club Im involved with.
We have previously connected a laptop
to the clubs TV using the HDMI port,
but realised this is a security risk when
the room is unmanned. Im wondering
if its possible to save a PowerPoint
presentation to a USB stick, pop this
into the TVs USB slot and run the show
this way?
Doug Morgan
The chances that your clubs TV
A will be able to run a PowerPoint
slideshow directly are more or
less zero. We dont know of any TVs
even of the modern smart variety that
are able to run PowerPoint les.
However, you can probably achieve
what you want by other means. That your
TV has a USB port suggests that it has
media-playing functionality. It should be
able to display digital-image les. If this is
the case, youll be able to export your
PowerPoint slides as JPEG images, and
have the TVs media-player display them
as a slideshow. To do this, click File
followed by Save As, Browse, then
navigate to your USB. Now, next to Save
as type, open the dropdown menu and
choose JPEG File Interchange Format
(*.jpg), then click Save. At the next box,
click All Slides. Each slide will be turned
into a JPEG and saved into a folder in the
destination selected in the Save As box.
Turn your PowerPoint
presentation into a
video to show it on a
TV via a USB stick
Obviously, JPEG images are just stills
so if your presentation had animations
and sounds, these will be lost. However,
if your TV reads JPEG les, itll probably
also read video les. So, if you export
your PowerPoint slideshow as a video
then your adverts will appear on the TV
just the way you intended.
To do this, click File followed by Export
and then Create a Video, set the number
of seconds spent on each slide (see
screenshot), then click Create Video,
followed by Save.

Whats happened
to Outlook.coms
spell-check?
With Vista a goner, Ive nally
Q traded in my old desktop
computer for a new Windows
10 laptop. All seems ne but the spell-
checker in Outlook.com has somehow
become disabled. On my Vista
computer I could click a spell-check
button. This also allowed me to see Right-click words in Outlook.com to see alternative spellings
alternative spellings for misspelled
words. I notice now that incorrect Outlook.com modies itself to work in misspelled words highlighted with a
words are underlined in red but I dierent browsers. red underline.
miss my spell-check button, and in If youre using an older browser as Theres no way to restore Outlook.
particular the option to see alternative you must have been on your Vista PC coms spell-check button (without
spellings. How do I restore the spell- then youll see the spell-check button, using a really old browser) because
check button in Windows 10? which is run via Microsofts own servers. Microsoft has decided that browser
Sydney Clarke However, all modern browsers spell-checkers can do the job. To see
including Internet Explorer 11 and Edge alternatives for misspelled words, all
This actually has got nothing in Windows 10 have built-in spell- you need to do is right-click them (see
A to do with Windows 10.
Instead, its down to the way
checkers, so Outlook.com calls on these
when available. Thats why youre seeing
screenshot). You can also add words to
the dictionary in the same way.

24 May 6 June 2017 65

 Problems Solved
Should I enable
TCP Chimney
Offload?
While running a scan
Q using IObits free
Advanced SystemCare,
it recommended that I enable
something called TCP Chimney
Ooad. Ive tried Googling this but
everything I read just leaves me more
baed. Could you tell me the benet
of doing this? If its worth doing,
how do I do it?
Laurence Marcus
This is geek terminology
A for using the computers
network interface card
(or NIC) to reduce the strain on its
processor, by having the NIC handle
additional network processing. The
PCs processor would be a little less
busy as a result, meaning you might
experience a very small performance
improvement.
To enable this, press Windows
key+R, type devmgmt.msc then press
Enter. Now click to expand the
Network adapters category, then
right-click your NIC and choose
Properties. Select the Advanced tab,
then look in the Property list for the
relevant entry. NIC manufacturers
use dierent terminology, but youre
most likely looking for something
with Ooad in the name (see
screenshot). Many of these can be
safely enabled, because the ooad
part indicates that the NIC will take
on processing instead of the PCs
processor, but do check with your
card makers documents to be sure.
Enable your PCs Network Interface Card
for a performance improvement
66 24 May 6 June 2017
Why do my photos appear out of order?
