Table of contents for March 2019 in Windows Help & Advice

In this always-on, connected world it’s more important than ever to take your privacy and security seriously – whether that’s on your PC or online. In this month’s lead feature (page 11), you’ll discover the steps you can take to keep your computer and the files it contains safe from nasties, and how you can protect yourself further by securing your online accounts. We’ll even suggest alternatives to social media behemoths like Twitter and Facebook. Starting on page 46, we’ll also show you how to get – and keep – your PC clutter-free, while on page 50 we have some top tips for optimising Windows, helping you ensure your machine is the best it can be. Talking of which, solid-state drives (SSDs) are a fantastic way to breathe new life…

New Edge A new Edge? What about the old Edge? Microsoft Edge isn’t going anywhere. You probably won’t even notice a difference. But if you’re someone who uses the Edge web browser, you’re in the minority – and the people building the web have noticed. They’re optimising their technology for other browsers, meaning Edge is starting to fall behind, and it’s time for Microsoft to do something about it. So what’s happening? Google’s Chrome is currently top of the browser tree, and Edge is being rebuilt from the ground up, using the same underlying technologies that power Chrome and its open-source analog Chromium. It’s an interesting choice, because it marks Microsoft’s willingness to embrace open technologies as well as being a tacit admission that Edge wasn’t up to scratch. How…

Nimi Places http://mynimi.net/ If your attitude towards organisation is to throw everything at your desktop and let it sort itself out, you’re not alone – and that desktop is probably looking mighty full by now. Not to worry, though, because Nimi Places is the perfect tool to get everything back up to scratch. It lets you divide your desktop into little pens, which contain only the files that match the type you’ve previously defined. Keep the allocated area small, and you’ll be able to expand it to see what’s inside. You can also use the pens to perform actions on your files, if you’d prefer. Sling a document in, for example, and it might shred it by deleting it from your drive without it hitting the Recycle Bin, or move…

Security and privacy are critical in this always-on, permanently connected world. Over the past 20 years we’ve slowly surrendered control of our personal data and privacy in return for convenience and so-called “free” services. It’s time to take back control. We’ll open by ensuring your PC’s underlying security is up to scratch, revealing that while Windows Security is a much-improved product, it’s not sufficient to keep your PC protected on its own. You’ll also discover which tools we currently recommend that will fill your security gaps. From here you’ll venture online to give yourself a security and privacy audit. We’ll reveal ways to lock down your online accounts using stronger passwords and two-factor authentication to keep hackers beyond arm’s length. You’ll also learn how to add extra encryption to critical…

1 Initial steps Download and install GlassWire from www.glasswire.com – during setup, leave the default options ticked, then let the program launch after installation completes. Wait while GlassWire performs an initial scan of your network, past and present. After a short pause, a graph should appear. 2 View activity The graph will alert you to the specific applications and processes that are initiating connections – use the Usage tab to review these – keep an eye on the Apps section to see which programs and processes are consuming the most bandwidth. Click one for more details, or Google its name online. 3 Block apps If you don’t trust a process, switch to the Firewall tab. Click ‘Off’ next to the Firewall to switch it on. Leave ‘Click to Block’ selected…

If you often find that files don’t open with the apps you think they should, our step-by-step guide on page 28 will help you out. In it you’ll discover what file associations mean and how you can choose your default apps so your files always open in the program you choose all the time, every time. On page 42 we also tackle some of the thornier problems you’re likely to encounter with Windows Update, and to make sure you have some fun too, our guide to Luminar (page 24) shows you how to get started with this brilliant photo editor.…

Bluetooth makes it easy to connect devices and peripherals to your PC without getting tangled up in a spaghetti of cabling. Using this wireless technology, you can connect everything from a mouse and keyboard to speakers to your computer. You can also perform useful tasks such as transferring files back and forth between another computer or your phone without the need to track down a cable. But if you’ve never used Bluetooth, you may not know where to start, or just what you can do with it. This is where we can help! If you’re bamboozled by Bluetooth, read on to find out just how easy it is to connect to all manner of devices. We’ll show you how to connect to different peripherals, how to control settings, how to…

Like most messaging services, WhatsApp is most popular on smartphones. Both Android and iPhone fans can use the app to send and receive messages while they are on the move, but you may not know that it is also possible to use WhatsApp on your computer. This is great for when you are at home and want to type messages using a proper keyboard rather than fiddling with a tiny on-screen keyboard on your phone. In fact, there are two ways you can use WhatsApp from the comfort of your PC – either using the web-based version of the service, or by installing an app. Both options work well, and it is worth trying out both WhatsApp on the web, and the desktop app to see which one suits you…

