ONLY £1.

95 ADVICE IN PL AIN ENGLISH ISSUE 322 24 JUN to 7 JUL 2010

LEAR
SIMPLE C

INSIDE
THIS I S H C A M PA I G
N

ISSUE
N G L
Y T H E PLAIN E
B
AP PROVED

Fix PC problems quickly

and easily with the secret
tools computer experts use

HOW TO ORKSHOPS
IED & TESTED
W TR
PROTECT YOUR
HOME NETWORK
Get faster internet
15 PAGES OF EASY
PC WORKSHOPS
MONITOR your broadband usage
PROTECT
YOUR FILES
FROM FLOOD
EASILY create columns in Word OR FIRE
access and block SECURE your emails and settings
unsuitable sites - free! CUSTOMISE the Windows Start menu ioSafe Solo
Windows®. Life without Walls™. Dell recommends Windows 7.

Everyday uses.
For everyone
in the family.

A powerful multimedia system

perfect for your family

Dell Studio 15

£
579
Total savings ....................... £129
E-ValueTM Code: PCPUK07-N0055807

Ready for a PC that adapts to everything you want to do?

Here’s why: Then step up to the faster, smarter performance of a Dell
• Intel® Core™ i3-330M Processor PC powered by the new Intel® Core™ i7 processor.
• Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit
• 4GB Memory
• 500GB Hard Drive
Shown in “I’m not Really a Waitress by OPI.” Black Chainlink
• 15.6” (39.6cm) HD LED Screen with True-Life™ Comes Standard — Your Choice of 5 Colors for £29.
• 512MB ATI Mobility RADEON HD 545v graphics card
• 2MP Webcam
• McAfee Security Centre 15 month subscription included

Offers due to end 28/07/2010. Dell Products, c/o P.O. Box 69, Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 1RD, United Kingdom. Subject to availability. Prices and specifications may change without notice.
McAfee™ - PROTECT WHAT YOU VALUE. Delivery charge is £20 Incl. VAT per system (unless otherwise stated). Consumers are entitled to cancel orders within 7 working days beginning the day after the date of delivery; Dell
collection charge is £23 Incl. VAT for system purchases and £11.50 Incl. VAT for accessory purchases. Terms and Conditions of Sales, Service and Finance apply and are available from www.dell.co.uk. If you wish not to receive further marketing material via fax
or direct mail please inform us via mail: delluk@clientmail.eu.com; post: Dell - Suppressions. PO Box 59, ROSS ON WYE, HR9 7ZS, United Kingdom; or fax: 0800 3283071. Delivery charges range from £5.75 to £14.95 incl. VAT (17.5%) per item for items purchased
without a system. Desktops and laptops listed include Microsoft Works 9.0 as standard. Actual hard drive capacity will be less due to material and operating system which are preloaded. Promotional offers limited to maximum 5 systems per customer.1. Saving
is the difference between the total offer price versus the current online price for the basic system with promotional components upgraded individually. Dell Services do not affect customer’s statutory rights. They are subject to Terms and Conditions which can
be found at www.dell.co.uk/consumerservices/termsandconditions. Celeron, Celeron Inside, Centrino, Centrino Inside, Core Inside, Intel, Intel Logo, Intel Atom, Intel Atom Inside, Intel Core, Intel Inside, Intel Inside Logo, Intel Viiv, Intel vPro, Itanium, Itanium
Inside, Pentium, Pentium Inside, Viiv Inside, vPro Inside, Xeon, and Xeon Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft and Windows 7 are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

worldmags & avaxhome

Dell Studio 17 Dell Studio XPS 16 Dell Studio XPS 16 Dell Studio XPS 8100
Premium sound and a full Hi-def display bring Stylish performance with the new Core™ i5 Powerful performance, with the Core™ i7 mobile No compromise design, features and
the new Studio 17 to life. processor! processor! performance.

Total savings .............................................. £144 Total savings ............................................ £269

£ £ £ £
Subtotal ............................
E-Value Code: PCPUK07-N0074902
629 Subtotal ............................
E-Value Code: PCPUK07-N00X6701
899 Subtotal ............................
E-Value Code: PCPUK07 - N00X6501
999 Subtotal ............................
E-Value Code: PCPUK07-D00X8104
829
® ™ ® ™ ® ™ ® ™
• Intel Core i3-330M Processor • Intel Core i5-520M Processor • Intel Core i7-740QM Processor • Intel Core i7-860 Processor
• Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit • Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit • Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit • Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit
• 3GB Memory • 4GB Memory • 4GB Memory • 6GB Memory
• FREE Upgrade to 500GB Hard Drive • 320GB Hard Drive • 500GB Hard Drive • 2TB Stripe Raid 0 Hard drive
• 17.3” (44cm) HD LED Screen with True-Life™ • 15.6” (39.6cm) WLED True-Life™ • 15.6” (39.6 cm) WLED Widescreen with • Monitor Not Included
• 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 • 1GB ATI Radeon® HD 4670 Graphic Card True-Life™ • 1GB NVIDIA GTS 240 DDR3 Graphic Card
Graphics Card • 2MP Webcam • 1GB ATI Radeon® HD 4670 Graphic Card • Integrated HDA 7.1 Audio
• 2MP Webcam • 2MP Webcam • Integrated Gigabit NIC
• FREE LoJack® software for 1 Year • FREE McAfee Security Centre 15 month
• FREE McAfee Security Centre 15 month subscription
subscription

Need help? Now available: LoJack® for laptops

Any PC. Any problem. theft recovery software.
We can help!
FLEX AREA
No fix, no fee.
Call 0844 444 3122
Targus Campus Dell P513w All-In-One
Notebook Backpack XL Wireless Printer Help and advice from £19
£ £ SOLUTION STATION
44 100

Order today at dell.co.uk/studio or call 0844 444 3592

Count on the combination of Dell

and Windows® 7 to give you fast, intuitive
computing for your day-today tasks. Less is
more with Windows 7 – fewer interruptions,
fewer steps to complete tasks, fewer delays.

worldmags & avaxhome

Simple Clear Advice
Approved by
Contents
INTERACTIVE
the Plain English
Campaign 6 News
One in three results
for popular online
FROM THE EDITOR searches are 69
dangerous, says study
Every PC goes
wrong from time 46 Hints & Tips
to time. Often Filter your emails in a 65 CA Investigates
Yahoo Mail account, manage saved We look at the pros and cons of smart
these problems energy meters, which track electricity
passwords in Firefox and use Autofill
are easy to fix but and gas consumption
effectively in Excel
sometimes a
tricky one comes 62 Consumeractive 66 Letters
along that We explain the rules surrounding A blocked credit card prompts a reader to
requires more software updates and investigate an ask whether telling your bank you are
drastic action, unnecessary broadband fee going away is a secure option
and that’s where many of us will think
about calling an expert. In this issue, 68 The best of the web
though, we explain how to find and 71 Find out how the clock that strikes
Big Ben works and design the
use 10 of the most useful hidden tools layout of a room
that the experts rely on – see page 10.
There’s also an exclusive chance to 69 Competition
win a laptop worth £400 simply by Win a copy of Magix Music Maker
answering our short survey on the 16 XXL and make music with the
products and topics that interest you. help of your computer
It will take about five minutes of your
time – see page 51 for details. 71 Gaming
Paul Allen Step into the shoes of everyone’s
editor@computeractive.co.uk favourite Timelord, the Doctor, and
return to one of gaming’s oldest
heroes in Prince of Persia

www.computeractive.co.uk/facebook TRIED & TESTED

17 Palicomp
How to contact us EXC7
Sorry,but because of the huge number of A powerful PC that’s
enquiries we get,we can only give technical ideal for games and
help and consumer advice through published other taxing tasks
replies in the magazine – we cannot take
phone calls or answer letters personally. 26 Norton 360 26
Subscriptions and webstore, Version 4
see page 74. Security and performance
Letters page: tools in one neat package
letters@computeractive.co.uk 17 BEST BUYS
Technical help:
noproblem@computeractive.co.uk 24 Vodafone 28 Digital note takers
Consumer problems: Sure Signal Take notes digitally or convert
consumeractive@computeractive.co.uk Boost your mobile your handwriting into
Ideas for articles and Workshops: phone signal using editable text with our pick
ideas@computeractive.co.uk the internet of digital note-takers
By post:
Computeractive, Incisive Media,
32-34 Broadwick Street, London W1A 2HG 24
4 www.computeractive.co.uk
worldmags & avaxhome
 ISSUE 322
24 June to 7 July 2010

HOW TO COVER STORY Page 10

56 No Problem – our experts answer
your home computing questions
Add bullet points in Word, set Windows to remind you when
to download updates and get the right keyboard layout
How to find
FEATURES and use the
10 hidden
48 Lost in translation tools that
We explain the potential pitfalls of buying goods from abroad the experts
use to fix
52 Defend your network computers
Add a safety net to your home by blocking access fast
to unwanted websites

60

BACK TO
BASICS
60 Share files
the easy way
48 52 We explain how to use PDFs effectively and
how to make your own using free software

WORKSHOPS 32 How to keep an

eye on your
internet activity
Do you know how your
38 Synchronise
files and folders
using tags
Find out how a free tool can
broadband connection is keep your files in sync
being used? A free tool can
reveal all 41 Customise
Start menu items
34 Keep your email Discover ways to display
messages and favourite folders on the
settings safe Windows Start menu
Email messages are as
precious as any other 42 Organise open
personal information that is windows and
stored on your computer. running programs
Back them up simply, Organise open applications
quickly and for free by using free software to
create an invisible grid to
36 Create position windows
newspaper-style

15
EASY TO USE columns in Word
Columns can give your
45 Quickly direct
files and folders
STEP-BY-STEP documents a lift.We explain
how to use them in Word
using SendTo
The SendTo command is a
PAGES - page 31 2003 and 2007 and how to
neaten up a layout
handy Windows’shortcut.
Learn how to use it

24 June
12 - 25
- 7June
July 2010
2008 www.computeractive.co.uk 5
worldmags & avaxhome
 NEWS
RR
ECRIME

Search results link to scam sites

Study reveals ‘poisoning’ affects one-third of popular search results
ONE THIRD of search results for popular Symantec’s two-week study Google said it had set up a number of
queries are ‘poisoned’ , with most linking to used the 300 top search terms, automated systems to constantly scour its
dangerous websites, according to Symantec. as identified by Google’s index for potentially dangerous sites.
An investigation by the security firm into Trends service, each day, “We add a label to those that appear to be a
the growing problem of what is known as recording the first 100 results vehicle for fraudulent sites to protect users
search engine optimisation poisoning returned when each was input who might visit them. We also work with
found that, on average, at least 10,000 of into a search engine and webmasters to help them keep their sites
the 30,000 results checked each day had checking to see how many secure,” the search giant told us.
been compromised. of the results were But Mr Khanh warned that criminals are
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a malicious. still finding ways to evade detection. He said
means of getting more traffic to a website The company’s Khanh many of the malicious sites will present one
from search engines by adding links or Tran said that the single page to search engine ‘spiders’, which index
keywords so that it appears to be a more most poisoned search web page content, and another to human
popular or useful page. term during the period visitors, concealing the attack.
SEO poisoning is when criminals use produced results where
these techniques to ensure that their own
malicious pages appear prominently
over 90 per cent of
entries had been R HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
when users search for common terms. compromised. SEO poisoning is a growing threat but there are tools to
Such attacks often involve adding fake On some days over help you stay safe. Symantec has released a trial
web pages to legitimate but hacked sites. 250 of the 300 terms version of a tool, Safe Web Lite, that will scan search
People searching are then confronted checked returned results results and mark any that it knows to be dangerous.
with sites that, according to Ashwin where 10 per cent or AVG has a free web tool called AVG Linkscanner which
Athalye of Symantec, usually peddle fake more were poisoned. can identify threats in real time and let you know if a
security software known as scareware. He said that search page or link is dangerous before you click.
engines now attempt to www.snipca.com/x1633
qSymantec’s investigation found that on average at warn users of these http://linkscanner.avg.com
least 10,000 out of 30,000 results were compromised dangerous pages.

x IN BRIEF...
I NHS UNDER FIRE
OVER DATA NEGLECT
The Information
Commissioner’s Office
(ICO) said it remains
“highly concerned” about
the lax data security
procedures practised by
NHS trusts and medical facilities. It
revealed that NHS Stoke-on-Trent
failed to file 2,000 paper
physiotherapy records within its
archive system and these may
have been accidentally destroyed
or misfiled. Basingstoke and North
Hampshire NHS Trust emailed an
unprotected spreadsheet,
containing 917 patients’
pathology results, via an
unsecure address to another
department.The receiving
department had no business need
to have access to that number of
clinical records.
www.ico.gov.uk
LAW
Bill proposed to clarify ‘outdated’ libel law online
A PROPOSED bill to
change the UK’s
“complex”and“outdated”
libel laws would make them
clearer for‘citizen
journalists’and bloggers.
Although they may not
realise it, these people are
often most at risk from
aggrieved companies or
other litigants.
They are also less able to
defend themselves from
legal action. But changes
laid out in the bill, proposed
by Lord Lester, a Lib Dem
peer, would take online
content into account.
Bob Satchwell, of the
Society of Editors, who
called the current law
“outdated”and based on
many practices more than
200 years old, said:“For a
law to be effective it has to
be respected.”
The proposed changes
would give internet service
providers (ISPs) and
people running blog sites
and message boards
clarification about their
responsibilities to avoid
being sued.
Currently these third
parties have to rely on
wording which is
ambiguous; stating these
companies or sites can
escape liability for
publishing allegedly
defamatory material only if
they take it down
‘expeditiously’when
informed of it.
Under Lord Lester’s plans
tChanges to libel laws would give bloggers a
clearer idea about their legal responsibilities
they would have a clearly
defined period of 14 days in
which to act.
David Woods, a litigation
expert at Pinsent Masons
law firm said:“This means
that ISPs, blogging website
providers and others who
have an indirect role in
publishing content now
know how long they have
to act on a complaint.
“The 14-day period is a
surprisingly long one,
considering how serious
libel actions can be.”
The Bill would also
effectively reduce the time
in which a libel action must
be taken. Currently the
constant availability of
online articles, blogs and
opinions means legal action
can be launched years after
original publication.
www.snipca.com/x1632

6 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 NEWS RR

x IN BRIEF...
I CRICKET MATCH
SCREENED IN 3D
Cricket fans will be able to watch
England’s first Natwest one-day
international match against
Bangladesh in 3D.The match,
which will be played on 8 July, will
be shown at over 1,000 pubs and
clubs across the UK and Ireland; a
list of which is on Sky’s website.
Later in the year, 3D movies, sport
and other content will be available
to Sky subscribers at home but
they will still need to have access
to a 3D television.
www.sky.com/3dpubs
I GOOGLE GIVES
CHROME A POLISH
Google has issued a fresh
round of security updates
for its Chrome web
browser, which will
address 11
vulnerabilities
covering the
Windows, Mac OS X
and Linux operating systems. The
update comes just days after two
of Google’s competitors in the
browser market delivered fixes of
their own.Apple has included
security patches in its recent
Safari 5 web browser release,
while Microsoft has bundled a fix
for a critical security flaw in
Internet Explorer with its monthly
security update.
www.google.com/chrome
RR
BROADBAND MOBILE
Networks to
BT strike may hit services cap data use
Analysts have
A STRIKE by BT engineers and call Computeractive to press. When we predicted that the
centre staff could have a significant contacted BT it said it would not major UK mobile
impact on internet services throughout comment on the proposed strike but that networks will
the UK, the Communications Workers it had contingency plans in place. follow O2 and cap
Union (CWU) has warned. Although BT would not mobile internet use.
Many internet service elaborate on these plans, O2 has introduced a
providers (ISPs) lease and other ISPs would three-tier data allowance
their broadband lines not comment, the system for new and
from BT Wholesale. CWU dismissed upgrading customers. Tariffs
Like BT, these ISPs what it had heard range from £35 per month
are dependent on about possible for a 500MB allowance,
BT engineers to backup plans. rising to £45 and £60
fix faults and keep “We have heard for 750MB and 1GB,
the network that BT has respectively. O2 said the
running. A been asking its changes offer a “more
prolonged strike managers about transparent way of charging
could mean them filling in for customers for data”.
problems suffered by engineering and call Although the move
their customers taking centre staff but that is has angered some O2
weeks to put right. laughable,” a union customers, analysts
“We do not want to go on representative told us. stressed that data caps
strike and the last time was over A strike by BT workers would would only affect a small
20 years ago. But BT refuses to budge. It be the first since 1987. The CWU, which proportion of consumers.
is difficult to predict what will happen rejected BT’s offer of a two per cent pay Steven Hartley, principal
regarding internet connections but if the increase this year, and three per cent analyst at Ovum, said he
strike goes ahead, and for a long time, it next year, has been pushing for a five per believes it is just a matter of
could have a significant impact on cent increase. The ballot papers are due time before the other
people,” a CWU representative warned. to be returned by 5 July and a result is networks follow suit.
The union was in the process of expected the same day. www.o2.co.uk
balloting its 55,000 members as www.cwu.org
ULTIMATE GUIDE
JARGON
B U S T E R
Maintain and extend the life of your PC Techno babble demystified...

I SECURITY TOOL
FOR ANDROID
Security firm Symantec is
releasing a free testing version of a
security tool for smartphones
running Google’s free Android
operating system, which is based
on Linux and used for portable
computers and mobile phones,
this month. Security experts
are warning this popularity means
the threat of hackers attacking
such devices is growing.The
Norton Smartphone Security app
includes a blacklist system to warn
the user if they download a
dangerous application from the
Android Market and tools to
automatically block telephone
calls or text messages from a
specified phone number.
www.symantec.com
THE LATEST issue of our
Computeractive Ultimate
Guide shows you how to
make your PC last longer.
Our step-by-step
Workshops and informative
features, written in our tried
and trusted plain English
style, look at how the tools
built into Windows and
third-party software can
keep things ticking over.
Key maintenance tools
that are covered include
defragmentation
(reorganising the data on
your PC) and registry
cleaning applications.
Sometimes a simple
upgrade can transform a
PC.We explain how to
decide if it is necessary to
upgrade and guide you
through the processes,
from simple, cost-effective
upgrades, such as picking
the right memory, to more
expensive makeovers such
as swapping a hard disk for
a faster storage device with
no moving parts.
Cleaning everything out
from your PC and starting
again can seem daunting
but if you need to return
your computer to its factory
settings or want to get back
its original speed, we show
you how to reinstall
everything from scratch.
The free CD is packed
with free and trial software
such Ashampoo
Winoptimizer 2010 and
Registry Mechanic. Other
software products such as
Auslogics Disk Defrag are
explained in our detailed
Workshops.
Computeractive’s
Ultimate Guide to Making
Your PC last longer goes on
sale 1st July priced £5.99.
www.computeractive-
www.computeractive.co.uk
direct.co.uk
Blogger Someone who
writes an online journal.
GB A storage measurement,
usually for hard disks.
Hard disk A high-capacity
disk used to store files.
ISP Provides you with an
internet connection.
MB A measurement of
storage, usually for
computer memory.
Registry A file integrated
into Windows that stores
data on all hardware and
software on your computer.
For full definitions visit:

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 7

worldmags & avaxhome
 NEWS
RR
x IN BRIEF...
I RATTLE RIVALS
WITH FOOTBALL APP
An application
created for the
iPhone and iPod
Touch can turn
these devices into
a football rattle.
All people need to
do to recreate the
sound of a rattle
after downloading
the software is to
wave the iPhone
or iPod Touch
around.The England Football
Rattle, which has been developed
by PS Ventures, will speed up or
slow down according to the speed
and vigour with which the device
is waved.The application, which
costs 59p, can be downloaded
from the Apple Store.
www.snipca.com/x1615
I HUMYO GETS
TRENDY
British online storage service
Humyo.com has been acquired by
the security firm Trend Micro.
Humyo, founded in 2007, currently
provides both free and paid-for
services, with paying customers
getting access to an automatic
online backup tool.A spokesperson
told Computeractive that “there will
be a change in the branding” of the
service at some point, but that it
would remain “the same product,
run by the same people” and would
keep its storage servers in the
UK. He could not confirm whether
prices will change.
www.humyo.com
I PLAY GAMES AND
SUPPORT A CHARITY
People with Playstation3 games
consoles are being encouraged to
buy a triple-pack of recent titles
with part of the proceeds going to
charity Gamesaid.The pack,
which contains Tomb Raider:
Underworld, Sega Superstars
Tennis and racing game Fuel can
be bought at the suggested retail
price of £30.At least half of the
money raised will be sent to
Gamesaid.The organisation
hopes to raise at least £500,000
from the packs.
www.gamesaid.org
8 www.computeractive.co.uk
BROADBAND WIFI
Google causes
Net gain from licence fee privacy upset
Privacy International (PI) will
PARTS OF the BBC’s licence fee will be Mr Hunt also said licence fee money make a formal complaint to
used to fund faster broadband services set aside to fund independent news UK police regarding Google’s
across the UK, culture secretary Jeremy consortia would instead be used to bring gathering of Wifi data as
Hunt has confirmed. the next generation of even faster part of the search giant’s
Underspend on the money put broadband services to rural and Street View operation.
aside from licence fee income hard-to-reach areas. Google initially blamed the
ADBA
BRO
to help pensioners and However, the money collecting of Wifi data on an
low-income families
with the digital TV
N set aside for this is
limited; calculated at
error. But according to PI, a
recent audit report released
D
switchover will be about £250m per by Google “asserts that the
used to push forward year up to 2012. system had intent to identify
the universal service He said that and store all unencrypted
commitment (USC). three market- Wifi content.” It said that
Although he testing projects, Google’s action “goes well
called this led by a beyond the ‘mistake’” the
commitment to give government agency, search company claimed,
every household in Broadband Delivery and had breached the UK’s
the UK a minimum UK, will now begin to Regulation of Investigatory
2Mbits/sec service
“paltry” and “pitifully
licence fee look at the best ways
and technologies to
Powers Act.
A spokesperson for
unambitious”, he said the deliver this goal. Google said the company
Government would support it. Antony Walker, chief executive would not comment further
“It is a scandal that nearly three officer of the Broadband Stakeholder on the allegations, but in a
million households in this country still Group, welcomed the news but warned blog post published in May it
cannot access 2Mbits/sec broadband that the sums of money offered by the described the collection as
speeds, and less than one per cent of the Government were small. “a mistake” and that it
country is able to access the internet “Overall this is positive news. But it’s wanted “to delete the data
using modern fibre-optic technology – not going to be easy to deliver these as soon as possible”.
compared to an OECD average of around goals. There is an awful lot to think www.privacyinternational.org
10 per cent,” he said. about,” he said.
INTERNET
Disabled web users benefit from mobile applications
THE GROWTH of qMobile apps are “The other
applications and websites designed to work on platforms, such as
for mobile phones and small screens Symbian and
other internet-enabled Android, tend to be a bit
devices is good news for “In order for of a free-for-all.Apple
disabled web users, a these mobile has been very
leading charity has said. websites and consistent in the way it
Robin Christopherson, of apps to work on ensures accessibility,
Abilitynet, said rather than smaller screens, and this applies to the
excluding people with the developers apps it allows.
disabilities, mobile websites have had to make “It won’t approve an
and applications, or‘apps’, them simpler, application unless it
make it easier for them to which in turn has meets a certain
use the internet. made them more standard,” he said.
As the head of accessible. He also pointed out
accessibility services for the “The that there will
national charity, which developers have obviously always be
helps adults and children gone back to basics with computer,” he said. some apps some people
with disabilities use websites.This means that He said Apple in won’t be able to use, and
computers and the internet, people with disabilities, particular deserved that some people may only
he told Computeractive he from visual impairments to recognition for its strict be able to use mobile
was“excited”about the learning difficulties find control over the apps it websites on a computer.
developments. them easier to use on a allows for its devices. www.abilitynet.org.uk
24 June - 7 July 2010
worldmags & avaxhome
 NEWS RR

x IN BRIEF...
I WEB TELEVISION
BOOM IS COMING
There will be a boom over the next
four years in the number of
web-enabled TV sets that are sold
in the UK, according to industry
experts.A number of
manufacturers are producing sets
that can download and play
content directly from the internet
without the need for a separate
set-top box or a PC. However,
many in the industry think it will be
RR
MOBILE PHONE CHARGES SOFTWARE
Office 2010
Call costs fall in the EU released
Microsoft has released the
THE COST of making phone calls from COST OF CALLS WITHIN THE EU consumer version of Office
within the European Union has fallen 35p 2010 with new features
again; despite a challenge from several 32p including a photo-editing
30
mobile operators. function in Word to edit
Calls made
From 1 July, charges before Vat for 25 images in documents.
making a call have fallen from just over Calls received More video capabilities
20
35p (43 euro cents) last summer to 32p have been added to
per minute. Receiving a call will now 15p Powerpoint and there is also
cost approximately 12p, down from 12p a function linking people

summer

summer

summer

summer
10
15-20 years before 3D TV around 15p per minute. with social-networking
becomes a mainstream The costs of sending a text message sites. This lets people merge

Last

Last
This

consumer technology.
www.snipca.com/x1626
I EMAIL ITEMS TO
NEW HP PRINTERS
HP has announced a line-up of
new printers that allow documents
to be printed from any email-
enabled device.The range
includes the Photosmart Premium
e-All-in-one, due in October
priced at £180, the Photosmart
Plus e-All-in-one, available from
September for £150 and the
Photosmart Wireless e-All-in-one,
available from July priced at £100.
www.hp.com/uk
This
5
remains at around 10p and they remain their inbox with any
0
free to receive. Mobile operators must social-
also ensure that from 1 July they paying up to 70 per cent less when networking site
implement an automatic cut-off facility making and receiving calls and sending such as
for data downloads. text messages. Facebook and
This will stop users from running up Mobile phone operators T-Mobile, see their most
an enormous bill by cutting off their Vodafone, Orange and Telefonica O2 recent updates.
mobile internet access once the cost challenged these limits. But the It is expected
reaches a pre-set level. European Court of Justice ruled at the that the Home
The default limit is around £40 a beginning of June that roaming and Student
month but customers can choose a legislation that places a maximum on version will go on sale for
different amount if they prefer. People what mobile operators can charge is, in around £109.
must also receive a warning when they fact, legal. An advert-supported
hit 80 per cent of their chosen limit. Giles Chichester, Conservative MEP, version, Office Starter 2010,
The Roaming Regulations were first said: “This is welcome news, particularly will be pre-installed on
introduced in 2007. Since their as we approach the summer period when some new PCs.
implementation the European most of us take holidays abroad.” www.microsoft.com
Commission has said people are www.snipca.com/x1617

GENEALOGY
Pinpoint your family’s history
FAMILY HISTORY
website Historypin wants
people to upload old
photos of places to create
an interactive historical
map of the UK and other
parts of the world.
The pictures are then
‘tagged’with dates and
explanations so others
can view them and find
out about their history.
Photographs can also
be placed onto a Google
Street View image if it
exists, so they can be seen
in the context of how the
street or area looks now.
The project is being run
by the London-based non-
profit group We Are What
We Do, in partnership with
Google, which is providing
the online storage space
for the pictures.
All copyright and other
rights will remain with the
owner of the pictures.
Other users can view the
pictures, select dates to
view and add their own
comments and links.
Access to the site is
free. If users do not have a
scanner, a paid-for service
is available so they can
have pictures scanned.
www.historypin.org
SMARTPHONE
JARGON
B U S T E R
Apple unveils iPhone 4 Techno babble demystified...
APPLE HAS operating system High definition A TV
unveiled its (OS), which Apple picture with a higher
latest incarnation calls iOS4 and will resolution than normal.
of the iPhone. include support for
The slimmer running several Mbits/sec Megabits per
and sleeker apps at once. second. A measure of data
iPhone 4 has a As this issue of transfer speed.
new touchscreen Computeractive
display with a high went to press, Operating system
resolution of Apple said it is Governs the way hardware
960x640 pixels. planning to and software in a computer
Other changes deliver the OS to work together.
include extended most iPhone
battery life and a and iPod Touch Resolution The amount of
new front- users as a free detail shown in an image.
mounted camera. update on 21 June.
The back-mounted The OS also supports a Server A computer on a
camera is capable of video-chat service called network that distributes
shooting high-definition Facetime for those with information to other PCs.
video clips, which can be compatible handsets. Price
edited using the company’s plans are yet to be Wifi Wireless networking.
new iMovie app. announced, but unlocked
The handsets use the models cost from £499. For full definitions visit:
www.computeractive.co.uk
fourth version of the iPhone www.apple.com/uk

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 9

worldmags & avaxhome
 HOW TO USE WINDOWS’ EXPERT TOOLS
COVER
STORY

Need a quick computer fix?

