Computer Act!ve articles from March 2008

Computer Act!ve archives from March 2008

Speakersi?1/2 corner.
March 6, 2008... Speakers' corner Take your blog to the next level with our guide to adding comment tools, templates and more Setting up a blog is easy. Anyone looking for a platform to air their views can quickly create a free journal with the...

Shopping for blogs.
March 6, 2008... Shopping for blogs There is a huge number of blogging tools and services to choose from. If no suitable hosted web space is available, Wordpress can also be used as an online service. Pay a visit to www.wordpress.com to sign up for a free...

how to add widgets step-by-step.(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... | how to ADD WIDGETS TO A HOSTED WORDPRESS BLOG 1Visit http://darxr.net/wp-bookmark-widget, download the Bookmark Widget and extract the files. Upload the 'bookmark' folder and bookmark-widget.php file to the /wp-content/plugins/widgets/...

Make a website in minutes.(Website overview)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Rob Beattie Make a website in minutes Google Page Creator lets anyone create a good-looking, functional website free of charge Many of us who would like a website are put off by the complexities involved, not just in...

Make a website in minutes Googlei?1/2s free Page Creator lets anyone make a functional, good-looking website p36 Resize photos with a few mouse clicks Use a free utility to resize digital photos for sending via email p40 Make a personalised Vista screensaver.(Website overview)
March 6, 2008... Make a website in minutes Google's free Page Creator lets anyone make a functional, good-looking website p36 Resize photos with a few mouse clicks Use a free utility to resize digital photos for sending via email p40 Make a...

Watch full-screen TV on the web.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Cliff Joseph Watch full-screen TV on the web Tune in to shows and broadcasts using the Joost online TV service Joost is an online television service. Of course, there's no shortage of places to watch videos on the web but...

Quickly insert text and images into emails.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Mark Wilson Quickly insert text and images into emails Outlook 2007's Quick Parts feature makes it easy to insert frequently used text and images into emails. Writing emails can be a tiresome business, particularly...

Resize photos with a few mouse clicks.(use Pixresizer)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Rob Beattie Resize photos with a few mouse clicks Use Pixresizer, a free utility to quickly and easily resize digital photos for sending via email While most of us enjoy the benefits of high-resolution photography...

Sort programs on the Windows Taskbar.(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Rob Beattie Sort programs on the Windows Taskbar Find out how a free utility lets you drag and drop icons on the Windows Taskbar People are creatures of habit. We like things to be predictable, so when we use the same...

Make a personalised screensaver in Vista.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Rob Beattie Make a personalised screensaver in Vista Windows Vista can use the photos and videos stored on a PC to create an attractive screensaver. Here's how Screensavers used to serve a practical purpose. Back when...

Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus.(Product/service evaluation)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Cliff Joseph Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus Make your backups easy with this slimline disk Maxtor's Onetouch external hard disks are popular because of their simple approach: users can back up all their important files just...

Hauppauge PC2400 X-fones.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Hauppauge PC2400 X-fones Rid your neck of wires Hauppauge's product range consists mainly of TV tuners, so the PC2400 wireless headphones are something of a diversion for the company. They're intended for...

Microsoft Live Writer.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Microsoft Live Writer Blogging is easy with this free tool Blogging is a fun way to share news and opinions, but creating blogs using the standard web-based editors can be frustrating. Many of the tools that we...

Acronis True Image Home 11.(Powerful tools to safeguard PC)(Product/service evaluation)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Acronis True Image Home 11 Powerful tools to get PC peace of mind Regularly backing up data and safeguarding your PC is essential in modern computing but, even when using dedicated software, many new users...

Solwise DMP-1120w.(Media streaming software)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Solwise DMP-1120w Media streaming on a real budget You could listen to music, watch movies or browse digital photos on your PC, but the chances are that they'd look and sound better on a television screen. A...

Avanquest Who Do You Think You Are? Deluxe.(Product/service evaluation)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Avanquest Who Do You Think You Are? Deluxe The Beeb gets into the ancestry game This software package, released to tie in with the recent third series of the BBC show about family history, is essentially...

Slingbox Solo.(media-streaming device )(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Slingbox Solo We recently looked at the Slingbox Pro, a media-streaming device that allows users to watch home television (including satellite and cable channels) anywhere. The Slingbox Solo is a...

