Personal Computer World articles from April 2009

Personal Computer World archives from April 2009

Be prepared.(briefs)(Photosol)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Ken McMahon Be prepared How to get ready for your summer snapping The winter snow is a distant memory and summer is close at hand. Better weather and longer days increase the opportunity for getting out and taking pictures...

Manage your updates.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Barry Shilliday Manage your updates How Ubuntu's package management system stays on top of many software updates One of Ubuntu's strengths is its package management system. This is something that may sound fairly...

PC audio nirvana.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Gordon Laing PC audio nirvana How to get ultimate audio quality from your PC Over the past few issues, I've been pursuing the goal of true audiophile sound quality with a PC. I've tried modified streaming devices, esoteric...

GPU to the rescue.(graphics processing unit)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Gordon Laing GPU to the rescue Your graphics card is capable of much more than 3D gaming Ever felt your graphics card was twiddling its digital thumbs while not gaming? In this month's Hardware column I'll be looking at a...

Raid recommendations.(redundant array of inexpensive disks)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Gordon Laing Raid recommendations Following an article extolling the virtues of Raid 5 in my own system, Keith Simmons wrote: "Among those who know, Raid 5 is considered to be only marginally better than a single disk as it...

Hot property.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Tim Nott Hot property How to view and manipulate a document's properties Documents don't just have content -- they also have properties. In Word 2003 and earlier you can alter some of them by going to File, then...

Code for clearing the Total Editing Time.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Tim Nott Code for clearing the Total Editing Time Sub cleartime() Dim objDialogBox As Object With WordBasic Set objDialogBox = .DialogRecord.FileSummaryInfo(False) .CurValues.FileSummaryInfo objDialogBox ...

Java jive.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Tim Nott Java jive Discover why so many versions of Java get installed A message from PCW reader Alex Wood revealed he had multiple versions of Java, and he asked if it was safe to remove some of these. So what is Java and...

Stored procedures.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Mark Whitehorn Stored procedures Delve into the link between database designers and application developers In the April issue I talked about stored procedures. These are encapsulated blocks of code, frequently queries...

The Mono alternative.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Tim Anderson The Mono alternative Find out the pros and cons of the open-source version of the .Net framework When Microsoft announced the .Net Framework in 2000, it tried to present it as an open standard, submitting the...

Mail and that synching feeling.(Synology Inc.)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Alan Stevens Mail and that synching feeling Use Synology's Diskstation as a mail server and experience Windows Live Sync Last month I mentioned that Synology had released new software for its family of network-attached...

Real-time displays.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Stephen Wells Real-time displays How to use Excel to display a regularly updated list of results It can be very encouraging to see a continuously updated display of latest results. It might be reports of races won,...

HO_Question Time.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Various Hardware QWhile attempting to boot my PC from a CD in its optical drive, I wondered what options are available to netbook or laptop owners who don't have a built-in optical drive. Can they boot from a USB drive and...

Dating Ubuntu.(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Various Dating Ubuntu Linux QI have an old laptop with Windows 2000 and would like to replace it with Ubuntu. The laptop motherboard battery is dead and it cannot remember the date. I read that Ubuntu can set the date for...

Smear, blur and smooth.(Arcsoft Photoimpression 4 and Photoimpression 6.5 Gold)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Various Smear, blur and smooth Digital imaging QI am an 80-year-old retired geologist who, many years ago, worked in West Africa, where I became a surrogate mother to two tiny monkeys I rescued from the wild dogs that...

First steps in Flash.(Adobe Systems Inc.)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Nigel Whitfield First steps in Flash Find out how to create a simple advertising banner in Flash Banners and other graphics are part of the furniture of any website and, thanks to useful tools from companies such as Xara,...

graphics card efficiency.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Will Stapley graphics card efficiency Modern graphics cards are incredibly powerful, but when you're not blasting aliens into smithereens or racing cars at breakneck speeds, their processing potential is being wasted. In the...

Logitech G19.(Product/service evaluation)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Orestis Bastounis Logitech G19 A keyboard for under [pounds sterling]150 that needs its own power supply The G19 is a major update to Logitech's range of premium keyboards, which have traditionally been aimed at gamers,...

