Australian PC World articles from November 2004

Australian PC World archives from November 2004

Great shot! No matter if you are a high-end enthusiast, Linux-geek or someone new to computing, there is always a trick, tweak, tip or hint that can turn that PC drama around. This month we present our expert advice--in the magazine and online--in an easy-to-understand video format too!(Editorial)
November 1, 2004... Over the years that I have worked on IT magazines, all readers express a desire to learn more about PC-related issues. No one person can have all the answers, and while you may be an expert in one area, there are usually plenty of others that...

Microsoft extends SP2 deadline.
November 1, 2004... Microsoft has added 120 days to the time a special registry key will block the automatic installation of Windows XP Service Pack 2. Corporations that use the Automatic Updates feature of XP were originally given a reprieve on automatic...

Rosedale chips fuel Intel's WiMax drive.
November 1, 2004... Intel expects its first-generation WiMax chips to spawn devices for wireless broadband "end users that cost less than $US200 and won't require a visit by a service provider, a company executive has said. The chips, code-named Rosedale and...

Nokia embraces SD memory cards.(Analysis News)
November 1, 2004... Users accustomed to removing the memory card from one of their consumer electronic devices and plugging it into another will soon be able to do the same with mobile phones from Nokia. Under a new licensing agreement, the world's largest...

Aldi PC special on again.(Analysis News)
November 1, 2004... German supermarket chain, Aldi, is once again offering cut-price Medion systems through its stores in Sydney and Melbourne. Although computers do not form part of its regular stock, the retail chain kicked off its foray into the PC...

Teenager indicted over Sasser worm.(Analysis News)
November 1, 2004... Prosecutors in Verden, Germany, have indicted an 18-year-old student for allegedly creating the Sasser worm that crashed hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide. Prosecutors have charged Sven Jaschan with computer sabotage, data...

Ericsson ends Bluetooth hardware development.
November 1, 2004... Ericsson, the company that invented and heavily promoted Bluetooth wireless technology, has decided to discontinue its design and development of new Bluetooth systems for the semiconductor industry. The Stockholm-based wireless equipment...

Yahoo launches local music station.
November 1, 2004... Yahoo Australia hopes to pull users from the US Yahoo music channel to its own newly released local site. The music site called Launch, which has been online in the US for over five years, streams radio and video from a variety of genres...

RIAA files 896 lawsuits.(Analysis News)
November 1, 2004... The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has filed 896 new lawsuits against file traders using peer-to-peer (P-to-P) services. The total includes 744 new lawsuits against users of a variety of P-to-P services, including Kazaa,...

TV for mobile phones.(Analysis News)
November 1, 2004... Imagine turning on your mobile phone to watch breaking news or an entertainment program. The idea could soon become reality following an announcement that five of the world's largest mobile phone makers are collaborating on specifications to...

Broadband tops one million connections.
November 1, 2004... Broadband connections in Australia have passed the one million mark according to a government report. In June 2004, broadband connections numbered 1,047,800, said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's latest Snapshot of Broadband...

New low-cost Sydney Wi-Fi threat to big guns.
November 1, 2004... Wireless broadband start-ups in Sydney look set to challenge the major carriers following one wireless carrier's price drop. BigAir Australia has revised its 1Mbps "Starter" plan to $29.95 per month. The service includes 500MB of downloads...

Entertainment hub: Home Media Centre HMCSD 160.(First Looks)
November 1, 2004... PCs using Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition for integrated TV and multimedia capabilities are set for prime time, but this small form factor Home Media Centre (HMC) offers welcome competition. Developed and constructed in...

Multimedia PC previews: MYPC D9 MCE, Power Media Center.(First Looks)
November 1, 2004... Microsoft wants to bring your PC further into the lounge with Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE). Introduced in the US back in 2002, it's set for an Australian launch on October 13, but won't be available for purchase separately. You'll need...

Simple way to quality shots: EasyShare DX7440.(First Looks)
November 1, 2004... Kodak's range of entry-level digital cameras has come on in leaps and bounds since we saw the first products several years ago. No other manufacturer has managed quite as well to combine ease of use with quality results. Anyone keen on...

MFD great for photos: Stylus CX6500.(First Looks)
November 1, 2004... Multifunction devices (MFDs), which print, scan and copy, continue to improve. Notable on this CX6500 is a versatile flash memory interface with built-in support for all major flash formats including CompactFlash, Secure Digital, xD-Picture and...

Serious chroma keying: Ultra.(First Looks)
November 1, 2004... Recently released as a PAL version, ULTRA's primary advantage over competing tools is a proprietary technology called vector keying. This allows you to create high-quality chroma keys easily, even with DV25-based camcorders and...