Plustek Opticfilm 7300.(film scanners)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Plustek Opticfilm 7300 Plustek's Opticfilm range of film (negative and slide) scanners give good results, but it can take a little tinkering to make the most of the scanned images. The 7300 is no exception....

Oki B2200.(Laser printers)(Product/service evaluation)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Simon Williams Oki B2200 The size of a loaf of bread, but with better print quality Laser printers are a better bet than inkjets if you don't need colour and want to keep a lid on running costs. Oki's B2200 is designed to...

Altec Lansing Orbit IM207.(portable speaker)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Altec Lansing Orbit IM207 The Orbit IM207 is a pocket-sized portable speaker, powered by three AAA batteries, and designed to play music from portable media players and mobile phones. Sitting with the speaker pointing...

Epson Stylus DX4400.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Cliff Joseph Epson Stylus DX4400 Entry-level price, but what about quality? Producing a printer for [pounds sterling]40 is quite a feat. Making a combined printer-scanner for this amount is exceptional. Epson's Stylus...

Apple Macbook Air.(Product/service evaluation)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Cliff Joseph Apple Macbook Air The super-slim computer lives up to (most of) its hype A remarkable moment occurred when Apple unveiled the Macbook Air at a press conference back in January. The immediate impression this new...

Shop and save!
March 6, 2008... Shop and save! Many people are reluctant to shop online or worried about new types of internet fraud, but it's possible to save money while staying safe - we show you how If there's one area of day-to-day life that the internet has...

how to use Anti-phishing browser tools.
March 6, 2008... how to use Anti-phishing browser tools One of the best ways to prevent being caught out by a fake 'phishing' website is to use a browser with anti-phishing tools built in. Both Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) and Firefox 2 come with such...

False economy?
March 6, 2008... Byline: Mark Wilson False economy? Some computers are now amazingly cheap A- but can they really be a good buy? The price of technology is always dropping, but the kind of super-cheap computer that is available today is a...

Second Life.(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Mark Wilson Second Life For those on a really tight budget, or anyone who wants a slightly more powerful computer at a low price, the idea of buying a refurbished computer might be attractive. Several UK companies specialise in...

the asus eee pc: Cheap and tiny.(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Mark Wilson the asus eee pc: Cheap and tiny Notebook computers don't come much smaller A- or cheaper A- than the Asus Eee PC. This minuscule notebook costs just [pounds sterling]220 brand new. It runs a version of the Linux...

Free online games.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Free online games SFCave One of the simplest web games around, and one of the most addictive, the aim of SFCave is to control your 'worm' as he navigates a tunnel. Click the mouse to move up, let go to...

Artizen HDR.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Artizen HDR The idea behind Artizen HDR is that it makes it easy to create richly dynamic images. That is, photographs that include a huge contrast, from very dark to very bright. Cameras can only capture a...

Samsung R700.(Product/service evaluation)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Samsung R700 A budget notebook with expensive looks It's hard to see where Samsung's R700 notebook is designed to be used. At a touch over 3kg, it's just too heavy to be easily portable and, in any case,...

hard to be god.(Product/service evaluation)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Jonathan Parkyn Hard to be a God Divine right or delusions of grandeur? Info: www.hardtobeagod.com/en PEGI age rating: 12+ Also Consider: Titan Quest; Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion; Overall: HHHHH Price:...

Expand your horizons.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Expand your horizons Bored with your simulation game? Stretch your wings with these suggestions for new missions and challenges that can be found in the shops or online for free It's easy to understand why...

Fly for free.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Fly for free Microsoft's Flight Simulator is not particularly cheap to buy, and it requires a fairly advanced computer to run. Thankfully, there are lots of alternatives. The IL2 Sturmovik series stands on its own as...

Upgrade to the latest Ashampoo software As a user of Ashampoo Multimedia Pack 1 you can upgrade to the latest versions of the software included in the pack. For instance, Photo Commander 6 adds a number of major new features such as one-click colour and c.
March 6, 2008... Upgrade to the latest Ashampoo software As a user of Ashampoo Multimedia Pack 1 you can upgrade to the latest versions of the software included in the pack. For instance, Photo Commander 6 adds a number of major new features such as...

