Personal Computer World articles from May 2008

Personal Computer World archives from May 2008

Using SQL sub-queries.(Structured Query Language)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mark Whitehorn Using SQL sub-queries Fine tune your database queries, choose your Access version, and code maps This part in our occasional SQL series introduces sub-queries. Understanding sub-queries gives you a useful...

DivX deconstructed.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Ken McMahon DivX deconstructed Delve into the DivX video codec plus DivX Converter, Pro and Author Someone once said you can never have too many fonts. I'm not sure I'd agree and, if you substitute video codecs for fonts, I...

Xvid i?1/2 the open-source alternative.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Ken McMahon Xvid - the open-source alternative Xvid (www.xvid.org) is an open-source competitor to DivX, published under the GNU General Public License. It runs on Windows, Mac OSX and Linux. Like DivX, Xvid is based on Mpeg4....

DivX certification.(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Ken McMahon DivX certification There are two levels of DivX hardware certification - DivX Ultra Certified means that players will play the new breed of DivX files with built-in DVD-style navigational menus. These files have the...

Putting the squeeze on video.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Gordon Laing Putting the squeeze on video Reduce video file sizes, and find out how people use the Asus Eee In this month's Hardware column, we're revisiting several issues and topics from recent editions. We're addressing...

Share folders and libraries.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Alan Stevens Share folders and libraries Explore the world of Windows Live Foldershare file-sharing service Microsoft recently announced a major refresh of its Windows Live Foldershare service. Of course, some of you may...

Media malfunctions.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Gordon Laing Media malfunctions If XP Media Center Edition stops recording programmes, there is a simple solution Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) may be one the best personal video recording systems around, but it's...

Mismatched icons.(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Mismatched icons linux Q In Nautilus some of my videos have preview icons and some have a generic icon, though they are all the same type of video and it is making my folders look messy. How do I get...

Question time.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Databases Q I am using Access 2003 and need to build a table that has an autonumber field as the primary key - INVOICENO. I can do this, but I need it to begin at the number my invoices start, which is 1231....

Dig out facts with D functions.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Stephen Wells Dig out facts with D functions Explore how Excel's D-lovely functions can make array formulas redundant With the hundreds of functions already included, why does Excel also offer a D series like DSUM and...

Microsoft sees the Silverlight.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Tim Anderson Microsoft sees the Silverlight Get inside the program Microsoft is hoping will combat Flash In the 1990s, Microsoft waged war with Sun over Java, the cross-platform runtime and language with the potential to...

Take control of your server.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Take control of your server In order to build a website, you'll need to get to grips with your web server Creating web pages is very often only a small part of putting together a website these days. As...

Control panel software.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Control panel software In the main example here, I've used the Plesk web admin system, which can be irksome; I find the way it handles some DNS settings annoying, for example. A few years ago, many users...

Customise your Open With list.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Tim Nott Customise your Open With list Grappling with file extensions and singular adventures in the future of Windows When you right-click on a file in XP's Explorer do you find that your 'Open With' list is...

Play the dating game.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Tim Nott Play the dating game How to set a default date in Word, plus a word count conundrum In May last year we looked at various ways of inserting dates into Word documents. To recap briefly, if you use Insert, Date with...

lighten your video load.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield lighten your video load This month's Hands On is packed, as ever, with useful tips and tricks for all PC users. We've plenty for those with video on their mind A- in Digital Imaging we find out about the DivX...

Getting your website noticed.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Stephen Copestake Getting your website noticed There are ways to make websites more visible to search engines without employing consultants, explains Stephen Copestake Search engine optimisation, or SEO, is the process...

Create a successful sitemap.(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Stephen Copestake Create a successful sitemap Creating a sitemap is an advanced technique that will prompt Google to crawl your site sooner and more effectively, especially after you've made changes. It's a highly useful tool...

NEC Powermate ML470.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Alan Stevens NEC Powermate ML470 Well-built with a choice of dual- and quad-core processors Specialist business desktops and their vendors are few and far between these days. Of course, HP and Dell spring to mind but there...

Raritan Dominion KX II-101.
May 15, 2008... Raritan Dominion KX II-101 Take full control of remote servers with this tiny device Managing servers in remote branch offices can be a pain. Sure, you can use Windows Remote Desktop or VNC rather than go there in person, but that only...

Sandisk Sansa View.(Product/service evaluation)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Sandisk Sansa View Price [pounds sterling]159.99 Contact Sandisk http://uk.sandisk.com The Sansa range of players has always been a popular choice for those looking to get value for money. While not nearly as...

LG Touch FM37.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester LG Touch FM37 Price [pounds sterling]139.99 Contact LG Electronics 0870 873 5454 http://uk.lge.com Before Apple threw its hat into the ring, LG was one of the biggest advocates of touchscreen technologies on...

iRiver B20.(Product/service evaluation)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester iRiver B20 Price [pounds sterling]169 Contact iRiver www.iriver.eu.com Although the B20 isn't branded as part iRiver's popular Clix range, it retains all of the features, including the innovative four-way...

