Computer active 07 2010

WORKSHOPS

MONITOR your broadband usageEASILY create columns inWordSECURE your emails and settingsCUSTOMISE the Windows Start menu

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ISSUE 322 24 JUN to7 JUL 2010

Fix PC problems quicklyand easily with the secrettools computer experts use

PROTECTYOUR FILESFROM FLOODOR FIRE

McAfee™ - PROTECT WHAT YOU VALUE.

Shown in “I’m not Really a Waitress by OPI.” Black ChainlinkComes Standard — Your Choice of 5 Colors for £29.

Ready for a PC that adapts to everything you want to do?Then step up to the faster, smarter performance of a DellPC powered by the new Intel® Core™ i7 processor.

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.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 faxor direct mail please inform us via mail: [email protected]; post: Dell - Suppressions. PO Box 59, ROSS ONWYE, 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 purchasedwithout 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. Savingis 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 canbe 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, ItaniumInside, 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.

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• McAfee Security Centre 15 month subscription included

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Count on the combination of Delland Windows® 7 to give you fast, intuitivecomputing for your day-today tasks. Less ismore with Windows 7 – fewer interruptions,fewer steps to complete tasks, fewer delays.

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• 1GB ATI Radeon® HD 4670 Graphic Card• 2MP Webcam

6NewsOne in three resultsforpopularonlinesearchesaredangerous,saysstudy

46Hints&TipsFilter youremails inaYahooMail account,managesavedpasswords inFirefoxanduseAutofilleffectively inExcel

62ConsumeractiveWeexplain the rulessurroundingsoftwareupdatesand investigateanunnecessarybroadband fee

65CAInvestigatesWelookat theprosandconsof smartenergymeters,which trackelectricityandgasconsumption

66LettersAblockedcredit cardpromptsa reader toaskwhether tellingyourbankyouaregoingaway isasecureoption

68Thebest of thewebFindouthowtheclock that strikesBigBenworksanddesign thelayoutofa room

69CompetitionWinacopyofMagixMusicMaker16XXLandmakemusicwith thehelpof yourcomputer

71GamingStep into theshoesofeveryone’sfavouriteTimelord, theDoctor,andreturn tooneofgaming’soldestheroes inPrinceofPersia

INTERACTIVE

17PalicompEXC7ApowerfulPCthat’sideal forgamesandother taxing tasks

26Norton360Version4Securityandperformancetools inoneneatpackage

24VodafoneSureSignalBoostyourmobilephonesignalusingthe internet

BEST BUYS28Digital note takersTakenotesdigitallyorconvertyourhandwriting intoeditable textwithourpickofdigital note-takers

TRIED& TESTED

Approved bythe Plain EnglishCampaign

Simple Clear Advice

FROMTHE EDITOR

EveryPCgoeswrongfromtimetotime.Oftentheseproblemsareeasyto fixbutsometimesatrickyonecomesalongthatrequiresmoredrasticaction,

andthat’swheremanyofuswill thinkaboutcallinganexpert. In this issue,though,weexplainhowto findanduse10of themostusefulhiddentoolsthat theexperts relyon–seepage10.There’salsoanexclusivechancetowina laptopworth£400simplybyansweringourshortsurveyontheproductsandtopics that interestyou.Itwill takeabout fiveminutesofyourtime–seepage51 fordetails.

4 www.computeractive.co.uk4 www.computeractive.co.uk

How to contact usSorry,butbecauseof thehugenumberofenquiriesweget,wecanonlygive technicalhelpandconsumeradvice throughpublishedreplies in themagazine–wecannot takephonecallsoranswer letterspersonally.

Subscriptionsandwebstore,seepage74.

Letters page:[email protected]

Technical help:[email protected]

Consumer problems:[email protected]

Ideas for articles andWorkshops:[email protected]

By post:Computeractive, IncisiveMedia,32-34 Broadwick Street, LondonW1A2HG

www.computeractive.co.uk/facebook

Paul [email protected]

24

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Contents

17

5www.computeractive.co.uk12 - 25 June 2008 5www.computeractive.co.uk24 June - 7 July 2010

HOWTO

32Howtokeepaneyeonyourinternet activityDoyouknowhowyourbroadbandconnection isbeingused?Afree tool canreveal all

34Keepyour emailmessages andsettings safeEmailmessagesareaspreciousasanyotherpersonal information that isstoredonyourcomputer.Back themupsimply,quicklyand for free

36Createnewspaper-stylecolumns inWordColumnscangiveyourdocumentsa lift.Weexplainhowtouse them inWord2003and2007andhowtoneatenupa layout

38Synchronisefiles and foldersusing tagsFindouthowa free tool cankeepyour files insync

41CustomiseStartmenu itemsDiscoverways todisplayfavourite folderson theWindowsStartmenu

42Organise openwindowsandrunningprogramsOrganiseopenapplicationsbyusing freesoftware tocreatean invisiblegrid topositionwindows

45Quickly directfiles and foldersusingSendToTheSendTocommand isahandyWindows’shortcut.Learnhowtouse it

EASYTOUSESTEP-BY-STEPPAGES - page 31

52

WORKSHOPS

ISSUE32224June to 7 July 2010

15

56NoProblem–our experts answeryour homecomputingquestionsAddbulletpoints inWord,setWindows to remindyouwhentodownloadupdatesandget the rightkeyboard layout

FEATURES48Lost in translationWeexplain thepotential pitfallsofbuyinggoods fromabroad

52Defendyour networkAddasafetynet toyourhomebyblockingaccesstounwantedwebsites

BACK TOBASICS60Share filesthe easywayWeexplainhowtousePDFseffectivelyandhowtomakeyourownusing freesoftware48

60

COVER STORY Page 10

Howto findanduse the10hiddentools thattheexpertsuse to fixcomputersfast

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

NEWS

RR

ONETHIRD of search results for popularqueries are ‘poisoned’ , withmost linking todangerouswebsites, according to Symantec.An investigation by the security firm into

the growing problem ofwhat is known assearch engine optimisation poisoningfound that, on average, at least 10,000 ofthe 30,000 results checked each day hadbeen compromised.Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a

means of gettingmore traffic to awebsitefrom search engines by adding links orkeywords so that it appears to be amorepopular or useful page.SEO poisoning is when criminals use

these techniques to ensure that their ownmalicious pages appear prominentlywhen users search for common terms.Such attacks often involve adding fakeweb pages to legitimate but hacked sites.People searching are then confronted

with sites that, according toAshwinAthalye of Symantec, usually peddle fakesecurity software known as scareware.

Symantec’s two-week studyused the 300 top search terms,as identified byGoogle’sTrends service, each day,recording the first 100 resultsreturnedwhen eachwas inputinto a search engine andchecking to see howmanyof the results weremalicious.The company’s Khanh

Tran said that the singlemost poisoned searchterm during the periodproduced results whereover 90 per cent ofentries had beencompromised.

On some days over250 of the 300 termschecked returned resultswhere 10 per cent ormorewere poisoned.He said that search

engines now attempt towarn users of these

dangerous pages.

Google said it had set up a number ofautomated systems to constantly scour itsindex for potentially dangerous sites.“We add a label to those that appear to be a

vehicle for fraudulent sites to protect userswhomight visit them.We alsoworkwithwebmasters to help them keep their sitessecure,” the search giant told us.ButMrKhanhwarned that criminals are

still findingways to evade detection. He saidmany of themalicious siteswill present onepage to search engine ‘spiders’, which indexweb page content, and another to humanvisitors, concealing the attack.

ECRIME

LAW

Study reveals ‘poisoning’ affects one-third of popular search resultsSearchresults linktoscamsites

�NHS UNDER FIREOVER DATA NEGLECT

The InformationCommissioner’s Office(ICO) said it remains“highly concerned”aboutthe lax data securityprocedures practised by

NHS trusts andmedical facilities. Itrevealed that NHS Stoke-on-Trentfailed to file 2,000 paperphysiotherapy records within itsarchive system and thesemayhave been accidentally destroyedormisfiled. Basingstoke and NorthHampshire NHSTrust emailed anunprotected spreadsheet,containing 917 patients’pathology results, via anunsecure address to anotherdepartment.The receivingdepartment had no business needto have access to that number ofclinical records.

www.ico.gov.uk

IN BRIEF...x

APROPOSEDbill tochange theUK’s“complex”and“outdated”libel lawswouldmake themclearer for‘citizenjournalists’andbloggers.

Although theymaynotrealise it, thesepeopleareoftenmostat risk fromaggrievedcompaniesorother litigants.

Theyarealso lessable todefend themselves fromlegal action.Butchangeslaidout in thebill,proposedbyLordLester,aLibDempeer,would takeonlinecontent intoaccount.

BobSatchwell,of theSocietyofEditors,whocalled thecurrent law“outdated”andbasedonmanypracticesmore than

200yearsold,said:“Foralawtobeeffective ithas toberespected.”

Theproposedchangeswouldgive internetserviceproviders (ISPs)andpeople runningblogsitesandmessageboardsclarificationabout theirresponsibilities toavoidbeingsued.

Currently these thirdpartieshave to relyonwordingwhich isambiguous; stating thesecompaniesorsitescanescape liability forpublishingallegedlydefamatorymaterial only ifthey take itdown‘expeditiously’wheninformedof it.

UnderLordLester’splans

theywouldhaveaclearlydefinedperiodof 14days inwhich toact.

DavidWoods,a litigationexpertatPinsentMasonslaw firmsaid:“Thismeans

that ISPs,bloggingwebsiteprovidersandotherswhohavean indirect role inpublishingcontentnowknowhow long theyhavetoactonacomplaint.

“The14-dayperiod isasurprisingly longone,consideringhowserious

libel actionscanbe.”TheBillwouldalso

effectively reduce the timeinwhicha libel actionmustbe taken.Currently theconstantavailabilityofonlinearticles,blogsandopinionsmeans legal actioncanbe launchedyearsafteroriginalpublication.

www.snipca.com/x1632

Bill proposed to clarify ‘outdated’ libel law online

SEO poisoning is a growing threat but there are tools tohelp you stay safe. Symantec has released a trialversion of a tool, Safe Web Lite, that will scan searchresults and mark any that it knows to be dangerous.AVG has a free web tool called AVG Linkscanner whichcan identify threats in real time and let you know if apage or link is dangerous before you click.

www.snipca.com/x1633http://linkscanner.avg.com

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELFR

qSymantec’s investigation found that on average atleast 10,000 out of 30,000 results were compromised

tChanges to libel laws would give bloggers aclearer idea about their legal responsibilities

Networks tocap data useAnalysts havepredicted that themajor UK mobilenetworks willfollow O2 and capmobile internet use.

O2 has introduced athree-tier data allowancesystem for new andupgrading customers. Tariffsrange from £35 per monthfor a 500MB allowance,rising to £45 and £60for 750MBand 1GB,respectively. O2 said thechanges offer a “moretransparent way of chargingcustomers for data”.

Although the movehas angered some O2customers, analystsstressed that data capswould only affect a smallproportion of consumers.

Steven Hartley, principalanalyst at Ovum, said hebelieves it is just a matter oftime before the othernetworks follow suit.

www.o2.co.uk

7www.computeractive.co.uk24 June - 7 July 2010

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

BloggerSomeone whowrites an online journal.

GBA storage measurement,usually for hard disks.

HarddiskA high-capacitydisk used to store files.

ISPProvides you with aninternet connection.

MBA measurement ofstorage, usually forcomputer memory.

RegistryA file integratedinto Windows that storesdata on all hardware andsoftware on your computer.

JARGONB U S T E RTechno babble demystified...

NEWSRR

ULTIMATEGUIDE

BROADBAND MOBILE

�CRICKET MATCHSCREENED IN 3DCricket fans will be able to watchEngland’s first Natwest one-dayinternational match againstBangladesh in 3D.Thematch,which will be played on 8 July,willbe shown at over 1,000 pubs andclubs across the UK and Ireland; alist of which is on Sky’s website.Later in the year, 3Dmovies, sportand other content will be availableto Sky subscribers at home butthey will still need to have accessto a 3D television.

www.sky.com/3dpubs

�GOOGLE GIVESCHROME A POLISH

Google has issued a freshround of security updatesfor its Chromewebbrowser,which willaddress 11vulnerabilitiescovering the

Windows,Mac OS Xand Linux operating systems. Theupdate comes just days after twoof Google’s competitors in thebrowsermarket delivered fixes oftheir own.Apple has includedsecurity patches in its recentSafari 5 web browser release,while Microsoft has bundled a fixfor a critical security flaw inInternet Explorer with its monthlysecurity update.

www.google.com/chrome

�SECURITY TOOLFOR ANDROIDSecurity firm Symantec isreleasing a free testing version of asecurity tool for smartphonesrunning Google’s freeAndroidoperating system,which is basedon Linux and used for portablecomputers andmobile phones,this month. Security expertsare warning this popularity meansthe threat of hackers attackingsuch devices is growing.TheNorton Smartphone Security appincludes a blacklist system to warnthe user if they download adangerous application from theAndroidMarket and tools toautomatically block telephonecalls or text messages from aspecified phone number.

www.symantec.com

IN BRIEF...x

ASTRIKE by BT engineers and callcentre staff could have a significantimpact on internet services throughouttheUK, the CommunicationsWorkersUnion (CWU) haswarned.Many internet service

providers (ISPs) leasetheir broadband linesfromBTWholesale.Like BT, these ISPsare dependent onBT engineers tofix faults and keepthe networkrunning. Aprolonged strikecouldmeanproblems suffered bytheir customers takingweeks to put right.“We do notwant to go on

strike and the last timewas over20 years ago. But BT refuses to budge. Itis difficult to predict whatwill happenregarding internet connections but if thestrike goes ahead, and for a long time, itcould have a significant impact onpeople,” a CWU representativewarned.The unionwas in the process of

balloting its 55,000members as

Computeractive to press.Whenwecontacted BT it said it would notcomment on the proposed strike but thatit had contingency plans in place.

Although BTwould notelaborate on these plans,

and other ISPswouldnot comment, theCWUdismissedwhat it had heardabout possiblebackup plans.

“We have heardthat BT hasbeen asking itsmanagers aboutthem filling in for

engineering and callcentre staff but that is

laughable,” a unionrepresentative told us.

A strike by BTworkerswouldbe the first since 1987. TheCWU,whichrejected BT’s offer of a two per cent payincrease this year, and three per centnext year, has been pushing for a five percent increase. The ballot papers are dueto be returned by 5 July and a result isexpected the same day.

www.cwu.org

BT strike may hit services

THELATEST issueofourComputeractiveUltimateGuideshowsyouhowtomakeyourPC last longer.

Ourstep-by-stepWorkshopsand informativefeatures,written inour triedand trustedplainEnglishstyle, lookathowthe toolsbuilt intoWindowsandthird-partysoftwarecankeep things tickingover.

Keymaintenance toolsthatarecovered includedefragmentation(reorganising thedataonyourPC)and registrycleaningapplications.

Sometimesasimpleupgradecan transformaPC.Weexplainhowtodecide if it isnecessary toupgradeandguideyou

fromyourPCandstartingagaincanseemdauntingbut if youneed to returnyourcomputer to its factorysettingsorwant togetbackitsoriginal speed,weshowyouhowto reinstalleverything fromscratch.

The freeCD ispackedwith freeand trial softwaresuchAshampooWinoptimizer2010andRegistryMechanic.OthersoftwareproductssuchasAuslogicsDiskDefragareexplained inourdetailedWorkshops.

Computeractive’sUltimateGuide toMakingYourPC last longergoesonsale 1stJulypriced£5.99.

www.computeractive-direct.co.uk

RR

Maintain and extend the life of your PC

through theprocesses,fromsimple,cost-effectiveupgrades,suchaspickingthe rightmemory,tomoreexpensivemakeoverssuchasswappingaharddisk fora fasterstoragedevicewithnomovingparts.

Cleaningeverythingout


NEWS

RR

Google causesprivacy upsetPrivacy International (PI) willmake a formal complaint toUK police regarding Google’sgathering ofWifidata aspart of the search giant’sStreet View operation.Google initially blamed thecollecting of Wifi data on anerror. But according to PI, arecent audit report releasedby Google “asserts that thesystem had intent to identifyand store all unencryptedWifi content.” It said thatGoogle’s action “goes wellbeyond the ‘mistake’” thesearch company claimed,and had breached the UK’sRegulation of InvestigatoryPowers Act.

A spokesperson forGoogle said the companywould not comment furtheron the allegations, but in ablog post published in May itdescribed the collection as“a mistake” and that itwanted “to delete the dataas soon as possible”.www.privacyinternational.org

INTERNET

BROADBAND WIFI

�RATTLE RIVALSWITH FOOTBALL APP

An applicationcreated for theiPhone and iPodTouch can turnthese devices intoa football rattle.All people need todo to recreate thesound of a rattleafter downloadingthe software is towave the iPhoneor iPodTouch

around.The England FootballRattle,which has been developedby PSVentures,will speed up orslow down according to the speedand vigour with which the deviceis waved.The application,whichcosts 59p, can be downloadedfrom theApple Store.


�HUMYO GETSTRENDYBritish online storage serviceHumyo.comhas been acquired bythe security firmTrendMicro.Humyo, founded in 2007,currentlyprovides both free and paid-forservices,with paying customersgetting access to an automaticonline backup tool.A spokespersontold Computeractive that “therewillbe a change in the branding”of theservice at some point, but that itwould remain“the same product,run by the same people”andwouldkeep its storageservers in theUK.He could not confirmwhetherpriceswill change.

www.humyo.com

�PLAY GAMES ANDSUPPORT A CHARITYPeople with Playstation3 gamesconsoles are being encouraged tobuy a triple-pack of recent titleswith part of the proceeds going tocharity Gamesaid.The pack,which containsTomb Raider:Underworld, Sega SuperstarsTennis and racing game Fuel canbe bought at the suggested retailprice of £30.At least half of themoney raised will be sent toGamesaid.The organisationhopes to raise at least £500,000from the packs.

www.gamesaid.org

IN BRIEF...x

PARTSOF the BBC’s licence feewill beused to fund faster broadband servicesacross theUK, culture secretary JeremyHunt has confirmed.Underspend on themoney put

aside from licence fee incometo help pensioners andlow-income familieswith the digital TVswitchoverwill beused to push forwardthe universal servicecommitment (USC).Although he

called thiscommitment to giveevery household intheUK aminimum2Mbits/sec service“paltry” and “pitifullyunambitious”, he said theGovernmentwould support it.“It is a scandal that nearly three

million households in this country stillcannot access 2Mbits/sec broadbandspeeds, and less than one per cent of thecountry is able to access the internetusingmodern fibre-optic technology –compared to anOECD average of around10 per cent,” he said.

MrHunt also said licence feemoneyset aside to fund independent newsconsortia would instead be used to bringthe next generation of even faster

broadband services to rural andhard-to-reach areas.

However, themoneyset aside for this islimited; calculated atabout £250mperyear up to 2012.

He said thatthreemarket-testing projects,led by agovernment agency,BroadbandDelivery

UK,will now begin tolook at the best ways

and technologies todeliver this goal.

AntonyWalker, chief executiveofficer of the Broadband StakeholderGroup, welcomed the news butwarnedthat the sums ofmoney offered by theGovernmentwere small.“Overall this is positive news. But it’s

not going to be easy to deliver thesegoals. There is an awful lot to thinkabout,” he said.

Net gain from licence fee

THEGROWTHofapplicationsandwebsitesformobilephonesandother internet-enableddevices isgoodnews fordisabledwebusers,aleadingcharityhassaid.

RobinChristopherson,ofAbilitynet,said rather thanexcludingpeoplewithdisabilities,mobilewebsitesandapplications,or‘apps’,make it easier for themtouse the internet.

As theheadofaccessibility services for thenational charity,whichhelpsadultsandchildrenwithdisabilitiesusecomputersand the internet,he toldComputeractivehewas“excited”about thedevelopments.

“Inorder forthesemobilewebsitesandapps toworkonsmaller screens,thedevelopershavehad tomakethemsimpler,which in turnhasmadethemmoreaccessible.

“Thedevelopershavegoneback tobasicswithwebsites.Thismeans thatpeoplewithdisabilities,fromvisual impairments tolearningdifficulties findthemeasier touseona

computer,”hesaid.HesaidApple in

particulardeservedrecognition for its strictcontrolover theapps itallows for itsdevices.

“Theotherplatforms,suchasSymbianandAndroid,tend tobeabitofa free-for-all.Applehasbeenveryconsistent in theway itensuresaccessibility,and thisapplies to theapps it allows.

“Itwon’t approveanapplicationunless itmeetsacertainstandard,”hesaid.

Healsopointedoutthat therewill

obviouslyalwaysbesomeappssomepeoplewon’tbeable touse,andthatsomepeoplemayonlybeable tousemobilewebsitesonacomputer.

www.abilitynet.org.uk

Disabled web users benefit from mobile applications

licence fee

BROADBAND

qMobile apps aredesigned to work onsmall screens


NEWSRR

RR


HighdefinitionA TVpicture with a higherresolution than normal.

Mbits/secMegabits persecond. A measure of datatransfer speed.

OperatingsystemGoverns the way hardwareand software in a computerwork together.

ResolutionThe amount ofdetail shown in an image.

ServerA computer on anetwork that distributesinformation to other PCs.

WifiWireless networking.


SMARTPHONE

MOBILEPHONECHARGES

FAMILYHISTORYwebsiteHistorypinwantspeople touploadoldphotosofplaces tocreatean interactivehistoricalmapof theUKandotherpartsof theworld.

Thepicturesare then‘tagged’withdatesandexplanationssootherscanviewthemand findoutabout theirhistory.

PhotographscanalsobeplacedontoaGoogle

StreetView image if itexists,so theycanbeseenin thecontextofhowthestreetorarea looksnow.

Theproject isbeing runby theLondon-basednon-profit groupWeAreWhatWeDo, inpartnershipwithGoogle,which isprovidingtheonlinestoragespacefor thepictures.

All copyrightandotherrightswill remainwith theownerof thepictures.Otheruserscanviewthepictures,selectdates toviewandaddtheirowncommentsand links.

Access to thesite isfree. If usersdonothaveascanner,apaid-forserviceisavailableso theycanhavepicturesscanned.

www.historypin.org

GENEALOGY

Call costs fall in the EU

APPLEHASunveiled itslatest incarnationof the iPhone.

TheslimmerandsleekeriPhone4hasanewtouchscreendisplaywithahighresolutionof960x640pixels.Otherchangesincludeextendedbattery lifeandanewfront-mountedcamera.

Theback-mountedcamera iscapableofshootinghigh-definitionvideoclips,whichcanbeeditedusing thecompany’snew iMovieapp.

Thehandsetsuse thefourthversionof the iPhone

operatingsystem(OS),whichApplecalls iOS4andwillincludesupport forrunningseveralappsatonce.As this issueof

Computeractivewent topress,Applesaid it isplanning todeliver theOStomost iPhoneand iPodTouchusersasa freeupdateon21June.

TheOSalsosupportsavideo-chatservicecalledFacetime for thosewithcompatiblehandsets.Priceplansareyet tobeannounced,butunlockedmodelscost from£499.

www.apple.com/uk

Apple unveils iPhone 4

THECOST ofmaking phone calls fromwithin the EuropeanUnion has fallenagain; despite a challenge from severalmobile operators.From 1 July, charges beforeVat for

making a call have fallen from just over35p (43 euro cents) last summer to 32pperminute. Receiving a call will nowcost approximately 12p, down fromaround 15p perminute.The costs of sending a textmessage

remains at around 10p and they remainfree to receive.Mobile operatorsmustalso ensure that from 1 July theyimplement an automatic cut-off facilityfor data downloads.Thiswill stop users from running up

an enormous bill by cutting off theirmobile internet access once the costreaches a pre-set level.The default limit is around £40 a

month but customers can choose adifferent amount if they prefer. Peoplemust also receive awarningwhen theyhit 80 per cent of their chosen limit.The Roaming Regulationswere first

introduced in 2007. Since theirimplementation the EuropeanCommission has said people are

paying up to 70 per cent lesswhenmaking and receiving calls and sendingtextmessages.Mobile phone operators T-Mobile,

Vodafone, Orange andTelefonicaO2challenged these limits. But theEuropeanCourt of Justice ruled at thebeginning of June that roaminglegislation that places amaximumonwhatmobile operators can charge is, infact, legal.Giles Chichester, ConservativeMEP,

said: “This is welcome news, particularlyaswe approach the summer periodwhenmost of us take holidays abroad.”


Pinpoint your family’s history

Office 2010releasedMicrosoft has released theconsumer version of Office2010 with new featuresincluding a photo-editingfunction in Word to editimages in documents.

More video capabilitieshave been added toPowerpoint and there is alsoa function linking peoplewith social-networkingsites. This lets people mergetheir inbox with anysocial-networking sitesuch asFacebook andsee their mostrecent updates.

It is expectedthat the Homeand Studentversion will go on sale foraround £109.

An advert-supportedversion, Office Starter 2010,will be pre-installed onsome new PCs.

www.microsoft.com

SOFTWARE

�WEB TELEVISIONBOOM IS COMINGThere will be a boom over the nextfour years in the number ofweb-enabledTV sets that are soldin the UK, according to industryexperts.A number ofmanufacturers are producing setsthat can download and playcontent directly from the internetwithout the need for a separateset-top box or a PC.However,many in the industry think it will be15-20 years before 3DTVbecomes amainstreamconsumer technology.


�EMAIL ITEMS TONEW HP PRINTERSHP has announced a line-up ofnew printers that allow documentsto be printed from any email-enabled device.The rangeincludes the Photosmart Premiume-All-in-one, due in Octoberpriced at £180, the PhotosmartPlus e-All-in-one, available fromSeptember for £150 and thePhotosmartWireless e-All-in-one,available from July priced at £100.

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10

USE WINDOWS’ EXPERT TOOLS

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

If you have had a computer for awhile, you haveprobably discovered thatWindows comeswith aload of useful tools. You have probablyworkedout sums in Calculator, protected files usingBackup and, if you read our article in issue 320,

youmay even have got themeasure of your systemwiththeWindows 7 ResourceMonitor.The chances are, though, that there has also been a

timewhen your computer had a problem and youweren’t sure if you had the tools to fixit.Windows and the applications thatrun on it can slow down, gowrong orjust act oddly, leaving even confidentusers baffled. But not all ofWindows’tools are in plain view.Whenmost of us think that it’s time

to give up, wemay call on an expertwho knows how to fix the problemusing tools that aren’t tricky to use:they’re just hidden away. In thisarticlewe’ll show youwhere 10 ofthese hidden tools can be found andhow to use them.

1 Command and conquerBefore graphical operatingsystems such asWindowscaught on,most PCs ranDOS (short for DiskOperatingSystem), which is a text-based systemwhere you couldmove files and start programs by typing commands. Infact,Windows effectively ran on top of this olderoperating system up to and includingWindows 98 andMe.Modern versions ofWindows can still create aDOS-like interface using the Command Prompt.

HOW TOCOVERSTORY

Image:Steve

Kirk

Need a quick computer fix?We show how to find and use10 hidden troubleshooting toolsthat the experts rely on

9Run the Command Prompt as Administrator in Windows 7 or Vista

most basic level. To use it, type ping into the commandprompt, followed by a space, then the device youwantto connect to, and then press Enter. For example, if yournetwork has two computers namedDave and Sally, youcould check that they can communicate by starting aCommand Prompt on the computer called Sally, typingping Dave and hitting Enter.If the network is running you should see lines of text

appear that start with Reply and include a time inmilliseconds. If you get an errormessage or no answerthen it’s time to check the cable orwireless network.

