Table of contents for February 2018 in Windows Help & Advice

Speed. We always want more of it when running Windows and apps on our PCs – and in our lead feature on page 11, you’ll find a collection of 20 brilliant, and free, tools that will help your machine run faster than smoother than it ever has before. To get even more performance out of your PC turn to page 58 where you’ll learn some nifty tips, tricks and techniques that will help Windows boot faster and run more smoothly, and we’ll show you how create lightweight, up-to-date Windows 10 media for the next time you decide to start over and reinstall it from scratch. We have your computing needs covered in our Explore section, starting on page 25, too. Here you’ll find step-by-step guides on everything from beefing up…

en.ejie.me Last issue we looked at the forthcoming Windows Sets feature, which groups your Windows into switchable tabs. If you just can’t wait for that to arrive – and, realistically, nobody’s sure when it’s going to land – then Clover is an interesting alternative. It doesn’t do everything Sets does, but it does add tabs to your File Explorer windows, meaning much less clutter when managing your files. The installer interface is in Chinese (just hit the large button in the middle of the installer Window to set it off) but the rest is in English; once it’s ensconced in your machine, you’ll get Google Chrome-style tab management, including a bookmarks bar, dockable (and undockable) tabs, and the ability to click any folder with the middle button of your mouse…

One way you can speed things up is by overclocking your processor so both it and your RAM run faster than they were designed to. There are dangers with this approach – overheating can shorten your components’ lives – but official tools help to minimise the danger. AMD users should install AMD Overdrive (www.amd.com/overdrive); Intel users should download and install the Extreme Tuning Utility (http://bit.ly/extrtunutil). 1 made Overclocking easy Your overclocking options with Intel’s utility vary according to the processor you have – some will be incredibly limited, others will offer more scope. If supported, the utility will also enable you to overclock the onboard graphics. 2 Test your overclock After tweaking your settings (visit http://bit.ly/pcgoclock for a detailed guide courtesy of PC Gamer), select Stress Test to perform 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. 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. 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. Discover new…

At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Windows 10 is the safest and most secure version Microsoft has ever made, thanks in part to the inclusion of the built-in anti-virus software Windows Defender, which does an excellent job of keeping your Windows 10 device protected right out of the box. However, there are still a number of things you can do to ensure your PC is completely safe, and that’s where this guide comes in. Windows 10 is becoming the most popular operating system in the world, and that means that virus makers are increasingly looking to target the software. We’ll show you how to browse the web safely and securely using Windows 10’s tools. We’ll…

At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 The team that gave the world Wunderlist has outdone itself once again with the powerful and free Microsoft To-Do. This app keeps your life organised by setting tasks to be completed either today or at a date you specify in the future. Just set yourself a reminder. If you find it difficult to wade through reams of items, take advantage of the handy lists feature, which enables you to categorise your tasks. The app is also available for Android, iOS and Windows Phone and can sync automatically via your Microsoft account, provided you’re signed in with the same account on all your devices. Microsoft Outlook users will be pleased…

Just starting your Windows journey? Confused by the changes Microsoft has made to the Fall Creators Update? Maybe you 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. On page 70 we’ll show you how to master the desktop, customise application icons and take control of notifications; and on page 72 we’ll explain how you can customise the Start menu from changing the default colours to managing your Live tiles.…

A trio of security flaws discovered in the last year have rocked the technology world with their extent and scope, with billions of devices – from PCs to web servers, tablets to smartphones – potentially affected. The flaws – Spectre Variant 1, Spectre Variant 2, and Meltdown – were found by a number of people including a member of Google’s Project Zero, and have been present in chip designs for over 20 years, with CPUs from AMD, ARM, IBM and Intel directly affected. The news has been described by some security experts as ‘catastrophic’ since hackers could use the flaws to access passwords, encryption keys and personal data, although no such exploits have been found in the wild. PATCHES INCOMING There’s no need to panic yet, though. Although Spectre and…

Apple is in hot water. After discussion by iPhone users on Reddit, and a deeper investigation by Geekbench developer John Moore, the company was found to be deliberately slowing down devices with older batteries, often dropping them to less than half the speed of units with fresh batteries. Ostensibly this was a move to improve stability; the software update that introduced the change was designed to stop random phone shutdowns. Apple, when discovered, admitted the practice and offered owners cut-price battery upgrades. Nonetheless, it’s fired up a debate. Should companies be allowed to forcibly slow older hardware, even if it’s for ultimately benevolent reasons? The answer isn’t clear, given how hard deliberate slowdown is to prove, but Apple’s tactics have been seen as underhanded by some, including the members of…