Ive taken lots of photos of my
Q garden, giving dated names
such as 2017.02.04 Garden,
2017.03.06 Garden and so on. On my
PC, they appear in ascending order so
that I can see the garden change in
chronological order. When I transferred
these same les on to my Android tablet I
assumed that they would appear in the
same dated order, but they didnt. I
assume Android uses a dierent method
of setting the order of photos? What
should I name my les to have them
appear in the right order? The tablet
runs Android 4.4.2.
Ray Hillier
Ironically, this is happening
A precisely because youve been
renaming the photos! To your
eyes the names are correctly dated but
the Gallery app in Android 4.4.2 sorts
les based on their digital timestamp.
When you edit a le name in Windows, QuickPic Gallery is a free app that will
this Date modied eld (as its known) correctly arrange your photos by file name
is updated with the current date and
time. The original timestamp would photo-viewer app that can sort by le
have reected the date and time the name. QuickPic Gallery is a very popular
photo was taken. option, and a free download from www.
There are ways to change all the snipca.com/24202. Once installed, just
timestamps in Windows but as youve tap the menu button (three dots, top
already renamed all your les, itd be right), then tap Sort (see screenshot)
easier just to install on your tablet a followed by By name.
How do I restore
the delete
confirmation?
I have adopted the Creators
Q Update, but when I hit the
Delete key to get rid of a le,
Windows 10 no longer asks if thats what
I really want to do. Obviously, most of the
time it is what I want to do, but I found
that a useful safety net. I know that I can
restore deleted les from the Recycle Bin
but Id like to restore the conrmation
box. What caused it to disappear, and
how do I make it reappear? Tick this box to ensure youre asked to confirm
Daniel Kirk that a file should be deleted
We dont know what caused one to x. First, on the Windows desktop,
A this but big Windows Updates
always bring with them the
right-click the Recycle Bin icon. Now,
tick the box labelled Display delete
odd bug or two, so wed guess this conrmation dialogue then click OK
is one such. Regardless, its an easy (see screenshot).
How do I help my
mums typing?
My mother is in her eighties and
Q has a Chromebook for accessing
the internet. Her hand control
has deteriorated so, when typing, she
often accidentally enters a character
multiple times. This is particularly
frustrating when shes entering
passwords, as the characters are not
displayed on screen. More than once this
Chromebooks have settings to help reduce
accidental repeated keystrokes
Do I have to root to uninstall EEs apps?
I have a Samsung Galaxy
Q Ace 4 phone thats now
out of contract, so Ive
switched to a SIM from my
broadband provider saving me
money. The phone is loaded
with apps I never use and dont
want, but cant delete. EE (my
old network) tells me that, as
they were a part of the original
contract, they cannot be removed.
Online advice suggests that rooting
the phone will let me remove them but
comes with dire warnings that I might
brick my phone. Is there an easier way?
Dave Brownstone
Were afraid there isnt an
A easier way: if you want to
remove the EE-installed apps,
then youll have to go through the
rooting process to furnish your phone
with unocial rmware. And yes, if
you get the process wrong you could
has led to her being locked out
of online accounts for
repeatedly entering the wrong
password. Is it possible to
make any changes so that one
key press enters a single
character only. If this is not an
option on a Chromebook,
would it be possible on a
Windows laptop?
Richard Salisbury
Your mums
A Chromebook does
have an option that
will help.
First, click her user icon at
the bottom right or, in the
browser, click the menu button
(three horizontal lines, top
right). Next, in the Device
section, click the Keyboard
settings button. From here you
can either clear the tick from
the Enable auto-repeat box Keystrokes can also be adjusted in Windows settings
(see screenshot left) to prevent
all repeated inputs, or move the Delay On position, scroll down, ip Enable
before repeating slider towards Long. Repeat Keys to On and then use the two
Theres a similar option in Windows. dropdown menus below to choose the
First, click Start followed by the Settings delay allowed between the rst and
cog, and then Ease of Access followed by subsequent repeated keystrokes (see
Keyboard. Now switch Filter Keys to the screenshot above).
brick your phone rendering it
useless. The exact process
depends both on the phone
model and Android version but
Updato has a good general guide
at www.snipca.com/24078.