For a quickway to checkwhether yourinternet connection itself (rather than yourweb browser) is running properly, try typingping google.com and pressing Enter.Ping can be left running by adding -t, for

example typing ping -t google.comwill carryon pingingGoogle’s servers until you hit theCtrl andC keys at the same time to stop it.This can be handy, allowing you to instantlyseewhen your connection problem is fixed.

3 Info a pennyNobody remembers every detail about theircomputer, but there are timeswhen you’llneed to check. A full breakdown of a PC’s

hardware and software is vital information for anyoneproviding technical support, while even a basicoverview can be checked against theminimumrequirements of some new software you’re thinkingabout buying, preventing a costlymistake.Windows provides a handy but hiddenway to get

both in the shape of the System Information tool. Thiscan be run inWindows 7 or Vista simply by typing

The command prompt isn’t so useful ineveryday computing, butwhen programs orWindows gowrong it can be a vital tool. Onits own it can be used to give additional

instructions tomanyWindows programs,telling them to behave in a certainwaywhen they

start up. Evenmore importantly, it’s the onlyway torun some ofWindows’most useful expert tools,including a fewwe’ll explain later in this article. InWindowsXP, start the Command Prompt by clickingthe Start button, clicking Run, then typing cmd in thebox that appears and clickingOK.Starting a Command Prompt is even easier in

Windows 7 andVista: simply click Start, typeCommand in the StartMenu’s search box and youshould see ‘Command Prompt’ appear top of theresults. Left-clicking this will start a regularcommand prompt, but to runmost expert tools you’llalso need tomake yourself anAdministrator. To do this,right-click the ‘Command Prompt’ entry in the searchresults and choose ‘Run as administrator’. Answer Yesto theUser Account Control dialoguebox that appears.The command promptwill appear as a blackwindowintowhich you can type text, shown inwhite. For now,simply close the prompt by typing exit and hitting theEnter key. Alternatively, you can just close theWindow,butwewouldn’t recommend it if you’re running one ofthe utilities described below.

2 Just the PingPing is a simple hidden tool that can be invaluablewhentrying towork outwhat’s wrongwith your computer ona network. Likemany advanced tools it can only beaccessed from inside a command prompt, so follow theinstructions above to open one.The purpose of ping is to test whether two computers

or devices can communicatewith one another on the

11


www.computeractive.co.uk24 June - 7 July 2010

HOW TO

WhileWindows comes with plenty of tools,hidden or easily found, these don’t covereverything you may need.Even when they do, extra software may

do a better job of the same thing. Here area few suggestions:

Memtest86+www.snipca.com/x1564If you know how to create a bootable CD,this is a better memory test thanWindows’ own version.

3DMark/PCMarkwww.futuremark.comThese tests show how fast a computer, orits graphics system, is. Because they workthe computer hard they can also revealany underlying problems that areoccurring, such as overheating.

Windows Sysinternalswww.snipca.com/x1563Started in 1996 and bought by Microsoft10 years later, the Sysinternals tool is

probably the most powerful andcomprehensive suite of tools available fortroubleshooting a PC.

Microsoft Security Essentialswww.snipca.com/x1562Windows Defender, which is included withWindows 7 and Vista, protects againstspyware and adware but it doesn’twatch for virus infections. DownloadSecurity Essentials to add this protectionto your computer at no cost.

R GET MORE

Continued on P13q

AdwareSoftware thatdisplays unwanted adverts.

Anti-virusSoftware thatdetects, repairs, cleans orremoves viruses.

Defragment or ‘defrag’.To reorganise the datastored on a hard disk so itcan be accessed as quicklyas possible by the computer.

DialogueboxA windowthat pops up to display orrequest information.

Double-clickTo clicktwice quickly in successionon a mouse button.

DownloadTransferringfiles onto your PC directlyfrom the internet.

DriverA program thatallows Windows tocommunicate with aperipheral device.

EncryptTo scramble dataso it can only be read by thesender and recipient.

FirewallSoftware orhardware that preventsunauthorised access to acomputer over a network.

FloppydiskA small, rigidsquare of plastic used tostore data. Inside the case isa circular magnetic disc.

HarddiskA high-capacitydisk in PCs used to storeboth applications and files.

InstantmessagingText-based communicationover a network.

MemoryThe computer’stemporary storage area.

MotherboardThe maincircuit board inside any PCinto which every othercomponent connects.


9The System Information Tool lists the hardware in your computer

9Test whether two computers or devices can communicate using the Ping tool

We have only highlighted ahandful ofWindows’ hiddentools, concentrating onuseful ones that are unlikelyto do any harm to yourcomputer. There are plenty ofother utilities that can bevery powerful, but also verydangerous if you click thewrong option.Probably the most

important of these is theRegistryEditor, throughwhich advanced users canchange which softwareloads when, how it behaves,and alter fundamentals ofWindows itself. It soundsinviting, but there are fewharmless changes to theregistry, and many that couldmess upWindows. It’sgenerally one to avoid.Sometimes even a

harmless tool can be open toabuse. InWindows NT and2000, the simple ‘Net send’command could be used tocreate a pop-up message onanother computer on thenetwork. Or every computer,making it easy for prankstersor troublemakers tobombard every PC withspammessages.Thefeature was disabled bydefault in XP, and removedfrom Vista onwards.

R THE PITFALLSOF CHANGE

would also advise carewhen using the option to‘Compress old files’, found inWindowsXP, as this canliberate lots of space but it can take hours to complete.

5 Restore and repairMost PC users have had amomentwhere they thought“I wish I hadn’t done that”. Inmany cases the SystemRestore tool canmake that wish come true. The utilityworks in the background, keeping a lookout for bigchanges such as new software being installed, or abackup being restored.When such a change is about tohappen it takes a ‘snapshot’ of the PC as it is. Ifsomething goeswrong, or if the user simply changestheirmind, SystemRestore can be used to return thecomputer to how it was before the changewasmade.WindowsXP users can start SystemRestore by

opening the StartMenu, clickingAll Programs, thenAccessories, then SystemTools, then ‘SystemRestore’.Windows 7 andVista usersmight find it easier simplyto search for the tool from the StartMenu, and theymayalso be prompted for permission before it will run.Once started, SystemRestore lets the user choose thepoint theywant to restore to, andWindows 7 evenshowswhich programs and driversmight be deleted orre-installed by each restore point.

6 Forget me notAhardware problem can causeWindows to becomeunstable, butwhile some are easy to trace there’s onethat can be a real pain: faultymemory. Memoryproblems can cause serious instability, but of coursethere’s noway to spot a dodgy stick ofmemory bylooking at it.Handily,WindowsVista includes a newMemory

Diagnostics Tool – find it by typingmemory diagnosticinto the StartMenu search box. It’s also included inWindows 7, calledWindowsMemoryDiagnostic.The tool first askswhether youwant to restart and

perform a check immediately, orwait until the nexttime you restart your computermanually.When the PCrestarts the tool loads beforeWindows does to performa series of intensive tests on thememory chips in yourcomputer. You can accessmore advanced settings bypressing F1 once it has started.Although the tool doesn’t comewithWindowsXP, it

can be downloaded free fromMicrosoft atwww.snipca.com/x1605. This version isn’t quite as easy

12



system information into the StartMenu searchbox, then clicking the top result that appears. It’sa bitmore hidden away inXP, where you’ll needto click the Start button, click Run and typec:\windows\system32\dllcache\msinfo32.exeinto the box that appears, before clickingOK.The System InformationTool starts with a

system summary that usually includes all sorts ofhandy information and is often the onlyway tofind outwhichmotherboard is inside thecomputerwithout grabbing a screwdriver, forexample. Clicking on theComponents orSoftware Environment categories in the left-handpane revealsmore detailed information on a PC’shardware or softwaremakeup.The search box at the bottommakes it easy to

search for a specific component ormanufacturername, which is handy if you’re seeing errormessages from a component that you’ve neverheard of andwant to find outwhat it does. Best of all,there’s no need to feel intimidated, as the tool is forinformation only so you can’t damage anything here.

4 Clean and clearToday’s computers comewith lots of storage space buteven themost careful of userswill find that their harddisk fills upwith junk over time. It’s hard to knowwhatis safe to delete, soWindows comeswith a tool to help.Disk Cleanup can be found by opening Computer (MyComputer inWindowsXP) from the StartMenu orDesktop, right-clicking the disk that’s running out ofspace, selecting Properties and then clicking theDiskCleanup button on the page that appears.Disk Cleanup looks for files that could be deleted on

a disk and presents its recommendations in a listgrouped by theme. Highlighting an item explainsmoreabout it so you canmake an informed decision.TheMoreOptions tabmakes it possible to cut down

on installed programs,Windows components orrestore points (see below), freeing-up evenmore space.Wewould recommend caution, though, as it’s easy toremove something you don’t realise you need.We

HOW TO

9System Restore takes a snapshot of the PC’s settings for recovery purposes

qDisk Cleanup recommendsfiles that can be deleted to freeup space on your PC

8 Be resourcefulWhile faulty hardware can cause problemswith aPC,many everyday hitches are likely to be down tosoftware that hasn’t installed properly orwhich hasbecome corrupted, perhaps for a simple reason suchas the computer not being properly shut down.Whenthis happens to an importantWindows file it canresult in an unstable computer, or one that won’tperform certain tasks.In such a case, it’s a good idea to restore the

computer to an earlier time using SystemRestore(see page 12) and to scanwith your anti-virussoftware, but if this doesn’t solve the problem there’stheWindowsResource Checker. This simplecommand, run from aCommand Prompt, causesWindows to check the status of all the important filesit needs to start up successfully. If any are corruptedormissing they are replacedwith the correct versionbut you’ll need yourWindows installationCD.The resource checker is run by starting a Command

Prompt, remembering to grant Administratorprivileges if you haveWindows 7 or Vista (see page 10).

If you can’t do this as the computerwon’t startnormally, try starting the computer in SafeMode (pressF8 after it beeps at start up). At the Command Prompt,type SFC /scannow and pres Enter. The process ofchecking and replacing files can take awhile but insome cases it can save having to re-installWindows ona PC that seems like a lost cause.

9 Pass the remoteNew computer users often need a bit of help, and ifyou’re an experienced computer user you’ll most likelyoftenwant to help others out. This is easy if you’re bothin the same roombutwhat if youwant to help a familymemberwho lives halfway across the country – orhalfway across the planet? SinceWindowsXP, though,Microsoft has includedRemoteAssistance, which is abrilliant tool that can allow a remote helper to viewyour computer’s display just as you do. If you’re reallystuck, you can even allow them to take control of yourcomputer to directly fix a problem.Unfortunately,WindowsXP’s remote assistance has

one big problem: unless you’re both usingMicrosoft’sWindowsMessenger instant-messaging tool the firewallbuilt intomany internet routerswill block it. If you haveWindows 7 orVista on your PC this isn’t a problem.

to use, however, and it will prompt you to create aspecial floppydiskor CD. You’ll have to start thecomputer from that disc to run the test.

7 System settingsSometimes, ifWindows is particularly slow or refusesto start properly it may be because a piece of softwarethat loads automatically is causing problems. You canget around this by startingWindows in SafeMode(press F8 after the computer beeps on startup), but ifyou can getWindows to start up once there’s a farsimplermethod: the SystemConfiguration tool.It’s easily found inWindows 7 or Vista by typing

system config into the StartMenu search box.WindowsXP users can usually run it by clicking Start,clicking Run, and then typing c:\windows\pchealth\helpctr\binaries\MSConfig.exe in the box that appearsand clickingOK.Once started, this powerful tool letsyou choose exactlywhat happens each timeWindowsstarts up. The Startup tab lets you disable various otherutilities that would normally start withWindows,allowing you toweed out any you suspect of beingunstable, but you should use carewhen doing this.Wewould recommend cautionwith options on the

Services tab, as unticking these can causemore troublethan they fix. Perhapsmost useful is the Tools tab,which shows a complete list of diagnostic tools inWindows,many of themhidden (and several listed inthis article). Choose one and click Launch to use it.

13



HOW TO

9Fix startup problems with the System Configuration tool

9Use the Resource Checker to check all vital Windows files

9The Memory Diagnostics Tool will help you locate memory problems


OperatingsystemGoverns the way hardwareand software in a computerwork together.

RegistryA file integratedinto Windows that storesinformation on all hardwareand software installed onyour computer.

RouterA device used toconnect more than onecomputer or other device tothe internet.

Spam Junk email sent tolarge groups of peopleoffering such things asmoney-spinning ideas,holidays, and so on.

SpywareSoftwareinstalled (usuallysurreptitiously) to monitorand report back on acomputer’s use.

VirusA maliciouscomputer programdesigned to damage data.


The program is very easy to use, but bear inmind that itmay take some time (sometimes it’s best left overnight).FromWindowsVista onwards,Microsoft changed

things so that disks are automatically defragmentedwithout you asking, typically once aweek. Vista userscan check the schedule ormanually startdefragmentation by typing defragment into the StartMenu’s search box and clicking ‘DiskDefragmenter’.InWindows 7, the tool shows the status of individualdisks, giving you evenmore control.

Tools of the tradeMany of the PC toolswe’ve discussed are carefullyhidden away, while others are simply tricky to find fromthe StartMenu, but all 10 could come in handy over thelifetime of your computer.Used carefully they can help you gain a better

understanding of your computer, how it works andhow to fix it when problems occur. And, as our ‘Getmore’ box on page 11 explains, even ifWindows doesn’tcomewith the utility that you need the chances are itcan be downloaded, either fromMicrosoft itself or fromanother company at no cost.With such awealth of tools, you should never find

yourself stuckwith aWindows problem you can’t fix.Simon Francis

14



XPusers can find RemoteAssistance by looking inAll Programs on the StartMenu.Windows 7 andVistausers can search by typingwindows remote in the StartMenu’s search box. Once started, the toolmakes it easyto create a request for help that can be sent as a file,over email, or (in the XP version only) to a user ofWindowsMessenger (Microsoft’s instant-messagingprogram).Windows 7 users have a simpler optioncalled EasyConnect.After a final password check, an authorised helper

can see the target computer’s desktop, allowing them tosee a problem first-hand. Theexpert can send instructionsvia chat, or transfer files,such as an anti-virus installprogram, if the person beinghelped consents.With complicated

problems the personreceiving help can also allowan expert to take remotecontrol of their computer, butthey can take control back oreven end the session at anytime. See our step-by-stepguide below for details.

10 Sort it outThe latest hard disks areblisteringly fast but they still

suffer from a problem that affected the very first ones.When files are saved, they’re broken into chunks thatarewritten onto the first available slots on the disk.Because these slots often aren’t big enough for thewhole file it ends up spanningmany slots, which areinterspersedwith other slots containing informationfromother files. This ‘fragmentation’ of files slows yourcomputer down as it has to hunt around for the piecesof each file.Fortunately,Windows comeswith a utility to

defragment the disk.WindowsXP users can find it byclicking Start, All Programs, Accessories and thenSystemTools, and then choosingDiskDefragmenter.

HOW TO

9Speed up your PC by reordering files with Disk Defragmenter

STEP BY STEP | HOWREMOTE ASSISTANCEWORKS

3 The helper can now see the desktop of the firstPC, allowing its user to show them the problem.

If needed, the helper can transfer a file to the problemcomputer or they can request to take remote controlof it. The user in need of help can then watch as theexpert fixes their computer.

1 The person needing help runs RemoteAssistance and sends out an invitation. In this

case we’re asking for help from a computer runningWindows 7.The file is attached to an emailaddressed to the person who will help, and apassword automatically created.This step is easiestto co-ordinate if the two parties talk on the phone.

2 The person offering help receives the invitationand double-clicks the file.This opens

Remote Assistance on their PC (in this case adesktop PC running Vista). Remote Assistance setsup a secret,encrypted link between the two PCsbut before the helper can connect they need to enterthe password created on the first PC.

9Remote Assistance lets moreexperienced computer usershelp novices sort out problems

Prices valid until 03.07.10Terms and Conditions. All prices are valid until 03.07.10 after this date prices may fluctuate without notice, please seewww.dabs.com/computeractive for the latest prices. If you do not use the advertised URL the prices on the website may differ fromthose advertised. All offers are while stocks last unless otherwise indicated. All prices include VAT but exclude carriage. *Freedelivery 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 areonly 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 [email protected].

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OUR STAR RATINGS

OUR STAMP OF APPROVALThe Buy It! stamp ofapproval is a signthat a product hasexceeded our highexpectations in bothquality and value for

money. If you see the Buy It! logo you knowwewere impressedwith the product andwe think youwill be too. The Try It! Stamp isour equivalent award for software andservices that are free of charge.

A list of products that we think are thebest available in various categories can befound at the back of the Tried & Testedsection.

If you are looking for reviews of a certainkind of product, the best way to do so isthrough our website, where you can readreviews by category and type of product.Go towww.computeractive.co.uk/products

The prices we print are the suggested retailprices set by themanufacturer. Productscan often be foundmuch cheaper on theinternet or in shops.

For the latest keen prices on a range ofproducts go towww.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices

While we try to keep our reviews free fromtechnical language or jargon, it issometimes unavoidable. See the JargonBuster column for concise explanations ofhighlighted words. For an in-depth glossary,go towww.computeractive.co.uk/jargon

Computeractive’s reviewers follow strictguidelines to ensure the opinions expressedin themagazine are fair, accurate andindependent. Every product or service wereview is thoroughly examined and testedby experts. Themanufacturer has noinvolvement in our tests and is never toldthe result of a review prior to publication.Please note that our reviews gradeproducts, not customer service. Reviewsare based on opinions. Check the fullspecification of any product with themanufacturer to be sure it will work withyour computer.

Wewelcome feedback on our reviews –send us an email [email protected] discuss our reviews atwww.computeractive.co.uk/forums

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HOW WE TEST

Over theyears,the twobiggestnames indisc-burningsoftware,NeroandRoxio,havebuilt

theirproducts intovastmultimediasuites, includingfeaturessuchasvideoediting, formatconversion,DVDauthoringandmusicstreamingon topof thebasictaskof recordingmedia toblankdiscs.

Of the two,Nerohastended to takeamorestraightforwardapproach,providingapowerful,no-nonsensesetof toolsbutarguablyoffering less in thewayofhand-holdingand integration.

WithMultimediaSuite 10,however,Neroamalgamates threeseparate facetsof its software rangeintooneunifiedsuite.ThemainBurningRomtool is still there (andnow includesBlu-rayburningasstandard,though it still cannotplayBlu-raydiscs),alongwith toolssuchasSoundTrax fordigitisingoldLPsandCoverDesigner forprintingCDandDVDsleeves.But this timetheyare joinedbyarevampedvideo-editingpackage,NeroVisionXtra,andabackuputility,NeroBackItUpandBurn.Similar featureswereincluded inpreviousversions,butMultimediaSuite 10 introducessomebig improvements.

NeroVisionXtra, for instance,hasgone frombeingasimpleeditingprogramtoamulti-track,timeline-basedvideo-editingprogramwithsomeadvancedeffects,suchassupport forchromakey (greenscreen)effects toaddaperson toanexistingscene. It alsoincludesan improvedversionofNero’sSmartEncode technology,whichcancreatehigh-definition(HD)discs fromHDcamcorderclipswithout theneed to re-encode thefootage (assumingyourcamcorder

records inacompatibleformat,suchas

AVCHD),saving timeandpreventingpotential lossofquality.

MultimediaSuite 10also includesMediaHub,aone-stopshop fororganising,playing,sharingandeditingyourdigital photos,videosandmusic.MediaHubprovidesaquickandeasyway tomakephotoslideshows, listen tomusicplaylists,postvideosonYoutubeandsoon,likeacrossbetweenWindowsMediaPlayerandGooglePicasa.

It’seasy tousebutwhetheryouneedanothermediaplayer inyourlife isanothermatter. It’salsoslightlyconfusing that thesuiteincludesMediaHubalongside theexistingStartSmart,which is initself a‘hub’for launching thevariousutilitiescontained inMultimediaSuite 10.

ThoughMediaHubhasasimple,accessible interface,thisapproachisnotconsistent throughoutMultimediaSuite 10.Manyof thetools, includingBurningRomitself, remaina littlemore like thenuts-and-boltsNeroofold, thoughwewill admit that this isnotnecessarilyabad thing.

With thenewversion,Nerohasgone further to takeonRoxio,whichhashistoricallybeenbetteratediting files,whileNerohasexcelledatcreatingdiscsofyour files.Thenewversiondoesbothmuchmore

effectively,but therearesomeareas,suchaspictureediting,whereRoxiostill has theedge.

There issomethinghere foreveryone, from inexperienceduserswho justwantsomething toburntheodddiscwithoutany fuss,toexpertswhowant total controlovertheirmedia filesand theability torip,copy,burn,convert,edit andshare justaboutanything.

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Disc burning, backup andediting tools for your PC

WE SAYMultimedia Suite 10 is complete andwe still like Nero’s plain speaking

GOOD POINTS: Much improvedvideo-editing features; good backupprogram included; useful Media Hubmanager/playerBAD POINTS: Not all components areas easy to use as others; two ‘hubs’are a bit confusing at first

OVERALL: ��

TRIED&TESTED

BUY IT!BUY IT!

NERO MULTIMEDIASUITE 10

9Multimedia Suite 10 includes Start Smart for launching utilities

17www.computeractive.co.uk

TRIED & TESTEDRR

24 June - 7 July 2010

CAMERA | £300

RICOH CX3

Ricoh’scameras tend tobebulkyand theCX3 isnoexception.Comparedwith

thesveltemodels fromothermanufacturers, it’sbuilt likea tank.

Alarge3inscreen takesupmostof thebackpanel. It has fourbuttonson theback foraccessingthemenusand theself-timer,amongother things,andanotherfordisplayingyourphotos.And ithasa four-way joystickcontrol thatputs thecamera intomacromodeandchanges the flashsetting.

It hasadecent 10xopticalzoomlens,equivalent to28-300mmonanold filmcameraandpowerswitch.There isalsoamodedial,forputting thecamera inmovie-shootmode, full-automaticmodeoroneof twocustommodes.Thecameracanalsochoose thebest settingsbasedonwhatyouareshooting.

Thecamerahasnoviewfindersoimageshave tobecomposedusingthescreenand thebattery isarechargeable type that is chargedusing thesuppliedmainscharger.TheCX3saves images toSDandSDHCmemorycards (notsupplied)but there isasmallinternalmemoryaswell.Otherfeatures includea level toshowwhenshotsarehorizontal anda‘dynamic range’option that shootstwopicturesatonce tocapturehighlightsandshadowdetail.

Imagequalitywas fair.Thecolourful shots lookedgoodbuttheir sharpness left abit tobe

A sturdy but expensive stills camera

WE SAYA relatively expensive camera givenwhat it can do

GOOD POINTS: Good colour in shots;well built; nifty featuresBAD POINTS: Pricey; poor videoquality; images sometimes notsharp enough

OVERALL: ��

desiredoncloser inspection.Lowlightperformancewasgood– itcanuse fairly longexposureswithout toogreatadrop inquality.

Although theCX3shootsvideo inthehigh-definitionresolutionof720p,wehaveseenmuchbetterquality fromcheaperdevices.

Thebuildquality ishighand thecameracanwithstanda fewknocks.Butultimately,despite itsRicohCX3’sclever features, itsaveragepicturequalitydoesnotquite justify the fairlyhighprice tag.

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DESKTOP COMPUTER | £700

PALICOMP EXC7

ThisdesktopPCcomesasabaseunitonly. It doesnot includeakeyboard,

mouseorscreen.But itdoescomewith isa largeamountofcomputingpower.

Theprocessor inside thePalicompEXC7(or theExcaliburX61055OC35BaseUnit, togive it its full name) isanAMDPhenomIIX6AM31055T,whichhashad itsoperatingspeed increased(knownasoverclocking) foraspeedboost.

It has4GBofmemory,which isasmuchaswewouldexpect toseefromamodernPC,and1TBofharddiskspace.Thegraphicscard is anATIRadeonHD5770modelwith 1GBof itsownmemory.Combined,theyprovideenoughpower tomakeeasypickingsofanyoffice tasksaswell asmore taxing taskssuchasplayinggamesandvideoediting– itperformedwell inboth tests.

ThePCcomes ina large towercase.The frontpanelhouses theCD/DVDwriterandhasseveralsparebays forexpansion.At the topisapanelwith fourUSBsockets,aneSataconnection,headphoneandmicrophonesocketsand thepowerandresetbuttons.

Atthebackithasanetworkconnection,soundoutputs(stereoandoptical forsurroundsound),keyboardandmousesockets,twoFirewireportsandeightmoreUSBsockets,includingtwothatworkwiththe latestandfastestUSB3standard.TherearenotmanyUSB3devicesavailable,but itspresenceheremeansyouwon’tneedtoupgradeinthefuture.ThegraphicscardhasoutputsforDVIandVGAmonitorsandanHDMIsocketforconnectingaflat-panelTV.Insidethecasethere isroomforexpansion,withtwomemorysockets,PCIExpressslots(whichallowinstallationofsoundcardsandmodems),drivebaysandpowerconnections.

At first thePCwouldnotstart.Palicompsaid ithadbeenhavingproblemswithcomponentsbecomingunseated in transit.We

Powerful computing formore taxing tasks

WE SAYAn impressively powerful PC that isgreat for games and video editing

GOOD POINTS: Plenty of processingpower; room for expansion; goodgames performance; USB 3 socketsBAD POINTS: Few users actuallyneed this much power

OVERALL: ��

openedthePC’scase tosit theprocessorproperly in its socketwhich fixed theproblem.Palicompsaid thatPCsaffected in thiswaycanbecollectedandreturnedunder itswarranty.

Anthony DhanendranDETAILSContact: Palicomp 01270 898104Info:www.palicomp.co.ukRetail price: £700Buy:www.palicomp.co.uk

ALSOCONSIDER...MSI Wind Top AE2220 Hi-Fi: £800Performed well and has lots of storage and atouchscreen built-in.��



TESTEDTRIED&

Apple’s latest laptopsaredominatedby theMacbookPro.Althoughtheolder,plastic-bodied

Macbookand lightweightMacbookAir arestill available, thePro isnowavailable in threedistinctmodels,fromthe relativelycheap to theextremelypowerful.

Thismakes it impossible toreviewtheentireMacbookProrangeatonce,so insteadwe’ll lookthis 15inmodel and thecheaper13inoneseparately.

The15inMacbookProhas threemainadvantagesover the 13inmodel.Aswell asa largerdisplay, itincludesagraphicscardwith itsown internalmemoryandaprocessor fromIntel’snewer, fasterCore i5 range.

We’ll startwith theprocessor.Although theCore i5chip in thisMacbookhasaslow-ish listedspeedof2.4GHz, this isn’t aproblemthanks toanewer,smarterdesignand theability to increase inspeed foraboostwhennecessary.

Inour test itwasable toconvertDVDvideo toa file suitable forplaybackon the iPhoneatbetween

60and80 framespersecond; the13inmodel,whichusesanolderCore2Duochip,performedthesametaskataround40 framespersecond,soconvertingawholeDVDisaround15minutesquickeron thei5model.

