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TAKE OUR 2021 READER SURVEY PAGE 31 As well as a coffee stain and a few cookie crumbs, my keyboard is covered with the countless pinches of salt I had to take whenever Microsoft said that Windows 10 would be the last, final, cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die version of the operating system. I never believed Microsoft’s hype. At some point the inescapable rules of marketing would kick in, and it would realise it needed something ‘new’ to sell to the public. And so it has proved. Later this year, probably in October, Windows 11 will arrive. That much we know. Whether your computer will be able to run it is another question entirely. Microsoft’s decision to restrict the new system to machines running TPM 2.0 chips has baffled and outraged many people. We analyse…

Smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices should be taxed in order to set up a fund for the arts, leading creative figures have said. In a letter to The Times, more than 100 signatories, including actresses Olivia Colman, Imelda Staunton and Celia Imrie, called for a levy of between one to three per cent on devices that “store and download creative content”. They argue that the so-called Smart Fund would compensate artists for lost royalties when their work is downloaded and stored by users, such as when a painting is saved as a phone wallpaper or a film is streamed illegally on a laptop. The campaign is being led by the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS), which says the levy would bring the UK into line with 44 countries…

Apple has named which of its products should be kept away from people with medical devices like pacemakers and implanted defibrillators. The list (www.snipca.com/38786) includes the iPhone 12 range, released last year, despite Apple previously saying that the devices were “not expected to pose a greater risk of magnetic interference to medical devices”. In June, the American Heart Association published a small study showing that 11 of 14 pacemakers and implantable defibrillators experienced interference when an iPhone 12 Pro Max was held within 1.5cm, even when the medical device was still in a sealed package. AirPods earphones are also on Apple’s list, along with both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, and all iPads. Apple said devices should be kept more than six inches (15 centimetres) apart when in normal…

‘48 hours to avoid being cut off’ I live in Hampshire and recently received an automated call purporting to be a follow up to a missed call. It told me that there had been illegal activity reported on my internet connection, and as a result I would be cut off within 48 hours. It then gave me a couple of options to press to help resolve this issue. Being old but streetwise, I knew this was rubbish and hung up. But it struck me that someone more trusting of automated systems may well have fallen for it. It sounds like the scam Staffordshire Police were warning about back in 2019: www.snipca.com/38712. Warn your fellow readers about scams at letters@computeractive.co.uk…

You mentioned in Issue 609 (page 6) that you had always been sceptical about Microsoft insisting that Windows 10 would be the final version of the operating system. Me too. Microsoft seemed to be treating this claim as though it was an incontrovertible law of thermodynamics, rather than marketing hype – not just that there wouldn’t be another Windows, but that there simply couldn’t be because it would somehow go against nature. But perhaps Windows 10 will be my final version because it appears that my new-ish computer (bought only four years ago) isn’t powerful enough to run the new Windows 11. I discovered this by downloading Microsoft’s compatibility tool (from www.snipca.com/38761), which produced the blunt message ‘This PC can’t run Windows 11’. It doesn’t say why, beyond a vague…

Last week I ordered a table from CareCo (www.careco.co.uk), who are based in Brentwood, Essex. I wanted to put my laptop on it when I’m sitting on the couch. It arrived within three days and I began to assemble it. However it turned out to be unsuitable for our home - I had misjudged the space needed. Also, it was designed to be used with a chair, something I had overlooked. I asked CareCo about returning it, noting that the errors were mine. They said that wouldn’t be a problem, and suggested their website might have a suitable alternative, but that proved not to be so. I then asked for instructions for returning the table. Again CareCo replied almost immediately, explaining they had arranged for the table to be picked…

SYSTEM TOOL PowerToys41.4 www.snipca.com/38842 What you need: Windows 10 Microsoft’s PowerToys suite of system tools has benefited from a number of updates over the past few weeks. To download the latest version, go to the link above then scroll down and click the PowerToys EXE file. If you already have an older version of PowerToys installed you can upgrade within the General tab of the main PowerToys window. As well as ironing out bugs and improving existing tools, this version adds a tool called Awake, which lets you prevent your computer from going to sleep and your monitor from turning off. This is particularly useful if you’re running a task (such as backing up) that doesn’t require you to do anything, but is one you’d like to keep an eye…