However, there is a simple way
to hide the apps. This wont
remove them or free up any space
but at least you wont have to look at
their icons. First, tap the Apps icon (a
grid of square dots). Next, tap the
menu button (three vertical dots, top
right) followed by Hide apps. Now tap
to tick the oending apps, then tap
Done when youve nished.
If you decide later that youd like to
restore the hidden apps, repeat the
above but, after tapping the menu
button, choose Show hidden apps.
Tick the ones you want to reappear,
then tap Done.
Apps on an EE phone cannot be deleted
without rooting, but can be hidden
24 May 6 June 2017 67
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? Whatever happened to Telex?
I suspect Ill be revealing that
Q Im older than most of your
readers when I ask whatever
happened to Telex machines? Back in
the 1970s I worked in the accountancy
oce of a large oil rm, and one of
these contraptions was forever
clattering away in the background. Its
40 years ago now so I dont remember
much, but I know we used it to send
and receive messages to our overseas
oces. Were these Telex machines
even computing devices? How did they
work without the internet?
Margaret Fotheringham
Telex is a portmanteau of
A teleprinter and exchange. In
simplied terms, the
machines were electric typewriters that
connected to a telephone line to allow
them to communicate with other
similarly connected devices. They
didnt need the internet because the
connections were point-to-point,
meaning the operator of one Telex
Why wont my
automatic email
replies work?
I use the Mail app in Windows
Q 10 to synchronise my two Gmail
accounts. Recently, I was going
on holiday so I wanted to send automatic
replies to anyone who emailed me, to
explain that I wasnt around. In Mail I
found an Automatic Replies option in
Settings. However, when I clicked this I
saw a message that said: This setting
cant be applied to any of your accounts.
Why cant I set up automatic replies?
Colin McKenzie
Mails Automatic Replies cant be
A used with Gmail. It requires an
Outlook.com (or Hotmail)
account, or an account that can be
managed via a Microsoft Exchange server.
However, Gmail does have an
equivalent option of its own called
Vacation responder, which you enable
and manage from the Gmail website
(www.gmail.com). Log in there, then, at
the top-right, click the cog icon and
Problems Solved
machine would dial the number of
another machine and the two devices
would communicate directly, via modems.
Telex machines varied greatly in both
style and specication, but few boasted
any real computing credentials. Some
were attached to large mainframe
computers, but that was mainly for
operational eciency rather than to
bestow them with any technical qualities.
For example, the mainframe computer
might be programmed to type the
You can make Gmail send automatic replies in the Vacation responder section
choose Settings. Now choose the General
tab and scroll to the Vacation responder
section. Click to select the Vacation
responder on option (see screenshot).
Now click to set the First day and Last
day (if required), then type the subject
and message you wish Gmail to send.
We recommend ticking the Only send
a response to people in my Contacts box
to stop Gmail from replying to spammers.
Finally, click Save Changes.
messages that the Telex machines
modem would then send.
As with so many technologies, Telex
didnt die overnight so much as
gradually fall out of favour. Fax
machines, which allowed people to
send image scans of documents rather
than plain typed text, became hugely
popular in the 1980s and 1990s. And
then, of course, came the internet and
email, leaving both those older
technologies in the dust.
However, just as some people still
swear by fax machines, Telex actually
remains in use in a handful of places.
But, while it might be convenient for
some oces that dont need anything
more complicated, Telexs baud (speed)
of 50 characters per second and
inability to deliver anything other
than text means that by modern
standards it is a slow and inexible
way to communicate.
Want to know what happened to your
favourite program, website or technology?
Email noproblem@computeractive.co.uk
ON SALE
NEXT ISSUE Weds
Why did Creators Update hide
7 June
Control Panel?
How do I scan in Windows 10?
Can I use macros to speed up my
email replies?
...And many more
Subscribe to Computeractive
at getcomputeractive.co.uk
24 May 6 June 2017 69
 Problems Solved

Reader Support
Having a problem with our recommended software or expert tips?
