Table of contents for March 2017 in Windows Help & Advice

It seems that no matter what you do, your PC eventually becomes cluttered up with things you don’t need, and before you know it it’s ground to a halt. So, this issue we’ve decided it’s time to take stock and get your PC back in some sort of order. We’ll be showing you how to clear out junk files, remove duplicates, switch to portable apps to lighten the load on your PC and control which apps run and when. We also have a great guide to upgrading an old PC, starting on page 62 . If you’ve got an ancient PC sitting unloved somewhere in your house then it could be the time to bring it up to date. And don’t miss our great selection of tutorials…

What’s this? Revealed at this year’s CES in Las Vegas, Boost (www.lego.com/en-gb/boost) is Lego’s newest robotics project, which brings the joy of building functional automatons to block-obsessed youngsters, complete with bright colours and easy-to-follow instructions. What about Mindstorms? Ah, well. That’s not going away, as far as we can tell. Lego’s big-boy robot system is made for use with its advanced Technics range of components, and this isn’t quite at the same sort of level. Lego Boost is more of a playful way to build robots that interact in both directions, and is aimed towards a younger crowd. And what about WeDo? Wow, you know your Lego. Yes, Lego revealed WeDo 2.0, which is focused on primary education and includes all the appropriate curriculum resources to go with it, at…

Despite its age, radio remains both widely used and endlessly fascinating. If you’re looking to listen to something new, try Radio Garden’s literally global selection of stations – drag the map to aim the crosshairs at a station, and it’ll start playing straight away. Developed in co-ordination with the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, Radio Garden’s 3D interface is a great way to explore the sounds and language of the world – if you’ve ever wondered what’s popular on the airwaves in Russia, Iceland or Australia, it’s never been easier to find out. Find the right spot and you can even tune in to police or fire frequencies. Radio Garden also includes a few historical broadcasts, an archive of station jingles, and stories from people who’ve been touched or…

Spring is here and so it’s time to take a virtual vacuum to your PC. Every year it’s the same story: despite your best intentions, you rapidly lose control of what goes on to your PC, as programs are installed then forgotten about, while gigabytes of files – from documents to pictures and video – are copied multiple times to different places, clogging up your hard drives. The result? A PC that’s slow to start, performs sluggishly and is rapidly approaching the limits of its storage capacity. That’s where we come in. In this feature we’re going to reveal the tips and tricks you need to clean up your PC. We’ve split the feature into three sections, allowing you to take your cleaning as far as you wish. Pushed for…

In this month’s Explore section we’re looking at two issues we all have to deal with: one is being deluged with spam and junk emails; and the other is identifying and recovering from PC crashes. On page 42 we explain the steps that you can take to rid yourself of spam and focus on the messages that matter. And on page 46 we take on the problem of program and system crashes. We’ll help you discover what is causing them in the first place and how you can optimise and maintain your machine so gremlins are less likely to strike in future.…

Your guide Tim Hardwick says… “Edge is a modern web browser with a great range of features. Here’s how to make the most of it” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 REFRESH Clicking this circular arrow refreshes the current page, which is useful to check for updated content or to retry when a page fails to load. NEW TAB Click this plus sign and a new tab is opened in which you can navigate to another page. There’s no practical limit on how many tabs that you can have open. SEARCH ENGINE Edge defaults to the Bing search engine, which is often the page you see when you first start using the browser. STAR BUTTON…

Your guide Matt Hanson says… “There’s little worse than an inbox full of spam emails. Here’s how to quickly cut down on the junk” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 CHECK MAIL Click this button to check your email account (or multiple accounts if you’ve added them all to Mail Washer). Your new emails will appear in the frame below, letting you check for spam. WASH MAIL This button will automatically scan all your inboxes for junk emails, delete them, and then block the senders. This will quickly and easily keep your inboxes free from junk. LAUNCH EMAIL PROGRAM This icon launches the desktop email program of your choice – in this case Outlook 2016…

The concept of the upgrade path is at the very core of the hardware enthusiast’s philosophy. The notion that you can take a five-year-old system, throw out a few parts, install a few new ones, and have a rig up and running –which almost competes with a brand new build – in less time than it takes for Donald Trump to send a tweet is certainly appealing. But how far does it go in practice? What makes the biggest difference? And what should you upgrade first? This month, we decided to find out. We took two case studies, two rigs gathering dust in the corners of our office: the first was a gaming system, the other a PC workstation. And then we chose two very different upgrade paths for them…

Just starting your Windows journey? Confused by the changes Microsoft has made to the Anniversary update? Or maybe you just want to learn something new about Windows 10. Well, this is the section for you! There’s not enough space to tell you absolutely everything you need to know here, but Windows Help & Advice always has your back. In this month’s Basics section, we’ll show you how to keep younger members of your household safe online and how the Windows 10 Anniversary update has made Cortana more powerful and flexible than ever.…

