Personal Computer World articles from May 2007

Personal Computer World archives from May 2007

LG 1960TR.(flat panel display)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Paul Monckton LG 1960TR A stylish display that boasts an impressive specification The LG 1960TR is a standard 1,280x1,024, 5:4 aspect ratio monitor with an emphasis on style and image quality. Finished in matt and gloss...

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW Hands On is -- quite rightly -- always full of useful gems for PC users, and this month is no exception, with topics ranging from an interesting flaw in Windows' security, to problems at the dog races and backup strategies. Along the wa.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Nigel Whitfield ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW Hands On is -- quite rightly -- always full of useful gems for PC users, and this month is no exception, with topics ranging from an interesting flaw in Windows' security, to problems at the...

Logmein Ignition.(remote access software)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Paul Monckton Logmein Ignition An easy way to access your PC when you're away The regular Logmein service is accessed via your web browser. Once you've set up the service on the PCs you want to access, you can sign in from...

Going to the dogs.(databases)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Mark Whitehorn Going to the dogs A night at the track helps unlock the mysteries of database keys Primary and foreign keys are the glue that holds relational databases together. The primary key contains a unique value for...

Get plugged in.(video editing tools)(Buyers guide)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Ken Mcmahon Get plugged in Whatever your video-editing software, there is no shortage of plug-ins No matter what video-editing application you use, there will come a time when you hit the buffers. You'll know exactly what...

Plug-ins -- where to look.(web sites)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Ken Mcmahon Plug-ins -- where to look l Plug-inz.com is primarily a retailer of professional plug-ins for video and 3D modelling applications. www.plug-inz.com l Bedagi.com has plug-ins for video and still image editing....

To Raid, or not to Raid?(redundant array of independent disks)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Gordon Laing To Raid, or not to Raid? Should you protect your data using Raid? It depends on what you're storing Our recent articles benchmarking various Raid configurations sparked a debate in the Hands On mailbox....

Start me up.(linux booting process)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Barry Shilliday Start me up How the Linux boot process begins -- and how to overcome common problems In recent months, we have looked at some of the booting and filesystem aspects of Linux and PCs, including partitions and...

Feisty Fawn.(linux operating system)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Barry Shilliday Feisty Fawn As you read this, the latest version of Ubuntu Linux, known as Feisty Fawn or version 7.04, will have been released and made available to download. As usual, it comes in three main flavours: Ubuntu...

What SSL VPN can do for you.(secure socket layer virtual private networks)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Alan Stevens What SSL VPN can do for you SSL can make setting up a virtual network easier and cheaper. Here's how Virtual Private Network (VPN) products have never been very cheap or easy to set up. But in the past couple...

Another way in.(maintaining personal computers)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Alan Stevens Another way in A VPN is all very well, but is something of a sledgehammer solution, especially when the nut you want to crack is no more than the ability to connect to your home PC when you're out and about. In...

Backup blues.(blu ray digital video disk drives )(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Gordon Laing Backup blues Blu-ray discs have potential for PC data storage In last month's Performance column, we tested a Blu-ray drive for high-definition movie playback on a PC. Like HD-DVD, you'll need a compatible...

Advice from our experts.(maintaining personal computers)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Various Advice from our experts PCW's experts solve your PC problems Digital Imaging Burning issue Q I have taken several short video clips on my new digital camera and downloaded these as Avi files onto my...

Windows.(Microsoft Windows XP operating system)(Brief article)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Various Windows Q Is it possible to change the size of image thumbnails in Windows XP? I have a large collection of digital snaps and would prefer the thumbnails to be bigger. Carole Bradley A Yes, this can be done...

Databases.(using Microsoft Access software)(Brief article)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Various Databases Q I'm creating an Access database for my local history group to index their resources, which range from single topic photos to books covering many subjects. It's a simple database with reference number,...

Panels for external synths.(Brief article)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Niall Magennis Panels for external synths It is possible to create Device Panels for external instruments, but it's not a job to be taken on lightly. Setting up a device panel for an external instrument will involve...

Excel 2007: What's in it for you?(Microsoft Excel 2007)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Stephen Wells Excel 2007: What's in it for you? What's new and improved in the latest version of Microsoft's spreadsheet Bigger is not always better -- boils and warts, for example. But with Excel it is. Version 8 (Excel...