PDF conversion/creation tool: PDF Converter 2.0 Professional.(First Looks)
November 1, 2004... PDF Converter 2.0 Professional is an amalgam of two ScanSoft PDF tools sold separately: PDF Converter and PDF Create. The former lets you transfer the text and images contained in a non-editable Acrobat PDF file into an editable Word document;...

Network protection: Active VirusScan Suite SBE.(First Looks)
November 1, 2004... Small businesses are often vulnerable to viruses and other security problems. Despite this, they seem to be the very organisations that care the least--until catastrophe strikes and the business is brought to its knees by a virus or a worm. ...

New PDA/phone hybrid.(Quick Takes)
November 1, 2004... With quad band GSM mobile phone and GPRS data functionality and the ability to connect to peripherals and PCs wirelessly using 802.11b Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Infrared, the iPaq h6365 is the centrepiece of Hewlett-Packard's new line-up of personal...

Best media player yet?(Quick Takes)
November 1, 2004... PC World was recently given the exclusive opportunity to test a pre-production iRiver PMP-120 (Portable Media Player) and now we want one! The Linux-powered PMP-120 is an alternative to iRiver's own similar but Microsoft Portable Media...

Apple unwraps iMac G5.(Quick Takes)
November 1, 2004... After much speculation as to when it may happen, Apple has finally announced its new iMac computer range with G5 processors. Three all-new models were showcased during the keynote speech at the start of the Apple Expo trade show in Paris. The...

IBM'S ultra-small PC.(Quick Takes)
November 1, 2004... IBM's new space-saving ThinkCentre S50 business PC is the size of a cereal box and weighs about 6kg. Inside its steel chassis, the $50 houses an internal power supply and "caddy" around its 40-80GB 3.5in hard disk, used to lock the drive in...

Organise and share photos.(Quick Takes)
November 1, 2004... Roxio's PhotoSuite 7.0 allows you to import, organise, edit and share digital photos. You can enhance or modify images, and create slideshows with music, transitions and special effects--with minimum fuss. Other key enhancements include...

Wireless data projector.(Quick Takes)
November 1, 2004... At $4000, Panasonic's new PT-LBIONTE data projector is aimed squarely at the business/education markets, with a three-chip LCD engine providing a resolution of 1024x768 pixels at a peak brightness of 2000 lumens. Wireless isn't new, but...

Microsoft sorts pics.(Quick Takes)
November 1, 2004... Another contender in photo editing software more involved than basic tools bundled with a camera is Microsoft's Digital Image Suite. The core of this year's upgrade is Digital Image Library 10, a photo organiser that looks a lot like...

Broadband blues.(Readers' Forum)
November 1, 2004... Recently when setting up a new Pentium 4 computer for a friend, everything went OK until we connected to the Internet using a Bigpond Broadband Cable via USB modem connection. The connection was established without a problem, but as soon as we...

Saved my bacon.(Readers' Forum)
November 1, 2004... I'd just like to thank you for a great magazine and especially for the free recovery program PC Inspector Smart Recovery 4.44 included with the July magazine. I didn't think I'd ever need it, but how wrong can you be. Last night I went to...

Missive of the month.(Readers' Forum)
November 1, 2004... Congratulations to John Martin! You are this month's winner of a year's subscription to PC World worth $66. We are pleased to receive your letters, but please keep them to less than 300 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for...

Dilbert[R].(Readers' Forum)
November 1, 2004... WHO LEFT THEIR PEN AT MY DESK? I'D BETTER SEND A COMPANYWIDE E-MAIL TO FIND OUT. IT'S BLUE, WITH BLACK INK. IT'S APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR OLD. I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE WASTING EVERYONE'S TIME WITH THIS! STOP USING THE "REPLY TO...

Streaming music from the web: you don't have to download MP3 files to enjoy digital music. Audio streaming means you can listen to tunes in real time via a Web connection, but where should you go to find the best music on the Internet? And what software do you need?(Web & You)
November 1, 2004... The music industry has been a tad slow to embrace online audio, and that's putting it kindly. But it looks as though there may finally be some viable alternatives to illegal file sharing. PC World's June issue (page 35) compared the new crop of...

The PC buyers' superguide 2004.
November 1, 2004... Our third annual guide special has device for buying everything--from PCs and notebooks to printers, scanners, cameras, media players and much more. This easy to read guide explains the specs you need--to help you make a better buying decision,...