MUSIC ICON Click here to make Cortana listen to the background noise and identify what song is currently playing where you are. NOTEBOOK ICON Everything Cortana knows about you goes here, in the Notebook. Click the icon to adjust the topics it covers. TRIPLE DOTS The triple-dot pattern lets you to customise what Cortana shows in this panel. Just click on it to see the list of available options. MICROPHONE ICON If you haven’t enabled “Hey Cortana”, you can use voice commands by clicking on this icon to make Cortana listen. CORTANA WINDOW This shows you the things Cortana thinks you’ll be interested in, and it appears when you click in the Cortana box. CORTANA BOX This box on the Taskbar is where Cortana does its stuff: start typing commands…

Never let it be said that hardware makers are content to rest on their laurels. Razer, which makes some of the most powerful (and expensive) portable machines in the world, recently outdid itself with its Project Valerie concept laptop, which totes three individual screens. It’s just a concept for now – the company is looking to gauge public interest – and unlikely to be something you’d want to carry around. But it’s an interesting look at the potential future of laptop PCs.…

Virtual personal assistants are taking the world by storm. Whether it’s Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, or the Google Assistant, these conversational robots can and will do just about everything you ask of them. But one ‘bot seems to be rising above the others: Amazon’s Alexa, which can be found within its Echo and Echo Dot devices. And for good reason: Alexa’s willingness to interact with other controllable devices in your home is second to none. Take the Philips Hue lighting system, for example. Pick up a few bulbs and a controller (a starter kit will set you back around £150) and you can ask Alexa to dim the lights, turn them off, or take more granular control, all without having to touch an app. A smart thermostat like the Hive…

Your PC is hopefully now noticeably nippier, but there’s still room for improvement. But before we tackle a deep spring clean, let’s look at hard drive management. Unless you’re very organised, it’s likely your filing system is a little haphazard. And if you have multiple hard drives it’s likely you have multiple copies of the same files too. First, see page 21 for some advice on what to look for when finding and removing duplicates. This could save you from deleting the wrong file or files when you come to clean up. Find duplicates quickly CCleaner includes a file duplicate finder tool, but it’s not very sophisticated. So download and install the free version of Duplicate Cleaner (www.digitalvolcano.co.uk/duplicatecleaner.html) instead. First, choose what to search for – the default options search…

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…

Your guide Cat Ellis says… Free Studio is an amazing toolkit packed with everything an amateur film producer needs. Here’s how to make the most of it… At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 CAT ’S BEST TIP Look out for videos released under a Creative Commons license . For details go to https://creativecommons.org If you like making and editing videos, you need Free Studio. It’s an amazing toolkit that contains all the programs you need to download, convert, cut, edit and strip the audio from videos. Before you start, bear in mind that downloading videos without the copyright holder’s permission is against YouTube’s terms of service. Only download videos if they are your own, are…

Your guide Matt Hanson says… "If your PC crashes frequently or becomes unresponsive, follow these steps to fix the problem" At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 DEVICE MANAGER This is a tool that shows you all the hardware that is installed on your PC. If there is a problem (such as a driver that hasn't been installed properly) it will be highlighted here. Right-click a device and choose “Update Driver Software...” to fix it. KEEP WINDOWS UPDATED Windows Updates come with bug fixes that can help prevent crashes, so it’s a good idea to make sure the version of Windows you use is fully up-to-date. RELIABILITY MONITOR This excellent tool can help you pinpoint errors…

There are plenty of reasons why we upgrade. They can range from the essential to the vain, from the aspirational to the vital. An upgrade may allow you to hit better frame rates in your favorite games, or give your system enough raw grunt to tackle a title that it couldn’t before. If you use your machine for more serious work, an upgrade may allow you to get more done in a shorter space of time, or even do things that you wouldn’t have been able to do with your current system. A reasonable rule of thumb is: if you find yourself waiting for your machine to finish a task, then it could probably do with an upgrade. Whether that’s rendering a video, applying an effect to an image, booting,…

CASES You could say that a PC case is nothing more than six panels of metal holding the components of a system together. In reality, it’s much more than that. Cases are an essential part of PC building. Whether you build your own, pinch one from an age gone by, or go all-out and buy a £500 affair, it’s something that every PC user has. But how much of an impact does it make in the world of upgrades? Is it worth upgrading at all? That depends on what you have. There are a few examples where swapping out to a newer chassis provides you with more performance. Graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia come with a new form of technology known as GPU Boost. This is an auto-overclocking feature,…

When you first sign into Windows 10, you’ll discover that some of your most frequently accessed folders – those you use for storing documents, photos and the like – aren’t immediately available for you to view from the Start menu. To change this behaviour go to Settings > Windows Settings > Personalisation > Start. Scroll down through the Preview that appears, then select “Choose which folders appear on Start”.…

Whether you connect to the internet at home, the office or on the go, your PC is vulnerable to attack from those who are desperate to steal your data. Windows’ built-in firewall gives you an excellent level of protection, but in this issue we take a look at four free alternatives, and decide which one is worthy of your time and attention. Also this issue, we look at the new Dell XPS 13 9365, the first 2-in-1 laptop in the XPS line-up; check out the sound of Libratone’s first On-Ear headphones and put the Fitbit Charge 2 through its paces. Enjoy!…