It's all in the book.(Excel 2007)(Brief article)(Book review)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Stephen Wells It's all in the book There hasn't been a proper manual included with Excel since Version 4. Although the Help files in the latest version are commendable, they still require a familiarity with Microsoft...

The latest VBA.(Microsoft Visual Basic for Excel)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Stephen Wells The latest VBA Visual Basic for Excel has added another decimal to its version number. Version 6.3 came with Excel 2002, 6.4 with Excel 2003 and Excel 2007 has 6.4. The quickest way to open VBA is still by...

Vista's User Account Control.(Microsoft Windows Vista)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Tim Anderson Vista's User Account Control A look at the changes programmers need to make for compatibility with Vista's UAC Vista's User Account Control (UAC) may seem like a strange topic for a programming column, but...

Sticky business.(using Microsoft Windows )(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Tim Nott Sticky business How to improve accessibility and other keyboard tricks with Windows Last month, we looked at a way to circumvent keystroke logging using the on-screen keyboard. This month, we look at another aspect...

Ribbons and bows.(Microsoft Word 2007)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Tim Nott Ribbons and bows Word 2007 customisations, and find out how properties can save you time Over the past 12 months, I have reviewed both Office 2007 betas and the final product. In each review, I have stated,...

Expanding education.(virtual learning environment)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Phil Thane Expanding education Ex-teacher Phil Thane takes a look at how education is changing, thanks to the latest Virtual Learning Environments Schools have been using computers since the mid-1980s, and distance...

Resources.(virtual learning environment)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Phil Thane Resources If you're looking for a VLE, or just want to find out more about them, check out some of these: Azzurri (Talmos VLE) www.azzurrieducation.com Birchfield www.birchfield.co.uk Connetix VLE...

Copyright warning.(for tecahers using virtual learning environment)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Phil Thane Copyright warning Teachers need to be aware that their school will have copyright on any work they put on the school's VLE. Schools are unlikely to object if you retain copies and take them if you move, but...

Maths lesson: how much is a VLE?(virtual learning environment)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Phil Thane Maths lesson: how much is a VLE? Setting up a VLE system is an expensive business for a school -- there's no good way to do it on the cheap. Some schools prefer to spend the money on staff, use free Moodle software...

Magix Photos on CD & DVD.(multimedia software)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Paul Lester Magix Photos on CD & DVD A decent collection of tools for managing your media Photos on CD & DVD is something of a misleading title for this Magix multimedia suite. The Deluxe version we tested is actually a...

Crossing the digital divide.(Microsoft Office)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Klaus Manhart Crossing the digital divide Moving data between Openoffice.org and Microsoft Office doesn't have to be a hassle, as Klaus Manhart explains The Openoffice.org productivity suite, whose main modules are the...

Office compatibility.(Microsoft Office 2007)(Brief article)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Klaus Manhart Office compatibility Office 2007 uses an XML-based format, Office OpenXML (OOXML). Unfortunately, it's not compatible with the Open Document Format (ODF). ODF is now an international standard for office document...

Basic rules for successful data exchange.(using Microsoft Office)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Klaus Manhart Basic rules for successful data exchange 1. If you know that a Microsoft Office document will be opened in Openoffice.org later, don't use complicated formatting and functions. 2. Agree on the exact Microsoft...

Maximise Word compatibility in Openoffice.org.(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Klaus Manhart Maximise Word compatibility in Openoffice.org You can configure the Openoffice.org 2.x word processing module, Writer, for maximum Word compatibility. Just make these changes to the Writer Compatibility section of...

Avoiding the cybersnoops.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Jon Thompson Avoiding the cybersnoops Jon Thomson explains how the traces you leave on the internet can form an alarmingly comprehensive picture, for anyone dedicated enough to follow them The old saying that if you've...

The real thing.(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Jon Thompson The real thing In October 2006, the US-based Cyber Security Industry Alliance published its first report into the amount of information given by users of social networking sites. Published to highlight National...

Spies like us.(online social networks)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Jon Thompson Spies like us To demonstrate how easy it is to profile someone using publicly accessible information, Terry and Rebecca (not their real names) volunteered to help PCW. Rebecca's Myspace page reveals that she's...

