Table of contents for April 2016 in Windows Help & Advice

We all have the occasional question about Windows that needs answering. They’re usually little annoyances we live with on a daily basis, like how to find a file you just downloaded, better ways to share a photo your friend sent you, or how to stop Windows Update running amok. This issue we’ve collected together the most common questions we get asked about Windows and have presented you with the answers. We hope you find it helpful and get even more out of your PC – don’t forget to keep a copy handy next to your computer! Also in this issue we have a great feature on beating malware and viruses and we shed light on that mysterious phenomenon called the Internet of Things. Over in the Upgrade section we get…

I had one of those when I was a kid! You probably did. The original View-Master launched almost 80 years ago, was a precursor to the virtual reality systems of today. It used two images to present the viewer with a stereoscopic 3D scene. This one looks a bit different though… The View-Master Viewer DLX updates the idea. Rather than using static images, it works like a virtual-reality headset, so the viewer can look around a three-dimensional space. How does it work? The View-Master VR is based on Google’s Cardboard, which turns smartphones into a virtual reality devices. The View-Master is made of plastic though, rather than cardboard, and it works with augmented reality ‘reels’, which display pop-up virtual 3D objects when you look at them. Is it any good?…

German football club VfL Wolfsburg has signed 22-year-old player David Bytheway, from Nottingham. While this sounds like the latest news from the sports pages, there’s a technology at work here as Bytheway is a professional player of the FIFA series of videogames, and has represented England in world tournaments. Bytheway’s signing is one of the first times a professional sports team has become involved with electronic sports (esports), but it’s just the tip of an enormous – and hugely profitable – iceberg. If a game has a competitive element, you can be guaranteed there’s a league dedicated to it somewhere in the world. Esports have been a big part of the games industry since its inception. In 1972, Stanford University students competed against one another in the game Spacewar. Atari…

1.125 TERABYTES A SECOND The data transmission speed achieved by scientists at University College London. For context, that’s 50,000 times the average UK broadband speed of 24 megabits a second, which is fast enough to download the entirety of Game of Thrones in HD within a second. The new technology achieves ludicrous speeds by using modulated pulses of light to send more data than conventional fibreoptic systems. HOW HUGE IS KICKSTARTER? The crowdfunding site has celebrated the 100,000th project to be funded since its launch in 2009. When it began, it took 121 days to reach 100 successfully funded projects – now it takes just three days to reach the same number. Music is the most popular category, and 150 games funded via Kickstarter are available…

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 we offer several ways to get the most from Windows 10. Alex shows how to link up your Xbox with your PC for even more gaming options, while Matt shares how to make impressive presentations with LibreOffice. There’s never been a better time to see how your PC can make your life easier!…

Your guide Tim Hardwick says… Use File Explorer to organise and maintain your files and folders in the way that suits you best At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Computers have used the idea of folders to store our files in for decades now. Before Windows, with its visual interface, came along, we had to interact with our PCs using a command line – a single flashing cursor floating in a sea of black. Back then, you would type in commands to reveal a computer’s ‘directory structure’ and move up and down a hierarchy of folders. Happily, Windows saved us from all that. By using folders, today’s File Explorer reveals a PC’s directory structure as…

Your guide Mayank Sharma says… “There’s no need to lose sleep over accidentally deleted files – we have the solution right here” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 We’ve all deleted files by mistake. And while deleting them is easy to do, recovering them isn’t always that straightforward. The good news is when you empty the Windows Recycle Bin, the files aren’t really destroyed. In fact, what Windows does is earmark the space occupied by the ‘deleted’ files as empty space for new data. This makes it possible to recover the files, so long as new data hasn’t been written over the space. Recuva is a free, feature-rich tool that helps recover accidentally deleted files.…

Your guide Mayank Sharma says… “Take control of all your favourite applications and windows by organising them with RocketDock” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 RocketDock is a feature-packed application launcher that offers a good alternative to the quick launch bar. It’s slick and lightweight and provides smooth icon transitions without taxing your PC’s resources. The dock lives on any of the four edges of your monitor ready for you to customise its behaviour – it can always stays on top of open windows, or hide itself automatically to give more space to your open windows. Fit it around the way that you work. The app can be personalised and you can pick custom icons…

What if all the stuff we’ve seen in sci-fi movies was real. We’d have houses that knew when we were coming home and set the lights, heating and music ready for us. We’d have fridges that reminded us to get milk on the way home, and watches that disabled the alarms and unlocked the doors when we arrived. We’d have cars that drove themselves, working out the fastest and most economical way from A to B, and virtual digital assistants to handle our messages and do our bidding. We’d have phones that became fully fledged computers, and we’d be able to get our music, movies and apps on whatever device we had handy. And we’d have all kinds of robot pals to amuse the kids and to patrol the house…