Despite thispower, theMacbookPromanaged to run foranimpressiveperiodof timeon itsbattery:Applequoteseight toninehours,andwemanagedoversevenineverydayuse.This ishelpedbyagraphicssystemthat switches toalesspower-hungrychipwhen themainone isnotneeded.

Thescreenhasa resolutionof1,440x900pixelsandaglossyfinish. It lookedgreat,butwe’dbetempted topay the£120extra toupgrade to the 1,6801,050anti-glareversion instead.

The touchpadwasgreat touse,butApple’sUKkeyboard layout isfrustratingwitha tall, thinEnterkey. If youarebuyingdirectly fromApple theUSkeyboard layout isano-costupgrade.

The restof theMacbookPro feltasgoodasyou’dexpect froma£1,500 laptop,with justa few

nigglingannoyances:Apple insistsonusing itsownMiniDisplayportconnector insteadofHDMIorDVI,thereareonly twoUSBportsandnoBlu-rayplayer.

It feelsassolidasa rock,however,andwasverycomfortabletouseona lap.

All inall,weconsider thismodeltobe theMacbookPro tobuy. It’sfarmorepowerful than the 13inmodel,and theprice isgood: thecurrentgoing rate forasimilarlyspecified laptop runningWindowsisaround£1350,soyou’readding£150 for theMacbook’sremarkablebuildquality.

Macbeginnerswithmodestcomputingneedsshouldconsiderthecheapest£800Macbookbut ifyouwantapowerfulMac laptopthis is theone topick.

Tom RoyalDETAILSContact: Apple 0800 048 0408Info:www.apple.com/ukRetail price: £1,499Buy:www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices

ALSOCONSIDER...Apple iMac 27in: £1,349If you’d prefer a desktopMac, this model hasan enormous screen and includes plenty ofprocessing power.��


LAPTOP COMPUTER | £1,499

APPLE MACBOOK PROCORE i5 15INApple’s laptops get a core upgrade

WE SAYIf you’re looking for a powerful butportable Mac, this is the one to buy

GOOD POINTS: Lots of power;high-resolution display; beautifullysolid body; good valueBAD POINTS: Dubious UK keyboardlayout; anti-glare display costs extra

OVERALL: ��

Continued on P26q

3GA mobile phone network thatallows fast internet access.

720pA high-definition TV format.

Anti-virusSoftware that detects,repairs, cleans or removes viruses.

AVCHDA format for storinghigh-definition videos.

Blu-rayA type of optical disc.

BluetoothAllows devices tocommunicate wirelessly.

CroppingCutting an image down tothe desired size and shape.

DVIA connection that provides adigital connection from PC to monitor.

eSataA socket for connectingexternal hard disks.

FirewallPrevents unauthorisedaccess to a computer over a network.

FirewireA connection commonlyused for digital camcorders.

GBA measurement of storage.

GHzA measure of how fast theprocessor in your PC works.

GPSA network of satellites used topinpoint a position on the planet.

GraphicscardDisplays the imageyou see on a computer’s monitor.

HarddiskA high-capacity diskused to store applications and files.

HDMIA cable that carries bothhigh-definition video and sound.

HighdefinitionA TV picture with ahigher resolution than normal.

ImagestabilisationA feature ofnewer cameras that combats camerashake by moving the sensor or lens.

MacroAn automated series ofcommands or operations.


BUY IT!BUY IT!


TRIED & TESTEDRR

24 June - 7 July 2010

XTREAMER

TheXtreamerHDmediastreamer isadevicecapableof takingmanydifferent types

of files fromonecomputerandplaying themoneithera televisionorothercomputers.

Aswell asbeingable tohandlehigh-definition (HD)video, it canplaybackothervideo files (suchasMPEG,DivXandFlash),music filesandphotos.Thedevicecandownload files fromaPCbyconnecting it toawirednetwork,oraUSBmemorykeycanbeplugged intoaccess files fromthat. It canalsostreamfileswirelesslyusingaUSBantenna,though thiscostsextra.

It isalsopossible toputa laptop-size (2.5in)harddisk inside theXtreamer,whichcan thenbeused tostore files forplayback toaTVorover thenetwork toothercomputers,yet surprisingly the

Playmusic and filmson televisions or PCs

WE SAYAn affordable HD media playerand streamer that does a lot ofthings well

GOOD POINTS: Can play lots offile types; low basic price; smalland unobtrusiveBAD POINTS: Poor connectivity outof the box; a few glitches with thesoftware; complicated menus

OVERALL: ��

device isnotmuchbigger thanapaperbackbook.

ThesleekblackunithandledHDvideoreasonablywell.With thedeviceconnected toaTVusinganHDMI lead (whichwasnotsupplied), thepicturewascrispandcolourswerevibrantaftera littletweakingof theoptions.Thedefaultsettings left thepicturesa littledark.

Qualitywasalsogoodwhenplayingmedia fromaUSBmemorykeybutnotquiteasgoodwhenstreamedfromaPC.Themenusarecomprehensive,withplentyofsettings tosuitmany typesofdisplay.However,wehad toupdate

theplayeronlinetoget itworkingproperlyandit frozeontwooccasions,requiringa reset.Therewere

noproblemsconnecting theXtreamer to the

internetandwewereable towatchvideoservices

suchasYoutubeand listen tointernet radiostations.

Using theXtreamerLiveservicewewereable towatchsomemainstreamTVchannels too.Theplayerwas flaky,crashingnowandagain,andnotquickatchanging thechannel,but itworked.

TheXtreamer’smanualwaspoorandnonetworkorHDMIcablesareincluded in thebox (thoughat thetimeofwritingawirelessadapter isbeing includedatnoextracost).

Despite its faults theXtreamer isanattractiveproduct for thoseonatightbudget.

Harry Burrows

DETAILSContact: Tranquil PC, no phone numberInfo:www.xtreamer.netRetail price: £99Buy:www.thextreamer.com

ALSOCONSIDER...Conceptronic Grab’n’go: £159This high-definition media streamer looksgreat, performed well and was easy to use.However, it is expensive and the softwareis complex��


MCAFEE TOTALPROTECTION 2010

McafeeTotalProtection isacomprehensiveonlinesecurity suite.Aswell as

stoppingmaliciousattacks fromtheoutside it includesonlinebackup,parental controlsandPC-optimisation tools.

The interface is simplesousersshouldnever feel lost inamazeofsettings.However,while testing thesecurity suite,wewereaffectedby the infamousupdate thatbrokecertaincomputers (seewww.computeractive.co.uk/2261857).The fixprovidedbyMcafeeon itswebsiteworkedperfectly thoughweneeded touseanothercomputer todownload it.

Besidesanti-virus,spywareand firewallprotection there isananti junkemail tool thatprotects

Complete computer protectionfromonline security attacks

WE SAYOffers good protection, thoughbackup and optimisation are limited

GOOD POINTS: Covers all forms ofsecurity; parental controls; spamprotection covers webmailBAD POINTS: Not much onlinebackup space; expensive

OVERALL: ��

email inThunderbird,EudoraOutlook,OutlookExpress,WindowsMailandevenwebemail accountssuchasHotmail.

Thespamfilter canbecustomisedwith rulesbasedon thesender,subject lineandbody.Thiscanbeused toallowall emails fromaparticularemail list if there isacommonphrase.

Theoptimising tool,QuickClean,can removeunwanted filesbut itdoesn’tdomuch that theWindowsDiskCleanupwizardcan’t.Onlinebackup is includedwith

2GBof space in theprice,whichcanbeupgraded tounlimitedstorage foranextra£40ayear.

Unfortunately,there’snoabilitytobackupwithoutusing theonlinestorage.TheParental

Control utilitygivescontroloverchildren’swebuse,requiringanextrapasswordtoaccessprohibitedsites.

Permission is setusing theWindowsuseraccountson thePC.

Thereare fivepresetsbasedonthechild’sage,suchas the‘underfiveyears’profile thatonlyallowsaccess tochild-friendlywebsitesandblocksall others.Formoredetailedcontrol youcancreateyourownprofiles.Arangeofblockingcategories is supplied,including‘school cheating’and‘social networking’.

The retail price ishighbut itcovers threePCs in thehomeforoneyear.Mcafee’s virusprotection

isgood,but theextra featuresarenotascompleteas those in,say,Norton360(seeAlsoConsider).

Tim SmithDETAILSContact:Mcafee 020 7949 0107Info:www.mcafee.co.ukRetail price: £65Buy:www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices

ALSOCONSIDER...Norton 360: £60Slow for full virus scans but this securitypackage covers all the bases.��


MEDIA STREAMER | £99

SECURITY SOFTWARE | £65


ACCESSORY | £70

POWERMAT PORTA

ThePowermatcanrechargeyourmobilephone,musicplayerorNintendoDS if you

place themon itssurface.Thismaynotsound likelybut it

worksbecauseof theprincipleofinduction,a techniquesimilar to thewayelectric toothbrushesarecharged.Thesameeffectallows thePowermat tocharge threegadgetsata time,reducing thenumberofwiresandchargersyou’ll need inyourhouse.

On itsownthePowermatcan’tchargeanything,though,exceptusing thesinglebuilt-inUSBport.Youwill alsoneedareceiver,soldseparately.Wetested thematwith thePowermatUniversalReceiver,whichsupportsplentyofdifferentgadgets,unless theyaremadebyApple that is.TochargeaniPodor iPhone,adifferent receiveris required.

Charge your gadgetswithout plugging them in

WE SAYA great demonstration of innovativetechnology, but simply too expensive

GOOD POINTS: An innovative way tocharge gadgets; stylish design;reduces cablingBAD POINTS: High cost; makesannoying noises

OVERALL: ��

Powermat’swebsitewillrecommendthecombinationofreceiverandmatyou’llneedwhenyouenteryourdevice’smakeandmodel.Tochargeadeviceyouconnect it to thereceiverusingasmall cableandoneof thesupplied‘power tips’,thenplace the receiveron themat.Whenchargingstarts,awhite lightcomesonandthePowermatmakesanoise,whichwe foundannoyingandcan’tbe turnedoff.

Itworkedwell inour tests.WechargedanHPIpaqhandheldcomputer,which took roughly twohours togo fromhavinganemptybattery tobeing fullycharged,which isabout thesameas if itwas

beingchargedwith

aUSBcable.Theproductand

packagingareverywelldesigned.Themat foldsup

neatlyandcomeswithacarrycase(aseparate‘HomeandOfficeMat’costs thesamebutdoesn’t foldup).The receivercomeswithasmall boxinwhich tokeepall the tips.

ThePowermat is impressivebutit’s veryexpensive.Thematalonecosts£70andeachreceiver isaround£30.Onereceiver isrequired foreachelectronic itemyouwant tocharge,so tochargethreegadgetsat thesametime,thebill comes toaround£160.

That isa lotofmoney forsomething thatdoes thesame job

as thestandardpoweradapters thatcomewithallelectronicgoods,albeitmuchmoreconveniently.

Orestis BastounisDETAILS

Contact: Powermat 020 3027 7565Info:www.powermateu.comRetail price: £70 (receivers around £30)Buy:www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices

ALSOCONSIDER...Wildcharger: £60 with iPhone adapterA similar, cheaper product.��


ACCESSORY | £45

Soundqualitywas impressiveand if yourphonesupportsvoicedialling thedevicewill too.Pickingup incomingcallswassimple too,and it canswitchbetweencalls.

Callers’numbersare readout,although theSolchatcontinuedreadingout thecaller’snumberafter theyhadcutoff,whichwasannoying.TheSolchat ismoreexpensive thanmanycarkits thatdoasimilar job,but theextraconveniencemakes it goodvalue.

Anthony DhanendranDETAILSContact: Scosche, no UK numberInfo: www.scosche.comRetail price: £45Buy:www.qfonic.com

TESTEDTRIED&

WE SAYA good-quality, easy-to-use carspeakerphone

OVERALL: ��

TheSolchat isahands-freespeakerfor yourmobilephone,connectingoverBluetooth. It’sdesigned tobeused in thecar (it comeswithamount thatattaches to thewindscreenwithsuckercups)butcanbeusedelsewhere too.

There isamicro-USBsocket forcharging (amainsadapter issupplied)but there’salsoasolarpanelon thedevice’sback,whichwill charge it fully inabout 18hoursof sunshine.Using itwas fairly easyand the instructionsareclear.

SCOSCHE SOLCHAT

STORAGE | £260

takemultiplebackupsandkeeponeinasafe-deposit vault, though theIOSafeSolo issimpler.

Anthony DhanendranDETAILSContact: TheTech Bag 08456 439 397Info:www.iosafe.comRetail price: £260 (1TB)Buy:www.thetechbag.net

WE SAYWill keep your data safe from fire andflood, but too expensive for mosthome users

OVERALL: ��

Thereare ruggedharddisks,andthen there’s the Iosafe,whichcomesencased inametal shell towithstandboth fireandwater.

The largedevice (it’s thesizeandshapeofasmall toaster) is veryheavy (around7kg)whichmeansthatyouwill need toplace itdowncarefullyand then leave it,as it’snoteasy tomove.There’sevenaboltholeon thebackso it canbeattached to the floor.

It’s ratedassafe ina fireat840ºCfor30minutes,and for fullimmersion inwater for threedaysat10 feetdeep. It’snotofficiallyshockproofbut thecase is rugged.

Several capacitiesareavailable:we lookedat the1TBmodelwhichcosts£260,while the500GB is£199and2TB is£450.Performancewassimilar tootherexternalUSBharddisks.

Thisdiskwill certainlykeepyourdatasafebut itsprice ishigh, fivetimesasmuchasastandard1TBexternaldisk. Itwouldbebetter to

IOSAFE SOLO


NETWORKING | £60

Mobilebroadbanduses themobilephonenetwork toprovideadatasignal to

yourcomputer so it canaccess theinternet,usuallybyplugging inaUSBadapter.

Normally suchconnectionsonlyworkwithonecomputeratonce,butwe looked recentlyat theThreeMifi,whichcanshareconnectionsbetweenseveral people.TheZoom3GWireless-NRouter (modelnumber4501, if searchingonline)doesasimilar thing,buteffectivelyconvertsyourmobilebroadbandintoasemi-permanentconnection for thehome.UnliketheMifi (see right) it needs tobeconnected to themains.

Theboxcontains the router (asmall blackdevice thesizeofadouble-CDcase),awireless

aerial,standandmainspowersupply.Plugyour3GUSBmodeminto the routerand it’s ready togo.Ashortmanual explainshowtosetup thewirelessnetwork,whichcouldhavebeeneasier.Theconfigurationscreensaren’t theclearestwe’veseen (itwasn’tobviouswhichoptions to fill inandwhichcouldbe leftblank)buttherearen’tmanyoptions toset.

ItworkswithmostUSB3Gmodems(a list is availableatwww.snipca.com/x1604)butyoumayneed toaskyourmobileproviderfor themodelnumberof yourmodem,as it’snotoftenclear. Italsoworksasastandard router toextendyourbroadband orcablemodem.Youcanconnectacomputerwirelesslyorbypluggingintooneof thenetworkportsonthebackof thedevice.Wehadabitof troublewith thewirelessconnectionwithonePCrefusing toconnect to it,butall theotherswetriedworked fine,and thewiredconnectionworkedevery time.

Themainproblem isoutofZoom’scontrol: theperformanceyougetwilldependonyournetwork’smobile signal. Inone testlocationwegotaround1Mbit/sec,whichwasgoodbymodernbroadbandstandards,while inanother(bothwere inLondon) itdroppedbelow0.3Mbits/sec,making it lessuseful.

If yougetadecentconnectionwitha3GUSBmodem,though,theZoommakes it easy toshare.

Anthony DhanendranDETAILSContact: Zoom 01252 761 218Info: www.zoom.comRetail price: £60Buy:www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices

ALSOCONSIDER...Three Mifi: £50Compact broadband but tricky to get working.��


MONITOR | £140

it reflective. Itsdesignmakes it lookquiteold fashionedbut theon-screenmenusandbuttonsalongthebottomof the frontpanelwereeasy touse. It hasbothVGAandDVIconnectors toattach toacomputer.The toughscreenmaybeaspecialist requirementbut thismonitor’spricecompareswell.

Anthony DhanendranDETAILSContact: Hannsg, no UK numberInfo: www.hannsg.com/eu/enRetail price: £140Buy:www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices

TESTEDTRIED&

WE SAYA tough, decent-quality screen that’snot particularly expensive

OVERALL: ��

TheHannsgHP222DGB isdesignedmainly foruse inschoolsandshops,although itwillwork inhomes too. Ithasa toughenedpanelover thescreen tostop itbeingdamagedbyknocksand things thrownat it.

It’sawidescreenmodel,althoughin the16:10aspect ratio (themeasureof relativeheightandwidthof thedisplay),rather than the16:9ofsomewidescreenmonitors (theresolution is 1680x1050pixels).Thatmeans it’s taller thanotherscreens,whichmeans it’snotsogreat for filmsbutbetter forwebbrowsing,amongother things.

Screenqualitywas impressive,althoughcolourswerea littlemuted,and theextraprotectiondoesmake

HEADPHONES | £40

people turn thevolumeup toohighoncheaperheadphones,riskingdamage to theirhearing.

Werecommendmostpeoplebuyingportablemusicplayerswhocareaboutsoundquality to investinnewheadphones.

TheEP-830setworkedperfectlyandalthough it is a littleon theexpensiveside:manyothersetsofheadphoneswill doalmostasgooda job,andcostaround£20.

Orestis BastounisDETAILS

Contact: Creative, no UK numberInfo: www.creative.comRetail price: £40

Buy:www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices

It canbeannoyinghaving tostandnext tosomeoneonacrowded trainwho’s listening tomusicwith thesound leakingout forall tohear.

Thecheapheadphones thataresometimesbundledwithmanymusicplayersaren’t goodquality,leaksoundandpickupnoise fromoutsidesources.TheEP-830‘noise-isolating’headphonessolvemostoftheseproblems.

Theyarein-earheadphones,whichmeans theycomewith rubbergrips thatgo inside theuser’sear (threegripsizesaresupplied).

Soundqualitywasverygoodandevenwhenlistening tomusicat fairlyhighvolume inanofficetherewerenocomplaintsofleakingnoise.

They’reevenbetteratremovingnoise fromoutsidesources,which isone reason

CREATIVE EP-830HANNSG HP222DGB

WE SAYA decent pair of lightweightheadphones, but expensive

OVERALL: ��

ZOOM3G WIRELESS-N ROUTERShare yourmobile broadband connection

WE SAYThis router worked a treat but theadvanced options are complicated

GOOD POINTS: Can share a mobileconnection across lots of computersBAD POINTS: Speed depends onmobile signal; some wirelessconnection problems

OVERALL: ��


PHONE | £360 OR CONTRACT

Afterashakystart,Google’sAndroidoperatingsystemformobilephoneshasgrown

quickly.Recentlywehaveseen itonGoogle’sownNexusOneandthestunningHTCDesire.Motorola’sMilestone issimilarbutwithakeyaddition: it hasa full keyboard.

It’sworthnoting fromthestart that theMilestone isugly.Somemightsay itsdesign is‘chiselled’,but theresultsarenotpretty.

Aestheticcomplaintsaside,however, theMilestone isnearperfect.Thescreenhasahighresolutionof854x480pixels,whichdwarfs the iPhone’sdisplayandprovidesmore roomforwebsitesthaneven theHTCDesire. It canconnect to the internetusingwirelessnetworksaswell as throughthemobilephonenetwork,soyouget rapid internetaccess justabout

The king of Android phones

WE SAYUgly to look at but brilliant to use, thisis the best Android phone for keenemail users

GOOD POINTS: Full keyboard; hugescreen; decent batteryBAD POINTS: Looks like a shinyblack brick

OVERALL: ��

anywhere,andsatellitenavigation isbuilt in too.

With thephoneclosed itworkslikeanyotherAndroidsmartphone,withanon-screenkeyboard fortypingmessagesandsurfing theweb.Flip it open,though,anda fullkeyboardand four-waynavigation

padareavailable.Thekeyboard isnotgreatbut it’sbetterfor typingemailsormessages thantapping thescreen.Thebattery lasteda

fewdays in lightusebutsurfing thewebor running

lotsofapplicationsatonce(somethingAndroid,unlikecurrent iPhonemodels,candowithout fuss)willsap it faster.Expect to

recharge it everyday if yousurf thewebalot.An8GBmemorycard is

included forstoringmusic,photosanddownloadedapplications.And,unlikeMotorola’sotherAndroidphone,theDext, thesoftwareandGPSsystemran fastandeffectively.Afreeupdate toversion2.1of theAndroidoperatingsystem isavailable if yourphonedidn’thave it installed.

If youdon’tdomuchtyping thentheHTCDesireandGoogleNexusOnearesimilarhandsetswithnicer

designs.Foranyonewhosends lotsofmessages,though,this is theAndroidphone tobuy.

Tom RoyalDETAILSContact:Motorola, no UK numberInfo:www.motorola.comRetail price: £360 or on a contractBuy:www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices

ALSOCONSIDER...HTC Desire: £400 or on a contractAnother excellent Android phone, but withouta physical keyboard.��


PHONE | £450 ON CONTRACT

Call qualitywas fine,butnavigating to thephone-diallerwastoocomplicated,thoughNokiaregards thisasamobile internetdevice first,andaphonesecond.

The five-megapixelcameraproducedgoodpictures,andsoundfromthemusicandvideoplayerwasalso impressive (video lookedgoodon the largescreen).Batterylifewas fair–mediumtoheavyuserswill need tocharge itdaily.

Anthony DhanendranDETAILSContact: Nokia 0800 331 6021Info: www.nokia.co.ukRetail price: £450 or on contractBuy:www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices

TESTEDTRIED&

WE SAYThis is a clever device that’s reallyaimed at the geekier users out there –others might find it too big and fiddly

OVERALL: ��

TheN900 isNokia’s latest internetphone. It’sheavier thansimilarphones,but it combinesa large3.5in touch-sensitivescreenwitha full (if small) keyboard.Thatalsomakes itbulky.Atalmost2cm it’s thicker thanmostotherphones.

Thecontrolswereeasy tomasterwitha tapat the top-left of thescreenaccessing theHomemenu.WebbrowsingandNokia’sOviMapsapplicationbenefit fromthetouch-screen,although it lacksmulti-touchsoyoucannotpinch thescreen tozoomoutason iPhonemodels.Wealsohad troublegettingit to register finger-presses.

NOKIA N900

NETWORKING | FROM £50

itworkedwithout trouble. Inuse, it’sunobtrusive– thedevicesits inacornerworkingaway. Itworkedwhenwetried it inaLondon flat

withpoorVodafone receptionand thecall qualityimprovednoticeably.Theprice issteep,though.

It costs£50 for thosealreadypaying£25amonthormore,and£120 for the rest.

Anthony DhanendranDETAILSContact: Vodafone 08080 044 423Info:www.vodafone.co.ukRetail price: from £50Buy:www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices

WE SAYIt works but it’s a shame thatusers have to pay for the network’spatchy coverage

OVERALL: ��

Vodafone’sSureSignal isaboosterforyourmobilephone.The idea isthat itplugs intoyour router,andwheneveryouplaceacall onyourVodafonemobilephone it’spickedupby thedeviceandsentover theinternet insteadofthemobilephonenetwork. It’susefulfor thoseofuswholive inareaswherethere is littleornomobile reception.

Wehadsometroublenavigating thebadlydesignedregistrationwebsite,butregistering thedevicemeans thatonlyyourdevicescanuse thebox forboosting their signal,not justeveryperson in thestreet.

It tookadayorso for thewebsiteto recognise thatourSureSignalwas listedonourhomenetworkandtoactivate it,butonce thatwasdone

VODAFONE SURE SIGNAL

MOTOROLA MILESTONE

BUY IT!BUY IT!


TESTEDTRIED&

The latest versionof theNorton360all-in-onePCsecurityandprotectionsuite isanenormouspiece

of software,notbecause it takesupa lotof space,butdue to thesheernumberof tasks it performs.

Fortunately it doesmostof themwell,making it agoodchoice forthosewhopreferone-stopsecurity software rather thanusingseparateprograms foranti-virus,firewall,anti-spywareand junkemail protection.

Installationwasfairlyquick,althoughthe firstthing itdoes isdownloadupdatesover the internet(youcanskip thisbut it’snotadvisable).There isnoneedtoconfiguretechnical settings,althoughtheseareavailable in themenusystemandthetasksopen inseparatewindowsmaking iteasytoget lost.

Themainscreendisplays thefourprotectioncategories:PCsecurity, identityprotection,backupandPCtune-up. It also includesanti-spyware,anti-spam(or junkemail) andanti-phishingprotection.Thepriceof thesoftware includes2GBofonlinestorage tobeusedby thebackuptool,or youcanbackupusingaharddiskorCD/DVDdrive.

Norton360takescontrol ofalmost theentire securityof thePC,including theWindows firewall but itdid thiswithoutupsettinganyofourexistingsecurity settingsandwithout fuss.Theprogramusedlittlememory,andhad littlenoticeableeffectonperformance ineverydayuse; theonlyexceptionwasduring full virusscansbutnormally thesewill only runwhenthePC is idle.All alertsandbackground taskscanbe turnedofftemporarily,oraspecial quietmodecanbeautomatically activatedwhenaprogram is running.

Quickvirusscansonly tooka fewseconds,thankspartly to the

Norton Insight featurewhichidentifies‘trusted’programfilesthatdonotneed tobescanned.ThishaspreviouslybeenavailableinotherNortonproductsbut it’snewtoNorton360.

Identityprotection includes theIdentitySafe loginmanager,whichcansecurely saveall yourusernamesandpasswords forwebsites.Parental controlsarenotincludedbutNortonSafetyMinderisa freeseparatedownload.

Newadditions includemoredetailed information fordownloaded filesand theNortonSafeSearchbrowseradd-in,whichshowswhetherwebsites listed insearch resultsaresafe.

Wewere impressedwith theoverall level ofprotectionofferedand thegenerallyunobtrusivewayinwhichNorton360operated.Thedefault settingsarewell chosen fornon-technical users,and theonlinehelp file is verygood.

There isn’tmuch that’snew inNorton360butsinceexistingusersgetanautomaticupgradethat’snotparticularlyadownside.

Moreexperienceduserswillappreciate theadvancedconfigurationoptions,but thosewhodonotneed thebackupandtune-up toolscansave£10bybuyingNorton internetSecurity2010 instead.

Kelvyn TaylorDETAILSContact: Symantec, no UK numberInfo: www.symantec.co.ukRetail price: £60 (includes a one-yearlicence for three computers)Buy:www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices

ALSOCONSIDER...Avast! Internet Security 5: £50Friendly and comprehensive internet security,but no backup or parental controls.��


SECURITY SOFTWARE | £60

NORTON 360 VERSION 4

WE SAYFew groundbreaking changes but thisremains an excellent package thatdoes its job efficiently

GOOD POINTS: Unobtrusive; littleeffect on PC performance; usefuldiagnostic tools and information;power-saving options for laptopsBAD POINTS:Menu design confusing;full virus scans make PC sluggish

OVERALL: ��For full definitions visit:

www.computeractive.co.uk

MBA measurement of storage.

Mbits/secMegabits per second. Ameasure of data transfer speed.

MegapixelA measure of the levelof detail recorded by digital cameras.

MemoryThe computer’s temporarystorage area.