Ashampoo Multimedia Pack 1.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Chris Wiles Ashampoo Multimedia Pack 1 System requirements: Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP or Vista Download from: www.computeractive.co.uk/ashampoo/index Registration: Required - click button in programs ...

how to use the four programs.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran how to use the four programs 1 When Photo Commander starts you'll see the setup wizard, which guides you through a couple of steps. Choose whether or not you'd like it to link itself with your picture files,...

top websites.
March 6, 2008... top websites While you have to be careful about discount websites, there are some places online to go for good advice. Here's our pick of the best bargain websites, advice sites and online comparison services. If you'd like to recommend...

The best scanners Get the perfect image.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran The best scanners Get the perfect image Scanners come in many forms: the standard flatbed models for printed paper, models built into a printer and specialist film and slide scanners. Here's our pick of...

PC Specialist Apollo E840GTS.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Andrea-Marie Vassou PC Specialist Apollo E840GTS A PC that's powerful but quiet With more and more people turning to notebooks to use as their main household computer, desktops now have to be even more impressive to...

WW1 honours go online.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Andrea Vassou WW1 honours go online More people than ever before will be able to discover what members of their family in the armed forces did during World War One. The complete medal records of British soldiers and those...

Virtual ballroom DJ Q/I have just taken on the job of organising and playing the music for a ballroom dancing club. We are using a Sony CD player with a collection of more than 4,000 tracks. I am thinking of transferring all the music to a new notebook.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith, Anthony Dhanendran Virtual ballroom DJ Q|I have just taken on the job of organising and playing the music for a ballroom dancing club. We are using a Sony CD player with a collection of more than 4,000 tracks. ...

best of the web.(Website list)(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Hire tradespeople with confidence and check out green-fingered websites Rated People www.ratedpeople.com Finding reliable companies to do building and decorating work is not easy, especially when there is...

downloads.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Transform the way you view photos online and make your music collection more manageable Opera 9.26 Opera is a fast and secure internet browser that can send and receive email and supports high-speed Bittorrent...

Automatic scrolling When reading long documents you can scroll automatically through a document, controlling the speed with the mouse. Move the cursor over the document and click the wheel on the mouse rather than scrolling. The cursor will change to a do.(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Automatic scrolling When reading long documents you can scroll automatically through a document, controlling the speed with the mouse. Move the cursor over the document and click the wheel on the mouse rather than...

Save disk space with Thunderbird I recently discovered that deleting emails in Mozilla Thunderbird does not remove them completely from the hard disk. The store of emails must be compacted to recover the space. Click on the File menu and then on Compact.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Save disk space with Thunderbird I recently discovered that deleting emails in Mozilla Thunderbird does not remove them completely from the hard disk. The store of emails must be compacted to recover the space....

Dates in Word and Excel It is possible to quickly enter the date into a Word document only using a keyboard shortcut. Press the Alt key and I together, then press T and finally press Return. The current date is inserted. Word remembers if the date was se.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Dates in Word and Excel It is possible to quickly enter the date into a Word document only using a keyboard shortcut. Press the Alt key and I together, then press T and finally press Return. The current date is...

System restore.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith System restore System Restore kept failing until I finally discovered that you need to turn off Product Protection in Norton Internet Security. Here is how to do this. Open the main Norton window. Click on the...

competition.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Win Trend Micro security software worth [pounds sterling]1,375 Protect your PC with one of 25 copies of Internet Security, each worth [pounds sterling]55 Using one program for all the different security tasks on a...

nEU Raids DSG DSG International, the retail group behind Currys and PC World, was raided as part of an investigation by the European Commission into Intel. In 2005 Inteli?1/2s rival AMD accused it of threatening customers and paying retailers to delay the lau.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Andrea Vassou nEU Raids DSG DSG International, the retail group behind Currys and PC World, was raided as part of an investigation by the European Commission into Intel. In 2005 Intel's rival AMD accused it of threatening...

Machines to surpass human brain.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Andrea Vassou Machines to surpass human brain Machines will become smarter than humans within the next 21 years, according to a US scientist. Speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Dr Ray Kurzweil...

Web viewing to double The online TV market is expected to double in size over the coming year, according to Screen Digest. The media researcher said more than 800 million free-to-view TV streams and downloads were accessed by UK homes in 2007. It predict.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Andrea Vassou Web viewing to double The online TV market is expected to double in size over the coming year, according to Screen Digest. The media researcher said more than 800 million free-to-view TV streams and downloads...

museum exhibits on web.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Andrea Vassou Museum exhibits on web The British Museum has redesigned its website so that a large part of its collection is available to view online. Around 275,000 prints, drawings and other flat items, as well as...