Playing media on the move.(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Playing media on the move As Paul Lester finds out, the Apple iPod has more competition than ever before Modern portable media players (PMPs) aren't just about music anymore, with most offering a wealth of...

PMP Editor's choice.(Product/service evaluation)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Although most of these players are around the same price, internal capacity varied considerably. However, with most offering expansion options, and Flash media currently cheap, this isn't always a deal breaker. One...

Creative Zen.(Product/service evaluation)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Creative Zen Price [pounds sterling]128.99 Contact Creative 0800 376 7954 www.creative.com Creative seems to have focused much of its recent efforts on its small Stone player, but the Zen can still hold its...

Cowon iAudio 7.(Product/service evaluation)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Cowon iAudio 7 Price [pounds sterling]149.99 Contact Cowon www.cowonglobal.com The iAudio 7 from Cowon is only slightly removed from the raft of relative unknowns you often see shipped in from the Far East. ...

Archos 605 Wifi.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Archos 605 Wifi Price [pounds sterling]149.99 Contact Archos 0870 609 1263 www.archos.com The Archos 605 Wifi is larger than the other players in this group test, but we've included it because of the massive...

Apple iPod Nano.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Apple iPod Nano Price [pounds sterling]129.99 Contact Apple 0845 600 1683 www.apple.com/uk No media player group test would be complete without an appearance by Apple, and we've got its latest-generation Nano...

Sony NWZ-A818.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Sony NWZ-A818 Price [pounds sterling]129.99 Contact Sony 0207 365 2947 www.sony.co.uk Sony has had mixed success in the MP3 player market. While its players have always produced great sound quality, the company...

Format foibles.(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Format foibles Despite most modern portable media players offering video playback facilities, this is still one area that can prove to be a real pain for the consumer: format support. While drag-and-drop is...

Magix MP3 Maker 14.(Product/service evaluation)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Tim Smith Magix MP3 Maker 14 Import, edit and play music, and rediscover long-lost tracks With free music players available, Magix MP3 Maker is not only different, but has the audacity to charge money. Is it really worth...

Ricoh Aficio GX2500.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Monckton Ricoh Aficio GX2500 Innovative printing technology, but high running costs Inkjet printers can cost anything from [pounds sterling]50 to [pounds sterling]300 or more, but one problem that tends to afflict them...

Corel WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Jonathan Parkyn Corel WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray DVD player that upscales standard movies to near-HD quality Any PC with a DVD drive will probably have at least two DVD players already installed on it A- the standard Windows...

Kodak Scanmate i1120.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Clive Akass Kodak Scanmate i1120 High-volume scanning with impressive results Given you can pick up a high-resolution flatbed scanner for a tenth of the price of this product, Kodak's little Scanmate i1120 may seem...

Audiosurf.(Product/service evaluation)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Jonathan Parkyn Audiosurf Race to become top of the pops with this innovative indie game One of the great things about computer gaming is that for every expensive, samey shooter there are several instantly playable free...

Logitech Dinovo Mini.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Logitech Dinovo Mini A compact keyboard with a stylish design The Dinovo Mini from Logitech joins a growing number of compact keyboards designed to free you from the constraints of a remote control when using a...

Colubris Wireless MSC.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Alan Stevens Colubris Wireless MSC Manage wireless access points with this scalable device Cheap wireless access points may be an acceptable way of supporting Wifi users on a small network, but it's a far from scalable...

Netdirector e-Trade Pro.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Alan Stevens Netdirector e-Trade Pro Start selling online with this pay-as-you-go service If you want to sell goods or services on the web you have a number of options open to you. One is to pay someone to design and build...

WHS-Graph Notes.(Windows Home Server )
May 15, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen All results were repeated twice and an average taken, while erroneous results were retested. Storage balancing was completed and both folder duplication and media services were turned off for all tests. We used an...

Served at home.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen Served at home As Emil Larsen discovers, the latest Windows Home Servers are far more than glorified Nas drives Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows Home Server, has been beset by problems since its...

HP Mediasmart EX475.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen HP Mediasmart EX475 Price [pounds sterling]499 Contact HP 0845 270 4142 www.hp.com/uk HP's Mediasmart EX475 is almost identical to the EX470 we reviewed some months ago (www.pcw.co.uk/2206785), but with a...

Fujitsu Siemens Scaleo 1900.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen Fujitsu Siemens Scaleo 1900 Price [pounds sterling]469 Contact Fujitsu Siemens 0845 678 0172 www.fujitsu-siemens-shop.co.uk Fujitsu Siemens' Scaleo 1900 uses Intel's WHS reference design. It's ugly, large and...