MemorycardSmall cards that canstore many megabytes (MB) of data.

MemorykeyA thumb-sized USBstorage device.

MicroUSBA small USB socket.

ModemA device that enables twocomputers to communicate.

OperatingsystemGoverns theway hardware and software in acomputer work together.

OpticalzoomMagnifying animage by adjusting the camera lens.

PhishingA form of internet fraud.

PixelThe smallest part of an image.

ProcessorThe chip that is the‘brain’ of the computer.

ResolutionThe detail in an image.

RouterConnects more than one PCor other device to the internet.

SpywareSoftware installed tomonitor and report on a PC’s use.

TBThe equivalent of 1,000 gigabytes.

TouchpadA touch-sensitive padused as an alternative to a mouse.

USBAllows quick connection ofperipherals to your PC.

VGAStandard socket for connectinga monitor to a computer.

WizardA step-by-step process thathelps you choose settings.


A huge array of security and performance tools in one neat package

BUY IT!BUY IT!


TRIED & TESTEDRR

24 June - 7 July 2010

CAMERA | £130

PENTAX OPTIO H90

Thispocketcamera,witharetrodesign, isat firstunderwhelmingbut it hasa

good resolutionof 12.1megapixelsanda longer-than-average5xopticalzoom lens,theequivalentof28-140mmonanold filmcamera.

Keepa finger restingon thezoomcontrol and there’s theability toextend the reach to6.5xusingcropping tozoominon themiddleof thepicture,which reduces theresolution tosevenmegapixels.

Thezoomcanbeextendedfurther, though thequality sufferedat this topsettingand isbestavoided.Stickwithin the5x limitoftheoptical zoom,however,and thecamera’ssharpnessand imagedetail are impressive.

TheH90pullsoff the trickoffeelingsturdybut lightweightat131g,thanks toametalbodyconstruction.However, it’s small

Compact camera, compact price

WE SAYGreat value, easy-to-use snapshot forthose looking for a small digitalcamera to log their daily activities

GOOD POINTS: Easy to use,affordable and lightweight; better-than-average zoom; shoots HD videoBAD POINTS: Modest battery life; nopaper manual; no image stabilisation

OVERALL: ��

enough toslip intoapocketandthe lens isprotectedwithin thecamerabodywhen it isnotbeingused.

Thecameracosts less than£130.Arechargeable lithium-ionbatteryis included,whichallows for210pictureswhen fullycharged,aslightlybetterperformance thantheAAbatteries thatareausuallyincludedwithbudgetmodels.

Photosandvideo(it can recordatthehigh-definition resolutionof720p)arecomposedontheH90’s2.7in rearscreen,which isreasonablybrightyetnotat itsbestinsunlight,although there isnoviewfinder forcomposingshots.

Weweredisappointed that thefullmanual isonly includedon thesoftwareCDrather thanasa

supplied)or internal32MBmemoryin twoseconds,which is fast for itsprice range.

AnAutoPicturemodeautomatically selects thebestsettings foranygivensceneorsubjectandprovedreliable,asdidtheH90’s‘digitalwide’mode thatpastes two images together togiveawider (21mmequivalent) viewthan the lenswill allow.

Adddigital effects,exposurecorrectionandsubject trackingauto focus to themix (it lacksanyimagestabilisation),and thissmallPentaxaddsup toabigdeal.

Gavin StokerDETAILSContact: Pentax 01753 792 792Info:www.pentax.co.ukRetail price: £130Buy:www.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices

ALSOCONSIDER...Samsung WB500: £160This slightly more expensive model offers abig zoom lens and other good features.��


BUY IT!BUY IT!printedcopybut theH90wasquitesimple touse.

Thecamerawasquick toswitchonandshotsweresaved to theremovableSDmemorycards (not

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£BESTBUYS

recommends...OurBestBuysareaselectionof thebestproducts reviewed inComputeractive in recentmonths.ThoseselectedarenotnecessarilywinnersofourBuy It! award,but theyhave faredwell enough inour tests towarrantconsideration.Thepriceswerecorrectat the timeofprinting,butuse themasaroughguideonly.Thepriceswehaveprintedbelowaresuggested retail prices.For the latest, lowestpricesonawide rangeofproductsgo towww.computeractive.co.uk/bestprices.

PRODUCT TYPE WE SAY OUR REVIEW PRICE ISSUE RATING

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 ��

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 ��

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 ��

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 ��

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 ��

COMPUTERS

PRINTING AND SCANNING

PC ACCESSORIES

SOFTWARE

GADGETS

*Price of phones varies with contract

1 Oxford PapershowPapershow is a comprehensive kit thatcomes with a pen and special paper thatwill record anything you write or drawand send it to your computer.Price: £100www.computeractive.co.uk/2263021

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

3 MinotesThis fun and small note taker mayrequire a bit of practice but it can savehandwritten notes to your computerquite easily.Price: £60www.computeractive.co.uk/2240243


BEST BUYS

3

1

42

DIGITAL NOTE-TAKERS£Whether youwant to take notes digitally or convert your handwriting to electronic editable text,there’s a note taker on themarket to suit your needs

BEST

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

� ROXIO CREATOR 2010

YES. I would like to buy(Enter quantity required)

TOTAL £

+ £1.99 p&pONLY £24.99

OFFER ENDS 7TH JULY 2010ONLINE: www.computeractive-direct.co.uk TELEPHONE: 0844 844 0267

(CODE RD76)

(CODE RD76)

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Computeractive and Computeractive Direct are published by Incisive Financial Publishing Limited, part of the Incisive Media Group.� Tick box to receive information about products and services from the Incisive Media Group by email. � Tick box to receiveinformation about products and services from selected companies by email. � Tick box if you do not want to receive informationabout products and services from the Incisive Media Group by post/telephone. � Tick box if you do not want to receiveinformation about products and services from selected companies by post/telephone.

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.*Offer ends 7th July 2010

System Requirements: Microsoft Windows Vista (32- or 64-bit), Windows XP SP3 (32- or 64-bit),Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate (32-or 64-bit), 512 MB memory for WindowsXP and 1GB memory for Windows Vista and Windows 7, Intel Pentium 4 2GHz processor or AMDequivalent and 1GB RAM, Multi-core processor with at least 2GB RAM recommended, DVD-ROM drive,3 GB free hard disk space, Windows Media Player version 10, 11 or 12, Internet Explorer 7, iTunesversion 8 for some functionality, Internet connection required for registration, product updates, andsome features.

Capture, preserve and share all your special memories with thisgreat all-in-one multimedia package. Roxio Creator is ideal for allages and includes easy-to-use tools for you to burn, transformand share your videos, photos and music, plus much more.

Key features:

� Copy and burn your digital media to CD, DVD and Blu-rayThe easy-to-use desktop feature lets you drag and drop files for burning orcopying right on your desktop

� Edit movies and burn DVDs like a professionalUse the editing tools to totally transform your videos. You can even back up anentire camera of HD video directly to DVD or Blu-ray without saving it to your PC

� Create fun movies in minutesJust pick the clips and pictures you want to use, select a theme and music, andlet Creator assemble and produce a finished movie

� Improve your photos and turn them into fun keepsakesEnhance your photos from cameras and mobile phones with the touch-up toolsand create amazing slideshows, panoramas and more

� Make the most of your digital musicCreate personalised mixes and compilations, rip tunes from CDs, digitise your LPsand tapes, record internet radio and other music playing on your PC

� Share your special moments easily with friends and familyEnjoy your digital creations on CD, DVD, your big screen TV, YouTube, iPhonesand other portable devices

� Built-in video tutorials to make it fun and easy to get startedYou can even print step-by-step instructions for easy reference

RRP £49.99

SAVE 50%

ONLY £24.99We say...An excellent range of mediaediting softwareOverall ****Computeractive - Issue 308

Awarded 4 out of 5 starsby Computeractive SAVE

£25

24 June - 7 July 2010 3131www.computeractive.co.uk

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

32-bitMost home computersare 32-bit, but some newermodels are 64-bit.

AttachmentA file, such as aword-processor document,sent with an email message.

BackupA file, folder orexternal storage device thatstores copies of documents.

CompressionReducing afile’s size by encoding the data.

DesktopThe backgroundarea on screen where Windowsfiles and icons appear.

DialogueboxA window thatpops up to display or requestinformation.

Double-clickTo click twicequickly in succession on amouse button.

DownloadTransferring filesonto your PC from the internet.

Drag In Windows, the action ofclicking on something with theleft mouse button, keeping thebutton pressed and moving(dragging) the object.

DropdownmenuA list ofoptions that appears when youclick a menu bar or button.

FontA set of letters, numbersand symbols in a certain style.

HarddiskA high-capacitydisk fitted in PCs and used tostore applications and files.

IconA small image used toidentify a file or application.

ISP Internet Service Provider. Acompany that provides you withan internet connection, for afixed monthly fee or for the costof local call charges.

JPEGA common format forimage files. JPEG images arecompressed and the small filesize makes them ideal for webpages. Some image quality islost with each save.

Mbits/secMegabits persecond. A measure of datatransfer speed. There are 1,024kilobits in a megabit.

MemorykeyA generic termused to describe thumb-sizedUSB storage devices.

NetworkA way of connectingseveral computers and devicesso they can share data.

NotificationAreaAn areaon the bottom-right of thescreen that shows whichprograms are running.

Pop-upmenuA menu thatappears on screen when youclick something.

SliderA control that enablesyou to change a setting byclicking and ‘dragging’ a switch.

ToolbarA strip of icons thatruns across the top of mostWindows applications. Used toprovide quick access to certainfeatures, such as saving.

UploadTransferringinformation to anothercomputer on the internet.

USBUniversal Serial Bus. Astandard that allows quick andeasy connection of peripheralsto your PC.

WizardA step-by-stepprocess to choose settings.

ZippingCompressing a fileusing a program such as PKZipor Winzip to reduce the space ittakes up.


Suitable for themost anxious novice,LEVEL 1 dealswith simple tasks that every computer user can try.

More involved, but simple enough for all tocomplete,LEVEL 2may introduce you to newfeatures in applications.

LEVEL 3will bolster your existing knowledge andhelp you to see howmuch your computer can do.Clear but demanding.

RR

1 2 3

1 2 3

1 2 3

NEXT STEP: TURN OVER...

PULL

OUT&

KEEP

In this Issue

WHAT THE WORKSHOP LEVELS MEAN...R

KEEPANEYEONYOUR INTERNETACTIVITYDoyouknowhowyourbroadbandconnection isbeingused?Afreetoolcanrevealallp32

KEEP YOUREMAILSAND SETTINGS SAFEEmailmessagesareaspreciousasanyotherpersonal informationonyourPC.Backthemupsimply,quicklyandfor freep34

CREATENEWSPAPER-STYLECOLUMNS INWORDColumnscangivedocumentsalift.WeexplainhowtousetheminWord2003and2007p36

SYNCHRONISE FILESAND FOLDERSUSING TAGSFindouthowafreetoolcankeepyour filessynchronisedp38

CUSTOMISE ITEMSIN THE STARTMENUDiscoverwaystodisplay favouritefoldersontheWindowsStartmenup41

ORGANISEOPENWINDOWSANDRUNNINGPROGRAMSQuicklyorganiseopenapplicationsbyusing freesoftwaretocreatean invisiblegridtopositionwindowsp42

QUICKLYDIRECTFILES AND FOLDERSUSING SENDTOTheSendTocommand isoneWindows’handiestshortcuts.Learnhowtotakeadvantagep45

WORKSHOPSISSUE322

32 www.computeractive.co.uk

Keep an eye on yourinternet activityDo you know how your broadband connection is being used? A free tool can reveal all

BEGINBYDOWNLOADINGNETLIMITER 2Monitor. Launch awebbrowser, typewww.netlimiter.com/download into theAddressor Location bar at the top andhit Enter. Look for the32-bitdownload link under theNetlimiter 2Monitor heading (take care

to pick the right one here, as the Lite andPro versions are trial versions thatmust be paid for after 28days). If the File DownloadSecurityWarningdialogueboxappears, click Save and then choose a location for thedownloaded file. Firefox users should select Save File to save the download toFirefox’s default download folder.e

WHENTHEDOWNLOADHAS finished locate anddouble-click the‘nl_2011_mon.exe’ file to start theinstallation.Work through thewizard, accepting allthe default options (unless you have good reason to

do otherwise).At the last step,Netlimiter 2Monitorwill prompt torestart thePC.Click Finish to let it do this.e

WHENWINDOWSRESTARTSNETLIMITER2Monitorwill already berunning, indicated by a new icon in theNotificationArea.To show theNetlimiter 2Monitor programwindow, right-click this icon and selectOpen from thepop-upmenu.e

W ith fast broadbandnowcommonplace fewofusgivemuchthought tohowour internet connectionsareused.After all,aslongaswebpagesappearpromptlywhocareswhat’s goingon

behind thescenes?Evenso,weall experience internet slowdowns fromtime to timeand

plentyof broadbandsubscribershave‘capped’packages thatplace

limits ondownloads; andbreaking thecapcanbecostly.So,beingabletomonitor howapplicationsuseabroadbandconnectioncanbebothrevealinganduseful.In thisWorkshopwe’ll explorehowa free tool calledNetlimiter 2

Monitor cankeeponeye the internet traffic that is flowingacrossyourbroadbandconnections.

LEVELMONITOR NETWORK ACTIVITY

WORKSHOPS 1 2 3

Step1

Step2

Step3

24 June - 7 July 2010


WHENNETLIMITER 2MONITOR launches itdetects applications that are actively using thecomputer’s internet connection,displaying themasa list in themain part of thewindow.However,

programsare initially listed by their file name,whichwon’t alwaysbe instantly recognisable. Fix this right awayby right-clicking onany entry in the list, then pointing to‘Showapplication name’andclick to tickDescription.Now,Netlimiter 2Monitorwill list thenamesof any applications it knows (such as Internet Explorer).e

THEBOXESTOTHE right of each entry under theConnection listshowa‘live’measurement of each application’s internet use,bothincoming (downloading) and outgoing (uploading).Use theUnitsdropdownmenu to change themeasurement type.Here, for

instance,we’ve chosenMbits/secbecausemost internet service providers (ISPs)market broadbandpackages using thismeasure.We can see that InternetExplorer is currently hogging 5.92Mbits/sec of our 8Mbits/sec broadbandconnection, as it is busy playing aYoutube video.e

THERE’SAFAIR BITmore to explore inNetlimiter 2Monitor.Just press F1 for fullinstructions.However,here’s one last handytip.To viewan application’s data use over a

particular timeperiod, right-click the application’s name intheConnection list and select Stats.Use the filters on theleft-hand side of theStats dialogue to focus on aparticulartimeperiod,or change themeasurement units.Note, too,that it’s possible to view total internet use in the samewaybyright-clicking on the computer nameunderConnection andselectingStats (useful for those on cappedormeteredbroadband subscriptions).�

MONITOR NETWORK ACTIVITY

WORKSHOPSRR

Step4

Step6

Step5

24 June - 7 July 2010


Keep your emailsand settings safeEmails are as precious as other personal files on your PC. Back themup simply and quickly

LAUNCHAWEBBROWSER, typewww.snipca.com/x1566 into theAddress orLocation bar andpress Enter.Click the orangeDOWNLOADunder the Latestversion heading and click the secondorangeDOWNLOADbutton to startthe process. If the FileDownloadSecurityWarningdialogueboxappears,

click Save and then choose a location for the downloaded file. Firefox users should selectSave File to save the download to Firefox’s default download folder.Once downloaded,double-click the klsmailbackup.exe setup file.ClickRun followedbyContinue orAllow (ifprompted) to install the program.Follow the setupwizard through to the end,clickingNext at each turn.On the last screen, leave LaunchKLSMail Backup ticked and clickFinish to open the program for the first time.e

THE FIRSTTIMETHE program is launched you’ll need toclickOK to clear the Information dialogue box.KLSMailBackup supports 12 different email applications, includingWindowsMail,Outlook Express,Outlook andThunderbird.

Select your email program from the list and, if relevant, select a personalemail profile from thedropdownmenu.All elements, such asmail folders,settings and contacts, are selected by default.Unless there is goodreason to do so,we suggest leaving everything selected. If backing upmore than oneprofile, or backing upmessages frommore than one emailprogram,clickAdd to choose the next one.Otherwise clickAdd&ClosefollowedbyOK to set the backupoptions.e

BYDEFAULT,BACKUPSARE stored in theMyDocuments folder.Tochange this, click the folder iconand select a backupdrive or sharednetwork folder. If a network folder is password protected, clickConnection and tick‘Connect to network share’. If necessary, enter the

usernameandpassword required to access the folder (click theTest button tomakesure it’s correct) and clickOK.Next, give the backup adescriptive file name,such as‘email_backup’.Advancedusers canwork through the other options such asStorageandSecurity,but the default settings should be adequate formost people.e

Whenbackingpersonal information,suchasdocumentsanddigital photos,doyou remember to includeemailmessagesandsettings? It’s amazinghowmuch important, irreplaceable,

information is stored inemail inboxes so it goeswithout saying thatprotectingmessages is agood idea.Thebackup toolsprovidedwith thevarious versionsofWindowshaveamixed recordhere:WindowsXP

offersnoemail-backupoptionswhatsoever,while not all emailprogramsarecoveredby thebackup tools inWindows7andVista.That’swherea free tool likeKLSMail Backupcanhelp.They

specialise inbackingupemailmessagesand in thisWorkshopwe’llreveal how touseKLS tobothbackupand, if necessary, restoreyour emails.

LEVELBACK UP EMAILS

WORKSHOPS 1 2 3

Step1

Step2

Step3

24 June - 7 July 2010


CLICKSAVE&RUN to back up for thefirst time.ClickYes and the backupprocesswill start: a red progress barwillappear as the selected files and settings

are compressed into a single zip file.Once compressed,the progress barwill turn green and the zip filewill becopied to the folder or drive selected in the previousstep.When the task completes,open theTasksmenuand chooseTestAllArchives.ClickYes and the backupwill be checked for errors.Assuming no errors arefound,click theClose button to finish.e

THEPROGRAMLACKSSCHEDULINGfeatures, so backupsmust be performedmanually; wewould recommendat least onceaweek.To do so,openKLSMail Backup.Click

the downarrownext to theRunbutton and select Run(Incremental Backup).The process is identical to before:wait for the backup to take place and test the archive fromtheTasksmenuwhen it’s complete before clickingClose.Anincremental backup is quicker than a full backup,as onlymailbox changes are recorded, resulting in a smaller file(and lessharddiskspace being used).e

SHOULDYOUNEEDTO restore abackup,click theRestore button.Torestore the entire backup, simply clickNext followedbyRestore. If restoring

a specificmail folder or setting, chooseSelectedfiles and folders.Navigate the backed-up itemsusing the folder tree.By default, everything isselected to be restored: click items to deselect andprevent them frombeing restoredwith the rest ofthe backup.When ready, clickNext, leaveReplacefiles selected and clickRestore (the backupwill berestored,overwriting any existing files and settingswith those in the backup).�

BACK UP EMAILS

WORKSHOPSRR

Step4

Step6

Step5

24 June - 7 July 2010


Create newspaper-stylecolumns in WordColumns can really give documents a lift.We explain how to use them inWord 2003 and 2007

OPEN (ORCREATE)Adocument inMicrosoftWord andposition the text cursor at the very beginning. InWord 2003,open the Formatmenu and, if necessary, click the Expand arrowat the bottomso you can see all the options: nowchoose

Columns.When thedialogueboxopens select the two columnoption byclicking on it. Leave all the other options the sameand clickOKandWordwillreorganise the entire document into two columns. InWord 2007 choosePageLayout and then open theColumnsmenuand chooseTwo.e

IFYOUCHANGEYOURmindor don’t like the look, it’s easy torearrange things.With the cursor still at the start of the document,open the Formatmenu inWord 2003and chooseColumns again.Atthe dialogue box, select theRight preset and this timeput a tick in the

box next to the‘Line between’option.Then clickOK.Herewe’ve kept the dialoguebox open so you can see the settings and effect together.To open the samedialogue box inWord 2007open theColumnsmenuand chooseMoreColumns.e

TOMAKEAHEADING, click theUndobuttonto return to theprevious columnsetting (it’s onthebuttonbar inWord2003andabove theribbonbar inWord2007).Highlight the first line

in the left column then, inWord2003,open theFormatmenuandchooseColumns,selectOneandclickOK. Increase thetext size to 14pt using the fontsizedropdownmenuon thebuttonbar and thenclick theCenter button. In 2007click theHome taband then format the line in the sameway.e

S tart anewMicrosoftWorddocumentand the textwill be laidout ina single column that spans theentirewidthof apage.However, it’seasy tocreatedocuments that usemultiple columnsandmixand

match them in thesamedocument.In thisWorkshopwe’ll showyouhow tocreatemulti-column

documents, fine-tune them,addvertical rules,change thespacing

between themandalter thewidthsof the individual columns; aswell asproducingadocument that usesa layout that hasone, twoand thenthreecolumns.We’ll alsodemonstratehow toneatenupa layoutwherethecolumnsaredifferent lengths.ThisWorkshopusesWord2003 forscreenshotsbutwe’vealso included instructions forWord2007.You’llneed tocreateadocumentof at least twopages in length.

LEVELUSING COLUMNS IN WORD

WORKSHOPS 1 2 3

Step1

Step2

Step3

24 June - 7 July 2010


SCROLLDOWNTOTHEnextpageandhighlight all the text. InWord2003open theFormatmenu,chooseColumns,select

theThreepreset andclickOK.Set theZoomdropdownmenuon thebuttonbar to50%soyoucanseebothpagesof thedocument.We’venowused threedifferent columnsettings,onefor theheading, two for pageoneand three forpage two. InWord2007,highlight the text,choosePageLayout,open theColumnsmenuandchooseThree.Click theView tabandchooseZoom,type in 50%andclickOK.e

LOOKINGATTHESECONDpage. It would be nice if all thecolumns lined up,except thatwedon’t want to have towriteanymore text. Fortunately,we don’t have to.Just click thecursor after the lastword in the last columnand, inWord

2003,open the Insertmenu and chooseBreak.When the dialogue boxopens, select Continuous under theSection break types heading andclickOK.Word neatens the columnsup for you. In 2007,make surePageLayout’s still selected,open theBreaksmenu and chooseContinuous.e

FINALLY, IT’S POSSIBLETO fine-tune columnwidthsin both versions ofWord from theColumnsdialogue box(seeStep 2).Try this.Open it and remove the tick nextto the Equal columnwidth setting.All of the column

widths and the spacing between columns are noweditable and youcanmake fine adjustments either by clicking on the up/downarrowsnext to these settings or by highlighting the numbers there andtyping in newones.Here for examplewe’ve changed thewidths sothat columns get narrower from left to right.�

USING COLUMNS IN WORD

WORKSHOPSRR

Step4

Step6

Step5

24 June - 7 July 2010


Synchronise files andfolders using tagsFind out how a free tool can keep your files synchronised using a novel method

STARTBYVISITINGTHE Synclessdownloadpage,atwww.snipca.com/x1492 and then click the green arrowor theDownloadSyncless link. If the File DownloadSecurityWarningdialogueboxappears, click Save and then choose a location for the downloaded file.

Firefox users should select Save File to save the download to Firefox’s defaultdownload folder.Syncless is provided as a compressedzip file.To extract the contents,right-click the zip file and select ExtractAll (or Extract followedbyExtractAll) beforeclicking the Extract button.The extracted folder should open automatically but if itdoesn’t, open it anddouble-click theSynclessUI.exe file.e

READTHROUGHTHE INTRODUCTORY screen, click toremove the tick from thebox labelled 'Show this screen atstartup' and click Start UsingSyncless to continue.We’llbegin by configuring a few settings.Click the spanner icon

in the upper right-hand corner of the programwindow to access theApplicationOptions.Most the settings are self-explanatory but ensureEnable Shell Integration is ticked.e

NOWCLICKTHEARCHIVING tab to configure howSynclessshould handle files that have beendeleted or replaced.Byticking the first box,Synclesswill safeguard against the loss ofimportant information bymoving files deleted during

synchronisation to theRecycleBin.Aswell,Syncless automatically retainsolder versions of files as they are synchronised.By default, twopreviousversions are retained but use the slider to choose howmany versions ofedited files should be saved.ClickOK to save the settings.e

F ile synchronisation is agreatway toquickly andeasily createbackupsof any typeof filesbut it is particularly usefulwhenworkingonaproject.Keeping folders in syncmeans that as the

files areedited inone folder thechangesare thenmirrored ina second.Somesynchronisation tools canbe timeconsuming toconfigure,

requiring theuser to specify andmonitor various sourceand

destination folders.However,Syncless is a free tool thatworksalittle differently. It enables‘tags’tobeassigned toany folders youwould like synchronised.Thismeansmultiple folders canbekept insynchveryeasily onyour computer.Andwhena folderno longerrequires synchronisation, just remove its tag.We’ll explainhow inthisWorkshop.