We show how to find and use
10 hidden troubleshooting tools
that the experts rely on

I
f you have had a computer for a while, you have 1 Command and conquer
probably discovered that Windows comes with a Before graphical operating systems such as Windows
load of useful tools. You have probably worked caught on, most PCs ran DOS (short for Disk Operating
out sums in Calculator, protected files using System), which is a text-based system where you could
Backup and, if you read our article in issue 320, move files and start programs by typing commands. In
you may even have got the measure of your system with fact, Windows effectively ran on top of this older
the Windows 7 Resource Monitor. operating system up to and including Windows 98 and
The chances are, though, that there has also been a Me. Modern versions of Windows can still create a
time when your computer had a problem and you DOS-like interface using the Command Prompt.
weren’t sure if you had the tools to fix
it. Windows and the applications that
run on it can slow down, go wrong or
just act oddly, leaving even confident
users baffled. But not all of Windows’
tools are in plain view.
When most of us think that it’s time
to give up, we may call on an expert
who knows how to fix the problem
using tools that aren’t tricky to use:
Image: Steve Kirk

they’re just hidden away. In this

article we’ll show you where 10 of
these hidden tools can be found and
how to use them. 9Run the Command Prompt as Administrator in Windows 7 or Vista

10 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 USE WINDOWS’ EXPERT TOOLS HOW TO

The command prompt isn’t so useful in

everyday computing, but when programs or
Windows go wrong it can be a vital tool. On
JARGON
B U S T E R
its own it can be used to give additional Techno babble demystified...
instructions to many Windows programs,
telling them to behave in a certain way when they Adware Software that
start up. Even more importantly, it’s the only way to displays unwanted adverts.
run some of Windows’ most useful expert tools,
including a few we’ll explain later in this article. In Anti-virus Software that
Windows XP, start the Command Prompt by clicking detects, repairs, cleans or
the Start button, clicking Run, then typing cmd in the removes viruses.
box that appears and clicking OK.
Starting a Command Prompt is even easier in Defragment or ‘defrag’.
Windows 7 and Vista: simply click Start, type To reorganise the data
Command in the Start Menu’s search box and you stored on a hard disk so it
should see ‘Command Prompt’ appear top of the 9The System Information Tool lists the hardware in your computer can be accessed as quickly
results. Left-clicking this will start a regular as possible by the computer.
command prompt, but to run most expert tools you’ll most basic level. To use it, type ping into the command
also need to make yourself an Administrator. To do this, prompt, followed by a space, then the device you want Dialogue box A window
right-click the ‘Command Prompt’ entry in the search to connect to, and then press Enter. For example, if your that pops up to display or
results and choose ‘Run as administrator’. Answer Yes network has two computers named Dave and Sally, you request information.
to the User Account Control dialogue box that appears. could check that they can communicate by starting a
The command prompt will appear as a black window Command Prompt on the computer called Sally, typing Double-click To click
into which you can type text, shown in white. For now, ping Dave and hitting Enter. twice quickly in succession
simply close the prompt by typing exit and hitting the If the network is running you should see lines of text on a mouse button.
Enter key. Alternatively, you can just close the Window, appear that start with Reply and include a time in
but we wouldn’t recommend it if you’re running one of milliseconds. If you get an error message or no answer Download Transferring
the utilities described below. then it’s time to check the cable or wireless network. files onto your PC directly
For a quick way to check whether your from the internet.
internet connection itself (rather than your
web browser) is running properly, try typing Driver A program that
ping google.com and pressing Enter. allows Windows to
Ping can be left running by adding -t, for communicate with a
example typing ping -t google.com will carry peripheral device.
on pinging Google’s servers until you hit the
Ctrl and C keys at the same time to stop it. Encrypt To scramble data
This can be handy, allowing you to instantly so it can only be read by the
see when your connection problem is fixed. sender and recipient.

3 Info a penny Firewall Software or

9Test whether two computers or devices can communicate using the Ping tool
2 Just the Ping
Ping is a simple hidden tool that can be invaluable when
trying to work out what’s wrong with your computer on
a network. Like many advanced tools it can only be
accessed from inside a command prompt, so follow the
instructions above to open one.
The purpose of ping is to test whether two computers
or devices can communicate with one another on the
Nobody remembers every detail about their hardware that prevents
computer, but there are times when you’ll unauthorised access to a
need to check. A full breakdown of a PC’s computer over a network.
hardware and software is vital information for anyone
providing technical support, while even a basic Floppy disk A small, rigid
overview can be checked against the minimum square of plastic used to
requirements of some new software you’re thinking store data. Inside the case is
about buying, preventing a costly mistake. a circular magnetic disc.
Windows provides a handy but hidden way to get
both in the shape of the System Information tool. This Hard disk A high-capacity
can be run in Windows 7 or Vista simply by typing disk in PCs used to store

R
GET MORE
While Windows comes with plenty of tools,
hidden or easily found, these don’t cover
everything you may need.
Even when they do, extra software may
do a better job of the same thing. Here are
a few suggestions:
Memtest86+
www.snipca.com/x1564
If you know how to create a bootable CD,
this is a better memory test than
Windows’ own version.
3DMark/PCMark
www.futuremark.com
These tests show how fast a computer, or
its graphics system, is. Because they work
the computer hard they can also reveal
any underlying problems that are
occurring, such as overheating.
Windows Sysinternals
www.snipca.com/x1563
Started in 1996 and bought by Microsoft
10 years later, the Sysinternals tool is
both applications and files.
Instant messaging
probably the most powerful and Text-based communication
comprehensive suite of tools available for over a network.
troubleshooting a PC.
Memory The computer’s
Microsoft Security Essentials temporary storage area.
www.snipca.com/x1562
Windows Defender, which is included with Motherboard The main
Windows 7 and Vista, protects against circuit board inside any PC
spyware and adware but it doesn’t into which every other
watch for virus infections. Download component connects.
Security Essentials to add this protection
to your computer at no cost.
Continued on P13q

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 11

worldmags & avaxhome
 HOW TO
R THE PITFALLS
OF CHANGE
We have only highlighted a
handful of Windows’ hidden
tools, concentrating on
useful ones that are unlikely
to do any harm to your
computer. There are plenty of
other utilities that can be
very powerful, but also very
dangerous if you click the
wrong option.
Probably the most
important of these is the
Registry Editor, through
which advanced users can
change which software
loads when, how it behaves,
and alter fundamentals of
Windows itself. It sounds
inviting, but there are few
harmless changes to the
registry, and many that could
mess up Windows. It’s
generally one to avoid.
Sometimes even a
harmless tool can be open to
abuse. In Windows NT and
2000, the simple ‘Net send’
command could be used to
create a pop-up message on
another computer on the
network. Or every computer,
making it easy for pranksters
or troublemakers to
bombard every PC with
spam messages. The
feature was disabled by
default in XP, and removed
from Vista onwards.
qDisk Cleanup recommends
files that can be deleted to free
up space on your PC
12 www.computeractive.co.uk
USE WINDOWS’ EXPERT TOOLS
system information into the Start Menu search
box, then clicking the top result that appears. It’s
a bit more hidden away in XP, where you’ll need
to click the Start button, click Run and type
c:\windows\system32\dllcache\msinfo32.exe
into the box that appears, before clicking OK.
The System Information Tool starts with a
system summary that usually includes all sorts of
handy information and is often the only way to
find out which motherboard is inside the
computer without grabbing a screwdriver, for
example. Clicking on the Components or
Software Environment categories in the left-hand
pane reveals more detailed information on a PC’s
hardware or software makeup.
The search box at the bottom makes it easy to
search for a specific component or manufacturer
name, which is handy if you’re seeing error 9System Restore takes a snapshot of the PC’s settings for recovery purposes
messages from a component that you’ve never
heard of and want to find out what it does. Best of all,
there’s no need to feel intimidated, as the tool is for
information only so you can’t damage anything here.
4 Clean and clear
Today’s computers come with lots of storage space but
even the most careful of users will find that their hard
disk fills up with junk over time. It’s hard to know what
is safe to delete, so Windows comes with a tool to help.
Disk Cleanup can be found by opening Computer (My
Computer in Windows XP) from the Start Menu or
Desktop, right-clicking the disk that’s running out of
space, selecting Properties and then clicking the Disk
Cleanup button on the page that appears.
Disk Cleanup looks for files that could be deleted on
a disk and presents its recommendations in a list
grouped by theme. Highlighting an item explains more
about it so you can make an informed decision.
The More Options tab makes it possible to cut down
on installed programs, Windows components or
restore points (see below), freeing-up even more space.
We would recommend caution, though, as it’s easy to
remove something you don’t realise you need. We
24 June - 7 July 2010
worldmags & avaxhome
would also advise care when using the option to
‘Compress old files’, found in Windows XP, as this can
liberate lots of space but it can take hours to complete.
5 Restore and repair
Most PC users have had a moment where they thought
“I wish I hadn’t done that”. In many cases the System
Restore tool can make that wish come true. The utility
works in the background, keeping a lookout for big
changes such as new software being installed, or a
backup being restored. When such a change is about to
happen it takes a ‘snapshot’ of the PC as it is. If
something goes wrong, or if the user simply changes
their mind, System Restore can be used to return the
computer to how it was before the change was made.
Windows XP users can start System Restore by
opening the Start Menu, clicking All Programs, then
Accessories, then System Tools, then ‘System Restore’.
Windows 7 and Vista users might find it easier simply
to search for the tool from the Start Menu, and they may
also be prompted for permission before it will run.
Once started, System Restore lets the user choose the
point they want to restore to, and Windows 7 even
shows which programs and drivers might be deleted or
re-installed by each restore point.
6 Forget me not
A hardware problem can cause Windows to become
unstable, but while some are easy to trace there’s one
that can be a real pain: faulty memory. Memory
problems can cause serious instability, but of course
there’s no way to spot a dodgy stick of memory by
looking at it.
Handily, Windows Vista includes a new Memory
Diagnostics Tool – find it by typing memory diagnostic
into the Start Menu search box. It’s also included in
Windows 7, called Windows Memory Diagnostic.
The tool first asks whether you want to restart and
perform a check immediately, or wait until the next
time you restart your computer manually. When the PC
restarts the tool loads before Windows does to perform
a series of intensive tests on the memory chips in your
computer. You can access more advanced settings by
pressing F1 once it has started.
Although the tool doesn’t come with Windows XP, it
can be downloaded free from Microsoft at
www.snipca.com/x1605. This version isn’t quite as easy

9The Memory Diagnostics Tool will help you locate memory problems
to use, however, and it will prompt you to create a
special floppy disk or CD. You’ll have to start the
computer from that disc to run the test.
7 System settings
Sometimes, if Windows is particularly slow or refuses
to start properly it may be because a piece of software
that loads automatically is causing problems. You can
get around this by starting Windows in Safe Mode
(press F8 after the computer beeps on startup), but if
you can get Windows to start up once there’s a far
simpler method: the System Configuration tool.
It’s easily found in Windows 7 or Vista by typing
system config into the Start Menu search box.
Windows XP users can usually run it by clicking Start,
clicking Run, and then typing c:\windows\pchealth\
helpctr\binaries\MSConfig.exe in the box that appears
and clicking OK. Once started, this powerful tool lets
you choose exactly what happens each time Windows
starts up. The Startup tab lets you disable various other
utilities that would normally start with Windows,
allowing you to weed out any you suspect of being
unstable, but you should use care when doing this.
We would recommend caution with options on the
Services tab, as unticking these can cause more trouble
than they fix. Perhaps most useful is the Tools tab,
which shows a complete list of diagnostic tools in
Windows, many of them hidden (and several listed in
this article). Choose one and click Launch to use it.
9Fix startup problems with the System Configuration tool
USE WINDOWS’ EXPERT TOOLS HOW TO
8 Be resourceful
While faulty hardware can cause problems with a
PC, many everyday hitches are likely to be down to
JARGON
B U S T E R
software that hasn’t installed properly or which has Techno babble demystified...
become corrupted, perhaps for a simple reason such
as the computer not being properly shut down. When Operating system
this happens to an important Windows file it can Governs the way hardware
result in an unstable computer, or one that won’t and software in a computer
perform certain tasks. work together.
In such a case, it’s a good idea to restore the
computer to an earlier time using System Restore Registry A file integrated
(see page 12) and to scan with your anti-virus into Windows that stores
software, but if this doesn’t solve the problem there’s information on all hardware
the Windows Resource Checker. This simple and software installed on
command, run from a Command Prompt, causes your computer.
Windows to check the status of all the important files
it needs to start up successfully. If any are corrupted Router A device used to
or missing they are replaced with the correct version connect more than one
but you’ll need your Windows installation CD. computer or other device to
The resource checker is run by starting a Command the internet.
Prompt, remembering to grant Administrator
privileges if you have Windows 7 or Vista (see page 10). Spam Junk email sent to
large groups of people
offering such things as
money-spinning ideas,
holidays, and so on.
Spyware Software
installed (usually
surreptitiously) to monitor
and report back on a
computer’s use.
Virus A malicious
computer program
designed to damage data.
For full definitions visit:
www.computeractive.co.uk
9Use the Resource Checker to check all vital Windows files
If you can’t do this as the computer won’t start
normally, try starting the computer in Safe Mode (press
F8 after it beeps at start up). At the Command Prompt,
type SFC /scannow and pres Enter. The process of
checking and replacing files can take a while but in
some cases it can save having to re-install Windows on
a PC that seems like a lost cause.
9 Pass the remote
New computer users often need a bit of help, and if
you’re an experienced computer user you’ll most likely
often want to help others out. This is easy if you’re both
in the same room but what if you want to help a family
member who lives halfway across the country – or
halfway across the planet? Since Windows XP, though,
Microsoft has included Remote Assistance, which is a
brilliant tool that can allow a remote helper to view
your computer’s display just as you do. If you’re really
stuck, you can even allow them to take control of your
computer to directly fix a problem.
Unfortunately, Windows XP’s remote assistance has
one big problem: unless you’re both using Microsoft’s
Windows Messenger instant-messaging tool the firewall
built into many internet routers will block it. If you have
Windows 7 or Vista on your PC this isn’t a problem.
24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 13
worldmags & avaxhome
 HOW TO USE WINDOWS’ EXPERT TOOLS

XP users can find Remote Assistance by looking in

9Remote Assistance lets more
experienced computer users
help novices sort out problems
All Programs on the Start Menu. Windows 7 and Vista
users can search by typing windows remote in the Start
Menu’s search box. Once started, the tool makes it easy
to create a request for help that can be sent as a file,
over email, or (in the XP version only) to a user of
Windows Messenger (Microsoft’s instant-messaging
program). Windows 7 users have a simpler option
called Easy Connect.
After a final password check, an authorised helper
can see the target computer’s desktop, allowing them to
see a problem first-hand. The
expert can send instructions
via chat, or transfer files,
such as an anti-virus install
program, if the person being
helped consents.
With complicated
problems the person
receiving help can also allow
an expert to take remote
control of their computer, but
they can take control back or
even end the session at any
time. See our step-by-step
guide below for details.
10 Sort it out
The latest hard disks are
blisteringly fast but they still
suffer from a problem that affected the very first ones.
When files are saved, they’re broken into chunks that
are written onto the first available slots on the disk.
Because these slots often aren’t big enough for the
whole file it ends up spanning many slots, which are
interspersed with other slots containing information
from other files. This ‘fragmentation’ of files slows your
computer down as it has to hunt around for the pieces
of each file.
Fortunately, Windows comes with a utility to
defragment the disk. Windows XP users can find it by
clicking Start, All Programs, Accessories and then
System Tools, and then choosing Disk Defragmenter.
9Speed up your PC by reordering files with Disk Defragmenter
The program is very easy to use, but bear in mind that it
may take some time (sometimes it’s best left overnight).
From Windows Vista onwards, Microsoft changed
things so that disks are automatically defragmented
without you asking, typically once a week. Vista users
can check the schedule or manually start
defragmentation by typing defragment into the Start
Menu’s search box and clicking ‘Disk Defragmenter’.
In Windows 7, the tool shows the status of individual
disks, giving you even more control.
Tools of the trade
Many of the PC tools we’ve discussed are carefully
hidden away, while others are simply tricky to find from
the Start Menu, but all 10 could come in handy over the
lifetime of your computer.
Used carefully they can help you gain a better
understanding of your computer, how it works and
how to fix it when problems occur. And, as our ‘Get
more’ box on page 11 explains, even if Windows doesn’t
come with the utility that you need the chances are it
can be downloaded, either from Microsoft itself or from
another company at no cost.
With such a wealth of tools, you should never find
yourself stuck with a Windows problem you can’t fix.
Simon Francis

STEP BY STEP | HOW REMOTE ASSISTANCE WORKS

1 The person needing help runs Remote

Assistance and sends out an invitation. In this
case we’re asking for help from a computer running
Windows 7. The file is attached to an email
addressed to the person who will help, and a
password automatically created. This step is easiest
to co-ordinate if the two parties talk on the phone.
2 The person offering help receives the invitation
and double-clicks the file. This opens
Remote Assistance on their PC (in this case a
desktop PC running Vista). Remote Assistance sets
up a secret, encrypted link between the two PCs
but before the helper can connect they need to enter
the password created on the first PC.
3 The helper can now see the desktop of the first
PC, allowing its user to show them the problem.
If needed, the helper can transfer a file to the problem
computer or they can request to take remote control
of it. The user in need of help can then watch as the
expert fixes their computer.

14 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 15.6” Samsung® 15.5” Sony® VAIO™ “dabs.com is always
R580 Laptop EB1E0E Laptop the first website
The Samsung R580 boasts the new Intel The VAIO E-Series enables you to
Core i3 processor, providing blazing
computing and a HD LED display.
power up and surf in seconds with the
one touch web button.
I check when I’m
• Intel Dual Core i3 330M / 2.13 GHz • Intel Dual Core i3 330M / 2.13 GHz after a gadget or
• 4GB RAM, 320GB hard drive • 3GB RAM, 320GB hard drive
• 15.6” Super Bright Gloss display • 15.5” VAIO display something electrical ”
• DVD±RW (+R double layer) • DVD±RW (+R double layer) DVD-RAM
• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium • Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium B Bellinger - 21.01.10
dabs.com customer comment
6NBGCV 6LHKCV

Free Delivery Available* Free Delivery Available*

Panasonic® Canon® Ixus™

DMC-ZX3 Silver 210IS Black
The ultra-compact ZX3 digital camera The IXUS 210 combines an ultra-wide
features a 25mm wide-angle 8x optical 24mm Canon lens, advanced touch
zoom lens and 10x intelligent zoom. screen and HD movies in a stylish design.
• 14.1-megapixel high-resolution CCD • 14.1-megapixel • 4x digital zoom
• HD Movie in AVCHD Lite and HDMI • 24mm ultra wide-angle 5.0x zoom lens
compatibility featuring VIERA link • 3.5” PureColour II Touch LCD
• iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode with power • Face detection and frame movie mode
O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer)

6M9ZCV 6MWQCV

Free Delivery Available* Free Delivery Available*

Prices valid until 03.07.10

Terms and Conditions. All prices are valid until 03.07.10 after this date prices may fluctuate without notice, please see
www.dabs.com/computeractive for the latest prices. If you do not use the advertised URL the prices on the website may differ from
those advertised. All offers are while stocks last unless otherwise indicated. All prices include VAT but exclude carriage. *Free
delivery uses our basic service for UK mainland. Surcharges for service upgrades and/or outlying UK regions apply. See www.dabs.
com/delivery for details.Prices and promotions correct at time of going to print but may change or be withdrawn without notice. We are
only able to take orders online via our website for delivery to UK addresses. Nothing in this advertisement forms part of any contract.
Errors and omissions excepted. dabs.com, National Logistics Centre, Wingates Industrial Estate, Westhoughton, Bolton, BL5 3XU.
Email assistance@dabs.com.

worldmags & avaxhome

 TRIED&
TESTED
OUR STAR RATINGS
With every product we review, we tell it like
it is and give it Computeractive’s
authoritative star rating.
Here’s what those stars mean:
EXCELLENT #####
WORTH IT #####
OK BY US #####
POOR #####
AWFUL #####
OUR STAMP OF APPROVAL
The Buy It! stamp of
approval is a sign
BUY IT!
that a product has
exceeded our high
expectations in both
quality and value for
money. If you see the Buy It! logo you know
we were impressed with the product and
we think you will be too. The Try It! Stamp is
our equivalent award for software and
services that are free of charge.
A list of products that we think are the
best available in various categories can be
found at the back of the Tried & Tested
section.
ONLINE REVIEWS
If you are looking for reviews of a certain
kind of product, the best way to do so is
through our website, where you can read
reviews by category and type of product.
Go to www.computeractive.co.uk/products
PRICES
The prices we print are the suggested retail
prices set by the manufacturer. Products
can often be found much cheaper on the
internet or in shops.
For the latest keen prices on a range of
products go to
www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices
TECHNICAL TERMS
AND JARGON
While we try to keep our reviews free from
technical language or jargon, it is
sometimes unavoidable. See the Jargon
Buster column for concise explanations of
highlighted words. For an in-depth glossary,
go to www.computeractive.co.uk/jargon
HOW WE TEST
Computeractive’s reviewers follow strict
guidelines to ensure the opinions expressed
in the magazine are fair, accurate and
independent. Every product or service we
review is thoroughly examined and tested
by experts. The manufacturer has no
involvement in our tests and is never told
the result of a review prior to publication.
Please note that our reviews grade
products, not customer service. Reviews
are based on opinions. Check the full
specification of any product with the
manufacturer to be sure it will work with
your computer.
We welcome feedback on our reviews –
send us an email to
letters@computeractive.co.uk
or discuss our reviews at
www.computeractive.co.uk/forums
16 www.computeractive.co.uk
MEDIA SOFTWARE | £60
NERO MULTIMEDIA
SUITE 10
Disc burning, backup and
editing tools for your PC
O
ver the years, the two
biggest names in
disc-burning software,
Nero and Roxio, have built
their products into vast
multimedia suites, including
features such as video
editing, format conversion,
DVD authoring and music
streaming on top of the basic
task of recording media to
blank discs.
Of the two, Nero has
tended to take a more
straightforward approach,
providing a powerful,
no-nonsense set of tools but
arguably offering less in the way
of hand-holding and integration.
With Multimedia Suite 10,
however, Nero amalgamates three
separate facets of its software range
into one unified suite.The main
Burning Rom tool is still there (and
now includes Blu-ray burning as
standard, though it still cannot play
Blu-ray discs), along with tools such
as Sound Trax for digitising old LPs
and Cover Designer for printing CD
and DVD sleeves. But this time they
are joined by a revamped
video-editing package, Nero Vision
Xtra, and a backup utility, Nero Back
It Up and Burn. Similar features were
included in previous versions, but
Multimedia Suite 10 introduces
some big improvements.
Nero Vision Xtra, for instance,
has gone from being a simple
editing program to a multi-track,
timeline-based video-editing
program with some advanced
effects, such as support for chroma
key (green screen) effects to add a
person to an existing scene. It also
includes an improved version of
Nero’s Smart Encode technology,
which can create high-definition
(HD) discs from HD camcorder clips
without the need to re-encode the
footage (assuming your camcorder
24 June - 7 July 2010
worldmags & avaxhome
9Multimedia Suite 10 includes Start Smart for launching utilities
records in a
compatible
format, such as
AVCHD), saving time and
preventing potential loss of quality.
Multimedia Suite 10 also includes
Media Hub, a one-stop shop for
organising, playing, sharing and
editing your digital photos, videos
and music. Media Hub provides a
quick and easy way to make photo
slideshows, listen to music playlists,
post videos on Youtube and so on,
like a cross between Windows
Media Player and Google Picasa.
It’s easy to use but whether you
need another media player in your
life is another matter. It’s also
slightly confusing that the suite
includes Media Hub alongside the
existing Start Smart, which is in
itself a‘hub’for launching the
various utilities contained in
Multimedia Suite 10.
Though Media Hub has a simple,
accessible interface, this approach
is not consistent throughout
Multimedia Suite 10. Many of the
tools, including Burning Rom
itself, remain a little more like the
nuts-and-bolts Nero of old, though
we will admit that this is not
necessarily a bad thing.
With the new version, Nero has
gone further to take on Roxio, which
has historically been better at
editing files, while Nero has excelled
at creating discs of your files.The
new version does both much more
effectively, but there are some
areas, such as picture editing,
where Roxio still has the edge.
There is something here for
everyone, from inexperienced users
who just want something to burn
the odd disc without any fuss, to
experts who want total control over
their media files and the ability to
rip, copy, burn, convert, edit and
share just about anything.
Jonathan Parkyn
DETAILS
Contact: Nero, no UK number
Info: www.nero.com
Retail price: £60
Buy: www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices
ALSO CONSIDER...
Roxio Creator 2010: £50
An excellent collection of media-editing
software. #####
www.computeractive.co.uk/2251746
WE SAY
Multimedia Suite 10 is complete and
we still like Nero’s plain speaking
GOOD POINTS: Much improved
video-editing features; good backup
program included; useful Media Hub
manager/player
BAD POINTS: Not all components are
as easy to use as others; two ‘hubs’
are a bit confusing at first
OVERALL: #####
 TRIED & TESTED RR

CAMERA | £300 DESKTOP COMPUTER | £700

PALICOMP EXC7
Powerful computing for more taxing tasks

T
his desktop PC comes as a
base unit only. It does
not include a keyboard,
mouse or screen. But it does
come with is a large amount of
computing power.
The processor inside the
Palicomp EXC7 (or the
Excalibur X6 1055OC35 Base
Unit, to give it its full name) is
an AMD Phenom II X6 AM 3

RICOH CX3
1055T, which has had its
operating speed increased
(known as overclocking) for a
A sturdy but expensive stills camera speed boost.
It has 4GB of memory, which is

R
icoh’s cameras tend to be
bulky and the CX3 is no
exception. Compared with
the svelte models from other
manufacturers, it’s built like a tank.
A large 3in screen takes up
most of the back panel. It has four
buttons on the back for accessing
the menus and the self-timer,
among other things, and another
for displaying your photos.And it
has a four-way joystick control that
puts the camera into macro mode
and changes the flash setting.
It has a decent 10x optical zoom
lens, equivalent to 28-300mm on
an old film camera and power
switch.There is also a mode dial,
for putting the camera in
movie-shoot mode, full-automatic
mode or one of two custom modes.
The camera can also choose the
best settings based on what you
are shooting.
The camera has no viewfinder so
images have to be composed using
the screen and the battery is a
rechargeable type that is charged
using the supplied mains charger.
The CX3 saves images to SD and
SDHC memory cards (not
supplied) but there is a small
internal memory as well. Other
features include a level to show
when shots are horizontal and a
‘dynamic range’option that shoots
two pictures at once to capture
highlights and shadow detail.
Image quality was fair.The
colourful shots looked good but
their sharpness left a bit to be
desired on closer inspection. Low
light performance was good – it
can use fairly long exposures
without too great a drop in quality.
Although the CX3 shoots video in
the high-definition resolution of
720p, we have seen much better
quality from cheaper devices.
The build quality is high and the
camera can withstand a few
knocks. But ultimately, despite its
Ricoh CX3’s clever features, its
average picture quality does not
quite justify the fairly high price tag.
Anthony Dhanendran
DETAILS
Contact: Ricoh 020 3239 6327
Info: www.ricohpmmc.com/uk
Retail price: £300
Buy: www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices
ALSO CONSIDER...
Canon Powershot D10: £319
This chunky camera is freezeproof, waterproof
and shockproof, with large buttons for easy
operation. #####
www.computeractive.co.uk/2256718
WE SAY
A relatively expensive camera given
what it can do
GOOD POINTS: Good colour in shots;
well built; nifty features
BAD POINTS: Pricey; poor video
quality; images sometimes not
sharp enough
OVERALL: #####
as much as we would expect to see
from a modern PC, and 1TB of hard
disk space.The graphics card is an
ATI Radeon HD5770 model with 1GB
of its own memory. Combined, they
provide enough power to make easy
pickings of any office tasks as well as
more taxing tasks such as playing
games and video editing – it
performed well in both tests.
The PC comes in a large tower
case.The front panel houses the
CD/DVD writer and has several
spare bays for expansion.At the top
is a panel with four USB sockets, an
eSata connection, headphone and
microphone sockets and the power
and reset buttons.
At the back it has a network
connection,sound outputs (stereo
and optical for surround sound),
keyboard and mouse sockets,two
Firewire ports and eight more USB
sockets,including two that work with
the latest and fastest USB 3 standard.
There are not many USB 3 devices
available,but its presence here
means you won’t need to upgrade in
the future.The graphics card has
outputs for DVI and VGA monitors
and an HDMI socket for connecting a
flat-panelTV.Inside the case there is
room for expansion,with two
memory sockets,PCI Express slots
(which allow installation of sound
cards and modems),drive bays and
power connections.
At first the PC would not start.
Palicomp said it had been having
problems with components
becoming unseated in transit.We
opened the PC’s case to sit the
processor properly in its socket
which fixed the problem. Palicomp
said that PCs affected in this way
can be collected and returned
under its warranty.
Anthony Dhanendran
DETAILS
Contact: Palicomp 01270 898104
Info: www.palicomp.co.uk
Retail price: £700
Buy: www.palicomp.co.uk
ALSO CONSIDER...
MSI Wind Top AE2220 Hi-Fi: £800
Performed well and has lots of storage and a
touchscreen built-in. #####
www.computeractive.co.uk/2262743
WE SAY
An impressively powerful PC that is
great for games and video editing
GOOD POINTS: Plenty of processing
power; room for expansion; good
games performance; USB 3 sockets
BAD POINTS: Few users actually
need this much power
OVERALL: #####

