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The main conclusion I came to after editing this issue’s Cover Feature (page 50) is that there are lots of things I didn’t know Windows couldn’t do. It was only after installing RegCool (sounds like a Fifties jazz star) that I realised how useful it is to open multiple registry windows. And only after searching my PC using Everything did I fully appreciate the limitations of Windows’ built-in search. Our feature recommends 21 other programs that offer similarly Windows-beating tools. Please let me know which are your favourite. On another note, over the years many readers have asked me why we don’t run money-off deals for Norton antivirus, given how well it performs in our security tests. Well, it’s partly because the discounts we could offer weren’t large enough. I’m…

Spies have warned Britain’s energy companies that they were “likely to have been compromised” in cyber attacks on 8 June, the day of the General Election. A leaked report by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ, accuses “state-sponsored hostile threat actors” of being responsible for the hack, which may also have targeted the manufacturing industry and water companies. Although the report doesn’t blame Russia, security experts believe hackers backed by Moscow were behind the attack. No immediate disruption was caused, leading experts to speculate that the aim was to steal usernames and passwords, possibly to use in future attacks The NCSC hasn’t confirmed the report, which was obtained by the US tech website Motherboard (https:// motherboard.vice.com). It said: “We are aware of reports of malicious cyber-activity targeting…

WARNING: JUNK AHEAD Junk offender: PowerISO PowerISO (www.poweriso.com) is perhaps the best-known program for creating ISO files (system backups, not to be confused with the photography term ISO). And yes, it’s powerful. Just a shame you have to cough up $29.95 (£23) – or suffer its junk-addled free trial There’s a whispered warning in the small print on the Buy Now page: “After registration, you can receive the full clean version” (by “registration” they mean “paying”). Wait, “the full clean version”? So the trial version is limited and dirty? In a twisted twist, PowerISO doesn’t let you opt out. You have to agree to download the dirt with the installer – even if you intend to buy the full version later. Perhaps PowerISO thinks its customers enjoy a spot of…

Bomb hackers while police still use XP? We shouldn’t take Sir Michael Fallon’s comments about bombing hackers too literally (‘Question of the Fortnight’, Issue 506, page 11). As I’m sure he knows, locating hackers responsible for attacks would be almost impossible. It would certainly be difficult enough to do so without risking the death of innocent people. What’s more important is the subtext of his comments, which is: don’t mess with us. In this, he has my support. Threatening enemies with retaliation has worked as a deterrent over the years, such as the mutually assured destruction policy that kept the peace during the Cold War. Why shouldn’t it also work in the age of cyber-terrorism? Russia, Iran and North Korea, take note. But the UK seems to be sending mixed…

In Issue 495, page 24, you gave a ‘Buy It!’ recommendation to Chillblast’s Fusion Hubble PC (pictured). I bought it and it’s a beast of a machine (so your review was a good call – pat yourselves on the back). But I had a few teething problems, all of my own making. Having mostly built my own computers in the past, I just couldn’t wait to have a look under the Fusion Hubble’s bonnet, and that’s when the problems started. I wondered what make of SSD was fitted. And I looked around the BIOS because I’d never seen one like it before. I should have left it alone, but the guys at Chillblast were just so helpful, and responded very quickly to my emails. They even answered questions not related…

What should I use to play DVDs on Windows 10? Q I wondered if you could recommend software for playing DVDs and Blu-ray discs on Windows 10. I have Nero, but it no longer supports playback unless you buy a plug-in for about £50. Similar programs appear to be about £60. Is there a cheaper alternative? David Lee A Playing DVDs on your computer used to be easy. You loaded the disc, then clicked Play in Windows Media Center (WMC). Then Windows 10 came along and WMC went on its merry way. Microsoft wants you to use a Windows Store app called Windows DVD Player (www.snipca.com/25026), which costs £11.59 and is, to put it kindly, less powerful and stable than WMC. Actually, it’s less powerful and stable than chucking your…