Unfortunately, we live in an age when our security isn’t guaranteed, and that’s especially true online. Email addresses, passwords, mother’s maiden name, dog’s maiden name, inside leg measurements – they’re all identifying data that can be stolen if website security is breached. Password managers help alleviate the risk by generating and – most importantly – remembering strong passwords for you. Instead of typing at least eight characters with a number, three upper case letters, one punctuation mark and a symbol that doesn’t appear on your keyboard every time you access a site, you type one easily remembered master password, and the password manager does the rest. Here, we’re looking at Dashlane, a password manager with both a free mode and a monthly subscription. Find it at www.dashlane.com. At a glance…

When it comes to M.2 NVMe SSDs based on flash memory, we’re not going to pull any big surprises. Samsung’s 970 Pro, available in 512GB and 1TB formats for £200 and £386 respectively, is our pick of the premium M.2 drives. Its advantage over the competition isn’t enormous, but it’s still the daddy – just by a smaller margin. Its core specifications are the chief reason why the 970 Pro is so good. For starters, it uses Samsung’s hottest 64-layer 3D MLC NAND memory, where the 970 Evo uses cheaper but ultimately slower 3D TLC NAND. Then it packs at least 512MB of LPDDR4 DRAM cache. Finally, there’s Samsung’s very latest and greatest controller chip and firmware combo, known as Phoenix. The net result? Sequential read speeds of 3.5GB/s that…

When I right-click inside File Explorer and choose New, the sub-folder takes up to five seconds to appear. How do I fix this? Frank Thwaite It appears to be a problem introduced with the October 2018 Update. Rumours suggest there’ll be a fix, but not until the next major update. I’m looking for a free painting tool – something like Corel Painter, only without the cost. Alison Barnham Try Krita (https://krita.org), an open-source tool geared towards all kinds of art from comic strips to texture and matte paintings.…

This month’s lead feature (page 11) is all about making your PC – and online life – more secure, but what about the details you share with Microsoft? If you log in to your PC using a Microsoft account, the things you search for, and your browsing history are shared with the company – ostenibly to return more relevant results. If you’re worried about what this means for your privacy, you can check what Microsoft knows easily.…

1 Windows 10 Head to www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows10 and click ‘Download tool now’. Once downloaded, open MediaCreationTool. exe. When prompted, select ‘Create installation media’ and follow the prompts to create either a USB flash drive or an ISO file (for burning to DVD). 2 Windows 8.1 Download the Media Creation Tool from www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows8 – input your language, edition of Windows 8.1 and PC architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) and then click Next. Choose to create either a USB flash drive or an ISO file and then follow the prompts to the end. 3 Windows 7 Go to www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows7 and enter your product key – choose a 32-bit or 64-bit version as required. Once downloaded, double-click the file to burn to DVD, or use the Windows USB Download Tool (https://wudt.codeplex.com) to create a USB…

1 Reboot for media If you’re running Windows 7, or have Fast Boot disabled, insert your boot media and start your PC. Look for a ‘Press any key to boot from CD or DVD’ option (even if you’ve booted from a USB flash drive) – press the key and you should find the Windows install process starts. 2 Tweak boot options If you boot back into Windows, restart your PC again, but this time press a key, such as [F11], when prompted to open a boot menu. Do so, select your boot media (choose UEFI if the option appears) to boot; otherwise, enter Setup to change the boot device order. 3 Windows 8.1/10 If Fast Boot is enabled, open Settings in Windows and navigate to ‘Update & recovery’ > Recovery,…

The apps on your PC are forever being updated – sometimes it’s to add new features, but often it’s to squish bugs or banish security flaws, but how can you make sure you have the latest versions on your PC? You could trust an app’s own updater, if it has one, but are you seriously going to be able to keep on top of every single app update that way? Turn to page 88 and you’ll discover four programs that make the whole update process quick and easy – and they’re free! While you’re here, check out our in-depth reviews of the latest gadgets, too. Nick Odantzis Deputy Editor windowsmagazine@futurenet.com…