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 17

worldmags & avaxhome
 TRIED&
TESTED
JARGON
B U S T E R
Techno babble demystified...
3G A mobile phone network that
allows fast internet access.
720p A high-definition TV format.
Anti-virus Software that detects,
repairs, cleans or removes viruses.
AVCHD A format for storing
high-definition videos.
Blu-ray A type of optical disc.
Bluetooth Allows devices to
communicate wirelessly.
Cropping Cutting an image down to
the desired size and shape.
DVI A connection that provides a
digital connection from PC to monitor.
eSata A socket for connecting
external hard disks.
Firewall Prevents unauthorised
access to a computer over a network.
Firewire A connection commonly
used for digital camcorders.
GB A measurement of storage.
GHz A measure of how fast the
processor in your PC works.
GPS A network of satellites used to
pinpoint a position on the planet.
Graphics card Displays the image
you see on a computer’s monitor.
Hard disk A high-capacity disk
used to store applications and files.
HDMI A cable that carries both
high-definition video and sound.
High definition A TV picture with a
higher resolution than normal.
Image stabilisation A feature of
newer cameras that combats camera
shake by moving the sensor or lens.
Macro An automated series of
commands or operations.
Continued on P26q
18 www.computeractive.co.uk
LAPTOP COMPUTER | £1,499
APPLE MACBOOK PRO
CORE i5 15IN
Apple’s laptops get a core upgrade
A WE SAY
pple’s latest laptops are
dominated by the
Macbook Pro.Although
the older, plastic-bodied
Macbook and lightweight Macbook
Air are still available, the Pro is now
available in three distinct models,
from the relatively cheap to the
extremely powerful.
This makes it impossible to
review the entire Macbook Pro
range at once, so instead we’ll look
this 15in model and the cheaper
13in one separately.
The 15in Macbook Pro has three
main advantages over the 13in
model.As well as a larger display, it
includes a graphics card with its
own internal memory and a
processor from Intel’s newer, faster
Core i5 range.
We’ll start with the processor.
Although the Core i5 chip in this
Macbook has a slow-ish listed
speed of 2.4GHz, this isn’t a
problem thanks to a newer, smarter
design and the ability to increase in
speed for a boost when necessary.
In our test it was able to convert
DVD video to a file suitable for
playback on the iPhone at between
BUY IT!
24 June - 7 July 2010
worldmags & avaxhome
60 and 80 frames per second; the
13in model, which uses an older
Core 2 Duo chip, performed the
same task at around 40 frames per
second, so converting a whole DVD
is around 15 minutes quicker on the
i5 model.
Despite this power, the Macbook
Pro managed to run for an
impressive period of time on its
battery: Apple quotes eight to nine
hours, and we managed over seven
in everyday use.This is helped by a
graphics system that switches to a
less power-hungry chip when the
main one is not needed.
The screen has a resolution of
1,440x900 pixels and a glossy
finish. It looked great, but we’d be
tempted to pay the £120 extra to
upgrade to the 1,680 1,050
anti-glare version instead.
The touchpad was great to use,
but Apple’s UK keyboard layout is
frustrating with a tall, thin Enter
key. If you are buying directly from
Apple the US keyboard layout is a
no-cost upgrade.
The rest of the Macbook Pro felt
as good as you’d expect from a
£1,500 laptop, with just a few
If you’re looking for a powerful but
portable Mac, this is the one to buy
GOOD POINTS: Lots of power;
high-resolution display; beautifully
solid body; good value
BAD POINTS: Dubious UK keyboard
layout; anti-glare display costs extra
OVERALL: #####
niggling annoyances: Apple insists
on using its own Mini Displayport
connector instead of HDMI or DVI,
there are only two USB ports and
no Blu-ray player.
It feels as solid as a rock,
however, and was very comfortable
to use on a lap.
All in all, we consider this model
to be the Macbook Pro to buy. It’s
far more powerful than the 13in
model, and the price is good: the
current going rate for a similarly
specified laptop running Windows
is around £1350, so you’re adding
£150 for the Macbook’s
remarkable build quality.
Mac beginners with modest
computing needs should consider
the cheapest £800 Macbook but if
you want a powerful Mac laptop
this is the one to pick.
Tom Royal
DETAILS
Contact: Apple 0800 048 0408
Info: www.apple.com/uk
Retail price: £1,499
Buy: www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices
ALSO CONSIDER...
Apple iMac 27in: £1,349
If you’d prefer a desktop Mac, this model has
an enormous screen and includes plenty of
processing power. #####
www.computeractive.co.uk/2254761

MEDIA STREAMER | £99
XTREAMER
Play music and films
on televisions or PCs
T
he Xtreamer HD media
streamer is a device capable
of taking many different types
of files from one computer and
playing them on either a television
or other computers.
As well as being able to handle
high-definition (HD) video, it can
play back other video files (such as
MPEG, DivX and Flash), music files
and photos.The device can
download files from a PC by
connecting it to a wired network, or a
USB memory key can be plugged in
to access files from that. It can also
stream files wirelessly using a USB
antenna, though this costs extra.
It is also possible to put a laptop-
size (2.5in) hard disk inside the
Xtreamer, which can then be used to
store files for playback to a TV or
over the network to other
computers, yet surprisingly the
SECURITY SOFTWARE | £65
MCAFEE TOTAL
PROTECTION 2010
Complete computer protection
from online security attacks
M
cafee Total Protection is a
comprehensive online
security suite.As well as
stopping malicious attacks from
the outside it includes online
backup, parental controls and
PC-optimisation tools.
The interface is simple so users
should never feel lost in a maze of
settings. However, while testing the
security suite, we were affected
by the infamous update that
broke certain computers (see
www.computeractive.co.uk/2261857).
The fix provided by Mcafee on its
website worked perfectly though we
needed to use another computer to
download it.
Besides anti-virus, spyware
and firewall protection there is
an anti junk email tool that protects
device is not much bigger than a
paperback book.
The sleek black unit handled HD
video reasonably well.With the
device connected to a TV using an
HDMI lead (which was not
supplied), the picture was crisp and
colours were vibrant after a little
tweaking of the options.The default
settings left the pictures a little dark.
Quality was also good when
playing media from a USB memory
key but not quite as good when
streamed from a PC.The menus are
comprehensive, with plenty of
settings to suit many types of
display. However, we had to update
email in
Thunderbird,
Eudora Outlook,
Outlook Express,
Windows Mail
and even web
email accounts such as Hotmail.
The spam filter can be
customised with rules based on the
sender, subject line and body.This
can be used to allow all emails from
a particular email list if there is a
common phrase.
The optimising tool, Quick Clean,
can remove unwanted files but it
doesn’t do much that the Windows
Disk Cleanup wizard can’t.
Online backup is included with
2GB of space in the price, which
can be upgraded to unlimited
storage for an extra £40 a year.
worldmags & avaxhome
TRIED & TESTED RR
the player online
to get it working
properly and
it froze on
two occasions,
requiring a reset.
There were
no problems
connecting the
Xtreamer to the
internet and we were
able to watch video services
such as Youtube and listen to
internet radio stations.
Using the Xtreamer Live service
we were able to watch some
mainstream TV channels too.The
player was flaky, crashing now and
again, and not quick at changing the
channel, but it worked.
The Xtreamer’s manual was poor
and no network or HDMI cables are
included in the box (though at the
time of writing a wireless adapter is
being included at no extra cost).
Despite its faults the Xtreamer is
an attractive product for those on a
tight budget.
Harry Burrows
Unfortunately,
there’s no ability
to back up
without using the
online storage.
The Parental
Control utility
gives control
over children’s
web use,
requiring an
extra password
to access
prohibited sites.
Permission is set using the
Windows user accounts on the PC.
There are five presets based on
the child’s age, such as the‘under
five years’profile that only allows
access to child-friendly websites
and blocks all others. For more
detailed control you can create
your own profiles.A range of
blocking categories is supplied,
including‘school cheating’and
‘social networking’.
The retail price is high but it
covers three PCs in the home for
one year. Mcafee’s virus protection
24 June - 7 July 2010
DETAILS
Contact: Tranquil PC, no phone number
Info: www.xtreamer.net
Retail price: £99
Buy: www.thextreamer.com
ALSO CONSIDER...
Conceptronic Grab’n’go: £159
This high-definition media streamer looks
great, performed well and was easy to use.
However, it is expensive and the software
is complex #####
www.computeractive.co.uk/2260946
WE SAY
An affordable HD media player
and streamer that does a lot of
things well
GOOD POINTS: Can play lots of
file types; low basic price; small
and unobtrusive
BAD POINTS: Poor connectivity out
of the box; a few glitches with the
software; complicated menus
OVERALL: #####
is good, but the extra features are
not as complete as those in, say,
Norton 360 (see Also Consider).
Tim Smith
DETAILS
Contact: Mcafee 020 7949 0107
Info: www.mcafee.co.uk
Retail price: £65
Buy: www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices
ALSO CONSIDER...
Norton 360: £60
Slow for full virus scans but this security
package covers all the bases. #####
www.computeractive.co.uk/2263379
WE SAY
Offers good protection, though
backup and optimisation are limited
GOOD POINTS: Covers all forms of
security; parental controls; spam
protection covers webmail
BAD POINTS: Not much online
backup space; expensive
OVERALL: #####
www.computeractive.co.uk 19
 TRIED&
TESTED
ACCESSORY | £70
POWERMAT PORTA
Charge your gadgets without plugging them in
T
he Powermat can recharge
your mobile phone, music
player or Nintendo DS if you
place them on its surface.
This may not sound likely but it
works because of the principle of
induction, a technique similar to the
way electric toothbrushes are
charged.The same effect allows the
Powermat to charge three gadgets
at a time, reducing the number of
wires and chargers you’ll need in
your house.
On its own the Powermat can’t
charge anything, though, except
using the single built-in USB port.
You will also need a receiver, sold
separately.We tested the mat
with the Powermat Universal
Receiver, which supports plenty of
different gadgets, unless they are
made by Apple that is.To charge an
iPod or iPhone, a different receiver
is required.
ACCESSORY | £45
SCOSCHE SOLCHAT
The Solchat is a hands-free speaker
for your mobile phone, connecting
over Bluetooth. It’s designed to be
used in the car (it comes with a
mount that attaches to the
windscreen with suckercups) but
can be used elsewhere too.
There is a micro-USB socket for
charging (a mains adapter is
supplied) but there’s also a solar
panel on the device’s back, which
will charge it fully in about 18 hours
of sunshine. Using it was fairly easy
and the instructions are clear.
20 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010
Powermat’s website will
recommend the combination of
receiver and mat you’ll
need when you
enter your
device’s
make and
model.To
charge a
device you
connect it to the
receiver using a small cable
and one of the supplied‘power tips’,
then place the receiver on the mat.
When charging starts, a white light
comes on and the Powermat makes
a noise, which we found annoying
and can’t be turned off.
It worked well in our tests.We
charged an HP Ipaq handheld
computer, which took roughly two
hours to go from having an empty
battery to being fully charged,
which is about the same as if it was
Sound quality was impressive
and if your phone supports voice
dialling the device will too. Picking
up incoming calls was simple too,
and it can switch between calls.
Callers’numbers are read out,
although the Solchat continued
reading out the caller’s number
after they had cut off, which was
annoying.The Solchat is more
expensive than many car kits that
do a similar job, but the extra
convenience makes it good value.
Anthony Dhanendran
DETAILS
Contact: Scosche, no UK number
Info: www.scosche.com
Retail price: £45
Buy: www.qfonic.com
WE SAY
A good-quality, easy-to-use car
speakerphone
OVERALL: #####
worldmags & avaxhome
being
charged with
a USB cable.
The product and
packaging are very well
designed.The mat folds up
neatly and comes with a carry case
(a separate‘Home and Office Mat’
costs the same but doesn’t fold up).
The receiver comes with a small box
in which to keep all the tips.
The Powermat is impressive but
it’s very expensive.The mat alone
costs £70 and each receiver is
around £30. One receiver is
required for each electronic item
you want to charge, so to charge
three gadgets at the same time, the
bill comes to around £160.
That is a lot of money for
something that does the same job
STORAGE | £260
IOSAFE SOLO
There are rugged hard disks, and
then there’s the Iosafe, which comes
encased in a metal shell to withstand
both fire and water.
The large device (it’s the size and
shape of a small toaster) is very
heavy (around 7kg) which means
that you will need to place it down
carefully and then leave it, as it’s not
easy to move.There’s even a bolt
hole on the back so it can be
attached to the floor.
It’s rated as safe in a fire at 840ºC
for 30 minutes, and for full
immersion in water for three days at
10 feet deep. It’s not officially
shockproof but the case is rugged.
Several capacities are available:
we looked at the 1TB model which
costs £260, while the 500GB is
£199 and 2TB is £450. Performance
was similar to other external USB
hard disks.
This disk will certainly keep your
data safe but its price is high, five
times as much as a standard 1TB
external disk. It would be better to
as the standard power
adapters that come with all
electronic goods, albeit much
more conveniently.
Orestis Bastounis
DETAILS
Contact: Powermat 020 3027 7565
Info: www.powermateu.com
Retail price: £70 (receivers around £30)
Buy: www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices
ALSO CONSIDER...
Wildcharger: £60 with iPhone adapter
A similar, cheaper product. #####
www.computeractive.co.uk/2251368
WE SAY
A great demonstration of innovative
technology, but simply too expensive
GOOD POINTS: An innovative way to
charge gadgets; stylish design;
reduces cabling
BAD POINTS: High cost; makes
annoying noises
OVERALL: #####
take multiple backups and keep one
in a safe-deposit vault, though the
IOSafe Solo is simpler.
Anthony Dhanendran
DETAILS
Contact: The Tech Bag 08456 439 397
Info: www.iosafe.com
Retail price: £260 (1TB)
Buy: www.thetechbag.net
WE SAY
Will keep your data safe from fire and
flood, but too expensive for most
home users
OVERALL: #####
worldmags & avaxhome
 TRIED&
TESTED
NETWORKING | £60
ZOOM
3G WIRELESS-N ROUTER
Share your mobile broadband connection
M
obile broadband uses the
mobile phone network to
provide a data signal to
your computer so it can access the
internet, usually by plugging in a
USB adapter.
Normally such connections only
work with one computer at once,
but we looked recently at the Three
Mifi, which can share connections
between several people.The Zoom
3G Wireless-N Router (model
number 4501, if searching online)
does a similar thing, but effectively
converts your mobile broadband
into a semi-permanent
connection for the home. Unlike
the Mifi (see right) it needs to be
connected to the mains.
The box contains the router (a
small black device the size of a
double-CD case), a wireless
MONITOR | £140
HANNSG HP222DGB
The Hannsg HP222DGB is designed
mainly for use in schools and shops,
although it will work in homes too. It
has a toughened panel over the
screen to stop it being damaged by
knocks and things thrown at it.
It’s a widescreen model, although
in the 16:10 aspect ratio (the
measure of relative height and width
of the display), rather than the 16:9
of some widescreen monitors (the
resolution is 1680 x 1050 pixels).
That means it’s taller than other
screens, which means it’s not so
great for films but better for web
browsing, among other things.
Screen quality was impressive,
although colours were a little muted,
and the extra protection does make
WE SAY
A tough, decent-quality screen that’s
not particularly expensive
OVERALL: #####
22 www.computeractive.co.uk
aerial, stand and mains power
supply. Plug your 3G USB modem
into the router and it’s ready to go.
A short manual explains how to
set up the wireless network, which
could have been easier.The
configuration screens aren’t the
clearest we’ve seen (it wasn’t
obvious which options to fill in
and which could be left blank) but
there aren’t many options to set.
it reflective. Its design makes it look
quite old fashioned but the on-
screen menus and buttons along
the bottom of the front panel were
easy to use. It has both VGA and
DVI connectors to attach to a
computer.The tough screen may be
a specialist requirement but this
monitor’s price compares well.
Anthony Dhanendran
DETAILS
Contact: Hannsg, no UK number
Info: www.hannsg.com/eu/en
Retail price: £140
Buy: www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices
24 June - 7 July 2010
worldmags & avaxhome
It works with most USB 3G
modems (a list is available at
www.snipca.com/x1604) but you may
need to ask your mobile provider
for the model number of your
modem, as it’s not often clear. It
also works as a standard router to
extend your broadband or cable
modem.You can connect a
computer wirelessly or by plugging
into one of the network ports on
the back of the device.We had a bit
of trouble with the wireless
connection with one PC refusing to
connect to it, but all the others we
tried worked fine, and the wired
connection worked every time.
The main problem is out of
Zoom’s control: the
performance you get will
depend on your network’s
mobile signal. In one test
location we got around
1Mbit/sec, which was good by
modern broadband
standards, while in another
(both were in London) it
dropped below 0.3Mbits/sec,
making it less useful.
HEADPHONES | £40
CREATIVE EP-830
It can be annoying having to stand
next to someone on a crowded train
who’s listening to music with the
sound leaking out for all to hear.
The cheap headphones that are
sometimes bundled with many
music players aren’t good quality,
leak sound and pick up noise from
outside sources.The EP-830‘noise-
isolating’headphones solve most of
these problems.
They are
in-ear headphones,
which means they
come with rubber
grips that go inside the
user’s ear (three grip
sizes are supplied).
Sound quality was
very good and even when
listening to music at fairly
high volume in an office
there were no complaints of
leaking noise.
They’re even better at
removing noise from outside
sources, which is one reason
WE SAY
This router worked a treat but the
advanced options are complicated
GOOD POINTS: Can share a mobile
connection across lots of computers
BAD POINTS: Speed depends on
mobile signal; some wireless
connection problems
OVERALL: #####
If you get a decent connection
with a 3G USB modem, though, the
Zoom makes it easy to share.
Anthony Dhanendran
DETAILS
Contact: Zoom 01252 761 218
Info: www.zoom.com
Retail price: £60
Buy: www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices
ALSO CONSIDER...
Three Mifi: £50
Compact broadband but tricky to get working.
#####
www.computeractive.co.uk/2253713
people turn the volume up too high
on cheaper headphones, risking
damage to their hearing.
We recommend most people
buying portable music players who
care about sound quality to invest
in new headphones.
The EP-830 set worked perfectly
and although it is a little on the
expensive side: many other sets of
headphones will do almost as good
a job, and cost around £20.
Orestis Bastounis
DETAILS
Contact: Creative, no UK number
Info: www.creative.com
Retail price: £40
Buy: www.computeractive.co.uk/
bestprices
WE SAY
A decent pair of lightweight
headphones, but expensive
OVERALL: #####
worldmags & avaxhome
 TRIED&
TESTED
PHONE | £360 OR CONTRACT
MOTOROLA MILESTONE
The king of Android phones
A
fter a shaky start, Google’s
Android operating system
for mobile phones has grown
quickly. Recently we have seen it on
Google’s own Nexus One and the
stunning HTC Desire. Motorola’s
Milestone is similar but with a key
addition: it has a full keyboard.
It’s worth noting from the
start that the Milestone is
ugly. Some might say its
design is‘chiselled’, but the
results are not pretty.
Aesthetic complaints aside,
however, the Milestone is near
perfect.The screen has a high
resolution of 854x480 pixels, which
dwarfs the iPhone’s display and
provides more room for websites
than even the HTC Desire. It can
connect to the internet using
wireless networks as well as through
the mobile phone network, so you
get rapid internet access just about
PHONE | £450 ON CONTRACT
NOKIA N900
The N900 is Nokia’s latest internet
phone. It’s heavier than similar
phones, but it combines a large
3.5in touch-sensitive screen with
a full (if small) keyboard.That
also makes it bulky.At almost
2cm it’s thicker than most
other phones.
The controls were easy to master
with a tap at the top-left of the
screen accessing the Home menu.
Web browsing and Nokia’s Ovi
Maps application benefit from the
touch-screen, although it lacks
multi-touch so you cannot pinch the
screen to zoom out as on iPhone
models.We also had trouble getting
it to register finger-presses.
WE SAY
This is a clever device that’s really
aimed at the geekier users out there –
others might find it too big and fiddly
OVERALL: #####
24 www.computeractive.co.uk
BUY IT!
anywhere, and satellite
navigation is built in too.
With the phone closed it works
like any other Android smartphone,
with an on-screen keyboard for
typing messages and surfing the
web. Flip it open, though, and a full
keyboard and four-way navigation
Call quality was fine, but
navigating to the phone-dialler was
too complicated, though Nokia
regards this as a mobile internet
device first, and a phone second.
The five-megapixel camera
produced good pictures, and sound
from the music and video player
was also impressive (video looked
good on the large screen). Battery
life was fair – medium to heavy
users will need to charge it daily.
Anthony Dhanendran
DETAILS
Contact: Nokia 0800 331 6021
Info: www.nokia.co.uk
Retail price: £450 or on contract
Buy: www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices
24 June - 7 July 2010
worldmags & avaxhome
pad are available.
The keyboard is not
great but it’s better
for typing emails or
messages than
tapping the screen.
The battery lasted a
few days in light use but
surfing the web or running
lots of applications at once
(something Android, unlike
current iPhone models,
can do without fuss) will
sap it faster. Expect to
recharge it every day if you
surf the web alot.
An 8GB memory card is
included for storing music,
photos and downloaded
applications.And, unlike Motorola’s
other Android phone, the Dext, the
software and GPS system ran fast
and effectively.A free update to
version 2.1 of the Android operating
system is available if your phone
didn’t have it installed.
If you don’t do much typing then
the HTC Desire and Google Nexus
One are similar handsets with nicer
NETWORKING | FROM £50
VODAFONE SURE SIGNAL
Vodafone’s Sure Signal is a booster
for your mobile phone.The idea is
that it plugs into your router, and
whenever you place a
call on your
Vodafone mobile
phone it’s picked
up by the device
and sent over the
internet instead of
the mobile phone
network. It’s useful
for those of us who
live in areas where
there is little or no
mobile reception.
We had some
trouble navigating the badly
designed registration website, but
registering the device means that
only your devices can use the box for
boosting their signal, not just every
person in the street.
It took a day or so for the website
to recognise that our Sure Signal
was listed on our home network and
to activate it, but once that was done
WE SAY
Ugly to look at but brilliant to use, this
is the best Android phone for keen
email users
GOOD POINTS: Full keyboard; huge
screen; decent battery
BAD POINTS: Looks like a shiny
black brick
OVERALL: #####
designs. For anyone who sends lots
of messages, though, this is the
Android phone to buy.
Tom Royal
DETAILS
Contact: Motorola, no UK number
Info: www.motorola.com
Retail price: £360 or on a contract
Buy: www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices
ALSO CONSIDER...
HTC Desire: £400 or on a contract
Another excellent Android phone, but without
a physical keyboard. #####
www.computeractive.co.uk/2263225
it worked without trouble. In use, it’s
unobtrusive – the device sits in a
corner working away. It worked
when we tried it in a London flat
with poor Vodafone reception
and the call quality
improved noticeably.
The price is steep, though.
It costs £50 for those already
paying £25 a month or more,
and £120 for the rest.
Anthony Dhanendran
DETAILS
Contact: Vodafone 08080 044 423
Info: www.vodafone.co.uk
Retail price: from £50
Buy: www.computeractive.co.uk/
bestprices
WE SAY
It works but it’s a shame that
users have to pay for the network’s
patchy coverage
OVERALL: #####
worldmags & avaxhome
 TRIED&
TESTED
SECURITY SOFTWARE | £60
JARGON
B U S T E R
Techno babble demystified...
MB A measurement of storage.
NORTON 360 VERSION 4
A huge array of security and performance tools in one neat package
Mbits/sec Megabits per second. A

measure of data transfer speed.
Megapixel A measure of the level
of detail recorded by digital cameras.
Memory The computer’s temporary
storage area.
Memory card Small cards that can
store many megabytes (MB) of data.
Memory key A thumb-sized USB
storage device.
Micro USB A small USB socket.
T
he latest version of the
Norton 360 all-in-one PC
security and protection
suite is an enormous piece
of software, not because it takes up
a lot of space, but due to the sheer
number of tasks it performs.
Fortunately it does most of them
well, making it a good choice for
those who prefer one-stop
security software rather than using
separate programs for anti-virus,
firewall, anti-spyware and junk
email protection.
Installation was fairly

Modem A device that enables two
computers to communicate.
Operating system Governs the
way hardware and software in a
computer work together.
Optical zoom Magnifying an
image by adjusting the camera lens.
Phishing A form of internet fraud.
Pixel The smallest part of an image.
Processor The chip that is the
‘brain’ of the computer.
Resolution The detail in an image.
Router Connects more than one PC
or other device to the internet.
Spyware Software installed to
monitor and report on a PC’s use.
TB The equivalent of 1,000 gigabytes.
Touchpad A touch-sensitive pad
used as an alternative to a mouse.
USB Allows quick connection of
peripherals to your PC.
VGA Standard socket for connecting
a monitor to a computer.
Wizard A step-by-step process that
helps you choose settings.
For full definitions visit:
www.computeractive.co.uk
quick, although the first
thing it does is download
updates over the internet
(you can skip this but it’s
not advisable).There is
no need to configure
technical settings,
although these are
available in the menu
system and the tasks
open in separate windows
making it easy to get lost.
The main screen displays the
four protection categories: PC
security, identity protection, backup
and PC tune-up. It also includes
anti-spyware, anti-spam (or junk
email) and anti-phishing
protection.The price of the
software includes 2GB of online
storage to be used by the backup
tool, or you can back up using a
hard disk or CD/DVD drive.
Norton 360 takes control of
almost the entire security of the PC,
including the Windows firewall but it
did this without upsetting any of our
existing security settings and
without fuss.The program used
little memory, and had little
noticeable effect on performance in
everyday use; the only exception
was during full virus scans but
normally these will only run when
the PC is idle.All alerts and
background tasks can be turned off
temporarily, or a special quiet mode
can be automatically activated
when a program is running.
Quick virus scans only took a few
seconds, thanks partly to the
Norton Insight feature which
identifies‘trusted’program files
that do not need to be scanned.
This has previously been available
in other Norton products but it’s
new to Norton 360.
Identity protection includes the
Identity Safe login manager, which
can securely save all your
usernames and passwords for
websites. Parental controls are not
included but Norton Safety Minder
is a free separate download.
New additions include more
detailed information for
downloaded files and the Norton
Safe Search browser add-in, which
shows whether websites listed in
search results are safe.
We were impressed with the
overall level of protection offered
and the generally unobtrusive way
in which Norton 360 operated.The
default settings are well chosen for
non-technical users, and the online
help file is very good.
There isn’t much that’s new in
Norton 360 but since existing
users get an automatic upgrade
that’s not particularly a downside.
BUY IT!
More experienced users will
appreciate the advanced
configuration options, but those
who do not need the backup and
tune-up tools can save £10 by
buying Norton internet Security
2010 instead.
Kelvyn Taylor
DETAILS
Contact: Symantec, no UK number
Info: www.symantec.co.uk
Retail price: £60 (includes a one-year
licence for three computers)
Buy: www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices
ALSO CONSIDER...
Avast! Internet Security 5: £50
Friendly and comprehensive internet security,
but no backup or parental controls.
#####
www.computeractive.co.uk/2258117
WE SAY
Few groundbreaking changes but this
remains an excellent package that
does its job efficiently
GOOD POINTS: Unobtrusive; little
effect on PC performance; useful
diagnostic tools and information;
power-saving options for laptops
BAD POINTS: Menu design confusing;
full virus scans make PC sluggish
OVERALL: #####

26 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 TRIED & TESTED RR

CAMERA | £130

PENTAX OPTIO H90

supplied) or internal 32MB memory
in two seconds, which is fast for its
price range.
Compact camera, compact price An Auto Picture mode
automatically selects the best

T
his pocket camera, with a enough to settings for any given scene or

BUY IT!
retro design, is at first slip into a subject and proved reliable, as did
underwhelming but it has a pocket and the H90’s‘digital wide’mode that
good resolution of 12.1 megapixels the lens is pastes two images together to give
and a longer-than-average 5x protected printed copy but the H90 was quite a wider (21mm equivalent) view
optical zoom lens, the equivalent of within the camera body when it is simple to use. than the lens will allow.
28-140mm on an old film camera. not being used. The camera was quick to switch Add digital effects, exposure
Keep a finger resting on the zoom The camera costs less than £130. on and shots were saved to the correction and subject tracking
control and there’s the ability to A rechargeable lithium-ion battery removable SD memory cards (not auto focus to the mix (it lacks any
extend the reach to 6.5x using is included, which allows for 210 image stabilisation), and this small
cropping to zoom in on the middle
of the picture, which reduces the
pictures when fully charged, a
slightly better performance than WE SAY Pentax adds up to a big deal.
Gavin Stoker
resolution to seven megapixels. the AA batteries that area usually Great value, easy-to-use snapshot for DETAILS
The zoom can be extended included with budget models. those looking for a small digital Contact: Pentax 01753 792 792
further, though the quality suffered Photos and video (it can record at camera to log their daily activities Info: www.pentax.co.uk
at this top setting and is best the high-definition resolution of Retail price: £130
avoided. Stick within the 5x limit of 720p) are composed on the H90’s GOOD POINTS: Easy to use, Buy: www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices
the optical zoom, however, and the 2.7in rear screen, which is affordable and lightweight; better-
camera’s sharpness and image reasonably bright yet not at its best than-average zoom; shoots HD video ALSO CONSIDER...
detail are impressive. in sunlight, although there is no BAD POINTS: Modest battery life; no Samsung WB500: £160
The H90 pulls off the trick of viewfinder for composing shots. paper manual; no image stabilisation This slightly more expensive model offers a
feeling sturdy but lightweight at We were disappointed that the big zoom lens and other good features.
131g, thanks to a metal body full manual is only included on the OVERALL: ##### #####
construction. However, it’s small software CD rather than as a www.computeractive.co.uk/2260794

Get a FREE .COM with every

Personal&Plus
webhosting
package
*

.COM
Buy now at: streamline.net
Packages include:
 FREE instant setup
 FREE easy website builder
 Unlimited Website Traffic**
 Windows or Linux
 Personlised email
 Phone & online support

For a full range of web hosting packages ranging from £1.49pm

visit streamline.net
or call: 0844 941 1000
Web hosting made easy
2010 All rights reserved. Streamline.net and the Streamline.net logo are trademarks of Dollomore Limited.
Product and program specifications, availability and pricing subject to change without notice.
Prices shown excludeVAT unless otherwise stated. Terms & Conditions apply, see website for details. *Offer applies to 1st year of registration.
Save £9.99 per year. Subsequent years charged at standard rate. **Website traffic is subject to an acceptable use policy.

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 27

worldmags & avaxhome
 £ BEST BUYS

recommends...
Our Best Buys are a selection of the best products reviewed in Computeractive in recent months.Those selected are not necessarily winners of
our Buy It! award, but they have fared well enough in our tests to warrant consideration.The prices were correct at the time of printing, but use them
as a rough guide only.The prices we have printed below are suggested retail prices. For the latest, lowest prices on a wide range of products go to
www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices.