Email editor@computeractive.co.uk and well do our best to help
Have I got the Windows 10 onscreen instructions will
Creators Update? guide you through the update

Q I read your Windows 10 Creators

Update feature (Issue 501, page 50)
but there was no mention of the updates
version number. This would have let
me check whether the update had been
installed on my PC or not. For the record,
my PCs history says that version 1607
(KB3150513) was successfully installed.
Is that the Creators Update?
Glyn Jones
process. But if you see a
message that says Thank you
for updating to the latest
version of Windows 10, it
means you already have the
Creators Update. Tweak these settings if Thunderbird starts adding strange
lines of computer code to your emails
Why cant I see
BCUninstallers tickbox? Click the Menu icon (three horizontal
Q I was following your Secret Tips
guide on BCUninstaller (Issue 500,
lines at the top right), then click Options,
select Composition (in the bar running

A Version 1607 of Windows 10 isnt

the Creators Update its actually the
Anniversary Update, which was released
last August. The best way to identify your
version is to access your PCs System
Information panel. To do this, click Start,
type system information, then press
Enter. When the panel opens, check the
Version eld (see screenshot below). If
your PC already has the Creators Update
installed its build number will be 15063
(or higher if a build is released after the
time of writing).
From what youve told us, it sounds
like your version of Windows 10 is
struggling to update. To resolve this,
go to www.snipca.com/24323 and click
Update now below the Windows 10
Creators Update now available message.
This downloads the Windows 10
Upgrader tool. Double-click the tool to
open it, click Yes if prompted, then wait
for the tool to scan your PC.
If an update is required, a series of
page 48), but hit a snag. In your
Remove orphaned programs tip you
mention ticking the Show orphaned
applications box, but that option
doesnt appear anywhere in the
program. Whats going on?
Peter Bosworth
A In the period between us writing
the article and going to press,
BCUninstaller received an update
(version 3.8.2). A small tweak in that
update changed the name of the Show
orphaned applications tickbox to Show
unregistered applications. The tip you
refer to still works, so just make a note
of the tickboxs new name when you
reach that stage in the instructions.
Why is Thunderbird adding
garbage to my emails?
Q I decided to give Thunderbird
a try following your recent
recommendation (Issue 501, Best Free
Software, page 18). But it includes
garbage such as <p></p> in the
body of any emails I send. Do you
know whats going on?
Tom Waugh
along the top), click the General tab, then
click the Send Options button. Untick the
Send messages as plain text if possible
box, choose Send the message in both
plain text and HTML in the dropdown
menu (see screenshot above), then click
OK twice. Your emails should now be
free of HTML.
Is Magical Jelly Bean
Keynder a con?
Q In Issue 500 (page 41) you suggest
installing Magical Jelly Bean
Keynder (MJBF) before the Windows 10
Creators Update. I tried this, but it only
found the product key for Windows 10
(it listed Malwarebytes, but didnt show
more information). This program seems
to exist to get users to buy its Recover
Keys program. Most disappointed!
James Munroe
A Youre right, MJBF wont list every
single licence you own, though
it does list many of the major ones
including for Windows 7, 8 and 10
and Microsoft Oce which is why
we recommend it. Youre also correct
in saying that its developer advertises
the Recover Keys program (which can

A The extra text is HTML code

If your PC has Build 15063 or higher it already has
the Windows 10 Creators Update
(normally used to create
websites). Its job is to tell your
PC how to format the email, but
it shouldnt be visible. You can
clear it from your emails through
Thunderbirds settings.
recover 8,000 product keys, compared
with the 300 found by the free MJBF).
But we think that MJBF will fulll the
needs of most users. That said, it is
limited. If you are struggling to track
down product keys, try searching your
emails or contacting the developers.

