Australian PC World articles from October 2005

Australian PC World archives from October 2005

Let's 'go large'.
October 1, 2005... A big thank you to every reader who participated in our recent PC World Readers' Survey. Your patience, persistence and perspicacity will pay off--for you! In fact, it is paying off already. Our new cover-mounted DVD this month is the direct...

Diary note.
October 1, 2005... DIARY NOTE: November 4-6, 2005: The National Home Entertainment Show, Darling Harbour. For full details visit: www.entertainmentshow.com.au

Timely save.(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... I have not long ago purchased August 2005 issue PC World and thank goodness I did! I accidentally deleted a file that I spent a few days downloading and your repair kit, and the free file recovery program, both saved me a lot of time. PC...

New look Best Buys section.(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... Just a note--Brilliant. The extra products included are fabulous. Very helpful, especially the printers and optical drives, which get better and cheaper so fast, and are easy to swap in and out. And just great to see the retention of the...

Batch me happy.(READERS' FORUM)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... Wondering if you can assist me? I am using a dial-up USB ADSL modem (dsl200) and ZoneAlarm as a firewall. I only run ZoneAlarm when I am online, to save it running when not needed. What I would like to achieve is for ZoneAlarm to run...

64-bit accomplished.(READERS' FORUM)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... Today I have just accomplished the building of my brand new 64-bit computer system. I have finally loaded on Windows XP 64-bit edition and put the drivers CD in for the motherboard. The CD didn't work from the start and said it encountered one...

Missive of the month.
October 1, 2005... Congratulations to Rachel Woodward! You are this month's winner of a sensational Deadwood pack--including Deadwood on DVD (complete first season) as well as the soundtrack on CD--valued at $90. Deadwood is an award-winning western drama series...

Bluetooth asleep at the wheel?(Trifinite Group launched new software 'Car Whisperer')
October 1, 2005... If you happen to hear a disembodied computer voice tell you to "drive carefully" next time you're behind the wheel, you've probably met the Car Whisperer. Released at the "What The Hack" computer security conference in Liempde,...

Vista's first virus casualty.(Microsoft Windows Vista)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Just one day after the first public reports of viruses being written for an upcoming feature of Microsoft's Windows operating system, Microsoft has confirmed that it will not include the feature in the first generally available release of...

Legal music downloads treble.(START UP: LATEST REVIEWS, INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Downloading music legally is booming, with Telstra recording three times the number of paying customers on its BigpondMusic Web site in the past year. Individual customer transactions are also up 61 per cent, said Telstra Bigpond...

Snapping up a notebook bargain.
October 1, 2005... While our focus on the Sweet Spot is generally on the individual components that go into building a computer system, we also understand that many of you appreciate buying complete systems--especially notebooks--at great prices. Recently,...

Phone hackers hitting more of us.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Telephone hacking is on the rise in Australia, with more than 70 organisations hit in recent attacks that have topped the multi-million dollar mark. The victims, many the targets of international crime syndicates, have suffered losses...

Up next: 9Mp consumer cameras.(Fujifilm will launch nine-megapixel digital cameras)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Fujifilm will soon offer two digital still cameras with nine-megapixel (9Mp) image sensors: the FinePix S9000 and the FinePix E900. Although buyers are paying less attention to the number of megapixels and looking more at other measures of...

SATA II hard drives arrive.(serial advanced technology attachment hard drives)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... Western Digital's new Caviar WD2500KS is an amazingly quiet 250GB Serial ATA II drive that is suitable for a silent PC or a media centre. We could barely hear it spinning or seeking during file transfer tests. This is due in part to its fluid...

Free anonymous browsing.(Electronic Frontier Foundation Tor)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... No matter how meticulously you remove cookies and cleanse spyware and adware from your PC, snoops can still track your movements on the Web. The telltale sign is your IP address. Some Web servers can reveal the city you're in, the Internet...

Component pricing unchanged.(SWEET SPOT)(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 2005... This month, most of the components in our Sweet Spot feature similar price tags to last month, with the exception of nForce4 motherboards. The Foxconn NF4K8MC-RS is aggressively priced at $120 and is a perfect entry point for an inexpensive...

Free online Office alternative.(ThinkFree Office Online)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... Things are getting quite interesting in the area of Microsoft Office alternatives. The release of the free OpenOffice.org 2.0 is imminent and now ThinkFree Office (which normally sells for $US50) has been made free for online, browser-based...