PRODUCT TYPE WE SAY OUR REVIEW PRICE ISSUE RATING

COMPUTERS
Acer Aspire Revo Desktop computer This tiny PC can clip to the back of a monitor www.computeractive.co.uk/2249084 £245 302 #####
Lenovo S10 Mini-notebook A superb ‘netbook’ that’s ideal for travellers www.computeractive.co.uk/2235714 £250 287 #####
Palicomp Excalibur EXC6 Desktop computer Plenty of power – ideal for gamers www.computeractive.co.uk/2258399 £600 314 #####
Samsung X420 Laptop computer A slim, portable laptop with superb battery life www.computeractive.co.uk/2253888 £599 310 #####
Apple Macbook Laptop computer Relatively expensive but it looks good and works well www.computeractive.co.uk/2253600 £816 309 #####
MSI AE2020 Desktop computer Touch control at a reasonable price www.computeractive.co.uk/2257308 £599 319 #####
Acer Aspire 1810TZ Laptop computer A good step up in power from netbooks www.computeractive.co.uk/2259028 £430 316 #####

PRINTING AND SCANNING

Canon Canoscan 8800F Flatbed scanner Good-quality scans at a very reasonable price www.computeractive.co.uk/2208404 £165 261 #####
HP Photosmart C4480 Multifunction device An all-in-one printer and scanner at a bargain price www.computeractive.co.uk/2249915 £48 306 #####
Samsung ML-1915 Laser printer An inexpensive mono laser printer www.computeractive.co.uk/2255833 £79 313 #####
Epson Stylus Photo P50 Inkjet printer A small inkjet with excellent photo print quality www.computeractive.co.uk/2247756 £90 302 #####
Xerox Phaser 6125 Colour laser printer A great-quality colour printer www.computeractive.co.uk/2250124 £200 306 #####

PC ACCESSORIES
Belkin N1 Vision Router Monitor broadband speeds easily with this router www.computeractive.co.uk/2218753 £130 271 #####
Clickfree Transformer SE Backup tool Copy files easily to an iPod or external hard disk www.computeractive.co.uk/2254441 £65 310 #####
D-Link DAP-1522 Wireless networking Convert your wired devices to make them wireless capable www.computeractive.co.uk/2246551 £100 299 #####
Lacie Datashare Memory card reader Two card readers in one, for MicroSD and SD cards www.computeractive.co.uk/2244950 £10 300 #####
Plantronics Audio 655 Headphones These PC headphones fit well and have a built-in microphone www.computeractive.co.uk/2242599 £50 294 #####
Samsung P2370 Monitor Can show the best high-definition movies www.computeractive.co.uk/2242783 £220 295 #####

SOFTWARE
Cyberlink Media Suite 8 Media management All you need to play and create discs of various kinds www.computeractive.co.uk/2256176 from £50 n/a #####
Exif Pro Photo editing An excellent image-handling program www.computeractive.co.uk/2193754 £11 246 #####
Jufsoft Badcopy Utility software Easily recover files from damaged disks www.computeractive.co.uk/2197103 £20 249 #####
Nero 9 Reloaded Media management Great for all disc-creation tasks www.computeractive.co.uk/2253654 £50 308 #####
Nuance Paperport 12 Scanning Turn paper documents into searchable computer files www.computeractive.co.uk/2256614 £72 317 #####
Scrapbook Factory Deluxe Craft This easy-to-use software can create scrapbooks and more www.computeractive.co.uk/2249592 £30 303 #####
Acronis True Image Home 2010 Backup Make backups of files or entire disks www.computeractive.co.uk/2255520 £35 311 #####
Serif Pageplus X4 Desktop publishing Packed with features and plenty of templates www.computeractive.co.uk/2250083 £80 305 #####

GADGETS
HTC HD2 Phone The best Windows smartphone yet www.computeractive.co.uk/2254964 £* 311 #####
Intel Reader Reading tool Reads printed text out loud www.computeractive.co.uk/2255818 £999 311 #####
iRiver B30 Music player A super music and video player with a DAB radio tuner www.computeractive.co.uk/2255328 £140 311 #####
Nokia E72 Phone An ultra-slim phone that makes email easy www.computeractive.co.uk/2255450 £* 313 #####
Pentax K-m SLR camera A good-value digital SLR that doesn’t cost too much www.computeractive.co.uk/2237385 £392 289 #####
Pure Sensia Radio An expensive but impressive internet and DAB radio www.computeractive.co.uk/2255301 £250 313 #####
Sony Alpha A230 SLR camera An entry-level SLR camera with advanced features www.computeractive.co.uk/2254032 £459 313 #####
Sony Reader Touch Edition Ebook reader Carry a library around in your pocket with this ebook reader www.computeractive.co.uk/2255461 £250 311 #####
*Price of phones varies with contract

28 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 BEST BUYS

£
BEST

DIGITAL NOTE-TAKERS
Whether you want to take notes digitally or convert your handwriting to electronic editable text,
there’s a note taker on the market to suit your needs

1 Oxford Papershow
Papershow is a comprehensive kit that
1
comes with a pen and special paper that
will record anything you write or draw
and send it to your computer.
Price: £100
www.computeractive.co.uk/2263021

2 Dane-Elec Zpen
The Zpen will convert your handwriting
from written pages to editable text,
although the conversion does not quite
produce flawless results.
Price: £100
www.computeractive.co.uk/2225554

3 Minotes
This fun and small note taker may
require a bit of practice but it can save
handwritten notes to your computer
quite easily.
Price: £60
www.computeractive.co.uk/2240243

2 4

4 Livescribe
The most expensive pen in our round-up doesn’t convert notes
to editable text, but it worked extremely well and records audio.
Price: £150
www.computeractive.co.uk/2262589

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 29

worldmags & avaxhome
 Awarded 4 out of 5 stars
by Computeractive
SAVE
£25

Capture, preserve and share all your special memories with this
great all-in-one multimedia package. Roxio Creator is ideal for all
ages and includes easy-to-use tools for you to burn, transform
and share your videos, photos and music, plus much more.
Key features:
 Copy and burn your digital media to CD, DVD and Blu-ray
The easy-to-use desktop feature lets you drag and drop files for burning or
copying right on your desktop

 Edit movies and burn DVDs like a professional

Use the editing tools to totally transform your videos. You can even back up an
entire camera of HD video directly to DVD or Blu-ray without saving it to your PC

 Create fun movies in minutes

Just pick the clips and pictures you want to use, select a theme and music, and
let Creator assemble and produce a finished movie

 Improve your photos and turn them into fun keepsakes

Enhance your photos from cameras and mobile phones with the touch-up tools
and create amazing slideshows, panoramas and more
RRP £49.99
 Make the most of your digital music
SAVE 50% We say...
Create personalised mixes and compilations, rip tunes from CDs, digitise your LPs
An excellent range of media
ONLY £24.99 editing software
Overall ****
and tapes, record internet radio and other music playing on your PC

Computeractive - Issue 308  Share your special moments easily with friends and family
Enjoy your digital creations on CD, DVD, your big screen TV, YouTube, iPhones
System Requirements: Microsoft Windows Vista (32- or 64-bit), Windows XP SP3 (32- or 64-bit), and other portable devices
Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate (32-or 64-bit), 512 MB memory for Windows
XP and 1GB memory for Windows Vista and Windows 7, Intel Pentium 4 2GHz processor or AMD
equivalent and 1GB RAM, Multi-core processor with at least 2GB RAM recommended, DVD-ROM drive,
 Built-in video tutorials to make it fun and easy to get started
3 GB free hard disk space, Windows Media Player version 10, 11 or 12, Internet Explorer 7, iTunes You can even print step-by-step instructions for easy reference
version 8 for some functionality, Internet connection required for registration, product updates, and
some features.

OFFER ENDS 7TH JULY 2010

ONLINE: www.computeractive-direct.co.uk TELEPHONE: 0844 844 0267 (CODE RD76)

Your Details (Block capitals)

YES. I would like to buy Title Initials Surname
(Enter quantity required)
Email

J ROXIO CREATOR 2010 Address

ONLY £24.99
Post Code Telephone no. Subs No.
(if known)
*You will find this on the bag
Payment Options (Please indicate your preferred method of payment) Computeractive is delivered in.
+ £1.99 p&p J Cheque Enclosed for £ (Made payable to Incisive Financial Publishing Ltd)

J Please Charge £ to my
TOTAL £ Visa J MasterCard J Amex J Delta J Visa Debit J
Card No.

Valid From / Expiry Date /

Signature(s) Date
Complete and post this form to:
Computeractive Direct, 800 Guillat Avenue, Computeractive and Computeractive Direct are published by Incisive Financial Publishing Limited, part of the Incisive Media Group.
J Tick box to receive information about products and services from the Incisive Media Group by email. J Tick box to receive
Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, ME9 8GU information about products and services from selected companies by email. J Tick box if you do not want to receive information
Please allow 7-10 working days for delivery. about products and services from the Incisive Media Group by post/telephone. J Tick box if you do not want to receive
*Offer ends 7th July 2010 information about products and services from selected companies by post/telephone.
(CODE RD76)
worldmags & avaxhome
 ISSUE 322

JARGON
B U S T E R
Techno babble demystified...
32-bit Most home computers
are 32-bit, but some newer
models are 64-bit.
Attachment A file, such as a
word-processor document,
sent with an email message.
Backup A file, folder or
external storage device that
stores copies of documents.
Compression Reducing a
file’s size by encoding the data.
WORKSHOPS
JPEG A common format for
image files. JPEG images are
compressed and the small file
In this Issue
size makes them ideal for web
pages. Some image quality is KEEP AN EYE ON CUSTOMISE ITEMS
lost with each save. YOUR INTERNET IN THE START MENU
Mbits/sec Megabits per
ACTIVITY Discover ways to display favourite
Do you know how your broadband folders on the Windows Start
second. A measure of data
transfer speed. There are 1,024 connection is being used? A free menu p41
kilobits in a megabit. tool can reveal all p32
ORGANISE OPEN
Memory key A generic term KEEP YOUR EMAILS WINDOWS AND
used to describe thumb-sized
AND SETTINGS SAFE RUNNING

PULL OUT & KEEP

Desktop The background
area on screen where Windows
files and icons appear.
Dialogue box A window that
pops up to display or request
information.
Double-click To click twice
quickly in succession on a
mouse button.
Download Transferring files
onto your PC from the internet.
Drag In Windows, the action of
clicking on something with the
left mouse button, keeping the
button pressed and moving
(dragging) the object.
Dropdown menu A list of
options that appears when you
click a menu bar or button.
Font A set of letters, numbers
USB storage devices.
Network A way of connecting
several computers and devices
so they can share data.
Notification Area An area
on the bottom-right of the
screen that shows which
programs are running.
Pop-up menu A menu that
appears on screen when you
click something.
Slider A control that enables
you to change a setting by
clicking and ‘dragging’ a switch.
Toolbar A strip of icons that
runs across the top of most
Windows applications. Used to
provide quick access to certain
features, such as saving.
Upload Transferring
Email messages are as precious
as any other personal information
on your PC. Back them up simply,
quickly and for free p34
CREATE
NEWSPAPER-STYLE
COLUMNS IN WORD
Columns can give documents a
lift.We explain how to use them in
Word 2003 and 2007 p36
SYNCHRONISE FILES
AND FOLDERS
USING TAGS
Find out how a free tool
can keep your files
synchronised p38
PROGRAMS
Quickly organise open
applications by using free
software to create an invisible grid
to position windows p42
QUICKLY DIRECT
FILES AND FOLDERS
USING SENDTO
The SendTo command is one
Windows’handiest shortcuts.
Learn how to take advantage p45

and symbols in a certain style.
Hard disk A high-capacity
disk fitted in PCs and used to
store applications and files.
Icon A small image used to
identify a file or application.
ISP Internet Service Provider. A
company that provides you with
an internet connection, for a
fixed monthly fee or for the cost
of local call charges.
R
information to another
computer on the internet.
WHAT THE WORKSHOP LEVELS MEAN...
USB Universal Serial Bus. A
standard that allows quick and
easy connection of peripherals 1 2 3 Suitable for the most anxious novice, LEVEL 1 deals
with simple tasks that every computer user can try.
to your PC.
More involved, but simple enough for all to
Wizard A step-by-step
process to choose settings.
1 2 3 complete, LEVEL 2 may introduce you to new
features in applications.
Zipping Compressing a file LEVEL 3 will bolster your existing knowledge and
using a program such as PKZip 1 2 3 help you to see how much your computer can do.
or Winzip to reduce the space it Clear but demanding.
takes up.

For full definitions visit: www.computeractive.co.uk

NEXT STEP: TURN OVER... RR
24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 31
worldmags & avaxhome
 WORKSHOPS LEVEL 1 2 3
MONITOR NETWORK ACTIVITY

Keep an eye on your

internet activity
Do you know how your broadband connection is being used? A free tool can reveal all

ith fast broadband now commonplace few of us give much limits on downloads; and breaking the cap can be costly. So, being able

W thought to how our internet connections are used.After all, as

long as web pages appear promptly who cares what’s going on
behind the scenes?
Even so, we all experience internet slowdowns from time to time and
plenty of broadband subscribers have‘capped’packages that place
to monitor how applications use a broadband connection can be both
revealing and useful.
In this Workshop we’ll explore how a free tool called Netlimiter 2
Monitor can keep on eye the internet traffic that is flowing across your
broadband connections.

Step BEGIN BY DOWNLOADING NETLIMITER 2 Monitor. Launch a

web browser, type www.netlimiter.com/download into the Address
1 or Location bar at the top and hit Enter. Look for the 32-bit
download link under the Netlimiter 2 Monitor heading (take care
to pick the right one here, as the Lite and Pro versions are trial versions that
must be paid for after 28 days). If the File Download Security Warning
dialogue box appears, click Save and then choose a location for the
downloaded file. Firefox users should select Save File to save the download to
Firefox’s default download folder. e

Step WHEN THE DOWNLOAD HAS finished locate and

double-click the ‘nl_2011_mon.exe’ file to start the
2 installation. Work through the wizard, accepting all
the default options (unless you have good reason to
do otherwise). At the last step, Netlimiter 2 Monitor will prompt to
restart the PC. Click Finish to let it do this. e

Step WHEN WINDOWS RESTARTS NETLIMITER 2 Monitor will already be

running, indicated by a new icon in the Notification Area. To show the
3 Netlimiter 2 Monitor program window, right-click this icon and select
Open from the pop-up menu. e

32 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 WORKSHOPS RR
MONITOR NETWORK ACTIVITY

Step WHEN NETLIMITER 2 MONITOR launches it

4
detects applications that are actively using the
computer’s internet connection, displaying them as
a list in the main part of the window. However,
programs are initially listed by their file name, which won’t always
be instantly recognisable. Fix this right away by right-clicking on
any entry in the list, then pointing to ‘Show application name’ and
click to tick Description. Now, Netlimiter 2 Monitor will list the
names of any applications it knows (such as Internet Explorer). e

Step THE BOXES TO THE right of each entry under the Connection list

5
show a ‘live’ measurement of each application’s internet use, both
incoming (downloading) and outgoing (uploading). Use the Units
dropdown menu to change the measurement type. Here, for
instance, we’ve chosen Mbits/sec because most internet service providers (ISPs)
market broadband packages using this measure. We can see that Internet
Explorer is currently hogging 5.92Mbits/sec of our 8Mbits/sec broadband
connection, as it is busy playing a Youtube video. e

Step THERE’S A FAIR BIT more to explore in

6
Netlimiter 2 Monitor. Just press F1 for full
instructions. However, here’s one last handy
tip. To view an application’s data use over a
particular time period, right-click the application’s name in
the Connection list and select Stats. Use the filters on the
left-hand side of the Stats dialogue to focus on a particular
time period, or change the measurement units. Note, too,
that it’s possible to view total internet use in the same way by
right-clicking on the computer name under Connection and
selecting Stats (useful for those on capped or metered
broadband subscriptions). G

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 33

worldmags & avaxhome
 WORKSHOPS LEVEL 1 2 3
BACK UP EMAILS

Keep your emails

and settings safe
Emails are as precious as other personal files on your PC. Back them up simply and quickly

hen backing personal information, such as documents and

W
digital photos, do you remember to include email messages
and settings? It’s amazing how much important, irreplaceable,
information is stored in email inboxes so it goes without saying that
protecting messages is a good idea. The backup tools provided with the
various versions of Windows have a mixed record here: Windows XP
offers no email-backup options whatsoever, while not all email
programs are covered by the backup tools in Windows 7 and Vista.
That’s where a free tool like KLS Mail Backup can help.They
specialise in backing up email messages and in this Workshop we’ll
reveal how to use KLS to both back up and, if necessary, restore
your emails.

Step LAUNCH A WEB BROWSER, type www.snipca.com/x1566 into the Address or

Location bar and press Enter. Click the orange DOWNLOAD under the Latest
1 version heading and click the second orange DOWNLOAD button to start
the process. If the File Download Security Warning dialogue box appears,
click Save and then choose a location for the downloaded file. Firefox users should select
Save File to save the download to Firefox’s default download folder. Once downloaded,
double-click the klsmailbackup.exe setup file. Click Run followed by Continue or Allow (if
prompted) to install the program. Follow the setup wizard through to the end, clicking
Next at each turn. On the last screen, leave Launch KLS Mail Backup ticked and click
Finish to open the program for the first time. e

Step THE FIRST TIME THE program is launched you’ll need to

2
click OK to clear the Information dialogue box. KLS Mail
Backup supports 12 different email applications, including
Windows Mail, Outlook Express, Outlook and Thunderbird.
Select your email program from the list and, if relevant, select a personal
email profile from the dropdown menu. All elements, such as mail folders,
settings and contacts, are selected by default. Unless there is good
reason to do so, we suggest leaving everything selected. If backing up
more than one profile, or backing up messages from more than one email
program, click Add to choose the next one. Otherwise click Add&Close
followed by OK to set the backup options. e

Step BY DEFAULT, BACKUPS ARE stored in the My Documents folder. To

change this, click the folder icon and select a backup drive or shared
3 network folder. If a network folder is password protected, click
Connection and tick ‘Connect to network share’. If necessary, enter the
username and password required to access the folder (click the Test button to make
sure it’s correct) and click OK. Next, give the backup a descriptive file name, such as
‘email_backup’. Advanced users can work through the other options such as Storage
and Security, but the default settings should be adequate for most people. e

34 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 WORKSHOPS RR
BACK UP EMAILS

Step CLICK SAVE & RUN to back up for the

4
first time. Click Yes and the backup
process will start: a red progress bar will
appear as the selected files and settings
are compressed into a single zip file. Once compressed,
the progress bar will turn green and the zip file will be
copied to the folder or drive selected in the previous
step. When the task completes, open the Tasks menu
and choose Test All Archives. Click Yes and the backup
will be checked for errors. Assuming no errors are
found, click the Close button to finish. e

Step THE PROGRAM LACKS SCHEDULING

5
features, so backups must be performed
manually; we would recommend at least once
a week. To do so, open KLS Mail Backup. Click
the down arrow next to the Run button and select Run
(Incremental Backup). The process is identical to before:
wait for the backup to take place and test the archive from
the Tasks menu when it’s complete before clicking Close. An
incremental backup is quicker than a full backup, as only
mailbox changes are recorded, resulting in a smaller file
(and less hard disk space being used). e

Step SHOULD YOU NEED TO restore a

6
backup, click the Restore button. To
restore the entire backup, simply click
Next followed by Restore. If restoring
a specific mail folder or setting, choose Selected
files and folders. Navigate the backed-up items
using the folder tree. By default, everything is
selected to be restored: click items to deselect and
prevent them from being restored with the rest of
the backup. When ready, click Next, leave Replace
files selected and click Restore (the backup will be
restored, overwriting any existing files and settings
with those in the backup). G

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 35

worldmags & avaxhome
 WORKSHOPS LEVEL 1 2 3
USING COLUMNS IN WORD

Create newspaper-style
columns in Word
Columns can really give documents a lift. We explain how to use them in Word 2003 and 2007

tart a new Microsoft Word document and the text will be laid out in

S
a single column that spans the entire width of a page. However, it’s
easy to create documents that use multiple columns and mix and
match them in the same document.
In this Workshop we’ll show you how to create multi-column
documents, fine-tune them, add vertical rules, change the spacing
between them and alter the widths of the individual columns; as well as
producing a document that uses a layout that has one, two and then
three columns.We’ll also demonstrate how to neaten up a layout where
the columns are different lengths.This Workshop uses Word 2003 for
screenshots but we’ve also included instructions for Word 2007.You’ll
need to create a document of at least two pages in length.

Step OPEN (OR CREATE) A document in Microsoft Word and

1
position the text cursor at the very beginning. In Word 2003,
open the Format menu and, if necessary, click the Expand arrow
at the bottom so you can see all the options: now choose
Columns. When the dialogue box opens select the two column option by
clicking on it. Leave all the other options the same and click OK and Word will
reorganise the entire document into two columns. In Word 2007 choose Page
Layout and then open the Columns menu and choose Two. e

Step IF YOU CHANGE YOUR mind or don’t like the look, it’s easy to

2
rearrange things. With the cursor still at the start of the document,
open the Format menu in Word 2003 and choose Columns again. At
the dialogue box, select the Right preset and this time put a tick in the
box next to the ‘Line between’ option. Then click OK. Here we’ve kept the dialogue
box open so you can see the settings and effect together. To open the same
dialogue box in Word 2007 open the Columns menu and choose More Columns. e

Step TO MAKE A HEADING, click the Undo button

3
to return to the previous column setting (it’s on
the button bar in Word 2003 and above the
ribbon bar in Word 2007). Highlight the first line
in the left column then, in Word 2003, open the Format menu
and choose Columns, select One and click OK. Increase the
text size to 14pt using the font size dropdown menu on the
button bar and then click the Center button. In 2007 click the
Home tab and then format the line in the same way. e

36 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 WORKSHOPS RR
USING COLUMNS IN WORD

Step SCROLL DOWN TO THE next

4
page and highlight all the text. In
Word 2003 open the Format
menu, choose Columns, select
the Three preset and click OK. Set the Zoom
dropdown menu on the button bar to 50% so
you can see both pages of the document. We’ve
now used three different column settings, one
for the heading, two for page one and three for
page two. In Word 2007, highlight the text,
choose Page Layout, open the Columns menu
and choose Three. Click the View tab and
choose Zoom, type in 50% and click OK. e

Step LOOKING AT THE SECOND page. It would be nice if all the

5
columns lined up, except that we don’t want to have to write
any more text. Fortunately, we don’t have to. Just click the
cursor after the last word in the last column and, in Word
2003, open the Insert menu and choose Break. When the dialogue box
opens, select Continuous under the Section break types heading and
click OK. Word neatens the columns up for you. In 2007, make sure Page
Layout’s still selected, open the Breaks menu and choose Continuous. e

Step FINALLY, IT’S POSSIBLE TO fine-tune column widths

6
in both versions of Word from the Columns dialogue box
(see Step 2). Try this. Open it and remove the tick next
to the Equal column width setting. All of the column
widths and the spacing between columns are now editable and you
can make fine adjustments either by clicking on the up/down arrows
next to these settings or by highlighting the numbers there and
typing in new ones. Here for example we’ve changed the widths so
that columns get narrower from left to right. G

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 37

worldmags & avaxhome
 WORKSHOPS LEVEL 1 2 3
SYNCHRONISE FILES

Synchronise files and

folders using tags
Find out how a free tool can keep your files synchronised using a novel method

ile synchronisation is a great way to quickly and easily create

F
backups of any type of files but it is particularly useful when
working on a project. Keeping folders in sync means that as the
files are edited in one folder the changes are then mirrored in a second.
Some synchronisation tools can be time consuming to configure,
requiring the user to specify and monitor various source and
destination folders. However, Syncless is a free tool that works a
little differently. It enables‘tags’to be assigned to any folders you
would like synchronised.This means multiple folders can be kept in
synch very easily on your computer.And when a folder no longer
requires synchronisation, just remove its tag.We’ll explain how in
this Workshop.

Step START BY VISITING THE Syncless download page, at

www.snipca.com/x1492 and then click the green arrow or the Download
1 Syncless link. If the File Download Security Warning dialogue box
appears, click Save and then choose a location for the downloaded file.
Firefox users should select Save File to save the download to Firefox’s default
download folder. Syncless is provided as a compressed zip file. To extract the contents,
right-click the zip file and select Extract All (or Extract followed by Extract All) before
clicking the Extract button. The extracted folder should open automatically but if it
doesn’t, open it and double-click the SynclessUI.exe file. e

Step READ THROUGH THE INTRODUCTORY screen, click to

2
remove the tick from the box labelled 'Show this screen at
startup' and click Start Using Syncless to continue. We’ll
begin by configuring a few settings. Click the spanner icon
in the upper right-hand corner of the program window to access the
Application Options. Most the settings are self-explanatory but ensure
Enable Shell Integration is ticked. e

Step NOW CLICK THE ARCHIVING tab to configure how Syncless

3
should handle files that have been deleted or replaced. By
ticking the first box, Syncless will safeguard against the loss of
important information by moving files deleted during
synchronisation to the Recycle Bin. As well, Syncless automatically retains
older versions of files as they are synchronised. By default, two previous
versions are retained but use the slider to choose how many versions of
edited files should be saved. Click OK to save the settings. e

38 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 WORKSHOPS RR
SYNCHRONISE FILES

Step SYNCLESS SYNCHRONISES FOLDERS BASED on tags

4
and there are a number of ways to add tags. Assuming the
‘shell integration’ was enabled in Step 2, the easiest way to
tag a folder is to right-click it. From the pop-up menu, click
the Syncless – Tag option. In the Tag dialogue box that appears, enter a
suitable name for the tag in the Name field and click the Tag button. This
method can be used to create as many tags as are needed. e

Step NOW USE THE SAME method to tag a second folder with

5
the same name – take great care to enter the tag name in
precisely the same way, otherwise synchronisation will
fail. Once two or more folders have been assigned the
same tag, synchronisation is possible. To check which files will be
copied from folder to folder, click the Preview button. Close the Preview
Synchronisation Changes dialogue box and click the Sync Now button
to synchronise files between all folders that carry the same tag. e

Step IT’S POSSIBLE TO HAVE Syncless keep tagged folders

6
synchronised automatically. Select a tag by clicking its
entry in the list on the right-hand side of the program
window then click the Manual switch to the left. The switch
will change to read ‘Seamless’. In this mode, any files that are added to or
edited in a tagged folder will be automatically synchronised with other
folders using the same tag. e

Step TAGS CAN ALSO BE created by clicking the Create

7
button in the Syncless window. Enter a tag name in the
Name field and click OK, and the tag will be added to the
right-hand list. To assign existing tags to individual files,
first select a tag from the list, then either click the Tag button in the
toolbar or right-click a tag and select the Tag Folder option. Navigate to
the relevant folder and click the Select Folder button. e

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 39

worldmags & avaxhome
 WORKSHOPS
SYNCHRONISE FILES

Step SYNCLESS INCLUDES A SEARCH

8
tool that can be used to quickly
home in on individual tags. Click in
the search box above the list of tags
and start typing. Matching tags will be
automatically displayed. Tags that are no longer
needed can be deleted by right-clicking and
selecting Remove Tag. e

Step TO SYNCHRONISE FILES BETWEEN

9
two or more PCs using Syncless requires
a removable storage device, such as a
USB memory key. Setting up folder tags
for synchronisation is no different to synchronising
files between two folders on the same computer (just
be sure to select the correct drive when assigning
tags). To stop synchronising in this way, click the
Unmonitor button in the Syncless toolbar and then
click the letter of the removable drive. e

Step TO RESTRICT SYNCHRONISATION TO

10
certain file types within a folder requires the use
of filters. To do this, right-click a tag in the tag
list and select Tag Details. Click the + button
and in the Ext Mask field to the right of the dialogue enter a
file extension (‘*.jpg’ for JPEG images, for example). Use the
Mode menu to indicate whether files of this type should be
included or excluded from synchronisation and click OK. G

40 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 LEVEL 1 2 3 WORKSHOPS RR
PERSONALISE THE START MENU

Customise items in the

Windows Start menu
Discover various ways to display favourite folders on the Start menu in Windows

indows provides shortcuts to folders and services that it thinks

W
people use most frequently.That’s why the My Computer icon
typically sits on the Windows Desktop and Documents, Pictures
and other folders are‘pinned’to the Start menu by default.
However, it’s possible to change the ways these popular items
behave and even determine whether they’re displayed on the Start
menu in the first place – and this Workshop will explain how.We’ll use
Windows XP for the screenshots but the principles also apply for
anyone using Windows 7 or Vista.We’ve noted where actual steps differ
but some folder-naming conventions vary (for example, Pictures may
be My Pictures, depending on the version of Windows used).With that
in mind, let’s get customising the Windows Start menu.

Step RIGHT-CLICK THE START button and choose Properties

from the pop-up menu. When the Taskbar and Start Menu
1 Properties dialogue box appears, make sure the Start
Menu tab is selected and click the Customize button
followed by the Advanced tab (Windows 7 and Vista users do not need
to do the last click). Scroll through the various options in the list until
you find My Documents. In our screenshot here the ‘Display as link’
option is selected, which means that when we click on the Documents
folder in the Start menu it simply opens it in a new Explorer window. e

Step CHANGE THAT BY CHOOSING the option underneath ‘Display

2
as a menu’, ensure the ‘Open submenu’ box is ticked, and then
click the OK button. At the next dialogue box, click OK again.
Click the Start button and then roll the mouse pointer up and
over the My Documents folder in the Start menu. The little arrow indicates
there are folders inside the My Documents folder. Roll the pointer over the
arrow to open the menu and explore it, finding folders within folders until you
can’t go any further. To open any of these folders, click on it. e

Step AS WELL AS THOSE folders placed on the Start menu by default,

3
there are some which are absent. Right-click on the Start button and
choose Properties. When the dialogue box opens click Customize;
Windows XP users should then click the Advanced tab. Now scroll
down. Change My Music to ‘Don’t display this item’ and Printers and Faxes to ‘Display
as menu’ (in Vista choose Printers instead and in Windows 7, perhaps Video). Click
OK and then OK again. Open the Start menu again. The Printers/Videos item has
been added and the Music item removed. G

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 41

worldmags & avaxhome
 WORKSHOPS LEVEL 1 2 3
TIDY UP DESKTOP WINDOWS

Organise open windows

and running programs
Use free software to create an invisible grid and quickly organise open windows

indows’ability to display multiple programs and windows at the

W
same time is one of the operating system’s cornerstones.
However, the Windows Desktop can quickly become a chaotic
mess of overlapping program windows and folders.
Gridvista is a free program that can be used to quickly organise the
Desktop, using an invisible grid to position open applications and
windows. In this manner, windows can be quickly tiled and resized by
simply dragging them into place.
Despite the reference to Vista in its name, Gridvista works with
Windows 7,Vista and XP. However, the program is no longer in
development and is provided without guarantee. In this Workshop we
will show you how to download and use this handy utility.