Safari 4 Beta.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Orestis Bastounis Safari 4 Beta The latest version of Apple's browser comes to the PC As we saw in our feature on web browsers (April 2009), Internet Explorer's dominance is being threatened by rivals such as Opera,...

Canon Powershot G10.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Will Stapley Canon Powershot G10 A high-end compact to rival digital SLRs The Powershot G10 from Canon picks up from where its predecessor, the Powershot G9, left off. It features the same rugged design, but Canon has...

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War II.(Product/service evaluation)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Orestis Bastounis Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War II Gain experience, upgrade units and capture territory in this superb strategy game Dawn of War II isn't like strategy games such as Command & Conquer, where the focus is on...

HD Digitech HDX 1000.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Paul Lester HD Digitech HDX 1000 A versatile digital media streamer with impressive performance Considering the popularity of digital video, it's surprising to see so few digital media streamers offering widespread support...

Corel Painter 11.(Product/service evaluation)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Cliff Joseph Corel Painter 11 Evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, updates for this veteran graphics application When a program reaches version 11 it's sometimes hard to come up with exciting new features that take the...

Multiboot magic.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Tom Royal Multiboot magic If you use several operating systems on the same PC, a good solution is to install each of them and choose which to use on start-up. Tom Royal guides you through the process of setting up and...

Partition types.(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Tom Royal Partition types A hard disk can be split into several logical disks, or 'partitions'. Only four primary partitions can be created on any one disk, but in order to allow more flexibility one can be designated as an...

Rock Xtreme 780.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Orestis Bastounis Rock Xtreme 780 Quad-core mobile gaming just became cheaper The Rock Xtreme 780 is the first notebook we've seen that uses Intel's mobile Core 2 Quad Q9000 processor. It uses less power and generates less...

D-Link DCS-2121.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Will Stapley D-Link DCS-2121 Capture high-quality images with this 1.3-megapixel network camera In contrast to previous D-Link network cameras, the DCS-2121, with its curvy black and white chassis, looks reasonably stylish....

DIY Kyoto Wattson and Holmes.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Matthew Moore DIY Kyoto Wattson and Holmes An attractive and thoughtfully designed home smart meter Have you ever wondered how much power your PC and other home appliances are using? DIY Kyoto's attractively designed...

Apple 17in Macbook Pro.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Cliff Joseph Apple 17in Macbook Pro An impressive -- but expensive -- upgrade for Apple's largest laptop It isn't easy to make a bulky 17in laptop look elegant, but Apple's design team has made a good attempt with this...

Mirrori?1/2s Edge.(Product/service evaluation)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Emil Larsen Mirror's Edge A refreshing take on the first-person adventure platform, but frustrating controls are a disappointment Prince of Persia was the first game to feature free running, otherwise known as 'Parkour' or...

Aastra Telecom Vipr.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Alan Stevens Aastra Telecom Vipr A videoconferencing terminal that's always connected and ready Short for Virtual Presence, the recently updated Vipr (pronounced 'viper') from telecoms specialist Aastra is one of the first...

Coms.com.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Alan Stevens Coms.com Keep your business in touch via the cloud Few businesses can manage without telephones and possibly an in-house exchange or PBX, but sourcing the equipment, renting lines and paying for calls can be...

Kyocera Mita Taskalfa 500ci.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Alan Stevens Kyocera Mita Taskalfa 500ci Economise and retain brilliant performance with Kyocera's revamped colour MFP Kyocera has refreshed its top-end multifunction printer/copier (MFP) range, giving the rebranded...

Zarafa 6.20.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Alan Steves Zarafa 6.20 Is it Windows Exchange Server, or is it Zarafa? Zarafa is an open-source email and groupware server for Linux that is designed to look and feel just like Windows Exchange Server. Unlike similar...

Asavie Access My Lan.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Alan Stevens Asavie Access My Lan A hosted VPN service that delivers secure and easy-to-manage remote Lan access Remote Lan access is now a must-have, but for a small company setting up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) it...