£205 from Amazon www.snipca.com/24997 Samsung 960 EVO 500GB Samsung’s second-best M.2 SSD is better than most others you can buy. It’s more expensive than the WD Black, but about a third cheaper than Samsung’s 960 Pro (see our review, Issue 491), which was the only drive to beat it in most of our speed tests. Its lead in multi-threaded random performance – reading and writing data in the background – was fairly narrow, but in sequential reads and writes (loading and saving large files) it was over three times faster than SATA SSDs. It also supports encryption. The likes of the Adata SU900 performed similarly in our program tests, so don’t feel obliged to spend the extra on the 960 EVO, but it does the top combination of price and…

This is the successor to the Vodafone Smart Prime 7 (see Issue 478, page 23), but the ‘Prime’ has disappeared and now it’s the N8. Did Vodafone realise that 8 was, unlike 7, divisible by a number other than itself and one? Or was it designed in the Crouch End area (postcode N8)? Anyway, it’s a tenner more expensive (plus Vodafone’s usual compulsory £10 top-up), so maybe the N stands for ‘not as cheap’. More boringly, it might reflect the operating system upgrade to Android 7.0 ‘Nougat’. Vodafone has mercifully resisted adding any of its own tools to the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system, but the N8’s 1.3GHz MediaTek quad-core processor still isn’t really up to running it. It’s a bit faster in theory than low-cost phones from…

PULL OUT & KEEP Issue 507 Bookmark PC folders you use often What you need: Saladin; Any Windows version (XP to 10) Time required: 30 minutes Saladin is a new free program that offers a better alternative to Windows/File Explorer. It has a useful dual-pane window and options to set each pane to open in any folder on your PC. Its best feature, however, is the option to bookmark folders you use often, so you can access them with just two clicks. You can drag and drop files from one pane to the other to move them quickly, and open and convert zipped files without a file-compression program. STEP 1 Before installing the program, you need to find out which system (32bit or 64bit) your PC uses. To do that,…

AGES 0?5 LumiKids Snow Free www.snipca.com/25042 (Android) Free www.snipca.com/25043 (iOS) This new app, which helps your child learn letters, is lots of fun. Our favourite game is Memory Recall in which walruses and seals hide behind snowballs. After the balls are jumbled up, they need to recall who’s hidden where. AGES 6?10 Thinkrolls: Kings and Queens Free www.snipca.com/25044 (Android) £3.99 www.snipca.com/25045 (iOS) With over 200 puzzles for two age groups (5-8 and 8+), this app aims to sharpen your kid’s STEM (science, technology engineering and maths) skills. The aim in each puzzle is to guide your character across a room by navigating obstacles. AGES 11?16 Beach Buggy Racing* Free www.snipca.com/25046 (Android) Free www.snipca.com/25047 (iOS) This is a fun racing game with 15 tracks (containing jungles, beaches, volcanoes and swamps). You…

Print websites flawlessly There are various technical reasons why some websites refuse to print as you expect, but knowing them won’t necessarily fix the problems. What you do need to know are the workarounds that let you print stubborn websites. In Chrome, for example, once you’ve clicked Print, click ‘More settings’, then untick ‘Background graphics’ (see screenshot below). In Firefox, click Page Setup, the Format & Options tab, then clear the ‘Print Background (colours & images)’ box. If that doesn’t work, or you use a different browser, then use PrintWhatYouLike (www.printwhatyoulike.com). This can be added as an extension for Chrome (www.snipca.com/24925) or you can simply use the website’s tool if you use any other browser. Type the address of the website you want to print in the ‘Enter a URL’…

Why can’t I export my passwords from Chrome? QI read your password manager feature (Issue 506, page 50) and decided to try KeePass as a means to back up the passwords I have saved in Chrome. My problem is that I can’t find a way to export my passwords out of Chrome. How do you do it? Robert Hiles AIt sounds like you’ve fallen victim to Google’s latest Chrome update (version 59), which has removed the export button. There is a way to bring it back though. Open Chrome, then type chrome://flags into the address bar. Tap Ctrl+F to open the search box, then type enable material design settings and press enter. This will take you to the ‘Enable Material Design settings’ section. Next, click the dropdown menu and select…