Step GRIDVISTA WAS ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED for

1
use on Acer laptops but it will work on any PC and
is free to download. Locating the download on the
Acer website is laborious so we have created a
shortcut to it at www.snipca.com/x1480. If the File Download
Security Warning dialogue box appears, click Save and choose a
location for the downloaded file. Firefox users should select Save
File to save the download to Firefox’s default download folder. e

Step TO EXTRACT THE CONTENTS of the downloaded zip file,

2
right-click it and select Extract All (or Extract followed by Extract
All). Now click the Extract button. The extracted folder should
open automatically but if not, open it and double-click the
Setup.exe file to start the installation process. Click OK to copy the necessary
files into place and click OK again when this has been done. The program can
then be launched from the Start menu. e

Step A FEW THINGS SHOULD be apparent after launching Gridvista. The first is
the presence of a new icon in the Notification Area. More noticeable is the
3 appearance of three new buttons in the title bar of running programs and
open windows. The first button is used to make windows transparent or
change their position on screen. The second specifies whether or not the window should
‘snap’ to the virtual grid we will create momentarily. The final button, meanwhile,‘pins’ a
window on top of other open windows. e

42 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 WORKSHOPS RR
TIDY UP DESKTOP WINDOWS

Step THE DESKTOP CAN BE divided up into a

4
number of different grids that serve to quickly
organise open windows and running programs.
If you are using more than one monitor, different
settings can be used on different Desktops. To choose a
layout, click the Gridvista icon in the Notification Area and
choose Grid configuration followed by Display 1 (more
‘Display’ entries will be listed if additional monitors are
installed). Choose one of the six grid layouts. e

Step WE HAVE CHOSEN THE LAYOUT called

5
‘Triple (primary at right)’. This
configuration splits the desktop up into
three sections. Two occupy the top and
bottom halves of the left-hand side of the screen, while
the other accounts for the entire right-hand side. When a
grid configuration is selected a brief preview shows how
the grid and its sections are laid out. e

Step ANY RUNNING PROGRAM OR

6
window can make use of the
selected grid. To do this left-click in
the title bar of an application or
folder window and, keeping the left mouse
button held down, drag the window to one of the
grid’s frames. The grid is displayed again while a
window is being dragged, with the current target
highlighted in red. Release the left mouse button
and the window will automatically resize to fit
this section. e

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 43

worldmags & avaxhome
 WORKSHOPS
TIDY UP DESKTOP WINDOWS

Step AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD IS to

make use of the Gridvista toolbar that
7 appears in the title bar of programs
and windows. Click the first of the
three icons, point to ‘Send window to grid’ option
and choose the grid section to be used. This
technique does not offer a preview of grid positions,
so you will have to memorise the sections. e

Step GRIDVISTA CAN ALSO BE used in multi-monitor

9
settings. Each monitor can have its own grid layout,
configured from the Grid configuration menu. There are
also a couple of extra features that can be used to control
windows. The first is the ability to ‘pin’ a window so it appears on top of
other open windows. To toggle this option on and off, click the third
button in a window’s title bar (the one featuring a pushpin). e
Step TO RELEASE A WINDOW from

8
the grid (so that it can once
more be positioned anywhere
on screen), click the middle of
the three buttons in a window’s title bar to
disable the ‘lock to grid’ feature. e

Step FINALLY, GRIDVISTA CAN MAKE

10
windows transparent, so it’s possible
to see what is underneath. This may
come in handy when two or more
running programs are overlapping. To do this, click
the first button in a window’s title bar and select the
Transparency option. Repeat this step to return the
window to its normal state. G

44 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 LEVEL 1 2 3 WORKSHOPS RR
MOVE FILES QUICKLY

Quickly direct files and

folders using Send To
The SendTo command is one of Windows’ handiest shortcuts. Here’s how to take advantage

here are countless time-saving tricks and shortcuts built in to the hard disk.Alternatively, SendTo can be used to put selected items into a

T various versions of Windows. Of all these, the SendTo command is

probably one of the most useful. Certainly, no shortcut is easier to
access on your computer.
From a single mouse click, for example, SendTo makes it possible to
move a file, group of files or even entire folders around the computer’s
compressed (zip) file or straight into an email message that can be then
be sent as an attachment.
In this short Workshop we’ll explain how to access and use SendTo to
achieve all of these things.We’ll also show how to modify SendTo so
that it works just the way you would like.

Step ACCESSING AND USING SENDTO is easy in any

1
version of Windows. Just right-click on a file or folder
(or a selection of files and folders) and select SendTo
from the pop-up menu. This works in Windows
Explorer, the Windows Desktop or pretty much any other application
that you might use to navigate files and folders. e

Step A SUB-MENU APPEARS BEARING a selection of options. The

2
precise line-up depends on your PC and the applications it has
installed, as some programs add their own shortcuts to the
SendTo menu. The SendTo menu on our test PC, for example,
includes a shortcut to Skype, left-clicking this option would initiate a transfer
of the selected file via Skype. However, options that will certainly appear on
your SendTo menu include Compressed (zipped) folder, to turn the selected
files/folders into a zip file, and Mail recipient, which will attach the selected
files to a new email message window. e

Step IT’S POSSIBLE TO ADD or remove items from the SendTo

3
menu. You might, for instance, want to add a current work
folder so that files and folders can be quickly moved via a
right-click. To do this, you’ll need to add the relevant folder or
application shortcuts to the SendTo folder on the hard disk. In Windows XP,
navigate to your username folder within the Documents and Settings folder
(for example, C:\Documents and Settings\[username]) and then double-
click the SendTo folder (note there’s no space). In Windows 7 or Vista, the
SendTo folder is more deeply hidden and is typically found in C:\Users\
[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows. To see it, you may
need to deselect the ‘Hide protected operating system files’ option (in
Windows Explorer, select Tools followed by Folder Options, click the View
tab and scroll down the list under Advanced settings). G

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 45

worldmags & avaxhome
 HINTS & TIPS

MICROSOFT EXCEL WORD 2003

Better HE
TIP OFIGT HT!
FORTN
Narrow fonts
Where text space is tight, you

Autofill
should use fonts designed for small
spaces such as Arial Narrow rather
than Arial as this avoids having to
use a smaller font size. If you need

I
f you want to use a formula in a row to reduce text volume only a little,
or column of cells,Autofill is a great try using a slightly smaller font size
timesaver. Hover the cursor over such as 10.5 instead of 11.
the bottom right-hand corner of the Most people insert a whole line
cell and click and drag in the correct space to separate paragraphs, but
direction to copy the formula. this is unnecessary. Click on the
You might want part of the formula Format menu and then Paragraph.
to stay the same, such as when Click the Indents and Spacing tab
comparing figures in a column to a and set Spacing Before to 0pt and
single figure at the top.This is also Spacing After to 6pt so all carriage
helpful when copying and pasting returns give a neat 6pt spacing.
formulas around a worksheet. Peter Ashford
You can lock cell references in a
formula so they will not change thanks
to Autofill. Insert a $ before both the
letter and number. So cell A1 would
become $A$1.You can also mix locked
and normal references so $A1 would
lock the reference to column A but the
row reference can change.
Dave, Computeractive forum 9 Use the $ character to lock Excel cell references

YAHOO MAIL MOZILLA FIREFOX

WIN WITH
Manage your saved passwords
The Saved Passwords tool in Firefox is useful until you
YOUR HINTS
change a password. If you enter a new password a The sender of the Tip of the
message will appear at the top of the page asking if you Fortnight will win a copy of
want to change the stored password for that website. Magix Video Easy worth £40 –
Click on the Change button to save the change.Wait visit www.magix.com/uk for
until the password works before you click on Change. more information about how
If the username also changes, you may want to this software
remove the old reference altogether. Click on the Tools imports and edits
menu and then Options. Click on the Security tab and your home
then on the Saved Passwords button. Find the site movies.The hint or
whose password you want to remove. Click once on the tip should not
site reference and then on the Remove button. exceed 150 words
Exo, Computeractive forum and should include
Filter new emails automatically a screenshot.
Yahoo Mail can automatically filter emails into folders. Email your
Left-click on an email from the sender you wish to filter contributions with
in the email list. Click on the Actions button and then on your name and
Filter Emails Like This… at the bottom of the menu. full address to
Enter a name for the filter in the Name box.The hints@computeractive.co.uk or
sender’s email address will be included here by default. write to our usual address
The basic rule uses this address to identify emails but (marking envelopes‘Hints and
you can also set up rules based on the subject or email Tips’). By submitting your tip,
text. Click on the down arrow labelled Choose Folder to you are agreeing to have it
set where to move the message.You can create a folder published by Incisive Media.
by selecting the New Folder option and entering a name
for the folder in the text box that appears on the right. Email your tips to
Click on Save to create the rule.This rule will only apply hints@computeractive.co.uk
to new messages, not those already in the inbox.
Sam Chambers

46 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 SAVE
£5.00

Remove all your online activities so they cannot be traced with

this easy-to-use software. Webroot Window Washer 2010
makes sure all your passwords and private data are protected
from prying eyes.
It can also improve your PC’s performance in minutes by clearing
out system clutter from hundreds of programs, such as Microsoft
Office and photo-editing programs.

Key features:
• Easy-to-use interface makes it fast and simple to protect your
privacy
• Erases all tracks of websites you have visited from your internet
history and address
• Removes thousands of unnecessary files to increase computer
performance
• Includes a one-click file and folder shredder
• Removes unwanted and deleted files permanently
• Built-in safety features to help prevent you from accidentally
removing important files

NORMALLY £19.95
System Requirements: Windows
SAVE 25% Vista 32-bit, 2000 or XP, 266 Mhz
processor, 5 MB hard drive space,
• Can be set to clean your computer on a regular basis
• Enables you to fully erase your hard drive for easy re-formatting -
ideal for when you are giving away or disposing of your PC

ONLY £14.95 64 MB RAM. Supports Internet • Gives you automatic threat updates
Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla,
Firefox and AOL. • Includes telephone, email and web support

3 EASY WAYS TO ORDER

ONLINE: www.computeractive-direct.co.uk TELEPHONE: 0844 844 0267 (CODE RD59)

Your Details (Block capitals)

YES. I would like to buy Title Initials Surname
(Enter quantity required)
Email
o Webroot Window Washer 2010 Address

ONLY £14.95
Post Code Telephone no. Subs No.
(if known)
*You will find this on the bag
Payment Options (Please indicate your preferred method of payment) Computeractive is delivered in.
+ £1.99 p&p o Cheque Enclosed for £ (Made payable to Incisive Financial Publishing Ltd)

o Please Charge £ to my
TOTAL £ Visa o MasterCard o Amex o Delta o Visa Debit o
Card No.

Valid From / Expiry Date /

Complete and post this form to:
Computeractive Direct, 800 Guillat Avenue,
Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, ME9 8GU
Please allow 7-10 working days for delivery.
Signature(s) Date
Computeractive and Computeractive Direct are published by Incisive Financial Publishing Limited, part of the Incisive Media Group.
J Tick box to receive information about products and services from the Incisive Media Group by email. J Tick box to receive
information about products and services from selected companies by email. J Tick box if you do not want to receive information
about products and services from the Incisive Media Group by post/telephone. J Tick box if you do not want to receive
information about products and services from selected companies by post/telephone.
(CODE RD59)
worldmags & avaxhome
 HOW TO BUY FROM ABROAD

Lost in
translation
Spotted a bargain online or while on holiday? Goods bought outside
the UK may not be as cheap as they initially seem. We explain all

C
hecking out the cost of electrical goods
when you are on holiday abroad can be a
sobering experience. You may find what
appears to be bargain after bargain when
you compare the price tags to the same
products in the UK – despite the less favourable
exchange rates.
The internet enables us to shop globally and
foreign websites also seem to advertise cheaper
prices for many items. It’s tempting to buy from
abroad if you think you can make a saving but
what are the risks?
We look at the potential pitfalls and show
how you can avoid being left high and dry with
goods that may not work in the UK or faulty
products that are not covered by consumer
protection laws or warranties. We will also
look at the hidden charges of buying from
abroad to help you decide if a bargain is all
it’s cracked up to be.
The pound has taken a beating in recent
years from its high of $2 to the pound in July
2008. Today a pound only gets you around
$1.45. It has also weakened against the Euro
since then so shopping from abroad is not
quite the bargain-fest it once was. But even
with the diminished exchange rates we
still seem to be charged more for
electronics in the UK.
For example, Apple prices the standard
250GB Macbook at $999 on its US website,
which translates to £689 at the current exchange rate
but in the UK we are charged £849. In the US there is The hidden costs of buying from overseas
also a £20 saving on the 160GB iPod. What seems like a fantastic deal may be nothing of
A Wii Fit Plus with balance board is £110 on the UK the sort when you start to add up the costs involved
Amazon site but costs £75 on the French Amazon and in buying from abroad. Charges such as VAT and
£68 on the US site based on exchange rates at the time customs duty can ramp up the final total and negate
we checked. Similarly, the Sony Cybershot digital any savings.
camera is cheaper on both the French and US Amazon If you shop within the European Union (EU),
sites. In the UK we pay £147 but France and America whether online or in person, you can buy electronic
pay around £20 less. goods without having to pay customs duty or VAT. Be
Image: Kevin February

However, US prices can be deceptive as American
websites and stores generally quote prices excluding
sales tax, which can add around five to seven per cent at
the till, depending on which state you’re purchasing
from. Only five states don’t charge this tax.
wary of websites that offer suspiciously big discounts
as they may be sourcing goods from outside the EU,
leaving you to pay the taxes when it arrives in the UK.
Check the small print carefully, looking for notes on
where goods will be dispatched from.

48 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 BUY FROM ABROAD HOW TO

Are you compatible?

Before you buy any electronic product from
abroad, check its compatibility with the UK.
JARGON
B U S T E R
A bargain is not a bargain if it doesn’t actually Techno babble demystified...
work in the UK. For instance, DVD players
and discs are usually region specific so GB Gigabyte. A
buying from Europe (Region 2) is not a measurement of storage,
problem, as it’s the same as the UK but the US usually for hard disks.
uses Region 1.
Region codes allow the film studios to NTSC National Television
control the release date and price of their System Committee. A TV
titles around the world. However, you can standard used in America
buy multi-region DVD players and it’s even and Japan, among others.
possible to modify some European players to
play discs from other regions by tapping a Pal Phase Alternating Line.
‘hack’ code from the internet into your The broadcast TV standard
remote control. used in the UK and Europe.
9Check the customs website for a list of items exempt from customs duty Similarly, TVs in the UK work on a different
system from some other countries. While the SECAM Sequential
Buying from outside the EU is more a more complex UK uses PAL technology, TVs in the US work on a Colour with Memory. A
matter. If you bring goods worth more than £390 back different system called NTSC while France works on television standard first
from holiday you will be charged customs duty and SECAM. An NTSC TV will not work in the UK. Some used in France.
VAT. The amount payable on goods depends on the goods may come with a foreign manual, which will
type of product but some electronics such as laptops, leave you struggling if the company has not put an For full definitions visit:
www.computeractive.co.uk
desktop PCs, certain digital cameras and mobile English version on its website. Products may also be set
phones are duty free. to a foreign
Many people escape paying taxes by not declaring language but that
items at Customs but if you are caught with undeclared should be easy to
goods, expect a hefty fine. change. And most
When ordering online and getting items delivered, laptops will be sold
VAT is charged on goods over £18 and customs with different
duty applies over £135. Calculating charges can keyboard layouts.
be complicated so check the customs website Remember that
(www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs) for the rules and a full electronics from
list of what items are exempt from customs duty. abroad are often
For online orders that are liable for Customs charges incompatible with
you will also have to factor in a payment to the delivery the UK mains
company. Royal Mail charges a ‘handling fee’ of £8 and electricity supply
some courier firms charge more. and plug system.
Paying with a credit card when buying abroad or Laptops and
from a foreign website gives you valuable extra desktop PCs
protection but it can be a bit of a shock when you get generally use power
the bill and it’s more than expected. supplies that work in several countries but other 9Use Duty Calculator to work
Unfortunately, most banks will sting you by adding a devices may need voltage converters. out VAT and customs duty
fee onto the exchange rate that they charge. You can Alternatively, you can buy a cheap transformer that
save a lot of money by using a special credit card to pay will reduce voltages to match your appliance although
for goods when you are overseas, as these give you the these can be expensive. You will also need to buy a plug
best exchange rates and avoid any extra, sneaky adapter. Always ask the retailer or manufacturer
charges. The Post Office and Nationwide cards charge whether the product is compatible with the UK and if
low or no fees when buying goods abroad. not, add up how much it will cost to adapt.

R GET HELP ON THE WEB

• The UK European Consumer Centre site
(www.ukecc.net ) provides advice on buying
from other countries within the EU and helps
consumers resolve disputes.
• Before you buy, use Duty Calculator
(www.dutycalculator.com) to work out the
customs duty and VAT liable on your purchases
from anywhere in the world.
• Courier firm DHL (www.snipca.com/
x1589) has a useful section on its website
explaining the issues around ordering goods
from overseas.
• The HM Revenue & Customs site
(www.hmrc.gov.uk) has information on buying
or bringing in goods from abroad and the rules
on duty and taxes. If you are still baffled ring its
helpline on 0845 010 9000.
• Check out price-comparison websites like
Kelkoo (www.kelkoo.co.uk) and Pricerunner
(www.pricerunner.co.uk), which have links to
their European counterparts so you can see
which country has the best bargain. Try
Shopping.com (www.snipca.com/x1612) or
www.smarter.com for the US.

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 49

worldmags & avaxhome
 HOW TO BUY FROM ABROAD

Know your rights will find out when it was registered and search for
Another important factor to consider when buying customer feedback. It’s worth checking unfamiliar
from abroad is what rights you have if a product is websites for negative comments before parting with
faulty and needs repair or if you have simply changed your money. And if the website is new you should be
your mind after an online purchase has arrived. cautious, especially if prices are suspiciously low.
Shopping from a trader within the EU is a safe bet. Buying from outside the EU is an altogether patchier
Here, you are protected by the Consumer Sales affair and you risk losing out if there is a problem.
Directive, which entitles you to a repair or replacement When you are buying from the US check the small print
free if the product fails within carefully. Warranties are
two years. For the first six sometimes region-specific
months it’s generally assumed and you may not be covered if
the problem existed when the the product is faulty. Ask the
product was purchased but trader what their returns
after that the onus is on you to policy is for overseas
prove the goods were faulty. customers. For well-known
Some countries in the EU will brands, find out whether the
give you even longer than two goods could be repaired or
years to return faulty goods. replaced by an outlet in the
Each country has different UK or in a shop owned by the
consumer laws that apply on parent company. You may be
top of the Consumer Sales able to get it fixed here for
Directive and some are more nothing. If not, you face a
generous than others. Contact hefty charge to post it back or
the UK European Consumer pay to have it repaired in the
Centre (www.ukecc.net) to see UK. Some manufacturers
what your rights are in a offer an international
specific country. warranty, which entitles you
If you are buying from a to repairs and customer
website based in the EU you support in a different country
have similar rights as if the to where you bought the item.
company was in the UK. Protect yourself further by
Under the Distance Selling using a credit card to buy
Directive you are protected 9Howard the Shopping Assistant researches EU websites from abroad. If there is a
when buying goods from any problem and you paid more
member state. Shoppers are entitled to a seven-day than £100 the card company is equally liable with the
‘cooling off’ period in most online transactions where retailer. This is helpful if chasing the overseas company
an item can be sent back for any reason. This begins the is proving tricky.
day after the goods have been delivered. However,
certain sealed items such as games, CDs and software Is it still a bargain?
become exempt if they have been opened. When you Despite the weakened pound you can still save money
return the product the trader must provide a refund by buying goods from abroad but beware of the extra
within 30 days. The seller has to reimburse your charges, particularly when shopping outside the EU.
postage costs if there is a fault but if you have changed Once you have paid any sales taxes, customs duty, VAT,
your mind then you will have to check the website’s shipping and credit-card fees the original savings you
terms and conditions to find out who pays for the thought you’d made could be diminished or wiped out.
return postage. Traders have different returns policies The hassle of shopping overseas can also be
and postage costs to Europe can be high. off-putting, especially if there is a problem.
The UK European Consumer Centre has a useful tool Incompatible or faulty goods may make you wish you
on its website called Howard the Shopping Assistant had not bothered. Buying from abroad is not always
(www.snipca.com/x1593). He’s an online owl who will plain sailing so shop around for the cheapest prices in
research a website within the EU and help you decide the UK first as you may find a bargain here.
whether to buy from it. By entering its name Howard Laura Frewin

R KNOW WHO’S WHO IN THE EU

Not all European countries are part of
the European Union. It’s good to
know who’s in and who’s out as
shopping within the EU gives you
protection under various consumer
sales laws.
It also means that you pay no
customs duty or VAT on goods
brought into the UK. There are 27 EU
member states, including holiday
favourites France, Spain, Portugal
and Italy.
Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein
and Switzerland are not EU member
states but they are part of the
European Free Trade Association
(EFTA). If you shop there you will pay
a lower rate of customs duty on your
goods or often none at all.
If you buy from Norway or Iceland
then the EU consumer protection
laws apply. Switzerland and
Liechtenstein are not covered but
consumers would have rights
under the country’s own laws. For
more details visit the EFTA website
(www.efta.int).
The list and map of current EU
member states can be found at
www.snipca.com/x1561.

50 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 WIN A LAPTOP SURVEY

We want
your view
Take part in our survey and win a laptop from Dabs.com
Win a free
one-year
subscription to
Computeractiv
e
or one of 10 free subscriptions to Computeractive

A
s readers of the most popular computer magazine in the
UK and Ireland, your informed opinion on the computing
and technology market is of great importance to us, as
well as the companies that advertise in these pages and
on our website.
This survey will give those companies an insight into how they
could make the benefits of their products and services clearer to you.
The survey covers:
G Quality of information in advertisements
G The topics you want to learn more about
G Your interest in upgrading computers
G The products you find interesting
G High-street and online brands you trust
G The importance of recommendation by others

The survey should take no longer than five minutes

to complete and all information is treated with the
strictest confidence.

Enter now at www.computeractive.co.uk/survey

WHAT YOU CAN WIN!

First prize
The first name drawn at random from those who complete the survey will
win the top prize of a laptop computer, kindly provided by Dabs.com. The
Toshiba Satellite Pro L450D has 2GB of memory and a 250GB hard disk. It
comes with a media card reader and widescreen display for easy transfer
and viewing of photos. There’s a built-in webcam and support for the
fastest type of wireless networking available today.

10 runners-up prizes
The next 10 names drawn will win a year’s subscription to
Computeractive – those who already subscribe
will have their current subscription
extended by 12 months.
Win a
Toshiba laptop
worth

£400

www.computeractive.co.uk/survey
24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 51
worldmags & avaxhome
 HOW TO
Defend your
network
eVisit the OpenDNS.com
website and click on ‘Create
an account’ to register
52 www.computeractive.co.uk
BLOCK UNWANTED WEBSITES
Add a safety net to your home network by blocking
access to unwanted websites
T
he internet is a big place and to find anything
you need a way to pinpoint the websites that
offer what you are looking for. The internet
keeps track of sites using IP addresses and
keeps its own list of sites, like a very large and
ever-changing telephone directory.
As every Windows user will understand, computers
work in a different way to us. They cannot understand
text in the same way we do and an address such as
www.computeractive.co.uk does not mean any more to a
computer than ‘62.140.213.251:80’ does to you. They are
actually one and the same, though, as the
Computeractive website presented as text for us and as
an IP address for computers. DNS, short for the Domain
Name System, is the technology that translates between
the two, using a set of records stored on thousands of
powerful computers called servers. Located around the 9This page helps you set up your router for OpenDNS
globe, DNS servers are owned by internet service
providers (ISPs), companies and even governments. Added security and control
In theory each DNS server has the same file so there Alternative DNS providers, such as OpenDNS and
is no central point of information. With the information Google DNS (see Other DNS Services on page 53),
required to access sites spread across so many PCs, offer two main advantages. The first is faster browsing
there is no single point at which the internet could be as they can handle the requests faster than ordinary
attacked or suffer a technical failure. The idea is that DNS servers, which are at the beck and call of the
these computers talk with each other, sharing updates majority of internet users.
as old sites disappear and new ones are created. The second is better security and control. They can
Anyone who owns a DNS server can amend the list of be told not to answer requests for certain websites. This
IP addresses. This is how countries such as China block can add an extra level of protection if you click on a link
websites they do not want their citizens to see. in a phishing email by mistake or block people from
There are, thankfully, less sinister reasons for visiting inappropriate websites.
changing a DNS server file and in this article we will OpenDNS can be used in two different ways. You can
introduce you to a free service called OpenDNS that set your computer to use the OpenDNS service
uses this method to block fraudsters and websites that and then think nothing more of it – there are
include distasteful or illegal material. instructions for every version of Windows at
www.snipca.com/x1620. This will help protect against
phishing attacks and may improve browsing speed but
it’s quite easy to get more from the service.
Signing up for an account with OpenDNS gives you
more control over what you, and other family members,
can browse on the internet. You can block sites by
category, such as pornography, or blacklist specific
websites. Bear in mind that these settings will apply to
Image: Chris Ede
everyone using the computer (or router if you apply the
OpenDNS settings to that) so you cannot block
children from Facebook, for example, without being
blocked yourself.
24 June - 7 July 2010
worldmags & avaxhome
 BLOCK UNWANTED WEBSITES HOW TO

If you want to block children from accessing specific

sites then realistically you are better off with some
parental control software, such as Windows Live
Family Safety, available free at www.snipca.com/x1574.

How to get started

Registration for OpenDNS is simple and the basic
account is free. Start your internet browser, type
www.opendns.com into the address bar and press Enter.
Click on ‘Create account’ at the top right of the page,
and then ‘Sign up’ in the OpenDNS Basic box.
Fill in the form headed ‘I’m new to OpenDNS and I
need an account’. Click Continue when the form is
complete. The next page has help for setting it up. Click
on the Router link on the next page. This has
instructions for many different routers so click on the
correct manufacturer. If it is not listed click on the
‘general router instructions’ link. To follow these
instructions you will need to access the router’s
settings. See the box ‘How to access your
router’s settings’ on page 54.

Once you have followed

the instructions your router will be
looking up website addresses in OpenDNS as
opposed to your ISP’s. Check your email for the
registration confirmation message and click on the
link that it contains. This takes you to the
OpenDNS Dashboard.
The most effective way to use OpenDNS is to
set it up on your router. When your computer
tries to open a connection to the internet it has
to ask the router for the network settings, so if

R OTHER DNS SERVICES

OpenDNS is by no means the
only alternative DNS service
on the internet. One of the
best known is Google. All you
need to do is to change your
DNS servers to 8.8.8.8 and
8.8.4.4 using the instructions
shown in the step-by-step
guide on page 55.
It promises better
performance by working
differently to most DNS
servers by using the Google
search service to check on
websites as well as relying
on the open sharing of
DNS information.
Google Public DNS has
several technologies to
protect against so called
‘DNS poisoning’. This is
when incorrect
information is sent
to DNS servers to try
to send people to
malicious websites.
Visit www.snipca.
com/x1590 for more
information.
Another alternative is
NortonDNS, which attempts
to protect you from
malicious websites. Find it
at http://nortondns.com.

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 53

worldmags & avaxhome
 HOW TO BLOCK UNWANTED WEBSITES

9Before you add a network to
OpenDNS you need to name it
OpenDNS has been set up
there you will not have to
change settings for each
computer by hand. For
example the D-Link
DIR-655 (a router given
away with many
broadband subscriptions)
is easy to set up for
OpenDNS. To do this,
start your web browser
and type http://192.168.0.1
in the address bar and
press Enter.
If the router admin page
does not appear the router
may be using a different
address, so see the box on page xx. The default
username for the D-Link router is ‘admin’ with a blank
password. Click on the Manual Internet Connection
Setup button and then enter the OpenDNS server
addresses in the Primary and Secondary
DNS Server fields. The addresses are
208.67.222.222 and 207.67.220.220. Click
on the Save Settings button.
Simply reverse these instruction to set
your router to use the automatic settings
again. A full list of instructions for
different routers can be found on the
OpenDNS website at
www.opendns.com/support/category/2.
small utility from OpenDNS that will automatically
update your account with the current dynamic address.
It is important to perform this step even if you are using
OpenDNS on a router. Without this information you
will not get the correct settings.
Sign in to OpenDNS and click on the Settings tab.
Your IP address should be automatically entered in the
IP text box, if not, you can see your IP address in the top
right hand corner of the web page. Click on the Add this
network button. A pop up will appear asking for a name
for the network. Call this Home and make sure that the
option labelled ‘Yes, it is dynamic’ is selected. Click on
the link at the bottom to install the OpenDNS Updater
for Windows. Click on Run when asked by your
browser what to do with the download. Click on
Continue if prompted by the User Account Control
window in Windows 7 or Vista. Return to the
OpenDNS web page and click on Done.
Click on the install button. Leave the option to start
the updater selected and click on Finish. Enter your
OpenDNS username and password and click on Sign in.