WARNING: JUNK AHEAD Junk offender: Ghostery Dawn Question: when does a tool that’s supposed to protect you from being pestered by adverts become a nuisance itself? Answer: when it’s Ghostery Dawn (www.snipca.com/38790). At least, that’s how Computeractive reader John Holt felt when he tried the privacy-focused browser. And, having tried it myself, I’m inclined to agree with him. John wrote to us to complain about Ghostery Dawn’s complicated setup process, which he worked through carefully, only to end up with the web browser spamming him with never-ending nag screens. Ghostery is supposed to be one of the good guys – its browser add-on is a great tool for blocking adverts and trackers – so I was surprised to hear of John’s frustrations. My own experience wasn’t quite the same, but…

LAPTOP | £1,400 from Amazon www.snipca.com/38710 Huawei’s top-of-the-range laptop, the MateBook X Pro, has had a refresh. While it looks the same as the previous version (see our review, Issue 547) from the outside, this new model includes an updated 11th-generation Intel processor (from 10th-generation). The body, screen and basic specifications are all similar to that previous version. It’s still a slim, light ultra-compact laptop with a 3,000x2,000-pixel 13.9in IPS touchscreen, a 1TB SSD, 16GB of RAM and a strong focus on productivity tasks. The screen’s 3:2 aspect ratio means it’s better for working on documents and reading web pages than watching widescreen videos or playing games. “With a lean design and new processor, this laptop looks good and works hard” The hardware remains impressive. The 1.33kg weight is light…

What does it do? Wi-Fi originally used a single radio frequency to transmit data between routers to devices. When this got too busy, a second radio band was introduced, and the routers and devices that could use it were called dual-band. The latest devices now use a third radio band, which frees up more space. The Netgear Nighthawk AC3200 (pictured, £173 from www.snipca.com/38820) is one of the best tri-band routers you can buy. How does it work? The original network operated on the 2.4GHz frequency, which doesn’t actually have that much space for many devices without them interfering with each other. Dual-band kept the 2.4GHz frequency to cater for older devices but added the 5GHz frequency, which has much more space. Tri-band uses the same 5GHz frequency for its third…

What is it? Lenovo has announced the Yoga Tab 13 (pictured) and Yoga Tab 11, two new Android tablets with built-in stands. These are made from stainless steel poles, bent into shape and attached to a hinge on one of the longer sides. What does it do? The stand can be used to position the tablet at a more convenient angle, so you can place it upright on a table. It can also be extended out and hooked over something, letting you hang your tablet from any secure hook. What’s the catch? The stand doesn’t fold away flat into the tablet, adding bulk to the device. It’s harder to slip into a bag and carry. So can I do without it? It might be handy to hang your tablet up…

In this competition Logitech is offering two prize packs, each comprising the Ergo K860 Wireless Split Keyboard and the MX Vertical ergonomic mouse. Priced £109.99, the Ergo K860 is a split ergonomic keyboard designed for better posture, less strain and more support. You’ll type more naturally with a curved, split keyframe that improves typing posture. The sloping form reduces muscle strain on your wrists and forearms – keeping your hands and shoulders relaxed. Priced £92.99, the MX Vertical mouse is controlled in the handshake position, helping to reduce muscular activity byupto10per cent compared with a standard computer mouse. The distinct57-degree vertical angle reduces pressure on your wrist, and also ensures your thumb is positioned comfortably on the rest. To enter this competition, answer the question at www.snipca.com/38714 and enter your…

Following Colin Pengelly’s tip in Issue 607 (‘Buy an eight-way LNB for multiple Freesat setups’), I’ve done a similar installation. After having problems in the Redditch area, and with an oak tree blocking the signal, my Humax box (which apparently has weak tuners for Freeview) kept losing the signal for certain stations. I then decided to change to a Freesat dish with a new low-noise block (LNB) that had wideband connections and four normal connections. The LNB came on a new dish I bought for £39.99 from eBay (www.snipca.com/38635, pictured), and I bought a new Freesat box also. Now I can record four channels at once via wideband and have four spares for my other TVs (these work on Freeview without the Humax), which I can swap over at a…