Moving pictures: if you want to invest in a digital camcorder but would prefer not to spend a fortune then good news--budget models are getting better all the time. Simon Easterman enters the world of digital video and shows you what results you can expect for well under $1000.
November 1, 2004... Compared to the ongoing controversy over the relative merits of digital and 35mm film photography, the choice between analog and digital video cameras is an absolute no-brainer. In terms of picture quality, convenience of storage, editing...

Better backups: we test fast, vast, and cheap new storage options that take the pain out of keeping your vital data safe.
November 1, 2004... When you have problems with your system, do you find yourself wishing you had done a better job of backing up? Honing your backup strategy can save you a lot of time and trouble, especially when you have to restore your system. To help you...

Motherboards and benchmarking: Intel's latest tested.(Best Buys)
November 1, 2004... Buying a motherboard is never an easy task, especially when new technology is introduced, and at the moment the choices for a new platform are vast to say the least. For this issue we are focusing on motherboards that support the latest Intel...

DIY PC market booms.(Sweet Spot)
November 1, 2004... The proliferation of motherboards with integrated on-board features, as well as broader options to customise your own system, is boosting the do-it-yourself PC market, industry representatives claim. Plus Corporation managing director Nigel...

Rebuilding the foundation.(Sweet Spot)
November 1, 2004... When constructing a PC system it's worth looking out for hardware pieces that can offer the highest levels of performance without the heftiest of price tags. These components sit in what is called the sweet spot. The rule that we use to...

Over $3500.(Best Buys)
November 1, 2004... Plus Corporation Altera A38 [pc world BEST BUYS] [1] The system is identical to the configuration submitted for August except for the inclusion of a different monitor. Plus Corporation has chosen to go with the BenQ FP992 model instead of...

$1500-$3500.(Best Buys)
November 1, 2004... Alsotech Vogue Torosauras Lite [pc world BEST BUYS] [1] NEW A return entrant into PC World's Best Buys, this system is a worthy contender for the number one position. It not only performed well during the benchmark process, but is also...

Sub-$1500.(Best Buys)
November 1, 2004... i-Tech AMD Athlon XP Award series [pc world BEST BUYS] [1] A full PC package for under $1500 is a reality: fast, reliable systems can be used for business or at home, and the Athlon XP Award series from i-Tech is a good example. ...

PCs: over $3500, $1500-$3500, sub-$1500.(Best Buys)
November 1, 2004... VALUE MAKE/MODEL ADDING SPEED RATING REAL WORLD TESTS OVER $3500 (1) Plus Corporation 98 (A) 379 (E) 3m38s Altera A38 (B) 25026...

Over $4000.(Best Buys)
November 1, 2004... Pioneer Power Notebook 870P [pc world BEST BUYS] [1] NEW The 870 shares same 17in display notebook chassis as ITC's Millennia 7201 (below) and Pioneer's own 470K (see $2500-$4000 chart). It also suffers from similar weight (4.9kg) and...

$2500-$4000.(Best Buys)
November 1, 2004... Dell Inspiron 9100 [pc world BEST BUYS] [1] The 4.2kg 9100 is geared to infrequent point-to-point use--say, from the office to the home at the end of each week. Our $3699 (down from $3799) test machine used a 3.2GHz Mobile Intel Pentium 4...

Sub-$2500.(Best Buys)
November 1, 2004... Optima Centoris G595 [pc world BEST BUYS] [1] A multi-format (-/+) DVD writer, 802.11b/g wireless networking, 4-in-1 card reader and a great worst-case scenario battery life of 98 minutes--all for $2399. The Optima Centoris G595 is...

Notebooks: over $4000, $2500-$4000, sub-$2500.(Best Buys)
November 1, 2004... VALUE MAKE/MODEL RATING BENCHMARK SCORES REAL WORLD TESTS OVER $4000 (1) Pioneer Power 77 (A) 323 (C) 17s Notebook 870P (B) 11454 (D)...

Intel motherboards.(Best Buys)
November 1, 2004... With the release of Intel's new Pentium 4 CPUs, those of you wanting an upgrade in CPU speed are faced with the prospect of having to purchase a new motherboard. That is because the new CPUs are physically different to their predecessors and...

Colour conniptions.(All Windows)
November 1, 2004... Q Whenever I print a photo it comes out much darker than it appears on screen. I waste time, paper and ink trying to make it look right. How can I get the printer and monitor to match? --Stuart Beattie A Not very easily, Stuart....

Illegal entry.(All Windows)
November 1, 2004... Q When I install new software I receive the following message: "msiexec.exe--entry point not found. The procedure entry point WNetEnumCachedPasswords could not be located in the dynamic link library mpr.dll". After pressing OK, the installation...