70 24 May 6 June 2017

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PGi520/CLi521 Set of 5 49.99 Colours 5.5ml each 10.99 No.302 Colour 4ml 12.99 33X (5MB/s) LP-E8 for Canon 12.99
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CLi521 Colours 9ml 10.29 Polar Bear Inks Set of 4 14.99 No.351 Colour 3.5ml 17.99 16GB 4.99 EN-EL3E for Nikon 14.99
PGi525/CLi526 Set of 5 49.99 Black 7.4ml 3.99 No.363 Black 6ml 17.99 32GB 9.99
PGi525 Black 19ml 11.99 Originals: NB-2L/LH for Canon 9.99
Colours 5.5ml each 3.99 No.363 C/M/Y/PC/PM each 11.49 NB-6L for Canon 9.99
CLi526 Colours 9ml 10.29 No.26 Set of 4 35.99
No.363 SET OF 6 49.99
Sandisk Ultra
PGi550/CLi551 Set of 5 43.99 No.26 Black 6.2ml 9.99
T0791-T0796 No.364 Black 6ml 8.99
266X (40MB/s) NB-10L for Canon 12.99
PGi550 Black 15ml 10.99 No.26 Colours 4.5ml each 8.99 8GB 5.99 NP95 for Fuji 9.99
Owl Inks No.364 PB/C/M/Y 3ml each 7.99
CLi551 Colours 7ml 8.99 No.26XL Set of 4 63.99
No.364 SET OF 4 26.99
16GB 6.99 NPW126 for Fuji 12.99
No.26XL Black 12.1ml 16.99
PGi550/CLi551XL Set of 5 59.99 No.26XL Colours 9.7ml each 15.99 Originals: 32GB 11.99
No.364XL Black 14ml 15.99 64GB 21.99 EN-EL3e for Nikon 14.99
PGi550XL Black 22ml 12.99 Set of 6 88.99 No.364XL PB/C/M/Y 6ml each 15.99 EN-EL14 for Nikon 19.99
CLi551XL Colours 11ml 11.99 Compatibles: Colours 11.1ml each 14.99 No.364XL SET OF 4 59.99 Sandisk Extreme
PG540 Black 8ml 12.99 No.26 Set of 4 14.99 EN-EL15 for Nikon 24.99
Compatibles: No.920XL SET OF 4 51.99 600X (90MB/s)
PG540XL Black 21ml 19.99 No.26 Black 10ml 3.99
Set of 6 19.99 BLN-1 for Olympus 24.99
No.26 Colours 7ml each 3.99 No.932XL SET OF 4 50.99 16GB 9.99 BLC12 for Panasonic 23.99
CL541 Colour 8ml 16.99 Colours 11.1ml each 3.99 No.950XL SET OF 4 79.99 32GB 14.99
CL541XL Colour 15ml 19.99 64GB 27.99 FW50 for Sony 24.99
PG545XL Black 15ml 15.49 T0481-T0486 T0801-T0806 Compatibles: BX-1 for Sony 14.99
CL546XL Colour 13ml 16.99 Seahorse Inks No.15 Black 46ml 3.99 AA 1300mAh (4) 3.99
Hummingbird Inks No.21 Black 10ml 6.99 Compact Flash
Compatibles: Originals: Originals: No.22 Colour 21ml 11.99 Sandisk Ultra AAA 1100mAh (4) 3.99
PGi5 Black 27ml 4.99 Set of 6 89.99 Set of 6 67.99 No.45 Black 45ml 6.99 333X (50MB/s)
CLi8 Colours 13ml 3.99 Colours 13ml each 18.99 Colours 7.4ml each 11.49 No.56 Black 24ml 6.99 8GB 11.99
PGi5/CLi8 Set of 5
PGi520 Black 19ml
CLi521 Colours 9ml
19.99 Compatibles:
4.99 Set of 6
3.99 Colours 13ml each
19.99
Compatibles:
Set of 6 19.99
No.57 Colour 24ml
No.62XL Black 12ml
11.99
14.99
16GB
32GB
15.99
24.99
Filters
3.99 Colours 7.4ml each 3.99 No.62XL Colour 12ml 15.99 Screw-type Filters
PGi520/CLi521 Set of 5 19.99 No.78 Colour 36ml 8.99 Sandisk Extreme
PGi525 Black 19ml 4.99 T0541-T0549 800X (120MB/s) 46mm UV / Haze 4.99
CLi526 Colours 9ml 3.99 T0871-T0879 No.110 Colour 12ml 9.99 16GB 26.99 49mm UV / Haze 4.99
PGi525/CLi526 Set of 5 19.99 Frog Inks
No.300XL Black 18ml 12.99
Flamingo Inks No.300XL Colour 18ml 13.99
32GB 32.99 52mm UV / Haze 4.99