ANDROID Bypass Google’s restrictions to use browser extensions Currently, Google doesn’t offer away to add browser extensions to the Android version of Chrome, but there is a way to get around this. First, you need to install the latest version of Kiwi browser from the Google Play Store (www.snipca.com/38717). Kiwi is based on the same Chromium code as Chrome itself. Once installed, launch the app, then tap the menu button (three dots) and select Extensions. Here, look for the ‘Developer mode’ option in the top right (see screenshot below) and tap the slider to switch this on. Next, type https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions into the address bar then tap Enter. This will open the Chrome Web Store, letting you browse or search for the extension you want. Tap the extension to open its…

WINDOWS 7, 8.1 & 10 Get percentage views in Task Manager Windows’ Task Manager is great when you want to find out why your computer might be running slow. Press Ctrl+Shift+Escape to open it, then select the Processes tab. In the Apps section, you’ll see all programs that you currently have open, along with information on how much strain they’re placing on your computer’s resources (processor, memory, hard drive and more). By default, the CPU (processor) figure is shown as a percentage, but the Memory, Disk (hard-drive activity) and Network are all displayed as values. However, you can see them all as percentages, so you can tell exactly what proportion of your computer’s resources each one is using. Right-click the column header, select ‘Resource values’, then hover over the Memory,…

Microsoft Office has a Quick Access toolbar that lets you add your most commonly used tools to the top-left corner of the window’s title bar. To customise this, click the small down arrow to the right of the default Quick Access buttons. LibreOffice doesn’t have this feature, but you can create something similar. First, open Writer or Calc, then open the Tools menu and select ‘Customise…’. When the Customise window opens, select the Toolbars tab, click the cog icon (next to the Target box), then ‘Add…’. Give your toolbar a name (such as QuickAccess), then select LibreOffice Writer or Calc – this means your toolbar will appear in all your documents, not just the one you currently have open. Click OK, then use the Search box to find the commands…

All the phones we recommend here are unlocked and SIM-free, meaning you can use your existing SIM card in them – provided it fits. Most smartphones now use nano SIMs, measuring 12.3x8.8mm, or micro SIMs (15x12mm) – see images. However, 2G phones such as the Nokia 5310 don’t support 3G SIM cards from Three and Smarty. If your old SIM card is too large or small for your new phone, request a new one from your mobile network. Most providers now offer a three-in-one ‘combi’ SIM that lets you pop out the correct-sized card to use. Alternatively, if you want to use a phone only for the occasional ‘smart’ feature, such as account authentication, activating Wi-Fi on the device will let you connect to the internet without inserting a SIM…

Is an old mobile phone safe to use as a security camera? Q Robert Irvine’s Easy When You Know How column in Issue 603 on using an old mobile phone as a surveillance camera got me wondering about security. I like the idea of this, but is it safe to use an old mobile phone this way? Many will no longer receive manufacturer updates, so would it be sensible to install security software? Alan Thomas A This is an interesting question. In a broad sense your concern is valid: an old mobile that no longer receives updates could have flaws that make it vulnerable to attack when connected to the internet. That’s true of both iPhones and Android phones, though the former are generally more secure – because Apple controls so much…

“Talking to yourself during lockdown?” began an article I read recently. “Yes!” I said to myself. “If you live alone, you’re not alone” continued the piece, “but it’s nothing to worry about”. After breathing a sigh of relief, I wondered if the same reassurance applies to taking photos of yourself, emailing yourself and – for the purposes of a feature I wrote last issue – having a video chat with yourself because you don’t want to bother anyone else? In the case of self-addressed emails, I’ve found it’s the easiest way to transfer screenshots I capture on my phone or tablet to my PC. However, it still takes too much time, and can even be worrying when I start writing messages like: “Hi Robert, here are those grabs you wanted.…

