Computer Act!ve articles from October 2008

Computer Act!ve archives from October 2008

Discover Googlei?1/2s news-delivery service.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Rob Beattie Discover Google's news-delivery service Keeping on top of news can be hard work. Find out how using Google Alerts can help If you seem to spend half your life typing www.google.com into a web browser then...

Jargon.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Paul Wardley Master Microsoft Word's Find and Replace tools Word's Find and Replace commands make editing documents quick and easy p36 Discover Google's news-delivery service Keeping on top of news can be hard...

Restore previous file versions with Windows Vista.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Rob Beattie Restore previous file versions with Windows Vista Vista can store extra copies of files, so it's possible to recover previous versions of a document Windows Vista can be configured to take a snapshot of a...

Share USB memory keys on a network.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Nick Peers Share USB memory keys on a network Need to access files on a USB memory key on more than one PC? Share it over your network Thumb-sized USB memory keys have revolutionised the way computer users share and...

Carry web phone software on a USB key.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Rob Beattie Carry web phone software on a USB key Find out how to run Skype from a USB memory key so that it will work on any PC Skype, the program that makes it easy to have telephone conversations over the...

Liven up Windows icons with animations.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Rob Beattie Liven up Windows icons with animations Bored of the Windows Desktop? Use free software to spruce it up with fun animated to icons There's no shortage of ways to enhance or tweak Windows. Some are...

Master Microsoft Wordi?1/2s Find and Replace tools.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Paul Wardley Master Microsoft Word's Find and Replace tools These Word commands make editing documents quick and easy Aword processor is perhaps the easiest computer program to use, involving little more than tapping...

Remote diagnosis.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Mark Wilson Remote diagnosis Need PC help, or want to help a friend? Both are made easy using remote assistance A- we show you how If you're even slightly confident as a computer user, pretty soon every family member,...

Remote assistance with UltraVNC.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Mark Wilson Remote assistance with UltraVNC Although Windows' Remote Assistance feature is quite powerful, an even more flexible option exists in the form of UltraVNC. We explored UltraVNC in the Workshops section of...

how to Take control of a remote computer.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Mark Wilson how to Take control of a remote computer 1After a request for Remote Assistance has been sent, the person asking for help must confirm the connection once the invitation has been accepted. Initially, the helper is...

Interactive.(Website overview)(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Never forget a bill with email reminders, find classical music online and test a computer for games Kongregrate games www.kongregate.com There are lots of web game sites around but Kongregate is better than...

Playing in the dark Q/When I play Solitaire and Spider Solitaire all the suits are black. I am using Windows XP Home with Service Pack 2. DJ Maxwell A/The simplest solution is that you are playing Spider Solitaire in Easy mode. If you look closely, youi?1/2ll.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith, Anthony Dhanendran Playing in the dark Q|When I play Solitaire and Spider Solitaire all the suits are black. I am using Windows XP Home with Service Pack 2. DJ Maxwell A|The simplest solution is that you are...

Interactive.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Find out how magnetic fields are formed and give your sluggish notebook a new lease of life Magnetic movie Magnetism isn't the easiest concept in science to understand. This video won't help you get a PhD but it...

Interactive.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Recover from viruses, back up photos and documents and manage fonts effectively System Monitor System monitor keeps an eye on your computer and is a good way of identifying any hardware that may be struggling....

Agnitum Outpost Security Suite Pro 2009.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Paul Monckton Agnitum Outpost Security Suite Pro 2009 Comprehensive internet security for the PC Agnitum's Outpost Security Suite Pro includes a firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware protectors, and anti-spam features. At...

Lasersoft Silverfast 6.6 Ai Studio.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Simon Williams Lasersoft Silverfast 6.6 Ai Studio Get better images out of your scanner Most people use the software that comes with their scanner to scan images into a photo-editing program. It's possible to use a...

Magix Rescue Your Videotapes.(Product/service evaluation)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Andrew Zarkesh Magix Rescue Your Videotapes Revive home videos on your PC The problem with many products that transfer video tapes to a PC is that the quality of the results is often not good. Others have complex software,...

PCTools Spyware Doctor with Antivirus 6.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester PCTools Spyware Doctor with Antivirus 6 Kill off viruses and spyware Spyware Doctor with Antivirus 6 is the latest in a series of security applications from PC Tools designed to protect your PC from a range of...

