Table of contents for September 2015 in Windows Help & Advice

It’s here! By now you might already be using Windows 10. If you’re not, and you’ve been waiting for us to give you the nod, then don’t delay! Unlike previous versions of Windows, Windows 10 is free to upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. To make life even easier, by the time your computer prompts you to upgrade (just look out for the notification), it will have downloaded Windows 10 in the background, so it’s ready for you to install straight away. If you need any tips, we have an installation guide that starts on page 50 . And to help you use the new system, we have plenty of great tutorials on offer, including how to use the Start menu ( page 56 ), how to get…

Semantic Paint Is this a new Dulux range? No. The first answer’s always no. Semantic Paint is a Microsoft project that uses the company’s Kinect Xbox camera to scan in the world around you in real-time, and recognise objects. So why does it have the word ‘Paint’ in its title, then? This is the clever bit – as it can recognise objects, you can virtually paint them different colours in real time. It will even understand your fingers and feet so you can sweep across the real objects with bursts of colour. What purpose does it serve? Semantic Paint has a bunch of potential applications. If you’re thinking of repainting your living room you can see exactly how it’ll look in a shade of bright fuchsia, and it could be…

After years of lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of broadband speeds, it seems that the UK is finally catching up – and overtaking – other countries. According to this year’s State of the Internet report, from content delivery system Akamai, the UK has the fastest average mobile broadband speeds on the planet. In the UK, the average 4G speed clocks in at a whopping 20.4 Mbps. In second place comes Denmark, where the connection speed is 10 Mbps – less than half the UK’s figure. And everywhere else in the world is slower still, all the way down to Vietnam’s paltry 1.3 Mbps. While we may have the fastest connection speeds on our mobiles, home connections are a different story. South Korea tops the charts, with…

1 Work with this Macrium will take a complete image of your hard drive – you may have heard this referred to as ’ghosting’ – so that in the event of disaster, you can return to the exact state your PC is currently in. Open it up and you’ll see a brief map of your hard drive and its partitions. 2 Back it up Plug in your external hard drive – obviously this will need to have more free space than the total amount of disk space used on the drive you’re backing up. Click ’Image this disk, select the drive you’re cloning onto, then click ’Next’to start backing up. 3 To the rescue In the left column, click ’Other tasks’ then choose ’Create bootable rescue media. Click ’Next’ a…

Your guide Matt Hanson says… “We’ve got an exclusive version of PDF Transformer+ that will make files smarter and easier to share” At a glance… SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts TIME TAKEN 10 minutes SUITABLE FOR Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Windows Vista Windows XP Portable Document Format (PDF) files are incredibly versatile, as they allow people to share high-quality text and image documents easily. They’re lightweight, yet still look great, which makes them perfect for the internet or saving to a USB drive. Although tools for viewing PDF files are free, most programs that let you create, edit and share PDF files can be expensive, but we’ve got a special version of the excellent application PDF Transformer+ for Windows Help and Advice readers that will…

Your guide Nick Peers says… “Create easily recoverable backups of your email and browser settings with the help of KLS Mail Backup.” At a glance… SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts TIME TAKEN 20 minutes SUITABLE FOR Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Windows Vista Windows XP You shouldn’t need reminding how important backups are – just ask anyone who has lost documents, photos or other files. Windows is pretty good at keeping your files backed up, but it never hurts to have multiple backup strategies in place to minimise the risk of data loss. This is where KLS Mail Backup comes in. The free program allows you to selectively back up both email and browser settings for a wide range of programs, including Outlook Express, Windows Live…

Your guide Matt Hanson says… “Twitter isn’t just about following famous people, you can also use it to control your PC remotely!” At a glance… SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts TIME TAKEN 15 mins SUITABLE FOR Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Windows Vista Windows XP Twitter has taken the world by storm with people sharing their 140-character thoughts with the world. Part of its appeal is its simplicity, but underneath the hood, it’s actually a complex and powerful service, and this has allowed services such as TweetMyPC to take advantage and create tools that are a world away from Twitter’s original goals. What’s great about TweetMyPC is it lets you remotely control your PC via Twitter. If you’re away from home, for instance, and have left…

Your guide Zak Storey says… “Now you’ve finally got Windows 10 installed, it’s time to find out what it has to offer” At a glance… SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts TIME TAKEN 1 hour SUITABLE FOR Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Windows Vista Windows XP When it comes to aiding productivity Windows 10 has plenty on offer. Whether it’s aero snapping your apps to corners or asking Cortana to help you out by setting reminders, it’s all there to streamline your daily computing. The best approach is to dive right into as many of the settings as you can – personalising your operating system, desktop and programs for the tasks you perform the most. For instance, if Cortana isn’t your thing, or you prefer…

