Personal Computer World articles from January 2008

Personal Computer World archives from January 2008

Building the PCW Ultimate PC.
January 21, 2008... Building the PCW Ultimate PC The industry's leading manufacturers submitted some impressive systems, but could the PCW team build a PC to beat them all? Cliff Joseph explains our choice of components Processor Intel Core 2 Extreme...

Toshiba TDP-ET20.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Chris Cain Toshiba TDP-ET20 Price [pounds sterling]700 Contact Toshiba 0870 544 0021 www.toshiba.co.uk Any device that starts up with a picture of an armchair and a cup of tea is off to a good start in our books. When...

The bigger the better.
January 24, 2008... The bigger the better Watching a movie on a projector can give you that big-screen feeling A- and they are now more affordable than ever. Chris Cain grabs his popcorn and checks out the latest models Most of us love the idea of a large...

Infocus IN76.(Product/service evaluation)
January 24, 2008... Infocus IN76 Price [pounds sterling]999 Contact Infocus 01423 359 054 (CES Solutions) www.infocus.com It may be getting on a bit now but the Infocus IN76 still looks decidedly modern. Its shiny black and silver curves are much more...

Conditions, operators and fools.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mark Whitehorn Conditions, operators and fools We continue a tour of SQL querying and look at a solution to the HMRC's woes As I said in the Christmas issue's column, knowing some SQL gives a great boost to your querying...

Screen entertainment.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Ken McMahon Screen entertainment There's a worldwide web of exciting possibilities beyond Windows' screensavers I've never been a massive fan of the Windows screensaver. The ones provided by Microsoft are only marginally...

The Eee PC range in detail.(Asustek Computer Inc.)(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Gordon Laing The Eee PC range in detail The Asus Eee PC 4G is the first of several models, whose major differences are their amount of storage, Ram and whether or not they feature a built-in webcam. The number in the name...

Inside the Eee.(Asustek Computer Inc.)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Gordon Laing Inside the Eee Asus' new mini laptop has caught people's imagination, so what's the fuss about? Every so often a new product comes along that fires up almost everyone who sees it. Such products quickly gain a...

Get with the program.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Barry Shilliday Get with the program Discover where you can find additional programs to install on Ubuntu Linux Last month we looked at installing Ubuntu 7.10, the latest release of the popular Linux distribution. We also...

Names and numbers.(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Barry Shilliday Names and numbers There has been discussion on various forums and blogs about the names chosen for the Ubuntu releases. Some people have said that 'Gutsy Gibbon' is inappropriate for a mainstream release, and...

Problems with offline files.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Alan Stevens Problems with offline files How to solve some of the quirks in Windows' handling of offline files Following my recent article on offline files (Hands On, PCW Christmas 2007), I've had a number of emails from...

Another plug for Powerline networks.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Alan Stevens Another plug for Powerline networks So much then for offline files. Another request I've had recently is for more information about Powerline or Homeplug networking products, with a lot of confusion as to what they...

The speed of the wee Eee.(Asustek Computer Inc.)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Gordon Laing The speed of the wee Eee Find out if size really does matter when it comes to the performance of tiny laptops In this month's Hardware column you'll find a number of tweaks for the Asus Eee PC 4G mini laptop....

Checking for compatibility.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Stephen Wells Checking for compatibility How you can make sure spreadsheets are compatible with earlier versions of Excel The differences between Excel 2007 and previous versions of the spreadsheet are so extensive that...

A function to help you function.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Stephen Wells A function to help you function I have a small glass of wine with my dinner for digestive purposes. Fortunately for the vintners, many people drink a lot more. But a recent survey suggested that most people don't...

Whati?1/2s new, whati?1/2s coming.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Tim Anderson What's new, what's coming Find out what the new year holds for Visual Basic programmers Microsoft's Visual Basic 2008, also known as VB 9, is the third version to be based on the .Net Framework. An added bonus...

New feed template.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Tim Anderson New feed template Dim feed = _ xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" > PCW Blog example http://someurl ...