Enter the email archive.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Alan Stevens Enter the email archive Archive your emails effectively at work or home This month's business feature is about email archiving, which means moving emails out of your main message store and into separate...

Archiving with Outlook.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Alan Stevens Archiving with Outlook For foolproof archiving you need tools that operate at the server level -- where mail enters and leaves the organisation. However, if you don't have or can't afford such tools there are still...

Make DVDs for free.(digital video discs)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Joe Cassels Make DVDs for free Don't pay for DVD video authoring software. Joe Cassels demonstrates that some of the easiest options are free Creating your own video DVDs can seem like a hit or miss affair. There are lots...

Alternative DVD authoring software for Linux.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Joe Cassels Alternative DVD authoring software for Linux There are several free non-Microsoft options for DVD authoring that work under Linux. DVD Flick and DVD Styler both have Linux versions. For an option that's readily...

Video editing in Windows 7.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Joe Cassels Video editing in Windows 7 Microsoft won't be including Windows Movie Maker with Windows 7. Instead, Windows Live Movie Maker is available to download for free as part of the Windows Live suite. The current beta...

Create DVDs simply.(digital video discs)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Joe Cassels Create DVDs simply Windows DVD Maker in Vista and Windows 7 is one of the simplest DVD authoring programs available 1 Launch Windows DVD Maker. By default it will start a new project. Click Add items and browse...

Cyberlink PowerDVD 9 Ultra.
April 16, 2009... Cyberlink PowerDVD 9 Ultra Blu-ray software that upscales standard DVDs To play Blu-ray movies on a PC you need a software decoder. PowerDVD is one of the most venerable on the market, and version nine has new features to improve your...

Watching you.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Jon Thompson Watching you watching me The rise of surveillence technology and personal databases has prompted a backlash of public anger and comparisons to Big Brother. Jon Thompson explores whether our fears are justified ...

The Data Protection Act.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Jon Thompson The Data Protection Act The 1998 Data Protection Act is very clear about the controls and safeguards that must be placed on your personal data: l Data must be kept securely. l Data must only be used for...

The Freedom of Information Act.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Jon Thompson The Freedom of Information Act The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act lets private citizens investigate state activities. The Act (http://tinyurl.com/4zq6ns) sets out a long list of government bodies you can ask to...

Shuttle SX58H7.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Orestis Bastounis Shuttle SX58H7 A powerful but compact PC for Intel's Core i7 processors As Intel shifts from Core 2 Duo to Core i7 technology, Shuttle has inevitably updated its small form factor range to support the new...

Asus VH222H.(Product/service evaluation)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Paul Monckton Asus VH222H Price [pounds sterling]175 Contact www.uk.asus.com The VH222H is one of many 16:9-format monitors from Asus, each with slightly different features. This is a more highly specified model and comes...

Benq M2200HD.(Product/service evaluation)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Paul Monckton Benq M2200HD Price [pounds sterling]179 Contact www.benq.co.uk Benq's M2200HD certainly stands out from the crowd. The satin white finish and brushed-metal effect trim lend a bright, spacious feel to your...

Why 16:9 is now the standard ratio for PC monitors.(personal computer)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Paul Monckton Why 16:9 is now the standard ratio for PC monitors PC monitors come in many shapes and sizes. Originally designed in the same format as a now old-fashioned non-widescreen TV set, monitor screens would be...

High-definition connections.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Paul Monckton High-definition connections PCs can work with just about any screen resolution. The more pixels you have, the more information you can fit on your screen, but this will also result in either smaller dots or the...

GT_Monitors Eds Choice.(editor's)(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Paul Monckton This first crop of 16:9 monitors all use very similar technology and differences in image quality can be fairly subtle. This is therefore a very price-sensitive market, and finding a good deal may very easily tip the...

Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo LXL 3220T.(Product/service evaluation)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Paul Monckton Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo LXL 3220T Price [pounds sterling]202 Contact www.fujitsu-siemens.co.uk In its two-tone black and white casing, the Amilo LXL 3220T is another distinctive-looking monitor. The front...