Microsoft has confirmed that it will no longer update millions of Windows 8 computers that were upgraded to Windows 10, leaving frustrated users stuck on an old version of the operating system. It said that some machines running Intel’s Clover Trail Atom processors require “additional hardware support to provide the best possible experience” for the latest version of Windows 10, the Creators Update (1703), released in April. These computers will remain forever on the Anniversary Update (1607), released in August 2016, missing out on new features in the Creators Update, such as Paint 3D and the streamlined Settings app, as well as any future tools. The affected processors are the Atom Z2760 (pictured), Atom Z2520, Atom Z2560 and Atom Z2580. They first appeared in computers launched in 2012, and were…

NEW VIRGIN APP TO CHECK ACCOUNT Virgin Media has launched a phone and tablet app to help customers manage their account. Described as a “handy sidekick”, it shows your recent transactions and bill balance, and lets you check the status of your service. It’s available for Android (www.snipca.com/25010) and iOS (www.snipca.com/25011). Visit Virgin’s site for more details: www.snipca.com/25009. FIBRE BROADBAND TARGET FOR 2025 Openreach, which runs the UK’s broadband infrastructure, has said it wants to deliver super-fast fibre speeds to 10 million homes and businesses by 2025. It is in talks with internet-service providers, Ofcom and the Government to see whether there is enough public demand for ‘full-fibre’, which can reach 1Gbps - enough to download a high-definition TV programme in five seconds. Tomorrow’s world What should you say to…

Hospitals that treat people hurt in major incidents such as terrorist attacks have been given £21m by the Government to boost their cyber defences. A network of 27 major trauma centres will receive the funding, which was announced two months after systems run by the NHS and GPs were taken down by the WannaCry ransomware, which caused thousands of appointments to be cancelled. Hospitals receiving the new cyber-security funding include the Royal London and Manchester Royal Infirmary. Cash will be used to update their IT systems, with priority given to upgrading computers from Windows XP. Health minister Lord O’Shaughnessy said: “Only by leading cultural change and backing organisations to drive up security standards across the health and social-care system can we build the resilience the NHS needs in the face…

Skype is best known as a free and easy way to stay in touch with friends and family. Video calls with loved ones on birthdays and Christmas mornings over long distances is now common. But some ambulance services are now using it in trials to judge whether patients dialling 999 need to be treated in person. It’s meant to ensure that ambulances only go to the most urgent cases, but leading medical figures warned that video consultations could lead to mistakes. South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS), one of the ambulance trusts trialling Skype, said that using it will improve patient safety because assessing injuries by video is easier than by phone. In some cases the patient’s carer or relative could reveal more about the injury by using the phone’s camera…

When can I have a replacement? Q In early 2015 I bought the latest Dell XPS laptop, taking out a three-year extended warranty. I have had nothing but problems with it. Dell has replaced various parts, including the motherboard and daughterboard. I was promised a new computer if the problems continued, but after six visits from technicians there’s no replacement in sight. What should I do? Barry Taylor A First, Barry should read the terms of the extended warranty to see if it entitles him to a new laptop after a set number of failed repairs. If not, he can refer to the Sale of Goods Act (SOGA). While this gives retailers and manufacturers the chance to repair products more than once, it also states that repairs must be carried…

WATCH OUT FOR… Privacy-exposing ransomware What’s the threat? A new strain of ransomware threatens to spread your private information to your contacts unless you pay “a modest ransom” of $50 within 72 hours. This is a different tactic to most ransomware, which encrypts your files Called LeakerLocker, it is Android malware found in two apps that had been installed thousands of times from the Google Play store. One, called Wallpapers Blur HD, contained wallpapers you can download on your phone and tablet, while the other, called Booster & Cleaner Pro, claimed to speed up your device. The former was last updated in April; the latter in June. When it strikes, LeakerLocker shows the message: “All personal data from your smartphone has been trasfered (sic) to our secure cloud” (see screenshot).…