1 Patch My PC Home Updater  https://patchmypc.com/home-updater-download Patch My PC has a large following – and it’s easy to see why. This is a portable app, making it ideal for sticking on a USB flash drive, and it’s wonderfully simple to use. As soon as you launch Patch My PC, it scans your PC, determines which apps you’ve installed, and lets you know which ones needs updating. The database of programs it supports isn’t exhaustive, but is comprehensive. If there are any out-of-date apps detected on your PC, you can update them all with a single click – there’s no need to manually start each updater since each of the updates will be downloaded for you in turn. Many programs will update ‘silently’ without the need for any intervention, but…

Imagine a full-size laptop that can literally fit in your pocket Flat screens? Pah. Curved screens? Yesterday’s news. In the future, everything’s going to fold. We’ve looked at the Royale FlexPai in these pages before – the world’s first folding smartphone, aimed at the Chinese market – but that was the tip of the iceberg. Not only are phone manufacturers eagerly eyeing the potential of bendy screens, but TV manufacturers (see LG’s rollable Signature OLED R) and now PC bigwigs have spotted gold in the foldable hills Microsoft has long been refining its patents for folding-screen laptops, and insiders snooping around recent preview builds of Windows have spotted changes to its programming that relate to compatibility with folding screens, suggesting the future may be slightly closer than we were thinking.…

The world is gearing up for the next stage of the mobile Internet revolution, and the ever-squabbling tech community looks like it’s reached some kind of consensus on what it’s going to look like. There’s a standard, called 5G NR, due to be used worldwide. There are devices, early examples of which have been hinted at by manufacturers like OnePlus and Honor (with bigger names sure to follow) due for release later this year. Networks have begun rolling out the hardware that those devices will connect to – and by the end of 2019, you may well find an urban centre near you offering 5G mobile Internet. MORE SPEED What’s the big deal, though? Well, 5G is far, far faster than 4G, by orders of magnitude. It’s likely to be…

These days, it’s almost an unconscious act to store your precious files – documents, photos and the like – in the cloud. You’re also likely to have an online account from the likes of Microsoft or Google that provides email, chat and other services. And what about your online banking, bill paying, shopping accounts and subscriptions to music, family history and other services? The fact is, we’ve spread ourselves increasingly thinly online, and in doing so have likely taken major compromises with security. Over the next few pages we’ll look at switching to more secure and privacy-conscious alternatives, but for now let’s look at some basic techniques you should follow to lock down your accounts. Change your passwords If you’ve never done so, now would be an excellent time to…

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. Discover new…

You quite probably don’t think about file associations – that is, which application different types of files are associated with and open in – until something goes wrong. You may install an image editor and find that when you double-click a photo file it is not the Windows Image Viewer that loads, but the new editor. This is because the default file associations have changed, and there are lots of different types of files that this can happen with. Just like image files, media files such as MP3s can be opened by a wide range of apps, and if you have several programs installed that are capable of opening them, you’ll need to choose which one you would like to use as the default. But there may be times when…

When you decide you no longer use a program on your computer, it makes sense to remove it – there is no point in wasting drive space after all. Revo Uninstaller is a free program that can be used to safely and effectively uninstall unwanted software, but you may be wondering why you need it. After all, Windows has its own built in uninstaller. Revo Uninstaller goes beyond being just a basic uninstaller. As well as removing programs you no longer need, this handy utility can also clean up after earlier, messier uninstallations that left behind unnecessary files and Registry entries. Revo Uninstaller has additional cleaning tools that can be used to claim back even more space. There are also options that can be used to protect your privacy and…

Windows Update is an essential tool for keeping Windows 10 up to date, closing security holes and adding new features. Microsoft makes good use of it, with patches arriving on a regular basis to react to new threats. The speed at which patches appear has its downsides, though, and that’s when the system can go wrong. Updates may refuse to install for a number of reasons, some of which are arcane and difficult to fix directly. Luckily, there are a few things you can try to resolve such issues, including uninstalling particular updates before attempting to redownload them. There’s a nuclear option, too: the repair reinstall. This installs a fresh copy of Windows 10 with updates intact, but leaves your files and installed apps untouched. The takeaway: Problems with Windows…