WHS-Editor's Choice.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen Every one of these Windows Home Servers is in a different league to Nas drives where performance, functionality and ease of use is concerned, but there are no guarantees that WHS will become a runaway success. If it is...

Pearl Office.(Product/service evaluation)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Alan Stevens Pearl Office Manage your business from a browser with these integrated online tools Not to be confused with the programming language, Pearl with an 'a' is an integrated suite of business management tools...

operating online.(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Alan Stevens operating online A website has gone from being 'nice to have' to an essential business tool, but getting noticed among all the others is becoming increasingly difficult. In this month's Business section we have a...

Showtime for IPTV.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Showtime for IPTV Nigel Whitfield explores the technologies that are changing the way we watch our favourite television programmes If you believe many of the posters on internet discussion forums...

TV on demand.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield TV on demand Internet technologies aren't the only way to provide TV when you want it A- both terrestrial and satellite television provide a service technically known as Push Video On Demand, or Push VOD....

ISPs: the missing link.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Nigel Whitfield ISPs: the missing link Delivering TV shows via the internet is certainly technically possible A- but there's a crucial component, which is the internet connection itself. And it's by no means clear that the ISPs...

Hard disk glossary.(Glossary)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Simon Crisp Hard disk glossary Access time The time taken between the issuing of an access command and the instant the target data may be read or written. Areal density The amount of data that can be stored per square inch...

SSD and Hybrid Drives.(Solid State Drive )(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Simon Crisp SSD and Hybrid Drives With all the publicity they've received lately, you could be forgiven for thinking that solid state drives (SSDs) are brand new. In fact, the first solid state drive was developed by Storagetek...

Perpendicular recording.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Simon Crisp Perpendicular recording Perpendicular recording technology is one of the most recent innovations in hard drives and as well as increasing recording density, it also helps overcome something known as the...

A Shuttle HD media centre PC.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Emil Larsen A Shuttle HD media centre PC This month PCW and Shuttle, the leading designer and manufacturer of SFF (small form factor) PCs, have teamed up to give away one complete multimedia home theatre PC worth [pounds...

X-Rite Colormunki Photo.(Product/service evaluation)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Terry Relph-Knight X-Rite Colormunki Photo Calibrate your entire colour workflow Colormunki Photo from X-Rite is a multi-purpose USB colour management device. It is designed to allow complete calibration and control of the...

Zoostorm 3364-2354.(Product/service evaluation)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Zoostorm 3364-2354 A quad-core system for under [pounds sterling]500, but one that's lacking graphics prowess This compact computer houses a surprising amount of power. It also demonstrates the main...

Olympus LS-10.(Product/service evaluation)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Clive Akass Olympus LS-10 Pocket recorder for those needing high-quality sound capture on the move The pocket-sized LS-10 provides an affordable (if not cheap) way to make professional-quality recordings on the move....

Novatel Wireless Merlin X950D.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Will Stapley Novatel Wireless Merlin X950D Enhance your mobile broadband upstream HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access) has been around for some time and offers mobile broadband with a theoretical maximum downstream of...

Roxio MyDVD 10 Premier.(Product/service evaluation)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Jonathan Parkyn Roxio MyDVD 10 Premier The quick and easy route to the Hollywood A-list? When we first started testing Roxio MyDVD 10 Premier, we began to get a sense of dA[c]jA vu. It didn't take us long to realise this...

Logitech Squeezebox Duet.(Product/service evaluation)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Lester Logitech Squeezebox Duet This popular music player gets a significant upgrade Modern home audio streamers have been getting smaller and better of late, and Logitech has come up with one of the most compact...

Avanquest Web Easy Express 7.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Avanquest Web Easy Express 7 Take the hassle out of web design with this easy-to-use editor Creating a great website is no easy task. Do it manually and you'll need a good eye for design, a great understanding...

Create a professional website in an evening i?1/2 no experience necessary.(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Create a professional website in an evening A- no experience necessary 1 Launch Web Easy Professional Express and it will display the Activity Center (click Tools > Activity Center if you've closed it already)....

Save i?1/215 on Web Easy Professional 7.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Save [pounds sterling]15 on Web Easy Professional 7 new features 85,000 element media library 135 professionally-designed templates Ebay page wizard Generate web photo albums Create and host...

Roxio Easy Media Creator 10 Lite.(Product/service evaluation)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Roxio Easy Media Creator 10 Lite Create data or audio CDs, run backups and more The world is full of disc-burning suites, all delivering the same sort of functionality in a similar way, so at first glance it...