Hosted services.(web site hosting)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Alan stevens Hosted services Alan Stevens looks at the alternatives to running your own servers It doesn't matter how modest your IT requirements, managing your own PCs, servers and applications can still be a full-time...

Google it.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Alan stevens Google it Google is keen to grab a slice of the hosted services market, and has a number of tools in beta, as part of its Google Apps Premier Edition product, which is designed to compete with Microsoft's Office...

Connectivity is all.(digital subscriber line)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Alan stevens Connectivity is all Sign up for any kind of online service and your connection to the internet becomes all important. Available bandwidth will dictate how quickly you can work and if, for any reason, the connection...

Mio Digiwalker H610.(handhled data device with mp3 player)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Paul Lester Mio Digiwalker H610 A GPS, multimedia player and travel companion in one Mio's Digiwalker range is part of a new wave of GPS solutions that combine traditional in-car navigation, multimedia playback and a...

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.(image processing software)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Ken McMahon Adobe Photoshop Lightroom High-end photo editor and organiser When Adobe announced the public beta of Lightroom just over a year ago, there was speculation that the company was anxious to make up lost ground...

Ricoh Caplio R6.(digital camera)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Karl Foster Ricoh Caplio R6 Portrait recognition and a huge zoom bring a new face to the Caplio range It was only last September that Ricoh announced the 7.1x optical zoom, vibration reduction-equipped R5 compact. But...

Nokia N95.(cell phone)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Will Stapley Nokia N95 With built-in GPS and Wifi, the latest N-Series looks set to take the market by storm Since establishing itself as a major mobile phone maker in the 1990s, Nokia has been through some turbulent times...

AppleTV.(set top box)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Cliff Joseph AppleTV A media player with typically elegant Apple design -- but where's the content? Apple boss Steve Jobs has described the AppleTV as being like a 'DVD player for the 21st century'. He believes -- probably...

Sony Video Walkman NW-A805.(personal media player)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Emil Larsen Sony Video Walkman NW-A805 Sony's first Flash Video Walkman tries to outdo the iPod Nano with a widescreen display Video Walkmans are back. Sony launched the brand in the 1980s when 8mm tapes were used to play...

Asus M2N32-SLI Premium Vista.(motherboard)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Simon Crisp Asus M2N32-SLI Premium Vista Price [pounds sterling]150.98 Contact www.scan.co.uk Overall HHHHH Asus has crammed its latest motherboard, the M2N32-SLI Premium Vista, with a range of features. Along with a...

Avocent Switchview DVI.(network switch)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Clive Akass Avocent Switchview DVI Price [pounds sterling]152.75 or [pounds sterling]211.50 Contact www.avocent.co.uk Overall HHHHH Avocent's four-port KVM is suitable for newer PCs that use a DVI display port and USB2...

Coolermaster Gemini-ll.(microprocessor cooler)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Simon Crisp Coolermaster Gemini-ll Price [pounds sterling]28.20 Contact www.yoyotech.co.uk Overall HHHHH Coolermaster's latest CPU cooler is so big it manages to keep your motherboard's temperature in check as well. ...

Coolermaster Real Power Pro.(computer peripherals)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Simon Crisp Coolermaster Real Power Pro Price [pounds sterling]199 Contact www.yoyotech.co.uk Overall HHHHH Another huge power supply joins a growing number of PSUs around the 1,000W mark. Coolermaster's Real Power Pro...

Samsung 32GB SSD.(flash drives)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Emil Larsen Samsung 32GB SSD Price A[currency]649 ([pounds sterling]442 approx) Contact www.samsung.co.uk Overall HHHHH Samsung has been talking about Nand Flash memory-based Solid State Drives (SSD) for some time now,...

Zerotherm GX810.(display adapters)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Simon Crisp Zerotherm GX810 Price [pounds sterling]25 Contact www.quietpc.com Overall HHHHH The GX810 graphics card cooler is suitable for ATI's X1300 to X1900 series of cards and Nvidia's Geforce 6800, 7800, 7900, 7600...

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.(linux operating system)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Alan Stevens Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Red Hat gets real about virtualisation The latest release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL 5) sees the usual clutch of open source performance, functionality and security updates...