Bootracer (www.greatis.com/bootracer/) has become our go-to app for managing startup. Not only does it enable you to see which programs are launching with Windows, it times everything too, enabling you to keep an eye on the boot process and giving you a heads up should some resource-sapping program suddenly insert itself into the start-up process. Here’s a quick rundown of its key features. 1 Time your start The first thing BootRacer does is measure your start time from the moment your PC is switched on until your start-up apps finish loading. This helps you identify bottlenecks at different points of the process, so you can target your troubleshooting. 2 Delayed start BootRacer also inserts a delay of ten seconds to the start-up process to give Windows a chance to finishing…

At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Video editing is rather a different beast to photo editing. Not only can you apply effects and corrections to your movies as you would a photograph, but you also get to piece together a narrative and enhance it with audio, titles and more. This means a video editing app will look and feel different to a photo editor. If you’ve never used one before, it can feel very much like being thrown in the deep end and then being expected to swim. It can be rather intimidating if you don’t know what you’re doing. Adobe’s Premiere Elements 2018 app comes with tutorials that teach you how it works and,…

At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 When you’re away from home, there’s no need to disconnect from the digital world. You could rely on your phone, as we so often do, but taking your laptop out of the living room and onto the road is the best way to get everything done – from work to bigger-screen entertainment. This is particularly true if you’re going further afield, but it’s important not to take travel lightly. Without the guarantee of Internet connectivity, you’ll need to prepare a little before you leave. Without permanent power, pulling as much life out of your battery as possible is massively important. And carrying that laptop with you introduces other dangers,…

At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 If you’re the go-to person in your family or circle of friends for technical support, you know how frustrating it can be – either you’re expected to magically fix problems over the phone or you have to drag yourself in front of the afflicted PC to attempt to find a cure. No more. Quick Assist is a feature introduced in the Anniversary Update of Windows 10 that enables you to easily take remote control of someone’s PC from the comfort of your own computer, giving you the flexibility to investigate, diagnose and hopefully fix their problem. This step-by-step guide reveals how it works, and provides all the fail-safes your…

Everyone loves a holiday – especially when it’s freebie like a bank or public holiday. The trick is knowing when they are, especially when some events, such as Easter, move around from year to year. Luckily Microsoft has the answer. Open up the Calendar app in Windows 10 and then follow the steps on the right to easily add public holidays and other notable events for the UK, the USA and a whole host of other countries.…

When it comes to editing photos, Photoshop sets the standard – it’s packed with powerful features that enable you to create stunning image effects. There are, however, plenty of very capable alternatives, which don’t require you to pay a monthly subscription like Adobe’s Creative Cloud does. You’ll find four of our favourites on page 88. Also on test are two new laptops from Lenovo and Razer (pages 76 and 78); two unique ways to make your home network more secure (pages 80 and 84); plus the latest in wireless earbuds (page 86).…

1 GIMP www.gimp.org Powerful and adaptable, GIMP is the best free Photoshop alternative. With layers, masks, advanced filters, colour adjustment and transformations – all of which are customisable – its feature set is unbeatable. One of GIMP’s best features is its wealth of user-created plug-ins and scripts, many of which come pre-installed. Some of these replicate Photoshop tools and there’s a package of animation tools for bringing your photos to life. You can also add Photoshop plug-ins to GIMP. If this all sounds intimidating, don’t worry – GIMP’s excellent user manual includes step-by-step tutorials and troubleshooting guides to get you started. The latest version of GIMP has a new interface that puts all of its toolboxes, palettes and menus together in one window, though its extensive patchwork of…

The first Windows laptops to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, typically found in smartphones, have started to emerge from hardware development labs, and they look impressive – not for their power (which is lacking a little) but for their portability, endurance, and the convenience of having 4G connectivity on board. Both HP and Lenovo will have announced their own machines by the time you read this; here’s a look at Asus’ NovaGo...…

