Table of contents for 480 in Computeractive

Years ago, I decided to scan all my old photos into my PC – cherished memories from an age before digital cameras and smartphones. I even borrowed photos from far-flung relatives to add to my archive. There were hundreds of the things and it took me months to scan them all. But in the end it was worth it; at last I had the ultimate digital family photo collection, preserved for all eternity. And then my hard drive died. Stupidly, I’d kept all the photos on an external drive, thinking they’d be safe. I tried using recovery software, but the drive was well and truly fried. Windows wouldn’t even recognise it. That was how I learned the hard way that backing up – however tedious – is a crucial part…

WATCH OUT FOR… ‘Godless’ Android malware What’s the threat? Godless isn’t an alternative definition of smartphones – not in this context, anyway. It’s new mobile malware that can root 90 per cent of Android phones and tablets. Rooting an Android device - gaining deep system access by unofficial means - is not something we’d recommend even with the best intentions. People do it to remove built-in apps and hack system settings, but it can break vital security barriers. Godless roots your device without your knowledge and then acts like a Trojan, downloading whatever junk it wants. This may include malicious apps that spam you with adverts, or backdoor apps that read or change your private data. According to security firm Trend Micro, which discovered Godless, ‘virtually any’ device running Android…

UNINSTALLER IObit Uninstaller 6.0 Beta 1.0 www.snipca.com/21010 What you need: Windows 7, 8/8.1 or 10 As we’ve mentioned many times, IObit Uninstaller is the best of programs with the worst of installers. Developer IObit is so fond of giving away junk with programs that we dedicated a whole section to it in our Cover Feature on great programs that come with hidden junk (Issue 477). However, this new beta comes with a clean installer. IObit has followed in the footsteps of Chrome by releasing a beta in parallel to the main Uninstaller (currently version 5.4, www.snipca.com/21011). This lets you test and offer feedback on new features that may or may not be in the main program’s next big release – a decision based partly on feedback. The beta can remove…

How can I improve my Wi-Fi signal in hotels? Q I travel regularly and often find the Wi-Fi in hotels expensive, substandard or unavailable, despite being promised. Are there any solutions to these problems? Some hotels have Ethernet plugs, but that doesn’t help with mobile devices, which lack the necessary socket. Robert Leicester A The main alternative to Wi-Fi is a 3G or 4G network connection, available on any device that takes a SIM card. You may have to pay extra on your mobile tariff for the data you use, but this may not work out more expensive than hotel Wi-Fi, which often isn’t good for high-bandwidth tasks, like watching video, anyway. If you have a Wi-Fi-only tablet, you may be able to use your mobile phone as a ‘personal…

A portable Bluetooth speaker is a handy accessory to take on holiday, down to the park or into the back garden. Even indoors, it’s good to have a little more power than your phone, tablet or laptop’s built-in speakers can usually manage. Our favourite model at the moment is the UE Boom 2 (see issue 476), which has the advantage of being fully waterproof, but it’s quite expensive (£130 from www.snipca.com/20534). At the other end of the scale, there are lots of cheap plastic wireless speakers around, but they can sound tinny and feel flimsy. “A loud, robust and inexpensive speaker, albeit a little garish” The Shrapnel from Skullcandy – a company known for its fashion headphones – is a good compromise. At under £30, it’s affordable but quite well…

Microsoft Sprightly Free Android: www.snipca.com/21084 iOS: www.snipca.com/21085 This app lets you create e-cards and flyers in minutes. You can upload your own photos or use the app’s selection of free-to-use images. It offers various fonts and themes, and you can instantly share your creations via email, social media or as printable PDFs. Star Walk 2 £2.29 Android: www.snipca.com/21086 (*Free) iOS: www.snipca.com/21087 Windows Phone: www.snipca.com/21088 New to Windows Phones Star Walk 2 lets you track stars, planets and constellations by pointing your device at the sky. It also gives you information about the phases of the moon, as well as the times of sunrise and sunset. *Contains in-app purchases Modern Atlas Travel Guides 79p iOS: www.snipca.com/21089 Remember to install this app before your next holiday. It features more than 21,000 travel…