Just because Cortana doesn’t play nicely with non-Microsoft products it doesn’t mean you’re stuck using it if you’re a devotee of, say, Google’s suite. We’d recommend trying Google’s voice search, which anyone with a copy of Chrome can use. It’s not enabled by default, so open Chrome and type chrome://settings/ into the address bar. In the search section, check the box next to ‘Enable OK Google’. Now just open up a new tab, say ‘OK Google’ and speak. You’re just performing a Google search, but since tools such as a calculator, calendar and Wikipedia summaries are built into Google’s search engine by default, you should find what you’re looking for.…

You can trust our reviews Our expert reviewers are 100 per cent independent, with years of experience in the world of computing. Our rigorous testing procedures mean that only genuine, high-quality products are awarded high star ratings. Further, very few are handed our Best Value or Best on Test Awards. If you see an item of hardware bearing one of these marks, you can be confident that it is an excellent product. Always check when the award was given, to ensure it is still up-to-date. We choose the best products Thousands of new products for your computer are released every year and choosing between them can sometimes be an impossible task. Our experts select only the best hardware and software to feature in this magazine, making your decision on which…

Computers and animation have always gone hand-in-hand, whether it’s the undulating Windows loading screen or a cutting-edge CGI movie rendered on a Hollywood supercomputer. Animations can be great fun to make, too. Thanks to the way computers work they’re easier than ever, requiring none of the hand-painted individual cells which defined the days of Disney. Kids, especially, can enjoy aping the cartoons they see on TV while indulging their artistic tendencies, and then gleefully show off their creations to their friends and family. The best way to get started doesn’t need any drawing talent. PowToon (www.powtoon.com) includes ready-made animated characters and backgrounds, and, after a short tutorial, you’ll be able to create your own short film, or customise ready-made ones. The site makes its money through paid-for content, but you…

Windows Vista Disable Sidebar The Sidebar was one of Windows Vista’s big selling points. As its name suggests it’s a neat little toolbar, which sits to the right of your desktop, displaying useful information such as the time, weather and news. However, it’s about as safe as a round of golf in a thunderstorm. It seems that naughty internet people worked out how to use the Sidebar and its gadgets to execute malicious code and potentially ruin your PC. Microsoft recommends turning off the Sidebar indefinitely, and it’s even provided a tool to quickly remove it. Visit https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2719662 and (somewhat confusingly) download and run the ‘Enable’ Fix It. Windows 8 Remove Properties When you take a photo with a smartphone or digital camera, a bunch of metadata is embedded in…

1 Which noted watch maker will release its very first smartwatch next year? A. Sekonda B. Omega C. Casio 2 A MasterCard app will use what to verify transactions? A. Tongue prints B. Selfies C. Voice recognition 3 Remy Martin cognac bottles are to include NFC chips – but what does NFC stand for? A. Not For Children B. Near-Field Communication C. Networked File Clearance 4 Nathan Drake is the protagonist of which game series? A. Bioshock B. Uncharted C. Half-Life 5 Upcoming Apple CEO biopic Steve Jobs features which actor in the lead role? A. Ashton Kutcher B. Michael Fassbender C. Ewan McGregor 6 What is the BBC’s Micro Bit? A. A technology TV series B. A Twitter-like news website C. A tiny computer…

We’ve all learned to think before we click, whether we’re browsing the web, checking email or scrolling through tweets. Yet it’s easy for the occasional threat to pass beneath the radar. As the world’s most widely used desktop operating system, each new version of Windows has seen improvements where security is concerned, much of it built in at the core. There are also add-ons such as Microsoft Security Essentials, phishing detection for Internet Explorer and an improved permissions system. Even so, there’s still more you can do to keep your PC safe. We’ll reveal the true scale of international phishing, what proportion of global email traffic comprises spam, and the ways social networking can be used to make you click a false link. We’ll explain how to verify email senders,…

Whether you’re stuck for inspiration or want to become a master of your Windows computer, our Explore section is the place to come. Each month we pack it with tutorials covering a range of subjects suitable for all levels of expertise. This month, Matt shows how to make the most out of PDFs whether your sharing them or receiving them, while Cat explains how to make your keyboard shortcuts even more convenient. There’s never been a better time to see how your PC can make your life easier than ever! Your guide Nick Peers says… “Keep unwanted programs off your PC with the help of two free tools” graham.barlow@futurenet.com…