Enjoy hassle-free backups with this quick and simple tool.(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Enjoy hassle-free backups with this quick and simple tool 1Launch Roxio Creator LE 10, click Data and Backup > Backup Files. Click Advanced and turn on compression if your files will fill more than one disc. If...

get Roxio Easy Media Creator 10.(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams get Roxio Easy Media Creator 10 new features Full Blu-ray support Record streaming audio Create custom video DVDs Automatically add smart soundtracks One-click Youtube uploading Sync...

PC Tools Spyware Doctor 5.5 SE.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams PC Tools Spyware Doctor 5.5 SE When key browser settings keep changing, you're seeing lots of pop-ups, and the program crashes even more than usual, it's natural to wonder if you've been infected by spyware. So if...

Save 30 per cent oN Spyware Doctor.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Save 30 per cent oN Spyware Doctor Move to the retail version of Spyware Doctor and you'll gain access to the complete set of Onguard real-time protection tools. These monitor your browser settings, cookies,...

Norman Parental Control.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Norman Parental Control Protect your kids from the seedier side of the web The Internet is packed with resources to help children learn, have fun and stay in touch with friends. But look a little further and...

Take control of your familyi?1/2s internet access in just five minutes.(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Take control of your family's internet access in just five minutes 1 Right-click the Norman Security Suite icon in your System Tray, and select Norman Security Suite to begin. Click Parental Control and enter...

Save 50% on Norman Security Suite.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Save 50% on Norman Security Suite New features Powerful anti-virus engine Rootkit detection and removal Comprehensive anti-spyware Norman Sandbox technology Advanced personal firewall ...

Create fun custom videos to share with friends and family.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Create fun custom videos to share with friends and family 1 Cyberlink Youcam installs a video-communication service to help it work with just about any video-messaging software. This may not work if your messaging...

Upgrade to Cyberlink YouCam 2.(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Upgrade to Cyberlink YouCam 2 new features Motion detection Time-lapse recording Scheduled recording 3D animated avatars Share images/presentations Hi-res webcam support The latest...

Cyberlink Youcam 1.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Cyberlink Youcam 1 Get more from your webcam with this fun video application It's easy to have fun with instant-messaging software. All the popular applications allow you to customise your text chat with...

Agnitum Outpost Antivirus Pro.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams Agnitum Outpost Antivirus Pro Install Agnitum Outpost Antivirus Pro and it will immediately go to work, using its database of more than 600,000 malware signatures to protect from threats arriving via disc, the...

get Outpost Security Suite.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Mike Williams get Outpost Security Suite Upgrade to Outpost Security Suite and you'll also gain a two-way firewall, securing your broadband and network connections from attack. The Bayesian anti-spam engine frees your inbox...

WIN GREAT PRIZES!
May 15, 2008... Byline: Kelvyn Taylor WIN GREAT PRIZES! Everyone who enters a nomination for the British Technology Awards 2008 and chooses to supply the required contact details (name, phone number and email address) will be entered in a prize draw...

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Simon Crisp Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS Price: [pounds sterling]70.49 www.westerndigital.com Overall: HHHHH Western Digital's Caviar 320GB disk was a popular drive offering fast performance combined...

Crucial SK01 Price: i?1/224.96.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Simon Crisp Crucial SK01 Price: [pounds sterling]24.96 www.crucial.com/uk Overall: HHHHH At least something concerning SSDs is reasonably priced. If you can afford an SSD, Crucial's SK01 storage kit is a neat way...

Crucial CT32GBFAB0.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Simon Crisp Crucial CT32GBFAB0 Price: [pounds sterling]401.49 www.crucial.com/uk Overall: HHHHH While the jury may be out on whether SSDs (solid state drives) are the future of storage, two things are undeniable:...

Corsair 16GB Flash Voyager GT.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Simon Crisp Corsair 16GB Flash Voyager GT Price: [pounds sterling]64.63 www.corsair.com Overall: HHHHH Corsair offers 32GB and 16GB USB drives in its standard Voyager range, but the Voyager GT is a faster model....

Western Digital Velociraptor.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 15, 2008... Byline: Simon Crisp Western Digital Velociraptor Price: [pounds sterling]250 www.westerndigital.com Overall: HHHHH We've been waiting a long time for Western Digital's next-generation Raptor drive, but its new 300GB...

Cautionary tales: part two.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Barry Fox Cautionary tales: part two Problem with your Wifi router and AOL connection? Join the back of the queue, says Barry Fox Last month's message was check your credit card for nasty surprises; this month, it's check...

Sing when youi?1/2re winning.
May 15, 2008... Byline: Guy Kewney Sing when you're winning Microsoft needs to look to the future with its operating systems if it's not to be left behind in the past Steve Ballmer is a very successful man. You can watch him, if you like A- the...

Linux Home Servers.
May 15, 2008... Linux Home Servers Nas drives might be more aptly named Linux Home Servers, since we're rarely come across one that doesn't use a light Linux installation as its operating system. Next month we'll be looking at the latest Nas drive...