How we tested.(monitor calibrator)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Paul Monckton How we tested To compare the performance of the monitors we used a variety of source material as well as two hardware calibration devices: a Colorvision Spyder 2 Pro and an i1 Display 2 from Pantone. We use...

Iiyama PLE2209HDS.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Paul Monckton Iiyama PLE2209HDS Price [pounds sterling]189.75 Contact www.iiyama.co.uk It may not have the style or sweeping curves of the LG model, but the minimalist design and super-thin bezel of the Iiyama PLE2209HDS...

Picture this.(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Paul Monckton Picture this We explore the latest widescreen monitors with Paul Monckton A new breed of widescreen monitor has recently been unleashed on the market. Built with an aspect ratio of 16:9, these displays are the...

LG W2261V.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Paul Monckton LG W2261V Price [pounds sterling]160 Contact http://uk.lge.com LG's W2261V stands out thanks to its stylish design, incorporating sweeping curves and a glossy black finish. It's clear that both of these...

Serving it up.(Windows Media Center)(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Serving it up If you are building a home media network, you might opt for the Media Center functionality built into many versions of Windows. But there are better options. While Media Center is happy to work...

Get a clear Wifi channel.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Get a clear Wifi channel A couple of years ago, Wifi looked like a great solution for home networking. Now everyone's at it, and clashes with other access points are more common, especially on wireless network...

Swiss army playback tools.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Swiss army playback tools When it comes to playing back media, there are two tools that are so useful no home media network should be without them. The first is VLC media player (www.videolan.org). This can...

Home AV streaming.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Home AV streaming As we've mentioned, streaming functionality is finding its way into more and more 'standard' devices, such as TV sets and AV receivers. For example, both Denon and Yamaha have AV receivers and...

Four Shuttle Phenom II barebones PCs.
April 16, 2009... Four Shuttle Phenom II barebones PCs This month, PCW has teamed up with manufacturer Shuttle, the specialist in small form factor PCs, to give readers the chance to win one of four SN78SH7 mini barebones PCs. The SN78SH7 is an ideal...

Colour laser printers for less.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Will Stapley Colour laser printers for less Will Stapley puts eight budget colour laser printers to the test, and finds out if they really are suitable for the home office Inkjet printers will always be preferred by those...

Estimating the total cost of ownership.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Will Stapley Estimating the total cost of ownership Although a laser printer's price is obviously a major factor when deciding which model to buy, it shouldn't be your only cost consideration. Almost all the printers in this...

GT_Lasers Eds Choice.(editor's)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Will Stapley As is always the case, which printer is best for you will depend on exactly how you intend to use it. However, as we explained in our box on the total cost of ownership (see page 87), one thing no prospective buyer can...

How we tested.(printers)(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Will Stapley How we tested To gauge the performance of these printers, we ran each model through a series of tests. The first set determined print speeds, and to get an accurate page-per-minute rating we ran the same...

Brother HL-4040CN.(Product/service evaluation)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Will Stapley Brother HL-4040CN Price [pounds sterling]286 Contact Brother 0844 499 9444 www.brother.co.uk The HL-4040CN might be one of the bulkiest printers in our test, but it's also one of the most feature-rich. Set on...

Canon i-sensys LBP5050.(Product/service evaluation)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Will Stapley Canon i-sensys LBP5050 Price [pounds sterling]199 Contact Canon 01737 220 000 www.canon.co.uk With its curved chassis, the i-sensys LBP5050 from Canon will appeal to those who don't want a traditional-looking...

Dell 1320c.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Will Stapley Dell 1320c Price [pounds sterling]206 Contact Dell 0844 444 5818 www.dell.co.uk Dell's 1320c has been around for some time, and if you shop around you can now pick it up for just [pounds sterling]99. The...

Konica Minolta Magicolor 1650EN.(Product/service evaluation)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Will Stapley Konica Minolta Magicolor 1650EN Price [pounds sterling]271 Contact Konica Minolta 01784 442 255 www.konicaminolta.co.uk The Magicolor 1650EN from Konica Minolta is one of the smallest laser printers on test,...