WORD Change specific text formats quickly Word offers many options to format your text quickly. The most popular method is to simply select all text within a document (by pressing Ctrl+A), then change its format using the options in the Font section of the Home tab. One alternative for more nuanced formatting is to select all text that uses a specific format, then change this to whatever you want. Say, for example, you want to change all the headings in your document that are currently bold. You can quickly select and format all bold text in one go, without having to change each instance individually. Select the first instance of bold text in your document. Next, click the Select dropdown menu in the Editing section of the Home tab, then…

Spotflux Premium Release date: Out now Format: Windows (tested) iOS, Android Website: https://spotflux.com Price: $37.99 per year (approx. £28.27) As I write this we’re knee-deep in the Wimbledon tournament, and – workload allowing – I feel compelled to keep up with every strawberry eaten, every racket re-strung and every set of new balls un-canned. To a large extent I’m relying on BBC iPlayer to catch up on the action I’ve missed. The trouble is, due to the BBC’s territorial licensing restrictions, I won’t be able to use iPlayer while I’m on holiday abroad for the second week of the tournament… or will I? Step forward Spotflux Premium, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) that uses some clever programming sleights of hand to make the world wide web believe my computer is…

Microsoft has announced further details and an official release date for the next major update to its Windows 10 operating system. Known as the Anniversary Update, the new version of the OS arrives on 2 August, just over a year after Windows 10 launched on 29 July 2015, and four days after Microsoft’s free upgrade offer expires. The update will be free for all Windows 10 users via Windows Update. The software company has also released a new version of the OS to users of its Insiders Preview programme (build 14383), which is said to be one of the last test releases before the final version launches. The desktop watermark that signifies a test build has gone, suggesting that build 14383 is close to the finished article. However, last-minute fixes…

Tell us what’s on your mind Email: letters@computeractive.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/computeractive Twitter: @ComputerActive www.twitter.com/computeractive Windows 10 worry I could not agree more with Ken Rigsby’s Final Straw (Microsoft’s Names, Issue 478). Microsoft does not seem to employ marketing people, or else they are on permanent holiday. I have used Windows 98, Windows XP and I am using Windows Vista (which will soon be unsupported). I dread moving to Windows 10 because I have always found moving to a new version a very time-consuming experience which can take many days. At every step of the way I’m always asking myself why they have changed the wording, layout or logic of the operating system for no apparent reason. What a mess they make of it. Microsoft seems to employ programmers who have very…

Hacked? www.snipca.com/21035 Have you been hacked? This free new Windows 10 app, which also works on Windows 10 Mobile devices, helps you find out. It’s not a malware scanner; instead, it checks if you’re signed up to a site or service that’s been breached. Hacked? checks your email address on security site HaveIBeenPwned.com, and then reveals if any of your data has been plundered by hackers. When we tried it, Hacked found that our Adobe password, password hint, username and sign-up email address had been stolen. Our passwords for MySpace, LinkedIn and Tumblr had also been plundered. It’s alarming to discover this, but at least you can then take appropriate steps - starting with new passwords. Install the app via the link above. Open it, click ‘add an account’ on…

Is there a program that will change all my passwords? Q Someone used my email address to spam everyone in my address book, and it’s made me nervous about my online security. Is there a tool I can use to change all my passwords easily – ideally in one go. I’ve heard that password managers aren’t safe. Christine Goodman A You’re wise to be cautious, but using a reputable password manager is far safer than using the same password across numerous sites. Among the big names, only LastPass (https://lastpass.com) has suffered a breach. The company noticed unusual traffic immediately, then forced all users to change their master password before anything could be stolen. LastPass changes vulnerable passwords automatically if the relevant site reports an attack, but the only reputable password…

When we reviewed Vodafone’s Smart Prime 7 (Issue 478), we thought it was a great phone for £75, but not as good as the older and pricier Smart Ultra 6. Now the Smart Ultra 6 has been superseded by the Smart Ultra 7, with improved specifications. The catch is that while the Smart Ultra 6 has been discounted to under £100, the new model costs £135 – still at the budget end of the market, but significantly more expensive than the Prime. So is it £60 better? “Looks the part, but battery life and screen quality let it down” On paper, the Smart Ultra 7 looks excellent for the money, as we’ve come to expect from Vodafone. As in the previous version, you get a big 5.5in display, with Full…