How to create your own Javascript pop-ups.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield How to create your own Javascript pop-ups A lot of people find pop-ups annoying, and their indiscriminate use is certainly irritating, but they can also have their place - highlighting new features on a site...

Restoration comedy.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Tim Nott Restoration comedy Discover some useful tweaks for Vista and XP users Many readers must be dual-booting Vista and XP. I certainly am, in order to deal with both operating systems for this column. It's not hard to...

Bitlocker Drive Encryption.(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Tim Nott Bitlocker Drive Encryption Only Vista Ultimate and Enterprise come with Bitlocker, and it's a new security feature that protects the system volume - the partition on which Vista is installed - from attack. Even if the...

Autotext unmasked.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Tim Nott Autotext unmasked Find out how you can tame one of Word's most useful tools One of the fundamental features of any word processor is the facility to insert often used or 'boilerplate' text. I could do this in 1985...

Quick tips.(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Tim Nott Quick tips Here's a tip from our regular correspondent Jean Elliott. As you probably know, Control & Spacebar removes all direct character formatting from the selection, reverting to the style of the containing...

Advice from our experts.(database management)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Various Advice from our experts Your computing problems solved by our experts Databases Decoding Access QI'm learning to write code for my Access database and I sometimes need to use a dot between words and at...

Go reconfigure.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Various Go reconfigure linux QI mostly use Windows XP but have lately been dipping my toe into the Linux world. One thing that bothers me about Firefox in Linux is that backspace doesn't go back a page as it does in...

Why woni?1/2t my AVI files play?(digital imaging)(Pinnacle Studio 8 to Studio 11)(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Various Why won't my AVI files play? digital imaging QI have many Hi8 analogue video tapes that I have been converting to avi files using the DC10 PCI capture board that came with Pinnacle Studio 8 on my old XP machine. I...

Solwise NET-PL-200AV-Push.(High-speed mains networking)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Will Stapley Solwise NET-PL-200AV-Push High-speed mains networking with hassle-free security If your wireless network is a little too flaky and you don't fancy trailing Ethernet cables around your house, powerline...

Viewsonic VX2240w.(Product/service evaluation)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Paul Monckton Viewsonic VX2240w A budget yet stylish display with HDCP support Stylistically, like most of Viewsonic's range, the VX2240w looks better than many monitors in this price range. Its thin black bezel and gently...

Irispen Express 6.(card scanners)(Product/service evaluation)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Cliff Joseph Irispen Express 6 Accurate scanner for those fiddly jobs when you just need to scan excerpts The Irispen is one of those gadgets that will have absolutely no appeal for most people, but could prove to be a...

HP Compaq dc7800 Ultra-slim.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Alan Stevens HP Compaq dc7800 Ultra-slim A space-saving design with a reasonable specification Having been disappointed by so-called 'ultra-slim' desktops from HP in the past, we were a bit sceptical about what the new HP...

The true cost of losing content.(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Paul Allen & Andrea-Marie Vassou The true cost of losing content Despite there being protection in place to cover a PC, lost content can be costly and time-consuming to replace. It's impossible to predict when a PC will fail,...

Protection squad.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Paul Allen & Andrea-Marie Vassou Protection squad If you've ever thought about getting insurance to cover your PC or peripherals, Andrea-Marie Vassou and Paul Allen go back to basics and explain all you need to know about...

Seek and you will find.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Tim Nott Seek and you will find It's not difficult to find the information you want on the web and on your PC. Tim Nott explains how to narrow down your searches Try this. Pluck a reasonably uncommon word out of the...

The future.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Tim Nott The future Searching is rapidly becoming not just a service but a platform. We saw elsewhere how engines such as Clusty second-guess why you might be searching for the name of a band. Microsoft Live Search is also...

Searching in Vista.(method)(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Tim Nott Searching in Vista Vista brings vast improvements in searching your computer. The Search box on the Start menu works as you type, and finds programs before data files. Pressing Enter will open the top item on the list,...

A stress-free way to move sites.(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield A stress-free way to move sites As your website grows, you may need to move to a different hosting company. You can ease the pain by planning in advance. If your site has different areas, such as a forum, you...