LEVELSYNCHRONISE FILES

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SYNCLESSSYNCHRONISES FOLDERSBASEDon tagsand there are a number ofways to add tags.Assuming the‘shell integration’was enabled in Step 2, the easiestway totag a folder is to right-click it. From thepop-upmenu, click

theSyncless –Tag option. In theTagdialogue box that appears, enter asuitable name for the tag in theName field and click theTagbutton.Thismethod canbe used to create asmany tags as are needed.e

NOWUSETHESAMEmethod to tag a second folderwiththe samename– take great care to enter the tag name inprecisely the sameway,otherwise synchronisationwillfail.Once twoormore folders have been assigned the

same tag, synchronisation is possible.To checkwhich fileswill becopied from folder to folder, click thePreviewbutton.Close thePreviewSynchronisationChanges dialogue box and click theSyncNowbuttonto synchronise files between all folders that carry the same tag.e

IT’S POSSIBLETOHAVE Syncless keep tagged folderssynchronised automatically.Select a tag by clicking itsentry in the list on the right-hand side of the programwindow then click theManual switch to the left.The switch

will change to read‘Seamless’. In thismode,any files that are added to oredited in a tagged folderwill be automatically synchronisedwith otherfolders using the same tag.e

TAGSCANALSOBE created by clicking theCreatebutton in theSynclesswindow.Enter a tag name in theName field and clickOK,and the tagwill be added to theright-hand list.To assign existing tags to individual files,

first select a tag from the list, then either click theTagbutton in thetoolbaror right-click a tag and select theTag Folder option.Navigate tothe relevant folder and click theSelect Folder button.e

SYNCHRONISE FILES

WORKSHOPSRR

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SYNCHRONISE FILES

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SYNCLESS INCLUDESASEARCHtool that can be used to quicklyhome in on individual tags.Click inthe search box above the list of tags

and start typing.Matching tagswill beautomatically displayed.Tags that are no longerneeded canbedeleted by right-clicking andselectingRemoveTag.e

TOSYNCHRONISE FILESBETWEENtwo ormorePCsusingSyncless requiresa removable storage device, such as aUSBmemorykey. Setting up folder tags

for synchronisation is no different to synchronisingfiles between two folders on the samecomputer (justbe sure to select the correct drivewhen assigningtags).To stop synchronising in thisway, click theUnmonitor button in theSyncless toolbar and thenclick the letter of the removable drive.e

TORESTRICTSYNCHRONISATIONTOcertain file typeswithin a folder requires the useof filters.To do this, right-click a tag in the taglist and selectTagDetails.Click the+button

and in the ExtMask field to the right of the dialogue enter afile extension (‘*.jpg’ forJPEG images, for example).Use theModemenu to indicatewhether files of this type should beincluded or excluded fromsynchronisation and clickOK.�

Step8

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Customise items in theWindows Start menu

Discover variousways to display favourite folders on the Start menu inWindows

RIGHT-CLICKTHESTARTbutton and choosePropertiesfrom thepop-upmenu.When theTaskbar andStartMenuPropertiesdialogueboxappears,make sure theStartMenu tab is selected and click theCustomize button

followedby theAdvanced tab (Windows 7 andVista users do not needto do the last click).Scroll through the various options in the list untilyou findMyDocuments. In our screenshot here the‘Display as link’option is selected,whichmeans thatwhenwe click on theDocumentsfolder in theStartmenu it simply opens it in a newExplorerwindow.e

CHANGETHATBYCHOOSING the option underneath‘Displayas amenu’, ensure the‘Open submenu’box is ticked,and thenclick theOKbutton.At the next dialogue box, clickOKagain.Click theStart button and then roll themouse pointer up and

over theMyDocuments folder in theStartmenu.The little arrow indicatesthere are folders inside theMyDocuments folder.Roll the pointer over thearrow to open themenu and explore it, finding folderswithin folders until youcan’t go any further.To open any of these folders, click on it.e

ASWELLASTHOSE folders placed on theStartmenubydefault,there are somewhich are absent.Right-click on theStart button andchooseProperties.When the dialogue box opens clickCustomize;WindowsXPusers should then click theAdvanced tab.Nowscroll

down.ChangeMyMusic to‘Don’t display this item’andPrinters and Faxes to‘Displayasmenu’(inVista choosePrinters instead and inWindows 7,perhapsVideo).ClickOKand thenOKagain.Open theStartmenu again.ThePrinters/Videos itemhasbeen added and theMusic item removed.�

W indowsprovides shortcuts to folders andservices that it thinkspeopleusemost frequently.That’swhy theMyComputer icontypically sits on theWindowsDesktopandDocuments,Pictures

andother folders are‘pinned’to theStartmenubydefault.However, it’s possible to change theways thesepopular items

behaveandevendeterminewhether they’redisplayedon theStart

menu in the first place–and thisWorkshopwill explainhow.We’ll useWindowsXP for the screenshotsbut theprinciples alsoapply foranyoneusingWindows7orVista.We’venotedwhereactual stepsdifferbut some folder-namingconventions vary (for example,PicturesmaybeMyPictures,dependingon theversionofWindowsused).With thatinmind, let’s get customising theWindowsStartmenu.

LEVELPERSONALISE THE START MENU

WORKSHOPS RR1 2 3

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Organise open windowsand running programsUse free software to create an invisible grid and quickly organise openwindows

GRIDVISTAWASORIGINALLYDEVELOPED foruse onAcer laptops but it will work on anyPCandis free to download.Locating the download on theAcerwebsite is laborious sowehave created a

shortcut to it atwww.snipca.com/x1480. If the File DownloadSecurityWarningdialogueboxappears, click Save and choose alocation for the downloaded file. Firefox users should select SaveFile to save the download to Firefox’s default download folder.e

TOEXTRACTTHECONTENTSof the downloaded zip file,right-click it and select ExtractAll (or Extract followedbyExtractAll).Nowclick the Extract button.The extracted folder shouldopen automatically but if not, open it anddouble-click the

Setup.exe file to start the installation process.ClickOK to copy the necessaryfiles into place and clickOKagainwhen this has beendone.The programcanthenbe launched from theStartmenu.e

AFEWTHINGSSHOULD be apparent after launchingGridvista.The first isthe presence of a new icon in theNotificationArea.More noticeable is theappearance of three newbuttons in the title bar of running programsandopenwindows.The first button is used tomakewindows transparent or

change their position on screen.The second specifieswhether or not thewindowshould‘snap’to the virtual gridwewill createmomentarily.The final button,meanwhile,‘pins’awindowon top of other openwindows.e

W indows’ability todisplaymultipleprogramsandwindowsat thesame time isoneof theoperating system’s cornerstones.However, theWindowsDesktopcanquicklybecomeachaotic

messof overlappingprogramwindowsand folders.Gridvista is a freeprogramthat canbeused toquickly organise the

Desktop,usingan invisible grid topositionopenapplicationsand

windows. In thismanner,windowscanbequickly tiledand resizedbysimplydragging them intoplace.Despite the reference toVista in its name,Gridvistaworkswith

Windows7,Vista andXP.However, theprogram isno longer indevelopmentand isprovidedwithout guarantee. In thisWorkshopwewill showyouhow todownloadanduse this handyutility.

LEVELTIDY UP DESKTOP WINDOWS

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THEDESKTOPCANBEdivided up into anumber of different grids that serve to quicklyorganise openwindows and running programs.If you are usingmore than onemonitor, different

settings canbe used ondifferentDesktops.To choose alayout, click theGridvista icon in theNotificationArea andchooseGrid configuration followedbyDisplay 1 (more‘Display’entrieswill be listed if additionalmonitors areinstalled).Choose one of the six grid layouts.e

WEHAVECHOSENTHE LAYOUT called‘Triple (primary at right)’.Thisconfiguration splits the desktop up intothree sections.Twooccupy the top and

bottomhalves of the left-hand side of the screen,whilethe other accounts for the entire right-hand side.When agrid configuration is selected a brief preview showshowthe grid and its sections are laid out.e

ANYRUNNINGPROGRAMORwindowcanmakeuse of theselected grid.To do this left-click inthe title bar of an application or

folderwindowand,keeping the leftmousebutton held down,drag thewindow to one of thegrid’s frames.The grid is displayed againwhile awindow is being dragged,with the current targethighlighted in red.Release the leftmouse buttonand thewindowwill automatically resize to fitthis section.e

TIDY UP DESKTOP WINDOWS

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TIDY UP DESKTOP WINDOWS

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24 June - 7 July 2010

ANALTERNATIVEMETHOD IS tomake use of theGridvista toolbar thatappears in the title bar of programsandwindows.Click the first of the

three icons,point to‘Sendwindow to grid’optionand choose the grid section to be used.Thistechnique does not offer a previewof grid positions,so youwill have tomemorise the sections.e

TORELEASEAWINDOW fromthe grid (so that it can oncemore bepositioned anywhereon screen), click themiddle of

the three buttons in awindow’s title bar todisable the‘lock to grid’ feature.e

GRIDVISTACANALSOBEused inmulti-monitorsettings.Eachmonitor can have its owngrid layout,configured from theGrid configurationmenu.There arealso a couple of extra features that can be used to control

windows.The first is the ability to‘pin’awindowso it appears on top ofother openwindows.To toggle this option on andoff, click the thirdbutton in awindow’s title bar (the one featuring a pushpin).e

FINALLY,GRIDVISTACANMAKEwindows transparent, so it’s possibleto seewhat is underneath.Thismaycome in handywhen twoormore

running programsare overlapping.To do this, clickthe first button in awindow’s title bar and select theTransparency option.Repeat this step to return thewindow to its normal state.�

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The SendTo command is one ofWindows’ handiest shortcuts. Here’s how to take advantage

ACCESSINGANDUSINGSENDTO is easy in anyversion ofWindows.Just right-click on a file or folder(or a selection of files and folders) and select SendTofrom thepop-upmenu.Thisworks inWindows

Explorer, theWindowsDesktopor prettymuch any other applicationthat youmight use to navigate files and folders.e

ASUB-MENUAPPEARSBEARING a selection of options.Theprecise line-up depends on your PCand the applications it hasinstalled, as someprogramsadd their own shortcuts to theSendTomenu.TheSendTomenuonour test PC, for example,

includes a shortcut to Skype, left-clicking this optionwould initiate a transferof the selected file via Skype.However, options thatwill certainly appear onyour SendTomenu includeCompressed (zipped) folder, to turn the selectedfiles/folders into a zip file, andMail recipient,whichwill attach the selectedfiles to a newemailmessagewindow.e

IT’S POSSIBLETOADDor remove items from theSendTomenu.Youmight, for instance,want to add a currentworkfolder so that files and folders canbequicklymoved via aright-click.To do this, you’ll need to add the relevant folder or

application shortcuts to theSendTo folder on the hard disk. InWindowsXP,navigate to your username folderwithin theDocuments andSettings folder(for example,C:\Documents andSettings\[username]) and thendouble-click theSendTo folder (note there’s no space). InWindows 7 orVista, theSendTo folder ismore deeply hidden and is typically found inC:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows.To see it, youmayneed to deselect the‘Hide protected operating system files’option (inWindowsExplorer, selectTools followedby FolderOptions, click theViewtab and scroll down the list underAdvanced settings).�

Therearecountless time-saving tricksandshortcutsbuilt in to thevarious versionsofWindows.Of all these, theSendTocommand isprobablyoneof themostuseful.Certainly,no shortcut is easier to

accessonyour computer.Fromasinglemouseclick, for example,SendTomakes it possible to

movea file,groupof filesor evenentire folders around thecomputer’s

harddisk.Alternatively,SendTocanbeused toput selected items intoacompressed (zip) file or straight intoanemailmessage that canbe thenbesent asanattachment.In this shortWorkshopwe’ll explainhow toaccessanduseSendTo to

achieveall of these things.We’ll also showhowtomodifySendTosothat itworks just thewayyouwould like.

LEVELMOVE FILES QUICKLY

WORKSHOPS RR1 2 3

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Quickly direct files andfolders using Send To


HINTS & TIPS

24 June - 7 July 2010

WORD 2003

YAHOO MAIL MOZILLA FIREFOX

MICROSOFT EXCEL

TIP OF THE

FORTNIGHT!TIP OF THE

FORTNIGHT!

9 Use the $ character to lock Excel cell references

I f youwant tousea formula in a roworcolumnof cells,Autofill is a greattimesaver.Hover thecursorover

thebottomright-handcornerof thecell andclick anddrag in thecorrectdirection tocopy the formula.

Youmightwantpart of the formulato stay thesame,suchaswhencomparing figures in acolumn toasingle figureat the top.This is alsohelpfulwhencopyingandpastingformulasaroundaworksheet.

Youcan lockcell references in aformula so theywill not change thankstoAutofill. Insert a$beforeboth theletter andnumber.SocellA1wouldbecome$A$1.Youcanalsomix lockedandnormal references so$A1wouldlock the reference tocolumnAbut therow referencecanchange.

Dave, Computeractive forum

WINWITHYOUR HINTSThesenderof theTipof theFortnightwillwinacopyofMagixVideoEasy worth£40–visitwww.magix.com/uk formore informationabouthowthissoftwareimportsandeditsyourhomemovies.Thehintortipshouldnotexceed150wordsandshould includeascreenshot.Email yourcontributionswithyournameandfull address [email protected] toourusual address(markingenvelopes‘HintsandTips’).Bysubmittingyour tip,youareagreeing tohave itpublishedby IncisiveMedia.

Email your tips [email protected]

Narrow fontsWhere text space is tight, youshould use fonts designed for smallspaces such as Arial Narrow ratherthan Arial as this avoids having touse a smaller font size. If you needto reduce text volume only a little,try using a slightly smaller font sizesuch as 10.5 instead of 11.Most people insert a whole line

space to separate paragraphs, butthis is unnecessary. Click on theFormat menu and then Paragraph.Click the Indents and Spacing taband set Spacing Before to 0pt andSpacing After to 6pt so all carriagereturns give a neat 6pt spacing.

Peter Ashford

Filter new emails automaticallyYahooMail canautomatically filter emails into folders.Left-clickonanemail fromthesender youwish to filterin theemail list.Clickon theActionsbuttonand thenonFilter Emails LikeThis…at thebottomof themenu.Enter aname for the filter in theNamebox.The

sender’s email addresswill be includedherebydefault.Thebasic ruleuses this address to identify emails butyoucanalso set up rulesbasedon thesubject or emailtext.Clickon thedownarrow labelledChooseFolder tosetwhere tomove themessage.Youcancreatea folderbyselecting theNewFolderoptionandenteringanamefor the folder in the text box that appearson the right.ClickonSave tocreate the rule.This rulewill only applytonewmessages,not thosealready in the inbox.

Sam Chambers

Manage your saved passwordsTheSavedPasswords tool in Firefox is useful until youchangeapassword. If youenter anewpasswordamessagewill appear at the topof thepageasking if youwant to change thestoredpassword for thatwebsite.Clickon theChangebutton to save thechange.Waituntil thepasswordworksbefore youclickonChange.

If theusernamealsochanges,youmaywant toremove theold referencealtogether.Clickon theToolsmenuand thenOptions.Clickon theSecurity tabandthenon theSavedPasswordsbutton.Find thesitewhosepasswordyouwant to remove.Clickonceon thesite referenceand thenon theRemovebutton.

Exo, Computeractive forum

BetterAutofill

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48

BUY FROM ABROAD


Checking out the cost of electrical goodswhen you are on holiday abroad can be asobering experience. Youmay findwhatappears to be bargain after bargainwhenyou compare the price tags to the same

products in theUK – despite the less favourableexchange rates.The internet enables us to shop globally and

foreignwebsites also seem to advertise cheaperprices formany items. It’s tempting to buy fromabroad if you think you canmake a saving butwhat are the risks?We look at the potential pitfalls and show

howyou can avoid being left high and drywithgoods thatmay notwork in theUKor faultyproducts that are not covered by consumerprotection laws orwarranties.Wewill alsolook at the hidden charges of buying fromabroad to help you decide if a bargain is allit’s cracked up to be.The pound has taken a beating in recent

years from its high of $2 to the pound in July2008. Today a pound only gets you around$1.45. It has alsoweakened against the Eurosince then so shopping from abroad is notquite the bargain-fest it oncewas. But evenwith the diminished exchange rateswestill seem to be chargedmore forelectronics in theUK.For example, Apple prices the standard

250GBMacbook at $999 on its USwebsite,which translates to £689 at the current exchange ratebut in theUKwe are charged £849. In theUS there isalso a £20 saving on the 160GB iPod.AWii Fit Pluswith balance board is £110 on theUK

Amazon site but costs £75 on the FrenchAmazon and£68 on theUS site based on exchange rates at the timewe checked. Similarly, the SonyCybershot digitalcamera is cheaper on both the French andUSAmazonsites. In theUKwe pay £147 but France andAmericapay around £20 less.However, US prices can be deceptive as American

websites and stores generally quote prices excludingsales tax, which can add around five to seven per cent atthe till, depending onwhich state you’re purchasingfrom. Only five states don’t charge this tax.

The hidden costs of buying from overseasWhat seems like a fantastic dealmay be nothing ofthe sort when you start to add up the costs involvedin buying from abroad. Charges such as VAT andcustoms duty can ramp up the final total and negateany savings.If you shopwithin the EuropeanUnion (EU),

whether online or in person, you can buy electronicgoodswithout having to pay customs duty or VAT. Bewary ofwebsites that offer suspiciously big discountsas theymay be sourcing goods fromoutside the EU,leaving you to pay the taxeswhen it arrives in theUK.Check the small print carefully, looking for notes onwhere goodswill be dispatched from.

HOW TO

Image:Kevin

Februa

ry

Lost intranslationSpotted a bargain online or while on holiday?Goods bought outsidethe UKmay not be as cheap as they initially seem.We explain all

Are you compatible?Before you buy any electronic product fromabroad, check its compatibilitywith theUK.A bargain is not a bargain if it doesn’t actuallywork in theUK. For instance, DVDplayersand discs are usually region specific sobuying fromEurope (Region 2) is not aproblem, as it’s the same as theUKbut theUSuses Region 1.Region codes allow the film studios to

control the release date and price of theirtitles around theworld. However, you canbuymulti-regionDVDplayers and it’s evenpossible tomodify some European players toplay discs fromother regions by tapping a‘hack’ code from the internet into yourremote control.Similarly, TVs in theUKwork on a different

system from some other countries.While theUK usesPAL technology, TVs in theUSwork on adifferent system calledNTSCwhile Franceworks onSECAM. AnNTSCTVwill notwork in theUK. Somegoodsmay comewith a foreignmanual, whichwillleave you struggling if the company has not put anEnglish version on its website. Productsmay also be setto a foreignlanguage but thatshould be easy tochange. Andmostlaptopswill be soldwith differentkeyboard layouts.Remember that

electronics fromabroad are oftenincompatiblewiththeUKmainselectricity supplyand plug system.Laptops anddesktop PCsgenerally use powersupplies that work in several countries but otherdevicesmay need voltage converters.Alternatively, you can buy a cheap transformer that

will reduce voltages tomatch your appliance althoughthese can be expensive. Youwill also need to buy a plugadapter. Always ask the retailer ormanufacturerwhether the product is compatiblewith theUK and ifnot, add up howmuch it will cost to adapt.

Buying fromoutside the EU ismore a more complexmatter. If you bring goodsworthmore than £390 backfromholiday youwill be charged customs duty andVAT. The amount payable on goods depends on thetype of product but some electronics such as laptops,desktop PCs, certain digital cameras andmobilephones are duty free.Many people escape paying taxes by not declaring

items at Customs but if you are caughtwith undeclaredgoods, expect a hefty fine.When ordering online and getting items delivered,

VAT is charged on goods over £18 and customsduty applies over £135. Calculating charges canbe complicated so check the customswebsite(www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs) for the rules and a fulllist of what items are exempt from customs duty.For online orders that are liable for Customs charges

youwill also have to factor in a payment to the deliverycompany. RoyalMail charges a ‘handling fee’ of £8 andsome courier firms chargemore.Payingwith a credit cardwhen buying abroad or

from a foreignwebsite gives you valuable extraprotection but it can be a bit of a shockwhen you getthe bill and it’smore than expected.Unfortunately, most bankswill sting you by adding a

fee onto the exchange rate that they charge. You cansave a lot ofmoney by using a special credit card to payfor goodswhen you are overseas, as these give you thebest exchange rates and avoid any extra, sneakycharges. The Post Office andNationwide cards chargelow or no feeswhen buying goods abroad.

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BUY FROM ABROAD


HOW TO


GBGigabyte. Ameasurement of storage,usually for hard disks.

NTSCNational TelevisionSystem Committee. A TVstandard used in Americaand Japan, among others.

PalPhase Alternating Line.The broadcast TV standardused in the UK and Europe.

SECAMSequentialColour with Memory. Atelevision standard firstused in France.


• The UK European Consumer Centre site(www.ukecc.net ) provides advice on buyingfrom other countries within the EU and helpsconsumers resolve disputes.• Before you buy, use Duty Calculator(www.dutycalculator.com) to work out thecustoms duty and VAT liable on your purchasesfrom anywhere in the world.• Courier firm DHL (www.snipca.com/x1589 ) has a useful section on its websiteexplaining the issues around ordering goodsfrom overseas.

• The HM Revenue & Customs site(www.hmrc.gov.uk) has information on buyingor bringing in goods from abroad and the ruleson duty and taxes. If you are still baffled ring itshelpline on 0845 010 9000.• Check out price-comparison websites likeKelkoo (www.kelkoo.co.uk) and Pricerunner(www.pricerunner.co.uk), which have links totheir European counterparts so you can seewhich country has the best bargain. TryShopping.com (www.snipca.com/x1612 ) orwww.smarter.com for the US.

R GET HELP ON THE WEB

9Check the customs website for a list of items exempt from customs duty

9Use Duty Calculator to workout VAT and customs duty

will find outwhen it was registered and search forcustomer feedback. It’s worth checking unfamiliarwebsites for negative comments before partingwithyourmoney. And if thewebsite is new you should becautious, especially if prices are suspiciously low.Buying fromoutside the EU is an altogether patchier

affair and you risk losing out if there is a problem.When you are buying from theUS check the small print

carefully.Warranties aresometimes region-specificand youmay not be covered ifthe product is faulty. Ask thetraderwhat their returnspolicy is for overseascustomers. Forwell-knownbrands, find outwhether thegoods could be repaired orreplaced by an outlet in theUKor in a shop owned by theparent company. Youmay beable to get it fixed here fornothing. If not, you face ahefty charge to post it back orpay to have it repaired in theUK. Somemanufacturersoffer an internationalwarranty, which entitles youto repairs and customersupport in a different countrytowhere you bought the item.Protect yourself further by

using a credit card to buyfrom abroad. If there is aproblem and you paidmore

than £100 the card company is equally liablewith theretailer. This is helpful if chasing the overseas companyis proving tricky.

Is it still a bargain?Despite theweakened pound you can still savemoneyby buying goods from abroad but beware of the extracharges, particularlywhen shopping outside the EU.Once you have paid any sales taxes, customs duty, VAT,shipping and credit-card fees the original savings youthought you’dmade could be diminished orwiped out.The hassle of shopping overseas can also be

off-putting, especially if there is a problem.Incompatible or faulty goodsmaymake youwish youhad not bothered. Buying from abroad is not alwaysplain sailing so shop around for the cheapest prices intheUK first as youmay find a bargain here.

Laura Frewin

50

BUY FROM ABROAD


Know your rightsAnother important factor to considerwhen buyingfrom abroad iswhat rights you have if a product isfaulty and needs repair or if you have simply changedyourmind after an online purchase has arrived.Shopping from a traderwithin the EU is a safe bet.

Here, you are protected by the Consumer SalesDirective, which entitles you to a repair or replacementfree if the product fails withintwo years. For the first sixmonths it’s generally assumedthe problem existedwhen theproductwas purchased butafter that the onus is on you toprove the goodswere faulty.Some countries in the EUwillgive you even longer than twoyears to return faulty goods.Each country has differentconsumer laws that apply ontop of the Consumer SalesDirective and some aremoregenerous than others. ContacttheUKEuropeanConsumerCentre (www.ukecc.net) to seewhat your rights are in aspecific country.If you are buying from a

website based in the EU youhave similar rights as if thecompanywas in theUK.Under theDistance SellingDirective you are protectedwhen buying goods from anymember state. Shoppers are entitled to a seven-day‘cooling off’ period inmost online transactionswherean item can be sent back for any reason. This begins theday after the goods have been delivered. However,certain sealed items such as games, CDs and softwarebecome exempt if they have been opened.When youreturn the product the tradermust provide a refundwithin 30 days. The seller has to reimburse yourpostage costs if there is a fault but if you have changedyourmind then youwill have to check thewebsite’sterms and conditions to find outwho pays for thereturn postage. Traders have different returns policiesand postage costs to Europe can be high.TheUKEuropeanConsumer Centre has a useful tool

on its website calledHoward the ShoppingAssistant(www.snipca.com/x1593). He’s an online owlwhowillresearch awebsitewithin the EU and help you decidewhether to buy from it. By entering its nameHoward

HOW TO

9Howard the Shopping Assistant researches EU websites

Not all European countries are part ofthe European Union. It’s good toknow who’s in and who’s out asshopping within the EU gives youprotection under various consumersales laws.It also means that you pay no

customs duty or VAT on goodsbrought into the UK.There are 27 EUmember states, including holiday

favourites France, Spain, Portugaland Italy.Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein

and Switzerland are not EU memberstates but they are part of theEuropean Free Trade Association(EFTA). If you shop there you will paya lower rate of customs duty on yourgoods or often none at all.If you buy from Norway or Iceland

then the EU consumer protectionlaws apply. Switzerland andLiechtenstein are not covered butconsumers would have rightsunder the country’s own laws. Formore details visit the EFTA website(www.efta.int ).The list and map of current EU

member states can be found atwww.snipca.com/x1561.

R KNOW WHO’S WHO IN THE EU

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51

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Defend yournetwork

52

BLOCK UNWANTED WEBSITES


The internet is a big place and to find anythingyou need away to pinpoint thewebsites thatofferwhat you are looking for. The internetkeeps track of sites using IPaddresses andkeeps its own list of sites, like a very large and

ever-changing telephone directory.As everyWindows userwill understand, computers

work in a differentway to us. They cannot understandtext in the samewaywe do and an address such aswww.computeractive.co.uk does notmean anymore to acomputer than ‘62.140.213.251:80’ does to you. They areactually one and the same, though, as theComputeractivewebsite presented as text for us and asan IP address for computers. DNS, short for theDomainName System, is the technology that translates betweenthe two, using a set of records stored on thousands ofpowerful computers called servers. Located around theglobe, DNS servers are owned by internet serviceproviders (ISPs), companies and even governments.In theory eachDNS server has the same file so there

is no central point of information.With the informationrequired to access sites spread across somany PCs,there is no single point at which the internet could beattacked or suffer a technical failure. The idea is thatthese computers talkwith each other, sharing updatesas old sites disappear and new ones are created.Anyonewho owns aDNS server can amend the list ofIP addresses. This is how countries such as China blockwebsites they do notwant their citizens to see.There are, thankfully, less sinister reasons for

changing aDNS server file and in this articlewewillintroduce you to a free service calledOpenDNS thatuses thismethod to block fraudsters andwebsites thatinclude distasteful or illegalmaterial.

Added security and controlAlternativeDNS providers, such asOpenDNS andGoogleDNS (seeOtherDNS Services on page 53),offer twomain advantages. The first is faster browsingas they can handle the requests faster than ordinaryDNS servers, which are at the beck and call of themajority of internet users.The second is better security and control. They can

be told not to answer requests for certainwebsites. Thiscan add an extra level of protection if you click on a linkin a phishing email bymistake or block people fromvisiting inappropriatewebsites.OpenDNS can be used in two differentways. You can

set your computer to use theOpenDNS serviceand then think nothingmore of it – there areinstructions for every version ofWindows atwww.snipca.com/x1620. This will help protect againstphishing attacks andmay improve browsing speed butit’s quite easy to getmore from the service.Signing up for an accountwithOpenDNS gives you

more control overwhat you, and other familymembers,can browse on the internet. You can block sites bycategory, such as pornography, or blacklist specificwebsites. Bear inmind that these settingswill apply toeveryone using the computer (or router if you apply theOpenDNS settings to that) so you cannot blockchildren fromFacebook, for example, without beingblocked yourself.

HOW TO

Image:ChrisEde

9This page helps you set up your router for OpenDNS

eVisit the OpenDNS.comwebsite and click on ‘Createan account’ to register

Add a safety net to your home network by blockingaccess to unwantedwebsites

If youwant to block children from accessing specificsites then realistically you are better off with someparental control software, such asWindows LiveFamily Safety, available free atwww.snipca.com/x1574.

How to get startedRegistration forOpenDNS is simple and the basicaccount is free. Start your internet browser, typewww.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 theOpenDNSBasic box.Fill in the form headed ‘I’m new toOpenDNS and I

need an account’. Click Continuewhen the form iscomplete. The next page has help for setting it up. Clickon the Router link on the next page. This hasinstructions formany different routers so click on thecorrectmanufacturer. If it is not listed click on the‘general router instructions’ link. To follow these

instructions youwill need to access the router’ssettings. See the box ‘How to access your

router’s settings’ on page 54.

Once you have followedthe instructions your routerwill belooking upwebsite addresses inOpenDNS asopposed to your ISP’s. Check your email for theregistration confirmationmessage and click on thelink that it contains. This takes you to theOpenDNSDashboard.Themost effectiveway to useOpenDNS is to

set it up on your router.When your computertries to open a connection to the internet it hasto ask the router for thenetwork settings, so if

53



HOW TO

OpenDNS is by no means theonly alternative DNS serviceon the internet. One of thebest known is Google.All youneed to do is to change yourDNS servers to 8.8.8.8 and8.8.4.4 using the instructionsshown in the step-by-stepguide on page 55.It promises better

performance by workingdifferently to most DNSservers by using the Googlesearch service to check onwebsites as well as relyingon the open sharing ofDNS information.