Find out what other products we liked. Buy our new 2015 Back Issue CD: £15 fromwww.snipca.com/19124 LAPTOP Asus UX305 £570 from www.snipca.com/19439 Tested: Issue 447 13.3in is a practical size for a laptop, and this light but sturdy ‘ultrabook’ has a smart and slim design that does justice to its capable performance. Upgradeable to Windows 10, it’s limited mainly by its 128GB SSD, which makes it work fast, but might leave you needing more space. ALTERNATIVE Toshiba Satellite C40-C This 14in Windows 10 laptop looks like it costs a lot more. It’s not the most amazing PC, but it’s fantastic for the price. £200 from www.snipca.com/20245 DESKTOP PC Palicomp AMD Avenger £500 from www.snipca.com/20927 Tested: Issue 479 AMD’s Athlon X4 880K processor gives this PC solid performance with money left…

Email us your tips: letters@computeractive.co.uk TIP OF THE FORTNIGHT ✓ Give your ‘heated’ emails time to cool down In one of your recent Workshops (see Issue 477, page 42), you described how to ‘un-send’ emails using Outlook. I feel there’s an easier way than delaying emails for a few minutes before sending them. My alternative method involves saving emails to your Outbox, then pressing a keyboard shortcut when you want to send them. To do this, click File at the top left, then Options. In the Outlook Options window, select Advanced and scroll down to the ‘Send and Receive’ section. Here, untick ‘Send immediately when connected’, then click the Send/Receive button. In the window that opens, untick the two ‘Schedule an automatic…’ boxes (see screenshot), click Close, then OK. As…

AGES 0-5 *Caillou Search and Count Free www.snipca.com/21090 (Android) Free www.snipca.com/21091 (iOS) Your toddler will learn how to identify and count objects in this game’s five different scenarios (swimming pool, circus, camping, aquarium and hiking). The app also has jigsaw puzzles and a join-the-dots game. AGES 6-10 *Subway Surfers Free www.snipca.com/21092 (Android) Free www.snipca.com/21093 (iOS) Free www.snipca.com/21094 (Windows Phone) In this game, your child needs to collect coins, while outrunning the cops and avoiding incoming trains. Use simple gestures to move left, move right and jump. Upon collecting a certain number of coins they can play as different characters and win bonuses, such as skateboards and additional lives. AGES 11-16 World Map Quiz Free www.snipca.com/21095 (Android) This game will improve your child’s knowledge of geography by teaching them where different…

Quickly add track titles and album artwork MediaMonkey is one of our favourite media players and is a great alternative to iTunes. Once you add your music collection to MediaMonkey you can set the program to automatically add track titles and album artwork. To do this, select the track list of an album by clicking and dragging around it with your mouse and then right-clicking your selection. Choose ‘Auto-Tag from Web’ and MediaMonkey will search Amazon’s database for matches to the selected tracks. From the list of matching albums, select the correct one from the dropdown menu at the top of the screen, then tick the box underneath the album artwork to enable MediaMonkey to update the details of each track in one go (see screenshot below left). Click the…

FREE UPGRADE ENDS 29 JULY With privacy scandals, aggressive nagware campaigns and enforced updates throughout its first year of life, Windows 10 has provided its detractors with plenty of reasons to abstain from upgrading. But despite all the criticisms levelled at it over the last twelve months, Microsoft’s latest operating system (OS) has always had one thing going for it: its cost – or, rather, its lack of cost. All that’s about to change, though. In a matter of days, Windows 10 will stop being a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 users. From 29 July, anyone who wants the OS will need to pay £100. If you’ve already upgraded, then Microsoft’s deadline won’t worry you – you’ll be able to continue using Windows 10 for free after it…

Email us your problem and we’ll try to help: noproblem@computeractive.co.uk PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT How do I disable OneDrive? Q Can you tell me how to disable or remove OneDrive from my new Windows 10 laptop? I have no intention of using OneDrive, but it keeps popping up as the default folder for saving email attachments and so on, which is very irritating. I can’t see any way to get rid of it. I normally use Firefox as my browser and Thunderbird for emails. I would be most grateful for your help. I know that everyone at Computeractive hates Windows 10 but we have to learn to live with it! Susan Launders A We don’t hate Windows 10 here, but we certainly agree that many aspects of it are deeply…