Nokia 6210 Navigator.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Andrew Zarkesh Nokia 6210 Navigator Sat-nav for pedestrians Nokia's 6210 Navigator seems like just another phone; its glossy front and the slide mechanism for revealing the keypad are nothing new. Bluetooth, audio and...

HP w1907v.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Gavin Stoker HP w1907v Good-value screen for work or gaming Marrying a contemporary black screen design to a chunky silver stand, HP's sturdily constructed 19in w1907v monitor isn't original. Priced at just [pounds...

Sort out your differences.
October 2, 2008... Sort out your differences If your files sometimes open in unexpected applications, you may need to play matchmaker between Windows and your data Windows uses a clever system to ensure files are recognised by the program that created...

How to change a file association in Windows Vista.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... How to change a file association in Windows Vista 1Open the Start menu and click Control Panel. Click the green Programs link and then, in the Default Programs group, click the blue link that says 'Make a file type always open in a specific...

Disgo Mediabank.(Product/service evaluation)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Disgo Mediabank Store and play music and video The Mediabank player from Disgo offers storage for your entire collection of music and video and allows those files to be played back directly. It comes with a...

Electrobox Mishake.
October 2, 2008... Electrobox Mishake A media player A- and more Electrobox's Mishake is an interesting attempt to shake up the media player market with a new way to control playback. Perhaps inspired by the success of Nintendo with its...

Devolo Dlan 200 Aveasy Starter Kit.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Devolo Dlan 200 Aveasy Starter Kit We've looked in the past at plenty of Devolo's Homeplug networking products. Unlike conventional network devices, the Homeplug units use the mains power cabling in your home...

Paragon Hard Disk Manager 8.5 SE.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Chris Wiles Paragon Hard Disk Manager 8.5 SE System requirements: Windows 98SE, 2000, XP or Vista Download from: www.computeractive.co.uk/paragon/index Registration: Click Registration button during installation...

Save 20 per cent across the Paragon range Hard Disk Manager Special Edition is just one of Paragoni?1/2s feature-packed products. The range also includes Drive Backup, a speedy image backup tool. Disk Wiper securely erases files so they cani?1/2t be recovered lat.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Save 20 per cent across the Paragon range Hard Disk Manager Special Edition is just one of Paragon's feature-packed products. The range also includes Drive Backup, a speedy image backup tool. Disk Wiper securely erases files so they can't...

3D Interior Designer.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran 3D Interior Designer What with the torrent of property programmes on TV showing no signs of stopping, despite the housing market meltdown, Arcon's 3D Interior Designer is a timely release. The program...

Escape to victory.
October 2, 2008... Escape to victory We show you how to use the Windows Task Manager to get out of PC scrapes The name Task Manager could easily lead you to believe that it's a tool built into Windows to help you manage your tasks. However, the...

Whati?1/2s different in Vista?(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... What's different in Vista? Although superficially similar to the Windows XP Task Manager, Vista's version provides more information and gives you greater control. The Applications tab is the same as in XP, but the Processes tab has an...

HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF paragon hard disk manager.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF paragon hard disk manager 1Download and run the installation program. At the registration screen click the Registration button. Your browser will open a window, fill in your details...

office suites.(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran office suites Whether for a small business or homework, most of us need an office suite A- read on for our pick of the best software 1 Microsoft Office 2007 Still the king of the office suites, this...

Creative Zen Mozaic 2GB.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Simon Williams Creative Zen Mozaic 2GB Yet another pocket media player Creative's Zen Mozaic has control buttons arranged as a mosaic. It's a decent media player but the coloured buttons aren't a bonus A- in fact, it's...

Dead spots.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Dead spots For many people, wireless is the simplest and easiest way to network a home. Most notebooks come wireless-ready, and a simple USB adaptor will link up a desktop PC. But clashes with other networks can...

Channel surfing.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Channel surfing If you've had a wireless network for some time, there's a good chance you'll have noticed that it doesn't seem as fast as it used to. That's because wireless is more popular than ever. A...