Will Wimax provide broadband without wires?
March 6, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Will Wimax provide broadband without wires? Wireless networking is nothing new, and is fine for homes, but it is limited in what it can do. However there's a technology around the corner that could bring true...

video reviews online.(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Smooth jazz, a mobile that flatters to deceive and how to beat the youth of today at its own game Esperanza Spalding Here's some smooth jazz to begin our video reviews this issue, with the amazing voice and bass...

nSONY LAUNCHES video WALKMAN Sony has launched a portable video player. The NWZ-A820 Walkman range has a 2.4in screen and is Bluetooth enabled. The NWZ-A828 8GB is said to store 30 hours, 40 minutes of video or 1,850 songs and the 4GB version can hold up.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Andrea Vassou nSONY LAUNCHES video WALKMAN Sony has launched a portable video player. The NWZ-A820 Walkman range has a 2.4in screen and is Bluetooth enabled. The NWZ-A828 8GB is said to store 30 hours, 40 minutes of video or...

Plug pulled on web leaks A US website for whistle blowers has been censored by a Californian court. Wikileaks was formed by journalists, mathematicians and scientists in 2006 and has published leaked government and company documents, including informati.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Andrea Vassou Plug pulled on web leaks A US website for whistle blowers has been censored by a Californian court. Wikileaks was formed by journalists, mathematicians and scientists in 2006 and has published leaked...

bt scraps helpdesk call charges.(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek BT scraps helpdesk call charges BT is to stop charging for most calls to its consumer service and helpdesk numbers and is challenging other firms to do the same. The telecoms giant said call charges are often as...

Pupilsi?1/2 data stored on file.(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek and Andrea Vassou Pupils' data stored on file The RECORDS of all secondary school pupils will be permanently placed on a central database going live this month. The Managing Information Across Partners (MIAP)...

toshiba stops hd dvd development.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek Toshiba stops HD DVD development Toshiba has announced it will no longer make and market HD DVD players. After much speculation, the company said its "decision has been made following recent changes in the...

nFree software for schools Microsoft is to offer free software development and designer tools to students around the world in a bid to stave off the advances made by Linux and other open-source software in education markets. The Dreamspark student program.
March 6, 2008... Byline: staff nFree software for schools Microsoft is to offer free software development and designer tools to students around the world in a bid to stave off the advances made by Linux and other open-source software in education...

Gadgets go greener Sony has pledged long-term environmental commitment by joining 11 other companies at the Climate Savers Summit in Tokyo. The organisations have signed the Tokyo Declaration aimed at tackling global warming and enacting industry-wide cha.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Staff Gadgets go greener Sony has pledged long-term environmental commitment by joining 11 other companies at the Climate Savers Summit in Tokyo. The organisations have signed the Tokyo Declaration aimed at tackling global...

nvista patch problems Microsoft has posted a list of applications that are incompatible with Windows Vista Service Pack 1. Issues range from performance glitches to software failing to run or start when the service pack is installed. Several anti-virus ap.
March 6, 2008... Byline: staff nvista patch problems Microsoft has posted a list of applications that are incompatible with Windows Vista Service Pack 1. Issues range from performance glitches to software failing to run or start when the service pack...

better mobile tv on trial.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Andrea Vassou Better mobile TV on trial A mobile TV service that will allow people watch up to 24 channels is being trialled by Orange and T-Mobile. For six months from June, the network providers will distribute handsets...

Evesham brand for sale.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek and Laura Hailstone Evesham brand for sale Speculation surrounding the future of Geemore Technology, which has been trading using the Evesham brand, continues to grow. It emerged at the end of February that...

government to review faster broadband.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek Government to review faster broadband The Government has launched an independent review into what part it should play in helping to deliver next-generation broadband networks. Broadband services capable of...

Windows Watch Security as ever is high on the agenda and our Windows Watch website looks at some of the issues facing Vista users. Microsoft has some advice on staying safe when using Windows Vista Gadgets i?1/2 applications that run in the Sidebar or on the.(Website overview)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek Windows Watch Security as ever is high on the agenda and our Windows Watch website looks at some of the issues facing Vista users. Microsoft has some advice on staying safe when using Windows Vista Gadgets A-...