Every so often downloads on Firefox seem to get stuck while downloading. Any ideas why? Andy Hutchins This can often be traced to an over-zealous security package – in Andy’s case, Bitdefender’s encrypted web scan. If you trust the download, temporarily switch the feature off under Protection > Online Threat Prevention > Settings. Can you recommend an alternative to Windows 10’s System Restore? Given that Microsoft keeps disabling it. Peter Star Check out last issue’s main feature on backing up your PC using Paragon Backup & Recovery Free (www.paragon-software.com/free/br-free/),which can be configured to take incremental backups of your entire PC on a daily basis. I’m struggling to get a photo positioned and resized correctly in Word. Any tips? Ashar Bhupal Try right-clicking on the troublesome image and choose ‘Size and…

So far, we’ve covered both traditional reinstall techniques, but there are other reasons – and methods – for reinstalling Windows. First up is the recovery option. Most pre-built PCs come with a built-in manufacturer’s recovery partition that enables you to restore Windows to its factory shipped condition. The main advantage of this method – aside from being cheaper and easier for the manufacturer, of course – is that your PC is restored to a guaranteed working state, with all the drivers it needs to function. The downsides are that a lot of extra unwanted software is usually installed alongside Windows, you need to exercise extreme caution not to lose everything on the drive, and that if the recovery partition corrupts – typically due to hardware failure – you’re left with…

You can trust our reviews Our 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. If you see an item of hardware bearing a high score, you can be confident that it is an excellent product. We choose the best products Thousands of new PC products are released every year and choosing between them can be an impossible task. Our experts select only the best hardware and software to feature in this magazine. Even better, our star rating system makes it simple to find the best products, giving you a fast, trustworthy guide. How we review Our expert reviewers guarantee to test every piece of hardware rigorously and thoroughly,…

Philips 436M6VBPAB Supplier www.philips.com LCD panel type MVA Backlight type B-LED+QD Film Colour gamut (min.) BT. 709 coverage: 100%; DCI-P3 coverage: 97.6% Colour gamut (typical) NTSC 119%; sRGB 145% HDR DisplayHDR 1000 & UHDA certified Effective viewing area (HxV) 941.18x529.42mm Aspect ratio 16:9 Resolution 3,840x2,160 @60Hz (4K UHD) Pixel density 103.64 PPI Response time (typical) 4ms (GtoG) Brightness (typical/peak) 720 cd/m²/ 1000 cd/m² Contrast ratio (typical) 4,000:1 Pixel pitch 0.245x0.245mm Viewing angle (H/V) 178-degrees/ 178-degrees Display colours 1.07 billion (10 bit) sRGB Yes Adaptive sync Yes Built-in speakers 2x 7W with DTS sound Connectivity 1x DisplayPort 1.4; 1x mini DisplayPort 1.4; 1x HDMI 2.0; USB-C (DP Alt mode); 2x USB 3.0; 1x PC audio input; 1x headphone output Weight (with stand) 14.71kg Size (with stand) 976x661x264mm…

This year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas was full of innovation and, as CES tends to be, it was also full of robotics. Whether any of it will ever land in your home is doubtful, but the tech is getting closer and closer – the robots of the future will both help to improve your overall health and bring you a glass of water so you can be more lazy. There was also a big focus on companionship this year; robots can be cuddly too, apparently.…

1 Which of these is a modifier key? A Ctrl B Spacebar C Caps Lock 2 Historically, which of the following was not a modifier? A Hyper B Super C Dothis 3 Which of these is not a keyboard once made by IBM? A Model Z B Model M C Model F 4 How many keys are there on a standard full-size keyboard? A 104 B 121 C 82 5 AZERTY keyboards are typically used by speakers of which European language? A Dutch B French C Hungarian 6 And which language typically uses the QWERTZ layout? A Russian B Japanese C German…

Windscribe (https://windscribe.com) is one of several Virtual Private Network (VPN) providers that offers a free package – you have to provide an email address to sign up, and you’re limited to just ten worldwide locations (including critically the UK for dialling into domestic services from abroad). You do get a generous 10GB of bandwidth per month to play with, enough to stream plenty of catch-up TV while you’re away from home. Here’s how to install Windscribe and make the best use of its features… 1 First steps Before you set off on your travels, download and install the Windows client from https://windscribe.com/download – we recommend choosing ‘Custom install’ to review your settings, then allow Windscribe to launch when you’re done. 2 Register and connect Click ‘Preferences’ to stop Windscribe launching…