TURN ON GOOGLE SEARCH DARK MODE Google is finally launching a ‘dark’ version of its search page, showing white text on a black background (pictured), after testing it for the past few months. To turn it on, click the ‘Change theme’ icon (a sun) at the top right. If you don’t see it yet, keep checking every few days. SALLY ARMY HACKED BY RANSOMWARE The Salvation Army has admitted that it has been the victim of a ransomware hack, and is contacting people affected, including staff and volunteers. The charity told the Register site that its services for the “vulnerable people who depend on us” continue as normal. It didn’t give any details about the type of data hacked or the identity of the attackers. PEOPLE DON’T KNOW OVENS AFFECT…

The UK’s competition watchdog is to formally investigate whether Amazon and Google have broken consumer law by not doing enough to protect shoppers from fake reviews online. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) initially investigated websites last year, assessing whether they had sufficient systems for detecting and removing fake reviews. This raised concerns specifically about Amazon and Google. Part of its new investigation will look at examples where “the same users have reviewed the same range of products or businesses at similar times to each other and there is no connection between those products or businesses”. It will also examine reviews that suggest “the reviewer has received a payment or other incentive to write a positive review”. The CMA said it could take “enforcement action” against Amazon and Google if…

Scammers are sending emails impersonating the NHS that urge you to apply for a ‘Coronavirus Digital Passport’. The emails claim that this passport is “documentation proving that you have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or you recently recovered from COVID-19”, and will therefore let you “travel safely and freely around the world without having to self-isolate”. It pretends the passport contains a digital signature that’s embedded in a QR code. This will be scanned by border staff when you enter a country. To get the passport you’re asked to click a blue ‘Get Digital Passport’ link (1 in screenshot), which supposedly takes you to the ‘NHS portal’, but actually sends you to a fake site that asks for your payment details. How can you stay safe? Make sure you read the…

‘Desperate bribe’ to give poor homes gigabit speeds Giving low-income households cheaper gigabit broadband is an awful idea (‘Question of the Fortnight’, Issue 609). At least, it’s an awful idea until gigabit is also available to 99 per cent of the population at a fairly affordable price. Nobody likes to be on a low income, but it’s not logical nor fair to give them a superior service at a discount. Instead, internet providers should continue to promote their ‘basic’ packages for people on benefits, keeping them affordable. The reason it makes more sense to focus on benefits not income is that you avoid having to choose a salary cliff-edge beyond which you’re not entitled to a discount. For example, why would it be fair for a household on £25,000 (to…

I got sites mixed up – can I get are fund? LEAD CASE Q I thought I had paid £13.20 for some wood-burning stove parts from a site I’ve used before, called StoveGlassDirect (https://stoveglassdirect.com). I received an email from the courier Hermes saying delivery was imminent, but nothing has arrived. I since discovered that I mistakenly made the order through a similar sounding site, called Stoveglass-Direct (https://stoveglass-direct.co.uk, pictured). It’s not the same company, and it’s refusing to answer my emails. How can I get my money back? Can I get the website to wipe my details? And how can I complain about this site? Andy Armitage A Andy’s rights aren’t affected either positively or negatively by the fact he got the sites mixed up. He’s still allowed to reject items…

Find Royal Mail ancestors Did any of your ancestors work for the Royal Mail? They may have been posties, worked behind the counter or served in the sorting office. You might know this from stories told by other family members, or perhaps you’ve found out while examining other records listing their employment – for example, one of the censuses, their service record from World War I, or the 1939 Register. Trace your ancestors’ career path You should start your search in the Postal Service Appointment Books collection, which covers 1737 to 1969, and lists every employee within the organisation. It’s available only with an Ancestry Premium membership (£13.99 per month): www.snipca.com/38556. Results reveal the employee’s name, as well as when and where they were appointed. Records after 1866 also noted…