£219 | $249 www.libratone.com When noise-cancelling headphones, become the norm, how do you make your product stand out? For Danish company Libratone, the answer is beautiful design and an intuitive user experience, applying the same principles to its new Q Adapt on-ear and in-ear headphones as it has to its Zipp and ONE Click loudspeakers. Libratone also offers an in-ear option but, for now, let’s look at the the Q Adapt On-Ear version. The design of the headphones is minimalistic, with smooth ear cups containing hidden controls on the bottom of each one. Interestingly, Libratone has gone to the trouble of hiding the Q Adapt On-Ear’s four microphones behind the ear cup “forks” for a sleek look that’s a world away from the obvious grilles found on many noise-cancelling headphone…

Audiobooks aren’t a new thing. A couple of decades ago, you may well have picked up a few from your local library, enjoying unabridged stories via massive boxes of cassette tapes or, latterly, CDs. But recent developments have made the joy of reading without actually reading more accessible and convenient than ever before, and the quality has grown along with the market. Audiobooks are now often read by their authors, by renowned voiceover experts, or by celebrities. And there’s an absolutely huge range available, in formats that suit most players. Navigating audiobooks – jumping between chapters, winding back to repeat a part you’ve missed, or even listening at a faster-than-usual speed – is very easy. The main distributor of audiobooks is Audible, owned by Amazon, which has over 200,000 different…

1 In a computer, what does ‘CPU’ stand for? A. Central Processing Unit B. Carriage Procession Unit C. Computer Performance is Unlimited 2 Which of these is used to control the drive in your computer? A. HDDD B. DRVA C. SATA 3 Your BIOS deals with basic input and... A. Output B. Overview C. Onions 4 The first commercial hard drive from IBM had how much storage? A. 375 megabytes B. 37.5 megabytes C. 3.75 megabytes 5 Where might you find IPS technology? A. You car B. Your monitor C. Your fridge 6 What does the ‘G’ in ‘GPU’ represent? A. Graphics B. Government C. General…

Your guide Cat Ellis says… “Explore the galaxy from the comfort of your desktop with the amazing – and free – Celestia app” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 TIME You can use quick keyboard shortcuts to control the speed and direction of time, or set a specific time and date. SELECTED OBJECT Click any planet, star or other object to select it, tap [G] to visit it. The journey there is shown as a smooth animation. CONSTELLATIONS You can view these celestial bodies from anywhere. Blue lines represent their outlines, and red lines their borders. OBJECTS Celestia’s objects are rendered in glorious 3D. You can increase the amount of detail shown using the Render…

Your guide Tim Hardwick says… “Enjoy your favourite tunes, podcasts and internet radio stations with MusicBee” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 ALBUM ARTISTS This column lists the albums in your library by artist. Click on an artist to display their albums in the main view. TABS This horizontal strip is where tabs live. You can add custom tabs to include things like playlists and radio stations. PLAY CONTROLS You can control music playback from here. Adjust volume, pause, fast forward to the next track or rewind to the last. NOW PLAYING Skip to any section of the currently playing song by clicking on the progress bar. Click the stars to rate it. PLAYING TRACKS…

Your guide Nick Peers says… “Find out how to copy, rename and better organise your mobile snaps in Windows 10” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 NAME ASSOCIATION Give your DropIt action a suitably descriptive name to help you identify it when selecting it in future. RULES This section enables you to restrict the action to specific folders, files or file types – click the ‘i’ button for more help. ACTION Select the action you wish to perform – choose ‘Copy’ to create copies of your photos in another folder. ACTION PARAMETERS Select your main folder using the folder button. Add the \ character to the end of the path before adding your sub-folder. ADDITIONAL…

Uninstalling apps you’ve deliberately added to your PC is one thing. Hacking away the dead wood that Microsoft includes by default in Windows is another. It doesn’t look easy – there’s not even an obvious way to remove those horrible, redundant entries from the Windows 10 Start menu. At least, there doesn’t seem to be, but there’s a sneaky feature built in to Win 10: Right-click an unwanted app in the Start menu list and, if it can be easily gotten rid of, an “Uninstall” option is present in the context menu. But what of the ream of apps that can’t be chopped out in this way? For this you need Powershell, the super-command line that’s included in Windows. To remove the 3D Builder app, for example, find Powershell in…

TIME TAKEN 20 minutes Add users Before starting with Family Safety, we need to make sure your computer is properly set up. If you’re sharing a single user account between your family, it’s time to change that and use one account each. Click the Start button at the bottom of the screen and choose ‘Settings’. Select ‘Accounts’ followed by ‘Family & other users’. You’ll see user accounts are split into two sections – as we’re adding younger family members, click the ‘Add a family member’ button to continue. Set up a child user Select ‘Add a child’. Your child will need their own Microsoft account to continue – if it’s already been set up, type the email address used to log into it and click ‘Next’ followed by ‘Confirm’. Once…

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