Quick--time to upgrade?(Apple QuickTime 7 )(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... Rub your hands in glee, cinophiles, for Apple has released a public preview of QuickTime 7 that includes support for high definition video and up to 7.1 audio! It has a cleaner interface (looking more like iTunes every day), a better laid out...

All-weather camera: [mu] Digital 800.(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... Although we demonstrated last month how well today's technology handles rough treatment, getting your digicam wet isn't smart. Unless, of course, it's specifically designed to be splashproof, like Olympus' [mu] Digital 800. Conventionally...

Plenty of MHz, not enough GB: GameForce Mercenary.(Altech GameForce Mercenary)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... Altech is a regular achiever in our PC Best Buys (see page 80), and the company has put together an enviable desktop computer in the GameForce Mercenary. The system is a solid performer, built around an ABIT AW8-MAX motherboard using...

HP joins the stylus society: TC4200 Tablet PC.(HP Compaq tc4200 Tablet PC)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... Have you noticed the surge in new Tablet PC products in recent months? They're just like normal notebooks, but with screens that can swivel around and fold over the keyboard. This lets you navigate Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 with a...

Lightweights pack a punch: Flybook A331, Libretto U100.(Dialogue Flybook A33i, Toshiba Libretto U100 )(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... The Test Centre puts "you beaut" high tech products through their paces every day, but once in a while we get something so snazzy it turns us into show-off school kids--like Dialogue's new Flybook ultraportable tablet PC and Toshiba's Libretto...

Quiet, quick photo printer: Stylus Photo RX700.(Epson Stylus Photo RX700)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... The RX700 is an all-encompassing digital photo production unit. It can print full-bleed A4 and 4x6in photos either from your PC or directly from your PictBridge-enabled digital camera's memory card. Additionally, it can produce excellent...

Print snapshots using your TV: DPP-FP50.(Sony Digital Photo Printer DPP-FP50 )(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... You don't need to edit and print your photos on a PC: Sony's new DPP-FP50 Digital Photo Printer lets you do the work on a TV. The new dye-sublimation snapshot printer also permits you to print your images directly from a memory card or from a...

Affordable computing: $999 PCs: AMD Value 1000, Aspect V51.(TI Computers AMD Value 1000, Plus Corporation Aspect V51)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... Regular readers will know from our PC Best Buys charts each issue (see page 79) what great systems Pius Corporation and TI Computers offer. These two vendors have achieved numerous Best Buy awards and have experience in building top-quality...

Revamped Web suite: Studio 8 Beta.(Macromedia Studio 8)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... Macromedia has worked hard on leading the way in Web applications and the new beta version of its flagship suite of development tools--Studio 8--shows the company isn't resting on its laurels. The first thing noticeable in Studio 18 is the...

Lowest priced Nikon digital SLR: D50.(Nikon D50 )(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... Nikon's 6.1-megapixel D50 digital SLR model fits nicely into the latest digital camera trend: making interchangeable-lens photography accessible to shooters who don't have deep pockets. The choice between the D50 and the 6.1-megapixel $1999...

Digital media player a class act: iAudio X5.(Cowon IAudio X5 )(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... From its stylish black case to its bright colour screen, the Cowon IAudio X5 is a class act. Weighing 145g and measuring 103.7mm tall by 60.8mm wide by 14.3mm thick, this hard drive-based digital media player crams in plenty of features. ...

Save money with DIY ringtones: Ringtone Maker.(Magix RingTone Maker)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... As I write this, a song called Axel F by Crazy Frog (who first reached notoriety as a ringtone mascot) sits at number two on the Australian Top 50 singles chart--evidence that Australia's appetite for mobile phone personalisation is growing....

Top dollar dual-tuner: TF5000PVRt masterpiece.(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... Newcomers to digital TV are often surprised to find that buying a digital set-top box (STB) leaves them unable to record one show while they watch another. Dual-tuner personal video recorders (PVRs) overcome this problem, but tend to be...

Create and extract PDF documents: PDF Converter Professional 3.0.(ScanSoft PDF Converter Professional 3.0)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... This recently updated package is in essence, a bundle of ScanSoft's PDF Create 3.0 and PDF Converter 3.0. The basic deal remains the same--PDF Converter Professional 3.0 comprises a printer driver that lets you create a PDF (portable document...

Easy photo management: Digital Image Suite 2006.(Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... Organising and editing your ever-growing collection of digital photos can be a daunting prospect, but Microsoft's Digital Image Suite 2006 simplifies the process. However, users of Digital Image Suite 10 (the package's predecessor), may notice...