Google Public DNS hasseveral technologies toprotect against so called‘DNS poisoning’. This iswhen incorrectinformation is sentto DNS servers to tryto send people tomalicious websites.Visit www.snipca.com/x1590 for moreinformation.Another alternative is

NortonDNS, which attemptsto protect you frommalicious websites. Find itat http://nortondns.com.

R OTHER DNS SERVICES

small utility fromOpenDNS thatwill automaticallyupdate your accountwith the current dynamic address.It is important to perform this step even if you are usingOpenDNS on a router.Without this information youwill not get the correct settings.Sign in toOpenDNS and click on the Settings tab.

Your IP address should be automatically entered in theIP text box, if not, you can see your IP address in the topright hand corner of theweb page. Click on theAdd thisnetwork button. A popupwill appear asking for a namefor the network. Call this Home andmake sure that theoption labelled ‘Yes, it is dynamic’ is selected. Click onthe link at the bottom to install theOpenDNSUpdaterforWindows. Click onRunwhen asked by yourbrowserwhat to dowith the download. Click onContinue if prompted by theUser Account Controlwindow inWindows 7 or Vista. Return to theOpenDNSweb page and click onDone.Click on the install button. Leave the option to start

the updater selected and click on Finish. Enter yourOpenDNS username and password and click on Sign in.

The updaterwill appear. Click on the Change networkbutton and it will update for the network in use. It willalso check if you are using theOpenDNS servers.If you click on the close button in the corner of

thewindow, the utilitywill close and an icon in theNotificationAreawill appear. It is also possible tomake the updater evenmore discrete. Click on theSettings link at the bottom right, select the Run hiddenoption and click onOK.

Changing the settingsWith the updater ensuring you are identifiable byOpenDNS, return to the Settings page. Click on the IPaddress of your network to access the full settings.The first setting listed in the column on the left is the

level of filtering applied to your account. Click on anoption to select the new level and click onView to seethe exact categories that will be blocked. Click on thesmall cross at the top right to close this informationbox. Next, click on the Customize link if you are nothappywith the options to choose the categories foryourself. Hover the cursor over each title to see ashort description. Click on theApply button to savethe changes you havemade.It is also possible to override the settings to block or

allow specific websites. See the step-by-step guide onpage 55 for details about blocking access to unwanted

54



OpenDNS has been set upthere youwill not have tochange settings for eachcomputer by hand. Forexample theD-LinkDIR-655 (a router givenawaywithmanybroadband subscriptions)is easy to set up forOpenDNS. To do this,start yourweb browserand type http://192.168.0.1in the address bar andpress Enter.If the router admin page

does not appear the routermay be using a different

address, so see the box on page xx. The defaultusername for theD-Link router is ‘admin’ with a blankpassword. Click on theManual Internet ConnectionSetup button and then enter theOpenDNS serveraddresses in the Primary and SecondaryDNS Server fields. The addresses are208.67.222.222 and 207.67.220.220. Clickon the Save Settings button.Simply reverse these instruction to set

your router to use the automatic settingsagain. A full list of instructions fordifferent routers can be found on theOpenDNSwebsite atwww.opendns.com/support/category/2.

Solving the address problemAs there is no need to sign intoOpenDNS, the service needs some otherway to identify your computer to applythe custom settings. This is done byrecognising your unique address on theinternet, the router’s IP address.Unfortunately, with growing demand for these

addresses it is rare to get one of your own. Instead, ISPsassign a newnumber to your computer each time youconnect to the internet. This is called a dynamicaddress. The solution to this problem is to install a

HOW TO

9You can customise the filtering level for your OpenDNS account

9Before you add a network toOpenDNS you need to name it

All modern routers havesettings that can beaccessed using a webbrowser. To open thesettings page you need totype the router’s own IPaddress into the addressbar. This is usually given inthe router manual but if youno longer have that, there isa way to discover it. Holddown theWindows key andpress R.Type cmd andpress enter. Type ipconfig /all in thecommand prompt window and press enter. Notedown the address for the Default Gateway (thisis the router) and use that address. Beforechanging settings you may be prompted to

enter a username and password. Unless youalready have one, the default username isnormally ‘admin’ or blank.The password fieldcan often be left blank. If all else fails, contactyour router’s manufacturer for assistance.

R HOW TO ACCESS YOUR ROUTER’S SETTINGS

9To open your router’s settings enter the IP address in a web browser

To enable the recording of statistics, click onthe Settings tab and then Stats and Logs on theleft. Select the option Enable stats and logs andclick on theApply button.Click on the Stats tab and a summary of the

various statisticswill be displayed. Click on theBlockedDomains link on the left to see thedomains that have been blocked.By default OpenDNS displays all the graphs

usingAmerican Pacific Time. This is easy tochange and doing somakes the graphsmorehelpful. Click on the ‘Set your time zone here’

link on the left. Scroll down the account details andselect Europe and then London in the dropdownmenus. Scroll all theway down to the bottomof thepage and click on the Save account info button.

The level of protection and customisation affordedby theOpenDNS service is impressive and even thoughthere is a little jargon that needs to be decoded, once itis set up the service ticks away quietly in thebackground protecting your computer and family fromthe dangerous side of theweb. And best of all, it’scompletely free to use.

Tim Smith

websites.We also recommend that you enable the Statstool.Wewill explain how andwhy in amoment.A convenient extra provided byOpenDNS is the

ability to use shortcuts in the browser address bar.You could, for example, set up the abbreviation

‘CA’ for the Computeractivewebsite. Click on theorange Shortcuts tab at the top of the screen. Enterthe shortcut in the top box and the full webaddress in the box below before clicking on theCreate shortcut button. One of the beauties ofthis feature is that it does notmatterwhichbrowser, or even computer, you use as long as it ison your network.There are several ways to customise the

OpenDNS page that appears if a domain is notrecognised or blocked. Click onCustomization onthe left. You can also replace theOpenDNS logo.Click on the Choose button, select an image, clickonOpen and then onUpload. Refresh the page byclicking onCustomisation again to see the image.Select the image and click onApply. This page canalso be used to customise the text displayedwhenaweb page is blocked. Enter yourmessage andclick onApply at the bottom.

Recording your traffic statisticsWhat can be interesting is that not all trafficcomes fromweb browsers.We discovered that themost requests came from the antivirus softwareinstalled on our computer. Themain reason forusing these statistics is to check for domains thathave been blocked.

55



HOW TO

9You can also enable statistics to see which sites are being blocked

STEP BY STEP | HOWTO BLOCKACCESS TOUNWANTEDWEBSITES

3 To remove a domain from this list, click inthe tick box for that domain and then on the

Delete button.


IPaddress InternetProtocol address. Anidentifying number of acomputer attached to anetwork. A computer’s IPaddress is similar to aphone number in function.

ISP Internet ServiceProvider. A company thatprovides you with aninternet connection.

NetworkA way ofconnecting severalcomputers and devices sothey can share data.

PhishingA form ofinternet fraud that tries totrick you into revealingpersonal details.

Pop-upA window that isdisplayed by a website,usually over materialalready on the screen.

RouterA device used toconnect more than onecomputer or other device tothe internet.

ServerA computer on anetwork that distributesinformation to other PCs.


1 Sign in to the OpenDNS website. Click onDashboard at the top and then the Settings

tab.You should only have one network set up so clickon the IP address link.

2 Look below the filtering level and select Alwaysor Never block from the dropdown menu.Type

the website in the text box without the www, egdodgysite.com and click on the Add domain button.

tOpenDNS also allows you to set up shortcuts

list replace the asteriskwith 1.When the change happens asmall iconwill appear just to theleft of the new list with a pictureof a lightning bolt. Click on thisto undo the change if you did notwant to start a new list.You are not limited to the

default list style.Right-clickonthe bullet or number andmovethemouse over theNumberingor Bullets entry in themenu toseemore options.

Music delay

Q|I have just installedMagixMusicMaker 16 Premium

Edition to usewithmyMidikeyboard. Unfortunately there isan annoying delay betweenwhenI press a key and hear the soundfrom the software. It’s smallbut enough tomake it hardto play alongwithwhat hasalready been recorded.

Robert Potter

A|This is a common problemwith all music-making

software. The delay is caused bythe computer creating the soundfrom the key press.

Click on the Filemenu,Settings and then ProgramSettings. Click on theAudio/Midi tab and look for theMultitrack audio buffer settingat the bottom left of the screenin theAudio Buffer Section.Click on the ‘-’ button to reducethe buffer from 8192 to 4096.Thiswill make the computerrespondmuch faster althoughtheremay be a slight worseningof audio quality. It is quiteacceptable to increase thissetting again after recordingmusic from the keyboard.

Updating Office

Q|A friend recommendedthat I looked for updates

for Office on thewww.office.comwebsite. I was concerned howmany security updates therewere. Is there anyway I can bereminded of these updates so Iamnot left unprotected? I haveWindows 7Home Premium.

Gavin Brooks

A|It is possible to setWindowsUpdate to check

for updates for otherMicrosoftsoftware including office.Click on the Start button, typewindows update and press Enter.Click on the Change settings linkin the left column. Select theoption ‘Giveme updates forMicrosoft products and check fornew optionalMicrosoft softwarewhen I updateWindows’ andclick onOK. Enter your passwordor click onOKwhen theUser


New Office, old bullets

Q|I have just upgraded toOffice 2007 but I cannot

find the option to add bullets ornumbers to a list inWord.

Peter Bruce

A|There are a couple of waysto create a list with bullets

or numbers. The closest to oldversions ofWord is to use thebullet or number icons in theParagraph section of theHometab. Either click on themain partof the icon to start a list with thedefault format or click on thesmall downwards pointing arrowto select a style from the list. It iseven possible to create your ownstyle by clicking on theDefinenew bullet or Define newnumber format options at thebottom of these lists.A quicker alternative is to take

advantage of theAutoformatoption inWord and start typingin away that it recognises asbeing a list. Start a new line andtype an asterisk followed by aspace andWord shouldautomatically convert it to abullet point. To start a numbered

Continued on P58q

AutoformatA tool found in wordprocessors such as Microsoft Wordthat can automatically change theappearance of text. For example, if auser types ‘1st’,Autoformat wouldchange this to ‘1st’.

BetaVersion of a softwareapplication or system still indevelopment. Companies make betaversions available to the public forevaluation, testing and feedback.Beta software can contain bugs orcreate problems on your PC.

BroadbandA fast internetconnection, such as ADSL.

CompressionReducing a file’ssize by encoding the data inside.

ControlPanelA tool that is foundin the Start menu that enables you totweak the basic functions ofWindows, your PC and anyperipherals attached to it.

DefaultA standard software orhardware setting.

Double-clickTo click twice quicklyin succession on a mouse button. Ifyou double-click on an applicationicon,Windows will then attempt tolaunch the application.

DownloadTransferring files ontoyour PC directly from the internet.

DraganddropTo move somethingby clicking it, then holding down theleft button on a mouse.

DriverA program that allowsWindows to communicate with aperipheral device.


NOPROBLEM!

STAR LETTERPC PROBLEMSANSWERS TO

Our teamof experts solves yourcomputer, software & internet problems

[email protected]

AO&

9You can change Music Maker’s settings to reduce the delay that occurs between pressing a key and hearing a sound

window. Click on theAll link inthe section at the bottom. Youcan now draganddropphotosbetween the phone and the PC.

Old and new Outlook

Q|I installed the beta versionof Office 2010 onmy

computer that already hadOffice2003 on it. Outlook 2003 stoppedworking and uninstallingOffice2010 has not solved the problemas it still complains that a fileismissing.

Ian Carter

A|We also encountered thisproblem and solved it by

uninstalling and then reinstallingOutlook 2003. TheOffice setupprogram is specific enough thatyouwill not need to remove anyother programs inOffice, or evenrestart the computer. Youmightnot even need theOffice CD ifthe setup program saved the filesto your harddisk. Have the discto hand if you are not sure if thiswas the case.Click on the Start button and

thenControlPanel. Click onAddor Remove Programs in Categoryview or double-clickon the icon

in Classic view. Find the entry forMicrosoft Office 2003 andleft-click on it once. Click on theChange button. Select the Add orremove features in the setupwizard and click onNext. Click inthe box labelledOutlook tomakethe tick disappear and click onUpdate. Click on Finishwhen thechange ismade and then click onthe Change button in theAddor Remove Programswindowagain. Repeat the previous step,this time selectingOutlookagain, and click onUpdate toreinstall Outlook.

Unclutter your calendar

Q|I followed the link in arecent Computeractive

newsletter to add all theWorldCup dates tomyGoogleCalendar. Is there anyway I canhide them temporarily to reducethe clutter onmy diary?

James Anderson

A|Google Calendarwasdesigned to show several

calendars and can hide individualcalendarswithout removingthem. Sign in to theGoogleCalendarwebsite.

NO PROBLEM! Q&A

AccountWindow appears. Clickon theCheck for updates linkto forceWindows to check forupdates right away.If youwant to checkwhat is

about to updated, click on thelink underneath the title‘Download and install updates’.Click on an individual update toseemore information in theright-hand pane.

Check a broadband limit

Q|I recentlymovedmybroadband to Talk Talk

and noticed that there is a chargeif you download toomuch fromthe internet. I don’t want to bechargedmore but how can Icheck how close to the limit I am?

Peter Davis

A|There is no realistic way ofchecking this with software

on your computer because theremay bemore than one computeron your home network using theinternet. Also, we have notfound any software that candistinguish between the amountof information transferred overthe internet andwithin yourhome network that does notcount towards the limit. Thegood news is that Talk Talkshows howmuch informationhas been transferred on theonline account pages.Start yourweb browser and go

towww.talktalk.co.uk. Click ontheMyAccount link at the top ofthe page. Click on the RegisterNowbutton if you have neverused this web page before to setup an account.Enter your email address and

password into the relevant boxesand click on the ‘Sign in tomyaccount’ button. Click on theBroadbandUsage link on the left.The next pagewill display a largepie chart with howmuch of yourallowance has been used. Scrolldown to see a graph showinginformation over the previousthreemonths.

Copy mobile phone photos

Q|I have aNokiamobilephonewith a camera and

would like to copy the photos Ihave taken ontomy computer. Ihave bought a cable to connectthe two but do not knowwhereto go from there.

David S. Bell

A|Everymobile phonemanufacturer has their

own software for connectingtheir phones to a computer. Youare in luck becausewe think theNokia software is one of the best.Go towww.snipca.com/x1629 andclick on theDownload link.Once the software has installed

it will automatically startthe connectionwizard. Clickon Start, select the correctconnectionmethod and click onNext.We selected the cableconnection and connected thephonewhen prompted.Windowswill install the drivers for thephone. Click onNextwhen yourphone is recognised. Enter aname and click onNext.There is no requirement to

create aNokia account so youcan click on the ‘Skip this fornow’ link. Click on the Photostitle in theOvi Suitemain


RR

Our team of experts is on hand to help solve PC problems.Read on to find out how

SOLVING YOUR PROBLEMS

Please note that we can only reply through the No Problem page – we can’t replypersonally by email, telephone or letter. Before sending in your query, pleaseconsider the following points as clear preparation helps us identify and resolveproblems much more quickly.

� Tell us which operating system you have and the model number of the PCif known.

� Be specific about the problem – what exactly has gone wrong?� 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 newservice that might contribute to the problem?

� If you see an error message on the screen,make an exact note of its content inyour query.

� Include screengrabs to show us what you see on screen when the problemoccurs.

OTHER SOURCES OF HELPWhile we can’t solve every individual problem, there are other waysComputeractive 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 tosee if other readers can help you solve the problem yourself. You can also browseexisting questions and answers for tips. The forum address is printed at thebottom of this box.

Email: [email protected]: Computeractive, Incisive Media, 32-34 Broadwick St,W1A 2HGForum:www.computeractive.co.uk/noproblem

9Keep Office up to date by using Windows Update

The differentcalendars linked to youraccount are shown in theleft-hand column in twosections:My calendarsandOther calendars. Thecalendars on displayhave a colouredbackground to theirname thatmatches thecolour on the calendaritself. Click on a nameto turn it off and thebackgroundwill changetowhite. Click on it againto return it to the diary.

Back up bookmarks

Q|I have a largenumber offavorites in InternetExplorer. I haveWindowsXP and amconsideringmoving toWindows 7.How can I copy themwhen I

make the change?John JP Wilson

A|Website bookmarks, alsoknown as Favorites in

Internet Explorer, are transferredas part of the File and SettingsTransferwizard. You can findmore information onmaking themove fromXP toWindows 7 inour video guide atwww.computeractive.co.uk/2251139.If youwould rather not use

the File and Settings TransferWizard, the bookmarks arestored in a folder in the hard diskand it is easy to copy thembyhand. Click on the Start buttonand thenMyComputer.Double-click on Local Disk (C:),Documents and Settings, thename you use to log into thecomputer and then Favourites.Hold down theCtrl button

and press A to select all of theshortcuts. Click on the Filemenu,Send to and thenCompressed(zipped) Folder. Thiswill createa singe file containing all thelinks that can be copied to thenew computer. Double-click onthe file and follow thewizardto extract the files on thenew computer.

Manage PC power

Q|Mycomputer used toswitch off the screen

and hard disk automaticallywhen it was left idle for around15minutes, but now it no longer

NO PROBLEM! Q&A

does so. I know computers canuse a lot of electricity, so I wouldprefer to keep its consumptionto aminimum.How can I set upmy computer so it automaticallyswitches themoff?

Bernard Rummery

A|You canmakeWindowsturn themoff automatically

by using the PowerManagementsettings in the Control Panel. InWindowsXP, click the Start iconin the bottom left, click ControlPanel and double-click on thePowerOptions icon.If it is not visible, click the

Switch to Classic View link in thetop left to show all the ControlPanel settings. ForWindows 7andVista, click on the Startbutton, type Power Options andpress Enter.The PowerOptions screen

inWindowsXP looks differentto the one inWindowsVistaandWindows 7.In XP, choose the power

scheme you prefer from the topmenu. Home/OfficeDesk issufficient for desktops, whilePortable/Laptop is perfect forlaptops. Underneath thismenuare twomore to choosewhen themonitor and hard disk turn off.Choose a duration you are happywith for each.InWindowsVista and

Windows 7, choose one of thepower-saving options, eitherBalanced or Power Saver, clickChange Plan Settings and clickChange advanced power settings.

Scroll down and clickthe plus icon next toHardDisk to expandthemenu, then clickthe plus icon next to‘Turn off hard diskafter’. Click thePlugged In setting,then enter a duration.Scroll down and

click the plus icon nexttoDisplay, then theicon next to ‘Turn offdisplay after’. Changethe setting as you seefit. If you are using alaptop, you should alsochange the settings for‘On battery’.Youmaywant to use

a shorter timewhen running offthe battery to extend its life asmuch as possible.

Converting a hard disk

Q|I have aWesternDigital180GB external hard disk

that is formattedwith Fat32.How can I convert this disk toNTFS? I have backed up all mypersonal files and folders, butthere are somemore that I do notrecognise, such asWDsync, andan odd folder calleda3c4dc36574f8c63e74083a.

Peter Forester

A|Hard disks are prepared forusewith a process called

formatting. This can be done in avariety of ways. The two forWindows are calledNTFS andFat 32. NTFS is better, as it ismore secure and comeswith lesslimitations than Fat 32, which canonly store files up to 4GB in size.The simplest way to convert

between the two is to reformatthe hard disk inWindows. Thiswill delete every file on the disk,so youwere correct to back up allyour files and folders first.There is aWindows

conversion utility that will leavethe files intact, thoughmaking abackup is a good idea. Click onthe Start button and then onRun.Type cmd and press Enter. Typeconvert E: /FS:NTFS, replacing Ewith the drive letter of yourexternal disk, then press Enter.You can remove the extra

folders youmention safely. The



DVDA type of disc able to store upto 8.5GB of data such as movies withgood-quality sound and pictures.

Fat32A hard disk formattingsystem used by Windows 98 and ME.

GBGigabyte. A measurement ofstorage capacity, usually for harddisks. 1GB is equal to 1,024MB(megabytes).

HarddiskA high-capacity diskfitted in almost all PCs and used tostore both applications and thedocuments and files they create.

HibernateA power-saving mode inwhich Windows saves opendocuments to a temporary file on thehard disk before cutting power tomany components.

IconA small image used byWindows to identify a file or program.

MidiMusical Instrument DigitalInterface. A standard for controllingelectronic musical instruments ona computer.

NotificationAreaAn area on thebottom of a screen that shows whichprograms are running in Windows.

NTFSNT File System. A file systemused by Windows NT, XP and Vista.

Pop-upmenuA menu thatappears when you click something.

Right-clickMany programs, andWindows itself, make use of the rightmouse button click to display apop-up menu with special functions.

USBUniversal Serial Bus. Astandard that allows quick and easyconnection of external peripheralssuch as storage devices to your PC.

WizardA step-by-step process thathelps you choose settings.

ZippingCompressing a file using aprogram such as Winzip to reduce thespace it takes up.


tUse the Power Options inWindows to customise yourpower-saving scheme

NO PROBLEM! Q&A

long-named folder is a temporaryone thatWindows has createdand theWDsync backup tool isincluded byWesternDigital onthe drive. It is safe to eitherdelete or back up alongwith therest of your files, as the diskwillcontinue towork finewith orwithout the software.To format the disk, click

the Start icon, then clickComputer, orMyComputer.Right-click on the letter of theexternal hard disk, then chooseFormat from the pop-upmenu.In thewindow that appears,

click on themenu under FileSystem, chooseNTFS, and fromthemenu underneath calledAllocation unit size, choosedefault allocation size. Tick thebox next toQuick Format andclick Start. After the disk isformatted you can thenmoveyour old files back on to it.

Wrong keyboard layout

Q|I have just receivedmyrefurbished PC back from

themanufacturer, as it wasbroken and needed fixing.Alongwith a set of new

components,Windows 7wasreinstalled on it before it wasreturned and now I cannot sendemail, because every time Ienter the ‘@’ symbol it producessomething totally different,usually a pair of quotationmarks.How can I getmy old keyboard

layout back?John Dawson

A|This sounds as thoughyour keyboard layout is setto thewrong region, probablyUSEnglish rather than English(UnitedKingdom).To change it click the Start

icon, then click onControl Panel,then onRegion and Language. Ifyou do not see the icon, chooseeither Large or Small icons fromthemenu in the top right.The Region and Language

windowopenswith the Formatstab open. If English (UnitedKingdom) is not shown underFormat, click the down arrowand choose it from the list.Next, click Location, andensure that UnitedKingdomis selected under Currentlocation. Then click th eKeyboards and Languagestab and click the Changekeyboards button.This opens anotherwindow.

UnderneathDefault inputlanguage, click the down arrowon the right and choose ‘English(UnitedKingdom) –UnitedKingdom’ from themenu.Underneath Installed services,check to see if a keyboard islisted under English (UnitedKingdom). If not, then click theadd button.In the nextwindow, scroll

down to English (UnitedKingdom) and expand themenuby clicking the plus icon. Thenunder keyboard clickUnitedKingdom and clickOK toclose theWindow.

If any otherkeyboards are nowlisted, besides theone you just added,click on its nameto highlight it, thenclick Remove on theright. Continue untilthe only keyboardremaining is English(UnitedKingdom).Finally clickOK toclose thewindow.

Autoplay inWindows XP

Q|UsuallywhenI insert aDVD

or CD intomycomputer,WindowsXP detectswhat type

of disc it is in a few seconds andWindowsMedia Playerautomatically launches and playswhatever is on it.This has stopped happening

now, so I have to loadWindowsMedia Playermyself andmanually select the disk before itwill play the content.

Dave Davies

A|WindowsXP usuallydisplays amenuwhen you

put a disc in the drive, but it canbe disabled if you choose theoption for ‘Take no action’,which can also prevent themenu from appearing in thefuture if you tick the box labelled‘Always do the selected action’.However, it is easy to turnautoplay on again.Windows can be set up to use a

different programdepending onthe content that is stored on thedisc you put in the drive, such asmusic, video or photos.To do this, click the Start

icon and click onMyComputeror double-click on theMyComputer icon on the desktopto open aWindows Explorerwindow. Then right-click on yourDVDdrive and choose propertiesfrom themenu.Click on theAutoplay tab in

thewindow that appears. Clickthe down arrow at the top todisplay amenuwhere you canchoose fromdifferent types ofcontent thatmight be stored on adisc. This includesDVDvideo,music CDs, and pictures.For each type of disc you

regularly use in your computer,Choose the option ‘Select anaction to perform’ then PlayusingWindowsMedia Player, oranother program if you prefer.When you are done, clickOKto save the settings.Alternatively, if youwish to

change the programWindowsloadswhen you put a disc in thedrive, just select a differentoption or program in the listof actions. You can disableautoplay by choosing ‘Takeno action’.If youwish themenu to appear

each time you put a disc in thedrive, choose ‘Promptme eachtime’ to choose an action.If you havemultiple DVD

drives in your computer youwillneed to perform this procedureto adjust the autoplay settings foreach drive individually.

Restore the remove icon

Q|I recently installedWindows 7 onmy PC andit no longer shows the SafelyRemoveHardware icon in theNotificationAreawhen I plug aUSBdevice into the PC.How canI get it back?

Brian Cole-Hamilton

A|Windows 7 displays theicon, but by default it hides

icons from theNotificationAreato prevent it becoming cluttered.You can forceWindows to alwaysshow the icon.Click the arrow on the left

of theNotificationArea, whichshows all the hidden icons in theNotificationArea, and clickCustomize. Scroll down forthe option labelledWindowsExplorer, with Safely removeand eject hardware underneathit. Click the arrow to the rightof this to display amenu,and choose ‘Show icon andnotifications’ tomakeWindowsalways display it in thenotification area.You can do this for the other

hidden icons aswell. However,if youwould prefer themnot toappear, choose ‘Hide icon andnotifications’ from themenu.�


RR

tSet DVDs to openwith a different program

Q|I have lost the option forhibernation onmy laptop

in the shutdownmenu and inthe power options for closingthe lid. Howdo I get it back? Iam runningWindowsXP.

Gordon Miller

A|Hibernationhas to beenabled before it appears

as an option in thesemenus.

Click on the Start Buttonand then onControl Panel.Double-click on the PowerOptions icon or click onPerformance andMaintenanceand then on PowerOptions.Click on theHibernate taband select the option Enablehibernation. Click onOK.

Richard Whitten

R READERS TO THE RESCUE

More questions and answers at www.computeractive.co.uk/forums

Share filesthe easy way

60

USE PDF FILES


The Portable DocumentFormat (PDF) is thefavoured file format formillions of documentsstored on theweb and

distributed via email every day.In this BackTo Basics article

wewill look at how andwhy theformat came about, as well howto download, view and navigatePDF files. For goodmeasure, wewill also explain howyou canmake your own PDFs using free software.