PGi550XL Black 25ml 4.99 Originals: Originals: 64GB 47.99 55mm UV / Haze 5.99
No.301XL Black 15ml 12.99 58mm UV / Haze 6.99
CLi551XL Colours 12ml 3.99 Set of 8 112.99 Set of 8 76.99 No.301XL Colour 18ml 13.99
128GB 94.99
PGi550/CLi551XL Set of 5 19.99 Colours 13ml each 14.99 Colours 11.4ml each 9.99 No.337 Black 21ml 9.99
62mm UV / Haze 7.99
BCi6 Colours 15ml 2.99 Compatibles: Compatibles: No.338 Black 21ml 10.99 MicroSDHC & SDXC 67mm UV / Haze 8.99
PG40 Black 28ml 12.99 Set of 8 27.99 Set of 8 27.99 Sandisk Ultra 72mm UV / Haze 8.99
No.339 Black 34ml 11.99 77mm UV / Haze 11.99
CL41 Colour 24ml 16.99 Colours 13ml each 3.99 Colours 11.4ml each 3.99 No.343 Colour 21ml 11.99 320X (48MB/s)
PG50 Black 28ml 12.99 16GB 6.99 Skylight Filters from: 6.99
No.344 Colour 21ml 12.99
CL51 Colour 24ml 14.99 T0591-T0599 T0961-T0969 No.350XL Black 30ml 13.99 32GB 12.99 Circular Polarising Filters from: 14.99
PG510 Black 11ml 13.99 Lily Inks 64GB 24.99 ND4 and ND8 Filters from: 11.99
CL511 Colour 11ml 15.99 Husky Inks No.351XL Colour 20ml 15.99
No.363 SET OF 6 19.99 P-Type Square Filters
PG512 Black 18ml 13.99 Originals: Originals:
CL513 Colour 15ml 15.99 Set of 8 102.99 Set of 8 78.99 No.364 Black 10ml 3.79 Readers & Cases 49-82mm Adapter Rings 4.99
No.364 Colours 5ml each 3.29 Delkin USB2 Card Reader 9.99
PG540XL Black 21ml 13.99 Colours 13ml each 12.99 Colours 11.4ml each 9.99
No.364 SET OF 4 12.99
Filter Holder 5.99
CL541XL Colour 15ml 14.99 Compatibles: Compatibles: Delkin USB3 Card Reader 19.99 ND2 Filter 12.99
No.364XL Black 18ml 4.99 Delkin SD Card (x8) Case 6.99 ND2 Grad Filter 13.99
PG545XL Black 15ml 11.99 Set of 8 27.99 Set of 8 27.99 No.364XL Colours 11ml each 4.29
PG546XL Black 21ml 12.99 Colours 13ml each 3.99 Colours 11.4ml each 3.99 Delkin CF Card (x4) Case 6.99 ND4 Filter 12.99
No.364XL SET OF 4 16.99 ND4 Grad Filter 13.99
Many more in stock! More Epson inks >>> Many more in stock! Many more in stock!

E&EO. Prices may be subject to change, but hopefully not! www.premier-ink.co.uk Telephone: 01926 339977 or 0800 1077 211 Premier Ink & Photographic 12 Longfield Road, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV31 1XB
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In the next issue of our sister title

Web User...
THE HACKERS GUIDE TO FASTER INTERNET
Tweaks and tips only experts know
CREATORS UPDATE CLEAN UP
Remove Microsofts useless les
TIDY UP YOUR DESKTOP
Without losing your shortcuts
PLUS
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72 5 - 18 August 2015
www.snipca.com/23280
Jargon Buster
1080p Of the common types of
high-denition video, this is the
best quality: 1920x1080 pixels.
32bit A measure of how much
data a PC can process at once.
Most older computers are 32bit.
4K Video with a resolution of at
least 3840x2160 pixels.
64bit A technology that processes
information in larger chunks. Most
modern computers are 64bit.
802.11ac A standard for wireless
networks that allows for much
higher transfer speeds than 802.11n.