Internet security bundle: BitDefender 8.0 Professional Plus.(Softwin BitDefender 8.0 Professional Plus)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... The speed with which an unprotected PC picks up malware from the Internet can be truly scary, hence the rise in popularity of security bundles that combine antivirus, firewall and spam protection. BitDefender's award-winning antivirus side...

Create tutorials the easy way: TurboDemo 6.0 Professional.(Bernard G and G TurboDemo Professional 6.0)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... At first glance, it's easy to mistake TurboDemo for a slightly advanced version of screen-grabbing software; however, TurboDemo is much, much more than this. Once you've set the size of your target screen and enabled hotkeys to pause or...

AMD vs Intel: forget the many incarnations of TV's law & order--the tech world will soon have its own courtroom drama, with AMD alleging that Intel uses strong-arm tactics to keep a stranglehold on the processor market.(Advanced Micro Devices Inc.)
October 1, 2005... The gloves have finally come off in the ongoing battle between AMD and Intel. In late June, AMD announced details of an antitrust lawsuit it had filed against Intel, saying its larger rival had abused its monopoly position to stifle...

Windows annoyances: banish the worst glitches, time-wasters, and irritations in the world's most popular operating system with these 29 tips. Pius, get the scoop on Windows' biggest rivals and Vista--the upcoming version of Windows.
October 1, 2005... SYSTEM GLITCHES SPEED UP THE WINDOWS BOOT THE ANNOYANCE: I installed some new applications on my system, and now Windows blithely lets them load automatically every time Windows boots, slowing my speedy startup to a crawl. Adding...

The truth about Windows alternatives: can an annoyed Windows user find happiness in a multiplatform environment? Our editor tried the Mac and Linux--and came away impressed.
October 1, 2005... Here at PC World, we've become pretty good at fixing Windows' many annoyances, but even we can't do it all. As a long-time Windows user, I've bent my Windows PCs to my will with tips from Here's How and other PC World advice. But sometimes that...

Reinvent your PC: ever feel like your system's being left behind by today's technology? Here's how to make any machine run faster, store a lot more data, and serve as your entertainment hub.
October 1, 2005... YOU SAY YOU WANT to take advantage of the new technologies that hit PCs in the past two years, but don't want to buy a new computer? While that might sound suspiciously like having your cake and eating it, too, the right set of upgrades can...

Wi-Fi that works! Frustrated by wireless network limitations? A new crop of Wi-Fi products moves data more rapidly and over longer distances. We lab-tested 10 contenders to find the best deal.
October 1, 2005... Wi-Fi has made our lives easier--and neater--but it has also upped our frustration levels. While we've rejoiced in the idea of freedom from wires, the practical limitations of wireless signals have often left us disappointed and angry. The...

19 inch LCD monitors-best buys.(Liquid crystal displays)(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 2005... Polyview V293 [pc world BEST BUYS] The PolyView V293 is a terrific screen for everyday use, watching movies and even playing games. It has a very low price tag of $499, yet provides excellent contrast, brightness and colour reproduction....

Get routed, with MIMO!(multiple input multiple output ( wireless communications))
October 1, 2005... Routed. That's how we felt after testing over 10 of the latest new-generation wireless routers and adapter cards. We had to set up a wireless network, get it working just the way we wanted, and then had to tear it down and set it up again,...

PCs.(BEST BUYS)(Illustration)(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 2005... PCs [pc world TEST CENTRE SUB-$1500 FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS [1] Hello Computers Mercury AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (Socket 939), Price: $1000 NVIDIA nForce4 chipset, 512MB DDR ...

Notebooks.(BEST BUYS)(Illustration)(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 2005... NOTEBOOKS SUB-$2500 FEATURES AND SPECIFICATONS [1] Pioneer DreamBook Slim 805 Intel Pentium M 735 (1.7GHz), Intel Price: $1999 855GME chipset (1st-generation Phone: (02) 9690 2888...

Motherboards.(BEST BUYS)(Illustration)(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 2005... MOTHERBOARDS [pc world TEST CENTRE] AMD MOTHERBOARDS CHIPSET CPU SUPPORT [1] ABIT AN8 NVIDIA Athlon 64, Athlon 64 FX Price: $195 nForce4 53 and up,...

DVD burners.(BEST BUYS)(Illustration)(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 2005... DVD BURNERS [pc world TEST CENTRE] MODEL CD SPEEDS DVD SPEEDS [1] LG GSA-4163B Multi CD-ROM 40x DVD-ROM 16x, DVD+R Price: $179 CD-R 40x DL...