Solving the address problem

As there is no need to sign into
OpenDNS, the service needs some other
way to identify your computer to apply
the custom settings. This is done by
recognising your unique address on the 9You can customise the filtering level for your OpenDNS account
internet, the router’s IP address.
Unfortunately, with growing demand for these The updater will appear. Click on the Change network
addresses it is rare to get one of your own. Instead, ISPs button and it will update for the network in use. It will
assign a new number to your computer each time you also check if you are using the OpenDNS servers.
connect to the internet. This is called a dynamic If you click on the close button in the corner of
address. The solution to this problem is to install a the window, the utility will close and an icon in the
Notification Area will appear. It is also possible to
R HOW TO ACCESS YOUR ROUTER’S SETTINGS make the updater even more discrete. Click on the
Settings link at the bottom right, select the Run hidden
All modern routers have option and click on OK.
settings that can be
accessed using a web Changing the settings
browser. To open the With the updater ensuring you are identifiable by
settings page you need to OpenDNS, return to the Settings page. Click on the IP
type the router’s own IP address of your network to access the full settings.
address into the address The first setting listed in the column on the left is the
bar. This is usually given in level of filtering applied to your account. Click on an
the router manual but if you option to select the new level and click on View to see
no longer have that, there is the exact categories that will be blocked. Click on the
a way to discover it. Hold small cross at the top right to close this information
down the Windows key and 9To open your router’s settings enter the IP address in a web browser box. Next, click on the Customize link if you are not
press R. Type cmd and happy with the options to choose the categories for
press enter. Type ipconfig /all in the enter a username and password. Unless you yourself. Hover the cursor over each title to see a
command prompt window and press enter. Note already have one, the default username is short description. Click on the Apply button to save
down the address for the Default Gateway (this normally ‘admin’ or blank. The password field the changes you have made.
is the router) and use that address. Before can often be left blank. If all else fails, contact It is also possible to override the settings to block or
changing settings you may be prompted to your router’s manufacturer for assistance. allow specific websites. See the step-by-step guide on
page 55 for details about blocking access to unwanted

54 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 BLOCK UNWANTED WEBSITES HOW TO

tOpenDNS also allows you to set up shortcuts

To enable the recording of statistics, click on
JARGON
B U S T E R
the Settings tab and then Stats and Logs on the Techno babble demystified...
left. Select the option Enable stats and logs and
click on the Apply button. IP address Internet
Click on the Stats tab and a summary of the Protocol address. An
various statistics will be displayed. Click on the identifying number of a
Blocked Domains link on the left to see the computer attached to a
domains that have been blocked. network. A computer’s IP
By default OpenDNS displays all the graphs address is similar to a
using American Pacific Time. This is easy to phone number in function.
change and doing so makes the graphs more
helpful. Click on the ‘Set your time zone here’ ISP Internet Service
websites. We also recommend that you enable the Stats link on the left. Scroll down the account details and Provider. A company that
tool. We will explain how and why in a moment. select Europe and then London in the dropdown provides you with an
A convenient extra provided by OpenDNS is the menus. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the internet connection.
ability to use shortcuts in the browser address bar. page and click on the Save account info button.
You could, for example, set up the abbreviation Network A way of
‘CA’ for the Computeractive website. Click on the connecting several
orange Shortcuts tab at the top of the screen. Enter computers and devices so
the shortcut in the top box and the full web they can share data.
address in the box below before clicking on the
Create shortcut button. One of the beauties of Phishing A form of
this feature is that it does not matter which internet fraud that tries to
browser, or even computer, you use as long as it is trick you into revealing
on your network. personal details.
There are several ways to customise the
OpenDNS page that appears if a domain is not Pop-up A window that is
recognised or blocked. Click on Customization on displayed by a website,
the left. You can also replace the OpenDNS logo. usually over material
Click on the Choose button, select an image, click already on the screen.
on Open and then on Upload. Refresh the page by
clicking on Customisation again to see the image. Router A device used to
Select the image and click on Apply. This page can connect more than one
also be used to customise the text displayed when computer or other device to
a web page is blocked. Enter your message and 9You can also enable statistics to see which sites are being blocked the internet.
click on Apply at the bottom.
The level of protection and customisation afforded Server A computer on a
Recording your traffic statistics by the OpenDNS service is impressive and even though network that distributes
What can be interesting is that not all traffic there is a little jargon that needs to be decoded, once it information to other PCs.
comes from web browsers. We discovered that the is set up the service ticks away quietly in the
most requests came from the antivirus software background protecting your computer and family from For full definitions visit:
www.computeractive.co.uk
installed on our computer. The main reason for the dangerous side of the web. And best of all, it’s
using these statistics is to check for domains that completely free to use.
have been blocked. Tim Smith

STEP BY STEP | HOW TO BLOCK ACCESS TO UNWANTED WEBSITES

1 Sign in to the OpenDNS website. Click on

Dashboard at the top and then the Settings
tab. You should only have one network set up so click
on the IP address link.
2 Look below the filtering level and select Always
or Never block from the dropdown menu. Type
the website in the text box without the www, eg
3 To remove a domain from this list, click in
the tick box for that domain and then on the
Delete button.
dodgysite.com and click on the Add domain button.

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 55

worldmags & avaxhome
 NO PROBLEM!
OA
noproblem@computeractive.co.uk
&
STAR LETTER
JARGON
B U S T E R
Techno babble demystified...
Autoformat A tool found in word
processors such as Microsoft Word
that can automatically change the
appearance of text. For example, if a
user types ‘1st’,Autoformat would
change this to ‘1st’.
Beta Version of a software
application or system still in
development. Companies make beta
versions available to the public for
evaluation, testing and feedback.
Beta software can contain bugs or
create problems on your PC.
Broadband A fast internet
connection, such as ADSL.
Compression Reducing a file’s
size by encoding the data inside.
Control Panel A tool that is found
in the Start menu that enables you to
tweak the basic functions of
Windows, your PC and any
peripherals attached to it.
Default A standard software or
hardware setting.
Double-click To click twice quickly
in succession on a mouse button. If
you double-click on an application
icon,Windows will then attempt to
launch the application.
Download Transferring files onto
your PC directly from the internet.
Drag and drop To move something
by clicking it, then holding down the
left button on a mouse.
Driver A program that allows
Windows to communicate with a
peripheral device.
Continued on P58q
56 www.computeractive.co.uk
ANSWERS TO
PC PROBLEMS
Our team of experts solves your
computer, software & internet problems
New Office, old bullets
Q| I have just upgraded to
Office 2007 but I cannot
find the option to add bullets or
numbers to a list in Word.
Peter Bruce
A| There are a couple of ways
to create a list with bullets
or numbers. The closest to old
versions of Word is to use the
bullet or number icons in the
Paragraph section of the Home
tab. Either click on the main part
of the icon to start a list with the
default format or click on the
small downwards pointing arrow
to select a style from the list. It is
even possible to create your own
style by clicking on the Define
new bullet or Define new
number format options at the
bottom of these lists.
A quicker alternative is to take
advantage of the Autoformat
option in Word and start typing
in a way that it recognises as
being a list. Start a new line and
type an asterisk followed by a
space and Word should
automatically convert it to a
bullet point. To start a numbered
9You can change Music Maker’s settings to reduce the delay that occurs between pressing a key and hearing a sound
24 June - 7 July 2010
worldmags & avaxhome
list replace the asterisk with 1.
When the change happens a
small icon will appear just to the
left of the new list with a picture
of a lightning bolt. Click on this
to undo the change if you did not
want to start a new list.
You are not limited to the
default list style. Right-click on
the bullet or number and move
the mouse over the Numbering
or Bullets entry in the menu to
see more options.
Music delay
Q| I have just installed Magix
Music Maker 16 Premium
Edition to use with my Midi
keyboard. Unfortunately there is
an annoying delay between when
I press a key and hear the sound
from the software. It’s small
but enough to make it hard
to play along with what has
already been recorded.
Robert Potter
A| This is a common problem
with all music-making
software. The delay is caused by
the computer creating the sound
from the key press.
Click on the File menu,
Settings and then Program
Settings. Click on the
Audio/Midi tab and look for the
Multitrack audio buffer setting
at the bottom left of the screen
in the Audio Buffer Section.
Click on the ‘-’ button to reduce
the buffer from 8192 to 4096.
This will make the computer
respond much faster although
there may be a slight worsening
of audio quality. It is quite
acceptable to increase this
setting again after recording
music from the keyboard.
Updating Office
Q| A friend recommended
that I looked for updates
for Office on the www.office.com
website. I was concerned how
many security updates there
were. Is there any way I can be
reminded of these updates so I
am not left unprotected? I have
Windows 7 Home Premium.
Gavin Brooks
A| It is possible to set
Windows Update to check
for updates for other Microsoft
software including office.
Click on the Start button, type
windows update and press Enter.
Click on the Change settings link
in the left column. Select the
option ‘Give me updates for
Microsoft products and check for
new optional Microsoft software
when I update Windows’ and
click on OK. Enter your password
or click on OK when the User
 NO PROBLEM! Q&A RR

SOLVING YOUR PROBLEMS

Our team of experts is on hand to help solve PC problems.
Read on to find out how
Please note that we can only reply through the No Problem page – we can’t reply
personally by email, telephone or letter. Before sending in your query, please
consider the following points as clear preparation helps us identify and resolve
problems much more quickly.

G Tell us which operating system you have and the model number of the PC
if known.
G Be specific about the problem – what exactly has gone wrong?
G Include details of anything that changed around the time that the fault
developed – did you install new software or hardware or sign up to a new
service that might contribute to the problem?
G If you see an error message on the screen, make an exact note of its content in
your query.
G Include screengrabs to show us what you see on screen when the problem
9Keep Office up to date by using Windows Update occurs.

Account Window appears. Click
on the Check for updates link
to force Windows to check for
updates right away.
If you want to check what is
about to updated, click on the
link underneath the title
‘Download and install updates’.
Click on an individual update to
see more information in the
right-hand pane.
Check a broadband limit
Q| I recently moved my
broadband to Talk Talk
and noticed that there is a charge
if you download too much from
the internet. I don’t want to be
charged more but how can I
check how close to the limit I am?
Peter Davis
password into the relevant boxes
and click on the ‘Sign in to my
account’ button. Click on the
Broadband Usage link on the left.
The next page will display a large
pie chart with how much of your
allowance has been used. Scroll
down to see a graph showing
information over the previous
three months.
Copy mobile phone photos
Q| I have a Nokia mobile
phone with a camera and
would like to copy the photos I
have taken onto my computer. I
have bought a cable to connect
the two but do not know where
to go from there.
A|
David S. Bell
Every mobile phone
OTHER SOURCES OF HELP
While we can’t solve every individual problem, there are other ways
Computeractive can help. Our Readers to the Rescue online forum is free to use –
once you have signed up you can submit a question in the appropriate section to
see if other readers can help you solve the problem yourself. You can also browse
existing questions and answers for tips. The forum address is printed at the
bottom of this box.
Email: noproblem@computeractive.co.uk
Write: Computeractive, Incisive Media, 32-34 Broadwick St, W1A 2HG
Forum: www.computeractive.co.uk/noproblem
window. Click on the All link in
the section at the bottom. You
in Classic view. Find the entry for
Microsoft Office 2003 and
can now drag and drop photos left-click on it once. Click on the
between the phone and the PC. Change button. Select the Add or
remove features in the setup
Old and new Outlook wizard and click on Next. Click in
Q| I installed the beta version
of Office 2010 on my
the box labelled Outlook to make
the tick disappear and click on

A|There is no realistic way of

checking this with software
on your computer because there
may be more than one computer
on your home network using the
internet. Also, we have not
found any software that can
distinguish between the amount
of information transferred over
the internet and within your
manufacturer has their
own software for connecting
their phones to a computer. You
are in luck because we think the
Nokia software is one of the best.
Go to www.snipca.com/x1629 and
click on the Download link.
Once the software has installed
it will automatically start
the connection wizard. Click
computer that already had Office
2003 on it. Outlook 2003 stopped
working and uninstalling Office
Update. Click on Finish when the
change is made and then click on
the Change button in the Add
2010 has not solved the problem or Remove Programs window
as it still complains that a file again. Repeat the previous step,
is missing. this time selecting Outlook
Ian Carter again, and click on Update to
A| We also encountered this
problem and solved it by
uninstalling and then reinstalling
reinstall Outlook.

Unclutter your calendar

home network that does not
count towards the limit. The
good news is that Talk Talk
shows how much information
has been transferred on the
online account pages.
Start your web browser and go
to www.talktalk.co.uk. Click on
the My Account link at the top of
the page. Click on the Register
Now button if you have never
used this web page before to set
up an account.
Enter your email address and
on Start, select the correct
connection method and click on
Next. We selected the cable
connection and connected the
phone when prompted. Windows
will install the drivers for the
phone. Click on Next when your
phone is recognised. Enter a
name and click on Next.
There is no requirement to
create a Nokia account so you
can click on the ‘Skip this for
now’ link. Click on the Photos
title in the Ovi Suite main
Outlook 2003. The Office setup
program is specific enough that
you will not need to remove any
other programs in Office, or even
restart the computer. You might
not even need the Office CD if
the setup program saved the files
to your hard disk. Have the disc
to hand if you are not sure if this
was the case.
Click on the Start button and
then Control Panel. Click on Add
or Remove Programs in Category
view or double-click on the icon
Q| I followed the link in a
recent Computeractive
newsletter to add all the World
Cup dates to my Google
Calendar. Is there any way I can
hide them temporarily to reduce
the clutter on my diary?
James Anderson
A| Google Calendar was
designed to show several
calendars and can hide individual
calendars without removing
them. Sign in to the Google
Calendar website.

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 57

worldmags & avaxhome
 NO PROBLEM! Q&A
JARGON
B U S T E R
Techno babble demystified...
DVD A type of disc able to store up
to 8.5GB of data such as movies with
good-quality sound and pictures.
Fat 32 A hard disk formatting
system used by Windows 98 and ME.
GB Gigabyte. A measurement of
storage capacity, usually for hard
disks. 1GB is equal to 1,024MB
(megabytes).
Hard disk A high-capacity disk
fitted in almost all PCs and used to
store both applications and the
documents and files they create.
Hibernate A power-saving mode in
which Windows saves open
documents to a temporary file on the
hard disk before cutting power to
many components.
Icon A small image used by
Windows to identify a file or program.
Midi Musical Instrument Digital
Interface. A standard for controlling
electronic musical instruments on
a computer.
Notification Area An area on the
bottom of a screen that shows which
programs are running in Windows.
NTFS NT File System. A file system
used by Windows NT, XP and Vista.
Pop-up menu A menu that
appears when you click something.
Right-click Many programs, and
Windows itself, make use of the right
mouse button click to display a
pop-up menu with special functions.
USB Universal Serial Bus. A
standard that allows quick and easy
connection of external peripherals
such as storage devices to your PC.
Wizard A step-by-step process that
helps you choose settings.
Zipping Compressing a file using a
program such as Winzip to reduce the
space it takes up.
For full definitions visit:
www.computeractive.co.uk
58 www.computeractive.co.uk
The different
calendars linked to your
account are shown in the
left-hand column in two
sections: My calendars
and Other calendars. The
calendars on display
have a coloured
background to their
name that matches the
colour on the calendar
itself. Click on a name
to turn it off and the
background will change
to white. Click on it again
to return it to the diary.
Back up bookmarks
Q| I have a large
number of
favorites in Internet
Explorer. I have
Windows XP and am
considering moving to
Windows 7.
How can I copy them when I
make the change?
John JP Wilson
A| Website bookmarks, also
known as Favorites in
Internet Explorer, are transferred
as part of the File and Settings
Transfer wizard. You can find
more information on making the
move from XP to Windows 7 in
our video guide at www.computer
active.co.uk/2251139.
If you would rather not use
the File and Settings Transfer
Wizard, the bookmarks are
stored in a folder in the hard disk
and it is easy to copy them by
hand. Click on the Start button
and then My Computer.
Double-click on Local Disk (C:),
Documents and Settings, the
name you use to log into the
computer and then Favourites.
Hold down the Ctrl button
and press A to select all of the
shortcuts. Click on the File menu,
Send to and then Compressed
(zipped) Folder. This will create
a singe file containing all the
links that can be copied to the
new computer. Double-click on
the file and follow the wizard
to extract the files on the
new computer.
Manage PC power
Q| My computer used to
switch off the screen
and hard disk automatically
when it was left idle for around
15 minutes, but now it no longer
24 June - 7 July 2010
worldmags & avaxhome
does so. I know computers can
use a lot of electricity, so I would
prefer to keep its consumption
to a minimum. How can I set up
my computer so it automatically
switches them off?
Bernard Rummery
A| You can make Windows
turn them off automatically
by using the Power Management
settings in the Control Panel. In
Windows XP, click the Start icon
in the bottom left, click Control
Panel and double-click on the
Power Options icon.
If it is not visible, click the
Switch to Classic View link in the
top left to show all the Control
Panel settings. For Windows 7
and Vista, click on the Start
button, type Power Options and
press Enter.
The Power Options screen
in Windows XP looks different
to the one in Windows Vista
and Windows 7.
In XP, choose the power
scheme you prefer from the top
menu. Home/Office Desk is
sufficient for desktops, while
Portable/Laptop is perfect for
laptops. Underneath this menu
are two more to choose when the
monitor and hard disk turn off.
Choose a duration you are happy
with for each.
In Windows Vista and
Windows 7, choose one of the
power-saving options, either
Balanced or Power Saver, click
Change Plan Settings and click
Change advanced power settings.
tUse the Power Options in
Windows to customise your
power-saving scheme
Scroll down and click
the plus icon next to
Hard Disk to expand
the menu, then click
the plus icon next to
‘Turn off hard disk
after’. Click the
Plugged In setting,
then enter a duration.
Scroll down and
click the plus icon next
to Display, then the
icon next to ‘Turn off
display after’. Change
the setting as you see
fit. If you are using a
laptop, you should also
change the settings for
‘On battery’.
You may want to use
a shorter time when running off
the battery to extend its life as
much as possible.
Converting a hard disk
Q| I have a Western Digital
180GB external hard disk
that is formatted with Fat 32.
How can I convert this disk to
NTFS? I have backed up all my
personal files and folders, but
there are some more that I do not
recognise, such as WDsync, and
an odd folder called
a3c4dc36574f8c63e74083a.
Peter Forester
A| Hard disks are prepared for
use with a process called
formatting. This can be done in a
variety of ways. The two for
Windows are called NTFS and
Fat 32. NTFS is better, as it is
more secure and comes with less
limitations than Fat 32, which can
only store files up to 4GB in size.
The simplest way to convert
between the two is to reformat
the hard disk in Windows. This
will delete every file on the disk,
so you were correct to back up all
your files and folders first.
There is a Windows
conversion utility that will leave
the files intact, though making a
backup is a good idea. Click on
the Start button and then on Run.
Type cmd and press Enter. Type
convert E: /FS:NTFS, replacing E
with the drive letter of your
external disk, then press Enter.
You can remove the extra
folders you mention safely. The

long-named folder is a temporary
one that Windows has created
and the WDsync backup tool is
included by Western Digital on
the drive. It is safe to either
delete or back up along with the
rest of your files, as the disk will
continue to work fine with or
without the software.
To format the disk, click
the Start icon, then click
Computer, or My Computer.
Right-click on the letter of the
external hard disk, then choose
Format from the pop-up menu.
In the window that appears,
click on the menu under File
System, choose NTFS, and from
the menu underneath called
Allocation unit size, choose
default allocation size. Tick the
box next to Quick Format and
click Start. After the disk is
formatted you can then move
your old files back on to it.
Wrong keyboard layout
Q| I have just received my
refurbished PC back from
the manufacturer, as it was
broken and needed fixing.
Along with a set of new
components, Windows 7 was
reinstalled on it before it was
returned and now I cannot send
email, because every time I
enter the ‘@’ symbol it produces
something totally different,
usually a pair of quotation marks.
How can I get my old keyboard
layout back?
John Dawson
A| This sounds as though
your keyboard layout is set
to the wrong region, probably US
English rather than English
(United Kingdom).
To change it click the Start
icon, then click on Control Panel,
then on Region and Language. If
you do not see the icon, choose
either Large or Small icons from
the menu in the top right.
The Region and Language
window opens with the Formats
tab open. If English (United
Kingdom) is not shown under
Format, click the down arrow
and choose it from the list.
Next, click Location, and
ensure that United Kingdom
is selected under Current
location. Then click th e
Keyboards and Languages
tab and click the Change
keyboards button.
This opens another window.
Underneath Default input
language, click the down arrow
on the right and choose ‘English
(United Kingdom) – United
Kingdom’ from the menu.
Underneath Installed services,
check to see if a keyboard is
listed under English (United
Kingdom). If not, then click the
add button.
In the next window, scroll
down to English (United
Kingdom) and expand the menu
by clicking the plus icon. Then
under keyboard click United
Kingdom and click OK to
close the Window.
If any other
keyboards are now
listed, besides the
one you just added,
click on its name
to highlight it, then
click Remove on the
right. Continue until
the only keyboard
remaining is English
(United Kingdom).
Finally click OK to
close the window.
Autoplay in
Windows XP
Q| Usually when
I insert a DVD
or CD into my
computer, Windows
XP detects what type
tSet DVDs to open
with a different program
worldmags & avaxhome
NO PROBLEM! Q&A RR
R READERS TO THE RESCUE
Q| I have lost the option for
hibernation on my laptop
in the shutdown menu and in
the power options for closing
the lid. How do I get it back? I
am running Windows XP.
Gordon Miller
A| Hibernation has to be
enabled before it appears
as an option in these menus.
More questions and answers at www.computeractive.co.uk/forums
of disc it is in a few seconds and
Windows Media Player
automatically launches and plays
whatever is on it.
This has stopped happening
now, so I have to load Windows
Media Player myself and
manually select the disk before it
will play the content.
Dave Davies
A| Windows XP usually
displays a menu when you
put a disc in the drive, but it can
be disabled if you choose the
option for ‘Take no action’,
which can also prevent the
menu from appearing in the
future if you tick the box labelled
‘Always do the selected action’.
However, it is easy to turn
autoplay on again.
Windows can be set up to use a
different program depending on
the content that is stored on the
disc you put in the drive, such as
music, video or photos.
To do this, click the Start
icon and click on My Computer
or double-click on the My
Computer icon on the desktop
to open a Windows Explorer
window. Then right-click on your
DVD drive and choose properties
from the menu.
Click on the Autoplay tab in
the window that appears. Click
the down arrow at the top to
display a menu where you can
choose from different types of
content that might be stored on a
disc. This includes DVD video,
music CDs, and pictures.
For each type of disc you
regularly use in your computer,
Choose the option ‘Select an
action to perform’ then Play
using Windows Media Player, or
another program if you prefer.
When you are done, click OK
to save the settings.
Alternatively, if you wish to
24 June - 7 July 2010
Click on the Start Button
and then on Control Panel.
Double-click on the Power
Options icon or click on
Performance and Maintenance
and then on Power Options.
Click on the Hibernate tab
and select the option Enable
hibernation. Click on OK.
Richard Whitten
change the program Windows
loads when you put a disc in the
drive, just select a different
option or program in the list
of actions. You can disable
autoplay by choosing ‘Take
no action’.
If you wish the menu to appear
each time you put a disc in the
drive, choose ‘Prompt me each
time’ to choose an action.
If you have multiple DVD
drives in your computer you will
need to perform this procedure
to adjust the autoplay settings for
each drive individually.
Restore the remove icon
Q| I recently installed
Windows 7 on my PC and
it no longer shows the Safely
Remove Hardware icon in the
Notification Area when I plug a
USB device into the PC. How can
I get it back?
Brian Cole-Hamilton
A| Windows 7 displays the
icon, but by default it hides
icons from the Notification Area
to prevent it becoming cluttered.
You can force Windows to always
show the icon.
Click the arrow on the left
of the Notification Area, which
shows all the hidden icons in the
Notification Area, and click
Customize. Scroll down for
the option labelled Windows
Explorer, with Safely remove
and eject hardware underneath
it. Click the arrow to the right
of this to display a menu,
and choose ‘Show icon and
notifications’ to make Windows
always display it in the
notification area.
You can do this for the other
hidden icons as well. However,
if you would prefer them not to
appear, choose ‘Hide icon and
notifications’ from the menu. G
www.computeractive.co.uk 59
 BACK TO
BASICS USE PDF FILES

Share files
the easy way
Portable Document Format, or PDF, files are all over the internet. Find out what
they are, what to do with them and how to make your own using free software

T
he Portable Document t The red and white
Format (PDF) is the icon on websites
favoured file format for indicates a PDF file
millions of documents
stored on the web and eAlong with text and
distributed via email every day. graphics, PDFs can
In this Back To Basics article include clickable links
we will look at how and why the
format came about, as well how
to download, view and navigate
PDF files. For good measure, we will also explain how
you can make your own PDFs using free software.

PDF past and present

eAdobe Reader is available as
a free download from the Adobe
website. Use it to open and read
PDF files
The original idea behind the creation of the Portable
Document Format was to solve a problem faced by
millions of computer users in the early 1990s: sharing
documents was complicated by a mess of incompatible
hardware, applications and operating system software.
Adobe’s plan with PDF was to create a document file
format that could be viewed on many types of
computer, regardless of
the hardware or
software. Adobe
developed a commercial Get Adobe Reader
program called Acrobat The easiest way to understand what PDFs are all about
for creating PDFs and is to download the free Reader program. Launch a web
then sold it to browser, type www.snipca.com/x1578 into the Address
companies, individuals or Location bar and hit Enter. Remove the ticks from
and institutions who the ‘Also install’ boxes (unless you really want the other
needed to create and products on offer) and click the big yellow Download
distribute documents button. If the browser displays a warning, follow the
electronically. instructions on the web page to dismiss it (it’s nothing
Then it developed a to worry about) and continue with the download. Then
free ‘companion’ at the next dialogue box click the Install button. Sit back
program called Reader and wait for Reader to download and install. When it’s
that could open, but not finished click the Close Download Manager button.
edit, those same After you have installed Adobe Reader, the next thing
documents. Adobe’s plan to do is find a PDF document to view. The Brighton
proved popular and Festival has produced several brochures for its Artists’
today many companies Open Houses. They are a combination of text, pictures,
and individuals create web addresses and email details, and perfect fodder for
and share documents as a PDF document. Visit www.snipca.com/x1607 and then
PDF files. click the link to one of the online brochures.

60 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 BACK TO
USE PDF FILES BASICS

JARGON
B U S T E R
Techno babble demystified...

Desktop The background

area on screen where
Windows files and icons
appear.

Dialogue box A window

that pops up to display or
request information.

Double-click To click
twice quickly in succession
on a mouse button.

Field In a database, a field

is an individual container
that can hold a particular
At the next screen click any of the type of information. For
tours and then at the following example, if you have a
screen click the PDF icon. contacts list of your
When the Adobe licence dialogue customers, each entry is
box appears click Accept (this will called a record and the
only happen the first time Reader various parts of each
launches). After a moment the PDF record are called fields.
will open in a new browser window.
Hard disk A high-capacity
Reading a PDF disk fitted in almost all PCs
Adobe Reader enables you to view and used to store
PDFs within a web browser or applications and files.
directly from Windows with no
internet connection required. If you Hardware Hardware
are viewing a PDF file in a browser, describes the physical
it can be saved to the computer’s components of your PC,
hard disk by clicking the Save button such as the monitor and
in the toolbar that appears just keyboard.
below the browser’s Address or
Location bar. Now choose a 9Click the double-page icon to navigate long PDFs using a thumbnail view Hyperlink A clickable
destination such as the Windows link on a web page or in
Desktop and click Save once more. Find the browser. Similarly, clicking on an email address in the a document that takes
downloaded file on the Desktop and then double-click same document will launch your email program with you elsewhere, such as
to load it into Adobe Reader. the address already inserted in the To field. to another website or a
The toolbar along the top contains various navigation later page.
aids. The up and down arrows move a page at a time, for Get involved
example, while the ‘+’ and ‘-’ change the magnification PDFs are remarkably useful, not to mention widespread Operating system
level. Note, too, the Find box, which you can use to online. You will find them used on all manner of Governs the way hardware
search for words or phrases contained within the PDF. websites for distributing maps, manuals, brochures, and software components in
Also, a click on the little double page icon at the top of academic papers, property details, electronic forms, a computer work together.
the column on the left will show all the pages in the historical documents and more.
PDF as thumbnails. To print a PDF, click the Print icon. And with Adobe Reader installed on your computer Thumbnail A small image
Notice that as well as text and pictures there are and the basics of navigating pages under your belt, you used to give a quick preview
hyperlinks, just like the ones on web pages. Click a link are ready to view them all. of a larger image.
and the page will be duly opened in the default web Rob Beattie
Toolbar A strip of icons

R HOW TO CREATE PDFs that runs across the top of

Making PDFs traditionally required
Adobe’s expensive Acrobat software, but
since PDF became an open standard a
couple of years ago lots of free creation
tools have cropped up.
Microsoft offers a free add-in for
Microsoft Office 2007, for instance – get it
from www.snipca.com/x1471. Follow the
instructions to download and install it and
the next time you choose the Save As
option in an Office application you will be
able to save the document as a PDF.
most Windows applications.
Alternatively, installing a tool such as Used to provide quick
PDF Creator (www.snipca.com/x1579) access to certain important
will add a new ‘printer’, called PDF features, such as saving
Creator, accessible from any application and printing.
with a Print command. Just select the PDF
Creator printer to create a PDF file. For full definitions visit:
www.computeractive.co.uk

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 61

worldmags & avaxhome
 CONSUMERACTIVE!