Address book.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Address book Each computer on a home network must have an IP address. This is a series of four numbers, each between 0 and 255, separated by full stops, for example 10.0.1.4. This sounds complicated, but most of...

how to fix your network.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield how to fix your network 1 Open My Network Places and click View Network Connections. Find the connection that usually links you to the internet A- normally in the 'LAN or high-speed internet' section. If it's...

Home network know-how.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Home network know-how Networks should make life easier, but when things go wrong they can be baffling. We explain how to prepare for A- and fix A- network problems. As more and more of us have several...

Cyberpower Gamer Infinity NUS400.(Product/service evaluation)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Andrea-Marie Vassou Cyberpower Gamer Infinity NUS400 A student computer with gaming skills We keep hearing that notebook computer sales are increasing to the detriment of desktop sales, and notebooks are particularly...

Consumeractive.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek No insight on DSRs I recently bought computer items from Insight.com. The parts arrived on different dates, so I put them aside so I could upgrade my servers at the same time during the school holidays. The...

Consumeractive.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek A binding contract I want to change my internet service provider because I can get a better deal. However, my current ISP said I have to pay to cancel the 12-month contract, but I didn't sign anything, as I only...

Decipher XP Explorer.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Paul Allen Decipher XP Explorer In the first of a new series of back to basics articles, we take a look at a vital part of Windows XP A- Explorer When you open a window in Windows XP, you may not be aware that you're...

XP explorer box.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Paul Allen Add common tasks to the Explorer toolbar 1Buttons make it simple to use Explorer's tools without trawling through the toolbar's menus. You can customise the toolbar to include/exclude specific tasks or options, such...

WIN a Tivoli Audio iYiYi alarm clock docking station.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Andrea Vassou WIN a Tivoli Audio iYiYi alarm clock docking station Four iYiYi docking stations worth [pounds sterling]254 each to give away MP3 players and iPods have almost replaced conventional ways of listening to...

Ofcom delays Skyi?1/2s Picnic Skyi?1/2s plan to offer paid-for television channels via a Freeview-like digital terrestrial broadcast system has been put on hold. The decision comes after regulator Ofcom delayed making a decision about whether Skyi?1/2s service would.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Andrea Vassou Ofcom delays Sky's Picnic Sky's plan to offer paid-for television channels via a Freeview-like digital terrestrial broadcast system has been put on hold. The decision comes after regulator Ofcom delayed making...

European Parliament gets web TV.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek European Parliament gets web TV The European Parliament (EP) has launched its own web-based TV station. EuroparlTV has a schedule based around work and life at the EP, with four channels that are targeted at...

Rare odes are put online.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Andrea Vassou Rare odes are put online The Poetry Archive has added "previously unavailable or difficult to obtain" readings by 20th-century American poets to its digital catalogue. This will include 61 recordings from 14 poets...

Downloads get classical passion.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Andrea Vassou nDownloads get classical passion A music download service specialising in classical music has been launched. Passionato gives users access to 18,000 recordings, including many from independent labels. All tracks...

Double your fun.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Double your fun If you have a spare monitor left over from a previous computer why not use it at the same time as the new one? The extra space on screen can be a real help when editing large photos or for using one...

Guest account The Guest account supplied with Windows is great for giving friends access to the internet but it is a good idea to set a password on it. Left-click on the Start button and then on Run. Type i?1/2control userpasswords2i?1/2 and then press return. A.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Guest account The Guest account supplied with Windows is great for giving friends access to the internet but it is a good idea to set a password on it. Left-click on the Start button and then on Run. Type 'control...

Interactive.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith delicious.com Back up your bookmarks If you use the online bookmark service Delicious, it is a good idea to back up the bookmarks just in case there is a problem. Go to http://delicious.com and sign on as normal...

Reading old emails Signing up with an online webmail account doesni?1/2t mean that an old address has to be discarded as it can often be read with the new account. Click on the Options link in the Yahoo Mail page and then on Mail Options. Click on Mail Addres.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Reading old emails Signing up with an online webmail account doesn't mean that an old address has to be discarded as it can often be read with the new account. Click on the Options link in the Yahoo Mail page and then...