Launched in 2011 as the Kindle Fire, Amazon’s 7in tablet was just fairly interesting until last year, when its price dropped to 50 quid. Since then, many other products have gone up by around 20 per cent, but the newly upgraded Fire 7 hasn’t, and it now includes access to Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, which can look things up for you online, play your music on request and control gadgets such as smart lighting As you’d expect for the money, the Fire 7’s technical specifications are basic. Inside is a MediaTek processor that’s just barely fast enough to run Amazon’s FireOS, based on Android 5.1, and you’ll notice some brief delays when opening apps or loading a website. Simple games are fine, but don’t expect to get away with the…

Find out what other products we liked. Buy our new 2016 Back Issue CD: £15 fromwww.snipca.com/23209 LAPTOP Dell Inspiron 15 5000 £749 from www.snipca.com/24851 Tested: Issue 459 Now featuring Intel’s seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors, the Inspiron 15 is great value for a full-size laptop with i7 CPU, anti-glare Full HD screen, 4GB AMD R7 graphics and a 1TB hard drive. More basic models start at £429. ALTERNATIVE: Asus ZenBook UX310UA This sleek (if slightly plasticky) 13in adds a super-sharp 3200x1800-pixel screen to i5 performance with a 256GB SSD. £700 from www.snipca.com/24852 DESKTOP PC Palicompi5Titanium £500 from www.snipca.com/24543 Tested: Issue 504 Not many frills, but this Intel Kaby Lake i5-7400 quad-core PC delivers more raw performance than we’d expect at this price, helped by a 250GB SSD alongside the 1TB hard drive. A…

Email us your tips: letters@computeractive.co.uk TIP OF THE FORTNIGHT Record what you do on your PC as a video My son, who lives in the US, recently bought me a new Microsoft Surface Book. I sometimes need help with certain PC tasks, so he suggested I install a free Chrome browser extension called Loom. It lets you record whatever you do on your PC as a video. This is then hosted on a website, whose link you can share. I use it to describe any PC problems I have and he replies with a similar video telling me what to do. To install the extension, go to www.snipca.com/24932 in Chrome. Click the extension icon in your toolbar, then log in using your Gmail or Microsoft account. Whenever you need to…

WINDOWS 10 Create shapes using Paint 3D Microsoft has updated its Paint 3D app to let you create different types of lines and curves, then save them as shapes that you can reuse in future. Open Paint 3D, then click the Stickers tab at the top (third from left) where you’ll see a new ‘Line and curve’ section with four options. Select the one you want, then click and drag to add it anywhere on your canvas. You’ll now see a panel that lets you select your colour, as well as sliders to change the line or curve’s thickness and opacity (see screenshot below). To save the line/curve you created as a sticker that you can re-use, click the ‘Make 3D’ button at the bottom, then the ‘Make sticker’ button…

What is it? A new iPhone app for blind and visually impaired people that describes the world around them. Built by Microsoft, it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to narrate what the phone’s camera is seeing. The company’s ambition is to “turn the visual world into an audible experience”. Does it recognise people? Yes, if you save them to a list of contacts. For strangers, it tries to identify their gender, age and even their emotion. In the main screenshot for example (right), Seeing AI recognises the subject as a “28 year old female wearing glasses looking happy”. Spot on. What else can it recognise? Objects, short text (such as the address on an envelope or a street sign), long documents, currency and product barcodes (to identify what it is). It…

Do I Snore or Grind Android www.snipca.com/25013 iOS Do I Snore: www.snipca.com/25019 Do I Grind: www.snipca.com/25020 Some people snore or grind their teeth while sleeping, disrupting the sleep of partners and spouses. To settle sleepdeprived arguments over this you can use the free app Do I Snore or Grind (two separate apps on iOS), which records the noises you make while you sleep and offers solutions that can ease the problem. Install and open the app, then tap Allow for each permission request (allowing the app to record audio, access media and detect your location) so it will work as intended. Click Next repeatedly to move through the tutorial until you reach the app’s main menu (with a red Start button). It’s a good idea to record your normal snoring…