19in LCD monitors.(BEST BUYS)(Illustration)(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 2005... 19in LCD MONITORS [pc world TEST CENTRE] PANEL TECHNOLOGY RESPONSE TIME INPUT MODEL DOT PITCH SPEAKERS ...

Saving lives through mobile computing technology: ASUS Notebooks join NRMA CareFlight helicopter rescue unit.(Advertisement)
October 1, 2005... NRMA CareFlight, an emergency medical and rescue helicopter unit, has been serving the people of New South Wales of Australia with highly trained medical professionals since its establishment in 1986. "Every minute matters in the situations...

Inkjet multi-function devices.(BEST BUYS)(Illustration)(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 2005... [pc world] [TEST CENTRE] PRINT RESOLUTION 2-SIDED ...

Digital cameras.(BEST BUYS)(Illustration)(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 2005... DIGITAL CAMERAS BEST BUYS [pc world TEST CENTRE] MODEL FEATURES [1] Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W7 * 7.2 megapixels Price: $799 * 3x optical zoom Phone:...

TV tuners.(BEST BUYS)(Illustration)(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 2005... TV TUNERS TEST CENTRE [1] MODEL FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS Nebula DigiTV PCI PCI interface; SDTV, HDTV; DigiTV Price: $239 software, BDA driver in Phone:...

Freezing windows.(Windows XP)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Q When I start my computer it appears to freeze with the Welcome screen showing. If I press -- I am informed that Winstart Commander is not responding. When I click End Task, Windows completes loading and appears to run normally. What's gone...

Can't write.(DVD recordable drives)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Q I'm using Windows XP, but I can't burn files to CD via drag-and-drop, and Media Player 10.0 doesn't recognise either of my drives as writers. I can write to both drives using Nero, but I'd prefer to use Windows. --Tony Arden A The...

Tiresome message.(operating systems installation and adding components in Registry)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Q Whenever I log in to one of the accounts on my notebook, I receive a message that "Setup is loading installation components". This is followed by: "This machine has later versions of all components to be installed. Setup will now terminate"....

Use all your memory in windows 98/Me.(TOP TIPS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... If your computer running Windows 98 or Me doesn't recognise all your system memory, it may be that a configuration setting is preventing Windows from getting its hands on it. Open the System Configuration Editor (click Start-Run, type...

Waste of space.(Computer systems memoary management)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Q MY computer runs Windows XP Home. I have needed to use System Restore so often that it now appears to occupy over 40GB of disk space. Is there any way that I can free up this memory? --John Newman A The amount of space used by System...

I-Search.(methods to remove computer viruses from computer systems)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Q I am unable to remove a virus called I-Search. The file is C:\Windows\isrvs\ ffisearch.exe. What should I do? --Salvatore Ercolano A I-Search is actually spyware masquerading as a toolbar. First, download and run HijackThis from...

Pass the port.(SECURITY)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Q I'm using Norton Personal Firewall 2004 on Windows XP Home SP2. Norton's own security check claims I am vulnerable to attack as I have ICMP Ping, SSH (22) and HTTP (80) ports open. Neither Sygate nor the Shields Up security checker find...

Insert the date in a word document using AutoText.(TOP TIPS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... STEP 1 Position the cursor on a blank line and click on Insert-Date and Time Select the format you want, click "Update Automatically" and click OK. Select the date that has been inserted and press -. This will display the macro code that...

Safe backup.(SECURITY)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Q Now I have a Maxtor OneTouch drive plus Norton Ghost. I feel my data is much more secure. I have used a password for Norton Ghost, but what about Retrospect Express backups? Could my data be accessed if the Maxtor drive was stolen? ...

Bluetooth blues.(HARDWARE)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Q I recently bought an HP Photosmart 2610 three-in-one printer and tried connecting it using a PictBridge device and a Bluetooth dongle, in the hope of using it from my laptop as well. The Bluetooth setup ("Add a Bluetooth device") worked, and...

Spontaneous shutdown.(HARDWARE)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Q My Acer laptop has recently started shutting down automatically during a virus check or, indeed, any graphics-intensive program. I eventually managed to complete a full virus scan, and found nothing wrong. Any ideas? --Tania Hart A...

Take one tablet: once again, Microsoft's groundbreaking pen-based format is on centre stage, but should you rush to swap your keyboard for a stylus?
October 1, 2005... Computing, like fashion and home renovation, is all about the Next Big Thing. One minute you're in your flares, sitting on a shag throw rug, pounding away on your 16KB Spectrum; the next, you're in your flares, sitting on a shag throw rug,...