What can Iusetodim my monitor’s screen? Q I recently bought anew Dell PC. I’m very happy with everything except for the monitor, which is dazzlingly bright. I tried using the menu buttons to make it dimmer, but I find them fiddly and any changes I make keep getting reset. Can you recommend some free software that will do a better job? Miles Burton A Monitorian is a free tool that lets you control your monitor’s brightness levels. Version 3.00 launched earlier this month and has a new, cleaner design (download it from the Microsoft Store at www.snipca.com/38843). Once it’s installed, you can run it from your system tray – look for the icon featuring a box with eight lines coming from it (click the small up arrow to the left of the…

It’s easy to make a few bob by selling your old stuff online. But, as Afeez Ilesanmi proved, it’s just as easy to make a quick buck by ripping off eBay and Gumtree sellers. The 35-year-old from Manchester was part of a group of scammers who conned sellers by buying used goods – mostly electrical items – using bogus payment details, then sending them faked PayPal emails to make it look like the payments had been processed. The sellers duly dispatched the items, which were sent to a variety of addresses. The buyers would then either sell the fraudulently obtained items, or harass the sender for a refund (even though the payment never went through in the first place). At a hearing last month, Ilesanmi pleaded guilty to theft, fraud…

Find out what other products we liked. Buy our new 2020 Back Issue CD: £15 from www.snipca.com/38164 LAPTOP Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 (256GB) £749 from www.snipca.com/38429 Tested Issue 601 Weighing just 1.16kg, this is an excellent lightweight laptop with a great screen and an AMD processor faster than many Intel rivals. It has two USB-C ports, two USB 3.0 ports and a microSD card reader. Battery lasts nearly 16 hours. ALTERNATIVE Dell XPS 13 New Intel CPUs and a taller screen make this a more powerful, all-round slim laptop. Prices start at £950 from www.snipca.com/36642 ANDROID TABLET PRICE DROP LenovoTab P11 Pro £500 from www.snipca.com/38585 Tested Issue 609 A fast tablet that comes with a magnetic stand and keyboard that means you can also use it as a laptop. It…

PowerPoint I’m on a cost-cutting blitz, and one of the things I’m ditching is my subscription to Microsoft 365. The only tool I used much was PowerPoint, and I’m sure it has more features than I ever needed. And what I use instead I used the long lockdown months of January and February to master WPS Presentation, which is part of WPS Office (www.wps.com, pictured). It looks similar enough to PowerPoint to make newcomers feel at home. For example, the tools are neatly organised in a ribbon at the top. You can easily import PowerPoint files into WPS. I’ve been using WPS for six months now, and I’ve yet to miss PowerPoint. Maybe I never will. All the tools I want are here: transitions, animations, embedding videos and more. The…

Sleep School Free* Android www.snipca.com/38720 iOS www.snipca.com/38721 If you suffer from restless nights, it can often feel like you need to relearn how to sleep. This app offers a series of courses designed by doctors and neuroscientists, with daily lessons to help retrain you to sleep better. Sleep School is free for seven days, after which it costs £30 per year. GB News Free Android www.snipca.com/38718 iOS www.snipca.com/38719 Britain’s newest news channel also delivers current affairs via Britain’s newest news app, allowing you to tune in live or watch catch-up clips of Andrew Neil, Alastair Stewart, Neil Oliver and others on your phone or tablet as well as your telly. The app also lets you browse or search by your favourite presenters. Microsoft Edge Beta Free Android www.snipca.com/38722 Microsoft has…

Stereo speakers – whether external or built into your laptop – make the audio from your computer sound more immersive. However, there are times when switching to mono audio is handy. If you want to listen out for the doorbell while catching up on a podcast, for example, you may opt to use only one earpiece on your headphones. When using stereo, this would mean you lose out on half the audio (which could be a problem if you’re listening to an interview where the interviewer is on the left audio channel and the interviewee on the right). You would experience a similar problem if one of your laptop’s built-in speakers developed a fault. Windows 10 lets you manage this by quickly switching from stereo to mono. Open Settings (press…