There’s a reason why security professionals believe WWW ought to stand for ‘Wild Wild West’ and not ‘World Wide Web’. The largely unregulated realm of the internet is teeming with rogue bits of data, written by hackers, looking for a way to get into your computer and wreak havoc – for profit or just for pure fun of it. Malicious software or malware for short, is one of the most common weapons of digital destruction in a cyber terrorists’ arsenal. The spectrum of malware covers a wide variety of threats, including viruses, worms, spyware and trojans. A number of surveys have shown most Windows PCs are quite poorly defended and can be easily exploited for illegal purposes. Stick to the rules But it’s not all doom and gloom. The good…

TIME TAKEN 15 minutes 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 task. Here, we’ll walk you through Microsoft Virtual Desktops – a feature new to Windows 10. Virtual Desktops not only gives you more desktop space for separate task-related windows, but it also allows you to access what you need quickly and easily. And, because you’re not creating a virtual machine, you won’t take up any precious system resources or space with your additional desktops. Let’s get going! 1 Opening your Task View The Task View button sits to the…

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,…

The way we consume media has changed dramatically in the last few years. As well as watching television the traditional way, we use a host of apps and sites to catch up on favourite programs, rather than heading to a video rental shop, we take out subscriptions to streaming services such as Netflix or Amazon Instant Video. Almost all streaming and catch-up services are available on Windows PC, and most will work via a browser so you don’t even need to install any extra software. The biggest problem in most homes, though, is breaching the chasm between your computer and your TV. The simplest and cheapest way to link the two is an HDMI cable. You’ll find these ports on all modern PCs and laptops, as well as most new…

Chrome Data Saver Unlimited internet has become the norm for home broadband connections, but if you’re using a mobile network or are staying at a hotel and relying on their Wi-Fi you can quickly eat up your allocated data. The internet can play a big part in your data usage, but Chrome’s data saver can help reduce this. It cleverly reduces image and website sizes on Google’s servers before downloading them, and, in doing so, it chops the data sizes in half. To get going, simply open up Chrome, then browse to bit.ly/1VrEY8I and click ‘Add to Chrome’. Once installed you’ll see an icon to turn it on and off to the right of your address bar. Clicking ‘Details’ will reveal how much data it’s saved. Search the internet from…

1 In which game do you find Creepers, and Spider Jockeys? A. Doom B. Minecraft C. Super Mario Bros 2 What does the what-dog app do? A. Tell a dog from its poop B. Tells you which dog suits your personality C. Guesses the breed of your dog from a photo 3 Which musician has written a series of songs for Skype emojis? A. Harry Styles B. Paul McCartney C. Elton John 4 Which film is the world’s oldest torrent a version of? A. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring B. The Matrix C. The Empire Strikes Back 5 What is Samsung’s Galaxy Gear VR? A. A virtual reality headset B. A smartwatch C. An in-car entertainment system 6 Time Inc has acquired a rather passé…

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 Nick Odantzis says… “My collection of simple Windows 10 hacks will turn your machine from good to great, with no effort whatsoever!” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 For anyone who is new to Windows 10, you might be happy with the way things are working, and won’t want to change a thing. And we understand because the operating system is set up well from the factory. But over time you might find certain things start to grate, such as prompts that frequently remind you of something you don’t care about, or not being able to open files the way you’re used to. While it’s easy to ignore such things, it’s also easy…

Your guide Christian Hall says… “We all know that having a secure wireless network is important, but a good password alone isn’t always enough. These methods will help keep your data extra safe” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Securing your network beyond the password level seems like a chore. That’s understandable, but with so many wireless devices in the hands of other people just feet from your property, you need to go a little further to ensure your privacy is kept intact. We’re going to guide you through the essential steps you should take to improve the security of your home wireless network. At the core of most Wi-Fi home networks is a router,…

Your guide Christian Hall says… “Improve Windows 8.1 with a few carefully applied tweaks, and get the old Start menu back” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 The Windows 8.1 interface is the latest iteration of the Windows desktop, but you don’t have to stick with the default look if it’s not to your taste. The Modern UI was a big change, and many people still expect the Windows Start button to bring up a classic Start menu rather than the new Start Screen. But with a few tweaks, that interface element can be returned, and we’ll look at three versions you can install for free. Because of the slimmed-down desktop in Windows, it isn’t…

Whether you’ve just installed Windows 10, or you’re still wondering if it’s worth the upgrade, then you’ve come to the right place. Windows 10 can be a leap into the unknown for some people, and we’re here to give you the confidence to take the initial steps. In this section, you’ll find advice on how to use the new Virtual Desktops feature as well as the Cortana virtual assistsant and voice search. And don’t forget to let us know how you’re getting on! Email us on windowsmagazine@futurenet.com.…

TIME TAKEN 30 minutes Virtual assistants are all the rage these days. There’s Google Now and Apple’s Siri, but loudest of the lot is Microsoft’s Cortana. It’s built right into Windows 10 (and Microsoft’s new Edge browser), ready and waiting to help you find information but also provide context-sensitive tools when travelling, entertaining or working. Cortana learns what you’re doing too, so it can anticipate your needs. Do you regularly travel to and from work with your laptop? Let Cortana know where those places are, and it’ll look out for traffic news and give you a heads up on when’s the best time to leave. You can use it to set up meetings, create reminders and provide tips for your next night out. Here’s how to get started… Get Cortana…