Computeractive 2007 index online The index of Computeractive articles, Workshops, reviews and free downloads for 2007 is now available on our website. The index for issues 232 to 257 is at www.computeractive.co.uk/freestuff/indexes. It is in PDF format so.(Website overview)
March 6, 2008... Byline: Paul Allen Computeractive 2007 index online The index of Computeractive articles, Workshops, reviews and free downloads for 2007 is now available on our website. The index for issues 232 to 257 is at...

consumer body slams software licences.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek Consumer body slams software licences The National Consumer Council (NCC) wants a clampdown on software companies it says mislead computer users into signing away their legal rights. The organisation, which...

isps challenged to sink piracy.
March 6, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek ISPs challenged to sink piracy Government warns internet service providers to take action or face legislation The Government has said that if internet service providers (ISPs) can't find a way to stop customers...

Digital SLRs exposed.
March 20, 2008... Digital SLRs exposed The best photographs are captured by single-lens reflex cameras. Here's how to make the most of your digital SLR Most amateur photographers have compact digital cameras but single-lens reflex (or SLR) models are...

Workshops intro.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Scott Colvey Turbo-charge the Windows Clipboard Replace the Windows Clipboard with a free alternative that can store hundreds of clipped items. p36 Save messages stored in webmail accounts Webmail messages are...

Keep tabs on your DVD library.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Rob Beattie Keep tabs on your DVD library Use Griffith to manage DVD collections and keep track of titles loaned to friends and family Readers with large DVD libraries are likely to have come up with various ways to...

Stay secure when using social-networking sites.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Joe Cassels Stay secure when using social-networking sites Facebook can be fun but beware of revealing too much information. Follow our protection plan Social-networking websites encourage friends and acquaintances to...

Understand Vistai?1/2s Experience Index.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Andrew Sutcliffe Understand Vista's Experience Index Windows Vista rates the important components of a PC. Here's how to make the most of this information A new feature of Windows Vista is the Windows Experience Index....

Turbo-charge the Windows Clipboard.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Rob Beattie Turbo-charge the Windows Clipboard Replace the Windows Clipboard with a free alternative that can store lots of items Every time a bit of text or an image is copied or cut and pasted, be it to another part of...

Save messages stored in webmail accounts.
March 20, 2008... Save messages stored in webmail accounts Webmail emails are stored online A- we show you how to save a copy at home Webmail services such as Hotmail, Google Mail (Gmail) and Yahoo Mail provide email access via a web page. This...

masterclass_steps_ca_263.(Brief article)
March 20, 2008... | blurring action shots 1Put the DSLR into Shutter Priority mode by turning the main dial to S (or Tv on Canon cameras). Now choose a relatively slow shutter speed of around 1/60 of a second. 2Follow the subject as it goes past while...

dslr cameras to suit all budgets.
March 20, 2008... dslr cameras to suit all budgets After starting out as expensive tools for the professional, there are now DSLRs to suit every budget. Canon's EOS 400D, for example, was the best-selling DSLR of last year. It has 10-megapixel resolution, a...

Linksys DMA2200.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Will Stapley Linksys DMA2200 Bring all your music, digital photos and video into the living room If the music tracks, photographs and video on your computer rarely get to see the light of day, a media streamer (a device...

Sandisk Sansa Clip.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Sandisk Sansa Clip An inexpensive, feature-packed music player The Sansa Clip is small: it's slightly bigger than a box of matches, but is rectangular and includes a removable belt clip as standard. A small...

Intempo GX-0 1.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Intempo GX-01 This is a digital radio with a difference - rather than picking up Dab broadcasts over the airwaves, it streams radio over the internet. You will need a broadband connection and a home wired or...

Vodafone USB Modem 7.2.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Vodafone USB Modem 7.2 This small white puck-shaped modem, about the size of a large cigarette lighter, allows users to connect to the Vodafone 3G network and use the internet wirelessly without the cost and...

Invisio G5.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Invisio G5 Many Bluetooth headsets have the disadvantage of making the wearer look a little silly. The G5 is an attempt to address that by making the headset as small as possible. The speaker section attaches...

Sanyo Xacti HD-1000.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
March 20, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Sanyo Xacti HD-1000 The Sanyo Xacti HD-1000 is one of the first cameras we've seen that can record high-definition video. In theory this means that your home videos will be as clear as the latest...