Google those newsgroups.(Tool Tip)
November 1, 2004... Newsgroups--online forums with names such as aus.politics, alt.conspiracy and comp.os.ms-windows--are a free source of up-to-the-minute information that can be difficult, if not impossible, to find elsewhere. Even if you use a dedicated...

Yellow card.(Windows XP)
November 1, 2004... Q I recently replaced my Windows 98 SE computer with one running Windows XP Home. It also had a copy of Excel 2003 preinstalled. On my old system, Excel 2000 allowed me to choose 6x4 index cards from its paper size list, but this is not...

Go home.(Internet)
November 1, 2004... Q Recently I decided to alter my home page via internet Options\Internet Properties. However, I found that this area was greyed out and could not alter it. No matter what I do, I cannot seem to change this setting. I have arrived at a...

Wide load.(Internet)
November 1, 2004... Q Some Web pages are so wide that when I print them the right-hand side goes missing. Is there a simple solution? --Ken Brusoe A The simplest way is to print the page in Landscape mode. In Internet Explorer, click File-Page Setup,...

Not tickled pink.(Hardware)
November 1, 2004... Q Everything on my PC screen is coming up pink. Can you help? --Norman Frank A Have you checked the red, green and blue (RGB) settings in the D splay Control Panel? Check the monitor's handbook for details of how to do this. If you...

Freeze, punk.(Security)
November 1, 2004... Q I am trying to remove Download Accelerator Plus. Wise Uninstall displays the message "Could not open install.log file". If I press OK the screen freezes and must restart. How can I remove this program? --Keith Bridle A Our general...

Spybot oversight.(Hardware)
November 1, 2004... Q After using Ad-aware for some time, I decided to try Spybot Search & Destroy instead. It found five Registry entries described as "data source object (DSO) Exploit" which Ad-aware apparently missed. But it finds the same five problems if I...

Chunky monkey.(Miscellaneous)
November 1, 2004... Q I have just bought a new PC and want to transfer some files to it from the old system. Unfortunately, the only medium that the computers have in common is a floppy drive and the files are too big to fit. Is there a program that will help me...

Getting help.(Helpscreen Online)
November 1, 2004... If the answer you were looking for isn't here this month, don't panic. You can still find help if you go to PC World's online HelpScreen section (www.helpscreen. com.au/index.php). All you need to do is register with the site--which is free and...

Inside your PC: if you've never taken a look inside your PC, maybe now's the time to start. PC World's brand new series shows you how.(Back To Basics)
November 1, 2004... Here at Australian PC World, we've been bringing you the best in PC features and guides for over 20 years, so it's fair to say that we know what's what when it comes to computers. But we haven't forgotten that they're a pretty daunting prospect...

Gaining a sense of perspective: sometimes we see life from a different angle to our cameras. And that's not always a good thing.(Imaging)
November 1, 2004... Have you ever taken a photograph of a building or small object and found that the framing looks odd or off-centre? Even when you double-check everything and retake the shot it seems that gremlins are ruining your images. If the colour and focus...

Going green with envy: there's a distinctly green tinge to this month's video column. Laurence Grayson explains what's been going on.(Digital Video)
November 1, 2004... One of the most common techniques that broadcasters use to make their material look slick is chroma keying. This involves taking a particular colour and replacing it with something else, like a backdrop. It's what people mean when they say blue...

Money for nothing, ringtones for free: personalising your mobile phone's ringtone needn't cost the earth. Danny Allen shows you how to do it cheaply--or for free.(Audio)
November 1, 2004... If you haven't come across any of the late night TV commercials, classified ads or countless Web sites offering mobile phone ringtones (the sound played when the little beasts ring), the chances are that your gadget-freak friend (or child) has....

Battening down the hatches: with Service Pack 2 (SP2), Windows XP may be more secure than ever, but there are still one or two things you can do to tighten things up a bit.(Windows)
November 1, 2004... One of the big problems concerning older networks based on Windows 9x clients was their inherent lack of security. Sure there were a couple of tricks you could use to deter a casual probe, but the Windows 9x armoury was pretty sparse when it...

System update with YUM: keeping your Linux system up to date with the latest security fixes and software updates can be a real pain. But it doesn't have to be.(Linux)
November 1, 2004... Package management front-ends work a bit like Microsoft's Windows Update service. They access a repository of available software and synchronise the software on your computer with the latest versions available on the repository. Along with this...