CA
consumeractive@computeractive.co.uk

GET SOME Consumeractive sticks up for your

ANSWERS! investigated, get in touch
PVR PROBLEMS
My Humax 9200T personal video
recorder (PVR) is not working
properly. It loads the programme
guide data slowly and will only play
for a few minutes before the picture
freezes and the remote will not
work. I bought it two years ago and it is
still under warranty. Humax says this is a
software problem and an update will be
available but we do not know when.
Mrs T Marsland
This PVR is unlikely to be
CASE inherently faulty and
SOLVED
appears only to be
vulnerable to the complex changes taking
place to the UK broadcast infrastructure.
In August 2008 and September 2009, we
reported that upgrades to the Freeview
digital TV system rendered thousands of
digital set-top boxes useless.
Continued changes have also affected
certain Humax PVRs because a higher
volume of information now has to be
loaded on to them.
Mrs Marsland wants to know what
legal redress she has. Warranties are legally
binding on the company that offers them,
but can and usually do have specific
exclusion clauses. But you don’t have to rely
on a warranty thanks to statutory consumer
law such as the Sale of Goods (SoG) Act.
A favourite phrase people use under this
law is ‘not fit for purpose’. But this
protection does not cover developments in
rights. If there’s an issue you want
technology or standards that the
manufacturer or seller has no say in or
control over. A manufacturer does not
legally have to provide a hardware, software
or firmware update unless a device
was sold promising this.
What does‘fit for purpose’mean?
In essence this term means that the
product must do what the retailer or
manufacturer says it will do.
For example if you buy a camera that
says it is able to record video and still
images, then it must do both.
The good news is that Humax has
been working on a software upgrade.
The company told us: “We are very
aware that some customers have been
experiencing a slowdown in operation
and usability issues with our PVR models.
Resolving these issues has been a priority.
But unfortunately, due to the complex
nature of the issues, it has taken longer
than we had hoped to develop
new software to sort out the
PVR issues.”
By the time this issue of
Computeractive is published,
however, the updates will have
been released. To receive
updates over the air,
you should leave your
box on standby
overnight. If you miss
this you can download
the update from
www.snipca.com/x1613.
tA manufacturer does not legally
have to provide updates for a device
Changes to technology that the
manufacturer or retailer has no control
over, do not make a product unfit for
purpose. So if you buy a new computer and
your old printer is not compatible with it,
then you have no claim.

Collateral damage
I sent an Asus netbook
bought from Currys in March
this year back for repair. It had
a fault with coloured lines
running across the screen.
When I contacted Currys and
asked for an update I was told to
contact Asus for a report.
Asus, however, said there is a
crack on the screen and it is
distorted down the right-hand
side. I was told that I would have
to pay £161 to get it repaired.
When I contacted Currys
about the damage, which had
not been there originally, the
manager called me a liar. He
said that although I had a docket
noting only the problem with
coloured lines on the screen, he
believed the assistant would have
written whatever I had asked. I
take this to mean asking him to
omit this damage.
Trevor Snowley
If the conversation
CASE
ONGOING with the manager
happened as Mr
Snowley claims, to accuse a
customer of deliberately
misleading the store based on a
suspicion is appalling.
Mr Snowley says he has a
written and signed document
from Currys that says the only
problem with the netbook was
coloured lines across the screen.
If this documentation does not
mention a cracked screen, he has
the law on his side. Because it
would be difficult to disguise this
kind of damage, Currys would
have to prove that both Mr
Snowley and the shop assistant
colluded to hide the damage.
There is obviously damage to
the netbook. How this damage
was caused is a matter between
Currys and Asus and has nothing
to do with Mr Snowley. Unless
the retailer wants to legally
challenge the documentation
held by Mr Snowley, it has to
provide a replacement or refund.
Mr Snowley does not have to
wait for a repair for damage that
occurred when the computer was
not in his possession.
We have contacted Currys to
ask the company to investigate.
Unexpected setup fee
I had a broadband and phone
package with Tiscali for years.
When I was called by Talk Talk at
the beginning of April asking if I

62 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome

wanted to move to its services, I
agreed and was told that there
would be no installation fee as
Tiscali was a ‘sister company’.
However, a month later when
the welcome pack had not
arrived I called Talk Talk and was
told the transfer had not gone
through. My Tiscali service was
cut off but for the rest of May
each time I called Talk Talk I had
to reapply for its broadband and
phone service. Then at the start
of June I was told that I had to
pay installation costs of £39.99
because the Tiscali service had
ceased which now meant I could
not just transfer the service.
Ronald Plyer
We have had a
CASE number of
ONGOING
complaints from
ex-Tiscali customers since Talk
Talk bought this internet service
provider (ISP) last year.
Part of the problem could be
because Talk Talk is moving
Tiscali customers over to its fully
unbundled local loop network.
A fully unbundled local loop
is when a communications
provider such as Talk Talk
installs its own equipment in (or
close to) BT exchanges in order
to connect end-user lines to their
own network. This allows these
companies to offer a complete
range of broadband and voice
services without having to use
BT’s main network. It is one of
the main reasons the price of
broadband has fallen over the
past few years and more services
can be offered to consumers. But
this is no excuse for the problems
Mr Plyer has experience.
We don’t believe Talk Talk
should be charging Mr Plyer the
installation costs because it has
had problems migrating his
service. We have asked the
company to investigate so it can
get Mr Plyer, who has been
without a broadband internet
connection for more than a
month, back online quickly.
Chilly response
In issue 320 we
CASE explained how
UPDATE
contacting the
wrong company about goods that
turn out to be inherently faulty
can turn into a nightmare.
We were contacted by Mrs
Antonia Watson who had a
problem with a Cooler ebook
reader that she had been given as
a Christmas present.
She had problems with it within
the first week. But instead of
contacting the store where it was
bought, in this case Argos, she
sent it to the manufacturer for
repair. This is a common mistake,
as people think because the goods
have a brand name, they should
deal directly with the
manufacturer. The misconception
is reinforced by retailers who
often tell their customers to “talk
to the manufacturer”.
Mrs Watson was not happy to
be sent a reconditioned unit by
the manufacturer and even less
amused when it started
malfunctioning within a couple
of weeks. She was also not happy
that it then refused her a refund.
The Sale of Goods Act states
that a consumer does not have to
QUICK TIPS: CONSUMER RIGHTS CLINIC
Suspect sign-up
I have received an email invoice
from a company I have never heard
of. It says I owe £30 because I have
signed up for music downloads. I
did visit the site mentioned but did
not sign for anything.
Don Lowther
If you have not signed up for a service
don’t get scared into paying for
something you have never ordered.
You don’t want these criminals getting
hold of your card details. Run your
anti-virus software to make sure no
unwanted software has been
surreptitiously downloaded. Although
the site is probably hosted abroad and
the company does not exist, make a
note of the web address and email
contact and report this to Consumer
Direct and the Office of Fair Trading.
worldmags & avaxhome
CONSUMERACTIVE RR
tA faulty item should be returned
to the store where it was bought
put up with repeated repairs
and can demand a refund or
a replacement. However, the
law is not clear about how
many repairs a customer has
to put up with.
The Law Commission of
England and Wales and the
Scottish Law Commission
want this clarified. They feel
the retailer should have one
shot at repairing a product,
and after that the consumer
should be able to demand a
replacement or pro-rata refund.
However, even if such a
clarification is finally made, the
manufacturer in this case was not
responsible for giving a refund.
A customer’s contract is with
the retailer; in this case Argos.
And the contract is between
Argos and the friend who bought
the device, not Mrs Watson. Also,
as her friend was seriously ill, she
didn’t like to bother him for the
receipt or proof of purchase. She
also pointed out that even if the
receipt was found, he was not
well enough to complain.
We contacted Argos and
explained the situation. It has
offered Mrs Watson vouchers for
the full price of the ebook reader.
We think this is a good
compromise, considering she has
no contract with Argos and
therefore can’t demand a refund.
Misleading adverts
An online trader is sending me
adverts that I think are misleading.
The offers always seem to be
just sold out or out of stock and
the website suggests more
expensive alternatives.
Molly Webster
This trader could be breaking the
Consumer Protection regulations. This
law introduced in 2008 makes it an
offence to mislead consumers. Certain
practices are banned, including luring
people to a site by claiming to have
goods for sale that don’t exist. It is also
illegal for a trader to falsely state that
a product will only be available for a
short time to elicit an immediate sale.
The trader should be reported to
Consumer Direct so this consumer
rights organisation can investigate.
24 June - 7 July 2010
SHOP SMART!
GET YOUR POINT OVER
Stay calm
Explaining the situation calmly is more
likely to persuade someone to help.
Keep documents, emails
and receipts
Letters, order confirmations and other
official agreements are the best weapon.
Gather the facts
Before writing, phoning or emailing,
organise yourself. Write down key points.
Don’t rely solely on email
Websites based in the UK are obliged to
provide a postal address for complaints,
so ask for it and use recorded delivery.
Don’t isolate yourself
Try our web links below for more tips.
G A guide to the small claims
court procedure
www.computeractive.co.uk/2013909
G The BBC’s Consumer Page ‘how
to complain’ tips
www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/
how_to_complain
G Consumer Direct’s guide to
effective complaining
www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/
after_you_buy
WE CAN HELP
NEED SOME FREE ADVICE?
CONTACT US VIA EMAIL:
consumeractive@computeractive.co.uk
or at: Consumeractive,
Computeractive, Incisive Media,
32-34 Broadwick St, London W1A 2HG,
Please include both your phone
number and address. Unfortunately,
we can’t reply to all your letters.
Mobile return rejected
I want to return a mobile phone I
ordered online but the Ebay seller
will not take it back and give me a
refund. Should I complain to Ebay?
John Prescott
If the Ebay seller is a private
individual they do not have to take
back items or give a refund as they
do not have to comply with
consumer law. However, if the seller
is a sole trader then they do have to
abide by UK consumer laws
including the Distance Selling
Regulations and Sale of Goods Act.
In cases where a sole trader ignores
the law the buyer can complain to
Ebay and their local Trading
Standards office. The buyer can also
lodge a case in the small claims court
against such sellers.
www.computeractive.co.uk 63
Special offers from

Browse, order, download. It’s that simple.

SAVE
64%
Uniblue
PowerSuite 2010
Includes 3-PC, 1-Year license &
Free System Tweaker 2010
A comprehensive set of maintenance tools for cleaning up,
repairing and optimising your PC.

RRP £79.90 SAVE £50.95 OUR PRICE £28.95

SAVE SAVE SAVE

55%
Acronis
True Image 2010
This great package gives you
reliable backup and recovery of
your operating system, applications,
settings and personal files.
71%
AVG
Internet Security
This complete online protection suite
includes virus and spyware protection
a powerful firewall, identity protection,
an anti-spam tool and much more.
40%
Laplink PCmover
Professional
This program helps you easily
move all of your software, music,
documents, web browser settings
and more to a new computer.

RRP £39.95 SAVE £21.97 RRP £54.99 SAVE £39.04 RRP £33.25 SAVE £13.30
OUR PRICE £17.98 OUR PRICE £15.95 OUR PRICE £19.95

PLACE YOUR ORDER TODAY!

http://store.computeractive.co.uk
worldmags & avaxhome
CA INVESTIGATES
An in-depth look at the latest technology
WE INVESTIGATE: Smart energy meters
and consumer rights issues
S
mart energy meters
are being installed by
electricity suppliers across
the UK. They are the latest
digital devices that allow utility
companies and their customers
to keep an eye on consumption
of electricity and gas.
The government planned for
every home in the UK to have a
smart meter installed by the year
2020, although the reluctance of
some power companies to install
them means we may not see
them appearing en masse until
around 2013.
However, some utility
companies have begun trials and
others have said they will start
soon. The first company to issue
smart meters was the aptly
named First Utility, which has
been installing the meters in
homes of new customers since
September 2008. British Gas has
also started sending out what it
calls Energysmart meters to
customers on certain tariffs.
What is a smart meter?
Smart meters are not to be
confused with the home energy
monitors that you may have seen
(we have reviewed several – see
www.snipca.com/x1628). Those
monitors are known in the
industry as indirect metering
devices. They work by having a
sensor clamped on to the live
supply wire of your home’s
electricity to measure the
consumption based on the
signals coming through the wire.
A transmitter then connects
to the sensor to send data
wirelessly to a small monitor so
the customer can read the energy
consumption. These can be
useful devices but the data is
‘second-hand’. This is because
the meter cannot measure the
power coming directly into the
home from the energy company,
so the readings from the monitor
are only estimates.
A smart meter, however,
replaces the conventional gas
and electricity meters in the
home, which is why it has to be
installed by the company. The
meter continuously monitors
9Smart Meter users can monitor their energy use over time
what is going into the home and
can also provide notifications
for events such as power cuts.
It can also check the power
quality and calculate the home’s
carbon footprint.
Generally, with a smart meter,
the energy company will receive
an electricity reading from the
meter every half an hour and a
gas usage reading every day. Each
smart meter has a mobile phone
Sim card installed, and the
readings are sent over the mobile
phone network.
Benefits to consumers
We spoke to Bill Wilkins of First
Utility, who said smart meters
should end the problem of
estimated bills, which can be too
high. While the main benefit is to
the power companies, which can
cut costs by using fewer human
meter readers, the new devices
can also save customers money.
Users can monitor their usage
history to see how they have
been using electricity and gas
and where they can cut back.
Mr Wilkins said: “Our
experience is that smart meters
make customers more aware of
their energy usage. It’s hard to
control energy consumption.
After all, if you want a cup of tea
you are going to boil that kettle.
But it can show what we call
the background load, which is
when electrical and electronic
appliances are used at night or
when people are at work. For
example switching off lights or
worldmags & avaxhome
heating and
not leaving
equipment such as TVs and
computers on standby.”
It’s not all good news
A smart meter will usually be
installed in a cupboard and no
monitoring device is supplied, so
the readings are not as visible or
accessible as those from indirect
monitors. However, many power
companies are planning internet
sites and mobile phone
applications for customers to
monitor usage.
There are also concerns
about privacy. In the US,
which has many more smart
meters than the UK, privacy
organisations are concerned
about who will get the data,
how it may be used and whether
other companies will have
access to the information.
Jules Polonetsky, an American
privacy expert, said: “Imagine a
device that could tell an observer
everything you do in your home,
down to how often you eat
microwave dinners, how often
you wash your towels, and even
what brand of washer-dryer you
wash them in.”
He highlighted that utility
companies can also turn off
people’s electrical devices. One
power company in Maryland
proposed discounts to customers
who allowed it to remotely
switch off or turn down their
home air conditioning units at
peak times on hot days.
24 June - 7 July 2010
RR
This is not to say this will
happen in the UK or even
that we should be worried.
Legislation here governs how
long companies can keep a
customer’s data and what they
are allowed to do with it. The
Department for Energy and
Climate Change says that,
rather than meter data going
directly to the power company
as happens now, it wants the
data collected by smart meters
to go through a third-party
company which would take
responsibility for it, filter it
and then pass it on to power
companies for billing.
Finally, the cost of installing
the meters is likely to be passed
on to customers in higher gas and
electricity prices, although the
expectation is that the lower
consumption that results will
mean lower bills overall (by 2020
the average saving is expected to
be £28 a year).
Dinah Greek
Our verdict
Smart meters have
enormous potential for
monitoring and controlling our
energy usage. This can aid
people financially and help us
meet climate change goals.
But there are drawbacks.
Although the meters have to
be installed without charge,
companies will have to pay
for them somehow.
Other concerns include
privacy, data security and
‘interoperability’ (what
happens to your meter if you
switch energy provider), and
these are yet to be answered.
HAVE YOUR SAY!
Your say
Have you been offered or issued with
a smart meter by your power
company? Do you use an ‘indirect’
electricity monitor? Does it work?
Have you saved money? Let us
know by emailing
letters@computeractive.co.uk
www.computeractive.co.uk 65
 LETTERS
YOUR SAY Ru
Your opinion counts! Join the debate on any issue raised in Computeractive

u
Scareware awareness

R
After reading your
article about scareware
in issue 318, I had the same
problem described within an
hour. A window appeared telling
me my computer was infected,
and it would not let me use any
connections on the internet or
the AVG security functions.
I went into the Windows Safe
Mode, performed a full scan and
restarted the PC but still no go.
Then a window appeared telling
me there was a problem with my
proxy. I clicked the Fix button
and the problem was solved. The
fake anti-virus program was
called Antivirus Soft so if any of
your readers see the same thing
they know what to avoid.
T Chasney
STAR LETTER
A question of trust
I recently returned home from a trip to Australia.
While I was out there I had been using my credit
card for a few days when it was suddenly blocked.
After an expensive phone call to the credit card
company back in the UK I was told that my card
would be unblocked but in future when I am
travelling overseas I should notify the company of
the date I leave the UK, the country I am travelling
to and the date on which I will be returning.
I appreciate that if this applies to everyone in
this country who travels overseas it will help to cut
down on credit card fraud but I am not sure the
home insurance companies will be best pleased to
know that this sensitive information about which
houses are empty and when the owners are going
to return is lying about in filing cabinets and on
hard disks all over the country – especially when

u
Last week I was
subjected to a scareware
attack that took control of my
computer. I was unable to do
anything and could not even log
on to the internet. It was totally
beyond me. I am using Windows
Vista Home Premium with
Windows Defender and the
free version of AVG. Luckily I
had updated these just before
the scareware struck but it
overrode them.
I phoned my ISP, which, after
some time, cleared the mess up
and got rid of the scareware – at
a cost, of course, but I cannot
complain as I have got my
computer back and it is now in
full working order.
Maurice Jones
you remember how often sensitive information
seems to go walkabout from big organisations.
There are quite a few areas in modern life that
we just have to take on trust.
An example would be the discussion about
online backup in the Letters page of issue 321. We
trust that when a company says it will keep our
online backups secure, it will do so. In this case we
trust that the banks will keep our information
private. It is certainly plausible that a database
HAVE YOUR SAY. WRITE TO US!
Computeractive, Incisive Media, 32-34 Broadwick St,
London W1A 2HG.
Each issue the writer of our Star Letter will receive
a prize. This issue we are giving away a copy of
Nuance Paperport Professional 12, which will help
you scan your documents for filing and later use.
Paperport will also perform Optical Character
Recognition (OCR) on the scanned documents so
Ray Dewey
such as this could leak or that a rogue employee at
a bank could feed it to his friends who would go
and burgle the houses. But the chances of that are
slim, particularly as there would be extremely
stiff penalties for any company found allowing
this to happen.
We have not heard of any such breaches but if we
do, we will let you know in the news pages of
Computeractive and on the website.
letters@computeractive.co.uk
you can make full use of on the computer. It will
work with any scanner that’s connected to your
computer, and the new version will even work with
pictures of documents taken using a digital
camera. Nuance Paperport Professional 12 is worth
£100. We cannot offer technical assistance or reply

u
Shortsighted solution
As a retired optometrist,
I was interested in
Alfred Miller’s letter (No
Problem, issue 321) about eye
strain. He did not mention his
friend’s age or whether she had
had a recent eye examination.
But there is little point in
adjusting her monitor if the
lady’s eyesight is the root cause.
Many people are unaware of
the minor vision defects that
that they’re not just stored as picture files – they personally to correspondence but all letters are
become searchable, editable text documents that read by our staff.
for “ruining their eyesight”. have small sight defects or I suggest that Mr Miller’s
Firstly, users should check that muscle imbalances that make it friend gets these factors checked
the ambient lighting (the light tiring to direct both eyes at a task. out. Over 60s can get a free
level in the room) is comfortable. Older people will find that NHS sight test, and employees
You should not have to look up at their reading glasses are focused regularly using computer screens
the screen. It should be set with too closely for a monitor. A lower should be able to arrange a full
the top of the display at eye prescription would be better, check via their employers.
level so you are looking slightly tailored to your working Josephine Bailey
down. Many people, when distance. Remember that few

cause no problems in daily life
but the concentration that is
involved in looking at a computer
screen can be uncomfortable and
the poor old PC gets the blame
concentrating, tend to blink less
frequently, so their eyes become
dry and sore. Try to take short
breaks from the screen.
Even those with ‘perfect vision’
u
people have identical focus in Keep your backup safe
both eyes, so over-the-counter I agree with Heather
reading glasses, while not Harvey, whose letter
harmful, are unlikely to be was published in issue 320,
suitable for concentrated vision. about backups.

66 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome

You should never keep
backups with your computer.
Burglaries, fires, accidents and
lost equipment would all cause a
problem if the backup is stored
with the computer.
Terry Redhead
This issue we’ve reviewed a
fireproof hard disk that will
solve some of those problems
(see page 20) but even that will
not stop a determined (and
strong) thief.
u
Recycle Epson cartridges
In issue 321 of
Computeractive you
included an envelope in which
to return used inkjet cartridges
for recycling for charity. Printed
on this envelope was the usual
proviso that Epson cartridges
could not be recycled. Your
readers may be interested to
learn that Epson will take back
its own used cartridges for
recycling, free.
Visit www.snipca.com/x1623.
Here you may request a supply of
prepaid envelopes in which to
return the used cartridges. These
take a few days to arrive by post
and only one cartridge may be
returned in each envelope.
Take care to use the Epson
recycling service, as other
commercial organisations
charge for their services.
Derek Grey
u
iPad disagreement
I like your magazine
but I disagree with your
reviewer’s opinion about the
iPad, that it’s “OK for
non-demanding users”.
This is the portable
device of the future for
every business user.
Your reviewer did not
appreciate that iWork
(Apple’s office suite) is
available for a pittance
for the device. I use
Bento (Apple’s personal
database) on my iPad
and synchronise it with
my Mac. With my
Mobile.me subscription
(also available on
Windows PCs) I can keep
large documents saved on
qBob Stringer says the iPad is
ideal for the serious business user
the internet and consult them
whenever necessary. Mail,
Contacts and web browsing were
not mentioned, all of which
contain valuable tools for the
serious business user. In future,
please arrange for a proper
relevant review, by someone who
knows what he is talking about.
Bob Stringer
All our reviews (and all
reviews in other publications
too) are based on opinion and
when we form ours it is in the
context of the readership of
Computeractive. In that context,
our reviewer was looking at the
product from the perspective
of home users, not business. Like
all our reviews it was also written
by an expert – in this case one
who specialises in Mac products.
Most technology-savvy users
will already be aware of the
benefits for them of using an
iPad, but we wanted to
emphasise that it’s also an
excellent computer for people
who have previously been too
scared or confused by the way a
computer works. In fact, one
Computeractive staff member
has already bought an iPad for his
elderly mother, who is delighted
with it, having never used a
computer before.
u
Office alternatives
I read the CA
Investigates page in
issue 320 which was about
Microsoft Office. I bought my
first computer, a desktop model,
in January 2000. It did not have
Microsoft Office installed but it
did have Microsoft Word
worldmags & avaxhome
and that included the Document
Map tool, which was very helpful
when writing long stories.
I now have a newer laptop,
bought in November 2007. This
had a trial version of Microsoft
Office that included Microsoft
Word and the Document Map,
but it also included a full version
of a different word processor
that produced document files
ending in WPS. These were
incompatible with the DOC files
produced by Word. Also, there
was no Document Map.
I resent paying extra for
Microsoft Office as I use my PC
mainly for emails, but I think that
not having Microsoft Word and
the Document Map incorporated
into my laptop as standard
is annoying.
Norman Samuels
The second program you
refer to is Microsoft Works,
which was a cut-down
collection of office programs
(word processor, spreadsheet
and so on) that Microsoft
supplied with some new
computers (and which was also
available to buy separately).
Microsoft Word is part of
the more expensive Office
collection, but to confuse
matters, for a while Microsoft
included Word with some copies
of Works, which meant that
some people had both Word
and Works on their computers.
And as you have discovered,
the files created by each were
not compatible.
We agree it was confusing.
Now, with the release of Office
2010, things are a bit better.
Microsoft has killed off Works
and it has been replaced by
something called Office
Starter edition, which will
include proper (but
cut-down) versions of
Word and Excel, with
compatible files. But it’s
only available with new
computers.
Corrections
Our Livescribe Pulse
review (issue 321) had
the wrong score,
unjustly robbing the
product of an award.
Instead of the four
stars we gave it, the
24 June - 7 July 2010
LETTERS RR
JARGON
B U S T E R
Techno babble demystified...
Anti-virus Software that detects
and cleans virus-infected files.
Database An organised body of
related information.
Differential A backup that stores
only the information changed since
the last full backup was taken.
Hard disk A high-capacity disk
fitted in almost all PCs used to store
applications and files.
Incremental An incremental
backup stores only the information
that has changed since the last
incremental backup was made.
Inkjet printer Type of printer that
squirts tiny dots of ink onto the page.
ISP Internet Service Provider. A
company that provides you with an
internet connection.
Proxy server A computer that sits
between your PC and the internet.
Safe Mode A way of starting
Windows safely to run basic checks
and repairs if a PC is behaving oddly.
Scareware A type of malicious
software that attempts to alarm you
into installing dangerous software.
Spreadsheet Software for
creating sheets of calculations, set
out in rows and columns.
For full definitions visit:
www.computeractive.co.uk
product should have been given
five stars and our Buy It award.
All other details remain as
printed and the website article
(www.computeractive.co.uk/
2262589) shows the correct score.
In our feature on backing up in
issue 320 we got a detail wrong
about the Macrium Reflect
backup software. Contrary to
what we said, the free version of
the program does allow
scheduled backups, although it
does not allow for differential or
incremental backups.
Apologies on both counts.
www.computeractive.co.uk 67
 INTERACTIVE
BEST OF THE WEB What’s your favourite website?
Tell us at letters@computeractive.co.uk
and we’ll print the best

Create a floor plan and play with some music before getting creative with the Graphics Fairy

YOU ND...
OM ME
REC

Roomle.com graphicsfairy.blogspot.com
A great tool for planning rooms or entire Another website with some useful craft
floors. There are lots of furnishings and project ideas and images that can be
even a 3D view of the finished design. used on websites.

How the Great Clock works

www.snipca.com/x1594
How the Great Clock works is a page explaining how the clock that rings Big Ben
works and why it is so accurate. The ringing is accurate because of a mechanism www.echogenesis.com www.wired.com/geekdad
that moves the hammers into a ready position just before the right time. And there is Echo Genesis is an innovative website The best technology should be fun in
the famous shelf with old-style pennies used to adjust the stroke of the pendulum. that lets you make music by clicking or our opinion. Geekdad has everything
David Panton moving pictures on screen. from Star Wars to Lego.