AMOLED Active-Matrix Organic
Light-Emitting Diode. An
alternative technology to LCD for
creating at-panel displays.
Architecture A set of rules
and language that govern how
hardware and software work.
Blue screen of death Technically
called a Stop error, this is shown
when your PC crashes.
Burst mode A camera mode for
taking several pictures quickly.
Cast To send content from your
PC to TV.
Client A program used to access
and manage a users email.
Crowdfunding A process where
a company gets the nancing
to launch a new product from
prospective customers online.
CSV Comma Separated Value.
A standard le format, used for
storing information in spreadsheet
applications.
DDR4 The newest, fastest type of
computer memory.
Defragment To reorganise the
data stored on a hard drive so les
can be accessed quickly.
DisplayPort A new socket for
connecting monitors thats still
relatively rare.
DLNA Digital Living Network
Alliance. A technology that enables
devices such as TVs, network
media players and NAS devices to
communicate with each other.
Bust more jargon in our A-Z book: www.snipca.com/21616
Driver A le that tells Windows
how to work with peripheral
devices, such as keyboards.
DRM Digital Rights Management.
Software that limits the copying
of a le.
DSLR Digital single-lens reex. A
digital camera that uses a moving
mirror so its viewnder looks out
through the lens.
DVI Digital Visual Interface. A
common type of display connector
that can carry a digital signal.
Firmware Basic software stored
on a device, such as a music player,
to control its operation.
Gigabit Ethernet A very fast
networking standard that can
transfer data at up to 1,000Mbps.
Graphics card A component in a
computer that produces the image
shown on the monitor.
HDMI High-denition media
interface. A type of connection that
transmits high-denition video and
audio signals.
HTML Hypertext Markup
Language. The language used to
write most web pages.
IPS A screen technology that has
wider viewing angles and better,
more accurate-looking colours.
ISO le A type of image le that
contains all the data from a disc.
LCD Liquid crystal display. The
technology used to create almost
all atscreen monitors.
LED Light-Emitting Diode. An
electronic device that emits light.
Used on almost all electronic
devices, and to provide the
backlight for some LCDs.
JPEG Joint Photograph Experts
Group. A common type of image
le created by most digital
cameras.
M.2 A standard specication for
internal PC expansion cards and
connectors.
Mainframe computer A
high-performance PC used by
organisations for advanced tasks.
Mesh Wi-Fi Wireless network
solution that uses multiple,
connected routers to stretch Wi-Fi
further than a traditional router.
Metadata A set of data that gives
information about a le.
MHL Mobile high-denition link. A
technology that lets you connect a
smartphone or tablet to a TV.
MicroSD card A small type of
memory card. Can be converted to
SD size using an adapter.
Miracast A standard for
connecting a computer to a TV or
monitor wirelessly.
Network interface card Allows
your computer to connect to a
network.
Open source Software that can
be modied by anyone, rather
than just by the employees of the
company that created it.
Optical image stabilisation
A mechanism built into digital
cameras that compensates for any
shaking or vibrations that occur
during shooting.
Overclock Make a processor work
faster to improve performance
at the cost of it getting hotter and
requiring more power.
PCIe Peripheral Component
Interconnect Express. A faster
version of PCI a slot on the
motherboard for expansion cards.
Phishing A form of internet
fraud that tries to trick you into
revealing personal details.
Plug-in A small program that
adds extra features to software or
to your web browser.
Product key A unique serial
number. Issued by software
companies such as Microsoft, the
product key must be typed in by
the user before a program will
launch for the rst time.
PUP Potentially unwanted
program. A program that may
not be desired, despite the
user consenting to it being
downloaded. Examples include
unnecessary plug-ins, toolbars
and browser hijackers.
RAW A format for digital photos
that stores the image exactly as
the camera captured it, without
compression or optimisation, but
which is not compatible with all
image editors.
Read speed How long it takes
a hard drive to read data, and
respond to it.
Root To perform tasks on Android
devices that arent permitted by
the manufacturer.
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.
SIM Subscriber Identity Module.
The smart card used by all digital
mobile phones. The SIM card
carries the users identity and
phone number for accessing the
network.