Renewing your domain name.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Renewing your domain name As we've mentioned, your domain name is one of the most important aspects of your site, and it pays to protect it. With many registrars you can do that easily, choosing options to...

Questions to ask a web designer.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Questions to ask a web designer If you want an all-bells-and-whistles site, you may decide to employ someone to do it for you. But how do you find the right person? In the 1990s, it seemed as if everyone who...

Forums, wikis and the law.(WEBSITE ADMINISTRATION)(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Forums, wikis and the law User interaction is one way to keep a site fresh and ensure that visitors keep on coming back to it. Two popular tools are discussion forums, and wikis; they both allow visitors to...

Sony SRS-T10PC.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Sony SRS-T10PC Price [pounds sterling]35 Contact www.sony.co.uk Overall HHHHH Small speaker sets almost always suffer from poor-quality sound because the speaker cones are simply not big or deep enough...

Buffalo DD-WRT GUI Router.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Alan Stevens Buffalo DD-WRT GUI Router Build your own hotspots with this affordable Wifi router The latest wireless router from Buffalo Technology differs from its predecessors in that, instead of custom Buffalo firmware,...

Digital Persona Pro 4.2.(fingerprint recognition equipment)(Product/service evaluation)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Alan Stevens Digital Persona Pro 4.2 Get rid of passwords with this simple fingerprint recognition solution We all dislike passwords. Network managers hate them because they're easy to crack; users because they're hard to...

Magix Audio Cleaning Labs 12 XXL.(for restoring audio recordings)(Product/service evaluation)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Magix Audio Cleaning Labs 12 XXL Breathe new life into your old recordings We all have recordings that are less than pristine but still worth hanging on to, be it a show from the radio, an old vinyl LP or a...

02 XDA Stellar.(Pros Built-in GPS, Copilot included, Qwerty keyboard)(Product/service evaluation)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Will Stapley 02 XDA Stellar Built-in GPS, slide-out Qwerty keyboard and Copilot Live 7 Based on the Tytn II handset from HTC, O2's XDA line-up includes some pretty impressive models, and the XDA Stellar is the first to...

Eset Smart Security.(security suite )(Product/service evaluation)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Chris Cain Eset Smart Security A no-nonsense security suite with a small footprint Pitching itself directly against McAfee, Norton and Trend, Eset's Smart Security claims to offer faster and better protection from viruses,...

1E Nightwatchman.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Alan Stevens 1E Nightwatchman Help save the planet - and your cash - with this great shutdown tool Whether you're concerned about your carbon footprint or looking to save money by reducing your energy consumption,...

Ableton Live 7.(software for recording, composing and performing )(Product/service evaluation)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Terry Relph-Knight Ableton Live 7 An extremely powerful suite for recording, composing and performing Ableton Live has won many awards and is the field leader in loop-based DAW (digital audio workstation) software. Version...

Mcubed HFX Micro M1.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Simon Crisp Mcubed HFX Micro M1 A small and attractive case, but is the huge price tag justified? If you are looking for a small, stylish barebones case and have a friendly bank manager, then take a look at Mcubed's HFX...

MSI PR600.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran MSI PR600 This mid-range notebook offers decent battery life and portability MSI's PR600 notebook is based around a 15.4in widescreen and Intel's Core 2 Duo T7250 processor, which is clocked at 2GHz. The...

windows weary We have a sharper focus to the business section this month, starting with a short briefing paper on alternatives to the ubiquitous Windows PC. Every small company has them, but most find them difficult and expensive to manage, so we look at.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Alan Stevens windows weary We have a sharper focus to the business section this month, starting with a short briefing paper on alternatives to the ubiquitous Windows PC. Every small company has them, but most find them...

OQO Model E2 HSDPA.(High-speed broadband in mobile computrs)(Product/service evaluation)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Will Stapley OQO Model E2 HSDPA High-speed broadband in a well-built diminutive device OQO launched its ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) in September 2007 and has now released an upgrade complete with a built-in HSPDA module for...

Thin clients.(pros and cons)(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Alan Stevens Thin clients Pros l Thin client hardware is cheaper than a conventional PC and, because performance is down to the host server, needs to be replaced less often. l Solid-state thin clients go wrong less...