Orlogix Novabackup Server Edition.(backup software)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Alan Stevens Orlogix Novabackup Server Edition At last, a server backup program that isn't rocket science Backup software tends to be expensive and difficult to get to grips with, especially when it comes to servers where...

MGE UPS Systems Evolution 1150.(uninterruptible power supplies)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Alan Stevens MGE UPS Systems Evolution 1150 All you ever wanted in a UPS, and then some An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is just a big battery, right? Wrong. There's a lot more than just a battery to this essential...

HP Laserjet P3005dn.(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Alan Stevens HP Laserjet P3005dn Boring it may be, but this business laser is worth a second look With the advent of colour lasers, monochrome printers may seem a little old hat, but they still have their place with a lot...

D-Link DIR-655 Rangebooster N.(wireless router)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Alan Stevens D-Link DIR-655 Rangebooster N A new look and a lot more on this Draft-N wireless router Networking vendor D-Link has, in the past, tended to release competent, albeit uninspiring, products. An approach it...

Billion Bipac 7404VGO.(router)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Alan Stevens Billion Bipac 7404VGO An impressive package, but possibly too much for most small businesses Multifunction devices such as the Bipac 7404VGO have their advantages, with Billion's new router offering virtual...

Expert tips and tricks.(playing dvd files from hard disk)(installing My Movies software)(maintaining personal computers)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Paul Monckton Expert tips and tricks Here are some of our favourite top tips for Media Center; you can find more tips, advice and community-based support at the Vista & XP Media Center Support Community...

Alternatives to Media Center.(Microsoft Windows Vista Media Center)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Paul Monckton Alternatives to Media Center Vista Media Center offers improved ease of use and access to Vista's hardware-accelerated interface and graphical effects. It's also an entirely self-contained solution, including...

Take control.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Paul Monckton Take control Paul Monckton provides some expert tips on setting up and using Windows Vista's revamped Media Center More and more of us are using our PCs for watching TV and video on the desktop. With...

Cyberlink Powerdirector 6.(video editing software)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Kelvyn Taylor Cyberlink Powerdirector 6 These days it seems as if video is everywhere: from camcorders and iPods to the most inexpensive mobile phones, it's never been easier to capture moving images. But once you've recorded a...

Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles.(computer game)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Jonathan Parkyn Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Oblivion gets officially expanded -- and loses its marbles in the process In terms of sheer value for money, the Elder Scrolls series is pretty hard to beat. Last year's...

Virtua Tennis 3.(computer game)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Jonathan Parkyn Virtua Tennis 3 Sega's grand slam tennis sim makes it to the desktop this time around Originally released in the arcades and on Sega's own Dreamcast system, Virtua Tennis has always felt like a console game...

MSI NX8600GT-T2D256E-OC.(graphics card)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Emil Larsen MSI NX8600GT-T2D256E-OC An overclocked DirectX 10 Nvidia Geforce 8600GT card for under [pounds sterling]100 Although we're still waiting for the first DirectX 10 game to arrive, the desire to future-proof is...

Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium.(computer game)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Jonathan Parkyn Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars Kane and co are back for more commanding and even more conquering in this strategic sequel Back in the old days before computer graphics looked so realistic, game makers...

Microsoft Expression Web.(web development software)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Microsoft Expression Web Price [pounds sterling]260 Contact www.microsoft.com/expression 0870 601 0100 Microsoft is not, it must be said, a name that many people regard with fondness when it comes to...

Kompozer.(web development software)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Kompozer Price Free Contact www.kompozer.net Kompozer may not be a product you're at all familiar with -- or have even heard of. The reason, perhaps, is because it is actually an unofficial piece of...

Grand designs.(web development)(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Grand designs Nigel Whitfield takes a look at three tools you can use to create a professional-quality website Putting a professional website together isn't as straightforward as it used to be when there...

Web design alternatives.(Column)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Web design alternatives If you read discussions between web designers on the internet, one common view expressed is that, even if you do use tools such as Dreamweaver or Expression, you need to understand the...

Adobe Dreamweaver CS3.(web development software)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 Price [pounds sterling]393.62 (upgrade from [pounds sterling]162.32) Contact www.adobe.com/uk 020 8606 1100 If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em -- and that's exactly what Adobe did. The...