PDF past and presentThe original idea behind the creation of the PortableDocument Formatwas to solve a problem faced bymillions of computer users in the early 1990s: sharingdocumentswas complicated by amess of incompatiblehardware, applications and operatingsystem software.Adobe’s planwith PDFwas to create a document file

format that could be viewed onmany types ofcomputer, regardless ofthe hardware orsoftware. Adobedeveloped a commercialprogram calledAcrobatfor creating PDFs andthen sold it tocompanies, individualsand institutionswhoneeded to create anddistribute documentselectronically.Then it developed a

free ‘companion’program called Readerthat could open, but notedit, those samedocuments. Adobe’s planproved popular andtodaymany companiesand individuals createand share documents asPDF files.

Get Adobe ReaderThe easiest way to understandwhat PDFs are all aboutis to download the free Reader program. Launch awebbrowser, typewww.snipca.com/x1578 into theAddressor Location bar and hit Enter. Remove the ticks fromthe ‘Also install’ boxes (unless you reallywant the otherproducts on offer) and click the big yellowDownloadbutton. If the browser displays awarning, follow theinstructions on theweb page to dismiss it (it’s nothingtoworry about) and continuewith the download. Thenat the next dialoguebox click the Install button. Sit backandwait for Reader to download and install.When it’sfinished click the CloseDownloadManager button.After you have installedAdobe Reader, the next thing

to do is find a PDF document to view. The BrightonFestival has produced several brochures for its Artists’OpenHouses. They are a combination of text, pictures,web addresses and email details, and perfect fodder fora PDF document. Visitwww.snipca.com/x1607 and thenclick the link to one of the online brochures.

Portable Document Format, or PDF, files are all over the internet. Find out whatthey are, what to dowith them and how tomake your own using free software

t The red and whiteicon on websitesindicates a PDF file

eAdobe Reader is available asa free download from the Adobewebsite. Use it to open and readPDF files

BACK TOBASICS

eAlong with text andgraphics, PDFs caninclude clickable links

browser. Similarly, clicking on an email address in thesame documentwill launch your email programwiththe address already inserted in the To field.

Get involvedPDFs are remarkably useful, not tomentionwidespreadonline. Youwill find themused on all manner ofwebsites for distributingmaps,manuals, brochures,academic papers, property details, electronic forms,historical documents andmore.AndwithAdobe Reader installed on your computer

and the basics of navigating pages under your belt, youare ready to view them all.

Rob Beattie

At the next screen click any of thetours and then at the followingscreen click the PDF icon.When theAdobe licence dialogue

box appears click Accept (this willonly happen the first timeReaderlaunches). After amoment the PDFwill open in a new browserwindow.

Reading a PDFAdobeReader enables you to viewPDFswithin aweb browser ordirectly fromWindowswith nointernet connection required. If youare viewing a PDF file in a browser,it can be saved to the computer’sharddiskby clicking the Save buttonin the toolbar that appears justbelow the browser’s Address orLocation bar. Now choose adestination such as theWindowsDesktop and click Save oncemore. Find thedownloaded file on theDesktop and then double-clickto load it into AdobeReader.The toolbar along the top contains various navigation

aids. The up and down arrowsmove a page at a time, forexample, while the ‘+’ and ‘-’ change themagnificationlevel. Note, too, the Find box, which you can use tosearch forwords or phrases containedwithin the PDF.Also, a click on the little double page icon at the top ofthe column on the left will show all the pages in thePDF as thumbnails. To print a PDF, click the Print icon.Notice that aswell as text and pictures there are

hyperlinks, just like the ones onweb pages. Click a linkand the pagewill be duly opened in the default web

61

USE PDF FILES


Making PDFs traditionally requiredAdobe’s expensive Acrobat software, butsince PDF became an open standard acouple of years ago lots of free creationtools have cropped up.Microsoft offers a free add-in for

Microsoft Office 2007, for instance – get itfrom www.snipca.com/x1471. Follow theinstructions to download and install it andthe next time you choose the Save Asoption in an Office application you will beable to save the document as a PDF.

Alternatively, installing a tool such asPDF Creator (www.snipca.com/x1579 )will add a new ‘printer’, called PDFCreator, accessible from any applicationwith a Print command. Just select the PDFCreator printer to create a PDF file.

R HOW TO CREATE PDFs


DesktopThe backgroundarea on screen whereWindows files and iconsappear.

DialogueboxA windowthat pops up to display orrequest information.

Double-clickTo clicktwice quickly in successionon a mouse button.

Field In a database, a fieldis an individual containerthat can hold a particulartype of information. Forexample, if you have acontacts list of yourcustomers, each entry iscalled a record and thevarious parts of eachrecord are called fields.

HarddiskA high-capacitydisk fitted in almost all PCsand used to storeapplications and files.

HardwareHardwaredescribes the physicalcomponents of your PC,such as the monitor andkeyboard.

HyperlinkA clickablelink on a web page or ina document that takesyou elsewhere, such asto another website or alater page.

OperatingsystemGoverns the way hardwareand software components ina computer work together.

ThumbnailA small imageused to give a quick previewof a larger image.

ToolbarA strip of iconsthat runs across the top ofmost Windows applications.Used to provide quickaccess to certain importantfeatures, such as savingand printing.


9Click the double-page icon to navigate long PDFs using a thumbnail view

BACK TOBASICS

Mr Snowley says he has awritten and signed documentfromCurrys that says the onlyproblemwith the netbookwascoloured lines across the screen.If this documentation does not

mention a cracked screen, he hasthe law on his side. Because itwould be difficult to disguise thiskind of damage, Curryswouldhave to prove that bothMrSnowley and the shop assistantcolluded to hide the damage.There is obviously damage to

the netbook. How this damagewas caused is amatter betweenCurrys andAsus and has nothing

to dowithMr Snowley. Unlessthe retailer wants to legallychallenge the documentationheld byMr Snowley, it has toprovide a replacement or refund.Mr Snowley does not have towait for a repair for damage thatoccurredwhen the computerwasnot in his possession.We have contactedCurrys to

ask the company to investigate.

Unexpected setup feeI had a broadband and phonepackagewith Tiscali for years.

When Iwas called byTalk Talk atthe beginning of April asking if I


Collateral damageI sent anAsus netbookbought fromCurrys inMarch

this year back for repair. It hada fault with coloured linesrunning across the screen.When I contactedCurrys and

asked for an update I was told tocontact Asus for a report.Asus, however, said there is a

crack on the screen and it isdistorted down the right-handside. I was told that I would haveto pay £161 to get it repaired.When I contactedCurrys

about the damage, which hadnot been there originally, the

manager calledme a liar. Hesaid that although I had a docketnoting only the problemwithcoloured lines on the screen, hebelieved the assistantwould havewrittenwhatever I had asked. Itake this tomean asking him toomit this damage.

Trevor Snowley

If the conversationwith themanagerhappened asMr

Snowley claims, to accuse acustomer of deliberatelymisleading the store based on asuspicion is appalling.

GET SOMEANSWERS!

Consumeractive sticks up for yourrights. If there’s an issue youwantinvestigated, get in touchC

[email protected]

A

CASEONGOING

MyHumax 9200T personal videorecorder (PVR) is notworkingproperly. It loads the programmeguide data slowly andwill only playfor a fewminutes before the picturefreezes and the remotewill not

work. I bought it two years ago and it isstill underwarranty. Humax says this is asoftware problem and an updatewill beavailable butwe do not knowwhen.

Mrs T Marsland

This PVR is unlikely to beinherently faulty andappears only to be

vulnerable to the complex changes takingplace to theUKbroadcast infrastructure.In August 2008 and September 2009, wereported that upgrades to the Freeviewdigital TV system rendered thousands ofdigital set-top boxes useless.Continued changes have also affected

certainHumax PVRs because a highervolume of information nowhas to beloaded on to them.MrsMarslandwants to knowwhat

legal redress she has.Warranties are legallybinding on the company that offers them,but can and usually do have specificexclusion clauses. But you don’t have to relyon awarranty thanks to statutory consumerlaw such as the Sale of Goods (SoG)Act.A favourite phrase people use under this

law is ‘not fit for purpose’. But thisprotection does not cover developments in

technology or standards that themanufacturer or seller has no say in orcontrol over. Amanufacturer does notlegally have to provide a hardware, software

or firmware update unless a devicewas sold promising this.

The good news is that Humax hasbeenworking on a software upgrade.The company told us: “We are veryaware that some customers have beenexperiencing a slowdown in operationand usability issueswith our PVRmodels.Resolving these issues has been a priority.But unfortunately, due to the complexnature of the issues, it has taken longer

thanwe had hoped to developnew software to sort out thePVR issues.”By the time this issue of

Computeractive is published,however, the updateswill have

been released.To receiveupdates over the air,you should leave yourboxon standbyovernight. If youmiss

this you candownloadthe update from

www.snipca.com/x1613.

PVR PROBLEMS

CASESOLVED

In essence this termmeans that theproductmustdowhat the retailer ormanufacturer says itwill do.For example if youbuyacamera that

says it is able to record videoandstillimages, then itmustdoboth.

Changes to technology that themanufacturer or retailer hasnocontrolover,donotmakeaproduct unfit forpurpose.So if youbuyanewcomputer andyouroldprinter is not compatiblewith it,thenyouhavenoclaim.

Whatdoes‘fit forpurpose’mean?

tA manufacturer does not legallyhave to provide updates for a device

CONSUMERACTIVE


RR

put upwith repeated repairsand can demand a refund ora replacement. However, thelaw is not clear about howmany repairs a customer hasto put upwith.The LawCommission of

England andWales and theScottish LawCommissionwant this clarified. They feelthe retailer should have oneshot at repairing a product,

and after that the consumershould be able to demand areplacement or pro-rata refund.However, even if such aclarification is finallymade, themanufacturer in this casewas notresponsible for giving a refund.A customer’s contract is with

the retailer; in this case Argos.And the contract is betweenArgos and the friendwho boughtthe device, notMrsWatson. Also,as her friendwas seriously ill, shedidn’t like to bother him for thereceipt or proof of purchase. Shealso pointed out that even if thereceipt was found, hewas notwell enough to complain.We contactedArgos and

explained the situation. It hasofferedMrsWatson vouchers forthe full price of the ebook reader.We think this is a goodcompromise, considering she hasno contract with Argos andtherefore can’t demand a refund.

AntoniaWatsonwho had aproblemwith a Cooler ebookreader that she had been given asa Christmas present.She hadproblemswith itwithin

the firstweek. But insteadofcontacting the storewhere itwasbought, in this caseArgos, shesent it to themanufacturer forrepair. This is a commonmistake,as people think because the goodshave a brandname, they shoulddeal directlywith themanufacturer. Themisconceptionis reinforcedby retailerswhooften tell their customers to “talkto themanufacturer”.MrsWatsonwas not happy to

be sent a reconditioned unit bythemanufacturer and even lessamusedwhen it startedmalfunctioningwithin a coupleof weeks. Shewas also not happythat it then refused her a refund.The Sale of GoodsAct states

that a consumer does not have to

wanted tomove to its services, Iagreed andwas told that therewould be no installation fee asTiscali was a ‘sister company’.However, amonth laterwhen

thewelcome pack had notarrived I called Talk Talk andwastold the transfer had not gonethrough.MyTiscali servicewascut off but for the rest ofMayeach time I called Talk Talk I hadto reapply for its broadband andphone service. Then at the startof June Iwas told that I had topay installation costs of £39.99because the Tiscali service hadceasedwhich nowmeant I couldnot just transfer the service.

Ronald Plyer

Wehave had anumber ofcomplaints from

ex-Tiscali customers since TalkTalk bought this internet serviceprovider (ISP) last year.Part of the problem could be

because Talk Talk ismovingTiscali customers over to its fullyunbundled local loop network.A fully unbundled local loop

is when a communicationsprovider such as Talk Talkinstalls its own equipment in (orclose to) BT exchanges in orderto connect end-user lines to theirown network. This allows thesecompanies to offer a completerange of broadband and voiceserviceswithout having to useBT’smain network. It is one ofthemain reasons the price ofbroadband has fallen over thepast few years andmore servicescan be offered to consumers. Butthis is no excuse for the problemsMr Plyer has experience.We don’t believe Talk Talk

should be chargingMr Plyer theinstallation costs because it hashad problemsmigrating hisservice.We have asked thecompany to investigate so it cangetMr Plyer, who has beenwithout a broadband internetconnection formore than amonth, back online quickly.

Chilly responseIn issue 320weexplained howcontacting the

wrong company about goods thatturn out to be inherently faultycan turn into a nightmare.Wewere contacted byMrs

QUICK TIPS: CONSUMER RIGHTS CLINICSuspect sign-upI have received an email invoicefrom a company I have never heardof. It says I owe £30 because I havesigned up for music downloads. Idid visit the site mentioned but didnot sign for anything.

Don LowtherIf you have not signed up for a servicedon’t get scared into paying forsomething you have never ordered.You don’t want these criminals gettinghold of your card details. Run youranti-virus software to make sure nounwanted software has beensurreptitiously downloaded.Althoughthe site is probably hosted abroad andthe company does not exist, make anote of the web address and emailcontact and report this to ConsumerDirect and the Office of Fair Trading.

Misleading advertsAn online trader is sending meadverts that I think are misleading.The offers always seem to bejust sold out or out of stock andthe website suggests moreexpensive alternatives.

Molly WebsterThis trader could be breaking theConsumer Protection regulations.Thislaw introduced in 2008 makes it anoffence to mislead consumers. Certainpractices are banned, including luringpeople to a site by claiming to havegoods for sale that don’t exist. It is alsoillegal for a trader to falsely state thata product will only be available for ashort time to elicit an immediate sale.The trader should be reported toConsumer Direct so this consumerrights organisation can investigate.

Mobile return rejectedI want to return a mobile phone Iordered online but the Ebay sellerwill not take it back and give me arefund. Should I complain to Ebay?

John PrescottIf the Ebay seller is a privateindividual they do not have to takeback items or give a refund as theydo not have to comply withconsumer law. However, if the selleris a sole trader then they do have toabide by UK consumer lawsincluding the Distance SellingRegulations and Sale of Goods Act.In cases where a sole trader ignoresthe law the buyer can complain toEbay and their local TradingStandards office. The buyer can alsolodge a case in the small claims courtagainst such sellers.

CONTACT US VIA EMAIL:[email protected]

or at: Consumeractive,Computeractive, IncisiveMedia,

32-34 Broadwick St, LondonW1A 2HG,Please include both your phone

number and address. Unfortunately,we can’t reply to all your letters.

SHOP SMART!

Stay calmExplaining the situation calmly is morelikely to persuade someone to help.

Keep documents, emailsand receiptsLetters, order confirmations and otherofficial agreements are the best weapon.

Gather the factsBefore writing, phoning or emailing,organise yourself.Write down key points.

Don’t rely solely on emailWebsites based in the UK are obliged toprovide a postal address for complaints,so ask for it and use recorded delivery.

Don’t isolate yourselfTry our web links below for more tips.� A guide to the small claimscourt procedurewww.computeractive.co.uk/2013909� The BBC’s Consumer Page ‘howto complain’ tipswww.bbc.co.uk/consumer/how_to_complain� Consumer Direct’s guide toeffective complainingwww.consumerdirect.gov.uk/after_you_buy

WECANHELPNEEDSOMEFREEADVICE?

GETYOURPOINTOVER

CASEONGOING

CASEUPDATE

tA faulty item should be returnedto the store where it was bought

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This is not to say this willhappen in theUKor eventhat we should beworried.Legislation here governs howlong companies can keep acustomer’s data andwhat theyare allowed to dowith it. TheDepartment for Energy andClimate Change says that,rather thanmeter data goingdirectly to the power companyas happens now, it wants thedata collected by smartmetersto go through a third-partycompanywhichwould takeresponsibility for it, filter itand then pass it on to powercompanies for billing.Finally, the cost of installing

themeters is likely to be passedon to customers in higher gas andelectricity prices, although theexpectation is that the lowerconsumption that results willmean lower bills overall (by 2020the average saving is expected tobe £28 a year).

Dinah Greek


Smart energymetersare being installed byelectricity suppliers across

theUK. They are the latestdigital devices that allow utilitycompanies and their customersto keep an eye on consumptionof electricity and gas.The government planned for

every home in theUK to have asmartmeter installed by the year2020, although the reluctance ofsome power companies to installthemmeanswemay not seethem appearing enmasse untilaround 2013.However, some utility

companies have begun trials andothers have said theywill startsoon. The first company to issuesmartmeterswas the aptlynamed First Utility, which hasbeen installing themeters inhomes of new customers sinceSeptember 2008. British Gas hasalso started sending outwhat itcalls Energysmartmeters tocustomers on certain tariffs.

What is a smart meter?Smartmeters are not to beconfusedwith the home energymonitors that youmay have seen(we have reviewed several – seewww.snipca.com/x1628). Thosemonitors are known in theindustry as indirectmeteringdevices. Theywork by having asensor clamped on to the livesupplywire of your home’selectricity tomeasure theconsumption based on thesignals coming through thewire.A transmitter then connects

to the sensor to send datawirelessly to a smallmonitor sothe customer can read the energyconsumption. These can beuseful devices but the data is‘second-hand’. This is becausethemeter cannotmeasure thepower coming directly into thehome from the energy company,so the readings from themonitorare only estimates.A smartmeter, however,

replaces the conventional gasand electricitymeters in thehome, which is why it has to beinstalled by the company. Themeter continuouslymonitors

heating andnot leavingequipment such as TVs andcomputers on standby.”

It’s not all good newsA smartmeterwill usually beinstalled in a cupboard and nomonitoring device is supplied, sothe readings are not as visible oraccessible as those from indirectmonitors. However, many powercompanies are planning internetsites andmobile phoneapplications for customers tomonitor usage.There are also concerns

about privacy. In theUS,which hasmanymore smartmeters than theUK, privacyorganisations are concernedaboutwhowill get the data,how itmay be used andwhetherother companieswill haveaccess to the information.Jules Polonetsky, anAmerican

privacy expert, said: “Imagine adevice that could tell an observereverything you do in your home,down to howoften you eatmicrowave dinners, how oftenyouwash your towels, and evenwhat brand ofwasher-dryer youwash them in.”He highlighted that utility

companies can also turn offpeople’s electrical devices. Onepower company inMarylandproposed discounts to customerswho allowed it to remotelyswitch off or turn down theirhome air conditioning units atpeak times on hot days.

what is going into the home andcan also provide notificationsfor events such as power cuts.It can also check the powerquality and calculate the home’scarbon footprint.Generally, with a smartmeter,

the energy companywill receivean electricity reading from themeter every half an hour and agas usage reading every day. Eachsmartmeter has amobile phoneSim card installed, and thereadings are sent over themobilephone network.

Benefits to consumersWe spoke to BillWilkins of FirstUtility, who said smartmetersshould end the problem ofestimated bills, which can be toohigh.While themain benefit is tothe power companies, which cancut costs by using fewer humanmeter readers, the newdevicescan also save customersmoney.Users canmonitor their usage

history to see how they havebeen using electricity and gasandwhere they can cut back.MrWilkins said: “Our

experience is that smartmetersmake customersmore aware oftheir energy usage. It’s hard tocontrol energy consumption.After all, if youwant a cup of teayou are going to boil that kettle.But it can showwhatwe callthe background load, which iswhen electrical and electronicappliances are used at night orwhen people are at work. Forexample switching off lights or

RRCAINVESTIGATESAn in-depth look at the latest technologyand consumer rights issues

WE INVESTIGATE:Smart energymeters

OurverdictSmartmetershaveenormouspotential formonitoringandcontrollingourenergyusage.This canaidpeople financially andhelpusmeet climate changegoals.

But there aredrawbacks.Although themetershave tobe installedwithout charge,companieswill have topayfor themsomehow.

Other concerns includeprivacy,data security and‘interoperability’(whathappens to yourmeter if youswitchenergyprovider),andtheseare yet tobeanswered.

HAVE YOUR SAY!Your sayHave you been offered or issued witha smart meter by your powercompany? Do you use an ‘indirect’electricity monitor? Does it work?Have you saved money? Let usknow by [email protected]

9Smart Meter users can monitor their energy use over time

I suggest thatMrMiller’sfriend gets these factors checkedout. Over 60s can get a freeNHS sight test, and employeesregularly using computer screensshould be able to arrange a fullcheck via their employers.

Josephine Bailey

Keep your backup safe

uI agree with HeatherHarvey, whose letter

was published in issue 320,about backups.

HAVE YOUR SAY. WRITE TOUS!Computeractive, Incisive Media, 32-34 Broadwick St,London W1A 2HG. [email protected]

have small sight defects ormuscle imbalances thatmake ittiring to direct both eyes at a task.Older peoplewill find that

their reading glasses are focusedtoo closely for amonitor. A lowerprescriptionwould be better,tailored to yourworkingdistance. Remember that fewpeople have identical focus inboth eyes, so over-the-counterreading glasses, while notharmful, are unlikely to besuitable for concentrated vision.

for “ruining their eyesight”.Firstly, users should check that

the ambient lighting (the lightlevel in the room) is comfortable.You should not have to look up atthe screen. It should be set withthe top of the display at eyelevel so you are looking slightlydown.Many people, whenconcentrating, tend to blink lessfrequently, so their eyes becomedry and sore. Try to take shortbreaks from the screen.Even thosewith ‘perfect vision’


Scareware awareness

uAfter reading yourarticle about scareware

in issue 318, I had the sameproblem described within anhour. A window appeared tellingmemy computer was infected,and it would not let me use anyconnections on the internet orthe AVG security functions.I went into theWindowsSafe

Mode, performed a full scan andrestarted the PC but still no go.Then awindow appeared tellingme therewas a problemwithmyproxy. I clicked the Fix buttonand the problemwas solved. Thefake anti-virusprogramwascalledAntivirus Soft so if any ofyour readers see the same thingthey knowwhat to avoid.

T Chasney

uLast week I wassubjected to a scareware

attack that took control of mycomputer. I was unable to doanything and could not even logon to the internet. It was totallybeyondme. I am usingWindowsVista Home PremiumwithWindows Defender and thefree version of AVG. Luckily Ihad updated these just beforethe scareware struck but itoverrode them.I phonedmy ISP, which, after

some time, cleared themess upand got rid of the scareware – ata cost, of course, but I cannotcomplain as I have gotmycomputer back and it is now infull working order.

Maurice Jones

Shortsighted solution

uAs a retired optometrist,I was interested in

AlfredMiller’s letter (NoProblem, issue 321) about eyestrain. He did not mention hisfriend’s age or whether she hadhad a recent eye examination.But there is little point inadjusting her monitor if thelady’s eyesight is the root cause.Many people are unaware of

theminor vision defects thatcause no problems in daily lifebut the concentration that isinvolved in looking at a computerscreen can be uncomfortable andthe poor old PC gets the blame

RLETTERSYOUR SAY RuYour opinion counts! Join the debate on any issue raised in Computeractive

I recently returned home from a trip to Australia.While I was out there I had been usingmy creditcard for a few dayswhen it was suddenly blocked.After an expensive phone call to the credit cardcompany back in theUK Iwas told thatmy cardwould be unblocked but in futurewhen I amtravelling overseas I should notify the company ofthe date I leave theUK, the country I am travellingto and the date onwhich Iwill be returning.I appreciate that if this applies to everyone in

this countrywho travels overseas it will help to cutdown on credit card fraud but I amnot sure thehome insurance companieswill be best pleased toknow that this sensitive information aboutwhichhouses are empty andwhen the owners are goingto return is lying about in filing cabinets and onharddisks all over the country – especiallywhenyou remember howoften sensitive informationseems to gowalkabout from big organisations.

Ray Dewey

There are quite a few areas inmodern life thatwe just have to take on trust.An examplewould be the discussion about

online backup in the Letters page of issue 321.Wetrust that when a company says it will keep ouronline backups secure, it will do so. In this casewetrust that the bankswill keep our informationprivate. It is certainly plausible that a database

such as this could leak or that a rogue employee ata bank could feed it to his friendswhowould goand burgle the houses. But the chances of that areslim, particularly as therewould be extremelystiff penalties for any company found allowingthis to happen.We have not heard of any such breaches but if we

do, wewill let you know in the news pages ofComputeractive and on thewebsite.

R

STAR LETTER

Each issue the writer of our Star Letter will receivea prize. This issue we are giving away a copy ofNuance Paperport Professional 12, which will helpyou scan your documents for filing and later use.Paperport will also perform Optical CharacterRecognition (OCR) on the scanned documents sothat they’re not just stored as picture files – theybecome searchable, editable text documents that

you can make full use of on the computer. It willwork with any scanner that’s connected to yourcomputer, and the new version will even work withpictures of documents taken using a digitalcamera. Nuance Paperport Professional 12 is worth£100.We cannot offer technical assistance or replypersonally to correspondence but all letters areread by our staff.

A question of trust

LETTERS

You should never keepbackupswith your computer.Burglaries, fires, accidents andlost equipmentwould all cause aproblem if the backup is storedwith the computer.

Terry Redhead

This issuewe’ve reviewed afireproof hard disk that willsolve some of those problems

(see page 20) but even that willnot stop a determined (andstrong) thief.

Recycle Epson cartridges

uIn issue 321 ofComputeractive you

included an envelope in whichto return used inkjet cartridgesfor recycling for charity. Printedon this envelope was the usualproviso that Epson cartridgescould not be recycled. Yourreaders may be interested tolearn that Epson will take backits own used cartridges forrecycling, free.Visitwww.snipca.com/x1623.

Here youmay request a supply ofprepaid envelopes inwhich toreturn the used cartridges. Thesetake a few days to arrive by postand only one cartridgemay bereturned in each envelope.Take care to use the Epsonrecycling service, as othercommercial organisationscharge for their services.

Derek Grey

iPad disagreement

uI like your magazinebut I disagree with your

reviewer’s opinion about theiPad, that it’s “OK fornon-demanding users”.This is the portable

device of the future forevery business user.Your reviewer did notappreciate that iWork(Apple’s office suite) isavailable for a pittancefor the device. I useBento (Apple’s personaldatabase) onmy iPadand synchronise it withmyMac.WithmyMobile.me subscription(also available onWindows PCs) I can keeplarge documents saved on

the internet and consult themwhenever necessary.Mail,Contacts andweb browsingwerenotmentioned, all of whichcontain valuable tools for theserious business user. In future,please arrange for a properrelevant review, by someonewhoknowswhat he is talking about.

Bob Stringer

All our reviews (and allreviews in other publicationstoo) are based on opinion and

whenwe form ours it is in thecontext of the readership ofComputeractive. In that context,our reviewerwas looking at theproduct from the perspectiveof home users, not business. Likeall our reviews it was alsowrittenby an expert – in this case onewho specialises inMac products.Most technology-savvy users

will already be aware of thebenefits for themof using aniPad, butwewanted toemphasise that it’s also anexcellent computer for peoplewho have previously been tooscared or confused by theway acomputerworks. In fact, oneComputeractive staff memberhas already bought an iPad for hiselderlymother, who is delightedwith it, having never used acomputer before.

Office alternatives

uI read the CAInvestigates page in

issue 320 which was aboutMicrosoft Office. I boughtmyfirst computer, a desktopmodel,in January 2000. It did not haveMicrosoft Office installed but it

did haveMicrosoftWord

and that included theDocumentMap tool, whichwas very helpfulwhenwriting long stories.I now have a newer laptop,

bought inNovember 2007. Thishad a trial version ofMicrosoftOffice that includedMicrosoftWord and theDocumentMap,but it also included a full versionof a differentword processorthat produced document filesending inWPS. Thesewereincompatiblewith theDOC filesproduced byWord. Also, therewas noDocumentMap.I resent paying extra for

Microsoft Office as I usemy PCmainly for emails, but I think thatnot havingMicrosoftWord andtheDocumentMap incorporatedintomy laptop as standardis annoying.