Virtual desktops.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Alan Stevens Virtual desktops Pros l Each user gets a virtual PC or PC blade, running on a secure remote server. l It offers all the advantages of cheap thin-client desktop hardware, which can be used to connect to...

Simcity Societies.(easy-to-play game)(Product/service evaluation)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Simcity Societies Create and build your own city in this easy-to-play game Previous Simcity games have concentrated on the mayoral aspect of city building - the idea being that the player would put...

Need for Speed: Prostreet.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen Need for Speed: Prostreet Compete against those bad guys in a boy-racer guise The Need for Speed (NFS) games have been getting more tech-heavy with every release. What started with driving fast but reasonable...

Garmin Nuvi 710.(Product/service evaluation)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Garmin Nuvi 710 Can the new Nuvi range raise the bar for in-car sat nav? We've been impressed by past offerings from Garmin's Nuvi range of sat navs, which has recently been refreshed with the new 700 series....

Alienware PC and Age of Empires III.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen Alienware PC and Age of Empires III To mark the launch of the newest game in the Age of Empire series, Age of Empires III: Asian Dynasties, PCW has teamed up with Microsoft to offer prizes worth [pounds...

Shure SE110 Earphones.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen Shure SE110 Earphones Price [pounds sterling]69.99 Contact www.shure.co.uk Overall HHHHH Every time we've reviewed an Apple iPod we've had issues with the uncomfortable and poor-sounding headphones supplied....

Evesham Cosmos Pro.(Product/service evaluation)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Simon Crisp Evesham Cosmos Pro A high-performance gaming PC with quality components Evesham is certainly making a strong statement of intent with its Cosmos Pro, an expensive computer that promises fast performance. ...

It does what it says on the tin i?1/2 or does it?
January 24, 2008... Byline: Barry Fox It does what it says on the tin - or does it? When a product makes a claim, you expect it to live up to those claims. Those that don't usually die an unceremonious death It's easy to see why Google, Skype, the...

Brother HL-2170W.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen Brother HL-2170W Laser and wireless technologies combine in this [pounds sterling]150 printer The HL-2170W is a squat mono laser printer and one of the cheapest we've seen with built-in Wifi. As well as...

Disc_PC Tuneup.(uninstall programs)(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams PC Tune-up 1.0 Why are most uninstall programs so useless? Determining which shared DLLs (Dynamic Link Libraries) to remove can be tricky. But that doesn't explain why so many uninstall tools say they've...

Disc_PC Tuneup upgrade.(includes security tools)(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams save 15 per cent on PC Tune-Up 2 The latest version of PC Tune-up adds new control over Startup programs, making it easy to remove the ones you don't need. It comes with a set of custom PC tweaks to improve system...

Disc_PC Tools.(to recover lost files in a flash)(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams PC Tools File Recover 6.2 Recover lost files in a flash with this essential recovery tool Maybe you chose the wrong menu option, or clicked Yes instead of No. It could have been a virus, maybe even a program...

Disc_PC Tools workshop.(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Restore accidentally deleted files in three simple steps 1Launch PC Tools File Recover and you'll find a Quick Scan option that checks your entire file system for deleted files. If the file's folder entry has been...

Disc_PC Tools upgrade.(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Save 20 per cent on PC Tools This is the latest version of File Recover, which means there's no upgrade deal available, but if you find the program useful there are other PC Tools applications you might like to...

Disc_PC Booster.(Optimising your computer)(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams PC Booster 4.0 Optimising your PC can be a time-consuming task, not least because it's often so difficult to find the settings you need. So if you're tired of poking around the Registry, or working six dialogues...

PC Booster upgrade.(a faster memory recovery engine)(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Save [pounds sterling]5 on PC Booster 5 The latest version of PC Booster features a faster memory recovery engine and a new section for XP hard disk and system tweaks. The Auto Tune process has been optimised, and...

Disc_OO_workshop.(quick and easy guide to image backups)(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams The quick and easy guide to image backups 1Click File > Imaging, then View > Imaging Options > Advanced > Image and browse the filters list to see files that won't be included in the image. We don't recommend...