Browsers boost privacy.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Ian Thompson Browsers boost privacy Search engines such as Google and browsers are adding features to improve users' personal privacy. Last month Mozilla became the latest developer to add an optional 'privacy' feature to...

n NBC Universal in BT vision deal An agreement between BT Vision and NBC Universal will allow users of the formeri?1/2s digital TV service to download high-definition films from the studioi?1/2s library. BT Visioni?1/2s Hi-Def on demand movie service, which uses th.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Andrea Vassou and Dinah Greek n NBC Universal in BT vision deal An agreement between BT Vision and NBC Universal will allow users of the former's digital TV service to download high-definition films from the studio's library....

Games hope for patients A team of researchers is hoping that motion sensors similar to those used in the Nintendo Wii games consoles could help rehabilitate stroke patients. Scientists at Oxford University are looking at this technology to see if it can b.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Andrea Vassou Games hope for patients A team of researchers is hoping that motion sensors similar to those used in the Nintendo Wii games consoles could help rehabilitate stroke patients. Scientists at Oxford University...

Online archive to list British emigrants.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek Online archive to list British emigrants The records of millions of British emigrants who sailed to Canada in search of a new life are now available online to family historians. The Canadian Passenger Lists,...

Group vision for web future Web pioneer Sir Tim Berners-Lee has announced the formation of the World Wide Web Foundation; a new group awarded a $5m grant to develop the web. Speaking at the launch in Washington, Berners-Lee said: i?1/2The mission of the Found.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: staff Group vision for web future Web pioneer Sir Tim Berners-Lee has announced the formation of the World Wide Web Foundation; a new group awarded a $5m grant to develop the web. Speaking at the launch in Washington,...

Safety conscious targeted by crooks.
October 2, 2008... Byline: staff Safety conscious targeted by crooks A RASH of fake anti-virus products has led security experts to warn internet users to only use security software from trusted vendors. Although the problem is not a new one, many...

Suicide law needs change.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek Suicide law needs change Campaigners have said re-wording parts of the Suicide Act is unlikely to lead to the prosecution of people using the internet to promote suicide. Although they welcomed the Government's...

nAnti-abortion group on google Google has allowed religious groups to place messages about abortion on its search site. The move follows an out-of-court settlement following a dispute between the search engine and anti-abortion group the Christian Institu.
October 2, 2008... Byline: staff nAnti-abortion group on google Google has allowed religious groups to place messages about abortion on its search site. The move follows an out-of-court settlement following a dispute between the search engine and...

Illegal online chemists.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek Illegal online chemists If you have ever been tempted to sideline your GP and decided to find a cure online you won't be alone. More people than ever now use the internet to search for health care advice. This can...

EU reforms will i?1/2safeguard not punishi?1/2 consumers.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek EU reforms will 'safeguard not punish' consumers Proposed reforms to European Union legislation governing electronic communications have been designed to give consumers better safeguards, not penalise them,...

Windows Vistai?1/2s secrets exposed.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek Windows Vista's secrets exposed Computeractive's latest Ultimate Guide focuses on Windows Vista. Vista is Microsoft's most complete operating system yet comes with more hidden features and functions than ever...

nApple alerted over player flaws Security experts are warning of a new vulnerability affecting Applei?1/2s Quicktime and iTunes players. Researchers said the error exists in the way the players handle information for multimedia files. An attacker could place.
October 2, 2008... Byline: staff nApple alerted over player flaws Security experts are warning of a new vulnerability affecting Apple's Quicktime and iTunes players. Researchers said the error exists in the way the players handle information for...

Windows Watch Nothing is more dangerous to the security of a computer than complacency. While not having security software installed is a recipe for disaster, so is clicking links or installing software without thinking, just because they are there. You c.
October 2, 2008... Byline: staff Windows Watch Nothing is more dangerous to the security of a computer than complacency. While not having security software installed is a recipe for disaster, so is clicking on links or installing software without...

Skype to flout Ofcomi?1/2s 999 rule.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Andrea Vassou Skype to flout Ofcom's 999 rule Skype has said that it will not "comply with Ofcom's ruling" to enable users to call 999 emergency services from its handsets. The internet telephony company said that the...

Unfair contracts banned.(Office of Fair Trading)(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek Unfair contracts banned Retailers should have no more excuses for ripping off consumers by using unfair terms and conditions in contracts. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has tweaked its 2001 guidelines on the...