Simplified XML with PHP 5: now that it has been improved, Gavin Sherry can talk about PHP'S XML handling without frothing at the mouth.(Internet)
November 1, 2004... XML has been one of the most popular topics of discussion among those looking at the future of software development, but it's also one of the areas that I've avoided in this column. This is because the quality of PHP 4's handling of XML was...

Chasing the speed limit: optical drives are getting faster and faster, but do the speed numbers really add up?(CD & DVD)
November 1, 2004... When buying a CD or DVD drive, most of us focus on the speed rating to help select the best drive. Unfortunately there's a great deal of rubbery accounting in these numbers, not to mention some confusion. For example, is your 8x DVD drive...

Join the band.(Gadgets & Gizmos)
November 1, 2004... Since most car stereos don't have a line-in jack, you're stuck playing CDs instead of accessing the gigabytes of music inside your portable player. You could get a tape adapter but even better is an FM transmitter to send music from your player...

Tough guys, tough torch.(Gadgets & Gizmos)
November 1, 2004... A strong torch is a must-have item in any PC technician's toolbox--perfect for peering into dark cases for motherboard markings and the like. Energizer's compact new water and drop-resistant Hardcase torch is perfect for such jobs thanks to a...

Hard disk multimedia phone.(Gadgets & Gizmos)
November 1, 2004... Samsung claims that its SPH-V5400 mobile phone is the first to include a built-in hard disk drive. The 1.5GB drive can store media including photos taken with the built-in, megapixel-class digital still camera. The handset can also play MP3...

Music, movies, photos & games.(Gadgets & Gizmos)
November 1, 2004... This new Archos 20GB hard disk-based multimedia player is largely for audio (MP3, WMA and WAV) but its 2.2in, 262,000 colour LCD also lets you play MPEG-4 movies, store and view up to 200,000 digital photos or play games based on the Mophun...

Do pistols play better?(Gadgets & Gizmos)
November 1, 2004... The PistolMouse FPS promises the adrenaline rush of actually shooting a handgun when playing a first-person 3D shoot-'em-up game. It features a high resolution 800dpi optical sensor, aluminium trigger, oversized scroll wheel and is compatible...

Fear, at most.(Gadgets & Gizmos)
November 1, 2004... This DVD-based role-playing game (updated from the VHS-based original) is a gothic departure from your usual family boardgame fare. The demonic gatekeeper returns as your abusive host backed by some hellish visuals and spooky sound effects....

Practice safe sectors.(Gadgets & Gizmos)
November 1, 2004... If you're a klutz (or just have kids around) and would like to protect your treasured CD, DVD or video game collection against scratches and spills, then these protective disc skins should be a blessing, albeit a pricey one. Importantly, most...

High-definition camcorder.(Gadgets & Gizmos)
November 1, 2004... Sony's new HDR-FX1 is a digital high-definition camcorder supporting the HDV tape form Its three recording modes include 1080i (widescreen only) and 480i (widescreen and 4:3). HDV recording is at 60fps in MPEG-2 at 25Mbps. Although this is an...

The Sims 2.(PC)
November 1, 2004... Other than briefly dipping my toes in the demo of SimGolf, I'll freely admit that The Sims phenomenon had, until recently, largely passed me by. Sure, I know it's the best-selling PC game of all time, with open-ended gameplay and a thriving fan...

Juiced.(XBox)
November 1, 2004... Gaming has gone pop. Once nothing more than the logical evolutionary step for gangs of bespectacled Dungeons and Dragons "uber-nerds", it's now mainstream in a big way. Proof? The Urban Race Simulator. Thankfully, Juiced makes genuine...

Astro Boy.(PS2)
November 1, 2004... Astro Boy is a classic Japanese superhero who's had somewhat of a resurgence in recent times, using his butt-machine gun to thwart the globe's evil doers. The world famous animator, Osamu Tezuka, created Astro 50 years ago and his legion of...

Final Fantasy XI.(PC)
November 1, 2004... If you've ever played an Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) then you know that they're either total hell or all the game you'll ever need. They're huge, deep, and completely and overwhelmingly addictive. If you buy Final...

From the vault.(Bytesback)
November 1, 2004... In conversation with... Spiro Hionis Position(s) at PC World: Test Centre Manager, Test Centre Consultant Years: approx 10 BackBytes: Spiro, you've benchmarked hundreds of PCs--both dogs and screamers--do you count gigabytes in...

Some consolation.(Bytesback)
November 1, 2004... The Federal Election has been run and won, and we at the BackBytes Institute of Political Science and Backstabbery feel it our bounden duty to console the forty-odd per cent of people who aren't happy with the result. Thus, we offer these...