Luminar 3 is an app for anyone who has folders full of digital images on their PC, and wants to not only organise them, but also make small, non-destructive, edits to many of them quickly. In this way, it’s a close cousin of Adobe’s Lightroom app, but without the monthly subscription – Luminar can be bought for a one-off payment, and a free trial is available from https://skylum.com/luminar. Like Lightroom, there are two sides to Luminar: an image import and organisation side that enables you to assign ratings and labels to your images, as well as export them as new files post-editing; and there’s the side that edits your images. Not in a layered, special effects, Photoshop way (though there is a layers system) but rather for tweaking exposure, image…

Whether you shoot photos on your phone or a DSLR, not every snap is going to turn out to be a masterpiece. So many things can get in the way of true artistic expression, be it the lighting refusing to come from the direction you want it to, or inconvenient geography making it impossible to stand exactly where you want. These are the sorts of thing image-editing apps can help you with. Tweaks to lighting, slight changes to the composition, and even small alterations to the colours in an image can make a huge difference to the way an image is perceived. It can make the difference between a photo that’s looked at in detail or one that’s just passed by. Here are some of the simplest and most effective…

The Clipboard is just a simple tool that you can use to store a snippet of text or an image ready to paste from one place to another. Just press [Ctrl] + [C] to copy and [Ctrl] + [V] to paste, right? This is true, but the Clipboard in Windows 10 is much more capable than this – assuming you’ve updated to at least the October 2018 Update, that is. There are a number of features available now that you previously only found in third-party tools. You can, for example, access a history of items you have copied, giving you the ability to store multiple items on the Clipboard. You can also ‘pin’ text or images you need to paste frequently so they are always accessible, and you can even…

Thanks to the advice of Japanese cleaning expert Marie Kondo (https://konmari.com/),whose Netflix show is proving enormously popular), tidying up is suddenly cool. Around the world, people are piling up their possessions, holding each item in their hands and asking the question: does this spark joy? If there’s no reaction, it’s time to let go. Kondo’s book and TV show focus on physical clutter, but you can apply the same principles to your computer (this guide isn’t endorsed by Kondo, but uses similar ideas). First, you’ll need to set aside some time. It’s important to do everything at once – Kondo’s way of tidying is a short, sharp shock rather than a gradual, comfortable process. It’s intended to be such a huge change, it’ll shock you out of your old habits…

You know the most annoying area of clutter on most PCs? The Taskbar, especifically, the notification area. There’s a lot in there that tries to hide itself, but clicking the up arrow icon will likely reveal a bunch of software that’s running without doing anything useful. We’re not suggesting you dump your anti-virus (though Windows Defender is now very good indeed, so consider whether you need to give up the resources to anything else), and we’ll give a pass to certain hardware drivers that make our keyboards do cool things. The rest, though, can probably go. The quickest and easiest way to kill programs that start automatically – and this isn’t limited to notification area apps – is to open Task Manager with [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Esc], and head…

When it comes to value SSDs, there’s such a thing as false economy. A cheap drive from an unknown brand looks great on paper, with plenty of capacity and appealing performance numbers. But therein lies danger. Engineering a flash-based SSD that delivers good long-term performance and reliability is no easy task. It requires deft integration of multiple components and quality coding of the drive’s firmware. Specifically, one of the major challenges includes effective rubbish collection that mitigates the inherent loss of performance over time as NAND blocks fill with data. For that you need a quality controller chip and good firmware algorithms. Bigger brands can invest in such technologies and share the cost over a wide range of products. Another problem for cheap drives involves the related issues of over-provisioning…

If you’re having problems with your PC, many of them can be solved by performing a repair or reinstall of the operating system – whether you’re running Windows 7, 8.1 or 10. On page 70 we’ll show you how to set about repairing your existing Windows installation – it will leave your existing apps, files and settings in place, but can work wonders if Windows has got its knickers in a twist. Our guide to a full, destructive reinstall on page 72 is more drastic, but can sometimes be the best way to fix your PC. And on page 74 we’ll reveal some other reinstallation options for you to try.…

Big audio upgrades are one of the best changes you can make to your living room, especially from the speakers most TVs include. Not every room can take a surround-sound setup, though, which is why soundbars have been such a big hit – they offer more speaker power without taking over. Here, we’re looking at mid-range bars that offer stereo or virtual surround at the more expensive end, but not Dolby Atmos. These are all about bang for your buck when it comes to meaty sound, but also offer extra smarts in a few cases that make them better for music or even smart home use, and not just good for adding thump to your favourite action movies. 1 Yamaha YAS-306 £279, uk.yamaha.com The Air Surround Xtreme virtual…