Your guide Matt Hanson says… Wouldn’t it be great if you could install all your favourite programs with a click of a button? With Ninite you can do just that! At a glance… SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts TIME TAKEN 5 mins SUITABLE FOR Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Windows Vista Windows XP Most of us have a long list of programs we use every day as well as apps we can’t live without. However, when you move to a new PC, or you need to format and reinstall Windows on your existing machine, installing your programs again can be an arduous task. Not only do you have to go to each program’s website to download the latest version of the app, but many installers have…

Your guide Nick Peers says… “Potentially unwanted programs and toolbars are a threat to both privacy and security – keep them off your PC with the help of two free security tools.” At a glance… SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts TIME TAKEN 15 minutes SUITABLE FOR Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Windows Vista Windows XP Malware comes in many disguises. Potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) attempt to sneak onto your system when installing other software or browsing certain websites. While annoying, many security tools ignore them because they’re not technically malicious, despite the fact many use deceptive wording to trick their way onto your PC. Some PUPs are annoying, but easily removed; others, however, can make changes to your system that are hard to reverse. Many are…

Your guide Christian Hall says… “If your PC seems to take an age to start, then follow these time-saving tips to arrive at your Windows desktop more quickly” At a glance… SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts TIME TAKEN 2 hours SUITABLE FOR Windows 7 Windows Vista Windows XP The instant startup is still the holy grail of computer users, and although Windows is getting faster with each new update, it still takes the average PC nearly three minutes to become ready to use. With a few clever tweaks, however, you can shave off valuable seconds, getting your boot times down to barely a minute. The more programs are on your computer, the more processes are introduced into the startup process. If left unchecked, it will…

Your guide Zak Storey says… “Using multiple virtual desktops is a fantastic way of organising work into separate manageable areas, each specific to the way you use your PC” At a glance… SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts TIME TAKEN 15 minutes SUITABLE FOR Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Windows Vista Windows XP The ability to have (and swap between) multiple desktops is a feature that has long been missing from Windows. If you use your PC for gaming, but also for office work, for example, it can be indispensable, (and less confusing) to have an individual desktop for each. In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through Microsoft Virtual Desktops – a feature that is new to Windows 10. This feature not only gives you…

There are three projects nearing release. Project Morpheus, Vive and Oculus Rift. Of these, Oculus Rift is the oldest, and several developer iterations have been released. A cut-down version of it made to work with Samsung mobile phones, the Samsung Gear VR, has already been released. It works by slotting a Samsung Note 4 or Galaxy S6 into a viewing device and runs with 1280 x 1440 on each eye and a 96 degree viewing angle. Despite that, there’s still no sign of the Oculus Rift consumer model. The most up-to-date version, the Crescent Bay prototype, has a positional tracking camera for your head, low-persistence OLED display and runs two screens at 960 x 1080 on each eye, at 90Hz, and a 110-degree viewing angle. No release date has been…

When it comes to tech, size matters. And for us that means larger than life as well as compact. Over on page 88 we review the Toshiba Canvio external hard drive, which has not one, but three terabytes of storage. We also put the super-slim HP Spectre through its paces, plus take time out with Heroes of the Storm – a big game that’s kept us busy! With September nearly here students will want to take the latest Windows 10 tech to class – read our round-up of six stylish machines on page 82. And if your studying days are long gone that still doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself… until next time!…

KEY FEATURES Toshiba 3TB Canvio external hard drive Capacity 3TB1 Interfaces USB 3.0 (backwards compatible with USB 2.0) Interface Transfer Rate: Up to 5 Gb/s (USB 3.0)4, up to 480 Mb/s (USB 2.0) Speed 5700 RPM Average Seek Time 14 ms Cache Buffer 32 MB Size (mm) 129x42x167 You don’t need to convince us – we already know it’s hard to get too excited by hard disk drives and storage in general. However, the latest addition to Toshiba’s Canvio Basics range really will bring a smile to your face. The HDTB330EK3CA, to give it its formal title, is the first 3TB 2.5-inch hard disk drive (internal or external) to appear on the market. We realise that it’s a lot of storage, and who needs precisely that much anyway? To put…

Price Free Developer Paradox Publisher Paradox Interactive Multiplayer Up to 8 players DRM Steam Web www.wizardwars.com Reviewed on Windows 8, Core i5, 8GB RAM, GTX 970 One of us is going to explode, eventually. Locked in one-on-one combat, our foe shoots a blast of arcane energy at us; we counter with a shield, bouncing his beam back at him. He’s stunned, so we take advantage by hosing him down with a water jet, then zapping him with lightning. He throws up a shield of his own, we don stone armour and rush him. He then shoots us in the chest with a flame. The duel is over; it’s a tie. Rarely have we had as much fun with a game as we have with duel mode in Magicka: Wizard…