32bit A measure of how much information a computer can process at once. Most older computers are 32bit, more modern ones are 64bit. 4K Video with a resolution of at least 3840x2160 pixels. 64bit A technology that processes information in larger chunks. Most modern computers are 64bit. 802.11ac A standard for wireless networks that allows for much higher transfer speeds than 802.11n. ActiveX Technology for adding extra features to a web browser. Aero The technology that provides fancy window effects in Windows 7 and some versions of Vista. AMOLED Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode. An alternative technology to LCD for creating flat-panel displays. Most commonly used in smartphones, tablets and smartwatches. Backdoor app A way of bypassing the normal security procedures in a piece of software. Backdoor apps are often deliberately…

WARNING: JUNK AHEAD Junk offender: Tucows Tucows has been around since before I started writing about software in 2001. I remember asking a colleague how to pronounce it, and they pointed out the picture of “two cows” on the homepage (see logo). Geddit? The cows did the trick. Tucows instantly seemed much friendlier than other download mirror sites such as Cnet’s Download.com. However, Tucows is not your friend, it’s a hard-nosed business that started flogging domain names in 1993, before most of us knew what a domain name was. Tucows still flogs domains – and then washes its hands of dodgy clients, allegedly including sites that sell pharmaceuticals illegally (www.snipca.com/21112). Don’t get trampled by Tucows Go to www.tucows.com/downloads and click the Freeware tab, just above the advert that seems immune…

Contact us so we can investigate your case Email: consumeractive@computeractive.co.uk Write: Consumeractive, Computeractive, 30 Cleveland Street, London W1T 4JD Please include both your phone number and address. Unfortunately, we can’t reply to all your letters. Should I get back delivery costs? Q I ordered a necksupport collar from the Living Is Easy website (www.livingiseasy.co.uk) costing £8.93 plus £2.35 delivery. The company got my address wrong so I never received it. Living Is Easy offered to resend it, but I’d have to pay the postage again. I cancelled, but was only refunded the cost of the collar not the original postage. Is this correct? Patrick Wall A No, it’s the seller’s responsibility to make sure goods reach the customer. If this doesn’t happen and the customer still wants the goods, they…

You’ve not been tagged I’d like to pass on a warning from my son, who told me not to open ‘tag notification’ emails claiming to be from Facebook. He said there’s a new scam involving fake notification emails that contain malware. I’m not a big Facebook user, and my family know better than to ‘tag’ me, so I thought it unlikely that I’d be a target. But this article suggests all Chrome users are at risk: www.snipca.com/21027. I worry that other readers may click links in these fake emails, so please recommend that they check for notifications on the Facebook site instead. Tina Cottis Warn your fellow readers about scams at letters@computeractive.co.uk…

Apple TV (4th gen) £129 from Apple www.snipca.com/21105 If you have an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac, Apple TV is the simplest way to play videos, photos and games from your device on your HDTV. It also brings you Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Sky’s NOW TV as well as the huge iTunes selection of films and TV shows to buy and rent – all via voice control, if you prefer that. Amazon Fire TV 4K £80 from Amazon www.snipca.com/21106 This box also has voice control and lets you access Amazon’s film and TV collection. Some games are also available, but require an extra £40 controller. You can play content from other devices through it, but only by installing third-party apps, which is fiddly. 4K resolution (sharper than Full HD)…

This might be the most futuristic gadget we’ve ever seen in the Computeractive office, which makes its affordable price all the more remarkable. It’s roughly the opposite of a 3D printer: you start with an object that already exists, which could be anything from your head to an ornament that you want to replicate, and capture a digital model of it that you can manipulate in 3D-modelling software (such as 123Design), whether as the basis for an art project, to output via a 3D printer, or just for fun. And it really is fun – at least in principle. The first problem we had in practice was that the 3D Scanner uses Intel’s RealSense technology, which is good because it standardises things to work with any PC, but also bad…