THE BEST FREE TOOLS FOR YOUR PC

Edit your videos, back up important documents, take notes and protect your PC from viruses

COMODO SAFARI 5 SONY VEGAS JARNAL URANIUM

INTERNET MOVIE STUDIO BACKUP FREE
SECURITY The latest version of Apple’s A free alternative to Microsoft
web browser for Windows PCs Sony Vegas Movie Studio is a Onenote, Jarnal can be used to Uranium can run scheduled
Internet Security protects your comes with a Reader mode for powerful video-editing take notes. It works best with backups of important
computer with a combined reading long documents program with a clean interface. pen input, but can use the documents to a variety of safe
firewall and anti-virus scanner. uninterrupted by adverts. Try it free for 30 days. keyboard and mouse as well. places, including optical discs.
Type: Freeware Type: Freeware Type: Time-limited demo Type: Freeware Type: Freeware
File size: 2.8MB File size: 31.1MB File size: 102.5MB File size: 12.3MB File size: 8.1MB
Overall: ##### Overall: ##### Overall: ##### Overall: ##### Overall: #####
Download from: Download from: Download from: Download from: Download from:
www.computeractive.co.uk/ www.computeractive.co.uk/ www.computeractive.co.uk/ www.computeractive.co.uk/ www.computeractive.co.uk/
2229556 2264344 2264345 2238911 2217802

68 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010

worldmags & avaxhome
 INTERACTIVE RR

COMPETITION
WIN a copy of Magix Music
Maker 16 XXL
Make music using your computer with this
software and Midi keyboard set

Y
our computer can work as a
powerful music studio but if
you want to include
instruments you don’t own or play,
a Midi keyboard can fill in the gaps.
Using a Midi keyboard can add
these instruments to a track and
Computeractive has teamed up
with Magix to offer three winners
Music Maker 16 XXL that includes a
Midi keyboard and software. Six
runners up will receive a copy of
Music Maker 16.
The keyboard has 49 full-size
keys that respond to how hard you
play so you can record music with
feeling. It has a pitch bend wheel
and a modulation wheel that can be
used to control effects as you play.
WHAT YOU
CAN WIN
Three lucky winners will
each receive a copy of
Music Maker 16 XXL.
Six runners-up will
receive a copy of
Music Maker 16
The keyboard connects to the
computer with a USB cable and it
also has a standard Midi socket so
it can also be connected to other
audio equipment.
Magix Music Maker 16 XXL can
be used to create music by
dragging and dropping snippets of
music called samples onto a
timeline. It can also record music
with the keyboard using
synthesisers that mimic real
instruments or create whole new
sounds.This latest version of Music
Maker has a new amp simulator for Question
recording guitar and audio effects. How many keys does the Music
For your chance to one this great Maker 16 XXL have?
computer, answer the question A. 25
shown on the right by visiting our B. 49
competition web page at C. 61
www.computeractive.co.uk/
competitions before 9 July 2010. Enter Free at:
For more details about Music www.computeractive.co.uk/competitions
Maker visit: www.magix.com/uk

ONLINE VIDEO PICKS OF THE FORTNIGHT

A thin-and-light laptop, a printer made from Lego and a pen that scans whatever you draw

LENOVO ELITE OXFORD

THINKPAD EDGE
LAPTOP
Lenovo is usually associated with
business computers but the Thinkpad
Edge is a good choice for home users
too, as it’s relatively light and not
particularly expensive. The model we
reviewed has a 13.3in glossy screen,
320GB hard disk and full-size keys,
making it a joy to type on.
Watch online at:
www.computeractive.co.uk/2264209
A PRINTER MADE
FROM LEGO
Lego is a truly versatile toy, as it seems
anything can be constructed from its
little coloured bricks. This now includes
a fully working Lego computer printer,
which is helped by the addition of some
electronics and a felt pen. Although it
isn’t exactly fast, we’re fairly sure
nothing else like it exists.
Watch online at:
www.snipca.com/x1610
PAPERSHOW
SCANNING PEN
The Papershow is a combination of a
special pen and paper that will record
what you draw, with a tiny scanner in
the pen that picks up a pattern of dots to
track its position. It lets you draw and
print a design from an image, then
annotate it in real-time, but is an
expensive way to take notes.
Watch online at:
www.computeractive.co.uk/2263499
A GIANT WALL OF
PROGRAMS
At Apple’s annual WWDC conference,
the company both likes to demonstrate
its new products and showcase its
current ones. This year a giant video
wall made from multiple 24in screens
was used to show how popular its App
Store is, with falling blocks representing
every time a program was downloaded.
Watch online at:
www.snipca.com/x1609

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 69

worldmags & avaxhome
subscribe to Money
guaran-back

Computeractive If you
with C
cance
a
tee:
re not
ompu
l and
totally
teract
receiv
ive
satisfie
write t
d
o

for only
refund e a fu
ll
un-ma on all
iled is
sues

£50.70
£27.97
Subscriber benefits Subscribe today at

q Pay only £1.07 per issue ca.subscribeonline.co.uk

then enter code cp89
compared to £1.95 in the shops
q Each issue delivered direct Or call 0844 815 0054
to your door every fortnight quoting code cp89
q Save 10% on selected items at
www.computeractive-direct.co.uk Closing date: 16th August 2010

worldmags & avaxhome

 INTERACTIVE RR

GAMING
Doctor Who - The Adventure Games: Info: www.snipca.com/x1608
PEGI age rating: N/A

City of the Daleks

Also consider: Wallace and
Gromit’s Grand Adventures;
Lego Indiana Jones: The
Adventure Continues
Free to download from the BBC website Overall: #####

D
octor Who fans have had a long wait for a
new game based on everyone’s favourite
Time Lord and his famous blue phone box.
Now, the BBC has revealed the first of four
downloadable adventure games based on the
good Doctor’s adventures.
Unfortunately, the game doesn’t simply hand
you the keys to the Tardis and let you go
gallivanting through space and time. Instead,
City of the Daleks works something like an
9The Time Lord will need help from his assistant in
order to progress through the game
interactive episode of the TV programme,
leading you on a relatively linear path
through a classic Who plot.
The story begins as the 11th Doctor
(currently played by Matt Smith) decides to
whisk his assistant,Amy Pond, back to the
Swinging ’60s. Instead of Beatlemania, red
buses and miniskirts, however, the Doctor
and Amy discover a London that has been
reduced to Dalek-infested rubble.As the
Doctor, it’s your job to work out how time has
been altered so radically and put things right.
While the TV show itself has broad appeal,
this spin off is aimed at the younger end of
the fan base.The game is simplistic and can
be broken down into exploration, equipment
collection and puzzle solving.There isn’t much graphics are somewhat cartoon-like, but this
action to speak of, direct confrontation with the suits the medium well.Authentic voice acting
Daleks is instant suicide, so a stealthier approach from the cast regulars and instantly recognisable
is required.The puzzles, meanwhile, are all fairly Doctor Who sound effects build atmosphere.
basic, requiring you to match symbols, navigate There are even some educational elements and a
simple mazes and so on. It’s all over relatively few amusing lines of dialogue to enjoy.Apart
quickly, too.You can whizz through the game from anything else, City of Daleks is free, so if
in around an hour. your household is home to a younger Doctor
The game’s developer has done a good job Who fan, you’ll definitely want to download this.
replicating the look and feel of the show.The Jonathan Parkyn

Prince of Persia: Info: http://prince-of-persia.uk.ubi.com

PEGI age rating: 12
The Forgotten Sands Also consider: Assassin’s Creed II;
Tomb Raider Underworld
A return to form for one of gaming’s longest-running series Overall: ##### Retail price: £35

T
he summer blockbuster film
season is here again and with
it, the customary slew of poor
game-of-the-movie tie-ins.
In this instance, however, the
usual convention is turned on its
head.The movie in question, Prince
of Persia, is adapted from a video
game (specifically 2003’s excellent
Prince of Persia: The Sands of
Time), while the accompanying
game is a new episode designed to
sit alongside its big-screen brother
rather than crudely replicate it in
pixelated form.
The storyline in The Forgotten
Sands takes place directly after the
Sands of Time.The game looks and
feels much like a return to this era of
imagine William or These ideas are original, and fans
Harry could pull off the of The Sands of Time will find a lot to
same wall-running and love. However, the combat can
pillar-climbing antics become tiresome at times, and the
that this Prince can do. game doesn’t make the same
In addition, you have impact its predecessor did.
the ability to rewind Jonathan Parkyn
time. If you misjudge a
jump, it’s possible to
rescue yourself from
9The Prince is a joy to control but combat can be dull oblivion and try again.
The game builds on the
the franchise, abandoning many of basics by introducing clever new
the stylistic and gameplay elements mechanics as the action
introduced in later outings. progresses.Another ability, for
Playing the game involves three example, allows you to freeze
main elements: acrobatics, puzzle water into solid objects, which can
solving and combat.The athletic then be used as platforms, poles,
Prince is a joy to control. It’s hard to walls and so on.

24 June - 7 July 2010 www.computeractive.co.uk 71

worldmags & avaxhome
 Lowering the Cost of Printing!
We are a small family owned and run company, specialising in printer ink cartridges, photo paper
and photographic accessories. We are based in Leamington Spa, in the heart of Warwickshire, so
if you are passing, or live close by, please pop into our shop, and meet Judy - our office dog!

MEMORY PAPER PRINTER INK CARTRIDGES

EPSON
COMPATIBLE & ORIGINAL INK
USB Pen Drives Ilford Premium Papers Canon Compatibles HP Compatibles
2GB Kingston £6.99 6x4 Glossy 255g (50) £5.99 BCi3e Black 26ml £2.99 No.15 Black 46ml £4.99
At Premier Ink, we stock two types of cartridges for Epson printers -
2GB Sandisk 3 FOR £15.99 6x4 Satin 255g (50) £5.99 BCi3e C/M/Y 15ml £2.99 No.21 Black 10ml £7.99 Originals, which are made by Epson, and Compatibles, which are
4GB Kingston £9.99 7x5 Glossy 255g (50) £8.99 BCi6 B/C/M/Y 15ml £2.99 No.22 Colour 21ml £11.99 made by a UK company called Jet Tec. Using Jet Tec Compatibles
8GB Kingston £18.99 7x5 Satin 255g (50) £8.99 BCi6 PC/PM/R/G 15ml £2.99 No.27 Black 24ml £9.99 is a way of saving money, without compromising on the quality of your
16GB Kingston £32.99 A4 Glossy 255g (50) £14.99 PGi5 Black 29ml £5.99 No.28 Colour 24ml £12.99 prints. Here’re the results from two independent ink tests that agree…
A4 Satin 255g (50) £14.99 CLi8 Black 15ml £4.99 No.45 Black 45ml £4.99
Secure Digital (SD) CLi8 B/C/M/Y 15ml £4.99 No.56 Black 24ml £9.99
2GB Sandisk £7.99 £5.99 Ilford Galerie Papers CLi8 PC/PM 15ml £4.99 No.57 Colour 24ml £12.99 “Jet Tec’s colours were superb, with single greys
4GB SDHC Inov8 C6 £9.59 A4 Gloss 290g (35) £9.99 PGi520 Black 19ml £5.99 No.58 Photo 24ml £12.99 and blacks very close to Epson …so Jet Tec wins!”
8GB SDHC Inov8 C6 £15.79 A4 Pearl 290g (35) £9.99 CLi521 B/C/M/Y/GY 9ml £4.99 No.78 Colour 45ml £9.99 - Total Digital Photography Magazine
16GB SDHC Inov8 C6 £29.99 A4 Gold Fibre 310g (10) £9.99 BCi15 Black 5ml £1.99 No.88XL Black 58ml £9.99
32GB SDHC Inov8 C6 £72.99 A4 Fine Art 190g (10) £10.99 BCi15 Colour 7ml £2.99 No.88XL C/M/Y 17ml £8.99 “What we’re looking at here is not only the best choice
A4 Matt D/Sided 200g (50) £9.99 BCi16 Colour 7ml £2.99 No.110 Colour 12ml £10.99
Micro SD Cards
1GB Kingston £4.99 £2.99 Premier Ink Papers
BCi24 Black 9ml
BCi24 Colour 16ml
£1.99
£2.99
No.336 Black 10ml
No.337 Black 24ml
£7.99
£10.99
of ink for the R300 printer, but also the best ink in this
group test, period. There’s just no getting away from Ink Test
the superb combination of performance and pricing”
2GB Kingston £6.99
4GB SDHC Kingston C4 £9.99
A4 Matt 100gsm (100)
A4 Matt 120gsm (100)
£4.99
£5.99
PG37 Black 12ml
PG50 Black 28ml
£9.99
£12.99
No.338 Black 24ml
No.339 Black 34ml
£10.99
£12.99
- Computer Upgrade Magazine Winner!
8GB SDHC Kingston C4 £18.99 A4 Matt 140gsm (100) £6.99 CL38 Colour 12ml £12.99 No.342 Colour 12ml £10.99
A4 Matt D/Sided 210g (50) £6.99 CL51 Colour 24ml £14.99 No.343 Colour 21ml £12.99 Cartridge Code: Originals: Jet Tec Compatibles: Suitable EPSON Printers:
Compact Flash No.344 Colour 21ml £14.99 T001 Colour £24.99 65ml £3.99 70ml, 3 for £10.99 Photo 1200
2GB Inov8 £10.99 PermaJet Papers Canon Originals No.348 Photo 21ml £12.99 T007 Black £22.99 16ml £3.99 20ml, 3 for £10.99 Photo 790, 890, 900, 915, 1290
4GB Inov8 £13.99 A4 Gloss 271g (50) £19.99 BCi3e Black 26ml £10.99 No.363 Black 20ml £6.99 T008 Colour £18.99 46ml £4.99 50ml, 3 for £13.99 Photo 790, 870, 890, 895, 915
8GB Inov8 £19.99 A4 Oyster 271g (50) £19.99 BCi6 B/C/M/Y 13ml £9.99 No.363 C/M/Y/PC/PM 6ml £4.99 T009 Colour £26.99 66ml £4.99 70ml, 3 for £13.99 Photo 900, 1270, 1290
16GB Inov8 £35.99 A4 Parchment 285g (25) £21.99 BCi6 PC/PM/R/G 13ml £9.99 No.363 Set of 6 £24.99 T026 Black £19.99 16ml £3.99 20ml, 3 for £10.99 Photo 810, 830 ,830u, 925, 935
A4 Canvas 400g (10) £14.99 PGi5 Black 26ml £12.99 T027 Colour £22.99 46ml £4.99 50ml, 3 for £13.99
xD Picture Card CLi8 B/C/M/Y 13ml £11.99 HP Originals T036 Black £9.99 10ml £3.99 13ml, 3 for £10.99 C42, C44, C46
256MB Fuji £9.99 Epson Papers CLi8 PC/PM/R/G 13ml £11.99 No.21 Black 5ml £13.99 T037 Colour £11.99 25ml £4.99 31ml, 3 for £13.99
1GB Olympus £11.99 6x4 Photo 190g (70) £7.99 PGi7 Black 25ml £11.99 No.22 Colour 5ml £15.99 T040 Black £19.99 17ml £3.99 20ml, 3 for £10.99 C62, CX3200
2GB Olympus £15.99 7x5 Photo 190g (50) £7.99 PGi9 Clear 191ml £11.99 No.38 Colours, each £26.99 T041 Colour £19.99 37ml £4.99 46ml, 3 for £13.99
Smart Media, Memory Stick, A4 Photo 190g (25) £7.99 PGi9 PB/MB/C/M/Y 14ml £10.99 No.56 Black 19ml £16.99 T050 Black £19.99 15ml £2.99 16ml, 3 for £7.99 440, 640, 660 Photo 700, 1200
Micro M2, Pro Duo, all in stock Many more in stock! PGi9 PC/PM/R/G/GY 14ml £10.99 No.57 Colour 17ml £24.99 T051 Black £19.99 24ml £2.99 26ml, 3 for £7.99 740, 760, 800, 850, 860, 1160
PGi520 Black 19ml £9.99 No.58 Photo 17ml £22.99 T052 Colour £19.99 35ml £3.99 39ml, 3 for £10.99 440, 640, 660, 740, 760, 1160
CLi521 B/C/M/Y/GY 9ml £8.99 No.110 Colour 5ml
PHOTOGRAPHIC
£18.99 T053 Colour £19.99 43ml £3.99 48ml, 3 for £10.99 Photo 700, 750
PG37 Black 11ml £12.99 No.300 Black 4ml £11.99 T066 Black £4.99 10ml £3.99 20ml, 3 for £10.99 C48
PG40 Black 16ml £15.99 No.300XL Black 12ml £23.99 T067 Colour £5.99 25ml £4.99 48ml, 3 for £13.99
PG50 Black 22ml £22.99 No.300 Colour 4ml £13.99 T0331-336 Set of 7 £102.99 £29.99, 3 sets for £87.99 Photo 950, 960
Camera Tripods Screw-type Filters PG510 Black 9ml £11.99 No.300XL Colour 11ml £27.99 T0331/2/3, each £14.99 17ml £4.99 21ml, 3 for £13.99
Full range of tripods in PG512 Black 15ml £15.99 No.336 Black 5ml £13.99 T0334/5/6, each £14.99 17ml £4.99 21ml, 3 for £13.99
Japanese premium
stock from Gorillapod, optical glass filters, CL38 Colour 9ml £16.99 No.337 Black 11ml £17.99 T0441-454 Set of 4 £40.99 £14.99, 3 sets for £42.99 C64, C66, C84, C86,
Manfrotto & Vanguard. coated to reduce CL41 Colour 12ml £19.99 No.338 Black 11ml £17.99 T0441 Black £17.99 13ml £4.99 21ml, 3 for £13.99 CX3600/3650, CX6400, CX6600
lens flare and CL51 Colour 21ml £26.99 No.339 Black 21ml £24.99 T0452/3/4, each £9.99 8ml £3.99 21ml, 3 for £10.99
reflections CL52 Photo 21ml £19.99 No.342 Colour 5ml £15.99 T0481-486 Set of 6 £61.99 £19.99, 3 sets for £57.99 R200, R220, R300, R320, R340
CL511 Colour 9ml £15.99 No.343 Colour 7ml £18.99 T0481/2/3, each £13.99 13ml £3.99 21ml, 3 for £10.99 RX500, RX600, RX620, RX640
46mm UV / Haze £5.99 CL513 Colour 13ml £19.99 No.344 Colour 14ml £26.99 T0484/5/6, each £13.99 13ml £3.99 21ml, 3 for £10.99
Gorillapod Original £13.95 46mm Circ Polarising £17.99 KP-36IP Ink & Paper £12.99 No.348 Photo 13ml £22.99 T0540-549 Set of 8 £102.99 £35.99, 3 sets for £99.99 Photo R800, R1800
Gorillapod SLR £29.95 52mm UV / Haze £5.99 KP-108IP Ink & Paper £29.99 No.350 Black 4.5ml £11.99 T0540 Gloss £7.99 13ml £3.99 21ml, 3 for £13.99
Manfrotto 190XProB £99.95 52mm Skylight £6.99 Many more in stock! No.350XL Black 25ml £25.99 T0541/2/3/4, each £13.99 13ml £4.99 21ml, 3 for £13.99
Manfrotto 055XProB £119.95 52mm ND4 or ND8 £10.99 No.351 Colour 3.5ml £13.99 T0547/8/9, each £13.99 13ml £4.99 21ml, 3 for £13.99
Vanguard AltaPro263 £119.95 52mm Circ Polarising £17.99 No.351XL Colour 14ml £27.99 T0551-554 Set of 4 £29.99 £14.99, 3 sets for £42.99 Photo R240, R245
Many more in stock! 52mm Close-Up set of 3 £25.99 No.363 Black 6ml £13.99 T0551 Black £8.99 8ml £4.99 21ml, 3 for £10.99 RX420, RX425, RX520, RX525
58mm UV / Haze £7.99 No.363 C/M/Y/PC/PM £8.99 T0552/3/4, each £8.99 8ml £3.99 21ml, 3 for £10.99
58mm Skylight £8.99 No.363 Set of 6 £39.99 T0591-599 Set of 8 £94.99 Check Website. Photo R2400
Camera Bags 58mm ND4 or ND8 £14.99 No.364 Black 6ml £8.99 T0591/2/3, each £11.99 13ml Check Website.
Huge range of bags 58mm Circ Polarising £21.99 No.364 PB/C/M/Y 3ml £7.99 T0594/5/6, each £11.99 13ml Check Website.
in stock from 58mm Close-Up set of 3 £32.99 No.901 Black 4ml £11.99 T0597/8/9, each £11.99 13ml Check Website.
Kata, Vanguard 62mm UV / Haze £8.99 Kodak Originals No.901 Colour 9ml £16.99 T0611-614 Set of 4 £29.99 £14.99, 3 sets for £42.99 D68, D88
Billingham 62mm Circ Polarising £24.99 ESP Black Series 10 Ink £6.99 No.920XL Colours each £8.99 T0611 Black £8.99 8ml £4.99 21ml, 3 for £13.99 DX3800/3850, DX4200/4250
Naneu & Tamrac ESP Colour Series 10 Ink £9.99 T0612/3/4, each £8.99 8ml £3.99 21ml, 3 for £10.99 DX4800/4850
67mm UV / Haze £9.99 Many more in stock!
Vanguard Shoulder Bag £18.95 67mm Circ Polarising £27.99 ESP Black & Colour Ink £15.99 T0711-714 Set of 4 £29.99 £14.99, 3 sets for £42.99 S20/21, SX100/105/115/200/205/215
Vanguard Sling Backpack £29.95 72mm UV / Haze £11.99 Many more in stock! T0711 Black £8.99 7.4ml £4.99 13ml, 3 for £13.99 SX400/405/415/515, D78/92/120
Kata 3N1 Sling 10 £69.95 72mm Circ Polarising £39.99 T0712/3/4, each £8.99 5.5ml £3.99 13ml, 3 for £10.99 DX4000/4400/5000/6000/7400/8400
Naneu Advenure K3L £69.95 77mm UV / Haze £14.99 T0791-796 Set of 6 £70.99 Check Website. Photo 1400
Tamrac Expedition 5X £82.95 77mm Circ Polarising £44.99 T0791/2/3, each £11.99 10ml Check Website.
Billingham Hadley £119.95 Many more sizes in stock! T0794/5/6, each £11.99 10ml Check Website.
Many more in stock! T0801-806 Set of 6 £45.99 £19.99, 3 sets for £57.99 Photo P50, R265, R285, R360
T0801/2/3, each £8.99 7.4ml £3.99 13ml, 3 for £10.99 RX560, RX585, RX685, PX650
T0804/5/6, each £8.99 7.4ml £3.99 13ml, 3 for £10.99 PX700/710W, PX800/810FW
Camera Batteries P-Type Square Lexmark Compatibles T0870-879 Set of 8 £76.99 Check Website. Photo R1900
Filter System T0870 Gloss £7.99 11.4ml Check Website.
Replacement li-ion No.1 Cartridge £10.99
batteries for digital The P-Type square / rectangular Brother Compatibles No.2 Cartridge £11.99 T0871/2/3/4, each £9.99 11.4ml Check Website.
cameras, made by filter system consists of three parts: No.3 Cartridge £14.99 T0877/8/9, each £9.99 11.4ml Check Website.
Energizer and Blumax 1) An adapter ring that screws onto LC900 Black £3.99 T0961-969 Set of 8 £78.99 Check Website. Photo R2880
the front of your DSLR lens LC900 C/M/Y £2.99 No.16 Black £10.99
No.17 Black £9.99 T0961/2/3, each £9.99 11.4ml Check Website.
Canon NB-2L £9.99 2) A filter holder clips onto the ring LC900 Set of 4 £11.99
3) One or more P-Type filters No.26 Colour £12.99 T0964/5/6, each £9.99 11.4ml Check Website.
Canon NB-7L £9.99 LC970 / 1000 Black £3.99 T0967/8/9, each £9.99 11.4ml Check Website.
Canon LP-E5 £9.99 LC970 / 1000 C/M/Y £2.99 No.27 Colour £11.99
No.31 Photo £11.99 T5591-6 Set of 6 £61.99 Check Website. Photo RX700
Canon BP-511 £12.99 LC970 / 1000 Set of 4 £11.99 T5591/2/3, each £11.99 13ml Check Website.
Nikon EN-EL3e £15.99 LC980 / 1100 Black £3.99 No.32 Black £9.99
No.33 Colour £11.99 T5594/5/6, each £11.99 13ml Check Website.
Nikon EN-EL9 £12.99 LC980 / 1100 C/M/Y £2.99 T5570, each £32.99 £9.99 Ink Only Picturemate, Picturemate 500
Panasonic S006 £9.99 LC980 / 1100 Set of 4 £11.99 No.34 Black £11.99
No.35 Colour £12.99 T5730, each £32.99 £9.99 Ink Only Picturemate 100
Sony NP-FM500H £19.99 T5844/T5846, each £16.99 £9.99 Ink Only Picturemate 240, 260, 280, 290
AA Rechargeables x4 £3.99 Brother Originals
49, 52, 55mm Rings £4.99 Lexmark Originals Please call or check our website if you cannot find cartridges for your printer.
AAA Rechargeables x4 £3.99 LC900 Set of 4 £42.99
58, 62 ,67mm Rings £4.99 No.14 Black £16.99
Many more in stock! 72, 77, 82mm Rings £4.99 LC970 Set of 4 £34.99

www.premier-ink.co.uk
LC980 / 1100 Set of 4 £36.99 No.15 Colour £18.99
Filter Holder £5.99 No.23 Black £14.99
ND2 Filter £8.99 LC1000 Set of 4 £42.99
Flash Guns & Meters No.24 Colour £16.99
ND2 Grad Filter £10.99 Many more in stock!
No.28 Black £13.99
Nissin Di466 GN:33 £92.95 ND4 Filter
ND4 Grad Filter
£8.99
£10.99
No.29 Colour £14.99 0800 161 3638 or 01926 339977
Nissin Di622 GN:44 £104.95 No.32 Black £15.99
Nissin Di866 GN:60 £229.95 L. Blue Grad Filter £10.99 Dell Compatibles No.33 Colour £17.99
Metz 36AF-4 GN:36 £72.95 D. Blue Grad Filter £10.99 Series 1 Black (T0529) £11.99 No.36 Black £16.99
• Royal Mail 1st Class Delivery Premier Ink & Photographic
Metz 48AF-1 GN:48 £175.95 L. Sunset Grad Filter £10.99 Series 1 Black (T0530) £12.99 No.37 Colour £18.99 • P&P £1.76 Per Order Longfield Road
Sekonic L208 £69.95 D. Sunset Grad Filter £10.99 Series 5 Black (M4640) £11.99 No.43 Colour £22.99 • All Prices Include VAT at 17.5% Sydenham Industrial Estate
Sekonic L308S £129.95 Circ Polarizing Filter £27.99 Series 5 Black (M4646) £12.99 No.44 Black £18.99 • 100% Money-back Guarantee Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Many more in stock! Many more in stock! Many more in stock! Many more in stock! • Freephone Telephone Number CV31 1XB

worldmags & avaxhome

 findmydata.co.uk IS THIS YOU?
SLOUCHING IS SWEEPING THE NATION!
The data recovery people
BAD POSTURE IS ON THE INCREASE!
*56% of the British population SLOUCH
when they sit for long periods.
*Using computers and lugging heavy
No Recovery, No Fee! laptops affects their stance.
*72% say they have suffered from
back pain.
Isn’t it time you addressed your posture?
“based on consumer research commissioned by the

Lost data ? Accidental deletion? British Chiropractic Association April 2009”

IMPROVE YOUR POSTURE NOW

Low Co st Da ta R ecov er y WITH PERFECT POSTURE! Image copyright of Backcare reg. charity 5256571
Our Unisex posture support can help you:
Prevent slouching by easing back the
Med ia ca rd s j us t £35 . . . shoulders.
Alleviate neck & shoulder pain.
Ha rd dr iv es f ro m £90 * .. . Open the chest for improved breathing
efficiency.
Encourage you to Sit, Stand & WALK TALL!

Al l O S & media t y pes

re cover ed .

0845 094 3655

BUY ONLINE www.perfectpostureuk.com
*for software based recovery. Price for internal repair and recovery will be Enquiries info@perfectpostureuk.com
quoted on an individual basis. Please see website for further details. Order by phone: 020 8492 7940

worldmags & avaxhome

 NEXT ISSUE
Issue 323 on sale Thursday 8 July
In the next issue...
Faster
internet –
free!
Wouldn’t it be great to make web surfing
faster without paying more or changing
broadband provider? Well, you can.
We explain how
PLEASE NOTE THAT CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Subscriptions and webstore enquiries
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND WEBSTORE ENQUIRIES:
For new and existing subscription queries, go to
http://ca.subscribeonline.co.uk
Email ca@servicehelpline.co.uk
Telephone 0844 815 0054
To order your subscription by post, send a cheque
(payable to Incisive Financial Publishing Ltd) to:
Freepost RSHG-CRLY-RHXS
Computeractive,800 GuillatAvenue,Kent Science Park,
Sittingbourne,ME9 8GU
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS:
To subscribe to the downloadable version of
Computeractive, visit www.zinio.co.uk.
WEBSTORE ENQUIRIES:
Email cadirect@servicehelpline.co.uk
Telephone 0844 844 0267
EDITORIAL CONTACTS: See page 4
For all other contacts write to:
Computeractive, Incisive Media, 32-34 Broadwick
Street, London W1A 2HG.
Visit our website: www.computeractive.co.uk
74 www.computeractive.co.uk 24 June - 7 July 2010
Also in the next issue...
I Make Vista behave
WindowsVista has a few
annoying habits –
we show how
to get them
under control
I Take a
better holiday
Avoid holiday nightmares,pick
the best places to visit and
know your rights if things go
wrong – it’s all in our complete
guide to online travel advice
I Workshops
Use charts inWord,manage
online passwords with ease,
organise your files more easily,
speed up your PC with a USB
memory key and more
WEEK
THE
DEAL OF
SAVE
TUNE UP UTILITIES
• Increase your PC’s performance with just one click
• Speed up the startup and response times
of your programs
• Customise Windows with your own
personal look and feel
• Fix Windows problems quickly and reliably
• One copy works on up to three computers
Normally £29.99 Save £15 Only £14.99!
EXCLUSIVE DEALS FROM THE EXPERTS
www.computeractive-direct.co.uk
0844 844 0267
worldmags & avaxhome
UK'S BEST-SELLING
COMPUTER MAGAZINE
Average sales, Jan-Dec 2009,
159,210 copies per issue.
EDITORIAL
Editor Paul Allen
Deputy Editor Tom Royal
News Editor Dinah Greek
Reviews Editor Anthony Dhanendran
Senior Staff Writer Tim Smith
Staff Writer Orestis Bastounis
Group Production Editor Debbie Oliver
Production Editor Lindsay Jones
Senior Sub Editor Harry Burrows
Sub Editor Craig Harris
Group Art Editor Nick Palmer
Designer Steve Kirk
Sorry, no technical or buying advice.
ADVERTISING
Advertisement sale hotline and
display ads/media pack 020 7316 9308
Group Sales Manager Paul Harvey
Display Sales Natalie Forsdike, Maria
Theocharides-Andreou, Edward Young,
Harry Michael
Classified sales 020 7316 9037
MARKETING AND CIRCULATION
Marketing and International
Licensing Manager Joanna Mitchell
Circulation Manager Helen Knight
Marketing Executive Rahila Ehsan
Circulation Executive Laura Kelly
PRODUCTION
Senior Production Manager Cathy Mahoney
Digital Production Manager Rebecca Yegliss
Production Controller Ryan Griffiths
PUBLISHING
Chief Executive Tim Weller
Managing Director, Professional Services
Graham Harman
Group Publisher Dylan Armbrust
Annual subscription rates UK £27.97; Europe (including
Irish Republic) £65; Rest of World £100
REPRINTS
We offer a full reprint service for reproduction of
all or part of previous articles.
Contact Wright’s Reprints: +1 877 652 5295
(international toll-free).
Email: computeractive@wrightsreprints.com.
OVERSEAS LICENSING
Computeractive is available for international
licensing. Please contact Joanna Mitchell at
joanna.mitchell@incisivemedia.com for
more information.
DISCLAIMER
Readers are reminded that the opinions
expressed, and the results published in
connection with reviews and/or laboratory
test reports carried out on computing systems
and/or related items, are confined to, and are
representative of, only those goods as
supplied and should not be construed as a
50% recommendation to purchase. Whilst every
precaution is taken to ensure that reliability
and good business practices prevail, the
Publisher cannot be held responsible for the
overall trading activities of any supplier referred
to, or advertising within, this publication.
Incisive Media 32-34 Broadwick Street,
London W1A 2HG. Telephone: 020 7316 9000
We cannot respond to any correspondence
personally.
No materials may be reproduced in whole or in part
without written consent from the copyright holder.
Published by Incisive Financial Publishing Limited
© Incisive Media Investments Limited. Printed and bound
by Polestar UK Print Ltd. Mailed by Priority Mailing &
Newstrade. Computeractive is printed on paper from
sustainable sources in
Finland/Belgium. Distributed
by Marketforce (UK) Ltd. ISSN
1461-6211
worldmags & avaxhome