32bit A measure of how much information a computer can process at once. Most older PCs are 32bit. 3G/4G A set of technologies that delivers faster mobile broadband 4K Video with a resolution of at least 3840x2160 pixels. 5K A resolution of 5120x2880. Typically used in PC monitors 64bit A PC tech that processes information in larger chunks. 802.11ac A standard for wireless networks that allows for higher transfer speeds than 802.11n 802.11n A slower standard for wireless networks ADSL2 A newer, faster type of ADSL broadband. AES Advanced Encryption Standard. A form of encryption that scrambles data so it can only be read with the correct password. APK Android Package Kit. File format Android uses to install apps Bandwidth A measure of how much data can be transferred through…

You may soon be able to write your will in an email or text message as part of a radical overhaul of “outdated” inheritance laws. The Law Commission said that the current law, which dates back to 1839, needs to be updated for the digital age. Currently wills need to be written and signed by the testator, plus two witnesses. It added that you may even be allowed to make your will by leaving a voicemail message. At the moment 40 per cent of people die without making a will. The Law Commission blamed this partly on the rules being “out of step with the modern world”. The Commission’s report on updating the law states: “A person who is seriously ill in hospital may have more immediate access to a…

Porn sites will soon have to check that visitors are 18 or over, the Government has announced. From April next year adult sites will be legally required to use age-verification tools. It’s all part of the Government’s plans to make the internet safer for children. Recent research showed that half of secondary-school children had viewed online porn Websites breaking the rules could be blocked by their internet provider. A regulatory body, widely expected to be the British Board of Film Classification, will enforce the new law. It already sets age limits for films, DVDs and computer games. It’s thought that initially sites will check ages by forcing visitors to register with their credit cards, as gambling websites already do. Other methods may be implemented later, such as checking a user’s…

Tell us what’s on your mind Email: letters@computeractive.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/computeractive Twitter: @ComputerActive www.twitter.com/computeractive XP fix shows Microsoft lives in the real world The plight of Microsoft sometimes reminds me of the US: it’s damned if it does, and damned if it doesn’t. I make this observation after reading Patrick Dyke’s Star Letter in Issue 506, in which he criticises the company for releasing a fix for Windows XP. Mr Dyke said that Microsoft’s decision could have “disastrous consequences” in the long term if it leads to the survival of XP. On the other hand, not releasing a fix could have had disastrous consequences in the short term, leaving computers at the mercy of a hack that exploits XP’s many holes. A world run by Mr Dyke would be an unforgiving…

What is it with phone networks and so-called ‘goodwill gestures’? Back in Issue 502 we reported that Three used this phrase when it gave Computeractive reader Peter Gilmore a replacement phone after the original stopped working. Three didn’t seem to realise that it was legally required to replace the phone. Now it’s EE trying to make it sound like it is doing a favour for a customer, rather than simply following the law. As reported in Issue 503, EE wrongly refused to replace reader Bill Cole’s broken iPhone 6S, and then said he would have to pay £70 to repair it. Astonished by such misleading information, we contacted EE to argue his case. It has now replaced his iPhone, but didn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing, instead calling the decision a you-know-what…

SECURITY VeraCrypt 1.21 www.veracrypt.fr/en What you need: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8/8.1 or 10 Lock down your files from hackers and snoopers using this powerful encryption tool. As you probably know, encryption is the process of scrambling data so it can’t be read by anyone (or anything). To unscramble it, you need special software (usually the same software that did the scrambling) and a password. Some free encryption tools are tougher than others – and VeraCrypt aims to be the toughest of them all. It does this by letting you create encrypted folders (‘volumes’) for your sensitive data, using the most secure encryption algorithms available – including AES, Twofish, Serpent and Camelia – and then adding extra security measures on top. These measures include hash algorithms such as SHA-512 and…

Yes, it’s expensive, and £1,749 only gets you 8GB of memory and a 1TB Fusion Drive – boosted by a 32GB SSD – which is unlikely to satisfy users spending this kind of money. Doubling either of those adds a frankly outrageous £180. Just as well you can still pop in your own memory chips (two 8GB modules would cost under £140 from Crucial or Kingston, giving a sensible 24GB) or plug in fast external drives. So why even consider the iMac? Because you’re paying for the fantastic monitor. Apple’s 5K display is ridiculously sharp and bright, and covers the DCI-P3 colour space, as used to edit Hollywood films, which encompasses 25 per cent more colours than sRGB. You’ll need compatible programs such as Lightroom (£10 a month with Photoshop…