Hackers probe PC security.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek Hackers probe PC security Initial attacks by cyber criminals used to find further vulnerabilities Cyber criminals are carrying out reconnaissance missions on PCs, so they can tailor their attacks. ...

ntake control of your data The Information Commissioneri?1/2s Office (ICO) is calling on consumers to exercise their rights under the Data Protection Act so they can minimise the amount of personal information held about them by organisations. Following the n.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Dinah Greek ntake control of your data The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is calling on consumers to exercise their rights under the Data Protection Act so they can minimise the amount of personal information held...

Doni?1/2t give up without a fight.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Don't give up without a fight Make sure you apply updates for your software immediately a patch comes through A- this includes operating systems and third party applications. acents Run a regular security scan acents Don't click...

Get more from Explorer.
October 2, 2008... Byline: Will Stapley Get more from Explorer In the second of our back-to-basics refresher courses, we revisit the main features and benefits of Explorer in Windows Vista Which of all the many programs on your computer gets the most...

how to customise vista explorer.(Brief article)
October 2, 2008... Byline: Will Stapley how to customise vista explorer 1The menu bar from the XP version can be restored by clicking on the Organize button, selecting Layout and then clicking on Menu Bar. 2Within the same Layout options menu, you...

Make the web your own.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Paul Townsend Make the web your own Combining different types of web content to make new, personalised websites is easy A- here's how Imagine being able to keep all your favourite bits of the web in a single location....

Take flight.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Paul Townsend Take flight The only limitation in using mash-ups is your imagination. With Microsoft's Popfly (www.popfly.com), for example, you can build mash-ups of web content, create games, gadgets and even web pages....

how to create mash-ups with Popfly.(Brief article)
October 16, 2008... Byline: Paul Townsend how to create mash-ups with Popfly 1Get started at www.popfly.com. Sign in with a Windows Live ID, then click on Create a Mash-up. We're going to create a game that makes use of pictures from the photo-sharing...

WIN Corel image-editing software worth i?1/2849.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith WIN Corel image-editing software worth [pounds sterling]849 Runners-up prize of Corel Painter X Limited Edition Can worth [pounds sterling]305 Digital photos can be used to create video slideshows, greetings...

Best of the web.(Website list)(Brief article)
October 16, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Mark 10 years of Google by creating great visuals, learning a new language or surfing the best sites Windows Vista Sidebar Gallery http://vista.gallery.microsoft.com/vista/SideBar.aspx The Windows Vista...

Missing Filmstrip Q/I find the Filmstrip view in the My Pictures folders very useful for choosing images for emails and other projects. The option for this is missing in some of the folders outside of My Pictures and I doni?1/2t know how to turn it on. Roger.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith, Anthony Dhanendran Missing Filmstrip Q|I find the Filmstrip view in the My Pictures folders very useful for choosing images for emails and other projects. The option for this is missing in some of the folders outside...

Video reviews online.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Fitting Blu-ray drives easily, card magic or make believe, and music videos gone wild learn how to fit a Blu-ray drive Blu-ray is the technology used in the most modern optical discs and enables them to store...

downloads.(Brief article)
October 16, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Record music from a keyboard, keep in tune with friends and find programs with simple keystrokes Digsby This is not just instant messaging software, Digsby also keeps you up to date with the latest news from...

Style counsel.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Style counsel Styles make documents easy to organise and format. Here's how to use them in Openoffice Writer If the absence of a price tag on Openoffice has made you expect rough-looking documents, think...

Importing Styles and templates.(Brief article)
October 16, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Importing Styles and templates Annoyingly, unlike Microsoft Word, there is no quick way to copy styles from one document to another with the Format Painter in Writer. However, styles can be loaded from files using the...

How to create a paragraph style in Writer.(Brief article)
October 16, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith How to create a paragraph style in Writer 1Format the text to your liking. The easiest way to format the text is with the menu and buttons in the toolbar. Click on the Format menu and then Paragraph to set the line...

Enhance your web browser with add-ons.
October 16, 2008... Byline: Mark Wilson Enhance your web browser with add-ons Web browsers can be improved with extensions and add-ons. Find out how Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 3 both have a large following and while both are perfectly...