Win 1 of 2 TP-LINK Archer VR900 router Winner of a ‘Great Pick’ award in Issue 476, TP-LINK’s Archer VR900 is a fast Wi-Fi router that’s an ideal replacement for the model supplied by your ISP. It uses the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi (plus the older 802.11n), and is dual band, meaning it operates on 5GHz as well as the more congested 2.4GHz band. It is a VDSL router, which means it can be used with a phone line, cable and fibre connections. You can keep it even if you switch ISP. To enter, email your address to cacomp@dennis.co.uk with ‘archer’ in the subject line by midnight 2 August The Archer VR900 is available to buy from PC World priced £124.99: www.snipca.com/20555. Visit TPLINK’s website for more information (http://uk.tp-link.com), follow @TPLINKGaming…

ANDROID Use your Android phone as a credit card Google recently released a new app called Android Pay, which lets you make quick and secure payments by simply tapping your Android phone to a contactless card reader. You can use it in thousands of UK stores if your phone supports NFC (find out at www.snipca.com/21077) and your bank supports the feature (go to www.snipca.com/21078 and scroll to the bottom). To securely add your credit- or debit-card details to the app, install and open the free Android Pay app (www.snipca.com/21079), then tap the ‘+’ icon at the bottom. If Google already has your card details (for example, for the Play Store), you’ll see the option to select that card. Next, confirm your address, enter the three-digit CVC security code on the…

WINDOWS 7, 8, 10 Carry out calculations faster than ever The Calculator program in Windows 7 and 8, and the Calculator app in Windows 10 has several useful M (Memory) buttons in the top row of its keyboard. We’ll show you how to use one of Calculator’s best functions – Memory Recall. Let’s say you need to reuse a long number in a calculation or number of calculations – for example, 3.141592 (pi). Instead of typing it every time, you can simply save it and recall it with the press of a key whenever you need to include the number in your calculation. First, type the number you want to save on your Calculator keyboard. Next, click the MS (Memory Save) button (see screenshot above). From now on, whenever you…

While iTunes lets you transfer songs from your PC to your phone or tablet, it doesn’t allow your music collection to transfer from your device to your PC. MediaMonkey has no such limitations. First connect your iPad or iPhone to your PC with your charging cable. MediaMonkey will recognise the device and it will appear in the media menu (in the left-hand panel). Click its name, then Music to see a list of all songs on your Apple device. Select the tracks you want to copy and right-click Auto-Organize Files. In the window that opens, choose ‘Copy files to new destination based on track tags’, then set the location where you want your selected tracks to copy to. Make sure that the ‘Add copied files to the Library’ box is…

ALMOST SOLD OUT! THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO WINDOWS 10 This 148-page book is the only guide you need on Microsoft’s new operating system. You’ll learn how to master all the new tools, lock Microsoft’s weak privacy settings and prevent future updates from wrecking your PC. It includes fixes for all the problems and bugs that have appeared in Windows 10 since it launched. Plus, you’ll discover how to make Cortana understand you, remove the apps you hate, fix the dreaded Reboot Loop problem, master the new Edge browser, and stop Microsoft sharing your personal info. BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON at www.snipca.com/17716 THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO ANDROID If you use an Android tablet or phone, this book will tell you how to get the most out of your device. It…

Printed pages collate incorrectly Print-outs appearing in the wrong order is probably a result of how your printer settings are configured. The layout of the Print dialogue box can vary from one printer to the next, because it is determined by the driver and program. So look for an option called Collate or Reverse (or similar). For example, if you’re printing several copies of a multi-page document, collating them makes sense. But if that multi-page documents is actually a series of handouts, say, then set the Collate option to ‘1,1,1, 2,2,2, 3,3,3’ because this groups printouts into distinct piles. You’ll find this option in Word 2016, for example. Alternatively, if your printer seems to print out in the ‘wrong’ order, you can rectify this by ticking or clearing the Reverse…

KEN RIGSBY is Computeractive’s Mr Angry “In the Rigsby household, chargers have a special living space of their own: the ‘Shelf of Doom’” Armchair psychologists, and anyone who’s been unfortunate enough to be subjected to a management training course, might be familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It’s a theory developed in 1943 by Abraham Maslow suggesting that human needs are based on a pyramidal form. At the bottom of this triangle of satisfaction sits Physiological, describing our most fundamental needs — food, shelter and so on. The needs move up through the categories of Safety (personal security and health), Love/Belonging (positive regard from others) and Esteem. At the very top is Self-Actualization, which describes the feeling of getting to the last level of Candy Crush. Online wags have already…