1 Which unit of data storage is larger? A Gigabyte B Gibibyte C Megabyte 2 OK – which of these is smaller? A Petabyte B Yottabyte C Zettabyte 3 There are eight bits in a byte. How many in a nibble? A One and a half B Three C Four 4 1958’s Setun was a Russian ternary computer. What units did it use? A Trytes B Bytes C Frights 5 How many ‘trits’ did that unit consist of? A Three B Six C None 6 Which of these has not been used to refer to a storage unit? A Dynner B Playte C Fyrk…

Paint.NET (www.getpaint.net)sits beautifully in the middle between Photoshop (too powerful and bloated) and Paint (too basic), offering the best features of the former without bringing your PC grinding to a halt. In addition to the standard editing, compositing and colour-correction tools you’d expect, Paint.net also includes some powerful and useful options too. For more fantastic – and free – Photoshop alternatives, turn to page 88 of this issue. 1 Multiple layers Multi-layered images enable you to lay parts of one image on top of another for all kinds of creative effects.Paint.NET has full support for layers, with a transparency slider and choice of methods for blending one layer into another for the perfect image. 2 Powerful filters Want to do something artistic with your photos? Paint.NET has built-in filters that…

Reinstalling Windows from scratch is a one-way process. Once you’ve formatted the drive and reinstalled Windows everything you once had is gone. What happens if you forget a key file or setting, or the reinstall process goes wrong and you want to roll things back? Don’t worry, Macrium Reflect Free (wwwmacrium.com/reflectfree.aspx.)is just the tool for you – here’s how you can use it to protect yourself and your PC files. 1 Sort rescue media Launch Macrium Reflect Free and choose Other Tasks > Create Rescue Media to create a bootable DVD or USB flash drive you can use to recover your Windows installation should something go catastrophically wrong with your PC. 2 Back up partitions Once done, click the ‘Create an image of the partition(s) required to backup and restore…

In this month’s Explore section you’ll discover all kinds of exciting ways to do more with your PC – from easily editing your home movies (page 26) to getting your laptop ready for life on the go (page 36). We’ll also show you how to make your PC more secure (page 32); and how you can solve those tricky Wi-Fi problems – whether you’re dogged by patchy coverage or slow connection speeds (page 38). You’ll also discover how to troubleshoot and fix a family or friend’s PC with Windows’ Quick Assist (page 42).…

At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 A recent survey of UK broadband users revealed that 40 percent of us with slow Internet connections take no action and wait for any problems to fix themselves. However, there’s no need to be so passive, because it’s relatively easy to diagnose whether there is an issue with your Wi-Fi – or your Internet connection. Often range-related issues can be a problem with the router and we’ll give you some steps so you can easily diagnose these. But what if you want to extend the range of your network? We’ll talk about that, too. And we’ll talk you through solutions that don’t need you to buy new hardware as…

Mining is the process of using a computer to perform complex calculations on blocks of data which maintain the Bitcoin network. Miners are rewarded for their efforts with a certain amount of Bitcoins. Bitcoin (BTC) is fast becoming the province of people using specialised ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) devices, although if you have one or more powerful graphics cards you may be able to make a small profit by building your own mining device. You’ll learn more about this in the following steps. Any profit you make will depend on a number of factors. The first is your ‘hash rate’, or the actual processing power of your PC. Computers designed for mining, or ‘rigs’ as they’re commonly known, require large amounts of electricity, which will increase running costs. The complexity…

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,…

£200 | $249.99 http://bitdefender.com Bitdefender Box 2 is a smart home security appliance that shields PCs, mobiles, tablets and other connected devices from hackers, malware and more. The Box is essentially a supercharged router that can replace or run alongside your existing networking kit. Connect your devices to the Box and it acts as a sort of firewall, watching inbound connections to keep hackers at bay. Your network is constantly monitored for unknown devices or suspect behaviour, and the Bitdefender Box also blocks outgoing requests to known malicious websites. The Box is powered by a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 CPU, with 1GB of DDR3 RAM and 4GB of internal storage. Wi-Fi duties are handled by an 802.11ac AC1900 setup. You get just two ports – one LAN, one WAN –…

THE REFRESH ISSUE How a Windows reinstallation is the first stage in your journey to an all-new PC SMART HOME SPEAKERS RATED! Control, listen and enjoy with our top picks HOW TO ● Manage your PC passwords ● Download YouTube videos ● Master the Activity Centre ● Control your smart home * Contents subject to change Catch up with us on… www.facebook.com/windowsmag www.twitter.com/windowsmag www.facebook.com/windowsmag ON SALE Friday 2 March 2018…