If so, IPSO, the regulator of magazines and newspapers, is looking for people to join their Readers’ Advisory Panel. The panel – which will meet three times a year – will support IPSO’s work and give readers the opportunity to share their views on media issues. No experience is required, just an interest in editorial standards. IPSO will cover travel expenses and pay you £200 for every meeting you attend. If you are interested, please go to: www.ipso.co.uk/aboutipso/ vacancies/ COMPETITION Win 1 of 3 WD Blue Desktop 4TB Hard Drives sktop rives Winner of a ‘Buy It!’ award in Issue 506, WD’s Blue Desktop Hard Drive outperformed drives that, in theory, should be faster. It excelled at reading and writing random files and when loading programs – the sort of…

Windows Notepad is the ideal tool for quickly typing non-formatted text that you can then save or copy and paste to other programs and websites. However, it is fairly basic and lacks many useful features, such as spellchecking, find-and-replace and bookmarking. DocPad is the best free alternative we’ve used because it offers all these features (and more), and each one can be launched with its own keyboard shortcut. Even though it’s only a text editor, it has features that are on par with Microsoft Word. STEP 1 To install the program, go to www.snipca.com/25007, then scroll down and click the Download button. Open the downloaded setup file, click Yes, Continue, Yes, then Install. Once it’s installed, click Finish to open the program. When you first open it, you’ll need to…

ANDROID Avoid traffic jams Google has updated its default Maps app with a new feature that tells you the best time to travel to your chosen destination by car if you want to avoid traffic congestion. Ensure your apps are updated by opening the Play store, tapping the three lines at the top left, then tapping Update All. Next, open the Maps app, tap the Go button at the bottom right, the car icon at the top left, tap in the ‘Choose destination’ field, then type the location or postcode of your destination. You’ll see the fastest route on the map. Tap Route Info at the bottom left to see a new graph indicating the optimum time to travel. The dotted line at the top indicates the time it typically…

EXCEL Quickly access Excel formulae you need In previous issues, we’ve shown you how to use Excel formulae to calculate the total and average values of specific cells in Excel. Sometimes it’s hard to remember the formula you need for certain calculations, but there’s an easy way to access all Excel formulae, then simply select the one you need. First, click inside the cell where you want to display your answer. Now click the Formula (fx) button at the top (see screenshot). This displays a list of all available Excel formulae. If the one you’re looking for isn’t listed, click the ‘Or select a category’ dropdown menu and select the relevant category for your formula. You’ll see a brief description of your selected formula at the bottom. To use it,…

Email us your problem and we’ll try to help: noproblem@computeractive.co.uk PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT How do I remove WeatherBlink? Q I have carelessly let something called WeatherBlink on to my computer. I don’t know whether it’s dangerous but I don’t want it, and would value your advice on how it appeared and the best way to remove it. I’ve found online offers to remove but I don’t feel confident choosing one. Ian Kerr A WeatherBlink isn’t itself dangerous but it absolutely is a PUP (or potentially unwanted program). It appears as a browser toolbar, but may also install other PUPs or browser extensions. It might also hijack your browser’s home page and default search engine, so you see pages you don’t want or doctored search results. Some of these search…

Product-review nagging Unusually, this issue’s column will begin with a reader review. By which I mean I’m going to review a reader. My take is that this particular person is a loyal Computeractive fan who is both fit for purpose and as described. If you need a smart, reliable reader, I can absolutely recommend this one, and I hereby award him five stars. And that’s out of five, just in case there should be any doubt. Right, now that little chore is out of the way I can crack on with the usual business. And the first point of order is to thank Dr Colin R Lloyd, my newly anointed five-star reader, whose recent letter to the editor prompted this issue’s column. What did he say? Well, bear with me…