While streaming offers more flexibility and personalisation than traditional media, there’s more to go wrong. When you’re watching TV the biggest issue is accidentally catching a bit of Jeremy Kyle, but because streaming media involves lots of devices, and it can be dependent on how many people are connected to your network, and how fast your broadband is. But there are a few things you can do to improve stability and reliability.…

Windows 3.1 https://archive.org/details /softwarelibrary_win3 For a lot of people, Windows 3.1 was the first taste of the future of computing. It supported multimedia content, it had networking and internet functionality, and it had an accessible interface. It also had some pretty cool – if basic – games, such as Merlin, WinRisk and SkiFree. Thanks to the Internet Archive, everyone can try out Windows 3.1 in their browsers for free. While it’s obviously dated a little in the 24 years since its release, there’s a pleasant nostalgia in hearing the familiar startup noise, and some of the programs (Notepad, Paintbrush) have barely changed. Best of all is that the Internet Archive has gathered a trove of more than 1,000 games for this classic operating system.…

How do I change the default program for opening a particular file? A The quickest and simplest way to do this is to right-click the file in question and choose ‘Open With…’ If your chosen app isn’t listed, click ‘More apps’ to browse through a list. If it’s not there, scroll down and choose ‘Look for another app on this PC’ to manually find it. Make sure you tick ‘Always use this app to open…’ before clicking ‘OK’. How do I open a Word file without installing Office on my PC? A Windows 10 ships with an updated version of WordPad that can read .doc and .docx files, albeit with some limitations when it comes to advanced features. If you’re looking for a full-blown alternative to Office try Kingsoft Office…

Your guide Alex Cox says… “Take your gaming anywhere in the house by combining your console and your Windows 10 PC” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Microsoft is, behind the scenes, pulling its various devices closer together. Windows Phone, Windows itself, and even the Xbox One now all share bits and pieces of code between them. This means apps designed for one device should, one day, work perfectly with another. Because of the shared components (and some technical wizardry) you can stream games over your network from your Xbox to your Windows 10 computer. It’s a perfect thing to do if you’re fighting for control of the living room TV, or you want to…

Your guide Nick Peers says… “Bring order to your chaotic school or university life with this handy free Windows app” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 They say your school and college days are the best of your life, but that’s no comfort when you’re floundering in the middle of a difficult assignment or struggling to remember where you’re supposed to be at any given moment. Study Planner won’t improve your social life or actually do your essays for you, but it will at least help you remain organised and able to plan out your working week. Input your timetable into the app for a quick and easy way to see when and where you…

Your guide Tim Hardwick says… “Create a unique playlist of your favourite tracks with Microsoft’s own music service and app” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Groove Music is Microsoft’s answer to iTunes and comes included with Windows 10. It offers a way for you to build and access your music collection, and, as with any good music player, it allows you to create playlists using your library of tracks. Playlists are the digital equivalent of cassette ‘mix tapes’, and allow you to get creative with your music selection. And in this tutorial, we show you how easy it is to get to grips with them. Even if you haven’t used Groove Music before, its…

Your guide Matt Hanson says… “It’s easy to make a jaw-dropping, attention-grabbing presentation using LibreOffice Impress” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 LibreOffice Impress is packed with amazing tools to make your presentation stand out. A strong opening slide grabs your audience’s attention, animated images hold it, and movies and sounds turn the whole experience into a multimedia extravaganza. In this tutorial we’ll take you through all of Impress’s best features, using some holiday snaps and videos as a basis. We’ll be throwing it all in, so the final result may be a little overwhelming, but it’s worth following the steps and then ditching elements as you see fit. Of course, you don’t have to…

A good example of connected technology is Philips’ Hue lighting system, which you can control from smartwatches, mobile devices and – via third-party apps – Windows 10. The lights connect to a wireless hub that you connect to your wireless router, and you can then create light ‘recipes’ that change the colours (if you buy multi-colour bulbs or LED strips) and brightness. It’s one of several such systems and by far the best known. Rivals range from rubbish remote-controlled bulbs on eBay and supermarket shelves to Wemo smart switches and the impressive LIFX, whose Windows 10 universal app is imminent. That doesn’t mean its the best loved, however. While it’s great fun Hue isn’t cheap – a hub and three bulbs will set you back £149 – and when rivals…

The battery management features of Windows 10 are a big improvement over previous versions of the operating system. You can turn battery saver mode on and off manually, or have it kick in automatically. It’s easy to modify in the Settings app. Here we show you how to get more juice out of your battery, which means you can go on using working for longer when away from a power source.…

In a world where lots of things are super-sized, it’s sometimes good to pare back a little. This issue we look at some slim options that have all the power of the bigger players. The Dell XPS astounds with its diminutive size and larger-than-life power, as does the Origin EVO15-S on page 88. We also take a look at SJCAM’s latest handheld 4K video option, which gives the GoPro a run for its money. But if you do fancy going large, don’t worry – we’ve reviewed the latest UE Megaboom over on page 94. It’s looms large over its tiny predecessor and has the sound to match. Until next time!…