July 1982.(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Emil Larsen July 1982 PCW went BBC Micro mad in July 1982, with a series of articles covering every aspect of one of Britain's best-loved computers. Back then, the Micro was still a new machine, and our readers were interested...

July 1992.(microprocessors)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Emil Larsen July 1992 Many strange pieces of hardware pass through the PCW offices, two of the strangest being the Philips CD-I and the CDTV from Amiga. These forerunners to modern games consoles were reviewed by Chris Cain....

July 2002.(prices of broadband)(sales notebook computers)(demand for portable music)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Emil Larsen July 2002 This month we took a look at DIY broadband. The days of high charges and low availability were ending, with ADSL, cable and satellite broadband all now an option. We looked at nine providers and found...

Dell XPS M1710.(gaming laptop computer)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Cliff Joseph Dell XPS M1710 Price [pounds sterling]1,879 Contact www.dell.co.uk 0870 152 4699 Years ago, Dell used to be seen as a 'safe' choice. The company produced PCs that were affordable and reliable but not...

Where are Mobilemark and Sysmark?(debugging software)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Cliff Joseph Where are Mobilemark and Sysmark? You'll notice from the graphs that we haven't included any Bapco Sysmark or Mobilemark scores in this month's group test. This was due to delays in the launch of Sysmark 2007...

Rock Xtreme CTX Pro.(laptop)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Cliff Joseph Rock Xtreme CTX Pro Price [pounds sterling]1,699 Contact www.rockdirect.com 0845 688 0556 At first sight, Rock's Xtreme CTX Pro looks identical to Evesham's Voyager laptop, and a quick glance at the labels...

The power and the glory.(laptops)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Cliff Joseph The power and the glory There are times when a cheap, low-power laptop just doesn't cut it. This month Cliff Joseph looks at eight premium models from the top end of the mobile market Whenever we've done a...

Put yourself in the picture.(photo processing software)(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Karl foster Put yourself in the picture Acquire a versatile photo management and editing suite without spending a fortune. Karl Foster recommends 50 low-cost or no-cost imaging tools There's no shortage of software to help...

Pro choice: Dxo Optics Pro 4.2.(digital camera)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Karl foster Pro choice: Dxo Optics Pro 4.2 When you've spent hundreds of pounds on a quality digital SLR and lenses, it's discomfiting to think that its output could be better. It could, however. The folks at Dxo have devised a...

Pro tools: Adobe Photoshop CS3.(from Adobe Systems Inc.)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Karl foster Pro tools: Adobe Photoshop CS3 Adobe's Photoshop has been with us for more than 16 years and, in its new CS3 incarnation, remains the ultimate image editor for graphics professionals. Packed with every photo-editing...

Indispensable hardware.(colour monitor calibrators Lacie Blue Eye 2, hard drives Octigen's 3.5in Slim model )(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Karl foster Indispensable hardware You won't progress far towards imaging excellence without a calibrated monitor. As sold, a computer monitor is quite adequate for normal office or home use, but it's not up to the demands of...

Cheat saturation.(digital photography)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Karl foster Cheat saturation Before digital, photographers would be picky about their film stock, for all film is not the same. Kodachrome was a favourite because it rendered colour superbly. Then came Velvia, from Fujifilm, a...

Sharpen up.(image processing)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Karl foster Sharpen up Sharpness is an important part of the photo quality equation. If the lens was slightly out of focus during capture, or if there was a hint of camera-shake, you've an unusable picture. But even when the...

Quick exposure fix.(tips on how to use digital cameras)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Karl foster Quick exposure fix Digital camera light-metering systems do a good job of setting shutter speed and aperture to get the ideal exposure, but they don't always get it right. High-contrast scenes, large areas of white...

The Indian connection.(broadband headline connection speeds)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Barry Fox The Indian connection Despite the high-speed claims from ISPs, many UK broadband users are finding it hard to get connected, says Barry Fox More than half of people in the UK have broadband -- with some 13...

Remote control with Webguide 4.(Product/service evaluation)
May 17, 2007... Remote control with Webguide 4 1 Webguide enables you to control your Media Center remotely over the web or a network. It lets you schedule programmes to record, browse TV listings and watch live TV and listen to music over the internet,...