Lexmark C543dn.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Will Stapley Lexmark C543dn Price [pounds sterling]286 Contact Lexmark 0870 444 0044 www.lexmark.co.uk Lexmark's C543dn isn't the most compact of laser printers and, at 424mm, is the widest model on test. It feels robust...

OKI C3450n.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Will Stapley OKI C3450n Price [pounds sterling]229 Contact OKI 01753 819 819 www.oki.co.uk The C3450n uses LED technology as opposed to laser. In the past, OKI's use of this technology has enabled it to undercut...

Samsung CLP-315.(Product/service evaluation)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Will Stapley Samsung CLP-315 Price [pounds sterling]149 Contact Samsung 0845 726 7864 www.samsung.com/uk Samsung clearly had aesthetics in mind when designing the CLP-315, and its piano-black chassis sets it apart. It...

Xerox Phaser 6125.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Will Stapley Xerox Phaser 6125 Price [pounds sterling]139 Contact Xerox 0870 873 4519 www.xerox.com With a smart and well-built chassis, the Phaser 6125 from Xerox makes a good first impression. Although they look...

Bluebeam PDF Revu.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Ken McMahon Bluebeam PDF Revu Acrobat alternative for creating and editing PDFs The PDF file format lets you produce, annotate and exchange documents no matter what software was used to create them. As Adobe created the...

Tomtom Go 540 Live.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Tomtom Go 540 Live A sat nav with built-in connectivity and enhanced route planning Increasingly people are using their mobile phones to plan routes, the built-in connectivity making it possible to provide...

Chillblast Fusion Stinger.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Orestis Bastounis Chillblast Fusion Stinger An affordable Core i7 gaming PC Intel's latest processor line, Core i7, brings a new level of performance to desktop computing. Unfortunately, upgrading your existing computer...

Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EADS hard drive.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Simon Crisp Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EADS hard drive Price: [pounds sterling]299.99 Contact: www.play.com Overall: HHHHH With ever-growing software installations and greater availability of...

Scythe Thermal Elixer thermal paste.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Simon Crisp Scythe Thermal Elixer thermal paste Price: [pounds sterling]8.99 Contact: www.quietpc.com Overall: HHHHH Scythe's Thermal Elixer paste is useful if you want to overclock your processor or graphics card...

Akasa Integral NMax (AC-IC007-BK) external hard drive enclosure.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Simon Crisp Akasa Integral NMax (AC-IC007-BK) external hard drive enclosure Price: [pounds sterling]22.99 Contact: www.overclockers.co.uk Overall: HHHHH Akasa's Integral range of drive enclosures is ideal if you...

Kingston HyperX KHX4200S2LL/2G memory module.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Simon Crisp Kingston HyperX KHX4200S2LL/2G memory module Price: [pounds sterling]20.35 Contact: www.lambda-tek.com Overall: HHHHH As netbooks are proving to be extremely popular, it's no surprise that many people...

Scythe Bay Rafter drive bay kit.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Simon Crisp Scythe Bay Rafter drive bay kit Price: [pounds sterling]8.99 Contact: www.quietpc.com Overall: HHHHH The Scythe Bay Rafter allows a 3.5in hard drive to be fitted into a spare 5.25in drive bay. The...

Sandberg 130-57 v1.3 HDMI switch.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Simon Crisp Sandberg 130-57 v1.3 HDMI switch Price: [pounds sterling]52.99 Contact: www.play.com Overall: HHHHH A useful tool if you have more HDMI devices than your TV has inputs. You can connect up to three...

Auras LPT-709 Wave CPU cooler.
April 16, 2009... Byline: Simon Crisp Auras LPT-709 Wave CPU cooler Price: [pounds sterling]23.99 Contact: www.quietpc.com Overall: HHHHH The Auras LPT-709 Wave cooler weighs only 415g, which is much lighter than many other CPU coolers on...

Panasonic SDR-H80.(Product/service evaluation)
April 16, 2009... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Panasonic SDR-H80 A hard-disk camcorder with amazing zoom Despite high definition being the current focus of attention, Panasonic still hopes there's a market for SD camcorders. The SDR-H80 is a compact...