Mind over meta: metadata's back, and this time it's really useful. Get ready for vista (Microsoft's next big OS) and save yourself some work right away by organising your documents.
October 1, 2005... The next version of Windows, Vista--having recently changed its name from Longhorn--will make it easier to find things by borrowing a few tricks from Outlook. But, if you already use Search Folders to organise your e-mail, Virtual Folders will...

Kicking the tyres: still not tried Linux? Don't know where to start? This month, Matthew Newton provides a few pointers for those who haven't yet taken the plunge.(HERE'S HOW: LINUX)
October 1, 2005... It's sad, but true. Despite my best efforts, the majority of PC World's readers are still using Windows XP, rather than Linux. So I guess it's time to have another go at showing you that Bill's way is not the only way. This month, I've put...

Steady on! The problem of camcorder image stabilisation has its ups and downs. So here's what you can do if your footage gets a bad case of the shakes.(HERE'S HOW: DIGITAL VIDEO)
October 1, 2005... Those of you who read this column regularly (and I'd like to thank you both, by the way) will already know how I feel about people who shoot video while holding the camera in one hand--see PC World, January, page 114. But I appreciate that it's...

Remote control: it's undoubtedly handy to be able to access your computer without physically needing to be there--but it can be tricky to set up. Port forwarding is the easy answer.(HERE'S HOW: NETWORKING)
October 1, 2005... I don't know about you, but I simply can't live without remote access. Weil, more accurately, I can't work without it. Thanks to remote access I can look after a raft of widely dispersed PCs and networks from the comfort of my office or...

One hand in the grave: Adobe is merging with Macromedia and illustrator has learned vector tracing. Come in FreeHand, your time is up!(HERE'S HOW: IMAGING)
October 1, 2005... It probably isn't polite to start referring to FreeHand in the past tense, but is it really worth delaying the obituary any longer? The dust won't settle on Adobe's merger with multimedia arch-rival Macromedia for months, but we know one...

Banding together around the world: Danny Allen explains why interacting with musicians from all over the world is becoming easier than ever.(HERE'S HOW: AUDIO)
October 1, 2005... So, music technology has got to the point where aspiring music producers and DJs can start tinkering and creating with only a modest outlay compared to even a few years ago. As I've mentioned in previous columns, there's now a huge range of...

Act of War: Direct Action.(PC)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... Overblown American hysteria comes to a head in Act of War: Direct Action, a RTS where the US is under attack by everything from hippies to Arabs, Russians, peace protesters, and those evil, evil "tree-huggers" (direct quote). Yep, they all join...

Security-unconscious.
October 1, 2005... Security is a big issue these days, and not just for networks. If your PC contains sensitive material and you need to lock it every time you step away from your desk, then perhaps you need the Wireless PC Lock from Sitecom. This little...

Long live the mouse!
October 1, 2005... Laptop trackpads and trackpoints are all very well, but nothing beats a proper mouse when it comes to getting around Windows, and if it's wireless, then so much the better. Enter Logitech's new V200 Cordless Notebook Mouse, a compact wireless...

ER.(PC)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... There's a new intern at Chicago's County General Hospital ready to tackle hordes of patients with wounds and illnesses, and to do the bidding of senior staffers as they see fit. But it's all in a day's work. That's right, there's nothing too...

Worms 4: Mayhem.(PC)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... "Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, I think I'll go eat worms." So the song goes... but unless you want a hefty dose of bazooka down your gullet, it's probably a good idea to leave these particular wrigglies alone. After the adventurous...

Safe hands.
October 1, 2005... Ever wondered what would happen if you lost your portable hard drive and your data fell into the wrong hands? Well, if you were using LaCie's new Safe Mobile Hard Drive then you could rest assured that those hands wouldn't be able to access it....

Fantastic Four.(PC)(Product/Service Evaluation)
October 1, 2005... If you're looking forward to sitting down and playing the latest superhero game/movie tie-in from the Marvel stable, you may be slightly disappointed with Activision's release. To their credit, the game's presentation is great, with loading...

Neeon light.
October 1, 2005... If you're fed up with constantly getting "smugged" in broad daylight by insufferably self-satisfied iPod owners, then the Creative Zen Neeon could be just what you need to defend yourself with. Smaller than any of Apple's offerings, and...

All keyed up.(BYTESBACK)
October 1, 2005... You can keep your rollable, waterproof keyboards, or even your virtual laser keyboards, I'm holding out for something much, much better. Now I could be wrong, but my guess is that mentioning Russia will conjure up images of slab-faced,...