Create a live photo-sharing session for your club Inviting your club’s members to share photos during an online meeting is a great way to improve engagement. There are lots of ways to do this, but our favourite is to use the photo-sharing tool in Google Photos. You’ll need a Google account to create the shared album, as will anyone who wants to add photos. You can set up a Google account for free at www.snipca.com/38837. Create a shared album Before you can share photos, you need to create an album to store them in. Open Google Photos in your browser (https://photos.google.com), log in to your account, then locate the Library section in the menu on the left and select Albums. In the top-right corner of the page, click the ‘Create…

ADD A DISC FOR £5.95 In this special offer exclusively for Computeractive readers, you can buy Windows 10 Pro for only £69.99. That’s a whopping £150 cheaper than Microsoft’s full price of £219.99. To buy Windows10Pro, visit www.snipca.com/38398 and click the red Buy Now button on the right. If you buy this you’ll be able to upgrade to Windows 11 for free – if your computer is compatible JUST SO YOU KNOW… This offer can be used by one person only, and expires at midnight on 27 July, 2021. It’s a lifetime licence for one computer.…

A cheaper workaround is to use your tablet or phone as a second screen. Apple users can turn their iPad into a wireless monitor for their MacBook via a feature called Sidecar (www.snipca.com/38784). For PC users, there are tools such as Duet (www.duetdisplay.com), which let you connect both iOS and Android devices to your computer as a second display. You can also connect phones and tablets to many of the monitors we’ve recommended. Not all mobile devices support wired connections to external monitors, however, and those that do often require an adapter. You can connect an iPhone or iPad device with a Lightning port to an HDMI-compatible external monitor using a Lightning-to-HDMI adapter (such as this one, for £19: www.snipca.com/38775).…

Ofcom is to force all broadband and phone providers to offer a free 24-hour video-relay service to let British Sign Language (BSL) users make calls to emergency services. Currently, companies have to offer a text-relay service only, approved by Ofcom, though you can also send text messages to 999. However, these services rely on written English, which can cause problems for BSL users in emergency situations. But from June 2022, companies will have to provide a specific app and website for contacting emergency services by video. Any data that you use to make the call will be ‘zero rated’, meaning it will be free to use, just like other emergency calls are. Ofcom says this will let BSL users better describe “the nature of the emergency and understand potentially life-saving…

BraveSearch https://search.brave.com To tackle Google, you have to be Brave. This privacy-focused firm already has a superb browser (https://brave.com) that blocks adverts, trackers and pop-ups. It has now launched a beta search engine that promises to not create advertising profiles based on what you search for. Brave Search will show adverts once it’s out of beta, but these won’t be based on your data, and you’ll be able to turn them off (read more at www.snipca.com/38778). It has built its own index of results, so most of them don’t come from Google or Microsoft (even privacy champions DuckDuckGo uses Microsoft’s Bing for its results). You don’t need to install Brave to try the search engine – just visit https://search.brave.com in any browser. Change your location to UK (1 in screenshot),…

I’m a long-time subscriber and in a recent issue I remember reading a small piece explaining how to stop Microsoft’s ‘weather thing’ appearing on my taskbar. I didn’t have this on my computer at the time, but it has now appeared, and I want to remove it. Did this advice appear, or am I losing the plot? John Langley CA SAYS You’re still in possession of the plot, John. These instructions appeared in Issue 607, page 21. I’ve got loads of old passwords in Edge that I want to delete. Didn’t you recently reveal a quick way of doing this? Andy Mitcham CA SAYS Yes we did, in Issue 606, page 11. In which issue did you explain how to record TV to a USB stick? I’ve just been given a dozen…

Humax has refunded reader Chris Green (see Issue 605) after acknowledging that it has had its one attempt at a repair, and can’t force him to wait indefinitely for a firmware update. When Chris told Humax that the Aura set-top box (pictured) he bought in February was failing to record, made a buzzing sound and had a poor picture quality, it sent him an attenuator which, it hoped, would fix the problems. This counted as Humax’s one attempt to repair the box, even though it didn’t get its hands on the device. Chris told Humax that the attenuator made no difference, at which point it had no choice but to refund him. However, it mistakenly thought it was allowed to make him wait for a firmware update that might fix…