SSF Small form factor. A type
of computer design aimed at
minimising the size of a desktop
computer.
sRGB A standard RGB colour
space for use on monitors,
printers and the internet. RGB
stands for red, green and blue.
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. Only one
subwoofer is required because
human ears cannot detect the
direction of bass frequencies.
USB 2.0/3.0 Faster versions of
the USB standard used to connect
devices to a computer.
USB Type-C A new connector
thats reversible, letting you plug it
in upside down.
VGA Video Graphics Array. A
standard socket for connecting a
monitor to a computer.
Write speed How long it takes a
hard drive to save data.
ZIP le A le that contains
compressed documents or les.
24 May 6 June 2017 73
 The Final Straw
This issue Ken Rigsby wants to permanently remove. . .
Temporary files
I
f youre one of the unfortunate millions
to have endured sharing your home
with a teenager, then youll understand
the endless horrors associated with
entering their bedroom.
Typically, the rst thing that hits you
is the smell: a months worth of sweat,
atulence and lord knows what else all
in one foul gasp. Then, as often as not,
theres the darkness. Your angst-ridden
youngster mightve painted their walls
a morose purple, or even a deathly
black. The curtains, of course, will be
permanently drawn, even during the
brightest, sunniest days.
And theres the mess. Piles of
unwashed socks and pants, crushed
drinks cans covered in ies, and so many
discarded crisp packets that theyre on
the verge of turning to sediment.
But thats okay. The teenage years are
but a phase. Eventually the kids grow up
and move out, and then you can clean
up. Things then magically stay tidy.
Perhaps thats why I nd it so
frustrating that grown-up software
developers think its okay to treat my PC
as their teenage bedroom. Im talking
about their ceaseless habit of dumping
hoards of temporary les all over my
hard drives.
The single quotes around the term are
74 24 May 6 June 2017
Temporary files are
like adolescents that
refuse to tidy up and
never leave home
intentional, because all too often
temporary les are anything but. It
doesnt matter how many dierent
clean-up tools I install, or how regularly I
use them, my hard drive is always littered
with les whose original purpose is
obsolete. Id wager yours is too. Try this
little experiment. Press Windows key+E
to launch File Explorer (or Windows
Explorer), select your hard drive and
then, in the Search box at the top right,
type *.tmp and hit Enter.
When I did that last week on an old
Windows 7 PC it turned up 689
temporary les, some of which had date
stamps of 2014. So, not really that
temporary then. I duly deleted almost all
Next issue Ken wants PC ports to stop disappearing
KEN RIGSBY is
Computeractives Mr Angry
of these but, when I tried it again this
week, there were 150 new les with a
.tmp extension - and I hadnt even
installed any new software in the
meantime!
Now, I must acknowledge that the
sizes of these les are mostly tiny.
Indeed, even combined, the amount of
storage they occupy is insignicant.
Whats more, the rational part of me
knows that all this digital detritus has
little or no noticeable impact on the
performance of my PC. But, just like the
contents of a teenagers bedroom, I know
that the mess is there. I also cant shake
from my mind that the compounded
crud will only get deeper with each
passing day. Eventually, I just want to
burst through the door and scream and
shout until things are tidied up.
Why is this the norm in the PC
industry? I should not have to waste my
time cleaning up after adult programmers
who disrespect my computers hard drive
in the same way they did the bedrooms of
their (bone-idle) youth. These so-called
temporary les are the digital equivalent
of socks and pants and, frankly, I dont
want them stinking up my computer.
However, as I said, teenagers do at
least eventually grow up, sort themselves
out and disappear. Far too many
temporary les do not: theyre like
adolescents that refuse to tidy up, and
will never leave home. I could leave a
boxed copy of CCleaner on their bedside
table as a hint, but it would remain
forever unopened.
This isnt the way it should be. Im the
customer of software companies for
goodness sake, not a nagging parent to
their slovenly programmers. When you
live in my PC you should respect my
rules. If you dont like them, then get
your own PC or move out and take your
lthy piles of temporary les with you!
How many temporary les do you have?
Let us know at letters@computeractive.co.uk
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