Disc_OO_upgrade.(hard drive tools)(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Explore more hard drive tools If you find Disk Image 2 useful, then it may be worth exploring other hard drive tools in the O&O Software range. For instance, DriveLED 2 monitors your drive and will warn you if...

Disc_OO.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams O&O Disk Image 2 SE A fast, secure and effective image backup system Running backups is a tedious activity at the best of times, and conventional file-based tools really don't help. You can spend an age...

Disc_Magix_workshop.(to create simple home video soundtrack )(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Create a simple home video soundtrack in less than five minutes 1Launch Music Maker, and click Start New Arrangement > Rockpop Vol. 6 > Close. Then click File > Song Maker, choose the Rockpop library again and...

Disc_Magix_Upgrade.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Get the standard Magix Music Maker Move to the standard edition of Magix Music Maker and you'll get many more sound loops, over 3,000 in total, in a variety of different styles. You still need more? Then you could...

Disc_Magix.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Magix Music Maker 14 Silver Compose professional-sounding songs or soundtracks in minutes The conventional route to musical success is long and difficult, packed with tedious tasks such as learning...

Disc_Floorplan_upgrade.(now view sunlight by the time of day)(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams save 20 per cent on Floorplan 11 Move to Floorplan 11 and you'll benefit from the brand new lighting feature. How much will come through your bedroom in the morning? Now you can set up your position and view...

Disc_Floorplan.(architectural design)(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams IMSI Floorplan 3D v9 It had to happen eventually. The endless stream of makeover, style and property-based TV shows have persuaded you that it's time to revamp your own home. But how, exactly? That's where IMSI...

Disc_Crazytalk.(to create videos of virtual characters)(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Crazytalk Messenger 4.6 SE Animated talking characters have been around for years, from annoying agents in Microsoft Office to pointless gimmicks such as Ananova's 'virtual newsreader'. So you're probably not...

Glossary.(Brief article)(Glossary)
January 24, 2008... Glossary A valve is functionally similar to a transistor. A grid between the heated cathode and anode grid controls electron flow across the device, just as a transistor's base controls flow between the emitter and collector. Valves...

Crysis.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen Crysis A little overhyped, but some excellent spells of gaming nonetheless Far Cry appeared out of the blue in 2004 and quickly became an international PC favourite. The same developer, Crytek, has created...

PC Nextday Zoostorm 4-4744.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen PC Nextday Zoostorm 4-4744 Price [pounds sterling]699 Contact PC Nextday 0870 609 0125 www.pcnextday.co.uk The Zoostorm 4-4744 has the fastest processor on test, a Core 2 Duo T7500, as well as 2GB of Ram, a...

Toshiba Satellite U300-134.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen Toshiba Satellite U300-134 Price [pounds sterling]699 Contact Toshiba 0870 444 8944 http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.com The Toshiba Satellite U300-134's 13.3in screen and chassis may be smaller than all...

Sony Vaio VGN-NR11Z.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen Sony Vaio VGN-NR11Z Price [pounds sterling]649 Contact Sony 0870 5111 999 www.sony-style.co.uk Cheap Sony Vaios are thin on the ground but the VGN-NR11Z comes in [pounds sterling]50 under budget while...

Packard Bell Easynote MB88-P-003.(Product/service evaluation)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen Packard Bell Easynote MB88-P-003 Price [pounds sterling]699.99 Contact PC World 0870 2420 444 www.pcworld.co.uk The Easynote MB88-P-003's off-white chassis is joined by two bars of light either side of the...

Mesh GX610.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen Mesh GX610 Price [pounds sterling]699 Contact Mesh 0844 736 0440 www.meshcomputers.com Mesh's GX610 is an MSI design through and through - from the packaging to the lavish MSI-branded rucksack that's included....

Lightweight heavyweights.(Brief article)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen Lightweight heavyweights For less than [pounds sterling]700 you can pick up a notebook that really packs a punch. Emil Larsen puts the contenders through their paces After looking at some pretty expensive...