I’m planning to move from a Windows computer to a Mac. I have a substantial family tree recorded in Family Historian (www.family-historian.co.uk), which is not suitable for Apple computers. Can you suggest alternative Apple genealogy programs? Stephen Manistre You could run Family Historian on a Mac using an emulator like Wine (www.winehq.org), but we’d recommend switching to software built specifically for Macs. You could try Gramps (available for free from www.gramps-project.org), but to get the kind of tools you use in Family Historian you’d be better off with MacFamilyTree (£54.99 from www.snipca.com/38549), which is by far the best Mac genealogy program right now. Have a genealogy question for Nick? Email letters@computeractive.co.uk with ‘Grow Your Family Tree’ in the subject line.…

There are plenty of online tools to help you keep track of your finances. Many of these link up with your bank accounts to provide real-time transaction updates. That all sounds very handy, but I don’t fancy sharing my online banking passcodes with some online tool – no matter how safe they claim to be. Instead, I prefer to keep things simple with HomeBank (www.snipca.com/38840 - click the Homebank EXE link). Because it works entirely offline, HomeBank needs me to regularly update it with transactions from my various accounts. To do this, I have to export transactions from my accounts using the Open Financial Exchange (OFX) format. The majority of UK banks let you do this, but it’s not always made clear how. With my Barclays account, I have to…

DESKTOP PC | £499 from PC Specialist www.snipca.com/38777 Although it comes in a large, full-sized tower case, PC Specialist’s Aurora-R is surprisingly light. The chassis is made of thin metal and, as you’d expect from the affordable price, it isn’t overstuffed with components. This might leave you concerned that you’re buying a big metal case of fresh air, but don’t worry – the benefit of the space inside is that there’s plenty of room for upgrades in the future. “Fast at running Windows and office software, with plenty of slots for upgrades” The PC is built around Intel’s Corei5-11400 processor, an 11th-generation model that offers plenty of single-core speed. It’s backed up with 8GB of RAM, supplied in a single memory module. The Asus Prime B560-Plus motherboard has three RAM…

Is there a £600 replacement for wife’s Samsung laptop? Q My partner’s 10-year-old Samsung laptop is on its last legs, and as her birthday is coming up I would like to replace it. She uses it for browsing, shopping and producing flyers for the golf club. We are pensioners and have a budget of £600. She needs something with a minimum 14in screen, microSD card reader, three USB ports and Windows 10. We have discussed a Chromebook but decided against it. David Blatchford A £600 is a tight budget for a laptop, so there isn’t a great deal of choice. However, for your partner’s requirements, we’d recommend the IntelCorei5-1135G7 version of Dell’s Inspiron 15 3000 laptop, which is available from Dell for £569 at www.snipca.com/38785. This is one of the latest 11th…

If you don’t have a printer, or don’t want to spend money on label sheets, there is another option: ‘Labels to Go’. This service lets you use C&D to buy postage as explained above, then print the label from a Royal Mail delivery office–you’ll just need to open the PDF of your label on your phone, then scan its QR code. There’s no additional charge for this service, but it’s only available in certain locations. To find your nearest location, open the Royal Mail app as explained in Step 6, then tap Find, ‘Use my location’, ‘More filters’ and select ‘Label printing service’.…

BROWSERS Make Edge’s download bar appear at the bottom A couple of months ago Microsoft Edge started to show the download bar at the top of the screen rather than the bottom. This confused me for a while – I kept looking for the bar at the bottom, where it had previously been, and where I prefer it. I worked out how to move it back to the bottom. You need to search for Edge on your computer, then right-click the result and choose ‘Open file location’. This will open File Explorer, showing the Microsoft Edge-entry. Right-click this, then select ‘Open file location’ again. You should now see ‘msedge.exe’, which is Edge’s executable file. Rightclick this and select ‘Send to’ followed by ‘Desktop (create shortcut)’. Now close File Explorer and…