Norman Samuels

The second program yourefer to isMicrosoftWorks,whichwas a cut-down

collection of office programs(word processor, spreadsheetand so on) thatMicrosoftsuppliedwith some newcomputers (andwhichwas alsoavailable to buy separately).MicrosoftWord is part of

themore expensiveOfficecollection, but to confusematters, for awhileMicrosoftincludedWordwith some copiesofWorks, whichmeant thatsome people had bothWordandWorks on their computers.And as you have discovered,the files created by eachwerenot compatible.We agree it was confusing.

Now,with the release of Office2010, things are a bit better.Microsoft has killed offWorks

and it has been replaced bysomething calledOfficeStarter edition, whichwillinclude proper (butcut-down) versions ofWord and Excel, withcompatible files. But it’sonly availablewith newcomputers.

CorrectionsOur Livescribe Pulsereview (issue 321) hadthewrong score,unjustly robbing theproduct of an award.Instead of the fourstarswe gave it, the

product should have been givenfive stars and our Buy It award.All other details remain asprinted and thewebsite article(www.computeractive.co.uk/2262589) shows the correct score.In our feature on backing up in

issue 320we got a detail wrongabout theMacriumReflectbackup software. Contrary towhatwe said, the free version ofthe programdoes allowscheduled backups, although itdoes not allow for differentialorincrementalbackups.Apologies on both counts.


RR


Anti-virusSoftware that detectsand cleans virus-infected files.

DatabaseAn organised body ofrelated information.

DifferentialA backup that storesonly the information changed sincethe last full backup was taken.

HarddiskA high-capacity diskfitted in almost all PCs used to storeapplications and files.

IncrementalAn incrementalbackup stores only the informationthat has changed since the lastincremental backup was made.

InkjetprinterType of printer thatsquirts tiny dots of ink onto the page.

ISP Internet Service Provider. Acompany that provides you with aninternet connection.

ProxyserverA computer that sitsbetween your PC and the internet.

SafeModeA way of startingWindows safely to run basic checksand repairs if a PC is behaving oddly.

ScarewareA type of malicioussoftware that attempts to alarm youinto installing dangerous software.

SpreadsheetSoftware forcreating sheets of calculations, setout in rows and columns.


qBob Stringer says the iPad isideal for the serious business user


INTERACTIVE

THE BEST FREE TOOLS FOR YOUR PCEdit your videos, back up important documents, take notes and protect your PC from viruses

COMODOINTERNETSECURITYInternet Security protects yourcomputer with a combinedfirewall and anti-virus scanner.Type: FreewareFile size: 2.8MBOverall:��Download from:www.computeractive.co.uk/2229556

SAFARI 5The latest version of Apple’sweb browser forWindows PCscomes with a Reader mode forreading long documentsuninterrupted by adverts.Type: FreewareFile size: 31.1MBOverall:��Download from:www.computeractive.co.uk/2264344

SONY VEGASMOVIE STUDIOSony Vegas Movie Studio is apowerful video-editingprogram with a clean interface.Try it free for 30 days.Type: Time-limited demoFile size: 102.5MBOverall:��Download from:www.computeractive.co.uk/2264345

URANIUMBACKUP FREEUranium can run scheduledbackups of importantdocuments to a variety of safeplaces, including optical discs.Type: FreewareFile size: 8.1MBOverall:��Download from:www.computeractive.co.uk/2217802

JARNALA free alternative to MicrosoftOnenote, Jarnal can be used totake notes. It works best withpen input, but can use thekeyboard and mouse as well.Type: FreewareFile size: 12.3MBOverall:��Download from:www.computeractive.co.uk/2238911

How the Great Clock works

YOURECOMMEND...YOURECOMMEND...

www.snipca.com/x1594How the Great Clock works is a page explaining how the clock that rings Big Benworks and why it is so accurate. The ringing is accurate because of a mechanismthat moves the hammers into a ready position just before the right time.And there isthe famous shelf with old-style pennies used to adjust the stroke of the pendulum.

David Panton

BEST OF THE WEBCreate a floor plan and playwith somemusic before getting creativewith theGraphics Fairy

What’s your favourite website?Tell us at [email protected]

and we’ll print the best

Roomle.comA great tool for planning rooms or entirefloors. There are lots of furnishings andeven a 3D view of the finished design.

www.echogenesis.comEcho Genesis is an innovative websitethat lets you make music by clicking ormoving pictures on screen.

graphicsfairy.blogspot.comAnother website with some useful craftproject ideas and images that can beused on websites.

www.wired.com/geekdadThe best technology should be fun inour opinion. Geekdad has everythingfrom StarWars to Lego.


INTERACTIVERR

24 June - 7 July 2010

COMPETITION

ONLINE VIDEO PICKS OF THE FORTNIGHT

WIN a copy of Magix MusicMaker 16 XXLMakemusic using your computer with thissoftware andMidi keyboard set

A thin-and-light laptop, a printermade from Lego and a pen that scanswhatever you draw

Your computer canworkasapowerfulmusic studiobut ifyouwant to include

instruments youdon’t ownorplay,aMidi keyboardcan fill in thegaps.

UsingaMidi keyboardcanaddthese instruments toa trackandComputeractivehas teamedupwithMagix tooffer threewinnersMusicMaker 16XXLthat includesaMidi keyboardandsoftware.Sixrunnersupwill receiveacopyofMusicMaker 16.

Thekeyboardhas49 full-sizekeys that respond tohowhardyouplay soyoucan recordmusicwithfeeling. It hasapitchbendwheelandamodulationwheel that canbeused tocontrol effects asyouplay.

Thekeyboardconnects to thecomputerwithaUSBcable and italsohasastandardMidi socket soit canalsobeconnected tootheraudioequipment.

MagixMusicMaker 16XXLcanbeused tocreatemusicbydragginganddroppingsnippetsof

music called samplesontoatimeline. It canalso recordmusicwith thekeyboardusingsynthesisers thatmimic realinstrumentsor createwholenewsounds.This latest versionofMusicMakerhasanewampsimulator forrecordingguitar andaudioeffects.

For your chance toone this greatcomputer,answer thequestionshownon the rightbyvisitingourcompetitionwebpageatwww.computeractive.co.uk/competitionsbefore9July2010.

Formoredetails aboutMusicMaker visit:www.magix.com/uk

LENOVO ELITETHINKPAD EDGELAPTOPLenovo is usually associated withbusiness computers but the ThinkpadEdge is a good choice for home userstoo, as it’s relatively light and notparticularly expensive. The model wereviewed 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 MADEFROM LEGOLego is a truly versatile toy, as it seemsanything can be constructed from itslittle coloured bricks. This now includesa fully working Lego computer printer,which is helped by the addition of someelectronics and a felt pen.Although itisn’t exactly fast, we’re fairly surenothing else like it exists.Watch online at:www.snipca.com/x1610

OXFORDPAPERSHOWSCANNING PENThe Papershow is a combination of aspecial pen and paper that will recordwhat you draw, with a tiny scanner inthe pen that picks up a pattern of dots totrack its position. It lets you draw andprint a design from an image, thenannotate it in real-time, but is anexpensive way to take notes.Watch online at:www.computeractive.co.uk/2263499

A GIANT WALL OFPROGRAMSAt Apple’s annualWWDC conference,the company both likes to demonstrateits new products and showcase itscurrent ones.This year a giant videowall made from multiple 24in screenswas used to show how popular its AppStore is, with falling blocks representingevery time a program was downloaded.Watch online at:www.snipca.com/x1609

QuestionHowmany keys does theMusicMaker 16XXLhave?

A.25B.49C.61

WHAT YOUCAN WIN

Three lucky winners willeach receive a copy ofMusicMaker 16XXL.Six runners-up willreceive a copy ofMusicMaker 16

Enter Free at:www.computeractive.co.uk/competitions

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Money-backguarantee:If you are not totally satisfiedwith Computeractive write tocancel and receive a fullrefund on allun-mailed issues

Closing date: 16th August 2010

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q Each issue delivered directto your door every fortnight

q Save 10% on selected items atwww.computeractive-direct.co.uk


INTERACTIVERR

24 June - 7 July 2010

GAMINGDoctor Who -The Adventure Games:City of the DaleksFree to download from the BBCwebsite

DoctorWho fanshavehada longwait for anewgamebasedoneveryone’s favouriteTimeLordandhis famousbluephonebox.

Now,theBBChas revealed the first of fourdownloadable adventuregamesbasedon thegoodDoctor’s adventures.

Unfortunately, thegamedoesn’t simplyhandyou thekeys to theTardis and let yougogallivanting throughspaceand time. Instead,Cityof theDaleksworks something likean

interactiveepisodeof theTVprogramme,leadingyouona relatively linearpaththroughaclassicWhoplot.

Thestorybeginsas the 11thDoctor(currently playedbyMattSmith)decides towhiskhis assistant,AmyPond,back to theSwinging ’60s. InsteadofBeatlemania, redbusesandminiskirts,however, theDoctorandAmydiscover aLondon thathasbeenreduced toDalek-infested rubble.As theDoctor, it’s your job toworkouthow timehasbeenalteredso radically andput things right.

While theTVshow itself hasbroadappeal,this spinoff is aimedat theyounger endofthe fanbase.Thegame is simplistic andcanbebrokendown intoexploration,equipmentcollectionandpuzzle solving.There isn’tmuchaction to speakof,direct confrontationwith theDaleks is instant suicide,soastealthier approachis required.Thepuzzles,meanwhile,areall fairlybasic, requiringyou tomatchsymbols,navigatesimplemazesandsoon. It’s all over relativelyquickly, too.Youcanwhizz through thegameinaroundanhour.

Thegame’sdeveloperhasdoneagood jobreplicating the lookand feel of the show.The

graphicsare somewhat cartoon-like,but thissuits themediumwell.Authentic voiceactingfromthecast regulars and instantly recognisableDoctorWhosoundeffectsbuild atmosphere.Thereareevensomeeducational elementsandafewamusing linesof dialogue toenjoy.Apartfromanythingelse,City ofDaleks is free,so ifyourhousehold is home toayoungerDoctorWho fan,you’ll definitelywant todownload this.

Jonathan Parkyn

Info: www.snipca.com/x1608PEGI age rating: N/AAlso consider:Wallace andGromit’s Grand Adventures;Lego Indiana Jones:TheAdventure ContinuesOverall:��

Prince of Persia:The Forgotten SandsA return to form for one of gaming’s longest-running series

Thesummerblockbuster filmseason ishereagainandwithit, thecustomary slewofpoor

game-of-the-movie tie-ins.In this instance,however, the

usual convention is turnedon itshead.Themovie inquestion,PrinceofPersia, is adapted fromavideogame(specifically 2003’s excellentPrinceofPersia:TheSandsofTime),while theaccompanyinggame is anewepisodedesigned tosit alongside itsbig-screenbrotherrather thancrudely replicate it inpixelated form.

Thestoryline inTheForgottenSands takesplacedirectly after theSandsofTime.Thegame looksandfeelsmuch likea return to this eraof

the franchise,abandoningmanyofthe stylistic andgameplayelementsintroduced in later outings.

Playing thegame involves threemainelements: acrobatics,puzzlesolvingandcombat.TheathleticPrince is a joy tocontrol. It’s hard to

imagineWilliamorHarry couldpull off thesamewall-runningandpillar-climbinganticsthat thisPrincecando.

In addition,youhavetheability to rewindtime. If youmisjudgeajump, it’s possible torescueyourself fromoblivionand try again.Thegamebuildson the

basicsby introducingclevernewmechanicsas theactionprogresses.Another ability, forexample,allowsyou to freezewater into solidobjects,whichcanthenbeusedasplatforms,poles,walls andsoon.

These ideasareoriginal,and fansofTheSandsofTimewill finda lot tolove.However, thecombat canbecome tiresomeat times,and thegamedoesn’tmake thesameimpact its predecessordid.

Jonathan Parkyn

Info: http://prince-of-persia.uk.ubi.comPEGI age rating: 12Also consider: Assassin’s Creed II;Tomb Raider UnderworldOverall:�� Retail price: £35

9The Prince is a joy to control but combat can be dull

9The Time Lord will need help from his assistant inorder to progress through the game

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USB Pen Drives2GB Kingston2GB Sandisk4GB Kingston8GB Kingston16GB Kingston

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Smart Media, Memory Stick,Micro M2, Pro Duo, all in stock

www.premier-ink.co.uk0800 161 3638 or 01926 339977

Premier Ink & PhotographicLongfield Road

Sydenham Industrial EstateLeamington Spa, Warwickshire

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We are a small family owned and run company, specialising in printer ink cartridges, photo paperand 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!

Lowering the Cost of Printing!

Originals:£24.99 65ml£22.99 16ml£18.99 46ml£26.99 66ml£19.99 16ml£22.99 46ml£9.99 10ml£11.99 25ml£19.99 17ml£19.99 37ml£19.99 15ml£19.99 24ml£19.99 35ml£19.99 43ml£4.99 10ml£5.99 25ml£102.99£14.99 17ml£14.99 17ml£40.99£17.99 13ml£9.99 8ml£61.99£13.99 13ml£13.99 13ml£102.99£7.99 13ml£13.99 13ml£13.99 13ml£29.99£8.99 8ml£8.99 8ml£94.99£11.99 13ml£11.99 13ml£11.99 13ml£29.99£8.99 8ml£8.99 8ml£29.99£8.99 7.4ml£8.99 5.5ml£70.99£11.99 10ml£11.99 10ml£45.99£8.99 7.4ml£8.99 7.4ml£76.99£7.99 11.4ml£9.99 11.4ml£9.99 11.4ml£78.99£9.99 11.4ml£9.99 11.4ml£9.99 11.4ml£61.99£11.99 13ml£11.99 13ml£32.99£32.99£16.99

At Premier Ink, we stock two types of cartridges for Epson printers -Originals, which are made by Epson, and Compatibles, which aremade by a UK company called Jet Tec. Using Jet Tec Compatiblesis a way of saving money, without compromising on the quality of yourprints. Here’re the results from two independent ink tests that agree…

“Jet Tec’s colours were superb, with single greysand blacks very close to Epson …so Jet Tec wins!”

- Total Digital Photography Magazine

“What we’re looking at here is not only the best choiceof ink for the R300 printer, but also the best ink in thisgroup test, period. There’s just no getting away fromthe superb combination of performance and pricing”

- Computer Upgrade Magazine

Cartridge Code:T001 ColourT007 BlackT008 ColourT009 ColourT026 BlackT027 ColourT036 BlackT037 ColourT040 BlackT041 ColourT050 BlackT051 BlackT052 ColourT053 ColourT066 BlackT067 ColourT0331-336 Set of 7T0331/2/3, eachT0334/5/6, eachT0441-454 Set of 4T0441 BlackT0452/3/4, eachT0481-486 Set of 6T0481/2/3, eachT0484/5/6, eachT0540-549 Set of 8T0540 GlossT0541/2/3/4, eachT0547/8/9, eachT0551-554 Set of 4T0551 BlackT0552/3/4, eachT0591-599 Set of 8T0591/2/3, eachT0594/5/6, eachT0597/8/9, eachT0611-614 Set of 4T0611 BlackT0612/3/4, eachT0711-714 Set of 4T0711 BlackT0712/3/4, eachT0791-796 Set of 6T0791/2/3, eachT0794/5/6, eachT0801-806 Set of 6T0801/2/3, eachT0804/5/6, eachT0870-879 Set of 8T0870 GlossT0871/2/3/4, eachT0877/8/9, eachT0961-969 Set of 8T0961/2/3, eachT0964/5/6, eachT0967/8/9, eachT5591-6 Set of 6T5591/2/3, eachT5594/5/6, eachT5570, eachT5730, eachT5844/T5846, each

Suitable EPSON Printers:Photo 1200Photo 790, 890, 900, 915, 1290Photo 790, 870, 890, 895, 915Photo 900, 1270, 1290Photo 810, 830 ,830u, 925, 935

C42, C44, C46

C62, CX3200

440, 640, 660 Photo 700, 1200740, 760, 800, 850, 860, 1160440, 640, 660, 740, 760, 1160Photo 700, 750C48

Photo 950, 960

C64, C66, C84, C86,CX3600/3650, CX6400, CX6600

R200, R220, R300, R320, R340RX500, RX600, RX620, RX640

Photo R800, R1800

Photo R240, R245RX420, RX425, RX520, RX525

Photo R2400

D68, D88DX3800/3850, DX4200/4250DX4800/4850S20/21, SX100/105/115/200/205/215SX400/405/415/515,D78/92/120DX4000/4400/5000/6000/7400/8400Photo 1400

Photo P50, R265, R285, R360RX560, RX585, RX685, PX650PX700/710W, PX800/810FWPhoto R1900

Photo R2880

Photo RX700

Picturemate, Picturemate 500Picturemate 100Picturemate 240, 260, 280, 290

Jet Tec Compatibles:£3.99 70ml, 3 for £10.99£3.99 20ml, 3 for £10.99£4.99 50ml, 3 for £13.99£4.99 70ml, 3 for £13.99£3.99 20ml, 3 for £10.99£4.99 50ml, 3 for £13.99£3.99 13ml, 3 for £10.99£4.99 31ml, 3 for £13.99£3.99 20ml, 3 for £10.99£4.99 46ml, 3 for £13.99£2.99 16ml, 3 for £7.99£2.99 26ml, 3 for £7.99£3.99 39ml, 3 for £10.99£3.99 48ml, 3 for £10.99£3.99 20ml, 3 for £10.99£4.99 48ml, 3 for £13.99£29.99, 3 sets for £87.99£4.99 21ml, 3 for £13.99£4.99 21ml, 3 for £13.99£14.99, 3 sets for £42.99£4.99 21ml, 3 for £13.99£3.99 21ml, 3 for £10.99£19.99, 3 sets for £57.99£3.99 21ml, 3 for £10.99£3.99 21ml, 3 for £10.99£35.99, 3 sets for £99.99£3.99 21ml, 3 for £13.99£4.99 21ml, 3 for £13.99£4.99 21ml, 3 for £13.99£14.99, 3 sets for £42.99£4.99 21ml, 3 for £10.99£3.99 21ml, 3 for £10.99Check Website.Check Website.Check Website.Check Website.£14.99, 3 sets for £42.99£4.99 21ml, 3 for £13.99£3.99 21ml, 3 for £10.99£14.99, 3 sets for £42.99£4.99 13ml, 3 for £13.99£3.99 13ml, 3 for £10.99Check Website.Check Website.Check Website.£19.99, 3 sets for £57.99£3.99 13ml, 3 for £10.99£3.99 13ml, 3 for £10.99Check Website.Check Website.Check Website.Check Website.Check Website.Check Website.Check Website.Check Website.Check Website.Check Website.Check Website.£9.99 Ink Only£9.99 Ink Only£9.99 Ink Only

EPSON

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COMPATIBLE & ORIGINAL INKHP Compatibles

No.15 Black 46mlNo.21 Black 10mlNo.22 Colour 21mlNo.27 Black 24mlNo.28 Colour 24mlNo.45 Black 45mlNo.56 Black 24mlNo.57 Colour 24mlNo.58 Photo 24mlNo.78 Colour 45mlNo.88XL Black 58mlNo.88XL C/M/Y 17mlNo.110 Colour 12mlNo.336 Black 10mlNo.337 Black 24mlNo.338 Black 24mlNo.339 Black 34mlNo.342 Colour 12mlNo.343 Colour 21mlNo.344 Colour 21mlNo.348 Photo 21mlNo.363 Black 20mlNo.363 C/M/Y/PC/PM 6mlNo.363 Set of 6

HP OriginalsNo.21 Black 5mlNo.22 Colour 5mlNo.38 Colours, eachNo.56 Black 19mlNo.57 Colour 17mlNo.58 Photo 17mlNo.110 Colour 5mlNo.300 Black 4mlNo.300XL Black 12mlNo.300 Colour 4mlNo.300XL Colour 11mlNo.336 Black 5mlNo.337 Black 11mlNo.338 Black 11mlNo.339 Black 21mlNo.342 Colour 5mlNo.343 Colour 7mlNo.344 Colour 14mlNo.348 Photo 13mlNo.350 Black 4.5mlNo.350XL Black 25mlNo.351 Colour 3.5mlNo.351XL Colour 14mlNo.363 Black 6mlNo.363 C/M/Y/PC/PMNo.363 Set of 6No.364 Black 6mlNo.364 PB/C/M/Y 3mlNo.901 Black 4mlNo.901 Colour 9mlNo.920XL Colours each

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Canon CompatiblesBCi3e Black 26mlBCi3e C/M/Y 15mlBCi6 B/C/M/Y 15mlBCi6 PC/PM/R/G 15mlPGi5 Black 29mlCLi8 Black 15mlCLi8 B/C/M/Y 15mlCLi8 PC/PM 15mlPGi520 Black 19mlCLi521 B/C/M/Y/GY 9mlBCi15 Black 5mlBCi15 Colour 7mlBCi16 Colour 7mlBCi24 Black 9mlBCi24 Colour 16mlPG37 Black 12mlPG50 Black 28mlCL38 Colour 12mlCL51 Colour 24ml

Canon OriginalsBCi3e Black 26mlBCi6 B/C/M/Y 13mlBCi6 PC/PM/R/G 13mlPGi5 Black 26mlCLi8 B/C/M/Y 13mlCLi8 PC/PM/R/G 13mlPGi7 Black 25mlPGi9 Clear 191mlPGi9 PB/MB/C/M/Y 14mlPGi9 PC/PM/R/G/GY 14mlPGi520 Black 19mlCLi521 B/C/M/Y/GY 9mlPG37 Black 11mlPG40 Black 16mlPG50 Black 22mlPG510 Black 9mlPG512 Black 15mlCL38 Colour 9mlCL41 Colour 12mlCL51 Colour 21mlCL52 Photo 21mlCL511 Colour 9mlCL513 Colour 13mlKP-36IP Ink & PaperKP-108IP Ink & Paper

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MEMORY PAPER

Lexmark CompatiblesNo.1 CartridgeNo.2 CartridgeNo.3 CartridgeNo.16 BlackNo.17 BlackNo.26 ColourNo.27 ColourNo.31 PhotoNo.32 BlackNo.33 ColourNo.34 BlackNo.35 Colour

Lexmark OriginalsNo.14 BlackNo.15 ColourNo.23 BlackNo.24 ColourNo.28 BlackNo.29 ColourNo.32 BlackNo.33 ColourNo.36 BlackNo.37 ColourNo.43 ColourNo.44 Black

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Kodak OriginalsESP Black Series 10 InkESP Colour Series 10 InkESP Black & Colour Ink

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Ilford Premium Papers6x4 Glossy 255g (50)6x4 Satin 255g (50)7x5 Glossy 255g (50)7x5 Satin 255g (50)A4 Glossy 255g (50)A4 Satin 255g (50)Ilford Galerie Papers

A4 Gloss 290g (35)A4 Pearl 290g (35)A4 Gold Fibre 310g (10)A4 Fine Art 190g (10)A4 Matt D/Sided 200g (50)

Premier Ink PapersA4 Matt 100gsm (100)A4 Matt 120gsm (100)A4 Matt 140gsm (100)A4 Matt D/Sided 210g (50)

PermaJet PapersA4 Gloss 271g (50)A4 Oyster 271g (50)A4 Parchment 285g (25)A4 Canvas 400g (10)

Epson Papers6x4 Photo 190g (70)7x5 Photo 190g (50)A4 Photo 190g (25)

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PHOTOGRAPHIC

PRINTER INK CARTRIDGES

49, 52, 55mm Rings58, 62 ,67mm Rings72, 77, 82mm RingsFilter HolderND2 FilterND2 Grad FilterND4 FilterND4 Grad FilterL. Blue Grad FilterD. Blue Grad FilterL. Sunset Grad FilterD. Sunset Grad FilterCirc Polarizing Filter

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P-Type SquareFilter System

The P-Type square / rectangularfilter system consists of three parts:1)An adapter ring that screws ontothe front of your DSLR lens2) A filter holder clips onto the ring3) One or more P-Type filters

Screw-type FiltersJapanese premiumoptical glass filters,coated to reducelens flare andreflections

46mm UV / Haze46mm Circ Polarising52mm UV / Haze52mm Skylight52mm ND4 or ND852mm Circ Polarising52mm Close-Up set of 358mm UV / Haze58mm Skylight58mm ND4 or ND858mm Circ Polarising58mm Close-Up set of 362mm UV / Haze62mm Circ Polarising67mm UV / Haze67mm Circ Polarising72mm UV / Haze72mm Circ Polarising77mm UV / Haze77mm Circ PolarisingMany more sizes in stock!

Camera TripodsFull range of tripods instock from Gorillapod,Manfrotto & Vanguard.

Camera BagsHuge range of bags

in stock fromKata, Vanguard

BillinghamNaneu & Tamrac

Camera BatteriesReplacement li-ionbatteries for digitalcameras, made by

Energizer and Blumax

Flash Guns & Meters

Gorillapod OriginalGorillapod SLRManfrotto 190XProBManfrotto 055XProBVanguard AltaPro263

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VanguardShoulder BagVanguardSling BackpackKata 3N1 Sling 10Naneu Advenure K3LTamrac Expedition 5XBillingham Hadley

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Canon NB-2LCanon NB-7LCanon LP-E5Canon BP-511Nikon EN-EL3eNikon EN-EL9Panasonic S006Sony NP-FM500HAA Rechargeables x4AAA Rechargeables x4

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Nissin Di466 GN:33Nissin Di622 GN:44Nissin Di866 GN:60Metz 36AF-4 GN:36Metz 48AF-1 GN:48Sekonic L208Sekonic L308S

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Brother CompatiblesLC900 BlackLC900 C/M/YLC900 Set of 4LC970 / 1000 BlackLC970 / 1000 C/M/YLC970 / 1000 Set of 4LC980 / 1100 BlackLC980 / 1100 C/M/YLC980 / 1100 Set of 4

Brother OriginalsLC900 Set of 4LC970 Set of 4LC980 / 1100 Set of 4LC1000 Set of 4

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Dell CompatiblesSeries 1 Black (T0529)Series 1 Black (T0530)Series 5 Black (M4640)Series 5 Black (M4646)

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IS THIS YOU?

BUY ONLINE www.perfectpostureuk.comEnquiries [email protected] by phone: 020 8492 7940

SLOUCHING IS SWEEPING THE NATION!

BAD POSTURE IS ON THE INCREASE!*56% of the British population SLOUCHwhen they sit for long periods.*Using computers and lugging heavylaptops affects their stance.*72% say they have suffered fromback pain.Isn’t it time you addressed your posture?“based on consumer research commissioned by theBritish Chiropractic Association April 2009”

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www.computeractive.co.uk74 24 June - 7 July 2010

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DISCLAIMERReaders are reminded that the opinionsexpressed, and the results published inconnection with reviews and/or laboratorytest reports carried out on computing systemsand/or related items, are confined to, and arerepresentative of, only those goods assupplied and should not be construed as arecommendation to purchase.Whilst everyprecaution is taken to ensure that reliabilityand good business practices prevail, thePublisher cannot be held responsible for theoverall trading activities of any supplier referredto, or advertising within, this publication.

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Computer active 07 2010

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