Creating your animation from scratch is easy to do with programs that are freely available for Windows. Download and install Windows Movie Maker from http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-live/movie-maker, and you’ll also need some image-editing software in order to create the frames of your animation. Here we use Microsoft Paint, but the free Paint.Net (www.getpaint.net) gives you more features and control.…

Hyperlapse research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/ redmond/projects/hyperlapseapps/ Action camera videos are the new slideshows. We used to bore friends and family to tears with a seemingly endless succession of holiday snaps; now force them to endure hours of video shot from a first-person perspective. You can, of course, speed up these videos, but the result is often jerky and headache-inducing, especially if they’re jittery in the first place. Enter Microsoft’s Hyperlapse. Developed by boffins at the company’s research lab, it analyses frames of video for certain objects, and stitches them together, while speeding up the video at the same time. The result is a silky smooth version of any first-person activity, from an open-top bus tour of the Champs-Élysées to a strenuous climb up the Matterhorn. It’s a lot of fun to play with,…

1 Pick a template Run XMind and you’ll see tons of templates to choose from. You could use these to make an organisation chart, a travel itinerary, a straightforward flow chart and much more. For now, choose the ’blank’ template at the top left to get started. It’s easy to set your own structure. 2 Add some thoughts Double-click the single box that appears to edit its label. This is the central tenet of your mind map. Now right-click in an area of empty space and choose ’Floating topic’ to create a new box. Double-click it to label it, then drag it near to the main box to link the two. 3 Spread it out Creating and dragging further boxes will build a hierarchical structure automatically; you can add a…

Packed with informative tutorials Every issue, we guarantee to pack the magazine with great tutorials teaching you all the best things you can do with your PC. Each article features step-by-step instructions to make learning new skills fast and enjoyable. Customise Windows to work your way We all know how to do the basics but getting the most from Windows isn’t always easy. Our dedication to the operating system means you get the very best tips and tricks for all versions of Windows. Get more from your favourite websites We all have our list of favourite sites but often we miss out on great features because they’re difficult to use or hidden from sight. We’ll show you how to do more online, for a more satisfying web life. Use our…

Your guide Cat Ellis says… “Put the world at your fingertips with quicker and more convenient keyboard shortcuts.” At a glance… SKILL LEVEL Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts TIME TAKEN 30 minutes SUITABLE FOR Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Windows Vista Windows XP You might have stumbled across the StickyKeys function by accidentally tapping the [Shift] key five times (easily done when playing a game) and dismissed the pop-up window without a second thought. But this feature can be very useful, making multi-key shortcuts easier to use and saving you time. StickyKeys a built-in accessibility options in Windows. It takes the hassle out of multiple-key shortcuts by letting you tap [Ctrl], [Shift] or [Alt] to toggle it (in the same way that the [Caps Lock] key effectively locks…

If you want to talk to Cortana, a microphone is essential. Any headset will do the trick nicely. You may even get good results with your laptop’s built-in microphone, as long as there’s not too much background noise. For the full effect, though, we recommend an omnidirectional mic, such as the Blue Microphones Snowball, with the gain set quite high. That way you’ll be able to activate Cortana and use your PC – even from a distance. When Cortana’s software manipulation skills improve further, and you’re able to tell it exactly what you want to watch or play, this will make for a perfect hands-free media centre.…

Not all AR devices share the same hardware and software, but there are basic aspects they do need. First, you need a processor, a transparent display to show the world and the projections, a light power source, plus sensors and input devices. Sensors are mostly included as standard in mobile phones. An accelerometer lets you measure impetus, a GPS measures global location, and a magnetometer or solid-state compass measures the device’s orientation against the Earth’s gravitational field – that is, the ground. Luckily, modern smartphones contain all of those things. For AR technologies that aren’t based on mobile phones, if you want these elements, they have to be built in, increasing the size and cost of the device. Sony’s system has an external box clipped to the lapel, while HoloLens…

How we review One of the key tenets of our review philosophy is that hardware should be compared against like products wherever possible. It is only when you pit the finest products of a certain type against one another – at the same time – that you can really come up with a definitive verdict as to which is the very best in that category. The pace of development in computer hardware means that it is very difficult to compare scores from today with those from, say, six months ago. Magazines and websites that review a new product on its own run the risk of confusing or misleading. We guarantee to test every piece of hardware rigorously and thoroughly, using only acknowledged experts to establish the worth of a product.…