£150 from Amazon www.snipca.com/38079 Your Group Test of printers in Issue 606 (pages 24-25) caught my eye, particularly your review of Canon’s Pixma TS8350, to which you gave top marks. I’ve owned one since last August, and it’s everything you say about it, and more. I say more, because while you said it was great for printing photos, you didn’t mention that it also prints directly on to CDs. In fact, it’s the third Canon printer I’ve owned that prints directly on to CDs. The price you quote is good, because mine cost me more (I notice that the RRP on Amazon is actually £149.99, so you found it for £30 cheaper). As a wee extra, I’d recommend sticking to the manufacturer’s cartridges. I’ve found them superior to compatible replacements.…

Motion Alarm Clock Free* iOS www.snipca.com/38723 If you struggle to get out of bed in the morning, this iOS-only app offers a novel solution. Rather than simply tapping the screen to dismiss the alarm, you need to prove that you’re not just going to fall back asleep again by picking up your device and moving it around it for several seconds. Best For Those who easily doze off again Alarmy Free* Android www.snipca.com/38725 iOS www.snipca.com/38726 Alarmy has loud ringtones to rouse heavy sleepers, or soothing sounds for those who prefer to wake up gradually. You can opt to stop your alarm using a variety of ‘missions’, including solving maths problems or scanning barcodes. Premium users (from £2.46 a month) can silence alarms by typing phrases or taking a certain number…

MICROSOFT POWERPOINT Remove notes from your slides PowerPoint lets you add speaker notes to each slide in a presentation. These notes will be visible on your computer when you’re presenting, but won’t be shown on the screen you’re presenting with. However, should someone ask for a copy of your presentation after the event, providing them with the original PowerPoint file means they’ll also see all your notes. Don’t waste time deleting each note individually. Instead, save a copy of your presentation, then open it in PowerPoint. Next, click File, Info, ‘Check for issues’, then Inspect Document. In the window that opens, untick all boxes except Presentation Notes, then click Inspect. PowerPoint will now scan your slides for notes and, if it finds any, will display a Remove All button (see…

What are they? Online searches that produce little or no reliable results, creating a vacuum in which someone with malicious intent can spread misinformation. Data voids can occur because the search query is obscure or hasn’t been typed very often, but it also happens when a news story is breaking. Can you give an example? Yes – or rather, Google can. In a recent blog post (www.snipca.com/38806), it referred to the search term ‘ufo 106 mph’ (1 in screenshot right), which became suddenly popular in 2016 following reports that a police helicopter had filmed a flying saucer in Wales. It’s precisely the kind of rumour that spreads quickly through social media, prompting people to search online for more details. The problem is that reputable news outlets usually haven’t had time to…

I have four computers: three laptops and a desktop PC. As things stand, I’ll be able to install Windows 11 on only my four-year-old Dell XPS 13 laptop (it has TPM 2.0). The rest fail Microsoft’s stringent system requirements in various ways. Of these rejects, only my 2014 Dell E6410 laptop has a TPM, but it’s the 1.2 version. Thanks to recent SSD upgrades, they all run Windows 10 perfectly well, and I’m reasonably sure there’s nothing in Windows 11 that they won’t be able to cope with (even if it means I have to turn off some of the animated effects). I know I’m not alone in discovering (with some dismay) that most of my computers aren’t compatible with Windows 11. Come on, Microsoft, don’t send our old computers…

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2G Second-generation mobile network. 32bit/64bit A measure of how much data a PC can process at once. Most older computers are 32bit, more modern ones are 64bit. 3G/4G/5G Technologies that deliver faster mobile broadband. 4K Video with a resolution of at least 3840x2160 pixels. 360p/720p/1080p/1440p Common types of high-definition video of 1280x720, 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 pixels respectively. 802.11ax Wi-Fi standard with speeds up to 10 times faster than 802.11ac. Also called Wi-Fi 6. AMOLED Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode. An alternative technology to LCD for creating flat-panel displays. Most commonly used in smartphones, tablets and smartwatches. aptX A codec used to compress audio so it can be transmitted over Bluetooth with minimal loss in quality. Aspect ratio A measurement of the shape of a display. Traditional computer screens are 4:3. Widescreen…